What is NeonMob?

NeonMob is a community of artists and designers from all over the world creating original trading card series for everyone to discover and enjoy. Open packs and trade cards to collect incredible art, reach milestones, and complete series. The joy and nostalgia of collecting is captured in this social marketplace that never runs out of beautiful and inventive collectibles.

Independent artists contribute to the large and growing marketplace of original trading card series available on NeonMob. Click the links below to get an overview on how to begin your NeonMob adventure!

• Starting your collection

• Managing your profile

• Trading with other collectors

• Submitting your own ideas for series

NeonMob Policy on AI-generated images (“AI Art”)

Policy as of May 10, 2023

Images created in any part with generative AI trained on content you do not have rights to use are not allowed in either Pro or Amateur series. This includes most popular generative tools such as Midjourney and Stable Diffusion. You may submit images created with AI-based tools, such as smart brushes or shading assistance, as well as fully algorithmic generative approaches like fractals. You may also submit images from a model trained exclusively using your own artwork. (Props to you if you do; this is currently very technically challenging!)

Generative AI can produce visually stunning images, and it can be a tool in a larger artistic process. However, at the moment, AI-generated images largely depend on training models created by scraping artwork from existing online galleries without the artists’ knowledge. Even images significantly edited are created on this base of scraped work, and we’ve made the decision not to allow them on NeonMob. We may revisit this policy in the future if the scraping and unattributed artwork issue is addressed by further developments made to AI technology. 

AI-based Series submitted prior to May 1, 2023

All existing AI series will be discontinued/marked out of print on June 1st. Until then, packs from AI series will still be available, though only at the Freebie or Pro Freebie level. We understand that series completion is important to many NeonMobsters so we are not removing these series from the site entirely.

 Existing AI series will be clearly labeled with a banner so that users are able to distinguish between non-AI and AI-generated series. 

FAQ

What if I think a published series is AI?

All series released on NeonMob go through review by a real live human, so while we will do our best, there is a chance that AI series will occasionally slip through. Please send a message to support@neonmob.com and we will investigate, which involves reaching out to the series creator and other due diligence.

TL;DR

Yes: 

• Fractals

• Using non-generative AI-based tools (Photoshop smart brushes, shading/light source assistance, etc.)

• Training a model exclusively on your own art

No: 

• Images from generative models trained on art you don’t have rights to (Stable Diffusion, Midjourney, etc.) even if you’re modifying it

AI Series submitted before May 01 2023:

• All series discontinued/Out of Print June 01, 2023

• Only Freebie and Pro Freebie packs available until then

• Series still available to trade after June 01

• Labeled clearly as AI

What’s the difference between Series types?

There are two different types of series published on NeonMob: Pro, and Amateur:

Amateur Series

Choosing to create an Amateur series gives you immediate access to the creator dashboard and series editor. You can upload art, assign rarities, arrange your images, and otherwise get a feel for how to construct a NeonMob series. You can create and edit as many amateur series as you want without having to submit them, so if you’re looking to experiment, this is a good place to start.

Once you’re happy with the setup of your amateur series, you can submit it for release. Like a Pro series, all Amateur series are reviewed for potential TOS violations and a baseline of quality before being launched. Amateur series are released on a rolling basis as they are approved - once launched, your series will be available for users to collect! Card packs on amateur series are available to open for free.

To start creating an Amateur series, head over to the create page!

Example Amateur series: Anime Eyes by LazyArtStudios

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Pro Series

Pro series on NeonMob have higher standards for presentation and are from more established or experienced artists. Card packs with better odds for rare cards are available on Pro series for carats (free site currency) or credits (purchased with USD via Stripe or Paypal); artists receive a 30% royalty on all credit pack purchases.

Pro series also have increased visibility - they’re promoted to collectors on site, via email and discord, and featured on our social media accounts. Art from Pro series may also be used in NeonMob-focused promotional material.

