A lot of people don't read journals. They just nuke them.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ sorry sweetie that's correct

Very much true

I at least look at the thumbnail for every submission in my inbox, because that's why I follow people in the first place. I hardly read journals, because most of them are nonsense.

I sometimes nuke them based on how many there is since I last looked so this is probably the best way to grab attention honestly

Didnt read this either haha

people complained because you got swamped with work?
No one is a fuckin' robot; we all have limits >~<

Raise your prices. You get flooded because you're seen as affordable - which means you're undercharging. Supply v Demand. Demand is high, supply is low.

I agree with this!

Its already $80 as it is , not saying Gills art isnt worth that much but if you raise too high then you're severely limiting your customer base to a few people

Not necessarily if you also offer lower priced options but at a less frequent rate.

TBH, that's probably too low for commission work of the quality involved, (something that is true of most furry artists). That $80 is for a full colour, shaded, piece that I doubt she could knock off in the 4 hours or so that would put her at "fresh out of art college nobody" rates.

This is also my thought. I had to do so because of this.

I guess you got hit too haha. I think my prices has been the same for a looooong time.

Supply and demand is a really tricky thing. I raised my ref sheet and comic prices to discourage too many people from asking for them. I do offer sketch streams as well but for the illustrations that take longer and more skill I had to up the prices due to demand. Raffles are also great ideas but I'm more concerned if I'm making a fair profit for my time.

yeah that's understandable! thank you so much for letting me know about this stuff!

damn... i didn't think of that, i guess i should. ill just need to contact some furs that are good at this kind of thing to let me know a good price set for my art

Whatever price you set, keep this in mind:

Keep raising your prices until you CAN'T find customers. Then lower your price until you're flooded again.

That's when you'll find your perfect price point.

But, it won't last. Either you'll get flooded again or can't find customers. Raise/Lower as appropriate.

Just keep an open mind to change.

yeah sounds like a plan, thank you so much!

You realize that having a high demand isn't a bad thing. Just making sure people aren't complaining about it is another. Raise prices enough and you'll have more people complaining about prices.

Unfortunately applying product economics to a system revolving around individual consumer preferences doesnt work. The consumer usually feels cheated if they paid say 20 percent more for the same style and quality as another person a week from now.

While his idea is to be taken into consideration, the act of raising prices, i would gauge it with a ych auction rather than randomly raising and lowering prices

Except this goes against what made me really adore gill as a person more than an art machine on FA.

I asked Gill how Gill could handle drawing so much all the time and the reply was. "Because I love it."

The rowdy people clamoring for art shouldn't be Gill's problem because I feel like having to put up with abuse might jade Gill and then Gill will just become another artist in the sea of many here on FA.

I'm dissapointed that I couldn't get in but I would never yell at Gill about it. (though I'm really quick to give up...it's just my nature) People who do throw fits are just horrible childish people who need to grow up and wait.

lol oh god no

Hey Gill! It's Shottsy we met over at Ryoku and Gravey's! I can help with pricing if you want. I took a business class with Joe Murray. You have to factor in your expertise, time, and what YOU are worth as an artist. You can't compare to other artist's as a LOT of people devalue or sell their art too cheap hurting everyone trying to make a living at it. Think about the cost of living, and what it takes to do art full time and pay bills and still have extra for entertainment. You can do what you love and still charge what you are worth. You may want to also consider the "Upgrade" option like what I do if people think it may be too expensive for some of the people that love our art but can't afford 200.00 or more for a full shaded pic, they can recommission you to color the sketch, or shade it etc. In the future.

I would disagree and keep prices the same (though maybe change them for special things that take longer, like comics or what-not).

If you begin to raise prices you'll lose more than what the demand is now - people aren't after your work because you're cheap, Gill; people are after your work because it's so good.

You've done a lot of work lately, to a lot of 'well known' furs, so their images are circulating a lot more than before, hence the popularity boom. If people don't get slots then that's it, no need to change anything because others didn't get in. Other artists are even more impossible to get; raffles are ridiculous luck-bullshit, bidding for commissions becomes a drama-fest... All that happened is some people got unlucky.

