I did a few collaboration commissions a few years ago and it was SUPER FUN. Is anyone interested in doing collabs with me?

I will be kind of picky and choosy, I want to work with people who have a style which will complement mine [and vise versa].

Comment or note me with what parts of art you like to do [sketch, ink, color, shade, background, even if you're a writer and like to write little stories for pictures] along with examples which showcase your style and ability. I'll type up a spreadsheet and contact you if I'm interested in working with you! :)

You're totally missing out if you're not watching  midnightalleycat!

Go here: https://www.furaffinity.net/view/22932962/
Then email me [thexainy(at)gmail.com]
Then I will draw for you!

<3

Turnaround depends on how much time I have, I have a few May deadlines so I'll do what I can, but will get these out early June at latest.

Please email me [email in header] if you'd like one. Not sure what to use as a reference for how they'll turn out since they'll be a little experimental, but I can promise good quality. ^^

I need a new way to do art on the go! I'd love a new laptop, but a Cintiq would be fine too.
Please link me what you have and the price you're asking so I can see if I can afford it and if it'll do well for my art program[s].

I have one in mind I'd really like to get but it's around $600 so it'll take me a few months to save up for with other monetary obligations I have. If you'd like to buy that one for me, I'd be eternally grateful and would be willing to be your art slave for a couple months. ;)

I'm also willing to do an art trade if you have an old one you don't need anymore and you'd rather have art than money. :)

Had some of this info in my profile, wanted to add more to it but didn't want to gunk up my profile with so much information, so I'm just gonna make a journal and link it in my profile. ^^

=====================

Resources
If you have a question about where anything I use is sourced from, please just ask! This includes textures, fonts, stock/pose reference, and brushes. Some, I've made myself and would be happy to share.

I always make sure I follow the rules for any of the stock I use [pose ref, texture, or brushes]. All is either free for commercial use OR I pay money for it [this goes for fonts as well]. Make sure you do the same.

Textures
The majority of the textures I use are from Hibbary [Hibbary on FA], Paper Street Designs [their website is now defunct so they may have closed their store] and AuroraWienhold [AuroraWienhold on dA].
You can find the other textures I use by looking through my Textures DeviantART collection.

Fonts
I almost always use google to find the type of font I need [usually only for character refs or comics]. They end up coming from the various free font sites, I can usually find them again based on the name of the font, so just ask me if you're curious about one.

Stock images/pose references
Almost all the stock I use as reference comes from deviantART. Some are from google [I try to credit when possible], and many lately are photos of myself or my mate [or are at least taken by one of us].

Brushes
Again, almost all from deviantART if they weren't made by myself. If you like any of the SAI brushes I use, please ask and I'll let you know what the settings are.

Here's my pricelist: https://www.furaffinity.net/view/26431646/

Email thexainy [at] gmail.com if you have any interest!

Yeahhhh I decided to do this again.
Please note that I have a pretty busy life right now, so please be patient when waiting for me to complete the art! I always get them done, but sometimes it takes me a month or two depending on how many people take me up on the trades. :)

I will keep a list here in this journal of who bought games for me and I'll go down it in order and post links to the finished products so you can see how fast I'm moving.

=================

It's the Steam Summer Sale and I don't want to spend money on games but I want games, so I would LOVE it if some of you would trade me games for art! Some of the games are on sale for as low as $1-5 so it's a good way to get art from me at a low price.

I will draw for you for an amount of time depending on how much you spend on the game, at a rate of $.25/min. If you spend $1, I will draw for 4 minutes. If you spend $5, I will draw for 20 minutes. :) Usually these are headshots or waist up depending on how much time I have to work on them. I like to be able to have enough time to color them!

Examples of artwork I've done for game trades in the past: http://imgur.com/a/vblNh
[They're over a span of 2013-2015 so check the signature to see which ones are older. Also I have done more detailed full body ones for some people who bought expensive or multiple games, but they went into a different folder so I can't remember which ones they are now. XD]

If you're interested in doing this, you can see my wishlist here: http://steamcommunity.com/id/thexainy/wishlist/
I reeeally want the first 7 [this number is updated], the rest are kind of in order of want and kind of randomish.
Please comment before you make any purchase with which game[s] you'd like to buy. I will put you down for a game and then will ask for your ref! That way, no one spends money and then finds out someone else got me the game already.

My steam ID is xainy, it should come up if you search for me. Feel free to friend me even if we're not doing a trade! We do need to be friends for you to gift a game, though.

