How-tos, tutorials and the business end

I agree with just about all the comments so far. Tutorials are great but becoming good at something whether to sell or not takes practice and more more practice and so on depending on ones willingness to learn. The tutorials and the sharing are what makes the DOA so great and helps the hobby to grow. It makes me think that perhaps I can do a face up, make a wig and so on. Because I sew, the wig turned out nice. The face up is another story after 4 days of trying but it is getting better. With tutorials, you can see what is involved and make the desision to try. I know that I am discovering new abilities and limitations through trying. Those who are skilled at what they do and sell have nothing to fear from a tutorial. It does help anyone willing to try better appreciate the hobby. Thank you to all of you who have posted tutorials.

 

I have zero ability to make anything with my hands and always will. But I find tutorials valuable because I learn what is possible and how to communicate what I want to the person who will actually do the work. It also gives me ideas for more projects and maybe work for the person who gave the tutorial.

 

I've given up on the money-making end of it. I mean it seems that to make any sort of real money, you need to be on the in crowd, or be mega popular or something, i dunno. It also does have alot to do with the current state of the economy.

I mean i do get commissions, and i take them. However, i'm not in it in the competative sort of way that some are. I simply do it as a labor of love. I'm not really making much on the things i sell or whatever anyways. I've told many people how to make or do the things i do

If they use it or learn, great!

 

While I agree that being well-known will help bring more commissions in, I disagree that you need to be popular to make money. As long as you have talent and taste and can prove it with good photos and positive feedback, you don't have to be 'in the in crowd' to get a lot of customers.

When picking a face up artist, I look carefully at their photos and materials list rather than looking for a big name. My favourite face up artist just happens to be someone who is in huge demand, but she is in huge demand due to her skills and individual style as an artist. You don't have to be famous first to be an in demand face up artist.

 

And not to mention, it stands to reason that the most-hired faceup artists will be the best at what they do. More experience, more money for the best supplies, practice on all manner of sculpts and resins.... this all adds up to quality output. Being 'the best' and 'part of the in crowd' go implicitly hand-in-hand. Hence why I don't make a TON at my little business. YET.

As far as tutorials... I don't think I'd make one myself but I do not take objection to people making them. No matter how detailed the 'directions', the artists' hand will be visible in all their works, so no two customizers will ever make identical art.

Also, I got into customization, engineering, accessories and aesthetics because I, as a collector and an observer, saw gaps in what the community needed. Seeing the gap, and knowing that I could fill it, inspires me to work... its not about making scads of money or having some kind of copyright.

 

I agree a tutorial doesn't make someone a professional.

I really really appreciate the sewing tutorials as I'm getting my first sewing machine soon and they have been a great help. Thank you~! please don't feel bad.

 

This. A hundred times this. Job #2, I make jewelry. I have had this happen, and it is a little frustrating.

People look at the price tags on my work, snort, and say they will just get their aunt/cousin/whatever to do it for them -- well, tell you what, more power to them if they want to. The reason I can sell my pieces as inexpensively as I do (labor costs are pretty high for the style of work I do, they are very time intensive) is because I've become very quick about it. If someone wants to spend a small fortune on the beads they would need and two days to copy something I put together in 3 hours? I know they're going to regret that choice nine times out of ten. Even the tenth is probably going to realize partway through that the prices really weren't as extravagant as they originally thought they were once they see what is actually involved and start adding up those components.

When people come up to the table and ask, "How did you do it?" I calmly tell them I offer private tutoring and instruction at $25/hour. I don't mind people comparing notes amongst themselves, but in professional endeavors, unless it's a close friend or someone I am trading tips with, I won't do it for them. Especially if it's complicated work and they're new to it, they're going to need more than a quick diagram anyway.

 

As several others have pointed out, just because you can do something doesn't mean you will. For instance, I'm really good at sewing and yet find myself buying $600 dollars in dolly clothes this month. I also have a steady hand at faceups but usually send mine out to a good friend of mine. I've used some of the tutorials when I first got started. I think it's a good idea for those who really do want to try and make things for themselves, or use the faceup process to bond with their dolls. Just because a tutorial shows how to do something doesn't mean people can or will do it.

 

Knowledge does not confer skill. Practice does. I don't think posting tutorials in any way inhibits someone's bottom line. It does allow those of us who wish to learn an opportunity to learn without having reinvent the wheel every time. Secrets only cause a skill set to die out (greek fire anyone?) Sharing knowledge at least ensures someone has a technical knowledge of how to do something.

