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Karijn-s-Basement — Adoptables, Customs
Published: 2012-04-26 12:14:50 +0000 UTC; Views: 47303; Favourites: 517; Downloads: 0
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Description
What is a Custom Adoptable?It's an adoptable commission that is created using a pre-set lineart or base and the colours/patterns of the adopter's choice.
How do I start making Customs?Starting is easy enough, you just have to decide that you have the time to do them and be willing to work with another person to produce something together. A custom is not unlike a collaboration after all, you'll just be doing all the "arm-work".
How do I make it easy for myself?First: Be prepared!
(Only works with programs that support layers)
The fastest way to "make it easy" is to prepare beforehand. This means having some kind of layered base ready to be coloured. It doesn't matter if it's your own lineart or someone elses, but having to do all the colour outlines *every single time* is just boring and time consuming. And if you want to offer lower prices, you can't spend hours on the outlines.
Adoptables Matrix Tutorial
This is a tutorial I made to explain how I make my own bases. Shading is not a requirement, but it adds a nice touch to any adoptable. (Remember that what looks nicer, sells for more, even if the design is on the 'simple' side.)
Second: Be organized!
Starting a project is a nice thing, but if you don't have a minimum of organization it's either going to fail or get messy really quickly. If your adoptables are nicely designed, chances are that you have been asked about customs so, to avoid writing all the info every single time, you should have a Journal explaining everything.
Such Journal would contain:
- Custom Example + Price (Try to make examples of all the customs you're offering so the buyer doesn't need to browse through your gallery aimlessly)
- Custom Form (Type of Custom/Colours/Patterns, anything you need to make the custom)
- Rules (How to order, when to pay, how many re-designs are you willing to make for a custom, special offers for custom sets)
Also, it would be great to have a list of the Customs you need to make, either on a custom box on your mainpage or on another Journal. This way you won't forget anyone and every buyer will see where they stand in the line.
Third: Advertise!
Only after you're prepared and organized to tackle commissions, start advertising.
Advertising ideas:
- Write on your pre-set sheets that you're open for customs
- Add the link to your Custom Journal in your signature
- Submit to Groups an example of Custom saying that you're open to take more
- Partecipate to contests and write on the entry that customs similar to that one are open
- Post on the "Projects" Forum
- If you can spare some points, there are groups that advertise your account and adoptables for you
What are the main problems in making customs and how do I avoid/solve them?
No one wants my customs.
(1) Your adoptables are not known. Remember to submit your pre-sets to adoptables groups, advertise more maybe hand out a limited amount of customs at a sale price. (2) The quality is too low/the design too simple for the price you put. You can either lower the price (I do not really suggest doing this) or you can practice more, check out some better free art programs and look at a lot of adoptables to see what kind of designs look good and try to imitate (do *not* steal) them. I have too many customs requests and not enough time for everything. Put a limit to the Custom Slots, occasionally close them until you're done. Don't bite more than you can chew. My customer is impossible, I have changed design 5 times and they're not happy. Either say that there's a limit on the designs you're willing to make for one custom (max 3-4 designs and they have to pick one) or don't whine. Not everybody can be happy at your first try but do not expect people to follow rules that are not written. I posted the custom, but the buyer is unhappy with it. Unless you're posting all the WIPs on dA, do *not* post a custom if the buyer has not approved of the design. It falls to the artists to be sure that what they make is what the customer wants, he's paying you for a reason, not to see random stuff. I finished my custom but the customer is not paying me. (1) Ask payment in advance or half-half. Try to be honest about it and don't take a payment if you don't think you'll be able to do the custom. People appreciate honesty and if you tell them they might have to wait one or two weeks and you'll contact them when you have time, many of them are going to accept. (2) Write on the rules that you'll sell the custom as a pre-set (but not to them) if the payment is not sent within a definite timeframe. Send them a reminder the day before and them delete the custom and re-post it as a pre-set.If you want to ask about a problem you've had with customs, just comment and I'll reply and update the Journal with the question.
