(no subject)

[tizzrah.livejournal.com]

"The time has come."

Yep, now it's my turn to share my own horror story about the artist known in the furry community as Ashryn. I've put off doing this for a very long time due to the fact that, at one time, I would liked to have considered this person my friend. But times have changed, and I am now feeling sorely ripped off and neglected. I'm pretty sure most, if not all of her commissioners are feeling this way as well.

Way, WAY back in the day, about five years ago, I paid Ashryn $150 for a black and white ink and pencil piece. At the time, I was doing her a favor, as she had advertised in her LJ that she was short on funds and needed the cash. I was also short on funds, but I don't like to see friends in bad places, so I scrounged up the money and sent it on over. I knew it would be awhile in seeing any progress on my piece, but I said nothing and watched as the months passed on by.

I'd like to also mention that Ashryn and I both shared a deep love for all things Silent Hill. When the third game came out, she found herself short on funds again, and she offered a full-colour piece in exchange for it. I obliged and sent the game out the same day I got my copy. The piece was finished, and is one of her more popular images in her gallery: SH3- Life After Death. Yes, folks, this piece was done for me and requested by me. Well, guess what? Once the piece was done, Ashryn told me that she "felt she had spent too much time on it" and "it was worth more than the measly game" I had given her for it. I was told that if I wanted the piece, that I had to give her more money and that if this was "not agreeable," she would be happy to send me a print. I don't know about you folks, but in my book, a promise is a promise, and a deal is a deal. To this day, I have yet to see this piece in my possession. I refused to pay her more money for something we had mutually agreed upon.

Well, another year or so went by, and I saw her offering OC commissions. I knew she already owed me a piece, but I went ahead and paid her more money for two more commissions. One of them was promptly finished over the weekend. The other is still floating in limbo, probably in the same place that my first commission went.

I'm now being told (as well as the other people commissioning her) that she is no longer working with traditional media, and all traditional commissions she has taken will be converted to OpenCanvas or Illustrator. She says this is a non-negotiable policy. This upsets me a little, since her digital works are far less superior than her traditional works (this is a matter of my opinion), and I'm not getting what I originally paid for. I approached her and asked if they absolutely had to be digital, if I could change the subject matter of the commission, since, you know, it's been five years. I was told that, no, I could not change the subject matter, since what I wanted to change it to (humans instead of "furries") were "more complicated" and that she "just doesn't have the time to spend doing it." Hmmmm. I think I've certainly spent the time waiting, though, wouldn't you agree?

To sum this all up, Ashryn owes me roughly $250 worth of artwork (one Illustrator piece, one black and white traditional media piece, and three icons that I never mentioned but are still part of her tab). She also owes me the original of Life After Death. To be perfectly honest, I don't think I'm ever going to see any of what she owes me, and that includes the already-finished piece. I am not insulting her on a personal level - after all, we used to be friends - but I really think that people need to be made aware that she has been taking money from commissioners for years and only putting out a fraction of the art that she owes people. Yes, I understand perfectly that it takes awhile to finish up a refined piece of artwork, but my question to that is this: If you know you can't finish the art in a timely, professional manner, then why are you still eager to take peoples' money? :/

Comments

One word: DIE!

[mix-hyenataur.livejournal.com]

Even though I dislike watermarks, I find this INSULTING that she does not leave a watermark for you peice ONLINE. Thus, ANYONE can make a print. (My only greif about watermarks is when they are on the final product sent to the person that commishioned it.)

Her excuse: "I'm just lazy and blah..."

Re: One word: DIE!

[dinogrrl.livejournal.com]

Well, not necessarily. If you post the picture at a small enough resolution, any print made from it will be crap whether or not it has a watermark.

But...this person is starting to sound like yet another underage/immature person who doesn't have any clue that the people on the other side of the internet are real people...even if their money is real enough. And someone who has no sense of business ethics. Meh.

Re: One word: DIE!

