joe randel's art dump

So now that 2009 is over it’s time to start looking forward. Lately I’ve been wondering where I want my site/blog to go. I currently look to my favorite two people on the internet for inspiration. Danny Choo and Miu.

I look at Danny and his site [link] and see that he’s really built up a community with his site(s) with being a source to go to for Japan (since he lives there), figures, anime and cool stuff like that. He’s become a trusted name in on the internet in those departments. It’s fun to go to his site and he has new content up weekly with lots of great pictures.

With Miu, I love that he’s built up a huge fan base for his art at [link]. His Peaches and Cream work (along with his style) are instantly recognized and he too is a trusted source of quality art, naughty or otherwise, on the net. Sadly, I do not have a Club Stripes membership and I just follow his work at FA and DA.

So what brings people to those sites or to follow and trust those individuals. They deliver content that can primarily only be seen at their respected sites/blogs. Something that I don’t do. When I make a post or drawing, I cross post it over at DA and FA. So really… there is no need to travel here, which makes me kind of sad. They also know how to get their names out there. Danny has gone to conventions, danced around Tokyo in a Storm Trooper suit and is now a spokes person for Good Smile figures. Miu has been in several art books from Udon and does post the odd art on DA and FA to get peoples attention. Sometimes though it’s just in line drawing form and to see the coloured work, you’ll need to go to Club Stripes to see it.

Also, both own their own business/site and make money from them to pay the bills, whether it be with ads or memberships (in connection with being a trusted name).

Now as of right now I pull in, on average, about 400 to 500 views a day. If I want to bring more in I too will have to begin to have content that can only be seen on the blog. I’ve already started that with the last post. Putting the majority of the art here rather then all over would be a great plus too. But I don’t want to leave my FA and DA communities. I love the people there and reading the comments makes me feel happy. I look at it like, DA and FA are places where people like to gather and my blog is my home. I just need to try and get people to come to my home more (if I could have a way for people to leave comments on my art at the blog, that would be awesome!).

Delivering content on time is a problem for me. I’m sure that as anyone knows, my commission time track record is far from polished. I also assure those that still have outstanding commissions from me that I have not given up on them and I will complete them. If you are waiting on a picture from me, please drop me a line and remind me. I’m the worst at replying, but I do read the messages. I will not walk away with your money I promise… so yeah… after all the commissions are done, I’ll have to think long and hard if I want to do more. Because if I have commissions, I find it really hard to work on my own stuff as I feel really guilty for doing so.

As for the content of the site that is not art related. I see that I generally post about.

Video games
Adult video games

My daily life
Things I like
Questions for the community

Japan

I generally post about what I like, but are there topics that people really lean towards more then others “I like it when Joe posts about INSERT TOPIC”. Or is there topics that people would like me to cover more? Maybe people just want me to draw more and that’s it.

Speaking of drawing more… do people still buy art? I have to be honest that I do love doing what I do for free and I most certainly don’t expect people to shell out money for my stuff. If I axe commissions though, would people like to see comics, or maybe some short picture series packs. I do know that I’d love to put together a Random Squirrel art book. That would be rad! Maybe I’ll do just digital commissions rather then pencil and paper ones. I can shoot them off far quicker and I can just pass along the PSD file to the person. The cost of the art would even come down.

I have started to put up links to products that I can recommend or gifts I’ve received if anyone is interested in them as well. I know that I would love to be in Danny’s shoes and just have people give me stuff to review on the site (figures, smutty things, etc…), but I think that’s a long time to come still. If I had more traffic, I wouldn’t be opposed to putting up ads up. I would of course approve the banners and wouldn’t just put up crap ones. They would be ones of other sites that I trust and want to share.

At the end of the day I know these things. I want to bring more traffic to my blog, I want to build a community of sorts there and wouldn’t mind making some money too if at all possible. I do know that I’m going to have to have more blog specific content and I think that’s what it really comes down to. The major issue is time. I do work a full time job and have a family and I won’t jeopardize ether of them for the site, nor do I want to separate myself from the communities I’ve become apart of. Weekly updates about what’s going on at my blog might help solve that issue along with random posts and pictures as well.

~sigh

If I had to ask the peoples… what sort of content would you like to see more of?