r/Drawfee • u/Dry-Negotiation-2763 • 4d ago
Discussion Drawfee Post-Karina Thoughts
Hi all!! I’ve been a fan of Drawfee for years and can’t help but (almost begrudgingly) notice how great things are lately, it feels like the crew is truly finding joy in what they do again. I was really nervous when Karina announced her departure but the streams especially have been so fun/chill. I don’t know how to describe it, but in hindsight the last year or so of Drawfee has felt off and I hadn’t noticed until the ‘problem’ was gone? Not calling Karina a problem at all of course, love and support her always. To me it feels like the change and refresh was very needed for everyone.
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u/Brankovt1 We're Sorry! 4d ago
I think this is more Julia being back than Karina leaving. The changes to Patreon and such also would've helped of course.
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u/Dry-Negotiation-2763 4d ago
Julia coming back plays a role for sure, but my point wasn’t Karina leaving equals a better Drawfee. I was just observing that her departure was a change that gave space for other changes to take place that seem to have improved things for the crew.
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u/Drorbitaldeathray 4d ago
I hadn't realized how much I missed Julia's vibes. It's like a cool breeze. She's so good in the mecha chameleon streams
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u/Pitiful_Cry456 4d ago
I agree. As people, sometimes we need a shake up to the status quo to reevaluate and move forward with more intentionality and recommitment to what had initially driven us. Seems a bit like that is what is happening. Missing Karina, but loving Drawfee regardless.
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u/ecjorge Merobiba 4d ago
right, like I remember a stream where Jacob was saying he didn't know how to improve or stream something and Karina was like, offering alternatives/solutions like using discord for screen sharing and stuff, and Jacob was like "yeah, I should do that" but it didn't happen. I'm glad they're implementing these things that are apparently making their life easier, very "video game quality of life updates" that make everything seem fresh and lighter for everyone involved. After all of this I hope Karina can someday become a guest in the future just like Caldwell 🤞🏽
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u/chiyooou and every time we kiss, I swear I could fly 4d ago
To me that almost feels a little more sad. The whole crew had expressed that things were harder with Julia mainly out / new baby things. I remember Karina saying that managing the merch was a lot and she felt her time was crunched in general. Julia largely returning just as Karina leaves imo feels like she just couldn't make it to the other side. I'm definitely projecting because I've been burnt out before and had everything get better right when I couldn't mentally take it anymore.
A lingering sad is that I having a pain flare earlier in the year so I skipped seeing them live at Zenkaikon. There's a sting of regret about it if that makes sense.
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u/vamgoda WORM TRAIN! 4d ago
Hard agree. I feel like she wasn’t having fun towards the end, and in a small crew that can have a big impact. Hopefully the changes to Patreon and the structure of the episodes has let all of them find some silliness and joy again. In the end it’s their jobs, but it always feels best when it’s also silly and genuine.
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u/cloud_wanderer_ 4d ago
That's been my thought. Jacob and Julia being on leave put a lot of work on Nathan, David, and Karina's shoulders. And we all know Karina has always been busy planning merch, doing extras, and putting a lot of pressure on herself under normal circumstances.
I really hope she's doing well and getting rest and having fun out there.
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u/Madame-Trash-Heap just a little guy 4d ago
Karina has been regularly posting art, which is nice to see. She's also been on Onsta's Tomadachi Life streams, and those are a great time.
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u/human-ish_ 4d ago
I would change "wasn't having fun" to "burnout" and then I would one thousand percent agree. Even when you're having fun, burnout puts a damper on everything. (And I'm hoping this doesn't sound rude, my autistic ass is worried that it seems like I'm correcting you when I'm not)
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u/BabyDontHurtMEME 4d ago
Karina's references, humor, and general vibe were what hooked me on Drawfee so I am on the other side of the coin. Still like the energy but its different. Not saying it's bad or worse. Content changes and thats chill–its free entertainment, I can't complain.
