Call me Grumpelstiltskin

[astillar]

Three requests to commission the same prop within the space of two hours? What's this all of a sudden? Normally I'd take it as flattery, but right now I'm not in the mood. I mean, I have a certain bit of cosplay skill but it's taken me years to get it. If I'm going to commit my hard-earned experience and sacrifice the wee bit of spare time I have to myself, it's not going to be to make a fine prop at a dirt-cheap price for a newb with zero cosplays to their name. I've got a career; I don't make props for money. I make them to improve my abilities and to help contribute to other people's cosplay. If I were going to start mass-producing them, I'd sell them for well into the triple digits, just to compensate me for the sheer drudgery of it. And that would put them well outside of these kids' meager grasp. I know why these kids are asking me to make the prop, because I said the prop cost only $50 in materials. I said that to show that you can make quality props for a decent price, if you put enough TIME into it. What something costs to make and what it sells for are two very different numbers. I'm not about to start selling my work to complete strangers for at-cost or cheaper. Hell, I might as well start giving away my organs if I'm going to be that generous.
That's something that's always irritated me about the whole commissioning thing. All the people that I'd be delighted to help, cosplayers I admire or that I see could use that little extra boost to be awesome, they're experienced and capable enough that they don't need to ask for commissions. But the kids who have no idea of the costs in money or time that go into cosplay, they're banging down my door continuously. If that makes me an elitist, whatever. Both my spare time and cosplay opportunities are very scarce right now, which makes requests like these especially insulting.

Comments

[catspaws.livejournal.com]

Easy solution,
give them a quote and break it down.

XX for materials
XX for labor
XX for shipping


then they will leave you alone, because they don't have 300 dollars.


Speaking of cosplay props, somewhere down the line I might ask for your advice on a giant riffle.

/applause

[strawbrrysprite.livejournal.com]

I feel ya. Can't tell you how many times I've been asked to quote a price, only to immediately receive an email complaining that it's too expensive. I'm all, "Well, MAKE IT YOURSELF THEN." If I'm going to invest my time and skills for a complete stranger, damn right I'm gonna charge appropriately for it!

The other email I hate is, "Hey tell me how you made *insert complicated prop/armor/etc here*". Mostly coz like. Google-fu? Everyone has it. Use it. It's what I use! But if I'm feeling generous enough to point the supplicant in the right direction, I usually am met with anger because I didn't take the time to write out a fully detailed, step-by-step guide, or complete apathy because "Oh, wow, I didn't know it was so hard." And then I power up in a Super-Saiyan rage.

FFFFF. Sorry this comment turned into a mini-rant. :D

tl;dr - I know how you feel, bro.

[trickyfrog.livejournal.com]

i don't think it makes you elitest. It makes sense really. It's an amount of appreciation and respect or something . . . . *pout* You have the right to say "NO"!

[coyoterose.livejournal.com]

You are preaching to the choir, sir. I don't get many commission requests anymore, but the few I do I get rid of by not quoting anything under $200.

[voicesofheather.livejournal.com]

You should make a website about cosplay (or do you already have one?) on one of those blog things that pay you for traffic you generate. Do a step by step with photos :D

[bunnychan.livejournal.com]

As an artist I feel your pain. People want something for nothing and get pissed when you suggest that you need to actually get something in return for your work; for shame!