The Pros and Cons of Selling Fan Art

[@sketchypeoplepdx]

Great vid. It's a great topic to discuss. Your best quote: "Do the things you love, not just what's popular." 100% agree. I have heard of people that quit selling their original content in lieu of selling fan art to make more money and popularity. It's kinda sad. Don't give up the spirit of originality!

[@ScottSerkland]

I agree. The lure of easy money you get from doing fan art is tempting but original work is far more rewarding in my opinion.

[@KeithHarper]

I do fanart as a fun sketchbook exercise to take a break from my own art or a way to practice emulating a a style I may want to integrate into my own.

[@ScottSerkland]

I do that to. Fan art is always a good way to warm up of get started when you cant think of what to draw because you already have a blueprint to start from.

[@TheDreamSyndicateArts]

Do you like a thing and wish you could make art in that world? Just file-off the serial numbers, i.e. change all the nouns to new ones, swap-out some concepts, and viola, you have a wholly originally world that you can legally profit off of- it worked for 50 Shades of Grey, which was originally Twilight fan-fiction. While this is a little tongue-in-cheek, combining various aspects of things you like to create an IP's a completely viable way to go about making something new.

[@ScottSerkland]

That is one of the bits of advice I give artists who say they struggle with art block. Look at The Magnificent Seven, Battle Beyond the Stars and A Bug’s Life. All the same story of Seven Samurai but in different settings and different characters.

[@exleydragon231]

First time I’ve enjoyed someone’s original art more than their fanart! Nice work man

[@ScottSerkland]

Wow, thanks!

[@gilbertlozano902]

To be honest with you, I loved you original Art much more!!!! Fresh new concepts ! 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻🎊💫🌟✨👍🏻

[@ScottSerkland]

Thank you so much! I apricate that!

[@vetebd]

Your video reminds me why i rarely do fanart... your original stuff is better than the non original characters :D

[@ArtbyGalen]

agreed

[@ScottSerkland]

Thank you! I really appreciate that.

[@Amelia_PC]

I agree with you, Scott. Selling fan art is a risky move. Besides, I'm in this game to build a brand. I prefer to spend my time developing my characters and stories than to help a brand I didn't even get hired to work for. However, I think fan art is a great way to pay homage to the creator and it's fun when you're studying other art styles. P.S.: I prefer your originals than fan arts in this video :)

[@ScottSerkland]

Thanks! I totally agree.

[@bepinkfloyd814]

The thing is that with fan art you get more views or at least should be more easy cause you rely on people that already like the fanbase. But with original is more rewarding i guess. I actually just post fan art cause my original things are a little shit 😂

[@xar91]

Your original characters are awesome!

[@ScottSerkland]

Thank you so much!

[@kareliallerenamontoya3512]

There are a lot of partner programs available these days to sell Fan Art legally. Basically, there are agreements between the companies (brands of TV shows like Rick and Morty for example) and Marketplaces like Print on Demand sites (Redbubble for example). These programs allows artists to sell fan art totally legal. How it works? The artist upload a piece of fan art, this file is reviewed by a group of people who works for each brand. If the artwork follows all the guidelines of the Partner Program, the design is approved and the artists can get a comission for each sale they make on these marketplaces. Something to remember is, there is a limited list of brands on these Partner Programs. Before you start creating art, I recommend you to research and see if your fan art is allowed or not. Personally, I sell my Fan Art on Redbubble and I had not problem since I have the permission to do it. Actually is one of the best and fast ways to start getting sales! PD> If you’re an artist, check this website douglas.life to find more about this topic and awesome ideas to create fan art!

[@ScottSerkland]

Thanks Karelia, This is something I wasn't aware of when I posted the video but have since learned about. I think it's awesome licence holders are doing this. I probably won't do this myself because I want to own whatever I create, but it provides a great opportunity for artists to align themselves with a brand and get more eyes on your work and sales then you would trying to market your own IPs, I guess I'm just a glutton for punishment. I do hope more companies start doing this with their properties. I found the list of options pretty limiting. although Rick and Morty is is very popular right now so hopefully others will see this and opt in. I was confused about one of the licences available and that was Zorro, As far as I know Zorro is in the public domain and anyone can use it.

[@kareliallerenamontoya3512]

@@ScottSerkland Yeah, is pretty limiting. Thank you for answering! good luck with your art!! I didn't know about Zorro haha

[@therealartordie]

Fantastic art dude! Really digging your original works 😎👍

[@ScottSerkland]

Thanks!

