Beware- A year for a sketch?

[evil-pigeon.livejournal.com]

So I pretty much only joined this site to post on this group x
I went to a convention in August 2009 where I commissioned keicaiayan.deviantart.com at her table after looking at some of her images in her portfolio. I loved her style and her prices were cheap, so I paid up front a $7 one character lineart commission of an OC. I sent her the ref sheet of my character via note on deviantArt, which she acknowledged she received. Then I heard absolutely nothing from her for the next year. I was a little miffed, but she sent me a note on my dA a few days before the con the next year, claiming she had a really rough year, offered to give me my picture at the con, and offered a refund or a free picture img269.imageshack.us/i/lazyb.jpg/. I was a little suspicious because it seemed she still had time and didn't feel crappy enough to post up pictures of her dolls on her dA. But  I decided to give her the benefit of the doubt, said it was ok and I understood and that I'd pick up my picture at the con. When I went to the artists' section (which was only in a short hotel hallway), she was not there. I asked several other artists, and they had no idea. I checked back right before the convention closed and finally found her. After a year of waiting, she gave me my picture. I said I'd take her up on the offer of a free picture, this time asking for her to draw my boyfriend (he asked another artist there the last year, but the guy seemed to not even notice that he was standing in front of him). She took a picture of him, wrote down my address, and said I would get it in two weeks.
It's been almost 6 months and I had heard absolutely NOTHING from KeiCaiAyan. Regardless of how small my commission is, I still paid her money and tried to be sympathetic after waiting an entire year. She has my dA username AND my address, so I know she knows how to get a hold of me. She shouldn't take commissions if she didn't think she'd have the time, or at least have the courtesy to apologize have time. I'm pretty ticked off, to say the least.

Beware- A year for a sketch?

[evil-pigeon.livejournal.com]

So I pretty much only joined this site to post on this group x
I went to a convention in August 2009 where I commissioned keicaiayan.deviantart.com at her table after looking at some of her images in her portfolio. I loved her style and her prices were cheap, so I paid up front a $7 one character lineart commission of an OC. I sent her the ref sheet of my character via note on deviantArt, which she acknowledged she received. Then I heard absolutely nothing from her for the next year. I was a little miffed, but she sent me a note on my dA a few days before the con the next year, claiming she had a really rough year, offered to give me my picture at the con, and offered a refund or a free picture img269.imageshack.us/i/lazyb.jpg/. I was a little suspicious because it seemed she still had time and didn't feel crappy enough to post up pictures of her dolls on her dA. But  I decided to give her the benefit of the doubt, said it was ok and I understood and that I'd pick up my picture at the con. When I went to the artists' section (which was only in a short hotel hallway), she was not there. I asked several other artists, and they had no idea. I checked back right before the convention closed and finally found her. After a year of waiting, she gave me my picture. I said I'd take her up on the offer of a free picture, this time asking for her to draw my boyfriend (he asked another artist there the last year, but the guy seemed to not even notice that he was standing in front of him). She took a picture of him, wrote down my address, and said I would get it in two weeks.
It's been almost 6 months and I had heard absolutely NOTHING from KeiCaiAyan. Regardless of how small my commission is, I still paid her money and tried to be sympathetic after waiting an entire year. She has my dA username AND my address, so I know she knows how to get a hold of me. She shouldn't take commissions if she didn't think she'd have the time, or at least have the courtesy to apologize have time. I'm pretty ticked off, to say the least.

Advice: The line between friendship and business.

[zackfig.livejournal.com]

It's been a while since I posted here. Perhaps you remember, most likely you don't. This is a sort of follow-up to my previous post on this topic.

Where to draw the line between artist and friend? What about the line between a trade between friends and a business transaction? Is it advisable to commission your own friends or not?

It's always nice when you, as a commissioner, manage to establish a friendship with a really good artist. Sometimes, you get jumped to close to the top of the queue, sometimes you get a special discount for a piece -- or sometimes, you continue to get skipped.

Sometimes, the artist comes to you because the artist needs your money, art supplies, assorted goodies, et al, and is willing to draw you something back in return for your kindness. Most of the time, your friend will indeed return the favor; on some occasions however, you are expected to understand the artist because the artist is your friend.

