- The agreement was for 13 twitch emotes at the cost of $15 for each emote. Was a total of $195 but I rounded up to $200 (Proof in attached files)
- Proof of payment is in attached files below
- Here is the entire archive of the conversation between myself and the artist. I originally contacted them via twitter and after getting no responses for several months I resorted to messaging them on discord where I got a few responses.
I blurred my name and the art due to not wanting to be recognized and harassed. I fear a public backlash due to their large following.
I tipped an additional $5 for rushing the two emotes requested, and received no reply afterwards.
I contacted Deermoonstudios on Etsy for a fursuit head for $750 (which totalled $804 with taxes). This was paid in full immediately, followed by them stating they had just ordered fur colors needed for the suit after my approval. All on the same day. I waited a little over a month before asking them about progress, to which they said the fur had just arrived and they were waiting on more pieces to arrive in the mail. In Sep I asked for another update, no response, I asked again on the 20th and got told a day later that the head was ready for taping and sorry for the delay. On Nov 2nd 2021 I asked again for a picture, since I never got one. No response, I sent another message on the 14th asking if they saw the previous message, no response. In Dec, I got a little upset and messages them again asking for a picture, still no response. After this I looked for their Twitter, to see if they were busy with life or something. I learned they were pretty active on Twitter and I created an account to message them. Still no response, but they did post a tweet about how they have a hard time responding to messages and complaining that people need to stop guilt tripping them. I'm unsure if this was directed at me, but I took note of it and messaged them on etsy one last time to apologize if I had ever made them uncomfortable, and that I would no longer message them. I've given up and am assuming I'll never get the product I paid for. They had finished one (provable here) fursuit head in the meantime, fairly quickly. As of right now (Jan 6 2022), I still have gotten no response from them. They do not accept refunds on their products. They were polite in messages but have seemingly ghosted me.
Back on September 16th, I commissioned the user Azhakuiin for a chibi and a fullbody.
On September 28th, I was sent a sketch of the chibi and satisfied, I gave the okay to continue. 10 days passed after that with no word, so I texted them to see how things were going. On October 1st I recieved a text back saying they'd thought they sent it, but must not have and sent me the finished chibi. They also mention having been working on several sketches for the fullbody, which they would work on getting to me.
On the 14th of October, I text them again inquiring about the progress of the sketches. On October 17th, I get a response from them saying they had a medical intervention and hadn't been able to be on in a few days. They then send 2 unfinished sketches to show progress and say they'll be trying to work through their commission schedule this month.
I responded saying I loved the second sketch and I hope they get well soon.
They still haven't viewed my response to this day, and that was the last contact we had. They haven't been active on TH since then according to their stats.
After a month of silence, I started getting anxious so I messaged them on deviantart, saying who I was and that I wanted to check in. That message also hasn't been viewed.
On December 10th, after seeing some activity on their Twitter, I messaged them there saying mostly the same thing. That also hasn't been viewed.
I messaged them again on the 28th, after seeing some activity in their likes, but also no response.
[Mod Note: Artist has turned off DMs on all, making private contact impossible.]
So as a last ditch effort, I sent them an email on Dec 30th saying that basically I'd tried to contact them numerous times and if they can't complete the art then I would take a refund. I also mention if they don't respond, I will file a dispute.
Though, what I didn't realize when writing that, is the money was sent via friends and family, which means I cannot dispute it.
So seeing as they haven't responded to the email either, it just means I'm out of luck. So instead of the dispute, I figured I'd make this to warn others.
[Mod note: Further contact has been attempted recently; no direct response was provided to the client. They have opted to lock their public accounts in response.]
*Just something to note, but unfortunately the ych commishes website doesn't have exact time stamps, only a rough estimate*
In the beginning of February of last year, I won an auction of Mazik's on the ych commishes site with a bid of $75.
After I sent her my PayPal email and refs, Mazik asked if I wanted to add on a background to the YCH at a discounted rate, which I accepted (bring the total from $75 to $110). She then sent me an invoice on February 10th which I paid immediately.
