FA+
Shop
I need advice!
13 years ago
General
Someone commissioned me a couple weeks ago for a fully colored piece and was extremely dissatisfied with the result (didn't match a few refs since they were feral and I don't draw ferals in adult situations, clearly stated in my TOS, my anatomy was bad, I made one character look too similar to another breed, and I drew the bottom in a bottoming position from the top although he had wanted him in a topping position, which was a misunderstanding on my part).
One of his main complaints was that I hadn't sent him a WIP sketch, which isn't really a practice I follow having been cheated on it before and seeing so many other people go through similar issues. Had he requested this prior to me starting the commission I'd have been glad to work it out for him, but it isn't something I do by default. I let him know this and he made it clear that was not acceptable.
I responded to his initial three notes within fifteen minutes stating that while I unfortunately can't redraw the whole piece for him (while I see why he was upset and I feel bad it wasn't what he wanted, I did work pretty hard on it and was fairly proud of the finished product) I'd be happy to offer him another piece of free lineart more according to his specifications with the option to have it colored either by me or by a better colorist. I told him that if he wanted it colored by me I'd knock the price down to $10, which is cheaper than what I know some other artists charge for colors alone; all I was asking was to be paid for about half of my time.
His reply stated that he thought it was a disservice on my part to expect more payment when my initial product had been so disappointing in the first place. He also requested that the finished product be removed permanently from FA as he felt it reflected badly on his character as such a poor portrayal. I told him I'd still be very happy to do the lineart for him and I'd send him a sketch by tonight and removed the previous commission from my page.
I'd simply offer a refund if I could, but sadly I can't afford to do that much work for free and I feel that getting two pieces for the price of one (even if one wasn't exactly what he wanted) is a pretty decent compromise. I'm worried about the free lines as it is, since I think part of the problem is that I'm simply not as well developed as an artist as he would like. I'm not sure if he just saw a single example that was somehow exceptional, or if he didn't look at my gallery, but I'm very concerned that maybe this commissioner expects more out of me than I'm capable of. This isn't me self-bashing, it's just that I need a lot more practice and experience before I can compare to most of those artists. Judging by the quality of the references he sent me he's used to commissioning people with more skill than myself. I do plan to work very hard and do the best work I possibly can on the replacement lines.
My question for you guys is, am I handling this situation properly? Should I color the piece for free to appease him or stand by my TOS and hope it's good enough? I'm trying to be as professional as I can be, but I can't help feeling a little helpless about the whole situation. I'm open to any and all suggestions, as this'll help me out a lot if this situation crops up in the future as well.
Thanks!
One of his main complaints was that I hadn't sent him a WIP sketch, which isn't really a practice I follow having been cheated on it before and seeing so many other people go through similar issues. Had he requested this prior to me starting the commission I'd have been glad to work it out for him, but it isn't something I do by default. I let him know this and he made it clear that was not acceptable.
I responded to his initial three notes within fifteen minutes stating that while I unfortunately can't redraw the whole piece for him (while I see why he was upset and I feel bad it wasn't what he wanted, I did work pretty hard on it and was fairly proud of the finished product) I'd be happy to offer him another piece of free lineart more according to his specifications with the option to have it colored either by me or by a better colorist. I told him that if he wanted it colored by me I'd knock the price down to $10, which is cheaper than what I know some other artists charge for colors alone; all I was asking was to be paid for about half of my time.
His reply stated that he thought it was a disservice on my part to expect more payment when my initial product had been so disappointing in the first place. He also requested that the finished product be removed permanently from FA as he felt it reflected badly on his character as such a poor portrayal. I told him I'd still be very happy to do the lineart for him and I'd send him a sketch by tonight and removed the previous commission from my page.
I'd simply offer a refund if I could, but sadly I can't afford to do that much work for free and I feel that getting two pieces for the price of one (even if one wasn't exactly what he wanted) is a pretty decent compromise. I'm worried about the free lines as it is, since I think part of the problem is that I'm simply not as well developed as an artist as he would like. I'm not sure if he just saw a single example that was somehow exceptional, or if he didn't look at my gallery, but I'm very concerned that maybe this commissioner expects more out of me than I'm capable of. This isn't me self-bashing, it's just that I need a lot more practice and experience before I can compare to most of those artists. Judging by the quality of the references he sent me he's used to commissioning people with more skill than myself. I do plan to work very hard and do the best work I possibly can on the replacement lines.
My question for you guys is, am I handling this situation properly? Should I color the piece for free to appease him or stand by my TOS and hope it's good enough? I'm trying to be as professional as I can be, but I can't help feeling a little helpless about the whole situation. I'm open to any and all suggestions, as this'll help me out a lot if this situation crops up in the future as well.
Thanks!
To answer your question, from what you have said and from my own moral standing I would say that you have handled the situation perfectly. You offered a compromise that would work out fair for both parties so personally I think you should stick to your TOS and show that, whilst being reasonable, you are not a complete and utter pushover.
However I will say this, whilst we can all give you advice, the final decision is down to you, as you probably already know >.<
I know im only 19 and not amaizgly 'street wise' as they say but thats my 2 cents.
^Why say something in 10 words when you can say it in hundreds?
it is the commissioners own responsibility to read the TOS and to know what to expect.
you have been quite reasonable in what you did, but don't let them push you over.
once it has happened once you might start to attract people that exploit this and become "unhappy with it" on purpose to get stuff.
if you want to be sure they read your TOS you could try a "Read the TOS and send me the keyword hidden between the terms in it before you can commission me" thing.
ive seen Sugarcat use it and it seems kinda effective. they then can't claim they never read the TOS!! :P
If Carrot was drawn being dominant and topping someone, I'm sure he'd expect the artist to fix it.
I agree if it is artists error it should be fixed by the artist, you are correct. Then again, if an artist messes up my picture so bad that I hate it, I usually just say "Thanks" and never post it XD. I don't like making artists do extra work after they've already completed something. I don't believe that MY viewpoint in that matter should apply to all commissioners though.
However in this situation, the commissioner apparently wanted to be topping a feral character ( which Bee has stated in her ToS that she doesn't want to do ). He didn't mention this in the original commissioning process. So now he wants it fixed to a feral character being topped by his character. There were assumptions made on both sides that were wrong.
I love your art so much that I have to STEAL IT from you.
Did you ever count up your arts? I want percentages. :c
But still, like what CarrotWolf said; just accept the art and don't post it online.
(Heck, i've once got a bad portrait of me by my friend, i've yet to show it, but kept it though)
Basically he's looking for an art style I'm incapable of providing and what it comes down to is that I need to draw completely outside my range of capabilities and preferences in order to please this commissioner.