Commissions?

[Arkillian]

Is purchasing commissions something that people are interested in here? I'm paying off the balance of changing my markers from Copic original to Copic Sketch, which gave me a $140NZD loss to make up for, so I'm going to do something I don't do often, and I'm opening up commissions.

I'll draw for most amounts of money so if you only have $10 to spare, then that's fine. $30 however will give you a bigger commission than $10 will. My prices are all in USD and I take money via Paypal. I work primarily in traditional media, but can do digital (although it WILL give me a headache cause digital always does) I post originals out to whoever commissions them.

Prices depend on picture difficulty, but I wont complicate the thread with variations of pricing. Here's some rough estimates:-



Sketches- I can do an A4 sketch of a portrait of a character or something for $10USD or less. All sketches can be posted out to you. All sketches are done on Bockingford paper, with pencil, and sealed so they don't smudge away.




Character reference sheets- Usually $10 to $15USD depending on how much you want me to create on my own. $10 if it's mostly referenced, $15 if I have to make some of it up (research tiem). The final product will be dolled up more than the example one. Only doing digital for these ones.



Linearts- I can do linearts too. Depending on the level of complexity, they start at $15 and go up. I'm reasonable though. I offer these cause I'm still learning colour.

For colouring, it's difficult to give guidelines of how much it costs as it's all based on the complexity of the finish. I can however give examples of what I've done in the past to base your preferences on- remembering that all my traditional art looks VERY different in real life cause of how scanners scan them. I send high res versions of all my digital art.

Digital examples (High res will be emailed)

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Copic examples (I work mostly in A5 for this as It takes too long to cover A4. All works on bristol board)

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Pencil examples (Done in solid Graphite or Polychromos pencils. All works finished on Stella card- A5 or A4)

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Um. If you're interested, please leave a comment and I'll see if I can come up with something of interest for the right price

[Haids1987]

Would you set up payments through PayPal, or how would you do it?

[Arkillian]

Would you set up payments through PayPal, or how would you do it?

Well, if you can't do paypal, then we can talk, but as per the beginning of this thread, I do accept Paypal Are you interested in something?

[moresco]

Copic sketch markers eh? I haven't tried those, but I usually only buy Wide markers from Copic.  I really like that you can do really thick strokes with the side, or use the edge and get a very nice edge, or even a slice by using the edge of the whole length.

I'd help you out with your mission fund for the markers, but I too am a poor artist in need of some green.  Cheers though, art looks nice, hope you meet your goal.

[Haids1987]

Would you set up payments through PayPal, or how would you do it?

Well, if you can't do paypal, then we can talk, but as per the beginning of this thread, I do accept Paypal Are you interested in something?

Ooops, my bad.  I missed the Paypal thing at the beginning.

And perhaps!  You're crazy talented, I would love to own some of your King's Quest art.   You take requests, right?

[Arkillian]

I... assume you mean that you tell me what you want me to draw and I draw it rather than buying pre-existing art? I'll draw what you want me to draw. This isn't for pre-existing art. I virtually never sell pre-existing art. I get too much emotional attachment to it ^^; (requests to someone like me is when someone gives you a prompt and you draw it for free. A commission is when you pay them to draw that request.)

Copic sketch markers eh? I haven't tried those, but I usually only buy Wide markers from Copic.  I really like that you can do really thick strokes with the side, or use the edge and get a very nice edge, or even a slice by using the edge of the whole length.

I'd help you out with your mission fund for the markers, but I too am a poor artist in need of some green.  Cheers though, art looks nice, hope you meet your goal.

I've seen the wide ones. My friend has some. I've just started with copics so I don't yet. Thanks anyways. Good luck getting yourself some green. I'd go to Icopic. It's MUCH cheeper for me to buy mine from there than in a store in NZ. Ours retail at $10 - $15 a marker. I can get them for $7 each incl exchange rate and shipping ATM off Icopic. Makes me depressed that it's not worth supporting my local market :/

[moresco]

I can get them for $7 each incl exchange rate and shipping ATM off Icopic. Makes me depressed that it's not worth supporting my local market :/

Not sure on the prices of the sketch markers, but www.d***blick.com also has great deals on Copic markers.  I usually just get mine from d***blick, but I'm in the US, so that works for me.  And by the way the censor of d*** is hilarious, it's a common first name, people.

