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Category:

    Inside GFXartist

Publish date:

   04/26/06 @824

Editor:

    Martin

Comments:

    27

Artwork Submission Guidelines Revised


Since we introduced the guidelines in September 2004 they have helped this place to be the host of creations with a quality few other communities of this size can match. While the guidelines are not there to tell you what you can and can not create, they are there to tell you what you can and can not submit to GFXartist. While some guidelines are easy to agree with, like those regarding effortless works, copyright infringement and pornography, others have proven to be tough to interpret and uphold.

As a result of the community moderators joining the team of people that keep an eye on this site's integrity it has become obvious that our guidelines require an update. Updated they have been and in this news article we will present them to you. Please understand that these guidelines have been thoroughly discussed behind the scenes and we do not plan to remove any. We do of course appreciate your input never the less. Please read the general parts and focus on the art forms you have experience with. If certain guidelines seem unclear or are worded in such a way they seem unreasonable, provide feedback on the guideline by posting its number and any remarks you have.

Note: these guidelines do not address the topic of categorization. The current FAQ that is there to help you categorize you work will be revised later to help explain our method of categorizing as well as assist you in choosing the right category.



ARTWORK SUBMISSION GUIDELINES

Not redefining what is art, but which work is suitable for submission to the galleries at GFXartist.com and which is subject to moderation.

In general, all work that is submitted to GFXartist must comply with the following:
  • The submitting artist must be able to take the credit for the work in its entirety and;
  • if material of others is used, permission of those person(s) is required, and links to the original material must be provided and;
  • the artwork must be worth the effort to review/evaluate it.

SELECT AND SUBMIT YOUR BEST WORKS

GFXartist doesn’t want you to submit everything you create; we want you to be selective and submit your best works. If you are unable to be selective, we will do it for you. Your lesser works will probably be subject to moderation, as according to these guidelines, and will be unpublished. The decision of the moderators is final, if you must republish the work, do so in a My profile only category. Ignoring the moderators’ decisions may result in account suspension.

Work unsuitable for GFXartist

Not meeting these guidelines will cause the image to be unpublished and the author to be officially warned. Depending on the nature, one or multiple violations will result in account suspension.

1.1 Work that violates the copyright of others.

Detail: Besides the direct use of other artist’s work without permission, this includes work that is entirely based on the conceptual and/or visual properties of someone elses image/creation. This also applies to images you find on the web, photographs of celebrities, stock material, etc. These images are, like other creations, protected by copyright.

1.2 Images depicting male or female genitalia and/or sexual and pornographic acts.

Detail: Although we allow a level of artistic nudity as long as the work is flagged as ‘explicit’, we are a website for all ages and our content must match this fact. Tactless nudity, (hidden) pornographic material and other forms of explicit material unsuitable for younger viewers will be rejected.

1.3 Not being honest about the creation process to avoid being moderated or to appear more skilled than you are.

Detail: Online all we have is trust, which is why we value honesty. If you hold back details about the creation process or lie about how a work was created to appear more skilled or to avoid being moderated, there is a good chance your account will be suspended.

Work that is subject to moderation

Artworks that do not meet these guidelines will be unpublished or moved to the My Profile category. Administrators and moderators will evaluate each artwork individually and will consider any relevant information.

General


2.1 Work containing material other than your own,
unless with permission, only when your artistic interpretation adds value to the original material, and with a link to the original material & original artist.

Detail: Similar to the rule 1.1. We value originality and as a result we do not accept works that match, or include material that closely matches the creative works of others. If material is used with permission, it must still be sufficiently modified so that the submitting artists can rightfully claim the credit for the work.

2.2 Exact recreations/copies of other works,
unless clearly a personal interpretation, with clear links to the original and sufficient details about the original artist.

Detail: Although you may have put in effort and even if all lines and brush strokes are yours, if the work is an exact recreation/copy of another work it is rejected. Interpretations of other works are allowed, but only if the original artwork is linked and the original artist is given proper credit / has given permission.

2.3 Fan art,
unless able to match or exceed the quality of the original art.

Detail: Fan art is in fact a violation of rights that belong to the original artist and creators/license holders of the characters and such. Fan art is only allowed if the quality can match or exceed the quality of the original artwork and if proper credit is giving to the creators/licence holders.

