Artist Beware: LoserDoge/Demonic-Fag

[zielomizu.livejournal.com]

WHO: LoserDoge on DA, Demonic-Fag on FA, lozerdoge on tumblr

WHERE: They seem to do most of their commissions through LoserDoge on DA

WHAT: $8 for a digital flatcolor, and a digital 'journal doll'

WHEN: First note sent + replied to on April 25th 2014, payment sent same day, first sign of trouble May 3rd

PROOF: 1st Note, Payment Date, Personal Work Since Payment, Proof of Personal Work Date, 2nd Note, 3rd Note, 1st Submission Date, 4th Note, Dispute Date

EXPLAIN: I found LoserDoge on DA and had a little extra money, so I decided to commission them. I sent the first note on April 25th which was quickly replied to, and I sent the payment the same day.

I waited around through the week waiting for my commission, while watching them draw and post a lot of personal artwork. I sent my second note on May 3rd to ask why they hadn't worked on either of my commissions yet. They said that they would be gone for the weekend and that they might work on my commissions the next week, saying they were "just a very slow worker". This set off alarm bells for me, considering they obviously weren't slow when it came to drawing for themselves.
(The passive-aggressive comment was me offering to make them free minecraft skins if they finished my commissions, since they posted a journal looking for them. I realized after I posted it how it could have come off, and as seen in the note, promptly apologized.)

I waited for the next week and continued to see them post personal artwork. It was the end of the week they said they'd be working on them, and I was feeling extremely uncomfortable watching them post multiple submissions for themselves every day after they told me they were a slow worker. I sent my third note on May 8th stating this fact, and warning that if both weren't finished that weekend, I'd be sending in a claim.

Finally, after giving warning, they finished ONE of my commissions on May 9th. I had asked for both to be finished by/before the weekend, but gave them the benefit of the doubt. I waited another week, and sent my last note on May 15th.

I would never have had an issue if they had given me a different reason for being slow, or if they had been posting commission work, but 90% of what they had been posting after I had paid them was personal work. They posted multiple flatcolors and other types of works within the same day, so they could have easily finished both of my commissions in a day.
Here is a link to a screenshot showing all of the personal artwork they did between me paying them and the submission date: https://www.dropbox.com/s/ltcr6whxvdncs5c/PersonalWorkSincePayment.PNG
And proof of personal work date: https://www.dropbox.com/s/s95efs4p203uyku/ProofOfPersonalDate.PNG

With no response but continuing activity on their DeviantArt account, I sent in a paypal dispute. I had escalated it to a claim a week or so later after receiving no response there, either. They never responded to the dispute/claim or my last note, and the claim closes tomorrow.

Comments

[nightspiritwing.livejournal.com]

I don't see in any note or discussion with the artist a deadline agreed between you two. it's honestly unfair to them to expect the artist to complete your art within a short deadline.

Most artists or at least most artists I know including myself take at LEAST a month to complete art. In fact I have it in my TOS that UNLESS a deadline is discussed art can take up to a few months to be completed but updates and wips are provided.

I would say if you want your art so fast next time...set a deadline, instead of being as passive aggressive and rudely demanding as you were.

also...it's incredibly normal for a artist to do personal stuff or etc in between or during other commissions. Most artist won't survive or will suffer major art block if all they did was poop out commissions like a mindless machine. And being able to draw personal art for themselves helps them grow and get better.

Now as far as them ignoring you...as a business they shouldn't do that, it is sort of bad service, HOWEVER you did pretty much insult and threaten them...so on the non business side I can understand why they did that.

You SHOULD pay back the money they deserve for the art they DID finish however. Keeping all the money when they did do some of the work commissioned is just wrong. They don't need to apologize to you, you just need to do that right thing. In all honesty...you should probably apologize to them.

edit for spelling errors

[zielomizu.livejournal.com]

I am going to do that. Pay them back for what they did, that is. The comment saying so was hidden in lump with a bunch of others.
(As was my comments realizing my wrongs and noting that I won't be doing that again.)