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marky · Posted: Mon Jul 16, 2001 3:03 pm

Looking at the finished work and on progress forums -can't help noticing theres a big popular bias towards the elf, the orc, and the zombie - with comments like "hey, cool elf" and "love your Orc"

See, I'm very new to this forum (but I intend to stick around) and feel maybe I've missed something important -some symbolic meaning which Im far too stupid to have picked up. Obviously like everyone else here I read Lord of the Rings when I was like 12, and remember thinking then "thats cool" but its been a while in my life now (with enough of natures natural misfits to keep me happy) without feeling the need for it anymore. Is it about escape?

I cant understand - what is the attraction of a little green man with pointy ears anyway? Please help me!!!!

Akolyte · Posted: Mon Jul 16, 2001 4:42 pm

For the same reason men like boobies, they're fun to look at

black_fish · Posted: Mon Jul 16, 2001 5:35 pm

Oohhh we have mister smarty pants here! 'You people are so immature! You act like 12 years old!' Oooohhh sorry Marky...
Thing is: we are immature anorak-wearing geeks with no life. That's our forum and if you don't like it you can stop reading it and go to 'Serious Mature Artists Forum who paints sunsets and landscapes'.

Now, kidding aside, it happens that a lot of commission work either as an illustrator or as a game artist, or a 3D artist, is related to fantasy, and such to orc and elves. We draw orcs and elves because we are making money out of it. And also because we like that. Like boobies. It's more fun to draw than a teapot. I'm sure that, as a grown-up, you won't understand that. So what don't you start your own thread with a 'serious' subject instead of being snob and sarcastic? Huh?

marky · Posted: Mon Jul 16, 2001 6:00 pm

emm .. think you missed my point, didn't think I was being sarcastic -

didn't mean to offend was a genuine question - and don't think i could ever be accused of being "mature" at least hope not!

I wont deny either that they are beautifully drawn elves!

As for boobies - well I UNDERSTAND that, now if the forum was
full of topics like "see my boobies" and "look i drew some more boobies - wadya think?" then honestly I can see the attraction.

<sculks off into corner with confused expression

kad · Posted: Mon Jul 16, 2001 6:04 pm

I have no idea why i do mainly fantasy and sci fi art.. maybe cause of the movies as I grew up. I think that sci fi had a big influence on alot of the guys (and gals) growing up in the past years. And what creative person didn't play Dungeons and Dragons growing up? Hence the love of fantasy subjects...

Or maybe to have an excuse to have girls model in scantly clad armor for me!

RoadMaster · Posted: Mon Jul 16, 2001 9:18 pm

the real reason is because everyone is incredible uninspired so they just do the same idea over and over, that and mechs

Anthony · Posted: Tue Jul 17, 2001 10:01 am

Elves are naturally interesting for men since they're the elder people. And orcs are merely elves twisted by the will of Melkor who was called Morgoth. At least that's what Tolkien says. ;]

Dryfire · Posted: Tue Jul 17, 2001 10:20 am

ummm their fun to draw i guess.. their not so uniform as to regular human anatomy so you can change them to be whatever you like.. since there is no comparison.. because they no longer exist ;-)

gekitsu · Posted: Wed Jul 18, 2001 1:03 am

fantasy things are interesting for me because they elong to fantasy. i can see that the guy who made it has more in his mind than just everything that exists in real life.
you can also see, how far one can think himself out of the real world, wich is imho a very important factor for finding people sympathetic.

it's just: why should fantasy and scifi not be "mature"? or not be "serious" enough? just because it does not really exist?
i hate all these artists who only accept "serious" artwork with an important story and a really important message in it. they are so serious, i can't take them for...

look at the quote on dhab's main page "life is too serious to be taken serious" or something like that... thats the point imho.

but thats just my opinion... i am searching for people that are as crazy as me.

i think people who just concern with reality lose a very important thing...

marky · Posted: Wed Jul 18, 2001 1:34 am

"life is too serious to be taken serious" - well thats a cool point, and I understand it.

" i think people who just concern with reality lose a very important thing..."
thats another good point, and I agree too.

listen ..I never really meant to say people are immature for drawing elfs and orcs. I'm sorry if it sounded that way. But there was an immediate defensive reaction which surprised me.

One point I brought up which no-one has talked about yet is escape. Does this invention of another reality have something to do with the need to escape?

[ July 18, 2001: Message edited by: marky ]

Svanur · Posted: Wed Jul 18, 2001 1:40 am

Many of the greatest Fantasy and Science fiction novels are very philosophical if you care to dig deeper into them. Lord of the Rings was about the one true power, how it could pervert and how dangerous it was. Brave New World showed us a future where humans were cloned for their positions, a horrible possibility, same goes for Gattaca.
Fantasy and Science fiction gives artist the freedom of imagination without going abstract.

ebrian · Posted: Wed Jul 18, 2001 3:23 am

Mark, dont you think reality is too dull if there is no sf or fantasy?
We have dreams and the desire to persue beauty, but in real life, some of them are unreachable.
We need dragons and superman to reach surpub beauty and dream, to make life easy; otherwise, life is too meaningless.

gekitsu · Posted: Wed Jul 18, 2001 6:26 am

i think, escape is not always right... maybe in some cases it tastes good to be concerned with a world thats totally different...

what is driving me to read and draw such things is that i want to think of the outer side of reality. its just a great feeling to be ripped away from this world for a certain period of time and walking around in a world, thats fantastic. a good example for that is lord of the rings. while reading, tha athmosphere of that is so great... i was dreaming of it in the night and all my drawings concerned with elves, the ring, hobbits etc...

maybe it's just the fascination of the fact, that it is fictional. where one's mind can fly free and everything you can imagine is real. maybe thats it, because lots of the artists here like it: because artists seem to have an affinition to let their mind fly free

at least i have

Glondus · Posted: Wed Jul 18, 2001 6:33 pm

I mean...If one cant draw fantasy or Sci Fi... what the hell are you s'posed to draw?

Dryfire · Posted: Wed Jul 18, 2001 6:48 pm

whats the point of trying to duplicate something real like lets say a tree in a drawing.. when it was already perfectly created.. you cannot draw a picture of an improved tree than what was already there.. right? everything in the world is perfect... therefore we draw fantasy and science fiction peices because they are limitless, theres no point of perfection because they do not excist

shazow · junior member Member # Joined: 17 Jul 2001 Posts: 10

WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT!?
drawing teapots is da best!!

heheehhehehe
=)

- Shadow

hydrid · member Member # Joined: 20 Jan 2000 Posts: 193

especially yellow teapots

hwei · Posted: Fri Jul 20, 2001 7:36 am

quote:
Originally posted by marky:
I cant understand - what is the attraction of a little green man with pointy ears anyway?

Well, they have pointy ears, but they're not little, and they can be any colour you want them to be. That's the fun in it. Besides, I like bots too. I guess superbots and elves and orcs and other things that reality can't support are cool to draw.