How to commission art that looks exactly like you imagined it!

Have you ever wanted to commmission an artist to create a custom artwork for you but you never did? Was it because you were worried the artwork wouldn’t look like it does in your mind? Or because you were afraid the artist would do whatever they wanted rather than what *you* wanted?

Then read on! You’re about to learn the 5 hacks to commission art that looks exactly like it does in your mind!

Let’s dive in!

1. Commission an artist that has a style that fits your idea

Find an artist whose style looks similar to what you had in mind. If you pick an artist with a style different than what you had in mind, or you ask them to emulate a style that isn’t their own, the results won’t be very good.

If your piece is a gift to someone else, think of what art style that person would really enjoy! Find an artist that can draw in that style to commission an artwork from them!

 

2. Give the artist enough reference photos and direction

The more reference photos and directions you give your artist, the more they’ll be able to capture what you had in mind. Artists are very talented and they can get a good grasp of what you want from what you ask for. But they can’t read your mind (yet!). If you have something very specific in mind, tell them! :)

But if you want to let them add their own touches or make changes if they think they’ll look better, go for it! The artist will also appreciate having some creative freedom.

 

3. Answer any questions the artist you’re commissioning may have about the artwork

The artist may have doubts or questions about your order after you send them the references and direction. If they reach out with questions or need clarification, be sure to answer them promptly and being as clear as possible. If you give them vague answers, they won’t know what you really want and the artwork may turn out differently than what you expected.

Communication is key! Let them know what you want or give them carte blanche to do as they please with the artwork if you trust their sense of creativity :)

 

 

4. Provide thorough feedback when reviewing your commissioned artwork

This may not always be possible if you’re commissioning art from a platform that doesn’t offer this, or if you’re working directly with an artist that only delivers the completed artwork.

But, if you have the chance to review and provide feedback on a draft: do it! And do it properly. This is your chance to tell the artist if you think anything needs to be tweaked. If the artwork looks different than what you had imagined, and it’s not for the better, tell the artist.

They won’t be upset. They’ll be happy you let them know how to improve the artwork and how to make YOU happy :) That’s their main goal!

 

5. Request post-completion changes if your commissioned art doesn’t fully look like you wanted

Is something off? Was part of your feedback not applied without a reasonable explanation? You may be able to ask the artist to make some changes to the completed commission to fix any details you need.

In ArtCorgi we want you to be completely happy with the artwork, so if you commission an artwork and you need post-completion tweaks, we’ll be happy to get them done for you.

Depending on the changes you request, the artist could apply them for free or they may require an additional fee.

Some platforms or artists don’t allow you to ask for changes after the artwork is completed, so be sure to find out about this before commissioning an artist directly or via online platforms.

 

6. In conclusion…

You need to be smart when commissioning an artist if you want the artwork to look like it does in your mind. Choose someone that has a style similar to what you envisioned. Give them all the resources they could possibly need, have open ways of communication to answer their questions and be clear when providing feedback on the rough draft :)

If it still doesn’t look p-e-r-fect, be sure to reach out to ask whether they’d be willing to work on some post-completion changes.

If you do all that, the odds of your artwork looking just like you imagined it will skyrocket!

Want to test our theory? Commission art through ArtCorgi and you’ll see you can have an artwork that meets your expectations while having a fun time!

 

Over to you

Have you ever commissioned an artist? How was your experience? Did you do any or all of the steps above to make the artwork fit your vision? Let me know!