I don't normally tell people that I draw. I don't tell them because when I do, they have me draw everything for them. Whether they be posters for their child's bedroom, or cards or tattoos, or design a calendar for them. It gets annoying after a bit. It's like people assume that because you like to draw, that you are willing to scribble anything these people shove your way.

Anyone else experience this?

The solution to your problem is to CHARGE THEM for your services. If they are willing to pay you, then at least your time won't be totally wasted. At the worst, they'll just say never mind when you thow a price at them for your services. It's a win/win situation.

Never work for free (unless it's for yourself)

Oh yeah, my mom whores me out to her friends as a "free art maker" all the time, even though I, right now, don't even have the proper software/hardware to complete these tasks anymore.

She doesn't even tell me I'm supposed to do something until after she's told them that I'll do it. Never mind that I have almost NO clue about actual graphic/logo design. Last week she wanted me to design an entire brochure for her internet friend's high school reunion or something like that. The worst part is that neither my mom or her friends are ever specific. It's always just general directions that could easily mean anything.

I know I'm not cut out for graphic design work. I'm not cut out for professional art careers of any kind, except MAYBE(big maybe) photography. I hate the fact that my mom can't accept that; just because I like to draw and I'm efficient in Photoshop, doesn't mean I have any desire to be a graphic designer.

"You can use the brochure in your portfolio!" she said.

Even if I'd actually done the brochure, there's no way I'd be putting it in any portfolio. I'd be too embarrassed to, because I know it'd be horrible.

Yeah. It makes me angry if the rant above was any clue at all.

Daiconv
The solution to your problem is to CHARGE THEM for your services. If they are willing to pay you, then at least your time won't be totally wasted. At the worst, they'll just say never mind when you thow a price at them for your services. It's a win/win situation.

Never work for free (unless it's for yourself)

Oh yes, I do that. But it doesn't stop other people from constantly asking. It's like they assume that I'll change my mind if they keep begging. Which is even MORE annoying.

jaex
Oh yeah, my mom whores me out to her friends as a "free art maker" all the time

Same here, buddy. I'm constantly having to make cards for her. And if I don't do them, she guilts me into doing them!

Count yourself lucky. A lot of guys like me who want to be drawing things for people get overlooked all the time. I routinely have people ask me if I know anyone who does design or illustration, because they know I'm connected to the art scene, even though they've completely forgotten that they are in fact, talking to an illustrator. As far as I'm concerned, that's even more frustrating.

I like it when people ask me to draw stuff for them. Makes me feel good, makes them happy, and I enjoy drawing, so why not? If I don't have the time I'll tell them that, but otherwise I have no problem with making stuff for people.

Iba and jaex, I feel both your pains. The most frustrating thing ever is people asking you to do something that you just don't do, or know how to do.

A while back my sister's boyfriend was trying to get me to draft some damn blueprints for a deck he was building. I explained to him that I'm not an architect or technical draftsman, and that anything I draw him WILL NOT be to scale and the only thing I could do at best is just draw him a picture of a deck. After all that, he still was begging me to do it. I told him I'd do it for $150, thinking that would discourage him, and then he said "ok!". I was like "Shit!". In the end, it was a big pain in the ass, because nothing I drew was to scale (after I told him it wouldn't be) and he kept adding things to the design.

On the other hand, I'm into video production and was looking for an excuse to use my equipment and experiment with some things. Long story short, I have a family reunion coming up, and they turned down my offering for FREE (I almost never do anything for free!), professional quality video production and editing for my uncle to just shoot it with his ten year old VHS camcorder. Also very frustrating...

People who don't do art have a misconception about how art is made. They think artists poop art out of themselves effortlessly, and what's more, they enjoy doing it, so you do artists a favor when you get them to make art for you.

Unfortunately, art isn't effortless, and your enjoyment of it stems from your motivation to do it. I've had people try to get me to do art for them, and if it's something I don't want to draw, it's like pulling teeth. The older I've gotten, the more valuable my time has become.

The worst is getting asked to illustrate somebody's children's book. They think they've got what it takes to make it in what is actually a VERY cut-throat market, and they want you to illustrate thirty pages for free because you're an artist they know. Oh, but don't worry... you'll get paid when the book is a bestseller.

Daiconv
Iba and jaex, I feel both your pains. The most frustrating thing ever is people asking you to do something that you just don't do, or know how to do.

A while back my sister's boyfriend was trying to get me to draft some damn blueprints for a deck he was building.

Yeah, I hate when people do that especially. Years ago, my mom asked me to be the only guy making signs for a bake sale because "it's something an artist can do really well." No, mom. It's something a literate person can do really well. I'd gladly help make some signs for my mom, it just irritates me that she'd patronize me like that.

