Well, some ways of obtain money from commissions, raffles and YCH are decided by the artists themselves. You have a vaild, truthful point in 1: Artists are brands but only the popfur-ones have that label. In my case, I'm not a popfur, I have less than 5 commissions per month (some months I'm in blank, raging myself in have hatred feelings in the people).
But I have this advantage: no saturation. Saturated commission list from some artists cause that pressure of complete each slot quickly, but cheap and crappy. It's impossible to do a complete color commission with shades and every stuff in 5 days because there will be mistakes in anatomy, color and composition, and some commissioners want changes and updates if something is wrong with their standards.
Taking in consideration design world is worst than this, because is not matter in how popular you are, is in how efficient the designer is.

You have a very good point. I suppose I'd rather have no pressure to finish commissions than a lot of pressure that comes with having a long list of commissions to finish.

The solution about that saturation of people would be delegating the slots to other artists whose are free in time. Popularism makes this not possible and in part is sometimes because popular artists also have daily needs as the non-popular ones. And saying "I have my commission list full, this other artist can do your pic" is hard to them. They are so worried in lose their potential customers than do better artwork.

But again, it's the notion of "artist as a brand". Some people pay for such-and-such artist to do an image for them, not necessarily the final product. They pay for the right to say such-and-such artist did a piece for them. It's just not the same if another artist creates the image they want, even if it's just as good (or better) than what the popular artist would have come up with.

In some cases, I feel a bit sorry for the artists when they have to find a way to choose a commission to work on, especially if they get known for a limited range of topics.
I mean, the artist doesn't want to turn down business or a friendly relationship, but sometimes, a guy just doesn't want to work on some dude's dick-in-ass, same-pose-as-15-others, commission.

They can afford to turn down work they don't like because there will be more work for them to choose from. If anything, their issue is not having enough hours in the day to do all the commission work they are solicited for.

Generally speaking, the furry fandom does operate under supply and demand. There isn't really high demand unless you -are- a more popular artist. (Just like in real life). Setting your prices too high will decrease demand, so you will notice that said popular artists will do commissions at higher prices, as people will pay those prices. Less popular artists, should they try the same, may find that they lose their customers. The industry standard for furry art is about $25-50 for a full color picture.

Customers will expect a good product. They expect to see that they are getting their money's worth. Since people have less disposable income, due to the economy, they are more inclined to be fickle about artwork. Customers have demands. Most want porn, and will shell out more money for that.

$25-$30 for a full-color picture is, quite frankly, absurd.

I can't speak for other artists, but it generally takes me anywhere from two to three days to finish a full-color image. That's generally somewhere between 10 to 15 hours of actual work. $30 for 15 hours worth of work equates to $2 an hour. I'm not saying art has to be priced at competitive free-market wages, but I'll be damned if I allow myself to work for such a pittance. (In my case there is also a material cost involved. Watercolor paper, paints, brushes, tape... all of that costs money. When all is said and done, I might actually end up at a net loss if I let myself work for those kinds of rates.)

The folks who do charge so little do a disservice to all other artists by driving the market wage down. Fair market value for private commissions shouldn't be pennies on the dollar. The economy has hit everyone hard. It's not like the artists have somehow become insulated from its adverse effects.

As I explained before, folks here expect the holy triumvirate of illustration (work that is fast, cheap, and good) from artists who aren't "popular". And those artists who are popular in all likelihood aren't making enough money to support themselves (I can't imagine a steady flow of furry commissions would provide enough money for anything resembling a comfortable living).

I've seen artists take only a few hours to complete a full color digital picture. I've watched them, literally, from start to finish. I agree, though that if it takes you longer, that's certainly something to consider. However, I do feel that comparing being an artist to being an hourly employee is misleading. It's entirely up to you on how long the artwork takes, or your skill level, as well as the level of detail present in a piece of artwork. On the other hand, the creation of artwork is a personal matter, and as such, the value can be a matter of personal preference.

