# Commissions survey (ALL opinions welcome!)



## Eske (Jun 28, 2010)

*I am an artist who sells commissions.*


How long does it typically take you to complete commissions?
What are your views on mature/adult requests?
Do you sell artwork anywhere other than the furry fandom (you do not need to tell where)?


*I have purchased commissioned artwork, before.*

How long do artists typically take to complete your commissions?
Do you expect the artist to send you regular updates?  Is this sometimes annoying for you (the artist checking in too much or too little)?
Given a set budget, would you prefer to buy a few big, expensive, highly-detailed images (i.e., full-blown illustrations); or _lots_ of smaller, cheap images (i.e., multiple avatars, chibis, adoptables, linearts, etc)?
How do you decide who to buy artwork from?


*I appreciate furry art, but have never purchased commissioned artwork, before.
*

If anything would persuade you to purchase a commission, what would it be?


Also, if you can think of any other questions you'd like to see answered, let me know and I will add them.  c:


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## Jelly (Jun 28, 2010)

â€¢How long do artists typically take to complete your commissions?
I typically tell artists to take their time. However, it widely varies. Some artists will give me a fully detailed piece of art within a day, others will take weeks (and months). Probably somewhere between 1-3 weeks.
â€¢Do you expect the artist to send you regular updates? Is this sometimes annoying for you (the artist checking in too much or too little)?
In the longer commissions, I do request sketches just to be sure that they're steadily progressing and not just sitting on something. If I'm in a queue I ask that they first tell me when they've started.
â€¢Given a set budget, would you prefer to buy a few big, expensive, highly-detailed images (i.e., full-blown illustrations); or lots of smaller, cheap images (i.e., multiple avatars, chibis, adoptables, linearts, etc)?
A few big, expensive, highly-detailed images.
â€¢How do you decide who to buy artwork from?
I usually go by who has a decent grasp on what they're doing, or clearly needs practice but has a lot of potential. I don't always buy commissions for myself, I do it because I like giving someone a reason to push themselves. I pay out more than the selling price if an artist will do something that is really difficult for them.


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## sunandshadow (Jun 28, 2010)

*I am an artist who sells commissions.*

Well, I've sold my art, but not drawings of other people's furry characters.  I don't really like drawing humanoids that much, anthro or otherwise.  And the fursona commission market seems saturated enough that it's not worth fighting for a piece of.  Mostly I've sold vector art for videogames (icons and sprites).  I've also sold 3D art: plushies, earbands, soapstone sculptures, polymer clay stuff.



How long does it typically take you to complete commissions?
The 2 largest commissioned projects I've done both took about 2 1/2 months.  And I was really sick of them by the two month point.  In future I'd hesitate to agree to do anything that big.  If I were to do a single picture of a humanoid and digitally color it to the best of my ability it would take 1-2 weeks.


What are your views on mature/adult requests?
I enjoy erotica, I write it, I'd draw it if I didn't think it would look like crap because I'm not good at drawing humanoids.  I have no problem making plushies intended for use as sex toys, and although I haven't done it I would find it amusing to attempt sculpting a dildo or making a fursuit intended for sex.


Do you sell artwork anywhere other than the furry fandom (you do not need to tell where)?
Yes, to makers of video games.  I've also considered selling at local conventions, but never had enough pieces to justify the fee for getting a table.


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## DarknessHaven (Jun 28, 2010)

*I am an artist who sells commissions.*


How long does it typically take you to complete commissions?
It all depends on the commissions I suppose but most times then not 2-3 hours, Mabey more, As for when they get done after the initial commission that's really all up to my inspiration and such. I've never drawn anything really really big but the longest that i've spent on a commission was mabey 6 hours. This is all total time drawing not the actual time taken to get the commissions to the commissionere.

What are your views on mature/adult requests?
*Shurgs* Clothes are hard to draw. I draw clean stuff yeah, but in the end I prefer drawing the mature stuff. I'm a normal guy. =P

Do you sell artwork anywhere other than the furry fandom (you do not need to tell where)?
Not really, A freind wanted me to draw something for her IRl but aside from that.




