I was actually surprised at how much response I got over these, from the belly dance communities.
Altho', I DO have a gripe about 1/2 of the responses, since number of Bellydancers expect to be paid to dance, and make money doing so. However, those SAME dancers expected to just be able to USE my artwork FREE OF CHARGE or DEMAND me to:
A.) Do more for them FOR FREE, JUST BECAUSE THE LIKED IT.
B.) DO WHOLE ANIMATIONS FOR THEM FOR FREE, JUST BECAUSE THEY LIKED IT.
Drawing is NOT the SAME as dancing, let alone animation, FYI. It takes, practice, skills, and talent, especially if you like mine, that that would refer to MINE of the aforementioned.
Funny how YOU want to be paid, but REFUSE to pay for ME.
Since I was also depressed, I couldn't make myself finish them yet. But, also, because I am afraid of people stealing my artwork, AND MAKING MONEY OFF OF IT!
So, yes, I have mixed feelings, especially when the bellydance communities are usually very Hippy-ish, peace, love, community, helping each other out, looking out for the lil' guy, etc.
So, for this reason, I am forever more STICKING with my watermarks, logos, and GIANT CHINESE NAME STAMPS.
I understand that the whole concept of Chinese name stamps is a hard one to understand, even for me, because it's not based in Western logic, It's Chinese/Taoist stuff. They often use use HUGE stamps, often several, and it might not make any sense to a Westerner, in fact they don;t even need to fit with the layout of the picture. I've asked SOOOOOO many Chinese art Teachers, and Masters in China, and no one can explain it, they just say, it's a Chinese way, or it;s just Chinese stuff.
This was a popular Tribal Fusion costuming style a few years ago:
S Tribal Fusion Belly Dance 01 by *BlackUniGryphon on deviantART
By 2011 the long hair, like Cabaret belly dance started to become popular, and bled through into the costuming fashion, where as before it was usually up-doos.
Sketch Belly Dance Floorwork R by *BlackUniGryphon on deviantART
As Cabaret styles began seeping into Tribal Fusion Bellydance, things became very whimsical, and fantasy-like. So, I came up with this/these:
Whimsical Unicorn Tribal CS 01 by *BlackUniGryphon on deviantART
Whimsical Unicorn Tribal CS 02 by *BlackUniGryphon on deviantART
I have seen SO many creative costumes ever since.
If you like this blog post, please check the rest of my blog for similar artwork.
Thank you.