I'd say that maybe it's not financially viable to support your local market, doesn't mean it isn't worth supporting the local market. =D

[Arkillian]

I can get them for $7 each incl exchange rate and shipping ATM off Icopic. Makes me depressed that it's not worth supporting my local market :/

Not sure on the prices of the sketch markers, but www.d***blick.com also has great deals on Copic markers.  I usually just get mine from d***blick, but I'm in the US, so that works for me.  And by the way the censor of d*** is hilarious, it's a common first name, people.

I'd say that maybe it's not financially viable to support your local market, doesn't mean it isn't worth supporting the local market. =D

...

Are you sure that's a copic website and not a porn website? ^^; I'm not sure if you *intentionally* chose a link that was naughty, but it is :/

[KatieHal]

LOL, sometimes our filter pops up in odd places!

[Haids1987]

I... assume you mean that you tell me what you want me to draw and I draw it rather than buying pre-existing art? I'll draw what you want me to draw. This isn't for pre-existing art. I virtually never sell pre-existing art. I get too much emotional attachment to it ^^; (requests to someone like me is when someone gives you a prompt and you draw it for free. A commission is when you pay them to draw that request.)

I don't know all the terminology, but yes, I did mean that I tell you what and then pay you for it.

Let me think about it for awhile.  I would most definitely want some Alex and Cassima romance going on, but I have to consider what I would like.

[Arkillian]

That's cool. Just wanted to make sure that was what you were saying I've been caught before by someone 'wanting to commission me' and it being basically them asking for a free request in the disguise of a commission. That annoyed me cause I didn't want to draw the picture. I don't believe you'd do that to me, but I'm allowed to be nervous- right? ^^;

[moresco]

That's cool. Just wanted to make sure that was what you were saying I've been caught before by someone 'wanting to commission me' and it being basically them asking for a free request in the disguise of a commission. That annoyed me cause I didn't want to draw the picture. I don't believe you'd do that to me, but I'm allowed to be nervous- right? ^^;

That's why you need to draw up a contract, for any work whatsoever that involves money.  Even with your friends...it's the way to keep yourself safe from being screwed, and then they see that you're a professional, they'll respect it and trust you more for it.

If someone asks for a commission, and you give them what they want, they might turn around and not pay you.  If they pay you in advance, and you give them a stick figure....then they can't get a refund.  Contracts are the way to be.

[Enchantermon]

...

Are you sure that's a copic website and not a porn website? ^^; I'm not sure if you *intentionally* chose a link that was naughty, but it is :/

Heh. Reread it, Ark. I did the same thing you did; I read it as "blink" but it's actually "blick".

[Arkillian]

...

Are you sure that's a copic website and not a porn website? ^^; I'm not sure if you *intentionally* chose a link that was naughty, but it is :/

Heh. Reread it, Ark. I did the same thing you did; I read it as "blink" but it's actually "blick".

O.o Man- that's something I would've wanted a link to rather than a censored text bar ^^; OK- glad it wasn't intentional porn then Seems their prices are the same as Icopic for me so I'm not missing out

moresco- That was a long while ago. I'm more careful how I deal with commissions now. The person was a 14 year old kid who thought getting free art was funny. I'm more cautious of that kind of thing. Besides, commisioning isn't my thing. I'd rather gift art to friends. Art should be enjoyed. I was more pissed off cause the kid didn't want it cause it was art, but because it was FREE. He didn't understand that my talents were worth money. It's his loss though cause he didn't even get to see the sketch and it was a cool picture.

[moresco]

This next generation is going to be an interesting one, because they have grown up with piratebay and things of that nature.  They believe that "information" should be free.  So basically your art, music, whatever, is basically worthless.   Not to say that it's devalued on a personal level, obviously they want it, but many kids that I've spoken with have the idea that if they come across a record or piece of artwork that costs something, they just jump over to the torrent sites and do a search for it.  If it's not there, they're disappointed but also feel somehow cheated... like how dare this person charge for their art and not be popular enough to have it easily accessible to them at the click of a button.  So yes, there's this idea spreading like, "how dare you charge for your art! it has no monetary value!".

It's even entitlement, like they're entitled to your art if you're going to dangle it in front of their eyes.


