IMPORTANT: What would you like to see in A&D?

[Fairy]

Hey guys! Since the recent rule changes and the subsequent discussion in the DCC, I thought I'd open up an official thread asking you guys about what you want to see in A&D and how your experience has been. Is there more we (Aiden and I) could be doing? Would you like to see more contests, more discussions, more anything? Or do you have some feedback you'd like to share?

I want to do more to get the community, the members, involved in A&D, and the best way to do that is ask! So any suggestions you have or comments you want to make should go here.

Good things to address:

How do you view activity in A&D? (lacking, adequate, etc)
How has your time in A&D been? Do you consider yourself a regular or just a passer-by?
What are some changes you would make to the section if any?
How do you view staff in this section? (involved, distant, etc)
General opinions on the section.​

Thanks guys!

 

[Loki]

Personally I think it would be really nice to have tags that denote what kind of gallery it is, rather than just a gallery/shop. For example, I come into A&D a lot in the hopes of seeing drawings and leaving feedback on it, but there's no way for me to tell which gallery has drawings and which only has graphic design or pixels so I end up clicking on a few random ones and giving up a few minutes later when they're all graphic design galleries. Not sure about the specifics of how you'd execute that, or whether it's really necessary- but just something I would find convenient! o/

 

[Fairy]

Personally I think it would be really nice to have tags that denote what kind of gallery it is, rather than just a gallery/shop. For example, I come into A&D a lot in the hopes of seeing drawings and leaving feedback on it, but there's no way for me to tell which gallery has drawings and which only has graphic design or pixels so I end up clicking on a few random ones and giving up a few minutes later when they're all graphic design galleries. Not sure about the specifics of how you'd execute that, or whether it's really necessary- but just something I would find convenient! o/

Oh! Not exactly the same, but I just put in a request for a [Shop&Gallery] prefix, in hopes of differentiating galleries that accept requests and galleries that do not and streamlining the browsing experience. Having more efficient prefixes is definitely something I'd like to see, but there's just the matter of usage that needs to be addressed. Having prefixes for Traditional, Digital, Graphic, Pixel, CSS, and Multimedia (plus Discussion, Resource, Tutoring, Competition, etc) would be very cluttered; but that was the hope of the Art School, to give non-showcase threads some breathing room. Anyway my point is that this is actually something we're looking in to! :)

@Ben; you big sweetie. <3 I've also looked at Smogon's art sections, and one of the big reasons I think their creative community is so active is because much of the "high profile" art actually goes somewhere. Into articles, the main website, threads, social media accounts, etc. There's a purpose for that artwork beyond the scope of the artist, and a certain amount of prestige associated with that. PC doesn't have a main page that can feature artwork and, outside of social media, little of the work itself is seen beyond the forums. This is strictly my own observations though.

One thing I'd love to do is hold a contest to make a new PC style, where artists can come up with a color palette, design, and header image. But then what? It's a great idea, but I'm only just learning how to code myself and who else has the time to commit to such a big project like that?

 

[Ice1]

I think A&D has gotten ahold of quite a nice active community. The problem is that nobody plans on reacting to everyone's art every time they post, so sometimes a particular thread gets a bit of an activity slump, but the section as a whole doesn't. I personally really enjoy looking at the pieces here, especially at some of the amazing pixel-art and great fakemon designs on here. I do see myself as a regular, even though I might not post daily, especially considering my previous point.

I would love for A&D to have some presence on the forum. I think the ideal goal would be that all art used on PC would come from the lovely people here on PC, but I do think it might be hard for artists to cater to that, as most art put here is character art. Some other ways to get artists to be showcased outside of the section.

The mods here are lovely. Both Kirby and Aiden have been really nice, and incredibly helpful. I feel like the section really benefits from their approachability.

 

[Loki]

Yeah I figured having prefixes for all the different categories would be super messy- Plus so many galleries are a fusion of things, but if there was a way for it to be done neatly then I'd trust you guys to be the ones who could think one up! o/

One thing I'd love to do is hold a contest to make a new PC style, where artists can come up with a color palette, design, and header image. But then what? It's a great idea, but I'm only just learning how to code myself and who else has the time to commit to such a big project like that?

I suppose you could always ask someone who's willing to code what kind of theme they want for the next header art and have a contest for it centered on that theme? Then the judge can be the coder themselves.

