Should I pursue getting a mistake fixed?

[kaizerfreak.livejournal.com]

Today, I received a two character sketch commission paid for back in April that I was quite pleased with, except there was one mistake: The two characters depicted were to be cosplaying as video game characters, but one was put in his regular outfit (in his refs) as opposed to the video game character I specified. I brought the mistake up, but the artist said he wouldn't fix it. I'd say I'm rather easy going with commissions and would usually not pursue this in any other situation, as really, the picture is quite spectacular despite the mistake. However, I wouldn't be asking for advice if I already had an answer for this. I'll outline the main points I've been mulling over below.

1. Even though it's just a sketch, it cost more than fully rendered images I've commissioned before. Price is probably something most people will consider when pursuing fixes to images. As in, I don't usually see people fret over quick sketch commissions, and this was just another quick sketch commission for this artist. I don't want to give out the exact price, as I wanna keep this general so the advice here can help others down the line. Trust me, the commission had quite the price tag. But worth it to me, at least. This point leads into the next point, somewhat.

2. The artist has a very large reputation, earned by their talent and how they used it. Again, trying to keep this as general as possible, as well as not give any possible hints to who it is in the first place. This is a weird point and I'm trying to not think about it, but with this level of artist fame/talent, it's hard not to consider it. I know that commissions are a business, and for sure this artist is sure to be very experienced with the business and professionalism side of things. And this point also leads into the next.

3. When I brought the issue up, the artist gave a seemingly flimsy excuse, which also seemed to be a jab at me. The response I received was: "next time try to put the references together i kinda I lost track of the suits." As I'm reading the same note from April that I sent, I feel that I was quite clear in what I wanted. Even the other character was in the proper outfit that I specified.

TL;DR:
Should pursue because: It cost a lot, excuse was flimsy
Shouldn't pursue because: It's just a sketch, dealing with "famous artist"

What would you do?

EDIT: I'll post my first note to the artist used to obtain a slot, which contained the character who was messed up on. After the artist replies to this note, I ask to add another character as explained above.

"Hiya, I'd like to get in on one of your commission slots. It's gonna be of my avatar/OC, Kai. (Male, anthro rabbit, hope that's what you're asking for in your journal. XD) Here's some refs: [link] [link] [link] He's got a calm and quiet personality but can get really into it when he's practicing martial arts.

Can you have him dressed up as Hwoarang in his Tekken 6 outfit? Here's a ref for that: [link] Some sort of actiony-kicking pose I think would work nicely."

Comments

[ducttapeninja.livejournal.com]

It sounds to me like this artist screwed up and just doesn't wanna fix their mistake, to be honest. I'd say you should pursue getting it fixed; you gave them all of the right information, and they missed it. That's on them, not you, and they really should be offering to fix that mistake once it's been pointed out to them.

[everainsley]

This is exactly what I was going to say. They screwed up, they should fix it, "famous" or not.

[neolucky.livejournal.com]

I'll answer in the numerical order first:

1.) Price only reflects the demand. Despite how much this artists charges, they can because the demand is there. You agreed to this price, so there shouldn't be any gripes regarding it. One artist will not charge as little or as much as another. Because this one is higher priced doesn't exactly mean they will work any harder then someone else charging less.

2.) Large reputations can be intimidating, but they require the same amount of discipline as smaller known artists. Do not let their reputation scare you into silence. If something is wrong, be stern, and be upfront. You will garner more respect.

3.) The excuse is bull, if they agreed to your design and description/references. However, I cannot make sure you didn't use too many references, or too many confusing images. I'd be curious to see what you initially sent the artist for commission. They may simply feel that you were too confusing, or they have a rotten attitude because of their popularity and will walk on people.

Yes, Pursue it. Famous artist =/= not finishing the work contracted to do.

[starcharmer.livejournal.com]

RE: 1

I don't think they meant that they were dissatisfied WITH the price [they did say they were happy to pay it], I think what they were saying is like...you could pay $5 for a sketch and if the artist got something wrong, you'd let it slide cause hey...it was only $5. When it's something like a $40 sketch [random price pulled off the top of my head], you might be a little more inclined to "get what you paid for" so to speak, if it was the artist making the mistake and not the fault of the commissioner.

[kaizerfreak.livejournal.com]

Posted the initial note.

[mrst4nkr.livejournal.com]

Do you have a copy of the references/descriptions you sent?
Does the artist have a "no revisions" clause in their ToS?
I think it would help to have a copy of what you sent to the artist available for us to look at to determine how "clear" it was put together.

Regardless, if they have something in their ToS saying they don't revise or they do what they want if the references aren't easy for them to figure out, that would also be good information to know.

Personally, I think they should change it, but, eh.

