I've been actively trying to meet new people and start conversations not necessarily to directly network or promote my art (although that's a big part of it), but to ask for feedback about my starting business. Fortunately, many people have given me very positive responses and very helpful advice whereas there were a couple of people who said, “Do people really buy art?"
I've seen some very established Deviantartists who charge upwards to $80 a pencil sketch! Now, I understand the basic economics of raising your prices due to various opportunity costs: fullfilling a
So we know that people actually do buy art, but why? Why have I, an artist myself, commissioned art in the past?
It's more than just simply getting someone to draw a picture for you. It's a great opportunity to build a relationship, to network with these artists. Besides the financial tradeoff for them, there are plenty of reasons why people commission art:
1. Building a relationship with the artist. It's one thing to bombard their hit counter with pageviews and shower them in praise and comments, but it's another thing to actually be able to work on a project with them. You are not simply a customer; you are generating the ideas and concepts behind the art. You are feeding them the subject; they are using their skills to execute it. You are in control.
In my experience, I’ve build many wonderful friendships through commissions. We exchange messages about the piece but we also get to know each other better. With all that goes on in their lives, artists cannot always respond to every little email or message that comes their way.
However, an artist—a good commissioned artist—has to maintain contact with the commissioner to know what they want and thus, giving the commissioner a prime opportunity to get to talk to and know the artist personally. It’s basic customer service. Artists cannot expect to be successful if they do not appreciate and reciprocate the connection with their customers. And hey, prices are not always final; artists are usually more willing to negotiate prices with the customers they are closest to. (But don’t take my word for it; some artists are very strict about these things!)
You can even extend this benefit by requesting a piece with your own character or website mascot, even. The artist will definitely have to link it to your site; if s/he doesn’t, it would be reasonable for you to request it. This is especially helpful if the artist already does have a big fanbase or heavy traffic going their their galleries.
Or vice versa: perhaps you are the one whose characters or fanfiction or website is popular; commissioning an artist can promote his/her name. Either way, it’s an prospect not to be missed!
3. Seeing your characters, yourself, or a favorite character in another style. My favorite part about requesting someone else’s art is that I get to see my own creations in another style. Styles carry a strong visual signature of sorts and it is impressive to see an image from so many perspectives and formats. To me, it’s also something to show off; having your character in various styles shows who you know and where you’ve been. If you have a popular character or website, you are also helping them out as well, assuming you provide adequate credit. ^_~
4. Being able to study their technique. You can study their gallery to research their technique and figure out how it looks the way it looks and dissect anatomy, color, lighting, etc. but being able to study your own commission carries another advantage: the art started with your idea! Say you give the artist a very lavish description of what you want—the artist works on it, tweaks it, finishes it—you can examine your description and study the finished work and ask, “How did she render my character’s features? From what I gave her, how did she render my character’s personality? What about the lighting, color scheme, perspective evokes certain qualities about my character?”
Sometimes, an artist can even reveal a certain side of your character you may not have seen, turning a piece of artwork into a chance for character development.
5. Decorate your room. Again and again, I’ve been bedazzled by bedrooms with beautiful artwork on the walls. Commission digital artwork and you can rush to the nearest Kinkos, print out the piece in all sorts of sizes, and add them to your poster collection.
Another thing I like to do is get those clear photo holders from Wal-Mart and print some 4 x 6 copies. It brings out color in the room without having to paint the walls or buy new furniture. I also decorate my room with prints from various conventions I have been to.
6. Convention souvenirs. Whether it be commissions or prints, purchases from artist tables in conventions make wonderful icebreakers and conversation starters. Telling stories about crazy adventures over a con weekend is always fun. They can also show off the places you’ve been to and impress your friends if you’re one of those big-time con hoppers. ;)
7. Website layouts & Avatars. If you cannot draw at all, now you have a way of representing your character or mascot on forums and websites. As long as you credit the artist, you can have a very unique and lovely website layout that will grab your readers’ attention!
8. Being able to own a piece from your favorite artist. In the digital age, we see millions upon millions of images on the Net, including several from your favorite artists. How great would it be to be able to, to an extent, own a piece from your artist? How great would it be to know that you’ve worked on this piece with this artist as a team, to know that your ideas have flourished into existence from someone else’s hands?
A commission is in no way a mere transaction between two people. It’s about two people working on something together, building a relationship, strengthening networks to promote each other, and creating something of value for each other. When everything goes smoothly, it can be an amazing opportunity and great experience for both the artist and yourself!
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