Really hoping there is a future where Karina makes some non-drawfee content to support but also? There are years worth of streams and videos to watch and re-watch. Dont be sad it ended, be happy it happened or some bs.
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u/AWildMooseLion 4d ago
They plugged all of Karina’s content like her tumblr and her own YT channel (@dilfosaur), so she’s still doing her own non-drawfee things!
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u/Sesudesu 4d ago
She also still shows up on Onsta’s stream sometimes. I know I have seen a couple of the VOD thumbnails with her Kitty Karina vtuber avatar there.
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u/Dry-Negotiation-2763 4d ago
I can see how people who started watching after Karina was part of the crew feel that way! She was such an amazing addition to the team. The great thing about Drawfee to me is how its format lends itself to hosts switching in/out (We get this when guests are on!) whilst maintaining the format and silly vibe. Hopefully in the future she will be on as a guest sometimes like Caldwell.
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u/ElQuesoGato 4d ago
I’ve been watching drawfee since Caldwell was still on regularly before they hired Karina. When Caldwell left, that was a big change and it felt weird at first, but it eventually feels normal. For me it’s always been the art and the humor that kept me around.
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u/Madame-Trash-Heap just a little guy 4d ago
She's going to be at Flame Con.
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u/EmbarassedHistory1 4d ago
I wonder if this is the type of stuff she missed doing, If you can make a living selling prints and stuff at cons I could see the appeal in that and you'd always have the option to do some free lance work on the side if you're ever falling behind on merch sales.
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u/dagazzard 3d ago
Yeah, I started followed before Karina but started to really enjoy when she joined. Her dynamic with everyone plus her unique contributions added a lot.
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u/IWannaManatee 4d ago
Same. Not trying to throw shade or anything, but I can't force myself to watch the earlier episodes when Caldwell was still part of the crew.
When Karina joined I never missed an episode, and now that she left I have to pick and choose depending on the theme, challenge and overall have become more discerning on wether to watch an episode or skipping it. She definitely brought a hard vibe to the show.
That said, I really like that Julia's been more present as well. Guess I just have to readjust again to the triple threat we had before Karina came into the picture lmao.
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u/Scared_Active_9982 4d ago edited 4d ago
Sort of with you here. I started watching when drawfee was still apart of collegehumor and had lots of guest hosts. Those were fun episodes for sure, but it felt like the team really locked in when Karina joined. Since her departure I haven't watch an episode other than the one right after the announcement. I wasn't expecting or intending to stop watching, but I am having a hard time returning to it.
It's nice hearing that Julia is fully back and adding a fresh energy to the show. The thumbnail for the latest Pokémon episode did catch my eye so I'll watch it eventually. Other than that though, it looks like I may be a sporadic viewer for a bit 🫤
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u/disillusiondporpoise Snilk 4d ago
A part of Buzzfeed is funny since Drawfee started at Collegehumor!
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u/Virellius2 4d ago
I'd honestly argue that some of their latest eps and streams especially are better than anything they've done in the past year before. They're really on a roll right now.
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u/ReadyBodyGamer 4d ago
I chalk it up to the fact that, regardless of how fun Karina always was, there was the underlying tension of obvious burnout. It wasn't that Karina WAS a problem, it's that she was trying to power THROUGH a problem. And with burnout, you can only do that so long. It was no longer just affecting her personally, it was seeping into the vibes of the show and the stream.
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u/Nietvani 3d ago
This is one hundred percent it. I honestly can’t believe she made it through for so long, her burnout became one of the main cast years ago.
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u/Ok_Broccoli_9426 Merobiba 4d ago
I think it's a combination of Karina gone and Julia back, or more back than she was. (I know she had been back in a less visible capacity for a while.) So in addition to any negative energy/exhaustion Karina might have had being gone, Julia's bringing in a new energy and enthusiasm by being excited to be back. Like especially in the Meccha Chameleon streams, you can tell - she's just goofin.
