Revival of the Fan Art Forum

I think we need one...especially when it comes to starting threads and getting people excited about it.

I joined the discussion there about a month ago and it's really sad...the whole place is dead. We hardly get any posts. I think we need to somehow get people more excited about Fan Art and viewing it. I don't think the artists get the attention or feedback they need. I know in my own personal experience that when I want feedback about my work, only 4-5 people actually give me feedback. And the catch is, people don't HAVE to be artists to give feedback or enjoy the art. Even the most uncreative person can look at something and say "Well, I like it, but I would make this bigger".

I am asking for a solution...the forum needs life, and I am sure there are plenty who agree.

 

Why don't you guys just create a mod in Photoshop?

AYBABTU?

 

Is that supposed to be a slam on us?

Look, I am asking for a solution for the good of our forum! No one posts anything anymore! Look at it...many threads never have replies. Only a select few get more than 25.

 

Forgot the

No slam. Just a hilarious joke!

AYBABTU?

 

AHhh, I see.

But we really need someone to guide the forum or something. I am tired of people being ignored. I wonder how many people actually go into the forum. We have a section on the site for it...I would be interested to see how many people go there.

 

Try sending a Private Message to Britany. She deals with FanArt on the TFN site, and may have some ideas.

Vertical

 

I'll try her and see what she says. Has anyone else noticed this lack of posting there?

 

The lack of activity is probably just because there are far fewer people who have legitimate artistic abilities than there are people who can post redundant threads in the AOTC forum.

AYBABTU?

 

But that's my whole point...I don't care if there are few people with a legitimate talent for the art. I am asking for more people to stop in and view it. I feel like I am making stuff for nothing...and I think several people would agree with me on this.

 

Artists aren't usually fully appreciated while they're still alive. But at least you have something to look forward to!

AYBABTU?

 

Great

So, one day I can be looking down and watching everyone marvel at the Fan Art section?

I am more concerned about the now...

 

lol I'll try to stop by more often, i rarely check it.

¤Night

 

And that's my problem...I have a feeling that that's what most people would say..."I very rarely check it out"

 

Hm, I always vist it, it's even on my favorite boards list. I never reply there, though. And now that you brought up this topic, it's making me wonder why. Certainly now that I realize my error, I'll post more.

I do wonder why I don't, though. Perhaps, I think, it might be due to the lack of community. That board feels kinda alien and strange, and there's no real set of regulars that hang around there.

 

Yea, and that is why I think we need a leader there...to start topics that ARE interesting and will get people to visit. There is a lot of good artwork there, but no one bothers to check it out except for a few of us. See what I am getting at?

 

Yes, and it bugs me, too. As a fanfic author, I get about 99% more respect and feedback than the fan artist, but fan art is way harder and requires more talent!

Here's a suggestion: Why don't you start a social louge? (if the mods allow). There the artists and art fans can get to know one another and begin to feel more comfortable replying on each other's threads.

 

In case anyone is wondering I have been actively modding FanArt for the past couple of months. I'm also not the only Mod that goes there either, Mar17swgirl is there often too.

"The lack of activity is probably just because there are far fewer people who have legitimate artistic abilities than there are people who can post redundant threads in the AOTC forum."

This is so true, artisitic talent is like being good at Math. It's either you have it or you don't.

"Here's a suggestion: Why don't you start a social louge? (if the mods allow). There the artists and art fans can get to know one another and begin to feel more comfortable replying on each other's threads"

This is great idea and I fully support it.

 

AH, so there is an official mod for the forum? Sorry, I didn't know that, it always seemed to me like you were just a mod of another forum or something.

And I fully support that idea as well. It is a great idea.

 

Glad to be of help

 

This has gotten us nowhere...51 posts in there today, or so I counted. That is pathetic. I realize that Rox moderates there, but other than him, I don't see any others.

I am frusterated because we have about 7 regulars who post there. You'd think that after AOTC more people would want to check out Fan Art and maybe try doing their own art work. Not everyone is horrible at art.

I think the thing is most people either don't bother to even GO to the forum, or just nothing appeals to them. That's why I am saying that we need a leader to start interesting topics to get OTHERS involved. The more I think about it...that meeting thread is great, but most artists know eachother. We need people from the AOTC forums and Episode III forums to stop in. I am surprised that there aren't many Episode III posters stopping by, now that Epiosde II is over with. This may seem like a petty arguement...but if you call this petty, then you might as well call an attempt at a Fine Arts Forum petty. I am simply trying to make this board better and to get the posters involved in something exciting.

