Nightmare art clients you NEVER want to work with!
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- Опубліковано 1 жов 2024
- These are the absolute WORST art clients you'll ever deal with! Learn how to spot them, fix nightmare scenarios, and how to act like a more professional artist at all times. These are the most common, and most frustrating types of art clients you'll come across while being a freelance artist, so how would you like to learn how to manage them better and make your art a career you'll enjoy a little more?
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00:00 Nightmare art clients
rude people deserve the taste of their own tea, i usually charge them double my standard price
Not a bad way to compensate for the client’s lack of decorum, is it? Lol
@@TheArtMentor Idiot surcharge lol!
Great Video. I have certainly dealt with a few of these being a freelance artist. I think that another thing about red flags is that you get to tailor-create your own list of what works for you and what you need to absolutely stay away from. It's different for everyone.
But the one thing that always gets me is the "conduct" red flag. They have to respect you. Storytime- I was helping out another freelancer who had gotten a client and in this client's initial proposal, they told this freelancer "Don't speak to me like I'm your friend." After hearing that I told her that if I was her and read that, I would have passed on the job. If they sound horrible in their first message to you they will only get worse once the job is underway.
Wow some people just can be so rough to deal with, can’t they? Isn’t it sad how they don’t realize how that impacts their product and the experience?
@@TheArtMentor And it's always the ones who try to put on a persona of being an amazing person or a self-help guru or something. Yet they treat people like this, smh.
All this could be solved with an in depth terms of service. Cover revisions, what you require for references, how much you charge for deadlines, and even how many updates you’ll be providing.
That can help, but can it truly outright stop or prevent it? Also, let's remember that a ToS is not a legally-binding document unless it's been made by a lawyer. Hence why you can learn how to handle clients better through this video 💪
I like that fairy art you did! It's really discouraging when you get a job from family and friends and they EXPECT it for free, and we're talking whole campaigns- art design, merch, stationary, the kitchen sink!! Not being mean but charities want it all for free too, and once you do one they all start hounding you, oh it's ok i don't eat i'm a breatharian and i live in the trees rent is free hahaha... . And I once did a pamphlet for a friends business and when I finished it THEY reduced the price to half, I wasn't even charging that much!!
Thanks so much for your kindness! And yes, I've encountered that too unfortunately. It's unfair how much charity artists are expected to give for a hard-earned skill, isn't it?
thia video really hit close to home LOL ive had a couple of clients that were a combination of several of these red flags you mentioned here, I have learned alot from a recent "nightmare" client (in all honesty they weren't a nightmare, just frustrating, they were incredibly kind and patient despite being extremely nitpicky/indecisive)
Haha did this trigger your bad memories? Can you think of any other bad clients?
@@TheArtMentor oh god i've had so many that i've just blocked most of them out of my memory if they weren't recent, It would take me forever to try and remember all of my nightmare clients over the years lol
Sometimes when I'm putting together something brand new, I can be like the "blind visionary". The character doesn't have a solid design yet, and I'm waiting for things to strike me as "correct" for the character...
However, what I do is hire multiple artists. I'll give them the basic initial concept, then move on to another artist, use those first sketches to tell them what I like/what I want changed from the previous artist, and continue on until I get the perfect balance. In those cases, I'm actually looking to see what creativity each artist throws into it and how they interpret how it would look, then picking and choosing what I like, rather than going in with one specific design in my head.
Sometimes it's still a bit hard because I'll give artists a concept sketch, say, "I want the alien proportions as done here, but I want armor like over here." And then I'll get something back with the proportions of a big military guy in a ripped tank top instead of the short skinny alien in armor! When stuff like that happens, sometimes I realize that the artist isn't actually understanding what I'm saying (sometimes, this can actually be a language barrier because a lot of artists online are from other countries). And I just pay them for what they've done and move on.
