# How can I become a known artist?



## Rock E. Horror (Feb 24, 2016)

What kind of stuff furries like? I've tried everything, and the average number of views my pics get are not more than 10, and I've been an artist for at least a year, am I doing something wrong?


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## Tatsuchan18 (Feb 24, 2016)

You need more practice, I recommend this site to practice drawing the human body:

http://artists.pixelovely.com/practice-tools/figure-drawing/

Then look up pics of animals and draw those.

Then combine! XD

You will improve, then once your all leveled up, try submitting some work again. :3


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## UNLUCKYFRIDAY (Feb 24, 2016)

There's honestly so man artists in this community you really need to have core skills to get ahead of everyone. I think you need figure drawing practice, but you have a better skill than most artists have in honesty and that's stick-to-itiveness. If you've been on here for a year I think you can safely say you're putting in more time and effort than most and if you really crack down and get that figure drawing/from life drawing in it'll inform the rest of your work and you'll end up 5000x better. It's a continuous process and even as an art student I put myself in marathon realistic drawing classes because it improves your skills in everything - furry, figure drawing, realistic drawing, cartooning, etc. Don't worry about style, views, or anything until later. You can do it.


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## UNLUCKYFRIDAY (Feb 24, 2016)

For example here's my art three years ago. Below it is a sketch of the same characters from this year.


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## LazerMaster5 (Feb 24, 2016)

How to get recognition in the furry fandom?
Draw yiff. Lots of sexy, sticky, messy yiff.


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## Rock E. Horror (Feb 24, 2016)

LazerMaster5 said:


> How to get recognition in the furry fandom?
> Draw yiff. Lots of sexy, sticky, messy yiff.



I did that today and all I got were 13 views on that pic, I'm genuinely confused.


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## Rock E. Horror (Feb 24, 2016)

UNLUCKYFRIDAY said:


> There's honestly so man artists in this community you really need to have core skills to get ahead of everyone. I think you need figure drawing practice, but you have a better skill than most artists have in honesty and that's stick-to-itiveness. If you've been on here for a year I think you can safely say you're putting in more time and effort than most and if you really crack down and get that figure drawing/from life drawing in it'll inform the rest of your work and you'll end up 5000x better. It's a continuous process and even as an art student I put myself in marathon realistic drawing classes because it improves your skills in everything - furry, figure drawing, realistic drawing, cartooning, etc. Don't worry about style, views, or anything until later. You can do it.



You mean I should draw taking references from real life? that would be really hard since I live in the middle of nowhere, sorry.


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## Zrcalo (Feb 24, 2016)

@Rock E. Horror

draw lots of watersports and weird fetishes.

99% of your views will come from HOW YOU TAG YOUR IMAGES. Just spam tag them. tag them as anything it even remotely qualifies for...

for instance.. I drew a monster... I tagged it as " dog anthro furry canid canine dogs werewolf werewolves dragon dragons monsters monster macabre gore guro horror scary vicious zrcalo 2016 halloween blood bloody fetish fetishes"

one of my images went from 17 views to 72 views in 24 hrs because I entered in the "macabre" tags.

for instance... on this picture
www.furaffinity.net: Cartoony little lady by nameless_weasel

you have over 50 views.. because you tagged it as "mouse female girl" etc. you tagged the gender and species.


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## Rock E. Horror (Feb 24, 2016)

Zrcalo said:


> @Rock E. Horror
> 
> draw lots of watersports and weird fetishes.
> 
> ...



I'll take your advice, I should stop tagging my pics just simply  as " female dog"


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## Zrcalo (Feb 24, 2016)

Rock E. Horror said:


> I'll take your advice, I should stop tagging my pics just simply  as " female dog"


you'll really start noticing a difference, I'll say. I mean heck.. that one piece of the girl mouse in a dress has 50 views.


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## MissKarotStix (Feb 24, 2016)

Rock E. Horror said:


> I did that today and all I got were 13 views on that pic, I'm genuinely confused.


I find that unless you have a lot watchers the time of day and how many active users are on at that time can also be a factor on how many views you get on a submission regardless if it was a SFW or NSFW. For example, if I upload a drawing when FA is very active my drawing could be on the front page for a minute before being pushed off by newer submissions.