 

[Skip Class]

How do you view activity in A&D? (lacking, adequate, etc)
Definitely has improved a lot over 2015! I was kinda sad when I came back at the end of last year after I left in 2012 to see that one of my favourite sections had died down in activity. There was probably sometimes only 3-5 threads active at a time, and today I look at the thread and there have been 20 threads answered in the last 24 hours which is amazing. The section has slowly been getting better and I'm really glad it has been.

One thing I have noticed is the types of artists/designers who take most of the activity of the forum.

Back in the day, even though the different categories of A&D were all separated into different sections (Pixel, Graphics & Photography, Competitions and General Art), they all seemed to balance each other out.
Just now, I took at every single one of the threads from the last 2 months and it seems that the balance has changed in favour of Digital Artists and people who posts even just sketches where there are almost 20 galleries for them. On the other hand, both Pixel Art and Graphics have only around 6-7 galleries for each category.
Graphics was incredibly popular a long while ago, but that seems to have fallen along with the shops (there's only 4) and their customers that came with it.


How has your time in A&D been? Do you consider yourself a regular or just a passer-by?
I'd say I'm half between a lurker and a somewhat regular. Like I don't post as often as I used to because of design-block, but I do want to converse and post as much as I can?

I feel that A&D has become a lot more of a friendlier place than it used to when I first got started here. The community itself, although isn't the same in numbers as it was in 2009, has definitely become more comfortable!
I remember when I posted my very first gallery, the comments I recieved made me want to quit the hobby I had just started. Sure I hadn't experience constructive criticism back then, but the comments were pretty mean, sarcastic and not quite helpful at all like constructive criticism should be: "Your work isn't all that good, to be perfectly honest." "They look like babies from hell have drawn them!"

I feel it's a lot easier to get into the community now. If an artist isn't as experienced as some members of the community, it's easier now to get comments on what you did good and which parts needs improvement - a lot less of the stuff that would put you down or put you off from starting out.

What are some changes you would make to the section if any?

More discussions!
Not sure if it would help this section, but when A&M was lacking in activity earlier this year, Tapioca did something similar to a 30 Day challenge, but instead a 10 week challenge where you'd have a topic a week that you could discuss (not in a short simple sentence). I think we had a competition within it with the person getting the most points in total from it would get an emblem, but also everyone who took part in the discussion also got an emblem. Haven't seen much discussion happening recently and wish we could get more going to get to know a lot of the other members here outside of their galleries and shops.

I'm always keen for more competitons, though the problem always comes through the lack of people participating. I'd like to see more competitions in which users of any art discipline (whether a graphics, pixel art, digital, traditional artist etc) could enter. We did a design a pokemon challenge like that earlier this year which was cool.
It doesn't even need to be a competition where only one person could win, it could even just be some weekly challenge just to get people motivated to get at least one piece of art up a week.

More forms of collaboration between artists?
Projects of some form? or somehow to even collaborate with another section of the forum to get some cross-forum action.

How do you view staff in this section? (involved, distant, etc)
Fairy and Aiden have done such an awesomesauce job of taking care of A&D I wouldn't have any other people taking the role of the moderators here. Like Ice said you guys are incredibly approachable and friendly - and not a couple of scary intimidating mods xD. Your helpful and personalities make this community really comfortable to be apart of - even if you were a new artist who's a little hesitant to post their work for the time.

----

I do like the idea of a PC style contest. I feel the people would really be hyped up to see their work and to actually be a useable with other people. It felt that new styles getting announced were pretty common even at least 3 or so years ago. Don't remember one being worked on or being announced for a while now.

 

[Fairy]

Ahhh the feedback. <33 You guys are such sweeties.

So my big takeaway here is people want more interaction. Be it between individual artists, all of PC's creative sections (FF&W/RT/etc), the member-forum experience, anything to bring a greater sense of community through shared events/discussions/artistic means. Which is good because that's something we can do!

I really like the idea of having a simple "10 day discussion thread" type deal (or however many days, doesn't need to be ten) where for x days in a row discussions can be posted and people can casually talk about the subject. Or something like artist interview threads, where you can get to know an artist a little better one-on-one and learn more about them! And I also like the idea of having more event-oriented (but not necessarily competitive) threads. Like the PC Fakedex and stuff! I can already think of a bunch of really cool threads that could fit into that category. :)

Thanks so much again everyone! Please by all means if you think of anything else feel free to post it here. Anyone can contribute, new or veteran members alike. Even if it's just "hey I have an idea for a cool thread", everyone's feedback is important! I'm going to sticky this so it's a little more visible.

