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Darth_Biomech
Jun '20

"Is that X?" "Looks like X" "Reminds me of X from Y"
You have probably heard it at least once if you're an artist. People constantly comparing your stuff to some other stuff, sometimes half-musingly, sometimes with almost palpable unspoken accusation of plagiarism.

How do you react to comments like these? What do you think of them?
I personally don't like getting them. Half of them feel accusatory, for the other half I usually have reaction of "Wha, really? How in the seven circles of hell are those two even supposed to be similar?!"

  • I HATE those comments!
  • They feel insulting.
  • They feel complimentary.
  • they don't feel like anything to me.
  • I don't like getting them but I'm okay with them
  • People can say whatever, I don't care.
  • Those comments are kinda nice.
  • I love getting such comments.

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  • created

    Jun '20

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    Jun '20
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Inspector_Spinda
Jun '20

Personally I love them especially if it's a thing I actually know and love. If I don't know it, it doesn't mean much to me of course, but I'm still happy because people usually just say those things because they're loving it and it's similar to something else they love.

If it's meant to be insulting it's usually pretty obvious. It'll be more accusing and saying you're ripping such and such off.

Kiweevil
Jun '20

The biggest issue I have with this is the fact that I suffer severely from Kyrofelonoshophobia, and my characters are often getting compared to characters I'm super duper scared of.

IndigoShirtProd
Jun '20

When I get comments saying that my comic reminds them of the TV shows I based the concept of my story around, I feel like I accomplished the goal I was setting out for. I want readers to have a sense of nostalgia around my comic, even though it's a new IP because I myself have that nostalgia.

Inspector_Spinda
Jun '20
Kiweevil

oh damn. i didn't know that was a thing. but if you dont mind me asking. if you're drawing a comic isn't that like the same thing? or does only animation count?

Ardelvion
Jun '20

I never had my art be compared by other people (at least not yet). But whether it would be a negative or positive comparison, I wouldn't care.

DokiDokiTsuna
Jun '20

I'm used to getting stupid, annoying, tone-deaf comments, so comparisons in particular don't stick out to me as an unwanted category. ¯_(ツ)_/¯ I guess in general I'd rather not have them, but they're not any worse than anything else I've received.

In fact, every once in a while I get a good one. ^^; Someone told me this character's shirt reminded them of Ben 10, and honestly they were spot on; I didn't even realize the resemblance until they pointed it out.

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Kiweevil
Jun '20
Inspector_Spinda

It only happens with specific characters, but still images do still affect sufferers of it. I'm not scared of my characters, but I am scared of like, Mickey Mouse for example. So everytime someone compares Shilo to Mickey I get a little uneasy :joy:

Mallory
Jun '20

I said "I don't like getting them", but it depends. For example, I showed my comic (yet to post it) to an older friend of mine, and she looked at me and said "Your Soviet childhood is showing". When I was like "Wha-?" she clarified that she thought my art looked a lot like old Soviet animation. THAT felt like a compliment because I do like old animation and my story itself was slightly inspired by a popular Soviet movie.

But I generally don't really like comments like "Oh that looks like such and such character" or "oh that story is similar to this other one I read." I know it's impossible to be original, but for some reason whenever someone says that, I always interpret it being said with a silent "you copy cat" at the end, like they're accusing me of something (even though they probably aren't, and it's all in my head).

Blizzriel
Jun '20

I've had people ask if something I've drawn is inspired by something or tell me something I doodled randomly looks like something they've seen elsewhere. I like those comments, it means either people have picked up on something I tried to put into it or I get to learn something new.

On the other hand, I drew a skeleton once (surprisingly not related to my novel) and some kid commented on it something to the effect of "IS THIS AN UNDERTALE REFERENCE?!!!" I did not enjoy receiving that comment, in part because I was trying to make it resemble more the sugar skull-styled characters from Grim Fandango. Plus, I've had enough of obsessive fans who try to relate everything to their fandom from the time I was part of one of those fandoms. A lot of people hated us for it.

I don't remember ever getting a comment like this, though that's more likely because I wasn't offended enough by it to remember than because I never got one, but I have done this to myself. I sat back recently and took a look at the designs for the main characters of something I'm working on and thought to myself, "Ah shit, this is just Draco Malfoy and Misty from Pokemon."

magnavarra
Jun '20

I'd like to have any coments - the numbers do matter somehow, and oh well haters gonna hate

rajillustration
Jun '20

I feel like complaining about getting those comparison comments is a very humble-brag "omg I get SO MANY of these that it's so annoying now" and it's like...we get it, Karen, you get hundreds of comments every time you post. We get it.

SagaHolmgaard
Jun '20

Often it relates to something I enjoy personally, and I have enough self confidence that I don't feel insecure if someone says my art reminds them of [thing I enjoy and find inspiring], lol. Instead Instead I'm like, "Yes I love that thing! If you noticed you probably like that thing too so we could be buds!"

Sometimes I've had more generalized comments though. Mostly from friends who do painterly or 3D art, pointing at literally any line art style and going "reminds me of your art" :joy: I don't mind, but not all line art styles are the same either, haha

rumpenstiltzkin
Jun '20

i honestly dont see the point in commenting on someones art, obviously their own characters and saying how much it reminds you of this and that character, most times that ive probably never even heard of.
most artist state in their own comments if its inspired by something specific, and if it isnt, then dont say such things, i find it mostly rude ¯_(ツ)_/¯

only once have someone actually said it to slightly remind them of some other show or something and been spot on of my biggest inspirations from what i drew at that time, but most times ppl just drag up some random video game or anime character that maybe have same colors, or just pointy ears and nothing else looks the same?! i dont think ppl really think it through sometimes when they comment like that.

oshirockingham
Jun '20

Remind of something they like is not a bad thing, I kind of like it, but if it's accusing of plagiarism, that's a whole different thing.

Kura
Jun '20

I only hate them when they end up not being anything similar.

If they are similar then it more "hah, I can see that." Not hate or like just a 'yeah I get it.' but I've been getting so much where the characters do not act or look like the character they are comparing them to at ALL and it's just.... really frustrating because I can't see where they are seeing the comparison??

Example "Era looks just like Sasuke =_=..."
<Era
How???
< Sasuke
HOW???
<Sasuke again
EXPLAIN??? I'm so confused????

Adriano
Jun '20

Sometimes it's hard not to compare. There are many characters that were inspired by the existing works of art. Manga One Piece is constantly compared to Dragonabll for example.

Kajaysee
Jun '20
Kura

Yeah, I can't see any similarities between the characters whatsoever. Whoever commented that must've been seeing things : /