Have you ever been in this situation?

[zackfig.livejournal.com]

Where you contact an artist months in advance to do a series of commissions but you wait and wait for the final word from the artist to finalize the payment, only to discover that as the months advance, the artist is more interested in leveling a human pally to level 80 rather than get paid a hefty amount of money for some pics?

[Edit] I did choose a new artist a week ago. Just wondering how you feel when this artist goes and asks to be commissioned then balks at the last minute because of being so obsessed about WoW that forgets about everything - -specially because you have worked with this person before several times without any issues

Comments

[thornwolf.livejournal.com]

is that some kind of WoW thing? *confused* I really have no idea..but either way, I've never seen an artist /that/ addicted to a game that they'd rather play the game than make money. That's...thats something.

[martes.livejournal.com]

There's some people for whom WoW is as addictive as crystal meth. I know a number of artists that have basicly stopped doing art and just play WoW, plus a few that seem to do nothing but WoW-related art any more. Which is cool if you're really into the game, I guess, but kind of a drag if you're not that interested in troll or tauren pron.

[leahtaur.livejournal.com]

Uh... choose a new artist? Hardly something worthwhile to bitch about on artists_beware. It just means they value their free time more than they do money at the moment.

[bladespark.livejournal.com]

This. Wow addiction kind of makes me roll my eyes, but if they haven't taken your money, they owe you nothing, so it's not really something you can complain about.

[starrydance.livejournal.com]

We cant be 'on' all the time. I need breaks for games and sleeping too!

Would you rather they take the money and then play a game instead of drawing? At least they were up front about it!

[tealizard.livejournal.com]

Uh pick someone else to do it? You haven't paid them, so... who cares? oO;;

[fatkraken.livejournal.com]

"Hey, want me to draw you a picture? you do! great"

"lets decide what I'll draw, and how much it'll cost! this is great, we're talking about the drawings I'm gonna do for you in exchange for payment!"

"OK, you've decided what you want me to draw? I'll check that against my pricing policy and get back to you so you can pay me and then I can draw for you! this is gonna be great, me drawing, you paying me. yaaaaaaaaay!"

......

.......

"actually, I'd rather do some raiding. Kthxbai"


can you not see how that would be annoying? yes they don't HAVE to do the pics, but it's taking the piss a bit.

[dinogrrl.livejournal.com]

If they're more interested in spending their free time and money playing WoW than doing art for your money, it's their loss. Find a different artist with a more agreeable timetable to give your money to.

[dinogrrl.livejournal.com]

Upon seeing your edit, I will say that I agree. If I really liked that artist's work and I was really looking forward to having them do a picture for me, I would also be rather aggravated that they would invest that much time into a game when they knew I was ready and willing to pay them for art...especially if they didn't inform me of this until months later (which is the feeling I'm getting from your post). That's kinda rude, imho, and they would probably lose me as a customer.

[kriscynical.livejournal.com]

Artists aren't image-producing machines. We need down time, too.

[zackfig.livejournal.com]

I know that - I play WoW myself - but this is obsessive~

[hobokitten.livejournal.com]

I've backed out of things to play games before as well.
Really, its up to the artist. Its their time, they can spend it as they want.
If they would rather spend their time playing WoW, rather than doing a set of commissions let them and find someone else. Easy as pie.

[zackfig.livejournal.com]

then they shouold not advertise they want to be commissioned if they're not gonna take the offers seriously

[anjel-kitty.livejournal.com]

Hmm... community not the best place to discuss how we "feel"
We're you robbed? Can you not get in touch with the artist? Did the artist cancel you commission with out explaination?
No ... then we don't really care...

[anjel-kitty.livejournal.com]

Oh and I should mention I for one am very Anti-WOW. It sucks your soul out of your body and into the computer, metaphorically speaking of course.
But you didn't get robbed. I'd be thankful

[oceandezignz.livejournal.com]

_{*rolls her eyes a little* sheesh... nothing nice to say much folks? It got approved didn't it?}

Anyway, I know how that feels only I ended up forwarding said WoW-addict the cash since they said it'd get done. Never got the goods after like two years of waitin', and told artist 'buh bye'. :|

Its pretty disheartening when you have your heart set on something, then they back out. With or without monetary exchange. Your artist makes me giggle since they're more up to ridiculous games than actual work which I guess would help fuel their games and keep them a little more human and a little less Angry German Kid (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kBVmfIUR1DA).

[be-prepared.livejournal.com]

I'm not a WoWer, but I can imagine they don't see the game as "ridiculous". Different strokes for different folks and all that.

[thaily.livejournal.com]

If you haven't paid him yet he doesn't really owe you anything.
Something else came up, whatever that something is, is irrelevant.

Maybe he already has other work lined up and doesn't want to overload himself and just plays WoW after he works on those commissions. Maybe he doesn't need the money and would rather play a game. Obviously you think it's lame, but he doesn't.

Be glad he didn't take the money and then not do the work.

