Nyanto

piece: http://www.furaffinity.net/view/27874461/

Summary:
Price: affordable
Attitude of artist: very professional, maybe a little robot like
Quality: as advertised
Quoted Time: about a week, delivered on time
WIP?: yes
Bonus: ---

i went to Nyanto as a favor to another artist and was glad that i did, though Nyanto seemed a little robotic to me it was nice to at least have the level of professionalism i suppose. the commission started out me being routed to a commission form which kind of felt like 'take a number' i get with some artists and it felt impersonal and an immediate proposal to review terms of service, a copy pasted Note back to my interest really. if you dont enjoy the banter and talking to people like an instant friend like i enjoy doing then this may not bother you.

in terms of price i didnt spend as much as i might have assumed, Nyanto has beautiful style and art for a price well manageable. the quality didnt falter from other work i had seen produced and it was nice to see that i wasnt a special case of bad circumstance.

i was quoted about two weeks if memory serves and i received it within that time

the WIP was a good first impression, it wasnt as if i had to guess where the art was going or what its final form would be. though Nyanto was unsure where to go with the clothing i liked what they had proposed without any direction as i am a fan of giving artists some freedom to let Sev inspire them as they see fit. however i made mention of the top Sev is wearing in the picture and was a little disappointed that my idle thought apparently made Nyanto scrap their original clothing choice. i felt that way because the art came back to me in swift time, as if the moment they read it they just adhered to a whimsical thought rather than enjoying Sev as inspiration. more so it just felt like more of the soulless robot sensation.

from personal insight i know Nyanto has a lot on their plate. that being said; i wouldnt hold my experience against them in a negative light...just a grey one. id like to see more joy from them, some symbol of life that they love their art and what they do.

to you the reader? if you want some good art for good price and dont mind an impersonal 'you are a number' sort of vibe then i think you'll be satisfied with Nyanto ^^

~as always, i reserve the right to add or redact anything i choose

piece: http://www.furaffinity.net/view/26232961/

Summary:
Price: worth the price
Attitude of artist: warm when communicating and somewhat communicative, more of a friend in tone than just an artist out for a buck
Quality: exactly as expected, proposed and advertised. very good
Quoted Time: no quoted time, but expedient
Bonus: extra mile for a color pallet

Roku is someone ive followed for a while and i have always enjoyed their art with a bit of a fondness for how 'soft' they make some of their art look. a character can be portrayed as several ways but when it comes to drawing a femboy, sometimes it takes a certain kind of artist.

ill admit that this was the second time i have commissioned Roku and i have expressed with them that the first bit of art i had gotten from them left me feeling underwhelmed and disappointing. their response was nothing less than stellar, they were not defensive or accusatory, they understood my expressed concerns and like me, wished to move forward. a bust piece can be hard to capture the character or OC that is the topic piece, it keeps the artist from being able to feel the rest of the emotion and i dont blame Roku for stumbling on the bust piece i ordered from them first, they did what they could with what they had and without a ref sheet.

when i requested a second commission i requested that the first be ex-sponged from memory, i didnt wish for the other piece to influence the second piece i ordered. Roku was apologetic but clearly willing to move on and earn the respect they obviously felt they were due. as a bonus i received a sketch from them and i was really able to see just how well Sev could be portrayed as a femboy when given the right outfit. i gave specific instructions for the piece for two reasons, firstly; i wanted to control the artwork a little to ensure that if i was displeased with the second piece that it was on me or Roku and did not leave any question. and the second reason was because i REALLY wanted that awesome dress and a picture with Cat (the fishes name is Cat)

what appealed to me about the commission was, well, a lot of it. the facial expression hit me first. the obvious peek at Sevs ass, but it was really just the heart in the speech bubble that made me really feel the artwork. it matched the little nervous curve in the lip. this is the first piece ive ordered where the intent is to have Sev be a little seductive rather than simply joyful like other arts.

when i get art that makes me feel like i didnt waste my money and makes me feel closer to my OCs i tend to get a little teary and that is what happened with this piece that i am happy to call the 'first' commission from Roku rather than sully any experience by remembering the first as anything more than a warm up doodle. the price was perfect for what i got and i really think they ask for the money they deserve for their art.

as a side note: Roku is extreamly personable in notes and never made me feel like i was a bother, that is why i felt more like a friend giving another friend money as a thankyou rather than as a payment.

