To help all the artists that are considering what to submit to this year’s fan art contest, I thought I would reach out to the fan community to see if they had any suggestions, and boy did they ever! Rather than trying to include all of the answers that I received, I’m going to list some of the most frequently suggested subjects to help get those creative juices flowing!
Monsters!
No big surprise there, right? I suppose that’s what comes from writing fantasies starring a monster hunter. 🙂 Whether it’s the creatures from Lost Under Two Moons or one of the many beasts that Keltin and friends have encountered, there are plenty of otherworldly critters with lots of room for artist interpretations!
Sidenote: I actually got two different people who both said they’d love to see someone try tackling the warp beast from The Beast Hunter. I personally have some ideas of how that could possibly be done (hint: photoshop!) but I’d love to see what you guys come up with!
Weapons and Ammunition
It’s a little surprising that we haven’t already received any fan art based on the various weaponry that appears in my stories. From the Ripper to the hand cannon and Keltin’s personal hunting rifle, there’s a lot to work with for those of you who might be interested in drawing/creating some deadly armaments, and the fans are clearly interested! 🙂
Specific Scenes, Settings, and Locations
Fan and professional artist Chris Malidore (a great guy that I interviewed during last year’s art contest) had this to say when I asked what kind of artwork he’d like to see from other fans this year. Here’s what he had to say, which turned out to be a sentiment shared by quite a few other fans as well:
As an art director/illustrator, I always think about the flavor of what makes this world different than others. I’d opt for things like Keltin back at the old boarding house before his big journey. Obviously anything that gives a chance to show off the unique nature of the creatures is great. Keltin waiting patiently with his rifle feels a bit on the nose, and yet, classic at the same time. And I remember there were some scenes in book one, where they were all in camp that offered all sorts of opportunity to explore some of the different cultures in the world. I always think culture.
Characters
In my stories, I purposefully don’t give a ton of physical details for my characters, mainly because I want to make it a little easier for fans to picture the characters the way that they want to. That being said, some of my favorite submissions for past contests have been the times that an artist submitted artwork based on one or more of my characters. Seeing these people that I’ve known for close to ten years through another artist’s interpretation is a very special experience for me.
Outfits and Clothing
This may be a subcategory for characters in general, but apparently there are a lot of fans that are especially interested in seeing the fashions of the world of Keltin Moore. As for me, I can’t promise that I wouldn’t squeal with delight if someone submitted a picture of themselves cosplaying as one of my characters!
Whatever you Want!
I recently heard from a young fan who had submitted a couple of pieces to the contest and wanted to submit more, but he didn’t think that I’d want to see them. Well, if they’re based on my stories, I want to see them! Don’t worry if it doesn’t seem to fit a specific category or even if you think nobody would want to see it. I love it all! Last year, someone went so far as to submit the floor plans of the farmhouse from the end of The Beast Hunter! I’m always delighted and humbled to see the hard work and effort that my fans put into their work, so please, submit as much artwork as you’d like. The more, the merrier!
Click Here to Learn How to Enter This Year’s Fan Art Contest
For more ideas, click the link below to see some of the artwork that’s been submitted in previous years’ contests:
As always, big shout-out to the fantastic members of my Readers Community:
Randall Hodgson, Jerry Staton, Matthew Paxman, Yoshiyuki Nishikawa, Wil Sisney, Jarred Walton, Joel Stanger, and Kelly Wilbur.
If you’d like to learn more about my Readers Community, check out the following link:
When I think about the warp beast i also think about a book I read a long time ago about the fourth dimension and how it used analogies of interpretation such as how a one-dimensional being would view a two-dimensional being, and how a two-dimensional being would view a three-dimensional being. Extrapolate up from there. The warp beast could be like a fourth dimension, which would appear to us to be all around us.
That sounds like Flatland, which is a novella that’s stuck with me ever since I read it as a teenager. I really like the idea of thinking of the warp beast in terms of a fourth dimensional creature. It would be fascinating to see it through a visual artist’s interpretation.