Quick rundown of some basic principles of selling. All of these can be combined. For example: TODAY I WANT TO DRAW DRUNK PEOPLE! FULL BODY PICTURES $5 OFF, I’M ONLY DOING THREE OF THESE, OFFER ENDS IN FOUR HOURS.

Liking: Be nice, be polite. Talk to people. Converse, laugh at their jokes, make them feel appreciated.

Reciprocity: Incredibly fucking powerful. Give someone something and they will repay you. An excellent study on that was Regan, 1971- They set up a false experiment, then during a break in the experiment they had two ‘subjects’ share a break room, one of them a plant. The plant got the subject a soda, and at the end of the study asked the subject for donations. The gift-receiving group bought more tickets more often than the control group. TL;DR version: I predict that many of the people you give freebies will get a commission. Freebies are amazing for this.


Scarcity and urgency: If something is available in limited numbers and/or only for a short while, it sells more. I recommend having three to five commission slots open, closing them whenever they are filled, and then opening commissions whenever you finish.

Deals: People love deals. Very simple. Whenever you want a commission, offer a deal. Also, always always tell people WHY you’re offering the deal. Never just lower your prices.

Tell them what they want: Often people don’t get a commission because they don’t know what they want. So, tell them what they want. Use pre-poses, themes - Draw your character drunk! Draw your character in uniform! Draw your girl as a boy/boy as girl! Draw your anthro as a human! - All of these give people ideas for something they might want.

Popularity: People want what they see other people getting.

Sex Sells: Well, duh.

If They’re Laughing They’re Buying: A lesser known but still famous principle. Here’s an idea: Next time you ask for commissions, don’t just post up a journal just like one we’ve seen before, draw a little comic too. Could just be a single panel- show yourself as a ridiculous little chibi with a fly coming out of your wallet or as a hobo with a WHIL DRAH 4 FUUD- raise awareness more, make people laugh, help them buy.

Ask: Ask for commissions. Don’t just say I’m open for commissions, ask for them. Say that you want to do a few this week, weekend, month, whatever.

Repetition: Ask often. People have very short memories. Remind people that you’re open whenever you can. On an art site or tumblr you are just one artist among a great many- make sure people know you exist.

Persistence: Not every attempt will be a success. This is normal and natural. If something does not work, try again a week. If you’ve sold 3/5 of a pose set, make a new set, don’t wait for the remains to go and get depressed if they don’t.

If you have any comments or additional tips please share- this is intended to be a work in constant progress.

So you got a commission

Now comes the hard part- getting a repeat customer.

Be friendly: I cannot stress this enough. BE FRIENDLY. More than once I have gotten a commission, been entirely pleased with the product, but decided before I even received any art that I would not commission someone again. I've had artists be brusque, be rude, act like they didn't even want to commission- all huge turn offs. You're not working retail- a commission is a one-on-one interaction between the artist and the commissioner. A business-like tone is generally not appropriate when discussing a commission. In your price list, yes, but when talking directly to a customer- NO NO NO.

Thank them: From the commissioners perspective, they are doing you a service- they are giving you their money. You're doing the bulk of the work, of course, but it's always nice to be appreciated.

Be responsive: Let the person know when you're starting, show them the sketch- ask if they want anything changed. When you start the details, seek feedback. You don't need to wait for it sometimes, especially when the commissioner is not being responsive themselves, but the fact that you ask is always a big point in your favor. When the work is finished, ask if there are any small details they want changed. If they want something big then ask politely for an additional fee- it's additional work after all. A personal example- I got a quick sketch. It's an awesome sketch, I just have one small problem with it- my characters mouth is open and it bugged me. I asked for her mouth to be closed or her teeth to be showing and was ignored. The price was great, the speed was fantastic- from payment to completion it was less than an hour - and other than this small quibble I love the pic. I will never ever commission this artist again because he ignored me.

When to pay: If you ask for pay up front you're safe, but it feels unfriendly and untrustworthy. If you ask for payment after you post it or send it it shows that you trust them and you have a chance to get a tip, but people can be assholes and stiff you. Cash on delivery is better, but sometimes things come up and the commissioner really can't pay- then you've wasted time for nothing. Best option in my mind is half up front, half when you finish just before delivery.

Set boundaries: If any issues come up, add it to your pricelist for the future- that way if it comes up again you can calmly reference that and hey! By approaching you they've already agreed! From the Be Responsive bit I mentioned alterations- some people can be micromanagers which would be a headache, so set out in your pricelist the number, timing, and severity of any alterations you're willing to do.

You're allowed to say no: Just please be polite about it. People can be weird- if someone approaches you for some bizarre fetish it's understandable why you might not want to do that, but if you call them names or flat out refuse then you've lost a customer forever. A polite "No thank you, I don't feel comfortable doing that" smooths over ruffled feathers. Even better if you add "What about your character doing X instead?" If they don't want it that puts the burden of breaking off the relationship on to them and if they accept you've got a commission!

Speed: People like speed. If you take a long time then people don't like it. Pretty basic. If you experience a delay it's wise to explain why. As long as it isn't "I was too busy playing video games" people will understand and generally forgive you.

Show off: Post what you've drawn. If the commissioner gets the feeling that you're not proud of what you've done they're probably not coming back.