The prices I quoted were for digital art, generally with a low overhead cost aside from the equipment and software. Naturally, I agree that physical, traditional media would cost considerably more, and feel that it should at -least- double the price. I should not have presumed that the artwork in question was digital format. I'm so used to artists using this format for coloring, since it's fairly common, that I based my prices off that model.

As far as 'aftermarket value' of artwork... In the eyes of a commissioner, the value of the artwork is typically sentimental. Unless the artwork has real and genuine merit as a stand-alone piece of artwork, I'm sorry to say, that it may not be worth anything at all. I work with art on a regular basis, and see how much people pay for paintings. It's not nearly as high as some of the websites like to claim. Honestly, I'd be surprised if 1 out of every 10 pictures is sold at these rates. I've seen a few galleries of unsold artwork that have been there for years. It's not pretty.

As far as 'maintaining a comfortable living'. Well, that's something that a LOT of people dream about isn't it? I encourage everyone to seek out this goal, but I doubt that a huge number of people will be able to maintain it. There's a reason why the 'starving artist' stereotype exists.

The quality of the work also has to be a consideration. If you're going to tell me that someone can create a high-caliber piece of artwork in a few hours, digital or traditional, I'm going to call shenanigans (then again, you and myself may have different definitions of "high-caliber", but that's a discussion for another day).

Someone who knocks out a scribble that has color on it should not be setting market values for those of us who naturally take much longer and put much more consideration into what we do. Simply because you assign no value to art does not mean that the art itself has no value. You are essentially saying that the time that we invest into the artwork is worth nothing except for what you deem it is worth. That is a very unfair way to treat the artists. For some of us this is more than just a hobby, and some of us do aim to create a genuine piece of artwork.

I grow tired of the entire line of reasoning that "that's the way things are, so if you don't like them, then go do something else", which is essentially what you're presenting to me. Obviously it would be nice to make a living doing what I love to do, but I know for a fact that it is not attainable doing furry art. It -is- attainable doing something like comics, fantasy, sci-fi or whatever else, as difficult as it may be to reach that level. But there is literally no way that anyone can create a living doing furry art, no matter how talented they are with their artwork or how smart they are with their business practice. I'm still trying to figure out how and why that is.

Well, he's not setting market value for something that is more detailed. This is why the value of artwork varies from person to person... -which- is something I mentioned in the first post I made. However, 'high caliber' is also varying from artist to artist. Again, I have watched artists produce surprising level of quality quickly. Speed varies (which I suspect as why artists get paid per work, rather than per hour) on artist. You can call shenanigans all you want. Look up 'speed artist' on you tube.

My argument isn't 'go do something else'. If I've discouraged you, you've read something into my writing that I've not put in. It's 'Here's how things -actually- are. Maybe it's not ideal, but it's not an ideal situation across the board.' Quite a few of these artists would love to do this for a real living, and be able to have a sustainable lifestyle. Some manage to do quite well. It -is- something people have done, and have been doing since the 1980s. Literally, there is a real and tangible way to make a living making art you love... because people -have- done it.

I'm not doubting that people can make a living doing what they love to do. I'm -seriously- doubting that it can be done within this fandom with the economic models that are in place, where "fair market value" is arbitrary or based almost exclusively on how efficient someone is in creating work that is just good enough rather than creating the best artwork that can be produced.

Doubt away, but myself, and my roommate both know people who make a living off of making art in the fandom.

You brought up supply and demand earlier. You also brought up 'quality art'. Currently, the market is asking for artwork at the values provided with the level of skill they are usually given. This is accepted as normal. More popular or elaborate works, with different media, will have varying prices, however, these methods will be considerably less commonly accepted by the market. Meaning that they are ultimately luxury items that will cost more, usually pricing it out of the budget of most of the fandom. While technically, you could make a living off of making this kind of artwork, you would be playing to a niche crowd, and likely held to different standards and requirements than the average furry.

This holds true in the market outside the fandom as well. The more bizarre and expensive your art is, the fewer people will purchase it. A lot of art galleries are created with the expressed purpose of displaying art, often with the hopes the catch the eye of someone who will purchase it. Rarely does the artwork go at the value the artist sets.

