A Practical Guide to Your First Live2D Model Commission: From Prep to Delivery

The first time you commission a Live2D model, the conversation often goes something like this:

"Hi, I'd like to commission a model."

"Sure! Do you have a reference sheet or a detailed description?"

"Um... I want something cute."

"That's too vague. I can't work with that. Please send me some reference images."

Some sellers explicitly state that they don't accept text-only descriptions because people interpret words very differently, and miscommunication happens easily. "Cute" can point in so many different directions. You might be imagining a sweet, innocent girl, while the seller thinks you want an animal-eared character. To turn the OC in your head into a moving Live2D model, you need to organize your ideas into something other people can understand. Only then does the finished model have a real chance of matching your expectations.

This article covers the entire process, from production workflow and preparation to communication tips and delivery checks. It's written for beginners about to commission a custom model from scratch, whether for personal enjoyment or as a VTuber model.

🛒 Browse Live2D One-Stop Service Listings.

1. The Full Custom Model Workflow

Before organizing your requirements, it helps to have a general idea of how a Live2D model is made. The process can be roughly divided into four stages.

Stage 1: Design

This is the stage where you, as the client, are most involved. The core features of your character need to be locked down here: body type, face shape, hairstyle, facial features, clothing, accessories, and any extra parts like animal ears, tails, or wings.Together, these elements define what makes your character recognizable.

If you can, it helps to have an artist sketch out your ideas. The design stage doesn't necessarily need to produce a polished, final-quality illustration. A clean draft with clear features can serve as the starting point for everything that follows. The important thing is to pin down your mental image of the character instead of leaving it floating in your head. 

Stage 2: Confirming Requirements

This stage directly affects the final price and timeline. Once the design direction is set, you need to confirm with the seller exactly how far the model should go: how many expressions and animations you want, how many outfits and whether they should be removable, whether you need hairstyle toggles, the head movement range and mouth shape precision for the rig, whether you need special physics effects, and so on. You'll also need to settle the schedule and budget during this stage.

The more thoroughly you confirm everything at this stage, the fewer revision rounds you'll need later.

Stage 3: Illustration and Separation

This stage is mostly handled by the artist, with you providing feedback and approval along the way. The typical workflow goes from rough sketch to lineart, then coloring, then final illustration, and finally separation.

The sketch stage is where you have the most room to request changes. Any design adjustments should be brought up here.

During the lineart stage, you can confirm smaller details like how the hair flows, how the clothing folds, and how the expressions look.

By the coloring stage, the focus shifts to confirming the color scheme and overall mood. Making design changes at this point becomes difficult.

After the final illustration is approved, the artist moves on to separation, which marks the end of the illustration phase and the start of the next stage.

Separation means splitting everything that needs to move independently into separate layers. For example, hair gets divided into front hair, back hair, and side locks; arms get separated into upper arms, forearms, and hands. The finer the separation, the more flexibility the rigger will have later. If this step isn't done well, the modeling stage will involve constant back-and-forth fixes.

For more details on VTuber model illustration and recommendations for professional illustrators, check out this blog post.👇

The First Step to a Custom VTuber Model: From OC to VTuber Model — How to Nail Your Character Design

Stage 4: Rigging

The rigger takes over the separated files and begins the rigging work. This process usually includes checking the separated file, setting up the 9-axis rig, adding physics, refining everything, designing expressions and special animations, and finally delivering the finished model.

The 9-axis rig refers to setting up the basic parameters: head movement on the XYZ axes, body movement in three directions, breathing, and left and right eye opening. This is the foundation for the model's range of motion and flexibility.

Physics rigging handles the sway of hair, clothing, and accessories. Swing amplitude, rebound speed, and collision effects are all fine-tuned during this stage.

Expressions and special animations come last, such as idle motions and special hand gestures.

At this stage, your role is mostly about testing and giving feedback. If you spot any issues after delivery, let the rigger know right away. Most sellers are willing to make minor adjustments for free within a certain scope.

