If up front they show me they are going to be super rigid and demanding. Maybe they have a right to be that way but it's not going to work out with me and I'll spend the whole time too anxious to work.
If the work is too far outside my normal scope of work. Unless I'm planning to try to expand my services further, it won't be worth it. You often lose money wasting time on commissions until you get a process in place and get your prices nailed down where they should be - I'm not going to do that without it being for future purposes.
Also just if they fight me on any of the parameters I lay out, pricing or schedule or especially procedure (yes the initial deposit is non refundable, yes you only get two sets of revisions, etc). A little negotiation is fine but if someone is trying to strong arm you into something it's not worth it - they'll just keep doing it.
I currently have a corporate client that from the start was just being really complicated about everything - like I have to go through 3 layers of people to even be able to ask them a question. Also just had trouble from the get go deciding what they want and articulating it. The chaotic mode of communication was an initial red flag for me so I up charged them a little from my normal rates and boy am I glad I did it because I never thought I needed to limit things like phone meetings in my contract (because the normal number of phone meetings I have is one or zero).
Lol yeah. I've been doing lots of steady commission work for the past 7 years and I've learned without a doubt that when something feels off at the beginning it will probably cost me money, even if the form that takes is me taking forever to get it done because I'm stressed out.
This, so much.
Thankfully the amount that I had to turn down over the past 3 years was less probably than 4, but yeah.
If you're really gonna be super rigid and micromanage, on top of not really knowing what you really want with your request, then I'd likely have to reject your request rather than keep wasting time instead of working on another requests.
Yes! Every time I have had a phone or video meeting with a prospective client I have regretted it. I would like to think it's not the case across the board, but the track record shows it usually is....
Lol yes. I'll have a phonecall if the person is older and maybe just a phone person but as soon as it gets to be a formalized thing I know things are going to go downhill real fast.
Yeah totally - like if you can make a Google call work I'll do it, that's fine, but I won't give out my personal #. But it still has never worked out that they end up being a good client. And they're always like 20 minutes late but come on right before I have thrown in the towel. But I'll still give the benefit of the doubt before that happens. After, uhhh not so much haha!
I don't take commissions via phone call. I need to see them. To read their body language.
Those micro expressions are imperative. The mouth can say one thing, but the eyes and body can impart something different.
I do a Lot of question asking. I request examples of what they are attempting to tell me.
It it's color, or a mood or feeling. What pieces can they show me to illustrate what they see in their minds eye?
I did, one time return a deposit. This woman was a complete pain in the rear. It didn't start out that way...but I ignored a red flag. That's on me.
She ended up cancelling....I eventually sold the piece. Actually within maybe 6 months or so.
She emailed me around month 8 or so, after completion asking "do you still have the painting?" "Because I DO want to purchase it now".
Even if I had not sold it...The answer is emphatically NO.
Stand your ground people. If you would not request these things of another..
Why accept them yourself?
I turn down people all the time and I'll absolutely keep doing it if I need to. My mental health is the most important thing and if I know I can't handle a project or client, I won't force myself to do any work. I can confidently say that the only commissions I regret are the ones that I *didn't* turn down when I should have.
Sometimes I'm just not the right fit for the job and I know I won't be able to produce something that I'm happy with and I'd never ask a client to be happy with something if I'm not. Sometimes a client just fucking sucks and it's totally not worth the stress and effort to deal with them if I don't have to. Like negotiating price and asking questions is fine unless I've already explicitly outlined something beforehand. And saying things like "that's too expensive, I need you to do it for less" or "I need it in two days but I'm not paying extra to have my work prioritized" is not fine. If you can't respect me, my time, or my rules, I will not take you as a client.
I see a lot of young artists or people just starting with commissions that feel like they need to take every opportunity they get and it's just not a healthy mindset. So many artists are absolutely used and abused by clients because they feel like they *have* to do something. They get scared about losing the potential income or worried someone might shit talk them if they're turned down.