Adoptables Journals Series:
Adoptables, Basics for Adopters
Adoptables, Basics for Adoptables Artists
Adoptables Tutorial
Adoptables, Writing an Artist's Description
Adoptables, Customs
Adoptables, Design Tutorial
Adoptables, Buying Adoptables
Adoptables, Pricing
Original Species Tutorial
Adoptables, Auctions
Adoptables, Original Species Confusion
Adoptables, I sold one, now what?
Adoptables, Doing It Traditional
Adoptables, Why are you so EXPENSIVE?
Related content
Comments: 108
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Generally speaking, yes. The problem comes in if it's a version of an existing character owned by the commissioner.
Example, 'use my OCs tattoos on the custom'. In that case, to sell the custom you might have to tweak it slightly.
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Hello, I was searching for guides about original species and adoptables. I think this series will be very helpful for community where "making original species" is not known. May I translate this series into Korean? Of course I will put your name and link of this page.
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Haha, of course, no problem for me and thank you so much for the translation work.
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I hope it's not too late for questions, but, I'm selling adopts, I know how everything works except one thing
When someone pays me for the adopt, how do I give it to them? is that I always put a watermark on them. I have to send the image without a watermark for some specific site?
I hope you understand my question
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No worries, and the answer to your question is answered in the 'Adoptables, I sold one, now what?' Journal. It's linked at the bottom of the one you just commented on.
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A custom is the creation of a character you want (either on a base or on original lines), a YCH is a character you already own drawn in the pose the artist suggests. So basically one creates a character and the other doesn't.
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Okay~ i see yah thank you~
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As the artist, and if I write it down in the description, would buyers be willing to buy an adopt/custom under the premise that said adopt can/will cameo in their species' existing universe? By that, I mean, I have a harpies species concept I've been building for a story and wanted to stretch my muscles by making extras based in birds I've found so far to give more depth to the world and thought it would fun to make and sell them as adoptables too, so if someone say, bought the hypothetical design I made for some kind of Finch, or even got a custom of said Finch in a blacksmith occupation, do I reserve the right to cameo said Finch as a blacksmith within the Canon material/would people generally be okay with that as an adopt or do you think that's too much? I just really want an opinion, I've never don't adoptables before!! ^^'
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Haha, that depends on the buyer. Some people can get pretty possessive on their adoptables, in the sense that they want to be the ones deciding how they're portraited, what their relationships should be, their storyline, etc.
So sure, you can add a line that you want to be able to feature the character in a future comic/whatever, while being faithful to the adopter developed storyline, but be sure to underline and explain this to potential buyers because a lot of people simply don't read descriptions.
On the other side, there are people who are happy of getting extra art of their character, no matter how it comes to them, so there's that.
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Okay, that makes sense. Thanks a bunch! I'm so glad you have these tutorials for people like me ^^'
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Haha, you're very welcome and good luck with your adopts.
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Would you mind explaining an aesthetic adopt to me? I understand the selling is of a collection of characterizing pictures and such, but does the seller actually create a character for the buyer?
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I've seen only a couple and, so far, it seems like it. You either have one main picture or a collection of them and a design that is based on those, I've seen both pre-set designs and surprise designs. It's a bit like an egg design, only instead of a coloured egg there's a picture/photograph, but it gives you a little more information on the design.
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Cool! :3 Thank you!! <3
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Happy you think so.
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i dont know how to set it up i cant get the ppl to buy becuase i dont have commishions i just dont know how to set it up
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On your mainpage, on the top right part of the screen, there's a button that says 'Edit Page'. From there you can move things around and add new widjets. The one you need is the Commission Widjet. You add that and then, using the + sign on that window, you add commissions and prices.
However, before adding the widjet to pay for commissions, you should advertise them a bit, maybe do a Journal about them first.
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I have come back, with another question.
What can I do, Google leads me here, Master...
