Luwano 2016-01-11 16:16:57

It's really unfortunate that one of the most iconic and skilled artists has to doubt wether there is still enough interest in his work. But yes, fanart and adult content gets a lot more attention than any other artworks online. I don't even know what to say about it to encourage you to keep doing what you love, but at least know, that there are many people enjoying your art, people who feel grateful that you put your heart and soul into art so we can enjoy it. I hope you do well, no matter how you decide to go on about your art.

TomFulp 2016-01-11 16:29:07

The audience for original work is smaller than the audience for fan art but it's a special audience that takes a specific interest in YOU vs the material you have made fan art for.

Or another way to look at it: the internet has devalued the worth of an eyeball. When the web first came along, it was exhilarating to find out a stranger saw what you made. 10-20 strangers felt like you had a whole room at attention. It was all through the context of life before the web, where often you worked in private and your work was never seen by anyone.

Things started to scale up and you could publish something to the web and have it seen by 1,000 or even 10,000 people and that was on a whole new level where you were doing something previously reserved for television and radio.

Now of course YouTube and Facebook make a million views look like the norm, basically deflating everything happening on every site that doesn't command that audience.

It all becomes relative but you gotta still enjoy that one stranger seeing what you made. I love checking out everything you make, so I know there is at least one person here who is excited whenever they see your name and clicks to see what it is. I'm sure there are a bunch more. You might get more clicks making fan art but know that people are clicking your original art because they are fans of YOU!

I'll also note... The provocative, sexy and familiar draw an audience but a part of that audience bleeds into the original as well. So all those people who come specifically for the provocative, sexy and familiar may happen to discover you at any given moment. The presence of more popular content doesn't make your content less popular, if that makes sense.

firewolfstar9 2016-01-11 16:56:32

You may have a smaller audience, but we value higher than most for the amount of detail and effort you put into each work. I don't know about other sites but you are definitely one of the best artist here.

radiodark 2016-01-11 17:48:53

Not fanart! Oh god please not fanart. Sorry, your work is always wonderful and appreciated and I guess I always figure you must know that. I'll try to say it out loud/in print more often, rather than just in my head.

Saminat 2016-01-11 19:30:04

I think it's going to be a constant fighting battle against fanart for everyone, and I can say it's the same for me. Fanart really helped me develop my skills. I've got a long ways to go, and I'm still doing mostly art based on other people's creations, but I've started to delve into my own territory a bit. I value original creations, and after a while of seeing good fanart, I've come to develop a liking to the particular artists rather than the art subjects. As to your question, I think Fanart can help express your ideas in a simple way and helps show appreciation to another creator, but for someone as talented as yourself, I would stick to a hard core of your own stuff :)

Tyler 2016-01-11 21:27:55

I feel like people only care about fantasy worlds when they get to immerse themselves in it (via games, movies, fiction). I feel like stand alone art is admired then quickly forgotten.

Frankly, I'd love to see a game centered around the worlds you create in your art.

Jadedroses 2016-01-12 00:17:20

see you later space cowboy. you're work will never be forgotten.

DarkGlint 2016-01-12 08:21:34

I've never commented on your stuff before, but I loved every piece you ever put out. You had a good feel to your art, and I could see why you wanted to paint it. Your 2010-2011 pieces are the ones I know best, but they inspired me to try harder with my drawing back then. I encourage you to keep sharing where you have been. Even if the audience is smaller I assure you that we all appreciate the effort you put into your work.

SuperBastard 2016-01-12 10:22:59

Your work has been inspirational for me, and I'd hate to see you go.

I think it's important to ask why people feel like they need to create fan art in the first place, instead of their own original content. Personally, I believe that it's because fan art is something that random people are more likely to actively search for. Unfortunately, unless someone already knows about your work, they aren't very likely to search for your original creations because they simply won't know they exist.

So artists who create mostly fan art are often the ones who just want to inflate their stats, like the internet is just the world's biggest popularity contest. I can't tell you how much that makes me appreciate the rare people like you, who would rather give life to their own unique ideas. Please don't be discouraged by the fallacy that you need to be famous to be loved by people, because like Tom said, that simply isn't true.

