Your Very Own One Ring: The Ultimate Guide to Commissioning MTG Alters
Have you ever wanted to commission custom art for one of your Magic: the Gathering cards? This guide will walk you through the process from start to finish on how to do just that!
Are you sad that you didn’t open The One Ring? Did you open collector box after collector box chasing its 2 million dollar price tag? Never before has a single card drawn more attention to Magic: the Gathering than this one. And rightly so, it's a one-of-one! If you opened it, you could guarantee that no one else in the entire world can have it. It is uniquely and solely yours. But what if I told you there was another way to get your very own one-of-one Magic card at an absolute fraction of the price?
In fact, I have a few myself.
The secret is commissioning your own artwork! Have you ever been watching a game of Magic on YouTube or scrolling through Twitter and seen some incredible custom art on a card and wondered, “How can I get something like that?” Well, you are in luck! The process of commissioning art is actually quite simple if you know where to go and the right questions to ask, but doing so for the first time can feel daunting. I know that was my experience the first time I commissioned a piece!
With the help of some amazing artists in the community, this guide is here to help walk you through the do's and don’ts of commissioning custom art so you can have your very own one-of-one Magic card!
What’s the first step?
Ultimately step number one is identifying what you want and who you want to do the alter. This can be hard sometimes. You may have an idea for an awesome alter but have no idea where to turn to bring your visions to life. Or you may just have a card that is really special to you and you want to show that by giving it new and unique art. Do you want a physical alter where they paint directly on the card? Do you want a digital alter that you can have multiple copies of? There are a few ways to find an artist that matches what you are looking for:
Twitter- This is the way I have found most of the artists I have worked with in the past. If you follow various Magic personalities you will likely come across many artists that are well known in the community. If you are looking for inspiration on who to follow, Shivanm Bhatt of the Commander Advisory Group put out a casting call on Twitter last year that has a lot of amazing artists in the comments. You can check it out here.
Instagram- Just like Twitter, many artists use Instagram as their primary medium to share their work! Use hashtags to search for artists and follow them! The more you connect with that community, the more the algorithm will feed you!
Facebook-There are a number of groups you can join on Facebook where people buy, sell, and commission alters. I am a part of one called Profession MTG Alters Resource and Community but there are many others just like this one! A simple search for MTG alters will bring up lots of results!
Fiverr- Fiverr is a marketplace where you can easily contract freelance artists. There are a number of artists on the platform today that you can commission to do a piece for you!
Contacting the Artist
Once you know what kind of alter you want and who you want to do that alter the next step is to reach out to them. I have done this a few times myself. Still, I am certainly no expert so I reached out to a few popular artists in the Magic space who get these kinds of messages all the time and asked them to give their insights here as to what is most helpful to them, what to avoid, common courtesy practices, etc.
Often times the appropriate place to start is to make sure they are taking commissions at that time. Some artists will make it clear that they have slots available with pinned tweets or notes in their bio, others may not, so be courteous. Before diving into what you want make sure that they have commission slots available.
Also, ensure that you understand their pricing before you commit to anything. All the artists I spoke to said that they rarely have issues here, but a few shared stories of people not understanding their full rate, when to pay, etc. so just make sure you clear all those details before giving a firm commitment. Also, confirm how they want you to send the payment. In my experience, PayPal tends to be the most common method. As a point of reference, I have seen commission rates range from $75 up to around $200, it all depends on the artist, the level of detail you are asking for, their availability, etc.
On the note of pricing, I really appreciated what Dave Lee (@derfington on Twitter) said, “Don’t lowball or haggle against an artist’s commission rates. Lowballing says to them that you don’t value their time. However, I personally think it is fine to ask if a discount is available for ordering multiple commissions at once…Understand that many artists make their livelihood from commissions, so timely payment is important to them. They value your patronage, and you value their skills”
Dave did this amazing Quintorius piece for me and I cannot recommend him high enough! If you get the chance definitely check out his work!
Essentially, treat them with respect and all will go great!
Now that we know the artists has availability and we understand the pricing we get to move onto the fun stuff; actually talking with the artist about what we want! From my personal experience and from talking with artists directly, it’s clear that everyone handles this stage a little differently but there are some common themes that were shared.
