#i don't know any artists. i don't know how to ask for comissions and would be scared to anyway

[jofiah]

I need to stop looking at the front page of twitch and popular vtubers on twitter, it's not good for my mental health

what would be better for my mental health, however, would be to stop being so jealous of everyone else or feeling like everyone else is a threat/competition to me, instead of something to aspire to or take inspiration from. sigh

wish i could just talk to people and reach out but. all i feel able to do is make posts like this (that will probably only drive people to unfollow)

[edennill]

If Tolkien characters had Tumblr blogs part 2:

part 1

Finduilas:

url: waitingtothewind

pfp: drawing of a fictional crush in pastel colours (babygirl fulfills her royal duty to exercise patronage over artists by comissioning reams of fanart lol)

bio: ✧˖･* princess finduilas of nargothrond :) ✧˖･* 47 ✧˖･* poetry appreciator ✧˖･* romantic at heart ✧˖･* girl of many fandoms ✧˖･* favourite animal: doggos ✧˖･* favourite food: strawberry juice ✧˖･* and if I had a voice that could make mountains melt I would walk over stars just to see how it felt ✧˖･*

title: ₓ˚. ୭ ˚○◦˚.˚◦○˚ ୧ .˚ₓ

has a very pink custom theme with a fancy font. runs a fandom/aesthetic blog and stays clear of discourse. writes really good meta that is quite popular and poems that get notes in the single digits. doesn't really know how to deal with anon hate. participates in every tag game she comes across.

Maeglin:

url: keeps changing it between @molelol and @twilitdark because he likes small animals, but wants to sound edgy.

pfp: keeps changing it between a baby mole and the kind of very dark photo where you can't really see what it's supposed to be.

bio: M / not a minor

title: the dark under the trees

guards his personal info incredibly closely (a good practice, but how much of it is due to his father having been so controlling that he learned secrecy early on is up for discussion). rarely posts, mostly reblogs photos and shitposts. vaguely vents about his idril/tuor/gondolin/treason problems. when he gets into discussions with people he can be uncomfortably fierce, has sent anon hate on occasion.

Celebrimbor:

url: craftingsilver

pfp: red eight pointed star (default variation, not technically fëanorian) on yellow background

bio: older/younger than you think | look I've seen the Trees that's enough | Noldorin jewelsmith | male

title: time and soul, wrought and tempered

mostly posts and reblogs crafting tiktoks and tips, sometimes adds a dash of science, philosophy or something personal. has made a resolution to filter out any posts pertaining to his family on his dashboard and keeps to it almost till the end. shows a strong sense of humour and has gathered quite a following.

Idril:

url: celebrin-does-things

pfp: blurred photo of her with her back to the camera

bio: 500s - architect, wife and mother - everyone is welcome

title: "ammë, there's winter in my boots"

started off as a miscellaneous blog, but shifted to being mostly about Eärendil's shenanigans. she vaguely vents about maeglin/gondolin/cousin's treason sometimes, but still comes off as way more laid back than irl. hardly used her tumblr before her son was born and still treats it mostly as a place to document things he has said + a way to talk with like three treasured mutuals. the architect part in bio is mostly a ruse because she has only ever completed one or two projects but can hardly reveal she's a princess, can she? (before the fall of nargothrond if she got on tumblr it was to nag Finduilas to remove her personal info from bio hah)

@eri-pl, this is in part because you asked (a while ago, sorry), though I'm afraid I don't have much to say about all your suggestions. I prefer not to get into Sauron's headspace actually, but the idea of him having access to social media is horrifying lol. And Pharazon has all the worst characteristics of Reddit atheists, non-ironic modern white supremacists and racist trolls rolled into one with the added horror of the new unsavoury state cult. Míriel is not allowed a sim card🙁😬

also I'm just now realising I tagged a compatriot in something I wrote at 3 am so if you have time stamps on you now know my messed up sleep schedule and if you don't I've just told you lol but never mind.

[baileythebean]

"I'm not stealing art anyway"

You literally downloaded it and post it. It doesn't matter if don't claim it as yours. IS STEALING AND USING something that's NOT yours and that they DIDN'T MADE FOR YOU

If you want to use other people's art go comission them

"This post was meant for me and my friends"

Then don't post it????????????????? This is social media, this is a website/app. If it was meant for you/your friends simply don't post it wtf your excuses are so bad, your mental gymnastics justifying this are terrifying. I hope you improve as a person and realize this isn't ok

DUDE. I CAN ONLY TALK TO MY FRIENDS OVER TUMBLR. If you would like to explain how this is wrong NICELY next time, please do! I really didn’t know that it was wrong if you don’t take credit for making it.

That said, it is NOT OKAY for you to be spamming my inbox with hate or any sort of harmful words. I am an artist myself, and also, guess what? The post wasn’t meant for the internet. This was just the only way I could show my friends. I am 13 years old, I am a child. Please stop harassing me. and by the way? Making yourself anonymous doesnt help. I know exactly who you are from the comment on my post. We all know. Please do better going forward in not immediately attacking someone, because again, I am a CHILD. I barely passed the teenager mark. And I didn’t know! Stop assuming everyone knows everything. I will give credit to these artists and future artists as best I can.

@schnozzlebozzle

@averagetmntfan

@ask-sora-aguilar

Tagging because I want opinions on this

[kobayashisoul]

》 ʀʏᴜᴜꜱᴇɪ ᴋᴏʙᴀʏᴀꜱʜɪ - ꜱᴇᴛᴛᴇɪ 《

Name: Ryuusei Kobayashi

Kanji: 竜星

Meaning: Ryuusei [dragon, imperial, mythical creature]

Kobayashi [Small Forest]

Species: Human

Gender: Male

Sexual Orientation: Heterosexual

Birthday: August 15th

Zodiac sign: Leo

Age: 

Part I/Pre-Shippuuden: 12 - 14 years

Part II/Shippuden: 16 – 18 years

The Last: 20 years

Epilogue: 31 years

Boruto next Generations:  34 years

Boruto: Two Blue Vortex: 36 years

Height: 198,7 Cm

Weight: 88,4 Kg

He wears as adult his official Clan Outfit.

Personality:

Ryuusei is a very quiet, serious and reserved Person, always was. He is dutyfull, passionate and honestly he isn't good with words. I would say that he is very clumsy when it comes to being sociable, to make Friends and when it comes to romantic Relationships. He mostly doesn't know what to say or how to react in many Situations, he doesn't even understand it when he says something wrong in a certain Situation. But when he has Friends or a Lover, he is absolutely loyal and would give his life for that Person.

