re Who would you choose: "the one who graciously rectified a problem or one who tried to make herself out to be the victim of some horrible injustice?"

Personally, I would choose the best available artist with the best design.

But I would require her to submit a detailed illustration of her work for approval in advance [which is standard business procedure in such matters] and I would monitor the progress of the work and conduct a final inspection before making the final payment [also standard business procedure in such matters].

Seems everyone is overlooking the people holding the purse who left Maria holding the bag for their own oversights.

This is the same excuse used by the CEO of Enron. "I was too busy running the company."

The jury didn't buy it. Neither should you.