=================

Slot list:
- L.A. Noire and Armello
- Sherlock Holmes: Crimes & Punishments and Stardew Valley
- This War of Mine - The Little Ones and Poly Bridge
- Pillars of Eternity

Because of the mass migration that's going on again, I figured I'd let you guys know my sites for ease if you're leaving. Actual links to the sites are in my journal header, I'm too lazy to link them in the journal body, so scroll up for clicky ease.

I update my Twitter [thexainy] with everything I do, this usually includes WIPs and sketches, but does not include anything adult. I also put up photos of me/my cats/my surroundings and update with things about my life and such, so that may either annoy or interest you.

My Weasyl is xainy. I sometimes don't update there as often as I should. Twitter is just easier, but it's not a very good gallery site since that's not what it's made for.

That's pretty much the only places I update right now that aren't FA.

Headshot: This will vary from artist to artist, but generally when I do headshots, this is from the jawline up. Sometimes I will include the neck. Other artists may include the shoulders.

Bust: The definition of bust is "a [sculpted or cast] representation of the upper part of the human figure, depicting a person's head and neck, as well as a variable portion of the chest and shoulders. The piece is normally supported by a plinth" [when sculpted].
Again, will vary by artist, but I personally include the shoulders, but not chest [no pecs/breasts]. Some artists do include the chest/breasts [which makes sense logically, since another word for breast is bust]. Some artists say bust and draw a waist up. Some artists say bust and draw a head only.
Please verify what you're buying if there are no examples, but don't be a jerk and tell an artist that they are WRONG if they draw your character from the shoulders up and call it a bust. That is what a bust is. If you're EXPECTING a waist up commission when you commission a bust, you are the one who is wrong. It is your responsibility to know what you're buying ahead of time.*

Half body: Waist up [or waist down]. I generally do hips up for half bodies so I can include the tail of a character or a belt or something [which makes a nice leg wrap-around stopping point that doesn't look too awkward].

Full body: Self explanatory.

*[Disclaimer]: This post not inspired by a situation I'm going through. I worry about it from time to time since different artists use different terms interchangeably. I did just see a journal someone wrote where they were ranting that an artist didn't draw them a "proper" bust [they wanted half body] so I figured now is as good a time as any to write this up.

In my Firefox setup, I do have Adblock, but I run with it disabled on FA so I can still see the user-created ads advertising artist's work, projects, etc.

However, when these gross ads appeared, I couldn't figure out why I couldn't see them for a sec. Tried a couple things and discovered it was Ghostery blocking the new ads while the artist ads were left alone.

So if you want to still support artists but not see creepy IMVU doll faces all over the place, grab Ghostery or  nelly's Stylish style [at the bottom of this entry]!
With Ghostery: Disable blocking on DoubleClick [which is the old ad system] and keep blocking enabled for Google Adsense.
https://www.ghostery.com/en/download

It won't fix that disgusting submissions page Sidebar, but it will rid you of the judging eyes. Please consider doing this! The artists on this site pay money per month to keep their ads up, but they don't do any good if no one can see them. I would hate for FA's bad decisions to result in artists getting less recognition, less traffic and ultimately less revenue. :( It would be a waste of their money.

P.S. It does leave some blank space between the FA banner and the top of the UI [blocks the ads from showing, but the space they occupy is still there]. Kind of annoying, but what can you do?

Edit: If you use Chrome or Firefox, you can instead install Nelly's Stylish userstyle [requires Stylish to work], which WILL collapse the whitespace under the FA banner: https://www.furaffinity.net/journal/6689687/

There are 30 shaded sketch slots.
This isn't really an iron artist [IA's are usually 100 slots], but people recognize that phrase and its acronym easier than others. :)

5 slots will be paid for at a time. This way, I will not overwork myself and I will still be able to work on backlog pieces.

$25 each. Shaded sketch, 1 character, minimal props. For a 2 character pic, you must purchase 2 slots [$50].
My ToS can be found in my journal header if you need to read it!
Rating allowance: Any [though be aware I don't draw animal genitalia or adult feral content]. There will be no additional charge for adult artwork this time.
Example: https://www.furaffinity.net/view/14184806/
2char Example: https://www.furaffinity.net/view/14786074/

This IA will double as a raffle.
1/6th of the IA commissions [1 per batch of 5] will be upgraded to a colored sketch.
Example: https://www.furaffinity.net/view/15051772/
2char Example: https://www.furaffinity.net/view/15753850/

Winner will be chosen by random number generation.
You may purchase more than one slot if you want [there will only be 1 winner per batch but it will increase your chances of it being you.] In the event you do win, you may choose which piece you want upgraded.