4 months just to get a sketch and they should be willing to work with you somewhat, I would think.

[oceandezignz.livejournal.com]

Their fame ain't worth diddlysquat so to speak, if they cannot back it up with excellent service at the same time. You paid for a service, they didn't deliver correctly. The job ain't done if are not satisfied.

You need to pursue the corrections.

[starcharmer.livejournal.com]

Concise and sums up my feelings exactly.

[tunavoice.livejournal.com]

It doesn't really matter if you were talking to an artist you admired and was extremely "famous" or popular- if I were a customer, and they screwed up on my commission and gave me a BS excuse to not draw what I paid them to draw, I would tell them flat-out they need to fix it. That's unacceptable, and it baffles me as to why they'd do that to you. Using popularity and fame as a crutch and to get away with not serving your customers properly is... yeah, not cool.

You should be assertive. You paid for a service and they failed to give it to you as promised. That's not good customer service and that's a beware in itself, IMHO.

Popularity means nothing when it comes to a business transaction. And like Neolucky said, price equals the demand of a product. Less supply and more demand equals a higher price. The fact that you paid so much should motivate you even more to have your fixes. You have every right to ask for them and have them. Just be sure to remain professional and calm and don't be harsh with the artist- just assertive, and put your foot down.

Edit: Spelling/grammar, sorry.

[chronidu.livejournal.com]

It honestly almost sounds as though they're trying to put the fault on you for their mess up, which is really lousy to put it nicely.

Do you have a copy of the original note/message you sent them when you first described what you wanted in the commission just to be sure there would be no possible mix up on what you were requesting?

[kaizerfreak.livejournal.com]

Posted the initial note.

[poprock-grey.livejournal.com]

Put everything else aside about popularity..

Do you feel you should pay for their mistake? Do you feel you should use your (assuming) hard earned money for something you are not happy with?
If no, than bring it up to them and let them know they need to make it right, plain and simple.

[wolf-goat.livejournal.com]

The fame/popularity mean nothing. The price does mean something, yes price is affected by demand, but if you're paying a huge amount for a sketch you do expect a little more quality control there than a $20 one.

The only way to judge this situation and advise you is to see the description you sent the artist, you don't need to tell us who the artist is, but you would need to show the text you sent them. If you were unclear in what you wanted due to a communication issue, it might be a genuine misunderstanding between both parties that is harder to call. If you were clear and they just misread it or overlooked it, then yes, they should certainly fix it, because they have come up with the wrong product.

[korth.livejournal.com]

Yes, you should definitely pursue a proper fixing of the commission. Popular or not, ToS or otherwise - if it is THEIR mistake, THEY should be fixing it. I don't care what people say, if someone makes a mistake on something they were paid to do.. they should be fixing it.

If say... someone is painting your house, and they paint the wrong colour? How would it be if they said "Oh.. well.. I was confused about the colour from the list you gave me. I'm not going to fix it" you'd be pretty pissed to say the least.. D:

[taasla.livejournal.com]

Even if someone had a "no edits" clause for sketch commissions, that sounds like a really big mix up and should be changed. If you provided everything clear and to the point, then there's no reason that this shouldn't be done right or corrected.

I would pursue it. Price, popularity all that doesn't matter. (And "high price" is subjective to a lot of people.) What matters is if the contracted service is completed as requested, and it isn't.

[karthegrax.livejournal.com]

This. No edits doesn't seem to be an issue in this matter but since its been brought up I'll add my 2c. "No Edits" doesn't mean the artist can draw the wrong thing. It means you can't complain about the pose, or the facial expression, etc. Not they can put the wrong clothes on the character.

[amarafox.livejournal.com]

If the emails you send were concise, then yeah, the artist screwed up and should redo the piece. Once I completely misread a description for a cutie, drew it up and was told I'd done it wrong (In a polite way). I looked at the email and, well, yeah, i messed up and redid the art, free of charge.

[thaily.livejournal.com]

"1. Even though it's just a sketch, it cost more than fully rendered images I've commissioned before."

Crucial question; from the same artist?

[kaizerfreak.livejournal.com]

Oh, no.

[ljmydayaway.livejournal.com]

I would forward the artist a copy of your initial note and tell them that you thought you were very clear, and it would be great if he could fix his mistake. :P

Your comments about the cost of the commission is rude, offsetting, and makes you look bad. You agreed to pay that price, no one cares that you've gotten completed images from other artists for less than that price.

You can't really compare prices of artists to each other, because there's things like skill, the amount of time they can devote to commissions, and popularity to figure into the cost.