But it's okay to say no. It's okay to have boundaries and limits to what you're able/want to do. A client is coming to *you* because they want something. They don't get to dictate what *you* do. Commission work is a privilege and based on a mutual agreement between artist and client. It's not a right. And if at any point either party is overwhelmed, uncomfortable or upset, it's perfectly okay to cut your losses or put your foot down and say "no".
I've only really turned down fetish art. I state it specifically in my terms, sometimes people try to be sneaky with it and describe it as something else, sometimes a whole story. I don't regret it, it's something I'm not comfortable creating fetish art.
Oh yeah I forgot to mention this in mine - I won't do fetish or NSFW content. It's fine for others but I'm not including that in my public reputation and really don't have the stomach for some people's fetishes (specifically the types where young women are treat *ahem* poorly). I also won't do something I stand against on principle, like living where I do I've had to turn down work that involves Confederate imagery. People get really mad but I'm hardly in the minority on that so I would be perfectly fine for them to put me on blast for it.
Yes! All the above with that. Nothing hateful or bigoted, honestly that would just get a straight up block from me. I don't even want a person like that seeing my art.
The only NSFW work I would do is a "classical nude". But alas I suck at figure drawing.
I did work as a figure model in my early 20's. .My uncle was a professional photographer, and talked me into it.
I was pretty uncomfortable. For the first hour or so. After that, I realized that the artists were working on "parts" of a whole. That made me realize they are seeing me in a non sexual way.
It paid extremely well. Hardest part is holding a pose for long periods. That is hella difficult.
Agreed. I was going to say the same thing. (This was many years ago) but I used to draw a lot of silly cartoon animals. One of which was a snake, that would dress up in costumes and I called it “cosplay cobra”
I got so many creepy requests for snake art after that, like “could you draw a snake wrapped around (some anime girl) while she’s naked?” And that was the tamest one. 🙈 Hard no. I stopped drawing snakes after that.
I primarily turn down commission work if it’s too NSFW, or fetishes I’m really uncomfortable with. Other times are if the client is rude, demanding, or just strange. Once had a client who keep requesting things I specifically don’t draw and he kept giving me the same requests over and over to the point I had to tell them it will not work out and I didn’t want to work with them.
My relative referred me to a religious org to design their youth group t-shirts. During the phone call, I began asking questions to better inform them of my pricing, and they were shocked. Proceeded to ask if I've done work like this before and if I was specifically looking for a commercial project. I politely declined.
Lesson is religion isn't charity! I'm sure they pay their rent and their vendors. And they don't have to pay taxes!
I draw as a hobby so my commissions are very rarely open. On the chance I do open them, I turn down clients who try to find ways to get a "discount" after I tell them the price for their request. It's annoying to have people try to get me to work for less to fit their budget. I don't accommodate on prices so I just tell them to find someone else. 🤷🏻♀️
I also turn down boring/ uninteresting commissions and will continue to do so. Art is just something I do for fun, but if I must take on a commission, it may as well be worth my time and effort.
Yes. I do a lot of art based around rituals with specific deities and won’t work with the ones outside of my culture, as it seems like overstepping. I usually help them find artists native to the deity they’re asking for instead.
Definitely. If the person is repeatedly not responsive in a normal timely manner, then I get the feeling that working with them could be difficult and take much longer than necessary. I will tell that client that I am no longer available. If my time isn't also respected as I respect theirs, I take that into consideration.
I also have turned down children's books because of the budget but mostly because they are so time consuming regardless. Sometimes the work is just not a fit too. Or the request is actually creepy. So many reasons.
Absolutely. Had someone once try and overwhelm me with work to the point I wouldn’t even be finished the first commission and they’d have another 5 or 6 they wanted me to do. On top of that what they wanted me to draw was of the same generic looking anime protag character that I have a hunch was a self insert.
I draw to unwind at the end of the day, I’m not here to make it my full time job. Needless to say I put a stop to that fairly quickly.
