In Defense of Fan Art
If it gets you drawing, that must be good.
Over the years, I have seen some people celebrate fan art while others bash it.
As an art instructor for undergrads and grads for twelve years, I saw sketchbooks from my students that were filled with a good number of fan art drawings. I was always a little disappointed about this because I wanted them to push themselves to come up with their own ideas, their own stories, and their own visual styles.
Today, I believe that on balance, fan art is a good thing.
And my reason is simple: it gets people drawing.
With all the distractions assailing us daily and monopolizing our precious time, I think anything with the power to pull us into art-making is a positive.
That’s really the long and short of it for me, though if I could elaborate just a little, please allow me to provide just a few more thoughts on the subject.
Making Fan Art Count
Put your own spin on it. This could be anything: proportions or design of a character, fitting things into your own style, updating or altering a costume/outfit or hairstyle, etc. — just do something to make it more your own. This is a more creative exercise and the end result is also more interesting for the viewer.
Use the fan art drawing as an opportunity to practice the fundamentals you need to practice anyway, such as shape, design, proportion, composition, and so on.
Try producing multiple versions of the same fan art piece and see how great and/or original you can make it with each iteration.
Be thoughtful about selling work you produce of others’ intellectual property. Use common sense and be respectful.
At the end of the day, I think producing fan art from time to time is a good thing because, again, you are drawing. The act is what matters. The practice counts. And so what if the subject matter isn’t something you came up with entirely on your own? The tribute you are paying to the artists who created the original is an act of love and if you produce a great piece, you have added something positive to the fandom.
By the way, from a professional point of view, numerous artists have actually launched their careers by producing great fan art. So there’s that, as well.
Here are just a few of the Ninja Turtles I have drawn over the years. Thanks to Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird for creating these characters.
By the way, if you’re looking for a nice digital pencil, I have a free one available in my shop. And it has a special brush stamp with the message, “Support Human Artists.” In a way, you are sending a positive message with every brush mark! 🙂 Get it here.
Have a great rest of the week. I will write another post in just a few days and share some news that will explain why I haven’t been writing as much as usual.
Until then, take care of yourselves and each other, remember to be kind, and I’ll say, Ciao for now. Kyle
That’s a great perspective, Kyle! Analogously, we don’t have a problem with people practicing music by covering other people’s songs, and people will still listen to cover bands. Though, of course, it doesn’t get the same regard as original music. We should give visual art the same leeway.
Yes! I LOVE drawing Raph from TMNT. I can't help myself!