I see something I like that someone else drew, I take it, and I use that as an example to show an artist I'm commissioning.

I'm not commenting on the rest of the situation, but that seems really odd to me. I imagine that you have a character sheet or two, or at least a couple of good references of your character. It seems like that, along with a little information on what parts of the character you consider most important, would make more sense for everyone involved. (By details, I mean that to get your face in the dragon, you might say I like to see my high cheekbones and small forehead.)

It seems like there may be an issue with too much detail that the artist can't use (I don't know, but that's just the impression I'm getting) and it seems like the pictures by other artists are the ones that could be cut out really easily. If you have a good reference sheet of your character, you wouldn't really need them for the details of your characters. So I guess it seems like either detail oriented (Draw the calves like this!) or the more general style you want the artist to draw in. In either case that seems odd to me. I draw the way I draw and I can try alter it a bit if there's something in particular you want different, but I'd be upset if you wanted me to draw every body part like a different artist. If you like the style of the other artists' pictures, I'd be wondering why you were showing me those and telling me to do it that instead of just commissioning the original artist.

I've never seen your reference package, but that's just my thought from your description and the other comments in the thread. In light of my lack of personal experience, please take my thoughts with massive amounts of salt.