Almost anyone who’s bought their weight in commissioned art has run into a flaky artist or two. Many have even forked out cash only to have an artist take it and run without fulfilling their end of the bargain.
This is a super discouraging experience and does hurt the amateur online market quite a bit. However, there are ways of spotting a flake and avoiding them. Understanding what might cause an artist to drag their feet on a commission can help.
The following is in no way a defense for artists who do provide poor business, there’s no excuse for petty thievery such as taking money for a service without ever delivering said service. It’s a shabby thing to do, regardless of the circumstances.
The following are just a small handful of things I had experienced/observed as both an artist and a client.
With that said, here are some reasons why artists don’t finish commissions:
Very, very good read if you want to get into commissioning artists. It’s *always* a good idea to research them and their work history first!