CoX Artwork

[Bliz]

... You go take a look around Deviantart, compare people who do commissions. Compare the prices between those in USA to those not. You'll quickly find that you can have work done by someone in America for $20, that you can have done from someone equally talented from somewhere like Thailand or South America, for $5.

And there are plenty of great artists that are very reasonable in prices. Generally it's only Americans that overcharge.

Excuse me, as an artist who primarily makes their living well... doing art, I take extreme exception to this. It is my job to know what to charge for a fair price in regard to skill, product and time invested (for myself). and I can pretty much guarantee that most freelancers without geegobs of followers, who don't also work for a company and don't have a brand/product attached to their name undercharge. (Pick your reason combo.)

That includes your American artists charging $20 for that thing you can get elsewhere for $5. Guess what? Those $5 artists are SEVERELY undercharging as well.

Maybe they don't know better, maybe they see the false downward trend and follow it, maybe they are just doing it for fun and taking minor compensation, maybe an emergency came up and they're having a firesale (which other clients try to use to force lower charges from other artists), maybe they are young and new to the commission scene and taking lots of lowball offers to build a base. None of that makes it right, but it happens. You can argue an exception for reason 3, I get that, but it shouldn't be factored into regular wages.

Here's the thing about undercharging; it makes it more difficult for those who know our worth to make a living wage. When some artist charges $5 for 3 hours of work, the artist who needs $20 for 1 hour of work appears to be overcharging when the skill is comparable. But it's a false perception.

If your boss came to you (assuming you don't work for yourself) and asked you to work for less than minimum wage with no tips, what would your reaction be? (Rather negative, I imagine.) So when you (or anyone) gleefully talk about getting great cheap $5 art I think about the former question and wonder why it's acceptable for an artist but no other profession.

[corvus1970]

Hello syrusb,

I don't know if you read some of the replies to those comments or not, but we did touch on some of those issues, though not in any depth.

You are correct in all of your points, and I would suspect that undercharging is far more common than overcharging. Its just not as visible, and as I said earlier, I tend to undercharge myself.

Anyway, back to posting some art! :D

[Samuraiko]

Excuse me, as an artist who primarily makes their living well... doing art, I take extreme exception to this. It is my job to know what to charge for a fair price in regard to skill, product and time invested (for myself). and I can pretty much guarantee that most freelancers without geegobs of followers, who don't also work for a company and don't have a brand/product attached to their name undercharge. (Pick your reason combo.)

That includes your American artists charging $20 for that thing you can get elsewhere for $5. Guess what? Those $5 artists are SEVERELY undercharging as well.

Maybe they don't know better, maybe they see the false downward trend and follow it, maybe they are just doing it for fun and taking minor compensation, maybe an emergency came up and they're having a firesale (which other clients try to use to force lower charges from other artists), maybe they are young and new to the commission scene and taking lots of lowball offers to build a base. None of that makes it right, but it happens. You can argue an exception for reason 3, I get that, but it shouldn't be factored into regular wages.

Here's the thing about undercharging; it makes it more difficult for those who know our worth to make a living wage. When some artist charges $5 for 3 hours of work, the artist who needs $20 for 1 hour of work appears to be overcharging when the skill is comparable. But it's a false perception.

If your boss came to you (assuming you don't work for yourself) and asked you to work for less than minimum wage with no tips, what would your reaction be? (Rather negative, I imagine.) So when you (or anyone) gleefully talk about getting great cheap $5 art I think about the former question and wonder why it's acceptable for an artist but no other profession.

And having gotten art from her (enough to make a video with it!), I can say she was well worth every dollar I paid.

Still need to have her do a full-on color rendition of one of those shots, too, now that I think of it. Especially in light of the gaming going away.

Michelle
aka
Samuraiko/Dark_Respite

[Bliz]

...I don't know if you read some of the replies to those comments or not, but we did touch on some of those issues, though not in any depth.

You are correct in all of your points, and I would suspect that undercharging is far more common than overcharging. Its just not as visible, and as I said earlier, I tend to undercharge myself...

I did read the other replies before I posted. I wouldn't call it a hot button issue, but it is something I am keenly aware of and feel great importance to speak up when I come across issues of this nature.

[Aggelakis]

https://images.weserv.nl/?url=imageshack.us%2Fa%2Fimg7%2F4703%2Fmodhat2.jpg Please keep images kid-friendly.

[Xieveral]

My 2 inf on prices... I don't mind paying more for a commission if its quality work. (which is subjective I guess...)

Am I willing to pay something like $50 to an artist who presents lazily drawn wannabe anime doodles with wonky anatomy more fit for the margins of a notebook than a portfolio? No.

