nightingales:

I do, and I feel like it’s a (quote unquote) unpopular opinion but that’s the way I feel!

There is NOTHING wrong with getting recognised because you draw fanart of a popular movie, book, television show, comic series - whatever. And I don’t understand why so many fellow…

Well… I draw fanart a lot, but never did it to get popular. It’s more of a need, I think? To show your adoration towards particular series/ characters and share it with others. The feedback is nice and important, of course, as is the feeling of approval from fellow fans. But aside of that, the artist also gains from it! In the means of developing own style, mostly. You adapt some graphic things you like from comics/cartoons/etc. that are dear to you, practice drawing favourite movies/tv series actors’ features, trying to adapt perspective and panel arrange you’ve seen in some great graphic novels… all of that usually starts with drawing fanart of those! And it’s good. It’s practice. Usually it’s not even done deliberately, it is a development that comes with drawing fanart, sometimes without realizing it. Your style grows and you can apply all the things you learned to original stuff, that’s great! But does that mean you should stop drawing fanworks at once? Bollocks. Of course not. Sharing love with fandom is an amazing thing. You’re never gonna make money of the things you drew (<—commissions are something different) - it’s just for others to enjoy! Even after years and years of drawing fanart and fandom jumping I still LOVE doing it. Even if I reached the point where I can say that maybe now my style is recognisable enough, I’m still gonna produce it like madman. Fanart is just FUN!!!

There were times I was super self-conscious about drawing fanstuff more than original works (and this come back from time to time…) and afraid of not being good/creative enough because of it. But then I reached the point when I said AH SCREW IT! and decided this is what makes me happy.

But still…when I see artists’ criticising others about it, it makes me really sad :(

(via kimbbearrrrrrrr)