*I have purchased commissioned artwork, before.* 

How long do artists typically take to complete your commissions?
All depends on the person, usually it takes anywhere from a day or so to a month or so.

Do you expect the artist to send you regular updates? Is this sometimes annoying for you (the artist checking in too much or too little)?
All I care about is that I get a update when it's sketched to make sure it's right, then see it lined and finished. The same as I give for anyone that commissions me.

Given a set budget, would you prefer to buy a few big, expensive, highly-detailed images (i.e., full-blown illustrations); or _lots_ of smaller, cheap images (i.e., multiple avatars, chibis, adoptables, linearts, etc)?
I'd prefer in between, I'd like to get big extravagent images but in the end, having some nice sketches and stuff would be awesome as well.

How do you decide who to buy artwork from?
The art style usually, If it's cheap and they have a nice style I like then i'll commissions them. I tend not to have money that much so it's rarely.

=====

Hope that works well enough.


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## Eske (Jun 28, 2010)

Thanks for the responses so far!  Quite interesting to read through them...  

Mostly, these questions stem from my own curiosity -- but I think many others will find it worthwhile (or at least somewhat entertaining) to read through the various responses.



My own responses:

*I am an artist who sells commissions.*


How long does it typically take you to complete commissions?
Typically, my commissions end up taking 1-2 weeks -- mostly, this is due to the fact that my "art" computer is shared, and I can't always have it when I need it.
 
What are your views on mature/adult requests?
I try to avoid extremely adult requests if I can, but I'm not really all that uptight about it.  I quite enjoy nudity (as DarknessHaven noted, clothes are sometimes just a nuisance to draw!), but my appreciation of the nude body isn't typically of a sexual nature -- _especially_ when it comes to anthro animals.  So non-sexual nudity (even pin-ups) are accepted and even welcomed by me, but I prefer to avoid sexual x-rated artwork if I can.
 


Do you sell artwork anywhere other than the furry fandom (you do not  need to tell where)?
I do occasional commission work as a freelance artist, finding work on other (non-furry) websites.  I plan on selling art locally, soon -- though mostly just pretty watercolour landscapes and things of that sort.  Living room art.  c:
 

*I appreciate furry art, but have never purchased commissioned  artwork, before.
*

If anything would persuade you to purchase a commission,  what would it be?
Honestly, if I had _any_ money to spare, I'd buy up commissions like a maniac.  As it stands, I have _very_ little to spare.  I think, though, that if I ever found someone who was _really_ excellent with painting birds, I might consider commissioning them.


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## Jw (Jun 28, 2010)

If you expand this to cover trades (which I have done myself) I will have some input.

*I am an artist who sells commissions/ trades with other artists.*


How long does it typically take you to complete commissions?
Depends mostly on the quality of the trade-- lineart will take me 1-3 days tops. Flt colors takes me roughly 4 days or less. Full-blown pieces often will take me 1-2 weeks because of the time issues I sometimes have and surprises that often happen in the meantime. 
 
What are your views on mature/adult requests?
I've done a gift creation ONCE that was mature, only because the first person I spoke with on FA asked for it. Now, I will not likely draw anything  adult-rated (even of my own work). Nudity does not scare me (I agree with everyone-- clothes are a pain :lol: ), but I will not be drawing any-- acts, shall we say. Besides, getting your jollies off to a drawing is a little strange in my opinion. But, eh, whatever floats your boat I guess. 
 


*I appreciate furry art, but have never purchased commissioned  artwork, before.
*

If anything would persuade you to purchase a commission,  what would it be?
Right now, I am completely broke. If you could still call a request a trade, then I'd be all for it. The honest truth is, I'm a college student that can't seem to find a job right now. I've seen some amazing artists willing to draw for money ranging somewhere between $4-$100 before, so I don't even know if price has anything to do with it after all, though. Trades are usually good for me, because I feel it's a nice way to make sure both people are happy with artwork.


