[ SECRET POST #1572 ]

[case]

⌈ Secret Post #1572 ⌋


Warning: Some secrets are NOT worksafe and may contain SPOILERS.


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Notes:

I've heard people say that they're not getting LJ notifications for new posts - there's an RSS feed right over here that you can use! Just a heads up for those unaware.

Secrets Left to Post: 12 pages, 276 secrets from Secret Submission Post #225.
Secrets Not Posted: [ 0 - broken links ], [ 1 - not!secrets ], [ 1 2 - not!fandom ], [ 0 - too big ], [ 0 - repeats ].
Current Secret Submissions Post: here.
Suggestions, comments and concerns should go here.

Comments

[fscom.livejournal.com]

22. http://i55.tinypic.com/30jn2o4.jpg

[(Anonymous)]

Or start practising so you can live your dream someday, if that's what you REALLY want to do.

[streussal.livejournal.com]

Your stick figures are much better than mine. ...man, what a weird thing to say. But they are!

[(Anonymous)]

Ha, those aren't my stick figures; just a random piture I found on Google.

-OP

[delwynmarch.livejournal.com]

I know what you mean, Anon :( I have the exact same problem right now. I'm writing fanfic for a book series; the original author knows about this and appreciates it, but it's clear she won't ever read it. I haven't bothered asking why, because as you said, there are many possible/good reasons. Yet, I can't help but feel that if I drew fanart instead of writing fanfic, the author might give it a look, and I could finally feel like I've truly given her a little something back :(

[exova.livejournal.com]

I can sympathize; my writing's okay, but fanart is so immediate and (obviously) visual, and more people seem to connect with it for that reason. The good news is, you can learn to draw - it takes a shit-ton of practice (and stay the hell away from any "How to Draw Manga"-type books as you go about it), but you can get pretty good.

[thememusicc.livejournal.com]

It really is a legal concern first and foremost; even if they don't mind fanfiction at all, they can't read it (or mention they've read it) because if a similar idea shows up in the original work, there will be nothing but trouble.

If you want to show them how much you appreciate and enjoy their work, you could just send them a nice letter.

But if you really want to send them something that isn't written or drawn that they'll be able to enjoy and share, you could always think outside the box somehow. Maybe in the story there's a certain precious item that is central to the story; you could try making the item somehow. Maybe there's an unusual food that keeps coming up in the story; you could try making it and send pictures and a recipe. There's lots of things you can do that you can share with creators. I can't speak for all of them, but some of the nicer ones I've seen and follow love stuff like that.

[sour-idealist.livejournal.com]

Some authors like it (http://fanlore.org/wiki/Professional_Author_Fanfic_Policies); some even read it. I know one or two have actually held (or explicitly endorsed) fanfic contests, too.

[andromeda3116.livejournal.com]

Wow, most of the fandoms I write for have been explicitly condoned by the creators... that makes me feel really good, actually. Thanks for the link!

[heretherebefic.livejournal.com]

Some of them look at music videos, too, anon. Maybe try your hand at that.

[pts.livejournal.com]

I really understand where you're coming from, anon. Fanart is immediately engaging and (sadly) less offputtingly geeky than fic, and it's so much easier to get lots of positive attention from it.

Sure, I could start trying to learn to draw, and maybe in ten years I'd be producing stuff that wasn't totally shitty. But I'm 32 and I just don't have the stomach to produce terrible drawings for years and years, so... FIC IT IS, I GUESS.

[avocado-love.livejournal.com]

I wish I had a smidgen of artistic talent so I could maybe make money off my work. Then again, if I did I would probably be sitting here wishing I could write for whatever reason.

Grass is always greener.

[(Anonymous)]

Grass is always greener.
Truth.

Artists are achingly self-deprecating and can be very competitive. "I'm not good enough" and laments of older artists envying the mind-blowing skills of younger (12-15) artists is common. And you kinda have to be like that if you want to get better.

Like an athlete, you have to devote time to practice and warm-ups if you don't want to make a stale drawing.

You guys have a much easier time finding a place to post your porn too. I have to sift through shady image hosts or use specific places like Y!gallery or other sites. I can post in my lj but it honestly doesn't get as much traffic as my DA.

You also spend a longer time with your audience who have to take the time to sit down and read while many artists just get a few seconds glance (most of the time anyway).

Pros and cons and all that though. I'm personally happy to be a fanartist but I would love to be a better storyteller 'specially since I fancy comics.

[ocelotish]

Where's your art stuffs? I'll be happy to take a look and critique/give advice if you like.

[(Anonymous)]

For what it's worth, art is a skill not a talent.

