Terms of Service

Queue

Submitting a commission form does not guarantee a slot in the artist's queue. The artist will respond to your listed email to confirm whether your request has been declined or added to the wait queue.
Submitting a commission form does not guarantee a timeframe in which the artist will pick up your request. While the artist will not provide exact timeframes, the artist is able to disclose how many projects are currently in progress/in queue at any time upon request. However, excessive messaging inquiring as to when the artist will get to your place in queue is not tolerated.
If your commission has a hard deadline (ie. birthday, holiday) please state that deadline in your commission request form. Deadlines with less than two months working time will not be accepted, as such if a client has a hard deadline it is important to enter the queue early. "Rush fees" to jump the queue are not available.

Pricing and Purchase

The buyer acknowledges that no physical goods will be received, and that this purchase is for digital goods only.
Payment is processed through Paypal Invoice only in USD (United States Dollars). No other payment options are available at this time.
Payment plans are available for purchases over $100, but must be discussed prior to the artist accepting the commission. In such a case the commission will be split up into multiple parts. Sketch, flat color, and final render will each be considered standalone commissions and paid for separately. Work on each step will not begin until full payment for that step has been received. Details for timeline and the cost split may be discussed on a case by case basis.
Payment is due upfront and in full. When utilizing a "payment plan" each step is considered its own separate commission, therefor the full amount of the current step in the plan is due upfront and in full.

Refunds

It is the artist's policy to send the invoice only when she is immediately able to begin work on your piece. Therefor, once the invoice is paid in full that payment is non refundable except in the situations detailed below.
If the commission has been started, the commissioner may request a low-resolution preview of the artwork's progress at any time. In the event that the artist does not communicate with you via email, or another pre-established and agreed upon mode of contact for the period of three consecutive weeks (21 days) you are entitled to a full refund.
In the rare event that the artist is unable to complete a commission, the client is entitled to a full refund. In such a case the artist will contact you via email and refund through paypal. If it is a situation where a commission may simply be paused rather than canceled, the artist will contact you via email to confirm what you would like to do before issuing a refund.
Aggressive, sexual, or otherwise inappropriate messages sent to the artist will result in an instant cancellation with no refund.
Excessive or drastic requests for changes outside the scope of reason may result in a cancellation of the commission. In such a case the artist will communicate that the scope is unreasonable, and ask if the client wishes to continue with the project as is or cancel the commission. In the event of a cancellation, no refund will be issued and the art will be sent as completed to the time of cancellation.

Commission and Process

A rough example of the process steps in a commission.

Art commissions will be rendered in a style true to the examples in this portfolio. The artist will not imitate another artist's style or significantly alter their own.
During the design sketch and color sketch phases the commissioner will be allowed multiple minor revisions and requests within reason. Please be clear and concise in your request for edits, the artist is unable to work with vague requests.

vague: Make it cooler
clear: Can you add spikes on its back and darken the colors?
unreasonable: I know we've been working on a cat design this whole time, but actually can you make it a dragon now.

vague: Make it happier
clear: Can the expression be changed to something closer to this reference image I have provided? I want to aim for the character to feel cheerful, and open to other suggestions!
unreasonable: After 10 rounds I am once again asking you to redraw the face.

vague: Something is off, but I'm not sure what.
clear: I think the head is a little too large, can we try shrinking it a little.
unreasonable: I am going to verbally abuse you because your art wasn't up to my standards.
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After the customer has approved the clean sketch, any further revisions will incur an additional fee. Excessive changes will delay the commission and may result in cancellation.
The artist strives for open communication with her clients, and with the exception of "surprise me" commissions she will take initiative to provide progress images whenever she feels there has been a significant update to the piece. Additionally if the commission has been started, the commissioner may request a low-resolution preview of the artwork's progress at any time- but please note that excessive messages and daily check-ins are not tolerated.

Closed Species and Pre-Existing Character Designs

When purchasing designs related to a closed species, please be aware that you must abide by that species' Terms of Service as well as the artist Mariel Rich's Terms of Service. It is the client's responsibility to uphold the TOS to which they have agreed, as such the client should not submit a request if the TOS are in conflict.
When purchasing designs related to a closed species, proof of ownership of a MYO (make your own) slot or equivalent permissions must be provided.
When purchasing designs related to a closed species it is the commissioner's duty to be aware of any species restrictions, and communicate with the artist any limitations of that species. Necessary revisions resulting from species rules that were not communicated will incur an additional fee.
By commissioning art of a pre-existing character that client submits that they are the rightful owner of that character, or have express written permission to commission art of that character. The client will indemnify and hold the artist Mariel Rich harmless against any claim arising from artist's reliance upon reference material provided to the artist by the client. The client retains all rights to their IP, and grants the artist temporary license to use their IP for creation of the commission.

