Guides

Places to go to find Adoptables

Adoptable Forum

GAP Adopts Pinglist by @Akkisuitok
The General Adopts Pinglist, structured off of the GASP (General Accents and Skins Pinglist). A self-editing pinglist where adoptable creators can find all the people who might be interested in what they have to offer.

AMP Shop Directory by @Kangataroo
A visual directory of adopts sorted by breed. Just fill out a form and you can be added too!

FR Adoptables Tumblr by @lizziecat1279
Previously run by myself, use the submit page to advertise your own adopts! Looking for someone new to take over.
If you would like me to put together an advertisement for you then ping me here with a link to your shop, but I would highly recommend you submitting it yourself*. I am only one person and I can't guarantee it'll be perfect since it is a free service.

_{*If you ask me to write up your ad it will be a basic ad with a catchy description of your shop and as much info as possible copied straight from your shop.}

So You Want to Make an Adoptable Thread?

So you've decided that you want to do adoptables for whatever reason. Perhaps you've seen how great of a money maker they can be, or perhaps you just like doing this sort of thing! Maybe you want to practice apparel, or weird markings. Whatever the reason, diving right in can be incredibly intimidating. Figuring out what's in demand, what sort of thing people would like, even formatting your thread can be really hard when you don't know what you're doing. Which is why I'm here to help!

::DISCLAIMER::
I don't claim to know everything about adoptables and some things about the market can be confusing, even to me. This step-by-step guide is only that, a guide. You'll have to figure out your own details on your own!

Step 1
Deciding what exactly you want to make for an adoptable

Sometimes deciding what you want to create is easy. Maybe you just want to do lots of fluff so the obvious choice there would be tundras. Or maybe you want to do something else entirely that isn't even a dragon! Sometimes it's hard, and you can't pick between all the breeds but you only want to do one. Regardless, different types of adoptables have different levels of demand. Dragon breeds that are popular tend to have a lot of adoptables made for them (such as imperials, spirals, and coatls) where the less popular breeds (such as tundras, mirrors, and ridgebacks) can be harder to find quality adoptables of, if you can find any that you like!
So, the first step as a blossoming adoptable maker is figuring out your market. You want to try to have something unique that brings people to YOUR thread (like hanggliding dragons or super cute fat dragons or bishie anime dragons or cute spider versions of dragons or even pet rock versions of their dragons*) and makes them want to spend money on your adoptables.
If you have something unique you are more likely to get orders even if the quality of your art might not be on par with other adoptable makers. On the flip side, skilled artists have the luxury of being able to be more casual about the poses and concepts they have simply because they've worked longer on their technical skill. These are things you need to take into account when figuring out what you want to do!

*now I want some of these ahaha go make them!

Step 2
Deciding on the style you want

Go ahead and skip this section if you've already got an idea of the sort of style you want ^^ This is a very important piece. Style determines whether or not people are actually interested. For example: My own Fluff n' Stuff thread has a very distinct chibi style and I've been doing great with orders as a result of it. Other threads have a more realistic style, or are incredibly stylized (check out the visual adoptable hub for examples!), or are completely different and pixeled, and due to that stylization are more or less attractive to people.
A consistency with adoptables is that people love cute or chibi adoptables. You'll see a lot of adopts that are incredibly squishy and adorable, but this is because there is a high demand for such things. However, you might want to try something more vicious, like a realistic Wildclaw devouring some sort of critter. Maybe you want to do headshots! The important part is remaining consistent with your style for thread cohesiveness. It can be off putting if you go into a thread and see three chibi breeds and then one breed that is heavily stylized or realistic, or even in a super different style of chibi.
Just like step 1, style can make or break your demand. Feel free to do some sketches and post them as "interest checks" to see if anyone is actually into that style of adopt! You might be surprised!

Step 3
Deciding on whether or not you want to do apparel

While apparel can be hard, having it available for purchase can be an incredible draw to your thread, especially if you can draw it at least half decently. Many adoptable makers don't like to do apparel for whatever reason (they're incapable of doing it, their base would be weird for it, etc).
If you decide you do indeed want to include dragon clothes (for a fee or not, I personally suggest a certain cost for each piece) then keep it in mind when you're drawing your base. There have been an uncountable number of times where I've kicked myself for the layout of my Tundra base due to weird apparel layering.

Step 4
Drawing your base!

