SSF Custom Artist's Guidelines for Commissioned Work

I want to lay down a few Custom artist rules, each artist can chime in or send me their list of rules... so I can add them to the list. This way, every customer knows EXACTLY what they are in for. They can be informed of wait times, refund policies, etc.

DarkArtist's Guidelines for Custom Work:

First off, I can't really give shipping quotes. Boxes are always random, and so is the weight. I usually charge a flat rate and eat the shipping myself, to be a nice guy.

I do not give refunds, unless it's a unique situation. I have to do this to keep from going broke, as parts and supplies cost a pretty penny. If I've already bought the parts and started building a figure... can't really do much to regain money lost.

Wait time... I'm always perpetually behind. Never caught up, no matter how much I try. New orders always go through. So the wait can be anywhere from one month to 6... Sometimes longer if it is a complicated or large commission. So please understand that if you buy from me, that it will not be super fast. But rest assured... it will look nice when you get it.

Payment.. Paypal is best, though I will take other options if you ask. I have to have payment up front or at least in installments, to be able to afford the parts I need to do the work... Also, I can't afford to start painting something only to have someone change their mind. Hazards of the business..

Lastly, I am a nice guy... and will do my best to give you all my best work. But, at times I can get pretty swamped and not answer my PM's fast enough.. So just understand that I'm not ignoring you, I'm just piled under a mountain of work and it gets to be a little too much to remember.

Les Walker's Guidelines for Custom Work:

Same as above

Hurricane's additions:

I agree with the above, so extra things for my stuff
#the electronics i use are custom made at times and have never failed to date, however sometimes wait times are extended further by getting the parts.I live on an island and virtually nothing i use is locally available.
same with resins,rubbers(silicone)paints are becoming very hard to get, Tamiya TS range spray cans are a big thorn in my side.
The vaders are particually behind , due to a huge failure rate in the cathode tubes (out of the box NOT once wired up)paint issues in some climates is a new problem, english weather is crap end of, but some paints have become tacky in hotter more humid climates,and also because im constantly trying to push them further than ever.Every ones patience is much appreciated.Same as DA i often eat up the extra shipping costs, which have risen alot due to fuel prices and greedy royal mail.
Scrappage rates too get over looked, failed castings,bad molds, silicone molds deteriorate and need replacing and the rubbers costly so sometimes i wait till several need replacing before buying in more rubber.Bad fitting capes, they sometimes get made a bit too short, so off they go to the fabric scraps drawer.

Anyone who adds their rules, i will add them to this first post. Thanks!

Re: SSF Custom Artist's Rulebook

You know you can take as long as you like when working on something for me, since you are always infinitely patient with me!

You rock Bro!!

P.S. Whoever gives Josh a hard time sucks ass, he is a great dude and you can't rush perfection!

Re: SSF Custom Artist's Rulebook

DarkArtist81 said:

I want to lay down a few Custom artist rules, each artist can chime in or send me their list of rules... so I can add them to the list. This way, every customer knows EXACTLY what they are in for. They can be informed of wait times, refund policies, etc.

DarkArtist's Rules:

First off, I can't really give shipping quotes. Boxes are always random, and so is the weight. I usually charge a flat rate and eat the shipping myself, to be a nice guy.

I do not give refunds, unless it's a unique situation. I have to do this to keep from going broke, as parts and supplies cost a pretty penny. If I've already bought the parts and started building a figure... can't really do much to regain money lost.

Wait time... I'm always perpetually behind. Never caught up, no matter how much I try. New orders always go through. So the wait can be anywhere from one month to 6... Sometimes longer if it is a complicated or large commission. So please understand that if you buy from me, that it will not be super fast. But rest assured... it will look nice when you get it.

Payment.. Paypal is best, though I will take other options if you ask. I have to have payment up front or at least in installments, to be able to afford the parts I need to do the work... Also, I can't afford to start painting something only to have someone change their mind. Hazards of the business..

Lastly, I am a nice guy... and will do my best to give you all my best work. But, at times I can get pretty swamped and not answer my PM's fast enough.. So just understand that I'm not ignoring you, I'm just piled under a mountain of work and it gets to be a little too much to remember.

Anyone who adds their rules, i will add them to this first post. Thanks!

Click to expand...

Works for me!

I am in the same situation as Josh, almost exactly. He and I have spent hours discussing this very thing, and we both feel strongly about YOUR work. We live to do this stuff. LIVE for it. I do anyway.
To have the priviledge to rework or make new some figure for you guys, is the greatest joy of my life. Really. I live for little else.
I have a family, and love them, but they don't understand what I do like you guys do.
So, this is special to me. EACH PIECE is special. I NEVER forget them either. If I am not working on them literally, I am in some other way...thoughts, getting some part, getting some part made, something, always.
And, many of you are more special to me than I ever may say.

