TOP 9 REASONS You're NOT Getting COMMISSIONS! || SPEEDPAINT + COMMENTARY
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 22 ต.ค. 2022
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How do they make money if they don't take a fee?
@@cooler-ian They pass the fee on to the client.
From the FAQ on their site: "During checkout, your clients pay a small platform fee; this lets us keep the site free for artists to use (and plant trees)!"
I want to start doing commissions on Artistree but it'll only let me make prices in dollars, which I don't have any use for
for some reason i just cant press the sign up button
you probably don't care about my comment, but i just wanna say you are so FKING GOOD... and lastly that i think the only thing you need to do rn, is work on faces, because they usually look pretty off. but everything is just... fkkn NICE
I quit using social media like Twitter and DeviantArt years ago and get more commissions now just by word of mouth. The key to success isn't engagement but involvement. Just pay attention and respond to people as necessary. Explore everything. If you engage randomly you'll end up doing a lot of nonsense, but when you take on some responsibility to help someone with something, it will mean something to them and mean something to you.
That is very wonderful! I feel sometimes our lives are a bit too integrated in the internet and people forget that they can find clients elsewhere. I don’t do art for money, but I found I enjoyed doing it a lot more after I left social media, because, just personally, I find drawing for myself more rewarding.
Good for you dude! Word of mouth is king, especially as social media does overstaturate.
i still don't understand what this comment means..sorry
@@moomoomoooo it means makes sure people living physically around you know you take money in exchange for art. Like a casual mention. They will talk for you to others and spread the network. Getting art from a coworker, friend of a family member, etc feels more personal and leads to better real job opportunities as they usually are in real business positions with less exposure to massive amountd of art, compared to buyers scouring the internet for more fanart of their OC
That seems really good, I think I’m going to quit social media
Tip for Twitter artists with an anime-ish style: You might want to try engaging with the VTuber community. They can be really fun to work with and make for a good target audience.
They might be looking for visual representation of their character regularly, and since they will also engage with other VTubers and repost or reblog commissioned artworks, there's a good chance word about your commissions will spread.
And this one might just be my own experience, but some VTubers can be really wholesome people!
Can confirm. One of my patrons is a vtuber. They're really nice and give generous tips :>
just some day ago I was getting into making VTubers, however I was worried people won't like my art because it's not anime styled. do people accept other art styles?
@@kxmyona I don't really know, but I think it's worth a try! Many VTubers use anime-style characters and might want to keep all the other art they use (banners, profile pictures, loading screens, etc.) within the same aesthetic. But not all of the art a VTuber might commission is used for a specific purpose and sometimes they just want to fill their art tag or timeline with new content (or they might just really love seeing their character drawn, no matter the style).
@@kxmyona I always encourage people to shoot their shot. I typically draw anime style but have drawn the MLP style just not often. I still managed to secure a commission for a children's book. It's possible I say go for it.
How do you market specifically to VTubers without doing gimmick sales? Like is there a hashtag specific to it?
This marketing tip was very helpful to me, if anyone is struggling with it:
SHOW YOUR PRODUCT IN USE!!! MARKET A LIFESTYLE, NOT THE PRODUCT.
Example: if your art style is kawaii pastel girls, take pictures of your artwork on a baby pink wall/backdrop with Hello Kitty plushies around it and cute stuff. It will be much more appealing to the kawaii culture demographic
If you draw cool stuff like Shonen, put your print on the wall with some figurines around it, or put it to the side of your gaming laptop or w/e
People but aesthetics and lifestyles, not products, this is why active wear is always advertised with people running or jumping and stuff; that's what they're selling. They're not selling shorts, they're saying "THIS COULD BE YOU IF YOU HAD THESE SHORTS"
Because, honestly, how many times have we bought something thinking that it's gonna change our lives in a positive way and we're finally gonna get it together, only for the item to sit in a drawer, lol
I'll say it again: sell a lifestyle x
Eh that only really works if your art is meant to be used as products. If you're selling digital art, people usually are going to use it digitally (like on a profile picture or something), so pictures of it as physical products are way less useful.
@@CreatrixTiara Even then, this goes along with displaying its use. If you're creating headshots, like Duchess Celestia said, you can advertise them as a specific kind of product and associate them with a specific activity. "Marketing a lifestyle, not a product" is essentially doing the same thing: basically showing your art in action. I think that how you go about it is just going to look different depending on your particular product and target audience. ^^
I just started doing commissions on reddit a couple days ago and it's been a godsend. I have no commission experience prior, but posting to places like r/starvingartists /commissions /artcommissions has resulted in me getting one almost everyday.
I post on twitter too, but there hasn't been a single one from that platform for me yet. I highly recommend these subreddits for people new to commissions and don't have a following.
