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"Must have visual refs" and a suggestion
13 years ago
General
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So I know I don't have a very large following here, and I can almost guarantee that maybe five people will read this. That being said, there's been something I've been keeping to myself for quite a while, for fear of being labeled as a drama-starter.
Anyway, the base of my problem is that I don't have a proper visual reference for my fursona (or any other characters I've created, for that matter). So whenever I see "Must have visual reference" on a contest, raffle, etc, it discourages me from entering. And that bothers me, because some of these raffles are intended for people who otherwise can't afford commissions of their own characters.
Now you're probably thinking, "So why don't you just commission someone for a ref sheet?" The short answer is that I can't afford it in this stage of my life. The long answer is that I'm a full-time college student with a part-time job that makes minimum wage, who has loans and bills to pay for. On top of that, I'll be graduating from college soon, so withing the next 6 months I foresee moving out of my parents' house, to where ever I can find a decent, long-term job in my chosen career field (theatrical design and technical theatre, for those interested). So no luxury spending for me for a while.
But then that leads into, "Why don't you just draw your own ref sheet?" To which I respond, "Have you seen my gallery? A two-year-old with a box of crayons can draw just as well as I can. So that options out.
This brings us to Phase 2 of this journal, in which I finally reveal what my suggestion is. If you're going to raffle off commissions for people who otherwise can't afford it, why not raffle off ref sheets? Yes, I understand that someone who needs a ref sheet will not already have a visual reference for you to work with, but that's the point of this, isn't it? I mean, I'm not an artist, so maybe I don't understand how it works. If that's the case, then I would absolutely love for someone who IS an artist to clue me in.
PS, I'm not making demands here, and I understand that if a ref sheet were the prize in a raffle, that I probably won't win. I don't care. Think of this more as me speaking on behalf of myself as well as those in similar situations.
Anyway, the base of my problem is that I don't have a proper visual reference for my fursona (or any other characters I've created, for that matter). So whenever I see "Must have visual reference" on a contest, raffle, etc, it discourages me from entering. And that bothers me, because some of these raffles are intended for people who otherwise can't afford commissions of their own characters.
Now you're probably thinking, "So why don't you just commission someone for a ref sheet?" The short answer is that I can't afford it in this stage of my life. The long answer is that I'm a full-time college student with a part-time job that makes minimum wage, who has loans and bills to pay for. On top of that, I'll be graduating from college soon, so withing the next 6 months I foresee moving out of my parents' house, to where ever I can find a decent, long-term job in my chosen career field (theatrical design and technical theatre, for those interested). So no luxury spending for me for a while.
But then that leads into, "Why don't you just draw your own ref sheet?" To which I respond, "Have you seen my gallery? A two-year-old with a box of crayons can draw just as well as I can. So that options out.
This brings us to Phase 2 of this journal, in which I finally reveal what my suggestion is. If you're going to raffle off commissions for people who otherwise can't afford it, why not raffle off ref sheets? Yes, I understand that someone who needs a ref sheet will not already have a visual reference for you to work with, but that's the point of this, isn't it? I mean, I'm not an artist, so maybe I don't understand how it works. If that's the case, then I would absolutely love for someone who IS an artist to clue me in.
PS, I'm not making demands here, and I understand that if a ref sheet were the prize in a raffle, that I probably won't win. I don't care. Think of this more as me speaking on behalf of myself as well as those in similar situations.
djkyota
~djkyota
My honest opinion on why most artists require visual refs for any commission is that a LOT of artists who do numerous commissions will get, from time to time, shit from the buyer on how their fursona looks. I luckily have not dealt with that yet, but I know people who do. It upsets them and discourages them from selling art like that. Just my two cents.