The funnest part about making adoptables, drawing the base itself! A lot of people decide whether or not they want to do genes or not here, but when I make a new base I personally do one or two examples (using my own dragons, to be completely self indulgent) so that I can get a few genes kickstarted before I put it out to the public.
Many people decide they'll do certain genes first and then allow their buyers to sponsor genes (pay an extra fee to have that gene created; this is also done with apparel) so that they have motivation to do that particular gene. Others have all their genes available from the get-go, and others still (myself included in this one) don't charge a sponsorship fee but instead warn their customers that prices may change and it might take longer for their order to be completed.
This is a stage that I'm willing to help out with if you need assistance with anatomy or critiques* if you need it. I can't guarantee my availability constantly, but I can do my best!

*warning: I do not sugarcoat, though all of my harsh criticisms are followed by ways to fix the problem. Do not ask for my critiques if you can't handle your work being completely torn apart because I have accidentally hurt feelings in the past with my brutal honesty.

Step 5
Putting together your thread

This is the part that probably took me just as long as it did to create my base when I was first starting out. I was constantly referring back to a multitude of threads that appeared successful to me and seeing what important bits they had.
This is why I am a-okay with someone using my layout, provided they ask permission and give due credit.
The important pieces that I think every adoptable thread should have:
~Examples
~Pricing
~Order procedure (if there's anything besides just posting your dragon in the thread)
~Available slots/who currently has an active order
~A Pinglist (that has an explanation for when exactly it will be used)
~Pickup (unless you're doing pickup via PM)
Not necessarily in that order, but threads without those things (or that are generally disorganized) tend to not do as well because commissioners are, quite simply, lazy.

Step 6
Advertising!

Some adoptable thread owners simply post their thread and hope for the best, but the most effective ways to get people interested is to wear your examples in your signature, post examples on tumblr or deviantArt, or talk about it with people in your flight or in other chats. The most popular of adoptable threads have done at least one of these things in my experience.
If you offer signature sized adoptables make sure to encourage your buyers to link back to your shop! I can't even tell you the amount of times I've seen a really awesome adopt that I wanted to check out but then had no idea where to look. Alternatively, make sure to include your username and/or id# somewhere on the adopt as a subtle signature.

Art Resources
A few art sources for those artists that are just starting out or maybe more experienced artists that want some help! Feel free to suggest any tutorials that aren't listed here to be added.

How to Improve Faster in 6 Steps!
Random Drawing Tips
Learning to See

Fur and Hair Tips
Painting and Stylizing Fur

Wing Basics (Feathered)

Pricing Your Adopts Based on Quality
One of the things that's great about adoptables is that it's an amazing way for new artists to grow, and for more skilled artists to flex their art muscles so they don't get rusty. However, due to the market and the fact that FR is positively filled with skilled artists, higher skill levels are able to be priced higher and are more in demand than the lower skill levels.
This doesn't mean that you should give up if you're not at that higher skill level, but if you want to have your adopts sell then perhaps consider pricing them lower. Don't undersell yourself, but if you weren't the artist, how much do you think you would pay for your adoptables?
This is a problem that I see often that has lead many adorable adoptable threads fall into disuse because of a lack of orders.

A quick guide:
1. If you were paying for it and there was no limit to the amount you could spend, how much would you honestly pay for it? Most adopts go between 20-40kt for their base price.
2. Are you charging extra for genes/apparel/etc? If yes, consider making your base price a little cheaper to balance the cost of the genes
3. Price based on difficulty! Was a particular gene or piece of apparel hard to draw? Did the base take you 5 hours to make? Remember that even though you're just recoloring your art in most cases you still had to take the time initially to actually draw that, and you should be compensated for that time with each and every order.
4. How many orders do you want to get? If you want to make adopts but you don't want to be flooded for whatever reason then setting a higher price can be very helpful for this. People are a lot less likely to buy adopts if you have them priced higher than 75kt.

More will be added to this section as I figure out how to say it, but if you ever want pricing advice feel free to pm me!

What IS an Adoptable Anyway?

As someone who has been on the internet for a while and a member of many different pet sites over the years, I've seen quite a few different kinds of "adoptables". As the years have passed, I've also encountered more than a few people who are confused about what exactly defines these pieces of art we call adoptables.

Most of this confusion stems from the extreme variety there is in the many different adoptable communities. For the purposes of this walkthrough, I will go through each type, one by one!

The Basics of Adoptables
While I'm going to get into more specifics later, there are a few common threads of thought with all adoptables.
~To some degree the original art or design was created by someone else other than the person who currently owns that art or design.
~This design or art is typically NOT free for general use, though there are exceptions that I will go into later. Typically only one person owns the rights to use that design or art.
~There is the potential for collection for many types of adoptables.