Other times, I tell an artist my concept, and they add their own things. "You said he wore the horns to be intimidating, so I put on FOUR horns because four is more intimidating than two!" And they understand the characterization and throw in their own input, which can be great because someone might toss a really good idea your way that you didn't initially think of for the design.
I've actually had a communication error with an artist lead to a big design change before, though. I said the characters were from "X company" (X just being a placeholder for the actual name of the company, which wasn't important). They thought the company was actually named X and incorporated it into the design. I ended up incorporating their actual logo based off of that initial rough concept.
You sound like a great client to work with, and I hope more artists have the opportunity to work with you 😁 I’m curious to hear your thoughts on this video, since I tried to capture both sides of the story and help artists understand why clients may behave the way they do. What did you think of that?
@@TheArtMentor I think some things might vary. Some people don't understand how long it takes to make art. They see an artist's finished works and think they just have such talent that they can do that in no time and are anxious to see the results.
I think a lot of problems may stem from people not understanding the time and work that goes into the art. Like asking for revision after revision. Similar things happen with other careers, too. Like back when I translated, I would get the, "Can you just translate this one thing?" all the time. To them, it seems like a small thing, and they don't understand the effort and how many "small things" would add up over time.
So there is probably some difference between people who don't realize how much they might be asking for, and then people who just aren't considerate about others. For the first ones, being really clear about times, how many revisions, and other details would probably help a lot. It might even be good to have a page where you post updates as you work - I've seen some people do this who take various jobs at once so that people know where they are in the queue and such. The main thing being that they would have to keep updating it, which not everyone is good at. But clear communication is definitely a must.
I think most of the anxious ones are probably excited to see what's happening, and little things like, "Here's the rough, I'll have it inked in X amount of time" (and I would always overestimate rather than underestimate) would probably ease some of their jitters.
I would imagine individual clients would be more likely to be passionately excited about their projects than someone hiring for a company. That type might be hard to deal with, but I also don't think it's malicious or anything. If you tell them it'll be ready on Tuesday, they'll probably be vibrating on their seat staring at their email at 12:01 A.M. on Tuesday.
And the ones that aren't considerate... Well, jerks are jerks! Best to avoid them if you can.
@@TheArtMentor (I actually wanted to mention something that might be overlooked).
When I'm looking for artists now, you have a bunch of image-generated stuff drowning out real artists. By sight, it's much harder to tell who is actually drawing and who isn't without delving into them all in detail, which would take a considerable amount of time.
So, I'd actually suggest showing PENCIL drawings along with stuff now, so that people can see that you're actually an artist and not trying to pose as one. If they have a thumbnail/portfolio for their work on a site, have a rough pencil drawing be part of that thumbnail so that people can pick it out of the crowd.
I'm currently dealing with the "First client" 😂.
Haha that one comes up a lot! Have you seen my other content on how to start getting clients and prepare for them?
In the first example, in comics, an artist NEVER, I mean NEVER, gets any kind of payment before any work completion. Also, some publishers take MONTHS to pay the artist. Ask around about Boom! and others. At least, some smaller publishers pay the artist right away; however, this is always after finishing the work. Unless a comic book artist is already a top dog in the industry, like Jim Lee, they typically won't receive any money upfront. Most publishers pay after completion. Never heard from my buddies that they got a payment in advance.
I totally understand that structure within a corporate environment, but you're also more protected and guaranteed payment so long as you satisfy your spec, right? There is paperwork in your favor there. However, can I clarify that this advice is for freelancers who aren't working with major corporate clients?
@@TheArtMentor To be honest, I had less trouble with smaller publishers than with big publishers o__o
(One of the big two "lost" my check when they should have paid me. I had to wait for some time to be paid. Never worked with them again in these past 10 years.). Comic book artists are treated like crap -__-
But, that's true! When it's freelancing without a contract, the artist must protect themselves. A payment advance should be ideal.
damn that drawing is really cool
Guess I’m extremely lucky. My first client was perfect. He paid everything upfront even though I said he can do it half by half, before and after, yet he didn’t even get annoyed with the time I said I will use. He told me to take as long as needed. Hope I get more clients like him
That’s an awesome client! Good for you 👏 how long have you been freelancing?