Yes raising the price will reduce demand, the key is to raise it the amount that will reduce demand to barely more than what you can do.

If you can only do 15 a month but 40 people want to buy from you each month, losing half of your demand doesn't hurt you at all. One interesting thing is that a price increase can sometimes increase the number of commissions an artist can do, (especially true if there is a day job in play).

I see your point, but that's not necessarily true... Raising prices isn't the only way to lower demand.

please tell me what is the other way? im curious now <3

Well... You could also raise supply, but seeing that this is art we're talking about, that's not very likely to happen. XD But, I was thinking about it, and I don't know if you've ever done this before, but you could try a toned down (as in not complex) YCH with a static price. No raffle, no auction... Just a straight YCH. They pay, you draw, and move on to the next one. Since it's not complex, you should be able to get them done pretty fast. Another idea is that you could become your own business and go into the production or printing industry, like the kind of stuff you see on Redbubble.

There... Reasonably high supply to fit your high demand. ^^

Agreed.

Awwww, Gill... this makes me feel a lot better to hear. Thank you! <3

thank you that dose help^^

Hehe, ah well I'm a little bummed but there's definitely next time, i can't wait to see all the great art in the future!

awwe there will be other chances. <3

eheh definitely definitely!

I never make your commsion streams because I work 3rd shift, maybe if you are at anthrocon again this year I can commision you in person and in suit hehe

awwwe that would be super sweet of you <3

Pittsburgh Pennsylvanian anthrocon.org

^+^ well you are a super sweet panda, and I thank you for sharing your love and warmth to the community

awwwe ;___; no problem

The amount of butt-hurt I saw on your commission submission was painful and I'm sorry you had to make this

yeah.. its okay my friend, im just happy people are understanding here.

comes with the popularity I guess, can't take everyone's commissions at once :P

I understand, it is what it is. I think it all seemed to happen at once. I know you're hugely in demand, and even if your prices went up I'd still be interested. It's just how it goes sometimes. I'll have to do my homework more next time, and may the chips fall as they may. Or not.

I guess in this case, I don’t wanna come off as some sort of big headed artist that lifts there prices to crazy numbers. I just wanna be fair all at the same time.

Oh yeah, I understand, and I know you were. I know that it slowed me down trying to figure out what copy pasted into the text box and what didn't, but it was a shot in the dark anyway. I'd had a hard time coming up with an idea, but there's always other chances.

We'll all understand about how time constraint is annoying, someday.

i hope so

I understand that you have standards as an artist and frankly, everyone should have that. The only thing that I really didn't understand is the limitation of character for the description/reference tabs. Me and two friends had something planned for you to draw and we wanted to be descriptive but also managed to keep it as brief as possible, so we don't overwhelm you with details. We couldn't paste the whole thing in and there was a limit that was irritating to us. I just don't understand that.

But I think that was already touched on by my friend Kai. Either way, yes, I'm disappointed, but shit happens. Best of luck with your future business.

yeah sadly some people in the past hit me with a text books amount of words for a description in the last, and I feel bad about having to drop the amount of space used in the form. and I don’t want you to feel bad about not being able to get a commission in, I really wanna draw new thing and the way you look is really amazing and bright! I thought it would have been awesome to draw!

I guess I winded up running out of space and the form became disable because of the form number limit. but I seem to have fixed that finally. so the next time I feel you should be able to get a commission from me haha I like my big boys^^

Damnit Gill, why you no clone yourself? x3
but hot damn, 3 mins o.o

yeah haha it was really crazy...

Disclaimer?

I hardly know her!

haha I don’t get it, is it a reference?

No, it's just one of those common stock jokes you hear in various places that mean nothing.

Like a scene on tv where a guy goes into a bar and the guy he wants to talk to is already with a group of people and he's just finishing a joke/story "Disclaimer? I barely know her!" and they all laugh for no reason, presumably because you'd have to hear the nonexistent story to get the joke.

The joys of being an artist in demand =)

You know you've got a good supply of great customers when you have to make something like this just to make sure you dont overload your workflow.

hehe yeah.. and I love all of my clients these guys really make me happy and help me eat! I just hate I had to lop off a lot. I just don’t want them to hate me for it.

