If you’ve been waiting for Dreamkeepers commissions to open, hark: Sales go live on our website next Saturday, August 20th.
This is very probably the last time we will ever open commissions online to all.
Prices, options, and FAQs are at the bottom of this blog - but before getting too excited, be sure to read about your potential wait time.
We’ve had commissions closed for years, and many people have been waiting for a chance to have artwork created by us. After they’ve waited so patiently, I just don’t have the heart to turn anyone away and tell them they’re excluded. For this reason, I’m not using a slot system, or auctioning a handful of spaces, or using any mechanism that would omit people. Instead, before our audience gets any larger, we’re opening the floodgates.
I’ll be selling commissions to any and all who want to have one. And then, because I don’t have infinite capacity, I’ll close them - probably forever. Future readers will simply have to miss out, this is for our current readership only, those who’ve found and supported us as we’re starting out.
But here’s the catch:
I still intend to spend most of my time finishing Volume 3 - and, after that, finishing Volume 4. I’m planning on doing perhaps one commission a month - which, if you do the math, means very, very long wait times, measured in years.
Purchasing a commission will be the equivalent of buying space in a long, exclusive waiting list. So be aware of this element before making any purchase, and don’t buy a commission if a long wait is unacceptable.
That’s the major downfall - everyone who wants a commission gets to buy one, but the wait time on the actual art will be undoubtedly long. (As a side bonus, the longer you wait, the better an artist I’ll be by the time I create your illustration.)
The upside of this plan is that it gives hordes of people a good motive to keep me from dying - something I’ve always wanted.
Though I do enjoy commissions, I love creating books even more - Dreamkeepers is what I want my focus in life to be. So, as mentioned above, this is very likely the last time I will ever open commissions like this. Get ‘em while they’re hot!
The wait list will be organized first come, first served. We will announce to the e-mail list earliest and then twitter the exact timing when commissions open on the site. After we get purchases organized, we will e-mail everyone a number, so they know where they are on the list. If you don’t get a number e-mailed to you within a week, be sure to contact us and make sure we got your order logged.
Here are the general commission categories:
Doodle - $5.
Example: http://dreamkeepers.deviantart.com/gallery/24562434#/d345ybb
The Doodle is just that - a very quick, rough pencil sketch signed by David. This is good for people that are on a tight budget, but still want to get some custom artwork and a signature.
Character illustration
Character illustrations include up to two characters in the initial price - more characters can be added for $10 each. The illustration has no background, or very simple background elements.
Rough sketch - $15
Example: http://dreamkeepers.deviantart.com/gallery/#/d2zcw1u
Finished pencil lineart - $30
Example: http://www.dreamkeeperscomic.com/Commissionviewer.php?pic=Sci-Fi%20Sniper
Finished colors - $50
Example: http://www.dreamkeeperscomic.com/Commissionviewer.php?pic=Windblown%20Couple
Full Background, Anything goes
These are the illustrations we’re most well known for - pulling out all the stops, and making a show-stopper. Anything you can imagine fitting into an 81/2 by 11 sheet, we can do.
Rough sketch - $35
Example: Imagine the finished lineart example below, but sketchier and with less formed details.
Finished pencil lineart - $50
Example: http://dreamkeepers.deviantart.com/gallery/#/d345yk1
Finished colors - $85
Example: http://www.dreamkeeperscomic.com/Commissionviewer.php?pic=Coyote%20Cantina
Finishing Previous Work- - $25
If we’ve created line art for you in the past, whether at a convention or from previous commissions, we will add finished colors to the illustration for $25.
Now for the FAQ’s - please read through these before e-mailing questions:
FAQ:
But I don‘t have enough money for a commission right now! I‘ll miss out forever, this is terrible!-
If you’re running low on money, don’t worry too much - we’re giving you guys plenty of time. We’re not going to close the door until after Christmas, sometime in January. So there’s plenty of time to earn some cash, or even use some Christmas money or something. And if you still can’t come up with enough, at least buy a $5 slot. Then when we get to your spot in line, odds are good that enough time will go by that you can afford to upgrade your commission to something better before we get started.
But I don‘t know what I want for my commission yet!-
That’s fine - in fact, we’re going to request that nobody tell us their commission ideas until we’re at their number, and actually ready to start their art - if we’re juggling 50 different ideas in our heads at once, that would be a lot to keep track of. So you don’t even need to have your idea for a commission finalized yet - just buy your spot in line, and we’ll see if you’re ready when we get to your number - and if you need a bit more time to decide, we’ll just do the next person on the waiting list and then come back to you.
Isn't there a way I can get a commission sooner? -
Actually, yes. We make exceptions when we're present at conventions. Conventions are the magical bubble outside of our limitation rules.
Convention commissions are drawn at conventions only, so they're limited to black and white pencil drawings, no color. We are also limited by time - we can't do take-homes, so it's first come first serve. Conventions are also exempt from waiting lists - while we’re at conventions, we ignore any waiting lists we adhere to at home.
Er... What kind of content do you allow in commissions - what if I wanted something possibly naughty? -
If you're tentative about an idea you're interested in, odds are very good that it’s perfectly fine. Just go ahead and buy your spot in line. We've been around the internet a few times, and nothing is going to shock us or weird us out. We can be open to some adult content assuming the customer is of legal age. And if, for whatever reason, we do in fact decline to undertake your commission, we’ll be sure to get you a full refund. We *might* decline, but we won't ever judge.
What if I get tired of waiting and want a refund?-
Once we get payment, that money could go towards book printing, marketing, or any number of things. So we’re going with a no-refund policy, unless of course we for some reason decline to do your commission. But that means definitely make sure you’re willing to wait before you make the purchase.