[@garynaccarato4606]

Pros and Cons of selling Fan art.The first big con that comes in mind is that you could theoretically get arrested for doing it.(Not that too many people really get into trouble for doing that type of stuff anyway.)

[@ScottSerkland]

I'm not sure if I've ever heard of anyone getting arrested. The more common thing is getting a cease and desist notification or finding yourself in the middle of a lawsuit, but most people end up getting away with it.

[@christophercurry1111]

Do self-publish works go into the public domain.

[@ScottSerkland]

Yes they do, after a certain amount of time.

[@christophercurry1111]

@@ScottSerkland Thanks

[@mikasauchiha6785]

I fell in love again with one of my favorite old game, doom games. I want to make an anime version of Daisy in human form as a doomgirl. Though I have no plan to sell it. I just want to post it. And also Ursula as a mermaid.

[@ScottSerkland]

Go for it!

[@mikasauchiha6785]

@@ScottSerkland Oh thanks....😊

[@omarcross8862]

I normally dont do fan art but recently i have had ideas on certain ip's and want to redesign some or expand the universe a bit. Not really sure how to go about it because i want to write the story as well. Great video though , gonna do some more research

[@ScottSerkland]

Yeah, I have a few ideas for t-shirt designs the parody popular IPs, those type of designs definitely get more attention but right now I sticking to some of my original ideas. whatever route you want to go it's cool there's a lot of interesting takes on existing IPs that have yet to be explored.

[@CrimsonOwlComics]

Love your original characters more then the fanart. I personally refuse to do fanart. I know with me drawing animals a lot I can easily do the classics like Bugs Bunny,Mickey Mouse, etc, but I'm not about that life. I want to be know for my own work even if the world doesn't care about it.

[@ScottSerkland]

Doing your own original art is not the easy route, it's a long game. You just need to keep plugging away at it and who knows maybe someday people will want to do fan art of your original characters.

[@1dailycreativity]

Love drawing oc & fanart

[@ScottSerkland]

Me too as you can probably tell from the art samples in the video.

[@bagelfaceable]

Great video and beautiful artwork!

[@ScottSerkland]

Thanks Scott!

[@mlmattin]

I pretty much agree with you man. Even if by some slight loophole it is not technically illegal, it might as well be. Whose to say what constitutes parody? It's a very hard thing to nail down and odds are the judge will go with the owner. Regardless of whether you think you are in the right...who has the money, time, and desire to fight it out in court? Any money that you may have made selling that product will probably be eaten up in legal costs. In my opinion, whether or not the IP owner comes down on you is mainly based on how loud you are. Loud = dollars + fame. If you are loud enough then you wake the bear. Will Terry's Kickstarter was starting to total some big dollars and he has quite a following. That is not always the case though. I'm a nobody, but a while back I had some of my t-shirts yanked from the store I sell from. I make a whopping $2-$4 per shirt. It was a t-shirt that said "Don't Mess With the Dungeon Master". Wizards of the Coast put the squash on me, said the term 'Dungeon Master' is theirs. I never even mention Dungeons and Dragons. Didn't matter. Squashed. The reason I think it happened was Gen Con. I got the notice the very week Gen Con was going on. Even though I was not there selling or anything, I think enough people had worn my t-shirts there and WOTC must have noticed and asked "hey, where did you get that shirt?". What bothers me the most is that the IP owners are sending such mixed messages and they enforce their ownership rights at their leisure. You can't tell me that Marvel, DC, etc doesn't know about what's happening at conventions. Sure they do. There are plenty of other people selling shirts using the term Dungeon Master, I've seen them. However, I will never be the one to turn them in. I'm just not that guy. Good luck to them. My advice is to do all the fan art you want to build up your social media following, just don't sell it. I don't do a lot of fan art, but the sad fact is when I do....I get more likes than I ever do on my other stuff. I wish it wasn't that way but it seems to be the case so far. It's kind of a bummer honestly.

[@ScottSerkland]

Very true, I do think there are works that are very clearly parody: Mad Magazine, SNL, Wierd Al etc. but it is true that it doesn't necessarily mean that they can't be sued and the odds are that the people with the most power and money will win. even if it's just by out spending you in legal fees. It's interesting that some of these terms that we think of a generic are actually owned by companies. I hadn't heard about the term Dungeon Master, but I know the term Super Hero is jointly owned by both Marvel and DC. Marvel and DC definitely know what's being sold in artist alleys. and I doubt they will every take an official stance. They are in a strange position were if that stuff goes away so do conventions and that's not good for there properties, They also don't want their fans to turn on them. But as I said it's not only the property owners you have to worry about. Just think of the people that are paying thousands of dollars to license properties. It's not fair to them when someone comes along and just does it for free. I think if it gets to the point were licensors start to walk away because they can't compete with the fan art then you will see Marvel, DC, and others start to change their tune.

