[Neg] u/apokreia
Extremely disappointed I have to make this post but I think I've been extremely amiable in my correspondence with this artist.
I made my post about 9 months ago and ended up choosing three different artist's. Of all three this was the only artist who STILL hasn't completed anything. The first one finished within two months of our first correspondence, whilst the second took a little over five months but had updates weekly about their progress.
The most important thing is that they sent the amount of the invoice incorrectly. We had agreed on 150$ (half the initial amount) as down payment. They sent around a 200$ invoice, I hadn't wanted to cause any issues, so towards the end of the project, depending on their work I would either provide it as a tip or have them deduct the extra from the initial amount. Their portfolio was impressive and consistent so I had no inclination that they were scamming/using any ai ect.
This artist from the get go was extremely slow with their response. It took up to a week for one response and, it's on my for not providing a time frame, but they hadn't gotten a sketch to me even after a month despite saying they were going to begin as soon as possible.
The only reason I got the sketch in the first place was to my constant pestering. They had claimed the reason it took so long was because "they needed to order a replacement for their pen (or nib, I can't remember which one it was).
After that it was a back and forth of me asking for progress and them taking up to two weeks to show any progress. This is complete speculation but it seemed as though they were viewing my messages and then creating something last minute to show that they were "making progress". As I said speculation but that's what it felt like.
This eventually ended with me asking for a refund and them responding in kind. It seems as though they were going through genuine mental health issues and I related to some degree. So I send them the invoice requests for a refund. This was the end of May (30th to be exact). They said they were strapped for cash and would eventually send it. I had received no correspondence during June and decided on July to send them a message. As of the 19th of July they still have no responded to me, so I am making this post in pure disappointment.
This is the result of commission. We had discussed a Dakimakura. Double sided, full body and fully rendered. All I have gotten until this point is a half body sketch (in their words).
Also I don't use reddit much but I'm certain they've deleted our previous messages. This includes the link to their portfolio, their initial sketches and our discussions of prices and what I wanted specifically. Let me know if this is intentional please or just a bug on my end. I do not use reddit often.
It's just extremely disappointing and I don't feel like if you're selling your services and have an issues with communication, you shouldn't be selling your services.