Draw a Box Without Pateron
What makes height illustrators on Patreon and so successful? These creators succeed on many fronts to receive the support they do (such as building their audition, establishing rapport with that audience, etc.). Part of that success comes from having a stiff mix of rewards.
If you're looking to find your own success on Patreon, this commodity will aid you decide what rewards to offer your patrons in exchange for their recurring pledges. To that end, we've included sixteen of the most pop (and most lucrative) rewards offered by illustrators on Patreon.
That said, this article is intended to put useful information at your fingertips. Only it'due south up to you to make up one's mind which rewards are correct for your creator business. These rewards drive the bulk of top Patreon illustrators' pledges (non in order — option the ones that are right for you).
i. High-quality/Full-size Images & Wallpaper
Yous brand beautiful art; your fans love to appreciate beautiful art. So releasing full size, loftier-quality images tends to brand them pretty happy. Even meliorate? High-quality images that are neatly formatted for their desktops and laptops.
Many artists, like the unstoppable Sakimi Chan and WLOP, give total quality images or wallpapers at the $1 tier to encourage first-time patrons. These are often images they were going to draw anyway; rarely are there 'patron simply,' full-size images offered for $one or $three tiers. For example, the images WLOP shares as wallpapers are adjusted images from the comic.
Other artists utilise wallpapers and other high-quality images to push value to higher tiers. For example, high res images don't announced until the $xx tier for ALICE IN Noise, and Vicki Tsai pushes value to her $5 tier.
What tin can work for you depends on what price your audience is willing to pay to support y'all, how much extra time you're spending on advantage delivery, and which tiers you lot want to emphasize for patrons.
two. Early Updates
Early updates make the most sense for comic and animation artists whose audiences eagerly await the side by side story development. Michelle Czcajowski of Ava'southward Demon, for example, fix her reward tiers near entirely effectually increasing early access: $3/mo supporters become some sneak peaks, $5/mo patrons get "some sketches and previews," and $10/mo patrons become to see previews plus "secret art stuff" for the comic before it'southward brought to life.
But you certainly don't take to be producing serial content to make early admission rewards a success. Hannah Alexander, who creates art and costume designs, includes early admission in her rewards mix. Or, consider MissMonster's approach: non but does she release sneak peeks of in-progress works, simply she announces new shop offerings to her patrons before release to the general public.
three. Community Access
Access to a private community—Discord is a popular choice made even easier with our integration—can exist incentive enough for your near loyal fans to transport a few dollars per month your way. Some creators offer information technology for any level of membership, and some reserve information technology for higher tiers.
Peter Mohrbacher, for instance, offers Discord access to all of his patrons. Not only has it served equally a identify for his community to abound, information technology likewise gave him more ideas: offer prizes outside of Patreon to encourage fan art (which, incidentally, would drive more than traffic to his project). He had seen so many neat reimaginings of his Watchers that he but had to share.
That'southward not to say that a Discord channel is the simply identify you lot tin grow a community: some apply their own websites, Facebook groups, forums, and other corners of the internet.
iv. Digital Bonuses
Test-renders. Brush packs. Sketches. PSD or Lineart files. In that location are and then many 'extras' that you can share with an audience interested in learning how y'all practice what you exercise every twenty-four hours.
For example, Ty Carter shares PSD files and brushes equally office of his $v/mo tier. Artist Kawacy pushes PSD files and brushes to the $10/mo tier, but offers accompanying explanations to increase their value.
If your audition includes other artists who want to acquire, these bonuses are a cracking improver to your rewards mix.
5. Vocalism-over Tutorials/Procedure Videos
Since we're on the topic of fans who want to learn, another pop reward that caters to artists in your audition are voice-over tutorials/process videos.
Wild animals creative person Jason Morgan offers voice-over painting videos for all $4+ patrons. His entire Patreon page is built around teaching others the skills he's built.
A prune advertizing i of Jason Morgan'due south instructional voice-over videos.
Some creators stick to explaining art they would produce anyway; some besides provide topical tutorials that dive into a specific technique they utilize when making their art.
One manner to drive traffic to your tutorials is to post teasers similar Jason does, or mail full-length process videos without commentary on Youtube. Some artists will postal service the videos without commentary for costless, then charge for the same video merely with phonation-over commentary.
If yous take tutorials or painting videos that y'all think your patrons would love, check out Patreon'due south Vimeo integration. With this integration, Pro and Premium creators can offer access to exclusive Vimeo videos as a tier benefit. And the best part is, once you set up your permisions on Vimeo, yous won't have to leave your Patreon folio to upload and share the videos with your patrons.