Yeah reddit is amazing because following people is nearly nonexistent, and so your chance of being noticed doesn't depend on that so much
thank you
kinda wish you could post more often on some of them, starvingartists having a 1 POST PER WEEK kinda is insane imo. otherwise yeah reddit is awesome for spreading your art
@@Gensolinkis worth actually?
I have been posting there for a while and have got exactly zero commissions :( sometimes I just envy people like you
The best thing about commissions are the people who keep coming back to you and get multiple pieces :) so refreshing.
I agree! It feels like such an awesome compliment ❤
Can you tell me where you're getting comms?:) I'll appreciate it
As someone who commissions quite a few artists, my piece of advice is to be upfront with your prices. If I have to search or directly ask you how much something is I just won't mess with it.
THIS THIS THIS, GOD i recently got someone meesaging me on deviantart that i dont know asking me to commission them and i had to send 2 DIFFERENT NOTES asking for rates and in the end i only got one rate which was the headshot(mind you they were gonna charge 50 bucks for headshot) I got so mad because of the work i had to do only to get a singular rate and not the other halfbody and fullbody rates answered T T
Huhhh i dont get it 😭@@Strolled-te6gj
Coming from the client: don’t underestimate being friendly or acting invested in the art you art doing for someone. The idea they are bringing to you can often be something very personal to them, especially when doing someone’s OC. Being friendly makes the client feel confident in handing their baby over to a stranger. Once I found an artist like that I became a return customer, they are always my first choice, and I have lots of characters for them to paint
Hey I’m friendly, I’d LOVE a sweet return customer like you 😂
You got an art station or Instagram I could check out? I’d love to take a look at your art
I have art commissions open, but decided to become a client one day as burnout crept in. I asked the artist to make artwork as a gift for someone, containing the OCs they (my friend) clung to the most. I made sure that the artist knew how appreciative I was of their work and how much I loved my OCs + think the person will love it. I may consider circling back on them 1000%. Being a client also exposed me to several amazing artists I may also circle back on later.
But yeah, having a return customer sounds awesome!
That’s exactly how I feel about my oc, they are my baby and I know how others feel about their oc that’s why being friendly is a must.
Oh for sure. I have a few very loyal clients that always jump for a commission if I'm open to them, just because of this one point. I actually become invested in their characters after a while and they become fun to draw once you know em. Commissions, especially in the online art community, are usually a very personal kind of work and require some level of social skills to pull off.
If you're a bad texter, come off as dry and uninterested, or you're too loud and judgemental, people will feel uncomfortable with giving you their money. It's important to maintain friendly, relaxed manners with your clients so they can continue feeling comfortable with commissioning you.
26:48 My dad has a music degree and one of his teachers told him this piece of advice, which he told me later: "It is not your job to judge your work." That's up to other people, not you. Thinking of that helped me shut up and let people form their own judgments; that's their job, not mine.
Three years ago, after looking through my art and sketchbook, my uncle offered me a tattoo artist apprenticeship. I turned him down because I thought I wasn't good enough. Now I feel like an idiot because if he thought I wasn't good enough, he wouldn't have offered...
That’s actually good advice!
I once commissioned an artist to do a full body of my fursona. Its was $60 up front. Her art looked good and the reviews seemed pretty good as well so I went for it. I had sent full body images of my VRC avi along with all the info about the the pose, face expression and body colors. The artist said they would have it done by the end of the week and would update me along the way. This sounded good so I waited . . . . and waited. 3 days no update, So I message the artist and ask how the art is going and she says "Please wait, Im not just doing yours, I have other things to work on aswell" So I apologize and wait some more. A week had passed and I ask to see the art. When she showed it to me it was not in the right pose and some of the colors were wrong. Don't get me wrong it looked cool but not what I wanted. So I told her it needed to be fixed. She said "If you did not bother me it would have been done better, I do not have time for knit picking" . . . . . o_O How did she even get good reviews? Shes the worst. I did not reply and just took the art as it was. A day passes and she has the nerve to message me to remind me to leave a review. So I did and it was a bad one. She messages me again asking me to change the review and she will do more work on my art. So I tell her to make changes to the art and id change my review. So you would think she would look at the info I sent her and fix it right? NOPE! She redid the art, Fixed the colors but did not do the pose and cropped out the lower legs. It looked rushed AF. I told her ill just remove the review because I just cant any more. And that was the worst artist I ever worked with. luck for me I found better ones.
