The Endless Forest has a lot of amazing artists, lets face it, we have some seriously talented members. Many of these members are gracious enough to accept requests of their art work. Sadly, as with anything, when there is a chance of getting something for free, respect and polite behavior can get thrown by the wayside. I've seen this happening a bit so I figured I'd blog about it.

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How to Request Art
Asking for art isn't all that different than asking for anything else, but here are a few tips that can smooth over the process;

-Be polite! The artist is doing this for free, but they should be getting your respect.

-Stop and Read! Don't jump when you read the words "Taking Requests!" take a minute to read through what the artist is offering. They might have restrictions or a form you need to fill out for them with relevant information.

-Respect the List! If an artist has only opened so many slots, do not ask anyway. If they have a waiting list, this is fine, but don't ask to be 'squeezed in'.

-Supply Details! Don't just throw your hand in the air and shout "ME!" Compose your comment and give the artist all the information they need, link to a reference or biography page.

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The Different Types
There are four main ways to get art for yourself;

-The Gift Art: This is given to you as a gift. You do not ask for this.

-The Request: You ask for an artist to make something for you and they do so for free.

-The Art-Trade: Much like a request but you return the favor by making art in return.

-The Commission: Much like a request but you are paying the artist to produce art for you.

As both artists and those seeking art, be clear about what you are offering. I see the term 'commission' getting used a lot when really people mean 'requests' and this is a huge difference; one that can lead to people getting confused/ripped off!

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How to Commission
As a commissioner you are entering into the exchange of money in order to receive custom art drawn for you by the artist of your choice. As such this is usually taken much more seriously than a request and there are steps to follow for both commissioner and artist.

Artist Edition
So you have chosen to offer out your artistic talents in exchange for monetary gain? Congratulations! However here are some tips and hints to keep in mind;

-Organize! Know what you will be drawing, how much you will be charging, how you will be receiving payment, and how much you will be charging before opening for commissions.

-Be Comfortable! Know what it is that you are or are not good at drawing and inform your commissioners of this. Do not give false impressions of your skills.

-Stay Consistent! If two commissioners pay you the same amount of money for the same type of picture, they should both get something equal in value. Don't short change customers, and don't over-change either.

-Easy Does it! Don't bite off more than you can chew, the quality of your art will suffer if you are stressed and your commissioners won't appreciate that.


Commissioner Edition
So you have chosen to commission an artist for a custom work of art? That's great! Here are some things to keep in mind;

-Inform the Artist! Give the artist all the information you can. The more they know about what you want, the less likely you'll have an unhappy surprise later on.

-Contact Info! Make sure you and your artist exchange contact information so you can get in touch if details change or something comes up.

-Get a Time Estimate! Ask your artist for an estimate on how long your commission should take. What you think might take a week could take a month, prevent unfortunate surprises.

-Have the Money! Make sure you either have the money before hand or will be getting it from a reliable source. Few artists are cool with I.O.Us.

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That's all I can think of for the moment, but I hope some of this (especially the part about request etiquette!) will remind you to respect your friendly neighborhood artist...And you, artist, help break the cruel stereotype of the snobbish artist. Be a friendly artist and make the world a better place!