To be considered for a Pro series, create a graphic or sample card that shows your series idea, write up a brief description, and submit your pitch over on the voting page. Your pitch will be available immediately for collectors to view and, if they’re interested in collecting, vote for it! NeonMob admin will review and approve pitches based on voting totals, series premise, and other site needs. Approval can take anywhere from 24 hours to one month.

You can also reach out to the series manager via support@neonmob.com if you’d like to discuss your idea for a Pro series.

Example Pro series: Witches Tarot by azuru

What is the copyright policy for creators?

All cards/artwork published to NeonMob must be original concepts created by you. Your submissions and series may only contain materials or images that were created entirely through your imagination. Images created using generative-AI tools are not allowed on NeonMob as of May 10, 2023.

Read our policy on fair use here. 

Failure to obtain proper permission for the use of materials protected under copyright leaves your NeonMob submissions, including all cards, artwork, and series, vulnerable to removal. Furthermore, creators found to violate our copyright policy are liable to have their account terminated and earnings, if any, reclaimed. You are ultimately responsible for ensuring copyright compliance for all images you post to NeonMob.

Please refer to our Terms of Service for more details.
 

What is your policy on adaptations, fan art, and fair use?

NeonMob is a community that empowers artists to create, and collectors to discover, original artwork. By submitting art to NeonMob, you certify the work is your original idea and creation, and that it does not infringe on the copyright, intellectual property, or publicity rights of another individual or organization. You take full responsibility for everything you upload and publish on NeonMob. This is outlined in our Terms of Service; use of NeonMob indicates acceptance of all terms stated therein.

TL;DR:

• The best way to protect yourself from liability is to create 100% original concepts

• Any work referencing existing characters or art must be significantly transformative in order to count as an original work

• Simple drawings, reprocessed images, and product photos are not transformative

Creating Original and “Transformative” Work
All artwork you upload to NeonMob needs to be your original concept and creation. Adaptations of existing characters and artwork, including fan art, must meet strict requirements in order to be deemed “transformative” and qualify as fair use. If your work references another creator’s copyright (character, brand, trademark, or product), your work must significantly transform the way the original work was represented, expressed, and/or communicated in order to classify as an original creation.

When submitting art that references pre-existing art, ask yourself these questions:
— Has the material I have included from the original work been transformed by adding new expression or meaning?
— Did I add value to the original by creating new information, aesthetics, insights, and understandings, or was it merely a copy?

Examples of work that does not count as transformative:
— Familiar characters with a stylized treatment (examples: black & white, pixelated, color shift, etc.)
— Familiar characters redrawn by hand
— Photos of copyrighted products or characters with no transformative effect

Keep in mind that fair use is an evolving, nuanced area of copyright law with many grey areas. Initial approval of your submission or series does not assure that your work qualifies as fair use, and your work can be removed even after it is published (and royalties withheld) in response to a third party complaint and/or further internal review.

Copyright Infringement
In the event you submit work created by another artist, you are in violation of copyright law, as well as in violation of the spirit of NeonMob. We take copyright violations very seriously and will remove the infringing image(s) from our marketplace as soon as the violation has been confirmed. Submission of stolen work will result in the termination of your account and a permanent ban from NeonMob. More on our copyright policy here.

Copyright resources
We recommend that you research the copyright laws relevant to the legal liability you assume when you upload artwork to be collected on NeonMob:

• Copyright: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/

• Trademark: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trademark

• Publicity Rights: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Personality_rights

• United States Copyright: http://www.copyright.gov/

• United States Trademark: http://www.uspto.gov/trademarks/index.jsp

What happens if stolen art is used on NeonMob?

It’s very important that all the art published on NeonMob was personally produced by the submitting creator. For organizations or companies publishing a series on NeonMob, that entity must have the explicit right to use the artwork commercially. For details, please see our Terms of Service. 

In the rare instance a user successfully publishes someone else’s art as their own, NeonMob will take the following corrective steps: 

• Confirm the plagiarism. Our team will investigate the claim that a series uses unauthorized artwork.

