TropicalSteppe's Commission Info

TropicalSteppe

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"Sticker" Style Illustration

$85 per character
___>Surrounding details can be left up to artist, or simple themes may be suggested by the commissioner>Commissioners may print their art for personal use (such as stickers, magnets, badges, etc). However, the work may not be resold without permission.

"Full" Style Illustration

$130 Starting Price
DetailedBackground +$100
Additional characters are +$100 each
___> I work especially well with plants and nature scenes; I'm okay with drawing indoor/furniture scenes but please note that they will be heavily stylized and come at an extra charge
> Illustrations without illustrated backgrounds will have transparent background

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Designs from 2024

Custom Character Designs

> You can give me details such as a color palette, theme, a species (or mix of species), or anything else that helps establish the aesthetics of the design you'd like. A small paragraph or bullet-points are best.> Images to help convey what you'd like designed are all great (moodboards, photos, sketches, etc); however I don't allow designs by other artists as references (ie. "make me a design like this one")> Be sure to check out my Design ToS

Detailed

$200 ~ 300

Simple

$150

Human & Humanoid

Headshot designs are $50
Fullbody designs are $175 ~ $250

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Last Updated 19 / 08 / 24

General

> Contact - email ([email protected]) | ko-fi, toyhouse (@tropicalsteppe)
> You must be 18 years or older to commission me.

Payment

> All payments thru PayPal invoicing, in USD.
> Payment Plans - Can be arranged for works above $200. 100% payment will be needed before I send the completed commission.
> A downpayment is required.
> All WIP (work in progress) images will be heavily watermarked unless the commission has been paid for in-full.
> Commission Refunds - Commissions may be cancelled for up to 80% back up until I begin work on the commission. After that, refunds will depend on how much work has been completed.
> Design Refunds - I will give a 100% refund on design commissions up until the design is completed. I then retain the rights to the design, as it will be finished and resold.
> I retain the right to cancel a commission at any point. If this happens, you will be contacted along with receiving a full refund.

Process

> Start - Please contact as seen above. Be sure to include all of the pertinent information to your commission. Large additional changes and details later on will come with a fee.
> I'm comfortable working with NSFW reference sheets.
> I will not work with any images of real people.
> Timeline - Turnaround is typically 4~8 weeks. Upon commissioning I will add your commission to my trello queue, where you can track your commission slot.
> Let me know if you need a commission by a deadline, as there may be an additional fee depending on the timeline.
> I will provide a WIP of the commission after finishing the sketch phase, and then a final pass before finishing.
> Contact me at any point during the process if you would like an update.
> Private Commissions - if you would like to keep your commission work private, let me know when you commission me.
> I retain the right to upload commissions and designs to other sites, as well as use them examples for future commissions, except for those that are private.

Character Auctions

> Bid-sniping - the deadline will be extended by 1 hour if a bid is made within the last hour of the auction. If additional bids are placed, this will continue until no more bids are made within the hour.
> Cancellation If you need to back out of a purchase, you must notify me by DM on toyhouse. Failure to contact will result in blacklisting from future auctions.
> Repeatedly backing out of auctions, including those with notification, will result in blacklisting from future auctions.
> Bidders must be 18+

Character Design

> Resale & etc. - You are free to resell, trade, and gift designs that you have purchased for as much as you'd like, once it has been fully paid for
> Reuploading - Upon complete payment, the character belongs to you. You may post the character on whatever sites you'd like, but the original design and artwork must be properly credited (@TropicalSteppe). I retain permission to upload the original artwork(s) to my website and other pages.
> Design Edits - You're free to change your character design however you wish, including edits to the artwork provided. Be sure to credit properly when you've edited one of my artworks.

By purchasing, you agree to the terms of service.

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Frequently Asked questions

Q: Where can I commission you?
You can check out my ko-fi page, where I'm always open for commissions for my $10 monthly tier. As soon as you're on the tier, you have access to the commission listings on my page!Q: How can I get a design by you?
You can either commission me through my ko-fi, request one of my monthly designs through the tier, buy from one of my weekly auctions, or trade/buy a design from someone else on toyhouse.Q: I've commissioned you and I don't like something about my commission! What do I do?
Please let me know! The sooner the better - if you see something you don't like when you get a work-in-progress sketch, then it's much easier to change it before the whole thing is finished.
If the change is large and goes against the original plan of the commission, it may come with a small additional fee.
If your commission is already finished and you don't like something about it, you can reach out to me for edits (regardless of whether or not you're on my commission tier). Depending on the scale of the change, it may be free or come with a small additional fee.Q: Can I edit something on a design I bought?
Yes! You can change anything you want about the design (species, gender, color palette, details, etc). If you edit the artwork you bought, please make sure to specify your edits in the image credits if you upload it to toyhouse. I strongly suggest keeping a copy of the original art, in case you ever trade or sell the design.Q: What brushes/programs/etc do you use?
Check out my art resources page!

Artist's Resources

Art Programs & Other Creation Tools

PC art program ✽ Clip Studio Paint 2 on Huion Kamvas Pro TabletiPad art program ✽ Procreate on Gen2 iPad Proimage editing software ✽ Photomoshbrushes for Clip Studio & Procreate ✽ True Grit Texture Supply

Organization & Work Tools

reference image organization & moodboards ✽ PureRefscrum planner & commission roadmap ✽ Trellodaily planner ✽ Hobonichi Techostorefront, commissionfront, & monthly subscriptions ✽ Ko-Ficharacter & art storage, design sale storefront ✽ Toyhou.secommission info page ✽ Carrd (you're looking at it silly!)data storage ✽ Dropboxdata storage ✽ Dell 2TB External Hard Drive (c. 2014, model unknown)file transfer ✽ Google Drive

Detailed Rigs

Example shown: Halfbody Rig for LuckyBebop

Art Prices

Price subject to change based on complexity of character design.Art comes pre-split, layered, and set up for Live2D rigging.Will be a front-facing rig.

