Assure the Return of Blank It
Do you want more Blank It? As adults with children and jobs, it has become harder and harder to carve out time to create. So, we’re going with nature’s incentive. Green. If Lemmo and Aric (me is Aric) can justify the use of their time by getting paid to create, they can make the proper case to their children and wives (one wife each) that they’re not just goofing around in the basement while someone else is pooping in and changing diapers.
So, here it is. Lemmo’s Patreon page. If $500 a month can be pledged, that’s a new Blank It strip a week. For $1,000, that’s two strips a week.
You can force our hand (I know, I keep changing from first to third person. A baby is making me tired). You can assure we make more strips by guilting us with getting paid for doing art.
There it is. Maybe it’ll happen, maybe it won’t. It’s up to you now. Spread the word.
September 10th, 2015 at 10:21 am
WOHOO!!! 2+ years of patience has finally paid off!… almost :)
I hope that the Patreon Pledges hit the goal!
September 11th, 2015 at 9:45 pm
*screams incoherently*
^ That’s what I’ve been doing since Mollu mentioned this on her Northwind news feed.
September 11th, 2015 at 11:18 pm
You might come back too?! Oh my gosh, this is so awesome! Two comics I thought were gone forever! I hope you make the goal!
September 12th, 2015 at 8:38 am
Honestly this is kinda idiotic. Webcomics were never meant to turn a profit, some do but they are the exception, it should be about the art and the story, and you should do it for fun. If you can’t do something in any of the free time, for fun, without that carrot on a stick that is the Patreon funding you shouldn’t do it at all.
I would have loved to see this comic come back, would have been overjoyed to get the chance to reread the whole thing and experience new adventures, but if all of that hinges on guilt funding I’d rather just see the webcomic be put to rest.
I am someone who writes novels for fun. I will probably never turn a profit from it, anyone who asked me to read the work in progress I generally pop them the PDF. That is my art, and I would never send someone the unfinished product then tell them its not my primary job and the only way they could read the end is by dropping me some cash each month.
September 14th, 2015 at 2:03 pm
You’ve got some things right and some things wrong, Belaal. Firstly, you’re right in that when you do art for the art and the love, monetary gain shouldn’t be the game. I still do so much that’s unrewarded. I design games, I do digital rendering, I make chip music. I do sumi-e brush painting and host a gallery. I teach Japanese. I do all these things for free. Because it’s fun and I enjoy the art. I don’t do Blank It, because the effort goes beyond what I can afford. So if I shouldn’t do it at all, tada! Already on it.
I started a Patreon, not for Blank It, not for my comic fans, but as an exposure venue and support network for my game design. Right now I have $20 in funders, and I fund $14 back into Patreon, so this “profit” thing you speak of doesn’t exist. I made the Patreon goal for Blank It as a “double dog dare”. If the world can prove to me, by putting their money where their mouth is, that they want more Blank It, I’ll drop what I’m doing and make more. I will turn it into a part time job on top of my full time job, and deliver. It isn’t what I want to be doing now, otherwise I’d be doing it. But since I live paycheck to paycheck, I can be persuaded. I can be bought.
But back to the point, my Patreon isn’t about Blank It. Go ahead and read the support levels. I have content aplenty for my backers, and I have more coming down the pipe. It is an exchange of goods for services. Blank It’s revival was a hail mary stretch goal, one I don’t expect to ever reach. But I thought the community should still know about it.
If you write for art and integrity and not for monetary gain, that’s fine, that’s your choice. I have three kids and need my family to survive two more weeks on 300 bucks. So hey. I slipped a rung on Mazlow’s hierarchy. No need to look down on me for it.
September 14th, 2015 at 10:04 pm
The idea that artists shouldn’t be compensated for their time and should only create for other’s enjoyment is dumb. It creates an environment where they can be taken advantage of and no one bats an eye because “art should be free”. Take some pride in your craft! It’s worth something! Web hosting and supplies certainly aren’t free. Hell, I’m PAYING hundreds of dollars per month to create a thing I give away for free on the internet. I’m perfectly justified in asking for a bit of cash to at least break even each month. And you know what? YOU STILL DON’T HAVE TO PAY TO READ IT. Yes, we draw because we love to draw. We write because it’s fulfilling. But until capitalism disappears, we still need money to eat and clothe our children. Do NOT criticize us for using our skills to do that.
