- Created By Sara
No Scanner? No Problem! (How to Photograph Fanart and Make It Look Good)
One of the most fun things about creating art can be sharing it with other people. If you're a member of a site like theOtaku, that means sharing it online! If you're mostly a digital artist, or if you have a scanner, that's not a problem. ...My beloved neighbor
This drawing was inspired by vampire kiss's "It's pencil time!" challenge, which I think is a great example of a challenge done right. It has a clear theme, but one that allows for a lot of leeway. It's specific enough that entries for the contest are almost always recognisable from the fanart homepage, but also broad enough to interest a wide range of people. (For example, there's no requirement to draw a specific character.) It's also a subject that hits home with most artists.
As a result, it's gained a lot of popularity and an impressive number of entries. (It's currently at 31 submissions, blowing nearly every other current challenge out of the water. The next closest is the official Tsubasa contest, which is sitting at 22.) It's netted a lot of high-quality entries as well, and you should check them out.
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And on an exciting side note! While trying to find old notes for a possible personality quiz, I recently stumbled across some old files for a My Neighbor Totoro fansite that I was working on several years ago. I'd forgotten all about it, but it was fun to rediscover.
Anyway, I think I'll probably adapt it as a small Totoro-themed world. For such a beloved film, the My Neighbor Totoro hub is tragically sparse. I have some other theOtaku-related projects going on right now, so it may take a while, but I'm pleased about the idea.
I am running into some difficulties in transferring an html-coded site to a "world" coded one, though. Trying to keep things organised seems much more complicated, somehow.
Does anyone have examples of fan worlds that have been done really well? I'd like to see them.
Inoue
Some more Bleach art, this time with Orihime Inoue.
I really like the colors here. Probably the best reason to draw this character is the fact that she has orange hair. I am a big fan of orange—and it just looks so lovely when it's surrounded by that nice dark teal color. Sometimes I'm so excited about the colors I'm planning to use that actually drawing the image seems like kind of a bore.
On the other hand, any excuse to paint clouds is a good excuse to paint clouds. Clouds are fun.
Rukia
I've never seen Bleach before tonight, but I felt like doing some fanart, and it was the series that was recommended.
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