But that's just my personal observation.


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## UNLUCKYFRIDAY (Feb 24, 2016)

Rock E. Horror said:


> I did that today and all I got were 13 views on that pic, I'm genuinely confused.





Rock E. Horror said:


> You mean I should draw taking references from real life? that would be really hard since I live in the middle of nowhere, sorry.



Firstly, nah. Yiff will get you nowhere if your normal drawings aren't getting that many views and you've been on here for a while. Just think, art takes time and skill takes longer. My teachers say you honestly have to put in 10,000 hours to see a genuine change in your work like I have. I've been plugging away for three years and I was 18 at the time of the first picture I showed above, you can honestly get better than me in a shorter amount of time if you really put your nose to the grindstone.

Secondly, nah. I mean going to classes with a nude model or drawing the poses of real life people/creatures. You can copy from photos, paintings, and other things for practice just literally don't claim them as your own, make a profit from it, or not list reference. Sometimes I draw ballerinas/gymnasts/animals from stock photos/photos online for pose practice but I don't share it past posting pencils or saying "reference drawings." There's also online deviantarts with reference poses for free like http://senshistock.deviantart.com/gallery/


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## Rock E. Horror (Feb 24, 2016)

Zrcalo said:


> you'll really start noticing a difference, I'll say. I mean heck.. that one piece of the girl mouse in a dress has 50 views.



And also, that's the only pic with more than 2 faves.


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## Sforzie (Feb 24, 2016)

What I've found is that a lot of it is how good your... networking skills are. If your art isn't super good, then you have to put a lot of effort out there to sell yourself. (Or make friends with a few people who are already popular. People are funny like that.)

I feel a little bad to admit that I like UnluckyFriday's 3 year old pic a little better than their newer example. It has more personality to it, even if it isn't as realistic. But that's just my lame, quit being an art student to study geology instead opinion. :x

Also check out Posemaniacs. Good for finding poses you want to work on.


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## Rock E. Horror (Feb 24, 2016)

Sforzie said:


> What I've found is that a lot of it is how good your... networking skills are. If your art isn't super good, then you have to put a lot of effort out there to sell yourself. (Or make friends with a few people who are already popular. People are funny like that.)
> 
> I feel a little bad to admit that I like UnluckyFriday's 3 year old pic a little better than their newer example. It has more personality to it, even if it isn't as realistic. But that's just my lame, quit being an art student to study geology instead opinion. :x
> 
> Also check out Posemaniacs. Good for finding poses you want to work on.



Uhh, I get the point but, what do you mean with networking?


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## Sforzie (Feb 24, 2016)

Rock E. Horror said:


> Uhh, I get the point but, what do you mean with networking?



You can't just post a picture into a void and expect to get 5000 views on it. You have to spend time putting yourself out there. Look at other people's art. Comment on their art. Comment on their pages. Like their stuff. Get them curious as to who you are, so they'll go look at your page and your art. So on.


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## UNLUCKYFRIDAY (Feb 24, 2016)

Sforzie said:


> I feel a little bad to admit that I like UnluckyFriday's 3 year old pic a little better than their newer example. It has more personality to it, even if it isn't as realistic. But that's just my lame, quit being an art student to study geology instead opinion. :x



That's probably because that was first when I decided I wanted to do art as a living and I was cranking out the same guys every day. It honestly wasn't a special picture to me because I wanted to draw them like the bottom ones. I personally wanted a more realistic look for stylistic reasons because I wanted to do realistic comics like Blacksad or DMZ.... but my art has gotten so much more attention simply from changing to be honest and I'm in an illustration environment where they encourage style. I still think I have the same style, just toned down and more adult now. It's stuff I could put in a portfolio and not be embarassed of now so there's that. Also again... Core skills. CORE SKILLS. *record scratching noise* CORE SKILLS.


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## Sforzie (Feb 24, 2016)

UNLUCKYFRIDAY said:


> That's probably because that was first when I decided I wanted to do art as a living and I was cranking out the same guys every day. It honestly wasn't a special picture to me because I wanted to draw them like the bottom ones. I personally wanted a more realistic look for stylistic reasons because I wanted to do realistic comics like Blacksad or DMZ.... but my art has gotten so much more attention simply from changing to be honest and I'm in an illustration environment where they encourage style. I still think I have the same style, just toned down and more adult now. It's stuff I could put in a portfolio and not be embarassed of now so there's that. Also again... Core skills. CORE SKILLS. *record scratching noise* CORE SKILLS.



