https://lunahasawa996.livejournal.com/ ([identity profile] lunahasawa996.livejournal.com) wrote in [community profile] artistsbeware2_archive2018-07-16 02:17 pm
Entry tags:

Client with difficult circumstances - Advice needed

Edit: For everyone telling me to refund, i have previously stated that there was no transaction of funds due to me not having all the information. I wasnt going to send an invoice until I had everything i needed first.

So I gad a friend come to me wanting a $90 commission of their character and their GF's character. Sadly, their girlfriend lacks a reference sheet, and is making things very difficult for my friend to get artwork done by me as a result.

My friend was given information that was lacking major important details (namely color information and pattern details, they only inclyded body shape and breast size but didn't provide anything else that was of real importance such as a color pallet, fyr design, hair style, ect...) that he relayed back to me, and in an attempt to make it easier on my friend and save money, I offered to make his partner a reference sheet for the $90 instead. She refused but still wants art drawn of her character and to have her bf pay for it.

I personally dont like the idea of having to charge my friend a fee for not having a reference sheet (it's listed in my ToS to have one or be fined a $5 fee) because his partner refuses to get one made. I want to draw the art because he wants to make it a gift for his partner, but his partner is making it both difficult for him in the sense of giving inproper information/facts about the character to relay back to me, and myself on the matter of "I dont want to be held respobsible for drawing a character wrong because she lacks a reference sheet."

I was trying to be nice and offer an easy alternative that will not only help me, but furture artists who are tasked with drawing this character as well who like reference sheets and make it easier on my friend in the long run.

My problem now that i need advice on, is what do i do when a client wants art of x-character as a gift but their partner is making it extreemly difficult for my client and myself on getting a proper transaction and order to be made? Do I step away and decline the offer and miss a chance on making a sale, or do I try to draw the art and risk an unhappy client as a result of improper information? I've expressed my concerns that this person is making it very difficult on my friend and i, but im ultimately at a loss on what else to do. I've never had to deal with this sort of problem before in a long time if at all where a client wants art but their partner is making a normally easy process suddenly very difficult.

Advice is very much appreciated.

[identity profile] bornesb.livejournal.com 2018-07-16 09:39 pm (UTC)(link)

Cancel the commission and back away now. (and refund the full amount)

Alternatively, you could give your friend (and/or their partner) links to free reference sheet line arts (a lot of them I've listed in an FA journal here: http://lines.khat.us )

Tell them to color it themselves and only when they get back to you with it, will you be okay with continuing the commission. If they refuse to do this compromise, just back away from the commission and issue a refund.


Me personally, I would just back away because if the partner is hard to deal with now then it is very likely they will not be happy with the resulting finished artwork, no matter what you do.

But it is your choice.

[identity profile] jamesalesto.livejournal.com 2018-07-16 09:52 pm (UTC)(link)
This is good advice. If you continue trying to work blind, then you risk harming your friendship if their partner isn't happy.

[identity profile] gatekat.livejournal.com 2018-07-16 10:12 pm (UTC)(link)
IMO that's a good way to handle it.

[identity profile] aerospiritual.livejournal.com 2018-07-17 01:07 am (UTC)(link)
I came here to post p. much this entirely.
OP, if their partner isn't willing to even fill in a free ref/template[there are free programs like GIMP or trial versions of larger programs], then you should just refund ASAP.