Quote - Ohki's point #6 brings to mind fan art items, such as Star Wars models.  These would only get done if someone is willing to make a freebie, because the modeler can't sell it.  But a lot of fan art does get made, as a labor of love.  Most of my stuff is TinkerBell, Lord of the Rings, or Narnia themed.

 

that really depends on exactly WHAT you want made.  there are some outfits in SW and LOTR that, after some texture adjustments and some morphs, could be sold as totally generic sci-fi/fantasy outfits.

ie: do you just want some Sith robes? or do you want a perfect reproduction of Jabba the Hutt?

 

Quote - It also depends on your level of editorial input - certain commission jobs I've tried basically fell apart due to way too many changes requested by the client.  If you're expecting anything to be done in "one day" (heh) then you must be willing to accept WHATEVER you're given, no matter what it is.

this is perhaps the most important point in this thread.  whenever doing any commission you MUST have a very clear agreement covering every aspect before you start.  casual 'handshake' commissions are a disaster.  ive had cases where someone requested a custom version of one of my products, and after working on it for weeks revision after revision with the guy never satisfied and even doing a few 180s regarding what he wanted, i finally just walked away.  end result?  i was out a couple weeks work, AND the guy even managed to get free copies of several of my products AND my work in progresses of his commission as well.  he didnt even buy the base products he requested alterations for, and managed to weasel $60 worth of products out of me based on needing them to test the commission.  i got f*cked bigtime (yes i know i was an idiot and it was my fault), and its the major reason i will never do commissions again without:

-A deposit

-A very clear contract as to exactly what needs to be made, how it needs to work/what features it needs to include, what timeframe, how much editorial input they get, etc.

OR

-You can pay me by the hour -- then you can jerk me around all you want.