[@ddexpress]

You know come to think of it- I haven't sold any fan artwork at all. Never thought about it to be honest as I usually just do commissions. But if it's a parody then it should be fine as long as it's established as a parody or farce or something... then again people always try to look for the line somewhere.

[@ScottSerkland]

That's interesting that you do mostly commissions and no one has asked you to do fan art. Most of the commissions I've been asked to do are of fan art.

[@ddexpress]

@@ScottSerkland I know. I wonder why.

[@jasonmullinder]

Personally, I'd opt for having a fanart gallery on a website but only original art for sale. There is a massive culture of discussing why it's ok to do specific things in specific aspects of life as long as it meets random criteria, not much on the general principle of getting permission as the moral benchmark on pretty much everything. I've unsubscribed from music channels the second they complain about their cover videos being taken down.

[@ScottSerkland]

Originals (as opposed to prints) is something I meant to touch on. When I do a comic store sighing I will usually do fan art commissions for people. and I also have all these original fan art pieces that at some point I could sell and personally, I wouldn't have any issue selling them. I think that most people would agree that even though original drawings of fan art a technically not legal it's pretty much an accepted practice.

[@ArtbyGalen]

Personally, I appreciate fan art... BUT, I cannot ever get behind the idea of selling unlicensed fan art in any capacity outside of actual original drawings/sketches. Once it's in print form or any other mass-produced medium, is when it becomes illegal. I've seen TONS of people defend the idea of selling fan art prints by saying "the companies don't do anything about it, so they're okay with it" and "it's free advertising for them" etc. etc... and while those may be partially true, it still doesn't change the ethics of it. I would not be okay with other people mass producing my IPs for profit without proper permissions and licensing in place, and as such, I would never do that to another creator. I know and respect the amount of time and work that goes into creating and developing IPs, and I believe that people who set up at comic conventions with the giant wall full of unlicensed fan art prints have zero respect for creators. It may make me a little judgemental, but I also view those people as a creative black hole. To me, when I see a booth like that, it just screams "I HAVE NO ORIGINAL IDEAS" That said, I've done fan art in the past, but I never sell it. I may do a drawing and post it on Instagram or do a timelapse video of it or something, but I'm not selling the art in any capacity.

[@ScottSerkland]

I'm pretty much in the same boat Galen. I mentioned in another comment that even an original drawing based on characters you don't own is probably technically illegal, but it's a widely accepted practice and I would have no qualms about creating or selling it. I just think to myself how I would feel if I was on the other end. I would be so flattered if someone did an original fan art drawing of one of my characters and they would have my blessing to do it, but if they were to turn around and make a bunch of prints and start selling them at conventions I would have a big problem with that.

[@PikeyCamp]

Fan art is like a band playing cover songs. Some of those "cover" bands get paid to play cover songs. Why doesn't the band get in trouble? What about the tattoo industry? I tattooed professionally almost 20 years, copyrights and trademark infringement isn't considered AT ALL in that community. If a person asks an artist to draw or tattoo an image "owned" by a company, who gets in trouble for it? For me, the argument is about integrity and what team you're on. Are you on the Super Art Snobs team or the Despicable Money Grabbers? What about the artist trying to get a job at Marvel or DC? The Big 2 are looking for new fresh ways to draw their characters, do they really care about the artist's original characters? Hell no they do not. When I began doing conventions, I was dumbfounded by the amount of Fan Art being peddled. I asked tons of artists about the legalities, watched several videos and read enough articles to realize Fan Art is saturated with grey areas. My rule of thumb, if you sell Fan Art and want to retain your integrity as an artist, do the 50/50 approach. If you have 10 Fan Art drawings for sell, you should have 10 Original Art drawings, as well. Shouldn't the focus be on the artist's style, concept and voice anyway?

[@ScottSerkland]

people will want to do fan art of your original characters. The cover band analogy is a great one. I love a good cover band, and In some rare instances a band can really take a cover song somewhere interesting and unexpected but I cover bands typically don't change the world. Similarly, I've seen a few fan artist that do extremely unique takes on an intellectual property they don't own and these are the ones that tend to attract positive reaction from the owners of the property to where they might ask the artist to do something with their characters on an official basis. There are so many grey areas and things to consider. I often wonder about the tattoo industry, I'm not a tattoo artist, but I have designed a number of tattoos for people and I'm kind of amazed by how much trademark infringement there is. I think they get away with it is because usually, the designs are like an original drawing where they aren't printed and even a similar design would vary slightly from person to person. And to be honest, what can a company like Disney do to stop someone from getting a Mick Mouse tattoo? They cant make the person cut off their arm.

