Please bid here.

SB: 0 USD

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Congratulations, you won! Thank you so much.

Cool deal XD
I'll send the slot payment at your convenience.
I'll also start the little storyboard I do for different possibilities on the idea, and because I enjoy making them X3

V/R,
Cap Mag.

Making people pay you in order to pay you... nice one. :3

is a comment like this really necessary?

It's an opinion and everyone should be free to state theirs, positive and negative as long it's not full asshole.

So much this ^.^

It's quite alright, I am entirely open to criticism and suggestions.

Who said anything about free?

I may have misunderstood. By bad. It's hidden now

Its quite alright. :3

look at it through the artists eyes though.. its not a very nice comment, and is one of those "if you dont have something nice to say dont say anything at all" just be a decent human and move along things?

obviously everyone has a right to their own opinions.. but if its nothing but negative, no constructive criticism, no point other than to just be.. rude? why. why even lol.

As someone who buys a fair amount of commissions I think the comment is an 'okay' comment. Regardless, the process here is unusual, and so the artist HAD to expect some comments (which actually appears to be the case).

Anyway you construe the comment as being 'rude' and I construe it as being neutral. (shrug)

I agree with this. I understand the artist has a high demand, so its a good idea. Sadly need to be packing the big bills though.

The way I see it, there are three ways for people to get a commission usually:

• First come, first serve, which tends to favor people in certain time zones or with a faster connection.
• A raffle (as I've done), which evens the odds for everyone to get a slot.
• An auction, (as I'm also doing), which favors people who have more money to spare and presents an opportunity for me to earn more money than I usually would.

I'm not making any demands; I start with 0 here and people can pay however much this is worth to them. I completely understand what this might look like to you, but ultimately, I am running a business and I am doing the best I can to find a balance between fairness for my clients and making a decent wage.

exactly.

Couldn't have put it better myself.

Right, and I understand that. What I am failing to get however, is the initial slot only auction. The winner is ultimately paying money for nothing in return. Only when he has purchased the commission itself will it have become an exchange of goods and services.. Why not just consolidate this auction and the price of the commission together?

They are not paying for nothing - they are paying to ensure their spot on the list. I understand that it might not seem like much in return, but since my full color illustrations are in fairly high demand, this is a way for those people who can afford it to ensure that they do get a piece, rather than having to gamble in a raffle or having to race in a first come first serve.

The way I see it, this is exactly equal to me starting the bids at $550 and simply offering nothing extra as the price goes up, which seems unnecessarily convoluted. I have outlined in the description above why I am opposed to a "ladder auction".

Very well, but isn't this ultimately like a ladder auction? As the more people bid to acquire the slot itself, the total price increases overall, but the final product remains the same at what is essentially the $550 marker. Don't get me wrong, and no point do I feel your work isn't worth what anyone is going to pay, I am simply trying to wrap my head around this method.

A ladder auction is where the artist offers "extras" as the bids go up. I am inherently opposed to this, because I do not want to force my client to come up with extra content for their commission and I do not want to force myself to spend more hours on the commission than it needs.

I work fairly quickly, and if for example I finish the piece in 20 hours but the client paid for 30 hours worth of work - what do I do with those 10 hours? Some people would probably suggest to just cram more detail into the piece, but leaving some areas less refined than others is a tool I very consciously and actively use in my work to create a balanced, strong composition. If a piece is done, it's done and overworking it past that point will not actually make it better.

So instead, I simply offer people the chance to ensure their spot on the list. Please note that I also held a raffle for two slots previously - so before this auction took place, everyone had an equal chance to a free slot.

^

At the end of the day, the people bidding are aware of all of this, and if THEY think it's a fair deal/price then THEY can choose to place a bid or not, and for how much. Caraid isn't forcing anyone to participate in this, setting a ladder, and has other options available for those who can't or won't do this.

It's unorthodox, but the client base is who determines if things work, and so far-they are.

I whole-heartily agree.

sounds very right. at least when done with other ways aswell. so the not-so-rich get a chance aswell.

