Hello! So I’ve picked up graphic designing as a sort of hobby, and I while I’m not a professional by any means, I want to start practicing with commercial covers to see if I could someday imagine being a graphic designer as a career. I’ve been searching everywhere I could find, but I wasn’t able to find any stock models that are free or relatively cheap (below $7). My parents don’t know about my graphic designing and I don’t have much money saved up 
I’ve been mostly sticking to DeviantArt stock models such as faestock, silenceinsilver, etc, however all of the accounts I take models from require a royalty fee of 100+ each for commercial use… does anyone have any websites that offer model stocks for urban fantasy, etc for free or at a low price? Or any DeviantArt accounts that allow commercial use?
(PS does anyone know what people use to make 3D model renders?
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@CoffeebyNight has a book on wattpad about this!
omg omg omg thank youuuuu ill check it out!!
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Check out depositphotos.com - I just signed up for their flex stock plan because it’s super cheap. It’s $30/month, but you get 30 downloads and if you don’t use them, they roll over to the next month. You can cancel anytime. They have some good fantasy options.
Typically Poser/Daz Studio is the go-to software. It’s currently available to download for free! But idk if that’s just for a “preview/trial” period or not. Also, the models tend to be kind of expensive (you usually have to buy them individually). But it’s like, the golden standard for model rendering.
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omg thanks sm, I looked through the website and I’ll definitely be getting the plan!
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Just chiming in here, thats expensive! You can get 100 images for 39dollars right now - not trying to be a pest, and delete if not allowed, but use this link to make an account, and you’ll get 10 dollars off your first order (and I also get 10$) Friendbuy - Forwarding To Destination
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Faestock sells her work on Depositphotos, and a few on Shutterstock (Shutterstock offers very low payments, but I actually prefer selling on Shutter, lol), if you like her. Small side note about Jessica’s lovely photos though, is that you might have a harder time shifting covers with her on. People are bored of seeing her, for lack of better term.
The issue with ‘free’ stock will always be legality - so it’s awesome you’re avoiding the free sites. DeviantART will always have the same issues, but not to the same extent. You can find some free stock that’s unrestricted, but you will have to dig. Addendum to the DA Free stock issue - every artist will have different rules for their free stock, even if you claim it’s for practice purposes. Not using stock on tutorials, not using it on Wattpad, not using it on romance books etc are all common to see. Even Adobe has an iffy clause about romance/fantasy books (which is why cover designers tend to stay away from Adobe). Same as fonts - always read the terms. Designbundles/Fontbundles for example have an ambiguously limiting clause about print runs - stay away.
Regarding 3D models, it’s mainly Daz3D. The software is free, but there is a learning curve, and every item will cost you a fair chunk of change (I spent about 500$ on it last month, oops). But if you get to grips with it, the results are beautiful, and you can use it to make all your backgrounds or models, whatever you like.
These two covers were made 100% with stock I made, some of which I posted for sale before I opted to use them
Once you discover Daz, chances are you won’t want to buy other people’s renders because they simply won’t be up to your standards, and don’t allow the flexibility of doing them yourself (it’s cheaper, but limiting).
And @TheMidnightAssassin is correct, I do indeed have a book on Wattpad covering the bases of stock and commercial work. 
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I’ve seen people use programs like blender and poser before for 3d
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Oh my gosh these covers are spectacular I love them lol
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ah thanks! I’ve just gotten a free trial on both Depositphotos and Shutterstock thanks to your designing book~ it was super helpful!
and I’ll definitely check out Daz! is it super hard to use/navigate?
ps those covers are gorgeous omg
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No problem.
And no, it isn’t hard to use once you get to grips with it. Unfortunately, it’s hard to understand how to get realism with it. A lot of people end up with the ULTRA plastic look you see frequently, a lot of ‘render stock’ shops have the same issue and it looks messy - please don’t buy from these places. Learning how to use gravity and force in Daz is hard work, I’m still learning it now!
This is one of my premade lighting set ups. Unless you’re a quick learner, Daz is pretty much pay to win. They hold a lot of sales quite often, though - October was their biggie for Platinum club members. It’s worth learning, though - helps in the long haul.
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ah those look so realistic! And thank you so much for all of the information <3 it was super helpful!
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Oof both Daz and Poser looks good—I only knew about Blender, Sketch-up, and Maya o.o
Daz is free but with premium content but Poser is paid?
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Daz is exceptionally easy to get to grips with, but, it is almost pay-to-win. Luckily there are a lot of deals and plenty of free content for Daz. Just now Daz is running a Christmas sale, everyone gets a loyalty discount and daily freebies, and there was a glitch to exploit a discount code. I just ordered 400$ worth of stuff for $35, and darn, I’m happy.
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