(Originally a journal entry, still learning my way around DA.)

Commissioned work is not as simple as it first seems. Ask an Artist that has experience in commissioned work and you will not only hear stories of their journey, but also the bumps in the road. For Artist's considering turning their hobby into something a little more profitable, a little research may be in order before setting out on their chosen path.

Earning cold hard cash for your work sound enticing? Daydreaming about the dollars rolling in while you do what you love best? Before you go any further, head on over to the reality check booth for a guided tour. Like any other journey, just knowing the highlights of your destination does not ensure it will be a good one. The traveler must ensure he does not wander into any dark alleys by mistake!

Please DO consider the following, and DON'T forget to remember what made you an Artist to begin with. The love of Art.

Some Do's Broken down.

Do take a commission. If you are nervous about delivering art to someone else's expectations, start with family and friends. Do not charge, merely design to their specifications and see how well you do.
Do show your portfolio and ask the person what they like or dislike about your work. The more they like the better. What they do not like, should be noted and avoided to the best of your ability. This may seem in contrast to an Artist's freedoms and expression, but in short, the commission should reflect the customer's desire and vision as they are paying you to make both a reality. The Artist is at liberty to be creative with his own works separately.
Do ask specific questions about the customers vision of the finished piece before beginning. Do get into specifics so that you are not forced to guess at what they want, and suffer disappointment when you guess erroneously. Vagueness often leads to unwanted artwork.
Do discuss framing and matting options, (if required) especially if the piece is irregular and requires custom framing. Doing this allows your customer a chance to estimate his costs in completing the project for his own use and may be a determining factor when the customer decides on a final size of work.
Do discuss what your customer would like to do with your work. The final destination for the artwork may not be suitable for the subject and here the opportunity arises to do a little creative brainstorming with your customer in regards to suitability to existing decor or art sharing the same area. Consider that your work is your resume and you would like it presented in the best way possible!
Do make the statement that your work is subject to artistic impression! Always remember that no two people see things the same way. You may feel that the scar on someone's forehead does not compliment the image and leave it out. You may decide the car in the background of a reference serves poorly for composition and leave it out. You need to have the leeway to do create according to your sensibilities.
Do remember if the change is a large one, to discuss this with your customer. They may want that car in there!
Do keep in contact with your customer. Not only does it set the customer's mind at ease that their investment is on its way to maturity, but it also serves with progression of the artwork. If you choose to show the work in stages, remember to explain your next steps so that your customer understands this is not the final piece and has a better idea of where it will be going.

Again, reassurance. Good communication eliminates misconceptions that could result in dissatisfaction. As a bonus, it also creates a good working relationship and the feeling that the customer is involved in the creation of his commission.
Do check the Copyright Law's of your country. Wikipedia has a general document on [Copyright] that you can read to get started. There are international laws agreed upon to consider as well. [The Berne Convention]. Copyright is taken quite seriously. Ignorance is never an acceptable excuse for infringement.


Pricing-
Do take on free commissions! Consider these an investment in gaining future commissions. Payment will come in the form of challenges, lessons, and most importantly for the Artist wishing to begin work as a commissioned Artist, a thicker portfolio. If payment cannot be in cash, think of it as non-refundable currency in experience.
Do remember that doing a commission for free is YOUR choice. Do NOT allow anyone to guilt you into doing a piece. The resulting artwork is rarely your best. Your work = advertising = reputation. Keep this in mind.
Do discuss what is involved in creating the commissioned piece. Not only will the customer have a better appreciation for your skills, but also a realistic sense of what the commission entails. Again, this assists with setting a final price and the customer's expectations.
Do survey people you know about what they would be willing to pay for a commissioned piece of art. Survey a large group, so that you can get a realistic idea on what the general public feels this service would be worth. It may not coincide with your original lofty estimations.
Do search online and see what other artists are charging. Compare your work with what you find, and concentrate on works that are similar to yours. A little research can go a long way to saving disappointment later.
Do relate your work to other services or products. This is where the Artist must step back and the business man must step in.
Do spend some time creating a list of prices for your commissions. Example- 8x10 = 50 dollars. Starting here you have a base to work from. An 8x10 with a lot of detail and hours involved will need to be priced higher to compensate for your time. Also, if you have a list of set prices to start from, the customer has a better understanding of YOUR expectations.
Do base your work on an hourly wage and explain this to your customer. Explaining your commission prices in terms the general public can relate to helps make a sale price easier to accept. Example- "I'd like at least 10 dollars an hour for my time." A convenience clerk makes 8 dollars an hour...setting a dollar amount by hour is reasonable. If you simply pull an amount out of thin air, it is harder for the customer to justify his expenses.
Do be reasonable with your charges. Take into consideration time, difficulty, size and subject of the project.
Do log the time you actually spent working on a project so that you have some estimation basis for future projects. Be honest with yourself. If it takes you an hour to finish a project or 20 hours to finish, charge with consideration to what a customer may be willing to pay and not how much you can fleece them for.
Do take a deposit and produce a receipt with a note on it regarding the commission and further payment scheduled. Example- 1/3 of payment (enter amount) for commission of (subject) drawing.
Balance due upon delivery.
Do consider the payment options available. A customer that lives a distance away from you, whom you will be mailing the work to, may not feel comfortable putting cash into the mail. Money orders are an option, as is [Paypal]. Both offer a reciept, though Paypal records the specifics of the transfer of funds. Example- amount, date transfered and when received. Whereas using a money order, cheques or cash can result in disputes.
Do discuss delivery options for the final Artwork. Work the cost of delivery into your final sale price if the customer opts to have it insured and if you choose to go with a registered mail option or Fedex/UPS.