Will I pay $50 for something that clearly shows the artist has worked hard through the years to get where they are in skill and still working to improve? You betcha!

My work for example... would you pay $20 for it? I wouldn't, not even $5. I hope I achieve a level of skill someday where I can look at my work and say "Yeah, I'd pay money for that" but right now... I don't deserve to take money.

[Perfidus]

Yes, I think you're taking exception and maybe even offense to what is a non-issue, syrusb. There was no deeper meaning to my statements, no ill will harbored toward artists who charge upwards of fifty dollars for a piece, or even $175 for a professional level piece. I was just speaking factually, and never touched on the underlying issues behind those facts. What you say is absolutely true. It's really just artists choice, and economic issues and standards of the various countries.

But what Xieveral said is also true. There are artists out there who just overestimate the quality of their own work, and will charge you $30 for a misproportioned sketch with messy lines and no color at all. But those weren't the people I was talking about, and they happen in every country.

[TimtheEnchanter]

Well now, this thread certainly took an unexpected turn.

[Perfidus]

Agreed, I think we should get back to arts. Someone post some, nao!

[Samuraiko]

https://images.weserv.nl/?url=th00.deviantart.net%2Ffs71%2FPRE%2Fi%2F2011%2F143%2F6%2F3%2Fcommission___after_the_storm_by_aentheartist-d3h2als.jpg

One of the pieces I *DID* commission... it's strangely satisfying to make a geeky character like Positron look, you know, cool.

https://images.weserv.nl/?url=fc01.deviantart.net%2Ffs70%2Fi%2F2011%2F156%2F1%2F8%2Foops_by_imagesbyalex-d3i376a.jpg

This, on the other hand, just reinforces his dork cred - same goes for Tava.

Michelle
aka
Samuraiko/Dark_Respite

[Perfidus]

Haha, yeah! Before I read your caption I looked at it and thought, oh man. Posi looks cool for once.

[TimtheEnchanter]

One of the pieces I *DID* commission... it's strangely satisfying to make a geeky character like Positron look, you know, cool.

Just because he has a suit full of blue glowing circuitry and has tron in his name...

...nevermind.  8)

[maxxrpg]

Some more art
Brightfist

https://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a6/maxxrpg/Characters/Heroes/brightfist.jpg

Commission for Acquire my Peacebringer

https://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a6/maxxrpg/Characters/Heroes/acquirep.jpg

Plasma Knight

https://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a6/maxxrpg/Characters/Heroes/plasmaknight-smaller.jpg

[MisterMagpie]

Gonna share some of my Syrusb art!

https://images.weserv.nl/?url=pics.darthcricket.com%2Fjournal%2Ffanart%2Flc-crantz.jpg

My Grimms! The ones I had at the time, one day I'm going to get this big portrait done of all the ones I had in the end.

Red: Riley Grimm
Blue: Ryan Grimm (her twin)
Purple: Charlotte Grimm (little sister, deceased, but that didn't keep her down)
Yellow:  Sol Grimm (Praetorian counterpart, peacebringer)

https://images.weserv.nl/?url=pics.darthcricket.com%2Fjournal%2Ffanart%2Flc-crantz2.jpg

Erik and Frieda Grimm, Riley's parents, back when they first met/teamed up. I apologize for Frieda's costume, she was meant to evoke one of those dark villainnesses (with a side of sexy thief. Not a genre I was familiar with, really) and had a much more sensible costume in-game when I played her. Of course, she was also in her fifties then and didn't feel like getting butt frostbite then.  Erik der Grimmige and Nachtfrau were their names,

https://images.weserv.nl/?url=pics.darthcricket.com%2Fjournal%2Ffanart%2Flc-crantz3.jpg

Chibis of Busy Bee, Ryan Grimm, and Miss Popular.

https://images.weserv.nl/?url=pics.darthcricket.com%2Fjournal%2Ffanart%2Flc-crantz3chibiw.png

My mad scientist trio!

Dr. Ono, Dr. Velazquez, and Professor Berry.

https://images.weserv.nl/?url=pics.darthcricket.com%2Fjournal%2Ffanart%2Flc-crantz4%2520FLAT.jpg

Advertising poster for my supergroup which was meant to be an apartment complex for heroes.