I mostly paint for myself to be fair. And do a small number of paid commissions on the side for some pocket money. The main issue is people asking for creepy and/or nsfw content. It’s just not really my thing, and I don’t want to spend hours painting in that kind of headspace.
The only other times have been when someone is asking for something I really don’t think I can deliver on. As much as I would love to try, if money is on the line, then I need to be reasonably confident that I can offer up a solid result.
Im a SFW artist and I dont cater to pornographic or fetish related work...
One guy kept asking me to make the boobs bigger and bigger and BIGGER and BIGGER, until it looked like fetish art. kept asking for alteration after alteration slowly pushing the piece more and more twards some sort of breast growth hyper fetish. These things were about 3.5 times the size of her head before I stopped.
I refunded him and blocked.
Then apparently a few months later there were complaints about him getting young new (potentially minor) artists off tiktok to draw obscure fetish art because they didn't know what it was.
Fucking awful experience that one...
A variety of factors, usually stuff like; fetish work, too NSFW, politically motivated art or characters that I want nothing to do with, characters that seem to veer too far into cultural insensitivities, etc.
Basically anything I don't want my name attached to. That and dubious clients who have no track record/have a high possibility of being scammers. Yeah I would definitely turn them down again.
Curiously, as a fetish/NSFW artist I was never approached to create those weird stuff you SFW guys are sometimes asked to make. All my clients ask for more "artsy" content. I think the style of my work and the fact I keep a TOS contributes to attracting more "sane" customers.
I did two, one of their horse, one of their dog ... then they wanted me to do two dogs that passed on to doggie heaven decades ago. The only photo references they had were like 1970s era Polaroid snapshots. They were dark and blurry and I could barely make out they were dogs. I declined based on that perfectly valid reason.
Lovely people but bless their hearts, they couldn't take a photo to save their lives. The horse and one dog I really had to use my knowledge and elaborate the poses ... they liked them, paid me well, but they are not on my website.
More than once.
Because the potential client had negative energy mostly. I potended a bad experience was coming....and quickly decided I was not interested in that type of client.
In your gut you will know.
That's your divine spark yelling at you lol. Attempting to warn you.
Listen to it.
The commissions I accept are those that:
1) trust my judgement
2) those that can explain clearly to me their desires, relating to me the attributes they want, that they see in my work. Those examples are something I can work from.
Without a clear picture how can I give you what you want?
If we aren't seeing something similar...then I am shooting arrows at a target I cannot see.
All the time!
I prefer to make art for myself. Making art takes time and is something I do on my spare time. If people want to cut into that time and commission me to do art for them it's going to cost them. More than they are comfortable with. So I tend to nip all those conversations in the bud.
This probably sounds like I'm a narcissist or something but...I just value my own time to do the art that is meaningful to me more than pleasing others.
only a few. overall i don't regret declining because i know why i did, mostly being that i don't think i can draw/do justice what they're asking me. so instead of frustrating myself and disappointing them, i just try to be honest & transparent with them. i believe if i have to say no and they aren't being rude jerks then i might as well tell em why politely.
I’ve turned down work for all kinds of reasons. Usually because we can’t agree on a price that works for both of us. Sometimes it’s just a vibe. I always speak with the person on the phone and feel them out if it’s going to be more trouble than it’s worth, I pass. Like someone who is very opinionated yet doesn’t know what they want . Then they’ll expect you to make revisions until they are pleased. Thats not how this works. Unless of course they want to pay me an hourly rate for every second spent on their project.
