WIP Forum Rules and Posting Guide

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WIP Forum Rules and Posting Guide

Welcome to the Works In Progress forum! Please take some time to read over this thread before posting, so that you can enjoy the forum to the fullest.

The purpose of this forum is to post works in progress (WIPs) in order to get help in the form of critiques from other users. We wish to encourage a learning environment where users can also post threads designed to help their fellow artists improve.

Threads that belong in the WIP Forum:

• Unfinished artwork in need of critique
  
• Practice artwork reproducing another image (must include link to original)
  
• Tutorials
  
• In-depth help threads (offering intensive critique with redlines or other visuals, for example)
  
• Personal daily sketchbook threads
  
• Community activites designed to help artists improve or revolving around unfinished artwork

Please continue to post finished works you would like comments on in the Picture Post forum.

Contents:
arrow Image Posting Guide
arrow Copied Art Policy
arrow Posting Rules & Etiquette

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How To Post Images

Ready to post your artwork? Before you can show off your art to the other forum visitors, you have to make sure that it is hosted online. There are a number of sites that will do this for you for free, such as:

• PhotoBucket
  
• ImageShack
• TinyPic

Follow the instructions of your image host of choice to upload your artwork.

Once your art is hosted, display it in your post by using the BBCode IMG tags - just click on the little IMG button in the row of buttons that appear right above the window where you type your post. Enter the link to your picture when prompted. The final code for displaying your picture should look something like this:

[img]http://www.myimagehost.com/mymasterpiece.jpg[/img]

You can also use gallery sites like DeviantArt, but keep in mind that these usually do not allow direct-linking, so if you use one of these you will have to post the link to your work rather than putting the actual image in a post.

Image Posting Rules and Etiquette

exclaim Make sure that your picture is in a web-friendly format and a reasonable size. The most commonly used formats for posting images are .JPG , .GIF, and .PNG. Keep the images that you post in one of these formats to prevent people who try to look at your artwork from having to wait to download gigantic image files. Physically large pictures not only take needlessly long to load, but are also difficult to take in at once and cause horizontal forum scrolling. Please try to keep the width of the picture you are embedding in your post at around 500 pixels or less, and if you absolutely must post a large version, add a separate link to it.

exclaim Post things that you actually want serious feedback on. You shouldn't waste other members' commenting/critiquing time by posting art that you don't actually care about. This is not fair to both the users who actually do want help with their art and the users who are providing critique. On a similar note, please only post artwork that you have put effort into. A ten second MSPaint stick-person doodle is not acceptable. For those of you who are doing it to be funny - yes, we know you are trying to ridicule members with less than stellar art skill. It wasn't that funny the first time and still isn't now.

exclaim Do not make excessive amounts of art topics. This is unfair to other forum members, because it needlessly pushes their threads off the front page. If you would like to post a large number of images, please keep them in one thread.

exclaim Do not post your art in other people's art topics. This is called "thread hijacking" and is rude to the thread creator, because it detracts attention from the thread's subject, the picture that they are trying to get feedback on. If you want to show your art off, please make your own topic for it.

exclaim Unlike in the Art Arena, posting artistic nudity is allowed in the WIP forum. However, if you would like to post such art, please include a nudity warning in the topic title and make sure to give a link to the image rather than embedding it directly in your post.

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Copied Art Policy: WIP Forum ONLY

Copied or eyeballed artwork is artwork that has been created while looking at an existing image and drawing it line for line so that the end result is a recognizable replica of the original art. For more in-depth information regarding what constitutes a copy see the Copy FAQ.

The WIP forum is the only forum on Gaia where posting of copied or eyeballed art is allowed. It can be posted here for the express purpose of feedback on technique and to benefit from the learning experience of copying existing art. Please review these rules regarding copied/eyeballed work before posting:

exclaim Post a link to the original art in the first post along with your image post. If you are copying from a printed source, be sure to scan it as well your artwork and provide a link to it when posting. This will help those users who will be giving you feedback as they can compare the work you've done with the original. Include credit to the original artist if possible, but if you don't know their name please at least say where you got it.

exclaim Respect other artists' usage policies. If the original artist has asked that their art not be copied or used without permission, please respect their request and do not post it. Threads posting art without the original artist's consent will be removed if the original artist makes a formal request to the moderators.

exclaim Do not post art for which you cannot provide a link to the original. Art reproducing another image that does not include a linked original will be removed.

exclaim Do not claim copied artwork as your own "original" art. Copying an image and claiming it as your original work can be considered art theft. Please keep in mind that while you are doing the work of drawing it, if you are reproducing another image that artist must also be credited for their idea. Copied/eyeballed artwork claimed as original pieces may be removed for art theft, which can result in a warning and/or ban.

Reporting Copied Art FAQ

If you see a topic where the artist has not complied with these guidelines, please report it--do not harass or flame the owner of the topic. Once it is reported a moderator can take the appropriate action.

exclaim What if I am an artist and don't want my art posted?
If you are the original artist of an image and it has been copied and posted in the WIP forum and you do not wish for it to be used in this fashion, please let us know either by reporting the thread in question, or directly contacting one of the WIP Forum moderators via PM.

exclaim This artist doesn't want their art posted ANYWHERE! Take it down immediately!
If you run across art that has been reproduced and posted in WIP and know that this is against the artist's wishes, the best course of action is to notify the original artist so that they can make a formal complaint if they wish. Requests for removal from the original artist will be honored.

exclaim Hey! _____ drew this picture and they didn't give them credit! What can I do?
If you find copied art posted without a link to the original image, or a piece that is being claimed an original, please report it and do not post. Posting accussations of art theft only create drama and in cases of actual theft, allow the accused to remove the art before appropriate action can be taken. When reporting unlinked or stolen art, please include a link to the original. Theft reports without evidence will not be acted upon.

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Posting Rules and Etiquette

exclaim Do not bump or spam. Bumping and spam are needlessly disruptive to people who are trying to get serious feedback, and will therefore be deleted.

exclaim Stay on topic. Please try to keep off-topic banter to a minimum. If it is found that a topic keeps veering off the subject, namely, discussion of the posted picture, it will be moved out of the forum.

exclaim Be considerate of your fellow forum visitors. You are not expected to like every piece you comment on or agree with everything that other members say to you. However, you are expected to keep your posts civil and your feedback constructive. If you want your art and your posts to be taken seriously, it is a good idea to use proper spelling and grammar and to try to understand the feedback that is given you, even if it is negative, rather than immediately dismissing any critique that you don't like.

exclaim Do not post in topics from the later forum pages. This is called "thread necromancy" and is severely frowned upon. If a topic has not been posted in for quite a while, the person who has started it has most likely gotten all the comments they were going to get on that particular piece and moved on. Just leave it alone.

exclaim If you see a post that violates the rules, REPORT IT and please don't post. Posting in a misplaced thread can be considered spamming, and it isn't necessary to redirect the topic starter. A moderator will take care of that part when they move the thread. Also, please do not respond to trolling, abuse or flaming - at best, you're making yet another post for the moderators to remove, and at worst, you risk starting a flame war. Report the problem and go find some bigger and better posts to respond to.

If you have a question about these rules or feel that there is something that needs to be addressed here that isn't, please feel free to contact any of the WIP forum moderators, and we will get back to you as soon as possible.

Happy posting! heart

Last Update: 03/21/07
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