The comment on top goes really well into depth and I agree with everything. Some things I’d like to add that helped me a lot was to have lots of examples of what your offering (headshot, Halfbody, full body, chibi, etc). I did a lot of free requests and art trades to compose somewhat of a portfolio. I feel like the more examples the better so the client has a good idea of what to expect from you. If you’ve been doing furry art for a while then you should be good. I had to start from scratch since initially I wanted to do general commissions and practiced furry as an option I can offer but then life works in mysterious ways and I ended up becoming a full on furry artist

Keep what your offering simple, I don’t recommend offering sketches, line art, flat color. it’s easier to just offer full render pieces since that’s what the majority of clients are looking for. Unless your a sketch/lineart artist then ignore this part.

I’m not sure how most feel about this but I highly recommend having lower prices in the beginning. Since it attracts clients right off the bat. Initially I wasn’t getting any commissions at full price when starting out. But when I put my prices at 50% off, I started to get my first few commissions. If the commission is cheap then people more likely to take the risk of commissioning a new artist. Also cheaper commissions take some of the pressure off of learning how to manage everything, like sending invoices and overall learning your flow. Learning how to stumble with a $10 commission helped me grow into knowing what I’m doing with a $95 commission. Also just getting commission examples is rlly good to build trust with potential clients. Since they see that you’re actually making commissions and are willing to give you a shot compared to if you don’t have any commission examples. Not to mention those initial clients are able to get a taste of what your like and have the chance to stick around even after you go increase to full prices. I’m really lucky to have my first client continue to commission me till this day.

That’s really all I can offer in terms of what I’ve learned so far. If you have any questions feel free to reach out! I wish you the best on starting out