Skins and Accents

and this for my recolor process!

[size=6] [b]Why did my skin flop? And other hard truths[/b] [/size] By Katalist [i]It's a tale as old as time. You are inspired by amazing artists in your community. They have everything. They're rich and popular, their art is amazing. You would love to be one of them. You enter your art into a contest, or purchase blueprints, or join some discord servers. You follow a tutorial or two, make a skin you're proud of, and post it for sale. Crickets. No one is interested. You check to see if you pinged correctly. You post the skins on the auction house. No one purchases them. Why? [/i] Well, the answer, simply put, is this. [quote]Your art sucks. Everyone is clearly better than you. Your art is terrible, no one will ever want to purchase it, you're a terrible person, why did you even bother? Everyone else is laughing at you behind your back, and ignoring you to your face. You're a laughing stock. You should just give up, you'll never ever improve. [/quote] .... Okay. Now that the bad thoughts in your mind have heard what they wanted to hear, it's time to stop this negative cycle. ----- [b]Truth 1: Let's learn how to receive criticism. [/b] This would be hard. First step is identifying what is constructive criticism. If you have heard or thought anything along this quote, then I'm sorry, but this is not criticism. This is bullying. The person saying this does not want to see you improve. They want to drag you down. Do not listen to them. Good, constructive criticism usually comes with 3 things. 1. [u]Permission or request to give criticism[/u]. This is a sign that the person respects you, and wants to help. Now, not everyone is in the right mind space to hear criticism, and that's okay. If someone is asking, they are wanting their criticism to help you, not hurt. This request can sometimes be implied, too. 2. [u]Both negative and positive feedback[/u]. Again, purely negative feedback is bullying, not constructive criticism. 3. [u]Recommendations to improve[/u]. Negative feedback can be turned into positive feedback by providing help, tutorials, advice or references. Silence can be feedback too. Let's break down the reasons why your skin flopped. ----- [b]Truth 2: Your art sucks[/b]. Sometimes, this is the easiest reason to understand, and hardest reason to accept. Art does not take talent, art takes effort. A 4 year old isn't great at art, but their work goes on the fridge. People younger than you seem so talented at art, but you struggle. Why? Because art is a skill, and like all skills, need to be practised to improve. Beginner artists fall into traps where they want their work to be amazing straight away. They look for tricks, tips, shortcuts. Maybe purchasing photoshop, or using a tablet will make me better at skins? To this, I say: [u]the tools don't make the artist[/u]. If your art is bad, then there's opportunities to improve. However, you cannot make something out of nothing. You need to keep drawing these 'bad' images. You need to keep practising. You need to keep going. You need to put in effort. Otherwise you cannot improve. [u]Ask for help[/u]. Post your work in discord servers or art forums and ask for help. It could be easily fixable errors, or it could be difficult. Maybe your colour theory isn't quite right. Maybe your anatomy is incorrect. You have the perspective wrong. Your shadows are too dark. You haven't weighted your lines. Your work is too glossy, or the concept is lost in too much colour. These are all mistakes beginners and experts make. This is where you need someone to tell you where you went wrong, and how to improve it. [i]Figure 1: It happens to the best of us. [/i] [columns][img]https://i.imgur.com/AeVe2ev.png[/img][nextcol]25/11/2022 I posted this screenshot. I was proud of the feathers, but not the beak. A friend privately messages me with ways to correct the beak. I still hadn't grasped the concept of it. [/columns] [img]https://i.imgur.com/sNmcao7.png[/img] [columns] [img]https://i.imgur.com/nvljjje.png[/img][nextcol] A second friend tries again, providing constructive criticism. This time I get it. [/columns] I've been creating art for years. I still struggle, every day, with art. But I cannot improve if I cannot look back on my art and reflect on it. If you think your art is bad, ask for help. And be prepared; the best criticism may hurt your feelings, but will improve your work. ----- [b]Truth 3: Everyone is better than you. [/b] ...So why are you comparing yourself against them, and punishing yourself when you fall short? When you see a brilliant artist produce incredible work, you are seeing the results of years of struggle, practice, failures, erased lines. There is no such thing as 'talent' in art, that's just an excuse people like to use to take away the guilt of not trying. Instead of excusing a brilliant artist's work as 'aw, they're just more talented than me', use it as an opportunity to learn. Study their work, ask