To put in perspective. I see people come into my work (as a custom framer) with fully painted oil canvases for $30-$70. The lower end price does not look bad, but are not high quality pieces of art. I've also seen nicer canvases go for closer to $500. These are uncommon, usually by a more famous local artist and of exceptional quality and style. It only makes sense that a similar mindset be given to artwork. I'm certain there are people who will look at the more expensive canvas and be 'Well, that's not worth $500. I wouldn't pay more than $50.' And I'm certain the artist has a few other canvases that did not sell at the original asking price.

Personally, I don't think 'fair market value' is based of effinciency as much as market. Most people can't afford art that is very expensive. Most artists are driven less by 'make me a living' and more by 'I want to be famous'. The two aren't always mutually exclusive, but they can change how a person approaches their art.

I would rather get an artwork that is worth hanging on a wall as a conversation piece or as a 'furry collection' than something involving buckets of sex. Of course, I would pay good money on it, and hopefully will be make payments on it. Some people ask for the entire thing, which is okay, but for folks who rather make installments, it does throw everything out the window.

I saw yesterday a Tweet saying how one person asked to refund a payment for a commission, which was done, only to find out that the commissioner, instead of buying essentials that he said was so desperately needed, commissioned another artist. That sort of thing really makes me wonder just why and how people think of their priorites.

I saw yesterday a Tweet saying how one person asked to refund a payment for a commission, which was done, only to find out that the commissioner, instead of buying essentials that he said was so desperately needed, commissioned another artist. That sort of thing really makes me wonder just why and how people think of their priorites.

I'm not going to lie - something like this doesn't surprise me. Not at all. And the sad thing is that the furry fandom seems to be the only place where behavior like this is condoned. If that were me, I would publicly call out the person in every available outlet possible. I would make sure that every single artist I knew, and every single artist I didn't know, knew who the guy was and knew not to ever take commissions from him.

It goes to the deeper issue of the fandom lacking the balls to stick up for any sort of moral code of conduct. There are no standards of acceptable behavior. That's why commissioners can get away with not paying, why (popular) artists can get away with not producing* and why everyone just sits back and watches the fandom operate like high school without any teachers or principals around. It should be a matter of principle. The artists should be looking out for each other, but they don't. They low-ball themselves to get a few more commissions, or they sit idly by while crap like that takes place without doing a damn thing about it. It makes me upset, and quite frankly ashamed, to be associated with a community where such appalling behavior is treated like business as usual.






*in before krhainos says something snarky about his 6-year-old commission that he hasn't actually paid me for

"Brand" is a word I overuse as an artist, for well back in the days when I was painting swirly colors, never once thinking I'd ever draw animal people. I was determined to have recognizable look/technique no matter what format I worked in. I wanted, when you had 20 artists put their work on the wall, for eyes to go to mine first. (And, ideally, like the piece.) That doesn't always mean obnoxiously showy - as I was never the most technically-adept guy anyway. I wanted familiarity. You scan the wall of students, no sure who did what, but you always know which is mine - for better or worse.

Art is over-saturated - especially in the furry fandom, where most of the population seems to *attempt* some art. That depresses prices to a ridiculous level (and increases client entitlement to scary levels too sometimes). At Intervention, my friends gawked at me hauling a big case of Copics around for table commissions. "But if you're largely unknown at furry cons, if you don't do color they just walk by!"

I don't have too much experience here, but I seem to observed that in the art community, there are the greats, and several mid-tier folks who learned from imitating the greats. Ok, well that's taken care of. I'll just do my cute, double-decker eye thing and be proud of it. That's how I brand myself. If you like that stuff, I'm your guy. And I hope enough badges get out there for folks to ask "Who did that?" so they can come to my table. I'd be ruined if I dared to twist myself to easier sales venues - I haven't practiced sexy, so any sexy I draw would be raw and awkward - so instead I'll act like I'm one of those NAMES you want. One day, maybe! (Hey, at MFF, I actually had folks come to my table for the art first - not even knowing I made a comic. NEVER thought that would happen.)

