🌾🗡Tips for Commissioning an Artwork - Breaking Down My Logo Commission Process
- AiTommy
- 6 days ago
- 8 min read
Hi guys! It's me, AiTommy✨️
I’m a very particular (and honestly, quite picky) person when it comes to creative work!
That’s why I’m always extra careful when commissioning something, and I’m also very selective about who I commission in the first place. (※Gifts or art collaborations are completely different! In those cases, I’m always happy to receive any artworks🥰)
So, when I finally decided to commission the logo for my novel, it actually took me quite a while to make up my mind.
The artist I chose is a logo designer I found on a Japanese commission platform, something like Fiverr.
In this blog, I'm gonna talk about the commission process with this artist and how to make the final product as close as possible to your ideal look.
Why Did I Commission the Logo?
Originally, I made the logo for my novel myself using Canva. I only used free fonts, but I still think it turned out quite nicely.
I love the flowy font of "The Princess" part and "And the BLADE"'s more stoic feel.
But I included a free asset in the logo, which meant I could not fully copyright it. And I just wanted to make sure I own the copyright to my logo. Plus, the lines felt a bit too thin, and the overall design lacked the decorative touch I wanted.
I wanted to make the logo more reflective of the main characters' personalities and their "thing", if that makes sense. So I decided to commission the logo artist!
How to Choose The Artist
It depends. Like, duh.
Maybe you want to commission a piece of custom artwork from your favorite artist. Maybe you want to get an artwork of your favorite OC or favorite ship. Or, you just want to help the artist who needs some funds.
But if there are 10 artists, they have 10 different ways and preferences for their commission process.
Some people are on the commission platforms like Fiverr, Vgen, or Artistree. Maybe they accept commissions via DM or email.
Some accept only personal-use artworks, others only commercial-use artworks. You need to check this part beforehand.
Especially if you are commissioning a commercial-use artwork, you most likely need to pay extra because you are going to earn money with the artwork.
Okay, so once you've decided which artist you are going to ask for a commission, you gotta talk to them.
DO NOT SEND "Hi" only and wait for a response. JUST DON'T. 99.99% of them will ignore your message.
You need to introduce yourself and the work you are looking for.
Hello, my name is AiTommy, and I'm looking for a custom artwork of my OCs. Are you available for an art commission?
You don't have to overwhelm the artist! I recommend checking the artist's availability before explaining the details of your commission, because sometimes they are pretty busy with other projects or forget to close the commission.
In my case, the artist has a template of the commission, so I just filled it out and waited for a reply.
Here’s the proposal I sent to the artist:
Commission Request
① Title - The Princess and the Blade – Volume 1
② Usage - (purpose & size)For publishing / Book title logo - 300dpi, around 2000–3000px for print use
③ Concept - I have a reference design made in Canva, which you can use as a base.
This title represents the two main characters of my novel:
The Princess - Script-style, floral, and soft impression
Inspired by her magical ability to create and manipulate plants
Ideally reminiscent of Alphonse Mucha’s decorative, flowing designs with hair, flowers, and vines
And - You can decide which atmosphere it should lean toward.
The Blade - Represents a knight who follows orders without question — cold and mechanical
Straight, solid, and structured font
Similar in feeling to the “Zessei Satellite” torn-cut design
Text formatting
Please use “The Princess and the Blade”
T, P, and B should be capitalized.
Motifs (if including illustrations)
The Princess → plants, flowers, vines
The Blade → knife, dagger
④ Overall feel - Please refer to the attached cover draft for reference.You’ll also find character designs and short introductions.My goal is for the contrast — yet complementary relationship — between the two characters to be visually clear in both the illustration and the logo.
⑤ Desired delivery date - No rush — take your time.
⑥ Logo color - I haven’t decided on specific colors yet. If I had to say, perhaps green, but black is perfectly fine too.
⑦ Other requests - This logo will be used for all three self-published volumes of my novel. Whether or not you include “Volume 1 (and 2, 3)” is up to you. If you include it, please provide separate layers or files so I can easily switch between volumes for social media use.If there’s an extra charge for that, please let me know.Since the artist might not be very familiar with English novels, I also attached two screenshots from my Pinterest board to help them understand the aesthetic and tone I’m aiming for.
If you use a service like Skeb, you basically let the artist do whatever they want. And that's fun, sometimes. But I have a somewhat concrete image/direction for this logo, so I included as much information as possible in this template.
You can use photo references, your own drawings, or other artists' works to show what kind of atmosphere, colors, and design you are looking for.
After I sent this message, the artist accepted my request and shared the rough idea of when they were gonna send the rough drafts, a brushed-up version, and when to submit the final version.
