Regarding Patron Draw Streams (Patreon)

Hey there, Oxdarock here!

So, I’ve done a couple of draw streams and plan to do one again soon, so I figured I shed some light on my purpose, method, and conclusions after holding these streams. It’s really something erratic that I’m quite iffy on, not to mention being very low on the priority totem pole, which is why I haven’t formally added it as part of my Patreon.

The main reason I started these streams was simply to break the cycle of big works, whether it be comic pages or full color images, both of which require a decent amount of thought beyond what’s put on the page. The second reason was to actually make more use of the Character Suggestion Sheet, since I’ve been really slow when it comes to using those. Third reason was to actually make content that I didn’t mind posting publicly and that patrons could use stack points to upgrade (more on that later). Overall, this is supposed to be a chill thing that serves a purpose. 

I specifically call them Draw Streams rather than Request Streams because I’m more focused on drawing whatever I want. I don’t allow leaving requests on a sheet (which is why I haven't used the Picture Suggestion Sheet), nor do I really focus on details from people who show up to streams outside of “this character with this TF at this size”. What’s more, even if no patrons are present during a stream, I’ll still pick characters to draw from the Character Suggestion list and just use Wheel-kun (WheelDecide.com) to choose themes and sizes from the Stream Theme Chart I made, which just makes things simple for me. 

The way I conduct the stream is pretty similar to most patron request streams that other artists do. Before a start drawing, I take down the names of patrons in attendance and choose between them, via either Wheel-kun (WheelDecide) or whoever has been picked the least or is a first-timer. I then ask for the character I’m to draw, as well as the theme and sizes I’m to follow from the Stream Themes Chart (I also allow the use of Wheel-kun). Patrons cannot be chosen twice on the same canvas that I’m using (which can fit between 6-9 pictures). In the event that no patron is present or has already been picked, I’ll just randomly pick a character from the Character Suggestion Sheet.

So far I’ve been pretty satisfied with the streams so far, but there’s a few issues that can be summed up in once sentence: I’m stressed trying to make everyone happy. My process up to now is to set a day to stream and to stream as long as possible with few breaks in between, limiting each picture to simple, single character sketches. Honestly, it’s not a very relaxing scenario for me and is pretty limiting. 

I plan on changing several things regarding these streams, mainly regarding the timing and length. I’ll still make it a point to announce Draw Streams, but I also might randomly start streams out of the blue and draw a character from the suggestion sheet. I’ll also either take more breaks in between or simply cut a stream short rather than go late into the night. I also might look into drawing more than one character for a sketch if I feel up to it (possibly might make sheets dedicated to it). None of these are set in stone, but the general idea is that I need to be more chill with how I approach these streams rather than locking myself in place for a long period of time with limited options.

Now, as far as the suggestion sheets go, first off, I’d suggest always having one on the Character Suggestion Sheet (1 for Grand and Huge tiers, 2 for Giant tier, extras if you use Stack points). I can also include a section on the chart as to what themes you don’t want chosen via Wheel-kun. I’ll also allow people to use picture suggestions for Draw Streams, but it would come with restrictions (no color and little to no background) and would count towards draw totals (i.e. how many times I’ve picked a particular patron). 

That’s everything regarding my thoughts to Patron Draw Streams. I’ll talk more about upgrading pictures in another post and will formally add this to the FAQ sheet at a later date.