How to Lose Commission Requests and Alienate People 5 5

[alxjhnsn]

On 5/30/2023 at 6:48 AM, Rick2you2 said:

Alex,

Spend a little time writing specifications, eh? Now all you need is to divide it up into General, Products and Execution, and you can submit it the CSI.

Rick

Maybe once or twice in my career.  Might have read a few RFQs as well.

[AndyFish]

On 5/27/2023 at 10:23 PM, MattTheDuck said:

Is this true?  Are there special implements that are only used for comic book character commissions?  I could understand during the Pandemic and "supply chain" but the local art stores don't seem to have any lack now.

As suggested above, this looks like one the OP should just walk away from.  Money's one thing, but some things just aren't worth the psychic pressure.

Jetpens.com -- they carry everything except Bristol, which can be ordered through DickBlick.com, Michaels.com or pretty much any online art retailer.  JetPens has titanium nibs and comic specific ink.  I once left a bottle of the Deleter brand ink in the DC Freelancer room by mistake and it soon became THE ink by many of the creators-- it's that good.  So the artist might be telling the truth if he's someone that doesn't like to order online.   He definitely took offense (IMO) when there was no need to, but by the same token just show some class and decline the commission.   I say no far more than I say yes.

[Bronty]

On 5/30/2023 at 11:54 AM, Will_K said:

 

It's kind of hard to separate a comic artist's work from the title/character that the artist worked on.  At the other end of the spectrum, only commission a topic that the artist has never worked on ?

Stan Sakai did the lettering for Groo.   Now by all accounts he's a mild mannered soul but if you went up to someone like that and asked them to draw Groo instead of Usagi I could see why the artist might be annoyed.   Obviously I don't know the artist or the circumstances here but the artist clearly feels its not the most representative of his work.  We can slice this any which way but at the end of the day the request wasn't all that sensitive and the artist was, and that made for not a great combination.

[The Voord]

On 5/30/2023 at 4:54 PM, Will_K said:

Interesting point, "rid" maybe a poor word choice but OP is clearly a fan, otherwise he wouldn't be asking.

 

Yes, fan of the series.  I wasn't disputing that.  I was leaning more towards his approach to a particular artist who, as Bronty pointed out, was an inker for only one issue.  I felt he should have put in the effort to say something positive along the lines of, "Really like your work and I think you would be a perfect fit for my commission idea," . . . which obviously he didn't.  In other words, make the artist feel good about himself . . . the flattery/sugar-coating Garf mentions . . . and he might feel good about accepting the job.

Heck, Barney  also says in one of his communications to the artist, "You also did a few issue of *blank* as well, right?" . . . which sounds as if he's not sure, and is not exactly presenting himself well to an artist he's looking to hire.  He should know.

Edited May 30, 2023 by The Voord

[Ryan.]

On 5/30/2023 at 2:06 PM, Bronty said:

Stan Sakai did the lettering for Groo.   Now by all accounts he's a mild mannered soul but if you went up to someone like that and asked them to draw Groo instead of Usagi I could see why the artist might be annoyed.   Obviously I don't know the artist or the circumstances here but the artist clearly feels its not the most representative of his work.  We can slice this any which way but at the end of the day the request wasn't all that sensitive and the artist was, and that made for not a great combination.

Sakai would be thrilled to draw Groo since it's a property he enjoys and it's created by his good friend. Similarly, Kevin Eastman enjoys drawing Usagi or Daredevil or Batman or many other characters besides TMNT. Do artists not enjoy drawing new things, and apply their own creativity to requests other than the same character(s) again and again? In my experience they definitely do. If it's a character or concept they aren't comfortable drawing they can always decline and suggest something else.

I'm not asking this to @Bronty specifically; just using his message to discuss the point rhetorically.

[cloud cloddie]

On 5/30/2023 at 12:21 PM, Ryan. said:

Sakai would be thrilled to draw Groo since it's a property he enjoys and it's created by his good friend. Similarly, Kevin Eastman enjoys drawing Usagi or Daredevil or Batman or many other characters besides TMNT. Do artists not enjoy drawing new things, and apply their own creativity to requests other than the same character(s) again and again? In my experience they definitely do. If it's a character or concept they aren't comfortable drawing they can always decline and suggest something else.