For more details on rigging and recommendations for professional riggers, check out this blog post.👇

Live2D Rigger/Modeler Recommendation Guide: The Final Step to Bring Your OC to Life

Want to learn more about one-stop Live2D VTuber model commissions and browse curated listings? Check out this blog post.👇

Live2D One-Stop Service: Design, Separation, and Rigging in One Package. Is It Worth It?

2. What to Prepare Before Commissioning

Now that you understand the overall process, let's talk about what you need to prepare before contacting a seller. If you're not sure where to start, here are the main areas to think through.

📝1) Usage and Licensing

Whether the work is for commercial use and whether you plan to display it publicly will affect the price and the scope of the license. Commercial licenses are usually more expensive than personal use. The same goes for public display: if you plan to post the finished work on social media, mention it upfront, as some sellers require credit. Merchandise rights are usually the most expensive add-on. If you have any plans to make merch in the future, it's best to confirm that from the beginning.

📝2) Character Setting

Age, gender, world setting, personality traits, art style direction, and so on. You don't need to write a long description. A few keywords that convey the visual direction are enough. Something like "a gentle fox girl living in a modern city" works fine. Instead of writing a whole backstory, focus on the elements that will show up directly on screen. Is the gaze soft or sharp? Is the character's default expression more cool or lively? Is their overall vibe serene or energetic? These details help an artist capture the feel of the character far better than a long lore document.

📝3) Visual References

Reference images are much more direct than words. Whenever possible, pair your written descriptions with visual references. You can organize references by category: art style you like, body type, hairstyle, eyes, clothing, poses, color palette, and special features like wings, tails, or ears. None of these references need to be an exact match. Their purpose is to help the seller understand your aesthetic direction, not to serve as a template they must copy.

📝4) Head and Facial Features

Hairstyle, hair color, eye shape, pupil color, mouth shape, and special marks like moles or scars. For example, round eyes and narrow eyes give off completely different impressions. Pupil color sets the tone of the gaze: reds feel more aggressive, blues feel calmer, golds feel more mysterious. Details like fangs, beauty marks, or freckles are what turn a generic face into a recognizable character.

📝5) Outfit

Hair accessories, jewelry, tops, bottoms, shoes and socks, and other extras like staffs, wings, or halos. The complexity of the outfit directly affects how much work goes into separation and rigging. Layered skirts, flowing ribbons, transparent materials, and large detailed patterns all cost significantly more than simple clothing. If you're on a tight budget, simplify the outfit and put that money into things that matter more, like extra expressions or better physics.

📝6) Expressions and Actions

Neutral expression, blinking, mouth open, shy, angry, surprised, and any other special expressions. Hand gestures, props, and idle poses can also be specified. The number of base expressions is usually tied directly to the price, so think carefully about which ones are essential and which are just nice to have. That will help you keep the budget under control.

📝7) Rigging Needs

How detailed should the layered file be? Which parts need to move (hair, clothes, tail, etc.)? Which parts need special physics? All of this affects how the seller approaches separation and what they charge. For example, will the head turn 30 degrees or 45 degrees? Should the mouth be 3x3 or 4x4? Does the hair need to be separated into front, middle, and back sections?

📝8) Budget and Timeline

Budget range, desired completion time, and whether you need a rush order. Telling the seller your budget upfront lets them judge whether your plan is realistic and helps you avoid going over budget halfway through. If funds are tight, ask which parts are essential and which can be simplified or added later.

 

Prices vary enormously depending on the level of detail. A basic illustration plus rigging might cost a few hundred dollars. A high-detail full-body model with complex physics and a large set of expressions can easily reach a thousand or more. Any expressions, animations, or outfits beyond the seller's base package are usually billed as add-ons. The more you add and the more complex the rig, the higher the quote. Make sure you know what you're comfortable spending, and understand the seller's payment rules, such as whether they require a deposit, accept installments, or expect full payment upfront.