 

[Skip Class]

Or something like artist interview threads, where you can get to know an artist a little better one-on-one and learn more about them!

I very much like this idea! Maybe something like Member Encyclopedia except one interview a week/fortnight pinned up - that artist chosen by a moderator or community? We did have something like that in a forum I was admin-ing a few years back instead so that people could really get to know a member at a time instead of multiple threads exactly like ME.

 

[JustJeff]

How do you view activity in A&D? (lacking, adequate, etc)
Pretty active I would say. Compared to other forum sites, this is the only art section that is actually...alive. I would like to see more artist tho. Love seeing art, can't get enough of it.

How has your time in A&D been? Do you consider yourself a regular or just a passer-by?
Professional Lurker. Sneak in a Like here and there~ Ayy~~ Thats me. As for the comment section, criticizing is pretty dam hard. Especially when you wanna tell someone such words that are not fit for the holidays.
I do have an Art thread but I only update that sometimes once a month. I would say i'm both a regular and a lurker. Best of both worlds.

What are some changes you would make to the section if any?
An option to hide certain threads? Favorite/Priority threads in a Section!? A Preview/Thumbnail of whats in the Thread? Collaborations? More contests? Live Chat!?

How do you view staff in this section? (involved, distant, etc)
There're doing their job pretty dam good. Notice me Senpai </3

General opinions on the section.
I wouldn't say its the best section out there. Nothing stands out nor falls below average expectations. Nonetheless, you always gatta make your section stand out! Make an Explosion! Kaboom!

 

[Loki]

I very much like this idea! Maybe something like Member Encyclopedia except one interview a week/fortnight pinned up - that artist chosen by a moderator or community? We did have something like that in a forum I was admin-ing a few years back instead so that people could really get to know a member at a time instead of multiple threads exactly like ME.

Seconded, that sounds really interesting-- especially to me since I'm only just rolling back into the section and don't really know everyone unless they were around like... 8 years ago LMFAO

 

[Fairy]

Well hey, anyone wanna sign up for artist interviews? :)

http://www.pokecommunity.com/showthread.php?p=9029052#post9029052

Just a sign up thread for now, to gauge interest. Then we can move forward with actually making the threads themselves. I put it in the Art School cause there's an emphasis on learning about the artist, hope that's okay!

edit; and the shop & gallery prefix was added, so if anyone has a thread that's both a shop and gallery you're free to use it! I think thread owners can change prefixes? If not just ask me and I'll do it. :3

 

[myystogan]

I'm finally getting around to posting my thoughts. I figured adding some input would be a good idea, to provide a bit of a new member's perspective.

How do you view activity in A&D? (lacking, adequate, etc)
Compared to the rest of PC - I'd say the activity here is lacking.
Compared to other art sections of non art-based forums - the activity is alright/adequate.

How has your time in A&D been? Do you consider yourself a regular or just a passer-by?
Up until now, I suppose I've been kind of in-between regular and passer-by... a lurker, maybe. I do plan on becoming a regular though!
Now that all my exams are over with (for this semester, at least), I'm looking to increase my activity on PC and I'll definitely be hanging around A&D.

What are some changes you would make to the section if any?
I'm on another forum called "The Bell Tree", which is an Animal Crossing board, and despite the fact that the forum's main focus is on a video game, the art boards are INCREDIBLY active. There's a museum section that gets a multitude of posts and threads per day, and there's a bustling art shop section for buyers to purchase practically everything - drawings, graphics, pixels, etc.
In my opinion, the main reason why their art sections are thriving is that AC is a popular game within the artistic community, and many artists feel welcome there because TBT also allows them a place to sell their art in exchange for forum currency or even real life currency. That's a unique thing TBT offers.
Now, I'm not saying PokeCommunity should have its own currency or start allowing art to be sold for cash, but I'm suggesting that A&D needs to pull EVERYONE in with something. What TBT's art sections have going for them is that many skilled artists are regulars there, and so other members are interested in getting art from them and they also end up posting in galleries, shops, etc.

