Newbie introduction and crowdfunded illustration idea
Hi, I'm Meeks. I'm not especially good at self-introductions, so I'll just direct you to my website if you really want to know about me. The short version is that I'm an aspie who loves to make things. I'm trained in illustration, but I had pretty much given up on it as a career until I chanced to get involved in a children's book project last
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Hi! We're glad that you found this community.
>>The short version is that I'm an aspie who loves to make things.<<
Cool. A majority of creators here are doing literature and/or artwork, but there are some crafters, musicians, and other folks in addition to the donors.
Regarding neurodiversity, you might enjoy my poem "Mental Iterations," which is visible in a scrapbooked form here:
http://ysabetwordsmith.livejournal.com/1453560.html
or plain text here:
http://ysabetwordsmith.livejournal.com/1227164.html
>> Cyberfunded creativity really appeals to me because it's a way of doing business in a medium I'm comfortable with.
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I could probably spend weeks exploring Torn World...not sure I have the time management skills to get involved without getting lost. I will definitely try to participate in the next Sketch Fest, though!
Hmm...I'm not sure a time-based system would work for me. It might feel too much like a deadline, and I'd end up rushing. I do like the idea of sponsoring a specified amount of work though. I might try breaking it up into stages (rough sketch, revisions, clean-up, value study, colour study, final) with target amounts to move to the next stage.
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Thank you! I loved that book. I always wanted to see more about that society: specifically, the detailed accommodations for different people's social needs. It's the way I prefer to run a group of friends/family: identifying which things are most crucial to each person and making sure those needs met. *chuckle* Social engineering through poetry, heh heh.
>>I could probably spend weeks exploring Torn World...not sure I have the time management skills to get involved without getting lost.<<
Yeah, that project is flypaper for eyeballs. You can get bite-sized pieces of it by watching this community or my LJ though.
>> I will definitely try to participate in the next Sketch Fest, though!<<
Yay! Networking for the win!
>>Hmm...I'm not sure a time-based system would work for me. It might feel too much like a deadline, and I'd end up rushing.
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>>Pricing. I like the "pay what you think it's worth, adjusted for what you can afford" pricing model for personal commissions, but I wonder if there should be minimum thresholds for 'finished sketch', 'full painting', etc., especially if several people are sponsoring the same illustration.<<
Well, first figure out what your time is worth on an hourly basis, and how long it typically takes you to draw/paint enough of an image to be worth showing to people. That will help you set your targets.
Also consider that in crowdfunding, it really helps to start by giving something away for free. It's the perks and the special stuff that people pay extra to get, and if you're good, they will donate. (I looked at your art samples, which are lovely; I suspect you have a good chance at making this work.) So think about what kinds of things you can afford to give away, and what cool stuff you can offer to attract donors ( ... )
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I knew I forgot something! I do all of my work digitally these days and I hadn't given much thought to physical products. Luckily, I *do* work at a high enough resolution that Imagekind prints or Zazzle stuff shouldn't be a problem.
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That sounds like a good plan! You can always start with that and then tweak if needed.
>>I do all of my work digitally these days and I hadn't given much thought to physical products. Luckily, I *do* work at a high enough resolution that Imagekind prints or Zazzle stuff shouldn't be a problem.<<
I think I saw that somewhere, but wasn't sure it if was ALL digital or just mostly. So, yes, Zazzle is an option. Things like coffee cups, bookbags, bookmarks, buttons, etc. are popular. You might also consider purely digital applications such as LJ icons and wallpaper.
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It's nice to meet you!
I had a tiny (and probably insignificant) idea about how to "reward" the people who are thoughtful enough to leave you feedback... how about making personalized LJ icons for them to use? Kind like a badge or an award, like "Karen, Queen of the Mighty Red Pen" or something along those lines. Maybe with a personalized sketch for them. It doesn't seem like much, but I know several avid icon collectors and I really think a lot of people consider the icon options here to be "the cherry on top".
Just a thought. (And I'm sorry if Ysabet or someone else already brought this up in an older post/comment.)
Your plan for funding your projects sounds very interesting. Are you on Facebook or Twitter? If so, I'll "like"/"follow" you!
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Icons had been suggested as a commenter perk, so I will try to incorporate them. Right now I'm thinking to do a draw for custom icons in which each comment earns one entry.
Don't worry about repeating suggestions, btw, if several people request the same thing, I know it's worth pursuing!
You can follow me on facebook here or on twitter here.
Thanks for the comment!
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