Well, yes. Then I look at what's actually popular (in consumable cartoon mass media) these days and it makes my brain hurt. You do have a good point, though. You should be comfortable with your own art first, before you start think about sending it out into the world. Not in a complacent way, but just general mild contentment. Note: I am a hypocrite and hate my own work even after nearly twenty years of development. oops :x


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## UNLUCKYFRIDAY (Feb 24, 2016)

Sforzie said:


> You should be comfortable with your own art first, before you start think about sending it out into the world. Not in a complacent way, but just general mild contentment. Note: I am a hypocrite and hate my own work even after nearly twenty years of development. oops :x


Same boat. Hate my own art mutually.

Biggest thing you have to know is animation studios and people who pick the cartoonists aren't artists so you have to appeal to them. Also the major companies like nick, cartoon network, newspapers, major magazines, etc. work with the same people for YEARS and circlejerk, so that's why when you see something awful stick around it STICKS.


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## Rock E. Horror (Feb 24, 2016)

sarnarus said:


> You could start drama, all the cool kids are doing it



Well, I don't know how this can spark some drama but, I was only asking for critiques.


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## Sforzie (Feb 24, 2016)

UNLUCKYFRIDAY said:


> Same boat. Hate my own art mutually.
> 
> Biggest thing you have to know is animation studios and people who pick the cartoonists aren't artists so you have to appeal to them. Also the major companies like nick, cartoon network, newspapers, major magazines, etc. work with the same people for YEARS and circlejerk, so that's why when you see something awful stick around it STICKS.



Haha, true. What's the old saying? What's popular isn't always right, and what's right isn't always what's popular? Something like that. Except with art. Yeah.
(And I'm a slow, self taught except for a few classes in college artist. I'm always slowly learning new things. Like necks! Necks are my current thing I'm figuring out. :| )


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## Havokpaintedwolf (Feb 25, 2016)

do good work for a lot of people at way below the price you should be asking for for a very long time.


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## stablercake (Feb 25, 2016)

Sforzie said:


> You can't just post a picture into a void and expect to get 5000 views on it. You have to spend time putting yourself out there. Look at other people's art. Comment on their art. Comment on their pages. Like their stuff. Get them curious as to who you are, so they'll go look at your page and your art. So on.


ALL THIS but don't discount IRL meetups in your state, for example I have an Indiana group called Whoozfur who has meetups a lot (which tbh I've been too scared to attend yet BUT the sentiment is the same) and also I've scheduled myself for 6 fur cons this year to really get myself and my work out there in DD's and AA's to network with furries IRL, I can't recommend it bc I haven't done it yet (first one is FWA) but it will really not only get you new friends but it'll get people looking at your work!


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## Tatsuchan18 (Feb 25, 2016)

Rock E. Horror said:


> You mean I should draw taking references from real life? that would be really hard since I live in the middle of nowhere, sorry.



....you have the internet. you don't need to go outside. you have the entire visual world on your computer. all the human figure, backgrounds and animals are all there. lol


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## Zeitzbach (Feb 25, 2016)

The 3 important factors for exposure are

-Quality
-Quantity
-Activity

Quality : Are your works good enough to satisfy the people watching you?
Quantity : Do you have enough watchers to spread your pieces around?
Activity : Do you draw often enough for people to notice your presence?

An artist exposure rate scale with how many watchers he has, and his quality + quality are what attract people to watch him. Don't try to just draw what you think people will like, draw what you like or else you will get bored of what you draw. Not to mention most people that are only there for your fan arts and so on will drop you after you stop drawing what THEY like.

But if you want to,

Muscle is the #1 go to option for this place (and many western stuffs in general.)
Followed by Latex/Inflation Fetish


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## stablercake (Feb 25, 2016)

Also, be sure to remember it's likely gonna be SLOW GOING! Even if your work is high quality, that doesn't mean people are going to see it right away, you need eyeballs on it for people to start spreading it around. Some people require lots of time to be recognized (some don't ofc but that's less frequent) and also make sure you're posting to more than just FA, Twitter has actually been very good for me! I've been posting my work around (mainly Tumblr) since I was in college, that's since 2007 so almost 10 years! Ofc I was not posting as much then as now so this year has been a huge boost in people seeing my work since I'm full-time freelance now, but it's simply not instant! 