For A&D to get more activity, it needs to draw in other community members along with the artsy people that are already here. (But of course, A&D needs more artist galleries as well. It's baffling that there aren't more threads here, honestly, because 1) everyone has their own "inner artist" whether or not they vehemently deny it, and 2) and Pokemon has a HUGE artistic community.)
Overall, if there's more posting going on, especially from the commenters, the artists themselves will be motivated to do more. I'm willing to bet that nearly every thread here has a quiet, lurking audience; people need to be encouraged to post and "join in".
How do we do that though? Well, maybe the mods can add some more emblems or something like that. We already have some for artists, but there are none that people who don't belong to those categories can earn (correct me if I'm wrong, though). Also, making future contests more newbie-friendly might be a good idea.
If art-admirers AND artists are involved, A&D will get more exposition, and people will want to come and leave comments on galleries instead of admire the work and just stay invisible.
I do understand that this is because people just don't know what to say sometimes, other than writing something that seems spammy (i.e. "I love the latest update!" or "Your work is so amazing"). To solve this, maybe we should have something like a posting guide stickied, which will let people know exactly what they should be putting into their comments, and what constitutes as good feedback. Hell, there could even be a system of sorts... like, certain ranks you can earn in that thread pertaining to the quality and quantity of your C+C and/or general feedback posts. Idk, just an idea, haha.

As for contests, I like what zappystriker said about it.
To get more people to realize their "inner artist" and make the section a bit more "aspiring artist friendly", maybe something similar to a 20 inspirations challenge event (which is based around a set of inspirations) would be good. The type of art done will be up to the artist, and this is possible because only inspiration topics/subjects are given, and there are no "medium" requirements (i.e. you have to make an icon, you have to do pixel art, you have to do a sketch, etc).
Hopefully the free nature of this type of contest will attract more participants, and can be advertised as something new artists can easily approach.

How do you view staff in this section? (involved, distant, etc)
Distant? Nah. The first impressions I got of the mods (by reading their posts here and there) are that Fairy/Kirby and Aiden appear to be very approachable, friendly people that are passionate about the section. You can't really ask for more.
Fortunately, they don't give off an "overlord is just watching over you" vibe, haha. They are fairly involved, also considering the fact that this time of year is quite busy for a lot of people.
I can't really say much other than that, though it's clear staff is definitely not the problem.

General opinions on the section.
I really like the fact that everyone seems to want to push A&D and get it some more exposure, because this is a really awesome section and it would be wonderful for the gallery hosts here to gain a broader audience :-]
People are missing out, too!

 

[Fairy]

Ahh I don't have the time or energy to address all of the points I want to in the above posts but I do want to really quick say thank you for the feedback! When I'm not exhausted I'll come back in with a coherent post and actually say something of substance lol.

 

[Cloufy]

Been kinda stalking A&D for a while and thought of a suggestion that could maybe boost activity? - Specifically for the Art School.

Know there are currently only 3(?) classes and 5 tutors available. Have you ever thought about making some form of "Student hubs" as a place where we could kinda share works in progress, discussions and such away from just class and homework and more student-to-student interaction than just with tutors.

Maybe put those Club categories into use: Drawing club, pixel art club etc.
Would be more useful for things that don't have a class that people would kinda like to share their stuff, work in progress and discussions for things such as Photography and 3D modelling. (There's a lot more galleries now than before so it's easy to miss someone of a similar field and it would be nice to show-off stuff with other people who do the same things too.

Also now that PC has a youtube channel, have you guys ever thought of maybe doing Speedpaints/speed art or art based tutorials on the channel?

 

[Nina]

I guess that's the big one, is that I wish the Art School could get more attention, but I'm not sure how! There's only so much we can do. I think I general critique or interest thread that everyone can freely talk in might be good.

@Cloufy
"Also now that PC has a youtube channel, have you guys ever thought of maybe doing Speedpaints/speed art or art based tutorials on the channel?"

Who do I get into contact with to play on the PC Youtube channel, I want to do stuff on it! As pushy as that is, and might be the gaming section's baby, but it would be nice to see some different stuff on it! I'm not sure what I can tutorial, but I do have everything set up to screen capture and mic stuff. (A&D Round of bidiots!)

