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2018 Update
7 years ago
TL;DR: How is 2018 starting, and a long list of 'questionable' (duh) topics about whether to start taking commissions or not.
Hello there!
Another journal in a while. Been a long time already. So, what happened lately?
You probably noticed I almost did not draw during the second half of 2017. The thing is, moving out kind of stopped me, and work too. I also met someone, and it tends to drain most of your free time.
I've been more active lately however. Even got into drawing some NSFW stuff. And there are more things coming.
I know that some people have been enjoying my art and would not mind asking for some commissions. But I'm still weighing pros and cons, so I'm going to list them there to make up my mind and hear what people think about them (were anyone to comment here anyway :P):
Cons:
- Work: Yes, work. I got hired less than two weeks ago in a contract as a product engineer for a company which makes car braking systems (drum and disc ones alike). And since the brake in question is for a japanese company, it's a lot of work, even if I'm only handling the design aspect. That and all the public transportation to get there, I'm usually left with less than 3 hours at home during the evening. And sometimes I don't even have any focus left. I'm trying to find a flat closer to the workplace, but due to specific conditions, I'd like to live inside of Paris and not in the suburbs. And getting a flat there is a freaking battle royale unless you have the ressources to pay a 2500€ rent (and usually you flat out buy it at that point).
- Content: I bet a lot of people would ask for Mature content. But I'm not too much into mainly drawing NSFW, as I'm scared of the look my family, friends (and of course GF) may give me were they to learn about this (because of course they don't know yet). It's a sensitive matter for the usual reasons ('furries' and all that) And I haven't found a way to tackle this issue very well yet.
I'm not uncomfortable drawing that kind of content, not at all. I consider that I have the right to draw Mature content once in a while, and it should not be disturbing to my relatives. To have it become my main activity though...
- Purpose: The reason why someone originally draws is for themselves. I wish I could draw a lot for other people as well, because it's just fun to play with different, challenging designs (Jarmenj's Syldria comes to mind. I had a ton of fun drawing her), but I mainly started to draw because I wanted to give shape to some of my own ideas. Even now, I feel like I don't have enough time to draw my own creations, so imagine if I have to stick to a schedule and draw other people's ideas non-stop (because yeah, my efficiency is pretty low. By making some quick calculations, I'm at less than 2$ per hour were I to start taking comms. Nowhere near my current job income xD).
Pros:
- Challenging ideas, challenging designs: Wanna try some unexpected, kinky, weird content? Let's do this baby! Always in for the new (especially drawing
wearing skirts and tutus :P).
- Consistency: I'm very professional when it comes to schedules and work. I give frequent dates, decent deadlines for a finished product, and I always stick to it. It might be a good thing to force me to draw more regularly. I've mainly lacked consistency since I started practising back in 2015. I wish I could reach the same level as
in that regard, but by comparing our respective situations, I'm not doing so bad regarding that.
- Money: Well, having 40 more bucks a month is never bad. I think I'll keep it more artists I want to commission though.
- Respect to the other artists: This one sounds a bit strange, but here's the reasoning - if I keep making freebies and getting better at drawing, there is a possibility that I might deny income from other people who try to make a living out of commissions. Especially from someone who's not in a dire situation regarding income, it seems unfair to me not to ask for money at some point, so I can make sure people want some art from me more because they like my style rather than because, well, 'it's free'. Of course, I'm not near that point, and if I start taking comms, my prices are going to be not very high. But this is something I'm simply thinking about. I know some artists do not think of their peers as direct competition, but if you pump a lot of free stuff you're definitely going to hurt someone else's ability to earn money, unless you're in a very niche market (well, maybe that's already the case here).
Walls, moar doom walls of doom text.
Once I'm done with the current work, I may make a commission ref sheet so I can see whether people are interested or not. But the thing to remember about me and art is that, for now, art is still a hobby. And as such, my involvement into commissions will remain limited.
Damn, already midnight and it's not Friday evening yet. Gotta wake up at 6 and then go spend my day trying to explain how a mold for metallic parts works and spam emails and meetings non-stop. Bloody Japanese :'D...