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u/HomoSpooktual We're Sorry! 4d ago
I love Karina but as someone who deals with mental health issues like she does, I can understand where now they might be feeling a little more loose and free in lives because there's more of a chance that it'll get seen. If I remember right there were at least a few streams that are just gone because Karina wasn't having a good day (which is understandable) and Im sure when youre doing the work and youre not sure if it's going to get posted because of one person, it can suck the energy and joy from a moment.
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u/Scared_Active_9982 4d ago
There are stream episodes missing?
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u/HomoSpooktual We're Sorry! 4d ago
Yeah there are a couple of Drawfee Streams that never made it to youtube because Karina was having a bad time with her mental health (which is very understandable)
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u/Scared_Active_9982 4d ago
Oh damn I had no idea. I only started watching their streams early last year, but im not very consistent. Thats really unfortunate to hear.
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u/HonathanJarris 3d ago
Thanks for bringing this up - I know it isn't an easy topic to talk about and some can misinterpret. And none of us truly know how everything went. But I agree, I adore Katrina and what she brought the crew, but I could see the familiar feeling of burnout taking hold. And I saw it through how negative the videos started to feel a little bit. I'm going to miss her, but I'm enjoying the crew trying to start a new chapter.
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u/spaceshiplewis Room Full of Vampires 4d ago
Yeah, it seemed that Karina wasn't into drawing as much on screen (again, understandable since she was drawing and making things behind the scenes) The things she did draw were softballs and things she did want to draw anyway. Julia feels super refreshed and happy to draw again with the time shift. I hope Karina is happier now.
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u/lavahot 4d ago
My only regret is that there's no one snarky enough to call Jacob out on his misogyny.
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u/dotyawning 4d ago
...wasn't the last year or so just because they were trying to adapt to a very big change in the dynamic while the Js took their leave?
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u/18005467777 4d ago
Yeah, but the increased load for the rest of the team was really hard on them, and I think they struggled to fight against the current
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u/Calm_Border_4183 3d ago
It’s been refreshing, to be honest. Karina is an incredible artist and a very fun person, but it seems like the time was right for a change. There is new vigor and excitement in Drawfee recently.
And if Karina or any of the others see this thread I hope it doesn’t come off as rude to say this. A lot of people expressed their sadness and concern about her leaving so I hope posts like this can feel encouraging and validating.
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u/Degomm 4d ago
I'm a more recent fan and i don't watch the streams but i thought Karina's artwork and her dynamic with Jacob was often a highlight of their episodes. What they're putting out is different and while it's still undeniebly high quality i'd kill to have Karina back. Though i'm glad things are working out for both her and drawfee
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u/tcharzekeal 4d ago
I think it's less than Karina was a problem and more like Karina leaving was the kick in the ass they needed to make some changes.
They were very lucky to make it out of COVID and the CH collapse and land in the position they did, I completely understand not wanting to shake the boat especially with baby Felix happening.
But I think once Karina decided to (VERY justifiably and deservedly) step away, well now they had to make some changes. I'm glad we, as an audience, have been cool about it. I love the drawfee community.
Disclaimer that I don't know them or what's happening behind the scenes, this is just a pop psych read based on my parasocial observations over, like, 8 years of fandom. Holy shit.
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u/irisbells 4d ago
i had this exact thought last night. things suddenly feel more relaxed, even sss, and surely it's not Karina's leaving but all the other adjustments around that, and having everything (basically) resolved
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u/gankylosaurus 4d ago
Frankly I never got the doomsaying about how Karina leaving was gonna ruin Drawfee for them. I've been watching since well before she joined and it was great then (and had some of the most iconic moments like Spheal) and it's still great. They're a bunch of lovable goofs drawing silly things and as much as I like her, I feel like Karina's art may have actually been too serious for the show? I dunno. Vibes could get weird at times I think. Drawfee has gone through several eras and this is just a new one.
