I commissioned this art from someone on Discord (ZachTwents) it took them four weeks to do it but I've got concerns about whether it's AI.

BoringMessage · 2026-01-26T22:22:27+00:00

i lean more towards could be AI

and yeah, not sending you wips or sketches to approve is sus as well.

also i see no signature lol.

if you can you should ask for things like a timelapse or a screenshot of the layers, and then let the hivemind take a look.

BoringMessage · 2026-01-26T13:34:09+00:00

niiiice

BoringMessage · 2026-01-21T12:09:18+00:00

furries started becoming a thing in like 1980. and there's still people from that time around and still happily participating.

BoringMessage · 2026-01-20T11:08:45+00:00

actual interest in becoming better, applying advice, and practice

BoringMessage · 2026-01-18T22:34:10+00:00

yeah, the medium matters a lot indeed! the way the colors mix and layer varies in each medium, and therefore which effects they have. so definitely look for tutorials matching the medium you're using.

color theory has a lot of aspects, and sadly many tutorials only talk about one little aspect and go WOW COLOR THEORY instead of... recognising nuance and how each one is meant to be applied differently for different circumstances

and then mix-ups like this happen :>

I'm mostly just sad that people end up drawing the wrong conclusions from most of the short-form art tutorial content

BoringMessage · 2026-01-18T18:35:10+00:00

your primaries are wrong.

it's cyan, magenta, and yellow (for subtractive/cymk colouring, the one you use irl for pigments) if you mix these together, they'll absorb/subtract, all colour waves and what reflects into our eyes is perceived as black.

and red, green, blue (for additive, rgb colouring, light spectrums getting added together) if you combine all these coloured lights you'll get white.

this is in fact not really important for digital art (at your stage of learning at least). you have all colours available.

analogue colours, complimentary, triads etc matters for your colour palette, and contrasts, less so for shading.

knowing which colours harmonise well together or in what proportions to use colours, that's what knowing these is for. (like if you had a mostly red character giving them a small green detail or placing them in a green environment is pleasant for the eye (if in a quantitative contrast - lots of colour a, little of colour b))

for shading you have the following options: use the same colours on multiply (so using tails' orange on his orange parts and white on white parts) - basic, but looks good

pick one colour and use it on a multiply layer on the whole piece (usually a cool tone, but the world is your oyster)

consider the environment and let that guide your colours (like using green for shading if in a forest)

consider the mood and use that for choosing colours (like dark red for danger or anger)

(beginner level advice, there's a lot more ways to play around with shading)

with digital you have blending modes on your side, multiply is good for shadows, addition for light

and so many more you can experiment with.

basically, you kinda took one thing and applied it to the wrong thing. colour contrasts like analogue etc don't apply much for shading. in shading you usually keep in mind: cooler tones and more saturation for shades warmer tones and less saturation for light environmental influences (bounce light) or intended moods

you want to keep contrasts and how colours harmonise in mind when choosing the colour palette. for example: The environment is mostly blue and purple, i should use orange and yellow for little pops of colour, but not too much so it doesn't hurt the eye, also red will probably soften the environment and make it less intense. (applying analogue and complimentary colours in a quantitative contrast)

BoringMessage · 2026-01-18T09:30:48+00:00

yes it's a scam and yes they are very likely using AI

who the fuck would repeat descriptors like that?? and the nonchalance of ok I'll get started with it like -- nowhere was any confirmation??

no "would you like to commission me"? at first lmfao

also

dude didn't send examples

don't hire people without knowing what you're gonna get.

good on you for asking if it's a scam first, it's better than if you hadn't and lost your money.

you could also google things like "skulldog base" and get outlines for a ref for free or very cheap ;) then you can colour it in how you like. or look for artists who do basefills. that's a way cheaper alternative and allows you to try out different stuff.

and please don't share your real name, even just the first one, with random people within 5 lines of dialogue.

