Supporting original artists and creators

[Zapper]

I think a lot of us are supporting fan artists by commissioning customs, drawings/paintings or plushes.
But what about original arts and crafts? When a selfmade collectible or piece of artwork hasno connection to your fandom, do you still put some "fun money" on the side to buy their things? This can be on etsy, your friends, on fleamarkets.

Also, if you are an artist yourself, do you feel a need/duty to support other artists?

His year I bought an incredible needle felt creation from a crazy talented designer I got to know. It was 200€ I did not have. I made a lot of budget cuts where I could (the typical "eating rice for one month", not going anywhere, ect.) and I did a few commissions myself to make it all back.
But it was so worth it. I own a super unique one of a kind needle felt figurine now and I even think the price was too low for all her working hours.

I think original art needs to be supported and I don't mind I can't resell it for a lot. It has a high emotional and artistic value.

What about you? Got any original art toys, plush, drawings, etc?


[moving to A&C Corral ~ Kiwi]

[melodys_angel]

Sure.  Ive been making crafs and such by hand and trying to sell them for some time now.  I always get the 'you are soo talented!' comments but its hard to actually see things.

Im hoping ot be well enough to eventually do xmas bazzarrs and such but yeah, I can certainly relate.  The other issue is that people don't understand how much time and effort you put into something and you end up underselling yourself, just to sell something.  We have a local store (that..I sill need to go to since they changed locations >>) that I will sometimes put my stuff in and that's the common issue.

[Mewtwofan1]

     I’ve been toying with the idea of commissions for artwork and stuff for a while now, as I’m going to college soon (and that is not cheap). I’m not sure how to get started/ approach the topic for now though. Needs more thought...
     As for supporting artists, I say yes. And support them at a cost that satisfies both parties. If an object is complex/ took a lot of time/resources, it is worth that much. I don’t have much money myself, so I can’t support a lot of artists with purchases. But if I could I would!

[banditpony]

Also, if you are an artist yourself, do you feel a need/duty to support other artists?

I work a creative corporate job-- and we have the most amazing in-house artists and use wonderful freelance artists. I have no issues buying things that are mass produced knowing there's some talent there that it over all supports.

That said, I occasionally sell stuff at artist alleys (needle felted stuff), and generally speaking all my earnings goes toward 1) more supplies 2) other goodie stuff I can splurge on. I'm ALL about spending hobby money on other hobby things.

One of my big goals is to get a very nice table and cabinet by a local woodworker. That will be SO satisfying then the junky stuff that's at big box stores.

[Nemesis]

Yes, I enjoy buying artist-made or OOAK pieces from time to time. That’s my favorite way to buy jewelry and clothes actually, since I like fairy kei, pop kei, and similar styles that are difficult to buy “off the rack”.

I also love art dolls and figurines, as well as handmade plush toys. I don’t really buy or collect customs or “fandom” related arts/crafts (the exception being HQG1C and customs made using their bases). I suppose I’m rather unique in that regard... When I buy artist-made items, they’re usually entirely original.

[BlackCurtains]

Absolutely! I commission art all the time or buy prints, pins, stickers... all kinds of stuff. I buy from people I either know from sites I frequent (and make a point to ask if they sell original works) or from etsy and Facebook pages.

Also, if you are an artist yourself, do you feel a need/duty to support other artists?

Yes, I do. I like to support sculptors that work in clay or metal especially. I'm so happy when I buy or commission someone who then goes on to have a huge fanbase Three artists I bought from in their very early days are now quite successful and I can't afford them anymore

As for what I make, miniatures mostly, but I have some fantasy sculptures too. One day if my health improves I'd like to attend the local miniature fair with my own table and try to sell my stuff.

[Kiwi]

I have a number of various art pieces from different artists. I wish I could support more, but I definitely have some. I also do my own and have a small Etsy shop.

You may like the Just A Card campaign - it's all about support small/local businesses and artists. The basic premise is that people always say "oh you have lovely [insert item here]" but then don't buy anything and instead support the big corporations like Walmart. Without sales those small businesses close, and then people wonder why since they "had such nice stuff".

[gemini_pony]

It has to be related to something I like fandom or something else I like (I collect pineapple stuff).

[Shaz]

I do a lot of shopping on Etsy and eBay buying handmade doll clothes and miniatures, so I hope there are some artists who are a bit richer thanks to me. My sewing knowledge doesn't extend beyond basic mending, so I am in awe of all the lovely doll outfits available!

