Guide to Hiring and Taking Jobs

[Digivoxel]

So, with a recent post I was reading, stemming from 2009 crazy, right? I know this is something a lot of people new to the industry face, but also people who are veterans face this as well. I wanted to write up a guide to help new artists as well as new creators/planners, basically anyone who wants to approach an artist. However, this is a guide based on my personal experiences, and is most likely not universal. The least this guide will do is to prepare you for being scammed.

Scamming
Scamming goes both ways, an artist can take pay without doing a single pixel of work, and an entire game can have tilesets and animation without a dime in the artist's bank account. The best way to approach situations is to understand that there is no side that is screwed over more than the other. Artists have been screwed over and so have producers, but the best defense is to see the signs ahead of time.

Payment
A standard payment method today is Paypal. However, payment practices are different. Some people will only get paid once the work is fully done. Some will take 50% up front and 50% at the end; the list goes on. If you're not interested in taking payment, you can easily skip this step and head onto the next. However, if you are taking money, understand that Paypal is a safe place to accept money, but it is not without fault.

Unlike donations through paypal for streaming, chargebacks for art work are extremely hard to prove. Chargebacks are when the payer attempts to take their money back, claiming no work was done, or their credit card was stolen, and etc. On the downside, more often the money is retracted without contacting the other party. However, if you are a victim of a chargeback, you can contact Paypal with information. If you had completed a lot of art, have email proof of exchanges of art as well as information about the agreement to pay for the art, you will get your money back quick. So please follow this simple step guide before accepting art.

• Receive text agreement (email is best) asking for your work in exchange for money.
• Have evidence of your emails or messages with the person with your art or any work you've done.

Following these steps almost always guarantee's your money back, though these are not fail-safe ways methods. For example, if it is a stolen credit card, you probably wont get the money back.

Stolen Art
With advancements in google technologies, it's easier to see if art has been stolen. For most works you can reverse google search images in order to find their origin. Don't be afraid if they appear in the search, it's possible they posted their work on other websites. However, try to make sure if the account is linked to the artist contacting you. If the person contacting you by email is called DanielCraig188 and the person on the forum is called JamesDean, create an account and PM JamesDean, asking if they are the artist emailing you. If not, let the artist know there is someone using their art to try and steal money.

Research is CRUCIAL
If you don't research, you are to be blamed. If you searched for their art, or you looked up their company, than they did a good job at hiding their intentions. Not everyone is a scammer, it's rare to get scammed, so don't feel like you have to be on pins and needles 100% of the time. However, you should approach every partnership as a partnership. Understand that the person you're dealing with could run off with your money, trusting them is okay, but being prepared has never killed anyone.

It happens to everyone
A lot of people have had their work stolen, been asked to do a job and received no payment, even though they were contracted for payment. It doesn't matter if you're dealing with a random person on the internet, or someone who has worked in games companies. But never be afraid to tell your story.

If you believe you are being scammed and the person is not contacting you after payment, please reach out to them, but also websites their work is on. Most members will help try to get into contact with that user. If anyone has anything else to add, please feel free to share.