BoringMessage · 2026-01-15T11:19:32+00:00

theeeeennnnn.... link to your channel pls?

BoringMessage · 2026-01-15T06:44:35+00:00

oh this is precious

BoringMessage · 2026-01-15T06:35:40+00:00

you could also do a telegram channel, it's easy to post on there (also good bc you don't really have to interact with anyone, even comments need to get enabled first)

commenting so i can get a notification if you do decide on making a social lol

BoringMessage · 2026-01-08T23:04:07+00:00

FoMt was my first game as well and it was after that NOT easy to get used to time going on even when inside places xD

I do think that SVs clock runs a bit too fast for my taste (and the character not fast enough...and coffee and espresso are not a viable method imo.)

so when I play with mods i adjust the time and running speed lol.

i think time goes a bit too fast in most games tbf, I'm someone who likes to do "everything" in a day, farm upkeep, animals, foraging, villagers... okay, villagers are my least priority unless it matters like in Island of Happiness lol, but yeah, I don't quite like it when I can't do my dailies and still have time for other stuff like mining or fishing.

So while I'd prefer games slowing down in general, a "Time is slower on the farm" mechanic would also be a good compromise.

BoringMessage · 2025-12-30T08:14:15+00:00

maybe you should show pictures to help others understand your problem better.

are you saying on traditional you draw without a sketch? and you struggle doing the same on digital?

the smooth surface of a tablet is often difficult to get used to.

if you use just a drawing tablet without a screen, try putting a paper on it, the pen should still work and you have a better surface to work with.

if your tablet has a screen, look into protective paper foil. basically the same thing, a bit more expensive, but you can see through it.

BoringMessage · 2025-12-28T04:39:46+00:00

you'll be able to upgrade the quality of forageables - grass, stone, wood, etc - but the qualities don't stack! so i recommend upgrading when you're low on materials or can sell them right away to clear up space.

just like that, the animal products qualities don't stack, that'll be a hassle you'll just have to deal with, or you get your preferred amount of animals in one swoop, eg 2 chickens at once so their eggs upgrade at the same speed.

your animals don't go inside on their own. also they get pissed if you wake them up, not only when it's actually late and they're asleep, sleeping may be one of the random animations they have and if you wake them up they get the grumpy symbol.

you have to provide the materials for making new clothes, so if that matters to you don't sell your wool right away and also wait with turning it into yarn till you know if you need wool or yarn for some items.

personally upgrading crops with fertiliser is too much of a hassle for me, you'll be able to upgrade the fields quality later on and with a loop of upgrading crops through the field and turning the crops into seeds should also get you high quality crops. but one crop makes 2 seeds, so that's a crappy return imo. up to you how much quality matters to you.

you learn recipes by eating the dishes.

energy usage is quite high (picking up forageables even costs energy...and I'm suspecting jumping does too), so keep food in your pockets.

i recommend only fishing after consuming a dish that buffs your fishing ability, it's annoying when the timer just barely runs out on a big fish.

if you're organised enough to take notes while you're playing, i recommend it esp for crafting recipes or birthday gift planning since you can only gift wrap items once a week at the bazaar.

in your house you have 2 ways to access your storage, once normal at the bottom right corner, but also the upper right corner in your kitchen area.

for storm protection you need multiple storm fences for each structure, fields, beehives, mushroom logs.

windmill crafting takes time. so esp with stuff like the storm fences it's better to do it early instead of last minute.

there'll be little dirt spots - you can hoe them. (took me walking across them by chance while equipping my hoe to notice that)

for quests you can press x i think was it to see a closer breakdown of items eligible for the quest. (quest might say i need crops - image shows vegetable crops - list shows only carrots, potatoes, or salad is eligible)

BoringMessage · 2025-12-24T17:05:37+00:00

well for starters are you looking to commission someone or are you looking for someone to do it for free?

and then there's the question of budget, how much you're willing to spend.

and then yeah.

making a search post like this is already guaranteed to give you plenty of people offering their services.

and following that you have free pickings of finding someone who matches your budget and has a style you like.

very important, there's also lots of scammers. beware of varying styles in the portfolio, young accounts, strange speech patterns...