• Discontinue the series. We make sure that no one can open new packs from the offending series.

• Replace the artwork. In consideration of the actual artist, we will remove the unauthorized art and replace it with a standard “Art Removed” image.

• Possible refunds to users that purchased packs. For anyone that purchased paid packs from the series, NeonMob will consider issuing a refund of the credits that were spent. We do not provide any kind of credit bonus or pack refund for users that opened free packs or received cards through trades.

• Delete the offending user account. At a minimum, anyone caught passing someone else’s art off as their own is banned from NeonMob. Depending on the scope of the violation, we may take additional legal action against the individual.

What makes a successful NeonMob submission?

Creating a successful NeonMob submission takes equal parts talent, strategy, and magic. There isn’t a particular kind of art or concept that makes a submission great; great submissions come in all forms and can incorporate traditionally "offline" mediums like oil or watercolor to purely digital mediums and everything in between. Although there isn’t a secret formula for winning community approval, there are some things you can do to increase your chances. 

Here are a few examples of incredible submissions that became full NeonMob series and how these submissions stood apart:

This submission by Thomas went on to become Alpacamon, and then Alpacamon 2. What makes this such a great submission? First off, the work is adorable — and Thomas' description clearly outlined his concept for the series: 152 illustrations of Alpacamons. Super clear, super awesome.

Jeremy Gardner's incredible submission became The Unknowns, a super popular series of dreamy-yet-spooky illustrations. Jeremy's submission description was perfect: "Portraits of strange, scary, dreamy and beautiful. Created while I dream awake late at night." While not as specific as Thomas' description (which outlined the exact number of illustrations), Jeremy had a clear vision for the theme connecting each of his images, and the submission image perfectly captured his vision. 308 likes later, meet The Unknowns.

Nigel Sussman submitted the above image based on a collection of illustrations he was already working on for his Kickstarter project. His succinctly description outlined his NeonMob series idea: "Food objects A-Z rendered in bold isometric hand-drawn line art on a colorful background." You don't have to be that specific, but it helps to throw in a description of the medium/style of your series, too!

Paulo Victor Graner came up with this really cool idea of a 'monster hierarchy,' and submitted this image of the reigning monster at the top of his fantastical hierarchy. Takeaway: Get weird! Create a whole new world, or reimagine an existing one.

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SUBMISSION CHECKLIST
Get more votes and maximize your chances of having your series concept approved by following this simple checklist for submissions. 

Artwork
NeonMob collectors enjoy a wide range of topics, themes, and styles and all kinds of different artwork have been successful as trading card series on our platform. To make sure your art stands out, follow these simple rules when uploading your submission:

• Submit only original concepts; please, no fan art or copyrighted content

• Make sure the image is a good representation of your series concept

• Upload a high quality, high resolution image

Series Description 
A good series description can help your submission gain votes and get approved. The more detail the better, but there are a few things you should definitely include for each new series submission. Answer these three questions to create a great series description:

• What’s the theme or story of your series concept?

• What’s the style or mood of the images?

• How many illustrations do you plan on creating for your series?

Promotion
Once you have submitted your series idea, tell people about it! Promote your series to family, friends, and social groups to increase your chance of getting community approval. Here are a few simple ideas to get word out about your voting submission:

• Post the link to your voting submission on your social media profiles

• Start a thread in our forums and get the community to check out your art

• Encourage your art and trading card groups to vote for your series

Best Practices
NeonMob wants all our creators to be successful when submitting their engaging series concepts to our community of collectors. Make sure to follow these best practices to give your submission the best chance of becoming a full series:

• Submit only one image per series idea. Ignore the urge to submit multiple images for the same series. Submissions are approved for full NeonMob series treatment based on the # of likes, strength of your idea, etc. — so don't risk spreading out the # of likes on multiple submissions. Stick to one! Trust us. (Multiple submissions also run the risk of being removed.)