[Shileah]

I love buying or getting things that someone made themselves! Doesn't need to be connected to my collections (MLP and dragons), though that always is a plus. Most of the handmade items I have are presents. My sister is very crafty and has made some Amigurumis for me, including a rainbow mane & tail unicorn, and a Fluttershy one. I also got a pony made by Twinkleeyeslittlegems from her, that she designed in cooperation with the artist, which I love very dearly; I am planning on getting little Cupcake Surprise a friend at some point because I absolutely adore these sea ponies, it's simply a budget question. There are other extremely talented artists that make gorgeous custom ponies out there and I would love to get some of their work, but again, budget question.

I've commissioned some digital artwork for my Twitch channel back when I was still active there a while back, I guess that has no connection to my collection! I've also bought prints from artists of artwork that I enjoy, both pony related and unrelated.

As to selling myself, I did quite a bit of sewing and resin jewelry several years back, and attended local Christmas Markets together with my mum and sister to sell our crafts. The last years were very disappointing though, culminating in an event where I did not sell a single piece. Might have been the wrong market for my merchandise, might have been that I just didn't do good enough work, but whatever the reason was for this disaster, it pulled me down so much that I haven't touched my sewing machine ever since, nor made a single piece of resin jewelry. My family is extremely crafty, with me kinda being the least crafty black sheep in the bunch so I am looking at a very high standard of creativity and craftiness that is hard for me to match.

Crafting things myself made me understand and get a feeling for how much work and love is put into handmade items. Their prices might be higher than mass produced items, but they will still not match the true worth of time and love (plus material costs) that are poured into such items!

[Zapper]

I don’t really buy or collect customs or “fandom” related arts/crafts (the exception being HQG1C and customs made using their bases). I suppose I’m rather unique in that regard... When I buy artist-made items, they’re usually entirely original.

I am similar! I have about... three fanarts I commissioned. The rest is stuff I got in art trades or things my friends gave to me. I find it really special to have something that comes from someone elses original idea, no matter if it is a picture, poem, graphic, figure, you name it.
It's also a cool conversation starter!

I looove art dolls and plushes. I just love looking at them. I always want to make some myself but I lack the drive to actually start.

You may like the Just A Card campaign - it's all about support small/local businesses and artists. The basic premise is that people always say "oh you have lovely [insert item here]" but then don't buy anything and instead support the big corporations like Walmart. Without sales those small businesses close, and then people wonder why since they "had such nice stuff".

Yeah I see this issue at our local plush convention. The visitors mostly buy stuff from the big brand vendors while a completely unique OOAK artist is right next to them selling for the same or sometimes even cheaper prices and most people are just looking and praising - and then walking by.
It's where I bought the needle felt figurine. I never buy any brands there just by principle. Also, I love small shops, especially those that sell knitware. I am super bad at knitting my own and I buy from there instead of a cheap H&M scarf. It's more money spent but also supporting someone's income directly rather than giving to a big company.

Last Christmas I gave handmade omly stuff to my entire family and it was expensive but when you look at the bigger picture, it was way better for the smaller businesses. Of course this way I could also give less presents overall for the entire year but at least the few I bought had uniqueness to them and will be treated as more special as a result of that.

[pawpatrolbab]

Every month I always make sure to have some money put aside so that I can commission artwork. This time though I'm going to be saving up to finally get a MLP plush handmade by an artist, my friend is going to Bronycon so if there's any I like there I'll be giving her the money to pick one up for me

[Galactica]

I have a ton of original art stuff- paintings, plush, toys, art dolls-   

I enjoy original art and I do feel it important to support artists.  I have friends and family that work in the art industry (most of them part time) and it is almost impossible to make ends meet from selling art alone- even the really talented people.

[UrocyonFox]

I am an artist myself and It is so very rare to get commissions or sales so I try to support others when I can. Unfortunately I am not in a financial situation to do such recently but I try to when I can. <3

[Taxel]

I love commissioning other artists! I have literally hundreds of pieces of artwork that I've commissioned over the years. Most of it was with virtual currencies (ie dA points) since I didn't have disposable income for many years, but now that I have some I love to support whatever artists I can. I've got a handful of orders out right now that I'm excited for!

One of my most cherished possessions is a little art doll - an Abdab by Magweno. She doesn't seem to sell her work anymore and I got my boy from her last drop. He means so much to me! I hope I can track down more of her dolls on the secondhand market one day, since I've admired her work for years.

My newfound favorite thing is jewelry and I've found the sweetest couple - The Manerovs - on Etsy who make absolutely amazing jewelry. Its all very nature themed, with flowers and leaves, in a way that's incredibly hard to find. I have three pieces from them so far and I can't wait to get more. I was never much of a jewelry person before but their kindness and craftsmanship has really gone a long way to win me over! Their pieces are genuinely just works of art and seeing them daily brings me so much joy. I'll never spend my money at some big box jewelry store when I can just message Tania and Oleg to get any piece I can imagine custom made just for me.