@Breaker Love Oh dear, that sounded really disheartening, I feel sorry you had such an experience :( I can't understand how some people don't respect others, especially when they are clients who pays them 0_o On the other hand, it gave me some hope, that if I finally build up my courage and start commisions some day, I could build my relationships with clients with respect and kindness and that would hopefully let some people choose my services in the endless flood of good artists online which we nowadays have ;)
@@kasiako355 It is true their are tons of good artist online but not many who know how to present them selves in a professional way. Im aware some people will try to take advantage of kind people but if someone is paying full up front then I feel an effort of kindness should be a priority. You should not worry. As long as you stick to the basics you will be fine. 1. Be nice 2. Show people what you can do. 3. Update people on the progretion of the art. 4. Ask if they would like some changes. 5. Get moneys =P
@@BreakerLove thank you so much for the encouragement and the advices, that's very sweet of you💖 What platforms would you recommend for promoting one's art and commisions? Someone did recommand me twitter, but I'm kinda scared of going there, I've heard lots of strange things about some people there ;D
@@kasiako355 Etsy
You demanded a refund right? 60 bucks is a lot tbh
I know you probably avoided saying this but I definitely think people need to consider if their art is ready enough to be commissioned. Some of my friends desperately want commissions, but I look at their art and it’s just too inconsistent. I am by no means I’m “the best” at art, but I can see there is somethings they need to improve on before they can ask for commissions. Like anatomy, colouring and line art. Obviously I don’t say this to them, and maybe I should but I don’t want to dishearten them. Their art isn’t bad, but it’s just not ready.
Putting limited slots is actually something that’s really useful, even if you technically have unlimited time or energy to do them. A range of 3-5 seems to be the sweet spot. Putting limited spots increases the sense of urgency and exclusivity, and you *can* close them even if you didn’t have all the slots filled (you don’t have to specify how many slots you had filled, just say “closing commissions now, thanks so much everyone!”).
That being said thanks for the upload, it’s inspiring me to revamp my commissions page now that I’m a little better at graphic design. My old commissions pages were always a couple pieces and prices slapped on a blank background with no real coherence, so hopefully a new fresh page will help get the word out better. That, and better advertising on my part.
Notes i took of this video and some i made:
1) Increase an following
-follow trends
-Interact w/ others
-Branch out in different social media
2) Advertise!
3) Organize Commissions
-Artistree can help with that
4) Use Word of Mouth
-Its an very powerful tactic
5) Publicly update if commissions are open or closed
-Don't have buyers figure it out themselves
-Make it easy for buyers to contact you
6) Don't let a**hole buyers to make you lower your price
-Stay strong and respectful (Take screenshots to use in case they try to make you look awful to penitential customers with lies)
-If you don't think the price they want fits with how you think your art is worth, you don't have to accept it
7) Sales are important
-Can help with marketing yourself thou you have to sacrifice an amount of money that you could've earned
8) Make a portfolio
-Make sure you update it so buyers will know what they'll expect from you when they commission you
9) Double Down with your target audience
-Alt accs can help when you have multiple target audiences
-Don't try to have multiple target audiences in an acc
Ex: You're in an furry community but you're portfolio is background pieces (sure some would buy from you but many wouldn't know if you offer furry commissions)
10) MARKET YOURSELF
-Very important skill to have
11) Enjoy the process
-Have fun with the process, try to make your workplace stress free, comfy, relaxing. Get some breaks if needed, get plenty of sun, make sure you take care of your mental and physical health ♥ ♥
For a while my friends have insisted that I put out commissions because I'm more than good enough, and even when I network IRL I've gotten professionals who say they admire my work a lot. So I expected that when I opened Emergency Comms as I was in a bad spot, I would at least get a few.
None. I got nada. Like 40 likes and retweets on twitter and maybe 20 likes on insta. It was demoralising. I learned from this, and also being in artist alley for the first time ever this summer, that the rate of successful encounters versus people who get their eyes on your stuff is like 1 in 1000.
I will admit that being from a country that paypal is not allowed in didn't help when one person showed interest, and most people don't use anything except paypal to pay.
Thanks so much for this video.I'm honestly kinda shocked you didn't say "you're not good enough yet" as a tip, but when I think about it, that's somehting that each artist would evaluate before putting themselves out there.
Another great vid from you, Celeste. Thank you!
im literally in the same spot i went down to 5$ per hour and i still never gotten a single commission even tho my art is pretty decent
I feel that in terms of emergency coms not garnering any attention. Like I have ace crappy insurance that doesn't cover my anti-seizure meds, monies is needed to pay for that. ;-;
where are u from
@@shoujoblush3234 probably a 3rd world country for example im from lebanon and paypal is banned here
@@kit2691 yeah, that's why i asked. paypal is banned on my country as well but you can bypass making an account with a vpn most of the time! just make sure your documents are correct, that's the only way i've found to bypass the restrictions, since other accounts require a bank from the us or from europe. ;;
I'm a new artist who opened commissions for emotes but forgot to actually specify that, so I've already had 5 commissions (one of which I'm currently working on) of actual pieces in less than a month. The reason? I try to be friendly to everyone I meet and it turns out that pays off. Word of mouth truly is powerful
As an artist who started getting commissions by tailoring to a particular community, I would make sure you're prepared to commit to that community long-term. Because you can and will be typecast, with each new commission you post inspiring future clients to order something similar, creating an infinite loop. Then when you're ready to branch out and try something new, you can expect the inevitable "What is this garbage? Go back to what you're good at."
