Only think I more or less didn’t catch was the whole “nich” thing. So is that like my little obsession with pony robots and androids or am I going way off with what you’re trying to say?
Yes, that would count as a niche, especially when there’s only
~2500 robot pony images on the site currently. However, to explain this further, a niche area of art is artwork that would only fully appeal to a small but specialised group of people, and typically there’s also a small amount of artists that can produce it. I don’t know how seriously you’re taking your artwork, but if you want to start growing a fanbase around your art, you are much more likely to do it if you make your art have specific themes and niches that you like, that also don’t receive much art to begin with. Or in other words, if someone thinks of their your name, you are more likely to be remembered if there’s something associated with you:
“
Oh, I know of AeroPegasus! They usually draw ……… and ………”
There’s a few popular artists that I know of off the top of my head, but for the ones that I don’t follow closely, I have no idea what they
usually do because they typically… just make stuff I find pretty generic even though the art quality is good.
To use your example of robot ponies, if in the future you’re able to produce really high quality images involving them, you’ll attract the attention of people who like what you draw because there would be less competition, and where there’s less competition, people who are looking for said art are more likely to hold onto you and follow your art because their options are limited.
Also the whole clarify thing, do you mean like setting boundaries on what I will and won’t draw, prices and expected deadlines?
Yes. I think a commission sheet should have the following:
- Base prices
- Picture examples
- Add-on prices (backgrounds, extra characters etc.)
- Your contact details
- Things that you are not willing to draw
And all of these things should be presented in a way that is easy to read and easy to understand. That means don’t use poor colour schemes that makes the text hard to read, or a confusing layout. Remember that people read from top to bottom, and from left to right, so put the information that you want people to see first towards the top, and towards the left side if you’re going for an asymmetrical design. Here’s my newest sheet that I’m designing that’s more or less done minus picture examples.
For expected deadlines, I feel like that should go on a Terms of Service document instead.
Head sketch $3
Body sketch $5
Head line art $6
Body line art $8
Colored head $10
Colored body $15
Cell shaded body $20
(Add-on)
background +$5
Extra characters +$10 per
Complex structure, objects or vehicles +$5-30 depending on complexity
These prices seem reasonable, but I think you’ve got too many categories as a personal nitpick.