Midnight writing.
I'm having one of those nights where I just. Can't. Sleep. I'm tired as anything, but even though my body feels exhausted, my brain won't stop working. Random thoughts just keep on working round and round my head and I just can't stop thinking. So I thought maybe I'd write a bit. So! Please bear with me for a long winded entry of mind babble. Something that's been bothering me:
I draw all the time. I'm planning on becoming a concept artist. I'm always doodling things and sketching, I have hundreds of loose papers that I've drawn on because I ran out of room in my latest sketch book. And I think up stories in my head through my art. Often I'll just be doodling random people and faces, and I'll like the look of one of them. I'll do a few more sketches of them and slowly they seem to start to gain a personality, almost a mind of their own. Pretty soon, I have in my head their name, backstory, friends, family, dreams and quirks, and all of those things for each connecting person. It just sort of takes over.
I don't often write these stories down, because while I am proud of my skills as a story teller when it comes to characters, I have no head for plot. Often it's just 'together they fight crime!' stories, or 'these people are quirky and they have zany hi-jinks'. But even though I don't have it written, it's always down on paper in my drawings, and in my head. And it's awesome. I love it. I love the stories. I love my characters.
The problem is when inspiration comes from elsewhere.
When I see art, it makes me want to draw. So it makes sense that when I find something (be it comic, TV show or video game) that is really interesting visually, or even just captures me story-wise, it influences my art and gives me ideas. I draw lots of fanart on top of original art. But my story brain will start up with those just like with my original art, and often change and rocket into their own worlds and people. Like recently, after having browsed through art for the video game series 'Bioshock' (and incredibly interesting series, both visually and thematically) I went on a big steampunky art kick. And now I have a story from it.
And this one even has a plot.
The story has grown in such a way that I do feel it is quite different from it's inspiration, but I cannot deny that it does share some similar characteristics. Particularly in the use of little girls and huge metal monsters. The very basic, spoiler free plot summary may even resemble Bioshock:Infinite a little (again, only in usage of girls and monsters, not the politics), although I am confident that my later plans for the plot are different.
So my question is this: How far is it okay to be inspired by something, before it becomes 'copying'? Is it all right to use imagery most certainly inspired by something if you change the things around it? How much makes 'homage' turn into 'plagiarism'?
Ugh. I'm probably freaking out way too much about this, seeing as I'm tired and it's three in the morning and I'm an anxious person in general. Sorry to anyone reading this if it doesn't make a lot of sense, as I said, three in the morning. Though to those who do read and have thoughts- I'd love to hear them!
I draw all the time. I'm planning on becoming a concept artist. I'm always doodling things and sketching, I have hundreds of loose papers that I've drawn on because I ran out of room in my latest sketch book. And I think up stories in my head through my art. Often I'll just be doodling random people and faces, and I'll like the look of one of them. I'll do a few more sketches of them and slowly they seem to start to gain a personality, almost a mind of their own. Pretty soon, I have in my head their name, backstory, friends, family, dreams and quirks, and all of those things for each connecting person. It just sort of takes over.
I don't often write these stories down, because while I am proud of my skills as a story teller when it comes to characters, I have no head for plot. Often it's just 'together they fight crime!' stories, or 'these people are quirky and they have zany hi-jinks'. But even though I don't have it written, it's always down on paper in my drawings, and in my head. And it's awesome. I love it. I love the stories. I love my characters.
The problem is when inspiration comes from elsewhere.
When I see art, it makes me want to draw. So it makes sense that when I find something (be it comic, TV show or video game) that is really interesting visually, or even just captures me story-wise, it influences my art and gives me ideas. I draw lots of fanart on top of original art. But my story brain will start up with those just like with my original art, and often change and rocket into their own worlds and people. Like recently, after having browsed through art for the video game series 'Bioshock' (and incredibly interesting series, both visually and thematically) I went on a big steampunky art kick. And now I have a story from it.
And this one even has a plot.
The story has grown in such a way that I do feel it is quite different from it's inspiration, but I cannot deny that it does share some similar characteristics. Particularly in the use of little girls and huge metal monsters. The very basic, spoiler free plot summary may even resemble Bioshock:Infinite a little (again, only in usage of girls and monsters, not the politics), although I am confident that my later plans for the plot are different.
So my question is this: How far is it okay to be inspired by something, before it becomes 'copying'? Is it all right to use imagery most certainly inspired by something if you change the things around it? How much makes 'homage' turn into 'plagiarism'?
Ugh. I'm probably freaking out way too much about this, seeing as I'm tired and it's three in the morning and I'm an anxious person in general. Sorry to anyone reading this if it doesn't make a lot of sense, as I said, three in the morning. Though to those who do read and have thoughts- I'd love to hear them!