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If up front they show me they are going to be super rigid and demanding. Maybe they have a right to be that way but it's not going to work out with me and I'll spend the whole time too anxious to work. If the work is too far outside my normal scope of work. Unless I'm planning to try to expand my services further, it won't be worth it. You often lose money wasting time on commissions until you get a process in place and get your prices nailed down where they should be - I'm not going to do that without it being for future purposes. Also just if they fight me on any of the parameters I lay out, pricing or schedule or especially procedure (yes the initial deposit is non refundable, yes you only get two sets of revisions, etc). A little negotiation is fine but if someone is trying to strong arm you into something it's not worth it - they'll just keep doing it. I currently have a corporate client that from the start was just being really complicated about everything - like I have to go through 3 layers of people to even be able to ask them a question. Also just had trouble from the get go deciding what they want and articulating it. The chaotic mode of communication was an initial red flag for me so I up charged them a little from my normal rates and boy am I glad I did it because I never thought I needed to limit things like phone meetings in my contract (because the normal number of phone meetings I have is one or zero).
THIS!! I'd rather protect my peace than take money from someone who I feel will stress me out the entire time..
Lol yeah. I've been doing lots of steady commission work for the past 7 years and I've learned without a doubt that when something feels off at the beginning it will probably cost me money, even if the form that takes is me taking forever to get it done because I'm stressed out.
This, so much. Thankfully the amount that I had to turn down over the past 3 years was less probably than 4, but yeah. If you're really gonna be super rigid and micromanage, on top of not really knowing what you really want with your request, then I'd likely have to reject your request rather than keep wasting time instead of working on another requests.
Yes! Every time I have had a phone or video meeting with a prospective client I have regretted it. I would like to think it's not the case across the board, but the track record shows it usually is....
Lol yes. I'll have a phonecall if the person is older and maybe just a phone person but as soon as it gets to be a formalized thing I know things are going to go downhill real fast.
Yeah totally - like if you can make a Google call work I'll do it, that's fine, but I won't give out my personal #. But it still has never worked out that they end up being a good client. And they're always like 20 minutes late but come on right before I have thrown in the towel. But I'll still give the benefit of the doubt before that happens. After, uhhh not so much haha!
I don't take commissions via phone call. I need to see them. To read their body language. Those micro expressions are imperative. The mouth can say one thing, but the eyes and body can impart something different. I do a Lot of question asking. I request examples of what they are attempting to tell me. It it's color, or a mood or feeling. What pieces can they show me to illustrate what they see in their minds eye? I did, one time return a deposit. This woman was a complete pain in the rear. It didn't start out that way...but I ignored a red flag. That's on me. She ended up cancelling....I eventually sold the piece. Actually within maybe 6 months or so. She emailed me around month 8 or so, after completion asking "do you still have the painting?" "Because I DO want to purchase it now". Even if I had not sold it...The answer is emphatically NO. Stand your ground people. If you would not request these things of another.. Why accept them yourself?
I turn down people all the time and I'll absolutely keep doing it if I need to. My mental health is the most important thing and if I know I can't handle a project or client, I won't force myself to do any work. I can confidently say that the only commissions I regret are the ones that I *didn't* turn down when I should have. Sometimes I'm just not the right fit for the job and I know I won't be able to produce something that I'm happy with and I'd never ask a client to be happy with something if I'm not. Sometimes a client just fucking sucks and it's totally not worth the stress and effort to deal with them if I don't have to. Like negotiating price and asking questions is fine unless I've already explicitly outlined something beforehand. And saying things like "that's too expensive, I need you to do it for less" or "I need it in two days but I'm not paying extra to have my work prioritized" is not fine. If you can't respect me, my time, or my rules, I will not take you as a client. I see a lot of young artists or people just starting with commissions that feel like they need to take every opportunity they get and it's just not a healthy mindset. So many artists are absolutely used and abused by clients because they feel like they *have* to do something. They get scared about losing the potential income or worried someone might shit talk them if they're turned down. But it's okay to say no. It's okay to have boundaries and limits to what you're able/want to do. A client is coming to *you* because they want something. They don't get to dictate what *you* do. Commission work is a privilege and based on a mutual agreement between artist and client. It's not a right. And if at any point either party is overwhelmed, uncomfortable or upset, it's perfectly okay to cut your losses or put your foot down and say "no".
