redraw
/REE-draw/noun · verb
Meaning
In internet art and meme culture, a redraw is an illustration that recreates the composition, pose, or recognizable setup of an existing image while changing its characters, art style, details, or context. As a verb, to redraw means to make that reinterpretation. The term can describe a one-off fan-art remake, a recurring meme format, or a social-media art challenge.[1][2]
- 1. A new drawing that recreates a familiar image or scene in the artist's own style.
- 2. A meme edit or fan-art variation that keeps an original pose or composition but replaces the characters, props, or context.
- 3. A redraw challenge or community format built around inviting multiple artists to reinterpret the same image.
Examples
“I did a redraw of the scene with my favorite game characters.”
“This redraw is somehow cuter than the original.”
“Can someone redraw this meme with the villains instead?”
“Posting my redraw challenge entry before I lose motivation.”
“The pose stays the same, but the redraw turns everyone into cats.”
Origin and spread
Redraw is formed from the ordinary English verb redraw, meaning to draw something again. In online art communities, the word developed a more specific use for recreating screenshots, poses, memes, and other recognizable images in a personal style. The exact beginning of the meme sense is uncertain, but the format was clearly circulating in fandom communities by May 2020, when the Sailor Moon Redraw challenge was being discussed across social platforms. Artists often kept the original composition while replacing the featured character with one from another anime, game, cartoon, or original-character setting. The term also overlaps with the established phrase draw this in your style, although a redraw may preserve a meme's layout or character positions more closely.[2]
How to use it
Redraw is casual and common in fan-art, meme, and illustration spaces. It usually suggests a creative reinterpretation rather than a literal copy, though some redraws closely trace the original image. When posting one, crediting the source image or original artist is good practice, especially if the composition is distinctive. Do not assume that every image drawn from a reference is a meme redraw; the term is most natural when the source image is recognizable or part of a shared challenge.
Sources
- 1. Nerdist — The SAILOR MOON Redraw Challenge Is MagicalSupports: meaning.
- 2. BrushWarriors — What is Sailor Moon Redraw Challenge?Supports: meaning, origin, form.