[fierycatthing.livejournal.com]

Only thing is, Ashryn is in her mid-twenties. She should long know how the internet (well, business) works. But I sat next to her in the market square at FurCon two years ago, and the way she was treating her customers at the convention is no different than the way she is treating them online.

Re: One word: DIE!

[dinogrrl.livejournal.com]

I'm sure it's been said before, but physical age really has little to do with maturity. I know way too many kids at my college (ranging from 18 and 19 up to late twenties, at least) who are about as immature as a brick, while I've met some kids like under 10 at work who were quite mature-acting indeed.

Re: One word: DIE!

[slow-mo-panda.livejournal.com]

If by watermark, you mean her signature, right? The ONE OC piece she did for me she did not even sign or watermark, so you never know WHO it's by!

[yiffyraptor.livejournal.com]

Okay, I'm going to have to totally post my own story now. :o

[tizzrah.livejournal.com]

I don't think it would be a bad idea to do so. I'm hoping that my post and the posters' before mine will "break the ice," so to speak, and show the community that this is not a single incident.

[filthy-animal.livejournal.com]

Maybe it's for the best. Hopefully this will give her the reality check she needs...?

[filthy-animal.livejournal.com]

Wow... this kinda of attitude towards commissions is pathetic.

[scappo.livejournal.com]

It's true...

I commissioned Ashryn a while ago, and even e-mails that I have sent asking whether my money made it to her or not have gone unanswered. She's a highly skilled artist that I do admire for her raw skill, but when it comes to deadlines, communication, and productivity, she's lacking, unfortunately. I don't want to insult her, because I don't even know her. But, in my opinion, there must be a standard to which most artists must adhere to when handling the money and ideas of commissioners.

After all, the commissioner is not only trusting the artist with their hard earned (stolen?) cash, and with their ideas. The least the artist could do is deliver results (or at least progress) in a timely manner.

[goldrose.livejournal.com]

Here's me not surprised. Meh. She holds anyone who isnt herself in such low regard. Commissions or not. Doesnt she still owe someone over $700 in artwork?

[thaily.livejournal.com]

Speaking of commissions, omg, log on to aye cee queueu?

[evlclosetvortex.livejournal.com]

Well, I hate to butt in but I've known Ash for yeaaars and years now, and shes never been anything but sweet to me. She cares, she's just very budy and doesn't really fawn over people to the point where she gushes her regard for them out of every oriface XD

[evlclosetvortex.livejournal.com]

*busy, woah cold hands.

[goldrose.livejournal.com]

A lot of people have known her for years. I've known her for... hrm. maybe 4? 5 years now? *shrugs*

[neolucky.livejournal.com]

Throw your money at her and see just how she acts then. Perhaps she is sweet to you because she does not feel the weight of debt of your art upon her shoulders. This is merely an assumption and can be ignored if you are paying her for art however.

[evlclosetvortex.livejournal.com]

Does it completely make your point disolve that I have art from her anyway? (real media at that?( :D?

[neolucky.livejournal.com]

Not entirely. As I've seen you defend her so far, and yet the negativity of those who have delt with her far outweigh your good words. Just being friends with somone isn't enough to disprove many many accusations of an artist being bad.

=\ Sorry.

[schnee.livejournal.com]

*blinks* Goodness. That's the kind of situation where I'd probably just demand a refund, set her a deadline, and - if she doesn't cough up the money by then - sell the debt to a collection agency who will break her legs.

Well, OK, maybe one that doesn't do that. :) But still.

[haricotvert.livejournal.com]

can you do something like that tho? well, not as extreme. but like threaten a lawsuit?

[schnee.livejournal.com]

You can always threaten a lawsuit. Whether you could file one is another question, but I'm not from the USA, so I can't comment on that. :)

However, one of the nice things about selling your debt (assuming you'd find an agency who'd be willing to buy it - they probably have lower limits on the sums they accept, although I don't know how high those are) is that you don't have to care anymore. :) You got your money from the agency, and they will take care of getting the money from the debtor then. ;)

[giza.livejournal.com]

Lawsuits cost far more than the amount of money that is at stake here. And filing a lawsuit opens you up to all sorts of other issues, like dealing with discovery motions from the other party. Not Fun.

