Any ideas on how I can handle this problem?

Okay then, I'll be blunt about this and come right out and say it; ever since one fan of my Thundercats fanfic offered to draw up illustrations for my story, I've dead set on trying to find illustrators for my written down work. Fan artists who are willing to apply their artistic talents to bringing my stories to life. But in long days of searching, the artists that I've tried to recruit have either insisted that they must be paid for their services (which I can understand, perfectly), have said that they are too busy to do such things or have only given me a few pictures first and then decide to break off the arrangement with me. The last ones are those whose time and effort that I truly appreciate, but, I require artists who are willing to work with me and, more importantly, are actually willing to see this type of thing to the end. I'm currently working with an artist who sounds willing to do such a thing, but, I really wish I was able to find more.

Also, it's only fair that I point out that I fear that part of the problem is me essentially pestering them to a degree whenever I go for too long without hearing from them.

Anyone have any thoughts on how to deal with this problem?

"srebak, post: 122301, member: 25156" said:

Okay then, I'll be blunt about this and come right out and say it; ever since one fan of my Thundercats fanfic offered to draw up illustrations for my story, I've dead set on trying to find illustrators for my written down work. Fan artists who are willing to apply their artistic talents to bringing my stories to life. But in long days of searching, the artists that I've tried to recruit have either insisted that they must be paid for their services (which I can understand, perfectly), have said that they are too busy to do such things or have only given me a few pictures first and then decide to break off the arrangement with me. The last ones are those whose time and effort that I truly appreciate, but, I require artists who are willing to work with me and, more importantly, are actually willing to see this type of thing to the end. I'm currently working with an artist who sounds willing to do such a thing, but, I really wish I was able to find more.

Also, it's only fair that I point out that I fear that part of the problem is me essentially pestering them to a degree whenever I go for too long without hearing from them.

Anyone have any thoughts on how to deal with this problem?

It depends on the artists you are working with.
As a professional artist I will tell you some artists may not class unpaid work like this project as a top priority and only work on the project when they have free time as they may have to work on paying projects as a top priority.
My advice would be to just be patient and give them time to work on the project rather than contacting/pestering them too much.
I would also advice maybe you could give the artist a deadline/check in date like one a month or every two months to let you see what they have done on the project.

I have experience with this sort of thing. I too have worked with many artists in trying to get some of my ideas turned into drawings. I will tell you quite bluntly some aspects of such a collaboration:

1. Finding good artists who will work for free on such a project is VERY tough. Most of the artist who agree to work for free aren't very good. The good ones usually want to be paid for such work, and it is only fair and logical.

2. The only way that you can get a good artist to work with you for free is if he/she is also passionate about the subject matter.

3. If you do manage to find a good artist who is willing to collaborate with you for free on said project, then:
[INDENT]A. You MUST respect them and give them plenty of leeway. Don't be too picky over the artwork. Give the artist some freedom to express his or her art style. You might not get what you have envisioned exactly in your mind, but it's better than not having anything at all.
B. Listen to any suggestions/changes that the artist may suggest.As an artist they have a better understanding of composition and stuff. They know what looks good/is possible to do.
C. Be aware that it can take a long time for the artist to complete the work. Don't pester him/her with emails every few days. Remember, the artist is doing it for free and in his/her free time and this is a time-consuming job.
D. Post any completed artwork on forums/blogs and sites like Deviantart, give full credit to the artist and provide links to his/her own website/resume. Since you are not paying the artist then the least you can do is promote them so that they can get other job offers.
[/INDENT]
Even if you do all the above, it is still very possible that the artist might decide to abandon the project half-way for any number of reasons. You stand a better chance of getting your fanfic illustrated in its entirety if you split the job, like:
1. Get in touch with more than one artist and give each artist just one chapter to work on. This is a more reasonable target than giving the entire fanfic to just one artist.
2. Or split the art jobs. Get one artist to do the pencil drawings, another to do the inking and still another to do the coloring.

The harsh truth is, if you really want your fanfic illustrated and want it done in a hurry and to your specifications, then paying an artist is the only way to go.