Beware- A year for a sketch?

[evil-pigeon.livejournal.com]

So I pretty much only joined this site to post on this group x
I went to a convention in August 2009 where I commissioned keicaiayan.deviantart.com at her table after looking at some of her images in her portfolio. I loved her style and her prices were cheap, so I paid up front a $7 one character lineart commission of an OC. I sent her the ref sheet of my character via note on deviantArt, which she acknowledged she received. Then I heard absolutely nothing from her for the next year. I was a little miffed, but she sent me a note on my dA a few days before the con the next year, claiming she had a really rough year, offered to give me my picture at the con, and offered a refund or a free picture img269.imageshack.us/i/lazyb.jpg/. I was a little suspicious because it seemed she still had time and didn't feel crappy enough to post up pictures of her dolls on her dA. But  I decided to give her the benefit of the doubt, said it was ok and I understood and that I'd pick up my picture at the con. When I went to the artists' section (which was only in a short hotel hallway), she was not there. I asked several other artists, and they had no idea. I checked back right before the convention closed and finally found her. After a year of waiting, she gave me my picture. I said I'd take her up on the offer of a free picture, this time asking for her to draw my boyfriend (he asked another artist there the last year, but the guy seemed to not even notice that he was standing in front of him). She took a picture of him, wrote down my address, and said I would get it in two weeks.
It's been almost 6 months and I had heard absolutely NOTHING from KeiCaiAyan. Regardless of how small my commission is, I still paid her money and tried to be sympathetic after waiting an entire year. She has my dA username AND my address, so I know she knows how to get a hold of me. She shouldn't take commissions if she didn't think she'd have the time, or at least have the courtesy to apologize have time. I'm pretty ticked off, to say the least.

Comments

[armaina.livejournal.com]

Okay so.. breaking this down if I'm understanding correctly.. You paid 7$ for a lineart commission. A year later you got that line art. Which means the commission has been done. But what you're angry about is that she didn't do the free sketch she offered. (aside from the lineart being late)

Yes, it's terrible that it took a year, (though to be honest it sounds like she finished it long before but just didn't get it to you) but you still received what you paid for, even if you didn't get the free sketch.

The warning about the wait is understandable, but I'd just let the free sketch go.

[shukivengeance.livejournal.com]

I'm with the above, the beware for the sketch is legit but the transaction is closed now and the freebie is unlikely to materialize. I'm surprised you even accepted the offer considering how long it took to get the first one.

[ryunwoofie.livejournal.com]

Agreed w/ others. Even if an artist says there gonna give a freebie.. it's FREE they do it on there own time. You can't bitch and moan about free art.. :\ And doing so will definitely postpone it longer if not getting it period.

[ocelotish]

I'm going to second the freebie is free sentiment. You got what you paid for, late, but you got it. The other thing I'm worried about is the communication. It might just be missing from the write up, but it doesn't seem like you ever contacted the artist. If you're really worried about the freebie or were worried about the commission, you should give the artist a nudge. I'd much rather a commissioner did that than post a beware about me.

[zackfig.livejournal.com]

It should be noted that there are artists that only respond -after- a beware post.

[ocelotish]

Of course, but I don't see once instance of the OP saying that they contacted the artist after the initial request or the sending of reference.

[zackfig.livejournal.com]

True dat.

[ocelotish]

It looks like she did apologize too.

[grygon.livejournal.com]

Doesn't sound like much communication has gone on here. Have/Did you at all contact her during the year/6 months?

I am not sympathetic to the complaint about not getting free art. I do free art and once I hear of someone groaning about not getting it or how long it took they are never contacted by me again. It's free, why complain? :(

[xianjaguar.livejournal.com]

Sure you're not a troll? :/ This just smacks of trolling to me. New LJ account, and the pettiest story I have ever heard ($7 commission in which the commission *was delivered* and then the complaints about not getting free art begin).

If you ARE legit, then eesh, chill. You got your commission. It was only $7. Yes, the artist said they'd do a free pic for you, but that's on THEIR discretion. It's a gift. They don't owe you free art, and since you got your commission, and since it was only $7, you don't really have the right to complain about said artist in this community (except for the length of time it took to get your actual paid commission, but even then, you'll probably only be seen as being petty).

[kayla-la.livejournal.com]

Whoa there. A commission is a commission, no matter how cheap it was, and going and calling someone a petty troll definitely hits our 'no flaming' rule, so please don't do that again.

It's also against the rules to complain in a post about the relevance of said post, as posts here are moderated and mod-approved. It was approved because the way the artist handled it was poor and a valid complaint, opinions on the free art bit aside.

Again, to be clear, you're free to disagree with the OP, but please be more polite about it. Thanks!

[xianjaguar.livejournal.com]

I respectfully disagree. Check out the LJ info. This seems like a true troll: Someone who created the account solely to post here. It was made today, and has no entries, no friends. And the case doesn't seem 'real'.

This isn't flaming, this is wondering if the person isn't 'real'.

[shukivengeance.livejournal.com]

It's not unheard of for people to create lj accounts just to post their story to this community.

[xianjaguar.livejournal.com]

I'm aware of that, but usually that happens in larger cases where the commission was never delivered and the commissioner was out money.

This is a dispute over FREE art, and the actual commission was already fulfilled and delivered. (Not that it doesn't happen for this, but just saying)

[shukivengeance.livejournal.com]

Well, our opinions may differ on this, but it took the artist a YEAR to produce a simple sketch. I think that fulfils the criteria for a beware because I really doubt many people would want to commission an artist like that. I sure wouldn't.

[kayla-la.livejournal.com]

See, a lot of people will have these issues but only hear about this group later, and they won't have an LJ. It's not unusual for people to come to us saying they made an LJ just to make a post here. They DID provide a screenshot in there, as well.

I agree it could have been written better. You are free to ask for more proof/screenshots, though, that's not against the rules.

[xianjaguar.livejournal.com]

Oh, and PS... My point (if it is a real case), is that the $7 commission WAS DELIVERED. The contract was fully fulfilled. I agree, it doesn't matter how small the commission is, the contract needs to be fulfilled - Which it was.

They don't have a right to complain about not getting free art, especially when the initial *fulfilled* contract was only for $7.00. That hardly merits the commission PLUS another free gift. If the artist chooses to deliver a free gift as well, it's up to their discretion, but in no way can the commissioner complain about it. Hope that clears that up.

[stormslegacy.livejournal.com]

I think a year is a bit of an extreme to wait though--not everyone wants to wait a year for a sketch. It's a pretty valid bad review on that point.

It's also pretty low to try to appease someone by offering free art and then never bringing it up again. I personally don't think that's OK.

[houndofloki.livejournal.com]

A year isn't really a reasonable amount of time to finish a simple sketch commission. That alone is a valid beware.

Offering someone additional art to apologize for your own extreme slowness and then just never giving it to them is a little tacky, but the real beware is the unreasonable wait time for the original purchase.