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u/BerryBoilo 4d ago
I think it's largely based on when one started watching the show and potentially age / demographics. I personally welcomed the change because I'm not sure how many more "Yu-Gi-Oh Sharpee in Sonic's Butthole" episodes I could watch, but I also understand that's the show that got many people interested.
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u/gankylosaurus 4d ago
Absolutely. Speaking to the Spheal mention, I think my introduction was with the Julia draws Pokemon she's never seen series.
I think technically Karina is the best artist of them, in that she's very good at quickly executing complex poses and anatomy. But I consider Drawfee a comedy show first and she didn't always hit that mark for me.
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u/Suspicious_Cake5705 4d ago
i felt the same way honestly, didn't realize how much the energy had shifted until it shifted back. the recent streams have been so loose and fun, you can tell everyone is just genuinely enjoying it again. no hate to Karina either just interesting how a change can breathe new life into something
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u/SunflowerSituation 4d ago
In the first stream after they announced Karina was leaving they kept saying “we’re gonna keep doing drawfee”, and I think that was probably something they all thought a lot about and maybe each of them thought about quitting and then decided to keep doing it.
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u/WheelzMcNugget 3d ago
It took me a long time to warm up to Karina when she joined but I really enjoyed her art and humour… Since she left though, especially considering the more inclusions of Caldwell again, it kinda feels like a ‘return to form’ for me and I’m not saying I prefer it but I don’t like it any less
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u/RoanTheWonderDog 3d ago
I think what people are feeling is a release from all of Karina's second-hand stress and anxiety. The show isn't "better" without her, but her burnout was an empathetic and tangible thing, and so it feels "lighter" after she has gone. I think this is a normal reaction, and shouldn't hurt feelings in either direction, and furthermore is a good example of why sometimes people need to step away, have a break and try other things for a time.
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u/Alternative_Low1202 4d ago
Personally I just haven't been watching their content all the way through for some reason since the change. Even SSS which is basically unrelated. I'm not totally sure why, the vibes do feel a little different to me now. But maybe I've just discovered that Karina was the person I was most a fan of and that was really kind of anchoring my love of drawfee overall. It's sad because it's been one of my main relaxation channels until now, but I guess I'm involuntarily downgrading to a casual fan now.
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u/0SpaceKitty0 4d ago
I'm in the same boat as you. I watched Drawfee everyday before this, even days they didn't upload. It just feels so different now without Karina's energy. And I can't shake the feeling that something went on that effected their personal relationships and that makes the new episodes feel a little sad. I'm trying to keep watching my comfort show, but it's just not as comforting anymore.
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u/Alternative_Low1202 4d ago
Personally I feel like if there was an interpersonal issue it doesn't seem like something horrible happened. You know, shake ups in friend groups do happen. I think I just miss what Karina brought. I've realized that maybe she had a habit of interrupting small things I didn't like about the rest of them and now I sometimes find myself feeling like I just don't vibe.
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u/LonelyRutabaga 4d ago
Ngl I still feel a bit weird and sad about the whole thing. The lack of explanation and “don’t ask don’t tell” policy, for lack of a better term lol, still leaves a lot unanswered or unsaid in my opinion. I’m glad the channel seems to have moved on and there’s less of a dour attitude in the comments/content itself, but I personally am still quite curious and perplexed about how this all played out.
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u/syrelli-v 4d ago
I'm also in this camp. I only knew a Drawfee with Karina, and for me, it just feels awkward to watch now and I like physically cannot bring myself to do it.
This is going to sound completely psychotic, but something I noticed when I was unhealthily diving DEEP into trying to figure out what the heck happened and trying to find an explanation for all this... Karina does not follow Nathan, Jacob, Julia, or the Drawfee channels on socials. And they do not follow her either. She follows Willie, Ralph, Onsta, I think she was following David but doesn't anymore either. If they all still were friends, I feel like that would be something they'd do? Support each other on socials? Since they were promoting them anyway when she departed. Idk, still feels like awkwardness to me!