I approve of this, especially because i know your skills and that you are worth every euro :>

I think this is an excellent idea! 0 u 0

I gotta say I kinda agree with this.

I will never ever EVER complain about a price for art itself. But Caraid said that they thought this was a fair way for someone to get a slot without having to do a ladder. I am appalled by the idea of this being a 'fair' way to choose a slot. At this point it becomes whoever has the most disposable income. Nothing bad on whoever bids either. Its not a shot at anyone. Its just not a 'fair' way to choose a slot I think.
So even if you were a person who is willing to pay the asking price for the art and saved up for a slot its out of your hands because now its a bid war to even get a shot at a slot.

I am almost speechless </3

as a very active commissioner both of art and of fursuit i agree with how its being handled. I saved up for YEARS to get a suit from Faruku and could never get a slot because it was always first come first serve or auction based. since theyre in EU the time never worked for me and I NEVER was given a chance.. however when they opened up to a straight up auction that will end x hours after the highest bid i finally was able to get my commission from them.

*shrugs* its just another way for someone who is able/willing to pay the price to get something they TRULY desire to get.

Some will agree with it and some wont. Its just the nature of the beast sadly.

But as long as people voice it in a manner that isn't aggressive or down right hurtful should be ok. Its all how you word things lol.

I guess I am just old school. Pay an artist for a commission, not for the ability to commission the artist. *shrugs*

Please note that prior to this auction I held a raffle for two slots - giving everyone an equal chance for free. I would NEVER offer this as the only way to get a commission from me.

This is simply one way to offer those people who do have a bit more money at their disposal to be ensured of a commission, and for me to generate some extra income for my work.

I dont mind that you are selling a slot. Its just how you presented it.
As an artist myself I LOVE to see other artists doing well at the skill they crafted. Because I know myself that it takes time to become as good as you are at what you do. So if you can sell a slot kudos to you. But dont play the 'fair' card. This is a way for you, the artist, to take advantage of your product and the demand its in. And on the other end for customers with high disposable income to get what they want, your art.

I hear what you're saying, and I genuinely thank you for your feedback.

As said, if it was a concern, I am not planning on ever making this my sole or even my main method for filling commission slots. I am still offering the majority of my commission slots through conventional methods (a raffle and first come first serve). It is the first time I am doing this and I did not expect everyone to be on board - which is fine. I do not necessarily agree it is unfair, as I do not believe seeing a business opportunity and enabling people to take advantage of it is inherently unfair. On that front I suppose we simply do not share the same view, and that's alright.

Again thanks for your comments, I will keep them in mind.

Yeah and hey thanks for not flying off the handle for some feedback :)

A lot of folks do think that art occupies some special place in the professional pantheon, and Art needs to be Out. But in the end, art is time, and time is money. Your beautiful color commissions are in hot demand for a reason - and I'll wager, take a crap-ton of time. You deserve to be paid like any professional.

I'm hardly a free market fundamentalist - in fact, I'm practically a communist about a lot of things. But nobody needs art to survive, not even me. And artists, as a whole, are grossly underpaid compared with other professionals. I hope your auction does very well, Caraid.

ETA: You even ran the free raffle for 2/3rds of the slots. You can't ask fairer then that.

As I said before.
Its just how it was presented to us, the buyers. Fairness is not how this whole thing should have been presented. I am all for the artist making as much as they possibly can on the skill they have crafted.
But trying to coat it out to being a 'fair' way is not it. This is so that the artist can make the full potential money mark for the exact amount of work they want to offer. And if it was presented like so all would have been well in my books.

That is all and that will be my last word on the matter.

Just to clarify will the winning bid be the amount that the winner will have to pay to you Cara?

The final bid is the amount the winner pays to be on the list. After that, I will contact them as soon as I am ready to get started on the commission and we will discuss the commission price as normal. To put it simply, this auction is what the winner pays on top of the regular commission price to ensure their getting a commission from me.

Okay so $550 (standard rate for a full color illustration) plus the remaining amount of the winning bid.