Persistence is so key, in getting better and drawing and posting and just in general being a part of the community you want to be in! And FINALLY you gotta WANT to draw, you gotta want that before you want to be An Artist, if you're only in love with being an artist and not in love with actually creating the work, you might want to reconsider this track.


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## King-Gigabyte (Feb 25, 2016)

Have you tried drawing pop culture stuff ? Fanart of what's currently in seems to help. What ever shows are popular try drawing those. It seems to help my friends quite a lot, but make sure to still do lots of networking. Both of those combined and practicing your art every day should help quite a lot.


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## Uluri (Feb 25, 2016)

Real Life References can Help level up your art skill. I'm not saying to draw realism, but to study how real life things work and look
and draw them in your style. If your drawing a fox, have 3 different pictures of foxes to look at in front of you as you draw them.
If your drawing humanized anthro, have an image of a human thrown in there, too, to reference. Don't just settle for good enough, 
always strive to become better, and never give up. Try new things, even if it will be hard.

Tag are super Important, it's how people find your art. Tag anything that is remotely relevant to the art. What would you search
to look up something like that image? Colors? Poses? scenery? the emotion depicted? is it anthro, monster, feral? Species? Gender?
*How can people view your art if they can't find it?*

Be active in your Personal Community. Your Profile, gallery, and journals are your own personal community. Communicate
with your watchers and commenters. Write in your submissions your own feeling and adventures in making the piece to try
to create a topic on the artwork. Make journals to just chat about a random topic (avoid sad stories. Sad stories just make people sad.)
And, just as people may comment on your work, comment on others' works and tell them why you like Their work. 
Make sure to be active, too. A Silent artist is intimidating and feels like your giving the cold shoulder to everyone.


*OH and what Zeitzbach Said "Don't try to just draw what you think people will like, draw what you like..."*
This is important. ^ Really Important. The content you post in your gallery is the type of people you will attract
to your account. Why not make it around subjects that _you_ like to draw so that you are comfortable within
your own art profile and career. 

Example: if you want to be a clean artist, and post clean artwork, you will get watchers who are looking for clean art
If you are a monster artist, you will attract people who like monsters. Gore artist attracts gore watchers.
Cute artists attract watchers interested in cute things. [Specified Fetish] Artist will attract people interested in [specified fetish]. 
Artists who do nothing but Free stuff will attract Watchers who only Want Free Stuff <--(Don't do free stuff if you want to sell commissions)
*Draw what you like, Be Active, Communicate, always keep practicing, and NEVER GIVE UP!*


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## Rock E. Horror (Feb 25, 2016)

stablercake said:


> Also, be sure to remember it's likely gonna be SLOW GOING! Even if your work is high quality, that doesn't mean people are going to see it right away, you need eyeballs on it for people to start spreading it around. Some people require lots of time to be recognized (some don't ofc but that's less frequent) and also make sure you're posting to more than just FA, Twitter has actually been very good for me! I've been posting my work around (mainly Tumblr) since I was in college, that's since 2007 so almost 10 years! Ofc I was not posting as much then as now so this year has been a huge boost in people seeing my work since I'm full-time freelance now, but it's simply not instant!
> 
> Persistence is so key, in getting better and drawing and posting and just in general being a part of the community you want to be in! And FINALLY you gotta WANT to draw, you gotta want that before you want to be An Artist, if you're only in love with being an artist and not in love with actually creating the work, you might want to reconsider this track.



And... how do I get famous on twitter and tumblr?


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## stablercake (Feb 26, 2016)

Rock E. Horror said:


> And... how do I get famous on twitter and tumblr?


The same things, make work, get better at it, love it, post it, interact with the people and community you want to be in (which means watching and interacting) and use your tags appropriately. They're ALL slow going. All the ways you post work and "get popular" are the same, although amount of success fluctuates between places usually (like I'm not that successful on IG but I am more successful on Twitter).

