Jump to content
  • Staff Pick


  • Welcome to Artists Beware! 

    All posts have been reviewed prior to being allowed in.


    Comments are moderated:  Please review the Commenting Rules.  Comments that don't meet our rules will not be posted.

    If your post is resolved:  Contact one (1) member of staff or leave a comment, and we'll update your post!

    If you are the bewaree:  Review "I've been posted to Artists Beware, now what?".

    If a beware needs a tag update:  Post a comment!

    To contact a member of staff:  See the Staff page or fill out the Contact Us form.

    Posts are not deleted unless you can prove they are fabricated.  If this is the case contact one (1) admin, and we will help you asap.

  • Artists Beware

    The namesake database. Submissions are categorized by "Bewares" and "Cautions".
    Romanticponydream
    Who: Computer_Garden/ Cubert (Artist)
    Where: https://twitter.com/Computer_Garden
    https://twitter.com/cartoonsquish
    https://cubert.tumblr.com
    When: 07/06/2020
    What: Commission

    Resolved
    Hello Everyone

    I am very sad to write this and I have decided to sit on the issue for a few days. However I have decided that others could benefit to know my experience. 

    I originally commissioned twitter user Computer_Garden (Who will be referred to as Cubert) July 6th 2020. They have a unique commission type called a ko-fi baby which is basically a simple mascot design based off your twitter profile. The method of buying this commission was a setting on their ko-fi. I sent a DM on July 6th letting them know I had purchased one and what profile I wanted the commission based off. The next day July 7th they responded letting me know they have received payment and info.

    I messaged Cubert again on July 29th with no response. I did again on August 19th and they finally responded. I completely understand how mental health issues can get in the way and I understood the pandemic has also took its toll on many artists. So I told them I understood and continued to wait.

    Before I DMed them again asking for a refund on Oct 1st 2020 I noticed that during this time Cubert was posting a lot of personal art. I understand and encourage artists to do personal art in between commissions. However as a commissioner I couldn't help but feel a bit frustrated and ignored when  I would scroll on my time line and see personal art with out hearing a word about when my commission would be completed. In a small way I did feel a little disrespected.

    I decided on Oct 1st 2020 that I have waited long enough and I wanted to get a refund. This is something I did not want to do. However I was feeling anxious about the situation and I just wanted it to be over.
     
    The response I got made me feel awful and upset. The message was dripping with passive aggressive tones and it made me feel awful. I felt like I was being treated as an annoyance rather then a commissioner. I understand their points.  The word is a dark place right now and my mental health has also been effected. However with no TOS or queue to refer to in terms of completion time I was left in the dark and due to my own anxiety issues I was worried I would lose my money.

    I understand the commission type is unique and can take a lot of time. However if someone spends 5$ or 500$ on a commission it should still be treated with respect. Just because a commission price is low does not mean the commissioner can be pushed aside. I did try to reach out multiple times and did not receive any concrete updates with out asking. I did receive my refund. But I was made to feel like I did something wrong for simply asking for it.
     
    Our conversation is attached. All the dates are there. However it does not end with the refund.
     
    After I asked for a refund they made a tweet saying they will start working on the other ko-fi baby commissions. On the same day I asked for a refund.

    They then started posting all the other ko-fi baby commissions. Which confused me because in our DMs they told me they take quite a while....
     
    I find this concerning. You should not need to have someone ask for a refund to have you work on commissions. If I did not ask for a refund I wonder when these commissions would be completed.  I was also really hurt. I very much wanted this commission type and seeing them pump them out this quickly after telling me they take a long time made me feel very disrespected. And I also felt bad for the other commissioners because who knows when their commission would be done if I stayed silent.


    Cubert is a wonderful artist and has a unique style that brought me joy. However I felt like my concerns were not considered and that I was made to be a villain when all I wanted was information  about this art.

    I do wish them the best. Thank you for your time.










    Sadismancer

    Beware: Serathus

    By Sadismancer, in Artist Bewares,

    Who: Serathus
    Where: http://deviantart.com/serathus
    When: 01/16/2016
    What: Commission



    Commissioned user Serathus at Deviantart back in 2016. Prior to this the person took two years to complete a commission. With a lack of clarity I commissioned them again and have only had a sketch since. I have sent them emails and notes on Deviantart, all of which have been ignored and said user has posted artwork since my notes.
    More proof can be provided if necessary. Names are edited out obviously as this was done via email for the last commission. Prior commissions were done over Deviantart. 
    My old username was Katrica, real name edited out (K---) then I swapped to Shayochism and now Sadismancer. Any reference to those usernames is still me.




