Terms & Policies | Elven Hound

Thank you for your interest in my work! Please read these terms carefully before commissioning or buying items from me.

Shipping

Customers will be responsible for all shipping costs of their items.

Lost in Transit/Stolen: once items are in the hands of postal service, Elven Hound Illustrations no longer has any control on whether the packages arrive. If there are any issues with delivery, contact the USPS or other postal carrier for a written statement in order to open an insurance claim. If you believe your package has been stolen, please file a police report in order to begin an insurance claim. Elven Hound Illustrations is not responsible for replacing merchandise that is in the hands of a postal service.

Commissions

Please ensure you completely read through my ToS for all the information you will need regarding your commission. Please check my Trello for commission updates. I will try to be as on top of it as possible.

Artwork

Your finished file will be sent to you through social media. If you would like the final product sent by email, it is up to you to request this. It is your responsibility to save the file provided to you as I do not always save files long-term.
General updates and delays are posted on Twitter.
WIPs will be provided for personal use only. Once the sketch WIP is approved by the commissioner, the final product will be completed. Only one additional change is allowed to be made past the approval of the sketch, aside from details that may have been missed by the artist (i.e. markings, marking colours, etc.). Adjustments not on the reference sheet, or not mentioned prior during the sketch approval, will be an additional cost to the commissioner.
Other artists are not allowed to complete any of my work unless given specific permission by me.
A refund can be available if I have not had any progress on your commission in three months. Fees for anything completed will be deducted if a refund is requested.
I hold all rights to my artwork. Your piece may be subject to being made into prints, merchandise, or used for promotion. I do not ask for permission to use the artwork, though I will credit the owner of the characters.

Enamel Pins

Step 1: Artwork

Submission:
- The commissioner submits the character and reference sheet. There must only be ONE main reference sheet.
- Please note: Complex characters or pins with backgrounds will cost a bit more for manufacturing, art, and shipping.
- The commissioner pays the agreed artwork fee before the artist begins the concept design.
Sketch Approval:
- We strive for a six-month turn-around on our orders. Please expect artwork to take at least one month to complete, and manufacturing two months. The manufacturing time may vary depending on the complexity of the pin and the number of pins ordered.
- You are allowed to provide a pose or concept for your project, otherwise it will be artistic freedom. You can have input on the pose and make (one) adjustment during the sketch approval phase. If you require the concept to be redrawn, it is an additional $25.00 fee.
Finalizing Design:
- Once the sketch is approved, it is lined and coloured. The commissioner can have one SMALL change made after this phase. Changes such as missing markings or incorrect colours can be changed with no additional fee to the commissioner. Adjustments not on the reference sheet, or not mentioned prior during the sketch approval, will be an additional cost to the commissioner. If the customer wants a completely different concept design at this stage, it is an additional $25.00 fee.
Proof & Pantone Choices:
- Please note, the colours may vary from the original concept as the manufacturer uses Pantone colours and they can vary slightly from the digital image.
- Due to this process, it is highly recommended that you select your own Pantone colours so that you can receive the most accurate depiction of your character: https://www.pantone.com/color-finder
- A proof will be sent to you with the colours chosen by the manufacturer, these can be changed ONCE before submitting approval to the manufacturer. Once a proof is approved, no further changes will be able to be made.
- The approved concept is submitted to the manufacturer for a quote. After proof is submitted, there is no option to get a refund on the art.

Step 2: Production

Manufacturing:
- The artist will provide the manufacturing fees to the commissioner once a quote has been given. The commissioner is 100% responsible for these fees. The customer can request to view the entire quote. Shipping from China is divided evenly among the customers for a single order.
- The manufacturer may require simplification of complex designs in order to ensure a quality product.
- The artist will provide the commissioner with a proof created by the manufacturer. It is the commissioner’s responsibility to ensure they like the appearance of the proof. Any colours on the proof can be altered ONCE. The commissioner is responsible for looking up Pantone colours that better suit their preference if desired.
Turn-Around Time:
- Once the proof is approved, no further changes can be made. The pins will be put into production with a 20-25 business day turnaround.
- From proof approval to shipping the pins to you, the entire process may take 2-3 months. If any issues arise that require the pins to be re-produced, the time may be longer, so expect a 6 month turn-around at MAXIMUM.

Step 3: Quality Review

“B-Grade” Rate:
- There is a 88% “A” grade rate with the company that I order pins from. Any higher amount than that will be disputed with the manufacturer, and more pins will be made free of charge to fix this issue. If the issue is small, and deemed not significant enough by the manufacturer to make replacements, re-orders of pins can cost $1 to $2 per pin. If the manufacturer refuses to make less than 50 pins, I will only charge the customer for the amount they need to make 88% A grades, and I will cover the cost of the rest with my own funds.
Pin Insurance:
- You are able to purchase “insurance” ($10 to $20). I will then order an extra 10 pins that will be guaranteed to replace any “B” grade pins in your batch, bringing the amount of “A” grade pins up to ~98%. The customer will be refunded for any pins that are not replaced via lower shipping costs.
- Example: You order pin insurance for an extra $15. There are 5 “B-grade” pins in your lot of 50. I will take 5 of the 10 insurance pins and replace them with the “B-grades” so you will get 100% A grade. Since only $7.50 was used to replace B-grade pins, I will subtract $7.50 from the cost of shipping the pins to you.
Misprints:
- All of the pins are completely hand-made by a staff of 20 people. This means that there is always possibility for colours to be incorrect in pins. If an entire batch has an incorrect colour, I will bring it up with the manufacturer. Sometimes the manufacturer will replace the pins, and sometimes they will not. If the manufacturer is willing to make the changes for free, I will send you both the misprints and the corrected pins. If there is a small misprint that the manufacturer decides is not significant enough to make replacement pins, but you still would like it fixed, I just require a $25.00 fee to re-print these pins. I will cover the remainder of the costs. I will include 30 of the misprint pins in your final package, which you are free to sell as “B-grades” for a lower cost. People tend to really like buying misprints, so you can still receive some income from the flawed prints.

Art Rights/Distribution

You have the right to resell your pins as you see fit. You do NOT need to pay a commercial fee to sell your pins. While you have the right to sell the pins, you do not reserve the commercial rights. This means that you cannot re-print the art and use it to produce and sell merchandise without paying a fee. The commercial rights to the art is a one-time $100 fee. When commercial rights are purchased, you must still credit me for the art, and I still have the rights to use the work as well.
You can reorder pins at any time.
I reserve all rights to my art and it can be used as I see fit in the future.
I may possess a small amount of all pins to be made available online and at conventions.
Pins can be chosen and featured on my Patreon pin club.
Please note that grade B pins are common (small flaws) in all manufacturers. If you have more than 20% grade B pins, please contact me with pictures and I will forward them to the manufacturer.