~'//| AT Mentors |\'~ never enough manatees

[ATMentors]

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A thread dedicated to helping newcomers reach the fullest of their avatar-making potential. Regulars of the AT have experience that others may not have spent as much time and effort obtaining, and we want to share the knowledge we have gained with those seeking it. This is chiefly happening now because of an expected rise in the amount of new traffic coming to the AT, with it no longer being a sub-forum. We want to provide a place that people can go to learn the standards of the AT. In time, this thread will serve as a document of the progress of a new generation of ATers.
Most of all, we want to have fun and welcome new blood into the place we proudly call our home. heart

There will be a staff of mentors, which newcomers will get to choose from (picking their top 3, those three will then decide which of them gets that student, the top person getting priority). Every week there will be an activity, which the mentors will guide their students through. At the end of the week, all mentors discuss which avatar is a) most improved, and b) best overall. Once that is agreed upon, the thread will feature those avatars, also including a students' choice, voted on by all the students.

If you are interested in becoming a mentor, please fill out this form and PM it to this account:


[b]Mentor Form[/b]
[b]portfolio:[/b] Five avatars that you are proud of and show your style
[b]strengths:[/b] What do you see as your strong points?
[b]mission statement:[/b] What do you hope to accomplish?
[b]other interests:[/b] any hobbies, interests, etc. What do you like to do when you aren't on Gaia? (this is to help students choose. they might want someone they have things in common with)



a note: A mentor's job is to be as helpful as possible, and to help their student accomplish what the student wants to accomplish. We are not here to make people into ourselves, we are here to guide people down their own path.
A mentor should not say "remove this," a mentor should say "why did you choose to use this?"


If you are interested in becoming a student, please fill out this form and PM it to this account:

[b]student form[/b]
[b]current avatar:[/b] (you can add more if you want to, but it isn't mandatory)
[b]what you hope to gain from this project:[/b]
[b]other interests:[/b]
[b]your top 3 picks for a mentor[/b] (from most preferred to least)

[ATMentors]

-intro
-available mentors
-current pairings
-current activity
-past activities
-reserved
available mentors (listed in alphabetical order)

Bedaizled

portfolio:
strengths: Creating themes and characters is definitely my strong point. I let the character I'm trying to make dictate the style I use - sometimes I layer a lot, other times I keep it simple. I think that's a strong point too - I'm not grounded in any one way when it comes to "how to" make an avi - just so long as it makes a statement. I've also used both male and female bases effectively and for long periods of time.
mission statement: I want to help people achieve their goals using whatever means they choose; whether it be matching or not, clutter or simple, themed or abstract. I want to spread an appreciation for all kinds of avis. I want to help people express themselves and make people feel happy coming to the AT.
other interests: I'm super creative. I love drawing, singing, acting, playing piano and oboe. I adore to read and to write: I write scripts, short stories, novels . . . not poems anymore, cause I realized I'm awful! I crochet - I'm currently learning about hats! I love to swim, though I don't get to much. And I love, love TV shows - particularly ABC shows. I also like to organize events and plan things - especially for my church :]

Born of Lilith

Mentor Form
portfolio:
My Arena Gallery (for cosplays)
strengths: Cosplay avatars. Themed matching and characters.
mission statement: I just want to be able to use all my experience to help people hone their abilities. I'd really like the AT have a strong cosplay avatar community.
other interests:the diy punk scene, illustration, anime, fighting games, character design.

Cecilia Davidson

Mentor Form

portfolio: These are some of my personal faves -


strengths: Simplicity, flow, realism, theme.

mission statement: Personally, i'd love to be able to help people who are trying to aim more for a theme or feel but can't quite get there. i like giving gentle nudges about items or possibilities.

other interests: i'm relearning Pokemon, i like Belgian, French, and German dance music (think Boys Noize, Justice, Daft Punk, and Soulwax), and i am a youtube-holic who loves Nakateleeli and YouAlwaysWin

Eclectice

Mentor Form
portfolio:
strengths: Faces/Makeup, Matching, Gowns, using unconventional items and what not, stylized avis and mixing realism with fantasy. Aesthetics over everything else
mission statement: To be helpful to people who are looking for it.
other interests: Ehhh talk to me, I'm not that secretive. Got a lot going on with school but if I can be help to persons then I'd be more than happy to do so1

lovest harding

Mentor Form

portfolio:

strengths: Simplistic realism. Tight themes. Taking several items and making them look like one cohesive dress/outfit. Backwards avatars. Emotions.

