Quality! Quantity! And for Free please!

I've been pretty held up this month, unfortunately its more because I've been losing jobs then finishing them. Freelance is hard and for this entry I'd like to share two of my freelance stories that took a wrong turn. Maybe someone will read it and learn from my experiences, or maybe it'll be a good laugh or two. Whatever the case, I hope those doing freelance can see this and take something away from it.

For the time being we shall refer to the person(s) dealt with each project as Client "X".

Project :Waterboy

This was one of the most difficult projects I've dealt with because of a few problems, Communication and not being able to properly identify what is wanted. I first dealt with Client "X" on a earlier project helping to identify the look for the characters for a project they were going to pitch to a company for Educational Products. My first rough drafts are as follows:

Client "X" originally was ok with these sketches and had asked me to create a final character sheet for each. (What was chosen on the bottom page was the boy to the top left and the water sprite to the bottom right). So I went ahead and designed and colored the character sheets for the three.


Client "X" was happy with the designs and was preparing to send payment. But when 3 weeks past and no payment was dropped into my inbox for Paypal, I started to get a bit worried. (That and there was a post about Client "X" on Deviantart about not paying previously hired artist..a long forum post...It was kinda scary to think it might happen to me. So through Paypal, becuase they let you do so, I sent Client "X" a bill for the work done. (There was also a illustration that I worked on too). Two days later I recieved a email from Client "X" and they were furious. When dealing with work I tend not to ever use "!" at all or even "GIANT TEXT" unless explaining a story, talking to a client that happens to be a friend and can understand humor withing exaggerated text. Otherwise its always seen as offensive to me. So I told him through email that there is no need to shout or be offensive. I'm willing to listen or hear out whatever your problems are. So he stated them...or it. "The waterboy (the small sprite made of water) doesn't look like water. He looks like fire! Make him look like water!" I sat for a few hours pondering this. My girlfriend later told me that I should round him out more. So I did. I edited the character sheet and the illustration to make him appear as this:

He was accepted and payment was sent. However this is not the end of this story. Months later I recieved a email from Client "X" again, stating that they got the project approved and are happy to offer me a chance to help out with the main artwork. I agreed because if the idea was aproved that ment that I didn't have to spend hours reworking things that I already did right? Wrong. After my approval email, Client "X" emailed me back and stated that the first thing needing to be done is Making the Waterboy "look more like water". I had to stop myself from throwing me out of my chair. It was back to the drawing boards for me and the little Waterboy. So, I ran water in my sink for a few minutes....while washing my face, (I'm no waster of water haha!) and dove back into the re-creation of this character. I came up with these:



Quite an improvement if you ask me...but thats just me. I sent these in to Client "X" and he picked out the one towards the bottom to finalize. So I brought it into Photoshop and added colors and a bit if edits and you have what you see here below:

I sent this in and crossed my fingers it would all be over. However...it wasn't. I got a email back from Client "X". "It doesn't look like water". There was a explaination on how there should be more water drop added and more flowing and less of a defined shape, so back to Photoshop, some more edits later and I had this:

The previous one behind it to show what changes had been made. I sent it in and again sweezed my thumbs and crossed my fingers and sure enough, there was a new email from Client "X". The line that I hated to hear was placed with care in the top of the email. "I still doesn't look like water." This project has just elevated to the level of frustrating. I was told that water should be more clear and less blue looking. I understood what he ment, but when I wrote him and asked should I just morph a actual photo of water for use, he said no and to just edit my character as it is. He also didn't like the faces and told me to change that as well.

These concepts were created. And I though it would be the end of it all. Its been 2 or 3 motths in time from the oringinal sketches and I prayed this would end it...It didn't. Besides the battle to protect work being stolen from me, Client "X" again felt that this "didn't look like water." (Normally with all clients I never realease work without a watermark unless it has been paid for. This client had threatened not to pay unless I take the watermarks off. Long story for another day). At this point I was very upset working with this client and sought a end to this. So I sent him a link to SKYPE and told him that after he downloads, installs and creates a account, to send me a IM/call and over webcam we will create this character right then and there, even if it takes the whole day. He accepted and the next day, I recieved a Skype call from Client "X". With my webcamera on, I awaited him with a sheet of paper in front of me and the camera pointed directly at it. We spent 2 hours discussing how the character needs to look, what he wants, what he likes, what he doesn't like.

After designing and adding color in Photoshop, this is what I came up with. Client "X" liked it, except that "it still doesn't look like water." He asked to have a BG with it so it'll look more like its from a water sorce. So, I adjusted colors....

