Adoptables Interview with CherrysDesigns

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Today we're talking more about Adoptables! You may remember our interview with Astralseed, and our free llama adoptables by Sidonic. Today we're getting into another facet of adopables: OC fashion! CherrysDesigns will be walking us through what it's like to create and sell outfit designs through subscriptions and commissions. And don't forget, we also feature her answers on our official Facebook page.

What drew you to adoptable clothing designs? How did you get into the adoptable community?

What drew me to adoptable clothing designs was more of a coincidence. When I joined DeviantArt, I saw someone designing clothing and selling those and I thought "I want try that myself," because I felt like I had a lot more freedom in designing and the skillset needed. My goal always was to make money with my art and this seemed to be a good opportunity to start my journey.

The designs I found that happen to be adoptables, so I read about it and learned what they were about. I joined many adoptable groups and added my own designs there. With time I got more experienced and made a lot of friends in the adoptable community.

Is this always where you envisioned your artwork going?

Not really, I never thought I'd ever make a living designing outfits, actually. I knew I wanted to be a full time artist someday but I never had a real plan for what it would be about. I experimented a lot, trying different styles and areas for many years. In the end it was something I never thought was "a thing", but I love it. I'm happy I'm able to be creative in the area of clothing designs because it gives me all the freedom needed without feeling pressured about what's currently "trending".

What is the most challenging part about what you do?

Finding good color combinations as well as making the designs look unique and not boring.

I love certain combinations, but I feel like people may get bored if I use them too often. Therefore, I try to learn new color variations and details I can add now and then, which sometimes can be difficult. :)

What do you do to get inspired to create new adoptables?

Most of my inspiration comes from video games and nature. So I either play my favorite games- especially ones from the 90s- or I go for a walk and take a look at all the shapes and colors that surround me. I live on the country side, so I have a lot flowers and plants right around the corner.

Have you ever been in a rut or had artist's block? How do you get out of it?

Indeed I have. It happens rarely, but when it happens I make notes of my thoughts. I write them all down in a little notebook. It doesn't have to be pretty or make sense to anyone else. It helps me to see things from a different perspective and clear my mind. I also like to go take a walk by myself and sit in the grass at a quiet place, listening to the wind and the birds.

What is your favorite adoptable that you've created?

Wow, that's a tough question, haha! I've created over 1,700 adopts so far.

I think it's not even an outfit but my own species, called Valix. I'm very proud of this species that I created in 2016 and I put a lot of work into their story and appearance. So, they're my favorite adopts even if I draw them rarely at the moment.

What is the coolest thing someone has done with one of your designs?

The coolest thing was when someone cosplayed the design. A girl who went to a convention recreated one of my Kimonos and a friend's project had a lady recreating another design for a photoshoot:

What kind of benefits do you offer with your Subscriptions? How does that differ from your regular content?

People get exclusive outfits every week for a lower price than my standard adopt price. The outfits are only available for the current and past month. Every subscriber who has been supporting me the months before owns outfits that won't be available again. People also receive the .PSD file, which can be edited: for example one could edit the colors, shapes, and sometimes accessories and patterns can be removed or added. See my Subscription tiers here!

Do you have any wisdom to impart for artists who want to start selling their own outfit adopts?

• Don't follow trends just because it seems to work for others.

• Draw whatever you feel most comfortable with.

• Stay open to learning new things like techniques and tools.

• Don't copy others just because they seem to be successful - learn from them but don't try to be them. Be your unique self!

• Take risks and experiment as much as you like.

There's a lot more to share on this topic, I invite people to note me their questions or join my Discord, where my community and I do our best to help. :)

https://discord.gg/5Ashhns

And don't forget to check out CherrysDesigns video to see more of her process! Click the image below:

Now your OC can be the best dressed in town by joining CherrysDesigns subscriptions! Make sure to watch her on DeviantArt to see more beautiful outfit designs.