Recently I’ve been going back and forth on whether or not I should continue drawing art for fanfictions. Because of my internal struggle I decided to write out all of the positives that come with drawing fanfiction art as a reminder to myself, and maybe even convince some of you artists out there to consider it in the process.
1.) They deserve it
Fanfiction writers create some amazing stories, sometimes they even create characters or worlds. These things take some serious time and skill! They spend their personal time to create free stories for your enjoyment. Creating art for them is a great kindness to fanfiction writers who have given you ten times that kindness back.
I don’t really give reviews of fanfictions. Mainly because I never know how to explain what I like about a fanfiction without giving them a ten page paper or ending up sounding like a pterodactyl. Drawing art is a great way to show your appreciation without screaming in their faces!
2.) It is great practice
Very rarely do I have something that allows me to draw demonic dolls, blushing demons, a man whose slowly breaking apart and going to space, ghost gangsters, robots with electricity sparking from them, a boy with a bloody knee blaming it on parkour, desperate hugs, two men fighting off ice cold oceans waves, the list goes on and on!
Fanfiction provides some great scenarios for art, that let me branch out and try new things. It’s a great challenge!
3.) It gives them a reason to keep writing
Do you enjoy this fanfiction writers work? Want to keep them excited about writing so that way you can see more great, high quality, work? Well boy oh boy do I have the solution for you! Fanfiction art!
Fanfiction art, at least to me, is a big way to show you care. Writers put time and effort into their pieces and you have given back something that also has time and effort put into it. Seeing that kind of support can really encourage a fanfiction writer! With fanfiction art you are showing that you deeply care about their work, that you are inspired by what they’ve done.
If that’s not a big thumbs up, I don’t know what is!
4.) Positive response
I’ve seen some fanfiction writers response to my art and let me tell you, it’s positively heart warming. The writers who I have drawn for have been so excited with the art! I don’t know about you but seeing someone who deserves something get it is super satisfying. Of all the reactions to my art, fanfiction writers reactions have been the ones I remember the most. There responses kept me smiling for days on end, it’s truly moving.
Don’t be afraid to show them your art!! Let me tell you my art is not perfect but I worked hard on those pieces that I gave those talented writers, and that is enough. It’s the thought that counts, and fanfiction writers deserve as many supportive thoughts as they can get!
As a fanfiction writer, I’ve been very fortunate to receive some beautiful pieces, and some funny pieces, from readers who spent their valuable time creating art of my story, especially my OC.
There are not enough words to express the feeling I get when I see that someone enjoyed my writing enough to create art about it. It’s the ultimate compliment and should never be taken for granted. It’s inspiring and it’s refreshing to see your characters and your story through someone else’s eyes. Sometimes these pieces influence your writing and influence the creation of new scenes.
If you create something based off of a fanfic you’ve read I highly recommend that you share it with the author. Rough, sketched, polished…doesn’t matter. Your piece of work may be the only compliment, comment, or positive reinforcement they’ve received in a while. Trust me, your writer loves it. And sometimes, they need it.
The stages of someone sending me unexpected art based on my fic:
Cry (no really; actual tears from my eyes–THIS ALWAYS HAPPENS).
Internally freak out. Externally freak out (usually involves a lot of bouncing in chair.)
Show someone. Usually husband. Often cat. You know that picture of Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith where he’s like “LOOK AT MY BEAUTIFUL WIFE?” – I’m like that. Only “LOOK AT WHAT SOME BEAUTIFUL PERSON HAS DONE.”
Reblog art usually accompanied by excessive use of caps lock and/or exclamation points. (!!!)
Have exceedingly warm happy feeling for days, renewed up every time art is remembered.
Save on computer; look at art every time sad, discouraged, in need of inspiration.
Basically never stop being amazed at how wonderful people are.
Whenever people have made art of my fanfics I’ve just… completely lost the ability to think for the rest of the day. It’s so incredibly overwhelming that someone to take the time to put effort and talent – their amazing, glorious talent – into making something based off things that I, stupid little me, wrote.
Truly, fanart of fanfic is the best gift.
This has only happened to me once, and eight years later I still treasure it.
I would love art of my fanfiction.
Casual reminder to fellow artust that we can single handedly make someone’s day a little more awesome.
I bet this is like the basis of their relationship, though. Rebel command is like, alright go and face certain death doing xzy task. It will be difficult and you have to go fast. Luke is like “pffffff I did that at home so many times only the target was smaller. And moving. And I really couldn’t see that well because sand. This is gonna be cake, guys. CAKE.” Wedge’s reaction the first couple times, even after the death star, is basically that picture. But eventually he’s like sweet space jesus what terrible planet are you from that you keep telling me all these nigh impossible tasks are cake? Everyone’s like oh skywalker is a softie. He’s a squishy ball of love and sunshine, and wedge is like yeah. That is all extremely true but he is also MADE OF TEMPERED DEATH.