The top one was accepted. And the project was finally finsihed...for me. After all that Client "X" decided to go with another artist. So...after all this work I recieved...nothing.

Project: Game Images

This project was a bit more current. BG images for a game. I always like to dip my hands into things I'm not totally experienced with. But I wanna be the best artist I can so I give it my best. Client "X" asked for some sample BG's created to see what I would created. Based from his rough ideas and from images online I created these sketches:


Client "X" liked the sketches and asked that I finish with them. So, I brought them into photoshop and re-inked, added color and presented him with these two images:



I recieved a email the next day from Client "X". He stated he was sorry because " he could not accept these BG because he needs quality images and nothing else." I was a bit taken back, because he looked at my gallery of work, and he knew what kind work I would produce for him. So I wrote him back asking to define what "quality" was to him. He did, and he told me to refer back to his rough ideas. The word "Quality" as defined in the dictionary is:

–noun

1.	an essential or distinctive characteristic, property, or attribute: the chemical qualities of alcohol.

2.	character or nature, as belonging to or distinguishing a thing: the quality of a sound.

3.	character with respect to fineness, or grade of excellence: food of poor quality; silks of fine quality.

4.	high grade; superiority; excellence: wood grain of quality.

5.	a personality or character trait: kindness is one of her many good qualities.

6.	native excellence or superiority.

7.	an accomplishment or attainment.

8.	good or high social position: a man of quality.

9.	the superiority or distinction associated with high social position.

10.	Acoustics. the texture of a tone, dependent on its overtone content, that distinguishes it from others of the same pitch and loudness.

11.	Phonetics. the tonal color, or timbre, that characterizes a particular vowel sound.

12.	Logic. the character of a proposition as affirmative or negative.

13.	Thermodynamics. the proportion or percentage of vapor in a mixture of liquid and vapor, as wet steam.

14.	social status or position.

15.	a person of high social position: He's quality, that one is.

–adjective

16.	of or having superior quality: quality paper.

17.	producing or providing products or services of high quality or merit: a quality publisher.

18.	of or occupying high social status: a quality family.

19.	marked by a concentrated expenditure of involvement, concern, or commitment: Counselors are urging that working parents try to spend more quality time with their children.

The word "Realistic" as defined in the dictionary is:

–adjective

1.	interested in, concerned with, or based on what is real or practical: a realistic estimate of costs; a realistic planner.

2.	pertaining to, characterized by, or given to the representation in literature or art of things as they really are: a realistic novel.

3.	resembling or simulating real life: a duck hunter skilled at making realistic decoys.

4.	Philosophy. of or pertaining to realists or realism.

(Both are taken from www.dictionary.com)

Client "X" stated QUALITY and wanted REALISM. Now, I'm not the best at realistic illustration, but because whenever there is a first disagreement between me and a client, I'll fix it without holding it against them. (I.E. extra payment for them forgetting to tell me something essental towards the creation of this project, also meaning something they just forgot which then makes more time for me to go back and fix it) So, I went into the 'shop, and spent a good day on remaking the BG. I came up with this.



Client "X" responded later the next day as not being too happy with it. Again telling me that it needs to be high quallity, and wanting some things changed because it doesn't look right. So I did.


Client "X" still wasn't happy. Certain things doesn't look right, and its just not high quality. So, at this point, I take the same approach with the previous client, and ask him to download Skype if he doesnt already have it and IM me when he is active online.

So I believe it was a few day after that email that I got a IM from him. I didn't have a microphone currently because someone was using it, and so everything was recorded via IM. As I stated before, I never use "!" or "BIG TEXT" because to me this shows shouting, and is very rude in dealing with clients. But the majority of this IM conversation, Client "X" in every line sent to me had "!" and use one or many "BIG TEXT". At one point, I had asked him not to use those because I find it offencive and is totally unnessesary for this converstation because I'm trying to hear him out. However it continued, all up untill the point where he told me that the work that I've sent him aren't quality enough for him. This offended me as a artist because I worked my butt off to draw everything sent to him, and I told him so. The "online yelling" (I guess thats the best way to sum it up) continued and after a while he told me that he had 5 other artist waiting to jump in on this project. I felt it was then necessary to end this project with him, because he obviously will never feel like anything I give him is quallity work, and with that, I ended the contract with Client "X" and asked him to please find a new artist because we would not see eye to eye, ever after talking about it online together. So, another project for nothing, yet I jump back onto the PC and look for more offers out in the world. Just my luck, another day in the world of Freelancing.


Don't sell yourself short. Someone out there can apprechiate your work for you.