- 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. ...Thoughts about wallpapers and fanart
The wallpaper section of theOtaku is filled mostly with official art and episode stills. This isn't surprising--it's the result of some (necessary!) rules being followed. (Namely, "Don't Steal Stuff.")
So it's the result of a good thing, but I think it does kind of limit the tone of the wallpapers that are produced. One of the fun things about fanart is being able to see different interpretations of characters. You get to see different drawing styles, new ideas, situations that, canonically, would never happen.
I think most (not all, but probably most) artists concern themselves mainly with the fanart section of the site, leaving wallpapers and cards to those who consider drawing one of their weak points. (And I do think that considering it a weak point is an important thing here. If you think you're just naturally bad at something, you probably won't worry yourself with improving--or even participating--and it becomes a kind of self-fulfilling prophecy. That's probably a topic for another time.) This isn't exactly a bad thing, either! People who consider themselves poor artists are likely to throw themselves wholeheartedly into something else (like making wallpapers, or composing fan words) and really find their niche there.
My point is, I don't see a lot of fanart in the wallpaper section of the site, and I feel like that's kind of a missed opportunity. For a site with such a large pool of talented artists, and so many dedicated wallpaperers, there should be more crossover.
Maybe that would be a good subject for a Challenge? If there's interest, I would be happy to put that together.
Long story short, that's why I've been sizing my fanart up and posting it in the wallpapers section. It's a good thing to have variety, you know?
End
