I started doing drawings for this lady about a year and a half ago. She has four kids, and 3 of the 4 drawings were just fine. The 4th she didn't like because she said it didn't look like her child for some reason. I draw from photographs, but none of the photographs of this particular child were very good for drawing purposes-- I couldn't use the body from any of them for example. So I'm trying to draw the child's face and put it on a body that I'm making up myself, and I guess my first attempt didn't look natural. This is my first attempt:
So I told her I would give it another shot. This time I used one of the photographs, and didn't change anything. I drew straight from the photograph, body and all. Here is that drawing:
Well, she liked the face on that one, but didn't like the fact that you couldn't see the baby's body, and she didn't like her husband's hand in front and her daughter's face in the background. So I told her I would try ONE more time. Here's my latest attempt:
So now, she says she likes the body of this drawing, but the face of the second drawing, and could I please try one more time? We're sooo close, she says.
Sigh... What she may not realize is that each drawing takes me many hours of work. Hours I really don't have anymore. I have laundry that needs folding from a week ago. It is 9:00 PM and this is the first time I've been able to sit down and do anything that didn't involve teaching lessons, cleaning up, or making meals. I do NOT have time to do a FOURTH drawing for this lady (especially since I'm only getting paid for one-- my hourly pay is down to about $2 an hour).
So I wrote back to her and explained all this (nicely, of course), and she hasn't replied to me in about 2 weeks. Is she mad? Did she get my email? Should I write again? Should I just suck it up, do the fourth drawing and chalk it up to a lesson learned (namely, charge hourly rather than per-job)?
I'm such a pushover, and I hate confrontation and disappointing people, I'm on the verge of just doing the 4th drawing just so she'll be happy and this job can finally be put to rest.
I like doing this, especially since I can't really do photography anymore, but this particular job is getting pretty annoying.
7 comments:
I don't know what she's talking about, I think all those drawings are amazing! You have such talent.
She is definitely taking advantage of you - those drawings (all of them) look beautiful and the face/body look the same in all! I would say draw the fourth one, but charge her for all four and get payment up front!
DO NOT DO ANOTHER DRAWING FOR HER!!! I'd like to give her a piece of my mind.
Sorry, I'm just livid that she would be so ungrateful and rude. You did three gorgeous drawings, she can pick her favorite. Did she return them to you?
I should have calmed down and read the anonymous person's comment first. His or her response sounds reasonable.
Gabrielle, this is you mother speaking! You have gone WAY above and beyond anything she could have reasonably expected -- the drawings are exquisite and you have accommodated her whims three times. You are finished with this project -- wrap up her drawings, all of them, mail them to her with a nice note thanking her for her business and wishing her well with her adorable children and be done with this! Some people are moochers, plain and simple. They just see the world as being made specifically to serve their desires, unreasonable or irrational though they are. The problem is, they are often so nice and always so persistent, they get away with it and never learn how out of line they are. We should not put up with this inconsiderate totally selfish behavior -- if we do, they will never change. Seriously, you must NOT let this go on any further. Your time and energy are WAY too precious to be squandering on any more of her ridiculous demands. And you can blame it on your mother if she gets upset! Tell her to take it up with me :) I love you!! Mama
PS - For the rest of you -- isn't my daughter UNBELIEVABLY talented?!!! Wish I could say that she gets it from me...
Those are beautiful. You are such a talented woman!
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