I just might partake in this. However, what would the limits be for those who contribute? Would I be able to suggest themes, characters, or species? If so, what would be considered "not possible"?

Well that's an open ended question so I'll say that I generally won't do anything extreme or involving characters that are or appear to be less than adult, I don't do diapers or gore. You can basically get an idea for my stuff from the galley, which is spooge, goo, cheesecake, explicit porn and a fair amount of comedy

I tend to commission for custom content. You're more than welcome to try to maximize your income, and I won't bat an eye. Drama explosions are tiresome, though.

For clarity's sake, I didn't unwatch.

Thanks. It was more because people seem to thin that posting a comment saying "unwatchd you" were somehow doing a thing, and at least one of them has this really weird idea about what FA is and why people make art and I really felt the need to talk about that.

I mean I'm still uploading stuff, it's just tame. But my gallery is FULL of tame stuff.

It's like people who Like a picture saying 'Like this if you want to end cancer' - Great. Woo. But seriously, what affect does it have? It's jsut a little bit of a mental discontinuity that I wanted to point out.

Or to put it another way: If you didn't know I was putting porn in a paywall and you still saw art on an even more regular basis, would you complain that there was more stuff going up?

not a damn bit. I'd be sad, sure - but that's a self-directed sad because I don't have the $1/mo to put towards your Patreon and supporting the work you're doing

You will at some point and then you can go along and enjoy all the stashed art for a month.

I'm not going to deny your reasons or more the fact that you need income and when you compare the hourly income to the amount you made most artists get severely underpaid. However I personally do have a concern about patreon and the huge negatives it could have on the community in the long term as more and more artists move to it, and especially if they go for an exclusivity for it.

I have at this moment 456 artists that I watch. And I only watch artists when I really like their art and style and want to see how it grows and prospers.

Now say 200 of them move to patreon. (Closer to 100 already have but most haven't gone exclusive). Now say each only sets their basic to $1. While this doesn't seem like much and by itself it isn't much collectively if still wanted to follow and view their work that is already $200 a month. No commissions, no perks, just to look. I simply can't afford that.

The second issue is even if they don't go exclusive their perk promises may end up making them be exclusive by default. They will so busy fulfilling their perk promises they will never have time to take FA commissions or do things spontaneously. I know one artist that maybe has done 1-2 commissions a month that is now under the gun to potentially have to do 4-5 a month to their patrons because they underestimated the desirability of that retainer exclusivity to those with disposable income. So essentially they are now in a position they are walled off from the greater open community.

Ultimately I'm just giving feedback of the perspective of a watcher and not arguing against your choice to pursue patreon.

Congrats on having a valid couple of points and stating them in a clear manner. This is something I thought of.

My Patreon setup is:
$1 buys you access to all the explicit pics I'm putting up during the month. The stretch goals are actually pretty reasonable - If 20 people subscribe I'll do a funny comic strip. If thirty people subscribe, I'll do a ssex farce strip. If 50 people subscribe I'll leap on Shadowplay and record photoshop at high res and run a useful little tutorial on some ways you can use Photoshop or equivalent feature graphics packages.

All the commissions I take will go on FA as is, no alterations so that's still happening regardless.

All the sketch art I've been doing while I've been working on poses, anatomy and so on all go into Patreon BUT I go over them and add clothing for FA, so you still get free art... it's just 'Ad supported'.

I think that's a reasonable set of goals and a reasonable offer: You get free art but you can upgrade that. And if enough people in aggregate join, everyone gets a reasonable amount of extras.

And yes some people will go crazy and promise the moon on a stick and faceplant: But since I've done comic work before (WCOTP colourist for years!) I know how much effort comics take to not only draw but write in a way that makes sense.

And I've been doing furry art for ten years. So I'm experienced.

As Cragger said, a buck isn't much for what you get, but a buck for everyone I'm trying to watch starts adding up pretty fast. (and as I'm an out-of-work-bum right now, I have to save what bucks I can for rent and food.)

As far as 'dressing up' your art, go for it! It'll still look nice I'll bet. Just please don't do the 'big dots' or peppers thing to hide bits as it just looks tacky (and I have stopped watching the 'I'm nothing but an ad - go elsewhere and pay to see!' types. Heh, I'm just that way, throw enough bad ads in my face and I find the programing not worth the ads I have to mute. )

I can't blame you and the others for wanting to make a little extra for your hard work, but I just can't afford to follow you (or others) over there.

