How To Convert Points Into Money Deviantart

Updated 11 Nov 2020

This is directed generally towards digital/traditional artists, only also literature artists!

At some point in your artistic life, yous might want to start earning a bit of actress money from the piece of work that you love to do; yet I come across that many people struggle with commissions, especially in the beginning. Thus I decided to write this little "How to" journal, where I share my own feel.

i. When do I start to do commissions?

Whenever you want to, and particularly, whenever you feel comfortable doing and then! Especially that last office is important. I remember lots of people asking me if I were doing commissions years ago, and I had to say "no" to all of them, only because I didn't feel prepare for information technology. I was too completely nervous when I started doing commissions for the commencement time; what if no one would reply? What if the commissions were way too hard to handle? What if I got negative responses?

I started doing commissions when I felt right about my art; when I trusted myself in mastering human/beast beefcake good enough to requite good results, when I trusted myself in being able to shade an artwork, and make simple backgrounds for it. And even then, it was pretty hard to ready that first "Commission Information" journal!

And even then, if y'all're still non sure if yous're ready to do commissions, a great indication that tells yous if yous're ready to get started is when people really start asking yous if you do commissions ;D It shows that people are interested in your art manner, and willing to pay for what you do!

two. How do I start doing commissions?

2.1 - Payment - How to go paid?

First and foremost, y'all demand to think about payment. How would you lot similar to get paid? Currently, there are four popular ways of getting paid; with DeviantArt points, Paypal, Stripe, or Ko-fi:

For people that do not accept a bank account, for example young people, points are probably the style to become Simply since I take a bank account and desire to use the money to assist in paying my rent, I adopt Paypal/Stripe/Ko-fi myself ;D I've also seen lots of people who simply apply both points and paypal/stripe/ko-fi!

For payment with points, in that location are several means of obtaining the points:

1. Receiving the points as a "souvenir". On your contour page, people volition click on the "requite" button (the push that looks like a nowadays) in the upper-right corner, select "give points", and pay you the corporeality of points needed for the commission. These points cannot be converted to real money! They will only be available to y'all as points.
2. Receiving the points through the "Commission Folio". On your profile page, click on "Store" and go to "Commissions". You tin then create a commission. Points earned in this manner will go into your "earnings" in ii weeks , and and then you will be able to either greenbacks them out with a creditcard, or Paypal. To meet your earnings, click on your icon in the pinnacle right and click Earnings.
   

For payment with Paypal, delight go along the following points in mind:

1. Use a personal account if yous do commissions equally a hobby, employ a business account if you lot do commissions as a part-fourth dimension/full-fourth dimension job! Delight check the F.A.Q. at the lesser of this tutorial to read about the deviation between these two.
2. Either ask your customers to pay you lot through "goods and services" if you have a personal business relationship, or better send the customer an Invoice. Make certain to get out the tip-option open if you utilize an invoice!
   
3. Paypal takes a fee, depending on the price that is being paid. The Paypal fee can easily be calculated here: thefeecalculator.com/ Please annotation though, that it is illegal to ask customers to pay this fee, information technology is on your costs! If Paypal finds out that you lot included the fee into your committee price, they simply conciliate your account. I personally always pay artists the fee equally well when I commission someone else, but when they pay you lot, you lot will just have to hope that they are so nice, since you cannot enquire of them to pay information technology for yous.
4. For people with a personal account, ask your customers to Not include an address if they pay by Goods&Services!If they put an address, this could result in problems for you! If the clients puts their address in the payment guild, PayPal volition think that concrete goods have been ordered that need to be shipped , whilst art is (usually) digital and doesn't require shipment. In the past there take been many payment scams where clients put their address in the club, and and then reclaimed their payment because their social club was non "received" physically, while of course they received the art, for free... To prevent these kind of scams, you basically don't allow payments that include an address.
   