@@TheArtMentor honestly, it’s only been a week, starting to take things more seriously
oh good for you! Glad to hear you're getting started well. Have you checked out my advice for finding clients and other freelance advice?
@@TheArtMentor I will, thanks
Fantastic video! I love that you elaborated on the mindset behind each of these potential clients. It's a really empathetic and insightful approach, and makes the advice way more useful for folks who can't afford to turn people down on vibes alone.
Nitpickers DO tend to be newbies to the experience. The other type of newbie, I find, is the one who feels shy or ashamed to request anything super specific. They have an idea, but have a hard time expressing the details. Sometimes they turn into nitpickers later, when they realize they weren't clear the first time. The same advice holds for them: lots of gentle questions early on, asking for a reference, and warning them in advance of extra charges for changes.
Wow thanks so much for that feedback! I'm so happy to hear this came across empathetically because I really wanted everyone watching this to understand WHY clients behave how they do. Otherwise, this just turns into a whine and complain video, doesn't it? Clients are real people too, so I'm trying to respect them
I have mixed feelings about the video. It is very thorough and covers all the difficult types of people to work with. But i don't feel it presents you in the best light when you show pics some of your more difficult clients have commissioned. If i was the captain client i would feel bad about being shown on a video like this. It would not make me feel good about the commission and i would question your respect for client confidentiality.
Why do you have that negative view of this content though? Other than the rude client, did you notice how I never directly spoke ill of another client? Each of these examples provides an empathetic analysis so that artists are aware of why clients act the way they do, and how to work effectively with all types of clients. Did you notice how there aren’t any artworks or clients presented in this video that I slammed? That was an intentional design of this video.
As for the rude client, considering I would never work with that individual again, shouldn’t I make others aware of that situation so that they have the courage to avoid or step away from it? It doesn’t seem right to excuse maltreatment as confidentiality when nothing of the sort was ever outlined, legally speaking. Just here trying to help artists
Could you give some advice on how to start selling commissions if you have a very small platform?
yep I have a huge video on that topic! Especially since I started my business with no following, and it all still works to this day: ua-cam.com/video/JQMjdHBakno/v-deo.html
You make awesome videos man 😁👍
Thanks so much for saying so! What did you think of this one?
@@TheArtMentor I find all of what you explained helpful.
Thanks for your support!
I feel like I am being seen and heard from. The folks I've dealt with. Boy I tell ya 🥲
Probably enough to fill a book, sadly.
Oh really? Which of these red flag clients have you dealt with?
@@TheArtMentor the ones where you have to "prove yourself"
This was many years ago, but someone tried to guilt me into a free pet portrait by saying their dog passed away... And I got called a heartless piece of shit for wanting to charge them for a dead pet (Should I yell at a funeral home if they charge me to hold a funeral for a dead loved one then? Yeesh). Though, I didn't keep professional composure. I cussed her out before blocking. Funny thing is, another artist dealt with something similar and got called heartless from someone. I wonder if we talked to the same lady.
That’s an awful way to weaponize sympathy, isn’t it? Also I bet a million bucks ol’ Scooby never died and was alive and kicking when that client was trying to con someone into that job 😂
@@TheArtMentor It's possible Scooby was alive still haha, who knows. People do ANYTHING for free or low cost stuff... Then, there's the scummy people out there who will take advantage of people who are living with negative circumstances surrounding them at the moment. I let everyone know I'm going into credit card debt for a dental visit for my cat due to problems I'm seeing in his mouth while currently unemployed and need help with the cost... Here comes Sir Douche-Canoe wanting to low-ball me from a $200 commission price that's gonna take me more than 10 hours by offering $50 (shipping included mind you). After saying no to $50, I was told if I truly needed money, I need to swallow my pride... Haiyaa....