Every time I see a post that’s all “this website is awful for posting art! / all that’s ever spread is fan art! / people only care about fan art not original art! / you have to reblog original art from the artist or you’re not supporting them! / reblog art from less popular artists! “ it’s just, oh my sweet child, you have not been posting artwork on the Internet for very long have you
that’s how it always is, with every website – fan art reaches more audiences because more people all enjoy one singular thing. I’ve watched this exact same discussion and complaining happen as far back as Elfwood over 13 years ago, we all know it sucks, but that’s the nature of the beast and consumer demand. Entire artists can establish themselves doing fan art and then use the networking from there to gain attention for commissions and then their own original works once they have the audience and the funds built up. You can work the system to your advantage and if you don’t want to do that just stick to your guns and do what you’re doing. I’m speaking from a place where a picture I can draw of a night elf gets 200+ notes but an original piece gets 10 or less – I know the drill, I’m used to it, I understand the system and the nature of consumer audiences and I can’t sit and whine about it, I have to make it work for me so I will.
And stop guilt-tripping people into reblogging your art. They will if they want to. Stop that.
Its really been this way forever, when you get down to it. The major renaissance artists all worked the same way, doing commissions and fanart to build their reputation and portfolio, and to make money, and that was what got them a lot of their fame.
A lot of renaissance painters and sculptors have their most famous work be a piece that depicts a scene of character from the Bible, such a the Sistine Chapel, or Michelangelo’s David.