 

Wow. There are so many good points everyone is making here. I can only speak for myself, but I thing tutorials are a good thing. Some people have talent, others have the skills. Some of them have both and the more power to them. But for those who are just beginning to dip their toes into a new arena like face ups or sewing, it's nice to have some basic tips outlined for you. It takes many hours of practice to get it right and even more time to find your own personal style.

I honestly feel that there are enough collectors out there to keep everyone's businesses busy. Most people come to feel comfortable buying or commissioning from a handful of people and will buy from them frequently, but I do think customers are also open to new designers/face up artists when they get to know them.
My business is my bread and butter. I work from my home and all my sales pay my rent & bills, feed me (and my kitties) and keep my dolls in new shoes. lol I sell my basic patterns because I like to see what other people will make from them. At the same time I don't share my secrets that have taken me years of professional costume design to learn. That is magic for the customer to create on their own in their own way. That is the fun of the lesson available and I don't personally feel threatened by sharing that information in any way.
Does it help to have your name well know? Sure it does, but what people should remember is that it has taken years of hard work and promotion for many of the designers & doll artists to get their names out there and there are always new talents popping up.

 

When I worked the renaissance festival, design theft was rampant. And sure, one shirt does look an awful lot like another. And anyone can slap paint on a doll head. The trick is making it look good. As one of my favorite festival vendors has on his wall: Yes, you can make this. But WILL you?

A tutorial is simply a guide, a set of steps to take that may or may not result in a finished product. Even the most eager to create won't be able to make anything recognizable if they can't sew. Or, in my case, the best tutorials out there still haven't taught me how to knit, even though everyone who can knit tells me that it's super simple. So I buy sweaters and socks for my dolls because I can't make them.

I also feel that tutorials don't harm, as long as it's not a deliberate attempt to undermine. I've had people post in my sales threads that they can give away tutorials on how to make the item, and I've found that unconscionably rude. Now if that same person had posted the tutorial quietly in the Workshop section instead, it would have been a different story.

And that's more than my two cents, but I don't need the change.

 

I'm new here so.. Hi
I wanted to put in my two cents...hope that's ok.

It's a good question. To be honest though, step back and think, it's kind of silly for anyone to even think that tutorials are a bad thing. If people in the world didn't share knowledge there would be no growth. On the other hand, if I only follow tutorials and don't grow and do things my own way then I am stagnant. This holds true for the artform in general.

Stupid, corny analogy here...
What if math had been a closely guarded subject in ancient times ( I think it actually was along with reading and writing) but where would we be now if it had stayed so? Would there be higher math?
To question your motives is a good thing. I'm sure no one is out to put anyone out of business by writing a tutorial. Just the opposite, I believe most tutorial writers are people who love to share and teach. Makes the world go round :}

 

I LOVE tuts! I love learning how to do new stuff. Its fun! ^^

So if I love them then its only fair that I post tuts aswell, right?

Nothing right with posting tutorials. I mean sure it might mean someone has less sales but at the end of the day thats your business and it has nothing to do with them. You've made the choice to post something because you want to share it with other people. Thats you being kind! It's a good thing!
And if anyone tells you not to because it means less sales for them then thats just being selfish.

 

I buy patterns and use them. Does that make me a theif? My mom took my Olivia's dress and drew a pattern off it, but it's a different material and the hem is even different due to the material. Is that a ripoff? It's a style of dress companies make daily for us humans! If it does, then should I not attempt to sell anything?

 

I think that people create tutorials, because they are driven to teach. Teachers are both noble and enigmatic. There certainly is no financial return for teaching, but there is a long history of the greatest artists mentoring the next generation. Teachers must remain confident in their own talent and even harder-- take joy in your abilities as a teacher when your students surpass your own abilities.

I think there are many causes behind whether people create their dolls or depend upon purchases, such as resources, economic station, artistic ability, available time to invest, not to mention vision and voice, among many other reasons. I have worked professionally as a costume designer and builder, and boy, chained to a sewing machine is right. But I still like to create unique outfits for my dolls. And I enjoy collecting other artists' work, as well. And many people who are not traditional doll collectors are BJD hobbyists because they want to do the customizations.

I could make a pair of pants myself, but I still have a DOA member's site bookmarked with plans to purchase. I mean, considering most of the prices on DOA, why would I knock myself out to search for the fabric and make the pants to save a couple of bucks, literally? For sure, the tutorials are a fun aspect of DOA. Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to make them available to us.

 

You don't have to post a tutorial on your best items to be helpful and still be in business. I've seen face up artists do little tutorials. Even if they show you every step, it doesn't mean the person on the other end is going to get it right, or get it to look pretty.