Only after paying it did she tell me that there was going to be a delay in the art because of problems she was having. I didn't think much of it and told her that it was fine, and not too long after I got a WIP so I figured things were back on track.
After a long wait without any update, Mazik came back and told me that another issue had come up and that she'd have the art ready by the end of the week. Again, I didn't think much of it and told her that I was fine with it.
After another long wait I asked Mazik for an update, and she told me that she thought she had already sent me another WIP. I received another update and gave her my approval on it, but then the silence started again.
On the 7th of September I sent her an email asking for an update, as well as a message on the ych website informing her of the email.
On the 9th and 11th of September I messaged her through twitter asking again for an update. She responded to me on the 11th telling me that she had trouble accessing her ych commishes account, and that the art was ready. The next day she posted a google drive link with the art.
She added me on discord on the 12th and we began to discuss the entire process. I also pointed out that the art in the google drive folder didn't have the background that I paid for, and also asked for a clothed version of one of the pics. She agreed to fix everything up, and then on the 15th told me that she had yet another problem and would need more time. This was actually the last time that she contacted me.
I messaged her on twitter multiple times after this asking for an update, but still with no response. I'm trying not to be too pushy with the messages but really it's been far too long.
I'm a writer who is commissioned to write mostly growth/macro stories, and have been at it since 2013. In this time I've taken over 60 jobs which have all been read, approved and paid by every single client.
My DeviantArt ToS: https://www.deviantart.com/blackspyro33/journal/Official-Terms-of-Service-for-Commissions-2021-485184088
I have always operated on an honor system with every single client. I don't set completion dates, I don't take advance payments. People read the final product, they tell me if they're happy with it or if they require alterations/additions, and then I get paid.
I was first approached by Darkgai on September 10th, 2021, as the third slot in a queue of public commissions. Our correspondence was civil and well-mannered for the most part.
Since Darkgai was the third in a queue of three and I don't work on multiple commissions at once, he was made to wait until I was done with the two before him.
Unfortunately, circumstances forced me into my full-time job earlier in the year than I expected. All commissions were worked at at a slower pace. This led me to unusually higher waiting times, including Darkgai, who asked me about his commission.
I decided to give him an update about why I was taking so long, since it's unusual for me to make a customer wait so long.
Finally, at about 00:15 on December 31st, I sent the finished story to the client as explained in the ToS he had agreed to. Instructions were given, and I received critique and engaged in a minor dispute that I believed had reached a positive conclusion for us both. Thinking the issue resolved, I waited for three hours and found no evidence of the guy sending payment, and he has yet to reply to my last inquiry.
As the (current) DeviantArt correspondence from earlier shows, visiting Darkgai's dA will show it as disabled. When I first saw it like that after 3 hours of radio silence I feared the worst. I made this person wait. I explained my situation. I delivered my agreed upon interpretation of his wishes. I saw dissatisfaction and attempted to find an alternative solution. We agreed on a price slash since he did not want modifications.
He paid my time and effort with indifference and avoidance. I dedicated time and effort when I knew I couldn't instead of giving up to the pressure and finished a product that he allegedly found okay except for certain parts which I offered to touch up. Seeing as though our interpretations became irreconciliable, I decided to offer a hefty discount which is basically giving up my claim to time and effort I am not getting back to meet him somewhere I deemed appropriate. He told me he was going to pay me. He hasn't. He deleted his dA, and I take it as him avoiding me. I take it as him avoiding his responsibility to pay what he owes me for the story I wrote. I do not want anybody else to have to suffer through this annoyance ever again.
