# I'm considering doing NSFW art... Advice?



## Taterbunny (Jun 22, 2017)

So, I'm a SFW artist (though occasionally I will draw nudity). But sad to say, it's very difficult to get commissions for SFW art. My sculptures bring in a bit (the most traffic I get is for them, honestly), but I have difficulty getting them out fast enough to pay bills and need to take drawn commissions in the meantime to survive. Not gonna lie, I've been struggling.

So I was wondering if you guys think it's a good idea to start a NSFW account? I honestly don't really want to get into drawing porn, but I'm against the wall here, and that's what most people seem to want. I was thinking of upcharging for porn, so it may still encourage commissioners to go for SFW art. But as it stands, my drawn commissions are floundering. Sometimes it can take weeks to snag one, and I can't afford that kind of time in between work. 

Of course, if I DID go through with this, my main art account will still be SFW. c: So no worries for those watching who want to keep it clean! 

You think anyone would actually be interested, or just more of the same struggle? Any advice out there? ;^;
Anyone ever "hopped the fence" before and noticed any kind of change?


All my examples can be found on my FA:
Userpage of taterbunny -- Fur Affinity [dot] net


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## CrazyDragon (Jun 22, 2017)

I think if it's something you don't _really_ want to do, you shouldn't. If you're in a desperate need for cash, you probably find the interest is higher, but you need to ask yourself if it's worth it. That stuff sticks with you.

Maybe try a different approach to selling yourself, get your work out there on other sites, forums etc. You have talent and it would be a shame to have to rely on rated content to make a buck.


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## kidchameleon (Jun 22, 2017)

Oh my gosh, you're work is amazing! There's absolutely no reason you should feel the need to resort to NSFW work you don't want to do - if you're not getting enough commissions it's because you're not being seen enough, not because you're doing the wrong kind of work. Have you got an Etsy, or a DeviantArt? I'd personally recommend just trying to increase the amount of exposure you're getting as much as possible, because your work is definitely the kind that people would pay for - you've just got to make sure you're popping up on their radar.

Edit: I would definitely get back on Twitter. The link provided on your FA account is dead, and sites like Twitter and Tumblr are immeasurably useful for increasing your fanbase.


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## Taterbunny (Jun 22, 2017)

CrazyDragon said:


> I think if it's something you don't _really_ want to do, you shouldn't. If you're in a desperate need for cash, you probably find the interest is higher, but you need to ask yourself if it's worth it. That stuff sticks with you.
> 
> Maybe try a different approach to selling yourself, get your work out there on other sites, forums etc. You have talent and it would be a shame to have to rely on rated content to make a buck.



Honestly, the XXX stuff doesn't bother me at all, I just find it repetitive and boring for me personally. But it does seem harder to be taken seriously as an artist if you focus on pornography. I've just been wracking up debt and unable to get a foot down and don't know what else I can do. 
I'm on many sites, uploading frequently. I just have the best following on FA.


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## Taterbunny (Jun 22, 2017)

kidchameleon said:


> Oh my gosh, you're work is amazing! There's absolutely no reason you should feel the need to resort to NSFW work you don't want to do - if you're not getting enough commissions it's because you're not being seen enough, not because you're doing the wrong kind of work. Have you got an Etsy, or a DeviantArt? I'd personally recommend just trying to increase the amount of exposure you're getting as much as possible, because your work is definitely the kind that people would pay for - you've just got to make sure you're popping up on their radar.
> 
> Edit: I would definitely get back on Twitter. The link provided on your FA account is dead, and sites like Twitter and Tumblr are immeasurably useful for increasing your fanbase.



Thanks. ;w;
Yepyep, I have all of the above, haha. My Etsy account has never sold anything. I've been on DA and Tumblr for years, I maybe have 11 followers on da and around 20 on tumblr (even posting to several groups). I've got a little over 100 followers on twitter, I didn't notice the link was dead (but thank you for letting me know!). ;w; 've only ever gotten a couple commissions through FB, and that's with seeking them out every day. I try to spread my artwork around as much as possible, advertise commissions, look for folks seeking commissions, all all kinds of sites and platforms. But still, I am lucky to get a commission. Most folks see my work and opt for a sculpture (which is understandable, since not many furry artists sculpt and people love the tangible stuff). I've just been stuck clawing for commissions for a while now, and don't know what else I can do to increase the traffic. I've bought 2 ads on FA in the past, and try to stream whenever I can throwing out stream notifications everywhere. People just don't want it.


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## kidchameleon (Jun 22, 2017)

Taterbunny said:


> Thanks. ;w;
> Yepyep, I have all of the above, haha. My Etsy account has never sold anything. I've been on DA and Tumblr for years, I maybe have 11 followers on da and around 20 on tumblr (even posting to several groups). I've got a little over 100 followers on twitter, I didn't notice the link was dead (but thank you for letting me know!). ;w; 've only ever gotten a couple commissions through FB, and that's with seeking them out every day. I try to spread my artwork around as much as possible, advertise commissions, look for folks seeking commissions, all all kinds of sites and platforms. But still, I am lucky to get a commission. Most folks see my work and opt for a sculpture (which is understandable, since not many furry artists sculpt and people love the tangible stuff). I've just been stuck clawing for commissions for a while now, and don't know what else I can do to increase the traffic. I've bought 2 ads on FA in the past, and try to stream whenever I can throwing out stream notifications everywhere. People just don't want it.