If more information on any of these methods is requested,

j

ust ask or bank check the comments on this journal! I take answered hundreds of these questions over the last years (no kidding) <3

!!!
There take been some controversies with Paypal in the last years though, cases where Paypal has withheld thousands and thousands of dollars from artists and locked their accounts (see for example here: twitter.com/liliuhms/condition/thirteen…). Therefore, many people are currently moving to Stripe instead. The result is that Stripe is not nonetheless allowed in every country, then some people but have to rely on Paypal. But in case y'all are able to utilise Stripe, information technology is frequently preferred. Don't forget that not simply You would accept to alive in a country where Stripe is used, the customer also has to live in such a state!
!!!

Therefore, for payments with Stripe, please keep the following points in listen:

1. Brand you you live in a country that supports Stripe. You tin can bank check here: stripe.com/global
2. When you get a committee, check if the customer has a Stripe business relationship/is able to use Stripe.
3. The balance works similar to Paypal; you link your bank/credit card to your Stripe account, and you tin create invoices. This tutorial won't cover how to fix up a Stripe business relationship, equally there's plenty of information to be found on that elsewhere.

For payments with Ko-fi, keep the post-obit in mind:

1. The customer needs either Paypal or a Debit/Credit card to pay you on Ko-fi.
2. In order to receive that coin, you lot can link Paypal and/or Stripe to your Ko-fi account.
3. On Ko-fi, you tin allow for monthly payments, where a client "subscribes" to you and automatically pays you coin monthly. In order to do and so nonetheless, you need to take a Paypal Business business relationship.

2.2 Payment - When to get paid?

Information technology is besides skillful to call back near WHEN to receive payment for a commission. This is mayhap also a matter of trust between the creative person and the client;

• I for instance like to receive payment in advance of the commission. In this case, the customer has to trust me that I volition cease the commission and won't run off with their money.

• Some other people similar to be payed after the commission is completed. I myself don't like this blazon of payment, because information technology means I take to trust the customer. I could finish the commission for them, and they could just vanish from the internet, not paying me. All the work for nix...

• Of course, something in betwixt is as well possible. You could, for example, sketch out the committee for someone, and if the customer likes it you could ask for money right and so. Of course, you won't proceed the commission until yous've actually received the money, to prevent scams ;D

Information technology is handy to put this kind of data in your "commission information" (come across 2.three).

2.three - Commission Information

What needs to be done second is putting downward your committee information. People demand to know what they tin commission you and for what toll, after all! There are many ways of presenting your committee information; for example on your profile folio, in the committee widget itself, but I by and large like to keep this kind of data neat and tidy! Therefore I use a Journal to present my commission information.

Hither's some examples of my quondam commission journals and my new one, for traditional/digital artwork:
Commissions - CLOSED Committee data
Check below in this journal for the "How to committee me?" role.
Cheap Options!
$x Elementary DIGITAL Fauna - CLOSED

Example: Pokémon styled animals, your OCs of airtight species, really annihilation!

Upwards to five characters per commission!
Simply for $ten! Yous get two characters for the discount price of $xv! Three characters for $20, four characters for $25, and 5 characters for $xxx!
No background, no shading/very simply shading.
$12 CHIBI - CLOSED

Chibi-style drawing of your OC!

$12 for ane graphic symbol, $20 for a couple.
No background.
Other types of commissions
$20 HEADSHOTS/BUSTS - CLOSED
Experimental Commissions - Hatch the Eggs! Vixen'southward Experiments - hatch the eggs!
E'er brewing and working with science, Vixen'due south experimentals are nigh to be opened... literally! New eggs have been found in the globe of TerrApocalypse and are waiting to be hatched, each of them anArt surprise for you!
Depending on the egg yous choose to hatch, you lot become an experimental artwork that does non exist in my gallery withal. Depending on the price the egg might contain cute chibis, dynamic total scenery artwork, animations, and so on. If you similar the thought of receiving something experimental, and you wish to grab an egg (slot), then check below what you have to exercise:

The Options:

SLOTS:
ane.
ii.
3.