I commissioned this artist for a chibi back in march, as well as a headshot in april, and never received either nor the promised refund, and my notes since then have been opened and read but ignored.
here's the original chibi listing:
as well as the headshot one:
(both still standing as of this submission, albeit with comments off)
and my comments under each:
the notes confirming both, March 17th and April 28th, respectively:
and the paypal transactions:
(side note, the email appears to be her mate's, another artist, rather than her own, which doesn't help her case)
I poked her june 25th, to no response:
again 5 days later:
and only after I saw just how long the trello queue was and directly requested a refund the 5th of july did I get a reply and promise of refund:
I waited several months, until november 25th, to prod her again:
and several more weeks to continued lack of communication or any amount of refund:
all while constantly posting MORE ychs, commissions, and art, having turned off comments on submissions and the few journals that have not since been nuked, and not updating the trello list since september:
my payoff for patiently waiting long past paypal's 3 month cutoff date was to lose any chance of getting my money back through a dispute:
I know in the long-run it's not a huge amount of money, but it's money I could've spent actually receiving desired art, and it just leaves such a bad taste how this artist treats 'clients' 😞
I contacted Mawbyte on Twitter after seeing an ad on their Twitter for page dolls. The page dolls were $30. I messaged them with my reference sheet asking if I could get one and they sent me a message saying they would take me but needed to add a $20 complexity fee. I found this a bit strange since my character is pretty simple but agreed anyways.
Here is a picture of the reference sheet:
(Image is much larger but keeps getting shrunk on here)
The initial conversation for the transaction:
An invoice was sent for $50. I added a $10 tip for the artist and was given the link to the Trello where I could track my commission. I was told I could contact them if I wanted any changes to be made or if I wanted anything added or removed.
Invoice:
Conversation about the invoice, what to do if I wanted edits and the trello information given:
Me asking for clarification on what the complexity fee was for:
I heard nothing from them again until 12/14/2021. Upon opening my commission I realized that even though it is a very clear reference sheet my character was missing half of their markings. Additionally the quality of the lines did not match anything of their other work and the work appeared extremely rushed. I contacted them back and asked if the markings could be added. Being charged a complexity fee those markings should have been added.
Quality of chibis advertised:
Message sent with my file:
The file:
I did not hear back from them. I contacted them again on the 15th and still heard nothing. Then I contacted them again on the 17th and finally heard back late in the evening. I was told they had deleted the file and that there was nothing they could do about it. I asked them about getting a refund for the complexity fee since my character’s markings were not actually completed. I was told they don’t do refunds and that they simplify the markings for the smaller page dolls anyways so they were sorry but they didn’t know what to do.
Proof of asking for changes:
There were several chibis done that were a lot more complicated than my character. I had never been told about potentially simplifying the character and that does not mean leaving entire markings out. I mentioned writing a beware and then was told I didn’t communicate well enough about what was important for my character. The reference sheet I sent is very thorough and answered any potential questions the artist might have had. They also could have messaged me at any point to ask me the questions but they did not.
Excuses given for why it couldn't be changed:
They finally painted the markings onto the image and said they were blacklisting me. I was asking simply for what I paid for.
The rest of the interaction:
The final changes I received:
There are still several details incorrect on the character. The line quality is horrific especially in the feet and tail. The line making up the claw on the foot is not even closed. The line for the right ear can be seen through the horn. There are several areas such as the arms that are not colored all the way. The elbow being laughed into has a bit of fur colored in as the scales on his arms. I was charged an extra fee for complexity and then when I asked to have things corrected got blamed for the mistakes and then blacklisted.
I want to make people aware of the bad conduct, communication and final product of this artist.
Original Agreement and Proof:
The original agreement between I (KingPink) and Leonan/Staticjack was that I would trade them an Impim and 3 pieces of art for a one-off design they owned at the time.
Leonan resold the design without telling me or the other person to another user on ToyHouse. It was sold in September while our trade was still going. I have attached that screenshot as well.
At the time the character was resold, I had finished 2/3 of the art pieces completely. I was working on the lineart for the third which was an animated icon.
What Happened Next:
Leonan refused to contact either of us after multiple attempts and waiting 72 hours. He has been online/active and has even changed his Discord status but has ignored us. I have been ghosted by him since October but I sent more messages trying to confirm what happened. The person who received the character was also ignored by them.