Hmmm... one other thing you could consider is adding some more "budget" stuff? Like, I dunno... Icon/profile picture commissions, small Telegram sticker sets, fimo clay charms in the shapes of heads, etc? Or even looking into one of those sites that print your images on T-shirts, Mugs, etc?

Your Etsy doesn't have any products at the moment, but you could be using it to sell prints of artwork you've already done. Commissions are all well and good, but it'd be useful to have some ready-to-sell stuff just sitting around waiting for people too.

Also, as far as Twitter goes your best bet for getting exposure is to go on a following spree - especially if you're looking to make a name for yourself. If you want to get followers, just following people who look like they'd like your stuff, a goof few are bound to follow you back, and then even if they don't personally buy stuff they might retweet stuff?


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## Taterbunny (Jun 22, 2017)

kidchameleon said:


> Hmmm... one other thing you could consider is adding some more "budget" stuff? Like, I dunno... Icon/profile picture commissions, small Telegram sticker sets, fimo clay charms in the shapes of heads, etc? Or even looking into one of those sites that print your images on T-shirts, Mugs, etc?
> 
> Your Etsy doesn't have any products at the moment, but you could be using it to sell prints of artwork you've already done. Commissions are all well and good, but it'd be useful to have some ready-to-sell stuff just sitting around waiting for people too.
> 
> Also, as far as Twitter goes your best bet for getting exposure is to go on a following spree - especially if you're looking to make a name for yourself. If you want to get followers, just following people who look like they'd like your stuff, a goof few are bound to follow you back, and then even if they don't personally buy stuff they might retweet stuff?



I offer many budget options, as well as take payment plans. ;w; The ready-to-sell stuff isn't a bad idea though, I'll have to gear-up and try to make some things people would like to have for shirts or stickers or something. I'd assume redbubble is a good one, that's the only site like that I really know about.

Yeah, I took everything down off of Etsy since I had better luck selling elsewhere. I'll probably pop a couple things that never sold back on though. My sister was supposed to collab with me for things to sell on there, but well, it never came to be. 

Not a bad idea, haha. I've found a few people who followed me on a spree, they usually have a much larger following than I do, lol.


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## kidchameleon (Jun 22, 2017)

Taterbunny said:


> I offer many budget options, as well as take payment plans. ;w; The ready-to-sell stuff isn't a bad idea though, I'll have to gear-up and try to make some things people would like to have for shirts or stickers or something. I'd assume redbubble is a good one, that's the only site like that I really know about.
> 
> Yeah, I took everything down off of Etsy since I had better luck selling elsewhere. I'll probably pop a couple things that never sold back on though. My sister was supposed to collab with me for things to sell on there, but well, it never came to be.
> 
> Not a bad idea, haha. I've found a few people who followed me on a spree, they usually have a much larger following than I do, lol.



Would be worth making sure that the payment plan option was easy for people to see. Only reason I knew you did them was because I saw you mention it to someone in a comment on your price list page, but I can't see the option mentioned anywhere else - might want to make it clear?

Yeah, I have a friend who uses RedBubble and it seems to be working for him - was fiddly to set up though, but haven't heard any complaints since that first hump. Sites like that and Etsy don't tend to take much in the way of upkeep, so as long as you check your e-mails regularly you could just leave them in the background even if they're not selling stuff like hot-cakes.

I generally seem to notice that most people with 200 or more followers tend to be following 400 or more XD Definitely worth trying anyway.

I'll stop being annoying and advicey now anyhoo lol. Wishing you luck with whatever you decide to do, SFW or otherwise


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## Taterbunny (Jun 22, 2017)

kidchameleon said:


> Would be worth making sure that the payment plan option was easy for people to see. Only reason I knew you did them was because I saw you mention it to someone in a comment on your price list page, but I can't see the option mentioned anywhere else - might want to make it clear?
> 
> Yeah, I have a friend who uses RedBubble and it seems to be working for him - was fiddly to set up though, but haven't heard any complaints since that first hump. Sites like that and Etsy don't tend to take much in the way of upkeep, so as long as you check your e-mails regularly you could just leave them in the background even if they're not selling stuff like hot-cakes.
> 
> ...



That's a good idea. Where should I put it? P: I have it in my ToS, but most people don't look at that, haha. 

I'll have to give it a shot. c: It would be nice to have some other revenue coming in. 

Yeah, I've noticed that also. I'll give that a goo too. 
No worries, it's much appreciated! Thank you!


