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why i don't do free art anymore (a rant)
4 years ago
the vast majority of people who would enter my raffles or ask for requests have ZERO respect for artists in general and are just lazy jerks looking to cheat artists out of hundreds of dollars worth of work. and yes, at this point my skill is finally high enough that giving my work away for free costs me a significant amount of money, which in turn also hurts other artists who are trying to make a living. why buy from them if i give the same quality away for free?
seriously, so many can't be bothered to even read the rules of entry on my raffles, and yet expect me to spend hours drawing for them? and i go to check their pages out when i confirm their entry, and surprise surprise, their favorites are NOTHING but free art raffles. just randoms browsing the tags, probably didn't even LOOK at my gallery before tossing their reference sheet in my face without so much as a 'thanks for the chance'.
*sigh* i'm technically offering free art right now, on artfight, but since it takes more effort than just clicking a single button and copy pasting a reference sheet, nobody cares. it's pretty fucking sad, honestly. you could get something worth anywhere from 10-200$ from me if you just put in the same amount of time i do, regardless of the difference in skill level.
i would LOVE to do free raffles for folks who buy commissions from me, on the other hand. folks who i know actually DO appreciate my work and recognize that it has monetary value. but i'm pretty sure 'pay to enter' raffles are against the rules here, and patreon really doesn't work for me since i'm not consistent enough to offer rewards EVERY month.
(why this rant out of nowhere? had someone fave an old raffle of mine... that has been closed for months and says so in the title... and leave a comment on it that was nothing but their ref sheet. also had some pretty lazy attacks on artfight- not just amateur quality, those are fine, i mean extremely low effort. yes, i can tell the difference.)
i put hours if not days into every piece i do, and that's not even counting all the time i've spent LEARNING to draw in the first place, getting better over the years through study and experimentation. it makes me so happy when people like my work, but come on, artists deserve more respect than to be treated like disposable art machines >:/
seriously, so many can't be bothered to even read the rules of entry on my raffles, and yet expect me to spend hours drawing for them? and i go to check their pages out when i confirm their entry, and surprise surprise, their favorites are NOTHING but free art raffles. just randoms browsing the tags, probably didn't even LOOK at my gallery before tossing their reference sheet in my face without so much as a 'thanks for the chance'.
*sigh* i'm technically offering free art right now, on artfight, but since it takes more effort than just clicking a single button and copy pasting a reference sheet, nobody cares. it's pretty fucking sad, honestly. you could get something worth anywhere from 10-200$ from me if you just put in the same amount of time i do, regardless of the difference in skill level.
i would LOVE to do free raffles for folks who buy commissions from me, on the other hand. folks who i know actually DO appreciate my work and recognize that it has monetary value. but i'm pretty sure 'pay to enter' raffles are against the rules here, and patreon really doesn't work for me since i'm not consistent enough to offer rewards EVERY month.
(why this rant out of nowhere? had someone fave an old raffle of mine... that has been closed for months and says so in the title... and leave a comment on it that was nothing but their ref sheet. also had some pretty lazy attacks on artfight- not just amateur quality, those are fine, i mean extremely low effort. yes, i can tell the difference.)
i put hours if not days into every piece i do, and that's not even counting all the time i've spent LEARNING to draw in the first place, getting better over the years through study and experimentation. it makes me so happy when people like my work, but come on, artists deserve more respect than to be treated like disposable art machines >:/
Basian
~basian
yeah, i cant stand those types either... i used to be able ot draw fairly well (and i loved drawing) when i was young but due to an accident my hands shake too much for it and its a permanent thing. people who do not respect art whether its sfw or nsfw dont deserve it either.
DraggissarScripty
~draggissarscripty
Yeah unfortunately that lot exists. They make no effort to pay attention, and make no effort to save up the funds to actually commission work from somone they recieved a win from ever. its really quite sad.
Basian
~basian
usually they hunt for ref raffles... cause usually you need a ref to even join an art raffle
DraggissarScripty
~draggissarscripty
Yep they do that too.
Basian
~basian
i mean, generally theres nothing wrong with asking an artist you follow, have good contact with and bought art from before to make a free basic little sketch if they ever feel up to it. but expecting someone to make free art for you is just wrong and disrespectful. ive been given free art before, sometimes by asking a specific artist i know who only used ot make free art, sometimes just out of nowhere as a gift, sometimes from a raffle... but i would never expect anyone to give me free art just cause i want it.
AlphaGodith
~alphagodith
OP
yeah, i used to participate in free raffles a fair bit myself, but the more i did it and the more i tried to run them myself, the more i realize the kinds of folks who join them are often not great, and i don't want to associate myself with them.
2ManyStripes
~2manystripes
Totally understandable, I absolutely hate people like that!
RTDragon
~rtdragon
I'm not surprises since raffle hunters have been popping up especially on twitter. I have noticed something unusual on artfight lately that's related to this.
AlphaGodith
~alphagodith
OP
something unusual?
RTDragon
~rtdragon
Well has anyone attempted to use artfight to get free art when they're not even an artist cause something like this i've noticed could cause issues.
AlphaGodith
~alphagodith
OP
what do you mean? if you mean people targeting folks like me who advertise always revenging, with super shitty attacks that look like a toddler drew it with their left hand after only looking at the character's reference for 3 seconds, then yes.
RTDragon
~rtdragon
Yes that indeed.
Burn
~kuvajaenen
The funny thing is that those who ordered a drawing from me for money are patiently waiting for their turn, and the one to whom I promised free art (for a little help with the selection of the text of my favorite song) constantly asks "where is the art ?"
AlphaGodith
~alphagodith
OP
exactly! a lot of times when i did requests, they didn't even comment on the finished work >:/ the LEAST you can do is say thankyou, but you should really be absolutely GUSHING since i just spent hours of my time making something COMPLETELY CUSTOM for you, instead of earning money for food and shelter!
Basian
~basian
the usual deadline i give to artists depends from art to art but most of the time, for art i paid for it is up to 6 months and up to full year for free art... its allot of time they get but its cause it lightens the burden by removing the thought of having to rush it. art isnt made in 1 day. rome wasnt either...
I can't stand those types either so I don't blame you. People like that ruin it for those of us that do give a damn and sour it for artists like you.
