Depends, are you looking at "for the boards" or "in general?"
Either way:
- Art takes time. Free art's a gift.
Somewhat related to 3 and 4, as well as 1... and, yeah, 5... It's awesome that some of the artists here do free stuff. Appreciate it. Take advantage of the offer without taking advantage of the artist. (And "Free art" might take a lot of time - real life, commissions, other work, etc. pretty much has to come first.)
Oh.. and though this is more (to me) leaning on commissioned stuff...
- Communicate, for both the artist and commissioner. At the very least, set expectations. (Even with something like Alex's "sketch a day," if someone saw some of the "might be nsfw" stuff, dropping a note saying "please don't do that with mine" or "hey, go for it" is better than saying "What the..." when it's done.)
I could actually see this expanding quite a bit - but I need to go to bed.
So um Jugs.. Hun... You want to expose Hex Girl in a comic?
Wait.. that didn't come out right.
I'll um... be, over, there ---------->
*runs and hides*
�Alas, regardless of their doom, the little victims play!� - Thomas Gray
Ok, in all seriousness, I'll just add, that sending PM after PM to an artist who has told you they aren't doing any art at the moment in the first reply, is NOT a good way to get them to do a piece for you.
My art sucks and I do need the practise, but I don't need people aggrivating the hell outta me when I simply do not have the time or can't do a piece for them.
�Alas, regardless of their doom, the little victims play!� - Thomas Gray
Ive always wondered about the price range of commissions?
Ive been wanting to get someone to draw The Crown for a while, but I dont want to just ASK someone to do it, cause, well... as someone with very little free time myself, I dont want to ask someone else to use thier free time on me 
heh..if that makes sense.
So ive been considering commissioning an artist, but ive blown it off cause I really dont think I should be spending money on something like that hehe,.. but im interested in knowing the price ranges, just to make sure
Good advice Jug. I'll keep this in mind when I finally steel the courage to ask for a commisioned piece. and by steel the courage I mean have money.
Excellent advice, and seeing as I'll soon be opened up for commissions, I am honestly glad you said it before me 
...
I'd like to add that while starting off a request for free art with "I can't draw" or "I draw like crap" is understandable, using the pity card for art is a little disconcerting... on the one hand if I don't do art for you I'm a heartless penciller who worships the Dark Lord (ignore their comments my master!) and if I do do art for you (okay stop laughing at do do) I'm not only losing money but it seems I fill up my time with hardluck cases... which is not good in either case.
I like to think of my free art as gifts, the gift merits the occasion and the person, not the request, which sometimes is just needy.
People getting free art, should feel like it's Xmas or their birthday, it should be an "aww you shouldn't have" situation. Not a "hey where's my art you bum!" sitchashun...
Okay back to the SG, uh I mean drawing board.
LJ
Oh, so you mean I CAN'T just keep spaming the forums with PL- I mean DRAW MEH!
It all makes sense now. :P
Former King of PWNZ
Franziska Von Karma says you will listen to every word I say.
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Ive always wondered about the price range of commissions?
Ive been wanting to get someone to draw The Crown for a while, but I dont want to just ASK someone to do it, cause, well... as someone with very little free time myself, I dont want to ask someone else to use thier free time on me heh..if that makes sense.
So ive been considering commissioning an artist, but ive blown it off cause I really dont think I should be spending money on something like that hehe,.. but im interested in knowing the price ranges, just to make sure
[/ QUOTE ]
Price range for commissions vary widely depending on the artist and what you want done (simple sketch, inked, color, with background, etc) Some artists here have prices on their websites or DevArt sites. If you see an artist whose style you like, best thing to do is PM them and ask for prices.
Art (NSFW)
Photography
5 star!
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Good advice Jug. I'll keep this in mind when I finally steel the courage to ask for a commisioned piece. and by steel the courage I mean have money.
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Ditto.
I would like to add that the artists in this forum are some of the most generous people I have ever seen. They should be treated with the respect they rightfully deserve. They (and the art SG) have inspired me to pick up a pencil and start drawing some of the people I have met ingame. I will post some free art when I get it done and bribe someone to scan it for me.
Great advice Jug. I would add having some real appreciation for what the artist does and understand free is not really free on the artist part, it cost them something, if not just time.
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Good advice Jug. I'll keep this in mind when I finally steel the courage to ask for a commisioned piece. and by steel the courage I mean have money.
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Ditto.
I would like to add that the artists in this forum are some of the most generous people I have ever seen. They should be treated with the respect they rightfully deserve. They (and the art SG) have inspired me to pick up a pencil and start drawing some of the people I have met ingame. I will post some free art when I get it done and bribe someone to scan it for me.
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Yeah, I hope the OP isn't taken too harshly... honestly, this forum is one of the most encouraging I've encountered.
I am SO GLAD that an artist has finally said this. I would say it myself but I don't feel it is my place as I don't draw (I just photoshop). Fantastic way of laying out the ground work for common respect. I mean it just gets insane sometimes when people demand free art.
I love this forum and I love the artists (and yes the art whores) here because of how nice they are to each other, i'd hate to see it ruined by someone who feels they are entitled to free art because...I don't know...insert random reason here...
Anyway, very well put, Juggsy.
@Jeffery Duke
Meanwhile...On The Internet...
Ive seen a lot worse in "flame replies" jug...
I dont think your saying anything "new"... and it's certainly said with a measure of respect and decorum. If anyone gets offended... they're probably the people you'd WANT to be offended and leave in the first place
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Ive seen a lot worse in "flame replies" jug...
