[Artist Directory]: Find your next artist here! · 5:47pm May 15th, 2016
UPDATED LISTING! Weeee.
I know a lot of awesome artists that do commissions and who've I've gotten commissions from in the past. It's often times hard to find good artists to commission, so I I wanted to make a list for you to use as a reference if you're ever looking to commission an artist. All of these artists have come through with my commissions, so I'd definitely say you can trust these folks to come through.
Though, as with anything, there are going to be some variations.
This listing will be in a format like this for easy comparison:
Artist Name with link to their page
Picture I've commissioned from them:
Another example of their commission work (if available)
Commission Information Link (if available)
Type of Commissions: Pony, human, or whatever else
Commission Status: Open, closed for now, closed for the foreseeable future
Cost: $ = cheap . . . $$ = Average . . . $$$ = Expensive
Payment options: Paypal, points, or both
Communication Rating: * = hard to contact, might take a week or more to get a response . . . ** = okay to contact, may take a few days . . . *** = very easy to contact (matter of hours usually)
Friendliness Rating:
Time to finish commission:
What I like about this artist:
What I don't like about this artist:
Would I commission them again?
Artists, if I messed up any of your information, let me know and I'll fix it! I want to help promote your art and get you more commissions after all. ^^
Let's get this show on the road then . . .
Mine:
Other:
Not commissions, but here are some samples of her awesomeness.
Commission Types: Ponies, dragons, chimeras, epic monsters, you name it. She specializes in gore/zombies/dark pics.
Commission Status: Closed for now. Keep checking back as she'll open up slots monthly as she works.
Cost: $$
Payment Options: Paypal
Communication Rating: * It can be very, very frustrating trying to get a hold of her. I have to wait like 2 weeks sometimes. But her art is first rate!
Friendliness Rating: Exceptionally friendly. She's really upbeat and ready to take on a challenge or two.
Time to finish commission: Many moons. Think it took like 3 months to finish Disillusion's cover. Though, she said that was an outlier. The next ones took like a month. It was worth it though! Celestia, was it worth it.
What I like about this artist: Everything about her style. Her style is simply breathtaking. I love the traditional unicorn look sooo much better than the pony look. Though she can do the pony look just as well. She's really flexible about the style. But what stands out most to me are her dragons and chimeras! Man oh man, can this woman draw monsters! It's incredible. Well and truly incredible. I can't get enough of her art, be it pony or dragon or chimera.
What I don't like about this artist: Her inability to effectively communicate. She's really, REALLY bad about returning messages. I think she's busy. Still, the art is worth the frustration.
Would I commission her again? Yup and I have! Her art's too good to pass up.
Would I recommend her? Yes! She's my primary cover artist for a reason.
CarnivorousCaribou (Deviantart)
Mine:
Other: 
Type of commissions: Pony, human, dragon, other animals, and even Discord. She's really talented. ^^
Commission Status: As far as I know, she's open.
Cost: $$$ There's a reason I only got sketch commissions from her.
Payment options: Paypal
Communication Rating: Normally she's ***, but lately she's more of a *. Been busy with that project, so she doesn't go on deviantart a lot. She will answer you, it will just take some time.
Friendliness Rating: Absolutely wonderful. She's really nice, incredibly attentive to what you want, and really cares about delivering a quality product. Professional in every aspect of the word.
Time to finish commission: "Warp nine, Mr. Scotty!" Yeah, she's FAST. Like, crazy fast. I think I got both my commissions within the day after I made the payment. She was trained in classic animation, so she has the skills, I'm telling you!
What I like about this artist: Where to start? Her style is BEAUTIFUL! I love, love, LOVE it! so unique with a ton of personality. She's a master with expressions and posing. When I ask for a scene, she gives me exactly the scene I want! She really listens to how I want it to look and the emotions I want conveyed and always delivered. The cover for TCARW was just epic. The entire scene was just perfect. Exactly how I wanted it done and more.
What I don't like about this artist: Really, the only thing is price. She's a little overpriced, especially for colored commissions. However, you always get a quality product, so I can't complain too much.
Would I commission her again? In a heartbeat!
Would I recommend her? YES! Best artist out there for posing. If you have an exact pose you need pictured, go to her. She will not disappoint.
Mine: 
Other: 
Commission Link: Check it out! So many varieties.
Commission Types: Pony, Anthro, NSFW, chibi, you name it!
Commission Status: Open!
Cost: $$
Payment Options: Paypal
Communication Rating: **
Friendliness Rating: Exceptionally kind. Very patient and will happily listen to whatever you need for your commission.
