I would love to help you, but I have no ideas either on what you should propose

Haha that is absolutely fine :)

1. Single character YCH
im picky about my arts so i rather wouldnt want to see mine with a stranger whose design i dont even like.

Mhm, yes i can absolutely understand that, thanks for taking the time to answer :)

No prob! oh and i think couple YCHs are popular as well. :)

from what i have seen on this page everyone kind of like a mix and a match really, and to be fair it all up to you if you like to put up a group YCH or a single charter one, The Dissension is yours after all you ARE the Artist XD, Go nuts fill your boots, your Fan's will be there no matter what.

Yeah, chances are ultimately it'll be a mix and match of them, depending on what works with a certain picture. But it's still always good to have a general idea of what people prefer :) And thank you as well for taking the time to answer!

I prefer options 1 and 2- I love single character, high quality options, as well as the chance to get in on a nicely staged group picture.

Option 3 I feel just severely decreases the value of the work, as you said, because others will have the exact same piece of art, just with a different character.

Absolutely understandable, and thank you very much for answering :)

Options 1 and 2 are definitely the best, IMO. Single-characters are always popular- couple's pieces are always popular too (particularly if you give a 10% discount for buying both slots or something, to encourage people to pony up for both). ^_^

I guess the YCH's that catch my attention the most are ones that feel like the artist was going to draw the pose for themselves in a situation they enjoy drawing, but give you the option to insert your own character instead?

So you kinda feel like you are getting a chance at a commission from an artist you enjoy, but forgo the option of dictating the image for something the artist wants to draw normally, and, as you say above, sometimes for slightly cheaper when the bill is being split.

Yep, that is essentially the idea of the YCH in my case. Every now and then there's just something i like to draw, but it's tough to justify if at the same time i could be doing work that ears me money. So they'll be just stuff i enjoy drawing.

TL-DR; You won't know what people like until you try doing something first. I recommend doing both options #1 & #2, but you can have a -lot- of fun and more freedom with #4. ^^

They all have there good points and bad points. If you want to try and please everyone-- then offer each of the different things, see which ones get grabbed up the most and there's your main answer.

YCH's with strangers can ruin someones interest/mood/opinion of the picture drastically cause they may not like that person's character, even if it did make things cheaper for them in the long run. But on the flip side, some people want group YCH's for the chance to get it with friends, or simply because they can't afford solo pics easily, or whatever else.

In my personal opinion I prefer the option to choose what kinda YCH I want, sometimes I go for single, other times I go for group (and I just ask the artist if they'll send me a cropped version with just my character at the same time).I also agree that #3 is bad, it just makes everything feel like a cookie cutter and takes away from the feeling that this is mine. (Because someone else has the exact same picture, pose, detail, etc in every way--except for the fact they might be a dog instead of a cat, and so on).

But something that might work out that I've seen quite a few other artists do is similar to #4;
Offer a blind YCH, you have pretty much mostly artistic freedom aside from the obvious fact you have to use the bidders/winners character. (Now you could offer to let them put some input, such as a setting/scene/theme/etc-etc) But mostly, you'd just draw something you think would be fun/cool for you involving the winner's character. Quite a few of my own commissions were blind to me when I paid for them and I ended up loving them a lot. {This does run the obvious risks of anything though, where the person may dislike it regardless though.}

There's a lot of stuff you can do though, just depends on your comfort level and you won't know how open your viewers/followers/people-etc are, or will be, of what you decide to do. Until you do it. :)

Yep that is very true, though it is never wrong to dip your finger in and see if it's warm or cold, even if it might be "somewhere in the middle" for every bucket available.

Though i have to say i'm not sure if i'd be a good fit for a blind YCH. In my case the purpose for the YCH is to just offer me an opportunity to draw something i really want and still have it be a viable option for bringing in money to pay rent etc. The blind option feels a bit too much like a regular commission to me in that regard, so that's probably not something that works well for my goals.

Thank you very much for taking the time to answer as well!

