Tips for Artists!

hiya! graphics is, in my opinion, the best way to make money on marapets! you guys are in this for the cash, right? don't lie.

i've been doin' this for a while, and i'd say i make some good money off of it, so i thought i'd share some tips with you!

*programs*

sai or photoshop? even if you only have access to photoshop elements, photoshop tops it for me. sai is cool too, but it's pretty limited.
if you only have access to microsoft paint or you don't have a tablet, either learn to pixel, or scan your traditional work. it's really, really hard to make good digital art with a mouse and/or paint.

you can download sai here: http://sai.detstwo.com/sai/
you can download photoshop elements (trial) here: http://www.adobe.com/cfusion/tdrc/index.cfm?product=photoshop_elements&loc=en_us

*i can't draw, but i really want to!*

tutorials for pretty much everything:
http://browse.deviantart.com/resources/tutorials/
make something and ask for critique either on this board or through an artist whose work you admire. c:

*i'm not getting as much money as i'd like for my work!*
in the next few posts i'm going to give some tips on how you can maximize your profits in different areas of art![/b]


*ADOPTABLES*

-KNOW YOUR MARKET. this is HUGE. HUGE HUGE HUGE. don't auction, and avoid selling, something so specific that only a few people would want it-- for example, don't try to auction hungry games adoptables, because only the people that REALLY like hunger games AND just so happen to be online will buy it. sell something lots of people can find appealing-- dogs and cats are VERY popular, as are foxes, wolves, horses, rabbits, and teddy bears. observe what sells well in the graphics forum.

-don't make it in microsoft paint
dont

-don't sell it in boring colors like lime green, yellow, red, and blue. that's really boring. sell it in colors like tea green, mustard yellow, brick red, and baby blue. in other words, not the BRIGHT AS HECK ONE AT THE TOP RIGHT OF YOUR COLOR SLIDER.

-either shade well or don't. flat color is better than ugly shading that you and i both know you can't do.

-in LAs, start small. 5k is always safe, with a 2k minimum incriment. if you have an auto, list that, too. if people jump above the 2k inc (for example, if you start it at 5k, and someone bids 15k) THAT IS FANTASTIC AND YOU'RE DOING WELL.

-make collectible 'lines' of pets, if you like. people love to collect.

-evolving pets. if you can keep up with 'evolving' (replacing a link on photobucket) pets, do them. people LOVE them. surprises are great. i sold a sheepsy for 300k in a LA.

-stated (kinda) earlier, but i'll state it again: AVOID BRAND-THEMED ADOPTABLES. don't auction your batman cat. don't try to sell me your twilight sparkle chibi. don't even sell me your jake from adventure time hamster, that i can evolve for 5k to make him fat or something. i don't want it. no one wants it but you. stop.

*MARADOLL/OC/ETC ART*

-it is totally okay to say you don't draw oc art. people are VERY specific about how they want their ocs drawn, and if you don't feel like dealing with the constant edits and complaints WHICH YOU WILL GET, it's totally cool to say, 'hey, i don't do that, but would you like something else?' same goes for things like furries/mecha/pet/couple art. HOWEVER, note that closing yourself off to certain things (especially an audience as big as people with ocs they want drawn) can really lose you some money.

-make a big old blog/marasite post about your conditions and policies. what you will/won't do, your examples, etc. all can go somewhere where people can reach it whenever.

-BASES ARE AMAZING. .....when you make them yourself. short on time? make yourself a nice base and use it when you're making character art. saves a LOT of time. hate drawing hands? whoop, they don't matter anymore. don't use other people's bases unless you have permission.

-do what you said you could do. don't ask, "can i draw this without the hat?" if you never said "I don't draw hats." in other news, i love hats

-chibis are 2 heads tall.

-cute cartoon characters are 3 heads tall.

-beheaded people are 1 head tall.


*PIXEL ART*

i don't pixel, but i can offer some suggestions based on what i've seen in the forums. pixelling is a LOT OF WORK in my opinion, and people don't pay as much for it as they would for other graphics. for this reason, i have a lot of respect for pixel artists.

-animate! animation makes your pixel art stand out. there are many different kinds of animations, and a lot of them are pretty easy-- things like making your graphic fade in and out, bounce, float, or change colors can all make it stand apart from your competitors

-avoid touching pixels and using obnoxiously bright colors (unless that's really, really what you're going for). i can't explain it better than this person:
http://browse.deviantart.com/resources/tutorials/?order=9&q=pixel&offset=48#/dliktv

-use layers. photoshop and sai both have tools that imitate the pixel look ('pencil tool' and 'binary tool', respectively). paint doesn't have layers. take advantage if you have a program that can do this!

-try a lineart color besides black (brown is great) for a smoother, more natural look. try multiple lineart colors. black can look dead.

-if you're selling different colored versions of something, try something other than the standard blue/red/yellow/green. it's blah.

*PRESENTING YOURSELF AND CUSTOMER SERVICE*

-be known for something. i'm known for making kawaii junk and being polite. be unforgettable! in a good way

-READABLE FONT PLEASE AND THANK YOU

-be organized.

-be proud of what you do. this is a virtual pet site. you aren't earning real money. if you're stressing out over this, you need to stop making graphics for fake money.

-give a place to leave feedback in your blog.

-be nice. the customer is (almost) always right. if you're nice and easy to deal with, they might buy from you again.

-be clear but short, whenever possible.

-help people. c:


got questions? MM me! i'm almost always available.
hope this helped ???

-sheepsy