Here's what Patreon creator Epic Rap Battle had to say nigh the integration:
"The Vimeo integration is both secure and seamless – the way things should be. It offers a sleeker interface for both creators and patrons to use and opens upward possibilities for using more than video content on Patreon." — Epic Rap Battles Of History.
For more information, check out the web log post titled, A New Way to Share Sectional Video on Patreon with Vimeo.
Or, if you're ready to start using the Vimeo integration to share exclusive video with your patrons today, subscribe to any paid plan at Vimeo. If yous don't have a paid subscription to Vimeo, sign upwards for their free 30-mean solar day trial for the Plus or Pro plans and endeavour information technology out. Sign up now.
In one case you sign up for Vimeo, cheque out this support article for detailed instructions on how to set up the integration.
6. Fan Features
If you make a comic (or something similar that you lot distribute to your audience on a regular ground), you can give patrons the option of actualization in your comic every bit i of your minor characters.
Sometimes, as in the case of Jason Porath's Rejected Princesses series, that ways a once-per-year appearance in the background of a comic. Other artists, such equally Peritian, offer multiple appearances (with patronage for that tier capped at manageable levels). Artist Color-LES puts patron-characters on a monthly rotation.
This advantage is especially helpful for artists who take some traction with their audience—merely want a special reward to draw attending to their Patreon campaigns.
seven. Bonus Art, Fanart, & Alternate Endings
Scenes that never made it to the public comic. Relationships that your characters don't (and won't) have in the official comic. NSFW versions of your drawings (see our customs guidelines for more than on what you tin can do with NSFW content).
Bonus offerings like these permit cater to your fanbase without compromising what you want to do in your canon fine art and comics. Some artists even practise a certain corporeality of fan art each calendar month (while offering patrons voting privileges on which characters to do).
These types of rewards are offered past illustrators at every stage of success on Patreon, from well-established creators like Sakimi Chan to smaller, growing creators like Rachta Lin.
Note: To learn more than about Patreon'south policies for adult content, please read the customs guidelines. Adult content cannot be displayed publicly on your Patreon; it must be behind the paywall and accessible by patrons of 18 years or older.
eight. Coloring Pages
Yes, this advantage is exactly what it sounds like. Some creators offer black-and-white versions of their art for patrons to color! Jasmine Becket-Griffith does this finer by including the pages in her $v/mo tier.
Amy Brown, a watercolor creative person, offers coloring pages at several tiers, also starting at the $5/mo level of support. It'due south a strategy that works for comic artists likewise: the Namesake Team offers coloring pages from their comic, Namesake, starting at the $ane/mo tier.
ix. Lessons & Art Critiques
Tutorials aren't the merely educational tool yous tin leverage when rewarding patrons: for the right price, many creators offer group and/or individual art lessons. Irshad Karim built his Reddit community and Patreon around offering critiques and cartoon upward lessons for his fans to follow.
Or, consider Modern 24-hour interval James: he offers critiques, grouping lessons, and private lessons (with each becoming progressively more expensive as more value is added). If you lot're not certain how to charge, consider how much yous might pay (or accuse) for in-person lessons, then price accordingly.
10. Access to the Archives
If what you create is "evergreen"—i.e, it ages well (this will be true for virtually artists)—yous can also make an annal of creations that patrons can admission. It could be procedure videos, patron-only artwork, bonuses from the past, or even livestream recordings (which Modern Day James offers his patrons at the $5/mo tier). Peter Mohrbacher opens upwardly his Dropbox archive to $thirty/painting supporters.
The creators mentioned in a higher place grant immediate access to all archived content; others release old content to new patrons over a longer span of time. For example, let's say you have ten in-depth tutorials you lot've released to your audition over fourth dimension. Instead of showing them all at one time to new patrons, you could allow patrons pick ane one-time tutorial per month to become in improver to the current calendar month's offerings. (Note that, currently, this must exist done manually—only depending on your audience and reward levels, it may exist worth the extra piece of work to have this kind of personalized option available).
It all depends on what you take to offer and which method of offering it will attract sustainable patronage.
11. Backside the Scenes Content
If someone starts offer 'behind the scenes' content, it's usually one of the following: either information technology's informative and educational, it'southward mostly personal, or it's a mix of both.