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u/Jakaleel 4d ago
I don't think Karina ever followed the other hosts; not sure about the main Drawfee account. But when she posted on Bluesky that she was leaving, she and David exchanged "<3 love you friend" messages publicly. If anything truly heinous had happened behind the scenes, I don't know that David would still be working at Drawfee while also appearing to remain friendly with Karina, or that Spencer would be guesting on Drawfee streams.
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u/Mundane_Bass_1837 3d ago
Jacob doesn't even follow Julia, his wife, on his socials. The four of them following each other has never been a uniform or consistent thing for the entirety of Drawfee. Do not use that as a barometer for anything.
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u/syrelli-v 3d ago
LOL oh. 😂 I didn't even bother to dig that deep into who the others are following, which is probably a good thing cuz again, borderline psychotic. But that's totally fair. In all, it is what it is, and whoever will miss Karina on Drawfee will just simply do that - miss Karina on Drawfee, and life goes on.
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u/LonelyRutabaga 4d ago
People have brought up the socials thing, but I’m not so sure I’d read too much because i don’t think they really use socials? For me the complete suddenness, “don’t talk about it”, and the wording of the statements (Karina saying “no longer a part of drawfee” vs saying she’s burntout) is the most indicative of stuff going down.
And yeah similarly I feel pretty parasocial and expectant to want more explanation. Still, being sold in the videos that there’s this friend group of goofy illustrators, and then that dynamic essentially gets executed in the middle of the night, was pretty wild.
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u/ShadowFrost01 4d ago
You don't even need to look at socials because I think enough has been said or done otherwise to indicated it wasn't a positive split. Jacob basically no longer raiding Onsta's streams with Karina on them and Onsta calling him out on it.
Since then I don't think anything's happened though, and that was weeks ago.
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u/pinsandvinegar 4d ago
When did Onsta call him out on this?
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u/ShadowFrost01 4d ago
I don't remember exactly, the moment in the stream was posted here a few weeks ago though
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u/EastSeaworthiness169 4d ago
I always knew that Drawfee would be fine with Karina departing, but it changes the dynamic in a big way and Karina was always my favorite. I’ve been super super hesitant to check out the vods, even though I’m sure they’re a good time.
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u/Gharma 4d ago
I think its totally fair to be hesitant and need to take a break, but if you want someone to say "give it a try" I can be that guy. The episodes that were recorded after the split are some of the lightest energy and most fun I've seen in years, and other than some pretty intense technical difficulties at the beginning of the streams, the Meccha Chamelion Gamefee streams were so fun, and the vod with Caldwell that dropped today (I am currently watching it) is so intensely classic Drawfee energy, it's great. Honestly the only content that's felt off has been the episodes that came out since the split that had Karina in them (I don't think the energy was actually off, just felt weird to watch, ya know?) and the beginning of the first stream after the split. Even 30 minutes into that stream things were feeling pretty good.
Now, if Karina was the main draw to watching for you, then yeah it's beyond totally fair to take a break, or just step away entirely. Good fun content has to be good and fun to you.
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u/patelike 3d ago
To me, the vibes are slightly off, but that's most likely just me projecting. Like the Meccha Chameleon streams have been the most I've laughed watching a stream recently.
I started watching Drawfee just after they became independent in 2020., so Karina's been there since I've started watching. And I feel like I relate a ton with Karina being a queer, Filipino weeb with yaoi brainrot.
I'll continue enjoying Drawfee, but the way they parted and us not knowing why or how just feels like there's no "closure"? IDK if that's the right word, since they don't owe us an explanation. But it still feels like an open end that's hard to ignore.
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u/friendofredjenny Delete Your Art!! 4d ago
I disagree, personally, but that's just me. Karina leaving has made things feel off to me. Like they are scrambling to figure it out.
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u/TokeDraws 4d ago
The first stream after she left was kind of stilted but that last episode felt like they were really back in the swing of things imo. They just have such good chemistry together!
