I usually give 6 months or so before I start getting antsy about it, but I understand that some people lead busier lives than others.

It depends. For me I get antsy when it's been a few months because I know how life can get for people. If I send them a note asking for an update and get a response back I don't feel too bad, but if they're ignoring my notes then I get more antsy. Especially if this carries on for a while.

I know that right now I have been posting stuff while I've been getting commissions done. I've posted a couple of personal works, but tried to keep them to myself until I get stuff done. I try to keep posted with my commissioners as well, trying to keep with them until I can get their pieces done. :x Work swamped me and I wasn't able to really do many commissions, and I've been communicating with my commissioners and they've understood ;_;

\o/ That's just me though lol.

Ah yeah, I really hate when you note someone, and they don't answer, yet keep posting stuff, or faving stuff. And you just thing "dude, I know you've seen my note". But I'm generally cool if they give me a reply too.
If you communicate with your commissioners properly, that is definitely the way to go. Good job c:
I always try not to take on too much at once because I have a job, and I do university full time too, which leaves minimal time for digital arting (which sucks butt). But I always note my commissioners individually about their stuff~

Yeah. I'm guilty of doing that only because of mobile reasons when I try to reply to notes on the phone and I think they send but they dont. >.< I mentally note myself to reply to them as soon as I get home though, since I know I can't post anything that I've drawn until I get home anyways.
Yeeeee. Communication is the best and it especially keeps folks from making mistakes on the commissions. -w- I've saved my butt a couple of times doing so~ Plus it's nice to give wips and stuff and get feedback. =3=
My only problem was I didn't realize my job was going to wreck my sleep schedule and everything. ;_; The first few weeks of my job (that I...ended up quitting because of reasons <_>) I was working 4-12 so I was wiped when I went to bed.
But yeah depending on the amount of work/people I have under my commissioner list. I either try to note them or send out a journal since 99% of the people that commission me are watching me. I do understand that people dont read journals though, oops...

Waited over a year before and got one pending now which will take forever.

I get it because they are busy and the one now is well kinda not up for arting so cant force the creative on them

i waited about a year and a half and got one so id say a while XD

I would definitely not be comfortable waiting that long, omg.
And if I were the person commissioned for that, I'd honestly feel absolutely terrible about it.

yeah.. i ended up getting it free in the end though, i honestly forgot about it for the longest time

I'm still waiting on one 15 dollar sketch commission that I commissioned 12/24/11. It had been almost 3 years. I've managed to get into contact with the artist a few times, and gave an idea each time but it seems they went ignored. I paid for the commission to help out but then more journals about commissions popped up for either a different or recurrng problem. I was sympathetic at first but then stopped caring when it became apparent I would not get what I paid for.

Yeah, that's really annoying.
I find quite a few people go to commissioners when they can't pay their bills or whatever, and they get the money they needed, but then are super slack getting the owed artwork back. Totally unprofessional.

I may be out of my rights, whatever they are, on the matter, but having to wait so long, I feel that sketch commission should be elevated to full color, shading, etc.

3 months - 90 Days - 1 Quarter of a year.
Things happen, I perfectly understand, artists are humans and want to live their lives too, I understand, but unless a good excuse is given, much less an update, there is no excuse in my mind why they can't be done in at least this timeframe.

And I dont accept 'bad excuses' that pretty much say 'Im putting it off', and I especally hate those theat create an outstanding queue, and try take more commissions that they end up doing way before those they owe, just because 'they need more money' (Or there are instances that some of these people do things and take on responsibilities they have no busness doing and it burns a deeper hole in their pockets)
Its like....this is your JOB (for most anyway) and your putting it and your customer off for X reason and make them wait an exsessive amount of time. Then you complain about money issues and take on more work. Or they dont have time to draw or get anythign done, but then they can create Preposes/ych/tcby to sell off for more money....I dont buy it.....
That almost immediatly turns me off to commissionign ANYbody.
So far Ive run into 3 artists that have done this.

Sometimes I feel like an asshole for having this standard, but with the crap ive gone through, id be a saint not to develope standards lol

I completely agree with you.
I'm currently chasing up an artist whom I've waited 3+ months on two pieces of art from and they very often post YCHs and continuously post journals seeking more work when they haven't done what they owe. It does bug me, I'll be honest.

