Okay, thank you! 
I’ll message her via instagram and see what she says.
1 Like
You can ask her for the commission I have commission from her from 4 time she amazing she will have your art sketch in a day and she will deliver your art in 5 day you can pay after she have art ready if you want to see examples her Instagram is mintea_3
2 Likes
I just did the same mistake 
hoping I get art from the payment but if I don’t at least I’m only out 55$. I try to have good faith in people though it’s hard. If you ever want a free drawing (free because I’m not that good) I’m so down to give episode characters a shot !
1 Like
I appreciate the recommendation, thank you.
But… I’m not too keen on her style.
I probably should’ve said this before, but… I have severe OCD [among other issues that I won’t list here because they’re not relevant to the conversation] hand washing is one part of my OCD… and another part of it is me being such a huge perfectionist and liking things a certain way. I have this thing where I know what I like and I get upset if it’s not how I want it, or if someone changes something that [in my mind] was perfect how it was. I know some people won’t understand my mindset and I get that, because it’s hard to explain to them that I’m not actually being difficult on purpose. 
Luckily the artists who I’ve worked with in the past have been understanding of it, and made all relevant changes that I asked of them… and trust me, it’s a lot. It could be that they got the nose wrong… or their hands were ugly. And those might seem like minor things to most people, but to me it’s huge. I know… I’m a nightmare. 
Omg that’s horrible. $55 is still a lot to lose, even if you have the means to spend it.
Like Mels.Epi said, they lost $7 and although it might not be much, it might be to some people. And those artists are still thieves.
I think I’ll definitely only pay upon receiving and being happy with the sketch… I won’t operate on trust. Especially after hearing that this has happened to so many of you.
1 Like
Hmmm I’ve seen a lot of artists state that they require payment first, sometimes to secure a slot. 
Tbh I’ve only ever come across one that did a sketch first before payment. 
(: Here’s some other artists though if you wanted to check out more options:
I’ve only ever seen artists require [either 50% or full] payment once the sketch has already been sent… which is probably a method that is used to establish trust. When checking their Instagram [before choosing an artist] I always click their little “commissions” or “prices” highlight… and I’ve never seen one ask for payment up front, it always states “payment must be made once the sketch is approved”.
Hence why I find it weird to be asked for payment before the sketch has even begun. 
But thank you for the recommendations, I’ll also check some of those out and see if anyone still has any open commissions.
Hi I am also an artist who takes payment before sketching
Many times in the past when I sent a sketch before payment people just disappeared and then I saw my sketch clumsily painted by the same customer
But I always discuss payment with the customer, he may also divide the amount of payment and send the first part before starting work and the second when the art is completely ready
I think you should better look at her account, the marks of the clients for whom she has already drawn, whether there is a process of work on her page
5 Likes
I’m a commissioned artist myself and I’m taking full payment before anything else too.
It’s just how I wanted it, since I was scammed before and had like 3-4 sketches laying around and no one used it 
What I wanted to say: it’s not unusual but I completely understand that it makes some ppl uncomfortable especially when it’s a higher amount of money.
I’d say talk to the artist about your worries, maybe they can keep you up to date, tell you their working methods or whatever makes you feel more relieved:)
Trust is the most important thing when working with an artist
Good luck 
1 Like
My regular artists always start with a messy sketch, so it’s not something that people could attempt to paint over. And then only once we’re pleased with the sketch, do they begin the tidy line art before working on the colours.
——————————
So I just did this, after you recommended me to… and there’s literally no WIP’s on her page at all. There’s pre-drawn sketches, but nothing to show that she actually did the work herself. Nothing showing her drawing those sketches from scratch. This has just increased my suspicions.
1 Like
I wouldn’t quite called it being scammed, if people change their mind once they’ve seen the sketch and decide that it’s not to their liking… or what they expected. [But I’m not sure if that’s what you were referring to in terms of being scammed.]
But I know a few artists who have had people changing their minds a lot, so they decrease the price of the sketch and offer someone else to claim the piece at a lower cost. They state that they’re willing to change some features and colour it with whatever the new buyer wants. And these sometimes prove successful. Maybe you could do the same with your old/unused sketches?! Just an idea.
