Commission Problems 1 1

[Peter L]

Update:  Both of the artists that I mentioned were at the San Diego Comic Con.  I messaged both and confirmed they were there and they both said to drop by.  

I went to the booth of the first one.  He didn't have the commission but he remembered me.  He was working on other commissions.  He said he was using SDCC to "catch up."

The other had appearances at some booths and got a photo of her drawing live at a booth, but I realized that neither artist had my commission.  

I doubt I will get other commissions in the future unless I have had success with the artist in the past.  What do you think is a reasonable time to wait?

[Hockeyflow33]

On 8/2/2022 at 12:15 AM, Peter L said:

Is this a real thing that can be used?

I don't know how much it pertains to artists but that rule is why if you pre-order statues from Sideshow or other companies they need you to agree to extend the shipping time, it's also why in the last couple years thy've changed the expected shipping date from a month to a three month span. For years I would often cite that rule to get all my money back, including the non-refundable deposit, when statues would be delayed a long time. 

Reporting a legitimate business to a state's attorney general is significantly different than a self-employed artists. 

[AndyFish]

I can give you some insight as an artist who does a lot of commissions both via the ComicArtFans twice annual Live Shows and at conventions where I'm an invited guest including SDCC, NYCC, Heroes, C2E2, Chicago Fan Expo, Singapore and more.  Veronica and I restrict the number of commissions we take so that we don't leave people hanging, but we aren't perfect.  

We charge less for commissions at shows than we do for the CAF Live show-- substantially less.    But you get LESS of a piece since the time put into it is roughly two hours max.   For the at home virtual show we put about sixteen hours (and sometimes more) into a piece so you pay more.  

We only accept full payment up front and have for all the years we've been doing this because we don't want to have to chase payments, BUT, and this is a big one, WE DELIVER THE SKETCH AT THE SHOW you ordered it from.  No mailing excuses, no "we just want to work a little more on it" -- we intentionally keep the number of sketches at a show to a workable amount and we factor in not taking them back to the room so that we can enjoy our dinner or hang out at the hotel bar after the show to unwind.   We take your cell phone number down and we text you when the piece is ready and include a reminder of our table number so you can pick up your piece.   We've done well over 200 conventions over the years and we haven't broken this system once.

For the online show, same deal but with some caveats;  we promise to get you the finished piece in 4-6 weeks but the at home commissions, as I said, take longer, so we've had some that took substantially longer than that and another big BUT -- we stay in contact with the buyer-- we NEVER ghost anyone and we are upfront with your status.

So why are pieces late?

I've seen it many times over-- an artist accepts too many commissions at a show, it's hard for them to turn down money.   They think they're faster than they are.  They over promise.  They don't feel like drawing all day at the show and then all night at the Hotel-- in Chicago I hung out at the hotel bar with a big name artist friend who I KNOW was taking on a bunch of commissions during the day-- I'd be stressed about getting them done, he was on his fifth gin and tonic.  

Now when the sketch is late there is a pressure to make it "even better" so it becomes a chore rather than fun.   Work gets in the way, editors call all the time with last minute things they need delivered, and while a customer who has commissioned a piece SHOULD be treated with the same level of importance as an editor the truth is that is never going to happen.   A $500 commission piece vs a company who has given you $60k worth of work for the past six months means the company has to get the upper hand.

Bottom line, I'm a fan too.  I collect both Golden Age Comics and Original Comic Art-- I've been known to get a commission at shows, but I still have a very big name artist who owes me a "quick head shot" for going on five years now.   Every time I see him he tells me he hasn't forgotten it.  I didn't pay for it, it was a trade, and despite my saying just do a 10 minute doodle he insists on making it "great"-- so I wait and have little expectations that it'll be ready anytime soon.  I'm sure I wouldn't be so blasé about it if I'd paid good money for it.

There are some artists who produce work in a super professional manner, Trevor Von Eden is one of them-- he was an absolute pleasure to work with and he delivered my piece on time and did a beautiful job on it.  It makes me want to buy from him again soon.   

And for the record, lest you think I'm doing a commercial for my own commissions, I'm not-- we are only taking them at the upcoming Salt Lake City show in September and when CAF Live opens up again in the Fall-- otherwise we are currently closed.   I just wanted to give you some insight from the other side.

Don't let a few rotten apples spoil buying from artists who won't let you down.

 

[Bird]

On 8/2/2022 at 12:18 AM, Peter L said:

Update:  Both of the artists that I mentioned were at the San Diego Comic Con.  I messaged both and confirmed they were there and they both said to drop by.  

I went to the booth of the first one.  He didn't have the commission but he remembered me.  He was working on other commissions.  He said he was using SDCC to "catch up."

The other had appearances at some booths and got a photo of her drawing live at a booth, but I realized that neither artist had my commission.  

