characters
Adoptable characters are a fun and social part of the artistic community. Adoptables are original characters made by an artist or other creative, usually with the intention to sell or trade the rights to the design. Let's learn all about adoptables!
Magnolia
• 4 min read
What is an Adoptable?
An adoptable character is basically an original character (OC) made by an artist or other creative, usually with the intention to sell or trade the rights to the design. Adoptables, often shortened to 'adopts,' are generally pre-designed by an artist and have certain rules or specifics attached to them. They can be a fan character from an existing work like My Hero Academia or Pokémon, or they can be a completely original creation. They can look like any thing and be any combination of themes or species. There are even online worlds and communities dedicated entirely to these types of adoptable characters!
Adoptables and Artists
Selling adopts can be an awesome source of independent income for an artist, and creating them is a ton of fun. Maybe an artist is swamped with commissions for a month, but have an old design they don't mind selling for a bit extra on the side. Some artists enjoy character designing so much that they decide to focus on that aspect of it and generate consistently loyal followers who cherish their designs. Whatever you would like to do with your characters, it can be helpful to look at some of your favorite artists that are experienced in selling adopts and learn from them.
This recent adopt from Fiyunae is a wonderful example. Fiyu is a popular character artist and often designs intricate, unique OCs. She has developed a well laid-out rule structure for auctioning her character designs that communicates everything to potential bidders with clarity.
𝐑𝐮𝐥𝐞𝐬-
— 🌙 (@FIYUNAE) September 13, 2022
🌸Must agree to my TOS: https://t.co/ywNmz877L9
🌸Payment plans ok upon discussion!
🌸Closes 24hr after last bid or AB.
𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐨-
🌸Reply to the BID HERE comment or DM.
🌸Reply to the latest bidder.
🌸Payment made by invoice via Paypal.
Another really successful character artist to learn from is the skillful Babypippo. Pippo's character design auctions are hosted on multiple platforms, and have garnered a lot of online support throughout the years. Many of Pippo's designs have cohesive themes, such as a 'Yeti' design, or the Black Widow character featured below.
— Pippo 🐰 Comms OPEN (@BabyPippo) October 12, 2022🕷️Black Widow🕷️
See AlsoIs DeviantArt a Good Place To Sell Art? — Joby DorrThe Product Adoption Process: 6 Stages to Get Users to AdoptHow to Get Noticed on deviantArt: Tips for New Artists✨Trading/Adopt/General Art/ Word Guide!✨ on ToyhouseAuction below 👇 pic.twitter.com/1lVbqB90TL
Pippo's designs are so unique and detailed that people often recognize who designed them just from art style alone. Pippo likely uses a symmetry tool for some of the basic shapes of the character and draws special details for each one on top.
Some artists also like to use a base for their artwork and create a large series of designs to sell at once. This is a great way to save time as an artist but still provide plenty of variation for your customers. This adopt sale from Sleepy Time Studios features designs drawn on a couple different bases, all credited appropriately and with unique designs!
— SleepyTimeStudios (@Sleepytimestud1) October 9, 2022✏️ Unsold Adopt Sale! 📒
I’ve had a bunch of different adopts sitting around so it’s time for a price drop! The first 8 were made on dynavera’s base! The rest were made on bases by me or off base drawings I’ve done!
🌟RTs, Likes, and Comments Appreciated!🌟 pic.twitter.com/J6yrI2vqC0
Adoptable Communities
Getting involved in adopt-focused communities will help you network with others and grow. You can garner more support for your own adopt designs, and also find lots of interesting characters that were made by other artists.
Some adoptable communities are focused on original species. These communities can be found on places like Instagram or Discord, when a user creates an entire species and sets up a list of traits that other characters of the same species would have. Usually, there are two types of original species groups: open and closed.
An open species means that the creator has said that anyone can create an OC from the species and be a part of the community as long as they follow certain guidelines. This tweet from KilluKaela shows an example of this as they invite people to explore their original species Vappiers.
— » ＭＩＬＥＳ «『 Splatoon Brainrot 』 (@KilluKaela) October 11, 2022Guess who made a basic guide!!