If you do not win the raffle, you may upgrade to color for $15 extra if you'd like!

At the end of the IA, 2 people will be chosen at random to receive a second commission [this is not an upgrade, it's a freebie]. Full detail, minimal background.
Example: https://www.furaffinity.net/view/13782304/

The same person may not win both slots. There will be two different winners.

Fill this out to claim a spot [even if you are only going on the waiting list, please still fill this out, it will make things faster!], but do not pay until I send you an invoice. :) Thanks!
Character refs:
Rating:
Pose idea: [You must give me an idea this time, sorry!]
Upgrade to color if you do not win the raffle?: [y/n, $15 extra!]
PayPal address: [If you are uncomfortable having your PP address in public, you may note it to me, but the rest of the info needs to be commented here.]

Thanks guys!

Slots [30 total, 5 at a time]:

Group 1:
1. ZilvusX [paid; finished]
2. Rocko_Wolfcoon* [paid; finished]
3. X-Kid [paid; finished]
4. DHLawrence1985 [paid; finished]
5. TrevorL337 [paid; finished]

Raffle screenshot: http://i.imgur.com/BdCEqHx.png

Group 2:
6. Sleekgiant* [paid; finished]
7. logan963 [paid; finished]
8. tofubread [paid; finished]
9. mojavecoyote [paid; finished]
10. Sleekgiant [paid; finished]

Raffle screenshot: http://i.imgur.com/4DEIbdh.png

Group 3:
11. Lance_Drake [paid; finished]
12. littlecheetah [paid; finished]
13. deadly-dl [paid; finished]
14. Vince_Fearne [paid; finished]
15. TinyFawks* [paid; finished]

Raffle screenshot: http://i.imgur.com/TlSGB2X.png
...

If this statement is part of your ToS, make sure everyone reads it ahead of time so that they won't ever commission you.

Not only is it a ridiculous policy, but it is not exactly legal.

If you missed a deadline, that counts as a breach of contract and the client is well within their rights to ask for a refund.
If you haven't even started work, you have no claim to the money.
If someone has just pissed you off [most likely by insisting you complete your end of the contract] and you decided they don't deserve your art anymore, I don't understand why you think you deserve to keep their money.

Don't try to claim "most" artists have this in their ToS, I assure you that no professional or semi-professional artist includes this in their terms.

Bottom line: If you're going to do business this way, you need to start doing the art before you take payment. That is absolutely the only time you can claim not to give refunds.

And as always, if any of my commissioners are interested in a refund or deadline, my contact info is all over my profile page and in my journal header. I am always willing to negotiate.

As a sort-of-update on my last entry, I found a script that will autosave every minute I'm windowed into SAI. It's here if you want to try it! http://aiffe.tumblr.com/post/719363.....paint-tool-sai

Here is  xial's 5 and 15 minute interval autosaves if 1 minute is too aggressive for you!: https://www.furaffinity.net/journal/6454996/

So far has worked great for me. :)

Hi everybody! Your friendly neighborhood xainy here!

Just a note on copying my work: I don't mind if you do it for your own enjoyment [not for money/on commission]. If you want to use something I've done as a reference and redraw it to help you learn or because you like the style, I don't really care as long as you credit me if you upload it and link back to the image you referenced. Also, showing me wouldn't hurt cause I'd like to see.

Being honest, I used to redraw a lot of peoples' artwork when I was first starting out in furry art [around age 14]. Previous to that, I only really drew feral animals so it was hard for me to break into human/were[wolf] anatomy. I never scanned or uploaded anything that wasn't uniquely mine, but those referenced drawings I did privately helped inform what I liked during the early days. They gave me a bit of stylistic foundation, some of which I've adapted quite a lot and still use in some form today.

However, referencing someone else's art is not a substitute for doing your own research. At some point, to grow as an artist, you will have to start referencing photos and real life [photos can sometimes look really weird, so referencing real life is best when possible]. If you learn by copying someone else's art, you will also learn their mistakes. It's way harder to correct learned mistakes later on than it is to just use proper references and draw something unique. There are some good tutorials out there about how to collect and utilize references.