As a Pureblood of his Clan, he inherited the Koabyashi Clan's Ice Release and he is a true Expert in using it. He is the last living 100% Pureblood of his Clan, everyone in his direct Bloodline was one. Not even Raziela is 100% pure since her Father was a Non-Pureblood. Other than her he is also very talented in Taijutsu and his Expert Level in Ninjutsu makes him a strong opponent in Battle. During Fights he is a cold-hearted opponent and honestly rarely knows when to stop or when to hold back.

➖️➖️➖️➖️➖️➖️➖️➖️➖️➖️➖️➖️➖️➖️➖️➖️➖️➖️➖️➖️➖️

Art (c) redflowersuki on Instagram

Ryuusei Kobayashi(c) @kobayashisoul

Kobayashi Clan (c) @kobayashisoul

Naruto & Boruto (c) Masashi Kishimoto and Mikio Ikemoto

This Picture was a Comission for me from @redflowersuki . I am NOT the Artist of this Artwork. I am a Comission Collector. I have the Artists written permission to upload this drawing to my Social Media. ⚠️

The Oc, his Design and his Story belongs to me. ⚠️

Without my written permission you have no right to recolor/repost/trace/edit/use this in any way. Also please don't ask me to roleplay with my Ocs because I don't allow that, written or drawn. ⚠️

[roughdaysandart]

Would you take commission for ship art with Mando character and an OC?

*GASP*

Omg....okay maybe.

I've thought about commissions but I think my decision would depend on how many requests there are for fear of it slowing down my comic work. Right now there are none, but I'm fortunate enough right now not to have to rely on commissions for daily expenses, but would still enjoy doing commissions just because of how much I love to make others happy.

Regarding pricing and quality tiers/levels...I'm not sure id have fixed rates just yet because i dont have really any comission requests...but wouldn't mind doing doodles or sketches for a low price and maybe MAYBE more detailed pieces for higher. On a case by case basis. Maybe something like extra research/specificity if needed would charge a small price depending on how accurate or detailed somome wants the piece.

I also don't have PayPal or "ko-fi", whatever that really popular platform is that i see artists mention, but i don't know if banking numbers are enough...would need to find out and pick one.

About nsfw....

I admit I do enjoy NSFW in fandoms because I find it extremely funny and watching you freaks, but am not sure id do something super detailed due to the Christian roommates lurking about. Also definatley not comfortable drawing Pedro's actual face in NSFW settings, as it is very uncomfortable for me because he looks like a family member. Helmetless shots from behind or that are very obscure are free game tho!

But, perhaps simpler sketches or comedically blocked things i could do, with the uncensored version of only being given to the commissioner. I think I'd let them post it on their own blog, since I don't want any uncensored NSFW items of mine to be directly posted on my blog on the SLIM chance that people I know in real life find it.

So the answer is yes

Thanks for asking!

[evilwizardval]

if i wanted to commission art from you of a character you always draw as trans, would it be okay if I wanted you to draw them cis? is that something you're comfy with? how would i even explain that to an artist im comissioning without sounding bigoted?

hi anon! i can't speak for everyone but i'm personally completely ok as long as the person who's commissioning me is not transphobic, you can just tell me! i know not everyone shares my headcanons since they're just headcanons so i don't have any problem with it ^^

if i don't know if the person who's commissioning me headcanons the character as trans and they don't specify it i will be the one asking!

what i post is just personal art with my own interpretation of the characters but that doesn't mean i don't like other people's art of them or even official art just bc they don't look like mine since i love the characters!

[dangerous-advantage]

38, 40, 41? :3

[link to ask game]

(sorry for the wait, and thank you so much for the ask!!)

38. Would you ever write commissions?

oh, that would be so fucking fun.

i am perfectly fine with writing for passion, but if i were willing and able, i would absolutely write comissions. not even comissions (though, i will admit, it would be nice to spend hours of time and effort on something that would allow me to feed myself, haha.)

the only reason a balk at this is the same reason i balk at becoming an actual published author. i am very much a perfectionist, and that becomes even more apparent when i'm writing something for someone else.

i'm working on it (i swear, i am), but old habits die hard, and people-pleasing is one that is especially pervasive.

that being said, if i ever got to a point where i felt a little more confident about my writing abilities, and where i had more of an open schedule, i would absolutely write commissions.

i've actually already considered what that would look like-- i think i'd have different categories like how artists do, seperated by things like word count or type. it might be difficult to stick to something like that (especially since i am a very detail-oriented writer), but i can image having a category like 'character creation' (i love making characters/filling out those silly little sheets and forms. i used to have this huge, uber-detailed one that i'd fill out for all my ocs, haha).

i'd probably classify them in things like, 'drabbles' and 'character studies,' vs things like whole-ass oneshots. i can't see myself doing big, multi-chapter projects, just because i'm afraid i'd never be able to finish those, but smaller works with a few chapters, or maybe a series of oneshots might be possible.

i could see myself doing poetry as well-- i don't share a lot of the poetry i write, since it's usually just something for me, but i could think of some really fun ways to implement poetry into commisions, especially since it's a lot more of a 'stricter' medium.

for the time being, i don't see myself opening up commissions like this anytime soon, but like... if there's anybody who might be interested in that, maybe let me know? really it comes down to if anybody would want to commission me to write something for them, which i'm not sure there are many in the market for haha.

40. If someone were to make fanart of your work, what fic or scene would you hope to see?

(tw: mentions of blood/gore)

since the only fic i really have to write for at the moment is 'it was futile,' that's probably all i have to work with.

honestly, i would love any and all fanart of my works. like, if anybody ever makes anything based off of/inspired by my work, no matter if you don't like it or think it's bad, hit me up, because that is so fucking flattering to me.

like, as somebody who relies on motivation as a currency, the fact that you could be so inspired by my work that you'd whip out a comic or animatic or whatever is just like '!!!'

it's right up there with long-ass comments, because you know somebody spent time creating something like that because they really, truly did enjoy what you made. the day i get fanart for something i've written is the day that i peak.

to answer the actual question, at the moment, i... don't have anything off the top of my head? sometimes you'll read something and be like, "oh, yeah. this moment-- this moment-- is gonna be drawn." but those are often later on in stories.

i can think of some future scenes that might inspire fanart (i've shared one in particular with you over discord that i am so fucking excited to write), but as it stands, nothing really immediately comes to mind. maybe something from one of my upcoming chapters, but nothing so far.

if i had the artistic ability to do so, one scene that i always thought would be cool is from the first chapter of my fic. (spoilers from this point on, if you hadn't guessed already).