Precisely, the winning bid plus the 550+ USD for the commission. The winner of this auction will need to pay within 48 hours, as outlined above.

Even though I will not bid for this, I want to say thank you Caraid. For two main things:

Making a cleaner system for determining your next commissioner. Instead of having a shorter time frame to favor those who do not live in your time zone and such. The furry fandom is a global market.

And the second being that you are doing this openly. People have been doing this for some time under the disguise of Patreon. Making it so the only way someone can commission an artist is if they pay them so much a month. This is much more forward and unhidden, and I commend that.




To those butt hurt by this: Welcome to a global capitalistic system. The person you want due to their skill set, you need to be able to pay for fully and the victor with the money gains the spoils. if you dont like it, CHANGE IT YOURSELF. Take your next twenty years to become a great artist, and then draw for others for free. Change yourself, dont tell the world to change around you. Quit being a special little snowflake that thinks they are better than others.

For me its not the fact that its an auction for a slot. For me its saying that its the 'fair' way.
If your art has this much demand just say it how it is. I think its great when an artist can make as much on the skill they built as possible. But call it as it is.
Just be honest in saying that this is how it is. Not because its 'fair' but because its how it is.

I never thought I'd say this, but on this matter I will defer to Honey Boo Boo's judgment:

https://66.media.tumblr.com/1741e6c.....q4j4o1_250.gif


In all seriousness, best of luck on this auction to both the artist and the prospective clients. I can say from experience, it's worth every penny. :)

One of my favourite comments on this xD
Thanks for sharing!

I honestly don't even know what people are complaining about?

In the end, artists have every right to charge what the market will bear - and considering how many hours go into these color paintings, it's STILL a huge bargain compared to what other professionals of all stripes will charge.

Does this price me out of the market for Caraid art? Yup. But guess what? Life ain't always fair, and besides, if I underpaid her compared to what the market thinks her work is worth, am I being fair to her? I like Caraid. She deserves all the reward we can give her and more, and the quality speaks for itself.

And further, there was the random raffle for folks who didn't want to pay for an artistic "seat license". That cost nothing at all to enter. Here, you're getting a guaranteed slot, and you have to be willing to pay. That's the breaks when trying to commission a really hot in-demand artist. It certainly is a whole crapload fairer then "first person whose web browser registers a click gets the commission".

In our ADD fandom, patience and persistence are rather underrated traits, but that's what I will be taking, and in the meantime, Caraid, you go, girl.

I absolutely hear the complaints and I do not fault people for having concerns, but I do want to thank you wholeheartedly for your support and encouragement. It means a lot to me. I am entirely aware that I was taking a risk with this method and I'm also aware that I can't please everyone. I'm always out to find the best ways to run my business and, of course, turn a profit while also being fair and approachable to my audience. It's always a matter of finding a balance and I need all the feedback I can get to achieve it.

Thanks again!

Well, in the end, customer goodwill isn't something that can easily be monetized - it's why I personally dislike "dealer's choice" as the sole route for commissions, as they throw out a huge amount of potential goodwill and can quickly reduce an artist's fanbase to a clique.

This is completely different. Yeah, there's griping and complaining, but if nobody bids in the auction (something I know isn't true) then you know the idea's a dud. If people bid, the idea has some demand, and you get a bonus!

I appreciate you being sensitive to our feelings, though - it's part of why I support you all the way whether or not I can afford your art. You're a Nice Person as well as a superb artist, and those are rare gems indeed.

Just my opinion on the style of the auction, i don't mean that personally or anything (should be clear, your art is worth like ALL the money)
It's just a bit easier to understand if the SB is set at 550$ and it goes up from there. It's just not necessary to complicate that fact, because in the end, that is how this auction works anyway (or am i not getting this right?)
Just because an auction is going WAY beyond the starting bid, doesn't mean you have to add extra hours or content. That's just how a regular auction works and if people are fine paying multiple times your usually hour-rate it's their choice. Sadly there is no other way to make a "fair" way of getting a slot in an artists commission list. It's either: Luck, money, or get chosen (subjective by the artist). There is always SOMEBODY who complains that it's not fair to everybody. But as long as they don't come up with a better way of solving this problem, it's not their place to cry.