Screenshot of Twitter DM between me and other scammed individual:
Screenshot of DeathDino’s ignored comment on his TH, you can see Leonan replying to someone above the comment:
The entire conversation from start to finish has been screenshotted and posted by me here. It took place over Discord. It includes everything from the initial greeting from me, the trade agreement, me sending art WIP’s, and me being ghosted.
The Toyhouse screenshot details the ownership log of this character which can be publicly viewed here:
https://toyhou.se/1185924.faust/ownership/log
The character ended up in my hands via the kindness of the other person who was scammed, NOT LEONAN. The situation was not resolved between the scammer and us.
Leonan is involved in many CS communities such as Impim, Kebanzu, Taums, Grems, etc. and I was scammed by them from one of these community servers. I will note it has been reported to the mods of any server I could reach.Please be careful if you see them making trade posts.
Communication occurred on Discord after we contacted each other on an art commissions server.
We agreed on a set of 12 emotes of the client's original characters. I had completed 11 of them and this specific transaction is concerning the very last emote I had owed. Our transaction was initially paid for by April 20, 2021 and completed by May 1, 2021, while the last emote was paid for by June 28, 2021.
It is worth noting that this client was also a friend of mine at the time, so keep this in mind when looking at our screenshots.
My work ethic after the first set of commissions is not acceptable, I am willing to owe up to having not provided wips or relevant business communication regarding the final emote until recently. I want to be transparent that I am not a fully innocent in this situation, however the client's behavior due to this incident is the reason I am reporting for accountability.
Prior to/included in the original transaction were 11 emotes paid for by April 20, 2021 which were finished by May 1, 2021. Along with this, I was paid for commercial rights for the emotes to be used for their server.
After this set of commissions we had agreed upon a final commission, which was the 12th emote. We agreed upon this by June 28, 2021; and it was paid for on the same day.
In the middle of that existing commission by May 30, 2021 I was also commissioned to draw a profile picture. This was completed while having the emote commission in the background.
Said client had messaged me on December 14, 2021 attempting to confront me about claims of other people that I have asked them for money and have not compensated them. Our interaction ended in the following screenshots. I cannot provide proof for claims of others that Tyrian contacted them as the ones who I have testimonies from consented against their names and screenshots being used.
After this confrontation I refunded the client his money for the emote in full. The refunded money was then sent back to me with the following comment "It's not about the money, keep it." We had one final discussion before I blocked the client for my own safety and began writing this post. I also received this message on Twitter today at 2 AM, December 21, 2021.
Having sent the screenshots of our conversation to a friend, said friend messaged this client on December 19, 2021 without respecting my wishes for them to not contact the client. I do not condone this behavior, but it is what transpired.
In light of the event I upgraded my PayPal account to protect my privacy and also hid my public waitlist for the sake of me and my clients. I am unsure on what to do with the 30 USD which was sent back to me, as I am worried that this money will be sent back to me a second time. I overall advise fellow artists to not receive commissions from this individual.
----- This is the start of the problem transaction ----
Post-Confrontation Address:
Block-Evading via Twitter:
[Mod Note: Former client continues to use TNR's artwork via discord, and is erroneously claiming theft via their profile]
This artist was recommended to me by a friend who had just approached them for a commission of their OC. I sent them a note on the 3rd of April and didn't hear anything until the 6th, which, of course, was no problem. People have lives outside of FA / Twitter / etc., so after contact began, we started working towards and approached an agreement on the same day.
Payment was sent the next day, and as seen in the following image and the one above, totaled $110 USD, which was paid:
After this, however, both me and my friend received no further updates. No sketches or any additional questions and/or updates. My friend was smart enough to approach them, and they did finally get their art after mentioning a refund to the artist. Myself, however, did nothing, which I know was dumb. I tried to send them a note to try and get a response over a week ago at the time of writing this:
But have received nothing in response. Since I'm way past the 180-day refund/dispute window, and with no reply to this note as of yet, it looks like I'm up the creek with no paddle. I hate to write something like this out, but I'd also hate to see the same thing befall someone else. Please avoid this artist.
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