Heck, for branding, I wonder what would happen if I put a big "Family Friendly" sign up at my con table. That'd be an interesting experiment!

And one extra bit on prices: At FurTheMore, I had a discussion with someone about art prices. He was wondering why this established artist (older) was charging "high" (reasonable) prices, when he could get a custom badge for only $8 from another (young) artist who was also good. He didn't understand why artists would dare charge a living wage for work. And he had a DEALER tag on. His table featured chain mail and stuff like that, so art was a hobby in his mind.

His girlfriend was the artist, and what she'd do is offer very cheap art occasionally if she was a few bucks short on something. It was his observation that a lot of artists do panic sales, so why commission any at full price? He's right in some way. If you're an artist and you regularly hold sales, that sale price becomes your base price.

While new to furry stuff, I'm an older artist, so I can't spend too much time at hobby prices. I know I'm raising rates for the con season too, because my getting-to-know-you price levels were unsustainable. I'll take backlash, I'm sure, but I'd rather not undercut other artists and be part of the problem. Besides, those who commission you because your art is cheap don't come in to the transaction with the kindest of minds.

In a fandom where the clients are in position to abuse all mid and low-level artists, we'll see how that goes for me.

You make a lot of good points.

Branding as artist in the fandom goes beyond simply how your art looks. A lot of it has to do with subject matter. It's very, very easy to get pigeon-holed into doing the same thing over and over here because audiences demand certain things from artists. It's like that in a way in every fandom (for a while I was "the dwarf guy" on DeviantArt until I got sick of it), but I sense that it's way more pronounced here.

"But if you're largely unknown at furry cons, if you don't do color they just walk by!"

Just remove the "if you don't do color" part. I've found that trying to make a profit at furry cons without any sort of prior "internet cred" is a futile attempt.

Heck, for branding, I wonder what would happen if I put a big "Family Friendly" sign up at my con table. That'd be an interesting experiment!

I suspect you'd hear a lot of chirping crickets.

That's not to say "clean" work won't sell. It's just very particular forms of clean work. I shared a table with krhainos at AnthroCon in 2011. He was selling those "Android" avatar sets. He was completely swamped with work to the point where he had to turn away new commissions just to get all of them done. Myself? I didn't even cover the cost of my table, let alone the costs of transportation and lodging.

Another artist who I talked to (at Gen Con Indy) admitted that the work I do probably wouldn't be a good sell at conventions because there aren't many foxes, wolves or dragons in my portfolio. I had to concur.

If you're an artist and you regularly hold sales, that sale price becomes your base price.

And that's why I never put on "sales". Art is never time-sensitive, so why buy anything when you can just wait for it? I suppose that lowers the value of my own work, but then again I can't really compete with artists who charge pennies for what they do cost-wise. If it was a matter of artistic skill I could accept that. But truth be told I look at my work and look some artists who get as many commissions as they do and it simply doesn't add up.

We should definitely have a more thorough chat about this at InterventionCon. Are you going to be there this year?

You are right about name-recognition. I may be a teeny tiny blip on the fandom's radar, but at larger cons that's usually enough to run into enough readers for me to have a chance. (Smaller cons, aside from FurTheMore, have been deadly. Usually, small cons = party cons.) I have several friends with far more skill than me that can struggle at conventions, just because they don't have that big grabber project that is known. It's going to be interesting now that I'm going into my second year of cons, as breaking even is no longer enough for me. I haven't done as much to increase my presence in the community as I should, so AC will be telling.

(After the writing more stuff, I realized it was obvious/implied/already stated elsewhere here, so I'll delete it and give you a knowing *nod*)

I will be at Intervention again! Haven't worked out the rooming situation yet, but I'll be there. My brother's place is an hour's Metro ride away, and my roomies from last year aren't attending this year. (The couple from Duae Designs will be, though.) It looks like Ahmed of Silent Pirate will be my table buddy this time. Wonder how close he lives? Maybe I should butter him up! Sales were super-slow last year, but I had more fun than at any other con just talking to all the artists after hours. I want to go back and keep feeding that con positive energy until dealer traffic matches the enjoyment levels!