I had a situation with an auction once that went WAY beyond what the art was worth (in my opinion) but i couldn't add extra hours or content ._.
Feels really bad, but the subject/amount of work of the commission for this auction was clear. So the client didn't even noticed that at all...it was just in my head. (if that makes any sense...just saying i can kinda understand were you are coming from)

Well, if I may be both blunt and cynical, "fair" usually means "I got one of the slots" and unfair usually means "I got passed over for a slot." I've done a "fair" bit of complaining in my day, too. Disappointment always hurts. But in the end, to me at least, "fair" should mean "everyone gets an even chance at a slot". The raffle did that. As Caraid offers few full color slots, and those are in very hot demand, she should have the right to open a guaranteed slot for auction. People obviously are bidding, and know exactly what they are bidding for, so it's ethical as well. Nobody has the right to a guaranteed slot when so many are contesting for so few...and in the end, Caraid's the one doing the work and taking the risks in being a self-funded artist. She deserves to reap all the rewards she can.

Never said that's she isn't deserving of this. Not at all. I even think her art is worth more then that... (how do you even read that out of my comment, srly)
I was just confused by the "bit for the slot" then you pay for the commission. But in a way, i also get how THAT works in her case, because the actual commission isn't just 550$, it depends on how complex it is and then it can get higher then that. So It actually makes sense.
It's just a new way of doing and auction~ Maybe this is a new solution to the old problem. She is doing to experiment for the rest of us artists i guess :)

About the raffles. I even had people complaining that that isn't "fair" because it's just based on luck and DURR HURR "I want to buy out your raffle, why don't you take my money?" This kind of comments are happening. Maybe not in a comment chain like this, but they sure note you. And that is just unfair pressure for the artist. Just saying, this stuff isn't easy.

Actually, I didn't read it out of your comment at all, and I should have been clearer. These were more a general observation then one specifically directed to you, from someone who's been in the trenches and seen most all. Apologies - you're one of the more reasonable commenters! You too have been in the trenches and seen it all!

I will close with one nice story. After trying to get a particular artist for a commission and losing out time and time again in her raffles and "dealer's choice" slots, I finally noted her my disappointment. No rant, no anger, just sad. She said that because I'd been trying for so long, she'd create a special slot for me once her current batch was done, and she did. I didn't just get a commission, I made a friend out of that.

Being nice and also being persistent - not a pest, but just patient - can pay off big in the long run.

I had considered this of course. And to avoid confusion in the future I will probably conduct the auction that way - even if it presents other problems.

My conundrum was this: with your suggested method the price becomes a bit convoluted. If I start the bids at $550 and they go up to, say, $650 but the winner requests a commission that is worth $800. Do I then charge extra? If I do, what was the point of the auction to begin with? What did the winner actually pay for in that case? And if I don't - then the auction is actually a loss in income for me which at the moment I absolutely can not afford.

The easiest and clearest way around this, I thought, was to simply differentiate between the slot and the commission and have people pay for the slot only. Ultimately, it does not actually make that much of a difference since I would never have offered "extras" no matter how high the bids go up, because that's simply not how I work. Perhaps this means that an auction is just not the best way for me to offer a slot at all - all food for thought for the next batch I guess!

Yeah, i totally get were you are coming from. This really is tricky.
Now that i think about it...your way does sound like the cleanest, easiest solution. It just takes a bit to wrap your head around it.
Because, as you said, everything is nice separated (price for the slot from the commission) and there can't be any arguing in the end.
Specially when the other case happens and the commissioner pays "more". ( Like Base price is 550 + 400 for the slot. Commissioner wants a piece that's worth 750. The price then is 550+250+400) There is no arguing and no complaining. that's how it works...and i think as an artist it's just fair to get the extra money for the high demand people have for your art. I mean...you worked hard for your skill, so it's well deserved.
I guess it's just confusing at first, because it is a new way of going about it.

