Vallhund commission

[metalxwolf.livejournal.com]

WHO: Vallhund

WHERE: http://www.furaffinity.net/user/vallhund/
FurAffinity

WHAT: Digital Reference Sheet

WHEN: March 2, 2012- May 14, 2012

PROOF:  Timeline pictures in notes








   

   
Continued
Message content


The first is the day after I received the drawing.


 

^This one is 2 weeks after the original note was sent making sure that they had gotten the first note because I hadn't gotten a response from the first one.

This is the last note and response which is a full month over the original note.




Back in March of this year I had commissioned Vallhund for a ref sheet with a prearranged agreement that the reference sheet would take about a month to be completed. I paid for the commission and sent a conformation note, making sure that they had received the money. I had gotten the note around the time we agreed and the next day sent a note asking to fix something that was stated in the original commission form which was too long too put here. (I will if later asked)  I sent three total notes over the span of about 4 weeks or so. First one asking to make the change. Second asking if they had received the first and the last finally asking to just change it. Now after waiting that month and right before I sent that final third note I had noticed they were taking commissions. Now I want to remind everyone that this, to me, didn't seem like a huge fix. The only thing that was asked was adding a simple pair of black glasses. Now I admit that in my last note I was slightly frustrated that this change was taking so long. It seemed very unprofessional to agree to fix something then begin taking commissions and still become angry and defensive after a month of waiting.

Comments

[forsaken-malice.livejournal.com]

I don't think you were rude or pushy with your last note- ESPECIALLY not to the degree that the artist has any right to deny fixing your ref sheet. And the TOS things they linked you have more to do with re-doing the whole commission rather than the simple fix of adding a pair of glasses. RUDE. I wish I had more advice for how to proceed here, but it really seems like the artist is an unreasonable person- or at the very least took a bad day out on you.

At any rate, if you don't get the artist to fix this for you, I'd be happy to try and add glasses for you :3 Drop me a note on FA (Angelwolf) if you think I can do any justice to it.

[metalxwolf.livejournal.com]

Thank you, my friend was kind enough to make me a whole new updated reference sheet that I now use instead of that one. I appreciate the offer though.

[sbneko.livejournal.com]

I have to admit, I feel very confused at the artists response. I honestly don't personally feel you were rude at all, or condescending or anything else. And I really don't agree with how the artist went about telling you all this. It just has...a bad tone in it, I suppose.

Also seems a bit odd that they seem to reluctant to fix it. While "easy" all depends on the artists skill, it's still a pretty small change and usually able to do on top of an image, in the case of merging layers.

I know it doesn't make things right, but do you maybe have any artist friends who could add the glasses for you? That way the sheet is still accurate since I don't feel the artist is going to change their mind unfortunately.

[metalxwolf.livejournal.com]

Yea, my friend drew me up a new ref sheet that is honestly much better.

[wereguitar.livejournal.com]

...I don't get it, didn't she originally say she would add it? You seem to have mentioned the glasses in your original message, since she said the link was broken in it. Seems very unfair to say she'd do it (and it's a VERY minimal addition) then tell you that you're being rude and deny doing the changes :/ I hope it's just all a miscommunication on her part.

You don't seem like you're being rude or impatient at all. If I saw the artist taking on new commissions, that would have prompted me to send a reminder note as well.

[metalxwolf.livejournal.com]

I was completely stunned when she sent me that note and I felt like it was completely unfair of her. Originally this was done when I was still relatively new to FA so I hadn't known what to do like I do now.

[wereguitar.livejournal.com]

Have you recently contacted her again about this?

[metalxwolf.livejournal.com]

No, I honestly don't want anything more to do with her. My friend made me a new ref which is honestly much better.

[shukivengeance.livejournal.com]

"I'm willing to make small changes if I made a mistake on the character or I missed something" - from their own ToS.

You weren't rude at all. Keeping you waiting around for so long then refusing the simple fix makes me personally not want to do business with someone so inattentive and dismissive.

[catwithpen.livejournal.com]

I have a feeling she copied the TOS from someone else and doesn't really understand what that part about changes means. Or she's deliberately misinterpreting it because she doesn't want to make the change...

[shukivengeance.livejournal.com]

Yeah that's highly probable, considering she is violating her own clause (the part I quoted about doing changes).

That said, even if her ToS had said "no changes ever" in the first place, that would reflect badly too.

[growly.livejournal.com]

Even IF it had somehow been your fault the artist didn't include the glasses, the professional thing for Valhund to do would have been to add it in anyway, and without any of that attitude she showed you there. It sounds like an incredibly easy fix, something that could be accomplished in a night. Instead of arguing over it, she could have just made the change and moved on, leaving you a satisfied customer.

If an artist can't handle people inquiring about the status of their commissions a couple times a month, don't take commissions. There's no shame in admitting to yourself, "I'd rather do art as a fun hobby than make it my job".

