Re: New forum rule
You're obviously not familar with Z's method. He doesn't take any money until he is actually ready to sculpt. When he is ready to sculpt he takes a $9 deposit. From this point he has an official 3-4 week turnaround but EVERY sculpt has been 2 weeks for a prototype with a third week to polish it. Once the final sculpt is published he gets the remainder of the payment. So in your example you would have a bunch of people on a wishlist who have not forked out any money.
LOL. I am familar with his method since I have signed up for his Westen group commission and have paid my deposit already. Then again, who is to say that in the future, he somewhow becomes overworked after acceptin the 9 dollars deposit from everyone?
Things change and s*it happens. Honestly, we don't know any sculptor here personally and sometimes he/she may stumble in personal problems which he/she may not be able to finish his/her sculpt. True, Z accepts money after he finishes, but what if something happens after he accepts it?
So far, his way of doing things is professional but seeing how they are a bunch of other people making up interest threads and adding his name on it, it can get out of control. If I am not mistaken, I recall he said on the Westen thread that the Rambo and some other interest thread put him as the sculptor even though he hasn't completely agree to it.
Although this hasn't happened yet, it can be very easy for some fradulant poster to make up a fake interest thread and list a sculptor just to get some quick cash.
I understand your frustrations since I think you believe that this new rule will stop commissions completely. However, the new ruile will simply curve the out of hand interest threads. You can still ask your favorite sculptor for a piece, but now it is done through PMs.
This is done to give you the commissioners more power on how to handle the project as well as not getting Darklord Dave into the mix. So if something happens in the future between the sculptor and the guys commissionin the project, commissiors have to handle it. This also means that you guys and not the sculptors make up the rules. Therefore, if you don't like the pay in full up front nonsense (howes), then you can change it. If your sculptor does not like it, find another sculptor.
In the long run, there will be less interest threads but there will still be new unofficial headsculpts. Just that, it won't be a lot of those wish ones where the thread poster makes up a topic of what he would like to see, the somehow commissions, eventually having the creation of said head. However, topic poster either backs out or doesn't help in commissionin of sculpt and instead, makes a new topic for a different head.
Also, some people are afraid the Chris Howes issue will happen again. Z isn't Howes. I realize there is a pattern on this forum where there will be an "star" sculptor here for a couple of months; before Howes, there was some other sculptor who ppl kept making commission threads about. Once he/she fudges up, another sculptor becomes the new attraction
In regards to the Howes incident, a lot of us on this forum is just enabling this so-called train wreck to happen again and again. I mean not sayin that Z will be next, but it is very easy for another sculptor to show up, show his "stuff" and then not sculpt anything after accepting money like Howes. The new rule will try to prevent us from making any new artist into the next Howes or the next Andgor.
Of course, it remains to be seen how this all plays out in the coming months, so I still reserve the right to burn you in effigy. 