as a recommendation to the artist? honestly? i cant think of anything. everything was handled as id have liked and although someone may be able to pick out something in the art to be a little anal about, its small things that make art great. when its too perfect well...it losses something. i could nit pick about maybe..ermm..i guess that Sevs ass is a little high up? but in truth? i LOVE how it looks. a little peek at an ass that might be if you could just get a little lower of an angle and its that lack of angle that makes the facial expression that much better.

i was on a time limit for getting art from another artist and as a panic i asked Roku to make up a color pallet from the artwork as a semi-ref sheet and they happily obliged within 24 hours and did it FREE of charge none the less! i couldnt let that slide and at least sent them a tip of 5$ for their work. if they were trying to win back a patron than they deffenatly did that. i can only hope that selfless kindness is just how they are and not a result my my initial upset at the first peice....but really i dont think thats the case.

yes, as it goes, i reccomend this artist and really theyve taken a place to being one of my favorates. i dont favor an artist on skill alone, a smart man doesn't marry someone on looks alone. to call roku a favorate artist is to put confidence in their personality and it is my pleasure to put them in that category and i am infinantly glad that i gave it a second chance rather than write them off...it would have been a mistake i couldnt understand

i asked for the work to be emailed to me and that was done without issue as well. i really do plan on commissioning them again but i am currently financing a trip to Japan and so i have to pick and choose these days

*as always i reserve the right to edit or delete this as i see fit

-Aphekt-

 Vilikir

Piece: http://www.furaffinity.net/view/24916751/

Summary:
Price: worth the price and then some
Attitude of artist: professional, warm when communicating and somewhat communicative
Quality: exactly as expected, proposed and advertised. very good
Quoted Time: no quoted time, but expedient


Vilikir put up a journal entry putting their art at just under half the value in which they normal ask for (according to their entry) upon seeing the quality of their art i knew had i to jump on this deal. it required some financial finagling but i made sure this happened.

Sev is my first Sona, he is closest to my heart and by that i am fairly protective of how he is represented but at the same time i am also delight when an artist is able to be given a bit of free reign to try something new and practice stretching their creative muscles which i imagine are clipped at times with how protective people can be with their Sonas and OCs. i try not to be domineering but i am certain i came off as such during our correspondence. Vilikir took my over protectiveness with stride and maintained a communicative and professional manner.

i gave a few guidelines for Vilikir to work with, the setting, the pose, the finger heart. but i also provided older works of Sev to give them inspiration but left the rest to them. i do this because i LOVE to see how my own Sonas make an artist feel and how inspired they can be. Vilikir spoke briefly that they enjoyed working with the character but were particularly proud of the background (which they should be!) this told me though that Sev did not terribly appeal to them. other comments in the picture spoke of it looking 'strange but cute' this doesnt terribly bother me, everyone is entitled to their opinion but it makes me think 'why?'

the thing(s) that appeal to me in this picture are the obvious things like the background and the lighting. these things MAKE the picture, it gives the shading to Sev more depth and meaning. it is both magical and yet simple, it allows the viewer to feel as little or as much as they like which trying to jam it down their throat.

one thing of note i find most delightful about the piece is that the 'hand heart' Sev is doing is mildly imperfect. this makes the art even more valuable to me because it seems more real and organic. Sev tail is larger and floofier than maybe most would like but for me the tail is exactly as i imagine it. Sevs tail has always been described as being as long as he was tall and just as wide and this is captured perfectly.

the coloring is darker than i had in my mind but thanks to my desire to leave it in Vilikirs' hands the darker tones work much better than i thought, the same go for the eyes.

Sev is described to every artist as being "your best friend" he is suppose to capture the emotion of joy and delight, hes someone you WANT to be friends with because he wants so badly to be your friend in return, that level of delight is hard to capture and i think Vilikir did fairly well, i cannot offer advice on how to better capture it.

i deffenatly recommend this artist, at discount or at their normal asking price, they were swift in delivery and professional. i didnt feel as if i bonded to them as i tend to enjoy doing with my commissions. i was just another customer, this makes me feel a little bland but there is no reason why Vilikir should befriend a random commissioner, its probably just me romanticizing the fandom really.

recommendations for the artist, speaking for myself, id like to see a BIGGER signature. they put their craft into this art and deserve the recognition and so id rather see bigger...something less likly to be photoshopped off. they earned their fee and then some and i always worry about it being glossed over.

Vilikir was nice enough to email me the finished work at my asking rather than just give me a drop box link, this is something very important to me.

