Terms Of Service for Commissions

as of June 13 2016*

*Since the last version, changes were made regarding the price requirements to set a payment plan in place.

Contact and Inquiry

• The best way to contact me is via email (aspeneyesart@gmail.com) or as described in the commission journal. I do not discuss commissions over instant messenger.
• I generally do not accept correspondence via note unless technical difficulties prevent emails from getting through. This is to keep things in one easily-searchable place and streamline the process, as notes are extremely unwieldy and disorganized.

Prices & Payment

• Payment is to be made in full upfront, unless the order costs  $180 USD or more. For orders larger than that, I am willing to work out a payment plan with the commissioner. A down payment of at least $100 must still be made upfront before I begin working.
• All payment is via Paypal. You can make payments with most credit or debit cards via Paypal.
• Regarding e-check payments: I reserve the right not to start a commission until after the e-check has cleared. This usually takes 1-2 weeks. Please keep this in consideration when requesting a deadline.

• Regarding price ranges: Prices for the majority characters won't cost any more than the lowest price listed. Some things that may bump the price up, however, include but aren’t limited to:

• wings
• complex hairstyles or tons of clothing/accessories
• mechanical parts
• jaguar or leopard-type spots, or otherwise highly detailed markings.

Cancellation & Refunds

• If the commissioner decides to cancel, I will issue a refund equivalent to the amount of work not done.
• I ask that if you need to cancel before sending information or payment, you let me know as soon as possible. Dropping communication instead of formally cancelling disrupts financial and time planning for me and is generally disrespectful. Please keep in mind that before money changes hands, there is no obligation-- I won’t hold cancellation against you or take it personally, as long as you keep me in the loop!
• If I am at the colouring stage of any type of commission, no refund is available.
• I reserve the right to cancel the commission and issue a refund equivalent to the amount of work not done due to harassment, improper conduct or poor communication.

• Poor communication includes not sending information/forms within a few days of claiming a slot (it’s best if you can get back to me within 24 hours or let me know if you anticipate barriers to this), not sending payment when agreed upon, and being generally unreachable/unresponsive in such cases. I’m pretty flexible and will probably issue reminders or warnings because life happens and things come up, but I reserve the right to blacklist the commissioner if this is a recurring issue.

• If I need to cancel the commission due to events in my own life, a full refund will be issued.

Process

• I reserve the right to interpret your character in my own style. This includes things like tweaking colours a bit and possibly adjusting markings to better fit the shape language I use. In no case will I change things so much that the character is unrecognizable, and I will keep specifics like a certain number of spots or stripes the same.
• For full illustrations that include backgrounds, I send over a sketch for approval at no extra charge. I accept one complete redo in sketch phase, and one round of minor edits after that. After it's coloured, I'll take one round of small changes to the colouring to cover anything I might have missed, markings for example! Changes beyond these are not available except for an additional charge.

• I do not offer preliminary sketches for smaller artwork (icons, simple badges or pictures with no background) except at a $10 surcharge.

• I accept changes based on things that I have forgotten or missed, like markings or horns or accessories. This comes at no extra fee as long as that information was included in the original reference sheet or description. Once the artwork is finished, I do not accept expression or pose changes except at an extra fee, depending on how much needs to be changed. If you anticipate this problem, you may want to look into paying for an approval sketch as the fee for that is likely to be smaller, and/or being very specific in your initial email.
• I very occasionally stream commissions but am unable to guarantee when I will be able to stream or whether I will be available to stream your commission at all. If you’d like me to alert you when and if I do begin streaming your commission, let me know in advance and I’ll be sure to do so, but I’m unable to make promises or set specific appointments at this time.
• If you need resolutions larger than specified in the price list, they are available (up to 5000x5000) but may cost more if the increment is larger than about 500 pixels. Please be sure to mention any preferred aspect ratio you may have as well.

Turnaround

• Depending upon my schedule, health, workload and the complexity of the commission, turnaround may range from a few hours to a few weeks. In the event that I’m unable to finish your commission within a month, I will email you an update containing the progress I have made and/or the date I plan to be able to finish your commission should you choose to proceed with it. More frequent inquiries as to the status of your commission are also welcome, within reason. Feel free to check in after a week, if you’d like!
• If you need a picture finished by a certain date, please specify that you need it done by a certain deadline. It is best to request a deadline at least two weeks in advance, and more time is always better, especially if the commission is a large one. I may accept rush orders for a turnaround of one week or less, but this is entirely at my own discretion and such orders may be subject to a surcharge.

Rights & Distribution

• The prices described here are for personal commissions and as such, I the artist retain all copyright. Feel free to make icons or a personal print, but you may not use them for your own profit. This includes selling prints and merchandise with the artwork.
• You may post any art made for you to your page, crop it for an icon, and show it off wherever you like-- I don’t mind at all, but please link back!
• I reserve all rights to the artwork, including rights of distribution. If you want the artwork kept private indefinitely, I will do that for an additional charge of $5, or 10% of the commission price, whichever is higher. This fee does not apply to commissions kept private only for a set amount of time, such as holiday or birthday gifts.
• If you wish to purchase all or certain rights to the piece, please contact me for pricing. Just FYI, these rates will be industry rates and as such usually significantly higher, depending on what the rights in question are.

And as a final semi-unrelated note-- I’ve gotten a few requests regarding this, so I’ll open up the offer: feel free to use my TOS as a reference or lift some of my wording when writing your own, if it helps!