That just burns me up, not just me, but ANYbody who goes through that.
So far...I think longest Ive waited for is 1 year 10 months......and counting....she had just recently got her own place and had a baby by now.
But before that was announced, she left us all in the dark for Months on end, then made a journal saying "Furries are rude" because it had gotten to a point where some thought they wern't going to get their art, asked for updates with no real answers, and asked for refunds.

Now Ive waited so long, that I dont think Ill get my money back....but with the last few images she made (including a recent Guardians of the Galaxy fanart) I can at least create the illussion in my mind, that whenever she gets to me, it will still be a great quality work.

I never really commissioned anyone, but for the people that commissioned me I always try to get things done as soon as possible. I have been told that people don't mind waiting months, I have had someone wait 6 months for a painted piece by me, but he also seemed very happy with the fact that I was sending him WIPs.

I dunno though, I encourage people asking for WIPS and stuff from me though, keeps me working lol and I like showing it off as I go :)

I never know what to do about personal art though, I always feel bad about working on personal art while people are waiting on commissions, but doing nothing but commissions can really ware you down and you just start hating it after a while. I post them every once in a while but I'm always afraid people will get frustrated with me when I'm posting them instead of the stuff that was paid for.

3 months for furs I don't know personally/in person. 6 months for furs I know in person. :)

I'm really patient so I'll wait as long as a need to as long as they've given me no reason to think they won't ever do it.
And I won't ask about it if they prefer not to. And I also don't mind if they do others before mine.
I prefer to do things on my own time and in the order I feel, so I'm not going to ask others to do the same.

Amanda said it really well. I'll usually wait 6 months from the start of the commission to get antsy, but as long as the artist stays in contact I'd be ready to wait longer.

I've commissioned some artists and never heard anything from them (even after noting them) or got any art that I had already paid them for.

Yeah, that's real shitty. Ugh. I feel for you.
I think as long as the artist goes out of their way to contact you. Specifically you. Not through journals. Then it's okay (y)

Word. It's always a bit of kindness to add a shout to someone's page (Hey, here's your art) or to answer a note with "I need more time" or "I'll have it out in a few hours".

Right now I'm struggling with an artist that said they'd have my commissioned art out in 3-4 hours, but that was 12 days ago. How can I trust them? XD

Ugh. Yeah, I've had that happen to me several times as well. I'm sure they didn't vanish for the sake of getting away with the money I paid them, but it really is shitty to leave the community when you have due commissions, without even posting a journal that they were leaving.

It all depends on if the artist keeps in touch, or at least posts journals in regard to where they stand on completing commissions.

Generally, I don't start getting annoyed until 1 year is up. I understand how RL can affect motivation and muse, and I always want the artist to have fun with the commission.

Once it hits 2 years (I currently have over 15 commissions I've paid for, which I have been waiting over 2 years on), I basically write it off and never expect to see the art. Every 6 months I send out a note to every artist I've been waiting on, asking if they wish to change the idea or offer a refund. I usually only get replies from 1/4 of them, apologizing for how slow things were going and that they'll get to it very soon. Several have since vanished from FA, DA, and every other place they used to have accounts with.

The most frustrating is indeed when you see the artist posting art and taking on new commissions, with still nothing of mine in sight. This is particularly bad, when all I'm looking for is a character pic or bust shot. Nothing complex. No background. No fetishes involved. Just a picture of a character, yet years going by with nothing.

I should add that I don't pressure artists, because I don't want them to rush something together, just to get it done. Personally, I'd rather not get any art, than receive something crappy they did, just to fulfill their obligation.

Also, I actually had one person who took 2 1/2 years to get to one of my commissions, and then actually had the nerve to ask for more money, because their skills had improved during all that time I was waiting.

They seriously asked for /more/ money just because they had taken two and a half years just to get to your commission? Jesus Christ, I would have raged so hard.
I can't believe some artists, really. Ugh.

Yeah, it was definitely an ugh moment. Needless to say, I'll never be commissioning them again.