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The Last Unicorn Fan Art: Design Inspiration and Guidelines


What do you call a scary unicorn? A night(mare). And that is how many children of the 80s remember the Japanese hand-drawn animation film The Last Unicorn. The novel however, ranked number 5 for best “All-Time Best Fantasy Novels” in a 1987 poll.

Whether you consider The Last Unicorn to be terrifically retro or terrifying, now is your chance to make magical, officially licensed fan art. Because what’s cuter than an existentially philosophical skinny rhinoceros?

Designs by Ellador, koolaid-girl and Jeff Powers Illustration

 

Recap: What is the Redbubble Partner Program?


Redbubble’s Partner Program is an ongoing program to allow fan artists to create new, officially licensed works and post them safely on Redbubble, without fear of future takedowns. If you’re unfamiliar with the Partner Program, read these links first:

The Last Unicorn Guidelines


We’ve partnered with ITV Studios so you can sell your officially licensed Last Unicorn fan art on Redbubble. To give your work the best chance of being licensed, take some time to read the brand guidelines. There are a few things to avoid and some details to keep in mind. We’ve highlighted some key guidelines below but make sure you’ve checked all the details before you start creating.

  • Watch The Last Unicorn to feel some nostalgia and get inspired
  • Be creative and original with your artwork
  • Reference icons and elements from the film
  • Step out of your comfort zone and experiment with different styles for your fan art
  • Don’t depict or use likenesses of voice cast actors
  • Don’t use artwork based on the book, only base your original artwork on the film
  • Have fun!
Designs by RG-love, sophieeves90 and Medusa Dollmaker 

 

How to Submit Your Designs


Tagging your work with The Last Unicorn and TheLastUnicorn will automatically add it to the review queue. You may see a notification that your work is temporarily suspended, pending review. We’ll let you know as soon as your work has been reviewed.

When you’re uploading your work, don’t forget to include The Last Unicorn in the title for added SEO juice (to make it more discoverable). And make your titles as descriptive as possible. For example, “The Last Unicorn – Schmendrick at the Midnight Carnival ” or “The Last Unicorn – Lady Amalthea fights the bull.”

When you’re tagging your work, don’t forget to add any other relevant tags, for example:
Characters: The Unicorn/Lady Amalthea, Schmendrick, Molly Grue, Prince Lir, the Red Bull, King Haggard, Mommy Fortuna, Celaeno, the Cat, the Caged Dragon, Ruhk
Places: The Forest of Perpetual Spring, Hagsgate, Mommy Fortuna’s Carnival
Objects: Magic clock, evil trees, reanimated skeleton

Best practice for tagging on Redbubble is to aim for around 15 relevant keywords. Check out our post on The Art of Tagging for more tips.

Designs by Sockless, -Lara- and Clarice82

 

Design Inspiration and Resources


The courageous adventures of Lady Amalthea captured hearts and minds as quickly as the Evil Bull ran all the other unicorns off a cliff. No one can escape falling… in love with The Last Unicorn.

Watching The Last Unicorn is kind of like seeing the world with synesthesia, which could include hearing colors or seeing sounds. Explore what it looks like to translate emotions into visuals. Between the mythical creatures, otherworldly colors, and wild range of emotions from joy, love, regret, sorry, and melancholy, you have a lot to work with, young unicorn.

‘Last Unicorn,’ An Animated Fable | NY Times
The 20 Creepiest & Most Bizarre Moments From “The Last Unicorn” | Buzzfeed
The Last Unicorn | Variety
The Last Unicorn: Early Eighties Animated Magic | Dorkadia
Feminism Meets Fantasy In The Last Unicorn | Birth Movies Death
The Last Unicorn was nightmare fuel to a generation of kids | AV Film Club

Designs by Jessie Boulard, MadebyToast and infamousred

 

What is your memory of The Last Unicorn? Warm nostalgia or childhood trauma? Let us know in the comments below. And we’ll be adding more exciting brands to our Partner Program soon. Keep an eye on our Current Partnerships page for the latest.

 

 

View additional posts by Taryn Smith

Taryn Smith

Taryn is a freelance writer, animal lover, and pilsner enthusiast based in Berkeley, CA. Connect with her at www.tarynshelby.com