it's where leo has just defeated the kraang beast and is laying beneath it, slowly realizing what just happened while droplets of blood rain down on his face. very angsty, i know, but i feel it's a very pivotal scene for the chapter-- a turning point of sorts-- with a lot of emotions going on beneath the surface. also the image just goes really hard in my brain, haha.

some other scenes might be from chapter... seven, i think? 'the rest of us.' it's the future raph chapter, where he basically just makes the decision to (finally) create the resistance. while i was writing it, i just couldn't get the image out of my head of f!raph's hulking silhouette, standing against the backdrop of the burning city.

something about it-- the fear and terror of the people fleeing the area, looking up to see f!raph push away some sort of debris and step out in a shower of sparks and embers-- i dunno. it just... embodies this ideal of hope that f!raph brings to the apocalypse. also just a cool visual to me.

i guess another one might be the scene where f!donnie switches their headphones. i poured a lot of my own experiences into that one, and how i wish people might have handled things like that with me in the past.

i imagine a comic, maybe just a few panels, with donnie pressing his broken headphones to his head, as the static and noise and everything just gets worse and worse around him. and it follows this progression of everything just getting worse, until suddenly he looks up and sees, y'know, f!donnie.

and then, wordlessly, he gives donnie the other pair of headphones, and then just steps back and lets him have his space. and just... the immediate relief as soon as donnie puts on the new pair of headphones.

i dunno. it's a little silly describing it, but the ideas behind the scene mean a lot to me. i wrote that chapter while i was feeling really overstimulated, and tried to base it off of what i felt might actually help me in that kind of situation. so i guess it's a bit of a personal scene, haha.

just... that idea of not having to justify why you need something, or even what you need, because there's somebody else there who knows exactly what you're going through, and just wants to help. i think it's something a lot of nd people might relate to (though, who knows? /lh)

41. Do you tend to reread fics, or are you a 'one-and-done- type of person?

do... do other people not reread fics? like, not even the really good ones? never?

ok, that's not fair. sometimes, some fics really are just meant to be enjoyed once. an ephemeral experience that's treasured more for the memory of the moment than returning to it. and that's fine, and good!

i'm also not somebody who rereads every fic. usually, especially when following along with a fic i really like, i'll go back and reread chapters while i wait for the next one to come out. then when i'm done, i like to go back and read the whole thing without any breaks, because it's a bit of a different experience.

i'll also often just return to a fic to reread certain scenes or moments that really got to me in my first read-around. there are some fics out there that i do consider good enough for me to revisit and reread in their entirety again and again, like a book.

however, like there are some fics that are best read only once, some fics are meant to be read again and again. details and foreshadowing you might not have noticed the first time will become apparent, and it can be fun looking back and finding all the little details and the 'trails of breadcrumbs,' as someone once described it to me.

[dreamtydraw]

i mean this in the nicest way possible but please increase your commission prices! your art is so pretty and you're really underselling yourself!!

Hi whoever you are, first i thanks you for your nice comment it's always sweet, but secondly let me explain my prices. ╭( ๐_๐)╮♥

This is my curent comission shift. I inform evreryone who may DM but sketch and digital art will now cost 2 to 4 usd more depending on the request.

I don't worth my art this much, to be honest i would myself value the full color comission a good 50 usd price but here it is at half what i think it's worth.

Let me explain why i did it then. Thing is, i'm not a popular artist and i don't have enough engagement for my art to be seen by potential client outside of my few followers and somtimes whoever my post reached thanks to the hashtags. This mean i have very little commission ( i had my commission open since jun and very few request and i previously had it open for a periode of 6 months with no request wich mean my paypal was stuck at 0,46 usd for months...) .The only way i can compensate this small reach is by accessiblity.

As someone who's broke ( 0,46 usd lmao.... ) i know not everyone can pay tons for a comission. With a low price like that i have more chance people can afford it and so may want it. I also take a bit of time to make them since i'm a student and you can't imagine how many people wants a comission made for a specific event and ask it to be done quickly wich i can't do. You combine all of that, i'm an artist with a slow reach, few followers, no main fandom focus art that attract people for comission, and i take a time to do my art. If you want to nicely say "but your artstyle is pretty" i thanks you sweetheart but so is any other good artist who may have comission open. My style by itself isn't good enough to stand out so i do it by my price.

In conclusion, repost people's commission sheet because we all are broke and lowering the price is the best we can do. I'm not in any urgent need so i'm ok with things as it is, but i hope one day i'll have enough engagement security to have higher price of comission.

Lot of kiss to you anon and to everyone who made it this far. 💕

[lexiene]

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═ ═ ═ . ⋅ ˚̣- : ✧ : 𝕐𝕠𝕦𝕣 𝔻𝕣𝕖𝕒𝕞𝕖𝕣 : ✧ : -˚̣⋅ . ═ ═ ═

"Exploring together always shares the moments as we get to know more."

ー Lexi

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[ ✧ My Profile ✧ ]

Lexi | 20+ | 10/6 | Libra | Artist & Writer

Some little about me, I am (simp jjskk), an omnivert (well not quite.. im more introvert person) writer & artist, and I love listening music and draw and sleep zzz...

You'll get know me from interacting "author asking questions" posts sooo yup nice to meet you!

Extra: I tend to forget things easily so yah ∠( ᐛ 」∠)＿

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[ ✧ Why I created this Blog? ✧ ]

To write what I want and to let it out something for what I'd been dreaming/thinking about how would this character show in different way of character, samples as boyfriend, husband material and more ;P

Inspired to write after reading lots of fics and discovering awesome inspiration authors that totally got the spark from it and the energy to be one of that inspiration!

The blog's theme is permanent ( idk if I ever change ig ) except for the profile ( I change often ) hehe since im too lazy to organize here like changing all of it... ( is pain in the ass ..(´┓`)

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[ ✧ Furthermore / Importance ✧ ]

Please be respectful here in my blog because I do not want to make any commotion and unpleasant atmosphere here when I post something that is weird or not getting the point.... please just leave it alone....

Note: It is at least you can help and prevent trouble! Im just a human being y'know! I have real life situation goin this is my only way to get away from stress..

BLANK AND EMPTY BLOGS MUST READ ( LINK! )

I do not own anything except the fics all is respectedly from anime/mangaka/original authors' work!

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[ ✧ My Arts ✧ ] - Moved to Art Blog

[ New! ] @lexiartsy - my art blog!

This blog posts art! Such as fanarts, OCs, character x reader manga and more etc!