This is exactly it… plus being the perfectionist that I am, I don’t want to pay money for something. Then see the sketch and if I don’t like it the artist refusing to change it.
I had an experience like that in the past. Okay so I didn’t personally pay the money… because it was a gift from a friend. But she knew how picky I was, so she didn’t arrange for the art to be done for me. Instead she paid the artist ahead of time and told her to speak with me about what I wanted.
Anyway, since the artist had received the money prior… she was so hard to work with. She kept moaning whenever she screwed something up and I asked her to change it. I made it quite clear that the two Male characters had similar features, but for one of them she made him look like a mouse. 
And when I asked her to change it to how I’d asked her to draw it, she complained and threw a tantrum like a three year old! [bare in mind she’s 24] But she eventually did as I asked… and finally got it right.
But then she carelessly drew one of the characters hands. And it honestly still looks so ridiculous, but by this point I was sick of her tantrums so I just dealt with it. I just stick the logo for my story over the character in questions hand. But I shouldn’t have to, because I know she’s capable of doing better… because I’ve seen her other arts. She just didn’t care enough to bother.
Even my friend, who’d kindly surprised me with purchasing the art, didn’t like how his hand turned out. But she also didn’t want to say anything to the artist because she didn’t want to deal with the stress her tantrums caused. 
Oh no, I didn’t mean it that way. Because changing things in a sketch is quite easy and not a problem at all, but those ppl didn’t even respond. That’s what I meant with scamming.
I completely understand, especially when you had such a bad experience before with an artist.
Nevertheless, not all artists are like that and i tend to say that most artists are good to work with (not that you were saying that ofc).
At the end of the day, it’s your decision which artist you want to hire and you should be 100% sure about it! No one is forcing you and an artist can’t be mad at you just bc you changed your mind (before the actual work has already begun).
I’m sure you’ll find someone who’s meeting your expectations
1 Like
If you meant: that you’d finished the art or started some of the line art or colour work, but then they didn’t pay. Then I totally get that and definitely understand why you’d be angry with them. Because that’s just wrong. They literally have scammed you, in that case. This is why I’d never expect to receive the full coloured art until payment was made.
All I personally want is to be able to see the sketch before paying. I feel like that builds trust. Especially if I really like the artists work… because then I tend to be a very loyal, repeat customer. I’ve purchased three arts from the same person in two months, and I’m on the wait list for a fourth one from them. But that’s because the artist always does as I ask and is very sweet and patient. Their art isn’t cheap, but is definitely worth the price… and it’s crazy how fast they work, even with all the changes I request.
In that case, I’d be straightforward
Say their art is amazing but you’d like to know how they want the payment, whether upfront , after the sketch or even after fully drawn.
If it’s upfront, you can decline or the artist will make an exception for you. There’s nothing wrong from both sides
She told me yesterday [before I posted this question] that she expects payment up front. But I haven’t replied to her or quizzed her about it yet, because I’m not entirely sure how to approach the topic. I hate letting people down, but after working with an impossible artist before… plus also being scammed in the past [which was back in 2020, for my first ever drawn art] I’m too suspicious to just hand money over right away, just in case.
And since she doesn’t have any proof on her profile, showing her drawing any previous art from scratch… I’m worried that she might be tracing. [And that’s the type of scam I had to deal with in 2020. I don’t need nor want that type of drama again. And of course I want the art to be 100% original, as rightly expected.]
1 Like
Apparently you don’t trust her and are worried, so I recommend to look for another artist 
True. But thank you for all of your input and advice above.
Now comes the hard part… figuring out how to let her know, without sounding harsh. 
1 Like
Of course, at any time.
Good luck, I hate that part 
1 Like
Is she asking for it all before the sketch? Or just part of it?
Also! lmk when you release your story bc I’d love to read or if you need proofreaders hmu
She was asking for the full payment. And thank you so much, I really appreciate that. 
I never use or need proofreaders, because I always triple check my stories thoroughly… but I’m always open to hearing opinions on any newly published stories.
1 Like