I need Commission tips

[marygold]

I’m about to make my first digital art commission and I wanted to do some research and get some advice before starting.

-In terms of dimensions, what canvas size is proper? I was thinking of going by 8x11 inches or so at 300 dpi
-Do you all have any general tips to avoid scams? (And if you feel comfortable, do you mind sharing any experience with encountering scammers?)
-Is if acceptable to post commissions on my art social media or do I need the commissioner’s permission?
-I think it’s fair to give the commissioner an opportunity or two to make revisions, how should I space them out?
-Also importantly I plan on using PayPal. I heard some artists (a while ago, I’m not sure if this is still a problem) were encountering some trouble because commissioners were not selecting the correct “Goods” on the PayPal form when they payed. It was something about selecting what shipping they were using (which is None, but some of the options commissioners selected implied there was a physical package to be sent and that caused some trouble). Do any of you know what option commissioners should be selecting, if this is still a problem on PayPal?

Thanks a bunch!

[joannekwan]

8.5 x 11 at 300 dpi is usually my canvas size that I start with, aside from my tarot cards. I'll then adjust the dimensions as I see fit depending on the composition.

To avoid scams, you can always charge up front, the full price or partially, and make sure money is in your hands before you produce any work for the client. If partially, you can then request the rest of the payment after the sketch stage etc.

You can have a terms of service or rules page where you state any commissions you do can be used in your portfolio or promote your commissions. Ask that if clients don't want their work made public to request that at the time of commissioning.

Personally I space out edit rounds like this: I receive the concept and draw a sketch. I show them the sketch and they can request changes. Then I render the final version and show them a preview. They can make requests for small tweaks at this point, like making something brighter.

Paypal. I use paypal. To avoid confusion, always send an invoice. Now paypal has a feature where you can select the type of invoice you want to send. One of the options is digital goods so they won't ask for a shipping address when sent. You can also fiddle with other aspects of the invoice and once you're happy with it, you can save it as a template to use for future invoices.

[kimketli]

Now, I just copy paste it from a discord server called "Art commisions" because I think it contains useful infos.

1.Handling Commissions to reduce scams.
Yes, we receive a lot of scam reports. Most are results of poor management and client handling, so we’re going to list a couple things for you to do in order to avoid getting scammed.

1. Provide a sketch only and make changes in accordance to the client but under no circumstance post full res versions. Make sure you set a strict rule on the amount of times you’re willing to redraw (for an additional fee) and don’t let yourself talked into redrawing more than that.

It’s good practice to put a watermark on the sketch, as we have seen some scammers would just accept sketch just as is. Unless you know the client and /or can trust them, watermark the heck out of your sketches.
2. Payment before /after sketch.
Never, and let us get this straight, send a client a finished work/work in progress without getting paid first. Some artists prefer to get paid before they start, others prefer to receive money after the sketch is finalized or receive 50% after sketch and 50% before the final delivery. Never accept to get paid after the work is done.

However, Clients are also taking risks by commissioning artists who demand payment upfront, so please be mindful/ don’t get salty when a client refuses you for demanding upfront.

If you don’t have the art seller role/ trusted seller tag, we do recommend the 50/50 method, especially for artists who are selling for their first time(s).

If you have the trusted/art seller tag, you can ask for 100% payment upfront, as both roles are being manually verified by the art commission staff.

General warning:
Having the artist/art seller/ trusted art seller tag does not save you from punishment, should we receive reports that you actively attempted/succeeded scamming buyers out of their money without delivering what they’re owed.
Setting up your portfolio

After getting all set up as an artist by the trusty staff, you’re ready to show your works to the world and sell your services! To get things started, post your most active social media on #portfolio. We highly recommend from experience to keep art related social media (strictly) related to the former. If you’re one of those who retweet/reblog everything they see on first sight/ are very active while keeping the art posts low, don’t post those social media pages as your portfolio. Instead, look at free website builders or get premium on renowned professional websites such as Artstation, Wix.com etc.to build a portfolio where you post works meant to represent your services.

1. Setting up your commission sheet

   A commission sheet is your online business card on this server or anywhere else. Keep it neat and tidy, with a header, easy to follow price tags and a couple examples along with your contact information. Do not dump every single social media/ art you’ve ever drawn on it. Remember, a commission sheet is equal to a business card, so use relevant information only.

2. Pricing

DO NOT UNDERSELL YOURSELF.
We can not stress this enough. Underselling yourself does not only affect your path as a commissioner but the art selling community, as well. While you may think it’s “fast cash”, your lowballing will lead to artists struggling to sell their services at a reasonable price. Yes, that makes you part of the ongoing problem of artists still not achieving the proper payment they’re owed.

To combat this, we’re enforcing a rule to not sell anything under 5$ hr/artwork*. This is only the first step and we hope to gradually help the community reach minimum wages.

