Can You Block People From Seeing Specific Drawings on Furaffinity
Originally written by
Lilythekitsune
We have their permission to post it here as I thought it was pretty useful
All artists are different and have different rules. This applies to a LOT of artists, but no two artists are the same so take this journal with a grain of salt and research your artists's TOS before buying!!!
HAVE AN UP-TO-DATE REFERENCE SHEET:
I cannot stress this one enough. Have a reference sheet that is CLEAR, up-to-date and, if possible, flat colored. If your character has unique markings or tattoos, please be sure to have them in FULL VIEW. Normally for tigers/zebras and spotted characters, the stripes and spots aren't 100% exact every time. But for characters with markings, such as facial markings or underbelly stuff, it's important to have these things on display.
Text on a reference sheet is NOT required and often times skimmed past. If something is important--make it shown! If your character has ear piercings and they aren't shown on the ref. sheet but are said in text...guess what the artist will miss? MAKE SURE EVERYTHING ABOUT YOUR CHARACTER IS VISIBLE. If your character is plain, such as a regular red fox, showing the backside isn't so important as we know the back is orange...and nothing else.
I recommend updating your reference sheet once a year if possible. If you don't commission often, then this can be skipped, but if your character has gone through changes, be sure to get it updated or get a fresh one!
PLEASE DO NOT OFFER AN ARTIST A WRITTEN REFERENCE SHEET UNLESS THIS IS YOUR FIRST TIME GETTING A REFERENCE SHEET. If you ABSOLUTELY MUST use text, I HIGHLY suggest using a free lineart base and coloring it with MS Paint to get the gist across. Asking for "a blue lizard with green fingers and stripes along the tail" is surprisingly blank. What color are the eyes? How thick are the stripes? What kind of lizard?
ALWAYS ASK AN ARTIST BEFORE OFFERING A WRITTEN REF SHEET AND ONLY OFFER TEXT IF YOU ARE BUYING A REFERENCE SHEET COMMISSION. Many artists refuse to do work from text so it's best to shell out the money and get one good ref sheet!
DON'T TELL US YOUR CHARACTER'S LIFESTORY:
This is gonna sound harsh but...artists don't care about your character's life. We don't care if their dad died, and their sister does drugs, and their puppy has three legs, and they dyed their hair brown once when they were 14. This is USELESS INFORMATION and I cannot tell you the times I asked for the commission IDEA and people gave me 43 paragraphs on their character's lifestory. PLEASE don't send us information like this as it's distracting and hard to sift through.
HOWEVER; there are exceptions. If an artist offers artistic freedom commissions, you can be like "well her sister passed away so can I get something sad involving her gravestone?" THIS IS TOTALLY OK. Telling us the details of their birth and the time they gave a horse a hug and got kicked is NOT OKAY.
Keep it simple, keep it on topic.
HAVE YOUR IDEA READY BEFORE PURCHASING:
Please make sure you have your idea ready BEFORE ordering from an artist. This makes it much easier to keep your work on schedule and be completed as soon as possible. If you want a cute pinup of your character and then decide you want a battle scene instead, the artist has wasted their time and you've wasted your money. Artists charge for corrections more often than not and starting over from scratch is a headache and stressful.
IF it's a timed commission, say, open for three days, that's three days you have time to think on it. If you're REALLY indecisive, PLEASE do the artist a favor and ask for artistic freedom. This way you won't be able to change every little thing and the artist can finish the work stress-free. PLUS artistic freedom enables the artist to draw in their comfort zone and often you get even better work because of it!
If artistic freedom isn't your thing, you can talk to the artist about ideas. Maybe you want something dark but aren't sure what. Bounce ideas back and forth. Much like in restaurants and even in paint stores, often times the professional can have an idea you wouldn't have thought of. Trust your artist and talk to them. Never know what idea they might have and what your new favorite piece might be.
DON'T RUSH THE ARTIST!!:
I cannot stress this one enough. There is nothing wrong with asking an artist about updates on your work. However, asking daily, asking constantly, and getting antsy puts pressure on us and often times, you're not the only client doing so. Like myself, I usually have 5-10 commissions open at once and I'm NOT always working. Have some patience.