Featuring: Desert Diamond, Geothunder, and  Sailor Mutilation (Sailor Mutilation was not my character, she was the character of a friend of mine)

https://images.weserv.nl/?url=pics.darthcricket.com%2Fjournal%2Ffanart%2Flc-crantzdrdapperchibiweb.png

Dr. Dapper! Another of my mad scientists, she specialized in instructing Mad Archaeology in Paragon University's Mad Science department.

https://images.weserv.nl/?url=pics.darthcricket.com%2Fjournal%2Ffanart%2Flc-crantzico1500x.png

Icon of my reptile girl Vanessa Blade.

https://images.weserv.nl/?url=pics.darthcricket.com%2Fjournal%2Ffanart%2Flc-crantzico2500x.png

And here she is before she grew up  and went all reptile like her dad.


My very favourite:

https://images.weserv.nl/?url=pics.darthcricket.com%2Fjournal%2Ffanart%2Flc-coxo.jpg

Oxomoco! One of my very first characters. Storm/Dark

[Alfinpogform]

We need more art? Well, okay then. This is Lunar-Lass. My very first 50 and one of my favorite characters. She was retired long before the game was shut down, but I'll still always miss her.

https://images.weserv.nl/?url=fc05.deviantart.net%2Ffs21%2Ff%2F2007%2F256%2Fa%2F7%2FLunar_Lass_by_jaggyd_by_Zandock.jpg
https://images.weserv.nl/?url=fc06.deviantart.net%2Ffs21%2Ff%2F2007%2F256%2Fa%2F4%2FLunar_Lass_and_Seigyoku_by_RC_by_Zandock.png
https://images.weserv.nl/?url=fc03.deviantart.net%2Ffs19%2Ff%2F2007%2F256%2F7%2F8%2FLunar_Lass_by_Loveariddle_by_Zandock.jpg
https://images.weserv.nl/?url=fc08.deviantart.net%2Ffs20%2Ff%2F2007%2F256%2F9%2Fe%2FLunar_Lass_Kiriban_by_Hugohugo_by_Zandock.jpg
https://images.weserv.nl/?url=fc01.deviantart.net%2Ffs71%2Ff%2F2012%2F333%2Ff%2F4%2Flunar_lass_by_hugohugo_by_zandock-d5mkwnc.jpg

[Blargeth]

One thing I used to do is take a sketchbook and screenshots of my characters to my local comic con every year. I'd wander around Artists Alley where I would often get a variety of sketches done.

Then I moved and lost the sketchbook in the shuffle somewhere. :gonk:

I did scan a few of them at some point though. This is DarkGlare, a Dark Melee / Regen Scrapper, the first character I ever created in CoH.

https://images.weserv.nl/?url=blargmedia.ca%2Ffiles%2Fcoh%2Fdarkglare_by_todd_demong.jpg

https://images.weserv.nl/?url=blargmedia.ca%2Ffiles%2Fcoh%2Fdarkglare_by_dario_carrasco.jpg

https://images.weserv.nl/?url=blargmedia.ca%2Ffiles%2Fcoh%2Fdarkglare_by_g_gerald_garcia.jpg

[Kistulot]

I looove getting artwork of my characters. Maybe a bit too much.

But I usually don't tend to have the resources to fund it. Tear. That said, this one was for free! Argent Girl wore this as her secondary costume for awhile, and while she never posed like this IC, I'm sure she would for the right cause (and this should still be SFW, apologies if considered too risque!

https://dl.dropbox.com/u/6654183/CoX/sarahcheesecake.png

And this one was a pre-shiny version of Sarah, also free:

https://dl.dropbox.com/u/6654183/CoX/Sparkles.jpg

This was art done by Agent Canada as part of an art exchange with Argent taking on her once captor, Madam Moon (though the plot never got to reveal her name, sigh!):

https://dl.dropbox.com/u/6654183/CoX/MadnessColorMoon2.jpg

Here's some art of Argent along with two of her friends, Crow Call and Scarlet Warden also used as my avatar:

https://dl.dropbox.com/u/6654183/CoX/smile__point__giggle_by_toviorogers-d58pdte.png

This was drawn again as a freebie as a sort of going away present for Sarah. If/when we get CoH back I might grab more art, but I just don't have the cash to indulge commissions often.

https://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y287/kistulot/SarahPunchy.jpg

Additionally I did a bit of sprite art for her as well that I used as her Guild Portal avatar. Complete with the icon for her "Argent Spark" power:

https://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y287/kistulot/ArgentGirl.png

[Perfidus]

Just got this one in, a few minutes ago. I only ordered it last night! It's of my character Zaxa, who is also there in my avatar.

https://i.imgur.com/BlKKS.jpg

[Xieveral]

That's great! Who's the artist?

[Perfidus]

Oh! Sorry. Didn't even think of it.

The artist is http://sch-g.deviantart.com/

Very good prices as you can see! :D