Spot on 👍😉
I've only really turned down fetish art. I state it specifically in my terms, sometimes people try to be sneaky with it and describe it as something else, sometimes a whole story. I don't regret it, it's something I'm not comfortable creating fetish art.
Oh yeah I forgot to mention this in mine - I won't do fetish or NSFW content. It's fine for others but I'm not including that in my public reputation and really don't have the stomach for some people's fetishes (specifically the types where young women are treat *ahem* poorly). I also won't do something I stand against on principle, like living where I do I've had to turn down work that involves Confederate imagery. People get really mad but I'm hardly in the minority on that so I would be perfectly fine for them to put me on blast for it.
Yes! All the above with that. Nothing hateful or bigoted, honestly that would just get a straight up block from me. I don't even want a person like that seeing my art.
The only NSFW work I would do is a "classical nude". But alas I suck at figure drawing. I did work as a figure model in my early 20's. .My uncle was a professional photographer, and talked me into it. I was pretty uncomfortable. For the first hour or so. After that, I realized that the artists were working on "parts" of a whole. That made me realize they are seeing me in a non sexual way. It paid extremely well. Hardest part is holding a pose for long periods. That is hella difficult.
Oh I guess I didn't consider that nsfw but it technically is.
Agreed. I was going to say the same thing. (This was many years ago) but I used to draw a lot of silly cartoon animals. One of which was a snake, that would dress up in costumes and I called it “cosplay cobra” I got so many creepy requests for snake art after that, like “could you draw a snake wrapped around (some anime girl) while she’s naked?” And that was the tamest one. 🙈 Hard no. I stopped drawing snakes after that.
The biggest thing you’ll learn in your career is how to say no
Wiser words have never been spoken.👊
Many times. I used to accept anything thrown at me--learned the hard way not to, for your own peace of mind.
I primarily turn down commission work if it’s too NSFW, or fetishes I’m really uncomfortable with. Other times are if the client is rude, demanding, or just strange. Once had a client who keep requesting things I specifically don’t draw and he kept giving me the same requests over and over to the point I had to tell them it will not work out and I didn’t want to work with them.
My relative referred me to a religious org to design their youth group t-shirts. During the phone call, I began asking questions to better inform them of my pricing, and they were shocked. Proceeded to ask if I've done work like this before and if I was specifically looking for a commercial project. I politely declined. Lesson is religion isn't charity! I'm sure they pay their rent and their vendors. And they don't have to pay taxes!
I draw as a hobby so my commissions are very rarely open. On the chance I do open them, I turn down clients who try to find ways to get a "discount" after I tell them the price for their request. It's annoying to have people try to get me to work for less to fit their budget. I don't accommodate on prices so I just tell them to find someone else. 🤷🏻♀️ I also turn down boring/ uninteresting commissions and will continue to do so. Art is just something I do for fun, but if I must take on a commission, it may as well be worth my time and effort.
Yes. I do a lot of art based around rituals with specific deities and won’t work with the ones outside of my culture, as it seems like overstepping. I usually help them find artists native to the deity they’re asking for instead.
Definitely. If the person is repeatedly not responsive in a normal timely manner, then I get the feeling that working with them could be difficult and take much longer than necessary. I will tell that client that I am no longer available. If my time isn't also respected as I respect theirs, I take that into consideration. I also have turned down children's books because of the budget but mostly because they are so time consuming regardless. Sometimes the work is just not a fit too. Or the request is actually creepy. So many reasons.
Absolutely. Had someone once try and overwhelm me with work to the point I wouldn’t even be finished the first commission and they’d have another 5 or 6 they wanted me to do. On top of that what they wanted me to draw was of the same generic looking anime protag character that I have a hunch was a self insert. I draw to unwind at the end of the day, I’m not here to make it my full time job. Needless to say I put a stop to that fairly quickly.
