Tips on taking commissions.
I’ve been asked for feedback on this for years, but I didn’t really know what to say? I decided to try anyway, after talking/reading about it on discord. Here are some tips for taking commissions. They’re not designed for emergency situations. These are just every day nuggets from somebody who has been doing this for a long time, and knows people who have been doing this for a long time.
[*] Write a TOS. If you’re not sure what to put on it, look at what other artists have done.
[*] If possible, start small. Try doing something simple like ten dollar icons. It’s less risky for the buyer and less risky for you. You’ll appreciate the low pressure when you hit a learning curve.
[*] Be up front about when and how you intend to do edits. Again, I cannot stress this enough, start simple. Give yourself time to learn to deal with a few curve balls before you delve into big stuff.
[*] Talk to artists who have been doing it a while. Ask them how they say no when something is bothering them. Dig in their brains. They have juicy advice.
[*] Don’t undercharge. Everybody feels differently about what their time/skill level is worth, but don’t let someone gun you into a fullbody drawing for less than you’d pay for taco bell. Generally speaking, people who respect you and your time won’t pressure you.
[*] Set a realistic turn around and be up front about it. Don’t leave your buyer wondering when they should expect progress if they’ve paid you money. Don’t string them along or wait until they poke you to tell them why you’re late. You’ll both feel more secure with a date to work toward. If you need a month to do a sketch, TELL THEM SO! Don’t be embarrassed.
[*] Those moments when you’re not really sure what you feel like drawing are the best times to work on commissions. If you’re see sawing just pick up an order from your que and poke at it. You don’t have to finish every commission in one sitting.
[*] When doing character art commissions use a simple information template. Save yourself. People are going to give you their character’s backstory and forget to tell you their hair color, or they’ll bury it in three paragraphs of text. (Take note y’all, artists love bullet lists. Please don’t make them dig through a novel to find out if your dragon character has round or slit pupils.)
That’s all I got.
andulkaphoto
kianamaiart
germansingergirl
