Some thoughts about game fanart

by Dee

Game fanart. You see this very often. Big RPG sites like RPGamer and GIA have their own sections for it. Many people have sites just for some game fanart pictures they've drawn. And there are galleries that show works by various artists... do I need to continue this?

Let's start with the official pictures. They're often considered "good", like Amano's FF drawings. Okay, he is a great artist. Really? I have a friend who thinks his art looks weird. But the majority of FF fans seems to like Amano's art. I personally like most of his work... But that's not the point here. The point is, the official pictures show you one opinion on the characters appearance. The game company's opinion. The official art is what the game company wanted to character to look like. Face it, that's the sacred truth. The characters look like that, no matter how odd, stupid or silly etc. etc. they look... Fortunately, in most cases the characters look good.

Now, onto fanart. You never know what to expect. The picture may look weird, or it may be a wonderful surprise - it may look much better than the original character picture by the game company. If the picture is really bad, don't forget that it's fanart. It's done by a fan of the game, not by some professional artist. Hey, some fanart looks really fine, almost like it was done by a pro, so who cares.

One fact about fanart makes me wonder. Some people think their art sucks. Even artist who draw great pics. They may get rid of the "bad" images, or even close their site. Why? Some people love their work, only one who doesn't is the artist... oh well. Okay, I must admit, I'm no better than that - I, too, think most of my art is awful. Well I have never heard anyone (that I didn't know personally, so count out my best friends and my family) to tell me it's great. Compared to what I see every day, my art really sucks. But not all of it. And hey, I do have one pic on RPGamer's fanart collection :-)

Yeah, some fanartist - I think most of them - have the bad habit of comparing their art to other's work. I just confessed, I do it all the time. That's why many people have a "junk" page on their website. That's for the pictures they don't like, or the pictures that went wrong... But the artists still put them up. This is a good thing, because some people may find certain picture great, no matter how much the artist dislikes it.

So, where to find good fanart? Check these big RPG site galleries. Try checking the artists' homepages - you never know if they have the pic you've been looking for. Or if you have the time, go to see some Japanese fanart pages. My sister does this, even if it's really hard to navigate on those sites. But she still brings me some fantastic FF4 and FF5 pictures. You don't see enough of those on the english sites. The pics are mostly anime style, but they're good. Well she told me most of the pics are FF7 or FF8, but there are some good ones from the older games. Well if you decide to try this... You've been warned. The mirror has two faces. There might be some yaoi pics on those Japanese sites. Okay, maybe that's fanart, too, I just don't understand it completely... while it seems that my sister does.

What I want to say those who like fanart - look for new sites, check every pic the artist has, maybe there's something you wanted to see. And if you like it, tell that to the artist, too. I've had some nice replies when I commented that I liked a pic. "You really like it? Hey, thanks, I thought that I can't draw..." A word to the fanartist... Never give up. The more you draw, the better you'll become. And for those who draw great pics but dislike them - stop thinking that they're bad. Also keep those old pics archived somewhere. We want to see them. And please, do not close your sites, just because you think your art is no good. There's always someone who loves your art. I don't draw that great pics, but I won't close my pages, either. Well I am planning on making a junk page... now let's see how good I am in following my own advice.