Commission Reviews
I buy a lot of commissions! Most experiences are positive, some are truly awesome, and some are not. Here I'll share some of my experiences, both good and bad, helping you find the best commissions your money can buy, no matter how limited your funds!
I recommend using Artists&Clients to find new artists to commission! Their escrow and commission tracking system will help you protect your money and keep track of everything very easily.
Metrics
Price - value for money, cost per character
Speed - time to start and time to complete
Communication - WIPs and verbal back and forth
Polish - final product cleanliness and skill
Overall - summary and impressions
Anyone rated 4 or 5 stars I would wholeheartedly recommend, 3 stars I recommend if the artist's product holds personal appeal, 2 stars I don't recommend, and 1 star I would suggest avoiding.
Artists are sorted by number of times commissioned.
I recommend using Artists&Clients to find new artists to commission! Their escrow and commission tracking system will help you protect your money and keep track of everything very easily.
Metrics
Price - value for money, cost per character
Speed - time to start and time to complete
Communication - WIPs and verbal back and forth
Polish - final product cleanliness and skill
Overall - summary and impressions
Anyone rated 4 or 5 stars I would wholeheartedly recommend, 3 stars I recommend if the artist's product holds personal appeal, 2 stars I don't recommend, and 1 star I would suggest avoiding.
Artists are sorted by number of times commissioned.
ochki-cat / Georgia Corby ★★★★
Links: A&C - devART - tumblr
Price: ★★★★ Speed: ★★★ - Communication: ★★★★★ - checks in frequently with WIPs, receptive to fixes and adjustments Polish: ★★★★ - sketchier style, but it totally works Overall: ★★★★ - |
wooglet23 ★★★★
Links: A&C - devART - tumblr
Price: ★★★★★ - super-low, fantastic value for money Speed: ★★★★★ - excellent, can finish full artwork within a couple days Communication: ★★★ - very good, but sometimes jumps ahead a bunch without consultation or makes decisions without any input; also sometimes impatient Polish: ★★★ - developing artist well on the way to becoming a master digital painter! Overall: ★★★★ - fantastic bang for your buck, if you are on a budget but want something complete, wooglet23 is the ideal artist; you can get 3-4 whole pieces for the price of a single painting from someone else Other Notes: Requires some direction; best if you have a specific pose in mind, has trouble with autonomy |
Piyu / Weirdoodl ★★★★★
Links: A&C - devART - tumblr
Price: ★★★★★ - low prices, super-fantastic value! Speed: ★★★★ - very quick turnaround, though Piyu is popular and you may have to wait a bit before your piece is started Communication: ★★★★★ - fantastic, checks in every step of the way with WIPs, super good at making corrections Polish: ★★★★★ - Clean, detailed, pro-level quality Overall: ★★★★★ - Whether you are looking for budget or skill, Piyu is a superb choice! |
bluezald / Vincent Bacalso ★★★★
Links: A&C - devART - tumblr
Price: ★★★★★ Speed: ★★★★★ Communication: ★★★★ - provides a WIP Polish: ★★★ - have only commissioned rougher images Overall: ★★★★ - WIP with such small-scale projects is a wonderful touch! blue has done a great job capturing my characters' personalities and pays good attention to detail. |
transatlanticalien / Ceri ★★★★★
Links: A&C - devART - tumblr
Price: ★★★★ Speed: ★★★★★ - super-fast turnaround for each stage, though don't expect instant completion because ta likes to take the time to do prep work, so back-and-forth required Communication: ★★★★★ - would award six stars if I hadn't set a 5-star maximum! some of the best communication imaginable, stellar to work with Polish: ★★★★ - epic style, less polished, but that's something I love about ta's work! Overall: ★★★★★ - Seriously worth an overall 5-stars on communication alone. Add in the epic style, and ta deserves your money as much as mine! |
Konene / Irene Torricella ★★★
Links: A&C - devART
Price: ★★★★ - my price was worthy of 5 stars, but prices have gone up a little bit since Speed: ★★★ - slow to respond to initial request, but then pretty fast to complete Communication: ★ - no WIPs, but that might be because it took so long to start, so the artist finished quickly to compensate Polish: ★★★★ - very nice presentation! Overall: ★★★ - Despite the speed and communication, I would be willing to commission again because of the result. If communication is better, would definitely be worth 4 stars. |
Ishy / Cherish Socro ★★★★
Links: A&C - facebook - twitter
Price: ★★★★★ Speed: ★★★ - slow but consistent progress Communication: ★★★★ - good WIP communication, and excellent about correcting issues Polish: ★★★★ - seems to slant towards simpler images Overall: ★★★★ - Progress was a little slow, but if you can be patient, I think Ishy is a worthwhile commission based on price and coloring skill. |
daylepd / Dayle Domingo ★★★★
Links: A&C - devART - tumblr
Price: ★★★★ Speed: ★★★★★ - fast, especially for a multi-character piece! Communication: ★★★★★ - Good WIPs, good responsiveness to adjustments Polish: ★★★★ - on the simpler side, but very clean, nice shading/lighting Overall: ★★★★ - Gorgeous end result, will commission again if I have concept I think works with his style. |
Insolem ★★★
Links: A&C - devART - tumblr
Price: ★★★★ Speed: ★★★★ - slow to start but then rapid image progression Communication: ★★★ - asks prelim questions but no WIPs, straight to final image; very polite, though! Polish: ★★★ - rougher painted style, some anatomy issues, but good lighting instincts that make characters and backgrounds feel coherent Overall: ★★★ - If you want an image that feels like it's a coherent whole, Insolem is a good choice! I would commission again because image coherency is a very hard trait to find. |
larynth / Nathania Cordoba ★★★
Links: A&C - devART - tumblr
Price: ★★★ - mid-price services, and prices not consistent over all venues Speed: ★★★★★ - completed art super-quick! Communication: ★★★★ - good, but as this was a quickie piece, there was only one WIP needed and I can't attest as to the sort of communication provided with bigger projects Polish: ★★★ - obviously this is intentionally a sketchier piece, but in general a few anatomy issues here and there, and tends towards a simpler image style Overall: ★★★ - I think this artist might be worth 4 stars, but I can't tell based on my limited sample size. |
dew / Fabiola Irizarry ★★★★
rara10 / Mervin Gatchalian ★★★★★
Links: A&C - devART - tumblr
Price: ★★★ Speed: ★★★★★ Communication: ★★★★★ - excellent WIPs, provides multiple sketches Polish: ★★★★ Overall: ★★★★★ - The WIPs and speed make rara10 a great pick if you like anime style and have a good price range! |
FeliceMelancholie / Karina Starikova ★★
Links: A&C - devART - tumblr
Price: ★★ Speed: ★★★★★ - potentially too fast and rushed Communication: ★ - no WIPs, did not fix all problems, some language issues, conceited with little regard for client happiness Polish: ★★★★ - very clean painting on the face, loose and rough with other elements Overall: ★★ - Very poor attention to references, inaccurate portrayal of characters, very generic results. If you don't care about accuracy to character model and just like prettily-painted generic faces with your character's hair style plopped on top, not a terrible price for the service. |
Links: A&C - devART - tumblr
Price: ★
Speed: ★
Communication: ★
Polish: ★
Overall: ★
Price: ★
Speed: ★
Communication: ★
Polish: ★
Overall: ★