• Read the terms. Any images submitted must be your original work … this means both concept and creation. If you submit work that is not yours, including fan art of copyrighted properties, you are liable for copyright infringement — and your submission will be disqualified and / or removed. Additionally, any submission depicting inappropriate content including pornography, graphic violence, hate speech, et al. will be removed and the user suspended.

Email support@neonmob.com for any additional help with uploading your submission. 

What makes a good NeonMob series?

CLEONIQUE HILSACA

So you want to publish a series on NeonMob? Brilliant idea! We love you already :)  

The first step to creating a NeonMob series is to share a design created by you that best represents the theme and spirit of your concept on the submissions page. The best series are connected by a common artistic style, subject matter, and/or story. Read more about how to create a successful submission (and see some examples) right here.

Making a NeonMob series is a magical process of using your artistic talent to tell a captivating story. Each and every NeonMob series is different — from concept to medium to size to rarity distribution — so don't worry about getting it "right." Here are a few tips on crafting a winning NeonMob series:

Medium/Style

Creators have published series of characters, abstract designs, landscapes, and more. Series can be flat illustrations (in JPG or PNG format) or short animations (in MPEG, MP4, or GIF format). You don't have to make art digitally in order to sell digital works; create your artwork with pen, pencil, paintbrush, or software — as long as the final works can be exported digitally, you're good. (That excludes generative-ai tools, however! Read our AI policy for more details.)

CHOATIC ATMOSPHERES, WALTER'S EXPERIMENTS

Number of Cards

NeonMob series can range anywhere from 15 cards all the way up to 300+ cards. There's no right number of cards to include, but the sweet spot for most successful series is between 30 and 75 cards. That's not to say that series with fewer cards will be unsuccessful (and many smaller series have earned artists a fair amount of money, too). 

Titles & Descriptions

While the art is the most important part of your series, the words you use to name and describe your work is also a crucial element. Every card has context that only you know — so, make sure to take the time and tell the story of your work with 1-2 sentence (minimum) descriptions and clear, compelling titles.

Rarities

Colored gem icons represent the rarities across a series. Cards that are part of your "core series" will be either common, uncommon, rare, very rare, or extra rare. Chases and variants are special rarities that are considered part of the "special series."

To learn more about assigning rarities, refer to our Creator Handbook.

Cover Image

One of the most fun parts of making a series is making the cover. Think of it like an album or book cover: you want your cover to convey the story of the series. It's up to you whether you want to overlay text over a single image, or a collage of images, or create an entirely new piece of artwork specifically for the cover. At the very least, your cover image should include the title of your series.

Here are a few examples of really awesome cover images:

CHAOTIC ATMOSPHERES, Walter's experiments

CLEONIQUE HILSACA, AS BIG AS MOUNTAINS

PAULO VICTOR GRANER, MONSTER HIERARCHY

WEDNESDAY WOLF, decayed dex

For more on creating series, check out our Creator Handbook.

What image formats and file types can I upload to NeonMob?

When uploading images as a creator, please be mindful of the following parameters:

• Images must be within the width to height aspect ratio constraints of 1:1 to 2:3 (square or portrait only; landscape is no longer accepted).

• Images must have a minimum height & width of 1024 pixels, but larger is better.

• Images must be one of these supported formats: PNG, JPG, TIFF, MP4, and GIF.

• Images must be smaller than 30MB each.

How do I share a preview of my in-progress series?

Want to share your in-progress series on social? Use the SHARE button when editing any of your in-progress series to send a preview to your friends, family, and fans. This feature gives you a way to get feedback on your series during all phases of the creation process.

Here’s how it works:

• Log into NeonMob and go to your creator dashboard

• From your creator dashboard select ‘edit’ on any one of your in-progress series

• From the series creator click on the SHARE button in the top right corner

• Copy the shareable link or post directly to Facebook & Twitter

Show off your work and make sure to tag #NeonMob on social!

What happens after I submit my series?