I wasn't a good artist when I started (huge understatement), but with lots and lots of hard work, I'm getting there (I mean a chance at getting something professional, not just fanarty). If you're really serious about getting better OP, you can, and I'll be happy to recommend you some books (real classes are better, but more expensive). Just reply and I'll let you know what books I recommend.

Also, one of the big things that helps is finding someone who you want to draw/paint like and trying to figure out how they do it.

Not OP but interested

[delwynmarch.livejournal.com]

I have a tiny, tiny bit of drawing talent, but no money for classes, and no idea where to start working on improving. So yeah, I'd be interested in those book recs you mention :)

[(Anonymous)]

Telling people that if they try hard enough at something they'll be good at it really annoys me. I understand where you're coming from, and that it's supposed to be helpful, and that it was true for you. But you're basically saying that if anyone can't master art then they're not trying hard enough. That's just not true. Some people really seriously are not talented or skilled at art (or music or dance or etc). And no amount of hard work or years of training will change that. They might get slightly less horrible, but they'll never be artists.

I don't mean to say OP can't be an artist if they try, but hard work will only get you so far. Just like raw talent will only get you so far. It's a combination of both, and you really can't have one without the other.

Sorry, just hit a nerve.

[amethystium.livejournal.com]

You know, while fanart may be indeed 'immediately engaging'; that is, it does not take time to read it, there are also people like me, who draw fanart, but cannot write fic. I mean, sure, if I practised for some years, perhaps I could write something not derpy and remotely entertaining, but I just am rarely ever inspired to write. I've always thought it must be nice to have plot bunnies, and be excited about writing stories, well, and doing so, of course. So while you may not be a great fan artist (yet?), you still have your writing skills. Don't take them for granted!

Also, as someone above has said: you still can develop artistic skills, if you give it a go and practise. Good luck!

[delwynmarch.livejournal.com]

I can't talk for OP, but in my case, it's not a matter of taking my writing skills for granted. It's more a matter of fanart being more "acceptable" than fanfic, so to speak, when wanting to gift an original creator. At worst, the creator will think a fanart is ugly, but it's pretty unlikely that they'll think the fanartist is creepy/lazy/unimaginative/thieving for drawing a fanart in the first place, like quite a few creators think about fanwriters. There are also less possible legal problems when gifting a creator with a fanart than with a fanfic, which makes it easier for creators who enjoy fanworks to accept fanarts over fanfics. And finally, there is the matter of language: a fanart can be understood by a creator even if the creator and the fanartist don't have a common language, while a fanfic can't be understood by a creator if it's not written in a language the creator knows. For all those reasons, when it comes to giving back directly to an original creator, it seems to me like it's much easier when one is a fanartist rather than a fanwriter.

[velvet-mace.livejournal.com]

To be fair, the fanart they get handed tends to be G rated. They might have trouble with the tentacle rape cartoons.

[veronica-rich.livejournal.com]

But, G-rated fanfic can't even be gifted. So there's that. And any artist can tone down their content to fit the recipient if that's their end goal. :-)

[tzzak.livejournal.com]

I feel rather similar. I feel like I'm practicing a lot, looking up tutorials, trying to look off pictures, trying to freehand ... and I still suck so bad. It's discouraging.

[rayiroth.livejournal.com]

I feel the opposite really. What people hasn't said is that fan fiction are usually the default of fandom, as well as writers are more communicators and community-minded. As a result, there are plenty of community spirits and hang outs for writers that I never felt I will be able to get in as an artist. dA is not a place for making friends, it's one place to get 20+ notes a day (which I' grateful) and still get no closer to getting to know someone like-minded (which is what I want).

Not to mention any community activity tend to be fic only anyway.

[(Anonymous)]

I want to learn to draw as well, anon, and become good at it. Fic is nice, and being able to write well is nice, but most people won't read and the circulation is much smaller than a fanart, even a bad one. Not just famous people or authors, EVERYONE pays more attention to fanarts because they don't require a time investment and the quality is easier to see.

My friends who draw disagree, saying that the extra attention is pageviews and not constructive critique or help, but pageviews are pageviews to me.

[thelonebamf.livejournal.com]

I just wanted to say I empathize. I've just joined a new, tiny fandom, and the most active community is the official forums on which the author participates. This means no fics, links to fics, or even mini-comics (which is one of my favorite ways to create fanstuffs). I was seriously bummed, and have had to make to with just posting whatever fanart I could and hoping a story was implied. Not too helpful a comment, I guess- I just wanted to let you know that other people out there have similar issues.