TOS | Art of S.O.

TERMS OF SERVICE

By commissioning or ordering from Art of S.O., you agree to the following terms.

Hello! My name is Straya Obscura, as you’ve probably gathered as you’re looking at the terms of service for a commission! I’m excited to see you here and look forward to working with you. The following may seem rigid, but it’s an important starting point for every work relationship. If you see something you don’t like, talk to me. I can’t guarantee I can change anything we’ve agreed on but do my best to be flexible where I reasonably can. The following is a generalized timeline of what you can expect of my work and what’s required of you. After the general timeline, you will find a note on some specifics.

Introduction and Generalizations

Start of a Commission

Generic Timeline For Papercrafts

You pitch an idea and I’ll give you a price. I will need the initial idea with as much detail as you can provide. We can negotiate on parts of the commission (such as things that may cost more or cost less while still making you happy) but know that I’ve been doing this for many years now and I know what my costs are. The price given will usually consist of a range of options, with a base cost, plus potential add-ons such as the LEDs listed on artofso.com. Once an idea is described, I’ll need an initial payment of 20% of the agreed upon commission price, which is non-refundable. This must be paid in full before work begins. I accept PayPal digitally, or cash/card in person at a convention.

Sketching

Once the down payment has been received, you will be added to my commissions list. I’ll begin working on an initial sketch of the idea and will gladly communicate with you through email, Twitter direct messages or Telegram. The sketch process is iterative. I will create a sketch as I understand it with you, you’ll review it, I’ll update it, and the process repeats until we are both happy with the sketch. If you change your mind on what you want during the sketch process, I can only reasonably do so many re-edits. I need you to be as specific as possible on what you want during every review. Once the sketch has been started, the money will be used for my time and labor. This means that a partial refund is all that I can guarantee at this point, and that will be provided at my discretion.

Digital Illustration

After we’ve agreed on a sketch, I will begin the required line and color work to bring your piece to life. As with the sketching process, I will show you updates as milestones are completed and will gladly explain what is left. Again, this is an iterative process until we’re both satisfied with the work, there are limitations on how many changes I will make at this point. If small things need to be added to the character that is fine, but I will not redo the pose for example.

Printing

Once I have received the second half of the commission’s price, I will print the agreed upon digital illustration. This is from a high-quality professional printer who will also have a work schedule. I know how long the prints will normally take, but occasionally they may have a delay. This is outside of my control and cannot be used as a reason for refunds or price negotiations.

Construction

Every one of my paper crafts is hand-cut and assembled. I have tried machines before to assist in the work and they have never lived up to my expectations. This work takes a lot of time, a steady hand, a clean work space, and many sharp blades. This cannot be sped up or rushed.

Delivery

My crafts are mailed in individualized boxes with foam protections as well as bubble wrap. Crafts come complete, other than potentially requiring you to slot the craft into its stand. The items are shipped in batches unless otherwise noted. This means that your item is not likely to ship on the exact day that it is completed. All crafts are insured for the full commission price, plus shipping price, rounded up to the next $100 increment.

Refunds

Other Important Information

My PayPal account will state that there are no refunds for commissions. While generally true, the exceptions are outlined in the terms above. Once you get your completed piece, the sale is final (with shipping damage being the only exception, as listed previously).

Everything Else

I will do my best to give you a good estimate of when you can expect your piece to be completed. This is an estimate. Delays will be promptly communicated and I promise are just as frustrating for me as they are for you.
I will respond to questions as promptly as possible, but sometimes I do have to take days off. I am not a machine, even if some of my crafts are. This might mean that it may take me a day to respond. This is normal, if rare, and doesn’t mean anything is wrong.
I’m a professional artist. This is my livelihood. I’m both good at what I do and understand that if you’ve never worked with me before, it can be daunting to put down as much money as my crafts can cost. As stated, I will do my best to work with you, but please refrain from attempting to convince me to work for less than the value of the piece. As stated above, the prices are directly based on the time, labor, materials, and expertise required for the crafts.
If I don’t feel I can do a commission for some reason, such as the piece requires material I find too adult, the subject isn’t something I feel I have the expertise for, etc., I will tell you.
The digital illustration and sketching is for your piece and your piece only. It will not be used to create other pieces of commission work.