Congratulations, you just created a new NeonMob series! Great work, you’re our favorite 😊

ABC

What now?
After you press "Submit" in the series publisher, your series submission will be received by our community team. Among other things, their job is to ensure that (a) the series meets our standards for content, (b) that all series and cards descriptions were completed, and (c) that the rarity distribution of your series is optimized for collection. If no problems exist with your submission, your series will be approved and prepared for publication. If your series requires amendments, the community team will return your series to you with an explanation of the revisions necessary for publication. 

Our community team reviews both pro and amateur series submissions every Monday & Tuesday. Pro series creators will receive an email confirmation from our community manager detailing their series publication date once their submission has been approved and added to our publication calendar. Amateur series creators will only receive email notifications if their series needs revisions.

When will my series be published?
Depending on availability in our publishing calendar, pro series submissions are generally published within 2 - 4 weeks of approval. 

Approved amateur series are typically published within 2 weeks of submission; however, only a very limited selection of the best amateur submissions are published each month and not all series will be approved.

How will I know when my series is available for collection?
All creators receive an auto-generated email notification once their series is published. This email contains information including the series link and a special redeem code for you to share with your fans on social.

Can I add more images after I submit my series?
Once your series is published and available for collection, it is locked and you cannot add more cards. By pressing ‘Submit' in the series publisher, you are acknowledging that your series is ready to be published. So unless you let us know prior to publication, once you submit your series we assume no changes are necessary. If you've submitted your series and want to make changes prior to publication, we can send it back to you for revision — just email us and let us know.

Why wasn't my amateur series published?

We created our amateur category so that artists new to NeonMob could easily publish a series introducing themselves to our collecting community. However, amateur series are still subject to review and there are a number of reasons why amateur series are not approved for publication.

• The images submitted were not created by you. This can mean it's someone else's artwork, a copyrighted image, a screenshot from a video game, a meme, or an image or photograph taken from the web that you did not personally create.

• The images submitted were fan art of a copyrighted series. NeonMob can only publish original concepts and creations and does not have the license to publish copyrighted concepts and fan art.

• The images submitted were graphically violent, pornographic, or otherwise offensive.

• The series has fewer than minimum 15 cards required for publication. All series must have at least 15 unique cards and a cover image to be considered for publication.

• The series was submitted without a title, series description, or card descriptions.

• Your submission did not meet our content standards for publication.

Comic via electricbunnycomics.com

If your amateur series is not approved, you will receive a detailed explanation via email from our community team with instructions on amending your series and resubmitting (if applicable). Submissions containing copyrighted concepts or creation cannot be published and will be deleted from our system. NeonMob only publishes the very best of our amateur submissions and not every submission will be published.

How do creators earn money on NeonMob?

Creators receive a 30% royalty on pack sales for their pro series. You must have a PayPal account and be approved to receive payments in order to be a NeonMob creator. The potential amount a creator can earn depends on its series type, the type of card packs available to purchase on their series, and popularity with collectors.

Cleonique Hilsaca

We highly recommend using social media, artist platforms, press, and any other methods of advertising to tell the world about your trading card series once it is published and available for collection. Although NeonMob itself has a large community of collectors, you should not rely solely on our existing community of collectors to support pack sales of your series. To be more successful in selling your art, rally your fans, friends, and family to collect your series and trade with other collectors.

Other Ways to Use NeonMob as a Creator

Many image collections that make great NeonMob series would also make a great set of stickers, postcards, mini-prints, and vise versa! Artwork posted to NeonMob is a non-exclusive, meaning you can sell it wherever else you like, and if your art is available for purchase anywhere else, link it - in your creator profile, in each card’s description - wherever is relevant! 

Other creators have used NeonMob as a way to make themselves available for commissioners, or to promote their comic series. With thousands of daily users and a thriving trading community, NeonMob is a fun and effective way to make sure your art gets seen.

Series Types and Artist Royalties

Limited Edition collections

Limited Editions have a set number of “prints” available.

• More reliable royalties: eventually free packs will sell out. For collectors who like to complete series, that will require purchasing the remaining paid card packs.

