[Edit: I'm getting word that people are contacting her to harass her about the payment: please don't hound her. Also removed the last name: my mistake to include it (didn't know it was a real one or not).]

I was hoping I wouldn't have to do this but I suppose it was only going to be a matter of time. I'm posting this so that other artists here on DA can watch out in case you're approached.

I'm reporting my first bad commissioner: She goes online by "Ahna" and/or"crazy_kitten86" on her e-mail, and is "DraconaInVolata" here on Deviantart.com.

Do not take commissions from this girl if you see her, as she won't pay you.

Background: The way I've done commissions until now was to ask for the payment when I completed the image: basically I would show the final version with a very neon and hard to remove watermark over it as a preview/proof that I finished, and the commissioner would pay. Once I receive payment, I send the clean version of the commission.

This is a "just-in case" measure, in case I have to drop the commission due to IRL reasons or can't finish for some reason, etc, and the customer will not have risked any money; this method hasn't been a problem for either party before, since it tended to protect both commissioner and myself. <(This is instead of all-up-front or half-up-front)

Because of this girl, I will no longer be doing it my old way.

What happened: She first notes me over DA to talk about a potential commission. We respond back and forth and it gets moved to e-mail (easier for me to keep track of commissioners that way), and the price is settled.

The commission she asked of me was going fine - communication was relatively fast and I made sure to include her in seeing every step so she could catch if I did anything she didn't want ahead of time, which she didn't. She approved everything. Things were fine until I sent the e-mail to her telling her that I'd finished, attached with the watermarked preview of the final image (around April). I don't hear from her for around a month, when she e-mails back that due to some IRL financial problems, she can't pay me until a month later.

I take this with a grain of salt, especially considering the timing and what I've already heard from other artists about problem commissioners doing something similar. But I okay the extension.

Another month flies by and nothing. I e-mail her again.

She responds that she sold some stuff on E-bay and is $8 short, and once she ships out what she sold, she'll be able to pay me.

That last was back in May.

It's mid-July now. I tried contacting her again several more times, with no response. I've heard nothing from her: no e-mail, no payment.

((crossposted to my LJ and to artists_beware on LJ))

Avoid this commissioner!

-Wyna

Entry on Art Usage and Mini F.A.Q - please read first if you have questions. It's here: [link]

Anyways, the quick stuff:

Requests: I don't do them. I found out that they clog up the time I could be drawing stuff I would rather be drawing, and I don't even get money for them. Sorry. :/

Commissions: Closed.

Scraps section: I do use this section quite a bit.

*Please note that I don't post everything on this gallery. Some sketches, slashy stuff will be posted on LJ only, not DA. (FAC and another gallery I just got as well, on occassion.)



---Wyna

Pimpage!

My twin:


Other awesome artists as well:

Clubs:

I figured that this was going to have come eventually. Basically this is a combination art usage guideline post and a "FAQ" of sorts.

Please read first before continuing to the rest of my journal/galleries.

Art Usage Guidelines

-Do NOT steal. Sort of obvious.

-Permission, when given, will be given only to use fanart.

-If you'd like to use my fanarts on your website, please ASK first and get my permission. I don't bite, and I almost always say "yes". Do not just take and post up without asking permission. Please credit me and link back to my DA gallery. ([link])

-Regarding icons, you don't have to ask if you can use my fanarts for them, just make sure you credit me in the keywords.

- no hot-linking.

-Do not try to sell my fanarts in any form.





Frequently Asked Questions

Can you draw such and such for me?
I'm sorry, but no. I don't do requests. Unless you're a close friend (online or offline), or I asked for ideas or otherwsie offered to do a picture for you myself. I found out that requests clog up the time I could be drawing stuff I would rather be drawing, and I don't even get money for them. Sorry. Basically no free requests any more.

I do commissions however.