🔍Commission Prep Checklist

Category	What to Check
Usage and Licensing	Intended use (streaming, video, merch, etc.), commercial or personal, public display allowed?
Character Setting	Name, age, gender, world setting, personality traits
Visual References	Art style, body type, hairstyle, eyes, clothing, poses, color palette, special features (wings, tail, ears, etc.)
Head and Facial Features	Hairstyle, hair color, eye shape, pupil color, mouth shape, special marks like moles or scars
Outfit	Hair accessories, jewelry, tops, bottoms, shoes/socks, other accessories (staff, wings, halo, etc.)
Expressions and Actions	Base expressions, special expressions, hand gestures/props/idle poses
Rigging Needs	Layer detail, head and body movement range, movable parts, special physics
Budget and Timeline	Budget range, desired completion date, rush order or not

If you haven't figured out every item on the checklist, that's fine. You can still reach out to a seller with whatever keywords and ideas you have.

3. How to Communicate with Sellers

Here are some communication tips for the key stages of a commission.

First Contact

Your first message doesn't need to be long, but it helps to include a few key pieces of information all at once. You can use this structure as a guide:

"Hi, I'd like to commission a Live2D model. Here's my situation: my budget is around XX, I'd like it done by XX, and I currently have/don't have a ready-made design. In terms of style, I like XX. Are you currently taking commissions?"

A message like this lets the seller quickly decide whether they can take the job and roughly how much it will cost, without a bunch of back-and-forth questions. Some sellers list exactly what information to include when contacting them in their listing description. Read that first and follow their instructions.

Before Confirming the Commission

Before you commit, if anything is unclear and the seller's listing doesn't cover it, just ask them directly in the chat. For example:

"Could you tell me exactly what's included in the base price? How much do extra expressions and animations cost?"

"Does the commercial license cover streaming and videos? What if I want to make merch later?"

"Roughly how long is the wait? Can we set a general timeline?"

Giving Feedback on Sketches

Sketch feedback is where things most often go wrong. Many clients look at a sketch and feel unhappy, but all they say is "it feels off." That doesn't tell the seller what to change. Try to be specific, and include reference images when possible. For example:

"The hair doesn't feel right. I want it more like this reference image. The bangs should be a bit longer, and the back shouldn't be so puffy."

Or:

"Can you make the eyes a bit rounder? I'm going for the look in this reference. The mouth is currently smiling, but I want a more neutral expression."

If you're not sure what's bothering you, you can say something like:

"The overall feel isn't quite what I had in mind, but I can't pinpoint exactly what's wrong. Let me send you a few reference images that are closer to what I want, and we can figure out together what needs to change."

Checking on the Timeline

If you feel like things are moving slowly or your own timeline has changed, it's better to reach out than to sit on your frustration:

"Just wanted to check on the current progress. My debut date has shifted a bit, so I want to see if the timeline still works."

If the seller is genuinely behind schedule, you can say:

"We originally agreed on XX as the delivery date, and it's now past that. Could you give me an updated estimate? I need to plan my stream and content schedule around it."

Testing the Final Delivery

When you receive the finished model, test it yourself first before reporting any issues. Include specific details when you describe a problem. For example:

"After importing the model into VTube Studio, I noticed the hair clips through when the head turns left. Can you help adjust that? I recorded a short video so you can see what I mean."

Or:

"When switching expressions, the left eye blinks slower than the right. Is that fixable?"

Providing specific examples and clear requests makes communication far more efficient.

4. What to Check After Delivery

The delivered file package usually contains a few core files: the model file itself (usually .moc3), the physics file (.physics3), the expression file (.exp3), the motion file (.motion3), and the texture file (usually .png).

After you receive the files, import the model into VTube Studio and test it. Pay attention to whether the expressions look right, the head and body move naturally, nothing clips, and all the agreed-upon features are there. If you notice a problem, first check the software settings. Expression sensitivity, head turn range, and physics swing amplitude can all be adjusted within VTube Studio. If it still doesn't look right after tuning, contact the seller. Most sellers are willing to make minor adjustments after delivery as long as the issue is clear and communicated properly.

Explore even more styles and categories over on Draw Market✨.