Although this is not open for request but you can send me a cute imagines ; )

Eg: Hi i wanna see character reacting/giving hugs to Reader something like that, and I draw it :)

Maybe future comission? ( idk, maybe soon soon? )

Importantly: Do NOT REPOST MY ART, ASK for permission first ( for profile OK ) but DO NOT REPOST to any other media especially, TIKTOK ( If I ever have tiktok its okay but if you're the one who post its, PLS STOP ) as well IG then CLAIM IT as YOURS PLS JUST STOP

Again, don't send something that is completely uncomfortable to read.... pls just leave it :<

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© Do not repost, refrain modifying any Lexiene works to any other soical media/platforms.

[dracononite]

i dont want this to sound mean because i absolutely dont mean it that way.

but genuinely how do you feel comfortable setting prices for your comissions so high? do they sell out?

i ask because to sell comms i have to criminally undervalue my art (legit 8$ for a full body drawing) but no one ever buys comms if its more expensive.

how do you do it.

It's not mean! Artists pricing their work fairly is something I strongly advise and would like to advocate for more often, because I used to undercharge a fair bit as well. I don't take offense to people thinking my prices are high, because I know they're not anywhere close to industry standard, and that plenty of people can afford my commissions, because I do get a consistent stream of clients.

I'd like to get a little more in detail with commission pricing since I know it could be useful advice to artists who have less experience. But it's the end of my work day and this all might be somewhat scattered, so TLDR: I'm comfortable with how I price my commissions because of the time and skill that I put into them, and because I need to price them like that as art is my full-time job.

Now for the long version... To start off with, this is all based on my multiple years of doing art as a full-time job. I started doing commissions in 2017, supported myself through college with my art, and now am financially independent with an apartment lease. In the end this is all from my opinions / perspective, but I do have experience.

I base my prices on an hourly rate that I determined using this wonderful Twitter thread on accurately pricing commissions as a full-time artist. This may not be what you specifically need, but I recommend anyway since it's a great example of pricing your commissions in a way that's fair for you.

Once you've calculated an hourly rate, it's just a matter of timing how long it takes for you to finish a commission-quality piece from start to finish and using that to figure out what the base price of that specific commission type should be. Then you can consider things like add-ons (rendering, additional characters, etc) and upcharges (deadline fee, multiple correction rounds, etc.)

Adjusting your prices to your needs, demand and turnaround time can take a lot of finagling. I constantly adjust my prices, though I try to bump them up by a small bit every few months to account for my growing portfolio and audience, economic inflation, and how much I need to charge in sales taxes. Yes - add sales tax to your prices if you make any substantial amount with art. You can do so easily on Paypal and Stripe invoices! Otherwise, you're gonna get slammed with owed taxes come tax season, since taxes aren't automatically being deducted from your "paychecks" and sent to the gov like salary jobs. Trust me, it's happened to me, and I'm still paying off my 2021 taxes.

Also, doing the actual art is only half of, well, doing art as a job. The other half is what I call "housekeeping" or "agent" work - communicating with clients, building and updating a website/portfolio, posting finished pieces to art galleries, building a recognizable online presence/brand/aesthetic, and actively advertising your work in a way that gets both old and new eyes on it. And you need to keep in mind that this is work too, that you need to be paid for.

Adding all of that on top of what you might originally price your work at may seem excessive or intimidating, but everyone deserves a living wage. Learning to keep that in mind will help your confidence in pricing your work fairly.

Now for a few more tips:

Advertising can be hard because of social media algorithms and economic hardships, but you just gotta keep at it. Learn what type of posts work for you! I recommend using concise, clear language and easy-to-read layouts. Keeping a kind of consistent "template" to your advertisements can help people recognize that it's you before they even start reading.

As you grow your audience and portfolio, you can build a good reputation by being consistent and honest. Communication and turnaround time are huge. I personally give an estimated turnaround of 1-2 months to allow for sick days, weekends, delays and other obligations. Having a solid terms of service is really helpful too. I'm a-ok with anybody referencing mine, even copy/pasting it and adjusting it as you need. Feel free to!

Having small income on the side has been a huge help to doing art as a full-time job, if you're at all interested in it. I get pocket change every week from lineart base sales on my Ko-fi shop, but it really adds up. Patreon is a bigger investment since it operates on a monthly subscription basis. Personally, I use about half of the monthly pledges I get to pay for manufacturing stickers and postage. Even if you don't have a LOT to offer, if you want to do art for an audience and have people looking to support you, Patreon or similar sites might be worth looking into. Monthly sketch dumps, speedpaints, streams etc for a few bucks is more appealing to people than you might think, especially if it's things like storybuilding or character designs. People like getting invested in things!

I hope this helps you in some way, and maybe others out there too. It's taken me years to get to this point, so don't get discouraged! Underpricing art has become such an issue, especially on sites like Amino and DeviantArt that it's affecting artists' self-esteem and view on how they should price their work. But there are always people willing to pay for art. Art is a luxury and should be priced as such! It should be available for those who are seeking it out, not for everyone.

[tunafishprincess]

Hey hey Tuna! I want to start doing commissions soon but I have no idea how and where to start. I mean yeah I'll make a comission sheet and specify stuff I know those basics. But like how do I kinda know that people would actually comission me for stuff? How did you know when to start and like what was your whole process like? Don't mind me I'm just trying to ask about this to some artists I admire and who do commissions what their experiences were like so don't feel too pressured to answer this lol

1. A lot of it is building a base of clients. Most of my regulars are my friends and I regularly interact with them, so we are generally on the same wavelength of what they would like.

2. Don’t be impatient if you don’t suddenly get clients. When I first started I only had one or two people who commissioned me and the next time I had a commission it was several months later. I didn’t start doing commissions until people started asking me about them because they liked my art.

3. Pricing. I started at a much lower price originally because I was at a different art level than I am now. In order to keep clients I’ve also let my older ones keep their old prices, because I respect and appreciate their support.

4. Some people will reject your prices and not hire you and that’s okay. I’ve had more than one person try and haggle with me on my prices because they are “too expensive” and while I am more flexible than others I’m not willing to work for peanuts. I work a full time job outside of art so I’m taking my own free time to work on commissions, which I enjoy doing. I love bringing People’s visions to life. Essentially, it’s okay to be flexible on prices but don’t be a pushover.

5. Be open with clients. I send progress pictures to my clients. I keep them in the loop on how things are going. If I have an emergency and can’t finish an artwork sooner I let my client know. If a client cannot pay straight away I might put them on a waitlist so that they can reserve a spot with me at a later time.

