To refuse to pay for this commission?

Maybe for the sake of family harmony, OP's sister could have stuck to the agreement? The sister has no interest in family harmony.

Pay for the painting? Are you mad? NOT paying for the painting is the only sensible course of action. This will ensure the sister gets the short sharp shock life lesson she needs.

Well it could be about who takes the high road and is kind to someone who is erm... struggling with reality maybe? I'm sensing sister is let's say 'eccentric'.

There's a saying 'would you rather be right or be happy?'

When it comes to ensuring me and my siblings are still speaking to each other on civil terms, personally, I go far out of my way to oil troubled waters not because I'm a gimp or pushover but because I know how fragile relationships can end up with decades of no contact and then people die. Seen it play out in my family.

Taking a light-hearted stance and a kind and loving stance wouldn't kill anyone. If it were me and I truly can see that my sister 'doesn't get it', I'd see that she's got issues. I'd maybe make a joke about hey what happened to the smaller signature. I'd maybe say well c'mon then can you paint it out or can you make it much smaller? If she says no then I'd be like well do you want me to buy it or not!? But very jokingly. Cos it is actually laughable. If she cannot have humour and is earnest and doesn't get it. She a bit bonkers, not gonna like. I'd just say OK gimme a discount then keep the damn thing in a room where I'm not looking at it often.

You only get one sister and one life. Life goes fast. Sister is bonkers eccentric not showing signs of change. What to do? Go all bitter and twisted and contract law on her? Not in my book. Accept it. Laugh, sigh, give her half the price or even all the price and make mental note. One day OP could be treasuring that painting, you just don't know how life turns out. How I know this? Because I took the wrong path with a close relative. She irritated the last nerve out of me and I shut her out of my life. I was unkind, selfish, and deliberately cruel to someone who died too young. That stuff cannot be undone. So what if sis is batshit crazy. Live with it.

Ah, "be kind" again.

Some of you really don't have any boundaries, do you?

You can refuse to pay for work that hasn't been done as agreed, you know, without being unkind. If one is charging for one's services, one is a professional and ought to provide a professional service that centres on providing what one has been asked for. If one doesn't, one is likely to piss off one's clientele and not get paid.

If your hairdresser dyed your hair red, not blonde, you'd not pay for it, would you?

You're all very very weird.

"Be Kind" needs to die.
You don't have to say to her "That red signature looks fucking crap. What kind of shit artist are you?"
Refusing to pay for the painting you commissioned because she did not abide by your wishes is helping her in the long run to prevent her doing the same in future and investing time and materials into commissions which clients may later refuse to pay for because she did not stick to the brief.

You can "be kind" without rolling over and letting other people walk all over you.
Firm, assertive and fair.

It's her sister. Her sister is unprofessional. This is clear.
I'm no 'be kind gimp', I'm just saying what any decent therapist would say. Put perspective. It was unrealistic of OP to ask her for a painting as she probably knows sister is long term difficult so yeah 'be kind' unless you want to destroy your family relationships eternally over petty grievances. Be kind if your sister is simple in the head or has limited capacity to process incoming data. And take a bit of responsibility for the fact that you asked for something that was a bit unrealistic, knowing how she is.

Or be a typical MNer and make yourself into the worlds biggest victim and throw shade on your sis and flounce and refuse to pay, hey turn everyone against her whilst you're at it, and make drama drama drama eternally. It's a choice

@Agree do you know what a gimp is?

a “be kind gimp” really isn’t a term, and should not ever become one.

What you have pointed out is 'being kind' in my world.

Too many hateful spiteful nasty bitches on MN. It's actually quite helpful for me to learn about this side of life as I have nothing to do with those kind of people in my real life but I had suspected some people I encounter have this nastiness in them. Now I know it's real.

I was referring to the people who are using "be kind" to suggest that the OP just pays for the painting.
I also saw it on another thread this week where a poster was blatantly being used by someone for lifts to and from work and was then berated for wanting to stop the arrangement by the "be kind" brigade. That's why I think the phrase needs to die.

Does she have a lot of customers? I'm intrigued as to why she keeps doing it?!

I would personally pay for it because she's family but tell her in no uncertain terms (as you have been doing) that you're very disappointed and won't be using her again.

I would also bring it up at every family occasion. Consider that she's given you the gift of having something to rag on her about until the end of time (or until she gives the money back)... what better gift can we get from a sibling? 😁

So pay the money to keep the peace, but tell her it's shit and issue digs about it till the end of time?

Will depend on the sib relationship I guess, but sounds like the worst of all possible worlds to me.

I'd express willingness to pay once it's fixed and it's what we agreed she'd do.

Totally can't work out the logic of this.

Where can I buy a print of this?

Have you actually read the OP?

Her sister is an artist. Her sister asked her why she was looking at other artists, not her. Her sister has had previous customers (ie she's bring PAID which makes her a professional) who don't like the same thing the OP dislikes. Her sister agreed NOT to do the thing she, and previous customers, dislike. Yet did it anyway.

I did enjoy your chucking the idea that sister may have some sort of mental deficiency or incapacity into the mix of excuses. That was a new one. I've looked and can't see any reason from OP posts as to why you'd reach that conclusion- can you elaborate?

1. OP is her sister, not her therapist
2. OP knows "sister is long term difficult" which is why she was looking to commision a painting from anyone BUT her sister
3. OP did not "ask", sister was the one who solicited the commission by saying she'd drop the massive red signature
4. OP was being kind by looking to commission another artist
5. Why would you label the sister as "simple in the head or has limited capacity to process incoming data" when it's just as likely she's an arrogant sod who thinks her taste has the right to override everyone else's?
6. Was it unrealistic given sister had agreed not to?

Signed,

one of the "hateful spiteful nasty bitches on MN"

Good idea, say of course you will pay, once the signature is removed.

Any updates lol 😆
Also to add looking at your diagram I would not be paying for it.
Surprised she sells anything

I'll pay £200 for the dachshund drawing 😂

I wouldn’t pay for it as I’m very tight when it comes to these things but… I could find a place for that dachshund on my walls. 😁

Did you even read the post trollopolis ???
She CLEARLY stated she didn't want the signature her sister agreed not to do it then done it anyway

It seems odd to drag this up from so much earlier in the thread

Yes of course I'd read it!

So I agreed for her to do it as long as she doesn’t put a massive signature on it

At that point in the thread, the situation was that the sister hadn't been asked not to sign it. But there was a disparity of views between them on what was meant by "massive"

(I'd been enjoying the frivolling on the latter part of the thread)

Just checking in on this thread for more of OP’s art work tbh. Disappointed! 😆

I am loving your art, hahaha! I'll have the datschund please.

Why does she think someone would want her signature right across the picture? She's not Banksy!

Tell her that you're sure she'll have no problem selling it to someone else and you'll be getting someone else to do your pet portrait as she seems to lack the capacity to deliver what you asked for.