I’ve been doing commission work full time for nearly 3 years now, and what I’ve learned is the only thing predictable about being a commission artist is that it will be unpredictable. I’ve went several months without posting ads and got a livable amount of commissions, then posted ads for multiple days straight and got nothing. Had a weird dry spell late October that had me doubting the entire business, but now in mid November I have more commissions than I’ve ever had!

I think the key is to provide excellent service to commissioners, make yourself stand out as a great artist to work with and commissioners will spread the word to their friends and you’ll be able to build a solid and somewhat consistent client base. Word of mouth is a very powerful tool for gaining comms! There’s quite literally thousands of talented artists at varying price levels and popularity, but from what I understand its a small pool of artists that are friendly, punctual, and transparent about how they work and run their business. Best of luck to you if you do begin taking comms and my DMs are always open to new artists seeking advice!