SLOTS:
1. keokotheshadowfang
2.
Hither's a trivial bit of extra information on these commissions:
You always become fully finished artworks from me, that [Airtight CM] Sale $5 Semi-Chibi Busts or 5 for $twenty!I'm opening unlimited slots of semi-chibi busts of your Gemsonas, Bagbeans, Humanoid/Animate being OCs, Airtight/Open up species, etc!
I'll do these busts in between my other art, since they're really nice stress-relievers for me!
Plus, I merely love this new little mode <3
They will be drawn in the mode of this one:

max ~ 500x500 pixels, .png, no background (transparent)
Sale Price: $5 or 550 points!
And at that place is a special deal besides!

5 busts for $xx or 2200 points! Get one free!
What I will depict:
Your humanoid or animal/beast OCs (anthro/kemonomimi included)Young people, sometime people, I don't mind!GemsonasBagbeansPokémon / DigimonMLPWyngro, Weavers, Lantern Dragons, Stardusters, Browbirds......Other Closed/Open species!
What I won't depict:
FNAF characte
You can employ information technology equally an example if you similar! See how in my newest commission journals I refer to my Terms Of Service? A T.O.Due south. is a periodical that basically contains your rules.

Here'due south my T.O.S.:
Terms of Service Last updated Nov 2021
General Information
I practice not piece of work with written contracts, since so many DeviantArt members are nonetheless besides young for that. Still, I do hope that when you committee me yous volition read my terms of service, and will endeavor to keep 'to the rules' to avoid uncomfortable situations or misunderstandings either from me or you! <3
When yous have questions, feel gratis to send me a note.
Payment
I will only offset a commission afterward payment has been received.Various commission types might have various payment options. Unremarkably I have both Points and Paypal (USD), sometimes all the same only Paypal. When the payment is with points, please do not transport them until I tell you where to send them to! I will make a sure push available on my commission widget. DO Non send the points to my donation pool or as a 'souvenir'!
Deadlines and waiting times
I practice non have deadlines on any committee, no matter the price. This because ar

I likewise take an example commission journal for literature works:
Literature Commissions Literature Commissions
(Y'all can write some personal message hither, like "Hey" and "welcome" and stuff, maybe stating why you want to do literature commissions, and what fabricated you outset doing them, etc)
Types of Commissions
Curt Story(1-2k words) - $xx / xx
(Y'all can have a standard price for this, it would exist great to brand this a cheap committee)
(Provide some examples here by posting the thumbnails to stories you already made)
Story Chapters (~2k words per chapter, max iii chapters) - $xx / xx
(For people that want a chaptered story, merely don't want to pay likewise much. Yous could requite this a standard price too)
(Provide some examples here by posting the thumbnails to stories you already made)
Custom Story - $xx / xx , $xx / twenty for each extra k words.
(For people that want more chapters, or a one-shot story that is over 2000 words. Y'all provide a standard price fo
Again, just an case! You lot tin can utilize it if y'all like <3

Basically, the commission data needs to contain at least this:

• Types of commissions; what types of artwork/literature can you offering?
  
• Committee price; what cost does your commission have? Practise you take a standard toll, or does the toll go upwards when the commission (OC or story) is more detailed?
• Optional: Do'southward and Don'ts; What do you like to draw/write, and what will you lot not have?
• Optional: Extra data; Basically, your commission 'rules'. Meet the two examples above for ideas!
• Optional: Commission Form; a Form that people tin fill up in and note you with, and then that all the commission data gets neatly in a row.
• Optional: Committee slots; So that people can cheque how far you've progressed with a commission!
• Optional: Preferred way of advice; Would y'all like to communicate about the commission in the way of notes, or rather email?

For those that adopt email over notes, and in order to besides let non-DA people commission you, it's bully to also mention your email address in your committee information!

2.4 - Pricing your commissions

This is probably ane of the hardest things for many people! Allow me just say it loud and clear; don't undersell yourself! I cannot stress this enough.If you're unsure well-nigh how to price your commissions, look at the minimum wage, and bank check how long you spend on a commission blazon. Is the minimum wage for your historic period $5 per hour, and do you spend 2 hours on a specific commission type? Then accuse $10 for such a committee! Is the minimum wage for your age $ten and do you spend 3,5 hours on a specific committee type? And then accuse $35 for such a committee! And and then on.

