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Apr. 9th, 2006 08:16 pm![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
kaputotter.livejournal.com posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
artists_bewareI've seen far to many people post about being burned, so I'm going to offer a very simple and easy tip for commissions.
Ask for 100% payment, after your sketch has been approved by your client, but before you do any finalizing work.
This is a valuable practice for several reasons.
You'll get your money -- all of it -- before you really sit down to do one of the most time-consuming parts of this process.
No artist likes working without compensation. Do yourself a favor and ask to get the cash in hand before you finish. I know it's tempting to finish certain projects when you're excited about them, but stay patient. This also works both ways; if you are an artist who procrastinates, having the cash in hand may motivate you to finish the project. This is just my personal feeling, but I also see the sketch as being the most difficult part of the whole commission, and once the sketch is approved and I have recieved the cash, I feel like it's all downhill from there (in the best way) and it is much easier for me to finish the commission.
Some artists make the traditional freelance illustration 50/50 rule a habit. (This is the method by which you recieve 50% of the payment up front and 50% upon completion.) In the real world, in mainstream freelance illustration, this is a good model to follow -- but only when we're talking about compensation in the thousands of dollars! For furry art, this model simply isn't very practical, and in fact it can be a pain in the ass to ask for a client to send you two seperate payments, especially if they do not use PayPal and must resort to snail-mailing a check(s) or money order(s). By asking for 100% payment at the appropriate time, you are actually doing not only yourself a favor, but also your client, who may be more interested in commissioning you if they only need to make one payment, one time.
Furthermore, with regards to the above,
You will give yourself and your client a tangible illustration of the work in progress, so that you have an accurate measure of what to charge them.
For many commission scenarios, we do not know how complex they will end up being. Sometimes we as artists will surprise ourselves with the depth to which we'll go for a project that is particularly exciting. Sometimes clients will surprise us with details that they failed to include with their original description. Giving them a sketch will encourage them to cough up those details, because they will have a visual cue for reminding them what they have omitted. When the sketch is approved, you will have something solid that you can ask for a price on much more reliably than if you simply pulled a number out of thin air and hoped you were correct. This will save both you and your client frustration, because they, too, will be able to understand more fully WHY you are charging them your sum.
You'll demonstrate to your client that you are serious about working with them.
Has your client been burned before? I've worked with buyers who have been very unhappy with their past commissions, and as a result they're twice-shy. I've helped restore their faith by demonstrating to them that I am willing to show them proof of my labor before they have paid. However, once again, this happy medium ensures me that I need not get too deeply into a commission without being compensated for it first!
Your client will 'fall in love' with the sketch, and it will be further cemented into their minds as something that they want to commit to.
Most artists have run into fans who have said to them, full of hot air, "I really love your work and would like to commission you!" but as soon as you begin to talk turkey with them, they become frightened of committment and cease being serious. Providing material for your client on which they will form an attachment is a good way to encourage them to see their business dealings with you to the end. If they decide to back out anyway, you are only out the time you spent on the sketch!
This method encourages communication between yourself and your client.
If there's one thing furry commissions need more of in general, it's communication! By using this method of asking for payment at a certain time, you are setting yourself up for good communication: specifically, that you are willing to talk to your client about the details of the commission, and get those details right, before you commit to anything in stone.
Now. This may feel like a double-edged sword for some of you, especially those who are either on the impatient or lazy side, or perhaps not particularly excited about working with a client in such depth. I know artists who would much rather have freedom with their commissions than to be directed down to the last detail. While I can sympathize with you, I've learned from firsthand experience that it is much more beneficial for both parties if you go out of your way to make your client happy. Yes, even if this means making numerous changes to the sketch by request.
HOWEVER: You don't have to worry about making excessive changes without compensation!
Don't allow yourself to be bullied around simply because you haven't gotten it right yet. If worse comes to worse, simply charge your client more money for the services rendered. If a client is picky enough to ask you to start over from scratch three times? Charge the client $20 a sketch, and so on. If they balk at this negotiation, ask them to pick their favorite of the sketches, take it or leave it. Handle yourself with professional candor; all you need do is explain that your time is directly equal to your money and that they must compensate you for your time, period.
MOREOVER: Isn't it better to get the changes you need to make out of the way at the sketch stage, rather than to be given the unfortunate news that you did something totally wrong only after you have finished the picture?!?! Seriously! Which kind of disappointment would you rather experience -- something that is relatively easy to fix, or something that may never be changed?