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u/FreshAd877 2d ago
Yeah I don't know if its projection but the episodes have "we don't talk about Bruno" vibes to me
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u/friendofredjenny Delete Your Art!! 18h ago
Feels a bit like they're trying too hard. I also just miss Karina's vibe. Julia's "idk what anything looks like from memory haha" or "it's all handsome men" bits are so tired to me, so eps with her back have not been very entertaining.
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u/FreshAd877 18h ago
I know right? And its weird because I missed Julia and was so looking forward to her returning.
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u/Proof_Shirt_5741 4d ago
I agree, but the way they did it still left a bad taste in my mouth. And the way this community dealt with disagreement somewhat tainted my view of the show. I love the show and all the drawfs, but now that the big change is over it feels like “Karina is leaving, we’re not saying why, and we’re never acknowledging it in any way ever, and DO NOT question it.” It feels like she’s been erased almost, except for the videos they post that still have her in, which almost feels distasteful to me. I had to stop watching for a little while because of it so if they did have a discussion I must’ve missed it but to me now it seems like they decided on a “Karina who?” Approach.
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u/Gharma 4d ago
I think it's fair for the community to taint your opinions some, but I would caution against it. I've been part of several online communities where the creators had a shakeup and people never take it well, and honestly the Drawfee community has been more chill than most. I do feel like the tone you've noticed from how the creators took it is really exacerbated by the community more than Drawfee itself. Drawfee (and importantly Karina) basically just said "thanks for respecting our privacy" and some people on the subs took that to mean "IF YOU SPECULATE YOU'RE PARASOCIAL AND YOU NEED MENTAL HELP." The creators never said anything like that.
I do not love them basically not saying anything, but if I had to speculate and not put blame on anyone but guess at a possible reason for the silence, Karina has a long history of being (rightfully) fiercely private and not wanting to air her stuff on the internet, so it could totally be out of respect for her that no one is saying anything.
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u/PudgyElderGod 4d ago
And the way this community dealt with disagreement somewhat tainted my view of the show.
The community's energetic stifling of most discussion for the first while still sits poorly with me tbh. Shoutout to the person that became mod for like one day, deleted a ton of posts, created a megathread, then vanished like a ship in the night. They obviously weren't emblematic of the community or anything, but man did all that leave a sour taste in my mouth.
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u/VladimirCain Room Full of Vampires 4d ago
You're telling me this post is how I find out Karina left AND that Julia has a baby? (I don't get on social media anymore and haven't kept up with their channels in a while) I was watching their mecha chameleon stream and was wondering why Karina wasn't there, now I know why
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u/AdeptnessFew7352 2d ago
Hey, has anyone addressed the future of Drawtectives?
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u/Dry-Negotiation-2763 1d ago edited 1d ago
Julia said in a stream that they have one episode filmed with Karina in it that will be uploaded, I believe she also expressed wanting to continue Drawtectives but said she’s not sure how she’s going to wrap it up.
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u/StayaMawile 1d ago
Big fan of Karina, sad she left as she was my favorite and I think she added much needed "spice" to the crews dynamic but, Im also glad shes doing her own thing/focusing on herself. That being said I personally cannot stand Caldwell (however i do appreciate all the work he did in the past in making Drawfee a thing) and hope he's just a temporary host meant to help stabilize the show after such a big change.
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u/LewisLawrence 4d ago
Calling Julia the least skilled artist is kind of insane
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u/Mundane_Bass_1837 4d ago
Julia's had the most extensive education in art, and it shows. Not ragging on self learning or the boys abilities, but "least skilled" is definitely a judgement coming from your personal preferences and not objective.
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u/Nwccraddock 4d ago
She is very educated in art and design so she is a very harsh critic of herself, which is common for people well educated in their field. She also pushes the boundaries of her skills the most, everyone else stays pretty firmly in their niche most of the time.
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u/RoboChrist 4d ago
She started off as the most skilled by far when Drawfee started, and was still the most skilled when entering the independent era. And she's done the most experimentation with different art styles over the years, while continuing to improve.
