#rhalabeast

Ehehe, for real, though, I'm genuinely just very happy you think so, thank you so much! I really cannot WAIT to see the comic, your art is so fucking lovely to look at and I'm really flattered you liked my story enough to want to draw something for it!!

So I wrote a whole thread about this on twitter, actually!  I’ll recount it here:

“so to clarify: #fanartgotmepaid doesn’t mean “fanart guarantees you a job,” nor does it mean “you can’t get a job without fanart.” #fanartgotmepaid just means that fanart isn’t always a Scarlet Letter that immediately colors a potential employer’s opinion of you. 

I like to think that the personal art you do can be roughly broken down into three motivations: Conception, Self-Improvement, and Enjoyment (take this with a grain of salt! there are other motivations – commercial, vindictive, goofabouts – I’m just focusing on the heavy hitters):

Conception, meaning “I have a specific creative vision I need to commit to paper.” Concept, idea, composition, style, what have you.

Self-Improvement, meaning “I want to better myself by practicing or taking on a challenge.” Trying that new brush, studying folds, etc.

And finally Enjoyment, meaning “I physically/emotionally enjoy the process of making art, and choose to do it because it’s fun/therapeutic.” 

Art fulfills each of these to varying degrees; sometimes a piece can be all three at once, but it doesn’t have to. That’s up to the artist. Fanart will almost always include some degree of Enjoyment. We make fanart because we love a thing, because it provides a familiar framework. For example, here are some pieces of fanart I’ve done that are PURELY for Enjoyment:

…These aren’t going to win me any awards, they aren’t going to get me any jobs! But they’re good, they’re fun, and I’m glad I did them (and not to mention, any art is better than no art! Like playing a cover of a song, drawing fanart is still building artistic muscle memory).

NOW, let’s talk about fanart that gets you hired. Compared to the above, what is it about some fanart that gets the attention of employers? Generally, employers are hiring you for what YOU bring to the table. If fanart is the hook, your particular vision is what reels them in. No one ever got a job just because they drew a Sailor Moon that one time. You get jobs because you treat fanart as a tool in your toolbox. Are you redesigning characters? Interpreting them through a compelling stylistic lens? Rendering them in a fresh way? That’s your vision.

So here are some examples of my fanart that HAS gotten the attention of employers, with some rough notes on why I think they stand out:

The reason I was hired for Bioshock wasn’t because of Disney princesses: I was hired because of my eye for historical costume design. You aren’t hired for fanart, you aren’t hired for the hook: You’re hired for your vision. You’re hired for what keeps them interested.

If you want to draw fanart purely for Enjoyment, that is completely rad and fine! Appreciating an IP by way of creation is pretty amazing. And if you want to use fanart to pursue a professional career, find a way to balance that Enjoyment with Conception and Self-Improvement!

it’s not gonna be the same without you（；へ ; ）

Join these two LJ comms and the tags there will navigate you to all the locked posts.

http://cumberbatchfans.livejournal.com/tag/sharing%20is%20fun

okay so first of all i went to ala with amanda! boohoo i have to leave california soon and i really don't want to :( especially not after meeting so many fucking awesome people, shit

rachel stayed with us and was really nice. she didn't hurt me or touch me inappropriately at all! myth busted.

at ala i met (c)allie and meagan who are soOOOooo cool and nice jesus christ i want to be their friend really hard. like i think we are already friends but i just want to do it REALLY HARD. they both had really awesome cosplays of cal and jane respectively and they were super sweet and funny. meagan fed me basically everything i ate this weekend. also her apartment has neat posters and her room isn't really that messy. come to otakon! let's be ancestors!! (i promise if we cosplay together mine won't be embarrassingly shitty)

vicky!!! had a really great rose cosplay (and kyoko the next couple days) and was really cool, dang!!! vicky you were a little intimidating at first but actually very friendly and fun. i'm happy to be added to your legion of con friends! and really excited to see you at AX too!!! vicky's friend kelsey was a big fat douche, don't talk to her because she won't suffer it and will kick you, etc. (actually she's really adorable and laughed really loud at everything)

there was also vicky and kelsey's friend danielle who was the cutest sweetest person but doesn't have a tumblr i don't think?? she helped me tie my shoes (vicky helped me untie them later, you guys.....<3) and she gave me a piece of her chocolate. gosh ;n;

misc people from the drawing party, which was so fun!!! christine is possibly the sweetest person i've ever met, holy crap?? and her art is so good. ACTUALLY, everyone i've mentioned so far is such a good artist, what! i was wildly outmatched and every time i went all reeling and silent it was because i was realizing that all over again. most of them drew me things too, boohoo, thank you so much ;_____; also kim!!! whose art is really good and who drew me a sollux, hehehehh, and wow like a billion other people. 

anyway anime la was my first tiny con and it was really fun. since there wasn't that much to do conwise it was basically a big party and i got to hang out with the same people all three days, it was super chill and fun. thanks guys!