How do you take customs commissions?

I can help out as someone who’s done customs for a long time!

My process is a little odd, considering that I can work off of mostly anything, but usually when someone commissions a custom they will have an idea of what they want ^^
To help them communicate this idea, you can ask them the following:

-What species? Any specific colors or color palettes? What about clothes or clothing styles? Any specific accessories? 

Though, some people may opt to send you a mood board or several images related to what they want instead! You can actually specify what method you’re most comfortable with (description, mood boards, color palettes) when you set up the commissions page, so people know what information to give you when you discuss the details of the commission. 

Customs are usually more expensive than regular commissions, considering you have to make a whole new design from scratch. Pricing them based off the price of your fullbodies and then some is common.

Finally, I would suggest doing a couple test customs to see what works best for your creative process! You can ask your friends, or even make a thread offering customs at a discounted price (to bring in more people) and see which methods that come up work best for you!

DashGriffin | I see, thank you for all the helpful info! I will be using every single tip you listed here moving forward haha

Although my customs are closed rn I've been making them for a few years now! I'm not an expert or anything but I'm gonna add some stuff that I'd personally find useful if I was starting from zero again! ^^

• Always ask if you're unsure about something

Some customers simply have more specific ideas in mind than others and that's perfectly ok! but if a description's vague enough to cause confusion, it's always better to take the extra time to make sure your mental image of what they want and what they actually want match up! 

• Send WIPs if you can

Not everyone likes WIPs so I suggest asking if they're ok with them before you start the comm, but most customers in my experience find them very useful! It can be just a little screenshot of how the sketch's coming along so they can make revisions or minor changes before you've finished working on their piece. It's a lot easier to fix design details on a sketch than on a fully lined/colored drawing! ^^

• Use a commission form if you think it'd help you

Like I said before not everyone has specific ideas in mind when requesting a custom commission, a small pre-made form customers have to fill so they can place an order can help both you and them organize your ideas better! 

Here's the form I use + a pre-filled example of what a customer would send me if they wanted a custom character!

Vlxen | Oh nice, thank you for the info! That was very helpful