*as always i reserve the right to edit or delete this as i see fit

-Aphekt-

 rupalulu

piece> http://www.furaffinity.net/view/20827959/

Summary:
Price: worth the price and then some
Attitude of artist: professional, warm when communicating, not terribly communicative
Quality: exactly as expected, proposed and advertised. very good
Quoted Time: no quoted time, possibly forgotten about
BONUS: sketches sent!

i have a feeling this entry will be rather short but we'll see what happens.

i came across Rupalulu in my first few weeks on FA and found her art to be multi-capable. i am a fan of how her skill has given her the ability to do various styles of work, from line to painted and others. so of coarse i wanted some art done from her. her art has a certain sensuality to it without needing to be sex. the art i received from her has a certain feel to it that is a bit hard to describe because i don't get the feeling my Sona is just...walking and sucking down a beer.

anatomically i am a fan of proportion. so when i see a female, shemale, or other with a massive pair of breasts i expect big hips, thighs, you know..stuff that rounds out the artwork and i feel Rupalulu does this very well.

the art advertised was offered as simple quick painting, because i have been in flux with how my Sona looks i always enjoy a deal. at the time i was using a rather femboy reference art piece for myself...which i adore. but my sona isnt a femboy, i have other Sonas for that. so i requested she take a little freedom with making my Sona look a little more 'Alpha-male' and i think it was translated very well. at my request she tossed in my favorite prop with is beer...because i like beer.

the art has given other artists a better perspective of my build and has assisted greatly in rounding out edges i am still working on.

as for breaking down the art? well...im drinking a beer against a flat background. maybe i just got off work and im walking through the house nude? maybe im about to whoop an ass? maybe im mustering courage to go talk to the flirty femboy, me with that look saying "imma get you".

the only issue i feel there was, was that i feel i had been forgotten about. and no, i don't feel it was some malicious thing or reason. after going through my notes as i do from time to time i came across the old set of notes for this work to be done and was face-palming myself because i hadn't heard anything about the art. so i went to her advertisement and found her list and saw a sketch was available. requesting the sketch was worth the wait when i got it in the mail because it was the outline of something very special.

the reason why i feel i may have been forgot about was because it took only days for the finished product to arrive once i had voiced my desire to see the sketch. maybe it was coincidence that i came across old notes of old commissioned work just days before the final product was delivered or maybe it wasn't.

no matter what the reasons or reasons for the delay, if i was forgot about or just at the bottom of her work load (which i assume is rather large because her art is so good) i don't hold it against her in the least and would only recommend to you, the reader to make sure you are keeping track of where you've spent your money for commissions...because i hadn't, and it may had bit me in the ass.

i wholly recommend this artist, dont let my own shaky feelings hinder you. shes big news and if you can take it! im thankful she took me on and i look forward to commissioning her again.

*as always i reserve the right to edit or delete this as i see fit

-Aphekt-

 ~MagickFennec~

Piece - http://www.furaffinity.net/view/20424869/

Summary: (because some people are just lazy and don't wanna read)

Price: Awesome price for the work! Like amazingly awesome!!
Attitude of artist: Very friendly, open to list of changes from provided reference sheet
Quality: Very good quality for the price.
Updates: Gave written updates regularly.

I went with this artist because of the quality of work offered as well as the price. She was very friendly and open when I approached her regarding some changes I wanted that differed from Aphekt's reference sheet. Big shoulders being the key words that really bonded us ;) lol. I really feel like she completely delivered. Magickfennec didn't provide me with a sketch to approve but she did stay in pretty good contact regarding the status of the art and when it would be finished.

I would absolutely use this artist again as I love her use of colors and the blending of the colors at the tail. The expressionism in the face as well as the shading for the over all picture is perfect and well done.

what do i recommend to you? the reader? Take a look at her picarto tv to watch her draw something - it's very impressive

What do I recommend to the artist? Maybe sketch approvals. I loved my art work and I wouldn't have changed a thing but you never know.

as always i reserve the right to edit or delete this as i see fit. i am always looking for comments to tell me what i should include to these little entries.

-Khaws (not as good as Aphekt's reviews but oh well!)

 HuggableHusky

piece> http://www.furaffinity.net/view/20252412/

piece> http://www.furaffinity.net/view/20133076/

Summary: (because some people are just lazy and don't wanna read)

Price: great for quality of work
Attitude of artist: energetic, warm, friendly, and one hell of a bubbly sort
Quality: comparing to her work for others and for herself i felt nothing was sacrificed or rushed
Updates: quick work made updates needless.
BONUS: can work from text based description!