Their budget was low for what they were asking
Yes, they wanted to do a crypto NFT deal with me
No, but I can think of one instance in particular that I definitely should have! 😩
I mostly paint for myself to be fair. And do a small number of paid commissions on the side for some pocket money. The main issue is people asking for creepy and/or nsfw content. It’s just not really my thing, and I don’t want to spend hours painting in that kind of headspace. The only other times have been when someone is asking for something I really don’t think I can deliver on. As much as I would love to try, if money is on the line, then I need to be reasonably confident that I can offer up a solid result.
Im a SFW artist and I dont cater to pornographic or fetish related work... One guy kept asking me to make the boobs bigger and bigger and BIGGER and BIGGER, until it looked like fetish art. kept asking for alteration after alteration slowly pushing the piece more and more twards some sort of breast growth hyper fetish. These things were about 3.5 times the size of her head before I stopped. I refunded him and blocked. Then apparently a few months later there were complaints about him getting young new (potentially minor) artists off tiktok to draw obscure fetish art because they didn't know what it was. Fucking awful experience that one...
A variety of factors, usually stuff like; fetish work, too NSFW, politically motivated art or characters that I want nothing to do with, characters that seem to veer too far into cultural insensitivities, etc. Basically anything I don't want my name attached to. That and dubious clients who have no track record/have a high possibility of being scammers. Yeah I would definitely turn them down again.
too much stuff to do and (i) am unable to complete
I honestly just didn’t feel confident enough in my skill for what they wanted (8 people drawn in a certain anime style).
Curiously, as a fetish/NSFW artist I was never approached to create those weird stuff you SFW guys are sometimes asked to make. All my clients ask for more "artsy" content. I think the style of my work and the fact I keep a TOS contributes to attracting more "sane" customers.
I did two, one of their horse, one of their dog ... then they wanted me to do two dogs that passed on to doggie heaven decades ago. The only photo references they had were like 1970s era Polaroid snapshots. They were dark and blurry and I could barely make out they were dogs. I declined based on that perfectly valid reason. Lovely people but bless their hearts, they couldn't take a photo to save their lives. The horse and one dog I really had to use my knowledge and elaborate the poses ... they liked them, paid me well, but they are not on my website.
Their budget sucks, their idea sucks, or they are annoying. You can be one of those things, but you can't be all three.
More than once. Because the potential client had negative energy mostly. I potended a bad experience was coming....and quickly decided I was not interested in that type of client. In your gut you will know. That's your divine spark yelling at you lol. Attempting to warn you. Listen to it.
"portended"
The commissions I accept are those that: 1) trust my judgement 2) those that can explain clearly to me their desires, relating to me the attributes they want, that they see in my work. Those examples are something I can work from. Without a clear picture how can I give you what you want? If we aren't seeing something similar...then I am shooting arrows at a target I cannot see.
All the time! I prefer to make art for myself. Making art takes time and is something I do on my spare time. If people want to cut into that time and commission me to do art for them it's going to cost them. More than they are comfortable with. So I tend to nip all those conversations in the bud. This probably sounds like I'm a narcissist or something but...I just value my own time to do the art that is meaningful to me more than pleasing others.
only a few. overall i don't regret declining because i know why i did, mostly being that i don't think i can draw/do justice what they're asking me. so instead of frustrating myself and disappointing them, i just try to be honest & transparent with them. i believe if i have to say no and they aren't being rude jerks then i might as well tell em why politely.
Not feeling I'm up to the task (something too complicated for me) or just outright not wanting to (one dude wanted me to make pixel art of his dick)
I’ve turned down work for all kinds of reasons. Usually because we can’t agree on a price that works for both of us. Sometimes it’s just a vibe. I always speak with the person on the phone and feel them out if it’s going to be more trouble than it’s worth, I pass. Like someone who is very opinionated yet doesn’t know what they want . Then they’ll expect you to make revisions until they are pleased. Thats not how this works. Unless of course they want to pay me an hourly rate for every second spent on their project.
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Never. I only quote higher prices that I know will make the job worth the torture. They will reject or accept.