I'm curious, as to what I understand, isn't custom supposed to be something like, order-made for a certain someone...
Why is there bidding for customs? Like there is a picture of a character that is finished already.
Is it just one of the sample that you mentioned? Or can we really put it for bidding after someone requested it?
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The 'finished picture' can be an example of how a custom can turn out, not necessarily the character up for sale. The artist specifies this in the description, though, so be sure to read it carefully. (Or write it, if you're the artist offering the custom.) Custom slots can be auctioned, if the designer has little time, but still wants to make some customs. Or if the species is in high demand. Not all customs have set prices.
The last question, 'can we put it for bidding after someone requested it' makes no sense to me. Are you the artist or are you a bidder, asking the question? By the way, if someone requested it at a fixed price, you cannot auction it off, it wouldn't be fair.
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I see~
It made no sense to me as well, that's why I'm confused
Perhaps when people are used to it, they put less information, so I got the wrong idea...
I'm a noob-ish artist but not "the" artist (LOL), also a passer by who saw something confusing (well, I was confused on my own)
Thank youu! You're like Adoptable Wikipedia and Yahoo! Answers~
I love you lots
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Thank you for the Wikipedia comment, but I'm feeling ambivalent on the Yahoo Answers one. Have you even read the answers you get on that site? It's like reading lines from My Immortal some days. *shudder*
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Eh ...
Sorry for the bad comparison XD (I meant no ill-will)
I thought it was pretty good since I found answers there every now and then~
Well even though there are a few people trolling there I guess
"My Immortal"? The song? Or is it some kind of novel?
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Haha, no problem and My Immortal is kind of the worst fanfiction ever written. If you Google 'My Immortal fanfic' it should give you the Fanfiction.net link. It's so bad it's a classic.
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Hmm so it's a Harry Potter fanfiction....
I only checked first two chapters.. But aren't there other bad fanfic on that level (I think...)? Well- leaving the spelling aside..
Will it get worse on later chapters? XD
I thank you for giving me new knowledge anw~
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That was the first one both so bad in grammar/structure and characterization, so it kind of stuck. And I admit I only got so far as the first chapter. Then cried and went on to find something else to read.
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Thank you so much for this information! It helped me!
But I have a little question - If I make an OTA Adopts and a buyer wants to offer a custom, is just like a custom adopt or what?
Can you please explain? I would be happy :'>
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You'd have to ask them for specifics, but usually when they say custom is a custom of one of their species/designs, generally done on a base. A custom is not a drawing of one of your characters, that's a commission.
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Thank you!
this is so helpful!
i will be making my first custom ever!
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Happy to hear that.
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How does making and selling Adoptables work? I am very confused. I saw these online and I thought it would be fun to do, but I am confused on this whole thing. Do you send them the adoptable when they buy it and is it like, interactive? I'm so confused. Does that mean they own the design or is there more to it? I am so confused, please explain.
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Hi there, at the bottom of the journal you commented on there's a series of links, I suggest you start from the first one, which is introductory to the concept of adoptables and then read them all. In those journals I've answered as many questions as possible, but if you don't find yours, feel free to ask.
(The 'do I send the adoptable?' is in the 'I sold one, now what?' Journal, if you don't want to look for it.)
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Okay, thank you! Sorry I took up your time before reading them all.
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am i overpricing myself? before i was underpricing, but i dont know if im going over. i decided to go with the price because i saw other adoptables earning more money for their things, and thought my art was equivalent and raised my prices. im probably overestimating my art abilities haha
iitrashqueenii.deviantart.com/…
anything to do to get more customers?
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I think the price is fair, but you should try to submit it to some groups, to get more exposure.
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do you know any good groups?
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I am part of many of them, you can go to my mainpage and on the bottom left of my windows you should see the list. Or you can browse 'adoptables' in the Groups search of dA.
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tysm!! when do you think people will start bidding?
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Haha, no idea, some auctions start in seconds and others never do, it really depends.
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