If you are an artist taking a commission, I highly recommend sharing the timeline for the whole process, including when you will submit the rough sketch, lineart, and coloring to the client and when you aim to submit the final version.
Yes, I know you have a school, a job, and other responsibilities. But to gain the client's trust, you need to be accountable. At the end of the day, you received money from the client. So share your progress with them and talk to them if your commission process is delayed. Be honest and communicate well.
First Draft
After a week, I received two different rough sketches.
I like both options, but I decided to go with option A.
But I want to change many details in this first draft, so I created a direction note. I wanted the logo to have a more whimsical, asymmetrical feel. I liked the floral decorations, but I felt they were too much.
I included notes on which parts I want to fix/change, my examples, and the reference images, ensuring my notes were transparent and objective.
I took the first draft's essence and I recreated the design. I proposed two different options, like the artist.
Second Draft
Then I received another two options.
Now they look much closer to my ideal logo, but I knew there were still some details that needed to be adjusted.
So I created another direction note.
I wanted to make the logo have a certain weight if that makes sense... So I took the second draft and added more notes about the decorations, the thickness of the lines, and the designs.
I used colored lines and pens to show which parts I would like to change.
Third Draft
I have now received just one design, and we have started brushing up on it.
After seeing the third draft, I started to fix the tiny details of this logo.
To be completely honest, if I had to work with someone like me, I'd be fed up and quit. But I just knew I could make this logo perfect, so I put all my energy and design knowledge into pinpointing which part we could fix.
Forth draft
If you see this, you might think "oh, hey, it's done! Right?"
NO.
Sorry, but yeah, I'm a perfectionist, and I just couldn't let those tiny details slide.
Here's the final direction note I sent to the artist.
Thank you very much for submitting the revised version.
I reviewed the updated data and have gathered the points I noticed, along with some additional requests. I have added numbered markers to the images as well, so I would appreciate it if you could refer to them together.
1. For the “h” in The, please extend the ascender so that it reaches the top of the “T.”
2. The sparkles ✨ used in The are different from the previous version. Could you revert them to the earlier design?
3. The line thickness of the e appears slightly heavier compared to the “Th.” There are three spots where the line is thicker; please adjust those to match the stroke width of the “h.” I have added an example of the corrected version for reference.
4. The stroke thickness of the N still varies in some places. Please unify the line weight throughout.
5. There is a small speck inside the flower. Please remove it.
6. Thank you for removing the decoration on the S. If possible, please refine the upper curve of the S so that the thickness follows the curve a bit more naturally.
7. Regarding the ornament extending from the N, the current shape feels slightly rounded, and the flow is a bit tight. Please extend it a little further horizontally so that the leaf reaches around the first S. For the end of the ornament, please finish it with the same tapered stroke (“sweeping” finish) used in the other ornaments.
8. Thank you for applying the specified font for and the. The placement feels slightly too high, so I would appreciate it if you could lower it just a little.
9. Thank you for restoring the sword design. At the moment, the sword has no outline, so please reapply the outline as in the previous version.
10. The sparkle used on the E has also been changed. Please revert it to the earlier design.
11. The outline thickness on the sword trail still looks inconsistent across the letters. The portions overlapping A and D appear different in weight compared to the portions overlapping B and E. No need for extremely fine adjustments, but please bring them closer together so that there is no visible inconsistency at first glance.
I apologize for the number of detailed requests, but once these adjustments are complete, I believe the logo will be finished.
Thank you very much for your continued work.I admire the designers who put those tiny details to perfection. That's all I could say. Seriously.
Final version + my additional touch
This is the final version I received.
Finally, I was satisfied with the result. We started this commission at the beginning of October, and I received the final version on the 30th.
But I adjust some of the elements on my end as well.
I adjusted the design of "The", changed the curly part of "P", and fixed the dagger's shape and size.
So that's the whole process of this logo commission. And here are the colored versions I made!
The logo represents the two main characters and their roles in the story. The Princess part shows Charlotte's green magic, and the Blade part has Hoche's dagger and the slash effect.
And my Ai No Uta logo is hidden inside the letter C!
It is cute and elegant, and I am very happy with the result.
I am super proud and satisfied with the result, and I appreciate the logo artist more than anything else. They did a great, wonderful, superb job. I highly recommend them.
So, what do you need to do when you are commissioning the artwork?
Make sure to communicate clearly with the artist.
Include as many reference images as you can, or as you feel you need.
If you are requesting adjustments, be specific and include details so the artist understands exactly what you want. If they cannot get what you are talking about, then you are the one to adjust the tone or wording.
I hope you enjoyed this blog post! And go check out my The Princess and the Blade page and updated logo!
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