Guild artists: a dying breed?

[Af Mas]

FogSage

I guess I'm going to have to start paying real money for art instead, since that's the way all the artists around here are going nowadays.

As a lot of people in the furry community do pay real money for art. Can't get something for effectively nothing. I've paid quite a lot of money to get some of my favorite pieces, and I have no regrets about it whatsoever. The same goes for pretty much anyone who has a massive gallery of stuff they've had commissioned.

Yes, if you have little to no income it limits how much you can get, but it ends up being the same as buying anything else you might want. You have to budget.  

[FogSage]

Kakarotto-san

CoffeeFox

You expect too much imagination from the furry community. A fox or wolf is a good starting place for a fursona, mainly because they're common and social. I know that I had just joined the fandom, I wouldn't want to be something exotic and out-there like a Eastern dragon or a scorpion-kangaroo mix. Even within the fandom, there is prejudice. The nail that sticks up gets hammered down, ya know?

No..it's just once and awhile it would be nice to get something else besides the same old same old..It doesn't have to be something outrageous like a 6 headed hydra with bat wings and curved ram horns.

Oh, implying that I'm being predjudice just because I'm getting kind of bored with a particular subject and would like to try something else is being a little judgemental here. Sometimes some of us just want a break from the norm and do something different.

I have never told someone that I refuse to do their commission just because they have a wolf/fox fursona.

I didn't quite mean that you're prejudiced but rather that people within the fandom are. What I meant to say is that the more extreme your fursona, the more flack you're going to catch from those who take a more traditional approach to what their fursonas "feel" like.  

[Leyla Giselle]

Af Mas

FogSage

I guess I'm going to have to start paying real money for art instead, since that's the way all the artists around here are going nowadays.

As a lot of people in the furry community do pay real money for art. Can't get something for effectively nothing. I've paid quite a lot of money to get some of my favorite pieces, and I have no regrets about it whatsoever. The same goes for pretty much anyone who has a massive gallery of stuff they've had commissioned.

Yes, if you have little to no income it limits how much you can get, but it ends up being the same as buying anything else you might want. You have to budget.

Yup. For me, cash commissions are first priority. Even if a gaia gold commission has been on hold for months, if there is someone who's commissioned me with cash, theirs goes first. Money is more important than gold.

I also don't agree with furry artists who get bored with foxes and wolves. Each of these characters has their own colors, their own personalities, their own fashion, their own design. It's unfair to be bored because of species alone. If every fox out there was a metrosexual with an affinity for spiked collars, then I would be annoyed. In fact, I don't think I've even been commissioned that often for wolves or foxes. I only remember drawing one wolf, and the commissioner never paid. And the only fox I've really drawn is my b/f's fursona, who doesn't really look all that like a fox cause of his colors. Most of the things I've been commissioned for have been felines.  

[Krissim Klaw]

Leyla Giselle

I also don't agree with furry artists who get bored with foxes and wolves. Each of these characters has their own colors, their own personalities, their own fashion, their own design. It's unfair to be bored because of species alone. If every fox out there was a metrosexual with an affinity for spiked collars, then I would be annoyed. In fact, I don't think I've even been commissioned that often for wolves or foxes. I only remember drawing one wolf, and the commissioner never paid. And the only fox I've really drawn is my b/f's fursona, who doesn't really look all that like a fox cause of his colors. Most of the things I've been commissioned for have been felines.

I completely disagree with that. I don't believe to be an artist you have to enjoy drawing everything under the moon. Personally commissions in general bore me to tears. I much prefer drawing my own characters than other people's. That's one of the reasons I didn't fool myself into thinking I could make a living off of doing commissions. I just don't enjoy drawing other people's ideas. Thus, I do commissions as an occasional thing when I see the persons character/ idea and it perks me up enough to know at that time I have the drive to create a good picture.  

