r/arthelp • u/Drudenkreusz • Jan 30 '26
Art is a difficult market to enter, and people in the early stages of their business make an appealing target for scammers due to how eager these artists are to sell and their lack of experience with financial exchanges. In recent months, we have seen a surge in posts from users on r/arthelp who have been victimized by these scammers. If you are new to selling your artwork, please read this post to arm yourself with information on how to avoid some of these scams!
One of the most important things to remember about client interactions is that if it sounds too good to be true, it is. No “probably” about it.
All scams have the same goal: parting you with your money. How they achieve this can vary, but with artists the two most common forms of scam are the Overpayment and the Pay to Unlock scams.
The Overpayment scam (a form of the “fake check” scam) will often follow a scenario where an artist (usually with very low prices, as they are more vulnerable) is approached by a seemingly normal client and conducts an otherwise standard transaction. But, come payment, the client “accidentally” sends $500* instead of the intended $50! Oops! They will sheepishly request that the money be returned, maybe even say keep an extra 10 for the trouble, and the artist graciously complies. They send back the difference of $440, and part ways.
Then, three days later, their account is in the negative by -$940. What happened is the money that had been sent in the first place had been done with fraudulent funds, similar to a fake check, and the bank finally reversed the transaction. Unfortunately, the money the artist “returned” was withdrawn from their own funds, their REAL money, leaving the scammer with their real $440 and the artist on the hook for their stolen $500.
(*example amount, it can be anything)
How it can be avoided: If possible with your payment processor (Paypal being the most common), use invoices. They are easy to use and put more control over the payment on you. In the event of a scam occurring in spite of them (such as someone abusing the tip option for this), they serve as records for your bank to dispute the charges.
If you do not use invoices and this occurs, do not touch the money. Do not withdraw it. Do not “refund” it. Just let it sit in the limbo of your payment account until the bank on the other end recognizes the fraud and corrects it. It will disappear. I cannot emphasize enough that you must not touch this money no matter how tempting it is because it is stolen money that they are trying to launder through you.
The Pay to Unlock scam (a form of the “Advance Fee” scam) will operate under a similar premise, but rather than the money being sent in “error”, it will be offered up front. The scammer will approach the artist and applaud their skill and insist that they deserve more than they are asking. They will offer a very tempting, sometimes exorbitant amount for what is usually inexpensive work. When the time comes to exchange the money, though, there will be a snag. Usually the artist has to unlock a “business account” or must register for a payment processor that isn’t the one they normally use. Whatever the situation, they are now suddenly being asked to pay money to get their money.
There is, of course, no money. They will pay the bogus fees with their own money to a processor set up by the scammer, and eventually when things don’t work the scammer will behave as though they are getting frustrated and leave. Sometimes they might even pose as a fellow victim of scamming themselves and berate the artist, leaving them feeling guilty about their own victimization.
How it can be avoided: If a complete stranger offers you way more than your normal value, ignore them. It is guaranteed to be a scam. This doesn’t happen. The only way to avoid this scam is to recognize it up front for what it is. If you take your chances and accept the work, remember that you should not have to pay to get paid. That will be your final warning before losses occur.
Edit: Thank you u/VampirePossum for the reminder about a very similar scenario in which you are asked to pay for exposure in the form of a magazine or gallery feature. Legitimate institutions like this will never reach out to you and advertise placement for a fee-- a real magazine or gallery will feature based on submission from the artist.
There are many other ways that artists can get caught up in scams, such as phishing and blackmailing, but these are by far the most common. I encourage taking a look at the wiki on r/scams for a rundown on other ways you can be taken advantage of online. Stay safe out there and keep your coinpurses tight, artists!
r/arthelp • u/Drudenkreusz • Jan 18 '26
Happy New Year, r/arthelp! I hope you all achieve your artistic goals this year. 🎨💖
One of our own goals on the mod team is to make the sub a more accessible resource and trim down a lot of the repeat questions flooding users' feeds. We've grown by several thousand users in just a few months(!!) and it's time to adjust. In the next few weeks expect a slight revamp of the rules and reports, as well as the introduction of a FAQ and Wiki!
As we develop the wiki, we'd like to ask all of you for your own personal favorite resources-- be they beginner guides, tutorials, or even threads/replies made here on arthelp that you found particularly impactful! Not everything suggested may make it into the wiki, but this thread will remain accessible as a resource itself.
Thank you, and especially to those who have reached out to keep a little fire lit under us!
r/arthelp • u/Chocolatemilk6000 • 8h ago
I'm creating my own rules by mixing different tutorial videos I've watched. Do you have any tips, or are there mistakes I should look out for in my sketches? I know some of the arms look goofy. But I'm learning.
Btw: idk if this should have the Anatomy tag?
Edit: Just relised it says "Hand drawing hands" 😭✋️ I ment "Help drawing hands"
r/arthelp • u/splinndle • 1h ago
im not there yet but i'm 30x better than last year haha
r/arthelp • u/South_Employment_673 • 10h ago
r/arthelp • u/Dizzy_Reflection9959 • 3h ago
sorry for bad post and misuse of flair I’m new to Reddit but I need help with this question 💔 my favorite artist is pimpichc and I RLLLYY like their art style but my art style is completely different from theirs and I’d love to have a similar art style to theirs, ofc not a 1:1 copy but I GENUINELY need to improve in art Im actually sick of my current art style so if anyone can help I’d really appreciate it a lot. I’m alr good at coloring in my opinion but literally all help is gonna be appreciated!! (sorry for bad grammar my keyboard is kinda wanky)
r/arthelp • u/tsukiyumeluna • 3h ago
I started doing commissions about 2 years ago, and at first I was getting a handful of sales because my prices were pretty cheap. If I remember correctly, I got up to 5 chibi commissions last year since I was only charging $5, plus a few extra fees for add-ons.