[fatkraken.livejournal.com]

There's nothing wrong with cost being a factor. If I commission a $1 chibi and it's drawn wrong, I'm much less likely to pursue it than if I commission a $1000 oil painting. Similarly a $5 sketch I'll be a lot more lenient with than a $100 sketch: if you charge professional prices, I expect you to act professionally, while if I feel I got a really generous price I'm less likely to pursue it.

The comment about the completed image was just to avoid naming a dollar value, which some people prefer not to do, while still giving an idea of the kind of money we're talking about.

[roocodendron.livejournal.com]

Agreeing with the others here, it was their mistake and not what you commissioned and agreed to, I would personally pursue the changes or at least a refund of some sort for their mistake. I know I would be pretty upset about paying money for something that I didn't want, and when I take commissions and mess up somewhere then I change it free of charge since it was MY mistake.

[weirdmisty.livejournal.com]

Looking at your note, it seems incredibly clear to me and I cannot understand how the artist feels justified in refusing to fix a mistake that was definitely theirs, not yours. You definitely have a right to pursue this, because simply put, you were not given what you asked and paid for.

[bailzzararco.livejournal.com]

They're probably really embarrassed they missed that detail, but they really shouldn't peg it on you either, that's pretty slimey behaviour. Maybe you could ask a partial refund instead of a fix?

[lackoflollies.livejournal.com]

Considering the work WAS done (Minus the missing details) i don't think they're entitled to a refund of any sort.

[epiceternity.livejournal.com]

I also have to agree the popularity of the artist isn't that relevant. However the price is a bit more relevant. While as others have mentioned, artists charge different prices and a high demand artist can charge more. However, if an artist is charging a professional level fee (i.e more than £10 per hour) then they need to deliver a professional service. I'm all for artists charging a decent wage but they do need to deliver the service, that's what that premium price is for!
For example, I charge my clients between £10-£20 per hour. That high fee means it's expected that I follow the brief, deliver for deadlines and produce high quality work for them and fix any mistakes I may have made. If the brief said cat and I've drawn a dog by mistake, I will correct it, no quibble or extra charge because it's my mistake. If the brief just said animal or was vague or confusing when they specifically wanted a cat washing itself, then I would charge the client for the extra time changing that out. Anyways, that's my rambling over with

So yeah, I can understand if an artist is underpricing themselves, they may not want to spend any more extra time on it. it's kind of hard to know without knowing how much they were getting per hour. Though I'm not sure why they would want an unhappy customer on their hand, esp if they rely on their reputation. I can't see that the brief you sent them was that unclear.

It's really up to you and whether you want to chase it or not. If you can live with the sketch the way it is, you could settle for it. But if it totally spoils your enjoyment of the picture then give them a friendly poke again. I assume they won't have to change the pose and there's no shading?

[marymouse.livejournal.com]

Your initial note seems clear enough, but you say you added an extra character after the fact? Is the second character the one with the mistake?

This is in no way a jab at you or defending the artist, but it might help you have more grounds against these things in the future... If you add more info later, or use multiple communications with an artist, repeat your initial info along with any new info. This will help the artist have everything in one place, when they sit down to do your work.

In the past, I've been guilty of missing little details as well (but I fix when asked!), and 90% of the time it's because an addendum was added later and I neglected to notice it. (I have since learned to double check all communication before starting).

That way you can be in the right, and the artist won't really have much of an excuse. ;)

Good luck working it out!

[kaizerfreak.livejournal.com]

The second character was done perfectly, correct cosplay outfit and all. The correspondance was done through dA notes, which keep all the previous replies by default in the body (unless erased, of course, but neither of us erased anything).

[kaekokino.livejournal.com]

I have to say since you said the price was a bit more than what a sketch would normally go for. (and considering it is a sketch) than they should have absolutely no problem adding on an outfit.

depending on whether they saved a layer file or not. I do know that can be rathe difficult to edit. Its doable, just a pain.

id say pursue getting it edited for what you initially paid for to begin with.

Also check the ToS. You might be screwed if no edits are in the TOS.

[ocelotish]

Agreed! You may also consider whether you'd be happy with the sketch as is with a partial refund (because the artist did screw it up). That may be a good compromise for both of you.

[karthegrax.livejournal.com]

Pursue it. No question. Your note was clear, you paid money for it, it should be corrected. Not sure why you're getting so much hate from people because you said the $$$ word and they think you're complaining about the price. You weren't, you were just saying it wasn't a $3 10-minute sketch. Don't let them charge for a revision either. A revision is when you change your mind. "I don't like how you have drawn X, change it to Y." This is not the case. You didn't get what you ordered.

Best of luck :c

[x-thor.livejournal.com]

This comment. Exactly. Good luck!

[syrusb.livejournal.com]

The artist made a mistake, missed a detail, that's their mistake to correct. I would pursue the correction.