[lost2darkness]

Krissim Klaw

Leyla Giselle

I also don't agree with furry artists who get bored with foxes and wolves. Each of these characters has their own colors, their own personalities, their own fashion, their own design. It's unfair to be bored because of species alone. If every fox out there was a metrosexual with an affinity for spiked collars, then I would be annoyed. In fact, I don't think I've even been commissioned that often for wolves or foxes. I only remember drawing one wolf, and the commissioner never paid. And the only fox I've really drawn is my b/f's fursona, who doesn't really look all that like a fox cause of his colors. Most of the things I've been commissioned for have been felines.

I completely disagree with that. I don't believe to be an artist you have to enjoy drawing everything under the moon. Personally commissions in general bore me to tears. I much prefer drawing my own characters than other people's. That's one of the reasons I didn't fool myself into thinking I could make a living off of doing commissions. I just don't enjoy drawing other people's ideas. Thus, I do commissions as an occasional thing when I see the persons character/ idea and it perks me up enough to know at that time I have the drive to create a good picture.

Agreed ^  

[Wyrm_Slayer]

I dont know, ive been on and off Gaia for what, four years? Ive drawn all kinds of strange things from peoples fursona's to things Id rather not talk about. I more or less see these things as just another chalange, kind of like seeing wether or not I can actually do it.

However, I get in wierd swings where I wont draw for a week or two on end, which really sucks considering what im going into school for. Be that as it may, I would agree with what Leyla is saying, how everything can be a little different depending on how you look at it.  

[Leyla Giselle]

Krissim Klaw

Leyla Giselle

I also don't agree with furry artists who get bored with foxes and wolves. Each of these characters has their own colors, their own personalities, their own fashion, their own design. It's unfair to be bored because of species alone. If every fox out there was a metrosexual with an affinity for spiked collars, then I would be annoyed. In fact, I don't think I've even been commissioned that often for wolves or foxes. I only remember drawing one wolf, and the commissioner never paid. And the only fox I've really drawn is my b/f's fursona, who doesn't really look all that like a fox cause of his colors. Most of the things I've been commissioned for have been felines.

I completely disagree with that. I don't believe to be an artist you have to enjoy drawing everything under the moon. Personally commissions in general bore me to tears. I much prefer drawing my own characters than other people's. That's one of the reasons I didn't fool myself into thinking I could make a living off of doing commissions. I just don't enjoy drawing other people's ideas. Thus, I do commissions as an occasional thing when I see the persons character/ idea and it perks me up enough to know at that time I have the drive to create a good picture.

Well my imagination is lacking. I prefer drawing other people's ideas over my own. My own ideas are fairly stale and overdone, when I'm commissioned, it's something fresh and new usually. I guess I'm just odd.  

[Kakarotto-san]

Also, as of right now, I need real money more than I do gold. Gold does not pay for a $400 computer. So, that's another reason why I haven't done commissions on here in a long time.

Sorry, only will be asking for money right now. Probably why a lot of us aren't active as much in the guild. And life itself.  

[misnomerAnomaly]

One of the largest reasons I stopped taking gaia comissions is because my life is just to busy, and if I'm going to spend my limited free time on drawing art for other people, I want it to be for real money because I am always very tight on money due to having a low-paying job, being a full-time college student with tons of projects to work on, and bills to pay.

Plus, I'm just not into gaia as much as I used to be, so gaia gold doesn't have as much of a want factor for me, so it's harder for me to get into doing art for it.

Maybe if I can ever get more free time and actually get back into gaia, I'd change my mind, who knows.

My cash prices really aren't that bad, though, if anyone was really interested *shrugs*  

[Katzekinder]

I'm still about, occasionally. Just don't post so much.


...I can't remember the last time I actually CHARGED for a picture. P:  

[Zella L.]

CoffeeFox

You expect too much imagination from the furry community. A fox or wolf is a good starting place for a fursona, mainly because they're common and social. I know that I had just joined the fandom, I wouldn't want to be something exotic and out-there like a Eastern dragon or a scorpion-kangaroo mix. Even within the fandom, there is prejudice. The nail that sticks up gets hammered down, ya know?

