What are Commissions?

For anyone thinking about becoming a commissionable (<---not a real word, haha) artist or for anyone wanting to commission an artist, this should explain how commissions work.

First of all, what does "commission" mean?
Commission is another word for art that was made by an artist for someone else in exchange for money.

NOT COMMISSIONS:
Trades are sort of like commissions. It is artwork that, instead of money, is done for a piece of the other person's artwork or goods of some sort. I like to sometimes trade for art supplies if they are new, but I don't take art trades at this time.

Requests are essentially art that is free. Usually someone asks the artist to draw them something and the artist will do it without asking for payment. Most artists don't take requests. I don't take them. WARNING! Do not tell someone you want to commission them unless you are aware that "commission" means you will pay money for the artwork. For some people, commissions are their full time job. They can't afford to do stuff for free!

Collaborations are pieces of artwork that two or more artists made together. Often someone will do line art and the other will color it. I do not have time for collaborations right now, but they are fun.


Okay, how do commissions work?
A commission basically works like this:

Step 1: First the commissioner has an idea for artwork they want done, or they want something from a certain artist. If they don't already have an artist picked out, they find one that would be a good fit for the style/subject/skill level/price range they have in mind. For instance, Some artists are known for their portraits of people while others are good at fan art. It all depends- no one would ask me for a drawing depicting surreal space stuff because I don't normally do that sort of thing.

Step 2: The commissioner asks the artist for a price quote on the artwork idea they have in mind. Often, the artist will have a price list already made that the commissioner can look at (this is my price list: fav.me/d6r1r9e ) and a list of policies specific to the way the artist operates business, such as when the artist requires payment and what return policies are (This is my policies list: fav.me/d5ca11g ). The commissioner is required to agree to the policies set out by the artist so that there is no confusion later on.

Note: This is the time to discuss whether the piece needs to be completed by a certain date or not. Some artists have several other slots full and if you need the drawing within a week, you will need to tell them. Some artists (me included) charge a "fast track" fee for artwork ordered on short notice like this.

Step 3: If the artist has a commission slot open- in other words, time to do the piece- they will ask the commissioner to agree to the price they charge and the artist's policies. (I charge up front, so this is when payment matters will be discussed) It's essentially a work contract- so if you plan to take OR order commissions in the future, remember to save every little bit of correspondence between you and the person you are working with. It helps to reduce, or more likely, prevent, disagreements. I SAVE EVERYTHING, haha. It's probably going a little far but I print all messages relating to commissions.

Step 4: Once payment and policies are agreed to, the artist will show the commissioner the artwork at several stages of completion. For me, I try to remember to show the sketch, revised sketch (if changes are made), line art, and final piece to the commissioner before shipping. This way the commissioner is certain they are getting the artwork they asked for and the artist knows they did what was asked of them. Plus getting critique of the sketch helps the artist learn and improve!

Step 5: The piece is shipped to the commissioner (address will be required for this, so under-aged commissioners should get permission before giving addresses out!) and the artist waits for feedback. It's very important that the commissioner tells the artist when the picture arrives! That way the artist isn't stressed out about whether the picture got to its destination or not.

That's basically it, but if you have any other questions regarding how commissions work please ask!