Hey, Celestia, are you alright? You seem to upload A LOT more recently and I just want to check in to make sure you're not overworking yourself. Your content is absolutely something I'm looking forward to watching or listening to in the background but i also want to make sure you're taking the brakes you need for your mental and physical health!
celestia mentioned on her community page that she was having laptop problems, resulting in many delayed videos.
@@hyjinx1889 Thank you so much for telling me! That is very nice to hear!
Honestly the biggest one I see is people not having confidence in their work and I'm so glad that you brought it up.
Why would people want to pay for art when the artist is constantly putting their stuff down or calling other clients commissions that they paid for ugly or bad? I also see this way too often in the adopt community where people will make a character and in the same sales post say how ugly they are and how much they dislike them. That doesn't make someone who may have initially liked the design feel good and want to buy them if even the person who made them are putting them down! Having confidence in your work makes the world of difference, like being so happy and excited to show people what you made even if it's not perfect.
Also a huge tip that I wanted to mention is if you are just starting out with commissions, do YCH's (your character heres)! The client already gets an idea of what the art is going to look like and will feel better about paying for it seeing as the sketch or lineart is basically already done! Also making free or cheap tools and assets like bases, brushes, doing raffles, interacting with other artists (like participating in contests or using their assets and showing them off), ect is also a great way to build up not just a following, but a community too!
I know when I need art needs, I typically shop around a bit, and then go with whoever seems like they'll be the most open/friendly. I don't want to talk with someone who'll be stand-offish or difficult. Not when there's so many options. So generally the more bubbly and well organized someone is, the more likely I will be to hire them.
One of my biggest turn-offs for hiring people is when they make it seem like I (as the customer) am a burden, or it's difficult to slot me in. I'm glad busy people can turn down folks, and I'm glad to just give them space. I'm never a pushy Karen, but I wonder how many people legitimately want customers, but turn them away, because they just seem so disinterested in offering the service.
I used to be a teen that was very social online and Twitter. I love to draw but then the older I got the more I realised that I do not want to see my hobby as profession because most of the art was mostly digital favoured rather than traditional and it literally impacted my own mental health and school progress because I would be exposed to blue light and couldn’t sleep well.
Now that I see stuff from an adult perspective, I am glad I did not take it as a profession because I treat my hobby as a way to vent out all the ideas in my head (daydreaming and overthinking does things…)
You done right, I totally support your idea. Sadly not everyone is able to have their dream job, or to have options. Even when I do enjoy drawing digital, I wouldnt ever take it as a hobby when I need the money.
In-person connection (especially with those not immersed in the art world on social media) can be super helpful in getting commissions. I've only ever gotten one online commissioner, whereas I've gotten several from my family and their friends. I once got one by putting out my sheet at a garage sale!
the idea of commissions still absolutely sounds terrifying
this video was very informative and it kinda eased some of my worries a bit
Only thing I wished Artistree had is a search feature. It would be very easy to find the type of artist I want, for the right price, AND also conveniently selling commissions at the time I’m searching.
Although if it DOES have one right now, or looking into one, I’d love to see it :O!!
Went from commissions being my livelihood, to burning out and not getting anything anymore. Social media and interaction burnt me out so bad enough that I wasn’t able to get inspiration since.
I'm not an artist and I am not selling anything on social media, but even I got burned out from just using it. It just isn't always a nice place to be, especially the picture only platforms.
@@Kkubey so true, we need nicer platforms
This was a very handy video. I have been considering starting commissions for months now because I have improved my art skills significantly throughout this year, yet I still have my own set of obstacles (worrying my art is not worth payment, avoiding nearly every form of social media, not having an online payment account, school taking away time from drawing, etc). I still want to give it a shot one day though, so maybe with time and more practice I can go for it.
Nice! As a fellow Internet hermit and minor(or at least someone who goes to school), how is it going?
@@chang9576 I have been kind of testing the waters a bit by doing free commissions for some of my close friends (drew an end screen for a friend’s TH-cam channel, a logo for another guy’s upcoming series, a group shot of the friend group for another friend). The practice I get from those projects has been very valuable and maybe with more practice I can eventually feel comfortable enough with accepting payment (though I would never charge my close homies lol).
I agree with the public prices thing SO MUCH. I have skipped so many artists because they were like "ask for prices in DM :D" AHHHJRJRJFJFJ
I think it’s also worthy to say sometimes you won’t get commissions because your art really just isn’t good enough to a certain level like anatomy etc
Or your art looks sloppy/unfinished, no chicken scratches and harsh brushstrokes on the examples it must look finalized and cohesive. Speaking from experience because I would post my best examples and people would see my sloppy sketches + old suggested art on deviant art and straight up skip even at $10 for art that could easily cost $30-$60 in terms of hours.