 

[Skip Class]

Couldn't add to above earlier when Nina and I were having the most hyped up exciting conversations about this on skype, but yes, extreeeeeamly keen for us to make speedarts and tutorials and such on PC's youtube channel. Since they have posted stuff in terms of ROM hack tutorials, why not us too? I'm sure a lot of people would love to see some tutorials and speedart in terms of pixel art - which can go well with ROM hacks.

I do kinda like having a general critique/ interest thread, but if people were to talk freely, hope we could do something so it's not like the DCC thread.
I do like Cloufy's idea of having clubs or general threads for any forms of art that don't have any tutors so that students can still get together and critique each other and talk about that certain type of art - having a club for photography and what not.

This talk is making me excited xD

 

[Fairy]

Been kinda stalking A&D for a while and thought of a suggestion that could maybe boost activity? - Specifically for the Art School.

Know there are currently only 3(?) classes and 5 tutors available. Have you ever thought about making some form of "Student hubs" as a place where we could kinda share works in progress, discussions and such away from just class and homework and more student-to-student interaction than just with tutors.

Maybe put those Club categories into use: Drawing club, pixel art club etc.
Would be more useful for things that don't have a class that people would kinda like to share their stuff, work in progress and discussions for things such as Photography and 3D modelling. (There's a lot more galleries now than before so it's easy to miss someone of a similar field and it would be nice to show-off stuff with other people who do the same things too.

Also now that PC has a youtube channel, have you guys ever thought of maybe doing Speedpaints/speed art or art based tutorials on the channel?

My only concern is that the idea kind of bleeds into the function of a gallery. But... I don't care if you don't! If you want to start a [insert medium] club for discussion of a medium in between classes of it, go ahead! I think it would be a fun a neat idea that we could at least try out. No harm in that. :)

At SOME point (how many times can I say that ugh?) I will make a tattoo/body art club hehe.

I guess that's the big one, is that I wish the Art School could get more attention, but I'm not sure how! There's only so much we can do. I think I general critique or interest thread that everyone can freely talk in might be good.

@Cloufy
"Also now that PC has a youtube channel, have you guys ever thought of maybe doing Speedpaints/speed art or art based tutorials on the channel?"

Who do I get into contact with to play on the PC Youtube channel, I want to do stuff on it! As pushy as that is, and might be the gaming section's baby, but it would be nice to see some different stuff on it! I'm not sure what I can tutorial, but I do have everything set up to screen capture and mic stuff. (A&D Round of bidiots!)

You want to be talking to Achromatic about YouTube. We've been talking about how to get PC's creative community involved in the channel and he's actually going to help me get recording and streaming at some point too! While I'm personally not ready to do any of that yet, it certainly shouldn't stop anyone else. Talk to Ben, he'll at least point you in the right direction.

Couldn't add to above earlier when Nina and I were having the most hyped up exciting conversations about this on skype, but yes, extreeeeeamly keen for us to make speedarts and tutorials and such on PC's youtube channel. Since they have posted stuff in terms of ROM hack tutorials, why not us too? I'm sure a lot of people would love to see some tutorials and speedart in terms of pixel art - which can go well with ROM hacks.

I do kinda like having a general critique/ interest thread, but if people were to talk freely, hope we could do something so it's not like the DCC thread.
I do like Cloufy's idea of having clubs or general threads for any forms of art that don't have any tutors so that students can still get together and critique each other and talk about that certain type of art - having a club for photography and what not.

This talk is making me excited xD

Hell yeah! Why don't we start by making a thread to attract people who make speed paints? So glad people are excited about this.

edit; done!
http://www.pokecommunity.com/showthread.php?p=9060284

Made a thread about YT, so everyone go post there if you have any experience with this or want to contribute! :)

 

[Circuit]

Quotes:

Spoiler:

I'm finally getting around to posting my thoughts. I figured adding some input would be a good idea, to provide a bit of a new member's perspective.

How do you view activity in A&D? (lacking, adequate, etc)
Compared to the rest of PC - I'd say the activity here is lacking.
Compared to other art sections of non art-based forums - the activity is alright/adequate.

How has your time in A&D been? Do you consider yourself a regular or just a passer-by?
Up until now, I suppose I've been kind of in-between regular and passer-by... a lurker, maybe. I do plan on becoming a regular though!
Now that all my exams are over with (for this semester, at least), I'm looking to increase my activity on PC and I'll definitely be hanging around A&D.