Illustrator Fran Meneses uses Patreon Lens to requite her patrons a slice-of-life experience, plus posts a podcast every ii weeks talking about stuff she's doing and what'due south inspiring her. Her behind the scenes is mostly personal; higher tier supporters get access to a monthly Q&A where they tin can inquire more than serious questions about making it as a freelancer, becoming a better illustrator, and more.
You could besides use Lens like Shayla Maddox does: every bit a vehicle to certificate her creative process for all her patrons to view and relish.
A video of her work in progress that Shayla shared to Lens.
Successfully leveraging behind the scenes content is all near understanding your audition—and knowing what you, as a person, are comfortable sharing.
12. Physical Merchandise
Information technology's not unusual for creators to forgo physical merchandise because fulfillment is hard—and time-consuming. Just for many illustrators, printed works can push significant value to higher tiers.
In fact, a few dedicated patrons can provide consistent support in a fashion that i-off print sales can never exercise. Plus, your patrons are more likely to pay top dollar for original works. How you construction tiers depends entirely on how you prefer to be compensated for your labor and creative genius.
Some creators, like Skirtzzz, get for monthly packages with (mostly) anticipated contents. Alternatively, yous can offer physical trade merely later your patrons have been around for a while (such as sending a impress or small original piece of work after your six-monthiversary together).
Finally, you lot can always rely on discounts: if you lot take a store, but don't want to set up your patreon with physical merch rewards, you tin offer patrons a discount on your existing inventory.
13. Commissions
Speaking of things that take piece of work, but have greater value… it's always worth considering commissions. Some artists utilise Patreon and then that they tin can cut out commissions altogether, and some employ it to cut down on who can fifty-fifty request commissions (i.e., 'if you're not a patron at X tier, I won't practice commissions for you').
Manaberry, for example, gives patrons first dibs whenever she has open slots for commissions (which doesn't always happen). Others give patrons discounts on commissions.
But, offering commissions as a advantage encourages recurring piece of work when priced at the correct tier. Too depression, and commissions volition consume upward the time you wanted to spend on your own projects. Too high, and no i will purchase. It may have some trial and error before you find the level that'south right for y'all! If you're still in doubt, consider finding other creators similar you and studying their pricing.
14. Polling & Suggestions Boxes
Fans love to be the ones yous listen to when you lot're evaluating ideas and deciding what to do adjacent. Whether it's access to a patrons-only "suggestions" box or voting on which fanart you lot'll describe this month, gives patrons a voice in your work (but simply to the extent that you permit).
Many creators use polls as an early on-tier advantage to say 'cheers' and give a petty push button to fans who are on the fence nigh becoming patrons. Others reserve it equally a college-tier reward combined with other offerings. For example, Vivienne Medrano pushes polling to the $20/mo tier.
15. Q&A Sessions & Livestreams
Q&A tin piece of work really well for creators willing to appoint with their fans. Discord is one way to host a Q&A, just some artists do livestreams or pre-recorded videos to respond fans' questions as well. You lot can answer questions about your own life, nigh being an illustrator, about freelancing, or almost any other topic yous feel comfortable engaging.
Robin Sealark, for example, mixes up Q&A'southward with grouping painting sessions, games, and challenges for her $five tier supporters. You can fifty-fifty stream your creative process alive… if you dare.
16. Fan Recognition
Saying 'Cheers' goes a long way. And when it's a public shout-out to the fans who proceed you fed? Even better! Simple recognition rewards—like a list of patrons on your website—are a nice style to reward lower tier donations.
And for your more than generous patrons, you lot tin offering things similar…
- Getting their names in the impress edition of your comic,
- Recognition in a printed guide for an exhibition (run across Sam and Sadhbh),
- Getting a special star or color to mark them as high-level donors on Discord or in the comments on your website,
… or whatsoever other way that fits with your art and medium.
Which Patreon Rewards Will You Offer?
These 16 rewards are enough to go y'all started, merely they're non comprehensive. Hopefully, y'all can option and choose the rewards that mix well with your business style — while coming up with some unique offerings that suit your art and fanbase.
As you choose, yous'll need to go along pricing in listen. Is the effort in creating the reward worth the fourth dimension? Which tiers should y'all concentrate on?
Given what y'all know nigh your business and audience, which of these rewards and tiers would exist almost lucrative for you lot?
Know what you want to offer to your fans in exchange for monthly membership? Sign up for Patreon here.
Source: https://blog.patreon.com/rewards-for-illustrators