It’s easy to see why fan art is so popular. Familiar and much loved characters are an easy win for artists, both aspiring and professional. But it’s all too easy to fall into the trap of simple reproduction, and nobody wants to be seen to be copying something directly (see our recent feature on creativity in fan art, in which we speak to a range of artists and academics about this issue).
So can artists take the work that went into an original well-known character design and use it to push themselves while adding their own personality to create something fresh and new? Below, five experts show how, offering their advice for artists who want to put a personal twist on a favourite hero or villain to make fan art that feels fresh and original, while learning new skills in the process.