Pet Site Adoptables
Believe it or not, all pet sites (including FlightRising itself!) are a type of adoptable community! Pet sites have a couple of different models, but all of them are a kind of adoptable community.
~Can have breeding mechanics
~Encourage users to care for and/or breed and/or dress up their pets
~Results in some sort of collection (even if it's small, such as the 4 pet limit of Neopets)

Forum Adoptables
Forum adoptables are probably one of the oldest form of adoptables on the internet. I remember when I was little and admiring all the tons of adopts that artists were making on Neopets. In fact, the adoptables you see here on FlightRising are almost exclusively forum adoptables!
~Can be displayed in signatures, bios, profiles, etc
~Typically done on the same base with customizable options
~Sometimes has "free" versions of the adopt with a custom option. Free versions are almost exclusively based on the host site's content (such as the deity adoptables found HERE)
~Standard practice to link back to the artist within the image code

Clickable/Growing Adoptables
Clickable adoptables are one step above forum adoptables. Most people are likely familiar with DragCave, but there are other sites with similar mechanics such as Magistream, Squiby, and Pokefarm. Basically, you display your pet in a baby stage and hope that other users click on the image to help it grow. Some sites employ the growing mechanic without the clicking mechanic, such as ChickenSmoothie or Eldemore.
~Display your adopt like a forum adoptable
~Sometimes these are forum based, sometimes they have a whole site.
~Many pet sites with adoptables subforums include a thread for posting your clickables to help them grow.

Character Adoptables
These are probably the most widely known variation of adoptable these days. Whether the base is reused for multiple designs or each adopt is unique, these are simple transactions between artist and buyer. Not all character adopts are for profit, but all involve the ownership of the design transferring from the original designer to the new owner.
~Buyer is purchasing the right to own/use/draw/etc a certain design. Sometimes there are conditions on this ownership
~Artist designs the adopt then sells it in some fashion
~Designs can be literally anything, including everything from humanoids to animals to clothing and accessories.
~Sometimes the rights to the character's species do not transfer (when the design is a unique species), sometimes the character's species is bundled with the design.

Open/Closed Species/Breed Adoptables/
Similar to character adoptables, the biggest difference between these and general character adoptions is that there are typically more rules on ownership. Sometimes the species is used for roleplay, sometimes the species is used for breeding, sometimes just for collecting. Often there are guidelines for character creation. Some well known species adopts include BakaMichi's CatFish, Belliko-art's FoxFans, and Carnivaleart's Dracostryx.
~Species adopts used for breeding tend to focus heavily on genetics.
~Anyone can make a character from an open species/breed, only certain people can make adopts from a closed species/breed
~Includes fake/fantasy dog/horse breeds (focused mostly on breeding).
~The species/breeds will often have detailed references in regards to species features and traits.
~Successful closed species are often bought for high amounts of $, or traded with other closed species (whether the same species or not).
~Closed species/breeds will often have MYO (make your own) contests/slots that you can purchase where the owner creates their own perfect character for that species.

Agency Adoptables
Similar to closed species and forum adoptables, adoptable agencies tend to be more focused on collection and roleplay aspects of the adoptable scene. First started on dA when MCAdoptables transferred to dA from a forum, adoptable agencies have developed an entire community, typically seperate of the main crowd. Agencies often are set within their own world with a wide variety of creatures that can be adopted. Most agencies prioritize free adoptions, though there are some that you have to pay (dA points, USD, or agency currency).
~Sometimes have similar mechanics to clickable adopts
~Common features include: Breeding, Roleplay, Exploration, Contests, multiple ways to adopt creatures, and Customs
~Operate similar to a pet site, with a staff that tends to be more accessible than the staff of a pet site.
~Will have at least one base per species, with a few notable exceptions (Katjalore-Creatures' lycaskels and SpringsofIyore's chyfts). Markings can be standardized or custom for each individual.

YCH (your character here) Pieces
While I personally am on the fence as to whether these are proper adoptables or not, I have seen people considering them as such so I'm including them here. Basically, an artist draws a sketch and someone else purchases to have their character drawn into that sketch. Sometimes the artist uses the same YCH base, but more common is that the base is used once.
~Artist draws a base sketch
~Sketch can be used multiple times (uncommon)


Overall, the word "adoptable" can be used to describe many different types of art. Since this list is by no means comprehensive and completely biased from my own experiences, feel free to add your own contributions to this list!

Leave Reviews for Artists and Customers!

Had a particularly good adoptable experience? A particularly bad one? Good or bad customers? Let the community know at Flight Rising Reviews or Flight Rising Beware! FRB currently seems to be on hiatus, which is why FRR was founded, so try to send your reviews that way!
Any bad experiences require screencaps as proof, though good experiences could also benefit from screencaps so that everyone can believe it!
Both blogs also do more than just adoptable reviews, so check them out :D Maybe leave a review for some people you've had business with!