Well I'm not going to say much more than there is something wrong with everything you just said.
1. Too much imagination? Out of the thousands of animals there are, I don't think that getting sick of 2 of them is "too much". But hey, it's subjective. If an animal that less than 1/3 of the population of furries have chosen is just too wild and overwhelming, then that's you.
2. A starting place for a fursona--that implies that one would change it as they get more mature?
3. Common--hell no, they are not that common in the world. If by that you mean a lot of people have heard of them, then that's somewhat true, but if blandness is what you're looking for go for a dog or cat, everyone knows those. If population is what you're looking for, then I definitely would not pick a fox or wolf--go with rat or wildebeest or insect. Herbivores outnumber carnivores 10 to 1 in the wild. In the furry fandom, of course, wolves outnumber elk somewhere around 724 to 1. (This was determined by typing in 'wolf fursona' and 'elk fursona' to deviantart search.)
3. Social--There are THOUSANDS of social animals. THOUSANDS of THOUSANDS. And not hideous ones either...try picking up a mammal guide.
4. Social--Foxes are NOT social animals...
5.I really don't think anyone would say "ew, I'm not talking to you because you're not my species..." I might see someone saying "oh...a wolf...well, I won't make any assumptions, but wolves tend to be nerdy and uncreative."
6. I wouldn't want to be something exotic--why not?
7. Like an eastern dragon--not that exotic.
8. Scorpion-Kangaroo mix--again, you don't have to be ridiculous to be creative.
9.there is prejudice. The nail that sticks up gets hammered down, ya know? --are you implying that the most commonplace and bland animals are sticking up? Hard-lyyy....

So of course you don't have to be creative, and you don't have to accept that people get sick of eating the same damn appetizer when there's a freaking buffet in front of them. You don't have to accept that work costs money, or that art of your fursona doesn't make your life less miserable. Really, you don't have to accept any of it.

One day you will probably learn, however, that wanting something doesn't make it true. An artists won't do the art that they don't want to do enough. I might reject a commission because I'm not getting paid enough, because I don't have enough time, because the subject matter is uninspiring, or because I know that once I make it the commissioner will just turn around and say that a retarded monkey could have made it.  

[Kakarotto-san]

Zella L.

I know that once I make it the commissioner will just turn around and say that a retarded monkey could have made it.

Actually, had that happen to me before. It was a commission of a skunk and after I had completed the pic the guy went "This wasn't what I had envisioned"..He also bitched about stuff that wasn't in the pic that he never asked for! Really made me mad. I can't see into his head and if he wanted changes should have asked when it was in the sketch or WIP stages. Not wait until I get it completely done!

I tell you now, that commission work is not always easy. It can get really frusrating at times. You can get ideas that aren't that interesting to you, you could end up on an art block at the worst times (forcing yourself to do a pic just makes it end looking rushed and complete crap), or you can get down right rude people. Life can just smack you in the face and you end up having to push aside doing art..Or in my case, your computer crashes and you lose everything you're working on and have to completely start over.. (argh..so behind)..  

[Kokoro Spirit]

I tried doing commisions for fairly cheap.. and my first ever commisions popped up as soon as i opened the store here. Then I started on them.. and never finished them.. x_x It's been over a year now that they requested what they wanted from me. School happened, reality happened, eventually summer came and now I'm in college. I really procrastinated and feel guilty for it. I won't be doing commissions anymore, but free requests, starting with the first two that I ended up letting down.
As an artist I'm still alive, as a guild artist.. i'll be resurected soon. ^^;  

[Rainey_angel81]

Kokoro Spirit

I tried doing commisions for fairly cheap.. and my first ever commisions popped up as soon as i opened the store here. Then I started on them.. and never finished them.. x_x It's been over a year now that they requested what they wanted from me. School happened, reality happened, eventually summer came and now I'm in college. I really procrastinated and feel guilty for it. I won't be doing commissions anymore, but free requests, starting with the first two that I ended up letting down.
As an artist I'm still alive, as a guild artist.. i'll be resurected soon. ^^;

i was one ^.^ don't feel bad about it, stuff happens