Here’s a roundup of stories on fan art that might be of interest to fans:
- In a story that could have dropped the specific fandom reference, CNN’s Geekout blog looked at the slew of Game of Thrones fan art online. “Often inspired by a favorite science fiction or fantasy franchise, fan artists gain exposure for their work on social media sites like Deviantart, Tumblr and Etsy. One of the most popular franchises permeating fan art territory today is the imaginative world of Westeros in George R.R. Martin’s ‘Game of Thrones.'” Indeed while fannishness inspires the artworks, one contributor pointed out that fan works need to be considered on their own merits. “Parra’s advice is that a piece of fan art should gain notoriety for reasons beyond the fact that it interprets a famous scene or character…’We should refer to fan art not only as personal reinterpretations of other’s characters … but as pieces of art itself.'”
- Cracked.com would agree in their own piece about fan works that are better than the original. These included a Star Wars fan film, various fandom movie posters, fan made video games and creature models, and a revised comic strip where less has often been shown to be more.
- The Escapist looked at the Homestuck fandom which it concluded “is second only to fans of Japanese shooter series Touhou Project as the craziest and most devoted fandom on the internet. Case in point: When series creator Andrew Hussie announced that he would be taking a temporary hiatus from the comic in order to prepare for San Diego Comic-Con, the fans erupted in a flurry of creation.” This resulted in “an overwhelming pretense that the story they love isn’t a webcomic made by some dude from Boston, but a manga/anime series out of Japan – replete with a bunch of fake screenshots…What’s impressive here is the commitment to verisimilitude…All in all, the focus on creating actual believable screenshots or manga pages (terrible anatomy issues included) is what sets this fan project apart from mere fan art. Fans without artistic talent have also made fake Wikipedia articles referencing the nonexistent series.”
If you’re an A Song of Ice and Fire fan, a Star Wars fan, a Homestuck fan or a creator of fan art why not contribute some to Fanlore? Additions are welcome from all fans.
We want your suggestions! If you know of an essay, video, article, event, or link you think we should know about, comment on the most recent Links Roundup. Links are welcome in all languages! Submitting a link doesn’t guarantee that it will be included in a roundup post, and inclusion of a link doesn’t mean that it is endorsed by the OTW.