I want to encourage each and every one of you to do your best and go out of your way to make your client happy. Doing so makes you BOTH happy; a happy client means repeat business, a good reputation for YOU, a sense of satisfaction that you made someone happy, AND that you made money by doing it!
Ask for 100% payment, after your sketch has been approved by your client, but before you do any finalizing work.
This is a valuable practice for several reasons.
No artist likes working without compensation. Do yourself a favor and ask to get the cash in hand before you finish. I know it's tempting to finish certain projects when you're excited about them, but stay patient. This also works both ways; if you are an artist who procrastinates, having the cash in hand may motivate you to finish the project. This is just my personal feeling, but I also see the sketch as being the most difficult part of the whole commission, and once the sketch is approved and I have recieved the cash, I feel like it's all downhill from there (in the best way) and it is much easier for me to finish the commission.
Some artists make the traditional freelance illustration 50/50 rule a habit. (This is the method by which you recieve 50% of the payment up front and 50% upon completion.) In the real world, in mainstream freelance illustration, this is a good model to follow -- but only when we're talking about compensation in the thousands of dollars! For furry art, this model simply isn't very practical, and in fact it can be a pain in the ass to ask for a client to send you two seperate payments, especially if they do not use PayPal and must resort to snail-mailing a check(s) or money order(s). By asking for 100% payment at the appropriate time, you are actually doing not only yourself a favor, but also your client, who may be more interested in commissioning you if they only need to make one payment, one time.
Furthermore, with regards to the above,
For many commission scenarios, we do not know how complex they will end up being. Sometimes we as artists will surprise ourselves with the depth to which we'll go for a project that is particularly exciting. Sometimes clients will surprise us with details that they failed to include with their original description. Giving them a sketch will encourage them to cough up those details, because they will have a visual cue for reminding them what they have omitted. When the sketch is approved, you will have something solid that you can ask for a price on much more reliably than if you simply pulled a number out of thin air and hoped you were correct. This will save both you and your client frustration, because they, too, will be able to understand more fully WHY you are charging them your sum.
Has your client been burned before? I've worked with buyers who have been very unhappy with their past commissions, and as a result they're twice-shy. I've helped restore their faith by demonstrating to them that I am willing to show them proof of my labor before they have paid. However, once again, this happy medium ensures me that I need not get too deeply into a commission without being compensated for it first!
Most artists have run into fans who have said to them, full of hot air, "I really love your work and would like to commission you!" but as soon as you begin to talk turkey with them, they become frightened of committment and cease being serious. Providing material for your client on which they will form an attachment is a good way to encourage them to see their business dealings with you to the end. If they decide to back out anyway, you are only out the time you spent on the sketch!
If there's one thing furry commissions need more of in general, it's communication! By using this method of asking for payment at a certain time, you are setting yourself up for good communication: specifically, that you are willing to talk to your client about the details of the commission, and get those details right, before you commit to anything in stone.
Now. This may feel like a double-edged sword for some of you, especially those who are either on the impatient or lazy side, or perhaps not particularly excited about working with a client in such depth. I know artists who would much rather have freedom with their commissions than to be directed down to the last detail. While I can sympathize with you, I've learned from firsthand experience that it is much more beneficial for both parties if you go out of your way to make your client happy. Yes, even if this means making numerous changes to the sketch by request.
HOWEVER: You don't have to worry about making excessive changes without compensation!
Don't allow yourself to be bullied around simply because you haven't gotten it right yet. If worse comes to worse, simply charge your client more money for the services rendered. If a client is picky enough to ask you to start over from scratch three times? Charge the client $20 a sketch, and so on. If they balk at this negotiation, ask them to pick their favorite of the sketches, take it or leave it. Handle yourself with professional candor; all you need do is explain that your time is directly equal to your money and that they must compensate you for your time, period.
MOREOVER: Isn't it better to get the changes you need to make out of the way at the sketch stage, rather than to be given the unfortunate news that you did something totally wrong only after you have finished the picture?!?! Seriously! Which kind of disappointment would you rather experience -- something that is relatively easy to fix, or something that may never be changed?
I want to encourage each and every one of you to do your best and go out of your way to make your client happy. Doing so makes you BOTH happy; a happy client means repeat business, a good reputation for YOU, a sense of satisfaction that you made someone happy, AND that you made money by doing it!
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