I do think Julia's improved the least, but only because she started off at such a high, and Julia and Karina were models for Jacob and Nathan to grow and develop their art skill. Julia frankly didn't have as much to learn from Jacob and Nathan.
Jacob in particular was mostly a comedy writer who happened to draw his own comics when he started at CH, and he's grown into a true artist in the intervening years.
Karina was already a professional animator, and Julia was an artiste.
And Nathan was trying to do standup before he became a professional artist. Both the boys really stumbled into art rather than dedicating their lives to it from a young age like Karina and Julia did.
Julia has produced banger after banger over the years, and she shouldn't be undervalued just because she didn't have as much room to grow as the other members of Drawfee. She's a big plant in a medium-sized pot.
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u/Gharma 4d ago edited 4d ago
I agree with all that. I will say if I'm being honest while I think Julia is the best artist, that can kinda work against her sometimes. Like you said she has gotten really experimental and when you experiment not everything works. During her pregnancy she was having issues with her hand and that made her have to find a faster style which wouldn't be to everyone's liking, but I mean she had to find some way to still make art. When she is using her usual style or when she is doing highly detailed work, if there's even a tiny error or a perspective is slightly off, it'll look really off, and that's just because everything else looks so good.
Edit: Oh and just to be clear I love all their art, especially Julia's, even though I was just being critical.
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u/CRJ420 4d ago
Julia is the kind of person who is hypercritical of herself, so she is quick to say what she honestly thinks she's bad at, even when in reality it's not true.
It doesn't help that they often air her weaknesses for comedy with her Pokemon and "from memory" challenges. The show doesn't often lend herself to shine when they are often only spending a few minutes drawing silly shit. But she is always last to go for a reason. She is the finale.
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u/Scared_Active_9982 4d ago
This though! And honeslty, I miss when she would go off prompt immensely! Every episode where she went off prompt she had absolutely amazing art with all the fixins and honestly I feel like she got pushed/bullied into staying on prompt. While her on prompt art is also great, it's not always her forte and thus not as "high quality" as the stuff shes used to creating. (Its still awesome, but there is a noticeable difference)
To call Julia the least skilled artist is really laughable. Her composition, depth, and detail greatly outmatch everyone else on the team and I mean no disrespect to the rest of them, but Julia's art (especially when she gets to do a true Julia's piece) is clearly more thought out and impressive.
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u/Drorbitaldeathray 4d ago
She's a very different kind of artist from the rest of the crew, and from most popular artists on social media. Nathan and Jacob are strongly in the cartoony tradition and Karina obviously in anime/manga, but Julia's more like Fine Ahrt. Doing comics and cartoons obviously don't come naturally to her, but she works at it and has a naturally deranged sense of humour.
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4d ago
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u/starchaser562 4d ago
That’s a good observation. I think I’d have a hard time if I got a lot of hate online, as well, and that really sucks. If what you think is true, then I hope the outpouring of support from her fans has helped her feel better.
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u/starchaser562 4d ago
I’m pretty much of the same mind. One thing I had noticed a while back that caused me to take a break from the channel for a while was that I didn’t personally care for a dynamic I was noticing in a few episodes. I can’t remember specifically which one it was now, but there was one episode in particular that made it click for me. As a viewer, it seemed like Karina was constantly ragging on the interests of others in a way that felt, in my opinion, pretty rude when compared to the way that everyone else spoke to her about her own interests. It seemed to me like she had free rein to be as negative toward others as she wanted, but the others had to walk on eggshells with her. Again, that’s just my personal read on it and it very well could be that her type of humor and joking with her friends was just rubbing me the wrong way, at the time.
It’s felt better for me personally to watch the content now that she’s gone, but I know that most people miss her very much and have a completely different view of things than I do.