What are some changes you would make to the section if any?
I'm on another forum called "The Bell Tree", which is an Animal Crossing board, and despite the fact that the forum's main focus is on a video game, the art boards are INCREDIBLY active. There's a museum section that gets a multitude of posts and threads per day, and there's a bustling art shop section for buyers to purchase practically everything - drawings, graphics, pixels, etc.
In my opinion, the main reason why their art sections are thriving is that AC is a popular game within the artistic community, and many artists feel welcome there because TBT also allows them a place to sell their art in exchange for forum currency or even real life currency. That's a unique thing TBT offers.
Now, I'm not saying PokeCommunity should have its own currency or start allowing art to be sold for cash, but I'm suggesting that A&D needs to pull EVERYONE in with something. What TBT's art sections have going for them is that many skilled artists are regulars there, and so other members are interested in getting art from them and they also end up posting in galleries, shops, etc.

For A&D to get more activity, it needs to draw in other community members along with the artsy people that are already here. (But of course, A&D needs more artist galleries as well. It's baffling that there aren't more threads here, honestly, because 1) everyone has their own "inner artist" whether or not they vehemently deny it, and 2) and Pokemon has a HUGE artistic community.)
Overall, if there's more posting going on, especially from the commenters, the artists themselves will be motivated to do more. I'm willing to bet that nearly every thread here has a quiet, lurking audience; people need to be encouraged to post and "join in".
How do we do that though? Well, maybe the mods can add some more emblems or something like that. We already have some for artists, but there are none that people who don't belong to those categories can earn (correct me if I'm wrong, though). Also, making future contests more newbie-friendly might be a good idea.
If art-admirers AND artists are involved, A&D will get more exposition, and people will want to come and leave comments on galleries instead of admire the work and just stay invisible.
I do understand that this is because people just don't know what to say sometimes, other than writing something that seems spammy (i.e. "I love the latest update!" or "Your work is so amazing"). To solve this, maybe we should have something like a posting guide stickied, which will let people know exactly what they should be putting into their comments, and what constitutes as good feedback. Hell, there could even be a system of sorts... like, certain ranks you can earn in that thread pertaining to the quality and quantity of your C+C and/or general feedback posts. Idk, just an idea, haha.

As for contests, I like what zappystriker said about it.
To get more people to realize their "inner artist" and make the section a bit more "aspiring artist friendly", maybe something similar to a 20 inspirations challenge event (which is based around a set of inspirations) would be good. The type of art done will be up to the artist, and this is possible because only inspiration topics/subjects are given, and there are no "medium" requirements (i.e. you have to make an icon, you have to do pixel art, you have to do a sketch, etc).
Hopefully the free nature of this type of contest will attract more participants, and can be advertised as something new artists can easily approach.

How do you view staff in this section? (involved, distant, etc)
Distant? Nah. The first impressions I got of the mods (by reading their posts here and there) are that Fairy/Kirby and Aiden appear to be very approachable, friendly people that are passionate about the section. You can't really ask for more.
Fortunately, they don't give off an "overlord is just watching over you" vibe, haha. They are fairly involved, also considering the fact that this time of year is quite busy for a lot of people.
I can't really say much other than that, though it's clear staff is definitely not the problem.

General opinions on the section.
I really like the fact that everyone seems to want to push A&D and get it some more exposure, because this is a really awesome section and it would be wonderful for the gallery hosts here to gain a broader audience :-]
People are missing out, too!

Been kinda stalking A&D for a while and thought of a suggestion that could maybe boost activity? - Specifically for the Art School.

Know there are currently only 3(?) classes and 5 tutors available. Have you ever thought about making some form of "Student hubs" as a place where we could kinda share works in progress, discussions and such away from just class and homework and more student-to-student interaction than just with tutors.

Maybe put those Club categories into use: Drawing club, pixel art club etc.
Would be more useful for things that don't have a class that people would kinda like to share their stuff, work in progress and discussions for things such as Photography and 3D modelling. (There's a lot more galleries now than before so it's easy to miss someone of a similar field and it would be nice to show-off stuff with other people who do the same things too.

Also now that PC has a youtube channel, have you guys ever thought of maybe doing Speedpaints/speed art or art based tutorials on the channel?

