A watercolor fanart painting of the farmhouse in Stardew Valley has garnered praise from the game’s creator, Eric Barone, better known as ConcernedApe. Fanart for the game is incredibly popular, in part thanks to the title’s success. Originally released in 2016, the game’s large community of fans, modders, and creators have designed everything from gameplay-changing mods to Stardew Valley globe art.
Stardew Valley, inspired by games like Harvest Moon, has earned countless fans in the years since its release, and has been globally praised for its gameplay and art style. Players take on the role of a farmer, planting and growing crops and taking care of animals while falling in love with the townsfolk, and battling in caves. Thanks to Stardew Valley‘s simple yet charming aesthetic, the game has been a hit with creatives not just inspired to create fanart, but also those looking to develop on its gameplay through mods. On November 30, a new 1.5.5 patch for the game was released, adding glitch fixes and a host of small changes to benefit the modding community, and the patch notes tease a future 1.5.6 patch that will make some aspects of modding Stardew Valley easier for modders.
Children’s book illustrator and graphic artist NashSketches painted the farmhouse from Stardew Valley with watercolors, creating a unique and whimsical design that perfectly encapsulates the feelings of nostalgia and adventure when beginning the game for the first time. NashSketches’ painting was created by first sketching the farmhouse, going over lines with ink, and finally adding watercolor to the inked drawing. Impressed by the fanart, ConcernedApe replied to NashSketches’ post, praising their work by saying: “Looks great! Love the clean, fun style and I always enjoy seeing areas from Stardew Valley from a new angle.” The creator’s piece has become so popular on social media that they’ve now made prints available through Society6.
See the post on Twitter here.
Inspired by the pixel art of games like Stardew Valley, fans of the game have been reimagining its world with their own spin ever since its release. NashSketches’ take on the game’s starter farm may be a wholly unique interpretation, but still includes many of the recognizable features players will remember from their first few hours with Stardew. As well as the iconic farmhouse itself, the creator has added things like the shipping bin, and even a host of collectible materials including grass, wood, and stone.
Fanart is one of many elements that has helped to keep Stardew Valley popular, and it seems the community is showing no signs of slowing down when it comes to creating unique Stardew-inspired art. It’s likely that the video game will also experience a new wave of players and popularity as Xbox Game Pass added Stardew Valley to its offerings this month. With ConcernedApe quick to praise impressive fanart from the game’s community, it’s likely more Stardew Valley fans could earn recognition from the creator in the future.
Source: NashSketches/Twitter, ConcernedApe/Twitter