One artist to be careful around

[valyen.livejournal.com]

Okay firstly here's an artist that I commissioned back on October 22nd, 2006:

http://www.furaffinity.net/user/azusasky/

Went months without getting a sketch after making full payment back in October, I kept trying to ask her when I'd see something and half the time she just blew me off. Supposively her 'scanner' was broken (which I don't see why one couldn't go to the library, use a friends, or just say heck with it and refund the person who commissioned you). So more months go by, she disappears.. . I end up having to track her down and she tells me "oh I'll work on it and have it for you tomorrow", that was in January.. now it's March and she disappeared since then too. And to clear it up YES azu did ONE other commission for me, but the 2nd I paid for is the one she blew me off with (I paid more for the second one, that's what bugs me).

I think from now on I'm sticking with the good artists who actually will give a sketch before any type of payment... being a constant customer with them is a much better experience v_v

-Val

Comments

[bladespark.livejournal.com]

Man, that sucks.

Though from an artist's point of view, it's really hard to give out sketches before you get money, you can get ripped off so easily that way, doing a sketch for nothing. Though I suppose if it's a /very/ rough sketch, just enough to give an idea, I wouldn't mind doing it, I do that for fursuits sometimes.

I've sworn off doing 2-d art commissions. It's way too hard, and I'm not really suited for it.

[valyen.livejournal.com]

My favourite way to do commissions (as I've done with someone about 7-8 times now) is I give them what I want, they scan a 'really' simple sketch, I pay half, they finish it then get full payment. Though it's hard to find artists who will mail originals, sometimes they're like "oh you wanted them?" >_>

[zyleeth.livejournal.com]

Do you have any email logs to show other than your word that these are both artists to watch out for? I've heard not-so-good things about yourself as a commissioner, and I would be much interested in seeing your proof behind these claims before making any sort of decision whether or not to commission these people.

I'm not so sure about the first person, but I've heard plenty of good things commission-wise from Rapture, and your claims seem a bit vague. Could you go into more detail?

[valyen.livejournal.com]

Me? I give full payment and 'hope' for art, I've edited the post to give more clear detail if you wish to read it.

[clickclackcat.livejournal.com]

I did something kinda like that once. Except I was a dumbass and finished the whole piece before the guy had paid me. >_>;;; Not my smartest move. I kept the original hostage till be paid me, but I still wasn't paid for almost a year (In retrospect, I was lucky to be paid at all.) A good compromise though would be to send half to start, and then send the other half after you see the sketch. Gives good motivation to the artisty working. :3 Sucks that you had these problems with these people, though. o_o Thats horrible!!

[leswamp.livejournal.com]

Generally folks send me a sketch and ask if that's what I had in mind, I say yeah, they finish it, the end. :)

It's pretty much what I do for folks who comish me as well. :)

[valyen.livejournal.com]

I agree really, half and half can go a long ways, I've also found that commissioning someone more than once -usually- leads to being able to pay after the piece is done though you have to watch out where as my case is always paying up front and then in the end getting screwed.

[dinogrrl.livejournal.com]

I agree with zyleeth--details, please?

Also, agreeing with the others about not doing work before getting paid. You're going to have a hard time finding a decent artist who will do any work without some sort of payment beforehand. It's just a safety precaution, because so many of us have done work and had people skip town, leaving us without money and sometimes our art stolen. I personally ask for at least half of the payment before I start any work at all.

[valyen.livejournal.com]

I reposted and responded to her if you wish to read :3

[lilenth.livejournal.com]

None of the decent artists will provide sketches before payment, so I'd be wondering who you know who will? Plus judging from what others have said, I also want to see some hard copy evidence.

[valyen.livejournal.com]

I normally have no problem paying up front, it's how I've done it for years, I do know an artist Jeremiah that I've paid for 8 different pics from so far. They'd do a rough sketch, and do a quick finish (in colour) and show the scanned copy, then got payment, they were being trusting in doing so but I think it paid off for us both in the end.

[wyngaed.livejournal.com]

I really shouldn't stick my head in because I don't know you at all and I hardly know Rapy, but are you sure you calling her out is honest or is it just because you two had a fight? I was under the impression you adopted her made-up species of dragon for your avatar and that you two were good friends. Rapy drew you a bunch of art although how much was paid for and how much was out of friendship I have no idea. You guys just gave the online impression that you guys were buds. So seeing you call her out on a public forum without (what it seems like) communicating with her first seems kinda rude.

I know this community strongly upholds the rules of you had to have tried to communicate with the artist and a lot of people consider it common courtesy to not mention names when they haven't really tried to get ahold of said artist.

Anyway, I'm just kinda flappin' my gums because Rapy already responded... I just felt like putting my opinion out there. From what it seems there was some major miscommunication, but I'm also curious/suspicious that you could be wrong, making assumptions or being vindictive just because the two of you had a scrap. *shrugs* Not trying to start a fight, just putting it out there.

I hope you get all that you paid for and things get sorted out, though. Although I don't believe your opinion on Rapy. Sure her and I split ways, but she's a really honest, (over)caring person that totally goes out of her way to please people online. So the behavior you described totally does not sound like her.

[valyen.livejournal.com]

okay first yes we used to be buds and personally I missed it, I won't get into my opinion on that though. And I didn't call her out without warning, I did leave her a message in the only place that I thought she'd get it that if she didn't write back to me stating that she mailed the commissions or me getting them that I would post here, she's blocked me on everything else and from one of my friends on Second-Life telling me that 'I blocked her there' I assumed that meant that I wasn't and that's why she couldn't see me online etc or whatever. I waited and now I've posted, if I had the art I honestly wouldn't have cared nor have bothered to post anything. And yes she was the first to draw me so thus we look quite alike, again we still have our differences.