1 or 2 are both things I go for. 3 - basically 'recolors' - turn me off, though. If you do go down that path, I would at least suggest making it clear up front that you have it in mind; I have sometimes seen artists that don't, and that can be a bit of a let-down.
Other random thoughts:
- Non-auction / flat price YCH's can be good. I know YCH is usually an auction thing, but sometimes not. On one hand, auctions can potentially net you more cash (and also be a 'soft' way to gauge how much you can actually get away with charging in the future), but on the other hand, a flat price lets you and the buyer both be certain of the amount of effort / quality / detail to expect.
- It's nice when things like expressions, species, and body type have at least a little wiggle room. I know I definitely am much less likely to bid / buy YCH's unless I know that either the artist is a bit flexible or the initial sketch is a perfect match for one of my characters.
And then a few things that are specific to auctions:
- It's nice when there's a discount to AB all slots in a multi-slot YCH, so that you can be certain who the other characters may be, though sometimes it's fun to be surprised.
- On the flipside, I tend to like auctions where there either isn't an AB or the AB is quite high. It's disappointing when somebody swoops in and hits the AB almost right away.
- I've seen some auctions that have tiers of quality / extra features (background added, alt versions made, etc.) if certain thresholds are crossed in the auction. Seems like a smart approach, but I don't know how successful it is.
- Basic things like posting a time and time zone when the auction will end, having sniping rules, etc., make you much more confident when bidding.

Thank you very much for answering as well of course.
Will certainly consider it all, and make sure that the universally good things like auction timezone and the exactly specifications that are allowed for a character etc. are laid out well.

Oh, another thing you might consider that I think a lot of people accept as a compromise that's not quite option 3 but similar, is if you look at YCH's like what PatrikTheDog (and other artists of course) does sometimes like This or This (both links mildly NSFW!), where there are several similar poses with a common theme / structure that the artist is currently interested in, but they're not quite the exact same one over and over.

Hmmm, yeah, i'll keep that in mind as well, thanks!

I'd say offer a variety. I like the idea of the mixed where there's a primary character and then auction off the background slots.

Could always apply character design restrictions up front to ensure everyone fits with the theme of the piece.

I like that idea, too; I even thought of suggesting it on my last piece, and on some others in the past from other artists, but I've never been sure if artists would go for it, and as you allude to, I'd be a bit disappointed if a character design that super stuck out / didn't fit the concept got in. But with some careful restrictions, I could totally see that being a win for everybody involved.

Yeah that would be an option as well for pictures that require multiple characters. Though at the same time perhaps also a bit boring since by definition the characters aren't really the main focus. But i guess worst case would be that nobody wants to take over those spots and they'll just be random characters as initially planned. But yeah, in that case it absolutely would need to have strict restrictions. And thanks for taking the time to comment :)

A good smattering of different types is always good of course.

I definitely prefer 1 of the options here.
Group YCHs (2.) is always way too much of a gamble in my opinion because you'll be put in with random strangers, obviously interacting, with characters you don't even know are going to match or clash. To me, personally, that decreases the value of such pieces much more than seeing the same picture with other people's characters (3.).

To offer peopel an option who don't necessarily have a large budget and/or don't want the risk or hassle of an auction (and giving you a solid income to boot), I'd certainly favor 3. as a close second to 1.

As for something else: pair/group YCHs to go to a single bidder or sold as multi-slot would be an option too, for those people who want group interaction but don't want to be thrown in with random characters/species/genders.

Anyway, just my $0.02 on the matter

Yeah, the option to easily grab a whole multi-character YCH seems to be one that's often mentioned, so i'll certainly keep that in mind as well. Thank you for those 2 cents, gonna keep them if you don't mind :B

I think the entire reason YCH do well, is because it appeals to several different groups, and artists can, for the most part, do what they feel inspired to do. If you like drawing big orgy pictures, then you can do that. If you like drawing pinups, then you can do THAT. And usually, somewhere out there, someone wants to buy it. So I would say this is a good chance for you to work in your comfort zone, and make a few bucks at it.

Yeah, ideally it'd be that. I just like to get a bit of a general feel for it before just jumping into the fray, so that i can avoid some of the mistakes, possibly get some ideas etc.