Had the most mind-numbing business convo with someone on twitter last month. I was inquiring to see if I could pay them to be in guest artist in a CG set I was doing....and their response was "Guess how much" Then they left it at that until i responded with a price and they were "Nope, a lot more than that lol"
DON'T DO THAT MY GOD XD.
yikes, sounds too unprofessional to keep to deadlines
Well I would not want to work with someone like that for sure. Worth nothing if you can't actually talk about anything with them.
been doing commissions on and off for 15 years now, and one of the most important things i think i've learned is that commissions aren't the be-all-end-all of doing art online. it may seem counter intuitive on a video about getting more commissions to say that not doing them at all is valid, but i'm seeing a lot of folks in the comments here saying they felt extremely demoralized by lack of engagement, especially for "emergency" work.
basically, if you're just starting out, and you need money fast, commissions are the best way to feel like garbage at what you do. better to find other means of income and introduce commissions to your income slowly so there's not the added pressure of need on top of any insecurity you'll naturally have as a new commission artist.
i'd argue that the vast majority of artists trying to do commission work probably shouldn't be doing it at all, not because they suck as an artist at all, but don't have the specific skills to be a business person in the way a commission artist needs to be. you already touched on this in your video but i think it's worth underlining: commission work isn't about the art, it's about selling labor. i still take commissions but i don't pressure myself to make it my sole source of income anymore because it was burning me out and making me hate myself and my art. maybe someday i'll try to ease into it being a bigger part of my income, but it's completely valid to stick to it as a hobby, only sell to friends and family, or only do ready made prints and merch at conventions and such.
all that to say i think the BIGGEST issue with having trouble doing commissions is making sure your "foundations" are sturdy: do you actually WANT to do commissions, that is, do you thrive in a job that requires tight deadlines, good and frequent communication, conflict resolution, long isolated hours, on top of all the marketing know-how? if none of that sounds like something you'd be comfortable with, it is okay to find other means of money and be able to enjoy and share your art without the pressure of commission work.
@cubesprite great tips, thank you 💖 Would you be so kind to share what do you do outside the commisions? Is it "normal" job, or some freelancing? Just being curious :)
@@kasiako355 yep, just retail/customer service work. i've had my fair share of odd jobs as well, like yard work and child care. i think the important thing is exactly like the video says, it takes time to get regular customers and if you're in a position to put your all into it and you know you want to, then go for it, but most people don't have the luxury of time if they're already trying to pay bills and such. so anything to keep the lights on and bread on the table in the meantime is a-ok.
15:00 100% agree I tried reaching once for asking prices and the artist told me a price a bit too much of my budget and felt really awkward and stuff to continue the conversation and decline.
I had a much easier time those who already set base prices so i only asked for other details when buying a commission.
So pls just add your base prices and add the disclaimer that is subject to change according to complexity and stuff.
It makes things really whole lot easier
Big word of advice (this is from personal experience)
Using words to do with money on Twitter at least, holds the post back from getting traction. Censoring the words like commission to c0mm (with a zero) helps with traction!
Using '/'s and replacing certain letters with numbers helps
Holding free art raffles also helps from my experience, can help bring new eyes on your work and help bring more potential clients to your work! :)
Rting your openings and replying to the tweet helps bump it for different timezones too.
The best timezone personally for me is between 9PM to 12AM AEST.
Hope these help, and best wishes
Wrong. The reason why we sensor words on twitter is because bots will spam your comment section
I'm a little sad that as a minor, taking commissions is gonna be hard to near impossible since a lot of payment methods like PayPal, venmo, and stripe are strict on their age minimum, but despite that I'll keep this video in mind when I do take them!
Aye best stay clear of PayPal. Duchess did a video on why it shouldn’t be used
th-cam.com/video/i3mdT73djAM/w-d-xo.html
@@JustRaven00 ooh alright! I just researched it and that sounds great, thank you so much!
Maybe i shouldn’t be saying this but i take commissions through paypal and venmo and I’m also a minor- you can just lie about your age lmao
@@sketchystrawberry302 I knoww and I tried that but I don't have any family members that I can use an ID picture for, and I just don't wanna risk having money withheld 😭
When i was younger, my dad let me accept commission money with his paypal account
While I closed my commissions recently, I am still working to fix up my prices, terms conditions, extending to different communities, and whatnot; this video is so helpful. Not only for the marketing advice, but also for the alternative commission platforms to use. Thank you very much! I’m not one to comment too much but I wanted to show my appreciation in some kind of way.
This was the first time I’ve someone actually talk about word of mouth, and people you know irl commissioning stuff, and I’d gotten to the point prior to this video that I just assumed it didn’t exist, and I’d have to wait a few more years to take commissions for anything other than da points lol-
Great video!
oh my gosh this was a VERY helpful video! I've been trying to take commissions for a while now and I will apply some of these things to my marketing!