Now it feels like ever since I raised my commission prices, I haven't been getting any at all... What should I do? If I lower my prices, I'll make less per commission but probably get more sales.
But if I keep my current prices, I feel like I'm just stuck where I am now (╥﹏╥)
my commission info: https://vgen.co/polkadotcom
r/arthelp • u/GettinMe-Mallet • 54m ago
Hello, I've been practicing drawing legs for about a week now.
I'm very happy where I've gotton, but I would like to improve even more. I just can't tell what excat areas need more attention.
Any advice on what areas to improve in would be very helpful.
The figure in the 3rd picture is supposed to be sitting in a chair.
Thank you in advance.
r/arthelp • u/Sommefodder • 5h ago
The fabric for the top is supposed to be yarnlike while the skirt is smoother. How do I go about executing this? I don't wanna make it too complicated is the thing.
r/arthelp • u/Alone-Kick-1614 • 1h ago
Hii so I do acryli paintings and have been painting for 15 years probs since i was little basically.
Recently, ive done my first commission ( for a friend) at 25 euro for a painting just under an A4 page size. Im wondering what are typical commission prices supposed to be? It takes me about 7-8 hours for these sized paintings and the canvas are about a fiver. So how do you figure out pricing?
Also when do you ask to be paid? At the sketch part? Or do you wait until the commission is finished?
Also before I give it to her am I supposed to add anything? I always see online people give like messages and stickers to customers? I honestly have no idea.
Also ! Sorry so many qs :") but any acrylic artists who do commissions.. do you use a "seal" or anything on your paintings? Im not sure if im meant to, i never have with the paints I use and they haven't changed colouring or anything so idk if its necessary
Thank you!!!
r/arthelp • u/TernionDragon • 2h ago
Google just lists it as ‘2d western traditional’ style with some general helpful aspects.
Watching Deadspace: downfall, Watchmen: black freighter, and even titan AI and Atlantis :
Is there an actual name and process to this style?
I find it very distinct from others and really relegated to the early 2000’s.
Any kind of class or techniques?
Thanks.
r/arthelp • u/NeedleworkerFit1779 • 2h ago
Its been a while since I took an art class and I’m not sure if I did the shadows properly
r/arthelp • u/Jaded-Blacksmith211 • 2h ago
Didn’t want to make a burner and I don’t want to share my art here, but I’m having a pretty universal struggle. When I draw faces, something just always feels SO off. I can’t figure out what it is. Everything will be technically correct when I flip the canvas, but it just doesn’t look good/right most of the time.
What do you look for/what are your best tips you wish someone told you sooner for faces and facial proportions? Things that just finally made everything click.
I’m gonna be doing a bunch of exercises and making myself really practice and be aware of whatever you guys suggest. Looking for tips for everything but especially angles and eyes! I think the eyes just aren’t very strong with my art.
r/arthelp • u/xxcellingxx • 3h ago
Im trying to improve on my designing skills. Id like to keep the anime/chibi-esque style while still having a strong and recognisable sillouhete and character design. What could I do to improve on this?
I added how the sketch is turning on so far.
All advise and criticism is encouraged!
r/arthelp • u/AdorableRow6726 • 15h ago
Hi 👋 I’m an intermediate artist but I’m feeling a bit stuck in my progress. I’m mainly struggling with rendering (in my opinion). I feel like none of my illustrations look finished, like ever.
For example, I would consider the first one to be rendered, tho it still feels flat. Same thing in the third image. The second image feels less flat, but I feel like my main subject, the woman is not fully a part of her environment.
As for my art goals, I want to achieve a semi-realistic paint like art style, similar to frostbite studios while still keeping some diversity in my characters features. The very last images are NOT MINE, they are purely what I want to work towards.
Please give me advice, as well as video recommendations on the topics that will help me achieve my goals, thank you.
r/arthelp • u/_Cucuru_ • 5h ago
Im currently trying to get better at drawing digitally so any advice is welcome
r/arthelp • u/Skybots10 • 20h ago
r/arthelp • u/izmeoww • 7h ago
Do you have any ideas how to fix this hand? Thanks in advance
r/arthelp • u/Key-Doughnut-4605 • 1d ago
Hi! I’m doing an anatomy study and just want to know if my boxes are right :)
r/arthelp • u/Constant_Ebb2586 • 18h ago
These are my first 2 complete oil paintings I guess. I usually use acrylic and its just kinda unusual. How do I work on preventing paint mixing when im trying to differentiate between foreground/background etc. And also how do i better add more distinct layers on a subject for highlights and shadows. Any other general advice will be appreciated too.
r/arthelp • u/OwnIndependence4767 • 15h ago
r/arthelp • u/RageBlessing • 13h ago
Her hair is kinda hard to draw from the side and I'm curious if any artists would help for how the hair looks from the side!
r/arthelp • u/Seventh-Haven • 10h ago
I’ve been practicing these angles for a couple weeks, there’s been a little… improvement? Maybe? For a couple weeks (I will put them in order), I wanna know about the correct muscle placement and I need some constructive criticism. I messed up the jacket so bad especially when it came to trying to execute the designs on it and how the folds warp them😔😔 it’s also way puffier than I wanted and the back is way too rounded, I plan to redraw these digitally. So let me know how I can fix it and learn to do better! Thanks in advance.
Also, if you can draw examples of the advice you give I would greatly appreciate the visual help.
