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Author Topic: How do YOU promote commissions?  (Read 2053 times)

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Offline Heelys

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How do YOU promote commissions?
« on: April 05, 2021, 03:10:54 PM »
In the past couple of years, I've been chipping away at the art of toy customs. I started my first custom MLP around December of 2019, and I like to think I've grown a good bit since then. Through this growth, I've also started dipping my toes into the world of Monster High dolls, and have a total of three completed projects in that field.

However, I'm not very experienced in the world of selling art. I've made some social media posts promoting my work and advertising commissions, but I've found it hard to make any sales outside of personal friends.

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Pictured: MC Vapor-Ware, commissioned piece. June 2020.

In addition, I have trouble setting prices-- I try to strike a balance between compensating myself fairly for time and materials and setting a price that people will actually, y'know, pay.

Any suggestions from more experienced artists out there?
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Offline BlackCurtains

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Re: How do YOU promote commissions?
« Reply #1 on: April 05, 2021, 04:40:20 PM »
Keep in mind the general state of the world right now. Many people have lost their jobs so aren't going to be buying. In general though, you'll want good examples of what you can do. For example, the photo you posted is certainly cute! But it doesn't show the whole custom very well. What do her eyes look like? What does her NDS look like? How many colors are in her tail? When someone is looking to commission, you want to really showcase your work, so they see exactly what they can get.

I would suggest you start trying collages if you haven't already. Just an example, here's one of mine-

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I tried to get as many angles and points of interest in these photos as I could. I also put my dA link on there as a watermark and to advertise (though I haven't been on dA for like, years now, lol). From my photos, you can see I specialize in sculpting and do G1 customs. Having a full line of customs with photos like these will bring more people in. Push your specialty! If you're good at painted symbols and rehairs, advertise that. If you're good with FBR and sculpting, advertise that. That way when someone comes looking, along with your photos, they'll know if you're the right artist for them.

Networking is also a way to bring in more people. You'll want to advertise everywhere you can that you're open for commissions. I'm really bad at networking myself. I don't even have an Instagram yet and I quit Twitter, Tumblr and the Facebook page for my customs is dormant. I need to work on that :P

I'd also suggest being very open to swaps. Swaps will make you better at your craft and you get to make a pony for someone else using their likes/dislikes or a certain theme or whatever you agree on. You don't need to worry about pricing in swaps either AND you get a pony in exchange :D

Prices are tricky. It's hard to price using materials because a lot of what we use is used multiple times. Like, you can't charge for a whole bottle of paint or a whole block of clay or a paintbrush because you'll be using those things on other projects. But, you also need to charge something so you can keep your supplies topped up. It's difficult. I would start by setting an hourly minimum wage for yourself, time yourself, and add up the hours to start as a base price. Then add in things like a materials charge. Some people like setting a flat price based on the base used, with additional charges for things like sculpting. When you've gotten a few done, you can always adjust. I've known artists who started and charged very little for their work, and now they're professionals who I can't afford anymore :P Including custom pony artists.

Don't let a lack of interest get you down. Keep practicing. Do some swaps. Make ponies for yourself. Make ponies as gifts! Get a good portfolio, with good pictures and information. The commissions will come :)
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Offline Griffin

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Re: How do YOU promote commissions?
« Reply #2 on: April 06, 2021, 09:07:19 AM »
I second BlackCurtains' excellent advice!

Art commissions are a tricky business. To be honest, it's very difficult to make any real money out of art/crafts, especially something for a niche audience, like MLP. But if you're mainly after some pocket money while doing something you love, I say go for it!

I haven't done art or custom commissions in years and when I did, finding the audience wasn't too difficult as there was large enough a market for customs here on the Arena. The rest of my sales were typically through other collector communities, family and friends, perhaps an odd one through Deviantart. I guess it's a bit different now; being active in various social media platforms probably helps. I started by making customs for myself and as gifts, then proceeded to swaps. Back then big group swaps were frequent and they always had some highly imaginative themes so I found them a great way to challenge myself. Commissions followed as my skills grew and more people saw my work. Often I would get commission requests based on ponies I'd made for swaps (not replicas but something with similar styles or techniques). Good photos will definitely help.

BC also pretty much covered the issue of pricing. Pricing artworks is personal and ultimately the decision is up to you. You don't want to sell yourself short, but it's also a good idea to check what other artists who offer similar types of commissions charge for their work, since overpricing will only drive your customers away. Once you have established yourself and can offer something so unique that it can't be found elsewhere, that's when you're free to set your prices more or less as you please. :lol: Creating ponies for sale (with fixed prices) can be a good way to test the markets. This will give you an idea of what people are willing to pay for a certain type of item. I'd charge a little more for commissions due to the risks involved. You can start by setting an hourly wage; I personally have never done this because it would only make me sad, haha. I prefer the flat price method BC described. Many commission artists seem to do this. For drawings, something like sketch - inked lines - headshot - bust - full body - flat colours - fully shaded - full background or additional characters... For customs, what's the lowest you'd go for a simple custom, like rehair & a new symbol only? Add a few bucks for each additional hair colour. Add more for FBR, sculpted parts, accessories, HTF baits (or ones that are a pain to work with, haha!)... It's also totally okay to adjust your prices along the way. I raised my prices when I noticed the demand was greater than the time I could spend on art (since this has always been a hobby for me, not a business).

That brings me to my final point, not often discussed in the context of MLP customs or artwork... taxes. Obviously legislation varies from country to country, but when selling your artwork of offering commissions, you should always check whether you need to report the income and in what way. If you only sell a pony here and there it's probably not something you need to report, and even if you are required to report the income, the sums are probably not large enough that you'll have to pay taxes (or charge VAT). But always follow the instructions of your local authorities! Regular sales and commissions may also be treated differently so that's worth checking, too. Avoiding headaches like this is, frankly, one of the reasons I don't do commissions anymore... and I always enjoyed swaps more so I stick to those for the time being. But this is not to discourage the OP or anyone else from selling your artwork! I only mention it because these things can be tricky, the instructions are not always clear, and like I said, I've never seen much discussion about this topic here. Someone who makes art or crafts professionally can probably give better advice about taxes!

Good luck :art:
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Offline Heelys

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Re: How do YOU promote commissions?
« Reply #3 on: April 06, 2021, 01:08:27 PM »
Thanks so much, this is super helpful! I know I can't expect to make a living off selling ponies, of course, but this is a good starting point for getting a little back out of a hobby.
Gender? I hardly know 'er!  :biggrin: | PM me about G1 custom or OOAK World's Smallest commissions! ;)

 

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