The 30 Day Fanart History Meme - Day 7
Day 7 - Have you ever had a pic change your opinion of a character?
No. The only thing that comes close to it was when I drew a character I don't really care for (Sebastian from Black Butler) but realized he's kind of fun to draw because of his attitude. I still don't really like his character that much, though. This question was a bit of a wonky transition from writing to drawing since while I do get into characters heads in order to draw them, it isn't nearly to the extent that a writer does for fic.
Let's derail again to make this a little more interesting to read.
My understanding of a character has to be a little bit different than a writer's, too, because I have to look at all the visual elements to them. How do they stand? Do they have attitude in the way they carry themselves? What are their characteristic gestures? Do they generally have their shoulders thrown back or more hunched forward? Do they hold their head high? Do their eyebrows slant or arch? Are they thick, thin, or wedged? How would the shape of the eyes translate into my style (that one is really important)? What does their mouth look like when they smile or when it is emotion-less? How does the shape of their face translate into my style (another important one)? Is there any way humanly possible that I can make their hair look semi-realistic and plausible? What is every single little detail on their clothing? What color are their eyes? What is their basic personality that I can translate into body language and facial expression? Any person who has commissioned me for a character or a scene from one of their fics can tell you that I ask questions about visual things they never even THOUGHT about but it's stuff that I have to know in order to create a visual.
Translating the facial features into my style is direly important in order for the character to still be recognizable even though it has been completely removed from its source style. While it doesn't happen as much with series like FMA that has a little more realistically proportioned faces, it's really important in the more stylized series like Inuyasha where all of them have the big eyes and basically the same facial shape.
This is what I mean:
See that little slant in the corner of the eye? Whenever he's on model in the series and in RT's more detailed drawings, that little slant is ALWAYS there. That is why my Inuyasha's eyes have always had a slant in the corner. The eyebrows are an obvious transition, and I give him a stronger chin and jawline to enhance the masculinity because in canon he's a guy who has a little blood in his testosterone stream. While I give Sess more of a chin and jaw than his anime counterpart, there's still a slight softness to it that I do not use on Inu because Sess is more refined while still being masculine. This image is also one of the reasons why I do not agree when some people tell me I make my Inu's nose too big. That nose in the anime shot ain't tiny in profile, thankyouverymuch.
And no, I have never posted that drawing before.
Pretty much the same thing here. When he grins, one corner of the mouth is always higher than the other. The same when he smiles. The lock in the center of his bangs always hangs down the lowest across his face as well. Something else that is in every single image of Inu I have ever posted is slit pupils. They aren't always that visible because of the size of the image, but they're there. I never draw him with round pupils unless he's human.
This isn't relevant to the transition between styles so much as realism but another sticking point for me with my Inu is that HIS EARS ARE ATTACHED TO HIS SKULL. They're not stuck on to his hair, they are stuck on to his skull and his hair grows around them. I'm a stickler for that not only for realism but because it bugs the crap out of me when I see other people just stick them in his hair so they're floating there instead of anchored to his head. Draw the head, put the ears on the head, and then draw the hair around the ears just as you would the face. Nyargh, eyetwitch. Digress.
I've always been an adamant believer that a character needs to be recognizable by more than their clothes and hair which is one of the things that bugs me so much about some anime artwork. Same face, different hair and clothes. That's why every time I transfer a character over into my style I try to make their faces different from each other so that even before I draw in the hair, you can tell what character I'm drawing. That is usually dependent upon the shape of the eyes, the shape of the brows, the shape of the mouth, and the shape of the face on some characters. If you don't get that right, the character doesn't translate at all.
Day 6 - When you draw, do you prefer drawing male or female characters?
Day 5 - If you have ever had a character try to push their way into a pic, whether your "muse" or not, what did you do about it?
Day 4 - Do you have a "muse" character, that speaks to you more than others, or that tries to push their way in, even when the pic isn't about them? Who are they, and why did that character became your muse?
Day 3 - For each of the fandoms from day two, what were your favorite characters to draw?
Day 2 - Name the fandoms you've drawn in, and how much you've drawn in that fandom, and if you still draw in it.
Day 1 - How did you first get into drawing fanart, and what was the first fandom you ever drew for? What do you think it was about the fandom that pulled you in?
Upcoming...
Day 8 - Do you draw OCs? And if so, what do you do to make certain they're not Mary Sues, and if not, explain your thoughts on OCs.
Day 9 - Pairings - For each of the fandoms from day two, what are your three favorite pairings to draw?
Day 10 - Pairings - Have you ever gone outside your comfort zone and drawn a pairing you liked, but found you couldn't draw, or a pairing you didn't like, and found you could?
