Choosing the Right Artist There are many factors that go into choosing the perfect artist for your potential CW. It's important to keep several things in mind when looking for that special someone.

When choosing an artist… • Be aware of their slots and availability. Some artists choose to have unlimited slots and complete commissions based on a first-come, first-serve basis. Other artists open a certain amount of slots at a time. Even still, others open up X amount of CSC slots and X amount of USD slots. Make sure to read your potential artist's thread thoroughly to see how many slots they have open of each payment type, and if they have a waiting list. • Be aware and respectful of their prices. Some artists charge more than others. That is as simple as it is. If you don't like someone's prices, there is no need to tell them about it - simply choose a different artist and move on. • Be aware of their skill-sets. Many artists have samples of their work on their commission pages. If you are in the market for a wig, but love how a certain user does backgrounds, look at their wig examples. If they are not the quality you're looking for, move on. Be respectful of what certain artists will and won't do and look at their examples and you will both have a happy artist and a beautiful product. • Be clear and concise with both what you want and when you want it. Some artists can work from a description, while others prefer reference images. Most will tell you which they prefer in their threads. Communication is key when commissioning any art, and be vocal about exactly what you want! Need it by a deadline? Make sure the artist knows about and agrees to it before they begin work.

And make sure to agree on… • Price and number of recolors. Many artists charge a range for types of items - for example, a wig might run anywhere from 10$ to 30$ depending on how complex it is. Before the artist begins work, confirm a specific price with them. Make sure to also ask how many recolors (if any) are included. Some artists prefer to know which recolors you choose off the bat, so make sure you communicate clearly if that is the case. • Deadlines, if any. Many artists give a general timeline to how long commissions tend to complete. But sometimes life gets in the way, and things take a couple of extra days (or weeks) to get started. As mentioned above, if there are any deadlines to your CW (birthdays, holidays, events, etc), be explicitly clear about them. If an artist says they can't finish your CW by that deadline, be respectful of their working methods and simply move on to somebody else. Everyone works at a different pace! • Payment method/when to pay. Most artists will have this information in their threads. Some artists require payment up front, while others don't require it until everything is done. Clarify when you should pay with your artist (and pay promptly, of course!). • Custom Items aka CI's. Most artists include CI's (the little icons for items, which are officially referred to in staff critique as Custom Items) in their commission price, but some artists are not comfortable making CI's. Make sure you know which category your artist falls into, as you may have to commission a CI from another artist. • Copies of items. Many artists also require a free copy of the item. Make a note to leave a slot open for them if they do, and make sure you can cover its expense. (More on that below.)

A Note on CI's and Naming Conventions I'm placing this in the commission section as opposed to the submission section because this is something I often remind my commissioners about while we are discussing CI's, since it's a rule I've been rejected for several times.

Subeta has a guideline about naming items: that is, the name doesn't necessarily have to correspond with the overlay, but it must correspond with the CI. So, for example, if your overlay is a pair of shoes with polkadots on them, but your CI is a box with a ribbon on it, your name must either be something along the lines of "Ribboned Box of Shoes" or just "Splendid Ribboned Box" rather than "Cutesy Polkadot Shoes." The shoes are not seen in the CI but the box is, so the name must correlate to that.

Another rule that Subeta has concerning CIs seems to get bent a lot, but it does exist: your CI must have something to do with your overlay. We see it all the time - wigs that have puppies in teacups for CIs and dresses that have icons of cupcakes. Surely this rule can't matter? Nope - it does. If you look at all the cute little CIs that seem to have no correlation to their overlays, look again. I can guarantee you that every puppy or kitty is holding a strand of hair. Every cupcake has a scrap of fabric wrapped around it that corresponds to the dress on the overlay. So, as long as your CI does in some way represent the item shown, it is acceptable and follows the rules.