Huggable was our very first attempt at getting reference art, she had an adorable style of art that really drew the attention of Khaws and really liked the layout of the reference sheets as a whole, color, style and just everything about it was really alluring. AT the time Huggable had her commissions filled, even though she was a busy thing she took the time to answer our Notes and answer questions we had in quick response and nothing less than fine manners. she offered to put us on a waiting list for 10$ apiece for both reference sheets we were requesting, admittedly i was hesitant. she offered us first slot on her next round of commissions and Khaws took the offer.

i was a negative little thing, Huggable reopened her commissions and told us she was ready for the lump sum for both pieces, with a lump in my throat i went ahead and sent her the total. my issue with paying the lump sum was that if we did'nt like how Khaws turned out then id have already paid for my own commission before it even got started. HOWEVER, within the first week Huggable whipped out the first sketch for Khaws, and it was adored. i believe the conversation for a day and a half was: Khaws: "what do you want for dinner?" --Aphekt: "how about that ass?" Khaws: "stop that, yes the sketch was nice" Aphekt: "yea and did you see the ass?"...this went on for hours.

with Khaws loving her sketch, we eagerly awaited the colors, which came out lighter than expected and at only a word Huggable zipped on back to make the colors darker for us. the entire time keeping her Notes short and sweet. for the first referance sheet, commissioning Huggable was a trust exercise and we put our faith into a stranger who had an adorable icon.

though...after Khaws and her sheet was done, my hesitation had gone. Huggable had proven herself to be something of a light in dark strange world.

As soon as Khaws was done, my own reference sheet was on the board and Huggable had only the rantings of a mad-fox in text form. text that had been drawn up when half drunk, half dead, and just waking over the coarse of a few days. i can only imagine the look on her face when we sent her that text...she probably had the same hesitation i had had weeks prior "who the fuck is this crazy guy?" is what i imagined her face to say as she read over my text description...nine times...while shaking her head...laughing and crying simultaneously.

a quick note with a few quick questions was sent to me, an asset Huggable has is to ask clear questions so that you cannot confuse your answer..and if you confuse your answer...perhaps you arnt sure yourself?

only a few days and i had a sketch, i asked for slightly larger ears and she did such, perhaps only a minor thing but my main focus was my tail..gotta have the tail.

Huggables art is unique and special in its own way, everything about it i appreciate. so when i started thinking colors i was expecting to be pleased with my color choice. HOWEVER....just because you can choose colors and the placement doesn't mean that you wont look like a clown! it was absurd! and it was ALL my fault! i only saw an artist at her computer making a face and figuring that her client had a clown fetish..she didnt judge...she didnt laugh at me directly (i cant claim she didnt laugh at her art pad)

once realizing my horrible mistake, i tossed colors out the window, moved some and also asked Huggable to make a choice for me...shes the artist...im the crazy fox client. within the hour she had redone my horrible mistake and made a choice for herself for the best color placement of a new color which looked great. a few more changes just to make sure she would be sick of me by the end of it, and it was done! somewhere along the way i had asked her to include the cute fluffy blob thing of me which i warned her may end up a tattoo.

all in all i found HuggableHuskey to be highly adaptive, and responsive, she helped to secure a continually growing trust in other furry artists and has no doubt given other artists my business based on my completly postitve experiance with her. even in mid May when the site went down for a short while, she was back at it and quick to fire back up on all cylinders.

i wholly support commissioning this artist, to be able to build a character concept from the drunken rambling text is nothing short of true talent.

what do i recommend to you? the reader? read her terms...aside from normal things like "no toilet play" there are things like "derogatory themes" included that should make you stop and think before asking. the artist has an adorableness and cuteness to it. she does fantastic scenes of lovers making love. her fembois are just as tempting as her females, so think soft, sensual and HUGGABLE...if your looking for toilet play and this style of art...its kinda like the clown color mess...it doesn't work...dont force it.

i also recommend the FluffBlobs, you CANNOT tell me they are not the best thing to happen to furrys since the Chibi.

what would i recommend to the artist? nothing in the way of change, style is signature and its something to be proud of. i saw many poses and angles from her gallery and she seems well adapted to position, so maybe offer pre-rendered poses for clients who arnt sure what they are doing?

as always i reserve the right to edit or delete this as i see fit. i am always looking for comments to tell me what i should include to these little entries.

-Aphekt

 ReikaFox

piece> http://www.furaffinity.net/view/19922494/

Summary: (because some people are just lazy)

Price: great for quality of work
Attitude of artist: interested, energetic, warm and friendly
Quality: comparing to her work for others and for herself i felt nothing was sacrificed
Quoted Time: due to constant updates from Reika, we were quite aware of when and how our work would be done. though not offered a end of work quote at the start...i wouldnt expect that from anyone honestly
BONUS: offered additional prospects and avenues that would fit our needs.