...oh and yeah, sorry about the link / porn situation.

[Arkillian]

I know T.T It's a consumer society now. No consideration for honesty, quality, worth or integrity. This is why I don't wish to be a professional artist. Art is already taken for granted. It angers me that a digital print out now dictates the worth of a final copy. I can't put a price tag on anything without worry if people will think it's too much >.> I'd honestly rather not sell at all. I'm strapped for cash though, so we do what we must.

Luckily my style isn't common looking so it doesn't tend to get lost in the masses. Neither does it get paid attention to. It's not eastern, nor western, so my personality and how I draw sells me more than my style. It means I'm stolen from less. I still wonder though. :/

[moresco]

so we do what we must.

Indeed.  That's why I'm teaching guitar again, because even though there are thousands of online instructors, nothing beats being there to see and understand it in the room.   That kind of art form, at least, will hopefully never be taken for granted.   Now the only impossible challenge is to get them to learn their fundamentals! Kids (ok, really people in general) want to run before they can walk these days.   It's true in music and art. 

Artists want to shrug off things like value, perspective, form, or technique.  They want desperately to create!  And then they want it to look "right", and get annoyed when it doesn't.  Someone recently asked me what technique I used to draw an ellipse.  I said freehand.  He said, "I've never heard of it."  I think tablets and computers are partly to blame though.

[Arkillian]

[Someone recently asked me what technique I used to draw an ellipse.  I said freehand.  He said, "I've never heard of it."

I loled

 I... could rant for hours. I honestly could. Traditional versus digital, eastern versus western, prints versus the real thing... the problem is no many how much of the romance of art has been removed from the picture, people will all take what they want from it cause the viewer will always relate to the face value of the picture first before consoling the other senses cause we rely on it the most. We don't look at art with our ears, our sense of smell, taste,and even though we should use this sense... touch. We see first, and with modern society perfecting advertising so much, art can no longer just BE like it use to. IT has to be strange, and new, immediately relevant to the viewer, or suffer being ignored. You can't blame the people looking. They've grown up in a world where they have to switch off anything not relevant to them or suffer overload.They can't look at the Mona Lisa anymore and appreciate it for it's full worth. If she (or maybe he O.o) was redrawn today, She'd be a completely different painting. Loud, sexual, provocative, bold daring colours, and even then, her artist would need a personality and drive before she'd get a chance to be seen.

Art is depressing. IT is. When you look at SELLING. Drawing for fun- a hobby however? Oh man, it's SUCH a rewarding hobby to me. Alot of meaning in art IS still lost, but art is still magic to those that see it in it's true form, when it's presented alone, and without a price tag attached.

As for teaching art, the only thing you can do is guide art. IT's up to the artist to love what they do and strive to perfect with practice. Peopel dont' understand that's the key. Not talent or style. Talent and style are cop-out words. Got no talent? B/S. You haven't practised enough. Get back to your layouts and compositions. If you can draw a pretty human iand it's still crap, something else is wrong with the picture. Not your style. Style is the worst though. It's a brick wall of progress. Any art is progress, even if it's a copy. All my art from when I was younger is copied. It wasn't till I was 11 or 12 that I learnt human building blocks. Even then, it was AGES before I showed my art to the world.

Anyway... I think I'm rambling again O.o Copics. They're awesome. Art is awesome. Art theft sucks big tiem. Rar.

(Posted on: March 22, 2011, 04:46:25 AM)

Um... so is ANYONE interested in buying a commission? No matter how much you pay, I promise that I'll put full effort into it. I don't like to do half assed jobs. If not, I'm more than happy to drop the thread.

[Haids1987]

I thought about it all night and I have a cool idea for a King's Quest drawing you could do for me in any medium you like.  In TSL, the narrator mentions that Graham used to be able to carry both twins at once when they were babies, and I thought, "What an endearing picture that would be!"

So if at all possible, I would love a picture of Graham sitting in a chair with both twins in his arms.  Maybe have all three of them taking a nap?  I don't know.  Run with it, you're the artist.

[kindofdoon]

LOL, sometimes our filter pops up in odd places!

I was more pissed off cause the kid didn't want it cause it was art, but because it was FREE.

And sometimes it fails to pop up, evidently.

Haids, that's a cool idea for a commission. Where does the narrator make that remark?