i just feel that there isn't much originality anymore. without counting the "original" fan characters that pop up, a lot of original characters here are, ironically, not original. i mean that there's not really anything fresh and unique and they all just melt into one blob of "that's been done" characters. does anybody else feel that way?

Well, technically, everything's "been done" before, I would think. With how many artists have existed throughout time and such, it's hard, if not impossible, to come up with something entirely unique on a visual sense. I have certain characters, however, that may visually appear rather boring and traditional, but it's their personalities and such that make them original. I guess that doesn't matter much with an "Art" site, though. oO; Anyway, I know what you mean. I've seen too many character rip-offs, but I think that most original characters that I've seen have a sense of originality to them. -shrug- That's just me, though, and I'm pretty new around here. :B

I used to, but it eventually lead to the thoughts below. The thing about original characters and stories are that most everyone's works are still in development. Since most great characters take time to develop and not all artists persist long enough for the process, we don't see originality all the time. Personally I feel if our own characters are drawn often enough, they will take on a personality and appearance of their own. The creation will grow by its own virtue and only guided by its creators, us. All original "fan" and done before characters have that same potential to be developed into something totally different when first conceived, that I believe. They are nothing special now, but they will if their own creators allow the growth to happen. Hope it didn't sound overly deep, heheh. If anyone wants to test this, please do so. XD