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## AsheSkyler (Jun 24, 2017)

If you go through with it, I recommend the first thing you do is be very clear about what you will and won't draw. I used to think I was horribly kinky by being alright with light bondage. Woowee, was _that_ a naive notion...

And also make sure that your payment platform (especially Paypal) aren't aware you're being paid for adult stuff if it's against their ToS.


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## Langepon (Jun 24, 2017)

AsheSkyler said:


> If you go through with it, I recommend the first thing you do is be very clear about what you will and won't draw. I used to think I was horribly kinky by being alright with light bondage. Woowee, was _that_ a naive notion...
> 
> And also make sure that your payment platform (especially Paypal) aren't aware you're being paid for adult stuff if it's against their ToS.



This is actually a very good piece of advice. Haven't heard it yet.


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## Zeitzbach (Jun 24, 2017)

Depends on how bright you want your future to be.

The moment you draw start drawing NSFW to make money, your name is forever tainted and this is a fact. Just look up how often famous mangaka or artists will get a random articles saying something like "10 Famous artists you didn't know used to draw porn for a living!" which is certainly something you don't want to be well-known for after trying to clean your name for so long. The taint sticks, forever, so unless you are willing to commit, don't.

But I will agree that NSFW do bring in cashes faster because art is about wanting what clicks with the interest and sex can be applied to nearly everything.

But IMO, SFW isn't that hard to grab works with as long as you invest enough into it before hand. While NSFW will gather more attention easily, they also lose attention just as fast. On the other hand, SFW pieces are much harder to gain attentions with but they do stick and people will often come back to you for future works because the amount of people that will be able to produce similar result of what your piece has to offer is very low because the major reason to get the piece isn't for the sake of fapping.

Try opening more options. Some of my friends came back to me for work ever since I started offering Telegram sticker and some started to contact me instead of hesitating because they now know that a ref sheet is an available option. There are people out there who hesitate to buy from you simply because what they want isn't stated directly on the sheet and sending a note asking if the option is possible is actually harder than it looks especialy for first-timer.

And another thing I want to talk about is that for some reason, most SFW artists all draw the same thing. This is one of the major reason I feel most SFW artists struggle from. After a certain point, majority of them will all try to do the same "Realistic animal" type of art with the same realistic shading and fur detail. While I do view them as extremely skilled pieces, the market is so loaded with them that they no longer stick out. The late bloomer will never bloom because the early riser already took all the attention away and there's no reason to dig deep to find artists of similar realistic style. Unless the watchers can find out what is so unique about the piece, the chance of getting commissioned is really slim if they already have someone else they used to buy art from. There's really a whole world of difference in name when you can go online and someone will go "XXX drew this, right? That's pretty much how he draws the eyes" instead of "Nice art! Who drew this?"


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## Taterbunny (Jun 24, 2017)

Zeitzbach said:


> Depends on how bright you want your future to be.
> 
> The moment you draw start drawing NSFW to make money, your name is forever tainted and this is a fact. Just look up how often famous mangaka or artists will get a random articles saying something like "10 Famous artists you didn't know used to draw porn for a living!" which is certainly something you don't want to be well-known for after trying to clean your name for so long. The taint sticks, forever, so unless you are willing to commit, don't.



All very true, you make some really fair points. The more I think about it, the less inclined I am to do NSFW. I don't really want that to be my pillar, you know? And it's true, people will dig up all of that and see what foundation you started from. I don't think I'm ready for all that, and don't know that I ever will be. It's true that SFW artists are taken far more serious.

You're right about returning customers. People do seem to appreciate the work.
I do offer many options, but I think I need to include more on my price sheet and whatnot. I get questions asking if I do things I've uploaded as commissions. 

A good point as well. Many of the good sfw arts I see are photo studies or just a realistic render of an animal. Though the ones I really like are the weird ones with unique concepts and brushwork, usually the more abstract stuff. Perhaps I should try some experimental stuff and see how it goes. As it stands currently, I find my art dissatisfying. I've been focusing too much on technicalities and studies and they all become static and boring. I'd like to try some abstracts.


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## JesterKatz (Jun 25, 2017)

Taterbunny said:


> ...
> A good point as well. Many of the good sfw arts I see are photo studies or just a realistic render of an animal. Though the ones I really like are the weird ones with unique concepts and brushwork, usually the more abstract stuff. Perhaps I should try some experimental stuff and see how it goes. As it stands currently, I find my art dissatisfying. I've been focusing too much on technicalities and studies and they all become static and boring. I'd like to try some abstracts.



Go weird. More specifically, change your style enough so that it's different from other competition - or just different from everyone in general! - but you still enjoy it enough to do more. It'll help your art stand out, and because it's different from other people, it'll be that much more valuable to you. It'll be your "signature," in a way. Something that you can look at and proudly say, "this is me!"

I can't say this advice alone will help, but it's something at least.

Incidentally, if you want to dip your toes into the naughty water just a little, you can try just artful nudity at least.


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