I doubt I will get other commissions in the future unless I have had success with the artist in the past.  What do you think is a reasonable time to wait?

It really depends on what you want, but standing in front of them and getting slightly but progressively louder should get you your money back. If you want art, that is a different matter entirely but is it business or personal? If business, be brusque if necessary and do not care if they like you at the end.

[cmaeditor]

On 8/1/2022 at 1:25 PM, Rick2you2 said:

And the person’s name is?

Norm Rapmund. He's been inking over a blueline of a pencil commission I got with Brett Booth

Edited August 2, 2022 by cmaeditor

[Rick2you2]

On 8/2/2022 at 3:31 PM, cmaeditor said:

Norm Rapmund. He's been inking over a blueline of a pencil commission I got with Brett Booth

Just inks? Wow.

[ExNihilo]

On 8/2/2022 at 12:31 PM, cmaeditor said:

Norm Rapmund. He's been inking over a blueline of a pencil commission I got with Brett Booth

Wow.  That's a mighty fine piece.

[Shemp]

On 8/1/2022 at 9:18 PM, Peter L said:

Update:  Both of the artists that I mentioned were at the San Diego Comic Con.  I messaged both and confirmed they were there and they both said to drop by.  

I went to the booth of the first one.  He didn't have the commission but he remembered me.  He was working on other commissions.  He said he was using SDCC to "catch up."

That was Jae Lee. Btw, how do you catch up on commissions at SDCC (the biggest, busiest con) when you are taking on new commissions at the show?

Edited August 5, 2022 by Shemp

[ExNihilo]

On 8/3/2022 at 9:56 PM, Shemp said:

That was Jae Lee. Btw, how do you catch up on commissions at SDCC (the biggest, busiest con) when you are take on new commissions at the show?

I don't understand how artists have time to do sketches at cons.  Are they going back to the hotel room to work on them at night?  From what I could tell of SDCC, the creators seemed like they would go out to dinners, bars, or other industry functions.  Jim Lee did his Sandman sketch AT THE bar but that's probably because it was going up as part of a charity auction.

[alxjhnsn]

On 8/4/2022 at 4:00 AM, ExNihilo said:

I don't understand how artists have time to do sketches at cons.  Are they going back to the hotel room to work on them at night?  

That is often exactly the case. Herb Trimpe and his wife were to join us for dinner after one con, but he had to beg off because he'd accepted too many sketch commissions. Similarly for Joe Jusko and Liam Sharp. Jeremy Bastian did my CPG in his hotel over three two nights and a Sunday morning (Jeremy is not fast).

[pemart1966]

On 5/29/2022 at 8:43 PM, grapeape said:

Michael Browning, this artist lacks character. Nowhere can I match up “good friend” with this two time unkind, unprofessional back stab behavior. How are you still standing?

Lose this guy and consider naming him publicly.

 

ALL of these deadbeat artists should be named so that others don't unwittingly do business with them!  

[ExNihilo]

On 8/7/2022 at 3:26 PM, alxjhnsn said:

That is often exactly the case. Herb Trimpe and his wife were to join us for dinner after one con, but he had to beg off because he'd accepted too many sketch commissions. Similarly for Joe Jusko and Liam Sharp. Jeremy Bastian did my CPG in his hotel over three two nights and a Sunday morning (Jeremy is not fast).

Sounds awful.  As a creator, you'd think they'd want to relax in the evening after spending the entire day signing, socializing, and doing guest panels.

[fenip]

On 8/8/2022 at 12:26 AM, alxjhnsn said:

That is often exactly the case. Herb Trimpe and his wife were to join us for dinner after one con, but he had to beg off because he'd accepted too many sketch commissions. Similarly for Joe Jusko and Liam Sharp. Jeremy Bastian did my CPG in his hotel over three two nights and a Sunday morning (Jeremy is not fast).

Very glad I'm on Jeremy's patreon in the highest tier. You can feel he puts a lot of effort in his commissions. 
https://www.2dgalleries.com/galleries/bastian-jeremy-5904?timespan=4&order=8&catid=2&offset=24
Currently waiting for a bigger CPG commission...
I think David Petersen is also a very reputable artist who delivers in time. 
Other than them I'm not so much in the commission game as I largely prefer published art.

Edited August 9, 2022 by fenip

[alxjhnsn]

On 8/7/2022 at 5:49 PM, ExNihilo said:

Sounds awful.  As a creator, you'd think they'd want to relax in the evening after spending the entire day signing, socializing, and doing guest panels.

Shows can be a big source of income plus there's the good feeling that comes from doing something for someone that clearly appreciates it. That said, it's not an easy way to make a living.

