Commission

A commission is a service by an artist to his/her client (the commissioner), wherein the artist fulfils the commissioner's descriptions for a sketch, illustration, animation, comic, etc. for a payment. This differs from a request that it requires a payment at the end, but usually means commissions are prioritised higher by the artist than requests.

Method
While the exact methods varies from artist to artist, and even between commissioners, some overall basics remains the same. In most cases, an artist announces he is taking commissions, which then gathers people who wish to commission the artist. In other cases, a commissioner may have to contact the artist in private for a commission.

Depending on the commission rules of the artist, a price may have to be evaluated by the artist depending on the description or just a standard price set by the artist prior to the negotiations.

Some artists requires payment upfront, before a sketch is delivered. Some first when a sketch has been confirmed by the commissioner. Some requires two half payment, one before the progress starts and one when the commission is done.

Rights
In essence, the commissioner owns the piece, but the artist may require the commissioner to display the artist's name whenever it is publicly published.