Questions for Artists

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Galahad
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Questions for Artists

#1

Post by Galahad »

Hey, everyone. ;) It's your favourite dragonraptor. And only dragonraptor, really.

As some of you may know, this year, I am busy with postgraduate studies. I'm looking to supplement the income I do currently have by opening up an art business on the side. However, as I have never done this before, there are a ton of questions and risks I would like answers to before I dive in. Ranging from the strictly financial to those specific to the interpersonal nature of the trade itself.

I know there are several prominent (and immensely talented) furry artists here in the local community, but they very rarely come to the forum. Therefore, I'm not sure how effective it would be just to ask here and sit around waiting for a response I likely won't get. So.

Does anyone know any professional artist (and I mean "professional" in the technical rather than qualitative sense; as in, they regularly make money from their work, regardless of their skill level or standing in the fandom) who would be willing to have a chat with a random stranger like me about how they run things? I've already considered messaging Sudan Red and Nanukk, and will be doing so. Just wondering if there any other noteworthy names around.

Any suggestions or advice would be appreciated. Thanks. :D
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Animew
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Re: Questions for Artists

#2

Post by Animew »

Galahad wrote: Sun Feb 09, 2020 9:20 am Just wondering if there any other noteworthy names around.
OH YOU TROLLASAURUS YOU!

UwU i'll have you know i once made 20 killorand from comissions in the span of just 3 months and ive been in the business for a good few years but noooo <w< no mention of the green cat whatsoever, i'm just some low key joke to you!

also like there is Sticky, electro cat and a fuckload more pro grade folks and a bunch more hobyest freelancers. UwU the otter and cop cat may be main stream but they are not the olny folks worth asking. though Nanuk has a pretty inpresive business model, i do recomend you have a chat with the dude.

as for advice:
dont fucking do it man! its horrible soul crushing torture! folks all think "i can draw, maby i should make some easy cash off it uhyuck!" but its not so damn easy!
first off getting comissions is dificult if you havent established a name for yourself yet. also there are assholes out there bro... real smelly assholes! that wana exploit you as cheap labor! then you get the assholes that dont really mean to be assholes but give you shit nontheless! changing their minds, asking for progress every fkn day, canceling like right when you are almost done... UwU its terrible man... just fucking terrible.... and thats assuming you have a thick skin, the feelings of inadequacy and guilt... the pain of rejection... all these things man, they are gonna be stabing at your squishy bits! if you enjoy drawing, dont ruin it by trying to monatise it. comissions should not be taken lightly. there are better ways to earn quick money for people in your position... that would probably yield better results anyway...

UwU but seeing as you are probably going to ignore this and do it anyway, you are welcome to contact me on telegram. i can tell you all you need to know to get started in the industry and i can probably give you answers to questions you may have.
Duck face? i thought they were all just making fart noises when posing for pictures...
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Galahad
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Re: Questions for Artists

#3

Post by Galahad »

Geez, dude. Chill. None of my assets are depending on it. I just thought I'd give it a try as something on the side. :P

Your main objection seems to rest on the fact there are a lot of assholes. I guess you might be correct. Although the two artists I talked to today didn't seem to list it as a major obstacle, only an occasional bummer you learn to deal with.

Here is my tentative guess: the type of offer attracts the type of consumer. I might do a tasteful nude, but I'm steering clear of the smut and, well... darker and dank side of the fandom. Without making too crude a point of it, that area seems to be your HQ, my green feline friend. ;) So are you sure that crowd is generalizable? Furries are on average an odd bunch, but there are layers of deviancy, and I prefer swimming in the sunny shallows of them. Not to mention most of the disasters can be avoided with proper terms in the ToS. For example, an upfront payment or partial upfront payment curbs the risk of a last minute cancellation loss. I've also been told be highly selective of my customers.
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Animew
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Re: Questions for Artists

#4

Post by Animew »

Galahad wrote: Sun Feb 09, 2020 3:37 pm Your main objection seems to rest on the fact there are a lot of assholes.
well actually no. i loved my customers, my regulars were like my fam yo UwU i still chat to them from time to time.