Ko-fi and Patreon are an exception to this rule, as long as they're promotion/donation- based.

*Currency exchange tax apply/ this estimate does not include paypal fees.
Rate may be up to change if the majority agrees on a different hourly rate.
4. Posting your commission info and bumping them

We currently have four different commission advertisement channels:

1.Miscellaneous - for everything
2.graphic design- for all our graphic designers out there (logos, banners, websites you name it)
3.site- advertisement- automatic repost of your commission info on our website
4. Bladeandsoul - fanart services related to the mmo Blade&Soul. We might add other game specific advertisement channels in the future.
Additionally, we offer a twitter service. This allows your commission sheet to be posted on our official twitter.

1. BE ACTIVE

Clients won't come to you just from posting your info and go MIA. Be active on your social media and in this server, update your portfolio page with the services you want to sell.

1. "Tests" given by clients

DO NOT ACCEPT THOSE AND IMMEDIATELY REPORT THE USERS INVOLVED. Those alleged "tests" are done to get free art and have artists "compete" for nothing but the entertainment of those "clients". We urge anyone who encounters these to report to us immediately. We will not take action if you still participate in those "tests" by ignoring this guideline.

1. Responding to paid requests

Clients are not obligated to hire you as an artist for their request. Before responding to a paid request make sure that you're fulfilling the criteria set by the client. For example, if a client is looking for fantasy artists experienced in drawing elves, sending them a portfolio full of anime styled chibi works is probably not a good idea. Be professional and have the same consideration for someone's request as you would want them to have for your TOS/rules.

[marygold]

@joannekwan @kimketli Thank you so much to you both! This is incredibly helpful!

[HomeBrewComics]

1. Canvas size isn't really that important IF you are just making art for art sake. If you are making desktop wallpapers or postcards or anything that needs a specific size, you will need to obviously change it to fit those requirements.
   300 DPI is a must. Imagine commissioning someone for $50 and you get a grainy picture... You wouldn't be very happy with them.

2. Scams are pretty easy to avoid if you have your eyes peeled for them. It is sad, but scammers take advantage of the good will of people. "I don't have the money now, but when I do I will pay you!" or "Hey, I can get you a lot of exposure if you make a commission for me free of charge!" are pretty common excuses.
   Always ALWAYS ask for half the commission up front before you do any work. Asking for full price makes customers feel hesitant in getting a commission. Getting paid after you have spent all that time into a commission is risky too, and you'll probably get stung sooner rather then later.
   Always. Ask. For. Half. Upfront. Never send someone a finished commission without being paid and be careful when sending them update photos. People can do a runner with just the line art or incomplete commission.
   Send them update pictures to let them know you are actually doing what you are paid to do, but take it with your phone (make sure to include some of your background and not just the commission). If you take a screen cap and send it to them, they could just run off with that and not pay you, so I tend to stick with the phone method.
   They still get an update, but they cannot go around posting it and claiming it as there own without a great deal of effort.
   Once you are done and you are both happy, get them to send the last half of the payment and then you can send them the full commission for them to enjoy. But never before you get that last payment. Sadly some people are scummy and will try and wiggle out of paying. Be firm.

3. I always let them know that when you commission me, I have the right to post it where ever I want to. It is your work after all. But I give them the option to remain nameless if they don't want to be associated with the work if they don't want to.
   Give them the option, but I mean it is ultimately up to you. I find that if you share your past commissions, you increase you likelihood of getting more in the future, so I prefer to share them. But always let them know before hand that you intend to do so and give them the option of having their name unlisted from the work. Most people are pretty O.K with getting a shout out anyway.

4. I would show them each stage of the process and give them one major tweak at the start (when you are sketching) and then the rest be minor (like a color change or something simple).
   So give them an update for the sketch, line art, base color and then shading. Giving them a major tweak at the sketch could be something like a change of pose, different costume or background. Since it is a sketch, you wouldn't have spent a lot of time one it so make sure they are happy with the sketch before spending hours on coloring and then asking you to change the pose.
   This is pretty overkill, but it does give your customer every chance to change something at a reasonable stage of the commission.

5. @joannekwan basically explained it better then I could so yeah. Nothing more to add on about Paypal.

And I cannot stress the wisdom that @kimketli has given enough. Especially about pricing your work, since this is a very real problem in the community.

[snailienz]

Just a thing about scams. Take the hit and use a paypal invoice. If you don't, a scammer can refute the charge when you finish and you'll owe paypal money. Always insist on payment with an invoice that is done properly, otherwise you could lose way more than the fee. Don't cheat the system!

[marygold]

@HomeBrewComics thank you! I’ve never thought of the phone method for sending progress shots. Definitely will be using that

@snailienz Definitely, I’ve downloaded the PayPal invoice app!