Artist Gives Man Who Demanded Detailed Painting For $3 Exactly What He Paid For

While some parts of the world place more value in the arts than others, you're still likely to find someone who doesn't appreciate what goes into a piece of art no matter where you are.

Because while it's disheartening to remember that arts programs are usually the first ones to go when schools face budget cuts, artists themselves have to face the daily disappointment of people who expect them to work "for exposure." And it's a common struggle whether that person happens to be a painter, a writer, or a graphic designer.

And as one story from Malaysia illustrates, potential patrons can still be pretty unreasonable even when they're not approaching artists with quite that level of gall.

A professional painter named Kazel Lim recently received a request from someone who wanted to surprise his girlfriend on her birthday.

And as you can see here, Kazel's work is both detailed and expressive enough that such a gift would impress just about anyone.

But while this request might have sounded sweet and romantic at first, it would soon turn into a major headache for the artist.

Through every step of the way, the customer was no help at all.

In a series of texts translated on Bored Panda, he wanted the painting to be cheap, done quickly, and large, despite the fact that larger paintings take more time and money.

Strangely, he wasn't even willing to select a photo that he wanted to base her painting on, saying that it's "a lot of trouble" to do that and that Kazel should just pick a vacation photo from his Facebook page.

But the last straw came when the customer revealed exactly how much he was willing to pay for such a large, detailed painting.

After Kazel told him the painting would likely take several days, he said he could pay her 20 yuan, which is the equivalent of about three dollars.

When Kazel said this wasn't going to work for her, the customer became upset and made it clear that she should be satisfied with any money at all, apparently regardless of the time, effort, and skill it takes to give him what he wants.

He then pushed the matter further, saying, "I have both your IG and your online shop links, so if you don’t paint it, I’ll leave you a bad review."

In a move that likely made the customer feel like he finessed her, Kazel replied by saying, "OK, it’s done, I’ll give it to you for free. Happy birthday to your girlfriend!"

However, he no doubt felt a lot less smug when he actually saw what she was willing to do for three dollars.

It's unclear whether he sent her any further messages but hopefully, this served as a major reminder that you get what you pay for.

h/t: Bored Panda