yourself why do you like this piece? Us artists are more accessible than ever, in this age. Ask us for advice! If you see a brilliant, or popular, or 'talented' artist actively engaging with the community, ask them to have a look at your work. I for one, am more than happy for people to come up and show me their work. [u]No one should gatekeep art[/u], or belittle others for their skills. Use the skills of the artists around you as support to grow your own. ----- [b]Truth 4: No one wants to purchase your art. [/b] Sometimes, this is on the community, which you cannot change. Sometimes, though, you can change this. Making money off of the masses is a millenia-spanning problem that everyone has experienced. The farmer struggles to sell his produce, the artist struggles to sell their art. I have no degree in business, but I do know the market is fickle, and very exclusive. Some artists can get incredibly lucky, riding trends or finding niche marketplaces. Some artists become popular for other things, like adopts or Dominance or off-site art, and their popularity contributes to their advertising. Some are excellent at providing well-marketed skins, or reduce supply, increasing demand. We're artists, not businesspeople. If no one is buying your art, but people are still interested, ask for feedback. Try something a little riskier. [emoji=rainbow star 1 size=1][b]Tips for getting your stuff to sell (From Kat's perspective)[/b] [LIST] [*] [u]Don't list every copy on the Auction house.[/u] It makes you look desperate to sell. List a MAXIMUM of 3 copies at a time. [*] If you don't have an audience yet, [u]market yourself[/u]. Provide more skins or WIPs. Upsell yourself. Try new ideas or trends. Be That Person everyone thinks of when they want heron skins, or sticker skins, or half-decent banescale skins. [*] [u]Keep an eye out for trends or niches.[/u] If you catch the wave early enough, you can gain a lot of attention. [*] [u]Do not copy other people.[/u] Be unique. Build a name for yourself, so you cannot be confused with anyone else. People want YOUR work, not a copy. [*] [u]Skin festival submissions[/u] are a great way to advertise yourself, with an added bonus of winning 20 bucks. Respect the rules of the contest, post early, take the opportunity to practice, and make it easy for people to find more of your work. [*] [u]Growth is exponential[/u]. It took me a year to gain 30 people on my pinglist. It took me 3 years to gain 600. Numbers don't necessarily mean purchases, but it means I have an audience of people who like to see more of what I do. Don't expect to be popular straight away. [*] [u]Avoid full-body skins[/u]. They don't sell. If you're looking for more profit, make accents. [*] [u]Limit your skins[/u], either by time or number. Play into people's FOMO. It's mean, but if someone knows they can get a copy at any time, they're less inclined to buy it now. You need to make back the blueprint money so you can get more blueprints. [/LIST] ----- [b]Truth 5: You're a terrible person[/b] If this is true, then I can't provide much art advice. Being a bad person is a different kettle of fish. If it's an exaggeration, then don't be so hard on yourself. People will hate you. It's human nature. [u]You can be the juiciest, sweetest peach, and someone out there will still hate peaches[/u]. People may cause drama, spread rumours, lie for attention, cancel others they deem unsuitable. That is not your drama to participate in. And it should never define you. But here are some things to avoid being caught in some bad nets. [LIST] [*] [u]Don't trace, copy, or steal[/u]. No matter how easy it seems to get away with. It always comes back. Tracing is a shortcut, that can easily be used incorrectly. [*] If you trace, copy, or steal someone's art, then [u]do not claim it as your own[/u], or make money off of it. In many circles, [u]this is the ultimate taboo.[/u] You insult the artist, yourself, and the people around you. People will be very upset with you, and it will be harder to come back from that. [*] [u]Don't start drama.[/u] Additionally, don't harm others. [*] Don't exclude yourself from chances to socialise. Get your name out there. [/LIST] ----- [b]Truth 6: Bothering with selling your art[/b] [u]Why bother, right[/u]? There's so many good, popular artists out there. Who wants your work? Well, if your work is unique enough, and good enough to sell, then someone wants it. Now, there are skins that I love to look at, and there are skins that I own. I love user Endings' pieces, but none of them fit my dragons. I love when users DragonNMR and Reisiger collaborate together, but their individual skins don't work as well on my dragons anymore. Sometimes, what people like, and what people can use on their dragons, differs. I don't like bright, obnoxious colours, so I'll never buy a vaporwave or glitchy skin. But just because I'm not buying their skins, doesn't mean vaporwave artists are suffering. [u]Don't confuse trends for over-saturated markets[/u]. The brown desert silks and WC males dripping with gold are dying down for other trends. You know what's a unique niche? Orange! FR doesn't have enough love for orange! Tarnish and copper are big colours right now, and anything that matches peoples' dragons will always sell well. My public skins sell well. But my recent aether release had a colour that flopped. I barely sold 20 copies! It happens to the best of us, [u]we can't always judge the market.