Contracts-
Do draw up a simple contract. You are providing a service and a finished product customed tailored to your customer's desires much like a carpenter who is hired to do work in a house. A simple receipt may do for more impersonal commissions. A free commission should not require a contract, as no money is exchanged but as soon as cash is involved, something in writing protects the agreement between you and your customer so that both receive what has been agreed upon. This can serve as insurance that your time and skills are paid for, and for your customer it ensures they get what they paid for. Of course, unless you are willing to take the matter to court, there is always the chance you will not get paid. Having a contract gives you the option of legal recourse, and that can be enough to make a majority of customers think twice before breaking the agreement. A contract often helps commit the customer to the
purchase.
Do ask for a model release form to be signed, if necessary. You can search the internet for examples of such forms already drafted, and use them as a foundation for your own. This is especially helpful if you are taking photographs for a separate engagement and wish to use them for reference later.
Do think about the future. You may wish to use this artwork somewhere later for another purpose. Include in your contract, a future use clause. Simply put, a release will allow you to use the commission as you wish, personally or commercially, without further compensation to the customer, or legal retribution at a later date.
Do practice honor. If you are seeking to use the artwork later, do remember the integrity of the customer and use the image with respect to him/her. Your clause should make mention of restrictions of use to reassure the customer that the subject the trust they placed in you was not misplaced.



Some DON'Ts broken down-


Do NOT do a commission of something you feel strongly disagrees with your beliefs or that you just plain dislike. Artwork is often interpretted as a reflection of the Artist's internalization.
Do NOT be afraid to refuse a commission if it begins with a negative note or the customer is too picky. - A micromanager dampens an artists motivation VERY quickly! Hard to please customers are rarely happy with their purchase.
Do NOT take on commissions that are beyond your abilities. If you are a pencil artist and the person wishes an oil painting, you should probably decline until you have had enough practice in that media. If you want to give it a try, make it a freebie and without the guarantee of results.
Do NOT let inspiration run free and add things to the piece before consulting with the customer. (Think dead relative and you are the clairvoyant. You are being paid to deliver the message, not adlib what YOU think the grieving want to hear. They have funeral directors for that.)
Do Not practice self inflation. You may be an master artestian, but in the world of commissions, your artistry is subject to whim and taste of the customer.
Do NOT cheat your customers by exaggerating the time and effort you expended on the project. Even if they are uneducated, your deception could be discovered and this serves badly for future 'word of mouth' contracts.
Do Not promise and renege on your contract. Only take commissions if you can dedicate yourself to the commitment of delivering a finished piece. Not only will you have to refund the deposit, which you most likely will have spent, but you will also lose credibility. Again, the 'word of mouth' scenario. Negative reviews will not earn you more work, no matter how talented you are.
Do NOT oversell yourself. Remember the customer is approaching you for your services. You are not acting as a door to door salesman. Discuss your work but retain your confidence. Over selling yourself at this point to 'cement' the sale only serves to give the impression that you are inexperienced and desperate. Desperation is not attractive to customers. You may lose the sale if the customer begins to doubt your abilities.
Do NOT undersell yourself. This may sound like a contradiction to the last statement, but belittling your skills serves no positive purpose. You gain much less than your work is worth in payment, and the customer may get what they wanted, but may feel because they paid less and you presented yourself as second rate, that your work IS second rate, therefore worth less. This is also bad for future commissions.
Do NOT resell a commission. Doing this destroys the basis of having a commission done. A commission offers a piece of art that is one of a kind. IF the piece is general, and you would like to use it again, or sell prints...ASK for permission if you do not have a clause that mentions future use of the piece in your contract.
Do NOT accept commissions that place you in jeapardy of being charged with copyright infringement. If the concept or reference is not their own, then ask where it came from. Assuming that anything from the internet is copyrighted, serve as the customers representative by hunting down their reference location and requesting permission if possible. Even celebrities retain
their private rights over the use of their likeness, just as any regular Joe does. (Even if you consider them public figures) Remember, that it is YOU that will suffer the legalities that could
arise and not the customer. Be safe, and protect yourself.


I hope this article is helpful, but if you are already working in the world of commissions, please feel free to send me a note if I have missed something you feel would be helpful and should be included. Happy Commissioning!