Never, ever order a commission on a deadline, and if you do, order it weeks--if not months--in advance. If you want a drawing for your friend's birthday and it's three days away and you expect the artist to get it done in 3 days, you're out f your mind. IF there is a deadline somewhat ahead, ask the artist about an estimation it'd be done by. Don't get mad and threaten refunds if the art's not done in 2 days. Most artists have full-time jobs on the side as well and the added stress won't get your work done any faster
COMMUNICATE WITH THE ARTIST:
Keep in touch with the artist. So many times I see stories of people mad at the artist because they "haven't updated in a while". Business run in 2 directions, to and from. You need to put in the 50% as well if you want there to be any progress. If an artist suddenly disappears and there's nothing you can do, then you can complain about the artist not keeping in touch.
Even if the artist just sends an apology and explains they are still working, that's evident enough that they still care about the work--about you, the client.
DON'T BE AFRAID TO ASK FOR WIPS:
If you're getting a large piece, you can always ask for a work in progress. If the artist hasn't started yet, of course, don't do that. Often times, I don't really do WIPs because I work in one sitting (and I'm bad at being professional). But other artists are great at what they do and send WIPs when requested or even just randomly. I especially see this being done with YCHs.
Granted, artists might sit down and do it in one sitting like me, depending on how easy the commission is. If it gives you a better piece of mine, REQUEST A WIP WHEN YOU ORDER.
READ THE ARTIST'S TERMS OF SERVICE BEFORE BUYING:
I cannot stress this enough. People buy from me all the time--even regulars--and break dozens of rules I have listed without even realizing. It's a simple read-through and lists their rules as well as your rights. This often includes refunds, contact information (in case FA shits itself), do's and do not's, work estimations, and more. If the client doesn't read the ToS, then they are, contractually, breaking a contract. This can come back to bite them if they request a refund after work's been completed as that Term of Service can be shown to Paypal's dispute department, as well as FA's staff.
Please make sure to read a ToS, and if you don't understand something...ASK!!! An artist would rather clear up confusion than fight with you for 180 days over Paypal's dispute system. Be courteous and respect the TOS.
GIVE THE ARTIST A TIP!!!:
Even if it's a dollar. Tip. Your. Artist. We are a service, and when we do good, comments from the client might not even be there. I've done free art and raffles and never received even a THANK YOU. You know how badly that hurts? Hurts pretty badly. Please tip your artist. Stripe, Google Wallet, Paypal, etc. all TAX the money receiver, so artists already lose out on money. Sending extra to cover the taxes or sending extra just because the artist did good is an amazing way to ensure that the artist works harder on your art next time around or works harder in general.
A quote from Lilythekitsune
"It might seem silly, but even a dollar tip can make an artist's day. I've been drawing for 7 years and in that time I've mad, out of about 800 commissions... less than 15 people tipped me. When I get tipped, it's like a rainbow appeared out of a unicorn's ass right in front of me. it's an incredible feeling and gives me confidence. Other artists will get the same feeling."
CREDIT THE ARTIST AND THANK THEM!!!:
I've seen art I've drawn be uploaded from the client without even my userpage linked back. I've seen adoptables I sold and people uploaded them immediately saying "adopted from someone". Yeah, my watermark has my name RIGHT THERE but guess what? Someone who likes said commission or adoptable might not be BOTHERED to look for me on FA/DA/etc. They might just favorite the image and go about their day and guess what? Not only did I lose a potential client but I also lost potential exposure.
It seems pretty stuck-up, but when you're A BUSINESS, word of mouth is EVERYTHING. Clients are my word of mouth. If you link back my page, that's exposure. That means more art for my watchers and more possible clients/friends. It's not all about the money in the art industry; numbers account for a LOT.
If you get an adoptable or a commission...BE FUCKING HONEST. "I really love this commission the artist did a good job!" or "Definitely get some art from them, they have a good turnover rate!" Not only does this give us confidence, a lot of artists actually check the client's page and see what they say on submissions. So if someone goes "hey that looks cool" and sees you complimenting and promoting the artist, that passerby might go "I have some cash, I want a piece like that!" That's how majority of artists get their commissions--me included. It takes a minute out of your day.