Hehe well I figured someone had to take the hit - I've not seen any artist do this before and I was entirely aware that I was taking a risk doing it, but I'm still not unconvinced that it's a decent method if everyone is clear on the expectations.

Thank you so very much for the feature and for thinking along, it's truly appreciated!

I made you a little feature: http://www.furaffinity.net/journal/7803816/
And now i stop spaming your auction XD

> then the auction is actually a loss in income for me which at the moment I absolutely can not afford.

I'm fully in support of whatever puts more money in the pockets of artists. To that end, I'm going to borrow a copy-paste I put into another artist's thread, that talks about diversifying income streams with minimal effort:

With the ease of sites like RedBubble, there's plenty to be said for spending more time on non-commission artwork, or artwork intended for broader sale than a single individual. Artists like MissMonsterMel more or less transitioned entirely away from commissions as her skills and fame grew, leveraging her lessons in design and illustration gradually into "What can I make that instead of intensely appealing to one person, intensely appeals to a lot of people?"

Also: If you don't already, offer your work for licensing. It can be money for free in your pocket. Lots of projects need artwork, books need cover art, etc. Make your terms "Exclusive licensing expensive, non-exclusive licensing inexpensive". You'd be surprised at how many times you can sell and re-sell your work in this way for little more effort than a "Yes!" to an emailed offer. This can also turn commissioned artworks into sources of repeat revenue. (Adjusting your TOS to make clear to commissioners that, unless they pay an additional fee, their commission *will* be available for merchandising/licensing, is also a good move.)

Best of all: If you can leverage this kind of income streams, you can afford to keep commission prices crowd-pleasingly low, and cherry-pick the most inspiring and creative ideas (that will in turn fire up your revenue-generating engines, pleasing everyone with prints/merch/licensing and you with more money!).

I agree with just upping the starting bid. You achieve the same amount without being misleading. The only way to justify it otherwise, is to intentionally pry on peoples expectations to bid on what they otherwise think is a normal auction.

If the artwork being advertised is worth $550+, it should achieve that without making it difficult for the consumer. Set a flat standard as to what people are paying for with previous examples to avoid complications.

Its honestly refreshing to see an artist willing to take comments both positive and negative to balance themselves for the future. I see pros and cons doing this. Alas, the people want an unrealistic utopia of cheap, fast, and quality art. This isnt plausible and will fire up a shitstorm. This artist here is trying to actually give people a chance to obtain a slot in a way that will benifit them as well. I for one would be grateful.

I support this :)

Good luck dear!!

art teacher here.
what the fuck, wow. speechless here.

I'm sorry but for an art teacher you severely undercharge; if you really are one you should know better. :/

I already get paid enough with job, why the fuk would I wanna get paid for having fun?

Because having fun is also job sometimes.
Job = time = money.

because it is still a job you get hired for
because it is still work even if you have fun
because you are pulling market and cutting under other artists
because you devaluate your services and art in general
...

Hhhhooooly shit you aren't fucking kidding, I just checked their prices, what in the hell is this? An art teacher, of all professions, undercutting the art market like this? That just doesn't make sense.

I would love to know where they teach though. Must be very prompt on teaching about marketing and how the art industry works for sure, not that these are apparently very valuable skills for us. We overprice you see.

Oh I know, I will pay 30 bucks for a commission by you! And you should be glad I even consider you, it's an honor really. Anyway I'm gonna upload it and give you exposure, that is what matters! Is it ok if I use it for a book cover too? No royalty fee of course it's between friends, we are furries, we are all friends here! You should thank me for the generous 30$, you will be having fun anyway so you shouldn't be paid at all, it's really just a bonus from me because I'm cool and I love and respect artists. So deal? :3

No kidding, teaching students the [sarcasm] very important truth that art isn't worth getting a real wage, if you charge anywhere CLOSE to minimum wage, that is far too high, anyone over that? Wow, they're just ripping people off! Those years and years of education, and endless study? HAHAHA you think that allows you to charge MORE and be able to put FOOD on your table? My, my, silly students. Thank goodness you go to this school so I can teach you the valuable lesson that art is fun, and should never be taken seriously. It's used literally everywhere in life, but that doesn't matter. You're worthless. [/sarcasm]

I don't usually really care what people are charging, though sometimes I'll say ya'know "oh man your prices are so low, you're so good!" kinda thing, it's both a compliment and true imo, but that's it. This however? This is frankly infuriating. That's some DeviantArt level market gouging.