Day 11 - Genre - do you prefer certain types of art when you're drawing? What kind do you tend to draw most?
Day 12 - Have you ever attempted an "adaptation" pic of a favorite book or movie (or image) but set in a different fandom?
Day 13 - Do you prefer canon or fanon when you draw? Has drawing fanart for a fandom changed the way you see some or even all of the original source material?
Day 14 - Ratings - how high are you comfortable with going? Have you ever drawn higher? If you're comfortable with NC-17, have you ever been shocked by finding that the picture you're drawing is G-rated instead?
Day 15 - Warnings - What do you feel it most important to warn for, and what's the strangest thing you've warned for in a pic?
Day 16 - Descriptions - Do you like them or hate them? How do you come up with them, if you use them?
Day 17 - Titles - Are they the bane of your existence, or the easiest part of the pic? Also, if you do a series of pictures, do you give each piece a title, or not?
Day 18 - Where do you get the most inspiration for your pics (aka "bunnies") from?
Day 19 - When you have bunnies, do you sit down and start drawing right away, or do you thumbnail the idea for further use?
Day 20 - Do you ever get bunnied from other people's stories or art in the same fandom?
Day 21 - Sequels - Have you ever drawn a "sequel" to a pic you drew, and if so, why, and if not, how do you feel about sequels?
Day 22 - Have you ever participated in a fest or a Big Bang? If so, write about your favorite experience in relation to one. If not, are there any you've thought about doing? And if not, why not?
Day 23 - When you post, where do you post to? Just your journal? Just an archive? Your own personal site?
Day 24 - Critiquing and Proofing - How many "previewers" do you like to use to make sure there aren't any major flaws in your pic? Do you have a Proofing or Critiquing horror story or dream story?
Day 25 - Music - Do you listen to music while you draw? Do you make playlists to get into a certain "mood" to draw your pic? Do you need noise in general? Or do you need it completely quiet?
Day 26 - What is the oddest (or funnest) thing you've had to research for a pic?
Day 27 - Where is your favorite place to draw, and do you draw traditionally by hand or digitally on the computer?
Day 28 - Have you ever collaborated with anyone else, whether drawing together, or having a writer work on a piece about your pic?
Day 29 - What is your current project or projects?
Day 30 - Do you have a favorite pic you've drawn? What makes it your favorite? And don't forget to give us a link!
No. The only thing that comes close to it was when I drew a character I don't really care for (Sebastian from Black Butler) but realized he's kind of fun to draw because of his attitude. I still don't really like his character that much, though. This question was a bit of a wonky transition from writing to drawing since while I do get into characters heads in order to draw them, it isn't nearly to the extent that a writer does for fic.
Let's derail again to make this a little more interesting to read.
My understanding of a character has to be a little bit different than a writer's, too, because I have to look at all the visual elements to them. How do they stand? Do they have attitude in the way they carry themselves? What are their characteristic gestures? Do they generally have their shoulders thrown back or more hunched forward? Do they hold their head high? Do their eyebrows slant or arch? Are they thick, thin, or wedged? How would the shape of the eyes translate into my style (that one is really important)? What does their mouth look like when they smile or when it is emotion-less? How does the shape of their face translate into my style (another important one)? Is there any way humanly possible that I can make their hair look semi-realistic and plausible? What is every single little detail on their clothing? What color are their eyes? What is their basic personality that I can translate into body language and facial expression? Any person who has commissioned me for a character or a scene from one of their fics can tell you that I ask questions about visual things they never even THOUGHT about but it's stuff that I have to know in order to create a visual.
Translating the facial features into my style is direly important in order for the character to still be recognizable even though it has been completely removed from its source style. While it doesn't happen as much with series like FMA that has a little more realistically proportioned faces, it's really important in the more stylized series like Inuyasha where all of them have the big eyes and basically the same facial shape.
This is what I mean:
See that little slant in the corner of the eye? Whenever he's on model in the series and in RT's more detailed drawings, that little slant is ALWAYS there. That is why my Inuyasha's eyes have always had a slant in the corner. The eyebrows are an obvious transition, and I give him a stronger chin and jawline to enhance the masculinity because in canon he's a guy who has a little blood in his testosterone stream. While I give Sess more of a chin and jaw than his anime counterpart, there's still a slight softness to it that I do not use on Inu because Sess is more refined while still being masculine. This image is also one of the reasons why I do not agree when some people tell me I make my Inu's nose too big. That nose in the anime shot ain't tiny in profile, thankyouverymuch.
And no, I have never posted that drawing before.
