ElfQuest Fan Art

Wow.  Now I feel exceptionally guilty.  I had originally thought I'd be able to participate, but life has been insane for over a year for me. The death in my family threw me off and I'm still having issues. Still not over the death, but life is settling a little bit, especially regarding my job and the residence.

To be honest, people dropping off happens no matter where you are or what you're doing. I see the same thing over and over in the fandom holts. I don't know why, but it happens. Putting the word out through other media certainly could help for the calendars. Drumming up interest on this site might help if perhaps something was done in the gallery. Some people don't bother to check the files and some still have issues with their inboxes for messages. It's a thought.

Having vague themes wouldn't really do much. Themes are already rather vague and open to a wide interpretation. As for characters, I think we could try this year allowing for multiple representations of the same characters, but I would definitely prefer to keep the list up so for those that want to avoid replication, can choose someone else. Personally, I like that challenge. Who hasn't been drawn or spoken for? When I did Mardu and Kalil, I didn't even really know who they were. I had to look them up and read about them. So, let's see what happens.

Since life's been rather nasty to me, I actually have a few illos I never managed to finish for previous calendars. I can at least finish one or two of them and submit this coming year. No, really, I promise! I've been eyeing the one with...oops, SPOILERS. I can PM you, Maggie about them and take it from there. And if not, I can post it to the gallery.

I have been trying to post to the gallery, and I've sketched a bunch of members' characters. Almost done with one now with one immediately behind for coloring.

I'd truly hate to see this site close; this is my EQ fix and I try and check on it regularly. I get inspiration to draw from it and from others' work even from the non-EQ folder. I enjoy the community; it has been much friendlier to me than some others I've been involved in over the years. I can understand closing due to lack of time or enthusiasm, but I certainly want to stress how much I love this site. It helps me with depression. It inspires me. It keeps me busy, off the streets, and out of prison (joke, for those that don't know my humor). I'd be proud to volunteer more often if it helps. Can't guarantee amazing work, but I certainly would do more.

As someone who only discovered and started participating in the calendar last year, I am not sure how useful my input is, but why let that stop me? 

I had been thinking about the issue of people signing up early in the year, only to either drop out or not start drawing until the week before the Halloween deadline, and actually was coming up with an idea much like that proposed by @Tah-Marien.

4 Sign-Up & Deadline Sessions Throughout The Year
- "Winter" session:  Feb & Mar, Mar 31 deadline
- "Spring" session:  Apr & May, May 31 deadline
- "Summer" session:  Jun & Jul, Jul 31 deadline
- "Autumn" session:  Aug & Sep, Sep 30 deadline

(Maybe plus an invitation-only "Buffer" session in Oct & Nov, in which @Maggie invites artists who have proven reliable to submit, if there are still too few submissions after all four submission sessions.)

Or more spaced out throughout the year, however works best.

Artists still sign up for their preferred characters who have not been used yet.  However, if an artist drops out in a session, then the characters that artist claimed in the earlier session would be released and available for anyone to claim in the next session.

So, if someone claims Cutter, Leetah, and Skywise in February, but fails to create the image by March 31, then someone else could claim any or all three characters in April.  If the February artist does submit art by March 31, then yay!  Since that is the goal!   

It means more frequent administration, but hopefully more art throughout the year, and less pressure in November to gather those images that should have been submitted earlier.

As for theme ideas... I thought the themes allowed for pretty broad interpretation already, and have been impressed by the submissions I have seen for the past years.  But, again, newbie, so maybe I am missing something.  (I would totally buy an all-Rayek calendar, though; rowr.   )

@Tah-Marien, Did you mean the "night and day" submission drawn by Treefox 2017? That was in a yin and yang fashion. If not I'm a little puzzled what submission do you mean and how does that fit to your argument but thank you.
I was just watching the calendar "tribes" with the great collaboration work in it. Amazing! Do you mean something like that? Two or more artists draw a completely part (outline and color) of one picture?

Because I have done my drawings only solemnly I would be highly interested in a closed ward place on the forum to meet up with people and share art and ideas. Especially ideas. Quite a few calendars I don't commit because I had no idea for the theme.

As for less time till deadline I'm totally in it. I too have made the experience that more time makes submitter more often drop out. It's been 10 Month till everyone can see their results. Don't see any elfquest often out of this side or facebook and forget about it. Its not so prominent as other things as Marvel or Harry Potter. Many other interesting things hop along. No one can see the WiP during that time.  I don't get any resonance all the long time. All reasons I encounter at a writers forum. The last one was the often heard.

Maggie
...which meant the whole calendar started a bit later than usual and no one was happy about that.

That shocked me a little bit. How many time do any of us need to finish a submission? For me I am a fast drawer, I know how long I need for a pic and can calculate the time. And I take the time out of the weekends if I have it not otherwise. I do see it as an commitment. But this year have told me not to say anything in the threat till I do have an idea. Made my pic, but boah I feel ashamed to wanna participate first and then droped out few Month later. Sorry.

If there is a new deadline, I suggest a month length (if there are 4 weekends all is good). Don't pick on me, just saying. I conduct a calendar for the time before Christmas (called Advent here). The first mentioning of this event is July. And all on the side are screaming 'whoa, so soon, have to hurry' and do nothing till December the first. (btw Deadline is November 30Th)
As for those with the winter catastrophe that month limit wouldn't work anyways. I hope all are fine and only fences and trees are broken.
So 8 weeks till deadline it is? If all here agree it's okay.

What seems to be an important part is the character choice. I assume as in the forum posts hinted (and said jaRf) two people droped out later because they don't get their favourite character. If that closed calendar forum is only used to talk to the people who took the favourite character and switch or collaborate that could be a great win. I get the offer to switch character and it was a really good feeling. But I don't took it cause I love more than one and I'm interested in the pic that would come up with Redlance. It don't have to be him. I like the calendar to be variant.

For submitting more often. That was everytime the given promise as things gone south and wasn't kept in forums I was in. Not once. That didn't work ever. Hope it will be differend here but I have low hopes.

I am totally in for promotion more. The fact Richard Pini is involved in the calendar and sees all the submissions is something that is really great. But if I don't have a friend here who told me early on I wouldn't have known till some randomly droped posts maybe years later. This here by Maggie for instance. For me it is awesome. And really something to promote more.

Last, a one person only calendar is in fact a good idea. One tribe also. I do think it must be one more favoured than Ekuar. I wouldn't have submit anything, if there wasn't not enough entrys.

Please don't bite me. English is not my mother tongue and I fear something might sound meaner that it is meant.

oh my,  oh my . . . so many thoughts are racing through my head.

{Calendar}  Glad things are working out Maggie *hug*  You are appreciated both as an artist and an administrator.  {Snow}  We got it early in the teeth also and barely got all the broken branches cleaned up before Halloween.  House okay - fence lost.  So many old trees marred or lost (sob) it  looked like a green war zone.

If submission format is needed for the site to remain active; I am in.  I will change up my involvement time.

 

 For the calendar I guess I do sorta always need and prefer a collaboration. I know I cannot submit to the calendar without tech-help, and I did exhaust my resources very early in the game; so did not sign up an idea - (and) -  I should have fought harder for the honor of being in the calendar;  Because I also appreciate a reason to stretch my drawing goals in an Elfquest fandom based environment and love catching up in the Gallery on what is inspiring people, and look forward to the cross-overs and fan characters and random mediums used to create.  And hope for a success with an narrative story format that can bring people together and maybe evolve into more.


 Anyhoo . . .   It seems all the artist are pretty able to "create" within a 8 week period, either in a frenzied fashion or slow and steady wins the race -and-  I am thinking about how much my environment and current activities Always effect my art _ and I am going to suggest a Seasonal submission idea:  Staring early -  Maybe getting submissions every 8 weeks of the year will give people time to offer help or do a collaboration or take inspiration from their own global/personal season."   The rules could stay the same - just restart the hands of time a few, or three, times a year.  More than one submission date? Or?  Early submission acceptance for those who can only draw. (I admit I did not know how to ask for help from the Site and stay within the clandestine calendar requirements.)  So Czarine's {ideas} inspires me to say that it really can be done within an 8 week period - and if not -
 Wildfire is also right - - you have outlines, ideas, drawings, !early!  feedback and exchanges.  Take the idea further: Yavia did an amazing sorta ying/yang drawing on one page, of a character, for a past submission (so) Two artists could share a page or an idea/character/theme/insert on the same page.  Sometimes half a page seems less scary.  I have had so much fun doing the collaborations for the calendar.  I do not want to babble. . . but

Coming in late to this discussion I see Ideas and Hope filling this forum - I want to be a part of that - and a part of saving the calendar, even if it is just submitting more to the Gallery all year long.

     
     

     

     

I'd really like the calendar-only subforum! I feel it has been quite difficult to keep drawing while making the calendar entry solo (though I do discuss ideas with Berit, which helps a lot), and a private thread for the calendar participants could offer both help and inspiration.

I too think there's too much time for the calendar. I usually spend about maybe a few days combined making my calendar entry. Usually, I procrastinate until the end of September, when I start sketching, after which I forget about the sketch completely until like a week before the deadline (usually less), and then I finish my piece with burning passion . Or that's how it went this year. Last year I spent a lot more time looking for references and sent my entry early (and another). So for me, a month or so would be ideal (but that's just me). Maybe we could halve the amount of time?

I like the idea of tribes! It would challenge me to draw different elves and environments. It could also solve the too many Wolfriders -problem. I also enjoyed the Entirely Ekuar theme we had.

I submitted mine, totally sorry for being late! I could absolutely submit another one if needed before December. Just let me know! Thanks for all you do Maggie!

The dropout rate is discouraging for sure. Especially if they've been invited personally.
Should the calendar continue, I'd be happy to do some promoting on Facebook. I've posted about the calendar a few times and people are always excited about it, so there has to be some untapped interest there. Doing a monthly/bi-monthly promo would (if nothing else) help garner some excitement.

If you or anyone else is able to promote the calendar via Facebook that would be much appreciated.

A thought - is it possible to set up a subsection of the forum to be for invited members only? Having a place where people can collaborate openly or ask and receive feedback might be good, both for the calendar and the website. Having somewhere to turn to for help if you get stuck without an idea or need some help with posing or colours. Even just hearing some positivity and a few encouraging words from other members might help people finish their entry. As it is now, it is a fairly lonesome challenge. Treefox has helped me out a ton through the years (), but that was through email, and establishing that connection for a new member would be nigh impossible.

Sketchfab (https://forum.sketchfab.com/c/past-challenges/halloween-contest-2015) does monthly challenges where people post WIP works and it's a lot of fun to follow the different processes. Doing something similar might be worth a shot. We might all learn something new.
People stealing ideas is honestly not something I'd worry about with how small of a group we are. Even if they did "steal" (there has been similar ideas in the past), it's still fun to see the difference in execution and style.

I'm sure we could come up with something like that.
 

Tasks expand to fill the time available. Most years I start properly sketching a few months before the deadline, and I doubt that I'm alone for that. Usually the fandom challenges that I've been a part of has had a runtime of 4-5 months at the absolute maximum. Most run for 2 months for a reason. Interest quickly starts to dwindle and people simply forget that they've signed up for it.
For the "Tribes" year, we were each assigned a tribe. How was that received? If we're no more than 12 people that might be a way to do it unless people hated it.

I've always felt that too much time was given for the calendar and that people are excited to sign up but then forget and drop out when it gets too close to the deadline and they haven't done anything. One year I started late with the thread about themes, which meant the whole calendar started a bit later than usual and no one was happy about that. It seems that most would prefer more time to less but I feel like that is something that is causing an issue now. I don't start my cover image until all the submissions are handed in, which means I sometimes only have a week or two to get something together. Last year I think I did it in just over a week and that was after I scrapped my original idea for a new one. I would much prefer cutting the time down and seeing if that helps at all.

As for the Tribes calendar I guess we would have to ask if that was a hated theme or not. I would be happy to offer themes like that every so often. Berit suggested doing a just Wolfrider calendar or Go-backs or once again choosing one character and having 12 interpretations.