If I haven't thanked you properly yet, thank you for reconnecting me with Cara Mitten. We had a chance to talk a bit at MFF, and I got to blame her for being the one who sent me down the furry path in person! Ok, so it was only a few brief chats due to a busy con, but I feel happier for it.

Intervention isn't a convention for making money, it's a convention for making connections and reaching out to other artists. I'm glad to hear you will be there again this year.

This is very accurate and it really present my own concerns about the fandom that i have since a very long ago, and you've put it in words better than i ever could.

What is true for myself is that recently i tried to change how i "work" and take a different approach, or to see myself as a brand. Which imo is a good approach if you're trying to do business here. And with that there is a high price to pay when it comes to expressing opinions for me. Over the years of testing what i can and cannot do or say in this online part of the fandom, i have found out some things that i can't say publicly because people will get offended or not agree with things i have to say. So the best solution i have found is to set boundaries and maintain a win-win situation where i don't have to deal with nonsense, and the customer gets what they want.

I have been thinking about doing clean art. Obviously we all can do it but it's in such low demand that it's absurd. I do have my own feelings about it, but i can't deny the fact that it's not what people in this fandom want. And i rarely get commissioned for something clean, which is probably because of how my watchers perceive me or think that's everything i am good for. And a part of me doesn't really resist it, because i think porn is fun (most of the time).

Another good point is what Kenji said. The reason for my raffles is also oversaturation. However, i don't think this is because of my popularity. The way i see it i am not a very popular person as i don't get involved with the community much nowadays. It's not because i think i am better than anyone else, i was never like that, it's just that we all have our lives to live and interests to follow, and i would rather devote my time to that than participate in memes and chat with people online all day about their problems so that someone would say "Oh that tao is such a swell guy". The most social i ever get is on twitter and this is only because i have it on my phone. But getting art from certain popular artists is i guess a matter of prestige, which is something that i really don't like. A few times i had people commission me, but not because they like my work, it was because they have some money, and i opened a slot, so why not, and they can say they commissioned TaoRen once.

But yes, popularity. I have noticed that a lot of the prices are proportional to how many watchers someone has / their popularity, no matter what their skill is. Some prices are even fair because they provide a very good service to their commissioners and it is a positive experience to work with them. And the other kind are assholes who have so many fans that they can afford messing up every commission they have because there will always be people to give them money. it isn't something that i personally like, but it is what it is.

I have talked to NeonGrizzly about this, where i told him that when i charge $50 for a one colored character, i think that is fair, because i have set some rules people have to abide by and 50 dollars is a lot of money in my opinion. But a lot of times i am under the impression that i undercharge for the service i provide as i compare myself to some artist who i don't know personally, but i see their work here and there, hear how they treat their commissioners. But i brush that off fast, as i believe it is just none of my business how they conduct their own business. And if the "commissioner community" is supporting that kind of behavior, it is not my place to say anything. As i have said in my journal i am hoping that people notice through my hard work and dedication and see that i am the right choice where they should invest their money in, rather than that other "brand".

My biggest concern about these raffles is that, yes everyone has a equal chance of getting a slot, and yes, a lot of people who dont get the slot will probably get mad or left out if they really wanted to slot.
However, maybe i don't present myself as such, but i am a pretty reasonable person, and i am open for discussion. If someone REALLY wanted that slot, and not just be like "ok why not ill get that slot", they can email me. In the end this is like a business and it's all about the money. Give me a good offer, and i will tell you if i can or cannot do it.

On a related note about money is how the logic is upside down. People are willing to spend 500 dollars on a YCH auction, but they won't email their fav artist and say "Hey look, i have 400 bucks and id like you to do this custom made art piece for me if you are interested". If people approached me with a reasonable offer, not just me but any artist they like, the artist will most probably say yes and give them a slot just because it's more worth my time than what i offer normally.

