I'm sure by now you know all about my Patreon page, but you might not know that I am also a patron to six artists on Patreon. Today, I'd like to share a couple of my favorite Patreon artists.
"Don't quit your day job" is the kind of sarcastic saying people use to indicate that someone is bad at what they're doing, but for many artists, that statement applies even if they're awesome. The arts don't usually pay well, and even when they do, it's notoriously inconsistent. As a result, even artists who are talented and successful can't turn their full focus to their craft. Enter Patreon.
Patreon is a great crowdfunding program which allows artists to work without worry about fluctuations of income.
Without patrons, artists have to find a way to supplement their income, which can be a huge bummer when those supplemental income sources have nothing to do with the art they create.
Today, I want to share with you six artists I support directly from my own income on Patreon, because nothing is better than knowing that your contributions support not just one, but seven members of the artistic community. I'll also add in some super-useful animal pics along the way, for science. Here's a preview:
Look at those adorable knees! I mean - AHEM. In no particular order, here we go.
My Favorite Patreon Artists (Part 1):
N.K. Jemisin
This should of course be followed by everything else she's ever written in quick succession.
What do I mean by "award-winning author," exactly? Well, check out her description on the about section of her website:
So what does this masterful storyteller need from Patreon? Well, from her own description, she wanted to quit her day job. In order to quit her job and devote herself to writing, she needed a steady, dependable income.
N.K. Jemisin had serious writing chops and the awards and publications to prove it, but she still needed the promise of steady income to quit her day job and devote time to her craft.
What do patrons get?
She reached and blew past her initial income goals, so she has time to write and even opened up some of the upper-tier bonus award to everyone. Patrons can expect perks like:
- Exclusive short stories
- Adorable cat pics
- Monthly Q&A videos
- Blog posts
- Early looks at chapters
All of this is available to every patron, for a dollar per month as long as her income stays above a certain level.
Best of all, she writes more than ever now, so you can binge read her work with even fewer interruptions.
Fredrin
Fredrin/Fred Gallagher/Piro is a webcomic artist best known for megatokyo, a manga-style online comic which started in 2000 and has maintained a devout, sometimes obsessive, fanbase ever since.
I'm one of those fans, and as soon as Fredrin mentioned he had set up a Patreon account, I jumped at the chance to add my name to the list. He quit his "day job" to support himself and his family with his art years ago, and ever since Megatokyo has had fewer and fewer updates.
That seems counter-intuitive, doesn't it? Part of the reason was because he devoted his time to many, many projects, like the Endgames Series or re-draws of the comic for his Megatokyo Omnibus. Part of it was due to a much more basic reason, as addressed on his Patreon page:
Megatokyo has always been free, and he doesn't stuff his page with ads, so the money he made from the site was always from side jobs. Thankfully, his side jobs involved illustrating characters from his own comics for commission, which is closer to making money via your art than any of my other favorite Patreon artists got.
What do patrons get?
He has a few tiers of rewards, but even at the very lowest level (one dollar per months) patrons can expect things like:
- New comic strips 1 day early
- New drawings 1 day early
- Patron-only polls
Best of all, he's back to posting regularly! Yay comics.
That's all for now. I'll be back soon with another installment of my favorite Patreon artists. Check these two out! You have nothing to lose!
