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Fanart is What You Make of It |
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Again, from Art Discussion [link]:
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Sorry if I repeat some sentiments; I have only read through about three or four pages of this thread.
Quote: fan art is kinda pointless. if it is "fun" for you, then have "fun" drawing you OWN character. if you wish to "improve", then "improve" by drawing your OWN character. requests from other people are ok. if you do it as a hobby, i'll keep my mouth shut. if you do it so that you can call yourself an "artist" then i need to introduce you to the a little thing called plagiarism. i mean, WHY CAN'T PEOPLE JUST MAKE UP THEIR OWN WORK!!!???
It seems contradictory (and unfun) to define what others call "fun" as something in such a black and white manner. When has there been a single, correct way to improve, or a single, correct way to enjoy one's self? More often than not I hear that the act of opening your horizons when it comes to drawing only helps your skill, it doesn't hinder. If I stuck to only my own characters there's a lot of things I wouldn't think to draw/put together in a character design. Putting a new spin on something existing happens all the time, whether it be based on a traditional -concept-, or an actual character or story that exists.
Where does it say that an artist who has their own characters can't draw someone else's, and that's final? Who says that an artist who draws fanart ONLY draws fanart and doesn't have their own characters? How is drawing other characters because someone requested them okay, but drawing other characters because one simply felt like it somehow a mortal sin? Please explain the difference to me-- because the only important difference I really see is pay or no pay.
Animators draw characters that belong to other people all the time; it's their job. They don't draw in their own style when this happens, but anyone who works as a professional animator is definitely an artist. Professional illustrators also draw copyrighted characters if contracted to do so-- companies who own licensing rights will sometimes keep a list of artists who they prefer to draw their licensed characters. If you're a mangaka assistant? You have to draw consistent to someone else's characters and style. Work for Marvel as a penciller? You've got to draw Marvel characters, not your own.
Not every artist who works professionally has the luxury of drawing in their own style, or even drawing their own characters. The principles behind this is very closely tied to the creation of fanart.
Beyond the professional realm, let's look at another aspect. Using an existing character with an existing set of rules defined by a manga, anime, game, etc, gives a group of fans a common starting point-- context and a common understanding of something stems from this. Basing a concept on this common ground allows for a different type of creativity to stem from it, whether it be parody, expanding on a theme and enhancing or exploring it in more detail than the original creators could, etc. There are just as many possibilities in a fanwork as there are in just... a work. For example, Hakubaikou drew a beautiful, moody portrait of a character from Rurouni Kenshin, and in seeing that piece not only did I admire how the character was interpreted due to my preconceptions and her drawing skill, I also had context that could only be understood in knowing the original story. It made the drawing all that much more powerful. How is this not creativity at work?
Even beyond this the creation of fanart allows for -people- to relate to each other. I warm up to people easier when I find that they like things that I like. Fanart of characters and stories that are familiar to me can have the same effect as using a familiar theme or concept such as love or rage.
Also, understanding what a character looked like in comparison to an artist's rendition is also a good way to gauge one's creativity-- I've discovered many great professionals and other skilled artists in the act of looking through fanart, just based on being impressed at how they translated objects from one style of drawing conventions to their own. On that tangent, I draw fanart of my friends' characters in my own style as gifts to them-- they're often delighted to see how others interpret their characters, and vice versa. It's interesting to see how a character looks in various drawing styles.
As far as hentai/adult fanart goes, it doesn't really bother me. Hentai is sex, and sex doesn't offend or disgust me. Sometimes I draw it because it makes me and my friends laugh, or because "sexy" is a valid mood to draw. Not because I fantasize about fictional characters. One of my favorite artists is popular because he draws hentai doujinshi- first, I relate to him because I'm a fan of various series that he likes, and I enjoy seeing characters that I like in his drawing style. In addition because of his fanart he's built a fanbase large enough to allow him to do other work.
Even OOC doesn't necessarily bother me. Just like with any non-fanart piece, if I don't like the picture I can ignore it, not close my mind to everything else in tow.
What bothers me is an assertion that there is a set of absolutes to follow when choosing subject matter to draw. A lot of enjoyable art is made by people who just draw whatever they please. Whatever that turns out to be, is it really a big deal? Does it stop other people from drawing what they want? It hasn't stopped me.
Of course, there is a lot of bad fanart out there. Plagiarism and just copying official art and calling it one's own work, for example, might be fun to do but I don't respect it. It doesn't hinder my own artistic development, though-- if anything it can help to remind me of what I -don't- want to see in a piece. Poorly drawn and trite fanart also exists, but the same can be said for any work of art. To condemn fanart for these things doesn't make sense when they exist elsewhere. Based on the "fanart sucks because x, y, and z exists in it" argument, I could argue "making original characters suck because every jerk with a Wacom tablet tablet thinks they're oh, so original when they throw in wings, elf ears, and blood into their character's picture."
When I hear or read an assertion that one avoids fanart because it's "unoriginal" it reeks of unfounded elitism to me. It's an easy generalization to make and bully others with-- "I only draw my own characters, so I'm better than you, who draws someone else's" is an easy thing to imply and hence insult someone with, but is ultimately not very thought-out. Just because one prefers to draw their own characters and avoid others like the plague doesn't make someone the better, more innovative artist.
 Pink · Thu Nov 24, 2005 @ 09:37am · 1 Comments |
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