Bardsandsages
First Post
I've made these comments in the private RPG publisher forum at RPGNOW before, but I also realize that many stock art publishers don't frequent that publisher forum. But I know a lot of folks hang out here, and so I take this opportunity to help you sell me stock art.
I buy stock art. I tend to buy a couple of stock art products each week. I use them for both personal games and for professional projects. I like stock art. And I would like to buy more. But please, in the name of all that is good and holy about the free market, do your job and make it easy for me to make a decision to buy your stuff!
1. PREVIEW PLEASE! If I can't see it, I don't buy it. With the exception of one of two artists that I know always produce quality stuff, if there is no preview, I won't buy your art. It is not that hard to create a low-res PDF file that previews what is in the product. This will let me see what I am buying, and be confident that it will suit my needs.
2. Size matters: Some stock art publishers, which shall rename nameless as I don't want to start a flame war, sell stock art that is quite frankly so small that you can't do anything with it. A 300 dpi image that is only a quarter inch wide is useless, because if I try to size it I lose resolution. I've been tricked...for lack of a better term...into buying what from the preview looked like a great collection only to actually download the files and discover the files are so small as to be worthless. I can always reduce an image that is too big. It is hard to expand an image that is too small.
3. Include the license where I can see it before I buy: I am not a fan of being forced to agree to something after the fact. Again, I've bought things that I thought were "stock art" to discover that they can't be used in print products, can't be used on covers (even PDF covers), have to include the artist's HUGE signature, can't be cropped, can't be recolored (even to grayscale!), etc etc etc. It is your right to have these restrictions. That's fine. But I as the customer have a right to know what I am agreeing to before I pay you.
4. Not all customers are horny 14 year old boys: This is a personal plea. I would love to buy more stock art featuring female figures for use in my products. Unfortunately, the majority of so-called "stock art" sold on RPGNOW is computer generated pin-ups that are useless. YES, I know there is a market for this stuff. YES, I know some people love it. BUT, if you are going to market your stuff as "stock art" and not "girlie pictures for your alone time" please keep customers like me in mind. Even if it is two versions of the same image, a chainmail bikini version and a more realistic version, that is fine. Kill two birds with one stone. But I would love to see more female stock art that I could actually use in a professional product (particularly non human/non-elf races...hint, hint)
Oh, and feel free to post links to your products if you think they meet the above criteria. I've got money sitting in my paypal account and wouldn't mind spending some of it! (i.e. shameless promotion encouraged!)
I buy stock art. I tend to buy a couple of stock art products each week. I use them for both personal games and for professional projects. I like stock art. And I would like to buy more. But please, in the name of all that is good and holy about the free market, do your job and make it easy for me to make a decision to buy your stuff!
1. PREVIEW PLEASE! If I can't see it, I don't buy it. With the exception of one of two artists that I know always produce quality stuff, if there is no preview, I won't buy your art. It is not that hard to create a low-res PDF file that previews what is in the product. This will let me see what I am buying, and be confident that it will suit my needs.
2. Size matters: Some stock art publishers, which shall rename nameless as I don't want to start a flame war, sell stock art that is quite frankly so small that you can't do anything with it. A 300 dpi image that is only a quarter inch wide is useless, because if I try to size it I lose resolution. I've been tricked...for lack of a better term...into buying what from the preview looked like a great collection only to actually download the files and discover the files are so small as to be worthless. I can always reduce an image that is too big. It is hard to expand an image that is too small.
3. Include the license where I can see it before I buy: I am not a fan of being forced to agree to something after the fact. Again, I've bought things that I thought were "stock art" to discover that they can't be used in print products, can't be used on covers (even PDF covers), have to include the artist's HUGE signature, can't be cropped, can't be recolored (even to grayscale!), etc etc etc. It is your right to have these restrictions. That's fine. But I as the customer have a right to know what I am agreeing to before I pay you.
4. Not all customers are horny 14 year old boys: This is a personal plea. I would love to buy more stock art featuring female figures for use in my products. Unfortunately, the majority of so-called "stock art" sold on RPGNOW is computer generated pin-ups that are useless. YES, I know there is a market for this stuff. YES, I know some people love it. BUT, if you are going to market your stuff as "stock art" and not "girlie pictures for your alone time" please keep customers like me in mind. Even if it is two versions of the same image, a chainmail bikini version and a more realistic version, that is fine. Kill two birds with one stone. But I would love to see more female stock art that I could actually use in a professional product (particularly non human/non-elf races...hint, hint)
Oh, and feel free to post links to your products if you think they meet the above criteria. I've got money sitting in my paypal account and wouldn't mind spending some of it! (i.e. shameless promotion encouraged!)