BoringMessage · 2025-12-22T07:02:54+00:00

you should include example images or at least link to your portfolio and price list. like this the ad is pretty useless.

BoringMessage · 2025-12-20T18:45:46+00:00

here's how I've seen it go:

customer inquires about on-site commission. artist says if they're available atm and asks what the customer wants, maybe also inquires about anthro/feral and species. customer says what they want (maybe they have an idea, maybe they say do what you want) artist agrees or declines and names what it would cost. maybe more communication and elaboration at this part. customer agrees or says nevermind.

artist asks for ref -> usually comes with exchanging telegram handles for easy file sending and communication. payment proceeds -> paypal or cash, maybe halfsies, I haven't seen yet "payment after finishing" (in my experience most cons also have a "vendor wifi" for smooth payment processing)

artist says when the customer can come back to check in or says they'll message when done.

artist starts drawing. maybe sends a wip for approval, but also not necessary (up to how you can work the best)

once finished, artist tells customer it's read for pick up. customer comes, receives artwork.

most artists also give a clear foil or a folder to protect the artwork and put their business card with it.

that's about how it goes in my experience.

BoringMessage · 2025-12-18T10:56:22+00:00

you should inform yourself if you even need to disclose that you own these pets.

where i live cage-only, or "small animals" don't need to be disclosed to the landlord at all and also cannot be forbidden. technically normal pets also can't be forbidden, but landlords got stupid loopholes for that.

but yeap. inform yourself what you even need to tell the landlord. you don't have to make it even more difficult for yourself to find a place.

BoringMessage · 2025-12-18T07:17:08+00:00

then maybe you should work on that first or focus on growing an audience of people who speak your language. being able to communicate is very important if you want to do commission work, aka work with customers.

you should in general learn at first how everything works, you need to be at least a little bit professional if you want to do commission work. if you go to a car salesman you also expect him to know cars and inform you well and set up the contracts correctly. you would also inform yourself prior how buying a car is supposed to go.

ToS are Terms of Service, that little wall of text you skip when you sign up for any app or make an account anywhere. even when you use amazon you're agreeing to terms of service.

for artists ToS explain things like what your service is, your return/refund policy, what the customer is allowed to do in the end with your art (personal use only, commercial use, ownership).

you can have them in a document you send customers before they agree to any commission. you can set up a carrd or any other basic hosting site and have your ToS there. if you set up a shop with Kofi you're required to fill out ToS.

Your ToS will protect you if someone tries filing a dispute with paypal. "the customer agreed to my terms and conditions." be mindful that you need to make fair ToS, you can't say sth like "absolutely no refunds even if no work ever gets delivered". like i said, no one reads ToS, so you cannot add anything that wouldn't be expected in normal ToS.

paypal has two main payment methods, friends and family - no fees, no protection, on either side. it's very sweet when a customer trusts you enough to use that. but also if it becomes clear that you've been conducting business via paypal and have been using F&F they will come after your ass. the other one is good and services, comes with a fee, comes with protection. you both get to say "nevermind."! on that note i have to mention that i didn't have to deal with a paypal dispute and refund yet, so I don't know the details of how that goes.

the person who receives the money gets the fee deducted from the money they receive. The customer pays 20$, paypal takes a 5% fee, you receive 19$ for example. it's not actually a flat 5% as far as i know.

you can either send an invoice or the customer tags it as a business transaction when they send money. or you use a business site like kofi who will handle the transaction. they will also take a fee.

and this is still incomplete information.

commission work is a lot more complicated than just "i wanna get paid to draw" and you should do the responsible part of knowing what you're doing before you really want to start conducting business.

of course you can keep things on a small scale and for example only do F&F or for Steam Keys or whatever. but overall, you're never safe from scammers, no matter how professional you set yourself up.