But i really get the feeling you're only doing this to be popular or to be called An Artist and I really can't stress enough that being an artist is not all about being popular, I post my work and want to see notes because they could lead to commission work which pays my bills, but I also have a vested interest in wanting to share things I love to do with the communities im in. And also being a beginner in posting online, you are likely far from making a living on commission work. If you're not doing it for the love of making art first and foremost even if no one ever saw it, you're probably going to be disappointed. No artist that is currently popular started drawing just to be popular, they like to make art over all else, even people who do mainly fanart, that's what makes them different from someone who just wants the artist title or popularity.

Enjoy yourself, make art you like, post it, understand that overnight success is insanely unlikely and persistence is key.


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## SodaBubbles (Feb 26, 2016)

Draw, draw, draw, draw, draw. That's absolutely most important! Try to post with regularity. Whether it's daily, or weekly, or monthly, try to make sure you keep that up the best you can. AND. Slowly start cultivating a style you enjoy.

Secondly- don't EVER think you can't get better. I have a visual cortex condition called aphantasia. It means I literally can't picture things like other people do. I have taught myself everything, including storing verbal descriptions in my head in place of pictures, and you would think I would not be able to draw. Or at least not well.











It has taken YEARS of trial and error, and the biggest reason I'm not "popular" is that I never stayed at one page on FA long (not more than 2 years). Mostly that was due to outside issues with drama (perceived or legit, doesn't matter) Nowadays, I plan to stay put and stick with it. I also enjoy my style. 

So remember, it takes a LOT of hard work to get where the "popular" people are. Also- it can be rough being popular, I learned the hard way in a club on DA years ago. Be aware that you will almost always put more expectations on yourself than anyone else.

THAT SAID. Everyone out there, don't be the dick who unwatches someone because they're not "drawing to their potential" _and then write a journal about it, which they will see because they still watch you_. You may think you're helping them, but you're really not.


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## perkele (Feb 26, 2016)

The fastest way I have ever seen is to draw obscure, niche fetishes. I continue to be amazed how even low-quality artists can amass a following this way. The important thing is that you leave a lake of animal semen in your wake.


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## redhusky (Feb 29, 2016)

The two best tips I can give you to are: 

*1. Be consistent *
    If you only post something everyone once in a while you can easily get forgotten. Remember that you are competing for attention with everyone else on the net so be visible. So try to post something every week or so and make sure you put some effort into it. 

*2. Genuinely interact with your audience and as well as your peers*
    This means joining forums and participating in their threads, talking with people in chat rooms, replying to comments on your work to let visitors know that you are appreciative of the attention they are giving you, etc. Make yourself seem approachable so that people will come back for you as well as your art.

    For example, if you go into a group chat and participate very shortly people will click to see your profile to get a quick overview of who you are and there they will see your gallery link and there's a few hits for you. Also, if you post a new pic in your gallery and go into group and be like "Hi guys, check out my newest pic *link* What do you think?" About half the chat room will click on it and there's some more traffic. Do it only a few times and DON'T SPAM!

    In terms of your peers, you can respectfully critique work, leave comments on art and journals, do those dumb little chain letters people start on journals to include yourself, and the occasional art trade. Networking like this will build your image with other artists and you can be noticed that way as well especially if you hit it off with some of them well. 

    Please notice above that I said to *GENUINELY* interact. That means you need to actually want to talk to your fans and treat them respectfully. Also, when you interact with your peers don't just do it for fame or to leech attention for yourself. Both parties can tell when you are doing so and it makes you look like total dick. 

The two best warnings I can give are:

*1. Do what you like or don't do it at all *
    If you like to do porn, fan art, weird fetish stuff, or some kind of abominable hybrid then do so but make sure you are doing the kind of work you like and make it your own. Don't just do the kind of work you think people will notice you for or else you will just hate what you are doing and people will eventually catch on that you are just pandering to them for attention and they won't take your work seriously. 

*2. Make sure you want to be famous *
    When I started out I wanted internet fame too but I quickly learned that internetland has a way of ruining everything and when the crazies come out it's never pretty. So think about it and if you really think you can deal with that then continue with your quest for internet fame with that warning. 

    I hope this helped, let me know if you have any more questions.


