How to Order a Custom Dragon

by | Jun 25, 2018 | General | 0 comments

How to order a custom dragon

 

I thought it would be helpful to create a dedicated post about how I currently run my custom orders. I’m going to put all of the information I can think of in one place for easy review. Up until now, just about every time I took custom orders, I was trying something new to find a process that works well. While I’m sure this way won’t be permanent, I think it worked out better than my previous methods.

 

One of my goals it to take more custom orders throughout the year. With the conclusion of my late spring art shows, I’ve made great strides on the running idea list I’ve had going for the past year. I figure this was the perfect time to take the summer/fall and focus on some custom orders.

 

With that said, I will only be opening a handful of slots at a time, somewhere in the 4 to 5 range. With my full-time job, each dragon typically takes about a week to week and a half to work through (minimum) from planning to shipping, so I don’t want to be adding too long of a wait time for your order. I’d much rather handle them in batches; that way you don’t have to wait as long either!

Placing the order

A listing will show up on my Etsy page on the day and time I share (in this case, July 1 at 2 p.m. PST). Under this listing there will be a set quantity to order a custom from. Each order corresponds to 1 dragon (although if you’re thinking about a set, message me beforehand and we can chat!).

 

The listing itself is a deposit for your custom. This helps me purchase supplies I will need to get started, as well as guarantee your spot. The $15 deposit is paid before I begin, and the remainder of the project (plus shipping) will be due once you’ve seen your finished dragon. This payment is due before I will ship out your dragon.

 

My dragons start at $30 for a basic dragon (2 to 3 colors, simple pose) and go up depending on complexity. Feel free to message me ahead of time if you’d like an estimate!
When you’re purchasing your slot, there are a few pieces of information I need in order to start planning your dragon:

 

  • Dragon pose
  • Dragon colors
  • If you’d like any accessories included

 

At this time, I’m only taking custom orders for dragons.

 

I do take international orders (I’m U.S.-based), but please note that I am not responsible for any customs or fees that may be added on by your country. I know the last several packages I sent to the U.K. had extra fees added on once it entered the country, so it’s definitely something to keep in mind. The U.K. is where I send to the most (outside of the U.S.), so I’m afraid I can’t speak for other countries. As a heads up, international shipping for my dragons is usually around $23 (based on an estimated weight; will change depending on the weight of the finished dragon).

 

I will be working on these dragons in the order I receive them. This is to keep things fair. I will let you know when I’m preparing to work on your dragon.

 

Once I begin working on your order

I like to work with you as closely as possible during this process to help make sure you’re happy with your dragon! Once we discuss the details, we will put together a color palette. I may begin this by sending you digital palettes as reference. If there are palettes you have in mind, that will help me narrow it down.

 

Different yellows and oranges

I used this to get a feel for what yellow and orange this customer wanted for her dragon

 

From there, I will translate the digital palette to a clay palette for you to review. Each color is intuitively mixed and will be completely custom for each individual order. No 2 colors will ever be the same, and they will not match the digital color palette exactly, but I get as close as I can.

 

Polymer clay color palette

This is the palette I mixed for the dragon.

 

When the clay palette looks good, I will mix up the full batch of clay and start sculpting. I may take photos/videos from your project for use on my blog, or I may work on your dragon on a live stream. Either way, I will always send you progress updates as I work, especially before each trip to the oven (some sculpts require multiple bakes). You will receive one final photo once it’s completely finished.

 

Unbaked dragon, sculpting is finished

Work in progress before baking

Glazed dragon on white background

Final photo of dragon

 

Once your order is finished

After your dragon is complete, I will send you an invoice for the remainder of the amount plus shipping. I ship my dragons via USPS. You will receive a tracking number through Etsy once I have that.

I cannot control what happens after the package leaves my hands. I spend extra time and materials to carefully package each dragon. They are usually double boxed for extra protection, but unfortunately things do happen. I have not had anyone report a breakage with their dragon since I’ve implemented this process, but nothing is fool proof when it comes to fragile materials.

If something does happen with your package however, please take detailed photos and send them to me so we can figure out the best way to move forward. Almost 100% of the breaks I see, in either my own pieces or ones I receive from other artists, can be fixed with super glue.

And that’s about all there is to it! It’s pretty straight forward, but I thought laying it all out here in its own post could be helpful as I gear up for another round of slots.

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