2.4 Images of bad quality, of low resolution, or unpurposely smudged, blurred or distorted,
unless an integral part of the work's concept.

Detail: Even if the work itself or its subject is of high quality, we reject bad representations and captures. Make sure the artwork is presented as well as possible (but not of excessive quality/file size).

2.5 Effortless works,
unless of a quality that matches the gallery standards.

Detail: Typically the ‘quick sketch’ work. Unless the quality can match the gallery standards, we reject quick sketches, doodles, snapshots, speed paintings and other works that are created in a little amount of time, with little effort or little creative input.

Gallery Category Specific


3D Modeling

3.1 Renders of scenes build with nothing but primitives,
unless part of a strong concept.

Detail: Just as sculptures aren’t made by stacking rocks you find, 3D renders of scenes that simply consist out of arranged primitives like spheres, cubes, etc are rejected.

3.2 Generic Terragen, Poser and Bryce renders or similar,
unless freed of the software's typical look and feel or part of an original and well executed concept.

Detail: Certain software has a reputation of producing ‘one click art’. Generic scenes or models that can be produced by simply modifying a few parameters are considered uninspired and therefore rejected. That doesn’t mean that there is a software boycott, just as long as the produced work doesn’t bear the software’s signature look.

3.3 Renders of uninspired objects with preset materials applied.

Detail: Creativity is important when using software that creates quite a lot for you. Renders of uninspired 3D scenes that are unable to exceed the software’s most basic usage are rejected.


Drawing

4.1 Rough sketches and doodles,
unless sufficiently cleaned up and able to match the gallery standards.

Detail: Sketches aren’t completed works but lead to completed works; like drawings. Quick sketches and doodles are rejected. If a sketch is sufficiently cleaned up, well presented and has a concept worth communicating, they may be posted in the galleries.

4.2 Exact recreations of other people's photos / images
unless sufficiently different from the original, with permission of the artist and links to the original material

Detail: A near exact sketched/line art version of another person’s image is also a recreation/copy. These recreations are rejected unless the recreation is sufficiently different from the original. Links to the original material will have to be provided and permission must be granted by the original artist. You are allowed to post recreations in the forum, including links to the original material if you want others judge / recognize your technical skill.

4.3 Incomplete scenes or subjects,
unless involving strong character design or a concept sketch able to match the gallery standards.

Detail: Drawings need to be completed but also a whole. Unless the drawn material is sufficient to bring across the concept/message/mood, renders of partial scenes and subjects are rejected.

4.4 Work consisting mainly out of computer generated effects and filters.

Detail: While there is nothing wrong with ‘computer aided’ illustration, works that are composed of or rely too heavily upon computer generated effects are rejected.


Painting

5.1 Paintings including, or fully based upon photographic material

Detail: Using reference material is one thing, but recreating or including photo material results in a mixed media work unfit for the painting section. These works are rejected unless submitted to Photo Manipulation or Design (depending on the work’s characteristics). Obviously copyrights are to be considered when using other peoples work and the source material has to be linked to when posting in Photo Manipulation or Design.

5.2 Paintings largely referenced from other material,
unless the reference material is added or linked, with the exception of live models.

Detail: If reference material is heavily involved in the creation of a painting, the reference material must be added or linked. You are submitting to a community of peer artists and posting this material provides the required transparency. If links to reference material aren’t provided by the artist but provided by the viewers after the fact, the artwork may be unpublished. Obviously copyrights are to be considered when using other peoples work.

5.3 Exact recreations of other people's photos / images

Detail: Even if every brush stroke is yours, an artwork consists of more than just paint. A near exact version of another person’s image is also a recreation/copy. These recreations are rejected unless the recreation is sufficiently different from the original. Links to the original material will have to be provided and permission must be granted by the original artist. You are allowed to post recreations in the forum, including links to the original material if you want others judge / recognize your technical skill.

5.4 Incomplete scenes or subjects,
unless involving strong character design or a concept sketch able to match the gallery standards.

Detail: Paintings need to be completed but also a whole. Unless the painted material is sufficient to bring across the concept/message/mood, paintings of partial scenes and subjects are rejected.

5.5 Work consisting mainly out of computer generated effects and filters.

Detail: Certain filters, effects and automated processes can aid the digital painting process. Paintings where these filters, effects and processes have started to rule the look and feel are generally rejected.