6. My normal process is that I put out a commission sheet and allow people to dm me. Normally it’s on discord, Instagram or tumblr and occasionally Twitter. Client tells me what they want and I try and calculate how much that costs with my commission sheet. From there I send an invoice if they want it. Once paid I start on a sketch first and send it to them. Once past the sketch and lineart stage I restrict any major changes to the work unless it’s a mistake on my part. Once finished I send the product via email to the commissioner. Normally it takes a few days to a few weeks, depending on the complexity of the art and how much free-time I have.

I hope that answers your questions! ❤️

[thechekhov]

Hi Chekhov! Really enjoying your white diamond au! I had a quick art question: How do you start comissions? I've been improving my drawing skills and thinking about drawing for others after having fun in artfight, but I don't know where to start? How much to charge, how to get paid, etc. Do you have any tips? Hope you're doing well! :)

Alright, since a few people have asked, I’ve decided to put together a few things about how to get started on commissions - what you need, what you should make, and how to keep things organized. 

This will get a little long, so I’ll divide it into 4 main sections:

1) Draw Art - Getting started

2) Get Commissioned - Making a commission sheet, Advertising

3) ??? - Communicating, Setting Limits, Running the Business

4) Profit - Pricing Yourself and Getting Paid

* Disclaimer: I’m an artist, so this How-To will be illustration-focused. I’m sure many of these tips can apply to ANY types of commissions, but I will be focusing on the type I know best. If you are proficient in other types of commissions for other types of art - music commissions, photography, etc - feel free to chime in and leave a comment or make your own tutorial!

1) Draw Art

I think this is probably the most obvious part, but it needs to be said:

Before you start making art for other people, you must first be comfortable making art in general.

I’m not saying your art has to be Disney-quality, or industry-level! Not at all. 

BUT! You must be comfortable creating what you sell. If you try to sell something you have little confidence in, you will stress yourself out and possibly end up losing time AND money.

Don’t shoot for the moon if you haven’t landed on it even once. Sell what you know you’re good at. Your commissions don’t HAVE to include full-body illustrations if you don’t know how to draw feet/solid stances. Limit yourself to what you can do.

Things you need to should probably have before starting commissions:

1. Access to art materials or a fully downloaded art program

DO NOT - Use a free tutorial version that will expire in a month and leave you without a way to draw! If you are having trouble finding a program, try free ones like MediBang Paint Pro. 

2. Free time to complete the amount of commissions you want to take.

DO NOT - Take on or offer commissions if you KNOW you’re going to be overwhelmed with school or personal life for the next 2+ months. Pace yourself, otherwise you’ll burn out, get stressed, and get discouraged.

3. A reliable way to communicate with your customers like a commissions-only email 

DO NOT - Use your friend/family/college email. It’s hard to keep track of things as it is, and creating new emails is easy and free. And keep it professional if you can! Not many people will reach out to dong-wiggles20434 to ask for a design. Ideally, your email should be close to your brand - however you want to brand yourself. Usernames are fine!)

DO NOT - Use Instagram/Twitter/Tumblr to collect commission info unless you are ready to do the organizing yourself. Some people make it work, but in my experience, if you use these SNS sites to communicate with friends and network... you’re going to be losing commission inquiries right and left and accidentally ignoring people. Email is much easier to organize and sort into folders.

4. A portfolio or at least 2-3 pieces of each type of art you’re planning to sell. 

DO NOT - Advertise commissions without having any examples of the art you plan to sell. People will find it difficult to trust you if you can’t even give them a vague idea of what sort of drawing they’ll be getting. 

Disclaimer: These are not hard ‘do not’s. If you have had a different experience, I respect that. I’m simplifying for the sake of streamlining this advice. 

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2) Get Commissioned

So - you have your art, you have your art program, and you’ve got all the time in the world. That means.... that’s right! It’s time to let the world know you’re taking commissions.

One of the most common ways artists signal to their audience that they can do commissions is by creating a commissions sheet. There are MANY ways to make this - and they range from simple and doodly ones to VERY complex designs. For example, here’s mine! 

There are many ways to organize a commission sheet. At its core, a commission sheet should display the types of art you WANT to be commissioned to make. Let’s go over a few ways they can be done!

#1.... Body Portion Dividers!

This sheet is most common with those who want to capitalize on drawing people and characters. If you want to draw lots of characters, this is a great way to offer several tiers of pricing based on how much of their character your customers want to see. 

#2... Complexity Scale

If you’re open to drawing many things but want to base your pricing off of how complex something is, you can split your tiers into done-ness. This type of commission is popular with those that draw characters AND animals, furries, etc.

#3....  Style and Type

If you’re more on the design side of things, or if you have various niche art styles that you can’t quite lump together, display a variety of your skills alongside each other! It helps if all the ones you have can be organized under a common customer - like those looking to advance their own business and get logos, websites, or mascots made for them!

.

3) ???

You got your first commission... what happens now???

Well, ideally you have the time, tools and motivation to make things happen! Now all you have to do is... sit down and... draw.......

I’m going to say something that may be a little controversial: 

Commissions aren’t fun. 

No, no, hear me out: I have fun doing commissions! I genuinely enjoy drawing characters and coming up with designs. But even with all that said, commissions are, first and foremost: WORK

I’m not saying this to discourage you, I’m saying this to keep things realistic. When I first began commissions, I thought it would be just like any other type of drawing. I would sit down, imagine a thing, draw it... it would be fun! 

But then I realized that I couldn’t just draw what I wanted - another person had an idea in mind and had asked me to do it. I stressed over getting the design correct from descriptions. I stressed over not having the right reference for the pose the commissioner wanted. I stressed over not being able to draw the leg right in the way I had promised I would do. I stressed about billing. I stressed about digital money transfers. It was difficult, and time-consuming, and I did not enjoy it. At all. 

And a part of that is definitely on the commissioner - we, as artists, NEED to demand proper references or descriptions. We, as artists, NEED to limit the amount of changes we’re going to make at the flick of a finger. We NEED to demand clear instructions and set boundaries. That’s also super important. 

But also - don’t be discouraged if you find yourself exhausted drawing your first commission. MANY artists go through this. Adjust your rules, fix up your limits, practice putting your foot down on finicky commissioners who expect you to read their mind! It does get easier, but you have to communicate and put in the effort and act as your own manager AND your own customer service AND your own accountant. That’s what you’re looking at. 

Good limits and boundaries to set: 

Limit the amount of changes a person can ask to make. “I want blue hair.” Next email: “No wait, yeah, make it red.” Next email: “Actually I changed my mind, can I get the blue but like, lighter?” Next email: “No, not that light.” ... At some point, we have to stop. I personally allow 2-3 changes on the final stages of a commission before I start refusing or start asking for extra money.

