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Chapter 10: Coming to Your House, Graphics Tablet, My First Pot of Gold
Ayanami, an unusual English word.
Compared to its literal meaning, its use as a surname within Japanese works, referring to Ayanami, is perhaps more widely known.
The representative figure is Rei Ayanami, who comes from "Neon Genesis Evangelion". In fact, the wave of popularity had long passed by the time of Chengwang's generation.
The work's connotation and artistic quality are more like a niche fashion item.
However, it is undeniable.
The way these techniques reflect the confusion and bewilderment of teenagers has a strangely powerful effect on many of my peers, including myself.
At least Cheng Wang knew in his heart that his lack of academic performance was one aspect of his decision to study art halfway through his career.
On the other hand, influenced by popular comics, "New Century," and domestic works such as "Kuiba," he was determined to devote himself to animation and make a name for himself, which also had some influence.
Although he entered the workforce, his career took a downturn and was shattered by reality.
But the dreams of childhood, like stars that children want to pluck, will always shine brightly for a moment.
It is no coincidence.
Aya Muko is also one of the audiences of the work.
I have a strong liking for characters in anime who share the same character name as me, from their appearance to their personality.
Under its influence, dyeing one's hair blue doesn't seem so strange.
Cheng Wang was deeply impressed when she shared the origin of her QQ name.
"No wonder she opened an art studio and started creating artwork later; the seeds of her artistic talent were sown at that time."
He chuckled softly and, out of curiosity, opened his QQ homepage.
The smile froze the moment the gaze fell on the nickname.
【You're Cheng Ge.】
I'd eat this if it were a human being!
He got goosebumps all over, casually changed his name to a normal one, and then replied to Mu Ziling.
[Wang: Why did you take leave?]
[Aya: Are you really not sick?]
[Wang: No, I'm not going to the art studio because Lao Wang approved my leave so I can prepare for the exam at home.]
[Aya: That's good. I was a little worried because you haven't come for a few days.]
Ok……
It seems that Lao Wang ultimately didn't take his work to the principal's class to show off.
Otherwise, Mu Ziling would have sent a private message long ago.
Cheng Wang pondered for a moment.
Perfect timing, I also need her help with something.
I originally planned to wait until after the joint entrance exam to discuss it.
Since Mu Ziling is coming over anyway, we might as well put our idea into practice as soon as possible.
The two residential areas are only a five-minute walk apart, so she can get to her home quickly without taking long.
He continued typing on the screen.
[Wang: I want to discuss something.]
[Aya: Hmm?]
[Wang: Do you have a graphics tablet?]
[Aya: Yes, there is.]
Cheng Wang raised an eyebrow, a surge of joy in his heart.
[Please bring this to me; I need to borrow it for a while.]
[Aya: Okay, but what do you need this for? I bought it a long time ago but haven't used it.]
[Wang: I'll draw a close-up portrait of you.]
Mu Ziling sent a meme of a puppy with a question mark.
Cheng Wang responded by posting a rage comic from his collection.
Sigh, 2013...
Other feelings weren't that strong.
The lack of imagination in today's emojis truly made Cheng Wang feel the limitations of his time.
Cheng Wang then vaguely recalled Mu Ziling's family habits and started typing.
[Wang: Don't buy breakfast, my mom made a lot of porridge, come over and eat with us.]
[Aya: Oh.]
Put down your phone.
Cheng Wang opened the desk drawer and took out his notebook.
Flipping through the pages, I saw densely packed notes on my future plans, which I had been organizing at home over the past few days.
Two words were highlighted in the marker, making them very eye-catching—
Article commissioned.
"You can just wait to starve if you're going to serialize a comic book. It's unrealistic for one person to be efficient enough to make an animation. Games like 2048 aren't that difficult. You can do both 2D and 3D, and the programming is simple. But unfortunately, they're not very efficient at generating revenue. They're more suitable for making people famous."
Cheng Wang frowned, looked at his notebook, and analyzed with his chin in his hand.
After being reborn, you still need to make money. What future can you talk about if you don't have money?
