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About Me

Mel, She/Her

My name is Mel, or Quiddity, or @mellifera38, and I’m an ace millennial from the US. I currently work as a commission artist. I started taking commissions during Covid for extra cash, and it bloomed into a proper business over 2021-2022. To date I’ve done over 300 commissions, largely of people’s TTRPG or game characters.

I am absolutely open to other kinds of commissions, be it maps, fanart, book covers, or a portrait of your dog. Feel free to contact me if you want something that can’t be found on my official price sheet. You can contact me for commercial work as well. I have done book covers, children’s book illustrations, and concept art for indie games.

Frequently Asked Questions

About the Process

Are your commissions currently open?
They are literally always open. If they aren’t for some reason, I will announce it on the Newsletter Page.

I’ve looked at the submission form. What happens if I actually click submit?
I will contact you using the social media handle you gave me (or email, if you don’t give me a handle) and let you know you are in queue. You will not be invoiced until your turn is up.

Do I need to pay up front?
I only require Wildcards to be paid entirely up front. With other commissions, when your turn is up, I will ask for half up-front and send an invoice via paypal. You will have 2 days to pay, or I’ll push you back in the queue. Once the commission has been drawn, I will send you a preview image and the second invoice. Tipping is completely optional but always appreciated if you are happy with the result. Additionally, if you WISH to pay the full price up front, I don’t mind arranging that.

Can I pay with something other than Paypal?
I will also accept payments with Venmo or Cashapp, but Paypal is preferred for bookeeping reasons. No mailed checks.

How long will the commission take?
Turnaround, once the up-front has been paid, is generally between 2 days and a week, depending on the commission and my schedule.

Do I get to see In-Progress work?
I will send you an initial sketch (occasionally two or three, if changes are necessary). Once you approve the sketch, you don’t see it again until it’s finished.

Do you turn away submissions because you don’t like the character design?
Never.

Do you charge extra if I have no visual character references to show?
No. That said, when it comes to initial sketches, you only get two revisions. Please be very, very thorough in your description of the character to avoid a whole lot of back and forth on the design.

Can I use this character for _____ ?
My commissions are for personal use only. As long as you aren’t using it to make money or to turn it into an NFT, I don’t care what you do with it or how you alter it. If you post it out there, credit is appreciated.

Do I have exclusive rights to the image?
No. I retain the rights and therefore the right to use it for promotion on social media or this website. That said, I will respect your wishes if you ask me not to share it publicly. If you want exclusive rights, this can be arranged with an additional charge of 3x the price of the commission.

Do you give refunds?
I will refund 75% of the up-front if you cancel the commission upon receiving the first sketch. After approving the sketch, there is no refund. I will keep the up-front for time spent. That said, if for any reason I cannot finish the commission, I will give you a 100% refund.

Can I submit multiple times in your commission queue?
Yes, for now. If demand rises, I may change my stance on this.

Does your commission queue ever get full?
Theoretically, I would close commissions if I had 40 people lined up. That’s roughly four-five months worth of work and I’d never want people waiting any longer than that for their turn to come up.

Is there an additional way I can tip or support you?
I do, in fact, have a ko-fi account. Feel free to Buy Me a Coffee.

About Options

What is a Wildcard Commission?
Wildcard commissions are randomized, the level of detail based on whether you pay for a normal or deluxe version. Basically, you show me your character and give me their story, and I’ll give you something back. It might be a portrait, a full illustration, a short comic, or even a series of chibis. These ones are paid up front and are non-refundable for obvious reasons. Its a gamble.

What are the Roulette Options?
These are just options that aren’t my default bust/half/full body character commissions. These will change with the seasons depending on what kind of work I feel like doing and what people seem interested in.

How long will Roulette options last?
If people are buying them like crazy, probably a long while. If I go for four months without a single person choosing a given roulette option, the chances are good I will retire it for something new. Its pretty much impossible to tell you how long they’ll be around for.

Are you still doing Speed Paint Portraits?
Those are one of my roulette options. If you don’t see them advertised on the front page, eventually they will come back.

Can I order off menu?
I’ll rarely turn down a commission if its a sizable piece of work. Contact me with what you want done and we can talk.

Will you draw NSFW art?
I won’t draw sexually explicit material or genitals. I’m not opposed to drawing bare female breasts.

Will you draw fanart?
Yes!

Can I get my character done in a previous style I see in your gallery?
Probably. Contact me and ask. You may be charged more or less than my default prices based on the style.

Can I request an Art Process Video of my character?
At the moment I’m on the fence about this. I think I need to get more comfortable with the process of recording before I’ll know exactly what to charge for that additional work.

Can I approach you with commercial work?
Absolutely! Please use the Contact Me page for commercial inquiries.

QUID’DITY, noun

A barbarous term used in school philosophy for essence, that unknown and undefinable something which constitutes its peculiar nature, or answers the question, quidest? The essence of a thing constitutes it tale quid, such a thing as it is, and not another.

Websters, 1828

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