#sorry just wanted to at least doodle something after the lack of any artworks as of late

[dearmizumi]

I felt sad

[hkthatgffan]

As someone dying of lupus (it's hard to draw atm due to shakey hands), and is slow with comissions, I never ask for money first, rather than after i finish. And if I don't get it done in 3 months, I apologize and try to give them a free doodle of their choice, no money given to me at all.

Even if I moved slow, I'd always keep them up to speed with what was happening, if I can/cannot do the drawing or give them something small and free to compensate for the months gone by so at least someone gets a little something for waiting.

And if I get it done, then I get my payment (since my health is unpredictable, I like to get paid after. Makes me feel better, to not be paid upfront because it makes me feel better on touching up, asking if changes needed to the art, anything added, etc. Or if my health simply won't allow, at least they'll get something in the end.)

Idk. I just find it rather cruel to leave people in the dark like that. I deal with abuse, awful illnesses litterally tearing me apart, i've lost half if not most my family and had to do artwork or refund/explain if artwork couldn't be completed regardless.

There's no excuse to leave people behind, block, ignore,ghost, and run off with cash.

I've met really rude people in this fandom, and I really wish people would just take five seconds to go "ok here's what's happening, do you want your cash back?" Like it's not hard.

The day of the last few gf episodes, I was in the hospital because my organs weren't working properly and almost exploded my digestive track due to nerve damage,

Yet I still managed to

Let my friends know the art trades will be unfinished and you won't need to give me anything in return (because i always prefer to do them first incase something happens)

Let those who did used to pay me first get their 15 bucks back

All while my insides almost ruptured from gastroparesis 🎉🥳 and my friend died all in the same day i went and stayed two weeks in the hospital desperately trying to apologize for the delay and doing whatever I could to explain my situation and if they needed anything in return/makeup for it.

That's straight up MEAN to ignore and block someone and run off with the cash. There's no excuse.

Even when I was screaming in agony in my hospital bed, I still managed to give a refund or something or talk to the person and not leave them in the dust. :/

I am so sorry you were left in the dark.

OMG, I'm so, so sorry about all you've been through. That is honestly a truly painful and horrible thing to endure I wouldn't wish on even my worst enemies and people who like with you, made me endure some of the worst that I've seen from people in this fandom.

But also you're right. No matter the reason and no matter how long it may be, a person who has accepted a job...be it an art commission or something else, should at the bare minimum, communicate with the person they are being paid to do that for.

The sad thing is that me and everyone I mentioned in my post had been doing things the right way for ages. We gave Kiki-Kit time (more than we should've), communicated to her through the proper channels she had set up, were nice and patient and yet she never responded to any of us. It literally left us with no choice but to call her out...something none of us wanted to do!

That's what really disappoints me about it all. IDC if she was to take another year to finish my commission. It was a non time sensitive comm I just got from her cause it was a chance to support an artist I respected and admired who was going through a rough time and get a personalized art piece from them. But her lack of communicating really has been upsetting. No matter what she was going through, she could have at least made a post or update to us saying things would take time or even just not say an arbitrary completion date and then miss it with months without another update. No one would be mad at her if she just communicated with us better. That's all that this boils down to; lack of communication!

I get upset and apologize if I miss messaging someone back even for a few hours. And I feel even worse if I miss a DM or message sent my way and then see it maybe days later. None of us are after Kiki-Kit or want her to be remembered for this by the fandom. It pained me greatly to make that post. But with all that has come out, it was overdue.

I still believe she can rectify this all if she just responds and agrees to refund or complete comms from everyone still waiting, that's all it'll take. I doubt anyone will wanna buy a comm from her again who are aware of all this, but at least it's better than not responding to people who fucking paid her and are waiting!

At this point personally, I'm getting my money back from her if she does offer it and so are probably everyone else who I've spoken to. It's not something I want to do given the whole reason behind why she did those comms in the first place...but this whole situation has just left a bad taste in us all and quite frankly, we've had enough.

