Sometimes an artist gets paid for a commission, and everything looks fine - but then they get stuck actually creating the work, even if it seemed trivial at the time. I've experienced situations like this. Artists are not machines, and sometimes they just get completely stuck on one piece - even if they can still produce others.

I've had two artists that I've paid in full, who never delivered. It wasn't a lot of money, in the $50 range. Eventually I just wrote it off and stayed friendly with the artists. I didn't ask for my money back, and I'm not at all bothered about it. In over 200 commissions, a failure rate of under 1% is easily tolerated.

On the other hand, I've had artists who remembered me, even two years or more after payment; and some of these works are among the finest in my collection. Some artists feel like they owe me more, just because of my patience - and the effort they put in really shows!

Overall, I prefer a hassle free relationship with the artist. I almost always pay in advance, just so I don't have to worry about my end of the deal. Then I just let them do their thing. So far it has worked for me, and I'm lucky never feeling that I've had to pursue a debt.

Sadly, I've been unemployed for over two years, and much of the supply of commission money has dried up. I do have some art that I ordered before losing my job, which I haven't posted yet. And I couldn't resist ordering a small commission a few weeks ago. So there will be something to see when I get my finger out.

Oddly, it often seems that I'm busier now than when I had paid 'work' to do. But it's a lot more enjoyable.