I dont think your saying anything "new"... and it's certainly said with a measure of respect and decorum. If anyone gets offended... they're probably the people you'd WANT to be offended and leave in the first place
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I agree.
Let me just add this as well. For those of you that are thinking about paying for services soon. Be warned, it's EXTREMELY addicting!!
No kidding. I shudder to think of how much I've spent on CoH fanart.
Of course, I've spent money on much more ridiculous things, and not walked away with a gorgeous piece of custom artwork.
No lie! I started out only planning on collecting a half dozen pics. I currently stand in the neighborhood of 60-70!
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So um Jugs.. Hun... You want to expose Hex Girl in a comic?
Wait.. that didn't come out right.
I'll um... be, over, there ---------->
*runs and hides*
[/ QUOTE ]
Mmmm, Hexy exposed . . .
<---------I'll be over here. 
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Ive always wondered about the price range of commissions?
Ive been wanting to get someone to draw The Crown for a while, but I dont want to just ASK someone to do it, cause, well... as someone with very little free time myself, I dont want to ask someone else to use thier free time on me heh..if that makes sense.
So ive been considering commissioning an artist, but ive blown it off cause I really dont think I should be spending money on something like that hehe,.. but im interested in knowing the price ranges, just to make sure
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Just thought I'd mention this bit for clarity: the powers-that-be frown on any specific mention of commission pricing in a thread, so we don't discuss actual pricing here. For specifics on commission pricing either ask via PM's or on an artist's outside website.
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Ive seen a lot worse in "flame replies" jug...
I dont think your saying anything "new"... and it's certainly said with a measure of respect and decorum.
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Agreed. I've seen and said worse myself. But people want to tip toe around the issue too much.
There are many an art leech around these parts. And it's really in bad form to do such towards people who give so freely of themselves everyday. It really makes me sick what I see sometimes and I can't hold my tongue about it.
If you want art, ask very nicely and be patient or stop being a cheap [censored] and spend the [censored] money. I'm flat broke and even I either trade or scrounge up the money to pay for the art I get. There's no excuse for selfishness.
http://www.virtueverse.net/wiki/Massacre_Melanie -the original Fire/Dark Corruptor -
http://boards.cityofheroes.com/showthread.php?t=115217
The Guide to BURN
Just to throw my 2 inf in here. Juggy has hit the nail on the head about requesting/commissioning art. The 2 biggest things to keep in mind are courtesy and patience. I have gotten some art in less than a week and some has taken months, even several months. But courtesy, above all else, is the word of the day. My usual approach is to send the artist a PM (or note on DA) and start by saying how much I enjoy their work, more flies with honey and all that. Then I broach the subject of whether or not they do commissions and, if so, what the particulars are in their process. Then I end with a polite "thank you for your time" and tell them that I look forward to seeing more of their work whether or not any of it is for me. This may seem false and sneaky, but I am completely genuine in what I say to them. If someone doesn't want to or doesn't have time to do a commission for me (if only Ed Benes were available!), I completely understand. There are plenty more artists who would be happy to. And please do not berate an artist who refuses you or isn't done in a couple of days, you won't get anywhere with an attitude. Keeping a profile up on DA is a good idea, it's free after all. You can make a hefty 'watch list' of artists and get notifications on when they are taking commissions and any specials they may be offering. Deviantart is an invaluable tool.
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So um Jugs.. Hun... You want to expose Hex Girl in a comic?
Wait.. that didn't come out right.
I'll um... be, over, there ---------->
*runs and hides*
[/ QUOTE ]
Mmmm, Hexy exposed . . .
<---------I'll be over here.
[/ QUOTE ]
It's not what I meant.. honestly.
I'm innocent >.<
�Alas, regardless of their doom, the little victims play!� - Thomas Gray
Now that you quoted me, the arrow seems to be pointy at 'your room' where you've been naughty, lol. 
I've seen a lot of threads around of people requesting art for their characters. I've also seen some frustration when those threads go ignored or (on occasion) slightly flamed.
Here are some of my bits o'advice:
1-Be polite: that means that if you are asking someone for someting, you might want to include a "please" in there somewhere.
2-Make it easy on the artist: post up screenies that are easy to look at. If you post up shots from far away, or ones taken in a CoT storm, I'll have no idea what your character looks like.
3-Respect the time it takes: each piece of art takes a certain amount of time. A sketch can take anywhere from 5 minutes to an hour. A finished piece can take weeks! Don't expect things to get done asap all the time.
4-We do not all need the experience: This one sounds kind of harsh, but it's true. While I love to better my skills, and working on different characters sometimes helps in that, it bothers me when people say "ah, do this for me and you'll get exposure in my comic", "you can practice on my character". Honestly, there are some fine characters on these boards... but just to remind some people; artists can create characters too.
5-Time is money: Wow, this one sounds even worse. I really don't want it to sound so crass but I have to say, when someone does work for me, I pay them. If someone programs my computer or designs a page for me, I believe in compensating them for their time, skills and effort. To me, art is no different. If someone is working on a pic for me for 10 hours, they need to be compensated. That is why I love to draw for others here, and why I love having artists draw for me.
6-Have an interesting character: This one is subjective of course, but having an interesting character helps out so much when hunting for an artist. Each artist will have their own opinion though, so...
7-Note that every artist is different: Each one will draw/paint in their own way. Look at previous works to get a feel for the artist that is right for you.
So, what do you all think? Anything else to add?