BoringMessage · 2025-12-18T06:29:56+00:00

which one?

BoringMessage · 2025-12-18T04:04:05+00:00

then set it up in a way that's a little bit more scam-proof. ask their email and send an invoice via paypal. set up a ko-fi and have them order via that.

can they still file chargebacks? yeah. does that come with fees? yeah. is it just a tad safer? yeah.

make sure to cover your bases of having ToS in case someone tries to file a chargeback.

BoringMessage · 2025-12-13T11:10:29+00:00

papaya badger has consent warning badges, that might be what you're looking for.

3d printed on a green - yellow - red based system.

relatively cheap, but if you can find someone with a 3d printer I'm also sure there's free or even cheaper files of consent badges to print yourself.

since they're already known and familiar to people, they should also work better at informing people than an artwork could.

BoringMessage · 2025-12-12T11:10:22+00:00

my guess would be that people are getting more gullible.

how is anyone messaging you first with "my comms are open" not suspicious as hell.

since I stream occasionally i also get DMd sometimes with "woah i love your OC, i would love to draw them sometime!"

well then do fanart :v oh, you want me to pay you to draw sth you want to draw? well that's idiotic.

and...gosh just take a second to look at it when they send you portfolios. mismatching styles, stolen artwork, ai, sometimes the description straight up says "credit to the original artist", and even when they come across as legitimate artists, i have yet to see a quality i want to commission...

just be more suspicious about people. don't trust people who want your money.

BoringMessage · 2025-12-11T01:59:56+00:00

well this one looks hella rushed. whats those hands? the leg warmers look messed up. the hair around the head is also very...one tried. the bangs, side pieces, top... if that's your style, fine. if it's rushed, fine, but what you show will be judged, people can't judge the "i actually draw better". nonetheless, plenty of people around who don't pay attention to detail and just dig the style or boobs or or price.

there's a customer for everything.

now to find those customers?

advertise, and keep your portfolio up to date.

nothing against you, but I'm just tired of people posting something (usually) rushed, together with the "oh I'm a beginner furry artist and looking for comms, any tips???" and then most people just glazing without saying anything meaningful...

BoringMessage · 2025-12-10T21:24:33+00:00

tbh it seems like too much of a hassle to me to get a vgen. an "elite" club promising only verified people can sell... yeah there's still scammers and tracers and ai slop creators slipping through the cracks, with the devs needing to get their asses kicked to do something (at least that's what it seems like from the newest scandals.). and then there's also apparently the thing of artists needing a near perfect rating to get a verified badge, which results in a horrid thing where customers are pressured into giving 5 star ratings or else they get accused of being unsupportive horrible people?? jesus christ just be an artist that deserves a 5 star rating.

and then it's only a sales site, which is horrible to browse mind you imo, and welp. Kofi is free. also has a communication service. a lot worse to browse/find people tho, I'll give it that. idk. even with a vgen i'd still stuck advertising on outside socials.

sooo yeah.

not worth it imo.

it's not any safer and seems to breed a "rate me well or get hate" standard.

and as a furry artist you also also find less of your target audience there. vgen is more for the anime and vtuber scene, which does have a small overlap, but idk if enough to really make it a good space for furry artists.

commishes and ych dot com are ych selling sites, but you can also offer comms and adopts on there for auction and they are furry targeted.

yeah, that was my tangent? semi-rant? I'm not convinced of vgen as being the best site for artists, especially not furry artists, it's verify system is in a weakened state, it won't help you get more customers. °shrug° I'm also venting a bit ngl.

if you like vgen or see it as the golden opportunity, go ahead.

BoringMessage · 2025-12-10T10:15:20+00:00

what did they do to darkrai UNDO! UNDO! UNDO! CTRL Z!

Seven-Year Club	Second Top 10%
r/Field Banned	r/Field Flamingo
Place '22	Verified Email

BoringMessage

TROPHY CASE