MOD Welcome to Fan Art – Please Read First

Welcome to the Fan Art Forum - Guidelines and Threads​

I want to give a warm welcome to everyone, both returning and new faces to this side of the boards. A place for everyone to showcase and enjoy creativity and interact as a community. There are a few things to keep in mind to make this an enjoyable place to visit.
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Prefixes

There is a new prefix system to make it easier to navigate about to find what it is that you are looking for:

[Artist] for individual artist threads
[Request] for those seeking to make an art request from the community
[Gallery] for a collection of works and collaborations from artists
[Social] for the Artist Lounge Social Thread
[Discussions] for discussion topics on art-related topics
[Artist Resources] for tutorials, critiques, useful information, and tips
[Events] for the Artist Challenges, Gift Exchanges, and other notable events
[Art Archive] for older threads that date back before December 31, 2009

If you click on one of them, you will see only those threads that fall under that category. Some threads may share more than one prefix.
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Important Threads and Places of Interest

Apart from using the prefixes, here are some notable threads that will be updated on a regular basis:

Community:

The Artist's Lounge – Ver. 3.0 - the Fan Art Forum social thread
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Resources:

Tools of the Trade - An Artist's Resource Thread - A thread to help and share in the creative processes
The 3D Resource Thread - A resource thread for 3D modelling
~The Holocron~ - The Questions & Answers thread - If you are unsure and seeking answers.
Fan Art Forum Critique Group - A place to get feedback and critiques on your works

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Guidelines

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General:

• Please respect the TOS of the Boards and be respectful of each other.
• No Soliciting or Advertising - if you are unsure, please contact the Fan Art Manager (@HanSolo29)
• Please give credit where credit is due if posting works that are not your own, or if you had sourced other works for your own piece.

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Posting Art and Maintaining Art Threads:

• Please use one thread for all of your works - it allows us to view everything in one place and avoids overflowing the forum, which forces others out of the shared spotlight
• Please use an image hosting site to hosts your images.
  Example of Image hosting site: Imgur
• Please use Markup Codes to showcase your images rather than posting a link.
  Example:
  
  Code:

  [IMG] Direct link of image inside here [/IMG]

• Remember to thank people for commenting on your work, even if constructive criticism
• If there are no comments, please refrain from "upping" your thread and calling out people

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Viewing and Commenting in Threads:

• Always feel free to drop in and say, 'hi!' Artists are self-conscious when showcasing their work and any feedback is welcome
• If you enjoy the works that are on display, spread the word to the other forums
• If an artist has not posted in a while, remember patience and politeness

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Guidelines for Critiquing:

(Guidelines compiled together by Princess-Leah)

Constructive Criticism? Critique? What do they mean here?

Facilitating and promoting improvement and development through a positive approach.

Encouragement, not diminishment.

There is an art to constructive criticism. Not all persons with professional experience, or advice, have learned the proper way to communicate effectively with their peers, or others, in critical construction (not to say that artists don't have valuable information to pass on to others.) But, criticism given ineffectively through poor tactics is a hindrance to progress.

There are ways to dole out helpful information without dumping a bucket of sand on that spark of talent and passion. Knowing critical (critique) basics will help motivate and develop artists into confident creators willing to share their insights and artwork with their colleagues and budding artists in the future.

This set of guidelines has been created to help those giving or receiving criticism to work together towards solving fundamental issues with their works.
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Do's and Don't's of the critical evaluation:

Do... empathize with the artist to whom you offer constructive assistance. It's a big step to open art and soul up for critique.

Don't... tell an artist they have a bad idea.

Do... keep in mind that those sharing their criticisms may have ideas and solutions that you haven't thought of. You asked for their help and they are giving it.

Do... tell an artist what they're doing right, placing criticisms between positive statements; focus on the solution, not the weakness. Focusing only on weaknesses is counterproductive.

Don't... intimidate; one-up or deliver judgment. This is destructive.

Do... make sure that the criticism being given is constructive to the situation. State the issue and let the artist fix it (if they choose to do so)

Do... ask the artist their thoughts and what they feel about your critique, and adapt an attitude of a team member trying to help a colleague (regardless of their skill level). If you have your own artwork, then offer yours up for critique. This can only help stimulate artistic dialogue and expedite the learning process.

Don't... attack an artist's traits/character, or degrade or demean their *works. It's unprofessional, distasteful, and unwelcome.

*Not everyone is trying for the professional art gig. Many people are creating simply because they love to express themselves in an artistic way and more than likely want to improve their abilities. It's best to leave the "big, bad world" stuff to teachers, mentors, jurors, and potential employers.

Don't... be in love with your solution. It is only one possibility, only one point of view. That goes for artists and critics alike.

Do... allow the artist being criticized to make their own decisions regarding your assistance. Prepare for the artist's feedback...it may not always be positive, but they may be trying to work it out. Most people hunger for help and are grateful when it's presented positively allowing them to work the problem out for themselves.

Do... THANK those that have offered their assistance/advice and those that have braved posting their artwork.

Do... have fun and enjoy yourselves!

Feel the need to advise people intending to make their living with art? Create a thread dealing with the possible encounters and the issues that face every art student and professional artist. The good, the bad, and the ugly.

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Requests

Requests and commissions are an important part of the art community; it's always a thrill to take home a personalized piece from your favorite artist. But there are a few things that you should know before getting started:
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General:

• Monetary transactions are NOT allowed on the open forum; do not list commission prices in-thread
• Only ONE request thread per user. This is your own space to manage and update as you see fit
• Please use the [Request] prefix when creating your thread. This will help to keep the forum organized and clearly designate the purpose of your thread for artists
• When a request is fulfilled by an artist, it is your responsibility to update your thread to reflect its status. Likewise, if a request is no longer needed, it is also your responsibility to remove it
• Once a request is listed, you must wait TWO (2) WEEKS before 'upping' your thread. Failure to abide by this rule will be considered spam, and there will be consequences for repeat infractions!
• Please note that there are no guarantees that your request will be fulfilled. The artists who participate are taking time out of their busy schedules to volunteer and share their work with us. Please be courteous and understanding.

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Updated: January 9, 2023​