But the problem is...
Where do you get your first pot of gold?
"If I can complete the task efficiently on my own and make money quickly, I have to choose a method with low operating costs."
"Considering my strengths, commissioned writing is undoubtedly the most suitable option."
His fingers tapped the table unconsciously.
Thousands of years ago, our ancestors had a tradition of hiring painters to create portraits.
Creating embellishments for high-ranking officials and nobles was also a common way for craftsmen to make a living in ancient times.
If we go back in time and look at things both domestically and internationally, people back then could never have imagined that the same model could be passed down to this day.
Moreover, it has transformed into a platform that offers numerous low-cost business opportunities.
With the development of the internet environment, commissioned writing is increasingly reliant on information technology for delivery.
In the past, art and marketing outsourcing, which was mainly led by game companies, is gradually shifting towards individuals.
The overall younger demographic of clients has brought about many niche and emerging demands, such as commercial orders for avatars and virtual personas.
Cheng Wang didn't really understand what the rules were in those niche subculture circles of individual clients.
But he understands art, and he also knows how to calculate money.
There are also successful benchmarks for reference and comparison.
Turning to the next page of his notebook, Cheng Wang turned his attention to his analysis of the industry.
In 2016, the Mihuashi APP was launched.
The platform's founder has five years of experience organizing fan-made content communities and has previously participated in the startup of an ACG (Anime, Comics, and Games) e-commerce project.
She found a profitable opportunity in the early days of the industry's traditional model, which involved malicious bidding and breach of contract, and successfully integrated the resources of those idle artists to launch the platform.
The emergence of this app, by leveraging its platform role, has made the commissioning process more streamlined.
Game companies break down and release their requirements, and artists bid and sign contracts. Both parties can communicate and review the works directly on the platform to complete the delivery.
But what is the actual situation?
Cheng Wang understood perfectly.
In less than 10 years, the number of registered artists for this software has approached 10.
Of those, less than one in ten can truly reach a professional level.
There are only so many game companies in China, and many of them don't even have their own projects. They rely entirely on outsourcing to make a living, so they don't need high-level design at all.
The main users of this app are still young fans of fan fiction, especially female users.
They used their own circles and terminology to create a niche but lucrative path.
For those outside the industry, this is probably hard to imagine.
A simple, cartoon-style drawing costs between 50 and 150.
For slightly better quality manuscripts, which are not difficult even for professionals, the fluctuation can be between 200 and 500.
A pair of matching couple portraits with two paintings?
How about a discount?
A discount of 50 yuan, a truly reasonable price!
For Cheng Wang himself, a simple sketch takes at most 15 minutes.
Even for more demanding manuscripts, it can be completed in less than an hour.
There are countless other commissioned works, each more expensive and with different styles.
In the era of the rise of anime-style mobile games, there was even an artist who earned 100,000 yuan for a single set of illustrations.
In essence.
The MiHuashi APP simply recruits idle artists from forums, Baidu Tieba, Weibo, and even QQ Space into a professional team and then gives them a commission.
Has the problem of exorbitant pricing been resolved?
As explained.
Cheng Wang wanted this "solution".
The lack of standardization means there is more room for maneuver.
Especially in 2013, when this app hadn't even been released yet, commissioned articles on many social media platforms were even more unregulated.
Even if I draw slowly, with a daily work limit of only ten pieces, and a price of 300 per piece, I can earn 3,000 a day.
From 2013 to 2014, the monthly income was at least 50,000 yuan.
Furthermore, it may only be a low-level initial income.
By employing professional drawing techniques, one's value will rise along with their reputation within the industry, potentially leading to individual requests for artwork from well-known companies.
The mutual selection process for commissioned articles offers far more freedom than working in a company, being the client in a top-tier company, being subjected to arbitrary orders from superiors, and having numerous trivial and complicated requirements. It provides ample time to plan other arrangements.
This is definitely a pretty good way to make quick money.
Making his first pot of gold through commissioned articles is something Cheng Wang is determined to achieve!