The only one I don't like is Option #3. I watch a few artists who do that, and it's pretty irritating as a watcher to see the same picture 5 times but with a differently colored character each time. It also kind of ruins the impact of the artwork? Like, instead of judging it on its own, you're mentally comparing it to the other color variations.

It doesn't bother me when it's a series of pictures drawn in a similar style. Example: An artist takes pixel art sprite commissions where the characters are all drawn in a similar style, but aren't exactly the same. Those don't bother me because they'll usually post them all together in one image, so you aren't getting spammed by 20 color variations. (That's more like adoptables, though.)

Yeah i can understand that, 3 so far seems easily the most contested. Though i guess the spam could easily be avoided by just only uploading one of the versions, so i guess ultimately that would be the smallest problem with #3. Thank you for your input as well :)

If you do multi character YCH's, I always liked the option to buy the whole thing so I know who's goi g to be in it with me. This works well for mated pairs, too.

Yep, something that's been mentioned, so i'll certainly keep that in mind for those type of pictures! Thank you very much for leaving a comment :)

I suggest an experiment. You see what's more popular via actually doing them.

never hurts to ask though, and see if something sticks out.

Of course, but nothing beats seeing for yourself which is more popular. No harm in it either. More for a portfolio.

As others have mentioned, multi-character YCHs definitely need to have an option to bid on (or AB) the entire thing, so nobody gets stuck with characters they dislike!

Stop trying to cockblock me out of pictures, Fek! Jeeeze!

You know just as well as I do that you're always welcome. 8D

Mhm, certainly gonna make that available in those cases, thanks!

Remember that YCH you did for Utunu? That was fun. I liked that it was given some discipline in that you guys only accepted characters of realistic design, and that were mostly native to a particular area. Free-for-all, group YCHs just don't work, imo. It looks like a mashup of all these things that don't really belong together. Unless the picture is specifically about diversity or something.

The only other thing I have to say about the subject is that personally, I'm probably only going to be getting solo YCHs from now on. Or small group ones, with friends, people I actually know. Not interested in art with strangers at this point.

Mhm that is very fair, that one time it actually was Utunu who pretty much organized everything. So a lot of the limitations in regard to species etc. were his.

Normally I prefer group YCH's but it is also situation dependent on what it will be

Thanks, and yep understandable :)

Recommend against having an auto-buy option; it makes things a race instead of determining who wants it more.

(I suspect 1 and 2 are best, tho I do think there are some good things about 3; for 2, I've seen people do both single-buyer and multi-buyer versions, and it seems like you could do both in the same auction.)

Yeah i feel like 3 might speak to a bit of a different audience than 1&2. Basically giving the opportunity for a rather complex painting to people who might not have the chance to do so otherwise due to the cost associated to it. We'll see, and thank you very much for your input :)

I’ve never bought a ych but the ones that seem the most appealing are when there’s an open slot to buy being paired with a character they draw that you like. Ruaidri recently did some really big group ych’s that everyone seemed to like a lot, too

So you mean like let's say for example an auction for 1 slot, but it is a 2 character picture with the second character being predetermined already? So basically that you know who your character would be interacting with ?

Yeah I think so, at least to me that seems like the most interesting option. Stuff like “the one on the left is my character ___ and the one on the left is the open slot”

Ah alright, yeah that could work too, will keep it in mind :) Thanks!

well if I had your ability to paint in light, (A good platform and really good software etc) then I'd as I try to do with my meager stuff, all the while getting frustrated because what I got was far from what i can get if i paint on glass with my own pigment invention of paint, but illudes my knhowledge and ability with computers.

Anyway what I would do is create a picture where there are several characters involved, and the main character gets to pay a larger but not all of the cost of the piece.

A victorious fighter getting the (sexually domination in the pounded prostate way, finished off by a little oral niceties, one after the other from the cum strings connecting them; spoils over his adversaries.