     


    dominator50
    Who: iSindaj
    Where: https://www.furaffinity.net/user/sindaj/
    When: 08/16/2018
    What: Commission
    NSFW Content

    I had paid for a 5 Stage TF Sequence about 2 years ago for Sindaj to do with my OC. At first it was being worked on and about three of the stages were finished, but then after that, it was delay after delay after delay. On top of that, the artist would try to compensate financial losses in their life by trying to make adoptables and the like instead of focusing on the waiting list of commissioners, even giving priority to those that would donate to them on Ko-Fi to do doodles for. At this point I gave up on trying to ask for any refunds from them.











    Retro
    Who: iRoxyKun/PrinceKetchum
    Where: https://iroxykun.weebly.com/
    https://toyhou.se/iRoxykun
    https://toyhou.se/princeketchum
    https://twitter.com/iRoxykun
    https://www.furaffinity.net/user/iroxykun
    https://www.instagram.com/iroxykun/
    https://www.deviantart.com/iroxykun
    When: 07/20/2020
    What: Commission



    I commissioned iRoxyKun for a $40 chibi image on 7/20/2020, following a trade (iRoxyKun had offered art for a character on my Toyhouse, and had completed the trade quickly). After discussing the commission details and providing references, I paid iRoxyKun $40 that day. At this time, they stated that their current turnaround time was 2-4 weeks. (Image 1)
    On 8/19/2020, I noted iRoxyKun on Toyhouse, as I had not received any communications or updates since payment. They responded within two minutes, stating that they had not been feeling well, and had not begun work on my commission.
    On 9/4/2020, over five weeks from my purchase, I began to look at their other accounts to see if they were alright. I found that they had decided to discontinue doing any commission work and were going to finish their current queue. Seeing as my piece had not been started, I contacted them to offer opening a refund, as I thought this would relieve them of more work. A few hours later, iRoxyKun responded, refusing a refund due to a lack of funds. (Image 2)
    I gave iRoxyKun an ultimatum: deliver a response, plan, or sketch within two weeks, or I would begin the chargeback process with PayPal. Though iRoxyKun read my note on Toyhouse, they did not offer a response. Wanting to find information on what was going on, I went to their art Twitter. Here I found that on 8/9/2020, they were offering commissions for FFXIV items. On 8/20/2020. they opened for three $25 sketches. During the duration of 7/20/2020 to 9/11/2020, I had not received any work, or any indication that my piece would be finished.
    On 9/11/2020, I sent a final notice: if iRoxyKun did not communicate with me by the afternoon of 9/12/2020, I would issue a charge back. I had initially offered a two week deadline, but iRoxyKun had never responded to my asking for a plan of action or progress on the piece. The night of 9/11/2020, they issued my money back, along with the attached note. (Images 3 and 4).
    I have received the amount I paid back in full, however I would advise against working with this artist, due to a lack of professional communication, lack of respect for deadlines, and their actions in taking on more and more work on top of their current queue.
    (Please note that due to the newest-at-top message format of Toyhouse, these images read bottom to top, except for Image 4)





    RottenSkye
    Who: Blix / Fuzzworks
    Where: https://www.furaffinity.net/user/fuzzworks
    https://twitter.com/Fuzz_Works
    When: 08/25/2018
    What: Commission
    NSFW Content

    August 25, 2018 I commissioned Blix/Fuzzworks for a custom dildo of my design. I paid them $100 to start it; $70 for a 3D computer model and $30 for the clay.  They paid another artist the $70 to throw together the 3D model of the dildo. I never received those files. He quickly started to 3D print the dildo. Then he started sanding and priming it for dipping in a mold maker. He told me on September 19, 2018 that he'll need another payment installation to buy the silicones. I told him "okay".   Then he offered me a business proposition with my design.   The last I heard anything from him was February 11, 2019.    

    I know he is active. He is producing fursuits. My buddy is waiting on eye molds from him, and he spoke with them on telegram.

    September 7, 2020,  I asked if I could just have the sculpt he made. I can find someone else to finish it. I just don't want him having my design in his possession. I'm getting worried that he's going to sell my design. That really upsets me. I worked hard on that design.  
     