I just hope if or when Kiki-Kit does address this all, she does better moving forward.

[untildawn-secretsanta]

UDHGE 2019 RULES

Hey all, now that we've established that UDGE will be continuing for the forseeable future, we'd like to set some ground rules for this exchange! Sorry about the long wait on this, we’ve both been slammed with work and sorting out a move soon!

It is extremely important that you read this set of rules, as there are important updates since the last exchange!

First and foremost, the main reason there were issues last time was due to people flaking out. Please know that this exchange, and every one in the future, will include a ZERO TOLERANCE POLICY regarding this. In short, this means that if you don't do your part in the exchange (making and posting a gift) with no communication about why you haven't done your part, you will no longer be able to participate in ANY future gift exchange. We feel that it's really unfair to others that some people have tried to take advantage of the exchange to receive a gift but not have to do anything in return. This ruins the fun, as well as the entire point of the exchange. Of course, if you have an actual emergency come up, this doesn't apply, and we totally get if you need to back out of the exchange! Just let us know about your situation ASAP so we can figure something out for your recipient! 

The above policy also goes for people not liking/reblogging the gift they were given (barring an emergency related absence). The giving aspect is half of the fun, and that half gets taken away from people who receive no thanks for something that was personalized and took time to create.

Lack of communication was also an issue last time, so we ask that you please make an effort to respond in a timely manner if one of us contacts you! Of course, we realize that nobody lives online, but if there's more than a week of no communication, we'll put you into warning status until you respond. Nagging is never fun for anyone involved, so please please please don't make us have to nag you!

This time around, we're also going to try doing a check in halfway with everyone on their progress! Aim to have at least some work on your exchange gift done by this date, whether that includes planning, a rough draft, or even the completed gift. Anyone who hasn't started at least planning their gift without a valid excuse will fall into warning status until gifts are posted and they post something. If you have gifted for other exchanges properly, we will be more lenient about this, though. Some people really only need a short while to complete their gifts, so if we have a conversation about this, warning status can easily be avoided.

Now that the new stuff is out of the way, here's some of the basic guidelines for the exchange:

STANDARD RULES:

Please make sure that your Elfster name includes your tumblr URL. Make sure you create 6 wishlists, which should include your top TWO UD OTPs, your top TWO UD BROTPs, and your top TWO favorite UD characters. Feel free to add more and/or indicate which ones you prefer, if any in your lists. Having a bigger selection of characters ensures that everyone will be creating content that they are at least comfortable with.

Specifically for the Halloween exchange: everyone must create an additional list stating whether or not they are alright with gore/body horror being present in their gift, as 'tis the season. If yes, please also list any notable triggers or anything of the like that you are not comfortable with. If your recipient is not okay with gore, under no circumstances should you include it. Gore must be tagged with "#horror, #gore, and #body horror (when applicable), as well as any specific triggers in the gift. If you're not sure how to tag these things or what to tag, please send the gift/gift description to @chrisheartley or @joshuawashua. 

Please also make an effort to respect others' religious views when creating a gift. If unsure of a person's comfort level with something (e.g. satanic symbols), you can send an anonymous ask, or request that one of the moderators inquire for you.

Gifts must be one of the following: fanart, fanfiction, video/photo edits, a playlist, or a combination of the above (e.g. fanfiction to support a piece of fanart). On October 31, 2019, all gifts must be posted onto tumblr with the following hashtags: "#udge2019 #until dawn #until dawn gift exchange 2019" the tags must also include any characters or ships within the work (e.g. "#josh washington #sam giddings #jossam") and MUST be marked as NSFW if applicable.

