The Artist Guide
Your one-stop walkthrough for selling art on Scratch. Registration, setup, payments, requests, delivery, etc.
New to Scratch? Check out How to Scratch first to see how the platform works. Then come back here when you're ready to start creating!
Getting on Scratch
There are two ways in. If you have an invite code from another artist, you're in instantly.
No invite code? Submit your portfolio and we'll review it. We're looking at the quality and consistency of your work, not follower counts.
Either way, you'll need to agree to the artist agreement: you're 18+, your work is original, and you follow our content policy.
Setting Up Your Profile
Before you can accept requests, you need to configure your pricing and preferences. Here's what to set up:
All of these live in your dashboard settings. We cover each one in detail in the All Your Settings section below.
Getting Paid
You pick how you get paid. Two options.
Stripe Connect: Link your Stripe account from the dashboard. The client's payment method is saved when they submit a request. They're charged when you accept. When you deliver, funds transfer to your Stripe balance immediately.
PayPal: Enter your PayPal email in dashboard settings. When you deliver, your earnings are credited to your Scratch balance. Every Monday, we batch your balance into a single PayPal payout.
You can switch between Stripe and PayPal anytime from your dashboard settings. No lockout, no waiting period.
Fees & Payouts
No signup fees, no monthly subscription, no hidden costs. You only pay when you get paid. Same rates everywhere: all international surcharges and cross-border fees are bundled in. What you see here is all that comes out of your earnings.
Stripe
Transfers at delivery, pays out on Stripe's schedule.
PayPal
Earnings credited at delivery, batched payout every Monday. Extra 1.5% payout fee applies.
If your PayPal is set to a non-USD currency, PayPal may apply their own conversion rate on top. Scratch doesn't charge a conversion fee.
The Request Lifecycle
When a client sends you a request, their payment is held immediately. From there, you have three options: accept, decline, or ask a clarifying question.
You have 30 days to respond. If you don't respond in time, the client is refunded automatically and it counts as an expired request.
Once you accept, you have 60 days to deliver. Same deal: if the deadline passes without a delivery, the client gets their money back.
For the full flow from the client's perspective (including how pricing and options work on their end), check out How to Scratch.
Delivering Work
When your piece is ready, upload it through the request page. You can attach up to 10 files, each up to 500 MB.
Supported formats:
You can also add an optional watermark to the public preview (the version non-clients see on your profile) and include a delivery message for the client.
Your Profile & Gallery
Every completed request shows up on your profile by default. It's your live portfolio, built as you work.
If a client marks their request as private, the piece still appears on your profile as a colored placeholder card with a private badge. No gaps, no missing slots. Your profile stays full.
Your completion rate tracks how many accepted requests you've completed. It's visible to potential clients, so keeping it high builds trust. Deliver on time and you'll be golden.
All Your Settings
Here's every setting in your artist dashboard.
Accepting Requests
Master toggle. Flip this on when you're ready to take commissions. You'll need your pricing and payment set up first.
Min Price
The absolute floor. Clients can't offer below this number.
Suggested Price
What you typically charge for a standard piece. Shown to clients as a starting point.
Commission Description
Up to 2,000 characters. This is what clients read before deciding to request. Cover what you draw, what you don't, turnaround expectations, anything that helps them write a better brief.
NSFW Requests
Opt in to receive mature content requests. Off by default.
Commercial Use
Allow clients to request commercial rights (merchandise, branding, print products). When enabled, you set an uplift percentage that increases the minimum price for commercial requests.
Typical Delivery Time
Pick from: Within a few days, 1–2 weeks, 2–4 weeks, or A month or more. Displayed on your profile so clients know what to expect.
Show Queue Count
Display how many active requests you're working on. Helps clients gauge your current workload.
Request Character Limit
Controls how long client descriptions can be. Adjustable from 100 to 5,000 characters, defaults to 2,000. Set this based on how much detail you want from clients.
Invite Codes
Every artist gets 5 invite codes (founding artists get 10). Use them to bring in artists you trust. You can send codes via email or copy the link directly from your dashboard.
Invited artists skip the portfolio review entirely, so share your codes with people whose work you'd vouch for.
Work Your Way
If you connect with a client through Scratch and want to work with them directly next time, go for it. We don't restrict who you work with or how.