I guarantee you, there are a lot of people who made the balloon shorts (just as an example) in the sewing section and they came out great... but I bet there are just as many people who made them, followed all the directions, and screwed up.

When you post a tutorial, you take a risk that someone is going to meet your skill level and possibly surpass you. Even so, you don't have to post your best pieces, or the ones that are overly elaborate because they supply you with the most income when you make them.

If you notice a lot of customers are coming, and asking you for something specific, or many of your customers mention they're having issues with a sewing technique of some kind, posting a tutorial isn't going to cost you business. Plenty of people are still going to screw it up, and come to you.

 

... I guess it's a double edged sword, because on the one hand, I learned how to do face-ups in the first place from reading tutorials. However- and this is the big HOWEVER, over the years, I've learned to adapt technique into style. That's the big thing that I think Writerm is sort of getting at.

There's a difference between someone following a tutorial and learning some technique from it, and someone following a tutorial and learning style from it. Personally, I've developed my face-up style from simply doing them. I haven't read a tutorial in years- but back when I got my first doll, I would have had NO idea how to paint him if it wasn't for tutorials. Now maybe more established artists are like "great, another one", but I think that the forum is a great example of free-market economics (lol).

No one has to buy from you. Your style may not appeal to 90% of those shopping for services (and this goes for really all the different things people make and sell here). Just because you post a tutorial that allows someone to make something doesn't mean that A) everyone will be inclined to make it B) that their skill level will match C) that they'll try to sell if it does. That said, I won't be naiive. It's definitely possible that someone will do all of those things, and again as Writerm pointed out - that's a risk you take. Now if it's something VERY specific, and extremely rare in the market (increasing demand), I probably wouldn't post a tutorial. But sewing, face-ups and basic props? Why not.

The size of the market doesn't matter as demand will determine the number of suppliers eventually. If you aren't getting customers, then it doesn't matter how many shops you have. Again, DoA is a very special case where markets are concerned because the buyers really do have quite a lot of power to determine what sells and what doesn't. I've seen people make quite nice things that just don't sell because there's not a market for them. That said- this hobby sort of encourages people to buy more regardless of need....

 

Well I don't do faceups for commission--though I hope to one day learn and get that good--but as many have said, I don't think there is much danger to those who do faceup commissions, or even do them for a living posed by tutorials.

Of all the tutorials I've seen, they really only show you the bare basics. Paints to use, ideal brushes, proper blushing, sealing, all that lovlieness. With the bare basics, one is then free to hone their skills and adopt a style of their own... but hobyists may find that another artist can paint in a style very suiting to their dolls and would rather put their doll in the hands of someone who knows what they are doing already.

 

Mmm... I owe many of my little tricks to good friends of mine who were willing to teach me the finer aspects of face-upping, and I am thankful for their kindness every time! I started off with tutorials as well, but if someone has the drive to continue learning on their own, they will soon outgrow them, so I don't think there's a big worry over posting basic techniques. If it is a specialized and highly niche market item, I would then be wary of stepping on toes..

Besides, I have never looked at a tutorial and copied it 100%. Just impossible, as many have mentioned ^^

As for the business end...I really don't think there's much to worry about for "upcoming" competition [I can only speak for face-up artists, since that's my main realm]... Styles are very much things which flow from the heart to the hand. People mostly aren't paying for basic techniques, they're paying for styles. Styles which each artist has worked their butt off to acquire through relentless practice and driven self-improvement. Styles which eventually differentiate as each artist has different experiences. I haven't come across the problem of "guild secrets", so maybe I am lucky, but I find that people are more than willing to share their knowledge if you are serious about learning and have worked yourself up to the point where you can approach another with confidence. They too, appreciate it when others share knowledge with them.

Aside from a very small percentage of the population here on DoA, I really don't believe these hobby-centric businesses can pay for most of life's costs [a mortgage, or monthly food bill, perhaps]. In the end, getting a job IRL is much more efficient and practical if people really want to make bucks. I hope I am not wrong in saying people do their crafts because they love to, not because they had an elaborate plan to make money.

 

I have in the past posted very thorough tutorials for things that I do commissions for and make money off of. At first I thought I might be undermining myself, but almost no one was willing to put forth the effort to actually follow the tutorials, and those that were tended to already be more experienced at the things I was posting about.

I think it's great to see people post tutorials, because chances are the people who will put them to use well enough to actually threaten anyone's business will be few and far between. They also may be knowledgeable enough about the subject to make their own changes to the design so that it's not exactly like what someone else is doing. I know that I tend to modify wig tutorials, clothing patterns, and face up methods when I do my own work.