Too much stuff to do... O_o

[olvenslife.livejournal.com]

Hello there. This is the second time I'm posting here, I don't like to do that, I don't like problems with commissioners... I'm looking for an advice because I'm not sure if it's the right thing I'm doing.

A fur asked me for a cooperation on a commission some time ago. That was quite ok, just a regular commission you'd say. He promised me to send some references but he forgot... for 3 times. Then I was busy and he didn't contact me. I thought he was no longer interested but then about a month ago he contacted me again. I was busy with Eurofurence and had no time for other commissioners at all. But I stopped accepting commissions meanwhile because of the university following in September.
This person (I don't want to cause any harm to him so that's why I don't just tell his name) keeps contacting me every day. He got somehow glued to me... (the "you're my good friend" thing) Every 3 or 5 days he keeps asking me when I'll have the time for him. I can't tell him because I need to focus on the university and have some other personals problems to solve than to do commissions. I asked him what the commission is anyway and he told me he'd be interested in about 15-19 pictures (BW, detailed.. a wall poster - omfg)... O.O I dropped my jaw and became frustrated. Then he asked me to be the next one. But since I'm fair to everyone and have already a few people in the commission queue for commissions I'd like to finish, I just had to tell him NO.
There have also been communication problems since his English is bad. I told him one thing and after 10 minutes he asked me about it again.
I'm very embarrassed about this situation but I feel uncomfortable with this person though he has done nothing wrong... o.o What do you think about it? Any suggestions on a solution? Please advise...

Comments

[diyaego.livejournal.com]

If no money has exchanged hands, and you can’t take the work load on, then no is no. Explain the situation to him. If he continues to harass you, you’ll just have to block him. It seems that he was in the wrong and caused this situation by not keeping in contact with you. Don’t apologise for having a life and other more dependable customers in the queue in front of him.

[olvenslife.livejournal.com]

Thanks. Well, that's what I did. But he seems to be either hard-headed or patient... o.o His fault, I'd say. I had the patience to explain him.

[wolf-goat.livejournal.com]

/ignore

He won't be any the wiser and it'll get him off your case. :)

[acrimonius.livejournal.com]

15-19 pictures including a WALL POSTER? Give him a price quote somewhere around $500 and watch him scurry away like a frightened kitten.

[xianjaguar.livejournal.com]

$500? Are you nuts? For 15-19 pictures PLUS a wall poster? $500 would barely cover the labor for *just* the wall poster for most artists. A huge project like that should be quoted at around $3,000 *minimum*.
It's a more realistic number. And he'll still scurry away like a frightened kitten. =)

But yeah, Olven.. just tell him "I'm sorry, I'm not accepting commissions, and there is no way I can take on a huge project like this" and end it at that. You may have to just _ignore_ his requests/emails in the future if he can't take "no" for an answer.

[filthy-animal.livejournal.com]

Hahah, you're right. $3,000 is more like it :P

[fallimar.livejournal.com]

3000... lol... I should start doing art instead of fursuits again :P

[acrimonius.livejournal.com]

My bad. $500 is usually enough to scare off most random scrubs though :(

[duraji-synth.livejournal.com]

Considering that that much work would probably take a few years, yeah, that sounds about right for a price. *chuckles darkly*

[olvenslife.livejournal.com]

Lolz! The point is that some artists (like me) aren't able of producing that much quality artwork in one year. x.x So it means such commission would be incredibly time consuming and ... you know how annoying it can be when you draw almost 20 pics with still the same character...
The price would surely frighten him. :D But... i'll try to explain it to him first (slowly and for several times) insteading of causing him heart attack. I'm not doing commissions primarily money, I'm doing it for fun and for others. If I was doing it for money, I would never stop accepting them. o.o

[skanrashke.livejournal.com]

I hate that shit. Effin furries.
"Hey, I'm buying something from you.. but.. I'm lonely. Can we be friends?"
Um.. no. *Waggles finger* Bad business.
I'd tell him "I'm sorry, but I'm not interested in being friends with customers, we don't have anything in common. I'm allergic to cats. It wouldn't work out. I try to avoid text whenever possible because I have a paranoid delusion about it". I dunno. Think of something ;) Politely tell him you're too busy to be friends with some random freak from online at this time.

[saeto15.livejournal.com]

I can't even begin to count how many times that's happened to me. And or some reason, whenever someone decides they want art from me they try to become my friend first so they can get free shit.

/drive-by

[olvenslife.livejournal.com]

It happened to me only once that the commissioner tried to be my good friend. I don't like that much. 0_0 Have my own friends and have no time for more especially from abroad who can barely find a good theme to talk about.
The bad thing is that when someone like this starts to be nicer to you, you really dunno if he means it or it's just some kind of the "And when we're friends, can I get a price discount? Will you prefer my commission requests?" thing. <_<

[amarafox.livejournal.com]

Oh god, I hate that so much.

I had someone try to be friends with me after NOT PAYING ME THE REST OF THE MONEY HE OWED ME for a commission. I ended up getting some blood out of the turnip, but god. That whole situation sucked.

I don't want to know about his cat :P