Hello there!
Another journal in a while. Been a long time already. So, what happened lately?
You probably noticed I almost did not draw during the second half of 2017. The thing is, moving out kind of stopped me, and work too. I also met someone, and it tends to drain most of your free time.
I've been more active lately however. Even got into drawing some NSFW stuff. And there are more things coming.
I know that some people have been enjoying my art and would not mind asking for some commissions. But I'm still weighing pros and cons, so I'm going to list them there to make up my mind and hear what people think about them (were anyone to comment here anyway :P):
Cons:
- Work: Yes, work. I got hired less than two weeks ago in a contract as a product engineer for a company which makes car braking systems (drum and disc ones alike). And since the brake in question is for a japanese company, it's a lot of work, even if I'm only handling the design aspect. That and all the public transportation to get there, I'm usually left with less than 3 hours at home during the evening. And sometimes I don't even have any focus left. I'm trying to find a flat closer to the workplace, but due to specific conditions, I'd like to live inside of Paris and not in the suburbs. And getting a flat there is a freaking battle royale unless you have the ressources to pay a 2500€ rent (and usually you flat out buy it at that point).
- Content: I bet a lot of people would ask for Mature content. But I'm not too much into mainly drawing NSFW, as I'm scared of the look my family, friends (and of course GF) may give me were they to learn about this (because of course they don't know yet). It's a sensitive matter for the usual reasons ('furries' and all that) And I haven't found a way to tackle this issue very well yet.
I'm not uncomfortable drawing that kind of content, not at all. I consider that I have the right to draw Mature content once in a while, and it should not be disturbing to my relatives. To have it become my main activity though...
- Purpose: The reason why someone originally draws is for themselves. I wish I could draw a lot for other people as well, because it's just fun to play with different, challenging designs (Jarmenj's Syldria comes to mind. I had a ton of fun drawing her), but I mainly started to draw because I wanted to give shape to some of my own ideas. Even now, I feel like I don't have enough time to draw my own creations, so imagine if I have to stick to a schedule and draw other people's ideas non-stop (because yeah, my efficiency is pretty low. By making some quick calculations, I'm at less than 2$ per hour were I to start taking comms. Nowhere near my current job income xD).
Pros:
- Challenging ideas, challenging designs: Wanna try some unexpected, kinky, weird content? Let's do this baby! Always in for the new (especially drawing
wearing skirts and tutus :P).- Consistency: I'm very professional when it comes to schedules and work. I give frequent dates, decent deadlines for a finished product, and I always stick to it. It might be a good thing to force me to draw more regularly. I've mainly lacked consistency since I started practising back in 2015. I wish I could reach the same level as
in that regard, but by comparing our respective situations, I'm not doing so bad regarding that.- Money: Well, having 40 more bucks a month is never bad. I think I'll keep it more artists I want to commission though.
- Respect to the other artists: This one sounds a bit strange, but here's the reasoning - if I keep making freebies and getting better at drawing, there is a possibility that I might deny income from other people who try to make a living out of commissions. Especially from someone who's not in a dire situation regarding income, it seems unfair to me not to ask for money at some point, so I can make sure people want some art from me more because they like my style rather than because, well, 'it's free'. Of course, I'm not near that point, and if I start taking comms, my prices are going to be not very high. But this is something I'm simply thinking about. I know some artists do not think of their peers as direct competition, but if you pump a lot of free stuff you're definitely going to hurt someone else's ability to earn money, unless you're in a very niche market (well, maybe that's already the case here).
Walls, moar doom walls of doom text.
Once I'm done with the current work, I may make a commission ref sheet so I can see whether people are interested or not. But the thing to remember about me and art is that, for now, art is still a hobby. And as such, my involvement into commissions will remain limited.
Damn, already midnight and it's not Friday evening yet. Gotta wake up at 6 and then go spend my day trying to explain how a mold for metallic parts works and spam emails and meetings non-stop. Bloody Japanese :'D...