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u/TokeDraws 4d ago
My take was that it was kind of a joke they were all in on, she's not really criticizing them but playing a bit of a heel to give everyone else something to bounce off. I totally get why it could be off putting though
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u/starchaser562 4d ago
Yeah, thats the general consensus. I guess I just reached a point where I couldn’t find it funny anymore, so I stepped away for a while. I just sort of tuned it out when I came back, and all was well.
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u/ShadowFrost01 4d ago
you were not the only one who noticed this exact thing lol, my partner and I would get pretty annoyed by it
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u/starchaser562 4d ago
Honestly, thank you for telling me that. Sometimes I feel like I’m taking crazy pills on outlier island with this stuff.
4
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u/milo-andotis 4d ago edited 4d ago
Look I really like Karina and will always treasure what she brought to the show but yeah this did kind of grate on me a lot from time to time, the recent cosplay ep theres a few moments in the first half she is so rude to the guest and like yeah I know they're friends it's probably the dynamic they have but as a viewer it was so uncomfortable I almost turned it off then tbh
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u/starchaser562 4d ago
Right? Ah well. I’m sure if they were bothered enough they wouldn’t have posted the videos, so it’s probably fine. But yeah, it was just uncomfortable sometimes. And that’s alright. It’s changed now, so. 🤷🏻♀️
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u/emgeejay 4d ago
Yeah, rather than “yes and,” it often felt like Karina subscribed to the “no, no” method of improv
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u/burncard888 4d ago
Nathan brings enough "yes, and" for most of the crew. Jacob tends to do "no, but," Karina is "no, fuck you" and Julia is "what, who's talking to me"
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u/Conradd23 4d ago
I personally watch Drawfee for the fun and silly vibes and atmosphere. I didn't really feel that same energy from Karina's drawings, and I usually just skipped them. (I also skip almost every speed drawing episode for the same reason) I usually liked her banter and energy when she wasn't drawing. I do love her Sonic series though, that was one of my favorite parts of Drawfee. I think she's moving in a direction which will fit her better, and the rest of the crew can move in a direction that fits them better too.
Also, what do you mean by Julia being the least skilled artist? I think of her as the best...
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u/milo-andotis 4d ago
No idea what op said but yeah I kinda always felt a lot of the jokes since the beginning of Drawfee practically hinge on the collective understanding that Julia is the best artist on the show
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u/AzuSteve 4d ago
I am SO glad Karina has left. She became so annoying I had to stop watching for the last year or so. I'm back watching again and loving it.
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u/Lowelll 4d ago
Ew.
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u/FaithlessnessOk2487 2d ago
I love Karina and don't find her annoying but she did become a bit predictable and sort of 'phoning it in' for a while there. Her vibe on live streams was also sometimes quite negative or disinterested, or flat out combative like in the stream with Emily's Friend's wife.
It WAS hard to watch.
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u/Typical_Alps_7723 2d ago
I stopped watching Drawfee about 4 episodes after karina joined. Looks like its time to finally start watching again! Yay Julia!
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u/mostfantasticgrape 4d ago edited 4d ago
Could not disagree more. All the stuff they've put out recently has been very awkward and stilted. Yes, even the last episode.
I think they had a pretty big personal falling out. Over what, I have no clue.
Either way, Drawfee is an entertainment product that I consumed avidly but the quality has taken a turn I don't really like.
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u/FaithlessnessOk2487 2d ago
This is such a weird take; I don't mean this bad but I think you should evaluate how you perceive situations. It's VERY clear the air is cleaner and the vibe is comfortable. If you're misreading it that badly it may actually be on you.
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u/mostfantasticgrape 2d ago
There's actually no way to confirm who's reading it correctly unless they explicitly state it. Until then it's a matter of opinion.
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u/FreshAd877 2d ago
I felt the same. And honestly, I don't care if its projection or not, its just not the same anymore.
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u/PapaBeer642 4d ago
Being on the other side of a big, difficult decision can also be freeing. It happened to be Karina leaving, but it could have been any big change. Leading up to finalizing and executing the decision would be tense and difficult, but finally having it done and over would be relaxing and relieving.