Tuesday, June 18, 2013

Regarding Commissions

Hey everyone,

let's talk Commissions!

First of all, I'm not a greedy person. Second of all, sorry for opening with a disclaimer like that, which probably may have raised some alarms now :X
I make my stuff available for free, try my best to pick the most convenient hosting services, don't beg for donations at every chance I get or advertise the donation buttons very much. I charged very little for commissions in the past (compared to the effort, put into them) and preferred to close commissions for quite some time to learn new stuff, when I could have just fired out one commission after the other.

Having said that, I don't make porn to make money. Although earning a few bucks through it sure is a nice thing ... everyone likes making money, who are we kidding?

With that in mind, I'm not really sure how commissions fit into that picture. Each commission took dozens of hours to make. As my animations are getting better, so increases the time I spend working on them. For that Elizabeth closeup shot for example the rendering time alone took 16 hours! Plus another 8 hours for the other angle and maybe 1-2h of post editing and video rendering. On top of that comes dozens of hours of building the models, the scene and actually animating.
So you see, unless I charge ridiculous prices, commissions will never be an attractive way of earning money for me. But doing so would basically make me a freelancer and I understand that this is not what commissions are about.

So, for a while I was seriously considering just closing commissions for good and be done with it. Or be really, really picky about what commissions I would accept.
Instead I decided to go with a middle ground solution: charging a relatively high price, which is still less than the work hours spent are worth, but more than you'd expect for a commission.
Naturally, this will keep the interest in commissioning me low, but if someone decides to spend the money regardless, I get compensated well enough to gladly work on someone else's idea.

I'm still trying to determine what the price range should be. For that I've been roaming through several artists profiles to see what they charge for commissions, but this is turning out to be causing even more confusion. From what I understand, setting one's prices is an iterative process ... that sure sounds like fun!

Anyway, just wanted to quickly share that with you guys.

10 comments:

  1. Honestly, I think it's a smart choice. It helps weed things out so you're not flooded with commissions first and foremost (which, let's be honest, you would be) and on top of this it allows you to maintain your status quo of doing this because it's something you enjoy doing; it's not work per say.

    The moment it becomes all about the money (as I've seen with many erotica artists and animators) then it becomes about "the job" and the enjoyment of it, and more often than not the respect and appreciation shown to your fanbase, goes right out the window.

    Taking this road helps keep you on the path you set out for yourself while allowing for the occasional...I should say, 'reward' in the form of a relatively expensive commission.

    It literally is the best of both worlds and I applaud you for it. I don't think you should even consider opening up more commissions at cheaper prices.

    I don't think it's worth risking you feeling over stressed, over taxed, or burned out for the sake of coin or trying to please everyone. Your work, and it's masterful quality, speaks for itself.

    If someone can't appreciate that then they can go elsewhere for work of your level of skill. Good luck to them on finding anything that comes close.

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  2. Good choice for sure. i cant imagine the effort that goes into any full 3D render. and unlike most who are using simple methods like source film maker and others, your work is absolutely flawless to me. i admire your efforts for sure so i say charge what you wish depending on the length of the animation and perhaps camera angles and exact content. if i were you i would also set a limit on the maximum length a particular animation will be, after all you dont wanna be sat there for days on end doing one commission (unless they pay you over a thousand for it) xD hehe.

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  3. You keeping purely optional commissions is a good idea if you have time for any.

    I Think that a set price wouldn't work to be truthful, really depends on the amount of work it would take, I.E. Brand new model from almost nothing vs a preexisting model, still takes a ton of time even with it already made, so it would come down to you, high quality animation is never cheap.

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  4. There's always a paradox between interests and money. please think harder for yourself what do you want with your animation and your talent and skill.I think if you wanna earn money then run this as a business , keep your fans and get money from it. If you just wanna do this for fun ,then just enjoy it and with all respects , just take the commissions you like. I hope you think about the future and do not get yourself feeling bad , please.
    I appreacite your work very much, thx! And I think you can do more reskin work to make more version for your work. Or you can divide the elements and store them. such as the scences, models, organs, faces, gestures bla bla.. So you can finally assemble the elements quickly to make a new animation. You can also ask your fans about their interests about the kind of animation they like most and the characters , then you can make your animation more effectively.

    Thank you for your great works bring me a lot of fun. Good Luck!

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  5. @Servantes:
    Nah, a fixed price wouldn't make much sense, indeed. That's why I wrote "price range" :p

    @abandon81:
    I tried the route with "cheap" commissions and it didn't work out for me, which is why we are having this discussion in the first place =)
    I don't want to make this a business either. I mean, it sure would be cool to make a living off of this, but I'd have no idea how to do that and I doubt it would even be possible with the current rate of upgrades.
    Closing commissions for good isn't very attractive either, since that would just remove even the slightest chance of any significant income through my work.



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  6. Hello, how bout financing a bigger Animation piece through sites like offbeatr (kinda like the porn version of kickstarter) ?
    if you show your samples like your Elizabeth table sex animation, im sure you would get a good amount of money :)

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    Replies
    1. Someone on Darknest had a very similar idea.
      I'm not very eager to work on a large video, but I'd certainly be interested in offering a crowdfunding option for regular commissions.

      But the logistics are daunting and I'm not sure what the best way would be to approach something like that while also guaranteeing everyone's satisfaction.

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    2. Just do what you feel is easiest for you. DO NOT try to please everyone because that will never be possible but be honest to yourself about how you approach it. charge on the fly whatever you feel is appropriate for the amount of work that has been asked of you. like i said in a previous comment, set a limit on the maximum time any animation will be because you do not wanna be sat at your desk for week after week, especially if you have other life tasks to do. the amount of effort you put in already is amazing so noe should be asking too much of you. you have given us too much well animated 3D smut already so you dont owe us anything dude =). be realistic and honest ok

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  7. The animation and the art work is SO MUCH BETTER THEN WoW's.. I don't make a lot for money. I would not mind putting in so cash to help you continue yous work. Sorry I just like Lady Sylvanas great story line.

    What I would like to know is how much would you charge per hour to do other animation And no I am not just talking about doing porn ones?

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    Replies
    1. I don't really charge on a per hour basis. My prices for animations are listed in the "Commissions FAQ" section above.
      Non erotic animations are fine. What did you have in mind?

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