Is there a problem with artist account on Transfur?

[blackvelvetrpg]

Originally Posted by Banana_of_Doom

Just don't bother with it. Nothing to gain from being there anyway.

There isn't.That site has seen some pretty sick stuff archived in it,and some
have commented on the "gay werewolf" image one is presented with when
you enter it.

If rubbing shoulders with the "artistic elite" of transfur is the best you can
hope for as a artist,you've failed.

[qwertyas]

Monkeying around would be a good exemple.

[bend]

I tried to get an account there too but two weeks later I still haven't heard anything.

If tranfur is not something to worry about, then what should we be aiming for?

[morwalugi]

Originally Posted by bend

I tried to get an account there too but two weeks later I still haven't heard anything.

If tranfur is not something to worry about, then what should we be aiming for?

Start with your Artistic Statement.

eg
Since I view my Youtube audience as 'finless browns" and the
Arts Councils as a potential Sugar Daddy,they get different Artistic Statements.

Basically
-what you arts all about
-who its directed at
-how its directed at them
-why they should give a damn
-why your art is worth developing furthing with THEIR money
-etc

In the case of Transfur,he's sending out form "Dear Applicant" rejection letters
,which aught to tell you something about his valuation process.

Hell,even the string of rejection letters I got in 2007/08
through the OAC writers reserve block sponsors at least
got my name on them,rather than the
Reject-bot version.At least I've now got personalized rejection
letters I can put in the file folder.

[Banana_of_Doom]

Originally Posted by bend

I tried to get an account there too but two weeks later I still haven't heard anything.

If tranfur is not something to worry about, then what should we be aiming for?

As an artist, you should be aiming at improving yourself, enjoying what you draw, and having fun doing it.

It's not about popularity, and it's definitely not about reaching the 'goal' of being accepted to some meaningless website. Being on Transfur doesn't put you on a pedestal. It doesn't do anything for you.

[Tancred]

Originally Posted by Banana_of_Doom

As an artist, you should be aiming at improving yourself, enjoying what you draw, and having fun doing it.

And this is why I would like what's wrong with my work, to improve. But I don't have any way to know what I should improve if they don't tell me. This is why I asked it. It is not that I don't whant to improve (I mean, I think that I improved a lot during the last months and I keep trying to get better...) but if I'm rejected with no reason it is pretty hard to keep my art getting better... It is not that I'm angry about Transfur. I just whanted to know (because english isn't my first language) I forgot to read something in theri politic or something...

[Banana_of_Doom]

Originally Posted by Tancred

It is not that I'm angry about Transfur. I just whanted to know (because english isn't my first language) I forgot to read something in theri politic or something...

There's nothing in Transfur's artist acceptance policy about the admin's bias, I assure you of that.

You can (and will) improve through critique from fans and other artists. You don't need Transfur to give you that.

[blackvelvetrpg]

However the community has limited uses.

One thing I've noticed is that artists hoping to build their careers
need to have a internal decency governor.Just because the internet
allows people to do disgusting filthy criminal things anonymously doesn't
mean they should be done.Especially if you're hoping to gain the admiration,respect ,money and job promotion.

Yet I've noticed that when a artist crosses the line the tf community
tends to urge the erring artist to screw themselves even more,rather
then toppling over in the canary cage to warn them that theres danger
in the mine.In the case of Transfur I know at least one instance where
two of the 'canaries' toppled over and the admins response was to toss
the 'dead canaries' into the wastecan so all the erring artist heard
was tweets of praise,worship and egging on down the slippery slope.

In the end the artist got fired from his paying job under difficult hostile
circumstances,and the tf community had proven worthless as a warning
device.

[bend]

Wow that is actually a scary story. D=
Fortunately I don't intend to get a job drawing for a living, at least that's not what the main part of the job is gonna be, and I also don't intend on letting my boss in on my DA page. So... in essence I can draw whatever I want, right?

Also I don't really have a set goal for TF art, it just seemed like "I view it, I drew it, so I may as well post it." Long term maybe I'd consider commissions, or maybe it'd stay a hobby.

PS: Who was the artist who got fired? And how did his job find out about his TF stuff? Or was he actually posting dirty pictures on a site he knew his boss viewed?

[CoffeeMan]

I have a good guess, but there is no way in hell I'm the one to speculate. I'm probably wrong anyhow.

Personally, this is my worst fear. This is one of the reasons I have never done commissions in the past. But the money would certainly help nowadays (if people would even buy my stuff to begin with).