This is a wonderful and polite message to send to your followers.
You are just one experienced panda and your best work is worth the wait and for those who are understanding.
It sucks to think that people would complain about not getting a slot this time, but I like it's been previously said, you are in no way a Robot who just pops out amazing art all the time.

But you already know all this.

The prices aren't unfair in my opinion, because you work hard and the detail that goes into the more colored commissions and works you do.
What you did was fair, the unexpected flood of demand for your art is what makes it SEEM unfair. But I am just repeating already known knowledge at this point.

I hope that next time you figure out how to take commission and again I wish you the best :D Thanks for being so great Gillpanda.
Those who are loyal fans and enjoy your work will stick around, everyone else will sort themselves out.

yeah ill have to figure a few things out and see what i can do about this mass number. a friend of mine gave me an interesting idea i will try next time around.

We will see if it is a better attempt than this time :D but who knows :D

Just keep doing what you do and your friends and fans will stick around for as long as you ^_^

It's cool! While I was *surprised* I didn't get a slot, I'm not angry. I know you're popular, and I know there's only 24 hours in a day. I hope nobody's getting buttmad... Let's not turn a good thing into a bad thing, yeah? :P

haha yeah really because i love you guys too much for that shit to happen! whoot

A Raffle seems like the more fair way! :3 Besides the commissions that are too complicated or not what you'd be willing to draw, or without full information

Once narrowed down to the rest of them which could be fun or quickly finished off, this that or the other, it could be left up to chance for them to be picked c:

Also I'm not sure why there were 6 reserved slots, I'm sure you have reason, but I'm going off the assumption they were probably reserved for reasons such as time zone differences or like, someone being at work at that certain time you opened!

If you offer a raffle you could leave commissions application time open longer for a chance for everyone to go through it :3

Another idea would to tweak your prices! The commissions types that you see have more demand wouldn't hurt to have their raise the prices, as Demand vs. Supply is a very real concept that should be applied to artists as well as any business x3

Not unreasonably high but if 80$ comms are popular, 100$ isn't unreasonable in my opinion. I'll pay just about any amount for something I really really want xD To be honest I was discouraged from applying at all because I saw the hype from the journals and submissions warning that Comms were opening soon haha

yeah haha and I have a feeling the warnings was something that caused this to happen, but its alright! I may try something out in the next round. as for the 6 slots, it was indeed what you stated lol you nailed it! but ill figure out something for pricing

*nods* I think I was afraid that he'd open when I was at work or something XD

You are so incredibly nice and professional about these things, way more than almost any other artist I've commissioned. Just wanted to say thank you for that!

awwe thank you so much! I'm trying to give as much respect to the clients as possible.

"I don't wish for anyone to leave my gallery thinking they can never get a slot due to demand." I hate to break it to you Gill but you already kind of have this reputation more so than any other fatfur artist in the fandom. A lot of people I know want commissions from you but don't even bother because of turn around time and how busy your queue is. Just thought you should be aware that no matter what that's always going to be the case when you're as in demand as you are.

That's really their problem, isn't it? Gill tries to make it fair as possible, and if this is her way of going about it, people need to stop bitching.

oh.. i guess that's understandable, ill try better next time to fix this, but im sure it wont change there minds.

Not upset in the least that I couldn't get a slot. I'm totally patient for the next opportunity, Gill. :)

I'll just keep writing my stories in the meantime! :D

Besides...I owe FurAffinity an Oz TF story! ;)

hehe okay thank you so much for understanding hun!

What does the P in your middle initial stand for?

Phillips? 'Phat'? :P

lol

Thank you so much for this disclaimer Gill, It means a lot since i am one of the many who were left disappointed they did not get in. You are absolutely right about the rushing issue and its pretty obvious why, A premium artist in high demand who only as a 2-3 minute slot to get a form filled submitted? of course people are going to bum rush and not take their time reading details. I didn't want to rush my submission form but i knew if i didn't, there wouldn't be a hope in hell it would even get seen. So i either rushed it and took my chance or not have a chance at all.