One member here, I will refrain from mentioning his name, very literally saved my life. I was down. It was tough times. I needed something. Anything, to get me through a bad week I was having. Lots of family stuff and lots of things about it, that I could not cope with.
And this one kind member, that I owe work for still, sent me a picture of a doggie saying Who's Awesome? You're Awesome! And it made me cry. Made me feel like I had friends out there that were not only customers, but who cared.

Then there is the saga of Ma's Chair...thanks so much for that guys.

So, know, YOUR WORK, YOUR FIGURE, almost means more to methanit does to you.
I want it perfect for you. I want to be the means to that which you cannot have, so you can indeed have it.

And, that means I have to work within the confines of ART. And, not being a machine, or having a public relations department, or even one secretary to answer my mountain of emails, each of which is from someone excited and ready to get my work, MY WORK! So I have to deal with all that, and do the work.

So, yes, Josh's rules are mine also.
Same deal. Just know, you are special to me, and your collectible is too. I will be there for you, and deliver what I can, even if it takes me a while. Just please, forgive the delays and frustrations, because, when I finish it for you, I am as excited as I hope you will be. Every time. Every figure or face.

Thanks and thanks for posting this Josh. We who do this need the clarifications.

If you have questions of me, EMAIL ME! I am not private about my email! It is always, [email protected] Email me there about anything!
I will always try to answer.

Thanks all.

Les

Re: SSF Custom Artist's Rulebook

Great idea Josh !
And just for the custom artists here.

Re: SSF Custom Artist's Rulebook

Very eloquently put, Les.. And 100% true. We have had so many countless conversations about how much we try to squeeze out of ourselves.. to give every SINGLE figure or head our absolute attention and our best efforts. It means a lot to us, doing this. We've done figures for free, we've taken losses to get it out to the customers. It's not only about monetary gain, but rather about pushing the art forward and serving our fellow collector.

For those who think that there are no idealists left in this world, I can swear to you that you're wrong. Many of the customizers I have spoken to personally share my view, and Les' view... That we hold to a sacred ideal, to do our best work every single time.. WITHOUT FAIL. That we never take money from a customer, only to let them down in the long run. It's just not how we are wired.

You know who is really awesome?

You guys are.

It's your support and enthusiasm that keeps us going, keeps us afloat mentally. We strive to give you the best, and we would never jeopardize that trust. Thanks for being so supportive and for acknowledging this post. I will continue to update this thread, for any customizer that wants to share his feelings and rules.

Re: SSF Custom Artist's Guidelines for Commissions and Repaints

I think most of us regulars know you guys well enough to understand your situations. But I think this thread will be very helpful for the newbies that don't understand why you haven't sent them their head yet when they mailed it to you last week

Remember,

ART TAKES TIME!

And anybody who has anything from Les or Josh can testify to that! They are artists in the truest sense of the word

I have a few comments to throw in that may be helpful.

#1 - I've bought from Les before & I can say it was a very cool experience, one that reminds you that there are still people who care about the 1:6 world as a hobby more than a source of income. He was more concerned about the package getting to me safe & on time than I was. He always kept me updated & wanted me to let him know that everything was ok once it arrived. There's that "personal" touch he gives that only comes from somebody who really loves what they do.

#2 - As a customizer myself, I know that you just can not rush creativity. I've got a handful of "in progress" figures that have been sitting around for almost a year. Your best efforts come when you are inspired & you've got the info you need. Sometimes I move on to another figure when I get frustrated with the one I'm working on. Buttmunch was right, art does take time and it takes time because it takes alot of patience, researching, planning, etc.

I agree with the above, so extra things for my stuff
#the electronics i use are custom made at times and have never failed to date, however sometimes wait times are extended further by getting the parts.I live on an island and virtually nothing i use is locally available.
same with resins,rubbers(silicone)paints are becoming very hard to get, Tamiya TS range spray cans are a big thorn in my side.
The vaders are particually behind , due to a huge failure rate in the cathode tubes (out of the box NOT once wired up)paint issues in some climates is a new problem, english weather is crap end of, but some paints have become tacky in hotter more humid climates,and also because im constantly trying to push them further than ever.Every ones patience is much appreciated.Same as DA i often eat up the extra shipping costs, which have risen alot due to fuel prices and greedy royal mail.
Scrappage rates too get over looked, failed castings,bad molds, silicone molds deteriorate and need replacing and the rubbers costly so sometimes i wait till several need replacing before buying in more rubber.Bad fitting capes, they sometimes get made a bit too short, so off they go to the fabric scraps drawer.

Thanks Glenn! I will update the first posting. I'm glad this thread got started, it's good to hear a lot of the frustrations and pain that comes with what we do. It's really something that many people don't know and I think it's better that they do...

