Yulp best policy is to always ask ahead of time. I've had a few odd requests and never had a problem with giving credit (I mean, i'm in it to support the artists anyways) where i can.
This is interesting though. Never ran into this problem myself. Of course there is about 26 pieces of art that no one will ever see anywhere! Or else i would have ran into this i'm sure. I keep that kinda thing private myself. But i'm with ya Nadya! I see the other side of the coin too!
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Well, yes and no. Art is weird. It's one product that you can buy and still no own. It's always seemed strange to me, because if you'd hire someone to paint in your house, you still own it, but if you hire someone to paint your character, you don't really own it.
It's probably best to ask ahead of time about usage rights so things don't get sideways. If you want all rights to the piece, I'd say so ahead of time in the commissioning process.
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Well, I don't think painting a house and painting your character isn't a great analogy but lemme work with it.
You own the house you're painting. It's already there. It's pre-existing. You own the documentation that provides that you have the rights to that house and the property.
The piece of art you buy, it's up to the artist to come up with something from nothing. They offer their services, yes, but the artwork is theirs from the get go until they deem it otherwise.
So yes, you can be angry, but it's within the artist's rights as to what they want their work to be displayed and how.
Nadya... go here: http://calgarydollars.ca/form/artistrelease.html
This is an artist release form. Have this artist SIGN that, but you'll obviously want to make it as your own and take out Calgary Dollars XD. If he says he wants more moolah for it, I'd say $20.00 to release the rights for a commissioned piece of art is standard, but I CAN look it up in my GAG book (Graphic Arts Guild).
Well... probably shouldn't have named names, but I have him (and you) on my HF watch list so I get an email whenever he (and you!) post new pieces... I saw your piece come in and was like hm. not bad. kinda big in the above waist area but that's about par for the course for that particular artist.
Then a few minutes later I saw he had posted something. I went to check it out... and was a little amused at the... shall we say similarities? Between the two?
Maybe that's what he was trying to avoid. I'd be kinda mad if an artist I commissioned took a piece I got done through him or her and repainted it into something else. I'd call that artist lazy, but of course I suppose that's completely within their rights.
Well needless to say, I probably wasn't ever going to commission him ever anyway, but now I -really- am never going to commission him because he's treating one of my friends like dirt and I don't like that.
ok someone send me a link and the artists name, i got to check this place out! 
No TA. We have to protect your young innocent eyes.
*also: Post 9000!!!!!!!!!!*
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ok someone send me a link and the artists name, i got to check this place out!
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Can't post a link to the site on the forums. It's not within the teen rating. :P
-Virtue's First Naughty Girl-
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No TA. We have to protect your young innocent eyes.
*also: Post 9000!!!!!!!!!!*
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lol
Like i said, I'll never post those pieces! I think you are someone who knows just how not innocent these eyes are!
Gratz on 9k slacker! 
-Virtue's First Naughty Girl-
You could at least PM the link to those who ask, right? *nudge, wink*
"If I fail, they write me off as another statistic. If I succeed, they pay me a million bucks to fly out to Hollywood and fart." --- George A. Romero
"If I had any dignity, that would have been humiliating" --- Adam Savage
Virtue Server: Kheprera, Malefic Elf, Lady Omen, Night Rune, La Muerte Roja, Scarab Lafayette, Serena Ravensong, Kyrse, and Arachnavoodoo among others.
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You could at least PM the link to those who ask, right? *nudge, wink*
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Fine, those who want the link, pm me. :P
-Virtue's First Naughty Girl-
If someone can't find Dimitrys of all people, then the world really has ended.
As for not posting it on HF, he likely doesn't want you to post it there because he has an active account there and posts it as well. That would be two copies of the same art that he made, on the same site. Your copy taking away hits from his copy. I don't claim that it's right, but he has a valid concern as the creator of said art. I just think that it's a bad way to do business, myself.
Consider this a lesson learned, ask about it early and don't commission anything that you can't repost later. Also, since Dimitrys is non-American, the copywrite laws may be different in his home country, perhaps putting him in the right. Too many things to think about and too many potential complications from it.
http://www.virtueverse.net/wiki/Massacre_Melanie -the original Fire/Dark Corruptor -
http://boards.cityofheroes.com/showthread.php?t=115217
The Guide to BURN
Yeah best idea would be, going forward, asking the artist if they mind or not if you post it in your own gallery, credit given where credit is due. You should know that stuff by now with all the commissions you've had done so far 
But yeah took me quite a few to sort out exactly what questions I should be asking when I commission and that's one of them.
Hell some of the time the artist even asks YOU if they can post it in their OWN gallery!!!
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...Your copy taking away hits from his copy...
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Hit counts are a poor way of judging quality or skill.
You shut up. My hit counts are what prove I'm awesome.
Also: Wow, I didn't know I could draw the body once and then just reskin it into multiple characters and call than a commission! I've been doing way too much work.
