okay, let's focus on the  main issue as set by our OP RorrKonn:

"I need to know what CGI Artist like and dislike about there mess.
So how would you find out with out war breaking out ?"

Well, I can give you no facts but my opinion only, for what it's worth.

My first consideration is that the forum-community, the gallery community, the community of freeby users and the one of content purchasers are only mildly overlapping. So I might ask the forum but when the threat gets locked I'd grab what I've got and then that's about it. The forum is not the users!

Then I would approach various gallery-users whose images are about in line with the stuff I'd like to make, and ask them directly in site mail.

For freebies and commercial stuff, the trick is to get to the users / buyers, which are not the makers / vendors! One way is to make some free stuff for various characters, then see which of those runs best. Perhaps you can include a questionaire with the product pack, and offer something extra for the ones responding. Responses will be different per site.

Then make various commercial things if you want to go that route, and issue each one via a different site / route. Then evaluate the results, your satisfaction with the process, etc.

Also note that forum-users are willing to help - in most of the cases. Some well known vendors might be willing too, some others will just hold off. In any case it might pay off to approach them directly via site mail.

Simply stated: no forum-words can replace your own acting. No debates, no trolls, no zookeepers. Site mail is your friend.

Just my 2ct

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Usually I'm wrong. But to be effective and efficient, I don't need to be correct or accurate.

visit www.aRtBeeWeb.nl (works) or Missing Manuals (tutorials & reviews) - both need an update though