Photo Manipulation

6.1 Works composed solely of other peoples' imagery,
unless technically very well executed.

Detail: We value originality and encourage members to manipulate their own photos, rather than other people’s photos. If photos of other people (like widely available stock photos are used) the image is expected to be put together in such a fashion that its value exceeds the single originals. Obviously copyrights are to be considered when using other peoples work and the source images need to be linked to.

6.2 Work including other people's imagery without providing links to this material,
unless, obviously, links to the used material are provided.

Detail: If image material of other people is used, provide links to the used material. Please do not link to, for instance, the main stock photo source, but link to the individual images. Obviously copyrights are to be considered when using other peoples work. If links to the resource material aren’t provided, the artwork will be unpublished.

6.3 Work consisting mainly out of computer generated effects and filters.

Detail: Certain filters, effects and automated processes can aid the photmanipulation process. Photomanipulations where these filters, effects and processes have started to rule the look and feel are generally rejected.


Photography

7.1 Highly over- or underexposed images,
unless the concept can suffer or profits from the technical flaw.

Detail: Photos that are over- or underexposed without a clear reason are rejected.

7.2 Snapshots, as commonly taken of yourself, pets, friends, the sky, statues, concerts,
unless conceptually or technically a very strong and distinctable photograph.

Detail: This guideline is twofold. Firstly, little thought-through ‘snaps’ of things of interest just to you are rejected. Avoid submitting shots that are mainly ‘good’ because you are familiar with the subject. Secondly, cliché shots like shots of your pet, your partner, your friends, your relatives, the sky, a statue, a concert, a performance, etc are very common and often conceptually uninteresting and unoriginal. These shots are rejected unless they are able to break free from the cliché or are well executed/composed.

7.3 Photos of uninspired or undefined scenes or subjects,
unless technically very well executed.

Detail: Both the subject and execution make good capture. Photographs of uninspiring or undefined subjects are rejected unless the technical execution is able to compensate this flaw.

7.4 Photos with a prominent technical flaw like purposelessness blur or distortion.

Detail: A photograph of an original or interesting subject does not automatically make a good photograph. Shots that suffer from obvious technical flaws are rejected.


Design

8.1 Compositions based heavily on imagery not created by you,
unless enough effort is put in to rightfully take all credit.

Detail: In order to take credit as submitting author, a work needs to exceed the value of its parts. Designs that simply lay out imagery of others, with little added value, are rejected. Obviously copyrights are to be considered when using other peoples work.

8.2 Images composed of elements unable to form a whole.

Detail: Working with good source material doesn’t make a solid design. If the work has been patched together without any synergy, the work is rejected. Obviously copyrights are to be considered when using other peoples work.

8.3 Typographic work with no apparent typographic skill or knowledge applied.

Detail: Typography is a skill that goes beyond selecting a nice font. Works that include or rely on type need to be well executed.

8.4 Images composed of dingbats and other prefab design elements,
unless part of a strong concept or technically very well executed.

Detail: Designs should not rely on design elements created by others. Value added by the submitting artist must well exceed the value of any design elements of others that are used. Obviously copyrights are to be considered when using other peoples work.


MY WORK IS REJECTED, BUT SIMILAR WORK IS STILL IN THE GALLERIES?
These guidelines have altered over time and haven’t been applied to all work that was submitted in the past. Moderators randomly screen artworks. Moderators also look at each individual situation. A less skilled, but potential artist may be allowed to keep certain work in the galleries while more experienced artists find similar work rejected. ‘But they can!’ is not a valid argument to discuss a moderators decision.

I’VE READ ALL THIS AND I’M NOT SURE IF MY WORK CAN BE SUBMITTED?
The best place to find out if your work is suitable for the galleries is the forum. Post one or two of your works in the forum and ask people for feedback. You’ll find many members more than willing to provide feedback. When your work is submitted to the galleries, viewers expect it to follow the guidelines and will be less willing to give you feedback you can work with. You can also ask a moderator or admin to review your work. Find a member with a green or white suit and send him or her a message with links to some of your work.