I agree with the all the others that you should raise your prices to reflect your demand and skill. Its just a random idea but how about have something like 10 premium slots for 10 premium grade pictures and then do a few very low priced sketches that are decided by a raffle?

hmm i may have an idea on what i should do for the raffle thing^^

I understand gill, Im gonna be pacient and wait for next time that you open up

alrighty^^

again I look forward to receive a reference sheet by you

Alrighty, Gill! Hey, what do you think of my cetaquine concept anyway? Just curious.

haha it works, tho the colors, i felt could have been a more natural set and not odd color tones.

Okidokee. I'll make more natural colors for the next batch!

This was so sweet of you to post. I submitted but didn't make the list. I totally understand and still hope i can see my sona crafted by your skilled paws next time. <3 <3 <3

yeah i hope so as well! thank you so much!

Were you getting notes and crap wondering why people didn't get a slot? That's just sad... You shouldn't have to explain yourself to them.

I think for future reference, you shouldn't announce when you're opening commissions, because that leads to ridiculous amounts of sniping and spam.

yeah lol that was one of the mastakes i and i tihnk it will fill less quickly

Mm. There's not too many great ways to handle this. Increasing prices means putting your art out of the reach of people with lesser means. It's not really a morally bad thing. In fact, it means that you're pricing your art to what it's actually worth, as far as market forces are concerned. Artists are underpaid and under-appreciated in so many ways.

But that aside, it makes me sad every time this happens. I don't continue to buy from an artist when their prices go too high, the value of what I'm purchasing drops pretty quickly for me. Getting art from a specific artist isn't as important to me as getting good art, and often I'll end up paying someone talented, but less recognized, less in demand, less appreciated.

I've seen artists go either way, and it largely depends on their speed, and whether they want to make a living off of their art. If you need the money to pay rent and bills, increase your prices. If it's more important to you that everyone gets a chance, there's a few ways to raffle it that work decently. It's even possible to do a hybrid of these.  AgroAntirrhopus does an excellent job of this, offering cheap sketches as a raffle, but more expensive inked pieces as first come first serve.

Either way, people will always get upset once your demand starts getting high enough. There's no way to handle it in a way that will make everyone happy. Gotta do what will make you happy.

*nods* you're right, i will differently look into this and see what i can come up with

gud luck mama bear <3

thank you sweetie!

I wish I had this problem.

haha sorry but no you don't.

Err, I mean its good that people want, yes?

You look extremely cute here mr gill~

awe thank you so much haha and its mis gill cutie

Miss cutie will be then!

You are a busy panda-gal! And your prices are so very reasonable.
Not only is your art top notch, but it's quite affordable, I do believe that's why you get flooded so much!
I do hope you come up with a new way to select commissions down the road! We've already done a couple hundred dollars of business, and I'm looking forward to doing it all over again! But the timed thing - a panda's the only manager some days (like today) in a big box retail store, she has not even the slightest chance of getting a form filled out!
If it were as simple as pressing the buy button like a concert ticket, it'd be one thing. But a form takes a bit!

I really like how Dat_Badger did her recent commission selection - people submitting over a 24 hour period, and then she selected which work most interested her. It gives everyone a shot at getting your attention, and provides you the opportunity to work on what most interests you.

That's this pandah's feedback anyhow! I love the work you do and look forward and appreciate you sharing it with all of us. ♥♥♥♥♥♥

that means a lot thank you so much! ill try and figure something out

Sorry about that.

I was a very lucky monster to have $35 on hand when you opened for your iron artist (and very lucky to know how to color things myself!)
As everyone else is saying, because your art is fairly affordable compared to your demand, you are in VERY high demand. Many other artists as popular as you are would charge much higher prices for their work; but if you have high prices, you'll have people whining that you're too expensive, as opposed to whining on how they can't get on your commission queue because someone got there first.

It's really a balancing act. I've personally just tried to decide what I'd like to be paid for my work per hour - what I think it's worth. So question is, what do you think your art is worth?
Charge what you feel comfortable and happy charging, and if that causes higher or lower available customers, then that's just how it works out.