Empirically speaking, I've had commissions been held up for close to two years now by a friend who is also an artist; said has repeatedly told me to understand that she has an artist block but however she does art for some pay sites and does produce art for other people. It is aggravating, but as a respect to the friendship, one could let it slide.

So, what to do when the friendship has gone sour? Had a friend whom I helped on several times, with an agreement to get a "commission" at the end. What if there was no actual transaction for the piece per se, but rather, a sort of understanding that a future service would be rendered in exchange for all the prior help.

Overall, after the friendship went sour, the agreement was pretty much nullified without any recourse on my behalf to contest it. In fact, prior to that point, at one point there was a threat that the agreement was not gonna be completed regardless, specially if I were to ask on its status. I still would like my piece of art *coughZoeycough*, but I highly doubt I will ever see it.

In any case, there are things I've learned from this. As you get close to a person, you get to see things a client might not be aware of. It is hard, because as a friend, you do want to help your friends who are artists, but concordantly, there is always the chance they can feel likely to slack because they do not feel as obligated as if it were a proper business transaction.

I've learned to not commission my own friends unless they possess strong business ethics. I also do tip more generously to commissioned friends that keep their side of the contract.

I'd like to know what others think, on both sides, commissioners and artists, and how can we keep things professional between both sides when there's a friendship in between. Specially because a bad transaction can end in a soured friendship, if not a complete split.

Advice: The line between friendship and business.

[zackfig.livejournal.com]

It's been a while since I posted here. Perhaps you remember, most likely you don't. This is a sort of follow-up to my previous post on this topic.

Where to draw the line between artist and friend? What about the line between a trade between friends and a business transaction? Is it advisable to commission your own friends or not?

It's always nice when you, as a commissioner, manage to establish a friendship with a really good artist. Sometimes, you get jumped to close to the top of the queue, sometimes you get a special discount for a piece -- or sometimes, you continue to get skipped.

Sometimes, the artist comes to you because the artist needs your money, art supplies, assorted goodies, et al, and is willing to draw you something back in return for your kindness. Most of the time, your friend will indeed return the favor; on some occasions however, you are expected to understand the artist because the artist is your friend.

Empirically speaking, I've had commissions been held up for close to two years now by a friend who is also an artist; said has repeatedly told me to understand that she has an artist block but however she does art for some pay sites and does produce art for other people. It is aggravating, but as a respect to the friendship, one could let it slide.

So, what to do when the friendship has gone sour? Had a friend whom I helped on several times, with an agreement to get a "commission" at the end. What if there was no actual transaction for the piece per se, but rather, a sort of understanding that a future service would be rendered in exchange for all the prior help.

Overall, after the friendship went sour, the agreement was pretty much nullified without any recourse on my behalf to contest it. In fact, prior to that point, at one point there was a threat that the agreement was not gonna be completed regardless, specially if I were to ask on its status. I still would like my piece of art *coughZoeycough*, but I highly doubt I will ever see it.

In any case, there are things I've learned from this. As you get close to a person, you get to see things a client might not be aware of. It is hard, because as a friend, you do want to help your friends who are artists, but concordantly, there is always the chance they can feel likely to slack because they do not feel as obligated as if it were a proper business transaction.

I've learned to not commission my own friends unless they possess strong business ethics. I also do tip more generously to commissioned friends that keep their side of the contract.

I'd like to know what others think, on both sides, commissioners and artists, and how can we keep things professional between both sides when there's a friendship in between. Specially because a bad transaction can end in a soured friendship, if not a complete split.

Advice: The line between friendship and business.

[zackfig.livejournal.com]

It's been a while since I posted here. Perhaps you remember, most likely you don't. This is a sort of follow-up to my previous post on this topic.

Where to draw the line between artist and friend? What about the line between a trade between friends and a business transaction? Is it advisable to commission your own friends or not?

It's always nice when you, as a commissioner, manage to establish a friendship with a really good artist. Sometimes, you get jumped to close to the top of the queue, sometimes you get a special discount for a piece -- or sometimes, you continue to get skipped.