I'm not asking this to @Bronty specifically; just using his message to discuss the point rhetorically.

Generally I think artists like doing new things. You do get the opposite occasionally. I got up with a veteran artist about 6 months ago about a commission and he entertained the convo, but when I requested characters he had done an issue of back in the day, he wasn’t interested. I thanked him and moved on, but he does the same 4 or 5 characters over and over (expertly, but still) so I thought he might enjoy the change. Nope. Not to be, and I’m ok with that. 

[Blastaar]

You struck a nerve at the wrong time. Most likely had nothing to do with you. I had Bob McLeod tell me “I can tell you’re going to be a piece of work”. I laughed at the text and moved on. Brush it off and move along. 

[Garf]

On 5/30/2023 at 8:21 PM, Ryan. said:

Sakai would be thrilled to draw Groo since it's a property he enjoys and it's created by his good friend.

Yup. I 100% get the intended analogy, but it's hard pushed to be more faulty in the real world  Those two have a bromance.

I still think there is more that we can add to the conversation here too whilst we are all flirting with the topic of getting commissions.

Has anybody mentioned networking? It doesn't always have to be about emailing/messaging. There are plenty of artists out there at the top of their game who simply don't do commissions. Maybe they made it and just want to focus on what they enjoy, maybe they also have a career elsewhere and are too busy (film/tv), maybe they have 34,576 unread emails... but every now and again someone manages to get their attention. I doubt that it is mostly just a case of right place and right time. There have been three on my list for the past 9 - 10 years and networking at conventions has helped me get one of them done, I am a bit closer on the second one... and... well JHW3 remains an enigma.

Where I have really struggled though is asking artists that are mostly, if not exclusively, digital for traditional art. I read quite a few web comics and only have art from one of them. Would love to get something K6BD related https://killsixbilliondemons.com/comic/kill-six-billion-demons-chapter-4/

[Dr. Balls]

On 5/30/2023 at 9:31 PM, Garf said:

...maybe they have 34,576 unread emails...

I have no networking going on, so I am one of those 34,576 emails that have gone unread on the majority of artists I contact. But, I imagine between all the conventions and appearances, their commission time is scooped up and there's little left for the people who have to contact them via email.

[Will_K]

On 5/30/2023 at 11:31 PM, Garf said:

I read quite a few web comics and only have art from one of them. Would love to get something K6BD related https://killsixbilliondemons.com/comic/kill-six-billion-demons-chapter-4/

Maybe ask the inker.

Edited May 31, 2023 by Will_K

[Blastaar]

Two bits of advice for anyone getting a commission. 
 

1. Know exactly what you want. Type up the scenario and add “feel free to use artistic freedom, I trust your eye.”
 

or 

2. Ask the artist who they are most comfortable creating or what character(s) are they “feeling” at this point and time. 

This, in my experience, has led to pleasant experiences.  

[The Voord]

On 5/31/2023 at 4:04 PM, Blastaar said:

Two bits of advice for anyone getting a commission. 
 

1. Know exactly what you want. Type up the scenario and add “feel free to use artistic freedom, I trust your eye.”
 

or 

2. Ask the artist who they are most comfortable creating or what character(s) are they “feeling” at this point and time. 

This, in my experience, has led to pleasant experiences.  

Not forgetting your commission bait . . . 

 

 

[Dr. Balls]

He might try getting his pens here…

 

[onlyweaknesskryptonite]

 

On 5/31/2023 at 4:13 PM, Dr. Balls said:

He might try getting his pens here…

 

[alxjhnsn]

On 5/31/2023 at 4:13 PM, Dr. Balls said:

He might try getting his pens here…

 

Especially funny from Dr. Balls.

[onlyweaknesskryptonite]

On 5/31/2023 at 9:44 PM, alxjhnsn said:

Especially funny from Dr. Balls.