Was our second attempt at getting commission art done for Khaws, on her profile it was listed as commissions only and we figured, hey why not?

first impressions of Reika were just fine, she was friendly, and energetic with the prospect of having the opportunity to work. i never felt like she was only out for our money and seems genuinely happy with her role as artist. i got the feeling she liked what she did and didnt feel like she was put out by anything asked of her. in our time since starting our commission, ending our commission, and moving forward, she has been a fairly continued contact of mine that i am very happy to say she is never anything but more of the same.

when offering her a single piece of artwork to build off of and, quite honestly, a bit of total ignorance on our part, she flushed out a sketch for us in only a few days. her updates sounded like she was more worried she was concerned with us growing impatient and though that is a wonderful feature Reika has, i think it may cause her undo stress, i dont think that affected her work at all though. combined with her humor and general feel goods, i was happy to get a PM from her concerning an update if not anything than to feed of her good vibes.

when the art was done, she didn't offer any measure of self pity for her work, she was proud of her work and she has all right to be, nothing was offered on how best to change or handle the character it was drawn for, it seems like a small thing for some, but ive known people in the past to be self righteous in this aspect and its always nice when they do the job and gtfo...as bad as that sounds.

the ribbon in the hair was a last minute addition to the finished product and turned out fantastic, Khaws was delighted to have been able to get a swimsuit for her fursona that was exactly what she as looking for. we are both a fan of the shading done and i myself have several points i would like to point out; firstly, the tail, im a whore for good tails, and the work on the tail is floofy enough without being overly so, the light blues and whites at the tip of the tail were handled with the shading in a way that didnt take away from the tails brightness. the background is detailed enough to promote the lighting, without taking away from the character and the various blues to show water depth and water features was a nice touch, and all the way back to the landscape on the other side of the water, obviously two separate hills, the furthest one faded by humidity. i feel that Reika thought it out and approached the picture with a logic that suggested she had BEEN to a beach and looked at it herself before drawing it.

would i commission again? yes, without a doubt, at this point id throw money at the poor thing to keep being my penpal. i sorely recommend commissioning work from her, her art is unique, its powerful and yet the characters all so far seem to keep with them a sense of being timid, but at the same time keeping something under the surface. her character Haven and his profession is proof of that. i recommend commissioning her now and soon because i dont doubt that she will become a bit popular.

would i recommend anything to her? maybe doodle some YCHs with poses she is working on perfecting

what would i recommend to you the reader? read her rules, and dont question what she will and will not draw. so read her Terms of Service

as always i reserve the right to edit or delete this as i see fit...but seeing as its a fairly stellar review...suffer? i need feedback on these on what else i should add and comment on.

-Aphekt

Myself and Khaws are fairly new to the site, and fairly new to being included into the world of 'Furry'. we have been Furry for quite some time but only in this last year have we ventured out into the world of, and tried something new, something wonderful, and have come to find that there is no other group a peers i find more enjoyment from being with, near, or talking to than other Furry like people.

Being part of the community and fandom as i am, ive taken a liking to helping out fellow Furrys. my first Con was Mid-West Fur Fest in December of 2015, in that weekend i helped well known artists and other venders by buying their stuff. i helped up and coming artists by buying little sketches, i took a pair out to lunch and paid for it out of my own financial pocket, bought drinks, danced (when i cant dance) fed, hugged, and just made a weekend full of memories.

So, i thought of no better way to help out some other artists and peers by buying commissions, and providing feedback on my experience with them. i will try to review the following:

-how my request was approached
-accuracy of quote for time given
-if i was provided mid-completion sketch and asked questions pertaining to commission
-price
-quality
-attitude of artist during the entire experience
-and some other stuff (to be added later, mentioned later, or neither)

i want to be clear, VERY clear, i am not out to ruin ANYONES income, i am not out to make fun, i am not out to hold anyone to any sort of candle, nor will i use this little project of mine as a means to put down artists and put up others based on personal bias. this...is...ONLY a recounting of my (our) experiances with artists i've commissioned. i will not feature artists i have not handed money to for work. so if you gift art to me, i will have a boner for you yes...but you will not get an entry for this journal arc. i will attempt to put one up once commission is complete. and i will attempt to put many of them up...but again this is out of pocket and i cant always afford a commission. so...dont expect weekly updates. but drop a line, tell me what you think.

if you like what i do let me know in the comments, if you abhor what i do then you can say that in the comments too. but if you get mean i reserve the right to laugh at you and try to live with the searing agony of not having you in my life. anyhoo, thanks for reading this far.

-Aphekt