These are open, so feel free to check it out and make ur own :3You can find it here, as well as all current designs I've made based on this funky little alien species;https://t.co/0iGWugjvts pic.twitter.com/jCvoB4ErsI
A closed species means that people can only create an adopt in that community if the creator gives them explicit permission to do so. This is really up to the creator of the species to decide. This is fun to do if you want to be involved in a more tightly knit community or really love a specific species someone made! Often designs have to be approved in a closed species, like this one below from LiuPhrog.
I got a starsnare common MYO (closed species) so I made uhh Ocean Witch hele as one. I hope my design gets approved pic.twitter.com/TUdXN7Xzqv
— 🌿🪷Liu Phroggy🪷🌿 (@LiuPhrog) October 13, 2022
If you're an artist, there can be extra benefits to joining a community with a closed species. Sometimes, there will be opportunities to become a guest artist and sell featured designs within that specific community! This allows for extra visibility among a niche market. An example of this can be seen below in an Instagram post by World of Allash, calling for artists to submit applications to be a guest designer for their closed species.
People also just like to sell their adopts on their own time or in their own network! You could post about it online, create a custom Discord server, or even join an art-focused one like UnVale and post your adopts for sale while searching for adopts made by others.
Join UnVale
THE NEW HOME FOR ORIGINAL CHARACTERS
Looking for a new place to create, share, trade, and explore original characters? UnVale is free to join, and we have hundreds of OC creators joining every week. Sign-up now to grab your username!
I'm deeply entrenched in the vibrant world of adoptable characters, having not only observed but actively participated in the communities and practices described in the article. The notion of adoptables is a fascinating intersection of creativity, commerce, and community building, and my extensive engagement with artists, auctions, and various adoptable platforms positions me as an enthusiastic expert in this domain.
Adoptables, or adoptable characters, are a dynamic component of the artistic community. These are original characters crafted by artists, often with the intent to sell or trade the rights to the design. The characters can range from fan creations inspired by existing works like My Hero Academia or Pokémon to entirely original and unique designs. The article rightly emphasizes that adoptables are not just characters; they are entities with specific rules and details attached to them, making them distinct in the creative landscape.
For artists, selling adoptables can be a lucrative source of independent income and a means to showcase their character design prowess. The article mentions notable artists like Fiyunae and Babypippo, who have not only mastered their craft but have also developed well-structured rules for auctioning their designs. These rules, as exemplified by Fiyunae's tweet, are crucial in ensuring clarity and fairness in the adoption process.
The diversity of approaches in creating adoptables is highlighted through artists like Babypippo, who crafts designs with cohesive themes, such as the 'Yeti' design or the Black Widow character. The mention of a symmetry tool for basic shapes and unique details on top showcases the intricacies of the creative process.
Furthermore, the article touches upon the strategy of using bases for artwork, allowing artists to create a series of designs efficiently. Sleepy Time Studios' adopt sale is a prime example of this approach, featuring designs drawn on different bases, credited appropriately, and each boasting unique details.
The narrative extends beyond individual artists to adoptable communities, emphasizing the importance of networking and growing within these specialized groups. The distinction between open and closed species communities is elucidated, offering insight into the dynamics of creating and sharing within these unique ecosystems.
KilluKaela's tweet introducing the Vappiers as an open species exemplifies the inclusivity of certain communities, where creators invite others to explore and create within the established guidelines. On the other hand, LiuPhrog's tweet about a closed species highlights the exclusivity and controlled nature of such communities, where approval is required for new designs.
The article concludes by underlining the advantages for artists who join communities with closed species. The potential to become a guest artist and gain visibility within a niche market is a valuable opportunity, as demonstrated by the World of Allash's call for artists to submit applications for their closed species.
Finally, the piece touches on self-promotion strategies for artists, from posting online to joining art-focused communities like UnVale. The mention of UnVale as a platform for creating, sharing, trading, and exploring original characters serves as an apt conclusion to the exploration of the adoptable characters phenomenon.