Hell, I don't get as much of all that, but one of the big ones the bugs me is the people asking me to either:
A.)Draw them, except, if I do, more than likely they won't like what I do. Pretty much the only real people I've EVER been able to draw somewhat accurately are my brother and myself. But that doesn't stop them from asking...like all the time!
or
B.)Draw them porn. Now, don't get me wrong. A little fanservice never hurt anybody, but I draw the line at anything I'd be embarassed to show to my mother. Seriously, I don't ever wanna draw something for somebody when I'm pretty certain it'll be whackoff fuel (of course, I figure I'll probably get close to that kinda thing...one of my characters being a stripper and all, but I don't do full-on nudity).

This is pretty much the same complaint that the most computer-competent person in a group has.... 'can you take a look at my computer?' is never, ever a welcome request. :] Especially if you're not even an especially computery person, you just know better than to download dubious programs and open mystery email attachments.

the same with doctors, plumpers, mechanics...my mom abuses her little brother into fixing her car all the time. artists arent the only ones taken advantage of here.

NickGuy
the same with doctors, plumpers, mechanics...my mom abuses her little brother into fixing her car all the time. artists arent the only ones taken advantage of here.

Oh, on that I can wholeheartedly agree. I don't know how many of my friends have tried to get me to install carpet for 'em. That's work I get paid to do, and as I always say, "Nothin's free"

Yeah, exactly, try being two of those things at the same time, which is what I am.

What really annoys me is that not only do people want your services for free... at the same time, they also think they know better than you in the exact areas that they're asking for your help on.

Why the F*** is that??!

That is why the common wisdom amongst professionals is, "Never work on/with family/friends." Unless it's a family business.

mlai
What really annoys me is that not only do people want your services for free... at the same time, they also think they know better than you in the exact areas that they're asking for your help on.

Why the F*** is that??!

Ohhhhh. When my mother volunteers me, she's basically directing me on how to draw everything! It's like, if you don't like the way I'm doing this (which by the way, I finally agreed on, be grateful) then you might as well do it yourself.

skoolmunkee
This is pretty much the same complaint that the most computer-competent person in a group has.... 'can you take a look at my computer?' is never, ever a welcome request. :] Especially if you're not even an especially computery person, you just know better than to download dubious programs and open mystery email attachments.

Same here. I know how to work Photoshop, that's it. But every time a problem occurs, my friends (also my mother, she's not very computer savvy) call me and ask me to fix them. Just yesterday my friend was having a problem with Flash and she asked me on how to fix it because you know, since I draw on the computer, I automatically know everything about one.

This chart basically sums up everything my older brother has to put up with.
http://graphjam.files.wordpress.com/2009/09/song-chart-memes-computer-science.jpg

skoolmunkee
This is pretty much the same complaint that the most computer-competent person in a group has.... 'can you take a look at my computer?' is never, ever a welcome request. :] Especially if you're not even an especially computery person, you just know better than to download dubious programs and open mystery email attachments.

Jeez, no kidding. Every time I go home for a holiday I spend more time fixing computers than I spend having fun with my family. And it's frustrating, because it only takes a few minutes of them being stupid to cost me hours of repair and reinstallation. And they'll just do it again!

I got this sometimes from my mother, but I'm not actually that computer savvy, and 'fixing' the problem usually consists of clicking shit at random until it works. To be fair though, she has it even worse, since her mother assumes that since he has a 'tech savvy' son, that she must herself be tech savvy, and her mother is more prone to breaking her computer since at least my mother has some degree of common sense when it comes to opening strange e-mails and adverts and such.

As for drawing. . . not really. It's not really come up since the few friends I have are artists themselves. Edit: scratch that second bit, since I just remembered that those two non-artists consist of someone who used to be, and someone who recently decided to become one.

Hawk
And they'll just do it again!

Immediately fucking afterwards!

Computer fixing, software troubleshooting, web design, general artwork in the form of illustration, painting, logos whatever...
It's really generally easier just to get on and do it as fastand as well as I can and get it out of the way.

Yeah, I've run into people that were all for getting me to draw for them and not pay me. The way they seemed to figure it was that they were already doing me a favor by being a writer for me. I have no idea why I've had suck rotten luck with writers I've met but most of them seem to think that people that draw can't come up with stories on their own.
This isn't to say that I won't work with a writer on principal. The operative word here is "with," as a opposed to "for." When there's mutual respect between the writer and the artist as well as creative input from both sides it actually not so bad. I do have a lot of gripes with having the writer being the boss. The single worst job I've ever had was to storyboard an 800+ page script that was out of order and unpaginated! The writer kept asking me why I haven't done anything, I kept saying that I couldn't figure out the script, then he'd throw some marketing buzzwords at me. Then I'd usually make shit up and make a storyboard out of that. Needless to say that job didn't end well.

patrickdevine
Yeah, I've run into people that were all for getting me to draw for them and not pay me. The way they seemed to figure it was that they were already doing me a favor by being a writer for me. I have no idea why I've had suck rotten luck with writers I've met but most of them seem to think that people that draw can't come up with stories on their own.

