Why commissions? Commissions are art requests that you get paid for. It's a great way to earn something on the side while you're working towards your bigger goals. It's also puts your foot in the door to becoming a freelance artist. You work for yourself, which is fantastic in itself, and you can practice while getting paid to do what you love.
Building your Portfolio: 1. Decide on the purpose of your portfolio. What kind of work do you want to be paid for? Are you interested in children's book illustration, packaging illustrations, original character art, concept art, character design, comics, fine art landscapes, portraits or still lives? The key to creating the artistic career of your dreams is to create the work you want to get paid to create.
2. What to include in your portfolio:
Opening a Gaia Art Shop: You don't need an extensive portfolio of samples if you're going to charge an in-game currency. Starting an art shop and letting them offer you bribes is a great way to get comfortable doing commission work, and to get some practice in.
If you are not comfortable asking even Gaia plat for your art, start a freebie art thread for practice & to build up your sample portfolio.
1. Decide what you're going to draw: chibis, portraits, busts, torsos, full body... as well as the styles you want to draw it in. 2. Decide what you are not comfortable drawing (optional, of course). 3. Choose your price points for each type (portraits/busts/full body/ etc) and style you want to draw, or explain to your prospective clients how your bribing system works. 4. Include 2-3 samples of your work and create a list of slots in your first posts. Keep the shop layout simple and easy to understand - that is often better than elaborately decorative threads, in my opinion. 5. If commissions are slow, add a link to your shop in your signature and engage in meaningful conversations in the art forum. 6. Don't stop creating your own personal projects and improving your skills. 7. If things are going well and your skill improves to the point you're comfortable accepting RLC commissions, add that option in your shop and link to another social media account where you explain how your RLCs work (like Instagram, Artstation, your blog, etc). 8. If you are working with traditional medium, give people the option to have the originals.
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