When I first saw the hashtag #DTIYS I didn’t know what it was but was excited when I found out artists were posting pieces inviting others to rework it in their own style, how fun! It’s pretty inspiring to see artwork done in so many different styles; it feels encouraging that it seems like it’s possible to draw anything in your own voice. It’s also cool to see artists I’m fans of doing DTIYS of other artists I’m also a fan of, it’s such an interconnected web and great way to discover new artists too.
I couldn’t find exactly when DTIYS challenges started (the earliest mention I found was from 2019), but it has been a popular trend on social media in recent years. Possibly the first DTIYS challenge I saw was in 2020 from Lulu Sweet Kawaii Shop of Lubo, one of her original characters. This is actually a photo of the drawing she did with her daughter, so sweet.
It was redrawn by Fox’s Little Things and turned into nail art by Caluki Nails! As far as I could find Lulu Sweet Kawaii Shop has not done any other DTIYS, but she has lots of cute merch on Etsy (US).
In 2021 Becky Cas created a rainbow mountain DTIYS, which was done by Ellie vs Bear (one of my favorite artists) and Kitschy Kawaii.
Kitschy Kawaii did a DTIYS contest in 2022 and this Facebook post shows the winners and honorable mentions including Natalia Caronte and Elen Lescoat. So fun to see so many takes on this piece.
Ellie vs Bear did her own DTIYS in 2022 which was in turn was redrawn by Becky Cas, and an artist named Doodella, who I had bought an art print from and had no idea it was an Ellie vs Bear DTIYS!
Doodella does a lot of DTIYS. In 2022 she posted this cute bear gardener, and in 2023 she did a DTIYS from xKartanesi.
And bringing us to 2024 xKartanesi, who thinks ducks are cool, posted this DTIYS on Instagram. You can see some of the redraws here including by sleepiestudio and kikyokiko.
I hope you’ve enjoyed these DTIYS, whether they’re the original works or the redo’s, maybe they’ll inspire you to create your own version.
Allison is from the Pacific coast of the US. She takes care of animals by day and fully introverts by night with two adorable Jack Russell Chihuahuas and a tortie cat named Marnie. She particularly likes llamas, tea, reading fantasy, and Nintendo. Her favorite movies are Coraline, Labyrinth, and Howl’s Moving Castle.
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