Entry 40: In the Name of the Moon!

Hey Crew!

Welcome back! How are you doing? Hopefully nothing too crazy has happened lately. I think we all need a vacation and a peace of mind. The world just seems to become a bigger and bigger dumpster fire everyday it seems. I have been listening to music that I loved when I was younger. A good dose of nostalgia is comforting. What was in your playlist back when life was simpler for you? I’ll be posting my list over on Pirate Games later today. Maybe we can compare notes?

My Dreams of the Moon

“I am Sailor Moon, champion of justice! On behalf of the Moon, I will right wrongs and triumph over evil, and that means you!”
Sailor Moon

Speaking of nostalgia, I’d like to introduce you to the very first obsession and love, Sailor Moon. If you have no idea what I am talking about… //cricket cricket//… I suggest you take a moment and go educate yourself. I can’t… can’t even. Anyway. for those who know, you know the feels I am talking about. I grew up with the 90s Sailor Moon and boy did that have an impact on my life. I always have dreamed to become a Sailor Scout and protect peace and love and the moon. Usagi always felt real to me, you know? She was the first character that hit a level of realness that I can’t even begin to explain. As corny as it sounds, I could see myself in her. I think that that is the magic of character design and connection that the viewer and artist makes. So it just seemed fitting to make my next Fan-Art piece about Sailor Moon.

For this I used Princess Serenity as my model. I wanted to challenge myself and push my knowledge of the Art Deco style. I took pointers from the illustrator Erté. In this first image that you are seeing, these were the main reference material that I used to create my piece. “You are only as good as your references are.” Professor Barclay. I obviously looked at many pieces of Erté’s work to get a feel for what I should do for the outfit and details. But I was mostly captivated by “The Queen of the Night” illustration he did. I thought it was very fitting for Sailor Moon.

I am so very proud about how this turned out. Like it is so clean and well polished. This mixture of Art Deco and Sailor Moon turned out so smooth. This is by far my most favorite illustration I have ever done. I think I am figuring my artistic style. What do you guys think? I am still blown away.

That concludes this story time. I can’t even get over how well I did. Like I am super critical about my own work, but I can’t see anything wrong with it. //Mind blown// Things can get keep going up from here, right? Check in tomorrow for a peek behind the scenes. Things are going to be looking a bit different around here soon. So stick around awhile! Remember to stay safe and to stay sane.

Until next time,

Suzanna 🌙

Want to know more about Erté? Check these links out:

How Erté Shaped Art Deco Design and Style

https://www.erte.us/bio.html

https://musings-on-art.org/erte

Entry 32: What if the Zodiacs Were… (Part 2)

Hey Crew!

Happy Wednesday everyone! Welcome to the first day of Side Project Wednesday! Most of the time these projects are going to be broken up into parts, because I’ll be using my free time to work on them. Are you ready to rock?

(Left) Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius / (Right) Aries, Taurus, Gemini

So here is the last of the Zodiacs. If you want to know more about the meaning behind symbols and style read the first post here.

What do you guys think? I had so much fun with these! I am really proud of how they look and how they match with the actual Tokidoki Unicornos. I enjoyed how this project pushed me to be very vector based and simple. I know that is a struggle for me. I have like this internal conflict about if I have enough detail or if things need shadow or more lines, and on the flip side I think less is more. The struggle is real.

Don’t forget to check out my IG Friday for a double picture of #BlackoutFridays. Saturday the next Sign is going to be released. Do you know which one is next? Sunday there is going to be an announcement about Sunday Comic Day! Things are moving forward. See you soon! Remember to stay safe and stay sane!

Until next time,

Suzanna 🌙

Entry 31: Breaking Into the Industry: Fan-Art

Hey Crew!

Welcome back! It is strange to be here on a Tuesday, but there is no rest for the wicked! What do you guys think of the new changes that are coming? I’m going to need your help to keep me on target, because your Captain tends to flow like a stream sometimes and forgets where she is going. I’m counting on you guys!

What is Fan-Art?

artwork based on popular works of fiction (such as books, movies, etc.) that is created by fans
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fanart

How does Fan-Art Help with Breaking into the Industry?

When you make fan-art you are paying homage something/someone you like and admire. With that you can share the love with all the other fans and build connections. It can show a great number of people what skills you have. It can help you grow your audience and clients much faster.

What are the Art World’s Thoughts on Fan-Art?

In the art world, fan-art is a double edged sword. On one hand, it is a great way to reach a lot of people quickly. On the other hand, it is a legal nightmare. Like you hear of artists receiving Cease and Desist Orders from large companies telling them to stop selling the fan-art on their copyrighted characters. Take the TinkerBell piece that I did recently, if I chose to sell prints or the original Disney could slap me with fines and other legal action. In turn that can destroy an artist. At the same time, holders of the original copyright love to see the love that their fans show to their creations. Fan-art can bring people from all walks of life together, you just can’t profit from it without consent from the OG creators.

There is that grey area. You’ll see small artists selling their fan-art, thinking that the OG creators are not paying attention. Take for example my TinkerBell piece, if I sold like 100 prints of it and profit like $500, I might seem to be under the radar. But say I make other pieces of TinkerBell and then other pieces of other Disney own characters and think I can profit from them as easily as before. Now I have like 20 different characters and am making bank on prints and other merch. I can bet Disney is already in court suing me for copyright infringement and want all of the profit. I would be destroyed. Morel of the story, even if you think they aren’t watching you, they are and they are just waiting for you to get greedy.

Why should I be Creating Fan-Art?

I want to make something very clear:

I AM NEVER GOING TO PROFIT OFF OF MY FAN-ART!

The only exception to this is if companies/artists/creators ask me to work with them. I also want you to know there are things in the public domain, like Alice in Wonderland, that are fair game.

I want to grow as an artist. I also want to connect with people. So if I show you what I like and able to start a conversation with you and other people who enjoy the same things, why shouldn’t I take that chance? In this world of social media and trending topics, if you want to reach a large audience you got to give the people what they want.

I hope this all makes more sense to you guys. If you still have questions, please ask. I’m excited for next Tuesday! This first Fan-Art is going to be super cute! And you’ll learn of a super obsession of mine. Are you ready? Don’t forget to stop by tomorrow for Part 2 of the Tokidoki Zodiacs! Too cute!!!!! Remember to stay safe and to stay sane.

Until next time,

Suzanna 🌙