So, ya, recall me saying "Give me a meme to draw as RA characters?"
Well, @original-bookshelf gave me this one to do as Imp!Damien & Angel
And so I spent the past 5 hours of my day, with nothing but a boba in my system, doing just that (with an Echo cameo)
I forgot to double check that I got his last name spelt right, I don't think I did? Too late now. PC is shut off, and this took forever to upload.
I also couldn't think of any other pose for Damien.
...I feel like I sound pissed off, like I was forced to do this. But I can assure you, that is not that case. I actually enjoyed it. Just a lil tired, and I rarely like setting aside art to finish later because it usually never gets finished then. XD
I kinda wanna yap about something I think is important to the audio roleplay community because I have witnessed it yet again, though this can also go out to any artist out there as well, specifically regarding fanart/artist side of thingsâŠ
POST YOUR BEAUTIFUL ART!!!
I just read a post about someone's biggest fear is doing fanart because of the fear of people's opinions. Don't get it twisted that apprehension is totally valid, as it's kinda a vulnerable thing to put out there at times because of how much you cherish your art; however, the issue was in regard to canon designs. Now, if I understood correctly, it's due to the fear of getting "jumped" in a certain community (iykyk) and due to the fear of creator judgment. Those should not be reasons to hold yourself back from sharing art you want to share!
I'm going to keep this part brief because there are plenty of posts out there surrounding this topic, but in regard to that particular community, it's honestly so upsetting, given the recurring drama that revolves around fanart, because I have never seen anything like that in any other audio roleplay fandom until this one. People should feel welcome to share their thoughts, opinions, and ideas when it comes to character and listener designs... There should not be fear in wanting to share something with a person who supposedly has similar interests.
In regard to creators, who cares if the creator sees it or not? I mean, it's always a bonus if they do, but it shouldn't be the reason that stops you from sharing something you are itching to show off because you're proud of it. I'm just going to use Escaped as an example, but other creators such as Zsakuva, GoodBoyAudios, Scythe Audios, etc, recognize and strongly encourage fanart. Escaped is pretty active in the community and basically reposts any fanart he finds, mainly because he loves to see them and share them with the community, regardless of how "small" his fandom is, enjoying the fact that there are people who enjoy his content so much that they make silly doodles to full-blown works revolving around his series. It is such an honor for him or rather gives him pride. It doesn't have to be "canon" to be good and appreciated. He has voiced multiple times that he honestly doesn't give a fuck about what people want to draw, it's not his art, and he cannot stop your creative liberty. Whether he likes it or not, it shouldn't matter; he just wants you to make the thing and feel good about it. Even if you were still worried about making sure the character designs are canon, he has been very willing to describe their appearances and pull references from commissioned work, images, and resembling fanart (even going as far as making some fanart designs canon). Don't limit yourself to what the creator could think... and don't think your art is not worthy enough for the creator because they should feel privileged you put the thought in it all!
Anywho, on to the bigger picture.
This isn't the first time to see something like this, as many artists across multiple communities outside of audio roleplay struggle with sharing their art, but let's just focus on this community for now because I'm sure this message still speaks true to many audiences.
I have seen so much asking for permission, hesitation, or even harsh self-criticism in this community regarding posting art. I get it, I was once in that mindset as well, because it is scary to put yourself out there, because art can say so much about you. HOWEVER, it is so liberating when you do it. Donât put these invisible barriers for yourself, such as: âoh, well, what if no one likes it?â or âwhat if it's not good enough to post?â and GOD HELP ME IF YOU SAY âBut it isn't as good as âso-and-soâs' art.â I WILL HARM YOU IF YOU SAY THAT!!!! As someone who has spent literal years developing a personalized art style (as many other artists have), every step is a milestone to be proud of! If youâre proud of it and/or willing to continue to develop it, that is all that matters! Your style is your own, and that is what makes it so unique and beautiful. There is a statement I like to tell myself and will stand by it for the rest of my life, in and out of artâ you will always be your worst critic.
It's easy to get in your own head when it comes to sharing your art, but it takes effort to put yourself out thereâ if youâre one of the people hesitating to hit that post button or just have it sitting in your drafts, POST IT! You truly have nothing to lose because no one elseâs opinion but yours should matter! Even if someone does say something shitty instead of something constructive, screw them, who gives a flying shit what they think. It's yours, and you should be proud of it!
in honor of me relistening to the DAMN crewâs playlist, I thought Iâd redraw one of my first ever drawings of my freelancer Koen from three years go and woww
Itâs wild how much has changed in my art style since then haha. Iâm tempted to go through and redesign all my listeners from back then because itâs been a hot second for some of them.
Freelancer is one of my favorite listeners, they resonate so greatly with me and I really should draw them more <3
i havent been in the fandom that long so idk if this is a thing already, but i love the idea of empowered religions and cultures
of course there's the meridian, we all know that's canon, but empowered people didn't grow up with the gods that the demons did so I wonder what they believe in.
I wonder if earth element elementals were brought up with the idea that the earth themselves granted them that power, maybe they would have some sort of daily ritual, blessing the earth as the earth blessed them. teaching them appreciation and gratitude. like saying grace before a meal.
I wonder if in air elemental folklore, the meridian is held up by the wind, so maybe in traditional air elemental funerals they send something up into the sky as a way of parting, the way one would release doves or something.
i think that having whole races names good ideas for different cultures, folklore, religions etc.
do they have cultural foods? dances? clothes? music? this would imply that, at one point, the magical races divided themselves into categories.
do they believe in gods? would that differ amongst magical races or would they all have one god? do those gods correlate with unempowered religion like christianity or hinduism? maybe based off of those texts but re-interpretted or with alternative translations in a way where magic is implied or directly spoken of? maybe there are alternate texts entirely
even if they're outdated, but people still hold onto those mannerisms, like the way non religious people say bless you after someone sneezes
vaporwave
kaledo-art
pixelskylines
yousharknotpass
blakekathryn
snowghoul
janainaart
germansingergirl
