It's no secret that deviantART is the largest community of artists on the planet. With that fact in mind, we're interested in seeing how deviantART artists are faring in the global art marketplace.

Throughout history, art has been commissioned by individuals and institutions. Some of the world's greatest masterpieces - like the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel were commissioned. Even today, artwork is commissioned for a wide variety of reasons.

Perhaps the greater portion of commissioned art is what is called work-for-hire in the language of intellectual property. This means that an artist is employed by an individual to create art for a specific purpose. The terms of that employment usually dictate that the employer owns all rights to the work created. Think of a video game, for example. The concept artwork created by artists is owned by the development studio because the works were works-for-hire under contract.

This kind of art is often done to specification - an artist is provided with a detailed description of what is wanted. The artist’s role is then often interpretive; they will process the required specifications into their creation.

The most traditional notion of commissioned work is when an artist is paid to create without an overabundance of guidelines. For instance, a sculptor might be paid by a company to design a centerpiece for a fountain, once commissioned he would not be overtly steered by the minute wants of the board of directors. In this case, the artist was approached because their artistic vision was admired in addition to their technical skill.

But in reality, the reasons and terms of commissioned art are as varied as the artists here at deviantART. Tell us more about your experiences. We want to know more about the work you've done for people. Did they find you through deviantART? Did you work under contract? Under specification? Did you enjoy working for commission?

This is a chance for us to get to know more about you as artists! Share your stories!