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## Rock E. Horror (Mar 1, 2016)

redhusky said:


> The two best tips I can give you to are:
> 
> *1. Be consistent *
> If you only post something everyone once in a while you can easily get forgotten. Remember that you are competing for attention with everyone else on the net so be visible. So try to post something every week or so and make sure you put some effort into it.
> ...



Be sure I wont ask questions, you explained everything very well.


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## Sarichow (Mar 2, 2016)

You have to do it lots! Spend many many hours arting and you'll improve!


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## glitchology (Mar 3, 2016)

It seems like you're talking successful artist _online _rather than in general.  That sounds awful, wow.  I'm not implying online-only artists are any less good or valid than other artists, just their method is a lot different at being 'successful'.  (With in person, you have to go to gallery openings, talk to important people, etc. etc.)  With online, that's cut out unless you want to bring in recognition that way, but it sounds like you want to be more well known in the furryworld specifically.  Uh, okay now that I rambled... just draw.  PRACTICE.  A LOT.  Frankly, it takes forever to get your art noticed, but hey, just keep drawing, because no one will notice art you don't make.  Use a LOT of references. Make it for you, thinks _you're _excited about, because it'll come out better and you'll be happier with what you're showing off.  Zrcalo has a really great point with the tagging as well, don't be ashamed to tag like crazy, so long as it is actually relevant.


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## stablercake (Mar 3, 2016)

glitchology said:


> It seems like you're talking successful artist _online _rather than in general.  That sounds awful, wow.  I'm not implying online-only artists are any less good or valid than other artists, just their method is a lot different at being 'successful'.  (With in person, you have to go to gallery openings, talk to important people, etc. etc.)  With online, that's cut out unless you want to bring in recognition that way, but it sounds like you want to be more well known in the furryworld specifically.  Uh, okay now that I rambled... just draw.  PRACTICE.  A LOT.  Frankly, it takes forever to get your art noticed, but hey, just keep drawing, because no one will notice art you don't make.  Use a LOT of references. Make it for you, thinks _you're _excited about, because it'll come out better and you'll be happier with what you're showing off.  Zrcalo has a really great point with the tagging as well, don't be ashamed to tag like crazy, so long as it is actually relevant.



As a gallery artist myself this is right on, if you want to be more successful online being successful in galleries and in person only helps you in the long run.


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## SkyFurCreations (Mar 4, 2016)

*If you want the road to quick fame, here it is! Otherwise, just be you.*

*Draw what you love most, and do it in your own unique style, regardless of how popular it is. Almost everybody who becomes well known, does so because they had originality. Original ideas are always conrtoversial becaue they are unlike anything else, but every world famous painter, scientist, artist, inventor ect... became famous BECAUSE it was so new, and especially controversial (Picasso).

In addition, draw things specifically for people, and ask them to share your work.

Put your logo or signature on all of your work.

Draw a Fox... (I see more fox related furry products sell more than any other BY FAR)*

*Draw multiple pieces of art and don't publish any of it, then you can say "New Art Every Week" and you can specify for a month or 2 months, but staying ahead will keep you ahead.

Go out of your way to make at least 1 piece of art as weird or different as possible, it draws attention, and it gets people talking.

Strong emotions make fame. If an artist makes even 1 single piece of art which is the most sad, funny, nasty, stupid, amazing, liked or hated piece of art on the site, it will cause repost after repost and your name will be known.

Don't worry about haters! The moment you spend your time worrying about who hates you, is the exact moment you'll never make it big. Be bold and confident. Everybody will tell you what they hate, and after a while, you'll even have 2 groups of people who hate your work for exact opposite reasons, so who is right?

Only take advice from your fans or people who speak kindly, they truly want the best for you, they are the ones who want you to improve. The more people who hate you for no good reason, the more you are on the road to fame, people are always jelous of people more liked than them... that's life. They WANT you to get discouraged, so they pretend they believe their lies, because if somebody truly HATED you, they would never talk to you or about you at all.

Lastly, simply the more talented of an artist you are, the quicker you blow up... bottom line!*


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## Hijiki (Mar 4, 2016)

Rock E. Horror said:


> You mean I should draw taking references from real life? that would be really hard since I live in the middle of nowhere, sorry.



