Forums » Art & Creativity » Would you pay for this?

So I've been drawing for what feels like ages but it's never done well, a few good pieces but I've never really gotten much more than a "neat" online. However in person most people say I'm really good and are envious blah blah blah.

So I want any of you who are interested in commissions or do them yourselves to tell me if the level I'm currently at is good enough to sell my work.

I have no classical or traditional training I taught myself almost all of it through sketching and tutorials and books.
All of these are done via pencil and a few edits I have on my camera app to make them look a bit more crisp













What do you think? Deviant art is Acadius32

Hello their friend! I always like to support fellow rpr artists on Deviant, so I've just 'watched' you to hopefully help you out a bit. keep up the practice and drawing btw. I am in a bit of the same boat, wondering when commissions are a good idea, and I read up a bit on the subject. The main vibe I'm getting is that basically, you are ready when you get people asking you for commissions (which I haven't attained yet myself either.) so keep bettering you work and drawing alot and don't get discouraged :} put it out there that you'd be willing to do some requests for free, to get some more art under your belt as well as working for a 'client' to get a taste for it maybe?

Just a few of my thoughts anyway.
I am BreezyDawn1 on DeviantArt btw

Thanks! I appreciate the help and watched you back, people have told me I should do commissions but no One has ever asked if that makes sense.

Heya, having taken a look at your art I have a few comments to make about potential commissions. Take everything with a grain of salt seeing as I only began to do continuous commission work in that last 12 months. (Please excuse formatting, I am on mobile.)

1) What is most important is time and cost. In order to not devalue your own work, and others (yes that is a factor) you need to be able to price your work appropriately. When it comes to starting it's hard to say as you will get faster the more you do but never price below a total of 10 to 15 USD. Of you put time into something it has value even if its not valued by all.

2) Connections and contacts are vital. The internet is a HUGE place, so no matter how good you are you will never get commissions if people can't find your work. Display your pieces across multiple platforms, make it clear that you take commissions, and perhaps most importantly in this category, form a client base. A client base will be where the bulk of your commissions come from. Many people will not ask for a commission if they don't know what prices they will be paying or if an artist even takes them.

I find that while DA is meant for art it tends to stomp on the smaller creators. Keep uploading there, but try Art Station, and Instagram (this has been a big one for me.) Even here on RPR.

It's not about if other people feel you are ready, it's if YOU feel you are. Taking commissions is like any other job done in a professional capacity, if you feel you're ready to provide a quality product in a professional manner then go for it. The worst thing that can happen is failure and that's just an excuse to learn from your mistakes.

3) Quality. I mean this in the kindest way, while you're art is at its base good, your pictures need a bit of work. The way in which you present your work matters a lot. My suggestion is to download a scanner app onto your phone and prep good lighting of white light coming in from the side and not directly above. Make sure to stabilize your device against something solid and take the picture from directly above. (I did this to transfer physical line work to my computer many times.) If you aren't going to go digital for your work, which is a-okay, try using a light box, or even simply a window to draw over your work in ink on another sheet of paper, if preserving the pencil original is important. Ink shows up better in pictures as graphite is often reflective, making the line quality poor where shine occurs.

Consider how you will be selling your art, is it over the internet as a digital copy, or mailed as a physical copy. If it is through the mail please consider factoring in the price of a large envelope and postage. (Also that mail slow due to current circumstances.) If it is a digital copy the one seen on screen will need to be as quality as that which is right in front of you. Which is why the quality of the picture matters so much. I suspect this may be the reason for your lackluster response online vs in person.



Again, these are just suggestions based off my own personal experience. Take them as you will. I am by no means anything but a novice in the world of commission work but I thought I'd share what I've learned. When it comes to commissions its not about if others think you're ready, its about whether or not you feel confident and comfortable trying to take the plunge. Commissions don't come to artist, we put out ads, talk to people and form a community. There is a lot of work because at its core you are starting and running a business, but its worth it to begin making a living as an artist. If you feel your ready, set your prices (and how you will be paid, my suggestion is PayPal invoice if you can), post some work examples with that pricing and open a thread here on RPR taking commissions. It's a stumble at first, but you'll gain your footing soon enough. Good luck.