Time to Finish: About 3 weeks for my commission. It was VERY complex compared to her normal commissions though, so it makes sense. I'd say she's very fast all considering.
What I like about this artist: Her art style is so very unique and yet does not stray too far from canon. She chooses amazing colors that don't burn your eyes out. All her art is impressive, particularly her shipping pics. If you want a QUALITY ship pic, she is the girl to go to. So talented!
What I didn't like about this artist: The background she did for the pic was a bit too dark. Honestly, that's all I can think of. She's a wonderful artist to commission.
Would I recommend her? All the yes! She is the best shipping artist I have seen. Her style is so unique and she is so very kind. A worthy young woman to support.
Mine:
Other:
Commission Information: Hmmmm. Can't find where she put it. ^^" Just note her! She'll be happy to give you an estimate.
Type of commissions: Human and dogs! She is incredibly talented.
Commission Status: Not sure. I think she's busy, but if you note her, I assume she'll put you on a list or something. Just ask her about it.
Cost: $$ Not bad at all! Really fair for what I was asking.
Payment Options: PayPal
Communication Rating: *** Just fine! Really easy to talk to.
Friendliness Rating: Amazing. She'll make you feel right at home.
Time to Finish: About a month for my super-complex commish. I think she's pretty fast really.
What I like about this artist: She is soooo friendly and her art is nothing less than professional quality. She likes to do Saturday streams where you can chat and watch her at work. Just a fun, wonderful person.
What I don't like about this artist: Nothing.
Would I commission her again? Yup! And I am.
Would I recommend her? YESSSS a very deserving artist who needs more love.
Mine:
Other:
Commission Info: I don't think she has any up. At least I couldn't find any. I got my commission via a special journal she posted. Just note her.
Types of Commissions: Ponies! So many ponies.
Commission Status: Dunno. Open I think . . .
Cost: $
Payment Method: PayPal or Points
Communication Rating: *** She's really awesome considering English is her second language.
Friendliness Rating: Very friendly! Won't bite your head off or anything like that.
Time to Finish: I think like a month. Honestly, I forgot I ordered this commission until she posted it on deviantart and I was all "Oh yeah!" I think she's normally faster. Might have been holding back posting since I forgot to pay. Paid as soon as she posted though. X3
What I like about this artist: Though the style is similar to canon, she manages to infuse each pic with her own vibrant personality. It's really lovely to look at her pics. Also an AMAZING traditional artist. Traditional artist senpai!
What I don't like about this artist: Nothing!
Would I commission her again? If I had the funds and she makes another journal offering commissions, sure.
Would I recommend her? Yup! She's really awesome.
Mine (top right): 
Other: 
Commission Info: Here
Commission Type: Human . . . fanart of various kinds
Commission Status: Closed (she might be taking some more special commissions, just ask)
Cost: $$ Not bad at all!
Payment: PayPal only
Communication Rating: *** Very easy to contact.
Friendliness Rating: A wonderful person to talk to. She listens well to what you want and has set "stages" for her commishes that lets you adjust your commission as much as you need.
Time to Finish: A week or two I think. Very fast!
What I like about this artist: She's really very kind. I always feel happy supporting her. Her art is unique and a bit playful in style.
What I don't like about this artist: She has trouble drawing older characters. I had her draw Vince (in the above picture) and asked her to make sure he looks his age, but he still looks to young. She specializes in younger characters. Not really much of a complaint, but there it is.
Would I commission her again? Yup! She's super nice.
Would I recommend her? Mmmhmm. A good option for a cheap visual of your human characters.
Demona-Silverwing (Deviantart)
Mine: 
Other: 
Commission Info: It's all here.
Type of commissions: Human! Especially cartoon humans. She does the most epic humans I'm telling you. Also does ponies.
Commission Status: Open as far as I know.
Cost: $$$ She's not cheap.
Payment Options: Paypal
Communication Rating: **
Friendliness Rating: Very nice. She's really thoughtful about her artwork and wants to make sure she's giving you what you asked for. I had a lot of fun working with her.
Time to finish commission: It took mine like . . . two months I think. But, I told her to take as long as she needed. Not sure how fast/slow her other commissions go.
What I like about this artist: Well, to put it mildly, she's wonderful! I can't get enough of her Gravity Falls fan art, I'm telling you. Love her humans, her backgrounds, and the way she really brings scenes to life.
What I don't like about this artist: She's hella pricey. Also, her ponies aren't nearly as epic as her humans.
Would I commission her again? Sure! But, it'd definitely be a human commission!
Would I recommend her? Indeed! If you want GF fan art or other humanized stuff, she's your girl!
