Unhappy with a commission....thoughts?

[Night (Travis) Nurse]

That Batman isn't even worth $200. For anything in that range I always take a look at other commission work the artist has done and communicate how much detail and background I want/expect for the price. Its tough, I know everyone else posted great ideas and there solid. I don't have much to add but recently I paid $200 for both a Shane White and Dustin Weaver commission and before doing so I had extensive e-mail conversations comparing other work they had done to what I could expect.

I received
Dustin Weaver


Shane White


Compared to that piece, the artist should be ashamed.

Travis

[JimN]

Travis, that commission Shane gave you is worth at least $500! Wow, that's nice...

Were either of those commissions created entirely during an actual convention? It sounds like they were pre-ordered and I'm guessing the artists did them at home (or at least began them at home).

Jim

[Night (Travis) Nurse]

Travis, that commission Shane gave you is worth at least $500! Wow, that's nice...

Were either of those commissions created entirely during an actual convention? It sounds like they were pre-ordered and I'm guessing the artists did them at home (or at least began them at home).

Jim

The Shane White was done pre show. But even still I had copnversations about what I could expect for $200. He had many examples on his web site.

The Weaver one is an example of a "done at the show" piece. Allthough I had talked to Dustin pre show and like Shane I saw what he did andhe told me what I could expect. He didnt start it untill I was at the show to varify that I would pick it up. He did that in one day on the con floor.

Travis

[Wood]

The Shane White was done pre show. But even still I had copnversations about what I could expect for $200. He had many examples on his web site.

The Weaver one is an example of a "done at the show" piece. Allthough I had talked to Dustin pre show and like Shane I saw what he did andhe told me what I could expect. He didnt start it untill I was at the show to varify that I would pick it up. He did that in one day on the con floor.

Travis

Those are obscenely high quality pieces.

I don't think I've ever arranged to pay $200 for a commission, but if I knew I was getting something like the two you showed off, I would certainly consider it.

[S. Earl]

Dustin Weaver is a beast. That is a stunning piece, and I have no idea how someone can bust something that intricate out with all the hustle and bustle of a con going on in the background.

[Pat Loika]

Man. That's a shame.

Whenever I pay 200 bucks for a commission, I expect pieces like these...

Dustin Weaver


Terry Dodson

[JimN]

The Shane White was done pre show. But even still I had copnversations about what I could expect for $200. He had many examples on his web site.

I figured Shane's was done pre-show. It has the look and refinement of a piece done outside of a con. Man, as far as I'm concerned you got a bargain!

The Weaver one is an example of a "done at the show" piece. Allthough I had talked to Dustin pre show and like Shane I saw what he did andhe told me what I could expect. He didnt start it untill I was at the show to varify that I would pick it up. He did that in one day on the con floor.

Impressive! Those are two excellent commissions.

[nilcam]

I've picked up a few commissions beyond sketch book pieces. Ben Templesmith did one for me and was incredibly cool about it. I made arrangements via email. I showed up at his table and let him know I was there and he prioritized the piece and asked me to come back in an hour. An hour later he shows me the piece and makes sure I am happy with it and then insists on shaking my hand before accepting payment. There's a lot of trust placed in an artist in these sort of circumstances. The other artists I've dealt with, mostly through the EOC forum, have been amazing.

I would have spoken with the artist at the con. That piece is quite bad, especially when compared to the Batman.

[bean6344]

Never paid more than $100.00 for any OA or commissions.  $100.00 just my own personal limit.   Here are some pieces that I have acquired over the years well under that price point (not all commissions)

JK Woodward


Andy Jewett


Jaime Hernandez ($10 off ebay!)


I have a handful of other examples, but I won't bore you.  my point is that there is a lot of good work out there on the cheap if you make connections and work a bit.  Happy hunting. 

[David]

And this is why patience is a virue.

 

[StringerTattoos]

I got quite a few commissions done at c2e2 this year. All of the pieces that were $100 or under I paid for up front. Most were only $60. For me, not a huge risk. The two pieces that were over $100 did not ask for any $$ up front.  I would have happily given it to them had they asked.
In every instance, I was quite familiar with their style, and felt that the artists were "safe bets".
I was astounded each and every time just how much quality work that I got in return for my dollars. My expectations were exceeded all weekend.
I understand the argument that being able to see a page, then deciding if it's worth the cash, is a more logical approach. But, so far for me, it doesn't beat the thrill of seeing your idea brought to life by a favorite creator.

[zack kruse]

And this is why patience is a virue.

 

Ba-dump-bump!

[Dean S.]

Terry Dodson

My god....I love that. 

[Splatoon]

Not to beat the gelatinous remains of this horse any further, but damn that is ugly. Thank god it wasn't a tattoo.

[Unicorn Master]

I'm on the 'buy a page over high-end commission' side of the argument, but sometimes you get lucky.  The first comissioned work I bought was from Ryan Ottley, and while it wasn't as high as $200, it was nearly double what we had discussed a couple months previously (he had just started doing more polished commisions).  I took the plunge and got this and it is still the crown jewel of my collection, even over my original pages.


That said, the Batman rocks, the $200 commission? Ugh. As my dad is so fond of saying, it all comes down to "you pays your money, you takes your chances".

[dreamscaper]

So much good advice here re. commisions. Just as I have recently started transitioning from collecting the occasional action figure to instead considering the occasional statue, I have begun considering picking up original art and commissions (whenever my budget affords me the opportunity).

 I have really come to appreciate the waiting game: if you are lucky enough to attend the occasional 'big show' once or twice a year, you will most likely find a few affordable original art gems waiting to be picked up when you sort through a portfolio. At this past ECCC I remember hearing from a few people about the crazy deals they found on original pages at past shows (Doctor Teeth - didn't you tell me about a Leonard Kirk page you scored at the Calgary show?). On my admittedly meager budget I still walked away with a couple of non-commission pieces from Gabe Hardman (one being a pencil and inks alien head Marvel Boy prototype sketch and the other a page layout sketch from his first Hulk issue) that left me feeling like I should be running away yelling, start the car before they realize!

  Anyway, when you see guys like Hardman, Larsen and Moore selling original pages for roughly the same price as a two figure commission it is hard for me to not consider leaning towards the original page.

 Just my two cents.

[Dean S.]

One other thing for the commission vs. published art argument....  Remember that some artists are better at pin-ups than they are at sequential art (and vice versa).  Some great pin-ups artists are kinda neutered by doing all these little panels where they're focused on telling a story.  Likewise, some very nice storytellers' art doesn't look all that great as a pin-up when they don't have a story to fall back upon.

[Night (Travis) Nurse]

Never paid more than $100.00 for any OA or commissions.  $100.00 just my own personal limit.   Here are some pieces that I have acquired over the years well under that price point (not all commissions)

WHAT!!! are you serious, I've seen the stuff you've posted. You have some amazing OA, sketch, commissions gems. I cant believe some of the OA pages you have didnt run you more then $100. Well done sir!

I find myself consistently in the $150-$200 price range for pages and commissions with my most expensive piece chiming in at $500 for an Empowered page from Adam Warren.

Travis

[Ryan 'gobo' C.]

The only time I've paid more is for a Tony Moore commission but I've seen enough of his commissions to know what I was getting.

[Night (Travis) Nurse]

The only time I've paid more is for a Tony Moore commission but I've seen enough of his commissions to know what I was getting.

 

After finally reading Fear Agent I'm enthralled with his art. I went to his web site to see how much he charged for pages but he doesn't list a price. That usually scares me to ask. That commission is amazing.

Travis