A fraud named Gregory Welter
We would like to warn you about about a Russian "professional artist" and “artist’s agent” (as he calls himself) Gregory Welter and ask you not to commission him, or at least think twice before you do. He was formerly known as http://gregory-welter.deviantart.com/ http://gregorywelter.tumblr.com/ https://sketchmob.com/user-profile/GregoryWelter/ etc. Now he uses these accounts: http://gromanov.deviantart.com/ https://sketchmob.com/user-profile/DrawingDraw/ http://drawcommissions.deviantart.com/
Here’s some reasons why: - he traces photos to make his "art" and the completed piece is often just a photo with some Photoshop effects and a lineart drawn over it. Gregory's artwork:  http://gregory-welter.deviantart.com/art/depressed-Castiel-348290965 Photoshop effects proof: http://i.imgur.com/pm2QubW.gif Another one “artwork”: http://orig12.deviantart.net/f414/f/2014/160/2/0/captain_america_book_cover_practice_by_gregory_welter-d7lo6hw.jpg Background: http://s00.yaplakal.com/pics/pics_original/3/0/6/135603.jpg Also if you look closely, 90% of the time he just pastes his own face/body in place of the characters he's drawing, just think about it for a moment: Gregory's "artwork": http://gregory-welter.deviantart.com/art/Knuckles-Sonic-604014213 Proof this is Gregory's picture painted over: http://i.imgur.com/A3L2peL.png He uses the same technique for his portrait commissions, which results in masterpieces like this one (it's our favorite, honestly): https://cs7064.vk.me/c540107/v540107176/1a887/EOLHXoH8-jU.jpg ) - he discusses his clients in public and allows himself to make negative and inappropriate comments about their appearance (Here's what he writes in his open vk group (and his audience is about 1k people), (translated by us) "That moment when you have to draw not quite the prettiest curvy ladies and you have to make them look better without loosing the resemblance". Comments from his followers below: "this is the heavy burden of all the commissions with not-so-good-looking chicks" Gregory replies: "Aleksey, I wouldn't say it's a burden, at least it adds some variety to my workload  But trying to draw ugly women and keeping the resemblance while making them look tolerable enough at the same time - yeah, it's a little sad." There's proofs - http://i.imgur.com/zZ200bM.jpg http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:XaX6Xde8st4J:vk.com/wall-47904146_1165+&cd=1&hl=ru&ct=clnk&gl=ru ) - he steals works from other artists, sometimes for commercial purposes (Here i.imgur.com/C1L1vzc.png he's requesting people to remove the watermark and make the image transparent and offering a small payment. The best part is that he then sells this very image as an original artwork and then it appears ib this book cover:  http://www.litmir.co/data/Book/0/228000/228980/BC3_1453455525.jpg . So obviously he got paid for stealing artwork (made by a person who has nothing to do with him and has no idea their image was stolen). Here's the rightful owner of this picture: http://www.shutterstock.com/pic-48618118/stock-vector-skull-and-roses-illustration.html?irgwc=1&utm_medium=Affiliate&utm_campaign=Idee%20Inc.&tpl=77643-108110&utm_source=77643 ) - he is very irresponsible when it comes to making the commission answer customer's demands. When he receives the payment, he often just disappears without finishing the commission. Story №1 I ordered a picture from Gregory. A simple one. The fandom was Kuroko no Basuke. References were provided, as were color/mood requirements and basically everything else he could need. Here is what he delivered:  https://pp.vk.me/c622719/v622719219/3a347/im_G9P7qGeQ.jpg When I commissioned him, the pose I asked for was different, character's roles were switched (blue hair was supposed to be kissing red hair's hand, not the other way around). I wrote to Gregory, but as it turned out a paying customer's request is not at all important to him. I asked for a bright red haircolor and got a pink-haired guy. By the way, the yukatas are drawn all wrong too. Nonetheless, I just thought it was my own fault, my description wasn't precise enough or something and decided to order yet another artwork from Gregory. After Gregory received the payment in advance, he ignored me for month, then he wrote me this: "Hello! I have some sudden issues with my tablet, sorry I haven't warned you, I've lost the link to the thread. Right now I am trying to get used to my friend's tablet and finishing up your commission. I am very sorry for the delay." And then he disappeared. Gregory just took the money and I never got my commission. Proofs are