[/u] ----- [b]Truth 7: Everyone is judging you behind your back [/b] [u]Naah[/u]. Everyone's too focussed on how they are presenting to the public, that they don't have time to mock or judge you. ----- [b]Truth 8: Everyone ignores you[/b] Have you ever posted something and gotten no response, then a few hours later someone more popular posts and suddenly everyone shows up to talk to them? Yeah, it sucks. It's a real blow to your self esteem. However, [u]people don't owe you a response[/u]. Sometimes, it's really hard to talk to someone new, or quiet, or unsure. The way you may post, or the time you post, can also contribute. Do people know who you are? Do you provide an opportunity for people to interact with you? Or is everyone closed off from you, and not willing to let you in? [emoji=rainbow star 1 size=1] Kat's top tips for getting people to talk to you: [LIST] [*] Be popular (what is this, Mean Girls? No. Popularity comes AFTER time, and effort, and interacting daily with people). Instead of trying to be popular, [u]try to make friends. [/u][*] [u]Engage with your community[/u]. Respond to others in forums, or discord groups. Continue the conversation. Provide your own perspective. Reveal some information about yourself, and don't be afraid to repeat information. [*] [u]Provide opportunities to engage with others[/u]. Instead of posting just an image in chat that's irrelevant to the previous conversation, provide context, or acknowledge current posters. If you ask for votes on things in discord, add "1,2,3,4" reactions so people can click. Grab attention with a funny phrase, or a meme. [*] [u]Interact. A lot[/u]. People have lives, they forget who you are all the time. Remind them. The 'popular groups' in the community are just people who interact with each other regularly. These circles change all the time. [*] [u]Keep trying[/u]. Again, people don't owe you a response. They may not respond the first few times. But soon people will recognise you, and start to associate you with particular things, make inside jokes with you. You'll start getting tagged in things people find relevant to you. You'll start making friends. And before you know it, everyone's wishing you happy birthday. :*) [/LIST] [i]Figure 2: I posted a picture of my art to absolutely no response. No one commented or reacted to my art.[/i] [img]https://i.imgur.com/Oxfu6uS.png[/img] I post a picture of my art with a funny meme. People engage. [img]https://i.imgur.com/jBO3dJC.png[/img] [columns]* The +50 swears, for context, is because I'm Australian. We tend to be a little free with the curse words. However, I'm still on an American site, and must respect others around me, so I try to keep myself in line.[/columns] ----- [b]Truth 9: You're never, ever, going to improve. [/b] ... .......really? Michelangelo was a 33-year old sculpter when he started painting the Sistine Chapel. Unless you can look back at your art from 4 years ago, and confidently say there is nothing you want to improve on all your pieces, [u]don't believe you'll never improve[/u]. [columns]Look at this skin, this published accent, and tell me that this is a Katalist skin of the same quality as the stuff you can purchase from me today. This barely sold. Why? I barely marketed it, it was my first accent and I quickly hated it. I felt I could do better. The lines too thick, the shadows too dark, the skin lacked cohesion.[nextcol][img]https://i.imgur.com/3s3vUaX.png[/img][/columns] [columns][img]https://i.imgur.com/HouWuZe.png[/img][nextcol] Or this one. I still think it's a nice enough skin. However the market didn't think so. It flopped, terribly too. Even though I think it's nice, it does not hold a candle to the current Katalist Skins I see on people's dragons. It's a full-body. Those don't sell. It's probably too early for the mecha enjoyers. And I posted it in the midst of other festival reject skins, before the game database existed. [/columns] You will improve. But only if you let yourself improve. ----- [u]You can't control every reason for why your skins didn't sell[/u]. But you can learn from the flops, the failures, and improve. Improve your art skills. Improve your people skills. Improve your marketing skills. Or, just do what I did, and jump headlong into the market, posting whatever I wanted with exuberance and passion. I learned from my mistakes, and eventually people started liking what I was making. Eventually I settled into a style that I enjoyed doing. [u]And I improved[/u].