*includes expressions and animations that use arms or other limbs, such as a wave

Rigging Prices

Animal snouts: Any animal snout that doesn't have a humanized nose/mouth. ex: wolf, alligator, fox
Complex Physics: ex: wings, tails, and complex hair

For inquiries on anything not listed above or to get a price quote, please email me at [email protected]

Cutesy Simple Rigs

Limited to cute creature designs. Not for human/humanoid characters.May be front-facing or 3/4ths angle.Currently only taking commissions for these that include both the art and rigging.

Example shown: Fullbody Rig for Satuwn

Art and Rigging Prices

Dynamic parts: Tails, wings, and other moving things

For inquiries on anything not listed above or to get a price quote, please email me at [email protected]

Other Cost Factors

I work on my commissions during my art streams. Private commission work will require a +10% fee to the total cost.Characters without any reference images or artwork will require a $100 concepting fee.My vtuber rigs typically take around 2 months for completion, however if you need to make a deadline I can finish the commission faster for a fee (typically $100 per week shorter than the 8 week expectancy).Payment Plans
Payment plans are accepted, and may be split as the following:
Art Only
50% Down
50% Upon approved sketchRig Only
50% Down
50% Upon completed XYZ movementArt and Rig
25% Down
25% Upon approved sketch
50% Upon completed artwork

Timeline and Info

Conceptual Phase
Please have any required reference materials ready at the time of inquiry. This may include reference images, artworks, outfits, and moodboards.
If you do not have any references or artworks of your character design, it will require a $120 fee for iterative concepting. Please have a moodboard or other images to match the theme of your character in this case.Total Time
Estimate time for completion is ~8 weeks.
This may be subject to change depending on the amount of revisions required and correspondence times.
Please read through "Other Cost Factors" for more information on expediated completion.Timeline for Art and Rigging
This is for commissions that include both art and rigging work.
Please note that the art-only and rigging-only timelines will vary.1. Upon commission approval, you will be invoiced. Upon payment or agreed partial payment you will be added to my commission queue, where you can track the commission's progress.2. Upon payment, I'll sketch out your rig. Once I have a sketch ready, you will be updated. You're allowed to change character details during this phase, as well as request any fixes that are needed. Large changes to the character's design (such as outfit, hairstyle, patterning, etc.) will require a fee.3. Upon sketch-approval, I'll begin work on flatcoloring and detailing your rig. You'll be updated again once flatcoloring is completed, and may ask for any fixes needed. You'll then be notified a final time for the art once the detailing is completed.4. Once the art is approved, rigging will begin in Live2D. You'll get a notification with updates and demo videos as I rig your character.5. Upon finishing rigging, you'll be sent the final files, and you may request a short video showcasing how to set up your rig in VtubeStudio if you'd like. You have one week after finishing to request any fixes for your rig.Post-Completion
After your commission has been finished, you will have priority in all future commission slots for additional work on your art/rig.
This includes, but is not limited to, additional outfits, hairstyles, expressions, new animations, updated rigging, etc.

Frequently Asked Questions

About the Art and Rigging
Q: If I have the art for my rig ready, can I commission just the rigging part?
Yes, and vice versa! However, the art needs to be correctly divided into layers and prepared for Live2D. Please do your research on how Live2D layering works, as it's very different from your typical image or animation.Q: What's the difference between expressions, animations, and idles?
Expressions change the face and are (almost always) compatible with eye and mouth movement (ex: blushing face, or crying eyes). Animations are a short bit of animation that plays (ex: waving hello). Idles change the way the character stands or the details of them, but doesn't change facial expressions (ex: adding sparkles and a halo, or a slightly different stance).Q: Does fullbody rig mean it tracks my entire body's movement?
No, it only tracks your head's movement, but the rig will make the entire body of the character move in a way that makes sense with your head movement.Q: Do you take nude or explicit rigging commissions?
At this time I have no plans on taking nude or explicit commissions.About Commissioning and OwnershipQ: How long will my rig take to complete?
Typically within 2 commission cycles (about two months). Depending on the complexity of the model and my ongoing queue, it may take longer - in which case the commissioner will be told beforehand.
However, I can also work with a shorter schedule for a fee.Q: Can I add expressions/animations/idles later on, after the commission is finished?
Yes, they can be added after the commission is finished! You'll only have to pay the for the new art and rigging that's done (ex: $80 for the art assets of an added tail and $60 for rigging it). Any changes that aren't listed here will be a case-by-case cost (ex: replacing the characters hair with a new hairstyle).Q: If I get a halfbody rig and want to make it a fullbody rig later, do I have to pay for an entire new model?
Nope! You'll just need to pay for the missing part of the model. Price varies depending on complexity.Q: Can I use my model to make a profit? Do I retain full ownership over it?
Yes, and you can check my Terms of Service for more details._Got another question? Want a price estimate? Please contact me at [email protected]!

Prices are subject to change.
Last updated Feb 23. 2022

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