Art Trade Issue

[rhazafax.livejournal.com]

This is my first post here so I apologize if it's weird. Any assistance or advice would be great, both for the situation and the post.

WHO: RottenCanines / Malin -> www.furaffinity.net/user/rottencanines/

WHERE: Furaffinity.net

WHAT: Digital Art Trade

WHEN: Trade initiated May 2011, as of yet unresolved (August 2011)

PROOF:

1: Trade brought up here: http://www.furaffinity.net/view/5517582/ (Screen shot of Convo: X )
2: Her note to me about what she wants from our trade: X
3: I sent a reply with a reference, and affirmation of what I would like in return (as stated in the reply thread on her submission).
4: I post my half of our trade. Her response is positive, even though I missed a few things. X
5: There was a bit of back and forth as I drew up new and improved references for my character, but the subject remained the same. I kept her up to date for 'when she was going to work on it'.
6: Fast forward to today's exchange. My name disappeared from the owed-art list, so I asked about it.
7: Screen shot of shouts: X



EXPLAIN: 

In response to a question about whether or not she took commissions for a certain style of feral art she was doing, I asked if she would be willing to trade since she was unable to take commissions. She was very receptive to the idea (1). She sent me a note with what she wanted (2), and I replied with what I wanted.

During the next several months, I changed the species of what I wanted and sent her notes to update her with new references. Each time she replied positively and said she hadn't started on it yet. (5)

While this was going on, she had my name on her list of 'people she owed art'. Since I was on her to do list I wasn't terribly worried about it. 

Between the time that I had finished my half (4) and now, she has drawn dozens of personal art pieces and commissions. Commissions are important and should come first, so those I'm not terribly worried about. However, in my perspective, if I owe half of an art trade, that takes priority over numerous personal pieces.

I noticed today, after seeing another of her submissions in my messages and going to her page, that my name has vanished from her owed-art list. I ask about it (7) and receive a (rather strange) response. 

At no point prior to her response was I contacted and told that she was not going to follow through with her half. Today is the first I even heard about this, and it was not agreed upon by both parties.


EDIT: She has contacted me asking what I would like to have drawn, but also says it may take a while due to a lot of things going on in her life. Will post updates as they come.

Comments

[kayla-la.livejournal.com]

At first when I was reading this, I thought it was just going to be an issue of her taking longer than you liked to get you her half. Then I got to the last part.

Yeah, it's pretty strange and shady to outright say, "I know I got art out of it and all, but I don't feel like doing my half for you anymore. Sorry 'bout that. Laters!". That's not how it goes. When you trade a service for a service, it's still essentially a business transaction, even though I know people tend to be more lax about trades. At the very least, I don't understand how someone could be okay with that on their conscience.

[rhazafax.livejournal.com]

I feel as though 4+ months is longer than necessary, especially when she posts new personal art and commissions at least twice a week, sometimes more, but that's not the issue.

I, for one, would not be all right with dropping out of half of a trade when I knew the other person already did the work.

[yoka-neko.livejournal.com]

as i mentioned in your journal, i think if he/she isnt going to draw their half of the trade, then you should offer the bill for the value of the commission maybe?

[clipfox.livejournal.com]

Why not revoke copyright and have the picture taken down from FA?

[clipfox.livejournal.com]

Unless you told her you'd give her your rights to the picture, that is.

[rhazafax.livejournal.com]

No, she wasn't given 'rights' to it, but I feel as though that isn't the point.

[amocin.livejournal.com]

This is akin to commissioning somebody, getting that commission, and not paying for it, as thats what trades are, a payment for a picture, with a picture.

Dropping a trade after one half is already finished is wrong, unless agreed on by the other user, if she had contacted those she had dropped the trades with their half already finished and asked if it was okay, I would not see it as being so much of a problem so long as the other party had agreed that it was fine. I have had that happen, and while I understand that life issues come up, you shouldnt have been the one to have to ask what happened. She should have contacted you directly rather then you finding out by the grape vine.

[chronidu.livejournal.com]

So basically reading through this, I can see why you'd be upset. What she did, or is doing, is akin to saying "Hey, you paid for your commission but I don't feel like doing it anymore, thanks for the money though!"

Have you tried bringing it up from the standpoint that even though the payment was art, you paid in full, and thus backing out at this point is bad business?