After all, people don't buy the cease product only, simply also your Time!Asking the minimum wage for a commission is of form the lowest minimum you could enquire for. If you lot really want to take your prices professional, you lot could also choose to take the art supplies into account. Not only traditional art uses art supplies! Digital fine art has them as well, and even literature, in the class of Software and a drawing tablet.

And don't forget to increment your prices as you lot get more experience with art, besides! Because after all, you put a lot of time and effort getting to the bespeak where you lot are. All that time studying is WORTH adding to your prices! This is also why many professional artists, who studied and worked long and hard to get to their level of experience, more often than not ask for much more money for commissions than people who are just starting out.

How exercise y'all know when to increment your prices? When y'all open commission slots, and they're gone in hours, INCREASE YOUR PRICES!

Still non sure how to price your fine art? It's okay to take inspiration from others. Notice multiple artists that describe in a similar style as yours with a similar quality as yours, similar amount of experience, ánd check if they're from a similar state (since unlike countries accept unlike wages per hour), and use their prices as an example. You might find a lot of artists that undersell themselves, but because the competition on DeviantArt is high. This is exactly why I ever have dissimilar types of commissions customers can choose from; likewise some "cheap" options, such equally a more sketchy style or chibi-artworks that take me less time, so that people tin as well get a slice of art that doesn't directly cost $fifty+.

Oh and terminal only not least, Increment YOUR PRICES!

3. Taking your kickoff commissions - ADVERTISING

So now that all your commission information is prepare upwardly, it is fourth dimension to throw that journal in the World Wide Web, and effort to get commissions. Don't be discouraged if you lot don't receive commission notes right abroad! I also had to wait some time before I got my first commission, and really wasn't that pop here on DA at all.

Certain information technology helps to already have a large grouping of watchers supporting what you lot do, but a lot of new and relatively unpopular people (like I was as well) will have a bit of a harder time. But practice not fret, in that location are ways of getting your commission information out there!

3.1 - Groups

In the past years, ever since the introduction of Groups, I've plant that most of the committee advertisement tin can all-time be done through groups. There is a huge amount of groups on DeviantArt that focuses especially on commissions, so y'all might just get a chance in that location!  The groups can besides be used to find "looking for someone to draw for me" type of journals!

If people need help on how to join groups, which groups are good for starters, and how to add together journals to a group, please inquire me! I volition brand a more than detailed tutorial about information technology and then <3

three.ii - Raffles

That's right, in order to start your commissions, you lot can concord a raffle! Not only volition more people offset to discover you lot through the raffle, but the prize that people receive through the raffle is a smashing example for your commissions, and will link even more people towards your committee periodical!

Hither, accept one of my example raffles!
Summertime Art Raffle! CLOSED! WINNERS

The winners of this raffle are LonesomePine , Strawberryica , Rumianyan ! Congrats
RULES
 You only have to leave a comment on this periodical for your first ticket, but you tin can earn more tickets in the post-obit ways:
 By inbound, yous get your commencement ticket!
 More tickets can be received past+watching, +faving this periodical, and making a journal or poll linking to this raffle!That'southward 3 more tickets!
 Two more than tickets can be received byfaving the following journals:Pay what you want Charity Commissions OPEN and
See how people can receive optional extra tickets by +faving my commission journals? It'due south a smashing fashion to spread your information
Brand sure to submit your raffle journal to 100+ groups, so that many people will notice you.

3.iii - Forums

The DeviantArt forum is quite big and visited by many people, and therefore an awesome identify to annunciate! Practise not be scared, just try it out ;D
Here is the link to the Chore Services Forum, where most people put their commission information and offer commissions paid by real coin: forum.deviantart.com/jobs/serv…
If you prefer getting paid past points and offer signal commissions, then go to the Projects Forum instead: forum.deviantart.com/customs…
In the same way and on the same forum, people also postal service "looking for someone to depict for me" forum posts, so you might too want to try your chances there!