Demand clear instructions and/or references. If something isn’t described, you have to take artistic liberty and design it, but that’s difficult! And if the customer is not happy with it but can’t tell you more? That’s not your problem - the burden of reference is on THEM. You cannot read their mind, and that’s not your fault.

Get at least half the payment up front! This is a good balance between the ‘pay before art’ and the ‘pay after art’ conundrum that will limit the amount of woes between artist and customer. (I’ll touch upon this a little more in the Profit section.)

Organization:

Where possible, create good habits! Tag your emails and organize your folders. I have a tag on my emails for active and finished commissions. I also keep my emails on Unread until I have time to sit down and properly look at/reply to them.

My Commissions in the folder are also organized chronologically and I mark down which ones are paid and which ones are not.

(I understand not everyone can do this, but if you want to give it a try, it does make things easier in the long run. Again, this advice is just what I have found personally helps.)

One last thing - I do not want to shame ANYONE for taking their time with commissions! Commissions are complex, and they take time and work. You can draw in 8 hours, but some things take research, materials, etc. Some illustrations realistically take up to half a year, or, depending on what’s involved, several years!!

THAT BEING SAID - it’s good manners to be upfront with your customers about how long you expect the commission to take. If you think you’re busy, just say that! Explain that you have a lot going on, and you will probably take (insert time period here).

And if your commissioners are worried, work out a system to keep them updated! I send my commissioners updates when I finish the lineart/flat colors/etc and I try to be clear about how long everything will take. I try to estimate with a +3-5 days buffer to give myself extra time... and recently I’ve been using it. Always say a bigger number than you think you’ll need. 

If someone wants a rushed commission... make them pay more. If ANYONE wants a commission done ‘by the end of the week’ - that’s an automatic rush-job for me because I’m juggling an irl job and several commissions at once. I WILL charge a rush fee and I won’t feel bad about it. 

If someone wants a commission within 24 hours...... Well, they better be paying you 3x your normal amount, or more. And remember - you CAN refuse! It’s perfectly reasonable to say ‘No, sorry, that sort of turnaround time is not realistic for me.’

Food For Thought - Invoicing

Many artists I’ve commissioned in the past have not used Invoicing, but I’ve recently begun to fill out invoices and file them in my Commissions folder just to keep track of things. It’s not necessary until you start getting into the Small Business side of Freelancing, but it’s not a bad idea to get into the habit early in case you might need to do it later for tax purposes. 

Here’s what my Invoice looks like, for example. 

I’ve optimized it to help me remember who, what, and how much is involved! It also contains important info for my customers like where to send the money.

Which brings us to...

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4) Profit

One of the hardest things for artists is pricing themselves. I’m not going to tell you which way is BEST - there is no BEST way, only the best way for YOU. 

One of the options available to you is pricing by the hour. It includes averaging out how long it takes you to draw a specific type of art (whatever you’re offering as a commission) and multiplying that by an hourly wage you’ve decided on.

When you do this, I stress - do NOT price yourself below minimum wage if you can help it. When you first start out, aim for the $15/hour mark and adjust accordingly. 

Other ways to price your art:

- Per complexity: Portraits vs full body should be scaled based on how difficult you find one vs. the other. You can also easily decide on a price for a sketch and double it for lineart, triple it for full color, etc.

- Per type: Look up for industry prices for website design and logo design. They may surprise you! You don’t have to charge that much, but it helps to keep things in perspective. 

It’s okay to change your prices! Keep your commission sheet image handy so you can update the amounts as you grow. :)

Payment up front or after completion?

Some artist take full payment up front. Some only demand payment after they’ve finished and sent out the piece. I personally think these are both risky for everyone involved. 

I recommend doing at least HALF of the payment BEFORE you start the commission. Calculate your full price and ask for half before you start working on it in earnest, to make sure the person can actually pay you. Then, when they receive the full piece and are satisfied, they can complete the payment. 

I personally work in this structure:

> Someone emails me with their idea/reference

> I send back a rough draft sketch that shows the idea/pose (only takes me 10-20 minutes so not a huge loss if they ghost) and quote them a price

> They can pay the full thing upfront OR pay half

> I finish the commission and send updates when I do the lineart/colors to double check anything so they have multiple chances to spot any errors

> If the person paid only half on completion, I send them a low-res version of the finished thing, they finish up their payment and THEN I send them the full-res version plus any other filetypes/CYMK proofs, etc. 

Many of the people who commission me pay me up front even though I offer they pay half - and I’m really flattered that they trust me that much! Because of that, I feel encouraged to update them frequently and ask for their input as I work, so they have the peace of mind knowing I’m actually doing their commission. 

Great, but how do I get PAID????

There are NUMEROUS ways - these days money is relatively easy to transfer over digital means, and you have a few options. 

Paypal is perhaps one of the oldest digital wallets and is geared towards businesses. By setting up a PayPal and connecting it to your debit card of bank account, you can tunnel a pathway from your online business directly into your hands in a matter of days. 

Paypal also offers Invoicing - you make an invoice, price it and send it to the person’s email and they can pay whatever way they need! (It also allows partial payments.)

Pros: transfers from PayPal to bank account are free, and take a couple of business days. It also has no upper limit to the amount of money you can move in/out each month. It can force refunds due to the nature of its business-oriented payment system.

Cons: Because it’s used by businesses for larger transactions, PayPal may demand a more rigorous proof of your identity. It may also take longer to set up and be harder to get used to. I’ve also heard that they can be a hassle when it comes to closing your account. 

Venmo is another type of digital wallet that acts much like paypal, except for a few key differences - it is NOT made for businesses (so depending on whether you’re officially registered as a freelancer, you may not be able to use it). I personally don’t use venmo, so I cannot speak to its usefulness, but I know a few people that use it for casual transactions. It’s easy and quick! :) 

Keep in mind that you cannot force a refund over venmo! The transactions are final.

There’s also CashApp, GooglePay (which could load gift cards but also allows peer-to-peer transactions) and I’ve heard good things about Due, though I’ve never personally used it.

Other ways to pay: I’ve had people pay me over Patreon by upping their pledge, and I’ve had people pay me over Ko-Fi by donating a specific amount. 

Many people even use Etsy - the website specialized for independent small businesses selling art - by listing their commission sheet and offering up several ‘slots’ of commissions, which allows you to track taxes AND allows your clients to pay using whatever they feel comfortable with.

