Fan Art/Tribute Dolls: Your Feelings

I can see what you're pointing at here, and I agree that it is a tricky point.I love my characters and they're all my children or my closest muses. Whenever someone picks up my doll, and plays around with them, giving them voices, words and even accent that is wrong for them, I sometimes feel uncomfortable about it, but then they only know the barest minimal about my dolls, and when I look back, I myself do that sometimes before I realise it so I often let issue go.

If I place that kind of sentiment to the creators of well established series and shows, it does seem like fans are doing really crude and rude things without knowing it (especially with crack slashes). Most creators who may think it's rude probably try to keep an eye closed and hope that it wasn't done with the intention of giving them a bad name nor to flame.

There's that saying "immitation is the highest form of flattery". We know it isn't always true. We also know fanstuff more often than not are created to please the fans themselves rather than the intention of flattering the actual creator (but then I suspect they all doubt said creator would ever come across their fanwork for them to solely focus on trying to flatter so and so). But the creators _are_ usually held in high respect by these fans for their work.

my point is, the fans _love_ the characters. They _love_ the creators. They show their love in different ways. Mostly by having fun. Oh, they do get carried away. Obsession does that to people, I can vouch you that, but it is (usually) in no way meant to hurt the creators. I guess as long as no show of dire disapproval is shown (i.e "Amg you do what with them???? Now I can't draw them anymoar cuz i'm traumaed!!!!) fans would continue as they are with their "acts of love".

Like VictoriaVitrix mentioned, those in the business care for their fans, publicity and what not. They tolerate what they will as long as theft or damage isn't done. And if the fans did happen to cross the line in their fanatism, I'm sure the creators would know what's best to protect their creations.

 

I actually find that idea rather shocking. Like Kim said, that is a terrible thing to do, because you have basically taken an existing character and tried to pass it off as your own by changing it to a minimal degree. That is, in fact, the worst kind of copying.

At least with fanfiction (and by extension, fan based dolls and artwork) the ownership of the original character stays very firmly with the original creator.

 

I think is takes both talent and passion to make a good tribute doll. I some instances, for instance characters for books, it take imagination and skill to bring a character to 'life' Heck you may even end up with the apprciation of the writer etc who created the characters

 

This. This, right here, sums things up very nicely. Guide, ILU.

In my opinion, the true creative value of fanworks of any kind -- be it artwork, fiction, a character doll, your choice -- is in the ability to expand on the known attributes of a character or a world while remaining within the bounds of what the creator has given us in the way of knowledge. How would X character react in Y situation? What changes would they undergo because of Z chain of events? How can these be explored while maintaining the strictures and behavioral patterns already set forth by the original creator? A well-executed fanwork requires as much thought and creativity as any original character ever did, and the allure of delving deeper into the unknown minutiae of a well-loved universe is what draws fanartists into their work.

In my opinion, a skilled execution of a fanwork is -- in addition to a difficult creative exercise -- a fantastic tribute both to the characters in question and the person who created them in the first place. If I were to write a novel and the characters/setting inspired others to create fanworks to delve into the 'what ifs' and unwritten implications, I would be pleased as punch. I know it would tickle me ten different shades of pink to create a character, then come on DoA and find that someone had created a tribute BJD of him/her. How awesome would that be?

 

i think it shows a great amount of creativity. to get a charactors costume perfect can take hours of research and forever to make! and then trying to match eyes, hair, markings... the list goes on. i honestly prefer original charactors, but when someone has taken a lot of time to recreate something they love, you have to respect that.

 

I think this is a good point. When creating fan dolls, one is showing respect and admiration for the work of others. I personally can't see that as a negative.

I think there's an issue of how other fans feel. I see fan dolls on here of characters I also like, and sometimes the photostories make me think "that's not how the character behaves". But then I realise it's snobby to think that my interpretation of a character is more accurate than the other person's interpretation.

All in all, it's their doll and they can play with it how they like.

 

In a sense, I agree with the idea that the original writer will always be the one with the best grasp of the character since they created the characters. But I highly, highly disagree with the idea that with one tiny step of creativity, characters in fanfic could become your own characters. That to me is a horrific rip-off and a much worse offense than fanfics.

I think the worst type of plagiarism would be to use someone else's character, change the hair color and name and think that is in any way an original character. The idea of it horrifies me and that you create original characters but can suggest such a thing horrifies me as well. It's far worse than fanfiction because at least with fanfiction/tribute dolls, you're giving credit where credit is due. By using some else's character and just changing their name to pretend it's your character...that's just disgraceful, disrespectful and lazy beyond belief. You may think it's fine, but I really, really cannot agree.