I DISAGREE!
There are people who think these guidelines are just stupid, or too strict. Please understand that we don’t tell you what type of art you can and cannot create. We are simply telling what you can and cannot submit to GFXartist. As a site we deliver a certain experience and target a certain audience. The guidelines reflect this and are in place to ensure a good experience for our target audience. We are not the only art site on the web. If you find that these guidelines rule out a lot or all of your work, you may want to search for an art site or community that fits you better.

HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO IMPROVE IF I CAN’T SHOW MY WORK?
Regardless of the guidelines, work can still be posted in the forum. In fact, if you are still learning you will find that posting in the forum will result in far more feedback than a gallery entry may give you. After all, in the forum the members are there to help, in the galleries the members are there to give you their professional opinion and evaluate your work by their standards.




There we are. It's quite a read and considering its nature, I'm sure many of you will have something to say about these guidelines. Do not forget that we currently have similar guidelines in place and that these are revised to be more clear and more easy to uphold.

Feedback
When you provide feedback, please include the guideline's number and how you would change it. If you think one of these guidelines simply shouldn't be there, be very clear why and how its removal would help GFXartist uphold a decent level of quality.

Call for moderators
After introducing the community moderator a while back, I am now looking for members who are willing to enforce these guidelines above for one of the gallery categories as well as moderators to keep the peace in general. Interested? There are things you need to do, so head over to this forum thread: Call for Community Moderators.

 
Related news:

05/17/2008 @176 Artwork Category Definitions / Submission... (6)

05/20/2007 @849 Guidelines and moderation (64)

07/17/2006 @448 Guidelines and moderation (153)

05/15/2006 @750 Artwork Submission Limit (192)

02/05/2006 @731 Synfig: Film-Quality 2D Vector Animation (2)

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Member comments
Avatar emarts

 03/06/06 @070

This is going to take me some time. Mu first impression though, it seems pretty straight-forward. I'm sure it can be nit-picked a bit, but I'm pretty happy with it. I'll give it another, more thorough look-see, and will post my thoughts.
 
Socar-Myles

 04/26/06 @863

It sounds good, with one exception: the fan art rule. In one breath, you're saying "Fan art is in fact a violation of rights that belong to the original artist and creators/license holders of the characters and such," and in the next, you say you're willing to look the other way if it's well done.

To me, that says "We don't allow copyright infringement, unless it's really, really good copyright infringement." I don't see why exceptionally high quality fan art should be considered any more legitimate than terrible fan art.
 
Avatar Repercutir

 04/26/06 @864

Sounds good to me. Linking to example's of "wrong" artwork might be an idea.. not to someone actual artwork, but simplified example's... maybe even show one attached to each category to make it easier to visualize what this "wrong" is...
maybe that'd be too much work

good to see some changes (thumbup):)
 
Avatar Martin

 04/26/06 @880

Socar, good point. The next question is, do we have to rethink our guidelines when it comes to copyright (as works are not sold at GFXartist and we may be going to far by enforcing copyright in the name of others) or tighten the copyright rules and disallow fan art, tributes and derivative works?

Tough one.
 
Avatar Repercutir

 04/26/06 @886

from wiki's definition of fanart, which I agree with..
"Fan art is usually a violation of the original creator's copyright, but since it is usually intended as a tribute, the copyright holders tend to tolerate (and sometimes even encourage) it as long as the fan does not try to make money off of it."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fanart

so, as long as one gives proper credit and make that everyone understand it IS fanart/a tribute, is there really a problem?
 
Avatar Martin

 04/26/06 @893

Not really, but Socar does point out contradictions.

I think we have to allow fan art, tributes and derivate works as long as the artist's input adds enough value to the original work/concept to take credit for it here.

It's not our place to enforce copyrights in the name of others to that extend and we already have guidelines covering copies and recreations (which prevent the more obvious 'artwork theft').
 
Avatar emarts

 04/26/06 @893

Hey, how did my comment from over a month ago end up here? :p
 
Avatar Martin

 04/26/06 @895

I was wondering about that too
 
Avatar Aeglos

 04/26/06 @903

looks good, but i think i'll have to read this tomorrow, when i'm awake ;) (looong tekst, have you considerd that people might not read it because of the length? (the answer is propably yes..) I untherstand that there is a need to be clear but still...). Being to tired to read the tekst i have to note that the lay out is very clear, so: good job on that point :)
 
Avatar Martin

 04/26/06 @906

yeah, we need a condensed version, lots of visual examples etc. But for the sake of review, we threw the whole thing at you
 
Avatar ThruMyEyez

 04/27/06 @991

These are mainly common sense rules and should serve the purpose of keeping high quality art and original art as submissions.
 
