http://www.patreon.com/rickycolson

What is Patreon?

It’s like Kickstarter, but instead of raising a bunch of money for one giant project, Patreon allows fans to help support the creators they love by throwing in small amounts like $1 or $2 per project or per month. It gives them a chance to work on the stuff you love and not have to worry about where their next paycheck will come from. That let’s them improve the quantity and quality of the work.

 What do you get?

All kinds of creators are on Patreon.com. Musicians, web comic writers, bloggers, and visual artists like me. For your contributions, you get tiered rewards that include things like:

• that warm, fuzzy feeling for helping an artist concentrate on the work
• behind the scenes, work in progress, patron-only access
• involvement in the creative decisions
• Q&A with the artist
• Google+ hangouts
• signed prints

What’s it for?

Simply put, it’s to help me get back to making realistic artwork. I have a new series in development called Welcome to Autumn, and I want to work on it full time. Financially, however, it has to stay on the back burner indefinitely. This is your way of showing your support and telling me to make it a priority to get back to the good stuff. I love my silhouettes, but I love my figurative work even more.

3d visual reference for the Welcome to Autumn painting series

As you have noticed over the past few years, it’s been difficult for me to maintain the kind of artistic output I’d like. I want to see more drawings and paintings, and I’m sure you do too. Unlike Kickstarter, this is an ongoing system so you can join in and opt out at any time. I hope you consider becoming a patron and helping me create my next series.