How to start commissions #arttips

#shorts

[marsmia]

Another tip, if someone DMs you and is insistent on only paying you with a check they are scamming you since it’s not a valid way to pay someone online. I almost feel for that scam.

[add_add]

Setting limited slots is SUPER helpful. I cant tell the amount of times where I got overwhelmed by the amount of commissions I was getting

[blu]

Also, dont be stupid like me and send the art before you get payed 💀 money first then art. It was my 2nd ever commission and I got too excited

[emmadilemma]

when i first started i was nervous about pricing so i didn't get many commissions when my set price was 5$
my dad running his own indie graphic design business told me to up my prices which added more value to my art, i started by fives so my prices ranged 20, 25, 35, 40, 55 etc and it worked!

[Ilikesoup]

I suggest another way to not get scammed is send a blurred photo of the drawing and then send it without the blur after payment, or put a very large and clear watermark on it and send it without the watermark after pay.

[neu_dae]

yeah don't do half price for another character... it's double the price - both characters are going to take roughly the same amount of time/effort... don't sell yourselves short because it pressure other artists into selling themselves short because it becomes expected.

[ICEBUNNo]

Tip to not get scammed- add a watermark that says “UNPAID” in big letters. Usually this is a really good deterrent. Remove the watermark once they’ve paid.

[lepreking]

If you don't have a following (like me, I have a very small following and don't post consistently), it helps to be in discord channels or other niche group chats of people interested in art. In my case, furries who are usually the best commissioners in my experience.

I just send in something like the example pictures here. Alternatively, I draw a specific pose at a predetermined price and draw the commissioner's character like that (a your character here/YCH)

[kcmoon]

Yea, I never was sure how to do this but always wanted to try. 😂 This is really helpful. 👍☺️ Just curious but would you say it's appropriate to offer discounts if it's on certain holidays or events?

[JadeAnnabelArt]

Big tip! Go for a half half commission basis. 50 up front, 50 when done. This is for both your sakes.

One perspective is if the customer decides to bail, you're not out of cash.

Another is for the customer, they don't need to worry about YOU bailing with their cash.

I paid full price once and felt really nervous the entire time the artist would bail.

Also limit your adjustments. Something like 2 free adjustments, anything more costs extra. I've had people ask for an entirely new addition to the picture when I was on a time limit. I said if they want it that short notice, it'll be extra payment.

[mx.menacing]

I figured I'd get in here as I am a freelance artist.

If someone tells you to pay through friends and family on Paypal, never accept that. If they're a scammer, then you can not request a refund because sending through friends and family, Paypal sees it as a gift payment and you won't be able to get your money back.

Also, artists, if you sell NSFW commissions, make sure to send them an invoice, and if they can leave a message when paying for it, tell them to leave it blank. If they write anything NSFW-related in it, your Paypal can get banned.

[houndgirl]

To all the young artists out there know your worth!! Your art/your time is worth more than 5-10bucks! People will stomp their feet and say that's not fair or that it isn't worth as such; stand firm it is they just don't want to pay the price! Art is work ask yourself this would they say the same thing to a carpenter or plumber? Likely they wouldn't and they would pay for that labor think of your work like that.

[DrewNoV]

It would also be helpful to have a video for people who aren't artists who may be interested in commissions on 1) how to find the more artistically inclined, platforms to search, etc, and 2) how to accurately communicate what you're looking for and manage expectations.

[commentbot]

Every guide is about pricing and showing what you can offer but never how to set it up so you can get paid and actually get noticed to receive orders. Like if no one cares about your social media it’s not even an option to take commissions

[emeseviragh]

Try to get into a community if you're interested in one, like a specific game or a cartoon, any sort of categories like that. Vtuber community is working out really well for me

[MayMN]

Yooo! Your art style is so pleasing to look at!

[__darkfuneral]

Also!! For payment make the person at least send the money before you work/send the art or do half and half payment for before and after the commission (or before you send the art). You're less likely to get scammed that way :)

[SakoiyaChan]

Speaking of weird commissions requests, I've had someone ask me to draw their character tied up, like bondage/shibari/kinbaku. It was really weird and they were very pushy.

I didn't even draw anything remotely similar to nsfw drawings, and I was 15 at the time(you could see it on my profile at the time)

So please beware, some people really don't care about your boundaries or your age when asking you to draw these kinds of stuff

[jessievenom]

I have a problem :(
So I practice a ton of art styles and I feel like I don't have a specific style of my own. So I feel like doing something different: I offer people commissions based on what style they want. (Some include a full-body cartoon design, a semi-realistic portrait, something that resembles a children's book page or a TV show screenshot, etc.) Is that too complicated? I usually ask them to be specific about what they want and I have different prices for each style/offer.

[macaroll]

Marketing and layout aren't my strongest suits, so this was super helpful! Thank you so much!