I really regret the circumstances that lead me to write this post. I wish this had turned out differently, that I had a beautiful piece of art to share with all of you. Unfortunately, I feel obligated to post this so it doesn't happen to anyone else. I recommend not commissioning Amy (🐍 Amy 🐍#2720 ; https://anacondrix.deviantart.com/) from the tickling discord for artwork.

I paid for a tickling art commission. Half on 4/20 and the remainder 2 weeks later on 5/4 and provided reference pictures of my wife. I paid a grand total of $400 for a single-pane, no dialogue, single character image. She is a very talented artists. Still, it was a lot of money during a financially difficult period in my life. Regardless, I paid it and let the artist do her thing. A few weeks later I asked if she'd made any progress. She said yes and that she'd send it to me when she was home. No update was sent. I gave more time. A couple weeks later I sent messages asking if they were there, saying hi, etc. Not even asking for an update yet, though obviously I did want to know if there had been any. I got no response. I sent messages at different times of day, throughout a week. Nothing.

Now, I'm a pretty patient person. I understand art takes time, and it was my intention to be patient and work with the artist. But I can't work with no response, and I had already paid. Finally, earlier today I sent a message asking if she was there. I waited a few minutes. No response. So I sent another message stating that I was reaching the limit of my paypal protection, so I would be starting the charge-back process by the end of next week since there was no communication, update, or sketches. Sure enough, a couple minutes later a response came with a gif telling me to fuck off and I was kicked (probably banned) from the tickling discord (which she manages). This means I can't send messages to her anymore. As a result, I've decided to start the charge-back process today rather than wait another week, since I don't believe I'll be getting my commission.

Again, please don't misunderstand me. I did not have intention of harassing or rushing the artist. I just wanted to have some clarity over what to expect. I did not make any demands. And, of course, $400 isn't a small sum of money. That's a lot of money I would rather give to artists on patreon, or otherwise to artists who I know do complete their commissions. Most artists in our community charge a lot less, and it was my intention to pay upwards of $1000 for comics later. This first commission was actually to test the waters, get a first commission back, and get myself acquainted with this artist's process. I honestly cannot recommend working with this artist.

To prove that I do not bear ill will towards the artist, I will let recount the fact that after I paid the $400, she then asked if she could borrow another $30 or so. Again, not the best time for me, but I did give her that money with no strings attached. I will *not* be asking Paypal for that money back. I do consider that a gift and wish her the best. However, I cannot recommend anyone pay the sum of money I paid for a commission if they actually intend to get the art in return. She went silent, and when I felt I was left with no other choice but to use my buyer protection, the response was hostile, to say the least.

Sorry for the less-than-cheerful post. In an effort to bring things up a little, I want to post some of the artists I recommend on Patreon:

OekakiTickles is the artist behind __How I Paid For College__, which is one of my favorite tickling comics atm. He's really good about posting high-quality work.

https://www.patreon.com/OekakiTickles/posts

...

And it seems that both WTFeather (https://www.patreon.com/wtfeather) and CheshireCat (https://www.patreon.com/cheshirecaterling) are under review for some reason. Still, if they return, I do recommend their artwork.

Thanks for listening, and I will end by saying please support our art community!