Terms of Commission

-Official start of a commission-

  • Only once some form of payment is made is a pending commission considered officially in effect of current deadlines.
  • If you need a commission both started and finished by a set date, you need to make that known when submitting a request form. I can not accept deadline changes after a commission has started.

-Payment and refunds-

  • Full payment is required up front for commissions under $100, and partial payment is available for anything over $100.
  • While invoices will be open for smaller payments at the clients convenience, if half of the total cost is not paid within the same month, I will not allow for same month deadlines. I am happy to take deadlines further out.
  • Once work has started on the commission beyond the initial approved sketch, a FULL refund will not be available, the more work that has gone into the commissioned art, the smaller the amount given via refund.
  • A refund may be requested at any point within the commission process. When doing so, I will send along the current state of work on all artwork, and inform clients of the percentage of payment money that will be refunded.
  • I keep all payment available for refunds until a commission is completed and the final approved. Refunds are handled within one week of request contact.
  • If the client fails to pay in any manner during a commission for artwork, I hold the right to alter and resell any progress on the unpaid art at my discretion.
  • If I need to cancel work at any point after starting a commission on my own accord, a full value refund will be given, and a copy of any current artwork will be provided. I will not reuse or repurpose sketches or artwork in the case that I cancel a commission in progress.
  • If I miss any deadlines agreed on and full payment is made I am happy to provide a partial refund alongside the final image.
  • Refunds do NOT include delays in shipping of physical items sent on a expedited time frame. I can only pay for faster shipping, I can’t control what happens with the Postal System.

-Making changes during a commission-

  • During the initial sketch portion of a commission,  a preliminary sketch will be provided to the client based on the reference and ideas given. At this point the client can request any changes they see fit. I limit the number of times I will completely redo the initial sketch before additional charges are added to total commission cost. Three (3) major revisions can be made to the initial sketch.
  • Rejected sketches may be reused in future artwork, and will be considered my creative property, characters will not be reused if rejected sketches are repurposed for future work.
  • Once art has been approved during the sketch step, for completely digital work, I accept minor changes made during in progress shots being sent. Pencil based work will only be given additional edits if ‘Approval Steps’ have been included in the commission request.
  • These requested edits are up to my discretion if the changes asked for are of reasonable request.  Asking to have a character replaced with a completely different one, would not be a reasonable request, having a character’s hair style and color changed, however would be a fair request.
  • Minor changes must be asked for in the most direct and concise manner possible. Please take some time to pinpoint exactly what you want changed before asking for minor revisions.

-Communication-

  • Please make an effort to respond to emails about commissions promptly. If you do not reply to me with how you feel about my progress, I can not continue in a prompt manner myself. Clients that take extended periods to reply to these progress emails, will be moved to the bottom of the commission queue, to allow me to work on other art.
  • I make a large effort to keep the client updated on paid artwork, you have the right to contact me at any time with questions or inquires about a commission. I also try to keep commissioners up to date on anything going on that will hinder my communications with them. Communication time usually will happen within 48 hours of sending me email, with the exception of weekends.
  • Please do not spam contact, or use methods outside email to contact me about commission progress. I do not use Telegram, Discord or other chat programs to discuss work.
  • If you feel your emails are not reaching me, please do the following: Send a tweet @skulldog.

-Rights of use-

  • The client retains all rights to characters of their own creation used within the commissioned work. The client may repost artwork online in a respectful manner, with credit given as long as the original file is unedited and they do not share the printable PSD.
  • Clients may request a watermark be added to any commissioned art to include any relevant details about characters or ideas involved before I post it online.
  • Commissioned artwork may only be cropped, edited, or otherwise altered for the following items:
  1. Icons for use on online sites/galleries or services like Discord or Steam.
  2. Small banners or signature art for personal or social use, such as online art gallery sites or forums.
  3. Combining into reference sheets, or combining multiple commissions into one larger scene.
  4. Coloring pencil based works yourself.
  • Commercial reproduction rights to commissioned artwork is not allowed in any form unless discussed prior. This includes but is not limited to:
  1. Artwork prints, book covers, game books, CD covers.
  2. Tee Shirts or other print on demand clothing.
  3. Other merchandise including pins or stickers.
  4. Minting NFT or other blockchain service of the artwork, or edits of the artwork in any form.
  • Art may not be used in any way that directly provides profit to the client. I am open to discussion of selling the reproduction rights to art to the commissioner either before a commission start, or after it’s completed.
  • I retain the right to repost any commissioned artwork here on my personal web site, along with other online art archives.  I also retain the right to reuse art as part of a personal portfolio, or as examples for future commissions. Unless a client requests to keep the artwork private as a part of the submission form, in which I will not use the artwork in a public manner, and only as a private portfolio for internal professional submissions.
  • No prints are made of commissioned art unless this is specifically discussed with the client first.

 

Updated: 18/10/23 – Clarified edits to sketches, and added more points to rights of use.