How to fanbase growth?

[MeltingCORE]

This can be tricky so I'm just going to share what I personally did. I definitely have a niche (alien invasion/cyberpunk + dystopia all in manga style) which I refuse to give up. Writing and drawing these kinds of stories is what makes me happy. Over the years I've found that people who are really interested in my work tend to also be interested in gothic things, horror, paranormal, series with heavy world building, etc. So, I market myself using those tags. (ie "gothic manga" "alien world" "world building" etc.) I also have a schedule for my novel (once a month) and a schedule for new art/videos (tri-weekly for art/once a week for videos).

I've found that having a schedule, marketing myself, and not giving up what makes me feel passionate has helped me garner an actual readerbase.

[KaseyTheGolden]

I would definitely recommend trying more social media than you listed in your original post! A lot of people hate on twitter and instagram, but honestly I've found so many artists from those platforms.

Sadly, fanart is a huge way to get found, but I've also noticed hashtags and "memes" are a GREAT way to find new artists as well. Always jump on the latest fad like #DrawThisInYourStyle or #MeetTheArtist or #CartoonMe or literally any art meme that makes its rounds!

And just as others said, it's going to take years. No one builds a community in a week. You have to enjoy it, not just want it.

[FritzC]

To build on this (the post above) , social media is a super good way to get found, use hashtag for example when I update (#webcomic and variations of it) and join communities, on twitter I'm on a list of webcomic artists, I'm also in some discord groups and have a discord for my own comic.
And try to reach out and communicate with the readers you already have, offer a Q&A, draw an inside joke for your comic. I recently made stickers for a milestone celebration so readers can have something cool to put on their laptops if they like the comic... You know... Just create and communicate

[DokiDokiTsuna]

I have no right to give advice on this, but if you want to grow a following based on OC's, here's some stuff that I've seen working for others:

1) A unique and consistent art style will help people recognize and find you even if they don't know who your characters are. Stylized art that fits into specific aesthetics, rather than generic art that doesn't say anything in particular, is the way to go.

2) Use your OC's and build narratives around them. Draw mini comics, or art that features them interacting and emoting. If you give them a clear personality/hobbies/interests, there's a higher chance that viewers will connect with them (and beg for more~).

3) MEME. You know how every once in a while an art meme goes around, like the 'strawberry dress'? If you come across one you like, put your OC's in it; make them participate! It's the next best thing to drawing fan art~

[ButterflyEmpress]

Although I don't have that big of a following, I noticed that I receive more attention when doing current art challenges/contests. What happens is people look up the recent entries, like a bunch of them, see yours, and then check out your gallery if they like what they see.

Because of that, I have more likes on my dtiys posts than my original stuff. And the original content I have that's gotten a ton of likes were a part of OC_Tober.

As for fan art, I don't think just drawing recognizable characters is really enough. You'll have to take into consideration relevance and popularity. Like a new anime that's popular now or a well known tv show that's hit an anniversary milestone. But I'd only do it if I like said property which it'd make it feel less like homework.

And like @DokiDokiTsuna said, definitely jump on those memes. Unfortunately they're random and can pop up whenever. I wish I did the strawberry dress while it was still a thing.

[amortelito]

It's okay to have self doubt! Confidence and pride is something that you can BUILD. If you think you can do a better work then you can work on that. But that doesn't mean you have to trash your art or yourself.

You can start switching the dialogue.

-I suck, I know it. ️
-It's not perfect, I know but I will do better next time! ️
-it looks better than I thought. ️
-I'm proud of how this turned out!

You can make your followers to feel like a part of your growth.

Most of us weren't born super talented or confident, that's something we are constantly working on.

Good luck with your art!

[rajillustration]

I mean if you want to focus on original stuff, then focus on original stuff. Speaking as someone who has slaved away making hollow fanart for years--you don't want to get burned out on the art memes and the fanart. Like I am personally so burned by it haha so I've just been doing original stuff right now and that's been really freeing and my followers are fine with it. I'm fine with it. I'm honestly at peace with my follower count right now, because it's a different job entirely to be a social media star than it is to be an artist. It's a full time job to be an influencer. You just don't have time to do it usaully, and so it's OK if your numbers aren't that of an influencer.

So I feel like dedicated fans are what happens when you're busy trying to do something else. When you're busy trying to improve your skills so your stories look better. Because when we do memey stuff that helps gain followers, it isn't necessarily related to the artist we eventually want to be. If I were to do an animatic, for instance--yes it would get a lot of notes, but it's unrelated to my long term goals. If I did a lot of fanart--it COULD be related, if I made it match the type of jobs I want eventually. So when choosing trends to draw (because that can be a great way to get followers, I don't want to make it sound like you should never do fanart because it can still be a great tool), make sure that it's true to what you want to do, and then it won't feel hollow. It won't feel like such a chore.

But when I do all sorts of art in many directions, it confuses my audience. When I'm chasing that meme or chasing that new platform and just throwing art at the wall (and I did daily art for over a year and let me tell you...it didn't matter. Algorithm didn't care) my viewers can tell that I've lost focus, and I lose followers.

So I think focus is really key to not only your own growth as an artist and who you want to be, but also as a way to make a fun and inviting social media page for your followers.

[fiddlyturtle]

You provided some really good advice there. I remember an artist from webtoons said once, "Don't point out your mistakes and lackings. Cause there might be people who wouldn't notice you made a mistake on some aspects and will think it's your art style. But if you do point it out, then people will definitely notice it and know that you don't like your own work."