mission statement: I want to spread the love of simplicity and hopefully help someone discover their inner potential. I also hope to show that not all of the AT craves perfect matching and clutter and that the AT has a lot to offer in different styles. ^^

other interests: I play lots of video games (everything from Pokemon to Sims to Elder Scrolls to Deadly Premonition). I also love books and words. Neil Gaiman is my idol.
I tend to be serious when doing something artistic (including making avatars), silly just isn't something I portray well in art. But art is where I'm serious, I don't take much of anything else seriously and I love chatting to ATers.
And, because I always like to remind people, I'm a dude in real life.

Maramas

Mentor Form
portfolio:
strengths: I've worked a range of styles in my time in AT, and I think I'm fairly decent at judging a good variety, if not making them myself. I used to be a very strict matcher, and I still incorporate some of that, so I can see myself being helpful to someone looking to match well. These days I'm looser with the matchy matchy though, and will often choose substance of character or theme over exact color coordination. A good portion of what I make falls into the "cute" category, or at the least feminine, and while I do mix in spooky, gorey, darker and various other moods, anyone looking to work with me will probably be best off within that sort of framework, or at least be alright with it. I do help out Vee with suggestions for his manly men too (we're often sitting on the couch together while making avatars, cross-pollination of ideas happens) so don't completely discount me, males and gruff types.
mission statement: I'd like to neutralize some of the bad attitude I see fly around the forum, maybe retain good people who might have been scared off by harsh regulars pushing around the newbies (not that you have to be a newbie for some to be jerks to you rolleyes ). Things just run smoother when effort is put toward being nice to each other, and offering a helping hand is part of that.
other interests: I'm a jeweler (I sell my work on Etsy) in my spare time and the rest of the time work on fixing historic buildings. I'd consider myself an artist of various media, ranging from watercolors to crochet/knitting to cooking. I also enjoy being goofy and childish and watching My Little Pony or The Little Mermaid or jumping in puddles when it rains.

marwolfer

Mentor Form
portfolio:
strengths: I'm generally known for my tough, RL style avatars. I do non-matching more often than not, but that doesn't mean I can't match! I try to mimic fashions seen in the real world to create strong characters and clean aesthetics. I do simplicity over clutter. I gender swap, too, so I am equally versed in male and female avatars. I am also known for my use of the Koi tattoo and the Antoinette wigs, if that makes any difference!
mission statement: I want to instill a sense of pride in avatar making in any student who wishes to learn from me. I will give my hard earned advice so that you don't have to toil away like I did in the beginning. I will be brutally honest, but I will definitely keep your feelings in mind. Respect for all avatar makers, no matter your preferences or style, is the most important thing to learn.
other interests: I am a housewife in my twenties. I will have a baby soon, but plan to remain in the AT as much as possible! I love the Sims 3, True Blood, reading, drawing, MLP, and fashion. I am pretty friendly in general and tend to try to steer clear of drama.

Pants Queen

Mentor Form
portfolio:
these are my five most recent avis. the first is themed "trash and treasure," the second was made from my thread "trash and treasure", in which someone gifted me "titan's legacy," the third is a pun of "praying mantis," the fourth is a monochrome, and the fifth just a drag thing.
strengths: I'm good at addressing challenges--in fact I think when I'm told to use a certain item, it actually helps guide me. It gives me something to build on. I'm a good rater, as far as suggestions go. I can tell why you're doing something and help you do it more effectively.
mission statement: I want to make as many people feel at home as possible. I want to bring out existing potential.
other interests: I play music: trombone, baritone, tuba, guitar, bass, drums, ukulele... I'm in art school, I enjoy acting
basically I like to do anything that, in the context of an occupation, people associate with starving

Pistol Kiss

Mentor F

I would like to be a mentor
portfolio:

strengths: Matching/Layering/theme/personality
mission statement: I hope to help you make an avatar you are proud of.
other interests: Homestuck/anime/video games/Sushi/books/my little pony/movies.

