Someone asked me, so I want to make it clear: No, I don't offer commissions, and never will.
Here are my reasons:
- I don't have enough time for my own art.
I have a full-time job that is very demanding, and I only have a few hours every week to work on my art (on top of writing my art newsletter every Tuesday).
My illustrations have become so complex that it takes me weeks to finish them (the last one took a month!). This is time I can never get back and I wouldn't trade it for any side money.
- It would slow my audience's growth.
Growing on social media is already hard enough, but I might get a small boost by asking friends to promote my commissions.
However, in the long run, spending time drawing private commissions simply means fewer original artworks, and those are what will move the needle forward for my art. Commission pieces simply don't get as much reach.
Vicious cycle, right?
- I would rather make a product than sell commissions.
To be clear, my goal is not to monetize my art at the moment. But if I needed to, my sole focus would be on creating prints, books, or other products with my own art.
The reason is simple: instead of doing an illustration for $200, I would rather make art that I love and sell 10 prints of it for $20.
Both take an equivalent amount of effort, but once it's done, I still fully own the artwork. And I'm not limited to 10 prints! It can resonate with way more people, not just one client.
Those are my reasons!
If you are an artist doing commissions, I'm rooting for you, and I want you to succeed 🩷
This is only my perspective for my personal situation, and I'm not judging anyone who has different circumstances or goals.
PS: Now, I could take a freelance opportunity from a company if I resonate with the project — I'm not absolutely against it; but I would seriously weigh it against everything I've discussed above.