Recently finished “Tier-2 style” commission for Skylark celebrating this year’s anniversary with their partner! Their DnD characters – Atticus in the back, a solider; Osiris up front, a sorcerer; and Pontos – Atticus’ trusty griffon!
Here the trio fly high above the skies, Osiris slightly hesitant at first, as he isn’t used to flight as Atticus and Pontos are!
Process images below, followed by a few detail crops:
Process Sheets + WIP Line Sketch
Initial sketches.Revised sketches after client feedback.Refining the underlying sketch before starting painting!
Detail Crops
Osiris, Atticus, and Pontos | Detail CropOsiris and Atticus | Detail cropPontos the griffon | Detail cropOsiris, Atticus, Pontos | Detail crop (slightly more zoomed in)
And let’s close the post with the final once more:
Below are a few process sheets from this commission (with client name omitted, as since this was from a while ago, I cannot quite recall whether this commissioner wished to remain anonymous).
PROCESS IMAGES
Initial Sketches | Process sheetRevised Sketch – Color Variations | Process sheetThe final painting once more!
Commission for Skylark finished for this past Valentine’s Day, as a surprise gift for their partner! Above is the mesmer virtuoso, “Tarcisio Chiavetta,” who is Damedarosa’s character! (Names mentioned here with permission.)
Above and below are detail crops.
Process sheets below!
Sketch 01: Initial sketch ideas.
For this piece, we began with a general range for the budget. I was given a fair bit of artistic freedom, and I offered to draw a series of thumbnail during the initial sketches, across a range of complexities within their budget. This way, the client could choose the idea which both appealed to them most, and matched their desired budget. The original sheet lists quotes underneath each thumbnail idea, which I’ve omitted here for the client’s privacy.
Sketch 02: Revised sketch, pose block-out
First-round revision after the sketch idea was chosen.
Sketch 03: Revised sketch, background block-out
Here is blocking out the background more before the painting stage began.
And here is the finished piece once more! This illustration has two versions – a “mesmeric magic” version at the top of the post, and this version above which places the focus more on Tarcisco’s figure.
Thanks so much again to Skylark for this commission!
A “Surprise Me!”(or “skeb-style”) commission finished last month in January. This is a commission type I haven’t really done before, but I’ve been interested in trying. Thank you again to the commissioner for asking me to draw it for them!
Sometimes also called “skeb-style” commissions, because these are a commission type which to my understanding, first became popularized in Japan.
Initial Sketch
What I like about these is that they offer more flexibility for both the artist and the client. In exchange for more artistic freedom for the artist, the client enjoys a lower rate. This works best for artwork where the client is open to being surprised by the final art – for clients with a specific vision in mind, or who are more comfortable giving feedback during work-in-progress steps, this commission type isn’t the best fit.
But for those who enjoy being surprised, this can be wonderfully satisfying for both the artist and commissioner! :D
A few more process images below, and then I’ll post an overview about this commission type:
Color Mask
Flats
General aspects about “surprise me” commissions:
These are similar to “Pay What You Want” commissions. The commissioner is free to stay within their desired budget, with respect to a potential minimum amount.
Some artists invite you to give a brief description for what you’d like painted. I enjoy asking for:
A) Brief description of your character’s personality.
B) 5 keywords describing what you’d like to see in your commission. This can be anything from the mood, atmosphere, tone, or emotion you’d like to see for your character.
The artist will say (or mention on a page somewhere) what they can do for your general budget.
Important difference from other commission types: There are no WIP’s (“works-in-progress”) or revisions. The final result is what the client receives.
This is the key aspect which makes “surprise me!” commissions have lower rates than regular commissions.
Of course, if there are character errors in the final art, these will be adjusted at no additional cost.
If everyone agrees with and is comfortable with these terms, the artist then draws what they can within your budget after receiving payment.
If all goes well, you are happily surprised and delighted by the result! :D
I’m considering adding these as listed commission type at some point. In the meantime, if this interests you, feel free to contact me and I can put together a custom order for you.
I wanted to also show a few detail close-ups; I’ll update this post at a later point, when I have time to crop and export those!
For now, two three WIP process pages are below. Some text is omitted, as aside from Achyrd, the rest of the characters for this one wish to remain anonymous!