People are willing to spend 500 dollars on a YCH auction, but they won't email their fav artist and say "Hey look, i have 400 bucks and id like you to do this custom made art piece for me if you are interested". If people approached me with a reasonable offer, not just me but any artist they like, the artist will most probably say yes and give them a slot just because it's more worth my time than what i offer normally.

I've proposed that several times, but every time I try to do that the response is "well your prices are too high".

What REALLY gets me upset is when people ask me to do commissions for them, then get upset that my prices are what they are. Then I see those same people giving commissions to artists who I know are charging more than I am (sometimes for lower quality work!)

STOP WHINING

Also, commissioning artists for bragging rights is weird and new to me

Now I'm going to copy paste this to your journal.

I tend to stick with a couple of artists for commissions now, because I know they're reliable and good, most others I find to be either very annoying, or not as good as I'd hoped, and I am very picky.

The notion of people wanting something that's Fast, Cheap and Good will always be there, for me I'm happy enough with Good art, expense isn't an issue.

I'm happy enough with Good art, expense isn't an issue.

You are one of a few, it would seem.

Yes he is... Humph !

The economics of the furry fandom are quite strange, as you've said. Unrealistic expectations of rock-bottom pricing combine with many cases of certain artists producing Veblen goods (i.e., their services are in higher demand purely because they are expensive status symbols, defying traditional economic expectations).

Also - and I will say I'm not picking on anyone in saying this - a lot of people complain about everything and there is a widespread entitlement mentality. If an artist does not quote what someone thinks is a fair price, they will complain and sometimes even raise public drama about it. I can't imagine why a lot of artists just withdraw and don't interact much after they get burned enough times (only to then be branded as "elitist." :P )

Frankly, most people need to raise their prices. By orders of magnitude. This becomes an issue when a modest price to you and me here in the USA may translate into a king's ransom to an artist in a 2nd-world country, and the latter just doesn't feel a need to charge that much. Another consideration is that there are a lot of artists who are supremely skilled who just don't want to price themselves out of what their younger fans can afford; they want to give everyone a chance to commission something from them, so they deliberately keep prices low.

I don't know of any way to solve these problems, but as the fandom continues to grow, and as more artists are placed under impossible demands, perhaps pricing structure will gradually come more into line with reality.

I will also say that I wish porn and fetishes were not nearly so prevalent in this fandom (the fetishistic focus is new; it was virtually nonexistent a decade ago), but that battle was lost ages ago.

Lots of good points.

Another consideration is that there are a lot of artists who are supremely skilled who just don't want to price themselves out of what their younger fans can afford; they want to give everyone a chance to commission something from them, so they deliberately keep prices low.

Again, they do themselves and other artists a disservice. They contribute to the problem of price deflation. People assume that since their work only cost $20 to commission, their work is only worth $20.

Of course, some artists counteract that by only doing $20 worth of work on a $20 commission, using the low price to justify putting out half-assed art because they know their fans will still +fav it and they will still get more attention for it. They understand that the principle of meritocracy has little bearing in the fandom and that their popularity should insulate them from any adverse effects of creating a sub-par product.

I don't know of any way to solve these problems, but as the fandom continues to grow, and as more artists are placed under impossible demands, perhaps pricing structure will gradually come more into line with reality.

I remain skeptical. As the fandom grows, more young people are being brought into the fold. I don't mean to discriminate by age, but it seems that a lot of the younger generation (look at me talk like an old fart - sometimes I have to remind myself I'm only 26) doesn't really care about aesthetics or artistic vision. They just want furry porn, regardless of quality. The rate of consumption becomes astronomically higher. Maybe I'll be proven wrong. Who knows? But I don't see the market correcting itself anytime soon.

I agree and actually never considered this idea as to why people raffle their spots off. At first I thought it was all about one lucky winner being chosen to pay someone for art, but this makes more sense.