And for pete's sake, if a ref image doesn't work, the artist should LET THE CUSTOMER KNOW instead of just pretending the image doesn't exist and then acting surprised when the customer points out that the ref wasn't followed. I am just really befuddled over how this was handled. It sounds like you were happy with the commission overall, it just needed one simple fix. o_O

Artists are often handed the short end of the stick in business situations, but I've seen a lot of commission artists acting overly sensitive like this, making them very unpersonable to work with. It upsets me to have to walk on eggshells with someone, never sure what's going to set them off, so this is a warning well-heeded.

[sbneko.livejournal.com]

For your point about the ref image link not working, it is possible it did work at the time, artist finished the commission so deleted the saved file of references for the commission and then the link stopped working. I've had that happen to me before since I only keep the SAI files, not all the references commissioners give me to work with. .

Not to condone the artist, just saying it might not be pretending.

Also apologizes if I misunderstood you!

[metalxwolf.livejournal.com]

:3 No need to explain it to me hehehehe I agree with you.

[growly.livejournal.com]

Sorry, I wasn't explaining so much as ranting my indignation. xD

[metalxwolf.livejournal.com]

Haha it's fine, I'm just glad everyone see's it the same way I do. I mean if she had a valid reason for it I'd be like ok, next time I'll try to wait longer or be more courteous.

[mekania.livejournal.com]

Neither of the TOS clauses really apply to you. You waited long periods of time before contacting again and you aren't asking for a complete redo just a small change.

That entire last paragraphthe artist wrote seems like a complete overreaction. You acknowledged their life might be busy (which actually is not your problem anyway) and that you're reluctant to bother them and they're giving you the artists are people not machines speach? That is so bizarre.

[metalxwolf.livejournal.com]

*Shrugs* I was stunned too, but now I know and basically this was just for people who commission her. I already moved on completely and never plan to commission her again.

[grandioze.livejournal.com]

Does the final message from the artist seem like some sort of form letter to anyone else? As in, they send it out to anyone who asks for an edit that they can't/won't do? I don't know man, I don't see how the original message could be considered "rude" in any way, shape or form. :/

[metalxwolf.livejournal.com]

Thats a good point. It does kind of sound like that.

[mazz.livejournal.com]

Beware well warranted, at no point did you seem rude to me and the minor change is something they should have done right when you asked them too. :/

[metalxwolf.livejournal.com]

Thats all I hope for at this point, is just so people know.

[norsepaw.livejournal.com]

Beware indeed.
And I dont see anything rude about the last note you sendt to Vallhound, but their response is just whoa O__o.
I am always open to add things I have forgotten to add(Like a marking or a an ear-ring).

[metalxwolf.livejournal.com]

:3 I'm glad to hear you feel the same way I did when it happened.

[dreamerdragoon.livejournal.com]

I'd be highly suspect of any artist whose ToS included a clause that promised 'cancellation without refund' for daring to contact them above some vaguely-stated tolerance limit. What is so hard to understand about the function of a ToS? If the artist cancels the commission for any reason without rendering the service/product, they owe a refund. No clause in your ToS will get you out of that legal obligation.

A ToS doesn't mean you can invent whatever rules you want that will conveniently let you keep money and do no work in exchange. A ToS is basically your transaction etiquette code above and beyond the basic legalities of rendering a service. When a customer violates your ToS, all that means is you have a clear, sanctioned opportunity to cancel the transaction without argument, and this will include any partial delivery or partial/full refunds that may involve. ToS violation doesn't mean you get to take the money and run.

[metalxwolf.livejournal.com]

Well I was still silly and new to FA and honestly didn't think there would be a problem. But now I know and now everyone else does. I've only had a little trouble with one other artist and they had a valid reason. Every other commission I've gotten was a walk in the park. But if she had refused to give me anything and just take my money I would have had Paypal dispute the transaction.

[dreamerdragoon.livejournal.com]

I wasn't attacking you, don't worry :) More despairing over this trend of artists having completely reprehensible clauses in their ToS that seem designed to scam customers out of a fair transaction from the get-go.

[metalxwolf.livejournal.com]

Oh I know, but I agree it's ridiculous.

I got a similar response from Vallhund

[punk cat (from livejournal.com)]

I got a Vallhund commission, and I hesitate to post here because 98% of it was such good work. I too, had a small change to request where I felt that she had misinterpreted one of the references I gave her.

She has quite a submission form to fill out, and quite a few rules. If you don't follow all the rules, then no art for you. And part of those rules are that you get one shot at art, no fixes, no back and forth and NO PREVIEW. In my case, the style of clothing was incorrect and I even offered to pay for the changes. Instead, I got back a wordwall of a note on FA and was told all the mistakes that I had made in submitting the commission.

In the end, I was able to Photoshop the original commission by myself and it turned out OK. The warning... the BEWARE part... of Vallhund is that she is very literal on the references and instructions that you give. While at first this may seem practical, remember that there is no re-do. And although she can cite reasons why she is correct in her response, she seems quite a bit out of line compared to other artists.

Re: I got a similar response from Vallhund

[metalxwolf.livejournal.com]

This happens with her stuff. As you can see in my problem I was completely in the right and she blew it up. Thats her way of dealing with stuff. In reality it's just another lesson of who not to commission.