Gifts are exchanged entirely online, which means that nothing should be purchased or mailed for the exchange. Artwork should be original and complete, meaning that you should avoid giving doodles/sketches as gifts. For fanfiction, try to reach a minimum of 2500 words (unless used in combination with another gift, such as artwork or a photo edit). Playlists must include at least 10 songs, as well as a cover image (either original or credited). Video edits should be a minimum of 2 minutes in length, and photo edits must include a minimum of four photos, which must all be credited to the best of your ability. If you feel you have an exception, please don't hesitate to contact either of us. Overall, gifts must be complete, well thought out, and should take a minimum of 1 hour to create (this does include time taken to find songs/photos/video clips for those who decide to work with those medium).

This time, we're keeping the NSFW gifts around. However, this requires you to provide an email to or coordinate other social media platforms with your gifter on the exchange date if they have any sort of NSFW image in their gift. Do not indicate that you are comfortable with NSFW gifts if you are uncomfortable sharing emails with another person. We'll post more detailed instructions on how to send NSFW image based gifts after the signup deadline has passed. If you are alright with receiving an NSFW gift, please create an additional wishlist on Elfster simply stating "NSFW friendly". (Note that although you may indicate a willingness to receive something NSFW, this does not guarantee you an NSFW gift). If your recipient has not indicated their willingness to receive an NSFW gift, your work must be 100% SFW (no sexual themes). YOU MUST BE 18+ TO LIST YOURSELF AS NSFW FRIENDLY IN ANY WAY. NO EXCEPTIONS. FAILURE TO ADHERE TO THIS RULE WILL RESULT IN AN IMMEDIATE BAN FROM FUTURE EVENTS.

This exchange does have a theme! It's Halloween specific, although you can feel free to broaden the theme to general fall activities if you don't celebrate or just don't want to do anything Halloween-y! 

Emergency Ghosts! They work the same as Emergency Elves, just a little spookier! As this exchange grows, there are inevitably people who for various reasons are unable to complete a gift. As an EG, you will be the first people we go to to take over to create an emergency mini-gift to make sure that nobody leaves this exchange empty handed. If this sounds like the position for you, DM @chrisheartley or @joshuawashua. (This position is intended for those who are unable to participate in any other way. If you’re able to create a full gift, please sign up for the full exchange. If you're available for both, that's awesome, please let us know!)

Participants are responsible for staying aware of the deadline. In the past, Med would DM each participant individually with reminders, however it was an incredibly time-consuming process. It is YOUR responsibility to check the blog for updates and ensure that your gift is complete by October 31, 2019. (Dates are not subject to change.) 

Any further questions should be directed to the moderators! Click here to be redirected to the signup page, and happy haunting!

[mordu]

How to start taking yourself seriously as an artist:

Even if you don’t plan on making your art into a business, you should read this.

(Sorry if this post is quite long, I like to space things out for easier reading!)

1. Don’t undersell your art.

You should be making AT LEAST minimum wage, if not more. 

Figure out how long it takes you on average to finish a commission, and then calculate from there. Multiply the number of hours by your wage. For example, 2.5 hours at $10 an hour would mean you would charge roughly $25 for that kind of commission. (2.5 x 10 = 25)

There’s a handy tool called the Cash Clock that you can run while you draw and it’ll give you an idea of how much you should charge. It’s extremely easy to use, and you can also download it if you want to use it offline.

When you undersell yourself, this tells people:

That you’re desperate for money. (And even if you are, it’s not good to come off that way, because people will absolutely take advantage of your desperation.)

That you don’t value your talent or your time.

That your final product won’t be worth the full amount that you should be charging. 

Underselling is also bad for the “Artist Economy”. Here is a post from Steve Argyle that explains why underselling is not only bad for yourself, but it’s detrimental to online artists as a whole: https://twitter.com/Steve_Argyle/status/940680836872994817

2. Stop putting yourself down.

Listen, I know it can be hard sometimes. We suffer for our art a lot, whether it be from getting little notes on something you worked hard on, not selling commissions, or facing art block. But here’s the thing: A lot of people don’t like to see you suffer. No one likes to see you call your art “shitty” over and over. 

