You may be a little nervous about wanting a piece of art commissioned. It's a big undertaking and requires a lot of trust on both parties to get the job done, but I've done it before and can help you out a little. My work starts as low as $5 for a small avatar for an online message board system and runs up from there.

Please note: while I draw fanart of things for friends and fellow artists I will not draw a licensed character for money (such as Snoopy, Pokemon or other anime characters, etc). IT IS ILLEGAL. Any artist (such as many I see on eBay) doing this should be ashamed of themselves. I will draw your ideas or come up with any original concepts you so desire but I won't draw something that is not mine for profit.

Here is a general sort of table for generic art pricing and some ideas (not for commercial use):

Single Character Only, b/w $10.00
Single Character Only, color $20.00
Single Character, Simple Background $25.00
Static Avatar, up to 100x100 $5.00
Animated Avatar, up to 100x100 $15.00
Personal DVD Box Design $50.00
Recycled T-shirt Dumple $30.00 + T-shirt ship
(Customized) Dress Up Game $50.00 (and up)+
Your Name + Cartoon $20.00

What are you looking for?

Please look at at least a few pages of my gallery for examples before contacting me. If you're wondering if I can make what you want, just ask. I'll be sure to respond as fast as I can. Chances are I'll be able to make almost anything: from an avatar you might want to use online or multiple items for your virtual pet/avatar site. Here are some ideas/examples of my work:

childrens cartoons Children's style Cartoons: animals, objects and the like. I specialize in cute animal cartoon design.
photo repair Photo Repair: fix blemishes or get rid of any unsightly marks/tattoos, mend tears digitally on old photos, etc.
item illustrations Food Services illustrations: if you need graphic imagery of your food or services to go with the actual photography on your site I can produce them.
poster illustrations Posters: design imagery for posters of any kind.
t-shirt design T-shirt design of all kinds. I have various Printfection and Cafepress shops available for you to peruse more of my designs here, if you're interested.
dress up sushi game Dress-Up and/or movable games, Flash created. I have a several pages of games and more here, if you're interested.
book covers Book covers: if you're self-publishing, I might be of great help to you. I have designed many online book covers and a few mass-market children's book covers.
fantasy illustration Fantasy illustration: I specialize in dragons and otherworldy creatures and monsters, but can also create pretty unicorns and seahorses, fairies, etc.

Have you ever commissioned art before?

This is helpful for me to know because I'll be able to walk you along better if you have not. If you have, I'll most likely ask what you've had drawn/created and why so we can learn a little about each other.

What would you like to see in your art?

Colors, specifics, a general message or style...feel free to talk about it. In fact, you really should. There's no such thing as talking 'too much' when you're closing a commission deal. Get it all out of your chest as soon as you want to say it, because only then can you be happy with the end product. I can't know what you're thinking!

Is there anything you don't like about my art or don't want to see?

You should check my gallery pages and see various samples of my work to find this out. Don't assume I can only work in one medium or style because it's prevalent on the site. Ask first. I do have a few realistic digital paintings, for instance, but people seem to skip past those when glossing over the gallery. (I know it's a bit large...heh.)

Are you going to be the only one approving the art?

If I have to deal with more than one person we should all meet in email or a chat somehow. It's so much better that way and everyone will be pleased in the long run. I need to know all the parties involved or I won't be able to work to the best of my ability.

See? That wasn't so bad!

Once we get all this out of the way I'll be more certain of exactly what you want and able to provide what you're looking for better. After this I'll send you a contract email where all these points above have been addressed. If you agree to all of it you'll pay 1/3 of the cost of the final piece (this is waived when the piece is less than $20). The advance is nonrefundable, because if you back out you must be aware that I've still invested time, labor, and materials in your piece.

I'll send sketches and ideas along your way periodically (watermarked in unusable format), until you're satisfied with the idea(s). When I finish the piece I'll once more send you a watermarked copy. If it satisfies you, then you can pay me and I'll send the final work in the matter we've agreed upon before (either via mail or email).