It's also not as fun years down the road if your style is just a direct copy of someone else's style. One of my favorite things is when someone tells me they recognized a picture I drew as being mine without even knowing I did it. :) If you're drawing in someone else's style, that will be such a rare thing for you! You'll just get stuff like "Wow, this really reminds me of X person's style!"

So tl;dr: You can totally copy my stuff [again, not trace], but please credit me if you upload your version!

If you're getting a reference sheet [or artists, if you're drawing one], PLEASE consider requesting UNSHADED REFERENCES. I can't tell the number of times that I color pick from a reference and get told it's the wrong color because the artist chose to shade or fully render [lighting/shading] the character sheet, thereby making it completely impossible to tell the difference between fur/scale/feather color and the lighting.

If the colors are fairly well defined [like my character...pure white fur, blue eyes, pink skin, red hair and hooves and that's it], it's usually okay if the artist includes a color palette with a legend [i.e. this is the eye color, this is the hair color, etc.] but seriously. References just shouldn't be shaded at all, ever. It complicates things that don't need to be complicated.

TL;DR: If artists you commission consistently get your character's colors wrong or color your character entirely different every time, it might be because your reference is shaded/highlighted. Consider asking the artist for an unshaded version or commissioning a new one to make it easier on everybody!

Edit: Uhh I just opened a ref for someone's commission and it was shaded. XD I SWEAR if you're reading this and think it's ABOUT you, it's not. It's because I was looking at references on FA today that were completely unrelated to work that I have been commissioned for!
Don't get me wrong, I still stand by the fact that unshaded refs are far superior and if the artist has a shaded version, they can probably hide the shading layers and give you an unshaded version too! There's no reason not to have both. :)
BUT, I didn't make this post because I'm angry or something about anyone's commission. It's just an inconvenience that comes with the job and I know you probably didn't ask for it to be shaded...it's just the way some artists choose to do things! But I hate to see people pay for something that ends up not able to do its job well. Refs should be functional above all else. If that makes it less pretty, that's just how it is. References need to be easy to follow and that sometimes comes at the expense of beauty.

Are you plagued by FA telling you there are submissions for you to look at when there aren't any? Do you use the nuke button frequently?

Well fret no more, fellow FA user! The problem is the nuke button! STOP USING IT.
Next time you have a submission, click the "check all" and then "remove all" button. This will fix your issue and you won't have any more ghost submissions to worry about!

Rejoice in your new-found knowledge!

So I was just thinking about some stuff and I wanted to write this...

I'm not great at personal interaction and small talk. I am pretty great at social interaction when I have something specific to say, but if I'm expected to just carry on a conversation when neither party has anything of real substance to talk about...I fail at that.
Those of you who know me more personally have probably noticed this. Sometimes, I don't feel able to reply to notes or emails or comments or whatever. I don't want anyone to think that I don't care or I don't read what you say. Every word that anyone says is important to me. The simple fact is that I stress over that kind of thing A LOT. More than many people probably do, though I suspect there are some of you guys that can relate.
I try to think of things to say and when I can't think of anything coherent, I delay answering.

A lot of times, I'll keep comments in my inbox long after I've read them because I fully intend to respond at some point...you know, once I finally decide what would be good to say. Sometimes that never happens. Sometimes I accidentally delete the notification and subsequently forget. Sometimes I just wipe them so I don't have to stress about it anymore.

This has improved since several months ago when I started seeing a doctor and taking prescription medication. I'm a little better with social interactions, my anxiety isn't as severe and for the most part, I'm able to tell mountains from mole-hills. Still, it's a work in progress. I'm not going to blame everything on mental illness, but I do feel the need to be semi-transparent and let you guys know that it is a factor and I am working toward being better about things.

I don't ignore anyone on purpose. One of the reasons I don't keep public IM names is that I am just not able to hold conversations well. I end up putting all my attention into the conversation, wondering what I should say, worrying about my grammar, spelling, making sure the other party knows I'm engaged and not bored with them...and it ends up taking all my time. I literally can't do anything else. I'm not able to EAT and have IM conversations at the same time, let alone do commissions. The few times I have gotten on a public IM or Steam chat and ended up chatting with someone, I also ended up doing no work. Often, the stress of the conversation extends well past the conversation's end and I wind up taking a nap or playing a game to cool off and that delays work even more. :/ Not great.