Kell95 (Deviantart) aka Zee-Dee (FIMfiction)
Mine: 
Commission Types: Pony and human (I think)
Commission Status: Open!
Cost: $ Super affordable!
Payment Options: Paypal
Communication Rating: *** Awesome. She's really attentive and sure to message you back as soon as she can.
Friendliness Rating: She's a sweetheart, I'm telling you. Wonderful, kind, and super determined to give you a good product.
Time to finish commission: A week or two and that was for a complex commission.
What I like about this artist: She's just an all-around wonderful person. So friendly, so willing to work with you, and really positive. Loved her attention to detail and the fact that she was willing to do two sketches for me to decide how I wanted the cover to look.
What I don't like about this artist: Next to nothing. Her art's not dark or serious which isn't even a bad thing. It's just that most of my covers need to be serious. The ONLY complaint I have is that her quality varies a lot. I think she just needs more practice.
Would I commission her again? Yup!
Would I recommend her? Meh, yes and no. She's got decent art, but with the quality so varied, I wouldn't say she's my first choice for recommendations.
Mine:
Other: 
Commission Types: Criminally adorable animals of all shapes and varieties. You will smile. It's inevitable.
Commission Status: Open!
Cost: $$
Payment Options: Paypal vastly preferred, but she will take points from time to time
Communication Rating: *** She sets the standard! Wonderful, timely communication and she'll always ask as many questions as she needs to get your picture done right. Only recently she's been sick, so she might take a bit to respond.
Friendliness: This woman right here. She is THE NICEST person I have met on the internet thus far. Seriously. She's an angel sent from above. You could not dream of a kinder, more deserving person to buy a commission from, I'm telling you.
Time to finish commission: Not long at all. I think maybe a few days to a week or two for more complex commissions. And that whole time, she was letting me know her progress on it and how it was going. Her art's well worth any wait, I'm telling you.
What I like about this artist: EVERYTHING! She is a wonderful, amazing human being who makes you feel warm all over. She works really hard with her art despite having to recover from a serious illness. Her art leaks this contagious positivity that you can't even begin to quantify. I love her style soooo much! I just want to hang all her pictures in a child's room. ^^ Her simple style with those wonderful, non-abrasive colors and charming animals . . . It's everything you could ask for and more!
What I don't like about this artist: Nothing! She's amazing.
Would I commission her again? HECK YEAH! There's no better artist I could think of for a sweet, heartwarming picture.
Would I recommend her? Yes! She's a lovely woman.
Marking (FIMfiction) aka xXMarkingXx (Deviantart)
Mine: 
Other:
Commission Information Sorta kinda . ..
Type of Commissions: Pony, human, robot, changeling, dragon, Discord. He does a lot of different ones.
Commission Status: To the best of my knowledge, he's still open for commissions. I have not seen him very active on deviantart lately.
Cost: $ - $$ Kind of depends on what you want.
Payment options: Paypal
Communication Rating: *** He responds quickly, especially through FIMfiction PM's.
Friendliness Rating: Very nice guy, easy to work with and he's always been polite to me.
Time to finish commission: Matter of a few days to a week or so. Though none of those were complex commissions.
What I like about this artist: Well, he's actually the only male artist in my directory, so that's pretty cool! He's always drawing these hilarious changeling comics I adore and seems to have a lot of fun with his art. He's the first artist I commissioned, and got me hooked onto getting artwork for my stories. He finishes his art in a timely manner, and will show you his progress if you ask and will ask questions if he needs anything clarified. His prices are also incredibly reasonable.
What I don't like about this artist: His art style is a little manly for my taste and not as professional as I'd prefer. I'm really not into his style these days.
Would I commission him again? If I'm looking for a scene drawn out, I definitely would. For covers, I wouldn't.
Mine: 
Other: 
Type of commissions: Ponies, humans, custom species (she has her own and does other folks' too)
Commission status: I think she's taking a break now. Note her if you are interested though.
Cost: $ Extremely reasonable for the quality she brings to the table!
Payment options: Paypal
Communication Rating: ** Might be a while, but don't worry, she won't forget your commission.
Friendliness Rating: Nice and polite. No complaints from me! She'll listen to what you have to say and answer any questions you'd have.
Time to Finish Commission: Meh. Two weeks to a month. Can't remember exactly how long it took. She takes her time, but she does a great job, so no complaints from me!
What I like about this artist: Her colors! Oh my stars, I LOVE her toned down colors. Nothing crazy flashy, just simplistic beauty. Her style is also incredibly unique and really stands out to me. Very affordable and she'll listen to what you want. I couldn't be happier with the icon she designed for me (it's my avatar at the moment). Made sure I had all the files to download and double checked with me at various points. Really wonderful artist!
