It always amazes me when artists take on more than they can handle... spend all the money straight away... then don't do any work, but need money again so load on more commissions, ad nauseum.
I work at my day job, have one steady commissioner (two comic pages a week) and two intermittent comic commissioners (their stories are ongoing, they just get pages whenever they get the money for them) and sometimes in addition to that, I get bogged with commissions. ... NEVER SPEND THE MONEY UNTIL YOU ARE DONE THE ART.
I don't think I've ever had so many commissions that I couldn't finish them within two weeks (even when I have a lot, I am usually done within a week). However, if I had so many that the wait was at least a month, I would turn away prospective clients and tell them I was too busy at the moment, but they could go on a waiting list until my queue cleared out. ... But even then, I don't even ask for money until I start on the picture. Everything is easier to keep track of that way I think.
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timeasmymeasure
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Date: 2013-04-25 05:10 am (UTC)I work at my day job, have one steady commissioner (two comic pages a week) and two intermittent comic commissioners (their stories are ongoing, they just get pages whenever they get the money for them) and sometimes in addition to that, I get bogged with commissions. ... NEVER SPEND THE MONEY UNTIL YOU ARE DONE THE ART.
I don't think I've ever had so many commissions that I couldn't finish them within two weeks (even when I have a lot, I am usually done within a week). However, if I had so many that the wait was at least a month, I would turn away prospective clients and tell them I was too busy at the moment, but they could go on a waiting list until my queue cleared out. ... But even then, I don't even ask for money until I start on the picture. Everything is easier to keep track of that way I think.