Since the beginning, the One Direction fandom, much alike our idols, have been prone to a lot of shtick from both the media and other celebrities alike. We’ve been called all sorts of named and dubbed as hysterical 12 year olds who do nothing but chase the boys’ like maniacs and cry and do nothing useful. As much as I’d like to deny those allegations, I’m not going to lie, there are some pretty creepy fans among us, but the truth is the majority of us real fans are the ones sat behind screens such as mine which I’m typing this article in front of, getting on with our lives and having the boys as muses and inspiration for when we need them and when they need us.
The One Direction fandom is a group of people that have made history for more reasons than one. Our dedication and commitment to the boys is second to none and I don’t think any other group of fans will ever be able to match our enthusiasm and passion. We’ve made impossible things possible and created things that no one would ever dream of.
As you can tell, I’m a pretty proud member of my fandom (despite all the drama that surrounds us daily) and so I wanted to write this article to show people that we are possibly one of the most creative fandom ever in what we do.
Speaking as a fan-artist myself, I’ve personally found comfort in drawing the boys mainly because I feel like it makes me closer to them. I’ve drawn Harry enough time to more or less memorise all the curves in his hair. When I draw Zayn, his jawline just seems to mean that much more to me every time I go over in pen gently trying to define it. I know the lights and shades of their faces and bodies and on top of making me love them even more, it defines me as the artist I am.
The One Direction fandom is absolutely huge and so to write this article, I got a few friends to help.
Thalissa, better known as @balmainiaz to most of us on twitter and Instagram is my favourite fan-artist ever. I’ve scrolled through so many pages of art and I’ve still not found a page that wows me more than her creativity. (If you don’t follow her, I have no words for you.)
“Drawing the boys started out as a “just for fun” thing. I’ve got talent and they’ve got the looks that would want me to draw them, so, why not? I worked hard from the start. I was about 16 when I got into the groove of it. Making my Twitter and Instagram accounts predominantly my drawings of them. Not much has changed as I’m about to turn 20, but everything did change. My reasons changed, my feelings, my style, everything changed. I found myself sometimes at 3AM hurting. Something someone might have said has stuck with me and sketches surrounded me. In my bed and crumpled on the floor. Good ones, bad ones. Didn’t matter, but they were there. By the end of the week I’d have done 100 sketches. To this day I’m still not sure if it’s pathetic, but the comfort I feel in drawing them is other worldly. In a way it’s like I’m telling them how I feel about what’s going on, it’s like I feel I’m closer to them. And it is true. My drawings are the closest I think I can get to being around them but in some strange twist I’m cool with it. I’d draw when I was sad, happy, angry, etc and they were what I drew. I can’t tell you how many I have in this little box next to my bed. I wouldn’t dare share them, it’s like a secret, a memory. Then my reasoning changed again, this one isn’t as sad (thank god). As I grew and I really saw who from the band I connected with from an “artist and their art” stand point Zayn of course was the stand out with Harry following. The love and intricacy I put into each drawing or painting of them is something else. They inspire me in ways really no one or thing could have. I always have some new plan, If I actually do them or not is the problem, but there’s always something there. I couldn’t ask for better muses.” – Thalissa.
Then there’s all the incredibly popular fan-artists that pretty much take up most of our twitter, tumblr and Instagram feeds after the release of every music video, red carpet event or anything notably big in the boys’ lives.
@Cyrilliart, @aki_anyway, @rosketch and @coconutwishes are just a few of the ‘big fan-artists’ as I like to call them. A lot of these guys are people with jobs who go to university and make a living for themselves and fanart is just a means of pure happiness for them.
For some, like @vulcains, the reason she draws the boys is much less deep than for others.
“No one judges renaissance painters when they draw the same girl over and over, but somehow it’s weird when all I wanna draw is Zayn? #misogyny” – Razz
It’s not weird at all. It’s incredible.
“To be honest it’s not that deep for me? I tend to like drawing fashion, and they’re pretty dudes and look good in them. Zayn and Harry especially have really fun styles to draw. I’m trying to think of a way to make it sound deeper, but I don’t know- you just draw what you love, you know?”
Yes, we know.
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