Several used to be straight losing members of the opposing side have already been violated extremely well by the bigger extremely well endowed and not finished yet gay victor on the "...oooh wait can we talk about this!?!!! soon to be totally infatuated forever afterwards with getting the loser's fate several more times before going off teo work in the fields as a farmhand - loser!

The used to be straight other losers on his side look on to his plight with dreamy looks on their visiages, wanting more from this gay champion, and obvoiusly have been vigorously subdued with the still throbbing member on the victor, the last loser is next and though he is the most fomidable looking was still one of the losers too! I'd say about 13 total losers in different areas splaqyed out around the dominant victor and the last guy pleading wide eyed to just be dispatched instead of made into another fawning lover pounded by his prostate into submission like his fellows who are going to watch him get the giant loveshaft of doom gaymaker change!

Anna:

I'll take a different approach and tell you what I personally hate or at least dislike^^ (though I can't afford yet, this is what would count in the future if I'm ever able to afford the exclusive good art is, I already know what's offputting to me)

So, what would disqualify an YCH to me:
-Multiple separate slots in porn/romantic images. (or "X char and YCH") If I'm willing to pay for art(esp. porn/romance), I want sth of emotional/personal value: so of my boyfriend and me. Or at least of my OC pairs.
-No flexibility on genitals if applicable, and I mean female bits too(if only hoomanish vulva is allowed, I'm so much out, all my characters have somehow species-matching genitals...)
-No flexibility on facial expression (if I like the pose but the artist is not willing to adujust the expression to my charatcer at all, I won't consider taking the YCH if the expression is not fitting the character or relatiosnhip, or e.g. if it's a fake pornface)
-No option to have no clothes or to at least adjust them (proper(covering) clothes are against my alter-ego's 'lore', I have only 2 OCs that wear any proper clothes and those are very specific styles only), unles the pic is all about clothes - but then I won't bid anyways.
-Flat bodytype... especially if it's muscly male as it fits none of my characters (I need either unmuslcy stocky or skeletal thin here) or skeletal thin female or only certain cup size
-'Wrongly' restricted genders/sexes on non-single images. I happen to need MF D: the only MM I have is big quadruped and small biped... and a M biped and F gnoll (so sth that could pass as a Herm) Still, I'd rather invest in our alter-egos than my OCs, so MF only, or MH/MM if strap-on is allowed to pass as H or M.
- and ofc fetishes/situations that don't fit the characters^^

And the first 2 points are the most important while way too mainstream to me =< So far I've found very few YCHs I could bid on even if I had the money and was more forgiving for artskill&quality&style.

Just a probably very non-mainstream view...

Hey, stuff that one dislikes is just as important to know as the things that are liked :) So thank you very much for elaborating!
Some point i would assume really depend on the person, for example the restricted genders. On one hand you would like some flexibility to possibly fit in a character that isn't immediately apparent, but on the other hand knowing that a certain character will 100% be a male one will of course work better for people where the character is gay and not attracted to women. But one way or another i can certainly see where you are coming from with them, so i'll keep them in mind, thank you!

I've never got a YCH commission specifically (I prefer custom comms) but as an artist who has done YCH commissions, I would say this: Do what you're most comfortable with, but also make room to experiment. You may find you really like option #1, or maybe you have a lot of ideas for option #2. Or maybe you find that option #2 is a big hassle with having to combine the wishes of 3+ people, or that #2 provides enough income to be worth it and then some. so on and so forth. Sometimes you never know until you try.

An idea for #4: make a scene involving one of your own characters, if you're comfortable using your IP that way. It's what I want to try myself soon - but will have to wait till after finals D; But I like idea because I feel like I'll be able to have much greater control over the composition, as one of the focal points is already determined.

Whatever you do, good luck and have fun!

Sound advice, thanks :) I'll keep it in mind and see where it goes :D

I honestly like all of the YCH's you mentioned. For me, it's all about the pose and content so if I see something I like then ill go for it. so variety is definitely a good thing.

Yep, in the end YCH would just be a bunch of pictures i want to draw, so chances are they'll be all over the place depending on what comes to mind at that moment :D

I look forward to see them