I never really even thought that marketing was the problem, really. Artists, if they do not get commissions, sometimes blame it on their own art because they think that that is the automatic problem. But that is not always the case! The marketing is a very important part, almost as important as the art itself, as how is someone going to commission you if you make it difficult for them or, (as you said), have the information in an immediate place.
Usually I skip over sponsorships, but wow. Artistree sounds like such an amazing service
i was friends with some artists that did commissions and they would always complain about never getting commissions. I know why, but i'm biased. these artists were NOT nice people, which is why im no longer friends with them. some things they would do were: making fun of peoples commissions on main, making fun of the people who commissioned them, stealing money without providing the art simply because they "forgot" or "didn't like that person", constantly bullying friends on main, boasting about how theyre the only artist in said community and "that is why you should commission me", spreading untrue rumors about new artists in the fandom in an attempt to get said artist to stop making art in general, overpricing because they think they deserve it (ie, sketch drawn uncolored and unshaded simple cartoony pfp priced at $20+).
This is an extreme case, but im sure someone can learn from these mistakes. There is always room to learn from your mistakes and grow as a person.
Jesus I'm always coming in early now- Getting concerning for myself. Editing once I'm done watching again.
Edit: Just got done. I'm glad you were able to talk about this topic without looking at only the artist or only the commissioner. Been seeing too many videos of this caliber that don't explain or whom have barely experience in the first place. It's quite refreshing. Helped me out as well.
Saw the comment before u edited :D
Edit: Saw your new comment. I agree. Duchess Celestia is always keeping only the best standards for their content.
SAW BEFORE EDITED WOOOOOOOOO
saw it before you edited :>
Saw before edited :/
saw before edited
15:00 thats why I do set prices with a + at the end, I put in my comms info to ask clients to dm me for an accurate quote if theyre unsure but I ALWAYS make sure to say after I give my clients a quote "please let me know if this price is okays with you", I try to comfort people to tell me if they cant afford it or not and ive had clients who have been able to tell me that or we try to work out a budget
Also for new artists who are starting to get a bunch of commissions, I suggest using trello and absolutely attaching that to ur commission info so you dont have people hassling you if you arent up to their commission yet OR just to avoid general anxiety of being rushed
Problem with word of mouth is that all the people I had talked about that I do art proffesionally think I will do it for free for them. While never having implied such a thing. Because I am their friend and it is 'just' art..
Meanwhile some artists are getting too many commissions so they need to find ways to make as much as possible from each commission so to reduce their demand they will often raise their prices to the point that most people cannot afford their art or they start doing commission slot auctions with a limited amount of slots. There’s also some artists who are now so established in the mainstream animation industry to the point that they have been able to delete all of their socials to prevent AI from using their work while still constantly getting contracted by major studios like Dreamworks whenever their services are needed! :)
"The full phrase is “a jack of all trades is a master of none, but oftentimes better than a master of one.” It was a compliment"
Yet another saying, that was taken out of its original context. And made to mean the opposite
Two others, are
- The blood of the covenant is thicker than the water of the womb / blood is thicker than water
- Curiosity killed the cat, but knowledge brought it back / curiosity killed the cat
Not an exaggeration, this is literally THE BEST video about Commissions I've ever seen! Thank you!!! And thank you so so much for sharing this information. It's very, VERY helpful. THANK YOU
My irl friends have been commissioning me lately which is a nice way to afford my silly little trinkets while my day job supports the vitals.
I love your comission videos! I’m still working on my art and I love seeing tips from your channel! ❤
i personally just did the 'be the big fish in a small pond' aproach, i had a queue for months until i put a cap on how many i take at a time. but there's some danger in putting all your focus in one niche
what niche do you draw for?
@@zkye8431 ponies, and i made sure to be the best one at it on the site i was mostly marketing them
I was wondering, can you do a video maybe about making comics ?
Ang loved this video . It was very helpful
1.) You don’t have a very big following
(-28:02)
2.) You’re waiting for clients to come to you.
(-25:00)
3.) Putting your eggs all in one basket (only advertising on one platform)
(-23:33)
4.) You’re not using word of mouth.
(-21:46)
5.) You’re making it too hard for clients to either order them or that you’re accepting them.
(-19:21)
6.) Portfolio doesn’t show what it should.
(-16:19)
7.) Your work itself is too varied.
(-14:32)
8.) You’re not connecting to your target audience, or you haven’t found them yet.
(-12:29)
9.) You’re not marketing yourself very well.
(-10:26)
**My time stamps are negative numbers! Hope this sums it up.**
god bless u
i was looking for this. thank you
Hi hello. you always shows in my recommendation the right time. I'm just here to say that Celestia you are a great help for the art community. I'm planning to start comissions again after my first flop. and your video is so so so helpful. Tsym
I love you and your tips, I can do nothing but recommend. I legit dropped my phone and shouted “YES!!!” when you mentioned word-of-mouth marketing because that’s how I got my first 2 commissions (never did more, it’s just a hobby so far). Extended group of friends and aquaintances learied that I do art as a hobby, I showed them my work and they asked if I’m willing to do them some.