[zackfig.livejournal.com]

The final irony, we had finalized the details on the number of individual characters, the references and the media, I was just pending on the final price and the theme - which ironically was going to be WoW related since 2 of those commissions were for 2 friends that play WoW as well >.>

[majy-the-dragon.livejournal.com]

WoW sucks in every one x.-.x thank god it wont work on my computer

[neolucky.livejournal.com]

Sucks and all, but...if you're going to complain about an artist, at least drop their name. Being vague about it makes it seem like this should be in your personal LJ, not here on Artists_Beware. People just get sucked into games and it becomes their life. It would have been nice for them to be straight up with you, but at least you've lost nothing.

I fucking hate WoW. And I played it for years.

[thaily.livejournal.com]

Why drop their name, they haven't actually done anything wrong. Rude maybe, but not wrong.

[lilenth.livejournal.com]

Wow, first ignore the nay-sayers, you're still out time at the very least and most people would be narked that they spent all that time arranging things only to be told "I'd rather play WoW than make money".

I mean I'd possible understand if they were dropping you for a big commission or a major event, but a bloody game? At the very least it shows that they're unprofessional if they blow clients off for games, even when I'm obsessive about some new game I don't play it all the damn time.

I think you have a right to be upset, they advertised as being open for commissions then essentially wasted your time. I wouldn't say it's as much of an issue as if they'd taken your money then refused to do the work but time is still worth money so it's still a pain in the rear when someone pulls something like that.

[bladespark.livejournal.com]

*blink* What you say here seems to me to be saying that having merely discussed something with somebody makes an artist actually obligated to go through with it.

Is that your intent? Because as an artist, I recognize that people talking to me and then deciding to not give me any money, effectively wasting my time, is a part of doing business, and I would think that as a commissioner the same is true, that a certain amount of wasted time is inevitable when you commission a lot of art.

I'm never going to say that somebody has no right to be upset, because emotions aren't logical like that, and one always has a right to feel. But I am 100% of the opinion that discussion means nothing until money is paid, when it comes to commissioning, and so that artist is in no way, shape, or form obligated to do anything at all in this case. If he decided to not take this commission because of a game, or for some other reason that you might call more "important," I don't actually see that it makes any difference.

[nambroth.livejournal.com]

That is a bummer if the artist did really say "nevermind" at the last minute.

I'm glad you made an edit, though, because as an artist let me say that it's hugely annoying and frustrating to be working with a client, have them agree to the commission, not pay... then disappear for (a few weeks). Then suddenly there is an email in my inbox asking if we're still on for the commission- now that I have OTHER things scheduled and planned and don't have time for the commission and have to turn them down. Customer is upset, I'm upset... nothing good about that.

Also on the flipside, I have people lead me on in terms of getting commission work done, we discuss and discuss and it ends up going nowhere- I either don't hear back or I'm suddenly told that I'm too expensive, or (irony of ironies) they don't have the money because of their WoW subs or something. I get on average 5+ quieries for commissions / art purchases that go no where per week. It's disappointing. It's a huge time sink. But sadly it's part of the business.

I'm sorry this happened to you. I'm glad you're not out any money though.

[semisonicstar.livejournal.com]

Sounds like they chose one hobby over another. That's frustrating, yeah, but honestly I wouldn't care. *shrugs* Imho I'd be a lot more bothered by the idea that because someone offers an artist "a hefty sum" they're in the wrong for choosing to spend their time doing something else, regardless of whether or not the person offering money understands/enjoys that 'something else'. It's their free time to spend; offering money doesn't somehow change that.

Just my thoughts, at least!

[obliviousally.livejournal.com]

I read through the comments and I can see this from both sides, honestly.

I would be a smidge disappointed if I'd gone through all the detailing of a commission with an artist and they decided to drop my piece for something that wasn't terribly important.

BUT, the artist does reserve that right. Even after they've taken payment. They can refund you at any time, for any reason.

[thrivis.livejournal.com]

The artist seems to have made it clear art it a hobby to this person, and playing stupid video games is a more important hobby at the moment than pursuing your commission. Nothing was actually enacted... You owe each other nothing.

Crapping over the game seems like an unrelated rant. Like if they were too busy... I dunno, crocheting blankets there would be less resentment to the artist for ditching.

Some folks get wrapped up in pointless crap - just how it is. Disappointing yes, but... ultimately not gripeworthy. There isn't really any way to make them commit to something if they haven't done it themselves already.

I had an artist I was going to do work with that would have been published - i was never paid, I never did work - it was frustrating that I didn't actually get to work on it, that the project never came to be but... all I really lost was a few minutes shooting email back and forth. We put all this emphasis on a product sometimes when we have no gauruntee it's going to even be officially started. Really discussing it is only that - discussion.

Who knows, maybe your piece just wasn't as interesting as raiding to him. Your own time and projects are always going to be more important and more interesting to you than anyone else's projects. It boils down to what you think is a good use of time versus what the artist thinks is a good use of their time.