If you’re in Canada, you can even pay by emailing money directly from bank account to bank account - check whether your country offers this type of service! There’s no shortage of ways to move money in the digital world.

Just like everything else, there’s no singular ‘Best’ way. It just depends on what works for you.

I think that just about wraps it up! I can’t quite think of what else to put here - but I’m sure other artists will chime in with their own advice. :) I’m very sorry this became so long but I hope it was helpful! 

Obligatory Disclaimer: I’m not qualified to give legal or accounting counsel. Please double-check the laws in your own country/state in regards to taxation of freelancing work and do your own research. If you are underage, DEFINITELY get an adult’s permission before you start doing commissions, and have the adult help you through the process.   

. . . . . . . . . . . . 

OTHER POSTS YOU MAY FIND USEFUL:

An Extended Post on Pricing Yourself for Commissions

Dealing with Imposter Syndrome/Feeling ‘Not Good Enough’

Growing Your Audience

Advice for Starting Digital Art

[kobayashisoul]

》 Absence 《

Here is the second Part of my Four-Picture-Series about Raziela's first unplanned Pregnancy.

After Gaara left their Apartment and went to his Office, he couldn't concentrate on his work anymore. Mostly he sat on his Chair and thought about what Reeze told him. He couldn't imagine being a good Father, or a Father in General. How could he? He never had a good Father himself, had no Role Model for that and he didn't see himself in that Position. He was completely desperate. Totally overhelmed with this Situation.

For Reeze it was the same, but Gaara's Absence hurted like hell. She didn't know him like that, leaving her alone when she's sad and crying. She was now terribly afraid that Gaara would leave her, that he couldn't do that with her. She didn't see a Solution in that Situation. She lied down all Day in her Bed and cried. Cried because of this Situation, cried because Gaara left.

In Fact Gaara was not in their Apartment for two Days. Yes, he even spent the Nights in his Office without Sleeping. He thought and thought it in and out, and he didn't know what to do. He wouldn't leave Reeze, never, that was sure. But what should they do now? He didn't know an Answer, and neither did Reeze.

On the almost third Day, Gaara decided that it was time to talk to her. To apologize at first because he left. And it was time for them to find a Solution.

➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖

Art (c) @sandglass_art

Raziela Kobayashi (c) @xkobayashisoulx

Sabaku No Gaara (c) Masashi Kishimoto

Naruto & Boruto (c) Masashi Kishimoto and Mikio Ikemoto

This Picture was a Comission for me from @sandglass_art . I am NOT the Artist of this Artwork. I have the Artists written permission to upload this drawing to my Social Media. ⚠️

Without my written permission you have no right to recolor/repost/trace/edit/use this in any way. The Character, Design and Story belongs only to me. Also please don't ask me to roleplay with my Ocs because I don't allow that. ⚠️

[dystopiandilfs]

I want to voice my thoughts and opinions on some of the Manatreed "cancellations" and how the idea of Dream being Manatreed turns everything Manatreed does into Dream drama. For context every Manatreed cancellation turns into people getting upset over Dream for something they've made up in their own head that Manatreed is doing also they're mad he's white.

First one is him taking away the opportunity to join the DreamSMP from smaller creators especially coloured ones by using white privilege. So my first thoughts is that this is actually the dumbest sentence I've seen, people got upset that a unknown person was added to the SMP to the point of them gaslighting themselves into thinking that Manatreed is a raging racist eventhough he has no digital footprint and there's no proof of him being racist. People got mad at a faceless unknown guy for being white whilst simultaneously saying that black creators get shit on because of the colour of their skin. Like it's the same fucking thing just different skin colours. It's the same logic and you sound dumb for getting upset over someone's skin colour whilst actively saying that he hates people with certain skin colours.

They got mad over him taking away the opportunity from a small creator which is a valid opinion to voice however the people they then tried to uplift in Mantatreed's comments were people who've actively attacked, threatened to harm, harassed etc already existing members of the DreamSMP. Like yes let's act like half of these people haven't attacked the girls for breathing or wished Techno would die from his cancer or wished Homb would get murdered or wished Antfrost got attacked on the street for being gay all because they don't like him.

The other people that were suggested were fans who started streaming which is a dumb idea. You can't look me in the eyes and tell me that adding someone who's tweeted about dnf fucking isn't going to go fucking feral knowing secrets said in the DreamSMP discord. You know that they'll leak shit even accidentally. It's too risky.

Something I want to add is that I do think Manatreed had an existing relationship with Dream and the reason for adding Manatreed was because he already knew him and obviously Dream doesn't want to risk adding another Jitski to the SMP. If Dream's going to be sharing the DreamSMP clout with someone he's going to make sure that they're not a groomer or have sent hundreds of hate messages to Dream's friends/other SMP members.

Next cancellation is the assumption that Manatreed hates fanartists and wants them to do free labour. Yes I get that people saw his tweet and got upset however it turned from Manatreed not commissioning a skin into people saying that he hates artists and that because Dream didn't tell him to comission an artist the whole Dream Vs Artists thing started up again eventhough the man has an entire account dedicated to uplifting artists in the community.

The way I interpreted Mantatreed's tweet was that he was acknowledging that people have already created skins for him that they said he could use which they have. I also saw it as Manatreed wanting to see what people's interpretations of him they would make his skin. Not once did I see his tweet as "Lol fuck artists give me that shit for free because I'm white and this is me using my white privilege to get things handed to me for free. Did I mention I'm racist and hate artists" I don't know how people got that from his tweet like I get misunderstanding and getting defensive but attacking him for it and then making up shit in your head is actually insane. Then on top of that asking for him to apologise because they misinterpreted his tweet, then attacking Dream for trying to clear things up and trying to demand an apology from both Dream and Manatreed eventhough neither of them did anything wrong. (Also it's the same situation with MCC team skins but nobody gets mad at that so why should this be any different)

Next thing I want to briefly mention is that people need to stop hyping up smaller cc's for "defending them against the big bad evil villain known as Dream and White Manatreed". You need to understand that they'll literally say anything to get likes and follows. Take Hypocrite Hunter for example he is very actively trying to get involved and replying to Dream over the artist thing eventhough just a few months back he was defending other cc's for literally holding a fanart contest for a new pfp 👁️👄👁️. Then let's look under some of Dream's tweets "oh look there's Hunter defending Dream by saying that fans are getting mad over something that didn't happen then and trying to force Dream to apologise for something he didn't do" "There's Hunter again hyping up Dream for something and then going off about the same thing in a reply to fans" Make your mind up jfc. Like I get having opinions on things but he literally hops on whatever bandwagon gets him likes.