my main concern is actually that one does not simply do art on the side... it starts out that way sure but it sucks you in like a void of never ending insecurity and self doubt... well i suppose it depends on people, you may have a beefy emotional fortitude stat... or perhaps i just have a really shitty personality that is over competative. UwU who can say.
Galahad wrote: Sun Feb 09, 2020 3:37 pm Here is my tentative guess
UwU heres my experience thus far: you gotta be crazy good or hang around the right kinds of crowds to get clean art comissions... also you wouldnt believe the weird shit folks ask you to draw when you do exclusively clean art... seriously bro i'm talking emotionally loaded cringe orgies... one of the main reasons i do smut art only is because then at least i know what to expect and i can outline spesifics that i dont do. the darker gory stuff i do is mostly due to my personal interest in anatomy. UwU i actually got into drawing to draw better diagrams in scientific notes... clearly it ended badly.
Galahad wrote: Sun Feb 09, 2020 3:37 pm an upfront payment or partial upfront payment curbs the risk of a last minute cancellation loss.
UwU Galahad mah dude... art is like a bodily excretion... like semen... yea, art is like semen. and it can seem pretty awesome to get paid to blow your load. BUT... when you start getting paid you gotta be able to squirt the white stuff right out like a god damn milk cow. this is not always as easy as it seems, you may be down with a clients idea at the time you take the comission but then later you find that you just cant make this shit work. but you already have the guys money so you either gotta refund them or give them a crap product... or end up on a black list for defaulting. lots of pretty good artists became outcasts in the fandom because they ended up defaulting on comissions. most of those artists fully intended to deliver the comissions when they took the jobs but it aint easy being a milk cow bro... you may see folks cranking out the good stuff without much effort but trust me <w< they be grade A with... glands... the size of their heads! fuck i'm starting to get lost in the metaphor here...

TLDR, UwU sometimes you run outa art juice... know your limits before you start making promisis.
Galahad wrote: Sun Feb 09, 2020 3:37 pm I've also been told
UwU i'm not trying to disuade you bro, just giving you the less cheery side of the industry. most artist will tell you lots of encouraging stuff but its good to know that this road has some modder fontein sized potholes, so watch yer scaly ass and good luck bro.
Duck face? i thought they were all just making fart noises when posing for pictures...
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Galahad
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Re: Questions for Artists

#5

Post by Galahad »

I actually appreciate you telling me all this, and take it all as a warning rather than dissuasion. ;) The mostly positive feedback I got from Sudan and Nanukk could really have been survivorship bias. Like Bill Gates talking about how fantastic and thrilling tech startups are when most fail. So keep telling me, my green feline friend. It's not going to stop me - I'm a stubborn son of a bitch - but it helps me prepare for the worst.

A lot of what you said I think can be mitigated just with terms of service and careful selection of customer, as well as only offering what you know you can do. If you make promises you can't keep working in a zone you are uncomfortable with, you can only blame yourself. But I guess if you're a newbie, you don't really have the luxury of being too picky?

And Animew, personally, I prefer the an analogy of a bull to that of a cow. In terms of productivity, I am a bull with absolutely massive <this message has been censored by Jesus>
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Raven Song
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Re: Questions for Artists

#6

Post by Raven Song »

my sister suppliments her study funds with art. She got into tumblr and thats where she started getting commissions. from there she got patreon because her amazingly wonderful older sister who is so amazingly humble, suggested it. So yeah, id defo suggest getting some of your work out on the likes of tumblr.

as for talking to people, I'd also have a chat to Sketchy, Sketchy is awesome. She's on the one watsapp group im on and shes working with so many companies your side. she went to open whateveritscalled in centurion and is so down to earth :)
Learn the rules like a pro, so you can break them like an artist. Pablo Picasso
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Galahad
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Re: Questions for Artists

#7

Post by Galahad »

Thanks for the advice, Raven. :D Do you know how I might reach Sketchy? (Or is that something I could PM you about instead?)

I've had one or two people be like "bruh, you're in engineering, why are you doing this?" I've got a few hours open in the evening on most week nights, and I like the idea of turning a skilled hobby into a trade on the side.
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