Even worse are people who assume that they're good writers because they can't draw. For some reason people can't seem to comprehend the idea that, like drawing, writing takes years of practice and dedication, because it's 'just words'. I feel really sorry for the decent writers out there who constantly get disregarded because of this stupidity. I recall reading an article (if I remember which one, I'll edit this post), by a comic writer who said that everyone thinks they're a writer, and that whenever he mentions his profession, nearly everyone always brings up the novel they're writing. He also mentioned having a table at a con and over-hearing a kid describe the roles as thus: 'the artist makes the story, and the writer fills in the words'. Makes me glad I chose to be an artist, honestly. There's still plenty of shit to deal with, but at least it's not outright dismissal.

I remember one of my lecturers telling me about people handing him terrible, unedited, first draft scripts and expecting him to waste several years of his life animating them, rather than telling them to fuck off. You can probably guess which response they tended to get.

Freegurt
I don't normally tell people that I draw. I don't tell them because when I do, they have me draw everything for them. Whether they be posters for their child's bedroom, or cards or tattoos, or design a calendar for them. It gets annoying after a bit. It's like people assume that because you like to draw, that you are willing to scribble anything these people shove your way.

Anyone else experience this?

Yep. Not as many times as you, though.

Yeahhh I suffer from that too.

(late post)

When I tell people that I charge, either they give me dirty looks/cuss me out or shove money in my face.

Okay so the money thing has only happened once, which was like the greatest moment in my happy life, but it has happened.

But most of the time it's just hate. Why. It's like somehow people think we're born with talent, therefore it's our duty to share it with everyone for free. No no no. We've gone through scores of emotional breakdowns, lots of patience and criticism and whatnot (just like any person with a skill).

...At least I have.

patrickdevine
Yeah, I've run into people that were all for getting me to draw for them and not pay me. The way they seemed to figure it was that they were already doing me a favor by being a writer for me. I have no idea why I've had suck rotten luck with writers I've met but most of them seem to think that people that draw can't come up with stories on their own.

What you described is what goes through my head when I see forum posts about comic writers looking for artists. It seems like a lot of them have this crazy idea that artists are lonely and waiting helplessly for that one good writer to come in and give them the story they need to make an awesome comic. But from what I can see, EVERY artist seems to have a story in their head, be it good or bad.

It's a shame, because I'm sure there are really good writers out there than can't draw, and posting in the "help wanted" area of message boards would make them look like the really novice writers.

This isn't to say that I won't work with a writer on principal. The operative word here is "with," as a opposed to "for."

That's a very important distinction right there. I've turned down several people who wanted art from me, and it was always because I got the feeling they wanted an artist working "for" them. But I've got enough work for myself. I'd rather work for myself unless there's a project where I get enough input to make it feel like I have partial ownership.

...sucks that most, if not all this is true.
I've lost count how many times I've been asked to do art projects for people at No cost, my problem is though I'm too damn nice for my own good:/

As much as i want to say "F**k off" I end up saying "sure, why not"...
anyway yes i'd imagine the only way to fix the problem is to just start charging for the time and effort put into something.

Yeah I get friends asking me to draw them a few things, most of the time I just do quick sketches

I have yet to encounter those problems, but I bet it gets terribly annoying.

Freegurt
I don't normally tell people that I draw. I don't tell them because when I do, they have me draw everything for them. Whether they be posters for their child's bedroom, or cards or tattoos, or design a calendar for them. It gets annoying after a bit. It's like people assume that because you like to draw, that you are willing to scribble anything these people shove your way.
?

This is not a problem. This is called work.
"If you're good at something, never do it for free."
$_$

Woah...it just happened again. And once again, it's a subject that I not only don't care about, but haven't really attempted to draw before. I hate cowboys, and I have never even attempted to draw a bull before...and it's not even for the person who's askin me for the picture, but some random douchebag they know.

Yeah I'll tottaly work out of my league to make a birthday present for you for someone I don't know. One week? Sure.

Why are pencil copies of photographs popular and how does catching someone scribbling during their lunchbreak at an underpaying job make them the person to go to for these things.

I don't draw for anyone because I rarely let on to my friends and family that I draw at all. Soon that will change.

I love being asked. Normally my friends ask me to draw up things like Christmas card idea's. I love doing that because it allows me to express a creative idea that Hallmark just hadn't thought of :D

It's a compliment, I mean, my art sucks, but they love the creativity and humor in my drawings, so it makes me happy.