I guess that's the big one, is that I wish the Art School could get more attention, but I'm not sure how! There's only so much we can do. I think I general critique or interest thread that everyone can freely talk in might be good.

@Cloufy
"Also now that PC has a youtube channel, have you guys ever thought of maybe doing Speedpaints/speed art or art based tutorials on the channel?"

Who do I get into contact with to play on the PC Youtube channel, I want to do stuff on it! As pushy as that is, and might be the gaming section's baby, but it would be nice to see some different stuff on it! I'm not sure what I can tutorial, but I do have everything set up to screen capture and mic stuff. (A&D Round of bidiots!)

Couldn't add to above earlier when Nina and I were having the most hyped up exciting conversations about this on skype, but yes, extreeeeeamly keen for us to make speedarts and tutorials and such on PC's youtube channel. Since they have posted stuff in terms of ROM hack tutorials, why not us too? I'm sure a lot of people would love to see some tutorials and speedart in terms of pixel art - which can go well with ROM hacks.

I do kinda like having a general critique/ interest thread, but if people were to talk freely, hope we could do something so it's not like the DCC thread.
I do like Cloufy's idea of having clubs or general threads for any forms of art that don't have any tutors so that students can still get together and critique each other and talk about that certain type of art - having a club for photography and what not.

This talk is making me excited xD

@myystogan: I am definitely going to get on the "Posting Guidelines" you mentioned, because that actually is a great idea, so thank you for that one. It might actually give people a little bit of confidence to post in threads and galleries, without having what they deem "No skill to say anything".

The next thing I want to pick up is the buying/selling of art. Whilst PC doesn't have its own currency, and money-based transactions should ideally be held off-site, we do have the ability for artists to create shops should they wish to take on commissions for free, in order to advertise their work in some form, or just for the fun of it. Whilst it has died since then, PC had a huge request base in A&D, with many galleries functioning also as shops for free commissions for things like signatures and avatars. Perhaps this kind of attraction can be revived in some way? Primarily would be through overexposure, but I'm sure we can think of other incentives (sadly I'm not sure emblems are one, though we can offer them for sure!).

That "20 Inspirations" thread idea is something, now I think about it, that would be really good to pick up in the A&D school, to try and get people to pick up on their inner artist and carry on from there, giving them sort of a starting point to join in. This is the kind of thing I've been busting my brains for all Christmas, so thank you for that idea too.

@Cloufy: The Art School is definitely where I would like to dedicate the majority of my time too, as a project I founded I feel very attached to it and improving it :3
Such clubs and threads as you have mentioned could definitely provide an incentive for more to gather, but these kind of threads work better when the section is active, and the threads aren't mod-created. They are much more appealing as an active hive for regular-users, created by regular users is what I have noticed.

@Nina: I would say Klippy is your best bet, and I'm also going to bring this up amongst staff too, that we would like to get our artists access to the YouTube channel and even Twitch if possible for art streams. Considering it is a forum-related service, this shouldn't be too much trouble, and might bring in some extra activity. I would actually like to use streaming and YT vids as part of lessons when I start them (when I have time, and can even finish the homework for yours >__<)

@ZappyNina: I've basically responded to your post through the other responses, but your hype is very much appreciated :3

 

[PumPum]

Probably a minority here but I think Audio/Music should have an space in Art & Design , Music is an Art after all. It feels odd for me that it has to be completelly out of the Create & Discover Area, and has to go Entertaintment & Hobbies.

I'd Just add another category (Music) for A&D

 

[Fairy]

Probably a minority here but I think Audio/Music should have an space in Art & Design , Music is an Art after all. It feels odd for me that it has to be completelly out of the Create & Discover Area, and has to go Entertaintment & Hobbies.

I'd Just add another category (Music) for A&D

This was considered, but hstaff agreed it's more reasonable to place user created music in General Entertainment. It's one of those things where, yes, it's user created content and should for all intents and purposes go in the "Create & Discover" area, but it doesn't belong in A&D, FF&W, or RP and it's not big enough to have its own section, so it's staying where music in general is more relevant to the forum and can get the most attention. User created music might just shrivel and die out here, at least in GE it has a chance since more music lovers might see it! I see what you're saying though and yes that was brought up for continuity's sake, but I don't think this is a change we'll see. :< Sorry.