here:  http://holywarsoo.net/viewtopic.php?pid=1233076#p1233076 http://i.imgur.com/qUPbCaC.jpg http://i.imgur.com/5rvbuWJ.jpg http://i.imgur.com/nb0H7Ta.jpg After the information about financial impropriety Gregory became known on the Internet, Gregory returned money to the customer, nine months after placing the order. Story №2 A girl commissioned Gregory to draw a portrait of her friend who recently committed suicide. Any other artist would have shown some respect and attention because a commission like this isn't something like a picture for your avatar on social media. Original:  http://i.imgur.com/PgCcHTW.jpg Gregory's artwork:  http://i.imgur.com/UZVpb0D.jpg The customer was highly disappointed in the artwork. Gregory Welter decided not to make any adjustments to the picture and just took the money which were paid in advance. Meanwhile she ordered another portrait. She requested her friend to be drawn as an angel and gave Gregory the photo with the man holding a glass. Final result - http://i.imgur.com/0tJCVD4.jpg After some debates Gregory agreed to remove the glass from the picture. Both of the resulting pictures were very sloppy and of low quality, the customer is unhappy with them. Besides she is really offended with such a disregard for commissioners and lack of respect and she takes this as an insult to the memory of her late friend. Story №3 http://i.imgur.com/8lWBBcm.png Another one fooled customer in comments: http://comments.deviantart.com/62/3171006/4111184569
- Gregory is suggesting his «agents service» for artists from post-soviet countries (Russia, Ukraine, Belarus and other countries of Commonwealth of Independent States). He is swindling them, using that most of artist from that countries don’t know prices for works abroad, don’t speak English or don’t have opportunity to use paypal because of some restrictions in their country. Here are some schemes of his fraud with artists: 1. Gregory suggests his middleman services for 10-15% commission, right way stipulate that commission won’t have an influence on the artists price. Proof of Gregory's pricing: http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:ISJu17CxGEUJ:sketchmob.com/user-profile/GregoryWelter/%3Fstyle%3Dphotorealistic%26subject%3Dpets-animals+&cd=1&hl=ru&ct=clnk&gl=ru https://sketchmob.com/jobs/photorealistic/detailed-beautiful-realistic-portrait/#.VzOAKiEmHDc https://sketchmob.com/jobs/photorealistic/black-and-white-realistic-portrait/#.VzOBOSEmHDc https://sketchmob.com/jobs/photoshop/modern-realistic-portrait/#.VzOBRyEmHDc https://sketchmob.com/user-profile/DrawingDraw/ As a result, he sells work for the much higher price, which corresponds with the quality of work, and puts the difference between prices in his wallet. Usually this difference more than 50% from the final price. We talk to some artists and found out that they didn’t know about real percents of Gregory’s commission. Proof of one of the artist's pricing: http://bastetmary.deviantart.com/ A translated conversation: http://i.imgur.com/aXresRo.jpg A translated conversation with SapDash, this artist ( http://drawcommissions.deviantart.com/gallery/58668030/SapDash ), that demonstrates she didn't know at all how big Gregory's profit actually was from working with her. http://i.imgur.com/4VlFVjP.png
With artists who know the real price of their works Gregory doesn’t work. A translated conversation with an artist that Gregory tried to work with, but as they knew their own worth, Gregory run away because he wouldn't be able to cheat them: http://i.imgur.com/sJLuV7W.png http://i.imgur.com/Vto2NW4.png http://i.imgur.com/CnmA9p2.png http://i.imgur.com/1RgsIkB.png 2. Gregory is arranging with artists about cooperation, takes their works from their portfolio for advertising his resources, however, there are no orders for artists at all. A translated conversation with keshajunk, this artist (http://keshajunk.deviantart.com/ ) She gave her permission to post this conversation with a link to her page (https://vk.com/ogladje) http://i.imgur.com/TwxKMn3.png http://i.imgur.com/3mTxYR0.png
Gregory is concealing from artists where their works are, as well, he doesn’t give any links to his resources in the internet and changing nicknames of artists, so that customers can’t find artist by his own without Gregory. Please, don’t encourage fraudulent activity of Gregory Welter! Don’t take orders from him and share with your friends. It is better to connect directly with artists, if you want to order an art from one of the artists who are cooperating with Gregory. Don’t allow to the fraudster to profiting on talented artists!