Our art is a struggle, and there is a LOT of unspoken challenges that occur during production of any given figure.

I agree on all points... When you commission a custom, the artists go the extra mile to try and make it perfect.... Not something you could just get from a factory...

My list of rules would pretty much mirror Josh's, so I'll stand by that, with minor differences:

1 to 2 months is what I shoot for. I go well over that sometimes, as some of you here know. But I do my best to shoot for that.

My shipping is also pretty stanard: $5.00 1 to 5 heads, $7.00 to $10.00 for a figure(s). My SPAWN figures are HEAVY!!!

And as Josh and Les have already said, the final result is the bottom line. A kick-ass final piece is more important than blowing it out the door in a week. There's too much cheap crap made quickly in this world. Ever been in a Wal-Mart? My stuff is constantly evolving. I'm ALWAYS thinking of and working on ways to improve things. ALWAYS! A lot of my scheduling problems are due to me seeing a way to make something better and holding up orders to explore it. Hell, I've even altered things that were DONE and ready to ship. I just can't put something in the mail, knowing it could have been better. I get verbally punched in the face from time to time for delays, and that's understandable. But as many gripes as I've had for turn-arounds, I've never had one for QUALITY. And that's the way I like it!

SovereignStudio said:

My list of rules would pretty much mirror Josh's, so I'll stand by that, with minor differences:

1 to 2 months is what I shoot for. I go well over that sometimes, as some of you here know. But I do my best to shoot for that.

My shipping is also pretty stanard: $5.00 1 to 5 heads, $7.00 to $10.00 for a figure(s). My SPAWN figures are HEAVY!!!

And as Josh and Les have already said, the final result is the bottom line. A kick-ass final piece is more important than blowing it out the door in a week. There's too much cheap crap made quickly in this world. Ever been in a Wal-Mart? My stuff is constantly evolving. I'm ALWAYS thinking of and working on ways to improve things. ALWAYS! A lot of my scheduling problems are due to me seeing a way to make something better and holding up orders to explore it. Hell, I've even altered things that were DONE and ready to ship. I just can't put something in the mail, knowing it could have been better. I get verbally punched in the face from time to time for delays, and that's understandable. But as many gripes as I've had for turn-arounds, I've never had one for QUALITY. And that's the way I like it!

Click to expand...

this says it all.well said,my vaders are taking outrageously long,for all the above...

This new section is great to see!

Nice one Josh

My Transaction Policies.

I will take a 25% deposit on all commisions, all commisions will be completed within six months, refunds will only be issued if the commision can not be completed within six months due to factors beyond my control (e.g life gets in the way)

Refunds will be less any Paypal fees incurred

If commisions are 'expected' to run beyond 6 months (e.g third parties are required for some parts) then if you agree (I will require a Message from you stating you agree) then we can extend the deadline for completed commisions by a further 6 months. Otherwise a refund will be given. Hopefully all commisions (including those that require 3rd party involvement can be completed within 6 months)

Deposits are used for the purchasing of materials to create customs, if 25% does not cover the cost of these materials, then this 25% can be increased, but this will always be stated in the initial custom signup thread. You will not be asked for any additional deposit monies (only extra return postage if needed 'see below')

If it is necassary for you to send an item to me to be customised you will pay all shipping expenses for that item to me. If an item is not completed within the initial 6 month period it will be returned to you using your deposit (plus any additional postage costs if the deposit does not cover the return of the item) or a further 6 month extention can be agreed.

I will send a paypal invoice for any additional "unfinished return postage" incurred, however unboxed 1/6th scale figures or items are generally covered by deposits for return post. For Europe and the USA.

All commisions are paid for either in Trade (you have a skill or item I want) or by Paypal or a combination of both, No other payment methods will be accepted.

All items sent to me I would prefer them to be recorded delivery (but that is up to you)

Once a commision is completed I will send you pictures asking if you are happy with my work or if there any modifications that you would prefer. If the modifications can be done, I will do them. Note an extention may need to be agreed for modifications.

I will send you a second set of completed modified pictures, if there are any futher modifications to the custom that your would prefer let me know by return message, If the modifications can be done, I will do them.

After 2 modifications I will send you completed pics also a final quote for return postage to you. No other modifications will be done.

I expect the outstanding and agreed 75% of monies for the custom paid, plus the return postage figure to you. All payments should be made in the currency stated in the signup thread.

All items sent to you will be recorded delivery by default

If you require me to quote you for non-recorded postage back to you, I will do so, but this is entirely at your own risk and must be stated when you sign off on the finished custom.

Ive set these policies out to hopefully smooth any custom transactions I do on these boards. I do this as a hobby and I have a wife, child and daily work to contend with so please bare that in mind. I endeavour where ever possible to ensure that you are happy with my work. These policies are here to safeguard both of us.