# Starting out as an NSFW artist. Wondering what my best strategy is. Any help? (With a few questions)



## Vultark (Jan 18, 2019)

Started an account a couple days ago after reading up on money made from artwork within the fanbase. It sounds sleezy but I'm in need of funds and know this is something that I can do and also fit time in with my personal life. 

I'm comfortable drawing anything except underage stuff and figured the moment I put out a fan art of a popular character doing... Ahem... (NSFW) un-characteristic things (NSFW)... that I'd get a ball rolling. It hasn't worked that way which I should have known. New guy on the street, only one piece of art, like everything a portfolio needs to be built and a fanbase along with it. I'm just wondering how long that's gonna take. Do I keep drawing popular fan art in NSFW till I catch some eyes? Plus without examples to show yet I can't make a commission page if customers don't know what they're getting. I'm just looking for advice before I really delve into this. All help appreciated!

Here's just a few off-hand questions:

1.) When accepting a customers commission, am I right in thinking to always ask for some kind of identification of their age? What exactly should I ask?

2.) YCH, Headshot/Busts, Icons, Character Sheets. Best route to go?

3.) Any other sites apart from InkBunny, e621, pixiv, SoFurry and FurAffinity for NSFW art?



Cheers!

Vultark


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## perkele (Jan 19, 2019)

1.) Most people won't give their ID. Many won't give their real full name. I'm going to assume you're American because this is the Internet and tell you that you have no legal obligation to verify anyone's age.

2.) Themed character icons sell well and can be excreted quickly. Mostly you'll be drawing the same icon over and over with different ears and coloring. Character sheets are a pain and customers are too picky about them for what they sell for. If someone's willing to pay triple the fee for a single shot though, go wild.

YCH auctions are big sellers, especially where more than one character is involved. Clients pay extra for the idea they can pull some strange trim.

3.) DeviantArt, SheezyArt.


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## quoting_mungo (Jan 19, 2019)

Vultark said:


> 1.) When accepting a customers commission, am I right in thinking to always ask for some kind of identification of their age? What exactly should I ask?


Give their profile and any alternate profiles listed there a cursory look; if none of them list an age under 18 you've done your due diligence and can work with them with a clean conscience IMO.



perkele said:


> 3.) DeviantArt, SheezyArt.


Neither of which, to the best of my recollection, allows NSFW art.  I know dA doesn't.

I hear Twitter can be a decent place to get your art out these days - I'm guessing the way to do that would be do some research into what hashtags other NSFW furry artists use. There's also Weasyl, for furry NSFW spaces, and some artists have luck building visibility posting their own work to fchan.


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## Keroki (Jan 19, 2019)

^Deviantart is full of nude and nsfw. Youre definatly allowed to post nsfw there.


I find alot of customers in Facebook Furry and Art groups. Obviously NSFW has to be censored there, but you can link your gallery to the NSFW  versions for examples.
This also allowes you to descretly check their age, without having to ask for an ID


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## thegracefulgecko (Jan 19, 2019)

Hi Vultark! I can’t answer your other questions, but I can help with the first question.

If you’re looking to sell NSFW art, you should complete your transactions through PayPal. You have to be a legal adult (18) to have your own account, because you have to agree to a binding legal contract, which you legally cannot do under the age of adulthood. So, you won’t need to ask about age if you use PayPal!

Hope I could help! ^^


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## quoting_mungo (Jan 19, 2019)

Keroki said:


> ^Deviantart is full of nude and nsfw. Youre definatly allowed to post nsfw there.


I'll grant that my post was less nuanced than it should have been; my brain kinda autocorrected "NSFW" to "porn", which _isn't_ allowed there. Totally my derp. Given OP's sample image, I'd still say dA is of limited utility to them, though.


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## UBA (Jan 19, 2019)

Vultark said:


> Started an account a couple days ago after reading up on money made from artwork within the fanbase. It sounds sleezy but I'm in need of funds and know this is something that I can do and also fit time in with my personal life.



First of, you're already setting yourself for failure by putting such a negative spin on doing NSFW art. No customer is going to approach you for a commission if they feel you don't respect them. If you don't enjoy doing adult art in the fist place I guarantee you'll hate doing it for money. Also, customers won't flood your inbox just because you said you're willing to take on NSFW projects. You have to prove your skill first by building up your portfolio. I suggest you get the notion out of your head that it's "easy money" sooner rather than later. You need to do a lot of leg work before you have a steady flow of jobs. Trust me, if you're not enjoying the work, your clients will quickly pick up on that.




> I'm comfortable drawing anything except underage stuff and figured the moment I put out a fan art of a popular character doing... Ahem... (NSFW) un-characteristic things (NSFW)... that I'd get a ball rolling. It hasn't worked that way which I should have known. New guy on the street, only one piece of art, like everything a portfolio needs to be built and a fanbase along with it. I'm just wondering how long that's gonna take. Do I keep drawing popular fan art in NSFW till I catch some eyes? Plus without examples to show yet I can't make a commission page if customers don't know what they're getting. I'm just looking for advice before I really delve into this. All help appreciated!