It's far easier these days to get references.  Hit up Google, Firefox, any stock photo site such as Getty Images or Corbis.  You don't need to purchase, just look.  Hit up Tumblr, there are many sites there which have photos of all sorts of people, from SFW to NSFW.

EDIT: waaaaay back when I started, I couldn't afford to go to art school or college.  I studied women in Playboy and men in Playgirl.  I studied anatomy out of good books such as Atlas of the Human Anatomy for Artists by Stephen Peck and a lot of Burne Hogarth's Dynamic series.  I also studied Andrew Loomis.

These days, again, you can find parts of these books if not the whole book as a pdf or scanned as a tutorial somewhere.  And another place to find good tutorials: DeviantArt.  Type in the search: anatomy tutorial and it'll give you many.

Also DeviantArt is a good place to find stock photos of poses, both genders, some nude, some in tight clothing, some in costumes.

Tumblr also has good art reference and tutorial accounts to follow.

Basicaly, it's all out there on the net to find, you don't need to pay anything or go way out of your way.  Hell, watch a movie, a tv show, fire up Netflix (if you have it) and have at it.  If not, and if you have movies, watch those and watch the people.  Study their body language, see how it ties in with their expressions and their dialog.

Best of luck to you!

-- L


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## gypsywolf (Mar 8, 2016)

Another point to add is to look at what successful artists do, where they post, WHAT they post, how they tag their images, etc.
You can benefit greatly by emulating the habits that make successful artists successful. This however does NOT mean drawing in their art style.

- What kind of journals do they post? Post ones with similar topics. Get people involved.
- Do they have any other accounts? Where? Make accounts there too.
- What kind of fanart do they draw? Some is more successful than others. Fanart is a great way in general to get eyes on your work, because there is already a fanbase for the show/ characters/ game/ whatever. So if you like Pokemon, draw some Pokemon. If you like Undertale, draw some Undertale.
- Do they do free raffles? Giveaways? How can you do something similar to create interest? (Don't do free things too often if you want to sell your work. But of course it's a great thing to do, especially if you really love to draw.)
- Do gift art for them. Sometimes they will favorite it, and their fans will see it in their favorites and click it and find you!


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## Kovy (Sep 1, 2016)

LazerMaster5 said:


> How to get recognition in the furry fandom?
> Draw yiff. Lots of sexy, sticky, messy yiff.


no duh


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## Raddy Fox (Sep 6, 2016)

I think you can get by if you just draw what YOU like. These are the only drawings I think that will attract you the sort of following you'll need (though I'm no expert.) If you draw what you want it will attract like minded people who will follow and support you for years. These may be only 3-4 watchers but you should make it your goal at times to keep them happy, through commenting or gift art. These are the people who will stick with you through thick and thin, buy your art when you desperately need more work and (arguably most importantly) share your art to their like minded following and gain you more exposure to a much wider audience.
This takes time and persistance. It doesn't happen overnight and if it does (seem to) then they're probably not the following your after. Four genuine followers who are interested in your submissions are easily worth 100+ who don't give a shit. 

Best of luck!
-Raddy


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## ArtVulpine (Sep 7, 2016)

I really like this thread as it helped answer many of my questions.


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## Caraid (Sep 7, 2016)

Since the long answers have already been given, the short answer: by deserving it. Get good, put the work in, be passionate and engaging, know and interact with your audience. Also don't give up.


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## Shadowblackwolf (Sep 7, 2016)

Sforzie said:


> Haha, true. What's the old saying? What's popular isn't always right, and what's right isn't always what's popular? Something like that. Except with art. Yeah.
> (And I'm a slow, self taught except for a few classes in college artist. I'm always slowly learning new things. Like necks! Necks are my current thing I'm figuring out. :| )


Completely self taught. I wish I'd had classes though.
Necks are easy if the character is looking forward, or sideways, just remember where your cheeks are going to be, and your going to connect slightly on the inside of those.
and male's neck will be more angular and straight, while a female will be more curved.
I have a problem with back shots, Not as much detail is needed, but I have problems drawing the back of a head.
It's just not something you see all the time, so it makes it really difficult to find refs for.
Speaking of refs, If I have a problem, usually I take a picture of myself in the position I need, and work off that....


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## ScruffOfChampions (Mar 14, 2017)

This is a really useful thread.


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