Commissions?
Basically you pay me for drawing. Prices vary on difficulty/complexity/medium and how much time it takes me. Sketches are obviously cheapest. To find out more about it, it's best to contact me by e-mail or on AIM for it.


Do you sell originals?
Not that much. I prefer to hold onto originals in case I ever need them for a school portfolio etc. etc. It's also easier on my sanity to avoid dealing with the post office and potentially lost mail.

I have this comic/video game idea that I'd really like illustrated. I can't promise any pay right now, but if it gets successful in the future---?
No. :/

Well, can we do an art trade/collab?
Probably not. I'm not terribly good at keeping up with them, so it's just best to be on the safe side. Maybe. It depends, really. I usually do collabs with people I already know though.

Can I use your line-art as a practice for coloring?
Ask me first. I'll probably say yes. I prefer that it be used just for that - practice- so please leave the finished version offline.


Can I copy your art? (as in a direct copy) [had to add this recently because I've noticed it's become sort of rampant on DA]
I'd really prefer you didn't, sorry! I'm just not comfortable with that. Please draw up your own poses/scenes!

How come you post up a lot of fanart?
It's more of an issue of theft. I may post up more originals in the future, but right now, I'm sitting on the fence on this issue. Although it's very irritating to get my fanarts ripped off, it's even more aggravating to have original characters (etc) stolen.

Will you friend me back on LJ/Add me to your devwatch?
I don't always friend back. This is partially because I'd like to keep my f-list manageable. Also I view the friends-list feature on LJ much like that on DeviantART - basically a kind of devwatch system at best. So it's nothing personal if I don't friend back, just some more practical matters.

Where can I find your past artworks?
You can check either here or the "memories" section of my LJ - in the completed fanart area and the doodles area. The doodles area in the LJ does have some f-locked posts scattered in though.

What kind of materials do you use?
0.5 mm Pentel mechanical pencil, HB lead mostly. Black mostly, red and blue leads on occasion. Sketchbook: Strathmore medium weight drawing pad. For a lot of the CGed stuff, I just grab whatever computer paper is around. So far, I use Deleter CG Comic Illust and Wacom tablet for computer coloring, occassionally Painter IX.

Can you teach me?
I'm still learning myself, so I'd be a terrible teacher. There's others far more qualified for that than me. xD;


[edit]

Sheik is clearly male/ clearly female blah blah blah!
Guys, I really don't care. I don't care if you're arguing for a male sheik or a female one, I'm just tired of seeing the bickering from everyone. (I also don't see why so many people get in arms over it too).

Any more comments about the issue are going to be hidden, just because I don't have the patience for it any more. Sorry.

[/edit]


Hope this cleared things up a bit.

Thank you,

-Wyna

Thank you to everyone for their support. I could make some retarded comment involving that and Peter Pan and Tinkerbell and clapping but then I'd feel completely retarded because then I'd have to explain it.

Things are looking up: my dad's company stepped in and they're helping us out, since they want to see my dad back on his feet. Safe to say, they rock and I'm no longer feeling like I'm about to have several heart-attacks in a row.

So we're to help that out, and I'm lookin' around for a part-time job, which means that I won't have as much drawing time. But whenever I have spare time, I will draw.


I'll repost the drawing list with some changes to it in a few days once my computer gets its internet stuff (*using Fam's computer*

Thank you, everyone,

--Wyna

I may not be online any more, or very much.

Because of everything that's happened in the last two weeks and 48 hours with my family etc ( especially involving the falling-through of the potential apartment and the sudden reappearance of my father (now homeless), who's been missing for two months), I may become homeless.

I hope this isn't the case, but I strongly think this is what'll come down to when this Saturday afternoon (June 19th, 2004) arrives. I'll be disconnecting my computer early that Saturday morning.

If anything changes, or I ever to come back, I'll post here and in my livejournal.

I'm sorry. I hope you've enjoyed my artwork, and I'll still keep making it: I do want to come back.

Thank you all for your support.

--Wyna