No one is being left out. I love you guys and I do love talking when I do streams and such, but that's a completely different atmosphere than one-on-one chatting. I have one IM addy and I have 3 people added...my boyfriend, my brother and my mom. My boyfriend and mom never expect replies from me unless they ask me a directly important question. Even then, if it's super important, they'll ask me in a more direct way. My brother and I never talk and I mostly have him added just in case since we live in the same town.
As for Steam, I stay appearing offline most of the time so that I can avoid chats with people. No one should feel offended if I don't want to chat with them. It's usually not that I don't WANT to chat with you. It's never anything personal. It's just that I would rather focus my time on my work and avoid the pressure and stress I feel when I'm in a direct conversation with someone. That may change at some point in the future, but until then...

If you ever note or email me with just...small talk, asking me how I am or what I did today, please don't expect much from me. I do try to respond to all of these direct questions, but that conversation will likely not be very lengthy. If you have a specific question about a commission, my queue, my business policies, my techniques, my mediums, whatever...please just directly ask. Don't try to ease into it with small talk first. There is a chance I will ignore notes that aren't of much substance or that pertain to my personal life, but I will never ignore a direct question that pertains to something like those things I listed above.

This isn't all that important, so I don't blame anyone that doesn't read it. Those of you that do, though, I appreciate you taking the time to understand a bit more about who I am. :)

I've been trying to think of ways to get some stuff I really want. I say want instead of need here because it is stuff I could live without. However, I do think that much of it will vastly improve my life in measurable ways.

Skip to the blue text if you're uninterested in reasons and just want to get to the art!

---

<sub>Right now, I sit for every hour of the day that I'm not sleeping. I lay down for the rest of those hours. I very rarely leave the house because I have no car and the neighborhood we're in is bad enough that I don't feel comfortable taking walks. We ARE moving soon to a better neighborhood, but even then...I don't really feel comfortable going out on my own, be it on foot, bike, or public transportation. I have a currently unmedicated anxiety disorder and I don't want to push it right now. I will work on that next. :S

My diet is relatively crappy, though my food pyramid does include fruits and veggies and a daily vitamin. I have a fast metabolism, but since I haven't been exercising AT ALL, I've been gaining weight in ways I don't wish to. I did need/want to gain some weight after a few year stint of depression and poverty-level diet. But now it's getting to where I need to start exercising before my weight causes me to need to buy an entirely new wardrobe. Right now, I weigh 20lbs more than I ever have in my life.

I do some core exercises as well as leg lifts when I wake up and sometimes in the evening too, but the floors here are very hard, so I have to do it in bed to avoid hurting my bony butt and spine. My bed is extremely [painfully] firm, but I doubt my exercises are quite as effective on such a giving surface.

My joints feel like they're really breaking down from disuse, mainly in my legs, since I don't get much exercise. This causes me a lot of pain. I do get up and walk around every few hours when I draw, but even 1-2 hours of sitting here causes my knees to deliver shooting pain to my nerves that makes me unable to walk for 10-15 seconds while I wait for it to die down. I used to love to run and I know this would strengthen my legs and have all sorts of other benefits.

Also, I hate how physically weak I am. I've lived with men/was married for much of my adult life, so it was never a real issue, but now that I need to lift and move stuff myself, it's really inconvenient to have to struggle so much with it.

Again, a gym is not really an option because of the lack of transportation. Even if I could find a ride, I doubt I would be able to go enough for a membership to really be worth my money. Thus, I've gone on a hunt for things I would like to be able to buy to help me exercise and take better care of myself in general from the comfort of my home. Your body is a temple, after all. :)
Some of them are listed on my Amazon wishlist, some are in my head or in .txt files on my computer, some are on other sites.

I find that I'm having a lot of trouble saving money on my own. A big problem is that I don't want to just take hundreds of dollars of commissions at once and then have them added to my backlog. BUT if I take on one commission here and there, I end up spending the money on [too much] food instead of saving it properly or buying cat toys when I buy the cat food or...stuff. You know. It's always little things but they add up.</sub>

Bottom line, I'm just tired of feeling physically terrible and feeling badly about myself. But I'm willing to work to get the things I need and I'm willing to put the work in to feel better. It's honestly kind of embarrassing to put this stuff online, but I want you guys to know that I am being real here. This is stuff that affects me daily and I want it to change.

---

I've decided I want to do a sort of...trade system. Art for help. The main differences between this and outright taking commissions are:
1. I will not be budgeting money, so there's no chance I'll blow it. You will be buying the stuff and having it shipped to me, which takes me having the money completely out of the equation. In the event that you do send me a giftcard, it will be earmarked for the thing YOU chose to sponsor instead of just being "income" as normal commissions are.
2. I will be doing half of the work FIRST. I will do half or more of the work on your pic before I ask you to send me anything. That way, I can regulate how much I am ABLE to take on while still working on my backlog. Please note: I will not show you more than a watermarked thumbnail before I get a purchase receipt. :P Protecting us both here.