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Also: Wow, I didn't know I could draw the body once and then just reskin it into multiple characters and call than a commission! I've been doing way too much work.
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Gah! and we've been trying to keep that from you!
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Also: Wow, I didn't know I could draw the body once and then just reskin it into multiple characters and call than a commission! I've been doing way too much work.
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It's like the guy I knew who sold limited edition prints on laser printer stock. Not the most noble thing to do...
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No TA. We have to protect your young innocent eyes.
*also: Post 9000!!!!!!!!!!*
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lol
Like i said, I'll never post those pieces! I think you are someone who knows just how not innocent these eyes are!
Gratz on 9k slacker!
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Ahh, the double top secret collection....
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My only complaint is when does the peice of art become property of the commissioner and not the artist?
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when they pay me.
If they are just displaying it, and not making money off of it, I have no problem. They wanted someting customized, they got it.
If they want to make money off of the image, they should disclose its use before hand so a fair arrangement can be made.
What Juggs said.
If you're displaying it as "Check out what so and so did for my character" then it's not so much a big deal.
But if you're gonna take that artwork and put it on a CD cover to sell CD's for your band... yeah, I'd think the artist MIGHT want a bit more cash.
Now as for this guy... this is the first time he's put up two different 'versions' of the same basic drawing, usually the 'commission' version doesn't get posted at all that I've seen. That may be why he asked you not to put it on HF. He posts his version and that's it. If there's a 'reskin' sitting around then either people assume you reskinned yours unauthorised... and he gets caught up in the "wait I commissioned this!" mess ... or he's 'slacking by reskinning his own drawings, which also makes him look bad.
So.. yeah.
And yes, he's... odd.
I don't think he sells the same drawing to two different commissioners... if he does then he's a slimeball.
"City of Heroes. April 27, 2004 - August 31, 2012. Obliterated not with a weapon of mass destruction, not by an all-powerful supervillain... but by a cold-hearted and cowardly corporate suck-up."
I'd agree with that. He's on my 'do-not-want' list now.
The list is almost at the point where I will need both hands to count!
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I don't think he sells the same drawing to two different commissioners... if he does then he's a slimeball.
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If both commissioners got what they wanted in the end, then why is this bad?
Art and the products artists make are very subjective. Aside from a varied sense of 'morals' from artist to artist, there's really no reason that this is a negative thing. The real qualifier would be if everyone is happy with it, in the end.
http://www.virtueverse.net/wiki/Massacre_Melanie -the original Fire/Dark Corruptor -
http://boards.cityofheroes.com/showthread.php?t=115217
The Guide to BURN
Well without getting an explanation from the artist in question, I don't think we'll really know what the reasoning is. All we can see is that nadya did a commission, posted it in her gallery, and then the artist re-colored it as something else and put it up in his own gallery. And then we are basing our assumptions off of that. I'm sure everyone involved was happy, but I still -personally- think that's kinda crappy for the artist to do. Both saying not to post it in her gallery -and- re-coloring it, though I suppose that is his right too.
What exactly constitutes a "reskin"? Is that synonomous with "paint-over"? It's pretty cheeseball to do a commission for one person and then do a commission for someone else by reworking the same piece. But is that the case here? Is he taking a commission that he did and then reworking it to his personal taste for self-promotion?
I doubt I'd do that but I can sympathize because any time you work for a client they impose their aesthetic sensibility on the piece. There are often things you would like to do but can't because that is not what the person is paying for.
Also, at least the guy is reworking his stuff. I've seen so many paintovers where somebody takes an image from a magazine or the web and traces over it, adding props and whatnot and presents it as their work. Not to mention 3d, where its commonplace to use other peoples meshes, textures, etc. to make a composition.
It is bizarre he won't let it be diplayed there. That doesn't cast him in a particularly good light.
Blacklisted
"I'AM SATANS FAVORITE CHILD!!"
By reskinning he took the body and gave her different clothes, essentially, turning it into another character. It wasn't a commission, I believe, just something he wanted to do.
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It's not so much him saying I can't post it on HF, but the fact that he told me what I can and cannot do with a piece of work I hired him to do. Now, I will admit, I am not going to post his work on sites that don't allow the content, but I will post it for others to see where it is appropriate. But I'll do so where I want to on my terms because I bought it. Am I wrong for getting upset over this and wanting it in my personal collection/gallery?
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Always good to check the usage rights. Limiting use is one of the reasons commissions are so cheap on DA. I've noticed several aritist I've commissioned have two price tiers. One where you basically totally own it and the other more of a private use, not for profit type deal. This isn't the same guy who's awol on commissions is it? Just PM me the answer if you feel so inclined....
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No, it's not the folks at MMOART. Trust me, I'd let everyone know if it was. It was an artist named Dmitrys.
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I know of him. I have some of his stuff faved. You ever read the guy's journal? I dig the guy's artwork but he's a bit of a strange duck.... and I know ducks.