Seeky

Mentor Form
portfolio:
strengths: Furry avis, modest avis, character-driven avis with good color balance
mission statement: For me, this is a chance to get back in touch with my first home-forum on Gaia. I've been away for so long, I'm sure I can learn as much from my students as they can from me. I bring an older point-of-view, I suppose.
other interests: US Navy, tabletop gaming, writing

Sifen Yamishi

Mentor Form
portfolio:
strengths: I tend to do a lot of drag, while encompassing some sort of character feel to them. I also tend to like combining various elements from my Asian roots into it while infusing some sense of a story into the work.
mission statement: Something along the lines of charisma, uniqueness, nerve and talent. And an understanding for ornate over the top clutter drag.
other interests: I'm a creative writing student and LGBT rights activist while not on the site. Yeah, I should have been done with college now, but when you change majors 2-4 times, it's hard to finish fast.

I identify as a Female-to-Male transgender and yes, I don't wear this type of ornate stuff outside of the site. I tend to lean towards rock band t-shirts and jeans along with my favorite army coat.

Let's see...I'm a sucker for "Criminal Minds" and "Leverage" as well as "RuPaul's Drag Race". Please don't address me in female terms or call me Korean. I strongly stress that. A total nut for Green Day, Justice, Manila Luzon, Korean Pop and other various type of music.

Oh yeah. On top of all this GAIA-ing, undergrad work and activist work, I'm in a relationship with my wonderful girlfriend. We met on the site and are dating on here as well as in real life. 3nodding

Any other questions you wish to know about me? Feel free to ask. I'm more than happy to answer them...just don't ask me to like the Rally style. I'll throw you out the window so fast that you won't have time to write down notes from orientation.

tea bakeries

Mentor Form
portfolio:
strengths: sitting avatars, sugar and punk, mixed themes, females and girly males
mission statement: i hope to accomplish helping others who might not know every style on Gaia, find their own way of doing things.
other interests: fashion, sketching, photography, journalism, clothing design, and a lot of other general arts and science stuff.

Turquerie

Mentor Form
portfolio:

strengths: Simplicity is probably my greatest asset; I tend to go a bit too overboard with clutter. I tend to stick with just a few, distinct colors, at most 3, probably. I want to say that I tend to be good at matching ( the second avatar still needs work to balance out the white of the hat ). Idealistically, I am good at layering, but I try to keep things simple as much as possible.
mission statement: I'm constantly improving my avatar-making skills, so this will be a learning experience for me as well. It would be great to be able to guide someone simultaneously; this is a self-discovery journey for me as well.
other interests: I am a fashion writer for a few professional websites. I am an aspiring fashion designer.

UnderworldTorrent

Mentor Form
portfolio:
strengths: Not wearing pants. Wearing clothing without wearing clothing. Making a smug, full of himself character.
mission statement: I'ma gonna help you not give a s**t and look good doing it.
other interests: I play games, roleplay a bit, and I go to school for Pre-Veterinary medicine.

[ATMentors]

-intro
-available mentors + student/mentor forms
-current pairings
-current activity
-past activities
-reserved
-----------------------------
Mentor/Student pairings
--------------------------------

--
-------disney tv and monosomy----------------------------------shagraths and yaki_teri

-----
----- l rose l and Designer botox -----------------------------iymcool and Discomfiture


---------- Seeky and nanaith -----------------------------I-sapphira-I and Endless Polarity


----------Aqua Fortise and her majesty slick -----------------------------I

[ATMentors]

-intro
-available mentors + student/mentor forms
-current pairings
-current activity
-past activities
-reserved

time to get to know your mentor! starting with their inventory: mentors, create a link to your inventory on tektek and give it to your mentee. they will create an avatar using it, show it to the mentor, then the mentor will provide constructive criticism, including at least one positive and one negative. the student will send another draft, receive more constructive criticism, repeating this cycle until the mentor feels the avatar is complete.

those are the guidelines for everyone, but if mentors want, they can provide more specific guidelines. heart

[ATMentors]

-intro
-available mentors + student/mentor forms
-current pairings
-current activity
-past activities
-reserved

[ATMentors]

-intro
-available mentors + student/mentor forms
-current pairings
-current activity
-past activities
-reserved

[ATMentors]

-intro
-available mentors + student/mentor forms
-current pairings
-current activity
-past activities
-reserved

[ATMentors]

-intro
-available mentors + student/mentor forms
-current pairings
-current activity
-past activities
-reserved

[ATMentors]

-intro
-available mentors + student/mentor forms
-current pairings
-current activity
-past activities
-reserved

[ATMentors]

-intro
-available mentors + student/mentor forms
-current pairings
-current activity
-past activities
-reserved