I'll start trying some of these tips out! Thank you so much for this really helpful and cool video ^ ^
This video is so useful and i love how indepth the advice is 👀 i'm gonna take notes lol
i've opened my comms but have yet to been commissioned by anyone (yet 🤞🏾) but in the mean time i've collected lots of subreddits and places to look for them and post that i'm are open commissions like:
hungryartists, artcommissions, artcomission, artstore, hireanartist, starvingartists, dndart (not fully for commissions but you can post for hire stuff there), tabletopartists (same as dndart)
this video is so helpful yet at the same time-
I swear i really feel ive just got no hope
for this to be sustainable for me-
heres to hoping i can crawl out of the pit of that mindset
*video starts at **3:50*
thank you so much! i really needed these informations! a lot of them i didn't know and might have figure out after a WHILE of experiences. so thank you thank you
I was told by multiple people that my art is "too cute" . I have a chibi esque anime style and I also have a more anime realism style. I'm thinking not a lot of people are into that. I've been told to do more landscapes and I could make it big locally. I shouldn't make it about money but my family tells me all the time "why do you do so much art and waste money on art when you aren't seeing anything from it (Follows, subs etc)" and I'm slowly losing the passion because of it. It's become too saturated and competitive in the online sphere and it feels like I have to quit my day job just to be consistent for people to notice I'm here.
Gotta say, the word of mouth thing is pretty accurate. Back when I had an artist profile, I wasn't trying to get commissions, I just had the option there and, unsurprisingly, nobody came up.
However, I did get a few requests from people I went to school with because they saw me drawing under the stairs every day. (money conversion would be like... less than 0.20 USD per piece, but we weren't even 14 and that was enough for me to buy a pack of biscuits I liked at the market, so I was happy)
I also made two full-price pieces for two people I know from high-school, one of which said THEIR friends would commission me if I had an online profile for them to do it.
Do NOT underestimate the power of socialization, and that's coming from an almost-shut-in
This video was actually very helpful! I plan to open commissions once I figure out my pricing, etc and hearing these tips helps me feel more confident to do so :D
Artistree sponsorship ad
The only one that was ever applicable and made me actually excited Dx
thanks for the share :D
Marketing has been a hefty learning curve
Getting my word out through family was how i got my first commission! I didn’t even know that's what i did. I make fursuits and animal related costumes, and since my parents knew i did that, they recommended me to a friend. The friend they recommended me to had a daughter who wanted a cat mask. So i made it, and that was my first commission!
Thank you for this video!! I hope to update my portfolio and improve my art before I open up for commissions again ^^
Thank you so much, I'm saving this video to come back to it
I was just binging some commission advice videos! Ahhh thank you!! 😭
Thank you this was very helpful! I just set up my own artistree!
I watched this because I have a friend who has difficulties getting commissions, and I wanted to recommend a useful source. I'm surprised, but this has advice that branches to other fields as well. Glad I watched the whole thing.
i finally started commissions thanks to you and other artists. great tips :)
OMG Artistree 😍😍😍😍😍 THANK YOU!!!
I have encountered multiple artists I would love to commission but they use the "email me/fill in this form for what you want, only then will they tell you the price" format. and I don't feel comfortable with that idea, even more so if I can't afford the piece. Too many times, over the years have I seen artists complain about folks who can't afford a picture and they end up saying stuff like "serious buyers only". I understand and respect the artists who use those formats but your comment made me feel less alone in my discomfort so thank you for that.
I have had some commissions over the years and my customers appreciated my communication and updates to them but lately I have struggled to get some. Your bit on marketing was interesting to listen to, so I reckon I'll look into that to further improve my commission work :).
Hey I just find your channel! I'm having trouble with isolation cause of COVID and your videos are SO GOOD thanks for the content I love your line of thought and your art!!!! ♥️♥️♥️
for me, ive actually gotten more sales having a price scale for each option !! most options only have a $2-3 difference, so they're VERYYYY easily adjusted and its only based on complexity !! the only time my price scale goes higher is when the commissioner wants a complex character, complex clothing, and detailed posing all in one , and people have really seemed to like it! i managed to bag 3 commissions in two weeks like this, which is INSANE for me >
Forgetting commissions, I'm just gonna use my art to promote and enhance my stories.
