Where do you post commissions?

[Todoyama]

What do you mean by "white woman or a white woman in a van? You made me kinda curious.

[RedLenai]

Some people won't know or take the time to figure out when you're joking or not and when it comes to people looking to commission, they'll be, they'll consider its a red flag or something to be wary about. Even in a joke there is a bit of truth, so careful with that.

and @Todoyama
Its just a mere observation, that at least in my case, back when I received scam messages the pfp of scammers was just that: A white woman wearing sunglasses inside a minivan. There were a few times it were men or simply no pfp.

[TAMAnnoying]

Jokes are illigal in amarican don't cha know

[daeygurart]

(post withdrawn by author, will be automatically deleted in 24 hours unless flagged)

[daeygurart]

Lmaooo apparently they are

[daeygurart]

If they don't care to figure out that I'm joking then that's their problem. I'm not going to always be on my toes and pretend to be someone I'm not just to get commissions. All I wanted to know was where to post or how to. That's it--not a reality check or anything like that. I've been writing on the Internet since Fanfiction.Net was popular, so I kinda have an idea on how people are.

[DiegoPalacios]

Don't get me wrong, and I don't want to be rude but if you're rusty and unable to draw certain things...

It depends of your goal and project, for example, if a person can't draw mechas, but your project doesn't involve mechas that won't be a problem. Even extremely skilled artists have some gaps. However if you want mechas knowing that the artist can't do that will save your and the artist's time. Being upfront about this can be helpful.

To give an example:
One artist i hired to draw one of my comic was upfront about not being skilled with coloring at the time, so i asked him to draw B&W and hired a colorist to complement his amazing art with color. The results are amazing (does it counts as bragging if it is other people's skills? )

if they saw your portfolio then they'll expect work in that quality, and if you're rusty, then... that means the quality may be inferior.

Agreed, a portfolio is a promise, so one needs to be able to deliver. Also, to get the right people interested in commissioning you one needs to have a certain level of skill in the style or styles they work with.

[NickRowler]

I agree with @RedLenai on this one. I have heard of artists agreeing to take commissions that are sort of out if their league or biting off more then they can chew and ending up with clients being unhappy by the final results.

You as an artist shouldn’t be adding a lot of stress trying to learn new skills or making up for “forgotten” skills just to fulfill a $25 commission.

I have also heard of awful situations where artists ended up copying or tracing other people’s art to help make up for missing skills just to finish a commission.

You could see from a client’s perspective, they don’t want to end up with an artist who can’t finish their piece or ending up with stolen art.

[daeygurart]

Oof yeah I used to be on a lot of art groups that had bewares about artists tracing and stealing artwork. I'm pretty well informed on that side.

[daeygurart]

Update: No longer need emergency commissions :] ! But I'll look over this thread again when I decided to start doing them! Thanks everyone! :]

[RedLenai]

I get your point, but if I were a client I would raise an eyebrow if I see an artist with emergency commissions and then seeing them going
"I can't remember how to draw" "I struggle with faces" "I struggle with hair" "I had a hiatus"

And I'm leaving hands out of the game here, so since I don't know the person.
What can they draw that they don't struggle to do then? It is safe for me to commission them? Am I going to receive good quality art or something of bad quality?

The mayority would walk past the person and go for someone safer, someone that either posts often, doesn't have the latest drawing they've made being from months ago, steady artstyle and maybe someone a bit more confident in their skills or that doesn't make self-deprecating jokes that don't benefit their image.

Because we as artist need to be convincing enough, after the client is a total stranger too, risking themselves with someone they don't know and may be hiring for the very first time, first impressions matter the most, and not only quality of work but attitude is what actually guarantees someone to come back to request the service again.

And sadly, a big part of the artists that open emergency commissions, are either very amateurish or they don't have a very appealing online presence, and since they don't want to risk not having a single client, they jump and give the yes to anything regardless if they know or not how to do it. And well, we already know how those situations go.

[daeygurart]

Oml can I even be human? Yes, I struggle like every other artist. I've been drawing since 2014 and practicing every single day. I don't post my drawings often because I don't have internet right now. Professionalism and being a flawed human on a comic forum are two different things. Of course, I'm going to be professional and showcase my portfolio to my clients on other websites. Especially when I go by quite a few different names.

I've been writing for over ten years, talked to many different literary agents, publishers, and blogs and have been recently studying Entrepreneurship. Just because over here I'm making self-deprecating jokes, having fun with others, and showing my human side instead of my ai robot side that has to show extra customer service for potential clients doesn't mean I'm an amateur.

I'll give you this. I don't know much about art commissions because I've mostly done writing. So, I appreciate what advice you gave me. I understand the risks as well. I've been on many different Facebook art groups that have had those people post emergency commissions. Some only had them priced for $5 while others $2.

The stress I've been under does allow me to have fun and poke fun at myself sometimes. And if people don't want to commission me for it then that's not my problem. I'll find someone else. That's how the business is. People will like you, people won't. People will like you and your work, or people will like you but not your work. As someone who is, frighteningly slowly approaching her thirties, I'm quite okay with taking risks and throwing out clients that I don't mesh well together.

My income is quite stable enough to do so (except this month OOF). So, I'm not going to apologize for being an amateur on the forums while being a professional on other sites.

I've been on a hiatus and I'm rusty, yes but that goes to my personal projects not my professional work. I can't write my fantasy series to save a life due to writer's block but when someone requests me to write them a 20,000 word sci-fi horror erotica whatever then I'm going to make it the best damn weird story I've ever written. Line edited, beta read, and polished to perfection before proofreading and sending it in.

