Quote Originally Posted by Suicune's Fire View Post
Lol I know right? I used to think I could do plushie commissions too...nope. xD Not good enough at that!
Oh yeah, those look HARD! It's like you have to work on it backwards and from the inside out and only when you get to the very last step do you reverse it and finally get an idea of what it's supposed to look like. Plus there's so much cutting, measuring, and stitching involved. I haven't done that kind of stuff for a long while.

Yeah, there are people who have skill and talent for that kind of thing, though. My big thing is it would require me to get so many types of fabric, a sewing machine, and I might need some professional training classes to get started, because my skills in that stuff are really only amateurish at best. That and I don't know what I'd start making, although making a thousand Emolga plushies look like they're invading my house would be very hilarious. The first dozen may look a little goofy, but by the time I got to Emolga #1000, he'd look incredible! XD

Quote Originally Posted by Chakramaster View Post
What are you talking about Neo? You've got your spectacular banners that are awesome. That's good art!
Thanks, but I'm just not sure if people would pay for them. There are people out there that often do these things for free (heck, I certainly used to). And ironically, one of the Joker quotes from The Dark Knight that I remember the most is "if you're really good at doing something, you never do it for free." So yeah, charging someone money for something I enjoyed doing anyway just seems a little... villainous. :P

Now, if I did the stock images (such as draw my own Emolgas, Pikachus, and so on) for someone else instead of using anime or official stock images, that I think I might ask for a little money, because that's much more work involved.

Competition for art commissions is pretty fierce, especially on DeviantArt. I think before I start even thinking of charging for art, I need to get better at the drawn stuff. And I need to kick myself in the butt to STOP USING OFFICIAL/ANIME IMAGES AND MAKE MY OWN, GOSH DARN IT! Especially when it comes to banners. It's too tempting to just settle with the pre-made stuff because it's faster and easier, but it's not nearly as satisfying.

Quote Originally Posted by Chakramaster View Post
I've never been good at anything art related really. I mean I'm gonna try drawing something again soon just to see if it has improved at all...but I don't expect any changes. Especially since I haven't even drawn anything since high school (2009 or before). It'd be nice to find something to make commissions from though =3
To get good at something, it often involves having a kind of hunger to get good at it.

  1. Have drive to be really good at it. If you REALLY want to get good at it, you'll read up on all the things you need to get started (tutorials, guides, and stuff), and you'll be willing to put in the time and energy. You might need to invest some money also, such as buying Photoshop and a tablet.
  2. Practice like crazy. It has to be a combination of both work and fun, because if you're enjoying the work that you're doing, you'll keep going with it and you'll want to get even better. But if find yourself questioning why you started in the first place in times of frustration or shortcomings, you might need to revisit the reasons why you want to get good in that skill. Find what triggered your passion in the first place. Sometimes it means revisiting that one piece of art that you were really impressed by.
  3. Be open to experimenting with new tricks and techniques, but don't expect to be an expert with them right away! Sometimes things work, sometimes they don't. Want to guess how many times I've hit Edit>Undo when making banners and graphics? Probably in the millions by now! Sometimes, just trying something freakishly random might actually result in something that sticks.
  4. Amaze yourself. Keep a collection of both old work and new work and you'll see how you're advancing. It's... a pretty awesome and mind-blowing feeling and that will give you motivation and drive to keep going. I look at my old banners and then I look at my newer ones. What a difference!


But yeah, that's usually the stuff that's involved when trying to learn a new skill.