Out of ALL the forums in the Fan Activites category, we get the least amount of posts (with the exception of the 3D Forum sometimes). I have been counting and we average about 60 posts a day, sometimes higher, sometimes lower. Hardly any topics get above 25 posts, and several posts go unanswered. I am doing my best to answer to most threads...but when I am one of 5 people replying regularly, well, it doesn't do much. That's why we need other members there, so that we can get active discussions going. The funny thing is, artwork can invoke speculation amoung people. There's a big reason to get people there, to start speculation. I know that just last week someone posted some VERY good fan art with some bounty hunters. It was exceptional and did make me wonder about Episode III. I think that through some kind of leader to start these kinds of topics, we can get Fan Art to be popular again. I know it used to be, somewhat. I am just disappointed becuase I love doing artwork, but when I only have 7 people appreciating it, I don't have that satisfaction that I like.

Well, in conclusion, all I am asking for is the revival of the Fan Art section. We need a leader for that forum, someone to start interesting topics about Fan Art. Is anyone with me here?

 

How would a dedicated mod to a forum help in getting more traffic and posts in that forum?

Sadly, if it's something that people don't have an intrest in, it's not going to be highly active.

It's too bad, because it seems that a lot of hard work goes into the fanart that's been created and posted in there.

Erik

 

Erik: And like I have said, that is what makes me upset. People try VERY hard to make this art, but no one is there to say "WOW, that is awesome!" The truth is, if people were REALLY going there and appreciating the art, then every thread would have 50+ posts...but that is not the case and NEVER has been. That is what I am trying to change.

And about the mod thing. It doesn't even have to be a mod. Just a leader of the forum to get things back in order, or perhaps IN order for the first time. I wish TF.n would post Fan Art NEWS. All their news is episode II this epsiode II that...nothing ever about the art. They claim this is a fan site, correct? Then why don't they post things FROM the fans? All theforce.net posts is news about videos and ticket sales and speculation. Have you ever ONCE seen something for Fan Art in their news? I haven't in the time I have been here. And it isn't like the fan art section is terribly obvious either.

See where I am going? It's like no one even cares about it...not even tf.n!

 

If I'm not mistaken, over the past few years I've seen Fan Art news occasionally. But I could be wrong.

And I'll agree with everyone here. It's a shame that Fan Art isn't paid attention to. Then again, if you venture to the Fan Fiction forums, a lot of stories are ignored altogether (it seems those that get paid attention to are ones by mods because they have pretty colors ).

And I always assumed Britany was the mod for Fan Art... people seem to give her a hard time, too

But I do think Fan Art should be shown off more. Have you tried to contact the TF.N staff about this issue?

 

Yes, I contacted Britany about it...so far I haven't heard from her. PM says she read it, but she hasn't replied.

See, here's the thing about the moderation issue. I think that the threads by mods get more attention because of their little colors and people feel important (or something) posting in those threads. That is why i mentioned that we need a forum specific moderator there. I know Rox moderates it, but he is also a board moderator (or so I believe). And the other mods there visit to post (I think). That's why I mentioned that idea. It makes sense too, if you think about it. If you're a regular member like me, I would be more likely to post in a thread started by a mod than I would by a normal member, in most cases.

And I am not asking that the Fan Art section be boasted more than any other forum on the boards here. And yes, I do think it needs to be shown off more, as well. People probably don't even know about most of the work that is done there. THat's why I am upset the most...there are excellent artists in there, but they aren't appreciated enough by the OTHER members. It's great to have a fan art section (on the baords and site), but if no one bothers to look at it, then what is the point? I see many benefits in having more people visit the fan art forum...but I can't do this alone.

 

To settle the whole Mod situation once and for all, I'm the North East Rsa for FanForce besides what I do in FanArt. The reason that Fan Art doesn't have a dedicated Mod in there is because the forum doesn't recieve enough traffic. If you seriously think that I don't have the background tho Moderate FanArt then there's somethin wrong with you. I have an Associate's Degree in Graphic Design and I will graduate with a Bachelor's Degree in July majoring in Multimedia Technology. I post in there everyday and I've come to the realization that I would rather have a close nit group of artists then a busy board with people that don't know what they are talking about.