Originally published at: https://boingboing.net/2017/10/23/enamel-pin-for-artists-tired-o.html
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I have a few friends that would be totally into that pin
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Most people have a strong dissonance over design/art. They think that because “anyone can do it” that they are entitled to getting their request for near to nothing or for nothing. I’m sure a whole series of books could be written on the topic. Or have been written on the topic.
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“5 seconds to draw it, 30 years to learn how to.” Or whatever Picasso supposedly said.
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Any chance I can get one for free?
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I’ve heard that quote attributed to other artists as well. But it’s a matter of respecting someone else’s time regardless of how long it takes to do or not. You wouldn’t expect someone you don’t know to mow your lawn for free, or going with the “that only took you 2 seconds and you’re charging me how much?”, locksmiths charge a decent amount for their services and can open a door in a jiffy. People get peeved about it but it’s an expected part of doing business. However people have no respect for those that do creative work for a living for whatever reason and will try much much harder to get away with asking them to work for free.
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@forexposure_txt is great but I had no idea that there were so many furries in the world. Or that their demand for art was so high.
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Of course, if life is truly transactional, then you will inevitably get something back for your work anyway. As a communist, I find arguments for formal remuneration to be somewhat schizoid, suggesting that social interactions are not innately transactions, but should be. Which presents no incentive to subscribe to that outlook for those who don’t share it already.
It’s like taking a cup of water out of a pond, and expecting a cup-shaped void to remain until it is put back, rather than understanding that it will inevitably be filled from all directions as a matter of course.
It’s quite high, i have a number of friends that do furry art regularly. The majority of them aren’t even asking for drawings of a sexual nature (i’m sure there’s money to be made there but it’s not the norm), they just want an artist to bring their characters to life and typically those characters are based on avatars from a game or sprites from a forum. Though there are plenty of original characters too. I’ve also heard that these clients are among the most courteous and polite that artists encounter, probably because they deal with commissions and artists regularly so they actually look up to or admire their work so there’s a level of respect there that doesn’t exist with other types of clients.
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I would imagine furries also face a fair amount of misunderstanding and low-level abuse themselves, so perhaps they’re more sensitive to not being part of that problem towards others.
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If I’m showing you pictures, particularly online, then I’m advertising.
If you want to show everyone after you buy it from me, then cool; you hold the original, I got paid, do what you like.
I don’t share work-in-progress pics with anyone but the client until after completion, then I might.
My price scale varies, but essentially nothing I do is free, but I might barter a cool experience or item for a piece of my work. I’m business-like, not a total mercenary 
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I agree with Picasso on that point! As a lawyer when I was solo there was many times I got a “all you did was fill out a form!!” yes, but i knew which form!
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I don’t use Twitter much anymore except for news. But when I was more active, I would sometimes post other people’s art I found online. I always tried to find the artist and credit them in the mention, even checking to see if I could find a Twitter account belonging to them, and if the art I’d stumbled on was there I’d simply retweet it.
I suppose technically I was sharing their art without their permission. Obviously I didn’t make any money off it, and none of my Twitters were under my real name so they didn’t benefit me in any material way. If anyone had ever asked me to remove their art I would have immediately. I was posting the art with at most a comment, so I can’t claim fair use.
I’m curious, do you mind people sharing your art (with credit) once it’s online?
You can’t put a price on peace of mind. But I can.
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“You’ll get a lot of exposure!”
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I can’t speak for others but back when i was regularly making art i always made it a point to request being credited if someone liked my drawing enough to share it elsewhere without my knowledge. And any references i used i credited, if they were a major element of the drawing i would ask for permission if possible.
I don’t know if this is regularly done by others though.
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I know you didn’t direct the question at me, but I love it when people share my art and remember to credit me.
I think the age-old problem is people who try to claim your art as their own. With the rise of social media, it’s become too easy for people to copy/paste and profit off the hard work of others.
In the old days, scammers would follow a well-known artist to the dumpster or trash heap to steal unsold paintings and sell them, so artists began to shred or burn their unsold work. Once it was gone, it was gone forever. An artist had more peace of mind, I feel.
The good thing I see about not being famous yet, and not being publicly traded, is that any provenance of my works is a straight line to my customers.
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Perhaps the original, from Whistler v. Ruskin, 1878, a libel case in London after Ruskin dissed Whistler’s tossed-off paintings.
Ruskin: ‘The labour of two days, is that for which you ask two hundred guineas?’
Whistler: ‘No. I ask it for the knowledge I have gained in the work of a lifetime.’
(Whistler won, but won nothing.)
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As an artist i’d say the principle of it is more important.
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Absolutely, share it with my credit - to me that is free advertising and works just the same as an art book, where every picture is accredited to the relevant creator.
Recently I sold some digital portraits to a buyer, and once the sale was done she posted copies of them online, saying, effectively, “Look what Tammi made!”
She was happy with the product and I was noticed by at least the 50 people who clicked 'Like.
Social media CAN work to your advantage, just don’t expect it to make your career.
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