MadMaz also fails to understand this slot auction, whether you agree with it or not, it doesn't change the facts, Caraid isn't charging $500 for the slot, the person buying CHOSE TO OFFER that much. There's a very big difference there.

While I can't believe MadMaz is really an art teacher, this sadly reminds me of a real case:

I had a friend who showed talent as an artist, then he went to some fancy art school... guess what? Now he keeps acting like he knows everything, giving out bullshit critiques in an educating tone, using all kinds of fancy but meaningless words, while trying to convince everyone, that you can't make a living from art, and that being an art teacher in school is actually the pinnacle of artists...

nice rant there, im sure it'll change anything.

if I were holding auctions that go for 500$, i wouldnt be an art teacher. but I already make that kind of money, I dont need any more money than that. thats the part you dorks fail to realize. I'm the kind of person who doesnt need to auction slots just so I can barter a deal off people. I'm not a greedy asshole. its that simple. I'm sorry you think its acceptable and I'm sorry I think its greedy, opinions. see?

dont make it a big deal.

Hey so, out of curiousity, what school do you teach art at? Asking for a friend.

80$ painting? she does a sketch for over 50$, you should double check on that. Veramundis used to undercharge but she got into the flow of things and doesn't do that anymore.
but let me tell you other examples: Marc Brunet, digital artist close to Caraid's level: ~5000$ per piece. and that is the normal payment for an artist. he isn't overcharging, it's furry art that is just under-priced in general, with the several hundred dollar payments going around.

it's not about being a "jew", I'm not even going to go into how offensive that is, it's about being a professional who is aware of their work's worth and researches market values before pricing themselves and others; you certainly aren't that.

where'd you get the idea that I was saying he was over charging? holy shit, I just said Im not a jew. cool your shit, tumblrina
I literally dont give a shit about the furry market nor am I trying to compete, I never said I was and I never implied that.
opinions

You talked about how one is charging 500 and the other 80. To me that implied you were dissatisfied with the price of the former. But I did not say you said anything, I simply stated he isn't overcharging just like you stated you aren't a Jew.
Btw, I'm not an active Tumblr user, nor a female, nor did I mention feminism or was it relevant in any form here; i wonder how you came to choose tumblrina out of all things to try and offend me.

You are competing on the furry market by selling your art, and you are influencing it with your prices. It doesn't matter if you intend to or not, if you care or not, you are doing it. My first comment was of helpful intent, I'm saddened it did not come across.

I will not reply to you in the future. We spammed Caraid enough already, and I'm not interested in further conversation. Good bye.

" i wonder how you came to choose tumblrina out of all things to try and offend me. "
because you think me drawing 2 dollar lineart is going to put furries out of business. get fuckin real.

"My first comment was of helpful intent"
"I'm sorry but for an art teacher you severely undercharge; if you really are one you should know better. :/ "

as "helpful" as you want to sound, charging low prices makes me happy and thats what I think my art is worth , that alone is more important than going with some status quo of the furry market trade. as I said before, I'm not a jew. i hope that was a conclusive reply for you.

"I'm not a jew"
- You are just a racist troll.

Tbh they're stating it SO much, kinda makes me feel like they actually are Jewish lmfao. Over compensating to the maz.

EDIT: Sorry for the spam Caraid, I really laid that sarcasm on thick there . _. just got over frustrated with this stupid drama ^^;

I see you've never heard of "supply and demand". If someone is willing to pay $500 for a slot then it worth $500 for them. Nobody forced them to offer that amount.