 

I think if you like a character, it's flattering to portray it in a doll you love very much. My Adonis is based off Dilandau Albatou of Escaflowne, and although he may not look identical he still IS the character in a sense or at least a portrayal or incarnation of his personality. There are different versions of him from series, movie, and manga, so I can take liberties by sometimes mixing stories as he's not 100% one of his media incarnations. Adonis just feels more 'mine' by working out his personality. I still give credit to the original creators because it was them indeed who gave me a chance to enjoy the character- and honestly, he's the type of character who can be shown differently as is seen in all the different ways the creators let him be shown. The point is, a lot of people do this with their favorite characters. A lot of people do it, but I don't think they rip off the character if they specify that their doll is so-and-so, or is based off them. That's giving credit, and showing admiration for a character someone loves very much.

But when you steal a character like many of you said, I think the whole tribute becomes lost.

There's a very good quote along the lines of losing privacy and control when you present your ideas to the world, so it's the same in our BJD world. Many of us wouldn't like characters taken and presented in different ways, even if the characters are very much loved by the fan-base. It's horrifying, but when we introduce that character, we can't control what happens all the time.

And look at yaoi. It's insanely popular and I can't count how many times of cringed at all the pairings that make no sense at all and simply aren't in character. What can I do about it? NOTHING. People express their love for things in different ways, and we can't change and stop them even if we dislike what they do.

Just look at all the wonderful dolls that people made, spending countless hours on hair, eye color and small details- I think it's beautiful when someone takes the time to make such a wonderful tribute. There is no one excellent way to show a character in tribute as we're all unique, just like if you painted a tribute to them. But by recognizing that yes, this character is not fully mine, but I love this character and appreciate the creators so much, tributes become wonderful.

 

What... there's nothing wrong with re-making doll characters of something you like... make a Sailor Moon BJD if you want, it's actually cool to see. That Jack Sparrow BJD is cool. There's no lack of creativity, why is it not creative to produce something in a different medium than it is? Like sculpting a figure of a cartoon or a human or drawing a photograph of a human... or something. I just think it's cool to see actually. Soo, I don't mind it?

 

All my dolls are tribute dolls. They're little resin monuments to the genius of Darren Shan, whom I greatly respect and admire as a writer. It's partly to control the size of my collection (if I just made up characters for sculpts I like, I'd never quit buying!), partly because I can't draw well and it's my form of fanart, and partly because my dominant fandom (the Sagas of Darren Shan and Larten Crepsley) just doesn't get enough love. I know some people don't think it's creative enough, but I don't have to be a Super Special Creative Genius to enjoy my dolls or be proud of them. I find it just as satisfying to honor another Super Special Creative Genius with my collection. I'd honor his Demonata series too--I could see getting a Sharmila or a Shark--I just don't have the budget for it. I could even see modding a tiny Artery--but I'd be terrified to have something like that in my house! Just seems like it'd invite possession.

It's silly to say that retelling a story is offensive or so uncreative it shouldn't be done. If that were so, we wouldn't have movies based on books, manga based on books (I cite Darren Shan again as an example) or anime based on manga. Yes, it's done with the author's permission and cooperation--USUALLY, sometimes not, I'm looking at you Wicked/The Wiz/Oz!, lol--but that's because it's making money, and making money off of retelling a story without that permission IS copyright infringement. I'm not charging people to look at my dolls.

And incidentally, I'm a writer, too. That's why I look up to Darren Shan and want to honor him in the first place. Making up characters comes easily to me, I just prefer to do it on the page instead of with my dolls. Don't tell me it's a lack of creativity--I have a suitcase full of original stories with which to prove your judgemental... ah, self... wrong. What's more, I don't need anyone's approval, and neither do other tribute doll owners.

 

What happens if the characters one is portraying are originally from literature that is now in the public domain? Since no copywrite rules apply, does that change the way people feel about it?

This is true of two of my dolls who are based off characters from a Robert Louis Stevenson short story published in the 19th century. Since the copywrite is up, I can legally do whatever I want with them, so criticism can't be levelled from that angle. But I also have a doll from Arthur Miller's The Crucible, and am planning one from Vladimir Nabokov's Lolita. These works are still bound by copywrite laws, and in fact there was a lengthy legal battle just a few years ago about a Lolita spin-off that got Nabokov's son very riled.

So what I want to know is: do copywrite issues change how you feel about "tribute" dolls?

 

Interesting questions. Personally I feel the same as I do now -- they don't bother me. I have fan dolls, I like fan dolls. I like fan fiction, and when I go to anime conventions I'm one of the gals fighting my way to the dealer sellling yaoi to try and snag some comics with my fave Trigun pairing. Fans have been creating tribute stuff for a long time -- it's not competing with the original work, it's not claiming to be something it isn't, it's a way that fans use their creativity to show their love for the original. Whether or not something is in or out of copyright doesn't change what fan works are.