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## vombatiformes (Jul 1, 2010)

*I am an artist who sells commissions.*


How long does it typically take you to complete commissions?
 How long does a piece take me, or how long between being commissioned  and delivering a finished piece? They're different questions, depending  on how long my queue is. A small plushie will take me anything from  three to six hours, depending on complexity.  A large plushie will take  me about 4 hours a day, stretched amongst five or six days (this also  varies depending on complexity, and it has taken me much longer in the  past.)

As far as time from commission to delivery, it can be anywhere from a  few hours up to a little under a year, depending on where they are in  line and how much time each commission in front of them (plus their  commission) takes. I've worked in both situations.


What are your views on mature/adult requests?
 I don't do them, and I don't like to see them, but I don't have anything  against people that do (unless they bombard me with it.)


Do you sell artwork anywhere other than the furry fandom (you do not  need to tell where)?
Yupyup.


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## EchoCat (Jul 1, 2010)

*I am an artist who sells commissions.* How long does it typically take you to complete commissions? What are your views on mature/adult requests? Do you sell artwork anywhere other than the furry fandom (you do not  need to tell where) -

I can take within a week to up to 6 months. Sometimes I'll be really motivated, particularly if it's someone I don't know, I'll just get it done and out of the way, a good friend commissioned me once and I took forever, though he said it was ok, but I still don't like to do it. 

Views on mature art, I used to have a bit of a problem with it, but my b/f is -always- linking me to stuff that he finds hot, lol... so I've been, shall we say desensitised and now I don't mind looking at it, I find it helps to look at how other people draw anthros, and in terms of drawing them, it allows (because they're naked) me to focus more on the body structure etc which I would otherwise hasten to cover with clothes which I can't draw very well either. Basically, I find drawing mature art challenging and I enjoy that challenge.

Have sold work to other people not through furry fandom, but closely associated to. I would like to do other more natural wildlife art and sell that locally, but that's still in dream status xD


*I appreciate furry art, but have never purchased commissioned  artwork, before.* If anything would persuade you to purchase a commission,  what would it be?

I have wanted to on several occassions, but when I'm selling commissions myself in order to save for things, I find it hard to justify spending that money on art from other people, as much as I admire their art.


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## Raineyangel81 (Jul 9, 2010)

*I have purchased commissioned artwork, before.* 

How long do artists typically take to complete your commissions?
It depends on what I've commissioned and how long the waitlist is.  The shortest has been 2-3 hours after commissioning, longest wait has been 2 years - and I forgot about that one by the time she gave it to me ^.^
Right now..I'm going on 4 years waiting for a collab commission.  I'm pretty sure I'll never be seeing the finished product from that one

Do you expect the artist to send you regular updates? Is this sometimes annoying for you (the artist checking in too much or too little)?
No.  I leave the artwork up to the artist's interpretation.  I don't need to see updates. The only time I would..is if it is gift art for someone else.  It is nice to know when an artist has started the artwork.  If it is a fairly detail oriented piece with lots of ways to interpret, I like to interact with the artist and see what beginning sketches they have come up with.
Otherwise, I don't need to see and approve from sketch stage to inking to color ^.^

Given a set budget, would you prefer to buy a few big, expensive, highly-detailed images (i.e., full-blown illustrations); or _lots_ of smaller, cheap images (i.e., multiple avatars, chibis, adoptables, linearts, etc)?
It depends.  I generally lean towards big, expensive and highly detailed.  But I do like cute and whimsical things...the detail doesn't really matter.  Just the feel of the artwork

How do you decide who to buy artwork from?
If it's unique and I like it, I will commission that artist.  I do return to artists..there are several I've bought anywhere up to 10 pieces from.


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## DragonFoxDemon (Jul 9, 2010)

*I am an artist who sells commissions.*
      -How long does it typically take you to complete commissions?

1-3 days. No more than a week depending on the type of work.

      -What are your views on mature/adult requests?

If it is tasteful to me, I don't mind.

      -Do you sell artwork anywhere other than the furry fandom (you do not need to tell where)?

Yes.

*I have purchased commissioned artwork, before.*

     -How long do artists typically take to complete your commissions?

Quite a while, from weeks to years.

     -Do you expect the artist to send you regular updates? Is this sometimes annoying for you?