/end mom rant
September 16th, 2015 at 11:46 am
Personally, I would not be one of the people paying in support of the things I read, but that doesn’t mean they shouldn’t ask or give the option for people to lend monetary support when possible. A career in art has lead to the creators to be known as “starving artists” because art is so unappreciated and most have to have other jobs to support their favorite activity on earth: bringing to us their creativity…and they still have a right to live a normal life, have a family…heck even take a vacation once in a while! Atop all that, these people are still sharing their works with us for no charge at all, only giving an option for those who choose to help out.
This is not a bad deal at all, Belaal, it’s not like you are being forced to pay anything, just given an option if you so CHOOSE to be giving. The rest of us can still be supportive even if we can’t give any money for the cause. :3
That said, I do hope the goals can be reached! I only recently discovered this particular comic a few months ago and I’m SO curious for this showandtell O_O!
Best wishes~
September 21st, 2015 at 10:21 am
Honestly, because my Patreon is off to such a good start, I’d expect a new Blank It comic or two in the near future just because of those fine folks. But there’s still no way I can consider doing this regularly without it compensating in some regard. Money can’t replace time, but it can sure sway what that time is used for.
October 8th, 2015 at 1:09 am
Belaal, you should be ashamed of yourself for even making such a suggestion. I assume (or at least hope) that you don’t think novelists or painters or musicians should create and disseminate their products for free? If you do, then I have nothing to say to you that hasn’t already been said. If you don’t, then why do you hold web cartoonists to a different standard? You expect webcomics to not only be free to access (unlike most novels, songs, paintings, etc.), but also to not involve any monetary gain (unlike most novels, songs, paintings, etc.)? Why?
If you want to write for fun and in your free time and show it to others with no expectation of financial compensation, that’s your prerogative. But just because you happen to pursue an activity purely as a hobby, doesn’t mean everyone else is obligated to do the same.
As for your assertion that “Webcomics were never meant to turn a profit”…what is your source for this statement?
October 15th, 2015 at 1:00 pm
I had a long rant on here but it seems to have been removed.
TL:DR Lemmo has failed to successfully monetize this site and his own skills and rather than give up some of those free acts and provide for himself in a way that is correct and end user friendly, he demands that others provide for him.
And everyone here just falls in line.
And yeah, most webcomics aren’t designed to turn a profit. With news paper comics the revenue the artist makes comes from the news publication itself. Webcomics need to generate a large amount of traffic daily to be profitable, and anything less than a daily release comic wont achieve that. LICD, QC, DOA, all these comics are probably profitable from ads and their stores because they supply daily content and thus traffic and their stores release new products on the regular.
October 19th, 2015 at 9:35 am
You can say what you want about our practices, and monetization attempts. But if you’re calling our fans and readers names, you’re getting your post removed.
October 20th, 2015 at 7:47 am
First of all, Belaal, Lemmo is not *demanding* anything. Second of all, it is quite traditional for the end-user to provide for the creator. e.g. The creators of novels, music, films, etc., are provided for by the end-user purchasing the product. Just because webcomics have not historically functioned on the same model, doesn’t mean that there’s anything wrong with them starting to do so. Why the sentiment that high traffic and advertising and merchandise is the only acceptable way to turn a profit? Why is Patreon not an equally acceptable option? Just because you don’t personally like it?
And again, unlike most novels, music, and films, many webcomics — *including this one* — are free to access regardless of what the end-user provides or doesn’t provide. If you consider asking for donations in order to renew an *otherwise free webcomic* to be some sort of blackmail or otherwise unethical behaviour, might I suggest you first turn your attention to the writing industry, the music industry, and the film industry, none of whom will allow you to view the products they’ve made without payment.
November 9th, 2015 at 4:15 pm
I just saw the announcement over at Northwind! It’s back! *Runs in happy circles* I wish I could pay into Patreon, but I don’t have a steady income.
November 28th, 2015 at 7:17 pm
Then don’t pay, and just enjoy the fruits of collaboration and crowdsourcing! You’ll pay it forward in other walks of life, I’m sure.