BTW, at which University did you get your teacher's degree? I'm just wondering.

"My personal life has nothing to do with the topic, nor is it relevant."
- Reeeallly... you claim to be an art teacher but just saying the name of the University is too personal, hm? Now you just proved you are a fake. I'm done.

The approach you are taking towards commission selling/pricing is an embarrassment to the trade. =l

Yeah I'm kinda on the boat of not liking this, but after reading everyone's insights I get why you're doing it and see how this greatly impacts you!
If people don't want to pay the price of getting a slot to in turn, may more money this round, then they don't have to! I hope you'll be doing more and different methods however, I feel like changing it up frequently could satisfy the most amount of people! (which, truly, is never enough ;-;, which is a very unfortunate struggle when your art is in high demand. It's a very stressful position and no matter what you do, someone's left unsatisfied.)
It's a rough situation with no real solution. No matter what you do, it'll never be enough.
Good luck by the way!! Looks like lil griff's got it in the bag~ <3!

I... can see where you are coming from with this M.O., especially from a freelancer's perspective, I really do. But I would probably agree with the opinion of simply going with a very high, but honest starting bid, because this is treading dangerously close to the wrong side of appearing shady. Clearly, there are people here that are willing to pay top sums for your art - those will use both systems, so it has no effect on them. Then you have the people that can't afford your prices one way ot another - again, those are not affected. But the considerable potential customer base of "I could buy that, if I save up for a while" is getting seriously shafted by a random price calculation like this, leading to a lot of frustration and feeling treated unfairly.

Reputation is a currency for a freelancer as well, and an important one at that. A system like this here might net you a bad one that can snowball quickly – especially within a generation of potential customers that had plenty of time to learn that randomization and price disassociation tactics are systems attempting to weasel more money out of you, when all they wanted was a clearly defined purchase.

Please also keep in mind that with a system like this, you will effectively randomize your OWN artist worth, meaning compareable pieces of yours will be on the market for very different final prices of auction slot & artwork. That is also a dangerously good method of getting dissatisfied customers. They might not say it to your face, but it might still build feelings of resentment among the customer circle no. 1 I mentioned futher up

This is just my opinion, but I think you should have simply put an SB of like 800$. No one would be judging and it avoids making the customer to do unnecessary work/math. Or just go with fix price and choose the commission offer or idea that is to your liking, it doesn't have to be decided by luck; it's your art and you can decide what jobs you take on.

Cara, I've been following you for /years/ and let me say a few things here.

Your art and skill have grown in leaps and bounds since NDA, it makes me incredibly happy to see you in such high demand to necessitate alternative methods to getting slots, simply for the opportunity to commission you. It's definitely a worthwhile investment. This being said, I agree with Ahastar on a few points. Say you host two slot auctions; one auction may bring you $300 USD, another may only net you $150. While these two values are not extremes, the price flux means that while one person can pay 300 + X for a commission, another can pay 150 + X, and that feels a bit unfair, not just to you as the artist but also to the client; while we're seeing people bidding however much they feel a slot is worth, if one person sees that they could have paid $150 less for a commission this can raise questions and cause dissatisfaction. Ultimately a raffle is the fairest method of slot acquisition, because then you don't risk discrepancies like this occurring.


People prefer solid benchmarks that are not affected by randomization, because then it can be something to work towards without having to worry about how much more you'd have to give to even get a slot at all. As you mentioned previously, first-come-first-serve usually gives certain timezones the advantage, while the raffle is wholly random. But at least FSFC enables everybody to have the same financial footing, which really is what any client would appreciate.

As a freelancer I completely understand your position and laud it it, this counsel is just something to keep in mind. Best wishes <3 Go get em, milady!

As a customer and consumer of some fine art here and there, I don't mind you trying something new. That's clearly what you're doing. I don't see the 'unfairness' here due to you having a raffle, doing first come, first serve, and paying for a slot that ensures and entitles the commissioner to receiving a piece of your amazing work.