(After like the first 3 times Luke starts messing with Wedge. He’s like they want us do run these cables to the bottom of that extremely ominous cravasse? I did that one time when I was five, and uncle owen had me wire the relays with my toes because we had to shoot down this pack of anoobas that were trying to kill us and eat us. Wedge is just like that can’t be true, and yet…)
I really hope Wedge is still alive so that Rey can be all “On my crappy desert planet…” and Wedge can be all “OH GOD NOT AGAIN.”
so cosette has a hobby as a self-publishing romance writer
backstory is cosette is ill for awhile and her dad and marius are both like “please don’t overexert yourself, stay home” and she has soooo much time on her hands
grantaire’s a freelance digital artist and his schedule is super flexible so they end up hanging out a lot during the daytime
through sheer boredom cosette decides to write a silly romance story starring a cowboy and a city girl
she finishes her first draft and on a whim shows grantaire and he’s like well actually this is pretty good? fun and well-written? has she ever thought about actually getting published?
she’s not super serious about writing, it’s not a career dream or anything (she does have a non-writing job she’d like to go back to eventually) but wonders if people would be interested in it so she decides to try self-publishing
she needs cover art though
she jokingly asks grantaire if he’s good at like photoshopping beefcake photos
a few days later he comes back with a stunningly photo-realistic digital painting of her cowboy, shirtless. with like, water droplets clinging to his sculpted abs
she spends a moment being kind of amazed because she’s used to seeing his work in a graphic design capacity, mostly pamphlets or whatever for les amis; she didn’t know he was some kind of wizard with a tablet pen
and then… “oh my GOD R, IS THIS COMBEFERRE??????”
“this is TERRIBLE I am never going to look at him without wondering if he really looks like this under his grandpa cardigans”
but she decides the image is actually perfect for her story so she might as well use it
R tries to give her a friend discount, but is met with a flat, “no, sit down, you need to eat and I can afford your full rate”
she ends up getting a few sales for this first submission? so she keeps writing. it comes easily to her after a childhood of making up stories to comfort herself
and it turns out that while cosette is not stunningly popular, she does surprisingly well. she at least ends up making back R’s commission fees
soooo she keeps writing. and she keeps comissioning covers.
they end up not telling anyone about this
not because they’re ashamed of it, far from it, but it’s become their private project that’s brought them closer together as friends
and while they’re not ashamed of it, they’re not sure people would quite understand? and while sexy cowboy combeferre is loose in the world, it’s just easier not explaining that
and anyway after that first cover, grantaire actually rarely does full-on likenesses of their friends for her heroes and heroines, but he does likes to give them like, assorted recognizable features
for example, the mermaid prince with courf’s dimples
or the warrior maid with a stunningly accurate rendition of enjolras’s amazing sophomore year haircut
the regency rake somehow pulling off jehan’s steely-eyed look of determination
I like the idea of cosette doing this for the fun of it and just going from genre to genre
(for example, there’s like a badass steampunk pirate queen one that she did purely for the worldbuilding
and interestingly enough, R didn’t model the heroine’s physical features off of anyone they know, but she exudes a badass air that reminds them both distinctly of musichetta
after receiving this cover, she heavily revises her outline and suddenly her steampunk pirate queen’s romatic subplot is about her having feelings for both her first mate and ship’s doctor. can they get their act together AND defeat the evil Earl of Seville and his Marmalade Automatons????)
one day she decides to challenge herself and write a paranormal gay romance
“ravaged by the bearwolf”
said bearwolf has a very recognizably bahorelian upper body physique
I just… really like the idea of her staring at his art trying to figure out what friend’s features he’s included this time
it’s like a game for them
for her birthday, he does a joke alternate cover where her billionaire elf businessman is marius
he’s in shirtsleeves but rumpled and unbuttoned, his body twisted in a classic like, comic book T-and-A pose but with a bit less spine breakage
“you know his freckles don’t actually go down that far?”
“honestly cosette, please don’t critique me on my accuracy because I don’t actually want to know”
she has it pulled up one morning because she just. loves looking at it. and then the phone in the kitchen rings or something so she leaves it
and marius pops in because he left a folder on his desk and then is like
WHAT. IS. THIS?!?!?!?!?!?!?!??!!!!!!! D8
for extra comedy marius is, besides the expected amount of shocked and horrified, also super confused because grantaire is, as I said, a photorealistic wizard
and he’s like WHAT IS THIS PICTURE I DON’T REMEMBER EVER HAVING DRESSED UP AND POSED LIKE THIS
I like the idea of being able to see the needle of the compass move around as my soul mate goes to the grocery store maybe thousands of miles away.
I like the idea of people taking a year off work to follow the little needle hoping that if they keep going they can find there other half.
Imagine widows whose compass needles are grey and broken and spin around and around continuously looking for there other half.
Imagine aromantic’s whose needle points at themselves or don’t have one at all or maybe they do but its blue and points at there friends when there close by.
Imagine polyamourous people with 2 or 3 needles on there compass and there big decision is trying to figure out which one to follow first.
Imagine parents worriedly looking at there childs compass that spins around day in and day out and they breathe a sigh of relief the day it stops spinning and starts pointing with determination to some hospital somewhere.
Imagine people going to shake hands and realizing that there needles are pointing diligently at each other and just laughing and smiling awkwardly at each other.
Imagine a being able to watch your needle move and follow someone who you love, who you never met, who you vow to one day meet.
THIS EPISODE’S THEME WAS THE MOST AMAZING THING EVER I LOVE IT SO MUCH PLAY IT AT MY WEDDING, AT MY FUNERAL, EVERYTHING AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH
