tttia Posted February 4, 2005 Share Posted February 4, 2005 Someone mentioned an art community today that I was unaware of . I thought I would post the ones I like and why I go to them, along with their strengths and weaknesses. Please ADD TO THE LIST! These are from my perspective, someone at the low mid level of artistic skill. There are others I know of, but I don't go to them. Conceptart- Strengths--learning Weaknesses--not always friendly, SOMEWHAT stuck on traditional art http://www.conceptart.org/forums/ probably the most helpful for actual learning of techniques. They have people's sketchbooks that show their progress where people give tips. Another section is devoted to critiques, works in progress. They have a section for just figure drawing from the mind which is awesome, and a section for life drawing (er...read painting naked people from real life). They have a great thread with open canvas event files so you can watch people work. I find that they have a mid-high lvl standard for what they really will comment on. I sometimes find the comments helpful, sometimes not. You don't have to be elite to post, but they do have some standards and will move it from the "Finished Work" section if you don't meet them. ---------------------------------------------------------- Deviantart- StrengthsÃÆââââ¬Å¡Ã¬Ã¢ââ¬Ãâlarge member base, hosting of images, great prints program, updates on art/tech info WeaknessesÃÆââââ¬Å¡Ã¬Ã¢ââ¬ÃâNot a great way to see all the new art. http://www.deviantart.com/ They used to put more on their front page, but in one second it is all gone. If you don't bring your own audience, not much chance of getting one unless your skills are unreal. It allows all to post, which is great for those wanting a spot to show their work. But a high level of skill is required to get noticed in such a large community...and a lot of folks will work the system to get known through favorites, journal comments, etc. They have a wide range of styles, so if you want to browse by just airbrushed furry pics (antropomorphic....ie, animal people blends) then you can do it. If you only like anime, you can find it ,etc. However, the sheer volume, and diferent levels of work make it hard to find consistently good stuff without simply surfing by favorites...which then gives you the same ones all the time. Basically it is built around user pages with the forums being just a nice touch, not the focus. This leads to less interaction. I hear they have lots of brushes to download, some renders to download, some tutorials etc. but I never use these. They do have a bunch of stock images...not my first place to check, but for sheer volume and wierdness it can be handy. ---------------------------------------------------------- CGTalk- StrengthsÃÆââââ¬Å¡Ã¬Ã¢ââ¬ÃâGreat forum type display of finished works, dedicated to digital. Helpful advice WekanessesÃÆââââ¬Å¡Ã¬Ã¢ââ¬ÃâVERY high standards (may not be bad). Unclear when your work is rejected. http://www.cgtalk.com/ This is one of my favorites. You don't get the stuck up traditional only media folks. You get some really helpful folks in the WIP section, and the finished work gallery has the perfect blend of putting in new quality work, and moving slow enough that you can keep up. It is all basically arranged around forums, so everything is easy to browse, and the finished works page has PREVIEWS in roughly chronological order. It is easy to use and I can sift for hours through their work. GREAT stuff. However, if you do not have some decent skill, don't bother. It takes up to 2 days for your work to be approved when you post finished work. And they DO reject many. Some of mine made it, some didn't. They don't tell you either, but I have found that if you check your control panel you are automatically subscribed to submitted finished works. If the subscription disappears...you didn't make the cut. If it appears in the gallery..well, that is obvious enough huh? They also run a sharpening process on every work. Not sure what it is , but it looks NICE. Just so you know when you post that they will do this. The people here are largely friendly, but it is not for the absolute beginner. ---------------------------------------------------------- GFX forums- StrengthsÃÆââââ¬Å¡Ã¬Ã¢ââ¬ÃâGreat tutorials section, high end work to look at WeaknessesÃÆââââ¬Å¡Ã¬Ã¢ââ¬Ãâan unbearably hard to browse site, slow moving forums, based sort of on user pages, sort of on forums. It is just confusing. http://www.gfxartist.com/ This place seemingly has a big user base...but they shoot themselves in the foot with their interface if you ask me. They have some first class artists that submit. And their tutorials section is well worth looking at. Like DA you get space to host your artwork. But trying to find the art unless it is the elite stuff is tough. This is the LEAST likely place to get noticed if you ask me. The forums are alright for WIP works, but the people tend to be rude, and it moves SLOWLY...very SLOWLY. I don't think many check there. They must check somewhere, but I haven't found it. Overall this is my least favorite for just posting work etc. They have quality standards, but I haven't messed with it enough to know how stringent. ---------------------------------------------------------- Graphic Forums- StrengthsÃÆââââ¬Å¡Ã¬Ã¢ââ¬ÃâDecent showcase board. Mostly friendly, a high level skill is not necessary to get noticed. Weaknesses-not a lot of folks. Their showcase forum moves along fairly slowly but I get some views and posts. It has a mix of helpful and rude folks, but overall, pretty positive. I don't get the idea that they have a lot of folks, but not bad for a few extra opinions. Some of the people there have been very helpful. And if you post on a thread that has no posts, they tend to be quite friendly and start checking your work too. That probably works a lot of these places, but I notice it especially here. They don't have super artists so you don't need as much skill to get noticed. They are more laid back in general. http://www.graphic-forums.net/ ---------------------------------------------------------- There are a few rs ones that I post on. They are alright. Don't expect high levels of expertise, and our own media board is much more active. Runevillage is not bad, though they have tons of bank rate etc. posts there. RSC graphics is mainly sig oriented, but firefreek is there, so worth posting :) LIST and rate your favorites! And add your comments on these. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keiphus Posted February 4, 2005 Share Posted February 4, 2005 Oh dear... now we are gonna have noobs all over cgt... :cry: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NACHO Posted February 4, 2005 Share Posted February 4, 2005 Oh dear... now we are gonna have noobs all over cgt... :cry: :( :( :( i only ask a few questions there when i need help with some stuff on c4d thats not in the tutorials. but seeing as people can't even use the stickies here... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UTSnyper Posted February 4, 2005 Share Posted February 4, 2005 Wow, ConceptArt and CGT are amazing! I wouldn't even think to post on them, I just want to look at them!!! =O wow! More reason for me to work on my shading! I'd love to have the honor of a work worthy of either of the two forums! *bookmark* Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tttia Posted February 5, 2005 Author Share Posted February 5, 2005 well Keiphus, most noobs get pretty beaten down after a short time, so it will probably just inspire them to go and see what they could become, read, and not post a lot at first. I have had 3 or so on cgtalk. concept art is easier to get stuff on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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