We need your originality. It's a paradise island in the middle of an ocean of recycled content.

Phyrnna 2016-01-13 00:33:32

Most of what I want to say has been said already so I won't repeat, but that said there are many who do appreciate your art and what you do.
Monetizing it will be harder, but it takes a lot of time and perserverance. I know your struggles as I personally refuse to do covers of songs and it's harder to get anywhere with original content.
Just keep it up and keep working hard!

frysayshi2 2016-01-13 19:31:23

just a random thought but I think fan art gets popular but original artists get popular. i'm not going to go out of my way to follow a fan artist when i can just open the front page of any number of sites and see piles of fan art. but i see something really good and original and it makes me want to follow that person because there is no other way to get more of whatever it is i liked about them.

I don't know if that is a general rule or just me. in any case just keep walking, man (i'm so sorry)

ragglfraggl 2016-01-25 20:58:53

While your personal motivations for the things you do will always change, I firmly believe that you should never stop creating art. Synthesis from the jumble of nothing in a person's head to a finished product on canvas, deviantart, or even here is a priceless and very difficult process. I'm not saying you should force yourself to release things here but it is a very nice outlet for your concepts and your work. I hope to see new from you regardless, even if it is less frequent.

Oh, and look up the music production company Two Steps From Hell. this is completely unrelated but they have pretty great stuff so give 'em a listen if you haven't already.

Raider7 2016-02-19 02:45:21

I have never commented on one of your works, and rarely have commented on Newgrounds in general, but I've been lurking about your website for years.

I originally saw your works back when I first started using the internet to find cool images and began working on worldbuilding projects; I actually wrote a short story based around one of your robot artworks. College and general busyness led me away from being able to browse the internet frequently, and with that added to my mistake of not having the forethought to mark your page, for about two years I did not see your art again.

Then, by chance I saw the name "keepwalking" in a thumbnail, and after years of having not seen your content, I instantly remembered exactly who you are and what you've created. Simply your account's name and the silhouette of one of your creations in your icon was enough for me to suddenly realize "It's THAT GUY! The guy that made all those spectacular landscapes, machines, and characters!" I hadn't seen your works in years, but I immediately recognized you. It all flooded back extremely suddenly: your art is so unique and inspiring and had such a drastic effect on my creative process/imagination that it's all pretty much burned into my mind, in the absolute best way possible.

I maintain that no fanart can do that. No offense to people who make fanart; I have the utmost respect for them; but it was your imagination and the worlds that you specifically created that stuck with me for years, and continues to do so today just as strongly. It takes incredible artistic mastery and creative vision to make images that stick with people for that long, and at least in my case, your images are so grand and distinct that they have stuck out in my mind more than the works of any other artist. After stumbling back upon your webpage, I made sure to mark your page very quickly to make sure that I didn't lose it again, and have been following you ever since.

Your work is incredible stuff. There's nothing wrong in going over to fanart if that is what you'd like to do, but do not sell your current works short. While you may get less viewers, the people who see your art I believe are effected deeply and have a vast appreciation for your dedication and imagination. Your works are amazing, thank you for all the spectacular art you've posted here!

Technox17 2016-02-20 02:51:27

I find your original stuff fantastic I hope to see more of it, especially the drone 42 series.

Intrapath 2016-02-29 15:15:33

I'd been meaning to comment on this, but just remembered to now. While it only means so much, I'm absolutely in love with your original work. It's really relieving to hear that you get so much satisfaction out of drawing things from your own imagination, but depressing to hear the stats on fan art. While there's a place for it (just like everything else), you're one of the artists that drives me to love what I do. It's not just your illustrations, but your 3D work and music too. You have such a clear vision and grasp on what you want out of all of these mediums you work in, it's nothing short of inspiring. If I haven't made it clear yet, you're one of the artists I look up to the most when I think, "Where do I want to be in X number of years?" For the good of us all, don't stop creating!!