But anyways, thank you for your advice. I'll be sure to read it over when I'm ready to start again.

[RedLenai]

And when you don't get clients because they won't trust you then that's going to be your problem.

I'm not going to always be on my toes and pretend to be someone I'm not just to get commissions.

You can joke if you want, yet is your job to measure how far a self-deprecating joke can go, especially if there isn't much to balance that out. I do what most clients won't even bother to do, which is googling your username, since there is no info nor link in your forum bio, the only thing that pops up is your deviantart and tumblr, and in both there are only two drawings posted, nothing more. Between the fact you have a something less than a portfolio, with said thread and joke, the vast mayority of people aren't going to risk themselves to you even if you expose your circumstances of why you'll be opening emergency commissions.

I gave you imput as if I were someone looking to commission and then saw your post as if you're currently taking emergency commissions. And I want to mention, that I'm not from the USA, yet not only "amaricans" may consider a joke illegal, but neurodivergent, non-english speakers or even someone who simply doesn't know you, won't pick on the connotation or assume is a joke, so if you can't make it very clear that you're joking then something is wrong with your delivery or well, comedy ain't your strong suit.

All I wanted to know was where to post or how to

Well, I gave you that answer, where doesn't matter, clients won't tell you from where they come from most of the time, and your attitude is part of the how to.

I wonder what being on the internet since fanfiction was popular even contributes to your argument, you could be writing but that doesn't mean you know how to sell your services or give a trustworthy image so its easier for others to pay you.
Like, if you want to flex ok I guess.
Hi, I'm Red Lenai, I have been on the internet since 2009, taking commissions since 2015 and making a living out of my art since prior the pandemic. I'm 25 years old and a workaholic

[daeygurart]

Bro, I don't care right now dude. I don't care who you are, what you do like you don't care who I am or what I do. I don't give a shit if you've been commissioning since 2015 or if you looked up my name on Google. I've been going by so many names over the years that honestly, half my work probably won't even show up.

I didn't come here for an argument. I put my writing on here because it's relevant to ME and what I've done in the past. I've been learning about flame wars, people who post reviews so harsh that you have to just move on, and people who just like to argue for arguments sake. Yeah, you're from Argentina not the USA. If you're or anyone else is neurodivergent okay then, but that's not my problem until it becomes my problem.

I'm exhausted, I'm sick, and I'm not in the mood for this. You gave your answer, and I gave my reply but now we're just going back and forth.

If you want to one up me then okay? Go ahead. Google my name do whatever you want to prove your point. I don't care. I'm going to continue doing what I'm doing and you're going to continue doing what you're doing.

[RedLenai]

I didn't care who you were either yet you spammed even before I did.
You've asked about art commissions, I answered to you and tackled down every angle as possible so it helped and worked for you, in no time I've said you MUST or are OBLIGATED to do the things I've mentioned.

You made a mountain out of a mole hill because I mentioned that some people COULD see as a red flag your jokes, that it MAY not reflect too well if you're in need of commissions because people rather be wary than sorry. That's it, no one questioned you if you weren't human, nor told you you weren't allowed to joke, vent or whatever.

That sometimes one, when goes public, has to measure since it could backfire in some way or another, just that. Measuring doesn't mean you have to fake your whole personality or be someone you're not, again, you're the one choosing extremes as if someone had you at gun point.

[daeygurart]

that's fine with me.

[Eveeka]

Well I'm just posting commissions on every account I have and count that someone will be interested

[DiegoPalacios]

I get your point, but if I were a client I would raise an eyebrow if I see an artist with emergency commissions and then seeing them going"I can't remember how to draw" "I struggle with faces" "I struggle with hair" "I had a hiatus"

Definitively. Self deprecating jokes or just plain self deprecation on a commission page often look unprofessional and in some cases some clients will cling on it to try to negotiate lower prices.

However, that doesn't mean that professional artists need to look all serious/intense. Personal branding can come in different forms, but it definitively needs to be clear that the artist knows what they are doing.

Personal branding can be a tricky balancing act. One needs to look professional while being able to stand out and be true to themselves. Being able to laugh at oneself can be helpful, as long as it doesn't come from insecurity or self loathing.

[RedLenai]

Again, at no point whatsoever I've said you have to be 100% dead ass serious, a robot, stop being human or pretend to be something you are not. Or that joking is forbidden or illegal. It's like you guys only know how to jump from one extreme to another.

"Hey, careful not to burn yourself in the firepit" then you move 100 meters away and decide to freeze.

The thing is not that complicated: Self-Depricate, have something to compensate for that, your work mostly.
If your work is not very accessible, its hard to find you, its very limited, then your joke ends up looking more like an statement for a person that its either looking to buy art or is not an artist themselves.

[TheLemmaLlama]

Definitively. Self deprecating jokes or just plain self deprecation on a commission page often look unprofessional and in some cases some clients will cling on it to try to negotiate lower prices.

Thing is, OP wasn't making the joke on their commissions page, they're making it in a moderately inactive forum filled with fellow artists who weren't likely to commission them in the first place If there's a place to be casual and human, why not here? XD

I do what most clients won't even bother to do, which is googling your username

Exactly; if most clients aren't going to google their username, what are the chances they're going to stumble across that thread after finding their commission info on Instagram or something?