However, the Better Business Bureau (http://www.bbb.org/) or the state Attorney General's office Consumer Protection Department may be able to help.

[haricotvert.livejournal.com]

ooo. now that's a novel idea!

[schnee.livejournal.com]

I'm not sure if it'd work, but if I was in your situation, I'd probably look into it, at least...

[haricotvert.livejournal.com]

oh i'm not in a situation. i rarely get commissioned. so i'm all good. i suppose this is for future reference.

[evlclosetvortex.livejournal.com]

law suits on the internet

[skanrashke.livejournal.com]

That sucks, but it does seem like a piece that she'd have requested more for. Its' fine that you don't want to give her extra money, and she should just give yout he piece and have an awesome looking piece in her gallery in exchange, but it wouldn't be out of line for you to give her extra cash for her trouble, either, although she shouldn't demand it. If she'd ASKED nicely for it, then yea, its' not out of line.

[tizzrah.livejournal.com]

I will not argue the fact that the piece was and is worth more than what was "paid" for it. However, the deal was sealed before the piece was ever started, therefore it was her choice to spend as much time and effort on it as was done, knowing even at the time of progress that it was for someone else.

Ashryn doesn't know how to ask nicely. All she knows how to do is present ultimatums and new agendas to you in the shittiest way possible.

[haricotvert.livejournal.com]

first off, i'm really iffy about requests for payment full-up. for exactly this reason. i don't care how good you are. i refuse to pay the entire amount up front before even seeing a sketch. half-and-half is good enough, you'd think. they want the rest of their money so badly? they'd just have to finish it within a timely manner then.

[haricotvert.livejournal.com]

that's my own policy anyway.

[nurikochan.livejournal.com]

I don't know... I used to do things like that, just to prove to commissioners that I was good for the work, but I was burned over and over again when the people would take the sketch and then never pay me. I know I'm not a big name or anything, but that doesn't mean I'm here for people to rip off. So now I insist on payment upfront, all the time. But then, I'm also not charging $80 for commissions. *cough*

[haricotvert.livejournal.com]

i know. $80? seriously.

[nurikochan.livejournal.com]

Oh, I know plenty of artists are worth far more than that, and since they're popular, people will go for it... but most of us have to price according to what people will pay. So, for a lousy $20 or $40, I don't see it as wrenching thumbs to ask people to pay upfront. For commissions nearing like, a hundred dollars or more, I'd say partial payment plans would be in order.

[skanrashke.livejournal.com]

Thats a cute policy, except it screws artists over more than it saves them trouble.
Most folks have their own idea of what a 'timely manner' is, and without any previous knowledge of art at all, so if you don't get a 3'x2' oil painting done in 48 hours, you don't get paid for it, so you can ebay it for about half of what you were originally agreed to. People aren't OBLIGATED(in a legal sense) to finish payment once its' begun, and you put all that bloody time into a piece..
Anyways, thats why 100% up front is bonus.

[haricotvert.livejournal.com]

i still feel... irky.. about demanding money for work i haven't done yet.

[haricotvert.livejournal.com]

unless you wanted a 40x50in painting in oils from me, i'm hardly charging $100. that's ridiculous.

[giza.livejournal.com]

> I'm now being told (as well as the other people commissioning her) that she
> is no longer working with traditional media, and all traditional commissions
> she has taken will be converted to OpenCanvas or Illustrator. She says this
> is a non-negotiable policy.

Um... no. One does NOT take peoples' money and THEN change the terms of the deal, unless there is a written contract stating otherwise.

If she doesn't want to use "traditional media", and the commissioner does not want OpenCanvas or Illustrator commissions, then she should refund the money. Anything else is walking the boundaries of both ethicality and legality.