     
     


    MattUmby
    Who: SparkleUnidog
    Where: http://furaffinity.net/user/sparkle-dog
    When: 05/05/2018
    What: Commission

    Resolved
    In 2018, I approached Sparkles about getting a fursuit commission from her. For various reasons, this fell through, but I did ask if she made custom plushes instead. She seemed to be excited at the idea and we quickly set to work planning it out. 
     

    On May 5th, 2018, satisfied that what we'd planned was something we were both happy with, I sent Sparkles £200 to cover the entire cost of the commission. I was told I would get regular updates on the commission progress, but that it would take a few months to finish.


    Over the course of the next year, I would ask about the progress of the plush, and was told she'd had difficulties finding materials, and that she had a lot of commissions to work throigh and was working through her backlog slowly. We didn't only discuss the commission, as we were friends, and at this point in time I wasn't particularly concerned.

     

    On March 19th, I finally heard back from her in regards to the plush - I was next in line to be finished after another she was working on. I was told work would begin in the next month or so.

    I heard practically nothing about the plush after this, until I reached out between August 31st 2019 and October 10th 2019. She finally responded on October 28th to apologise for the delay. I offered the possibility of a partial refund, but she seemed to prefer trying to finish the plush, though she didn't rule a refund out.


    In January of 2020, my housing situation took a turn and I ended up having to ask Sparkles if she could refund me asap to help me out in the interrim. She agreed, and said she'd get it together in the next few weeks - but I never received anything.

    By April, my housing situation was a lot better, and I let her know the refund was no longer as urgent. However, I continued to ask her about the status of getring the funds together. For a while, she left my messages unread, including an FA note, though she finally responded on July 6th 2020, apologised and told me she'd lost my messages in the midst of her telegram being busy. I wss told the refund would be sorted out in the next few weeks.

    As of writing, this was the last day I received any correspondece from Sparkles.
    I continued messaging her about the refund, and shd has left my messages unread since then.

    in the end, I told her that all I wanted was closure - that I figured I would not see this money again, and that I just wanted to have her tell me as much. I have heard  nothing back from her.


    CanadianKitten

    Beware - Lulleity

    By CanadianKitten, in Artist Bewares,

    Who: Lulleity
    Where: https://www.furaffinity.net/user/lulleity
    https://www.instagram.com/lulleity/
    When: 08/21/2019
    What: Commission



    I have gotten a portion of this commission, but not all or even half of it.
    On August 21st, 2019, I stumbled across an advertisement for cheap experimental commissions. I was new to the community, and seeing some cheap art in a cute style did catch my interest as i didn't have much money at the time. I reached out on the same day to inquire about commissions..
    Here is the advert- it is still up, actually. 
    https://www.furaffinity.net/view/32748027/
    I will include a screenshot as well.

    I comment on the post saying I would note them, and then I note them and I asked how many slots I could take, because I would get multiple slots if so. (I wanted to get my partner some too.)

    The artist replied back the next day. 

    I reply back the same day and I grab 10 slots. The note is really long and filled with links for references so I figured I would only show the beginning with the amount of slots. Also, i include the end of the note where i confirm the price. I planned on tipping them at least double the commission prices after receiving the products since they were doing so much work.


    They reply the same night.

    I figured since I noted the same day the original submission was posted, i would be one of the first people since the advert did not have a lot of views, so i thought maybe 2-6 weeks somewhere i could expect at least one of the pieces.
    I have included a screenshot of my payment via paypal. I paid on the same night that they sent their paypal, August 22nd.

    I sent them a note just after I paid.

    They sent me a note back.

    I sent them a note after just thanking them again a few minutes after that note.  The next little while they posted some of the experimental artwork that they had done, and it all looked nice so I looked forward to mine.
    On September 3rd, I was adding all the commissions I was owed onto a personal Trello and I realized i never got an estimate from them for tunaround time. I estimated i would start getting pieces at 2-6 weeks after payment, and they said it may take a while but they also go through them fast, so I figured it would be best to get an estimate for clarity's sake. So, I sent them the note.

    I didn't hear back from them until the 11th of September (8 days later). I thought about poking them again during the wait time but decided against it in case something serious came up. Note that their queue was never made public.
     
    They thanked me for my patience, and I sent back a note simply saying "No worries!" in reply.
    I left them alone for the next 4 and a half (nearly 5) months, since I know school can be stressful during the fall months, and the holidays occured. After the holidays, I allowed them some time before I reached out on January 22nd, 2020 to ask if there were any updates on my commissions.

    2 weeks/14 days later, on February 5th, 2020, I receive a note back from them. The day of the week was Wednesday.