I can't believe Dream is putting his whole drussy into trying to denounce hate and trying to spread positive vibes within his community and he gets mocked and attacked for it. Like that man can't so anything right in people's eyes to the point of they've attached every issue they have with someone on to Dream whenever he talks to them. Like how do you get Dream being racist from Manatreed being white. How do you get Dream being homophobic from him reading Erets message to show how well they kept the Micheal Nicheal thing a secret.

Anyways after the whole Michael Nichael thing it would be so fucking funny if whilst doing the whole Pig setup they were also doing the Manatreed creation. The idea of The Dream Team not streaming because they were busy creating Manatreed and fucking about with a fake Michael is so fucking funny to me.

[letmeinimafairy]

Howdy there! I wanted to ask the following after reading your commission post:

1. How do you take payments?

2. Do you perhaps have a catalog of stones a potential client could pick from with estimated prices that the stone itself would contribute to the overall comission price?

3. I think you're extremely talented so please don't take this the wrong way but what do you feel are your strong suits and what do you feel you struggle with/is a challenge for you, if anything, with your art? What do you usually enjoy painting vs what proves to be overall more challenging? I wanted to ask so that way a client could curtail to your skills when considering comission ideas / make it easier overall to discuss the ideas of a comission :')

Thank you so much for your time, and I look forward to your answers!

Tex

@willchild Hello! Payment goes through PayPal. I have a supply of stones at hand, and if I have something that can be suitable for a certain commission, I take photos and send along with variants I found online. And if needed, I can of course give a price of a stone itself. Thank you! An interesting question. I was told I'm relatively good at graphics, and I love it, so it probably extended to decorative motifs, details, ornaments and stylization. I love fitting an image in an already existing structure/background/texture, finding an idea that will complete or highlight something that is already here. Playing with styles and symbols, with abstract ideas and feelings, personifications and archetypes (probably sponsored by a habit of heavy self-reflection born out of life with mental health issues - I feel and see a lot of things in a weird way). My biggest weak point is the fact that I'm useless at precise directions I don't 'feel'. For example, my stupid brain doesn't see a portrait as an image of a person. Or refuses to work without a fairy tale, like a kid that can't sleep without a bedtime story. Damn, it sounds so pretentious, I swear it's not on purpose, I just don't know how to explain some things adequately. I also have troubles with 'uncanny valley' - I'm autistic, so I perceive faces, mimics, movements, expressions and etc in a strange way, and I was told countless times that people I draw turn out creepy, uncanny, weird, without me meaning it. Also genderless, but I don't think it's a flaw (always had troubles visually distinguishing what is considered to be 'masculine' or 'feminine' in people's features). So, I'm basically useless as an adequate artist, but I'm good at twisting my (and your) brain in knots without any reason, but if you need some abstract surreal stories - here I am:) Thank you for a great question!

[kiisaes]

Kii hiiii!!!! I want to start doing commissions soon but I have no idea how and where to start. I mean yeah I'll make a comission sheet and specify stuff I know those basics. But like how do I kinda know that people would actually comission me for stuff? How did you know when to start and like what was your whole process like? Don't mind me I'm just trying to ask about this to some artists I admire and who do commissions what their experiences were like so don't feel too pressured to answer this lol

hi anon!!! that's a really good question that i unfortunately feel like i'm unqualified to properly answer, because my commission work experience was also ... how you say ... less than desirable LOL. i didn't even make a commission sheet and my overall process was super wonky so you're already doing better than me!

honestly i don't think there's any real way you can gage if you even will get commissioners. the shitty thing about any freelance work is that opportunities aren't guaranteed, and you just have to put your foot out there and hope for the best. which is scary and overwhelming, i know! especially if you're down on yourself and your abilities, because your brain will always try conjuring up reasons as to why you shouldn't. i'm pretty sure almost every artist out there has felt like their art isn't good enough so people won't commission them — trust me, i've totally been there and i'm still there LOL — but those nagging voices in your head telling you that you're full of shit ... are full of shit and you should just ignore them. or at the very least, live unbothered by them.

because the fact is, you are your worst critic! you'll always spot mistakes and flaws in your work that others literally won't even notice. so in regards to when to start, i'd honestly say whenever you feel ready to, you should! there's always art appreciators out there who i'm sure would love to give artists a shot, whether beginner or master, a rookie or wholly experienced. i can't guarantee that you'll have customers, but not trying at all already bars you from any customers in the first place. if you try and you fail, take comfort in the fact that you tried!!! that's already amazing!!!

that being said, i think probably the "easiest" way to get commissioners is to understand your audience. know what your viewers like to see from you, and perfect that! and honestly i feel quite hypocritical saying this because i go to art school and the overall vibe here is "draw for yourself and don't sell out" but the truth hurts and that truth is, if you're looking to grow a client base and make money off of your art, it doesn't hurt to draw stuff you know your audience eats up. it leads to more interest in your art, and more potential people who are willing to pay you for that art. it also might make you seem more credible as someone who draws distinct things and people follow you for those things! i hope some of this makes sense because i am so bad at wording sentences that i end up going on long rambles LOL

personally, i'm very spontaneous and i just do things without even thinking twice, so i opened ko-fi commissions last year literally because i was bored and i wanted to avoid my other trillion responsibilities. i figured if i could get some money off of my art, why not give it a shot? i did NOT expect people to commission me actually, but it was a pleasant surprise that people found my art interesting enough to pay for :) i didn't make a sheet (which i probably should ... heh) but i have drawn enough uncolored line work art + flat color work where i think my audience knew what they were getting into (uncolored line art and flat color were the initial two options i provided btw).

i also think pricing plays a huge part into whether people will commission you, which is honestly so ass because i'm a firm believer that the majority of artists, myself included, undersell their work. like, reeeaaallly undersell it. i'm talking "this artist should charge $100 or more for what they're offering but they're only charging $40?!" kind of deal. art is a product of both time and energy, and is a direct antithesis to capitalist work demands. you can't force an artist to churn out art like a machine would, and an artist's efforts towards making a personalized art piece should also be taken into consideration regarding pricing ... but unfortunately people don't want to pay a lot for commissions. and it's understandable because not everyone has enough money to throw around whenever they feel like it, so oh well. anyway my point is if you charge lower, you're probably more likely to get people willing to pay :( it sucks i know, but that's just how it is. i'm sure your prices can raise exponentially once you have credibility as a reliable commission artist though!

i hope some of this helps ?? i'm not like a seasoned commission artist or anything but this is just from my own experiences ... your experiences might be completely different! so take my advice with a grain of salt as well but uhh yea B)