Avatar Juro

 04/27/06 @025

Now all we need is to send out electric shocks to members who don't read them before posting
 
Avatar liiga

 04/27/06 @025

What about design of jewellery, fashion etc.? Does that still fit under the 'design' category - which the guidelines don't seem to suggest - or is it considered not suitable for GFXArtist at all?
 
lombergar

 04/27/06 @177

8.3 Typographic work with no apparent typographic skill or knowledge applied.

Detail: Typography is a skill that goes being selecting a nice font. Works that include or rely on type need to be well executed.

...

I'm pretty sure you meant BEYOND instead of being :)
 
Avatar Martin

 04/27/06 @381

ThruMyEyez: Exactly. Some will also notice that in essence they don't differ that much from the guidelines we have now.

liiga: those types of art don't fit GFXartist really well so they will always be exceptions.

lombergar: oops, yes
 
Avatar addicted2macs

 04/28/06 @107

This is obviously the result of a lot of thought and effort. Good stuff.

re: Aeglos' comment -- I think we all tend to post in one or two categories, so reading through the rules for those individual categories is a pretty quick process.

Could we possibly have a quick link for submission guidelines in each of the category 'home' pages? That way, if I want to post in the Drawing gallery, there's a quick link I can hit to check for guidelines..... Just a thought.
 
Avatar LadyHazy

 04/28/06 @253

sounds fair! (as always)
and yet i'm still too intimidated to start posting my own artwork. lol.
 
Avatar Byonder

 04/28/06 @260

Looks good - for the most part it's clear and concise (thumbup)
 
Avatar Quang

 04/28/06 @647

Stop censoring me! I want to create poor art, and you're stopping me!
 
Avatar Juro

 04/28/06 @832

"Stop censoring me"

You have no idea how many times people have actually said stuff like that
 
Avatar Wysiwyg

 04/29/06 @123

@addicted2macs

The guidelines are linked on the artwork submission page. Most don't realize this as they just check the box so they can publish...then complain later when their work is modded |(
 
Avatar coladelight

 04/29/06 @524

+10 for the mods! LOL...kidding aside, happy to know that the guidelines are enforced and refreshed, so to speak...
It is already stated here that warnings will be given to anybody who will violate said guidelines.
In my experience, I wasn't aware that one of my photo entry fell to the snapshot category and was unpublished several times without me knowing. I thought it was my mistake and reposted it. Finally, the moderator messaged me, was told what happened and I willingly removed my entry. So with this in mind and this could be too much to ask but I just hope that any action done with an entry, the warning/info will always be sent to the member to avoid the same mistake I did which probably caused annoyance to the moderator as well.
My respect to Team member, GFXartist sponsor Juro for setting me straight. :)
Maridol
 
Avatar Tavan

 04/29/06 @586

i appreciate that you try to improve quality standards here, but if you REALLY want to apply them you gotta remove 80% of the stuff here! a lot of elites just got there for their pencil skills, for example, drawing portraits or their animals etc. 1 to 1.

tough tough tough. i am looking forward to it.
 
Avatar Juro

 04/29/06 @683

Thank you  coladelight I apreciate that.

Things will really start to tighten up enforcement wise when the new mods arrive, as far as removing elites, it wouldn't happen unless the whole system was revised and the elites no longer exsisted.
 
Avatar ThruMyEyez

 04/30/06 @348

*feels his arms and legs to make sure he still exists*
 
Avatar headhake

 04/30/06 @787

Discipline makes artists in everything... I think it's a good idea to improve stuff here... but as said... it's must allow young artist with less skills to improve them... and i speak as one of them... i agree with the parts that the guidelines that aplly to my so called art...
 
slaphapy5

 05/17/06 @296

umm I kind of agreed with socar myles... even after the response martin gave... in the aspect of several of these, such as photomanipulation. if its done entirely with others' photos its not allowed... unless its done very well... which is still saying that you'll look the other way... kind of thing...

idk... seems like a lot of these, if put strictly and not using the look the other way idea would probably clear out several full galleries of work... some of mine would probably go too...

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