I'll post a little step by step here in the morning. My first tip is, however: If you think the site lines are dark enough no they're not
I use clip studio for the process. All of it. Because I hate having to take more steps to do something than I have to

At one point I did some tutorials and a painting process video (that was super sped up), I’ll get to compile that…. Later. Is sleep time.

My fast tip tho - make your sketches coherent. When it’s just Blobs here and there, etc, you’ll Never remember what you wanted to do with it. It may define the approximate composition, but, ah, it won’t help you with *what* the idea Was.

Also, imo, sketch in pastels/low opacity layers, and line in eyeburner colors, then make them black. You’ll see why eventually. When I come back.


(Also find your niche. People seem to Like Established Niches / reliability. Which makes branching out later Hard bc who expects a glow artist to u-turn into fabric? No One)

I’ll add more to this later, but for now here are some quick tips;
For reference I paint in procreate.

- if you can, get a photoshop user to resize your skin. If you’re resizing in procreate you need to select “resample canvas” or it will just crop.

- always continue editing after resize, highlights will need re-highlighted etc.

- IPads make the 350x350png have a white background. You can’t upload that to the site. You need to export the skin as a png and save it to files.

- learn how to use the gradient maps and colour balancing tools. Procreate has a lot and they work very well.
All of my skins need a saturation increase when I’m done. If the skin isn’t saturated enough it often disappears on actual dragons.

- keep all your separate elements on different layers. Mythicalviper explains this really well on the first page.

I’d love to get around to doing a process thing for my painting style, esp for people who don’t know how to do digital painting/are intimidated by it. For now: make a lot of things.

This is good general art advice but it especially applies to skin making which is an art all its own. Make a lot of skins and don’t even worry about printing them. Just find your groove and how to work with the skin templates.

I’ve made half a dozen skins that will never, ever see the light of day and I needed to do all of them before I could finally get around to stuff I’m proud to print and gets people buying it.

Gonna add some stuff to this thread later! My style can fluctuate drastically from skin to skin, but I think my biggest pieces of advice are to not try to directly emulate workflows that won't work well for you, and to not feel cornered into a specific style or aesthetic.

Don't be afraid to explore, do whatever makes you happy c:

Im so happy this exists! I dont have any pointers because im still new, but I will say dont get discouraged if your skins dont sell! Keep trying, you will eventually find one that clicks that people vibe with! And always remember to have fun when creating!

@888 I know this is an old thread but it’s still incredibly helpful! Thank you for the tips!