How long does a commission take to finish?

[Veil 260]

So, the title is my question. I've never made requested a commission before so I thought I would ask. If this is in the wrong section of the forums I'm ok with it being moved to the correct place, wasn't really sure where to ask this. Thank you.

[UltimateGhost3 498]

It really depends on the artist, and whether or not its paid for, most of the time it takes a few days but it could be a week to two weeks, or even within a day.

[ShadOBabe 18,997]

Depends on the artist and what exactly you’re paying for. Since you’re paying an individual human being to create something, it’s good to keep in mind that individual human beings occasionally have unforeseen real life problems that get in the way of completing a commission quickly.

[Veil 260]

That's mainly why I ask. I know stuff happens and I don't wanna be quick to assume things. I'm giving time and waiting for a reply to a message and I'm still being patient, it just helps to be safe sometimes.

[Leave a Whisper 703]

Depends on the customizer and the complexity or simplicity of the custom. They hafta find and buy bait, if not provided one. They hafta buy hair, paint or clay as well.

I have two amazing character customs that I commissioned from a very talented customizer. They have paintjobs, moulded clay clothing, details and deliberately styled hair.

They took quite a while to make. Trust me, pics don't do these boys justice because you can't see every detail in one photo. They're some of the crown jewels of my collection.

 

Repaints, grail customs and restorations take some time to do, because you are making/restoring/recreating it for someone paying you and you want it to look good for your customer and build up a good reputation. 

On the flipside, I have this little cutie who simply needed her mane done. Everything else was already done for the customizer. Her tail and symbol were done beforehand. The pony and remaining hair was already provided for, so she didn't take long. 

 

Rehairs and alt-hairs  take less time.

 

Edited February 16, 2018 by Leave a Whisper

[Ashen Pathfinder 16,161]

@Veil

Moving to Site Questions.

But yeah, the general gist is that it depends on the commissioner, the type of commission ordered, what goes into the commission itself, the life situation of the artist, etc., It's not something that usually takes a long time, but if you want quality, it usually takes some time.

[Total Lunar Eclipse 516]

For me, most commissions are 1-3 hours. 

It depends what the client wants, though. I've had ones that were as quick as half an hour, and others that went on 8+ hours.

The art I advertise though tends to be 1-3 hours, so that's what people commission me for. 

As an artist, what you advertise has a huge impact on what people are going to want from you. If you show a portfolio full of 8+ hour work, that's the kind of work you'll be doing. 

I recommend finding what pace works best for you and, if you have a preference for timeframe, reflect it in your portfolio. If you don't have a preference, organizing your portfolio by time/price/detail (presuming they all scale with each other) is a good way to help clients decide what they want.