[@PikeyCamp]

@@ScottSerkland Right on! Dude, your style screams tattoo design! You would kill it in the tattoo industry. There was a rumor awhile back about Disney suing a dude who had every Disney character tattooed on his body, I don't remember the details, but I think Disney lost... as the story goes.

[@SaintsCoAnime]

Amen! 😆❤️❤️❤️🙏🏾🌟

[@mikemowery4247]

I sell fan art and original works. They both sell about the same, some not many, some alot.

[@ScottSerkland]

Interesting. It's good that your original work is selling as good a your fan art, That is definitely not the norm

[@suzannescallan6598]

I had fan art stickers on my Etsy that got flagged by the studio. I only sold like $20 worth of stuff. Not a big shop. I wouldn’t show up on the first 5 pages. Meanwhile there are more blatant listings on Etsy for way more.

[@maeganbratcher8189]

I have drawn fan art myself. I admit i have sold a few things. Literally 3 drawings. And it was to family members. I pretty musch stopped drawing fan art because of these issues. Even just for my leisure. I post my art on Facebook/Instagram because I'm proud of it. Like anyone wlse would, right. Lol It got to the point where I had this lady telling me I have a great talent for drawing, but i shouldntbe posting my fan art because i will be on trouble and went on about so many other things. I never posted it for purchase. Even though there are so many pro's to doing fan art...that little negativity or con's out weigh it big time. I really enjoyed this video though. Answered some questions I have always had based on fan art and the copyrights and licensing. So many people sell fan art that aren't in association with that company, I often wonder too how they get away with it.

[@ScottSerkland]

Thanks! I think everyone will have to make there own decision about whether they are comfortable selling fan art. I just think it's important that they know the truth about the legalities and don't try to kid themselves it to thinking something that isn't true. If they know the risks involved and are okay with that then it's their choice to do it. But I've heard a lot of people complain when they get a cease and desist letter, an go on about how unfair it is when they should have known that was a possibility.

[@maeganbratcher8189]

@@ScottSerkland i totally agree with you there. There are so many legalities with this.

[@deebonash4487]

Just sell it on the low, not public. You all have that hippie friend or skater friend who smokes weed and sells it to your circle. Same concept. He or she isn’t going outside the circle of his connection. Don’t be a loud mouth on it and hustle like a new yorkerb

[@ScottSerkland]

That’s assuming you have enough people interested in your small circle who are willing to purchase your fan art. Most fan artist are trying to reach as many people as they can in order to boost sales.

[@deebonash4487]

@@ScottSerkland that’s the risk. I agree. design and maybe show people pics and if they like it give it at a price worth the work. With Fan art, sometimes you have more possibilities for request (stylization) and make them something custom and great quality in design. But that’s up to the skills of the artist and how well rounded they are

[@sketchypeoplepdx]

Original > Fan art 24/7/365

[@ScottSerkland]

Me too!

[@shojodraws3399]

What if you're just doing it for fun? Not for profit, just for fun.

[@ScottSerkland]

If you love something so much you want to draw it, then by all means draw it. I draw characters I love that I don't own too. This is all my opinion anyway, there are plenty of people out there who only draw fan art and they sell it. As long as you are aware of the risks and are okay with it who am I to stop you, unless of course you are drawing on of my creations and making a ton of money off of it (which I doubt anyone would be) then I might have a problem.

[@shojodraws3399]

@@ScottSerkland if I'm selling any fanart, I'm probably going to buy license it. No need in to risk legalities. But right now, I'd rather just draw my fanart, no money involved.

[@PHOTOVIDEODUDE]

The government will kill your family

[@rfart419]

I want to make money off of Dororo from Keroro Gunso anime as a beautiful mermaid legally someday.

[@PHOTOVIDEODUDE]

Sell it locally

[@ScottSerkland]

I’ve been doing signings at my local comic book store where I have been doing som fan art commissions.

[@Valikillenni]

I would get rid of the children play ground elements in the back, makes you look foolish, there's 0 children watching this

[@ScottSerkland]

I guess I should just grow up and put on a golf shirt and a pair of Dockers, that would be fun. You're welcome to do whatever you want with your KZbin channel, I think I'll just continue to be me.