7
votes
Where is a good place to get commissioned artwork?
I have a gift idea for my husband that involves commissioning some specific custom artwork (Pokémon-themed, in case that matters!). I did some cursory searches and turned up results on Etsy and Fiverr, but some of these look like they’re automated and are suspiciously inexpensive. Other offers on those sites look more promising, but I’m not even sure if Etsy/Fiverr are where I should even look in the first place.
I’m happy to pay an artist for their work and want this to be something of quality. I’m also fine with waiting on it — some of the stuff I’ve found so far looks tailored for speed.
What’s the best place I should look with quality artists who I can pay fairly for their work?
Hope it's okay to self-promote here as it's being explicitly sought after - I'm a digital artist that browses Tildes.
Some examples of my work here: https://portfolio.pixelfed.social/ldurrant
My work is quite stylized, and I've made custom cards designs and memorabilia for gifts in the past, but I might fall short if you're after something more detailed or more akin to the ArtStation standard.
I would also suggest browsing mastodon.art. I'm a member there, and there's a large handful of talented artists who accept commissions that are doing good work. If you're interested I can certainly recommend some folks!
Your work looks great! DMed.
Update: Big thanks to everyone for the pointers and suggestions. It turns out I actually didn’t have to go anywhere to find someone! Instead of me searching for an artist elsewhere, one found me here, and I’ll be commissioning @cc-louis for the piece.
ArtStation.com worked out for me (**discovered on Reddit via /r/commissions but found work on ArtStation). First and last time I did a commission, but I had a wonderful and sweet artist. I think it was ~2months start to finish for a nontrivial scene with 2 primary, 5 background characters in full color.
Seconding ArtStation, but it does tend to be way more focused on 3D/gamedev related stuff, rather than 2D artwork.
DeviantArt is more 2D focused, and also has a commissions shop too, but there is a LOT of trash (and NSFW content) there, and unfortunately no easy way to sort or filter the shop. Though the nice thing about DeviantArt is that you can just browse the popular section, daily deviations, or search for specific content (e.g. Pokemon), and if you find an artist you really like the style of you can typically PM them to inquire about commission work. Many artists there will even have specific info about commissions in their about pages, and I have ordered a few pieces that way.
But for ease of use and reliability, Etsy or Fiverr are probably still the best options, IMO.
Well, TBH, I would say DeviantArt or FurAffinity. The thing about both is that, while the have a plethora of talented artists and you're bound to find one who will do your style, it isn't easy to find a list of ones who are available unless you happen to see their journal posts.
If you give me some sort of style reference, I can try to find a match and pass on that artist's details.
@kfwyre no longer needs it but for future reference this is how I've done it in the past. Just looked for people on deviantart whose style I liked, contacted a few and comissioned one of them (amusingly, I was much happier with the results than the artist themselves!)
A lot of artists who take commissions advertise on twitter. If you find someone you like you can usually reach out via DMs and ask if they're taking commissions and what their rates are. If your husband has a favorite artist, you can try reaching out to them directly. Have you checked his social media to see if there are any artists or styles he particularly likes?
But yeah, I haven't tried hiring any artists since assholes started flooding the various platforms with AI generated crap, but I would try verifying that the artist you're attempting to hire has been around for at least a few years.