Make sense? [>.>] Still interested?

Here's the list of things you can sponsor:
1. Treadmill - $250, Amazon [this is kind of a big thing, so it's going to be broken down into Amazon giftcards.]
2. 4lb Weight set - $22.53, Amazon - mandy-lou22
3. Exercise mat - $29.57, Amazon - caltsar
4. Pillowtop featherbed mattress topper - $120, homeclick.com - skuma
5. Ergonomic kneeling chair - $95, Amazon - charryzarry

Total gift cards so far:
Amazon - $75 [caltsar, tinyfawks, trevorl337]

Amazon wishlist: http://amzn.com/w/ME2K5QNRC2L8
Ignore the rest of the random stuff on there like...danish butter cookies. Man, those are good.
thexainy AT hotmail.com is the email to have gift cards sent to.

Again, I will be doing these at my own pace and I will start work before you need to buy anything! That way, I don't get even more backed up and terrible, but I can feel like I'm working toward something rather than just waiting and feeling worse.

However much you spend, I will do an equal amount of art, whether it's one larger piece or a few that add up to the same amount. My prices are here: http://www.furaffinity.net/commissions/xainy/

If you would like to help me out, please fill this out and comment below:
What are you interested in sponsoring?: [if you want to sponsor one of the more expensive items, but not pay for the whole thing, just put "gift card:" and the amount you're willing to put toward it]
What type[s] of commission would you like me to draw in return?: [bust, colored sketch, a combination. Can be anything you want!]
Character reference[s]:
Picture ideas, if any: [theme, pose, expression]

If you wish to donate to my cause [through purchase or gift cards] without asking for anything in return, you may do so, but I still ask that you inform me so I can cross things off the list and thank you properly!

This will be up for the next month or so. If I don't make enough for everything in that time, I'll just supplement it all with money from commissions once I'm able. :) If this doesn't work out at all, no big deal! I'll figure something else out.

If you have any questions, just let me know! Thank you so much, guys! <3

_{[Before I'm asked, I don't want a treadmill or mattress of craigslist because I want a warranty and EW respectively.]}

I'm not posting this because of any recent events that come to mind, but I [and I'm sure many artists] have had problems with things like this in the past, and I think it bears linking.

Don't complain about free ice cream. [<link]

Sometimes artists promise something and intend for it to be free. To use myself as an example, I still have a pretty extensive list of names for those free sketches I was going to do last year. I still intend to do them [and I finished all the ones I was paid through donations to finish], but life/paid work/everything has forced me to put that project on the backburner.
Thankfully, no one who requested a sketch has been entitled/indignant toward me about it!

I'm merely saying, if you request free stuff from artists, make sure you realize that artists have lives, too. Unless money changes hands, we are not working for you. If someone offers you something out of the kindness of their heart, thank them. If they end up not able to do it [soon or ever] for some reason or another, remember: it's the thought that counts. Thank them for their good intentions and move on. You can still enjoy everything else they put out in the meantime, even if it's not specifically for you.

And if you like their work enough and can afford to do it, consider commissioning them. It makes us feel really great to know that there are people out there who would pay for us to do what we love to do and for many artists, it keeps them fed!

The other thing I notice with free art offers is when the artist DOES do the work and then gets complaints that it's not what the requester wanted.
Deal with it.
As said above, you're not PAYING for it, you lose NOTHING. Just because you're a little disappointed that the pose isn't exactly what you envisioned or your character has too many spots on the left side is NO reason to look that gift horse in the mouth. The artist took time out of THEIR life to give YOU a gift. Regardless of the fact that it was requested, keep in mind that it was something they had no obligation whatsoever to complete and they chose to do it expecting nothing from you in return.
But in return, you give them criticism and complaints? That's just downright rude.

In conclusion, mind your manners, FA! Don't act entitled, don't take advantage. Be nice, be understanding and aside from the fact that it's the right thing to do, I assure you that any artist will be MUCH more willing to find the time to draw your free art if you GIVE them time, rather than demanding it of them.

================

[As a side note, this entire concept is why Rarity became my favorite Friendship is Magic pony after the Suited for Success episode. She became the most relatable to me. :P]