I’ve always resisted doing commissions or sketches for pay.  I felt like “Hey, if this person likes my work enough to want a sketch, I should do it for free to show my thanks” thinking that it was a bit of karmic return, and that maybe, just maybe, that person would pass along good things to others in regards to my work, and maybe one or two more people would dig my work, etc, etc.

As Bill Hicks put it “I’m just planting seeds… whether they grow?”

However, I’m in a situation where now, I need to scare up some money. Badly. And I am not about to beg for donations, especially given that EVERYONE is having a hard time of it right now.  About the time Comic Book Tattoo was being finished (the week before it went to the printer in fact) my wife was diagnosed as having an AVM.  That’s a tangle of arteries and veins in the brain that look like a cloverleaf freeway, except there are no exits.  Blood, and pressure, build up over time and the mass gets bigger with each year, as does the chance it will rupture.  The percentages, and the rate of growth is frankly, scary as hell.  So obviously, this is something we had to deal with immediately, as we are talking about her life being at stake.  There are two ways of dealing with an AVM.  One is invasive surgery, the other is a procedure called Gamma Knife surgery.  With the former, there is (depending on which statistics you believe) a 10-15% chance of fatality during the procedure, and a 30+% chance of ‘serious motor function impairment’ (see also, paralysis).  With Gamma Knife they screw bolts into your skull and fire gamma rays down the bolts at varying intensity to kill the AVM cluster and tangle.  It can take up to 3 years for the AVM to ‘die’ from the treatment, which has meant a lot of follow up CT scans, MRIs and praying to whichever gods will listen that this works.

On the plus side, it appears to be working.  The mass has, with every MRI (done every 6-9 months) shown a marked decrease in size, and the Dr. is feeling very confident that the end result will be a positive one.

On the negative side, insurance would cover 90% of a craniotomy (the invasive surgery) but only a portion of the Gamma Knife procedure. (because it’s “unproven”… meaning it costs more than they want to pay.)  Which means we have been saddled with some truly insane medical bills.  I don’t mention all this to get pity or to get ‘freebies’.  EVERYONE is having a hard time, and I know that intimately.  I just want to be clear on WHY I’m doing this now… it’s not so I can buy a new monitor, or go to a convention… it’s because I can draw, and we need money, and so… I’m doing commissions for the next couple months at least in order to get some of these medical bills off our back.

Below is the price table, and the guidelines, specifics, etc.  You can see examples of my work here:     Please feel free to pass this on to anyone you know whom you think might be interested.  Thank you.

Prices per format (all prices are for pieces 8″ x 10″)

Pencil (Blue & Black) on Marker (translucent) – $10

Pencil (Blue & Black) on Bristol (Plate Finish) – $15

Ink (Black over Blue Pencil) on Marker (translucent)  – $20

Ink (Black over Blue Pencil) on Bristol (Plate Finish) – $25

Ink & Grey Marker on Marker (translucent) – $30

Ink & Grey Marker on Bristol (Plate Finish) – $35

Tattoo Designs – Variable -  eMail with request for price

Digital Painting  – Variable -  eMail with request for price

Oil Painting  – Variable -  eMail with request for price

RULES & GUIDELINES

* While I will do nudes, but will not do pornography

* I will not do work that is racist, or demeaning of a group of people.

* If the character or scene you are requesting is obscure or not well-known, reference images are helpful and appreciated.

* All work in the Black, White and Grey categories will be payable upon completion, with an email containing a .jpg of the finished art sent prior to the exchange of monies.

* Any “specialty” work (Tat designs, color work, oversized pieces) will be paid half in advance, and half upon completion.

* PRICES ABOVE DO NOT INCLUDE SHIPPING! – I will give you the full amount due, based on a.) your location and b.) how you would like the piece shipped.

* Yes, if I am attending a convention you are attending, you can pick the piece up at said convention.

* I maintain the right to put a copy of the commission on my site, twitter, G+, etc, unless you specifically request that I do not.

* Rates listed are for “personal use commissions”.  That means you can put it up on your site, show it to friends, hang it, or even sell it, but it cannot be used for commercial purposes (to advertise or promote a product for example) without written permission.

Samples of pencil, ink, and painted work can be found here:

http://rantzclutter.tumblr.com/tagged/RantzArt

http://rantzclutter.tumblr.com/tagged/RantzArt/page/2 (Marker sketches)

http://rantzclutter.tumblr.com/tagged/RantzArt/page/3 (color & pencil)

http://rantzclutter.tumblr.com/tagged/RantzArt/page/4 (more color pencil, and digital paintings)

http://rantzclutter.tumblr.com/tagged/RantzArt/page/5

If you are interested, please drop me a line at artcom @ rantzhoseley . com

(remove the spaces. Sorry, but spammers make it necessary)