Yes, I expect the artist to update me because I feel it is good business. If you are taking someone's money you should be able to give them the status of their product. Silence is bad. It tells me that you don't care.

      -Given a set budget, would you prefer to buy a few big, expensive, highly-detailed images; or lots of smaller,  cheap images?

I guess that all depends on the artist that I'm commissioning at the time and what I think they can bring justice to.

      -How do you decide who to buy artwork from?

Like above. If I have the money and the artist can bring justice to something then I commission. I've had characters of my own that give me issues so I have had them commissioned to see how another artist handles the same issues. Very helpful and worth the money.


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## PrettyKitty13 (Jul 12, 2010)

*I am an artist who sells commissions.
*

How long does it typically take you to complete commissions?
About a few hours to a week max. (Counting if majority of my time is working on the commission)

What are your views on mature/adult requests?
I really wish I could do mature pieces, not too fond of drawing adult, since my genetailia anatomy skill level is -9000. But alas, I'm too young.

Do you sell artwork anywhere other than the furry fandom (you do not need to tell where)?
I try. I haven't been able to sell as much as I'm hoping, but I'm gonna keep trying!


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## Fenrari (Jul 12, 2010)

Eske said:


> *I have purchased commissioned artwork, before.*
> 
> 
> How long do artists typically take to complete your commissions?
> ...



- On average artists take anywhere from 3 days to about 4 months (or longer) to finish pieces depending on complexity, how much of a perfectionist they are and the number of changes you've requested with the piece. 

- I prefer updates on a regular basis, it's always nice to know that the artist in question hasn't completely forgotten about you. I will admit that there is a fine line between asking for a status update and pestering the artist into never wanting to work for you again.

- With my average art budget, I prefer more detailed pieces, whether large or small. Though not always practical due to various time constraints, it's still nice to see an artist's hardwork after completion.

- Word of mouth is generally the best key by which I find a potential artist. If they've been recommended or I've personally met them, all the more reason for me to want a piece by them. If they've mastered a particular style of color usage or whatnot, all the more reason for me to want it.


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## RipfangDragon (Jul 12, 2010)

*I am an artist who sells commissions.*

_    * How long does it typically take you to complete commissions?_
It depends on the commission complexity and my waiting list.  Usually no longer than a couple of days, but it can take up to a week or longer if the piece is hard enough.

_    * What are your views on mature/adult requests?_
Mature are should be up to the digression of the artist.  My comfort levels pretty much end at "sex" since it's not something I feel an intimate couple should share, however, I am not opposed to it by any means.  If someone was asking me for a mature piece, we would discuss it privately for private display only.  I also think that no one should judge one for choosing to draw/purchase mature art.

_    * Do you sell artwork anywhere other than the furry fandom (you do not need to tell where)?_
Yes, on other websites and IRL.


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## embriel (Jul 14, 2010)

I am an artist who sells commissions.
How long does it typically take you to complete commissions?
Depending, my turnout is relatively quick probably almost same day to finish most midrange priced work, I usually even jump on my requests when I get them, I don't like letting the idea get stale.

What are your views on mature/adult requests?
Again it depends, I don't mind doing adult work, even more hardcore stuff, but I charge more for certain kinks due to their nature, and won't draw certain ones.

Do you sell artwork anywhere other than the furry fandom (you do not need to tell where)?
Nope, I advertise on LJ sometimes, but my commissions usually stay in the fandom :3


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## elenawing (Jul 14, 2010)

*I am an artist who sells commissions.*
*How long does it typically take you to complete commissions?*
Depends on the type of commission. A headshot picture normally takes 1-2 days. the longest on average 2 weeks for full body illustrations and ref sheets, but it tends to be much faster than thid.

*What are your views on mature/adult requests?*
I kindly just say I don't do them. I get a bit squeamish when I get VERY mature references, but I just look past it and focus on the characters and not their dangly bits.

*Do you sell artwork anywhere other than the furry fandom (you do not need to tell where)?*
Not really, I sell pokemon and anime themed prints at conventions a couple times a year, but the rest is fuzztastic


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