What I don't like about this artist: She can take a little too long to finish at times. But, she comes through in the end. So I can't complain.
Would I commission her again? You bet I would! I love her style, colors, and backgrounds.
Would I recommend her? Hmmm. Yes. I think her style's not for me these days, but her colors are wonderful.
AmandaVinci (tumbr) aka AmdVinci- Ash(Deviantart)
Mine: You don't know him, but this fabulous man is the main character in my personal novel, Vincent Marshal (Vince). He's a theatre professor with a lot of sass to put it mildly. XDD
Other: 
Types of commissions: Humans (in her own unique, fun style), especially shipping. She'll do NSFW stuff too. 
Commission Status: Was open. She doesn't have access to a tablet for right now, so closed.
Cost: $$
Payment Options: Paypal
Communication Rating: * She'll answer, but she can be forgetful, so you'll need to nag her if she's not responding quick enough. She's rather horrid to contact actually.
Friendliness Rating: Super nice! She's always happy to listen to specifics. She doesn't even mind when you send her an essay along with your request! She wants to give you the best picture possible, and she'll take great cares to see that she gets your characters just right.
Time to Finish Commission: LOOOONG time. Maybe months. She tends to get worked up over making her pictures perfect and if she's working a lot, she's just not in the right mindset to draw. Though, it's worth the wait!
What I like about this artist: Okay, gotta make a little note here. This woman is the only one of these artists I've known in-person. She's the same age as me and has been a friend of mine since Elementary School and girlfriend of my cousin for years and years. She loves art and takes sooo much time to make sure she does a good job. I know her personally very well, and can say she gives her all to every piece she does and is her own worst critic. I really want her to become a more active artist online because she is AMAZING and needs to see that for herself.
I've seen her come into her own unique style and develop into the awesome artist that she is now. It's really cool and exciting to see her excited about her art. She really does care about giving you the best picture possible and wants to make sure you're satisfied with the finished product. She's attentive to detail, and really gifted with posing and the like. She loves to do non-straight ships! That's her thing and you would make her day if you commissioned a M x M ship. Really good with shipping pictures, let me tell you!
What I don't like about this artist: She is lazy and unmotivated to advertise her art. So, I want to encourage her to keep at it as much as possible.
Would I commission her again? Meh. Not really. Too slow. I need pics ASAP when it comes to human commishes.
Would I recommend her? Yes and no. Good art, horrid service time.
Mine: 
Other: 
Types of Commissions: Ponies, humans, anthros, customs
Commission Status: Open!
Cost: $$$
Payment Options: Paypal
Communication Rating: **
Friendliness Rating: Rude and curt. She hardly says anything, no friendly "how are you's" or anything like that. Doesn't seem to enjoy drawing like the other artists I had the pleasure of chatting too. Could have just been her mood that day. Dunno.
Time to Finish Commission: One to two weeks
What I like about this artist: Her art's cute. She's good with backgrounds and drawing adorable poses.
What I don't like about this artist: Her attitude. Really rubbed me the wrong way the whole time. Also not a big fan of her art style. The only pictures I really liked from her were the ones she drew of Trenderhoof.
Would I commission her again? No. I can't abide by poor manners no matter how decent the art.
Would I recommend her? Yes, her art is talented, there's no denying. Just, you'd better be prepared to deal with rude manners.
Mine: 
Other: I think mine was the first commission she did, so here's a lovely example of her artwork.
Commission Link: Send her a note!
Commission Types: Ponies!
Commission Status: She hasn't been on deviantart for a loooong while. I'm not sure if she's quit art or not. You can try to note her and see.
Cost: $
Payment Options: Paypal
Communication Rating: ***
Friendliness Rating: Such a wonderful young woman! Kind, polite, and and willing to work with you.
Time to Finish Commission: A week-ish? It wasn't long at all for all the detail she put into Seance's outfit!
What I like about this artist: She is such a sweet person. I love everything about this artist. She donates a lot of her time doing requests or fan art, and puts so much time and love into each and every piece. Her art is stunning quality and yet she's not well-known which is a shame. Her shading is incredible! I love it soooo much. It's better than some of the more expensive artists I've commissioned in the past. It's obvious she cares to do the job right and to give you the best product she can. Her skill with outfits is beyond breathtaking! I can't say enough positive things about her.
What I don't like about this artist: Her style isn't quite what I'm looking for in terms of cover art. But for OC pics, she'd definitely be a first choice!
Would I recommend her? Over and over again! Simply a joy to work with. If you've got an OC you want imagined—particularly one with a complex costume, then she's your artist!