WhiteCrowArchon (@ArchonCrow) who does awesome work, from border extensions to fully customized full frame art, said of the description process,
“ Every little detail is important, everyone hates working on something and then discover once completed that you did something wrong, missed anything, or approached the work in a way that the client doesn't like. I always discuss all these things before starting to paint and often share WIPs.”
Adriano Kitani (@amkitani), who most of you will know as the artist that does all the art for MTGGoldfish, is a digital artist with an incredibly unique style. When he gets a commission for a piece details he loves to be given are,
“Things like poses and color palette. I personally like when clients provide some kind of visual reference with photos or even a sketch of what they have in mind.”
You can order some of these Alter Sleeves from Adriano here: https://www.altersleeves.com/alterist/amkitani/
Something that both Dave and Mike (@sadrobotalters), who has a super cool series of “old-bordering” new cards, said is important is to understand the desired playability of the card. Are you going to be playing it in a tournament, is it going to be used in a cube, can the text box of the card be covered, etc?
Dave went on to further say, “Some clients will also send me reference photos for objects or poses, or will even refer to my previous work for examples of what they liked. I enjoy working with people who take the time to do research, as I love collaboration.”
The Waiting Game
After you have worked with the artist and confirmed everything then it’s time for the worst part of the whole process…waiting. Waiting patiently to see this grand work you have envisioned come to life!
Just like before, every artist handles this stage a little differently. Some will send sketches or samples for approval, others will ensure all the directions are clear up front and just get to work!
For example, while working on my Quintorius alter, Dave Lee sent me these two sketches to see if I liked his direction!
Adriano says that he, “always send[s] a sketch first for an initial revision…before working on the final image.”
Either way soon enough the exciting day will come when you get to see the final version for the first time!
But what if there is something you don’t love? Or maybe something is missing that you had in your mind but never expressed to the artist?
Is it appropriate to ask for a revision of some kind?
Yes! All the artists I spoke with agreed that revisions within reason are absolutely acceptable to ask for.
WhiteCrow said if the process is followed revisions don’t often happen but he has, “no issue with revisions.”
Mike said, “Getting asked for a revision doesn't offend me, though there are limits to how much paint can go on a card before it becomes noticeably thick.” Which is a good callout. Only so much can be done once a piece has been finished, so do not go overboard in asking for changes, especially if they creep outside the scope of the original project.
This is why it is important to research and find an artist whose style you love because then you can just let them run with it. Dave said, “When it comes to details, you may be tempted to micro-manage your alter artist, but trust in their abilities.” Let them work their magic! If you like their style your final piece will come out great.
What not to do
I also asked the artist things that one should avoid when commissioning an alter. Here are a few of their responses:
“Don’t give unrealistic deadlines. If you want an alter completed and shipped to you in a week, and the artist lives overseas, don’t expect it to arrive on time. Artists will usually quote turnaround times with their rates.” -Dave Lee
“Some artists aren't comfortable painting some kinds of NSFW artworks or stuff like that. Better ask before!” -WhiteCrow
“I think is important to respect the timeframe/deadlines agreed when commissioning art. This is valid both for clients and artists.”-Adriano Kitani
Really what it all boils down to is be respectful and things will go great! All the artists I have talked to in the past for commissions and all the artists I spoke with for this article are great people and have been a joy to work with! Have fun with the process! Be collaborative! Watch as your ideas come to life! If you value and respect the artist you are working with, they will value and respect you!
Art is such an important part of Magic and some of my most cherished MTG possessions are the alters I have gotten done. There is something so special about having your vision realized on a card. It feels unique. It feels personal. It's your very own one-of-one Magic card. And yeah it may not be worth 2 million dollars, but is that really what this game is all about? If you truly want a one-of-a-kind Magic card that is uniquely yours go out and commission an alter!
I want to give a huge shoutout to Dave Lee (@derfington), Mike from Playing with Power (@sadrobotalters), Adriano Kitani (@amkitani), and WhiteCrowArchon (@archoncrow) for being willing to talk with me about the world of MTG alters! This article would not have been possible without them! Show them some love and go commission your own piece from them!
Do you have a favorite artist or a favorite alter? Share them in the comments down below!
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Great topic to cover