3.four - Links

Y'all can link to your commission data in the creative person comment underneath your artworks! Also brand sure to have a link to your committee information on your front page ;D

In order to make a nice looking text link, try the following code:
<*a href="PUT THE LINK TO THE COMMISSION Journal Here in between the quotation marks">Commission Information (or any other text)</a*>  And remove the *'s!!!

For case, if I practise this with my own commission journal example, the upshot will look like this:
Committee Information

Slap-up huh? People don't encounter an ugly link, but they see a clickable text! Okay, moving on~

four. Handling a Commission - Do's and Don'ts

So you received your starting time commission, how exiting! Now here'southward some do's and don'ts for y'all, based on my own experience;

Do'south!

• Keep communicating! Your customers would dear to know how their commission is coming along. Make sure that you communicate with them at least once a calendar month (but more is better)! One piece of cake way to communicate the committee's condition is to mail a "to-do-list" on your front page that says how far done the committee is.
  
• Ask your customer for references, and not only references of their character, but also if they desire the character to exist drawn in a specific pose, with a specific background, a colour palette, twenty-four hour period/calorie-free/dusk atmosphere, etc. If the customer doesn't have these kind of references, y'all could also provide them with some examples of poses and colour palettes yourself ;D
  
• Send Piece of work In Progress pictures (WIPs)! I noticed that people love to receive at least the sketch for their committee. It is handy besides, because mistakes in the design can be pointed out past the customer, which saves you lot a lot of piece of work.
  
• When communicating, whether information technology is in comments or notes, stay professional and polite. It doesn't matter if the client appears to be a rude person, ever handle it in a polite mode. Practise not swear, stay calm, and reply ordinarily.
• If it works for you; Set up bated a certain time on a certain twenty-four hours in which y'all will work on commissions. Y'all tin can even learn your encephalon to "trigger" this specific fourth dimension of the day, for case by eating a snack/drinking java (or tea) right before this specific time arrives. At that place are also wonderful apps for your mobile telephone that can aid you lot manage the time.
  
• Entirely optional and more often than not for digital artists, only I noticed that people really love when they see a stream or speedpaint of their committee. People told me it was prissy to run into how I work, and to besides acquire some more nigh photoshop/SAI/etc techniques ;D
  

Don'ts...

• Don't keep your customer waiting for months without letting them know anything from you lot. It's plain rude!
  
• Don't finish a commission in one go, without checking with your customer. If something happens to be incorrect in the cease, this is your fault (if the customer communicated the committee details well enough), and even if the client didn't provide plenty particular, it'due south ever nice to check if everything is looking fine to them. It'southward their money after all! ;D
• Don't accept more commissions than you can chew! I fell into this pitfall pretty difficult. Not only volition you stress yourself out by seeing the gigantic list of commissions yet to practice, just also volition your customers have to look long times for the art to be finished.
  
• This also has to practise with the previous point a footling scrap, only don't set deadlines on commissions if you lot're not sure you will exist able to come across them! It volition only stress y'all out. I don't hateful that y'all just take to shove commissions bated entirely, but more that the time yous take for a commission should be realistic ;D
  

What if you can't finish the commission?

It happens to all of united states of america; sometimes a commission might bear witness to exist as well hard for yous, sometimes we take too much that we tin chew, sometimes life is likewise busy, and sometimes unfortunate things happen in life. At some point, yous might realise that you simply cannot finish a commission. What to exercise?

Offer a refund. Especially if it has been MONTHS since the customer has paid. Don't be afraid, information technology is really the professional person way to handle this! Information technology is rude to keep those customers waiting, and while information technology might not feel correct to do, it isn't correct to continue your customers waiting for a long period, and it might make you feel stressed besides. It might fifty-fifty make you feel demotivated about drawing or writing. Now that doesn't assist at all, does it?
Write a kind note to your customer, saying that unfortunately you cannot finish their commission anymore. You don't need to go into too much detail equally for the why; information technology is not of their business concern. Ask them kindly how they would like to receive their money back; through points (as a gift, donation?), or through Paypal? Make sure to include the paypal fee for them if you lot pay them back by Paypal.

