NDA Art Critique Message Boards

Everyone should be familiar with this set already.

General Rules:

1) Your own art only
2) No Cussing
3) No images above PG-13
4) Upload to the correct board
5) Please Comment
6) Play nice or don't play at all

Details can be found here: http://neondragonart.com/oekaki/rules.html


These have never been formalized as rules, but following these pieces of advice is recommended.
I've paraphrased this set from Kanadra and Phoenixtears, in order to reduce the redundancy, and simplify things a bit.
Hopefully, we'll be able to refine them, and help the contest board run smoothly.

Contest Board Advice:
Paraphrased from Kanadra and Phoenixtears

1) Do not start a contest that is already in existence.
If by chance one has started and doesn't seem to be active anymore post a "Is this contest still going?" picture. If the holder does not reply in 3 days you may start the contest.
To avoid repeat-contests, you should not create the exact same contest as one that has run within the last Month. Two months leeway would be great.

2) THINK THROUGH your contest.
You MUST have a good idea and background for your contest. If you have an idea, develop it. Do NOT just type "Chobits contest" or something without rules, requirements or even prizes.

3) Type all rules and requirements out in a LIST form.
It is much easier to read instead of a paragraph form. It also helps to give people the correct idea about a contest.

4) Strange Requirements are what make a contest unique and interesting.
Example: Mermaid without an Ocean background. It's a great idea. It CHALLENGES people.
So please think this through and try and have some requirements that are out there. If you'd rather have an open ended (lack of strange requirements like saying "Do it how ever you see it") contest, this is alright, but please be sure that it is an ORIGINAL open ended contest.
In general, the more effort given to create the contest, the more effort will be given by the entrants.

5) Make sure you put a similar amount of effort into your prizes as the entrants did on the winning entries.
If someone entered a 3 hour picture into your contest and got first place... don't give them a 10 minute sketch with some color splashed on. Give what you get, and you'll get what you give.

6) If you have not passed out prizes for your previous contests you may not start another until you have done so.
This will benefit not only the state of the boards by minimizing spam-contest, but it will also benefit the contest creators, because people will be more willing to enter if they know they will get recognition.

7) If you have a contest (or two or three...) running already, do not start another until your previous one is finished.

8) Please be ACTIVE almost the entire if not the ENTIRE time your contest is going.
Please visit EVERY day if possible to see any questions, update with information about entries so far, and gather information about how your contest is going. DO NOT start a contest then go on vacation till who knows when. That's why the board gets cluttered with "Is this contest still going" pictures. Communication is VITAL.

9) Please be courteous.
This should be obvious. If there is a dispute please bring it to a moderators attention. We will deal with it as quickly as possible.

7) Warnings may be given to people if their contest needs more "Development" or if it is too "spammy."
If you receive a warning please feel free to ask how it could be improved. These warnings are not an insults, but a suggestions to improve the contests so they are more fun, original, and will receive more entries.

10) If you don't receive entries it's probably because not enough people know or have time for your contest.
If the contest board is really busy with all sorts of new contests then you might not get entries. Try waiting until people have ended their contests, or if you really must start it now, give people a LONG amount of time to get it finished. If you do this though, be warned, most entries will be put off to the end. WE ARE ALL PROCRASTINATORS .
Do not be offended if your contest isn't entered. If you REALLY must cancel, please do it politely, and do not whine about how no one entered your contest. DO NOT CANCEL YOUR CONTEST WITHIN THE FIRST FIVE DAYS. Give people at least FIVE days to enter. Do not assume that because no one entered the first day that no one is going to enter. Posting reminders or updates throughout the five days will help things run smoother.

Comments or suggestions to the any of the rules are appreciated.
The goal behind these rules is to make the board a fun place for everyone to draw, not to oppress anyone.
Feedback and ideas are welcomed.

Thank you very much for posting these! I'd like to also add, that at the moment, contests have to be passed by a moderator before it can be posted on the contest board (this is temporary, until everything can get organized, and such). For anyone who has a contest idea, you are welcome to email me (kanadra@gmail.com) or msg me via DeviantArt (http://kanadra.deviantart.com/).

I am also available for contest help and whatnot - email melfina213@yahoo.com or through my DA http://slacker-drak.deviantart.com/

Availableness. Yes, I have it. (ZOMG, I know... Hel Pup made an account. ) My deviant art and my e-mail is HoundOfHelheim@gmail.com. Alternatively, if you want to talk to me directly my AIM is HoundOfHelheim. And in case of emergency(or extreme boredom) I tend to be doing something with my Xbox in which case my gamer tag is Hel Pup which will work as my HoundOfHelheim@aol.com MSN Messenger. I will respond a tad slow though as I don't have the cute little keyboard, just the controller.

Ah, and as for rules there's one Draikonis and I have been enforcing lately.

Frequent posting in the wrong area, or purposefully posting in the wrong area(ie I know this is 10 minutes of, but leave me alone!) will get you art, no matter the true time, placed into Testing Grounds.
This was set in place due to the multiple spammers who don't read the rules and the people who happen to think they're above them as a way to teach them a lesson since Testing Ground work isn't readily seen and is quickly pushed off.

For suggestions(I had sent an e-mail to you Neon, but I don't know if you've seen it yet so I'm putting it here as well), I have a few. One is that the Moderator Information page be updated, it's been at least a year and a half (as I know of) that it has gone without update, and right from here all 4 active moderators have posted their information for you!

The other thing I had stated is that the 45 board no longer be the default when submitting oekaki, instead have that changed to quickling or testing so people HAVE to change to get their art seen. I think it would really cut down on the spam because many people are just careless when it it comes to putting up their art and just click submit without changing it.

I agree with this, it is a great idea and it will also help with the accidents,(forgetting to specify which board) from clogging up the most viewed and popular board that doesnt need anymore pics. Also thanks mods for working so hard............ perhaps I should send you a gift basket hmmmm......

If the 45 board is no longer the default, it will no longer be displayed as the first page of boards that you see. So quicklings would be the first board you'd see when you log onto the oekaki, and while the quick drawings are fun, I do think that users who have spent slightly more time on their images deserve their images to get that little bit of extra attention. The next logical question is "So why not have the first board be the hoard?" - There's not enough oekakis submitted to the hoard on a daily basis. So the 45 minute board as default works the best, though it does result in the need to move timer-mistakes to the quicker board on a frequent basis.

Whats an Oekaki? sorry. im kinda new and im trying to figure everything out

Oekaki is a digital board online that you can draw on and submit for others to see. The link for ours is http://www.neondragonart.com/oekaki/picture.cgi?