Events The Official Fan Art Challenge Version 4.0 - Summer challenge topics now posted!

Hello all,

Due to popular demand, the Official Fan Art Challenge is back with new features and ideas. The main idea of the challenge is not to be a contest to beat out your fellow artists, but an outlet in which we can all grow and explore new ideas and possibilities together. So, here we go...

What is the Official Fan Art Challenge?

A place for artists and fans alike to participate in quarterly themed drawing exercises.

Who can participate?

The challenge is open to anyone and all skill levels. It doesn't matter if you can paint like Picasso or you can only draw a simple stick figure, you're more than welcomed to participate.

How does the challenge work?

Every quarter(Fall;September-November, Winter;December-February, Spring;March-May, Summer;June-August), I will post a series of topics or themes. You can focus on one, gradually work your way through all of them or combine them to come up with something totally new. Any medium is accepted and as I said above, all skill levels are welcomed. You are free to submit a simple sketch or a finished piece of art. The idea is to pick the topic/theme of your choosing and be creative.

Something that will be different about this version of the challenge is the inclusion of other genres of fan art and the opportunity to post original pieces of art. I don't want you to be limited by Star Wars. The idea is to open yourself up to new avenues and explore ideas that you normally wouldn't pursue. Try something totally different and push yourself in new directions. You may be surprised by the results. If you normally work in a realistic style, try something more abstract or cartoony. Experiment with a new medium and for those who have never picked up a pencil before, now is the time to give it a try and start exploring.

Where should I post my challenge entries?

Right here to this thread. I want to keep all the entries in one place, but as always, you're more than welcomed to post them to your individual threads as well.

Are critiques allowed?

The short answer is yes. Let's remember to keep things within the TOS and to keep things positive and constructive. Critiques are meant to help an artist, not tear into them like there is no tomorrow.

How will voting work?

At the end of each quarter, all the entries will be gathered together and voted on by your peers. This is not meant to be a serious contest, but a way to give back to the community for all the time and effort you put into this place. The entry with the highest amount of hits at the end of the voting period will be awarded colors and a title for a week.

If you have any questions or would like to suggest a topic for a future challenge, please don't hesitate to shoot me a PM!

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[color=red][u][b]Summer Fan Art Challenge topics:[/b][/u][/color]

1. [b]Obi-Wan Kenobi[/b]

2. [b]Soldier & Child[/b]

3. [b]Hot & Cold[/b]

[color=red][b]Due Date:[/b][/color] September 1st

 

Those look great, Azure, thanks!

Just keep in mind that the challenge is meant to be a learning exercise. Each topic is meant to inspire a new piece of art, not something that you have already done. It's a way to "challenge" yourself into coming up with something new. It doesn't need to be a finished piece or anything like that. A simple doodle or sketch will do, but the main idea here is to expand your horizons and experiment.

 

Thanks for the entry, Ceillean! That looks great! That's exactly the kind of thing I'm looking for!

Saith the topic is flowers and rain. It was something to start thinking Spring. Basically, I'm looking for anything that incorporates raindrops and/or flowers in a sketch or drawing.

 

Those look great everyone! Keep it up!

I've been trying to come up with an idea to make that work. At the moment, there's a rule in place prohibiting any kind of non-SW image as an icon. Now that we opened up the Fan Art Challenge to all genres, that becomes a problem. If a piece of non-Star Wars art wins the challenge, I'm not sure how that will go over unless we add a Star Wars element to the image somehow(in most cases, that will probably ruin the image). I can talk to Nat about it or we can come up with something else to tide us over.

 

At the moment, the winner receives colors and a title for a week. I would really like to keep the icon as well and I have no issues doing what Iverna suggested with keeping it solely for SW pieces. I understand that there could be some hurt feelings, but I think if we stick a disclaimer in the first post, we should be alright.

With that said, is everyone okay with keeping the icon solely for SW pieces?


EDIT: Sorry, just saw this other part to your post.

That's actually an interesting idea. I would be okay with a badge or something like that, but with our system, where would they display it? Obviously, images can't be displayed in signatures, so would it be something that would work within a user's profile?

 

Giving this a bump! Just a little over a week left to get your entries in for this round!

 

Hey there, AricaBolts

Very good question! No, we don't only accept traditional(hand-drawn) pieces of art. We accept pretty much anything(traditional, digital, photo-manips, etc) as long as it stays within the TOS. Just be sure to post your entry here so that it will count for the contest! If you have any other questions, let me know!

 

New topics have been posted!

And just a few reminders after last round:

The idea of the challenge is to come up with new pieces of artwork - not to use already existing pieces that you can just slap into this thread. The whole point is to rattle your brain a bit and to be creative. All entries must be created new for this challenge.

The three different topics are designed to be stretched over three months. Take each numbered topic as a separate challenge. In the case where there are two words per number(ex. hot & cold), feel free to just do one or the other or combine them into one image. When you post your image, please remember to specify which topic your image is in response to. You can also do the topics in any order you wish. You don't have to go in numerical order. You can also pick and choose. Please don't feel obligated to do each and every topic posted. If something strikes you with inspiration, go for it! The choice is up to you, but remember to have fun!

If you have any questions, please feel free to ask!