    The same day i reply,

    The artist reads my note but does not reply. The week comes and goes, which turns into two weeks, a month, and then 5 months. I didn't think too much about it with the virus being big, but I also wished i had some progress shown on the commissions that I purchased. 

    I join Artfight 2020, and I notice that they have a profile, and that they are actively posting. This is the only site I had really seen them be active on in a while, and of course, when you have commissions that are nearly a year old and you see someone doing free art for others when they haven't been communicating with you, it can be kind of disheartening. I wrote out a long note and I sent it on their FA on July 5th, but they never read it. (not even to this day.)

    So on the same day, I decide to copy the message (this is why the text looks weird in the email) and send it to their email in hopes that i would get a reply.

    They reply a couple days later.

    I send a reply.

    They reply back.

    I send a reply back.

    That concluded our conversation at the time.
    I waited throughout July for my pieces or any communication, but none came. I even game them nearly two weeks into August just as a courtesy, but then i sent an email on August 13th.

    I never get a reply.
    I wait until the end of the month, and the date passes of my year of waiting for the commissions. I still do not have a reply. I send another email on September 2nd.

    Overall, I have nothing awful to say about this artist! They are nice, but they have issues with communication and following through on dates. I do like the pieces that I got, but I just wish i had all of them after over a year of waiting. I would still be willing to wait if they reached out to me at all and I didn't have to be the one to always reach out.


    Ferrous

    Beware: ThatPaddles

    By Ferrous, in Artist Bewares,

    Who: ThatPaddles / Paddles
    Where: https://twitter.com/ThatPaddles
    https://www.furaffinity.net/user/paddles/
    When: 06/09/2019
    What: Commission
    NSFW Content Resolved
    Paddles had agreed to a commission on June 9/10th of 2019 while in a voice call on discord. I provided my invoice email and follow up explanation for the commissions via DM paid on the 10th, and was told it would only be a few days:

    After

    They next day the provided some rough sketches, but after that there was no correspondence.

     
    In July of this year I sent an email asking about a potential refund, as it was the only recourse to message her as I no longer shared a discord server with her and she disabled her Twitter DM. I couldn't contact her otherwise.

    There has been no response even after a month.
     

    AmethystMare
    Who: Loisgriffin
    Where: https://twitter.com/ShowYourSoles
    When: 08/05/2020
    What: Commission
    NSFW Content

    Loisgriffin (e-mail)
    LG
    showyoursoles (Twitter)
     
    Contacted me about a commission Friday June 1st and all proceeded exactly as I would have expected for a commission. The story (NSFW content) was slotted into my schedule, as normal, payment was received and the work was completed on time (July 5th, as in screenshot "Loisgriffin, story 1"). There was no answer to my query for feedback (this is normal with some clients) so the full work was delivered after editing for typos (July 27th, as in screenshot "Loisgriffin, story 2").
    Unfortunately, the e-mails referencing a charge back from PayPal did not appear to come through to me (e-mail error) and I noticed something wrong on August 5th when my PayPal account dropped into the negative. On investigating, it appeared that a charge back had been initiated against this purchase, which is confirmed by Loisgriffin in screenshot "Loisgriffin, chargeback 2". They claim that this is an accident and asked to be invoiced again, after which I broke down the charges and additional fees for them (as my account had automatically, as per PayPal terms) covered the cost of the charge back and all fees.
    After querying this with Loisgriffin, they stated that their account had been put on hold (which is not unlikely, considering that a fraudulent charge back was filed and PayPal assigned the money back to the card issuer) but no further contact at all has been made. Options for payment were provided but there has been no contact at all since the final e-mail in the "chargeback" screenshot contact chain. I also attempted to contact via Twitter (one message of which on August 11th prompted an e-mail reply) but there have been no further responses to either Twitter DMs or Twitter public messages/tweets. Please see "Showyoursoles" screenshots for the two Twitter chains.
    Although I'm uncertain whether this was a genuine error or intentional, I know that I would have been mortified if I had accidentally charged back a commission that I had paid for and would have done everything possible as soon as possible to fix the error. Loisgriffin has not shown themselves to be working on correcting the error, which they have clearly stated that they have made. Allowing for a tumultuous time in the world (COVID-19 and so on), I have allowed one month for Loisgriffin to correct their error: this has not been done. Time has been allowed and, unfortunately, I must make a beware noticed to ensure that this is logged for other creators to be made aware.
    As they have charged back the commission and clearly stated that they have done so in their e-mails, I cannot advise working with this client. All appeared normal until the charge back was made and nothing was out of the ordinary about how the commission process went before with nothing suspicious or any warning signs that something was awry.
    The commission story will be claimed by myself and the client, Loisgriffin, does not have permission to use or re-post this work as the e-mails confirm that they have not paid for it.
    Note: private information (e-mail and name) have been excluded from this post where I have blocked out personal details. My business e-mail addresses are left live as they belong to myself for work purposes. I have also blocked out slight NSFW content (profile line) on one Twitter screenshot.
     