Sometimes, the artist comes to you because the artist needs your money, art supplies, assorted goodies, et al, and is willing to draw you something back in return for your kindness. Most of the time, your friend will indeed return the favor; on some occasions however, you are expected to understand the artist because the artist is your friend.

Empirically speaking, I've had commissions been held up for close to two years now by a friend who is also an artist; said has repeatedly told me to understand that she has an artist block but however she does art for some pay sites and does produce art for other people. It is aggravating, but as a respect to the friendship, one could let it slide.

So, what to do when the friendship has gone sour? Had a friend whom I helped on several times, with an agreement to get a "commission" at the end. What if there was no actual transaction for the piece per se, but rather, a sort of understanding that a future service would be rendered in exchange for all the prior help.

Overall, after the friendship went sour, the agreement was pretty much nullified without any recourse on my behalf to contest it. In fact, prior to that point, at one point there was a threat that the agreement was not gonna be completed regardless, specially if I were to ask on its status. I still would like my piece of art *coughZoeycough*, but I highly doubt I will ever see it.

In any case, there are things I've learned from this. As you get close to a person, you get to see things a client might not be aware of. It is hard, because as a friend, you do want to help your friends who are artists, but concordantly, there is always the chance they can feel likely to slack because they do not feel as obligated as if it were a proper business transaction.

I've learned to not commission my own friends unless they possess strong business ethics. I also do tip more generously to commissioned friends that keep their side of the contract.

I'd like to know what others think, on both sides, commissioners and artists, and how can we keep things professional between both sides when there's a friendship in between. Specially because a bad transaction can end in a soured friendship, if not a complete split.

My advice for Do Not Commission artist Shiuk

[shivonhusky.livejournal.com]

FIRST OF ALL !!! This is NOT a flaming attack or personal attack against Shiuk! This is a BUSINESS RELATED warning for the artist shiuk !! Please do understand I am writing this so that others can be aware of it and that hopefully Shiuk will listen to this and take this story into future relations with customers.

( Read more.... )

My advice for Do Not Commission artist Shiuk

[shivonhusky.livejournal.com]

FIRST OF ALL !!! This is NOT a flaming attack or personal attack against Shiuk! This is a BUSINESS RELATED warning for the artist shiuk !! Please do understand I am writing this so that others can be aware of it and that hopefully Shiuk will listen to this and take this story into future relations with customers.

( Read more.... )

Mousetrap/Marwee

[wyndsong12.livejournal.com]

This isn't really a beware, but more of a concerned question post.

I had commissioned Mousetrap/Marwee on FA (http://www.furaffinity.net/user/mousetrap) , as well as taking her up on a couple of trades a little over two years ago. Communication was great, she was polite and I would like to think that we casual FA friends. She had mentioned a trip out of the country, and I simply never heard from her again. Within those 2+ years her gallery there has been cleared out and her email address bounced the email I sent.

Does anyone know where she is or if she's ok?

 

Mousetrap/Marwee

[wyndsong12.livejournal.com]

This isn't really a beware, but more of a concerned question post.

I had commissioned Mousetrap/Marwee on FA (http://www.furaffinity.net/user/mousetrap) , as well as taking her up on a couple of trades a little over two years ago. Communication was great, she was polite and I would like to think that we casual FA friends. She had mentioned a trip out of the country, and I simply never heard from her again. Within those 2+ years her gallery there has been cleared out and her email address bounced the email I sent.

Does anyone know where she is or if she's ok?

 

Mousetrap/Marwee

[wyndsong12.livejournal.com]

This isn't really a beware, but more of a concerned question post.

I had commissioned Mousetrap/Marwee on FA (http://www.furaffinity.net/user/mousetrap) , as well as taking her up on a couple of trades a little over two years ago. Communication was great, she was polite and I would like to think that we casual FA friends. She had mentioned a trip out of the country, and I simply never heard from her again. Within those 2+ years her gallery there has been cleared out and her email address bounced the email I sent.

Does anyone know where she is or if she's ok?