When you often put yourself down, it sends several messages:

For one, expressing large amounts of negativity will always deter people. Let your art and your attitude towards your art inspire others. 

For the fans who consider themselves “beneath” you in terms of skill, it tells them that they also suck. Have you ever seen a really good artist who says something like “Just a shitty doodle.” on something that you think looks really awesome? And then you look at your art and kinda start thinking... “Well if they consider that shitty, then I guess I’m pretty shitty too.” It’s a bit of a reach, but you can’t tell me that there aren’t people that think that way.

And of course, it just sends the message that you generally lack confidence in your work. 

Now, I’m not saying that you’re not allowed to feel these things, or even that you’re not supposed to post them. If you really need a place to vent, the best thing to do would be to make a personal blog, something that’s separate from your artwork. Those that come to your page for your art won’t have to see your personal baggage-- it’s a win/win for both of you. And you can absolutely advertise this blog on your art blog for those who want to offer advice or comfort. (Though don’t spam your followers with this.) The key here is that viewers actually have to click through to a separate page in order to see this kind of thing.

Take pride in your work, and let it show through you.

3. Make a ToS (Terms of Service) page:

If you take commissions online, you should absolutely have a ToS page written up. Having a ToS page will protect you from anyone trying to screw you over, granted that you use it correctly.

You will need to link your ToS page to EVERY commissioner upon inquiries about a commission. Make sure your clients understand your terms BEFORE they pay, not after. This removes any liability from you if they try anything suspicious.

Things I would recommend including:

Turnout time: How long do you usually take to complete a commission piece? Give yourself more than enough time. If you normally have a queue for commissions, give yourself a good few weeks to complete a piece. 

Payment options. Most of us take payment through PayPal. Make sure that’s noted. Also note that you take payment up-front. Always take payment up-front. Some artists do a rough sketch and then once the client approves, they get paid. That’s fine too.

Cancellation policy. Assume that somewhere down the line, someone will ask to cancel their commission. Consider this: What if you’ve already finished most of the commission? What then? Simple! Get paid for your time. You do not need to refund someone if you’ve already done the work. Now, if you hadn’t even started the commission yet, then refunding them should be no problem, since you haven’t used any of your time on their commission. Also consider: If your turnout time exceeds the times listed, are clients allowed to request a refund? These kinds of decisions can vary from person-to-person, and that’s fine. Some people are totally fine with doing refunds, others will refuse to refund once an order is placed. All that you need to do is make sure that your customers understand your terms.

Other things I would recommend regarding your terms of sale:

USE INVOICES. In the invoices section, there is an area titled “Terms and Conditions”. This is where you include your Terms of Service. You can copy/paste your entire ToS (which is probably best), or you can just link the page/document. The area looks like this:

This is to protect you from PayPal disputes. If you have your terms listed on an invoice, and the person pays that invoice, they are automatically agreeing to your terms whether they read through it or not. Which, I mean, they should read through it. It’s pretty hard to miss-- We don’t do “fine print” like people do in commercials. It’s all laid out for them.

I know that all of this legal crap can be pretty scary, but thankfully PayPal makes it pretty easy, considering all you have to do is drop it in that box and you’re covered. :P

If you’d like to see some examples of other people’s Terms of Service pages, I have linked several here that you can take a look at:

My ToS: https://concupio.weebly.com/terms-of-service.html

SpartaDog’s ToS: https://www.spartadogillustration.com/tos

SpottyJaguar’s ToS: http://spottyjaguar.com/terms.php

You’re welcome to copy information from my ToS page. I’d ask the others if they’re okay with you doing the same. (I got a lot of my ideas/info from SpartaDog, so I’m sure he’d have no problem with you doing the same, but I’d ask just to be safe!)

I may end up updating this post with more information later. I hope this has helped you in some way! 

If you have any questions, I’d be more than happy to help you!