I've decided to write up a guide how to request art in exchanges, since this is a question that has come up multiple times on fail_fandomanon, and various anonymous users will crowdsource some advice, which promptly gets lost in post turnover and is not easily linked when a new person comes by asking the same question. So I've decided to collect some advice in an easily accessible place to answer the questions of How do I make good art requests in an exchange? and What details are artists looking for in an exchange request/letter? and What should I say in my requests/letters to encourage artists to treat me?

Note that every artist is going to have their own preferences and opinions on art requests: ways they would like information to be presented, things that excite them, things that are a turn-off, etc. This guide is just one artist's thoughts, and other artists may completely disagree, or not care about the things I've written, or care about things that I personally don't mind. I speak for myself as a single artist, not for all artists, but I hope what I write here is useful nevertheless.

( A guide for requesting art in exchanges )