RoninDude

It's time for a revamp!

Added 2019-03-28 17:47:07 +0000 UTC

Hey everyone!

When I started my Patreon in 2014, I had lots of hope and very little faith that it would eventually support me, as an artist. Fast forward to 2019, and the support you all have given me over the years has been far beyond what I ever could have hoped for! I've learned a lot during this journey, and I'd say it's time to freshen up the ol' Patreon page.

Patreon, it's been a long journey!

When I first started this Patreon, I build it around the idea of supporting an art book. The plan was to draw multiple sets of scenes where several heroes go about their seemingly unrelated adventures in a fantasy world. However, through context clues, it would become clear that there was an overarching story line that connected them all. The entire thing was to be wordless, and the story revealed by studying the images in the book. The plan was to work on the individual scenes in the time between my freelance work, and then release them as exclusive monthly rewards to patrons.

Unfortunately, this project did not take off. I lacked the time and skill to finish them on a monthly schedule, as required for a Patreon reward. I simply wasn't used to doing big scenic pieces in a timely manner, and trying to fit them between client work proved impossible.

I needed a solution. While I deeply love creating scenic fantasy artwork, I also love pinup... and it seems you all do, too! So in early 2015, I decided to revamp my Patreon rewards to be weekly non-nude pinups, limited to 4 a month. The support I received grew immediately, and continued to do so every month after. Eventually, a patron suggested I sell my back-issue pinup rewards via Gumroad. This immediately did well, and has continued to do so to this day.

Pinups are easier for me, but I still push myself!

When I decided to switch over to pinup rewards, I made one requirement for myself. I must always include a background scene in all of my Patreon pinups, no matter how simple or complex. As time has gone on, I've also tried to find more interesting camera angles, lighting, pose ideas, and have really worked on improving my anatomy skills. Doing these pinups has really pushed me as an artist! I have learned a lot! So while I did nestle into my safety zone when offering pinup rewards, I've managed to grow as an artist, the whole way. That's something that all of you have made possible. I am ever aware and thankful of this. :)

Now, it's time to look forward to something new!

I've been doing this pinup reward system for a long time, and I have no plans to stop. In fact, I am sure many of you notice that my work has been getting a little bit more daring, as of late. While I have always taken pride in being a non-nude pinup artist that focuses on the art of tease, I've recently been interested in going a bit more risque with my work.

Now, I know there's a demand for me to do more lewd artworks. Nearly every day I get emails and private messages that go something like this:

"Ok now, this non-nude stuff is great, but where do you post your nudes/lewds/pornz at?"

The truth is... it doesn't exist! I haven't drawn any nude artwork in years, so the only stuff out there is woefully old and bad. XD

The bottom line is this: I have grown interested and comfortable with the idea of drawing and sharing more risque artworks, and while I will try to keep it classy (though I realize everyone's definition of that is different), I think it'd be fun to start including it as a Patreon reward. I've already been pushing the envelop in recent rewards (February's Cave Elf, anyone?), so it just feel like the natural next step.

Now I need to hear from you!

Before I make any decisions, I want to hear from you all. I am going to make some polls about some ideas I have about new rewards, and I hope you will give me your feedback! And of course, I'd love to hear your suggestions, below!

Thanks for all your support, it's changed my life in a big way! Let's keep going and have fun with it!
~Ray