Creature Commission Guidelines

NOTE***Commissions open once a month and are announced on my facebook page HERE!
Spaces are limited and once commissions open, they are taken on a first-come first-serve basis.***




Welcome to my commission guide! I am very happy to help bring your dream creature to life, and there are a few things you should know. First of all, my creatures are poseable artwork; not meant as toys. Each creature I create takes hours and hours of meticulous work; and I charge according to the time and artistic quality of my pieces. Each one is sculpted individually, giving it a unique look; no two are exactly alike and for this reason, I avoid doing reproductions.

Beyond that, please read through the guide if you are curious about the details!

What Can I Commission?

Any furry or feathery creature, real or mythological; even something from your own imagination! 
Note: I do not do any reproductions of already-made creatures at this time.

*** Important ***  
I receive many requests every week with photos of other creature artist's work, asking me to make them a copy or mimic the artist's style. My answer is the same for everyone: It is disrespectful to both myself and the original artist to ask me to copy another artist's work, not to mention I could be charged with artistic plagiarism. I do not and will not work off photos of other artist's pieces for reference; period.

How Long Will It Take?

Creatures will take anywhere between 4-8 weeks once construction has started, depending on complexity of the creature and how available needed materials are. Shipping time varies greatly depending on what speed you wish to pay for and what country you are in.

How Much Will It Cost?

Price varies greatly depending on size, materials, and structural complexity. The more complex a creature is, the longer it generally takes to make. In general, "chibi" or cute/baby creatures cost less than super realistic creatures. Below is a concise guide (prices shown in $USD).

Small Creatures: My most popular commissions size. Generally I do not make anything smaller than a 10 inches. Most small creatures are within the range of $250-$400 depending on complexity and realism.


     








Medium Creatures: This size creature tends to be more structurally complex.  Depending on complexity, averaging $350-$500.


  






Large Creatures: This size creature takes up a lot more time and materials.  Depending on complexity, averaging $450-600.







Huge: These are very large projects, and I take them on rarely as they eat up an enormous amount of time and are difficult to structure. These can cost anywhere upwards of $600.





What Are They Made Of?

Generally a myriad of materials. Each creature is soft bodied and completely poseable from every part unless otherwise specified. Faux fur, real feathers, and sometimes suede or leather can all be part of the construction. I often combine multiple types of sculpting mediums from epoxy modelling putty, freeform air compound, and polymer clay; depending on what best suits the project. Each one has a carefully designed wire frame that is meant to hold it steady while still allowing every part of it's body to be posed and moved about. The soft bodies and limbs are filled with soft filling and wieghted so it feels real. The face and eyes are hard sculpted for detail, and the face is overlayed with faux fur carefully glued on by the root. 

How Do I Care For My Doll? 

Treat them as artwork. Do not handle roughly or abuse the wire armeture. They are very detailed and many parts are sculpted; rough handling or dropping can result in breakage. Although they are built very sturdily and meant to be held and cuddled, bending and re-positioning them hundreds of times could cause armeture fatigue and breakage, resulting in that body part becoming loose and floppy. Do NOT under any circumstances get them wet or wash them, as dyes can run and metal armeture can rust. If they become dusty, use a hairdryer on cool or compressed air to gently clean the fur. As with any artwork, avoid leaving directly in the sun for extended periods of time as this may lead to sun bleaching. 

Are You A Reliable Seller?

I am a relatively new artist, so this question is perfectly understandable. I make all transactions through Etsy or PayPal so you can be confident of buyer protection and privacy of information. Nearly a dozen transactions so far including unique commissions, all feedback has been 100% positive and glowing reviews. You can read my customer feedback HERE.





The Nitty Gritty:

Below are all the small details involved in payment, shipping etc for creatures.

Payment: I sell through etsy or private PayPal transactions only. If you are unfamiliar with these, I can send you an invoice via Email through PayPal that you can pay for using credit card or debit card.

Payment Plans and Reservations: I accept payment plans up to 6 months. Generally, a $100 deposit is required to reserve a creature or begin a commission. If you pull out of the transaction for any reason, you will be refunded half the agreed upon value of the creature.

Commissions:
Commissions are subject to availability of materials and time. Each commission is uniquely priced and in general, a $100 deposit at least is needed to begin. Creature will be finished and shipped within 4-8 weeks of payment unless otherwise specified. If at any time you pull out of a commission, you will be refunded half the agreed upon value of the doll. Should for any reason you cancel the transaction, the doll remains my property and I retain all rights to ownership in the concept, design and the doll itself including the right to complete, exhibit and sell the doll. I do not accept returns on uniquely commissioned creatures.

Shipping: 
In general, I ship using a tracking code and sometimes shipping insurance. Times vary greatly depending on the country. If you have any preferences for shipping, they can be worked out beforehand.

Returns or Damage During Shipping:
I do not accept returns on uniquely commissioned pieces.
In the rare case your item is damaged during shipping, I will work with you as the buyer to provide photo evidence of the damage for insurance claims. The buyer must provide evidence of the damage within 10 days of notification of delivery. All shipments are insured with the posting company (in very rare cases remote delivery locations do not allow for insurance, in these cases you will be notified of such before shipment). The buyer has the option of sending the doll back to me for repairs; however the buyer must provide shipping costs both back to me for repair and return costs. In this case, any claimed insurance money will be refunded to the buyer as soon as the claim is approved by the shipping company (which can take several months).

In the case that the doll is so badly damaged that the buyer wishes to return it, they must wait until the insurance claim is processed and approved before returning it for a refund. This process can take several months. Once the claim is approved and the doll successfully returned, any insurance money claimed will be refunded to the buyer. 

Copyright:

I withhold the right to review these prices and principles at any time.

Thank you for reading! If you have any direct questions for me, you can contact me:

On my Etsy Shop <--(click)
Through a private message here on Deviant Art  <--(click)
Through my Facebook Page <---(click)