    LoveLockdownArt

    BEWARE: Devicre

    By LoveLockdownArt, in Artist Bewares,

    Who: Devicre
    Where: https://www.furaffinity.net/user/devicre/
    https://twitter.com/Devicre
    https://picarto.tv/Devicre
    When: 09/22/2019
    What: Commission
    NSFW Content Resolved
    i approached Devicre in September  to ask about if they did comics to which they said they were willing to take on my project despite the lack of experience in the field.  I gave them the details then we agreed on a payment amount and i began making payments.  I received  rough wips of 2/5 pages in october.  I eventually had to stop in October as i went away for a personal anniversary.  In November i didn't make payments because of the weirdness of paypal  bouncing funds around during a dispute with customer so when i thought they took money for Devicre they had took money for random disputes, but i made the final payments in DEC and told Devicre we could pick it back up in 
    January since they had to take commissions between the time frame i was gone. This was ok for me because between December-January  i was in the hospital so nothing could be done anyhow. Once we reconnected and were ready to start, a fallout with a former friend who i was gifting this comic to  led to me wanting the comic to be changed to not include them and we agreed on a valentines day comic instead.  They said they could do it and we went with the new idea and char.
    February  20th came and id received no wips or updates. February 25th and they tell me they would need more money to put the comic idea to action. I decided against paying more since there had been no wips and said scrap the vday comic just go back to the other comic then  because we already agreed to the pages for that and 2 were sketched out  so no reason it cant be finished.
    March came and no updates i asked for updates i got nothing. I decided to give them space to work and didn't ping them again til May for a update to which i received no answer and started to look around for their activity,and a wip to which neither was available. At this time id done my research to find any page thy were active on since they weren't active on fa but would pop up once a while on picarto to stream commissions they took. I caught them  the first time and message them there they finally answered me this was may 7th and on twitter i sent a message but they said they never got it.
    I was given a run around about them having backlog due to the commission not being done in sept and oct. but as i'd told them  they had from dec-may to start something. We came to  a mutual understanding they would work on the comic in may  and start over  with  where we were. May came and gone and once more i was left in the dark  on may #1st they said their hand was hurting from a injury of some sort but id by then found them streaming many times on commission work they recently took  up even so much as offering in steam commissions.
    I given them the ultimatum of giving me a start and finish date or refund me to which their response was they were gonna stream it that morning but after me being pushy they don't feel like it. They once more gave me a finish date of  the end of the month for June but once more fell thru on that. They told me they offered me at one point to scrap the comic and trade out for  regular arts but i refused that offer i wanted the comic or a refund. I received a sketchy wip  on June 22nd after no response and the looming threat of a beware to them. I eventually popped into their streams a few times where they had a queue and saw they listed my comic under commissions and was upset addressing the fact my commission was from last yr so no other commission could possibly have come before that or their statement of having to clear their schedule back then for me would have been a lie.
    Fast forward in July i asked for a update i got no answer. I saw on fa they randomly made a come back post in august saying they will be active and taking commissions and ychs and old commissioners had to email them if they wanted  their work done by aug14th, I emailed them and i was met with excuses but told they will get it done.once the time frame came and gone i emailed again and got no answer or response back, i also received no answer on discord . As of today i am unable to charge back because i do not have that paypal anymore and it well past the protection date anyhow, looking thru my bank statements it seems i only paid 200 thru my bank and the rest thru paypal balance. They owe me a refund at this point in time.
    in my screenshots i will cross out any personal information and the name and picture of the person  who was to be in the original comic as we are not on terms and i do not wish to get them involved...
    the first few are from fa
    the second set is from discord
    the last set is from  picarto whisper chat system 
    and then there is the email and proof of payments 


  • Mod Note:  Bewares in the comments will not be approved.  Please submit your own post to add to our tag weight and metrics.

×
×
  • Create New...