• Capped potential royalties: because there’s a set number of prints available, there is a set maximum of potential royalties.

• Royalties come in over a longer time period - for good and bad: Limited Editions remain “in print” until all existing cards are claimed. So while you could be earning royalties for years, it could take years to earn all your royalties.

Unlimited collections

Unlimited collections have an unlimited number of prints available, but are only available for a set time.

• Royalties not guaranteed: Free packs are always available. Purchases are most likely to happen at the start of the run (for the leaderboard) and the end (last-minute completions).. 

• Royalties are uncapped: paid packs cannot sell out, so a popular series could sell an unlimited number of packs during its print run; it’s driven by user demand.

• Shorter amount of time to earn royalties in: Unlimited collections are only available for a few months before going out of print.

Infinite Edition (promo)

Infinite Editions are both unlimited and available for all time. 

Infinite editions are best for promotional or informational purposes.  If you’d like your series to be released as an Infinite Edition, contact us at support@neonmob.com to discuss.

• Royalties unlikely: with no deadline and unlimited prints, users can complete these series easily using only daily free pulls or carats.

• Available forever: everyone who comes to the site will have a chance to collect these, no matter when they join

• Special section: Promo series get featured in a unique category, so they’re easy to locate

Learn more about series editions

How do creators get paid?

With our “self-pay” functionality, creators on NeonMob can initiate their royalty payment once a month from the stats page through their creator dashboard. Choose to send your earnings through PayPal or convert your royalties into NeonMob credits … choose when to get paid and how to get paid! To view the stats page in your creator dashboard, hover over the CREATE dropdown in the top navigation of the website and click on the Dashboard link.

Cash Out Via PayPal
NeonMob uses PayPal to send royalty payments to creators in a timely, seamless fashion. You must have an active PayPal account in good standing and be approved to receive payments in order to be a NeonMob creator and receive royalty payments.

From your creator dashboard, click on “stats” to see your earnings. From the stats page, click on the CASH OUT VIA PAYPAL button located at the bottom of the payments section to initiate the self-pay process and have your royalty earnings transferred to your PayPal account.

The payment pop-up window will appear with an area to enter your PayPal email address. The pay out button will include the total amount to be paid via PayPal. The example image below has a sample amount entered for reference. To complete the transaction, enter your PayPal email address and press the pay out button.

You will be asked to confirm your PayPal email address on the next window by clicking CONFIRM.

Your entire balance will be transferred via PayPal upon completing these steps and the transaction will be recorded in the Payments section of your creator dashboard on the stats page.

Get NeonMob Credits
From your creator dashboard, click on “stats” to see your earnings. From the stats page, click on the GET NEONMOB CREDITS button located at the bottom of the payments section to initiate the self-pay process and have your royalty earnings converted into NeonMob credits. Creators receive 50% bonus credits when converting their royalty earnings to NeonMob credits.

The credits screen will appear and show the total number of NeonMob credits that you will receive when converting your royalty earnings. The example image below has a sample amount entered for reference. To complete the transaction, press the blue GET NEONMOB CREDITS button at the bottom of this screen.

You will be asked to confirm that you would like to convert your earnings to NeonMob credits on the next window by clicking OK.

Your entire balance will be converted to NeonMob credits upon completing these steps and the transaction will be recorded in the Payments section of your creator dashboard on the stats page.

Self-Pay Details
Please take note of these important details regarding self-pay:

• Auto-pay is no longer available and all creators must use self-pay to collect earnings

• Creators can collect their earnings through self-pay once every 30 calendar days 

• Creators need to have a minimum of $5 in earnings to cash out

• Creators need to have a minimum of $0.50 in earnings to convert to credits

• Creator is responsible for any applicable PayPal transaction fees 

• PayPal payments unclaimed within 30 days will be auto-cancelled

• Credits are not transferable and are not redeemable for future payments

• All transactions are final and non-reversible

For other questions or to report a problem, please email support@neonmob.com.