There are other ways of going about it as well. Like choosing an idea that is most pleasing to you or will greatly bring out the shine that is in your art. You can pick what you like to draw or something that is challenging. When you're in high demand, the price has to begin to match your worth. I have seen bids get outlandish on closed species (y'all know about these) and seeing some that reach $1k+ for a single image versus this was at first beyond me, but when you have the money, you can get what you want.

I see how you wanna work this, too. You have them pay for the slot, and then the art plus any added additions on top of that. Putting 8 hours of work into what's supposed to be a 10 hour piece, what do you with the extra two? Put even more finer details into this piece?

When I think on it, not everything can be true fair game. If I had the extra spare cash, per say, then yes, this would be to my advantage because I can get a piece by throwing money at you for both the slot and later the art piece. Your art is expensive, fast, but worth it. Can't hope for HD quality from lower prices. You gotta make that money.

Life ain't fair, period. And time is money, and Caraid should be able to make it work for them as well as the customer. If people have the money and want that art, then let 'em have it. They are the ones who set the bar for the bids, not the non-bidders like myself.

Even with this risk, I support you in trying a new method and earning a bit of extra income because when it comes to your survival in this world, that is what matters the most. Besides, I'm not fond of raffles because I never win those so they aren't 'fair methods' in my opinion, but that's all that is.

Good luck to you on this! I hope that it all goes way.

some of these comments literally make me want to rip my eyes out.

But it's really refreshing to see that a lot of people are understanding and do support you and your decision to try something different.
Best of luck on the auction!!

With so many varied opinions, I feel compelled to share my thoughts!

As an artist working on building my own audience and business, I find this auction (especially in conjunction with the raffles) to be entirely fair. I completely understand the concern of doing a ladder auction for exactly the practical, artistic reasons mentioned. A finished work is a finished work; forcing yourself to potentially compromise a commission by over-working it does a disservice to your craft and your customer.

It seems the best analogy for this type of auction would be if you had already completed the painting and were auctioning it through a gallery. You'd work only exactly as much as was needed to complete the work to the best of your ability, and people would be bidding regardless of hours put into it. Which is a standard method of selling art. The only difference in this case is that the winner gets to decide what that painting is.

And, to echo what some have already said, it is more than fair to give multiple ways of acquiring a commission slot. If we're talking about what's fair to both commissioners AND artist, that is.

Artists, ideally speaking, must strike a balance between their needs and that of their clients. The clients who understand this, those are the keepers -- folk who will continue to support you. Because they care about your needs as well as theirs.

Also, major props to the grace with which you've received so much varied feedback. I wish your auction all the success!

:V

8) Get all the dollars, girl.

Although maybe un-complicating it like Rotarr said might make it easier for people to understand (550 starting bid, and going from there), I think whatever works and whatever floats your boat!

Read the rest of the chain b/w Rotarr and Caraid.

> 8) Get all the dollars, girl.

One more time louder for the folks in the back! :)

GET ALL THE DOLLARS CARAID, WHOOP WHOOP!

Hmmm got another idea: what if bidding starts at the price of the cheapest commission option of the artist, and then the winner can get any of the options up to the amount of the winning bid - so in worst case the artist sells a commission at a regular price, but it an still go over it if there is demand.

I may actually use that system in the future if I ever become so popular that there is more demand than what I can take.

For the starting bid option: I think people here forget that the starting price of the slot is 550USD. This doesn't mean the commissioner can't pay any more for it. (Let's say the commissioner wants a 1000+USD commission ) So if you were to add 550USD as a starting bid, the difference wouldn't be included. (550 base + bidding amount + 450USD for comission.) I think it's way simpler the way Caraid put it. You get the spot, then you pay for commission.
And for the people complaining about the fairness of it all, I don't think Cara will have this method of getting a slot as the ONLY one. I'm sure there will still be raffles and first come first serve basis for choosing a commissioner every once in a while, maybe even something new. This is just the best way for her to get a little extra income. IMO this is very fair.