Tancred- I think you do great work, you clearly take your time and pay attention to the color and shadow detail. As far as the transfur thing goes, It may be that they see your style is similar to someone who is already posting there. Not the SAME, but similar in their eyes.

This is one site on the internet, nothing more. Trust me when I say rejection sucks ass. I have felt plenty of it (hell, just today, and yes it was about my art). But if you let yourself change direction or lower your vision based on what was said or not said, no one here can help you. YOU ARE GOOD! Do not fool your self because someone you do not even know was counter productive in one of your goals. Its ok to feel how you feel, but DO NOT give up.

(Like I'm one to talk...)

[Tancred]

Thanks for the comment! ;-D

[Soty]

Originally Posted by Tancred

Just a question, is there a problem with the creation of an artist account on Transfur? I tried for month to subscribe but they alway give me the same answer (see the cotation)...

I know that I'm not the best juge of my art but I think that I'm more than good enought to be accepted. Do we have to donate or something to have an artist account? o.O http://sites.google.com/site/transfo...-de-tfancred-1

*shrug* Transfur is really the most useful for getting an audience for TF commissions. Beyond that, it's not like anyone is putting it on their resumes.

I highly doubt that it's to blame for anyone losing their jobs. At least, not any more than if an employer "found out" about someone's TF art on DeviantArt or FurAffinity. If in doubt, sanitize your aliases. It's only TF folk who are going to thank you for your TF art, anyways.

Quality-wise, I'd say you're nearly there. The proportions are great (abeit, yeah, a little child-like, but that's easily fixable), but if you want to make your line work a little better, thick-to-thin lines would be a good thing to practice.

It's maybe a little obvious that you're using a pen tool and "stroke path," which not a lot of pros use quite so blatantly. While the best way is usually going to be to trace 'around' the lines (ala each line gets passed twice while making your inking path), this is not so time efficient. Instead, try this: stroke the path once, then move the points around a bit so that they're 'farther out' where the line ought to be thicker (in strategic places, that is) and then stroke the path again. Rinse, lather, repeat until you're happy with your line width variances.

Another beginner faux pas I'm seeing in your colored art (some places more than others) is that a lot of your highlights (say, the large spot of bounce lighting on a bicep or fore-arm) go right up to the edge of your linework. In real life, this rarely happens unless there's a very close, very strong light source. For example, look at your hand right now: Move your hand right to the side of your monitor. You'll see some hard-edged light. Now move it farther back. If you're in a typical room with lights on, you'll notice that the hard-edged lighting goes away, and you start to see shadows creep in around the creases and edges, where your ink lines would be. This is because the lighting is more diffused, and not quite (or not well) 'aimed' at the edges of things.

There are a few other mistakes that would be really easy to correct, and have a strangely uberizing effect on some of your pictures. Let's take your Do Nut Enter picture, for example:

1. There should be floor boards. That is, the little 3-4 inch wooden boards that go between carpets and walls. This is a common mistake, but if you put those in, it'll look a WHOLE LOT more like a room, since 99.9% of rooms have them (excluding, perhaps, 3rd world countries, and even then...) Heck, slap some fancy quarter-rounds on the bottom of them, for trim. The point is, this is one of those "can't put my finger on it" mistakes that will leave people wondering what's actually wrong here. But it's real easy to fix, and doesn't speak against your technical skills. (also, it would accent your actual wood flooring here very well. n.n The muted colors on the pattern are a VERY nice touch.)

2. The patch-work comforter: if you'd have used those same muted outlines for the interior of the pattern, I think I'd have less complaints. Bonus points if the outlines were lighter, color-coordinated tones that were similar hue but darker value to the patches they surrounded. One of the tips I got from Keanon Woods is that all-black outlines tend to be less interesting than slightly lighter, more colorful ones. (Look to Angrboda for some stunning examples of this.) I'd add to that and say it goes double for busily patterned background outlines. Also, the perspective is very noticably off; compare the farthest reddish patch on the corner to the closest blueish patch on the same corner. This is why such a busy pattern is a risky choice as an artist: if you nail it, all your hard work pays off. If you don't, then each extra line or brush stroke is really working AGAINST you more than it's helping you. And I say this with the utmost care, because it's obvious that you DID put a lot of work into the quilted effect. n.n;; So I hate to put that in your face, but it's really something to work on.