Also did you be sure to remind her that you had done your half? Just be to sure this isn't a mistake in communication, and she thought you were one of the people who hadn't done your half either.

[rhazafax.livejournal.com]

Yes, I did point both of those things out to her, and have not yet received a response. She does live in a very different time zone than I do, so that could be part of the delay. However, the time for the last reply she gave me was 30 minutes after I had posted my shout, so I dunno.

[chronidu.livejournal.com]

No offense, I understand the irritation and upset that could come from hearing she dropped you like that, but don't you think it might have been better to wait even a day for a response, before putting up a beware on her?

As far as you know this could all be one big misunderstanding still, as apposed to her purposefully trying to take your art and run so to speak.

[keaalu.livejournal.com]

"Also did you be sure to remind her that you had done your half? Just be to sure this isn't a mistake in communication, and she thought you were one of the people who hadn't done your half either."
- yeah, this. The way that shout from her is worded, it looks like she's forgotten who you are, and that you've already provided your half. O_o

[0acorn0.livejournal.com]

This

[rhazafax.livejournal.com]

Check the reply to Chronidu above.

[rhazafax.livejournal.com]

Also, in retrospect, it would stand to reason that if you're removing someone's name from a list titled 'Owing Art To' and haven't done said art, it should probably bring up some mental flags..

[lilclaudy.livejournal.com]

She...is pretty shady in a way and she also as an ED due to her old ways. :[

[kerijiano.livejournal.com]

urgh, her >_< I remember her from when I did an art trade with her and her then boyfriend (earlyish last year I think)

I got my part for her done within two or three days of her asking for it, she commented on it spazzing out all happy, and said she'd have mine done within the week. so I waited for my part, rather patiently.

When the week was up, all she'd done was upload at least three pictures of her and her boyfriend, no mention to me of her half of the art trade, so I sent her a gentle reminder about it, got a gushing apology in return, and decided to wait... and waited... and waited for about two months, all the while watching her upload pictures of her and her boyfriend, slowly getting angrier about how it didn't seem to be worth her time to work on something other than her relationship pictures.

So at the end of two months, I took down the picture I did for her, sent her a message saying I'd been waiting for my part for ages and I got another gushing apology, and she swore she'd have it done by the next day.

She did. But the picture was terrible, it was so low in quality compared to her other pictures, it was obvious it had been thrown together within minutes and was based off of one of my pictures :/

So I took her off of my watch list, too angry to talk to her or communicate with her anymore >_>

[lilclaudy.livejournal.com]

Wow, that really sucks. D:

[kerijiano.livejournal.com]

yeah =/ I'm still irritated about the picture, since she got the markings SO wrong on my fursona >_< I even had a section of the sheet saying what stayed exactly the same D:

[rottencanines.livejournal.com]

First off:

The drawing I did for you was NOT based on one of your own drawings, you clearly stated you wanted your bunny boyfriend on your head. And thus, I drew it.

Terribly made? Maybe it was rushed, yes, but it would have turned out better if I wouldn't feel so pressured about it. And markings off? I cannot pinpoint every single spot of your X snow leopard fursona.

[kerijiano.livejournal.com]

pressured? At what point did I pressure you? I asked you about it, TWICE out of two months. I respectfully stood back and waited, but when you kept uploading art of you and your ex, I got a bit confused and hurt. It felt like you were pushing personal art ahead of trades. I didn't care about the spots on the body, the main markings were on her tail, which had it's own seperate mini reference sheet on the image I showed you.

[stormslegacy.livejournal.com]

I think you are well within your rights to post a beware here. Trades are still business transactions, and that kind of attitude is not OK.

On a mildly off-topic tangent, the rat rescuer in me is squeeing at the pic. It's always awesome to see rats portrayed in a positive manner.

[frazzled-niya.livejournal.com]

...er sorry but even if she is havin "life problems" it takes like a couple of freaken minutes to login and note someone to let them know what is happening....

[thaily.livejournal.com]

I notice they deleted your shout?

[thaily.livejournal.com]

A good deed? Volunteering at a shelter is a good deed, giving people what you owe them is expected :/

[rottencanines.livejournal.com]

My english is not perfect, I might have used wrong choice of words :/ Sorry. My intentional meaning is to draw everything I owe since I DO OWE them all!