That is, in my stance, how you lot go on your committee business professional person and how you tin handle your customers well. Don't feel ashamed if you take to become through this situation! It can happen to all of us <3

When to say "No"...

Sometimes yous might run upon a customer that is problematic in one style or another; the artwork they want from you might exist too difficult for you to produce, or maybe y'all don't feel comfortable creating what the client wants. It can even appear that a customer is simply very

rude

, or

picky

. Homo, I've heard and then much stories about artists not receiving any payment for their hard work, because the customer refuses to pay them... (which is frankly why I e'er choose to do payments beforehand!).

Anything can happen really. What to practice in this instance?

Say no. Save yourself the trouble! You lot take the right to plow people down. Just do information technology in a polite and professional person way. Even if a client is downright rude to you, keep calm, keep polite, keep professional.

Money might be tempting to keep a commission going, merely what worth is this if this unmarried commission causes so much distress and negativity? I would rather do multiple awesome commissions for returning customers than one negative/stressful commission.

It besides is handy to include a dominion in your commission information that says that you lot have the correct to decline a commission! <3

Final but not least...

This guide is far from perfect, and mainly based on my own experiences! If annihilation's missing, experience gratis to exit a comment with suggestions <3 If anyone requests more detailed information about anything presented here (for example, sample screenshots with explanations), I volition try to add them equally well!

I hope this was useful in some mode! Happy Commissioning!

F.A.Q. (Always under structure)

• When I endeavor to make a Business account, Paypal asks me to select a Production Category for my business organisation in "Production or Service Keywords". What should I insert?
  Your business type would probably be "Individual".
  When you lot practice digital art or writing for people (that doesn't crave physical shipping), choose Digital Appurtenances - Applications (excludes games).
  When yous do art for commercial purposes (like creating volume covers, book illustrations) cull Commercial Photography, Fine art, and Graphics.
  When you create art traditionally/digitally that you physically send to the customer, I'm honestly non sure which category to cull... perchance Miscellaneous Personal Services. Co-ordinate to this website stuff similar "quilting for individuals" falls under this category, then I don't see why art prints do non!
• What'south the difference betwixt a Personal and Business Paypal business relationship?
  Personal accounts are mostly for paying for goods online, or for receiving/sending money to friends and family. They are also often used by people who only practise a couple of commissions a year/month, so for people who do commissions as a "hobby" or "little actress cash". A personal account volition testify your real name to the person sending you money, and does non give you the selection to apply a business name or a logo. Yous Tin send invoices using a personal account! Also, only one person can maintain a personal account, whereas a business account gives you the option for multiple people to employ it.
  Business accounts are for people who really utilize commissions as a part-time or full-fourth dimension job. They give you the option to show your customers your business proper noun rather than your existent proper name, and to add together a logo. They also let you create invoices, where the client receives an email that they tin can click on to pay for the artwork, rather than them having to log on to their account and pay y'all manually. This gives you full command over the price they pay, because y'all prepare the cost for them, whereas when customers pay to a personal account THEY accept to type in the payable corporeality. (And no worries, you can still requite customers the option to add a tip using an invoice!) Using an invoice, make sure you use a disclaimer like "Reminder that you're buying a DIGITAL production, no physical goods will be shipped!", because if you do only digital artwork of grade no physical appurtenances volition be shipped! Yous tin can also add the "Terms of Service" to the invoice, which helps if you stumble upon a fraud customer who charges dorsum the paid amount afterward and you try to become your money back from Paypal. Business accounts also requite you the selection for multiple people to use it.
  And don't forget, you tin have both a Personal AND Business account!

Tags: #tutorial #how #commission #commissions #guide #to #ready #upwardly #setup #handle #and #start #begin #business concern #professional person #payment #paypal #points #pay #practise #work #deviantart #refund

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