3. The remaining 1/4th of the bed: The pillow is really sort of taking away from the rest of the picture. When we think of pillows, we think of softness. So, it's a little disturbing to the casual observer when the edges on it are so rough and angular. Also, it'd be better to see the interior edges of the mattress/sheets behave more like the out-turned trim of the comforter: slightly more broken and soft.

(and all this is without even mentioning the figure, yet. Part of me thinks the picture would work better as a whole if it were more closely cropped around the figure, which is by-and-large very well done and worth focusing on.)

4. The actual figure: Not many qualms here. Perhaps the nose/forming muzzle could be a bit more subtle (it's sort of drawn as if it's already a full muzzle, but added to a human face; the sharp angle that the lines around the far size suggest seem a little extreme, IMHO), but it hardly "breaks" the picture. Of course, this could just be where our two styles don't see eye-to-eye, so take that with a grain of salt. My biggest critique here has to be the smallest portion of the whole figure: the nearest foot pads. The pad on the back of the foot overlaps way too much, and looks a little like an upside-down tongue. Inversely, the pad on the balls of the foot more resembles an ear, in the way the outlines are rendered. I realize that you were trying to give the part below the big toe more mass than the other half (which is a technically correct observation), but the overlapping crease seems maybe a bit exaggerated, or perhaps a bit too flat. Both of these would be easy fixes, even without having to open up the raw, layered art file.

Now, I know you weren't asking for a critique here, and I'll fully understand if you're offended my some of the minutia I've resorted to. But I point these things out because it's not REALLY your artistic talent that is lacking in your work; your proportions are just VERY spot on and generally consistent.

My point in all these things is that it's your treatment and artistic decision making that could use just a bit more consideration. Which, on one level or another, could be said of just about any artist, since making artist decisions is far more often about contemplating things you wouldn't normally think of when seeing what you're drawing in real life. For instance, with the floor boards thing: few people actually think about things like that, but 90% of people would walk into a hard wood floored or carpeted room and think 'something isn't right here' if the floor boards were missing.

And, for 99.9% of these artistic decisions, it's a "work smarter, not harder" solution. That is, it won't put any/much more time into the drawing process, but it'll improve your results ten fold.

(For my part, I gave little or no consideration to floor boards until I was well into the middle of a particular 3D art class. So, it's one of those things that many/most artists simply need to be told once, and they'll remember it forever. Y'know, one of those "eureka!" moments. n.n I hope I can be yours for at least *that.* n.n )

As for Transfur: your chances with that picture in particular would probably be better if the background was pure white. It's sometimes better to have nothing to object to than many things. And, yes, this is coming from an artist who rarely draws such detailed backgrounds. Fairly or unfairly, it sometimes works to my advantage.

And now I'm rambling. So I'll try and wrap this up:

As a general rule, the closer you get to your artistic plateau, the more you realize you're only half way there (I'm only half-way to half-way, myself! x.x; ). You'll be ready for Transfur soon enough, and when that time comes, I hope you won't have let the well-meaning masses sour the grapes. (I'm looking at YEEEEW, Banana-man! ) And I hope you won't let the FEW unworthy grandfathered artists and the FEW gran'daughtered "furry pin-up" artists spoil you with entirely justifiable envy, either.

God knows, I don't agree with EVERY rejection/acceptance the admin has made (which he knows because I've told him), but you have to admit: 80-90% of the time, he makes the right call. But even then, he provides a service that's worthwhile to both artists and fans 100% of the time.

(You can tell, because even the biggest detractors of Transfur still know EXACTLY what's worth complaining about there, up the the very minute- nigh, SECOND. So, even the spited and spiteful won't turn down sour grapes, so long as they're free. I guess that's the lesson here. )

[edit] and I say all this at the risk of holding/supporting the unpopular view that Transfur's skill-level policies are a GOOD idea. Just like they were with Yerf in its hay-day. My stance, though, is more that FurAffinity/DeviantArt have already FILLED the niche of "anyone can post" art archives. Sure, it causes some hurt feelings. But without the policy, Transfur isn't Transfur, any more. I DO wish the policy would be more evenly enforced (which is to say, it isn't.) But then, if I had the time/knowhow/motivation to do it myself, I would make my own. I simply don't, and so at the end of the day, I still have to thank ShadowChaser for all the man-hours he has put and continues to put into the site. Even now (if I may blow a little secret) he's working on a new display theme that should quell the complaints from detractor of the so-called "gay werewolf" (as if he really cares.)