I took a look at your FA profile, and I have to say your first impression wasn't great. You need to treat your online presence as self promotion for your work. Advertise yourself in the best light possible. So have a nice profile image and avatar that will promote your brand. And make sure visitors can quickly find the information they need if they want to know more about you (so maybe a link in each of your submissions to a commission info page for example). Fan art is great for getting some eyes on your work, but don't rely solely on it. Make sure to do original work too. And if you want to build up a following you need to post new content on a regular basis so that you stay relevant. Sketches are okay, but you'll get more traction with polished pieces. So you'll need to just do free work for yourself for a while before you'll get any commission inquiries. But avoid doing too many requests (or any at all) when your start off. If people think they can just wait to get freebies you'll have a very hard time making a sale.




> 1.) When accepting a customers commission, am I right in thinking to always ask for some kind of identification of their age? What exactly should I ask?



Just research their online presence. Check their profiles for an age. Pay attention to how they speak in messages. If there are any red flags you can refuse your service. And make sure you are using PayPal invoicing for all your transactions. It can't hurt to ask them for their age directly either. Just be a little wary if they say 18 or 21, as those are just too convenient to always be taken at face value (double check their profiles and use your better judgement for those). And if you're not convinced I recommend you pass on the job altogether. Personally, I don't accept jobs from anyone under 20 years old.



> 2.) YCH, Headshot/Busts, Icons, Character Sheets. Best route to go?



Busts and icons are a good, low-cost, entry point. Character sheets are another option if you're confident with your character design and layout skills. I'd avoid YCH's altogether, especially if you're just starting out. Those only work when you have a dedicated following, and even then it's hit or miss. Your best bet is doing "made to order" style commissions.

There's nothing "quick" about the amount work and dedication it takes in order to sell your art as a service. And there's no predetermined amount of time it'll take before you get customers. You have to keep in mind that you're competing with thousands of other artists vying for the attention of the same customer base. Your best bet is to present yourself professionally and constantly work at honing your craft. Clients will eventually come inquiring about commissions once you prove you're an active, and competent, artist.

And _never_ take on more work than you can comfortably handle. I've seen far too many customers get burned by artists with poor time management / work ethic in the past. And ripping off clients puts the rest of us in a bad light.

So in summary: art as a service is not easy. You need to work at it. If you don't, you'll be doomed to obscurity.

If you're genuine in wanting to do furry art (either SFW or NSFW) then you will eventually find some success. But if you're here just to pander because you heard furries pay well for their art, then people won't want to give you a second thought.

Hope this helps.

-UBA


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## Vultark (Jan 19, 2019)

Thanks a lot for the feedback UBA and everyone, it's shed a light on things I hadn't taken notice of. 



UBA said:


> First of, you're already setting yourself for failure by putting such a negative spin on doing NSFW art.
> 
> -UBA



Just to clarify I didn't mean sleezy as a dig against NSFW art, I meant it as a derogatory on me for money being a primary reason. 

Don't get me wrong I do enjoy working whether it's NSFW or not, honestly I thought I would be the guy that panders to the crowd like you said, but getting to work on pieces for my portfolio has been enjoyable and fulfilling creatively, just like anything else, so it looks like I'm in it for the long run.

Once I've got 6 or 7 pieces done I've decided to start with busts/headshots and work my way up. 

Thanks again
Vultark


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## UBA (Jan 19, 2019)

That's great to hear! Then I wish you the best of luck on your venture. 
And if you have any other questions you're more than welcome to DM me on your preferred platform or swing by one of my evening art streams. 
I'm always happy to share tips and tricks or advice when asked.

Regards,
-UBA


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## GreenReaper (Jan 21, 2019)

perkele said:


> 3.) DeviantArt, SheezyArt.


SheezyArt died back in 2013, after closing for renovations that never actually happened. I see it as payback for sending porn into the cold in January 2005.

Of course this indirectly boosted FA - along with y!Gallery and its May 2006 ban of furries (they suffered a similar fate in 2015, supposedly due to an inability to secure the website).


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## Glairdron (Jan 22, 2019)

I'm in a similar spot, starting from zero and hoping to work up to taking commissions. But since I was in the fandom so long ago (and in a completely different niche with a completely different identity), I decided to take the time to learn my way around the fandom instead of jumping into commissions (while quietly working on a portfolio). And I'm glad I did, because it seems like a great first step is just... being a good member of the community. And even if my interests change or I don't find my place as an artist, at least I'll be enjoying the community for what it is. So far I'm really liking it c:

Best of luck to you, Vultark! And thanks to everyone else for sharing their advice in this thread!


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