Being on DeviantART for some time now I decided to start accepting commissions. The primary reason isn't money per sé, but the fun and exercise of drawing something for a client for personal use. In my tradition of giving everything a silly acronym, I'm calling the service TACS, The Artrix Commission Service. TACS is regulated using this journal post, and you can check the status of TACS in this post at any time.

TACS status
The Artrix Commission Service is currently available until further notice.

Slot 1 - empty
Slot 2 - empty
Slot 3 - empty

What is the commission service
TACS is essentially the ability to get a request from me, but for a monetary fee. In essence, the client pays to use my accumulated artistic skill to produce an image they would otherwise not be able to obtain. In other words, you pay me to draw something that only I can draw, it's quite simple. An important note here is that the image you obtain through TACS has a TACS license, which entails that the image is for personal, non-commercial, non-profit use only. For commercial purposes, other rates and conditions apply.

How does TACS work
So you decided to make use of The Artrix Commission Service. Alrighty. You start off by checking if your desired image does not conflict with the terms of service of DeviantART. Years of Internet use have made me quite apathetic to a lot of weird crap, but there are some things that I just won't draw. If you think you want to commission me to draw something I'm uncomfortable with, don't be afraid to ask me.

As soon as you have gathered the monetary assets (read: money) necessary to afford TACS, you start off by sending me a note with the subject starting with "TACS: " so that I know you have read these instructions and that you want to use TACS. It goes without saying that in the note, you explain what product you wish to use and what you want me to draw. Please make sure that there's at least one commission slot open before you send the note.

Unless your note makes absolutely no sense and I need to borrow the LHC to decipher your message, I'll get back to you in a timely manner with a note containing whether I accept your idea, the cost and estimated time it will take to complete your order. You are then requested to either accept or deny the offer.

Once I receive your note or e-mail in which you accept the offer, your order will be placed in one of the three commission slots. You then receive up to 10 days to send me the amount of money as agreed in the offer. I will not start on your order until the amount is paid in full. Would your order exceed an unusual amount of money, I'm willing to make special arrangements.

Once I receive the payment, I'll make a rough sketch to convey what the layout of the image will be and send it to you through e-mail. You are free to suggest modifications at this point. Depending on complexity, we may repeat this process with one more detailed sketch. Once I start on the final version, no modifications can be made, and will charge extra would you really want (or need) these modifications.

Once the product is done, I'll send a jpeg to you for your review, if all is well, you get the option to obtain the high-resolution version and the TACS license. All images obtained through TACS will be posted in my gallery in a special TACS folder, with a link to your DeviantART page (if you have one).

So, in 6 easy steps:

[1] Formulate idea and check it.

[2] Send note with "TACS: " in subject line.

[3] Get reply, send note back.

[4] Get reply, pay.

[5] Get layout sketch, more if order is more complex.

[6] You get product!

Products and pricing
TACS offers a number of products, and I'm sure there's something that suits your budget and needs. All prices are in euros and include taxes. If you need help converting the rates to whatever you use to pay at the local grocery store, Xe.com is your friend.

Pricing is on case by case basis, so this is only an indication how everything adds up. The absolute minimum you pay is €6.50 per order.

Character sketch
Pretty straight forward. It's a sketch of a character. Of course I'll make it pretty, but don't expect impressive super shading. Starting rate is €6.50 plus extra for each additional character, colors and complexity of colors, and if you're feeling ambitious, a background.

Inked character
Taking the the character sketch one step further by replacing the sketch with (digital) inks, starting rate is €9.50 plus extra charge depending on inking complexity. Extra characters, colors and background at extra charge.

Environment sketch
I can draw environments, if you like that sort of thing. Starting rate is €9.50, but will increase if the environment is really big or complex. Colors are possible at extra charge.

Painted environment
As you can tell, I can digitally paint environments. Starting rate is €15.00, extra charge depending on complexity.

Real Physical Sketch, or RPS
You don't want none of that digital stuff, all that you want is to fan boy/girl over a physical, tangible piece of paper that I drew on. That's certainly possible, but it comes at a price. The starting rate is €12.50 plus shipping. Obviously, extra characters and whatnot come at extra charge.

Terms of Service
Don't worry, I'm not going to lawyer talk to you, but these are some conditions you need to keep in mind when commissioning me.

I reserve the right to deny any commission for any reason. I'm doing this for fun and experience, my life does not depend on this.

I reserve the right to change pricing and conditions at any time without notice. All orders in progress will not be affected.

I can close the service at any time, but will see to it that the orders in progress will be finished as promised. If, for whatever reason, I cannot deliver the orders in progress, those clients will receive a refund.

Another pressing question is when it comes to fan art, and whether you can commission me to draw it. For this I have a no-damage policy. What this means is that I will not encourage it but I will draw fan art if it doesn't directly affect its copyright holder. If you want Inspector Iroh art, for instance, I think this is fair because you can't go to nickelodeon and expect it from them. If you want a picture of Katara duking it out with Kim Possible in a Mario Kart race, sure, let's do it. If you want Dexter in my style, fantastic. If you want me to basically replicate the exact look and style of Invader Zim to the point it would be indistinguishable from the original so you can make your own T-shirt of it, no, that's not cool, dude. Basically, if you want to commission me because you want to see something in my unique style, it's okay in my book.

Closing statement and questions.
That concludes everything you may need to know about TACS and I certainly hope it'll be an excellent experience. If you have any questions or remarks, do no hesitate to ask them in this journal post.