To answer your question: you’ve definitely got a following, as well as an attractive art style. From my experience constantly advertising yourself through posts. Can give wildly different results. Plus people don’t always know what they want to commission when someone first opens their coms (or they do but the idea is so radically insane you have to turn it down).

My advice, start with a WG drive. As it’s basically tipping with extra steps

That's very good advice, thank you very much <3

I'd try each method at least once and see what works best for you

I think just taking the commissions I want to take would probably be good for me. Maybe I should get a google form going too...

Like that's the thing I would like the most, it would make working on the commissions easier, but that means that someone who's wanted art from me for a while might never get picked because their commission isn't pertinent to my interests, or at least as pertinent as others. So that's rough? I feel

I think your question comes mostly down to demand and mood? If people are clambering for commissions (which they should), having a raffle or you picking might be best after officially opening them. If you can get through them in good time and don't need a long queue or anything, having them open all the time seems alright, too.
The picking is surely one way to avoid burnout, as you might otherwise fall into a niche of drawing the same over and over again or something and it also seems a bit more fair than first come first serve, especially considering timezones and workhours and such.
Now, I'd say auctions probably help the most as they tend to fetch higher prices than regular commissions, but they can be a bit frustrating for people that want to commission you but also have to work on a budget - often times doing solely auctions ends up with the same people always winning out because they got more disposable income to spare; good for you, possibly frustrating for customers.
Personally I'd say open for special auctions now and again but otherwise open normal commissions and decide what you want to do or raffle off the slots? Just my two cents, really~

Also I hope it works out well for you, it's a plunge to take alright, but I'm sure you can do it <3

Thank you very much! It's a plunge alright haha, a little scary, a little terrifying, but also it feels really good to be doing what I love more too <3

I think those are some wise words! I might start with raffles and if I feel burned out do the whole 'I get to pick' system, that's how I'm leaning at the moment. And definitely a little YCHs now and then, as a treat ;u;

An additional advisory: with commission forms left open for, let's say 24 hours, it may be best to put people who got in on the previous round of commissions slightly lower on priority, so others have a better chance to get a piece.

Yeah! I think that's a good idea too. I like that <3

What do you think of giving priority to patrons?

That’s a more iffy option, since you potentially end up with an indefinite holder. I would say probably have that as a separate allotment when planning (i.e. if doing 30 commissions for the month, 25 are planned to be all open, 5 are the patron spots).

I think that's fair, incentive to be a patron without being punishing

So, I can only speak from the perspective of someone who commissions artists, not the artist themselves. That being said, I personally like artist picks the most. First come first serve benefits people who are quick to respond, and if you're quick, then you may not have a full idea in mind by the time the artist opens up. Which may result in you getting a lot of "my character but fat" if people don't have time to think it through. Not to mention that getting a commission between multiple friends is basically impossible since they would have to all be notified at the same time. Also, it really sucks for people in certain time zones if they're at work/school or asleep when you usually open up, so some people might never get to commission.

As for artist picks, it lets you pick your favourite, which both benefits you, and encourages the commissioner to be creative if they really really want a commission from you. And if you give let's say 24 hours to gather orders, there's almost never an inconvenient time. However, some people really do just want "my character but fat", so this would suck for those people. And some people might never get picked if their ideas aren't attractive enough to you. Also, you'll definitely have more forms to go through by doing this, which can eat up some time. But you can also just choose the first 3 forms that you read and do those if you're tired and don't want to read them all.

YCH is a fun one, and it's really quick and easy to just say "I'll take one" and send a reference sheet + PayPal, but you really need to like the initial drawing to want it. However, that can once again only benefit the earliest speaker or the highest bidder, so some people may get left out. And if you take multiple people instead, then you'd better be prepared to draw the same thing over and over again but with different characters. Also, I don't recommend posting so many of the same picture, as it'll bloat (heh) your gallery.

My personal advice? Do artist picks, but prioritize people who you haven't drawn for recently. I think that way, everyone would get a shot, while also being encouraged to be creative with their ideas, and not having to rush to write something down.

On a side note, I don't know if you ever plan on writing stories as part of your commissions as well, but I will say that I enjoy your stories a lot, and it's a big part of the reason that I watched you on FA!

Ah heck! That's a very long and thought out post, thank you!

You make a really good case for artist pick with the caveat that I try to cycle through new clients and not continually take old ones. I didn't honestly expect a commissioner to be in favour of artist pick primarily so that was surprising and refreshing! Plus it's attractive over doing raffles because, well, some ideas really do pog an artist brain.

I'm feeling occasional YCHs could be good, I'm not sure how to offer additional incentive for them if I'm doing a lot of commissions, that's something I'll have to think about.

As for stories, I haven't priced myself yet for them, at least I forget how much I priced myself lol. But that's a good point and something I should add to my commission information, thank you very much once again <3

Hehe, you're welcome! Also, I think doing occasional YCHs is a good idea. The other benefit to taking a YCH from the commissioner perspective, is that I always know almost exactly what it's going to look like, and if I can't think of a written out idea, this is a good way to do something that's easy yet rewarding.