[barneythecantankerous]

Apologies if I'm reaching or overstepping but if your WonderCon commission was with Babs Tarr, I've never commissioned her personally, but I have read and heard about some awful experiences, so I would just push for a refund. If it was Tula Lotay you shouldn't worry - that doesn't take away from you wanting to vent, because it's no less frustrating, but she will come through... If I'm wrong about either, WOOPS! 

I think most of us who do commissions have a story or frustration, so I decided to set some boundaries and parameters for myself when I organise them now. All of this stuff you hear about contracts, paying afterwards, etc. is just codswallop, it's just not how things are done or unique opportunities come along and you just don't have much control. 

My biggest thing though - always use a credit card to pay, NEVER in cash and even if through PayPal, use your CC, never funds. That way even if you are pressured to use F&F you're still protected if you want/need to pursue a chargeback. 

In most of these situations the reality is most of us are forced to wait and sit feeling annoyed, then receive bittersweet art, so I do hope things get resolved or you're able to pursue a refund and start setting boundaries for yourself when it comes to future commissions!

[AndyFish]

On 8/4/2022 at 5:00 AM, ExNihilo said:

I don't understand how artists have time to do sketches at cons.  Are they going back to the hotel room to work on them at night?  From what I could tell of SDCC, the creators seemed like they would go out to dinners, bars, or other industry functions.  Jim Lee did his Sandman sketch AT THE bar but that's probably because it was going up as part of a charity auction.

It isn't easy- and it's awful trying to work if people are asking you to sign things-- so you just get rolling on a piece and have to stop.  You also don't want to be rude to someone who wants to talk to you at the show.   On the flip side, I need to be doing something at these shows so I can't sit at my booth and just stare ahead, or push sales-- that's not my nature, so I'm glad to get something to keep me busy but it's why its important not to overbook.   

It's also awful to go back to the room and keep on working, I've done it for charity pieces that were being auctioned off, but we really get some networking done after the show.

[mr_highgrade]

Back around 2009 I was shooting the breeze with a couple of boardies at the NY Comic Con. It was Friday night towards the end of the show, when I noticed that Andy Kubert was all by himself at his booth. I decided to approach him and make small talk with him regarding his work on X-men. I noticed that he was selling some sketches of mostly Marvel Super Heroes for $500 bucks. I then asked him how much for a sketch of Wolverine on The Marvel Projects sketch blank. He told he would do it for $500 bucks, but, that he would have to do it at home because he had already committed to do too many sketches for that weekend. I told that I only had $200 bucks and that was all I was really willing to pay for a sketch. He said he would do it for $200 bucks since it was Friday night and he needed beer money. I gladly paid him and gave him my home address and my business card. He told me he would have done in a couple of weeks and then ship it to my house.

BTW, this was my first and only time I ever requested a sketch from a comic book artist in my 44 years of collecting comics. 

Does anyone care to guess how this ended? 

 

 

[ExNihilo]

On 8/15/2022 at 9:37 PM, mr_highgrade said:

Does anyone care to guess how this ended? 

That Wolverine sketch went on to great fame and is now featured in the traveling Marvel exhibit?  

[Rick2you2]

On 8/16/2022 at 12:37 AM, mr_highgrade said:

Back around 2009 I was shooting the breeze with a couple of boardies at the NY Comic Con. It was Friday night towards the end of the show, when I noticed that Andy Kubert was all by himself at his booth. I decided to approach him and make small talk with him regarding his work on X-men. I noticed that he was selling some sketches of mostly Marvel Super Heroes for $500 bucks. I then asked him how much for a sketch of Wolverine on The Marvel Projects sketch blank. He told he would do it for $500 bucks, but, that he would have to do it at home because he had already committed to do too many sketches for that weekend. I told that I only had $200 bucks and that was all I was really willing to pay for a sketch. He said he would do it for $200 bucks since it was Friday night and he needed beer money. I gladly paid him and gave him my home address and my business card. He told me he would have done in a couple of weeks and then ship it to my house.

BTW, this was my first and only time I ever requested a sketch from a comic book artist in my 44 years of collecting comics. 

Does anyone care to guess how this ended? 

 

 

To be honest, you should not have made an offer like that. It virtually guaranteed a problem, unless he was a saint. The guy just needed beer money. You probably should have said that you would pay $200 for whatever he could do then and there. Since no one else was around, he was under no pressure by them. If he couldn’t do it, walk away.

[mr_highgrade]

On 8/16/2022 at 6:51 AM, Rick2you2 said:

To be honest, you should not have made an offer like that. It virtually guaranteed a problem, unless he was a saint. The guy just needed beer money. You probably should have said that you would pay $200 for whatever he could do then and there. Since no one else was around, he was under no pressure by them. If he couldn’t do it, walk away.

 He told me that he didn't want to do a rush job, that's why he offered to take it home to do it. Like I said, this was my first and last time that I ever requested a sketch.