If you are in any fandom space, then you have likely seen fanart before.. Though the question is, what exactly is the significance of fanart? Why do so many artists create it and why do fans like it?
Fanart is a form of art that has been prevalent from the 1960s-1970s. This was especially true in media that was popular at that time, like “Star Trek” and “Star Wars.” Many fans found interest in creating art for their favorite shows. Since then, fanart has been used as an outlet for artists to express their creativity and perspectives on media.
Aliyartss is an artist that draws for many fandoms like “Jujustu Kaisen,” “Alien Stage” and “The Summer Hikaru Died.” She shares how she uses art to express her ideas on the media she likes.
“For me, drawing is a way to express myself because it allows me to put emotions and ideas into something visual. Sometimes it’s easier to draw a feeling than to explain it in words. It’s also a way of connecting with others who resonate with what I create,” Aliyartss said.
She goes on to talk about how fanart lets her be creative and what it means to her.
“For me, [fanart] it’s a way to reinterpret existing characters in my own style. I like giving characters a softer look and honestly, I just enjoy drawing things I’m passionate about! Fanart is about expressing your own style through an existing character and I think that is creative! At the end of the day, it’s about what you enjoy drawing and whether it makes you happy and that’s what matters most!” Aliyartss said.
Aliyartss’s opinion is one of millions of artists, but many artists can relate to her. Fanart is about creating your own version of the media you like, allowing you to express your originality onto the pieces you make.
Fanart has grown increasingly popular over the years, becoming a significant part of fandom culture. Although there is not really a specific place to see fanart, platforms like Instagram and TikTok often feature art from different fandoms. The reason for the rise of fanart can be found within the fans that interact with their fandom.
Kuzu_owl is another artist who creates fanart for the web series, “Alien Stage.” Kuzu_owl shares his opinion on why it’s so popular.
“Aside from more content of their favorite characters/series, it also opens the possibilities to millions of ideas you would not ever get to see in the canon story, it can be just silly memes or emotional pieces that explore the characters feelings. Many artists get popular within fandoms too, because people like their art style or ideas particularly,” Kuzu_owl said.
Many fans love fanart because of the new situations and interactions that artists give the characters. That’s really the joy of fanart. If the show is very sad then it’s amazing to see those characters be happy and interact with each other in a new way, providing more content for the series you love.
Fanart is definitely one of the best ways to bring the fandom community closer together, by sharing art with one another. It allows the fans to interact with each other over content that they’re familiar with or artists that are creating new work.
Sophomore Diana Granados, a student and fellow artist (@piggohat), shares her perspective on the matter.
“Fan art definitely shapes the fandom in my experience, I’ve found that making art of a show gives me the chance to interact with more people in the fandom. I also found that fanart can start discussions about how a character is portrayed. Even things like alternate universes or shipping two characters can start discussions,” Granados said.
Granados’s opinion provides better insight into what it’s really like to interact within the community with other peer artists that take the art just as seriously as she does.
This not only strengthens the fandom community but also highlights how deeply artists value their work. When sharing art pieces with other fans, you can find people that enjoy the same things as you. Despite the positivity and bonds fanart can create, other artists seem to hate it and it’s not taken as seriously.
Granados goes on to tell us what she truly thinks about this topic.
“I think fanart is not taken seriously enough in the broader art world, I think that it’s treated as more of an ‘extra’ thing and in some cases even considered ‘childish.’ Although I don’t think fanart should necessarily be used for something like applying to art schools or programs, it’s still a valid way to express your creativity. Although fanart involves using someone else’s work as a reference, fan artists still find a way to put their own creative twist and deep meanings into their work,” Granados said.
Granados’ point highlights a core problem with fanart, the art that you are creating is using characters that belong to someone else. This is the main problem that other artists find with fanart. Despite this, Granados raises a good point, fanart allows you to incorporate your own twist on it, making it your own.
The joy of fanart lies not in creating a perfect art piece but in expressing creativity and sharing it with others who will enjoy it.
