PE: Fan Art vs Original Art

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rydi1689
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PE 2010 stamp by projecteducate



Manga & Anime :iconrydi1689:


Fan Art vs. Manga & Anime: The differences
Many people have come to me in the past with questions regarding whether their work qualified as Manga & Anime or Fan Art, same happened with many Daily Deviations that were placed in the M&A gallery when they should have been submitted to the Fan Art Gallery, oops!

Do you have doubts regarding the submission process? Wonder no more, we'll unveil all the mysteries surrounding the categories! :iconokie2plz:

The basics

  • Fan art includes those artworks that are based on or contain material such as characters, settings, concepts or universes in general that are copyrighted to someone else other than the artist creating said Fan artwork.

  • Manga and Anime art, on the other hand, is home for all the artworks that artists have created from scratch and are not related to any preexisting universe nor contain any copyrighted material. 

Common mistakes

  • When you are hired by the official copyright owner to create art for them allowing you therefore to use their copyrighted materials and universes, then your work is not considered Fan Art. Official art is submitted to the Manga & Anime Gallery or to any of the other root galleries depending on the style of the artwork. [You must be the artist of said official artworks, submitting works that aren't yours breaks deviantART's policies.]
  • One of the things that create confusion the most within the community is thinking that Fan Arts from Manga and Anime shows (such as Naruto, Dragon Ball, Sailor Moon...etc) should be submitted to the Manga and Anime Gallery.  However, that is not correct, fan arts even if they are based in Mangas or Animes, should be submitted to the Fan Art Galleries. 
  • Creating an original character that lives in a preexisting universe, such as a brand new ninja in the Naruto world, your own pony for My Little Pony or your own Hetalia  character, is still considered fan art due to the use of copyrighted realms and elements from the original source and should therefore be submitted to the Fan Art Gallery.

We are Kazuma! by tonemiKill' em all by NyRiam
  • Now that we mention fan characters, you might be wondering "What if I draw my best friend's Original Character? Would that be considered fan art?" Not necessarily :D If your friend grants you permission to draw their characters, you can place your artwork in Fan Art or in any other gallery you consider appropriate!
  • Original Characters drawn in Manga and Anime style should be submitted to the Manga and Anime Gallery. Original Manga works (comics) also have their home in the M&A gallery! Now this gallery accepts flash file extension .swf so you can submit your flash manga comics there too :love:
Cleared Up Skies by rhymebox

Hope this little guide was helpful!

Learning the difference between Fan Art and Original Art is important for the submission process, to help maintain the galleries clean and in order but also to make sure you're showing your work to the right audience! ;D 

Have any questions? Leave them below! <3



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MadArtistParadise's avatar
MadArtistParadise
Curious - is an artwork still considered 'fan art' when one use an public domain source to create original works or interpretations?

Example:
2015 Designs Dump by MadArtistParadise

1. and 2. were inspired by Edgar Allen Poe's works ['Masque of Red Death' and 'The Raven'] and those two were my interpretations of the said work when I read them. Would this still be considered fan art or original ideas? help please...