for commissioners.
1. be ready to pay upfront
2. Research the artist before hand and see if they have a few commissions as is.
3. don't commission a lot at once from an artist you've just started dealing with it's risky and looks shady.
4. You might get burned it Happens, remember to not commission em again and move on.
5. try and be pleasant, this ain't retail you can be told to go fuck yourself, also generally no excessive edits. They can't rip the picture straight from your head no matter the amount of details.
6. Delays happen there's a line but it's hard at times to tell where the line is.
7. anyone who says anything about payment in exposure looks like a clown and not a funny one either. anyone popular enough to have the level of exposure that it could be considered payment would just have the money to pay for it easily anyways.
8. always remember the artists you commission are people with feelings don't be a dick.

for artists
1. Always get paid upfront the moment you take commission.
2. Set the pay and size in stone from the get go. a lot of scamming occurs from wanting to change things. flexible for if you know em or have had a lot of commissions done in the past.
3. Know your limit and stay within it, you are not a machine the human brain is a hunk of bacon floating in a skull hallucinating algebra point is Weird shit happens and you will get worn down. Burnout is the biggest source of artists just going poof for good.
4. have boundaries it varies from artist to artist but there are going to be people that push, act dickish or just plain rub ya the wrong way It happens. don't bend over backwards constantly for somebody being a pain you will just end up mentally twisted into a pretzel by the end of it and salty as hell long after. Refund em if ya gotta it just ain't worth the fucking trouble sometimes.
5. There's a sort of dance to the back and forth commissioners come in all types, some want to be your friend some want to rush through it and are nervous others treat it as a pure cold business transaction. you gotta figure out how you wanna do that dance. attitude is important both as artist and commissioner. the way you act will both turn some away and draw the types that want that kind of attitude. an artists community tends to reflect the artist.
6. IRL comes first Always but keep the commissioners updated they don't need the whole story but don't leave em feeling like their screaming into the void.
7. don't let your anxiety or negative thoughts control how you feel about yourself as an artist. anxiety is a pain the subconscious is cruel and most artists and writers are very creative the problem is the subconscious uses that extra creativity to tear ya down. perfection doesn't exist you will forever climb the creative mountain of your choice until you choose to stop.
8. Keep your commission price system Clean cut and CLEAR to the viewer. As dumbed down and simple as you can make it. misunderstandings here suck and waste your time and in some cases almost make the commissioners feel scammed. Clearly define what you will not draw. add in what you LIKE to draw that draws in people too.

also just a bit of advice IMO the more hoops you make someone have to jump through to actually commission the more they might just go to someone else.
yes the info is important but using forms can feel at times like your taking some of the human warmth out it is as best as I can describe it. just kinda feels cold, makes my hype to get something die a lot.




don't try to copy the process others use for their commission it might help you get started but it might not *Fit* you. every creator is different.

Some like to sporadically open and close commissions allowing bursts,
keep it open but only have a certain number of slots.
some operate with bids and YCH's.
others have made a machine like efficiency using a mix of YCH with bids and repeating YCH's.
some use gumroad others teasing images with patreon as the only way to get the full image ever.
point is you got almost as many ways to have your system work as there are styles.

Yes it will be annoying Yes it will at times suck but eventually when you find the way you mesh with and it fits just right you will start getting into your groove.

always move your money from paypal to your bank account ASAP paypal does shady BS and holds it for a LONG time if your account has the trigger pulled on it.

And finally Do not be afraid to change how you do things. change comes for all weather we want it to or not it's a part of life.