social networks

The more often you post the more likely it is you'll get followers. Unless you're really good at what you do, you may have to deign yourself to drawing fanart to get followers. Interact with your followers, follow other artists and interact with them, just uh. Network, y'know.

>>2715979

Basically this.

This board is full of purists who shit on 90% of what networking and self-promotion entails though, so be careful. You'll inevitably get some people who will just say "just git gud ;)" but I've seen plenty of artists who are fantastically skilled and have almost no following because they don't 'play the game'. They post their art in big dumps now and then, hardly tag it, never interact with anybody, etc.

Study and emulate the strategies of other successful artists.

>>2715968
>I've seen plenty of artists who are fantastically skilled and have almost no following because they don't 'play the game'.

Internet followings are generally worthless. I guarantee you that most of those wonderfully skilled artists you've seen that barely get any following numbers or notes understand that. You should be trying to get solid work opportunities from corporate clients, not attention from random consumers. It's about who you know, not how many people stalk you. That's playing the only game that matters. Partaking in internet popularity contests is a waste of time for any artist trying to make something of themselves. Popularity clouds too many people, specially amateurs.

>>2716033
meant to quote >>2716000

>>2716033

It really depends on your goal.

A freelance artist doing commissions benefits far more from a large following and a good network of fellow artists who will alert their followers "x artist is open for commissions." An artist looking for an industry job might consider a good portfolio and industry-level networking a higher priority.

>>2716041
>A freelance artist doing commissions
Commissions for who? Random consumers or actually businesses? The only time a large following matters is when you're only means of getting business is from your average consumer rather than corporations or companies. A good portfolio and industry level networking should always be a priority if you want to make anything with your art. It provides the most legit and best kind of exposure on top of good pay. Internet fame is too cheap.

>>2716033
>>2716041
visibility is always a good thing for an artist... i mean... drawing is a visual art

>>2715979

Even that doesn't always help. I post art almost every single day on tumblr, and it's pretty much all fanart of fairly popular series, and I have like 20 followers, 10 of which are porn spambots. I follow lots of people and comment on their stuff, and my art is way better than plenty of popular fanartists I see, but nothing helps. There's just too much art out there.

>>2716033

Different people have different goals. Personally, it sounds a lot better to me to be a super popular fanartist with tons of fans who love my shit where I get to draw whatever I want versus being an industry pro making shitty icon art for shitty mobile games nobody cares about.

A lot of people make art because they want it to be seen and loved by lots of people, and whether or not you're a pro doesn't have much to do that.

>>2717152
If you're drawing for attention from random people online, you aren't drawing whatever you want, you're drawing whatever gets you attention. So you're following trends and whatever's popular to get that attention. If you don't care for whatever is popular or trending in the nerd sphere, you wouldn't be drawing whatever you want regardless. At least with the industry, you're getting good pay and making meaningful connections. Being hungry for attention from random strangers online doesn't have any real pay off in the end. It's a waste of time desu.

COMMISSION BASE

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>>2717152
>I post art almost every single day on tumblr, and it's pretty much all fanart of fairly popular series
So you're in competition with every other moron doing the same thing.
If there's "too much [MLP] art out there" consider drawing for a less popular niche, or doing original works.