Pretty much the same thing here. When he grins, one corner of the mouth is always higher than the other. The same when he smiles. The lock in the center of his bangs always hangs down the lowest across his face as well. Something else that is in every single image of Inu I have ever posted is slit pupils. They aren't always that visible because of the size of the image, but they're there. I never draw him with round pupils unless he's human.
This isn't relevant to the transition between styles so much as realism but another sticking point for me with my Inu is that HIS EARS ARE ATTACHED TO HIS SKULL. They're not stuck on to his hair, they are stuck on to his skull and his hair grows around them. I'm a stickler for that not only for realism but because it bugs the crap out of me when I see other people just stick them in his hair so they're floating there instead of anchored to his head. Draw the head, put the ears on the head, and then draw the hair around the ears just as you would the face. Nyargh, eyetwitch. Digress.
I've always been an adamant believer that a character needs to be recognizable by more than their clothes and hair which is one of the things that bugs me so much about some anime artwork. Same face, different hair and clothes. That's why every time I transfer a character over into my style I try to make their faces different from each other so that even before I draw in the hair, you can tell what character I'm drawing. That is usually dependent upon the shape of the eyes, the shape of the brows, the shape of the mouth, and the shape of the face on some characters. If you don't get that right, the character doesn't translate at all.
Day 6 - When you draw, do you prefer drawing male or female characters?
Day 5 - If you have ever had a character try to push their way into a pic, whether your "muse" or not, what did you do about it?
Day 4 - Do you have a "muse" character, that speaks to you more than others, or that tries to push their way in, even when the pic isn't about them? Who are they, and why did that character became your muse?
Day 3 - For each of the fandoms from day two, what were your favorite characters to draw?
Day 2 - Name the fandoms you've drawn in, and how much you've drawn in that fandom, and if you still draw in it.
Day 1 - How did you first get into drawing fanart, and what was the first fandom you ever drew for? What do you think it was about the fandom that pulled you in?
Upcoming...
Day 8 - Do you draw OCs? And if so, what do you do to make certain they're not Mary Sues, and if not, explain your thoughts on OCs.
Day 9 - Pairings - For each of the fandoms from day two, what are your three favorite pairings to draw?
Day 10 - Pairings - Have you ever gone outside your comfort zone and drawn a pairing you liked, but found you couldn't draw, or a pairing you didn't like, and found you could?
Day 11 - Genre - do you prefer certain types of art when you're drawing? What kind do you tend to draw most?
Day 12 - Have you ever attempted an "adaptation" pic of a favorite book or movie (or image) but set in a different fandom?
Day 13 - Do you prefer canon or fanon when you draw? Has drawing fanart for a fandom changed the way you see some or even all of the original source material?
Day 14 - Ratings - how high are you comfortable with going? Have you ever drawn higher? If you're comfortable with NC-17, have you ever been shocked by finding that the picture you're drawing is G-rated instead?
Day 15 - Warnings - What do you feel it most important to warn for, and what's the strangest thing you've warned for in a pic?
Day 16 - Descriptions - Do you like them or hate them? How do you come up with them, if you use them?
Day 17 - Titles - Are they the bane of your existence, or the easiest part of the pic? Also, if you do a series of pictures, do you give each piece a title, or not?
Day 18 - Where do you get the most inspiration for your pics (aka "bunnies") from?
Day 19 - When you have bunnies, do you sit down and start drawing right away, or do you thumbnail the idea for further use?
Day 20 - Do you ever get bunnied from other people's stories or art in the same fandom?
Day 21 - Sequels - Have you ever drawn a "sequel" to a pic you drew, and if so, why, and if not, how do you feel about sequels?
Day 22 - Have you ever participated in a fest or a Big Bang? If so, write about your favorite experience in relation to one. If not, are there any you've thought about doing? And if not, why not?
Day 23 - When you post, where do you post to? Just your journal? Just an archive? Your own personal site?
Day 24 - Critiquing and Proofing - How many "previewers" do you like to use to make sure there aren't any major flaws in your pic? Do you have a Proofing or Critiquing horror story or dream story?
Day 25 - Music - Do you listen to music while you draw? Do you make playlists to get into a certain "mood" to draw your pic? Do you need noise in general? Or do you need it completely quiet?
Day 26 - What is the oddest (or funnest) thing you've had to research for a pic?
Day 27 - Where is your favorite place to draw, and do you draw traditionally by hand or digitally on the computer?
Day 28 - Have you ever collaborated with anyone else, whether drawing together, or having a writer work on a piece about your pic?
Day 29 - What is your current project or projects?
Day 30 - Do you have a favorite pic you've drawn? What makes it your favorite? And don't forget to give us a link!