Hi, you are right, in commissioned art it is difficult to understand what the client has in mind. That remains in the whole process. The advantage for the painter is that the client knows the style and quality he can expect.
Frequently, the client has a clear idea of what he/she wants and provides some images to show what are they expect about. So, commissioned art is always a challenge and an opportunity to learn something else too.
I usually make a black/white draft as a starting point and request comments from the client with possible changes.
Anyway, I always try to accept a commission that matches my style and that I find interesting as a work topic or as a new challenge.
Thank you very much for your kind comments.