Truthfully, I blame the entire economics of this fandom on the commissioners. It's the commissioners fault that many artists still get away with selling adoptables (Which I consider to be a big rip-off) and supporting really bad artists/people. I'm not saying all artists are bad people, but it amazes me how too many people will white knight some douche with a god-complex who c an't take any form of critique just because they can draw really good but never want to improve or accept their flaws.

Other than that, I think the fandom's economics are fine.
When you really consider it, this is pretty much how regular economics works. People always expect fast, cheap, and good results, because everyone believes these have to come together otherwise you're not doing your job and only settle when they feel like it. And now they don't have to choose because companies are competing and trying to do better than their competion, and now we're here, a world filled with over-entitled pricks pushing working men to the bone.
Also, in the real world people buy stupid things and no one knows why people choose to support bad companies who treat their employees and/or customers poorly. So, anything that can be said about fandom economics can be said about the real thing.

Yes! Well said!

There are hardly any consequences for bad business practice assuming you have a suitable "following" to insulate yourself from any backlash. There will always be someone sucking up to the popular folks trying to get them to do free art for them (and I know this to be the case from nearly a decade in this fandom - it happened back then and it still happens to this day).

Comparing macro economics (real life) to micro economics (FA) doesn't work, since FA is such a small and insulated community. It's not really worth trying to apply what happens in a world of seven billion people to a fandom that has at the most several thousands.

Of course, for some reason people have that idea that being nice to people who they think is better than them will result in them being BFF's who get free art and/or this will put them on the map of fame rather than actually try to do something noteworthy and earn people's attention/respect. I guess everyone grew up thinking being nice means you deserve to be rewarded.

I don't know, I feel like it's a pretty possible comparison considering there's not much of a difference between the fandom and real world economics. Also because I never heard of macro and micro economics and they don't sound all too different.

This is reminding me of all those ridiculous YCH auctions. Some people will pay up a large sum of money for a generic, preposed, position by which if the highest bidder wins has little to no freedom to express some edits to be made. Yet people complain about spending $60.00 or more for a more well paced piece, which the artist has a obligation to give you updates and feedback on completing it. Plus there's too many damn YCHs! It was a small thing, but now it's blown outta proportion like adoptables.

Also I don't understand the way how some just commission artists for art just because they can and prove LOOK AT ME, AH GATS FURREH ARTS FRUM SO AND SO, DURR! As for me, I commission artists because I like their art, and think their good folks who could use support, so I always say for them to go watch them and/or buy something from them if you can.

...

And also, I know... SFORZANDO VS. RHODNEY ... which I was supposed to do like... 4 years ago?

Three and a half. :B

At times, I wonder how good the furry fandom is, given the bad fruits the furry fandom gives.

Me, I do not mind a wait for my goods, hence I prefer cheap and good. (At times, I see someone give fabulous art, hence I would rather save up no matter the price. In other words, the good over-rides the cheap.)

#1 is a sad reality. Of course, I wonder about what brand I would be, since I plan on developing 3 styles in the future. (Sudo I know that I have to learn proper drawing technique first; I was speaking for the future.)

'The Devil' (a former mentor of mine) also regretted #2, though I myself see mostly clean artists offering commissions. [To explain this, my interests probably had me remain in a 'circle' of clean artists (if you consider fat and inflation clean). I am not interested in pornography, hence I stay away. I am interested in 'cute' fat art, hence I stay with them. Therefore, I form a 'bubble' of clean artists.]

To be honest, there are a few artists that I want to commission. The problem is that I prefer to go for 'emergency commissions,' since I rarely want to buy art from someone. I am usually content with seeing someone's art. That happens to be the case with you, though I kiinda wish for you to upload more. Then again, this is probably the reason why I should buy from you...
There is also the fact that there are times in which I want the artist's take on one of my fan-characters which would violate copyright (even worse) if I pay money for other artists to draw. (In this case, I prefer art-trades or even requests for 'commissioning' art of my fan-characters.)