Question about commissions.

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JustinianKnight's avatar
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So I just had 2 people both dodge on getting commissions from me because they wanted sketches first before payment. As a rule I do not do that because I've had too many people dodge after getting the sketch and I don't know if people really understand this, but that "sketch" does take a bit of time, especially if the image is complicated. It's the foundation of the image. These two got rather snarky with me when they found that I would not start any work until I was paid which led me to believe they weren't ever going to pay to begin with. They are not the majority but I made me think about this a bit.

As a paid artist do you do a sketch before being paid, and why?
As a 'client' do you require a sketch first and why?
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ryukaiun's avatar
I don't do traditional art, but rather web design and development. I rarely charge my clients a deposit unless I've not worked with them before or they were not referred to me by a current client. I generally outline all the costs and time expectations and then send a bill after the work is complete. But then I don't usually do flat-fees for my work, so it's a little harder to accurately estimate time and hours.

With regards to art, I can see both sides. As the buyer, it's nice to see a sketch so if there are any minor alterations or edits, they can be addressed before the art is finalized. Also as a buyer, I have paid a few artists in advance and then had the requested commission take excessively long, making me the bad guy in having to continually follow-up with them (or not getting the art at all). So, not paying until I know the artist has actually started on the work is a nice reassurance.

Perhaps the best compromise, is a "deposit" or half payment and then after the sketch or WIP, then if the buyer flakes out the artist is still compensated in some fashion, and if the artist flakes out then the buyer isn't out the entire cost with nothing to show for it. Both parties bear the risk of gains or losses.

Love your art btw, I hope you haven't had too many occurrences of people trying to cheat you for work and not paying. One of these days I'll get around to making commissions from the growing list of awesome artists I follow. :)