No - I mena you cans ee what it looks like: http://www.furaffinity.net/view/14631773/
It's still pretty nice.
After all I still have to pull new people in to my galley with new art, so they'll stop, check out the existing stuff and decide that maybe $1 is worth paying.

So here's my thinking... A buck a month is nothing unless you're having to try and buy in to 200 different artists. But I figure there's a few who'll give it a shot for one month and just sort of try different people out.

And so if you pay to get in you get the stuff that I've posted previously (Which as of this post is one pic because I just started) so then your $1 gets you a couple of dozen pictures and then next month maybe you stay so you can vote on what gets done or because I offer something you especially want - Or you quit and go look at someone else's stash.

Either way I got your dollar and that's a dollar I didn't have. The hope is that enough people swing by per-month that the traffic will make it worth while.

Patraeon is like Kickstarter, in that the 'currency' in play isn't just the bottom dollar, it's also enthusiasm and encouragement. But all I'm hearing from the entitled naysayers sourgrapery is that they think it's more like Steam, only every product is Air Control. It would be insulting if it wasn't so pathetic.

The ones from the other journal thread, I hasten to add.

The analogy you're actually looking for is it's not like Steam - it's more like Origin, hiding things behind an exclusive platform no one wants to use.

Or how artists worked in the Renaissance for Patrons.

If you have an aversion for paying for furry art then the concept of all the good artists sticking their best work in a place you don't have access o is horrifying.
Unfortunately 'best' is also synonymous with 'Most pornographic' not 'most well drawn'.
Their only concern is : Is there something I can masturbate to?
Everything else they're willing to handwave.

If you really think your dick is being stuck behind a paywall and preventing you cracking one off, then clearly you've been doing it wrong. :)

The first guy to comment pretty much stated he only looks at adult pics.

Isn't your user icon from Red Shetland?

I'm generally available, I have a pizza obsession to fund...

Cool. It looks similar to the art style... Which is no bad thing!

Nifty. OK I'm going to go buy crisps and plot to do some commission work before  Pouncytaur stops dropping hints and just takes a hit out on me.

Everyone needs to believe in their own relevance, and not everyone is in a headspace to do so reasonably.

My relevance is that I'm giving everyone something and asking to be paid for other work. If people don't want to pay they can enjoy the free stuff.
But apparently that's irritated a small number of people who all, interestingly, seem to be pedophiles. Er sorry I mean into 'erotic underage furry cub art'

but you don't create 'erotic underage furry cub art'. so, where did they come from to begin with?

furries are weird. I must know, I'm with this fandom since 1997...

Pass. This guy was apparently watching me. Had this whole manifesto on his Inkbunny page and a gallery full of lilo and stitch porn. And his posse seem to be the same.
Everyone else seems to be a bit disappointed but understanding or actually pretty OK with what they're still getting.

in my personal opinion, that posse needs to be avoided.

well, I'm fine as well. you have to pay bills, too, after all.

Hey, I'm just saying that the majority of dickholes aren't intentionally trying to be dickholes. Of course an artist has the rightful prerogative to recognize that assigning their work a value of zero is a raw deal and to change that value. They even have the right to charge a ludicrous sum if they so choose (no implication intended, $1/mo is a pittance) because art is a luxury item, not a necessity of life. That's fair and rational, but people aren't fair and rational; I know I'm irritated by the change, but I'm able to recognize that if anything the status quo was unfair in favour of watchers (and, technically, still is). Due to some mixed up neurology it's taken me a long time and some chemical assistance to get to the point where I can stop and ask myself whether something is unreasonable or if I'm just being reactive. I'm not the only one with that kind of problem. So while you're right about everything here I wanted to point out that nobody chooses to have a mental/personality disorder.

I don't think most people have mental disorders: To be honest only about three people felt the need to make A Thing about this, and everyone else has basically said "OK I get it. Probably not going to subscribe but good luck"
And those three people just screamed loudest of all.
But considering their posts and galleries they're just entitled.

I don't see a problem with how you are using Patreon. The artists who chop or crop their art into just an advertizement for their Patreon are the ones who cause people to hate Patreon.

Honestly I don't commission someone unless I feel I can trust them. In your case I haven't been watching very long, someday maybe.

That's fine. One day I'll put something up that you'll want for yourself or do something that'll make you want to subscribe for a month or suchlike. Until then you'll just have a stream of other stuff to enjoy.
To be honest I don't like the layout I have on the pics. I can make it more elegant and less intrusive while still baking in all the info.