It is just me or fanart is not that well appreciated? [Discussion]

[Starlet Fables]

Hiyo, people!

I'm an artist and I mostly draw fanart as it is a little easier for me to create something on it, make a twist, etc. I started to look for groups and places to share my work, maybe get some people to commission with me, and I noticed something. Most of the work being shown is original, and really few are fanart, it's somewhat rare actually.

I'm not saying I'm against original work, don't get me wrong, it's just that I took quite some time to create Starlet (my fursona) design and I find fascinating how people can produce furry characters like a full throttle factory lol

Does anyone know why this happens? Maybe get me some advise, I will really appreciate your opnions.

 

[Jackpot Raccuki]

Hello friend!
I believe that heavily depends on what exactly you're making fanart for.

You can make fan art of a fairly popular series and get people who like it. Or you make fan art of something not many people know of and are less likely to find it or even maybe like it. It's a mix bag of "If it's well-known more people will be searching for it and thus it's likely to show up" and "Depends heavily on what it is and how much would people generally like it."
As for commissioning fanart, personally speaking I'd rather see my fursona with Sly Cooper than just a fan art of Sly Cooper so to speak, unless I was wanting it for cover for a stream or something? But in terms of just fan art being purely just characters from a media, I would likely not consider getting it.
Although in terms of fan art with the character and say someone's fursona, I've seen a few if not plenty.


Of course there is also the controversy where if people of a fandom that you're making fanart for do not like it then y'know, they may proceed to open their mouths and unleash a toxic waste of insults. Had an artist friend of mine tell me about how he did fanart with Susie from Deltarune, he has never played or watched it, just seen the character and someone proceeded to go on about how they're inaccurate and such, and has said since then he likely doesn't plan to make many if at all public fan art stuff.

As for the whole furry characters thing, some people especially those who enjoy things like writing will tend to make a lot of characters, some are able to do it on a whim like dropping an entire completed DnD sheet out of the blue. My Issue is I tend to make too many then forget a few and only favour my 'favourites' or more popular ones.

 

[TyraWadman]

Fan Art I'd what gets artists a lot of attention but it also depends on skill and ideas.

If you draw a character from a game standing there with nothing new to offer, not a whole lot of people are going to care. Make a small comic where they interact and shine their loveable personality, and it will hold their attention.

For the most part, artists are (or should be) hired based on their skillset. Most people love Pokemon, but dont necessarily care to commission someone for a standalone Pikachu. So they need to offer something else. Jackpot already covered this so I won't bother repeating. XD

Some artists might not offer fanart at all because it sometimes carries an unpleasant uh... Subculture behind it. Others just don't wanna be surprised by any takedown notices. If someone's fanart gets too popular and someone like Nintendo catches wind of it, they'll likely be punished for it.

 

[Yudran]

I'm on the other side of the fence: I am posting only original artwork and not being noticed whatsoever. I might do a bit of fanart simply to get some exposure.
I personally don't think there is anything wrong with fanart.
Art is art: draw what you enjoy drawing, what inspire you. Proper fanart is also a way to show appreciation toward that original creation. And if the art is good and well executed, as well as the idea, it's a plus as it can take some fanart pieces to the next level.

This Zelda fanart of Link redesigned as an Overwatch character allowed artist Jeremy Vitry to get noticed and to work for Blizzard!

And well, this one of Darth Vador vs the Alien Queen brought a lot of attention: the art is epic and it's a crossover many of us would love to see! ^^

 

[the sleepiest kitty]

I used to draw funny Zelda comics with my old toony style, and plenty of people loved it. The thing is, I used mostly surreal humor and made the characters act ridiculous, and I got a lot of attention from it on my old and deactivated DeviantArt account. I was actually thinking of drawing them again, because they were fun to make.

 

[dahbastard]

I'm on the other side of the fence: I am posting only original artwork and not being noticed whatsoever. I might do a bit of fanart simply to get some exposure.
I personally don't think there is anything wrong with fanart.
Art is art: draw what you enjoy drawing, what inspire you. Proper fanart is also a way to show appreciation toward that original creation. And if the art is good and well executed, as well as the idea, it's a plus as it can take some fanart pieces to the next level.

This Zelda fanart of Link redesigned as an Overwatch character allowed artist Jeremy Vitry to get noticed and to work for Blizzard!

And well, this one of Darth Vador vs the Alien Queen brought a lot of attention: the art is epic and it's a crossover many of us would love to see! ^^

That's a real shame, because you have quite a few stunners in your gallery. For what it's worth, you earned a watch from me.

 

[Judge Spear]

Hiyo, people!

I'm an artist and I mostly draw fanart as it is a little easier for me to create something on it, make a twist, etc. I started to look for groups and places to share my work, maybe get some people to commission with me, and I noticed something. Most of the work being shown is original, and really few are fanart, it's somewhat rare actually.

I'm not saying I'm against original work, don't get me wrong, it's just that I took quite some time to create Starlet (my fursona) design and I find fascinating how people can produce furry characters like a full throttle factory lol

Does anyone know why this happens? Maybe get me some advise, I will really appreciate your opnions.

I have NO clue where you're posting your stuff because by and large artists have been saying for like a decade that if you want to get anywhere online, the easiest way is to just do shit loads of fanart*. Original works are what get overlooked especially if it's SFW unless you make comics.

*And by fanart I mean Nintendo and anime. And by Nintendo I mean Pokemon, Animal Crossing, or edgy Splatoon work.

 

[Ennui Elemental]

This is not a simple, binary problem of "fanart unpopular, OCs popular"

Some franchises are going to be more niche and have smaller fanbases, or have fans that may or may not appreciate fanart depending on how it's drawn, some are VERY popular to the point of them being utterly saturated with fanart which can lead to one's work getting kind of lost in the crowd...

It's really a matter of knowing your audience if you're going for broader appeal, or just doing it because you like it.

 

[BadRoy]

That's an interesting perspective. I find it's usually the opposite. Even artists who have popular OCs will still have fanart blow up more because the character is more recognizable than their own.

I'd have to ask what you're drawing fanart of and what the groups you're sharing them in are. Because as far as I'm concerned if you draw Bowser or Loona you're just going to get the views and faves no matter where you post them.

 

[siberat]

Honestly- fan art, I feel, is very subjective. People can easily like it just because they like the show- or not like it because they don't like the show. ( I mean, if the art is very nicely done- id like a piece of fan art even if I didnt like the show) One may get a fav because of nicely done fan art- but perhaps not a watch if they don't enjoy the same show.