BE SURE TO THANK AN ARTIST FOR ALL RAFFLE CHANCES AND FREE ART AS WELL. DON'T BE RUDE.
UPLOAD THE ART YOU GET:
Again, this is more promoting, but it also has another purpose. An artist worked on that piece for possibly hours and you only favorited it. Guess what? That artist feels really weird because you didn't upload it and probably thinks you hate it. Or that it wasn't good enough, or a number of negative things. Now, this is mostly an issue with me but some artist friends I know feel the same way.
Even worse, the client won't even favorite the upload or comment on it. Then what's the point of buying it if it feels like you don't even like it? It always feels a little disheartening when clients never upload their piece.
PLEASE DON'T COMPLAIN ABOUT PRICES OR TRY AND HAGGLE:
Seriously. You don't go buy a new cellphone and be like "WOW this is HOW MUCH?? I only got $00, will you sell it for $100?" Don't. Don't you EVER do this. If an artist is out of your budget, ASK ABOUT A PAYMENT PLAN. Seriously. Artists are cool people, not everyone has $200+ lying around they can drop on art. I have several regulars who pay me in chunks. As long as we're paid eventually, it's cool.
Artists offer discounts for several reasons, so don't abuse it. You're so much better than attacking an artist for trying to put food on the table. If an artist's art is what you REALLY want...send them a note asking for a quote. Don't be a dick when it's higher than you expected; ask for a payment plan or politely say you can't afford that right now but will come back. DON'T EVER LEAVE AN ARTIST HANGING. They will expect a response and if they don't get it, it hurts.
You don't go out to eat, ask how much the steak is, and then ignore the waiter. You ask for an alternative instead. "I can't afford the mega detail...how much would this be for a basic detail?" There's always options. Being human is the best thing you can do; respect your artist.
COMPLEXITY DOES NOT EQUAL UNIQUENESS:
As an artist, variety is the spice of life. I LOVE my regulars, but drawing the same characters over and over gets boring and stale quickly. Offer a new character. However, complexity in characters does NOT make it unique. Think of the artist--and every artist-- who has to draw that character. neon colors with horns, stripes, spots, lots of fur, extra limbs, wings...all rolled in one. Think of the time that will take. Think of how bright that character is and how LONG an artist has to stare at that, Respect the people who work for you.
Having a unique, striking character is great. People sell adoptables all the TIME with beautiful colors and great palettes, and they're REASONABLE. Don't make your character something a mega Digimon would be ashamed of being. Keep it simple, but keep it fresh. Example: There's thousands of Talon knock-offs out there so I gave him a huge mane. Likewise, I've seen quite a few KIba's out there so I tweaked his design and gave him a really crooked blaze. That is unique but it's not 4 hours of work. It's a simple marking that defines him.
FINALLY, AS A LAST RESORT...RESEARCH ALL CLIENTS AND ARTISTS BEFORE BUYING.:
Won a threesome YCH and these new people you never heard of? Check 'em out at Clients_Beware. Artist seems really rude and upfront in notes? Check 'em out on Artists_beware. See any of those clients/artist's names on there? DO NOT DO BUSINESS WITH THEM. Alert the artist said client is on the list, and tell the artist you saw their name on A_B and wish to not do business with them. This ensures there aren't any Paypal disputes, as well as keeping your block list neat and tidy. I block people all the time--even old clients--if I find them on C_B/A_B.
It might seem rude of you to block someone you don't know, but in the long run it can save you lots of headaches. I know people who bought art 2+ years ago AND STILL DON'T HAVE IT. Don't be afraid to write an A_B either; worst case scenario is they chew you out, but you'll warn other people of their mishaps.
This isn't just for people on FA. I see the DA list growing daily. There are just scummy people out there, so don't be afraid of speaking up and blocking them/refusing to do business with them. This also ensures that artists, especially fursuit/plushie makers can't pull a fast one and steal your cash. Be smart. There's thieves in EVERY industry.
Gem-Wolf
TA Administrator
Can You Block People From Seeing Specific Drawings on Furaffinity
Source: https://www.furaffinity.net/journal/7544273/