People like having pictures in their books anyways.
this video is super helpful because my current college semester is ending so I want to be on the hunt for more commissions!
but also WOM is HUGE! the most commissions I've ever gotten have been through my partner who's in politics, and I've scored a bunch of logo commissions just from that alley. It's not the stuff I do but diversifying+ word of mouth helps a ton
Oof. all of these were really easy for me to add to my art socials and all that. But uh. The issue came from the art style issue. The issue being is I don't have an established style. I just kinda do what looks and feels nice. So it can bounce back and forth in leaning detailed, simplistic, cartoon, anime, so on. I feel like it's all clearly my work but even my line art can vary on my mood and how I feel that day. Do I want gritty or smooth lines? Do I want them with thin or thick lines? Do I want them to be more stable or do I want to use a looser sketch line style? it all varies just so much for me that that one will be very hard to do.
Oh boy can’t wait to listen to this while I draw
I tried multiple platforms and honestly that all platforms are over saturated. I don’t get a lot of commissions so far, but I am trying to improve so I can stand out. I also tried to engage in some discord servers, I think I rather spend time to improve….
I love commission videos. makes for great background noise but also motivates me to keep building my social media so I can start business one day
I find another word of advice is to also support and engage with your potential future clients or past clients. Helps establish a connection and trust that may help increase your chances of more clients for commissions.
Ty I needed this love your channel
This video was very helpful. Thank you!
Incredible useful, thank you so much
This is soo helpful, thank you
Confidence in your work is a big one, as is word of mouth. I get a lot of my commissions from doing local comic conventions and the word of mouth works well there too. If you make an investment into in person commissions, it can also translate to building a base.
Imma try this out.
Thank you, your rambling was informative 👍
I've been procrastinating trying commisions for a long time now.. I should try to give it a shot >
The trouble with art commissions is not only the competition, but also the demand also low. (Especially with character art)
Thank you for the advice! :D
This was so helpful. Thank you ❤️
thanks this weeki might try to make an artistree account and try my luck in there or make it a portfolio
I’m making my commission sheet RIGHT now… so this is convenient 😂
This was so helpful for me. I opened up commissions a while ago, but because I'm in such a niche market and have such a small following I knew I was gonna have some struggles, but thank you for making this video so I know what to do to improve my situation.
Edit: should say I'm doing commissions for Fakemon so the pool of potential clients is still pretty small
You mean pokemon or digimon?
i really really wanna start making comissions im so glad this got to my homepage :]
Also on Twitter. "Comms" or "commission" are lightly censored. My artist muts once posted about how he missed 4 commission opportunities with this censorship.
I haven't started doing commissions yet but this was really helpful and I'll be coming back to it when. i do start doing them 💏
oh look I'm early- also great vid
I am personally just extremely nervous about keeping track of everything and also about potential motivation drops suddenly as with my depression, I am terrible at having the habit of starting pieces before the last one is finished and or not ever finishing one. So I'm scared of just losing motivation to finish a piece or somehow forgetting to get it done or something like that, I am unsure how I would perform within a commission as I have never done one yet before, so I guess I just might be over thinking it more than anything lol.
This is old but as someone who ACTIVELY commissions artists, i've only ever found a few i liked for various reasons and will always return.
The things that i avoid:
Art that looks like a 2 year old drew it.
Anatomy is wrong.
Incomplete looking [from shading to missing sections like hair not completely done in].
Lack of price ranges.
Fu body option not available.
Full body available but never shows past the knees.
Artists that have not posted in over a few months i don't know are on break or available. Its too much to try to figure it out. So i usually wont message because i feel like i'm bothering them.
Then theres artists i did commission before but then they flat out ghost me then by the time i ask for an update they 'never started' despite it being weeks of silence. But then they do start it just for it to be not remotely what i asked outside of the hair, eyes and pose... or those who refuse to update during the process at all.
My OCs are important to me quite frankly and everything i want for them is the details i look for, ideas i cant put to pen and paper and even give artists leeway for things to be improved. Hell, i find myself LOVING the stuff they add in most cases or work with me on ideas to put together. So i'm picky about who i commission.
Another thing is pricing. Why would i pay person A $100 for barely a chicken scratch drawing that looks horrible and are not at all flexible when i can pay $100-$150 for what i want + variations and constant updates? I would never return to person A if the delivery is not worth it? I have noticed alot of artists that dont know how to draw something like a cloud will overcharge for work thats not up to par. Or they want ro be too difficult to work with that it becomes a chore communicating...
Then theres artists worth their prices but those prices are $1500 MINIMUM starting [no background, no variations, simple detail] which is WWWAAAYYY too expensive for any normal person... but the art is GORGEOUS! But again, its so out of price range for any normal person like myself when that price can easily be a new computer for me..
Of course theres bad customers but i've met artists i'll just pay then never return becsuse of bad communication, or things not being done at all..
Call me harsh but its money i'm using to pay for an art piece. I want it to be worth it
While I still need to understand the most basic things, the video made me realize how I should focus once I get the hang of how to even make the transaction happen.
The thing is, I’ve yet to get comfortable doing original work as Fanart/fancomic, are the only things that really draw an audience for my stuff