I would appreciate advice for commissioning a character sheet

[Fredmion]

Hello everyone. lately I've been looking to get a sheet done of my character (human, not a fursona if that makes any difference) and I've found a few artists that I would like to commission, but I have some anxiety about exactly how to go about doing it since I don't really have any experience commissioning them specifically. I also don't have any art of the oc in question but from what I've seen the artists seem like they wouldn't mind working off a description and some reference images. 

I have a notepad file with a description of them as well as reference pictures for their clothes and hairstyle etc. but I don't know if it's enough and as I said in the title, I would appreciate any advice for what I would need as well as anything else.

[EmmyTheSlimeWoof]

The only thing I could say is just make sure to be respectful. Also, if you can, try for a not shaded ref. A lot of artists won't work off of shaded refs, as it makes selecting colors from it harder.

 

The main thing to keep in mind if you commission, just be respectful ^^ 

[Fredmion]

On 12/13/2020 at 9:48 PM, EmmyTheSlimeWoof said:

The only thing I could say is just make sure to be respectful. Also, if you can, try for a not shaded ref. A lot of artists won't work off of shaded refs, as it makes selecting colors from it harder.

 

The main thing to keep in mind if you commission, just be respectful ^^ 

thanks, i've heard about the shading thing before on an article but it's still nice to have it confirmed by other people. 

And I like to think i'm usually respectful, at least i've never tried to be disrespectful to someone I wanted to commission before.

[VosurAekira]

Something else that might be an idea is to make sure you have a pose in mind and what details you want refined down.

For example, having a simple akimbo pose is a good detail, also having a front view and a back view are good as well (some go a step-further and have a side-view too. Details of the eyes and any body markings (tattoos, scars, beauty-marks, ect.) are good mentions too. 

[baja]

A lot of artists appreciate any sort of visual reference you can give them.

So say you might not be the best artist out there, but if you can rough out a concept with key details you want to see on your character, its a huge help that supplements any reference images you provide (i.e. clothing, body type, etc). I have a penchant for including body scars or markings not immediately visible over clothing, so I'm the sort of person who makes a crude base as to where i want to see these markings, n such.

When it comes to character sheets, I personally look over an artist's previous works if they offer that sort of thing. Its not a bad reference point to say you'd want a refsheet in a format they have offered in the past; i.e. Standard front-back, maybe an alternative outfit, it all depends on what you're ultimately looking for.