Oh sheesh! Sorry to hear about any buthurt you had to deal with, baffles me when people behave sometimes.
I'm not buthurt about not getting in, there's always next time (though ill try to think of better ideas, both were super last minuet ideas).
Non the less i look forward to seeing the art you do from the commissions you got, sure there gonna be awesome.

Thanks for this, sis. It was very polite, thoughtful, and considerate of you to relay this message. I understand how much of a response you get for these things and I understand how well-established you are and how high in-demand your art is here in the FA community. I'm sorry you had to experience complaints and disappointments, today. I know I nagged you today about this quite a bit and I'm truly sorry for that. I hope I didn't bother you too much but, hey, you know we brother pandas can be. I just want you to know that big bro supports you. Take care. Good luck with your commissions this round. *panda hugs* ~ Love, Zian 🐼

Gill... You're too sweet and amazing to complain to!

ill be patient one day ill get a chance

oh gill, I saw that coming the moment I saw it

I agree with the raffle option. Maybe setting it up where people choose a number, and submit an idea (After reading the TOS because I'm a stickler for that myself) and when the idea is approved they get the official spot, like for example 5 didn't read the TOS but 9 did, so 9 is the only one with a "slot" while 5 is open again. This may be time consuming going through the ideas, but if you offer it as a raffle of sorts then someone who always snipes out others by watching constantly, doesn't always get a slot. And those first time commissioners can enjoy your art as well.

I think this would really help out your que, but also make things a little more fun. Can't get yelled at for using a random number generator, on a number that the commissioner chose. :)

interesting.. how dose that work? they just choose a number between 1-100?

Yeah, Like set your number cap, in this example 100. And then people can choose a number they want in that window. You'll also have to look for duplicate numbers chosen, but that's not a huge issue. Then when you're satisfied with the crowd and are ready to choose, random.org has a random number generator that you can use, and then you just have to Ctrl+F to see if the corresponding number is one that someone chose.

Lol, didnt read.

You know what the problem is...your just to good, everyone wants some of that panda magic lol. As for me I missed my chance anyway, curse my workplace * shakes fist* but anyway sorry to hear you got complaints about it

Thank you for the information, I'll have to keep better track of journals in the future, though it'll take a while to save up money for anything on my budget. Not because of too much spending, but because of student loan payments needing me to scrimp and save what I do have already.

You could try moving to an hourly rate for more complex pieces. It does require a little effort to give people quotes and you do need to be able to estimate how long something will take to do. If you're worried about fairness its a good way to keep the price in line with the effort you put in. It works well for wolf-nymph.

Thanks again for the opportunity, luckily electronic forms are weightless or you'd be in real trouble. ;)

The joke here is that I would kill for one of your slots. :p

You are an amazing artist, easily one of the top 10 on the entire site, and your art has a wonderful, squishy beauty to it, that everyone loves.

I will wait for a good opportunity to get a commission from you. I'll get one eventually, so I'm not in a rush. Your artistic ability is not going to go away, it's only going to improve.

*Hug Gill*

One thing you could do is have a number of options, such as random, idea you like best & auction.

I wish people would understand that commissioning a great artist isn't a constitutional right. Each artist has rules and conditions and if folks haven't figured that out by now then they should probably learn to draw themselves :)

Well by all means, this is an admirable way to speak up to people about missing out on slots~ I am hopeful everyone will understand :) But this helps me already to see just how busy you are there~ Hope to one day get some business with you at any rate~ ^^

I'm sorry to hear you've come under fire somewhat Gill

Won't be available on the 16th but I assume you can easily work on the commissions of whomever is able to watch :P

Also curious, what does the P stand for?

I'm ok with this.

Weird... This is like the third journal I've seen addressing this issue in this week alone... Has something gotten into the water to turn possible commissioners into ranting nutters?

As always Gill, the greatest success... Looking forward to more of your excellent work.

What does the P stand for?

if someone is giving you crap over your own rules and how you decide to handle commissions they need a swift slap in the dick..
being an artist is just as hard work as a 9-5 'regular' job, and usually takes up more time. dunno what it is, but lately i've been seeing posts that allude to commissioners just not understanding there are reasons artist have rules, and time is always a huge factor. :/