To Art Or Not To Art

[Onlythebassist]

With Art finals looming in the next few months, I've started to increase the amount of drawing, painting, editing via computer etc I do in my spare time. I've been a fan of Housepets and various other webcomics for a good year plus now, so it seems weird that I only started to draw my own anthromorphic characters and references a few weeks ago. However that's life, so I guess I should just deal with it.

Anyway, the final topic for the course has not been announced yet and our teachers are pretty relaxed about us doing our own thing as long as the main body of work is satisfactory. The question I pose is - is it a good idea to include the anthro work I've been doing in the final exhibition or should I keep it a private affair?

All of the artwork is clean (nothing over PG) and it is mostly pencil sketched onto paper rather than inked or done by tablet. I assume I would be the only one to include anthro work in their exhibition since I don't really share the interest with any friends. I'm definitely not afraid of showcasing the interest in the subject, but do want to hear your verdict. If anyone has faced this scenario in the past your opinion would be greatly valued, but I equally would like to hear from any other artists or otherwise.

Cheers, and thanks for your time

[Chaplin]

If its your grade we're talking about, I'd stick to traditional art.

[Onlythebassist]

Thanks for the replies, there's some good advice within. In response to Xane I'm not really a furry, but more someone who enjoys the style and the artwork that the genre produces (so closet-furry or otherwise, call me what you will ). But I do think your point about students being sniped for an interest into the culture could prove a problem - nonetheless the solution you pose seems like a good idea, so that may prove valuable in the long term.

At Chaplin, I appreciate the honesty and do think that the final grade will be an important factor. As much as I enjoy making work centred around my own interests, the subject exists to expand our horizons and give us a greater understanding of different mediums and cultures.

[Sleet]

Anthropomorphic art is still art. It can be included in theory, but make sure you acknowledge who your audience is; what you think is good enough to be in there might not be what they think is.

[RancidRabbit]

A very good point made by Sleet. I once forgot about my audience and got a C in my English class for writing a paper that sided with human cloning. The teacher came at the paper with her decision already and while she kept her professionalism, there was plenty extra she marked that didn't need to be.

Its all about the audience! Or you could get a millionaire to buy your piece for thousands of dollars. That's an 'A' if I ever saw one.

[Onlythebassist]

Again, thanks very much for the replies. I think that audience is most likely the most daunting prospect when it comes down to it. It is said that all artists must suffer for their work, but if it's a curriculum based exhibition I'd assume that playing it safe would be my best bet. After all, even art examiners have a set of objectives to refer to when marking right? Although I'll be taking the collective advice and probably not including any of the work, I'm thankful for the various points of view you've given me and for not just shooting me down. It'd be easy just to say 'No, bad idea', but you all gave me a bunch of valid reasons - so cheers for that