Congratulations on becoming a full time artist Jenny! I say the best way to do commissions is letting people know ahead of time when you are about to open. I do think picking ones you will like makes sense as well then you get to draw things that inspire you. That or raffle to allow many kinds of people commission you rather than the same group all the time. But I say the best advice is to go with what makes your life easiest and happiest. I wish you the best as always Jenny!

Thank you so much hun, you're so kind. <3

You're most welcome!

mouse tum gets the mwah
it is so good, cheddar beast
we have faith of the schmort
scurry-rat's enterprise

also, i'm not gonna lose my hand.
first post-trauma assess this past
monday, the bone healing's gone
like a champ, no vascular or nerve
damage. back to normal prognosis
in one to two months.

the drawings shall continue!

-2Paw.

!!!!

I'm so glad your hand is doing well! Congratulations <3

I eagerly look forward to new draws <3

the antigravity pants shall not fail
but i must seek out the burger king
the poutine-eater, who i must face
consume, overeat and om nom,
and in swallowing him, take his place
at the head of the countertop

i am doublewide, dergenborger!
(no flash pictures, i'm pining for the nords)

-2Paw.

Good luck becoming full time!!! But ig those 3 options I see them, as others said, depending on your mood.
Raffle and FCFS are about getting stuff quick. I rarely see raffles done though, maybe it's just if there's a massive influx of commissioners and they don't wanna pick and feel bad not picking others.
Meanwhile artists pick can help you pick the fellas with the best ideas, characters, etc so it'll be more enjoying to do the comm.

Sometimes doing YCHs can help prevent hurting yourself from drawing so much so it'll be good to try that out. Alternatively, if you have a different more calmer style to draw you can offer that as a option too!

My best guess is maybe try out each of them and see what you like the most, or if you feel you like one in particular is the best use that!

Most definitely gonna comm you though, I remember seeing your art in the Borrowed Time story and, wow, I never found an artists that drew big birbs so outstandingly!!! Not to mention your gallery of all your other awesome pieces here too :D

Thank you so much!

Awwrf, I'm so glad you liked my work in Borrowed Time that means a lot to me <3

And yeah, those sound like good options to me! I'll have to have a go and figure out which I like most, I'm surprised and gladened that artist's choice isn't something folk don't like

I like 24 hour openings for people to send ideas in and the artists picks trough, as thats friendly to all timezones and people with jobs!

Mausu for example uses commiss.io, while others used google forms. Notes or emails can also work!

I'm definitely thinking of using google forms, that way I can get all the information I need in one swipe, too!

My preferred is google forms with the option to get a copy of my responses, open for 24-48 hours, with the artist choosing which ones she wants to work on.

It lets you control the format to hopefully receive fewer vague applications, and if the commission idea is not accepted, the copy of my answers can be used to resubmit the idea when you open again or to another artist.

Looking forward to your openings by the way.

I'm definitely thinking google forms, I'll keep that in mind! Thank you very much ;u;

Alright so I finally looked into it, to allow you to receive a copy back means I have to check the box on google forms that lets it save the email addresses of people who reply, which is weird. Think that would be a bummer for folk or turn them away? I mean they have to give an email with paypal supposedly so I don't know what the harm would be.

My favorite method is first come first serve, opening up at set times.
So, comms opening at like, 2 pm on monday every week, and the first x people there are the ones that get it.

It means if someone really wants a commission, they can get it.
Which is something I dislike with artist choice and raffles.
If you really wanna comm an artist, theres never a guarantee you can *ever* get that comm.

Yeah that's a VERY good point and something I'm always afraid of. Maybe a mix, taking that kind of commission sometimes, will help folk who want to like that get the commission

If your expectation is that you'll likely get far more demand than slots available, I'd go for raffle format, ideally biasing future ones towards people who haven't won previously.

There are problems with the "commissions open at x time on y day" format still: timezones. Even if they are during awake hours, folks have jobs and other obligations going on, so there's no guarantee they'll be available to claim a spot even if you announce the date and time beforehand.

Doing first-come, first-served also doesn't work so well if you're advertising those commissions over multiple platforms. For example, if you post about them on FA before Twitter and on Twitter before Tumblr, FA users have an advantage over Twitter users over Tumblr users. You might even have filled all the slots before you've even gotten to Tumblr.

First-come, first-served is ultimately a bit of a Black Friday sale mad rush that leaves a small number of people happy and a large number sore and upset. Raffles are more casual and at least gives folks a fairly level playing field.

You could also just do artist picks, but I think that approach is generally less popular with commissioners.

Thank you very much! This is a neat and thought out post.

I've been leaning towards the raffle system, and having a bias towards previously unpicked commissioners solves a lot of problems regarding who is able to get stuff

But also I was surprised how many people responded here saying they were okay with 'artist pick' type commissions. Most folk just wanted to make sure I used something like google forms where answers could be stored so that if they miss out, they can quickly apply next time. It was definitely surprising, but also kind of neat in that if an artist likes your commission idea you can be sure the quality will be better. That's not so much a... what am I trying to say... failing on the artist's part? But we all know art isn't like baking, and inspiration unfortunately does play a role. I try to do all my commissions to my 100%, but I can't deny some just come out better than others -u-

Anyways, a lot to think about, thank you for your response <3