Fans creating stuff aren't ripping people off, and even if a creator (or creator's offspring) don't like it, when you put something out into the world, you won't keep 100% control of it. That's life. It's important that laws exist to keep people from stealing and profiting off of other people's ideas, but to believe that there will be full control over everything is just not possible, or even positive for that matter. Just like in the thread about photography, people will always have their own viewpoints when it comes to characters, and it's unrealistic to think that these will never be shared. However, I think the thing with the Lolita spin off might have been a bit different as this would be normally published book sold for profit (I'm assuming, I don't know the details about this). That's not the same as a typical fan work.

 

I feel its less creative than making one's own character, but It does take a lot of skill to re-create a recognizable representation of a particular character, considering costumes are not always available because, although some try, its impossible for companies to have merchandise for everything

 

I love the idea of having a doll that is based off of a favorite character from a film. One day I hope to own a Sailor Moon doll bjd! But it is good to own dolls that are completely original. That's what makes BJDs fun and very interesting.

 

I don't think anyone could question my creativity, and I have both original characters as dolls and "tribute" characters. I made my roommates dolls based on Pegasus from Yu-Gi-Oh! and Six of Nine from Tripping the Rift. I also have dolls based on the Eleventh Doctor and Johnny Storm (yes, that Johnny Storm). However, the vast majority of my dolls are characters I created myself.

 

I just finished doing faceups, body blushing, and additive (removable) scar mods on two anime character tribute dolls (Ed Elric from FMA and Allen Walker from D.Grayman - both owned by Raijimagiwind). I have to say that both of these dolls are among my favorite aesthetics jobs; especially the Allen. I didn't feel stifled because I had to replicate certain details... I took the replication as a challenge for accuracy - could I create a well-known 2D character into 3D form. I also got to try new techniques - I had never done any sort of scar or extensive tattooing work before. The best thing is that Raiji cosplayed as Nea (another character from the D.Grayman anime) and she carried Allen for almost the entirety of ShutoCon.

 

The Copyright issue doesn't change my feeling-- which is that if someone wants to put their time and their money and their love into recreating a favourite character, then it doesn't hurt anyone for them to do so. Probably the character's creator will never know, possibly they would be flattered-- many creators are flattered by fanworks, though they generally don't look for/at them, for whatever reason. When it's done from a place of love and respect, there's nothing wrong with it. And they aren't turning a profit, so it doesn't matter if the property is public domain or not.

In fact, the only place where that matters to me is with fanfiction. I still will write fic for non-public domain properties, I do it all the time. Writing fic is one of the ways I practice my skills and keep from getting rusty when I have a period of writer's block on my original projects, and it's a way I can share my writing and get feedback on style without putting something I hope to sell out on the 'net for all to see. But there are volumes of books of collected pastiches for Sherlock Holmes, who is in the public domain, published works about Neverland, takes on Shakespeare... so the public domain affects what works of 'fanfiction' one could sell without lega/ethical issues coming into play. (this isn't really the place to start a discussion on that minefield)

I love seeing fan dolls, I love seeing the care that people take in recreating familiar characters. Sometimes it's not a character that I love, or that I know well enough to catch every nuance, but I still like seeing the love.

(and it's not a 'fan character', per se, but I plan on recreating my partner's RP character after I bring home my own... I only have her descriptions so I hope to get him right... but to me, it's not very different from trying to build a character based on a description from a book, except that I know the person who created him)

=^__^=
Anneko

 

i see nothing wrong with homage dolls. it can be tricky with photostories etc, but really if you love the character enough to spend the money building a doll of him/her/it, then you probably have a decent grasp on the character's mindset.

 

First of all... OP, are you REALLY Mercedes Lackey? o_o; If so, I adore your Valdemar books, but the most recent ones (the Foundation Trilogy) weren't your best. The Last Herald-Mage trilogy were my favorites; I loved the writing style to pieces. The Herald-Mage books were much more.. um... tight? Polished? It doesn't hurt that Van is one of the most loveable characters I've ever read. (This isn't to say I'm not a huge freaking rabid fangirl of yours. I've been reading your books since I was a kid and have read (and own) almost all of them. Holy shit, you're really Lackey??? o____o)

Anyway! Speaking of the Last Herald-Mage, I saw a Vanyel fan-doll. Totally awesome! Though, I have to say, if I were to do a fan-doll of Van myself, I'd use Iplehouse's Theo or Felix.
I plan to make a fan/tribute type doll for Garth Nix's Sabriel, because I love that character to bits and she'd make an amazing doll (but those BELLS and the freaking surcoat with the embroidered keys. Dx How would I even start?).

Edit 1: Do you really rehabilitate raptors?? :0

Edit 2: Speaking of fanwork and Vanyel, here's a doodle I did of Van. >_> (not my best work, but whatever)
I love doing fan art, especially since I'm in school training to be an illustrator, so I'll be doing a sort of literary fan art for a living someday (I hope). My final project for my illustration class ended up being fan art for Nix's Old Kingdom trilogy! Doing "fan art" of stories I like has actually been something of a tradition in my artistic education.