There's a scene in The Crater — my upcoming cyberpunk thriller — that I've rewritten more than anything else in the book. After successfully completing the first part of the heist to uncover the source of all Steam production, Freelancer Jax uncovers a secret more dangerous than the technic Freaks and Abominations he just faced moments ago.
I hired [u/2ndart](u/2ndart) and [u/NightcrowArt](u/NightcrowArt) to interpret it. Same brief, same reference notes, and the results diverged in the best possible way. I went in expecting to pick a favorite and came out wanting both on the wall.
A few things that made it work, in case anyone here is commissioning for the first time: I gave them the actual prose instead of a shot list, I told them what the scene was about rather than what it looked like, and I left room for them to disagree with me. Both artists were professional, communicative, and fast.
More commissions are coming as I get closer to release. I post everything at @nostonemedia on Instagram, and nostonemedia.com has a waitlist for the books and games. Full disclosure that those are mine — but the artists are the reason for the post.