Advice: Teen artist - how should I go about taking commissions?

[dixiedyboski.livejournal.com]

Hello A_B!
Errrr, first ever LJ post here, correct me if I'm doing it wrong :3



Basically, I want to start taking commissions :3 But, lots of the posts here are about 'minors' buying/selling their art, and everything ending in tears and whatnot. Is it ok to take commissions at 15? Or should I wait 'til I'm older?
I know that research is important, and everyone says about having a ToS that you both agree to before you start sending money or anything, so if there's any problem on either side, you can throw it at the commissioner and run :3
Also, I know my art is not terrible. Its not wonderful either, but I know I'm improving and yes, I have done life drawing since I started GCSE Art. I could improve a lot on anatomy though, very very definitely. (curse you, silly anime phase.)
Also, would sending the money through my parents (they use paypal a lot for their bubble business) be a good idea?
And postage too. I would rather not send actual pictures in the post, but I'm sure badges would be ok.

So, any advice you have would be very very very much apreiciated <3

Comments

[fenrirs-child.livejournal.com]

First, from an objective position, I'd work a bit on verbal presentation. The emotes don't belong in a professional exchange, but I'll admit I'm guilty of it on occasion myself.

Second, you'd have to go through your parents' paypal, because legally people can't enter a contract with a minor. I think that for your sake and your commissioners, that would be the best way to go. Also, don't spend that money until you've delivered the product for the commissioner, just in case. It's not really 'yours' until you've finished your end of the deal anyways.

Third, price appropriately. Don't undersell yourself, but don't expect to make a killing right off the bat. There's a great community here on LJ called Teenycom that lets you advertise <$10 commissions there. It gets a ton of traffic and is well maintained, so it's a great place to start.

Fourth, build a portfolio of relevant work. People want to know you can follow their references and deliver a product they feel was worth their hard earned money.

Fifth, the phrase up there "having a ToS that you both agree to before you start sending money or anything, so if there's any problem on either side, you can throw it at the commissioner and run :3" sort of scares me a little. A TOS is there to protect both you and your customers, but they are not the end-all-be-all. There will undoubtedly be instances where things come up that aren't covered and you've got to be professional enough to work through them. That's what about half of the posts here are, things that slipped by the TOS and caused a problem (I've had my share too).

I'm not trying to discourage you, but realize that this has to be handled in a professional matter. It stops being a hobby once someone has paid, and you have an obligation to fulfill your end of the agreement. It should still be fun for you though, so don't take on more than you can handle and burn yourself out!

[breakspire.livejournal.com]

re: verbal presentation

also, the LJ cut of "Why you shouldn't ever let an angsty teenager near the computer when they really should be asleep." doesn't come across very professionally, and for some reason tells me more than the whole post that you aren't ready for commissions.

[foxhack.livejournal.com]

That cut text struck me as more of a jokey comment than anything else.

[dixiedyboski.livejournal.com]

Sorry, I'm trying to cheer myself up, I didn't mean for it to come across like that.

[dixiedyboski.livejournal.com]

I understand about the emotes, and I've had my parents talk to me about how to talk to people you're doing business with, but that was silly of me, yes...
Oh, aha. Sorry. Eck. ''having a ToS that you both agree to before you start sending money or anything, so if there's any problem on either side, you can throw it at the commissioner and run :3'' Absolutely did not mean for it to sound like that, I'm very sorry. Even though it is an incredibly slimy thing of me to have said. Sorry again.

In my portfolio, should I include GCSE art as well? Not furry related, but shows that I have studied animals from real life?

Thankyou for the detailed comment, I see where I've gone wrong now.