12-04-2023, 05:58 AM
(12-04-2023, 12:24 AM)Pubic Enemy Wrote: The early days of art forums, and of the Internet in general were indeed a unique thing that we probably won't see again. Now I try my best not to be sad that it's over, but rather smile because it happened. At the very least, niche forums do still exist and still provide the opportunity for more substantial and satisfying communication than you will get on Discord or on any social media site where fast-moving and low-quality interaction is the norm.
I'm glad to see you posting, Lunatique, and to hear that you're still drawing. Your latest portrait studies are really impressive. You have a distinct style, and it looks like you take your time with your pieces and genuinely enjoy making them. I don't get that impression so much when I see stuff with 30k+ likes on twitter. (Confirmation bias? I dunno.)
I remember seeing your posts and artwork somewhere 10+ years ago and I thought they were beautiful. I remember a piece that I think was called "Melancholic Princess" in particular. Anything that you feel like posting is a perfectly fine contribution.
Thank you for the kind words. I've had a few artists on Artstation message me and tell me they don't understand why I have so few followers when I should have far more, especially when I was one of the well-known digital artists back in the day. It can be disheartening if you dwell on it or if it's directly tied to your livelihood.
I think partly it's because I took a break from doing art seriously for about ten years to focus on music and writing, and in that time so many upcoming artists established themselves, and just like in all other forms of art, the available of information on the Internet, in books, and in classrooms have grown exponentially, allowing the younger artists to learn and grow very effectively and surpass many of the artists of the previous generation. Also, trends change and I don't work in the trendy styles popular now--I just do what I'm interested in, which is kind of niche. But even within that narrow scope, there are artists who are much more well-known with impressive number of followers. I guess that's just how life is. The world is full of creatives who once led their field, then became obscure. I'm glad I at least had my day in the sun back then, and the truth is, I never really cared that much, not even back then, because how I feel about my own work was the most important thing, and I was never satisfied with my own work. Some people were vocal back then about how among the well-known digital artists,Ｉwas one of the least talented/proficient, and maybe they were right. Ultimately how we feel about our own work is what matters the most, and I continue to work to fulfill my aspirations
It's funny you mentioned Melancholic Princess. It's so silly that my work became a famous Internet urban myth/meme with over a million views, and it had nothing to do with me really. (For those who don't know about it, check out this link: The Melancholic Princess / Sonee | Know Your Meme) I never benefited from it in any way--all I got was people contacting me every once a while telling me my artwork had been used in that way or asking if I had ever finished writing Tellurian Sky or had it been published or released to the public in some form.
Being here has been pretty nice so far. It's very slow compared to how art forums were like back then, but it's the only forum of its kind still going, so this is it--it's all we have, and we just have to make the most of it. I dropped by the Discord server the other day to say hi and to tell the folks there that I'm here. The interaction there is pretty much the same as any other Discord artist servers, and I guess there are those who prefer the immediacy of Discord, and the transient nature of it doesn't bother them.