Legal

Any customer who commissions the artist Mariel Rich holds that they have read, understood, and agreed to the terms of service as laid out on this page.
The artist reserves the right to refuse any commission request without explanation.
Removal, alteration, or censorship of the artist's watermark or signature is not allowed on any artworks.
When a client purchases a commission, the artist Mariel Rich retains full rights over the artwork. The artist may feature it in their portfolio, or post it on their social media platforms as a sample for sales and self promotion. Please feel free to message the artist for clarification or concerns.
Unless expressly discussed all commissions are for non-profit usage only. Commissioned art may be used in a personal manner such as an icon, wallpaper, personal DnD character, toyhouse, etc. as long as artist credit is given. Art may be used in established ARPG (art role playing games) if this is discussed in the beginning stages of the commission. If unsure if your intended use falls under personal use, feel free to message the artist for clarification.
Artwork may not be used commercially or for-profit purposes unless an additional distribution and rights fee has been explicitly discussed and paid in full. Without this fee and discussion art may not be used for purposes such as but not limited to: advertisements, asset art for books or games, "adoptables", or any other commercial endeavor. Prints and reproductions may not be sold, clients do not have the right to mint/sell their commissions as NFT.
No artwork made by the artist Mariel Rich may be used to train AI.

January 29, 2026
Added "Refunds" section.
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Added clarification and removed redundancy. "Full payment is required upfront. No refunds will be issued for completed commissions. " changed to "Payment is due upfront and in full. When utilizing a 'payment plan' each step is considered its own separate commission, therefor the full amount of the current step in the plan is due upfront and in full."

Changed "The artist strives for open communication with her clients, and may provide progress images whenever she feels there has been a significant update to the piece. The client is welcome to check in at any time regarding the status of their open commission, but please note that excessive messages or daily check-ins are not tolerated." to "The artist strives for open communication with her clients, and with the exception of "surprise me" commissions she will take initiative to provide progress images whenever she feels there has been a significant update to the piece. Additionally if the commission has been started, the commissioner may request a low-resolution preview of the artwork's progress at any time- but please note that excessive messages and daily check-ins are not tolerated."

Changed "Payment plans are available for purchases over $100, but must be discussed in the commission request form prior to the artist accepting the commission. In such a case the commission will be split up into multiple parts. Sketch, color, and shading will each be considered standalone commissions and paid for separately. Work on each step will not begin until payment has been received. Timelines for payments may be discussed on a case by case basis." to "Payment plans are available for purchases over $100, but must be discussed prior to the artist accepting the commission. In such a case the commission will be split up into multiple parts. Sketch, flat color, and final render will each be considered standalone commissions and paid for separately. Work on each step will not begin until full payment for that step has been received. Details for timeline and the cost split may be discussed on a case by case basis."

Changed "Submitting a commission form does not guarantee a timeframe in which the artist will pick up your request, and estimates for when the artist will be available are not available. Excessive messaging inquiring as to when the artist will get to your request is not tolerated. Once your commission has gone through the wait queue, been accepted, and payment rendered inquiries as such are perfectly acceptable." to
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Changed "Submitting a commission form does not guarantee a timeframe in which the artist will pick up your request, and estimates for when the artist will be available are not available. Excessive messaging inquiring as to when the artist will get to your request is not tolerated. Once your commission has gone through the wait queue, been accepted, and payment rendered inquiries as such are perfectly acceptable." to "Submitting a commission form does not guarantee a timeframe in which the artist will pick up your request. While the artist will not provide exact timeframes, the artist is able to disclose how many projects are currently in progress/in queue at any time upon request. However, excessive messaging inquiring as to when the artist will get to your place in queue is not tolerated."

Changed "If your commission has a hard deadline (ie. birthday, holiday) please state that deadline in your commission request form. Deadlines less than two months in advance will not be accepted." to If your commission has a hard deadline (ie. birthday, holiday) please state that deadline in your commission request form. Deadlines with less than two months working time will not be accepted, as such if a client has a hard deadline it is important to enter the queue early. "Rush fees" to jump the queue are not available.

Changed "When purchasing designs related to a closed species, please be aware that you must abide by that species' Terms of Service as well as the artist Mariel Rich's Terms of Service. If the two Terms of Service conflict the commission will not be accepted." to "When purchasing designs related to a closed species, please be aware that you must abide by that species' Terms of Service as well as the artist Mariel Rich's Terms of Service. It is the client's responsibility to uphold the TOS to which they have agreed, as such the client should not submit a request if the TOS are in conflict. "

Changed "By commissioning art of a pre-existing character that client submits that they are the rightful owner of that character, or have express written permission to commission art of that character. The client will indemnify and hold the artist Mariel Rich harmless against any claim arising from artist's reliance upon reference material provided to the artist by the client." to "By commissioning art of a pre-existing character that client submits that they are the rightful owner of that character, or have express written permission to commission art of that character. The client will indemnify and hold the artist Mariel Rich harmless against any claim arising from artist's reliance upon reference material provided to the artist by the client. The client retains all rights to their IP, and grants the artist temporary license to use their IP for creation of the commission."
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January 26, 2026
Changed "If your commission has a hard deadline (ie. birthday, holiday) please state that deadline in your commission request form. Deadlines less than three months in advance will not be accepted." to "If your commission has a hard deadline (ie. birthday, holiday) please state that deadline in your commission request form. Deadlines less than two months in advance will not be accepted."