If there are only a few who want to work on the calendar each year it can still be done it would just be done differently. There would be more of a collaboration and discussion between the small group of participants rather than the whole nominating themes, voting for themes...it would be up to those who have decided to continue to figure that out together. I'm happy to do it with a small group or going ahead and trying to get more people involved. I was even thinking of challenging myself and doing a page a month and just putting the calendar out myself if the interest dwindles much more.

@Wildfire I don't have Facebook so I wouldn't be able to promote it there myself but I do send out personal invites to members of this group that aren't always active (but have participated in the calendar in the past) as well as places like DeviantArt. Messaging people here has often worked and I have had a positive response in the past from going around and inviting artists from different sites but ultimately those invited artists have rarely worked out. They say yes, I want to participate and then end up dropping the calendar at the last minute or just not responding to messages after a point. So nowadays I tend to shy away from invitations.

The dropout rate is discouraging for sure. Especially if they've been invited personally.
Should the calendar continue, I'd be happy to do some promoting on Facebook. I've posted about the calendar a few times and people are always excited about it, so there has to be some untapped interest there. Doing a monthly/bi-monthly promo would (if nothing else) help garner some excitement.

...As for sharing sketches and the like, I didn't make the calendar rules. They were passed down to me but I think the reasoning behind the not posting anywhere rule is getting an advanced look at the artwork does dull the excitement of seeing it finished and for the first time but it also taints judging and may allow someone to usurp an idea and use it themselves. If you want to send private messages and share work behind the scenes please go ahead.

Collaborations are fun and encouraged. We've had a few in past calendars and if that is something that interests people we could do a whole collaboration calendar.

A thought - is it possible to set up a subsection of the forum to be for invited members only? Having a place where people can collaborate openly or ask and receive feedback might be good, both for the calendar and the website. Having somewhere to turn to for help if you get stuck without an idea or need some help with posing or colours. Even just hearing some positivity and a few encouraging words from other members might help people finish their entry. As it is now, it is a fairly lonesome challenge. Treefox has helped me out a ton through the years (), but that was through email, and establishing that connection for a new member would be nigh impossible.
Sketchfab (https://forum.sketchfab.com/c/past-challenges/halloween-contest-2015) does monthly challenges where people post WIP works and it's a lot of fun to follow the different processes. Doing something similar might be worth a shot. We might all learn something new.
People stealing ideas is honestly not something I'd worry about with how small of a group we are. Even if they did "steal" (there has been similar ideas in the past), it's still fun to see the difference in execution and style.

starting earlier

Tasks expand to fill the time available. Most years I start properly sketching a few months before the deadline, and I doubt that I'm alone for that. Usually the fandom challenges that I've been a part of has had a runtime of 4-5 months at the absolute maximum. Most run for 2 months for a reason. Interest quickly starts to dwindle and people simply forget that they've signed up for it.

varying the characters

For the "Tribes" year, we were each assigned a tribe. How was that received? If we're no more than 12 people that might be a way to do it unless people hated it.

@Wildfire I don't have Facebook so I wouldn't be able to promote it there myself but I do send out personal invites to members of this group that aren't always active (but have participated in the calendar in the past) as well as places like DeviantArt. Messaging people here has often worked and I have had a positive response in the past from going around and inviting artists from different sites but ultimately those invited artists have rarely worked out. They say yes, I want to participate and then end up dropping the calendar at the last minute or just not responding to messages after a point. So nowadays I tend to shy away from invitations.

As for the format I think it's always been the way it is now and I can't really go messing with it without consulting Mr. Pini. It would probably be very difficult to get a printed version if everyone handed in a different sized image. The size we use currently makes it easy to go to any print site and make a calendar. As for the planners, they were popular but required even more artwork than the calendar we do now. Not sure that would be a good gamble.

@jaRf I like to keep the calendar varied so I would prefer if people picked different characters but I said that if someone had their heart set on a character that was taken they were still welcome to use that character. I would never say no, if that's the only character that inspires you well too bad. I want the calendar to be varied but I would never be so inflexible as to no allow someone to work with a character that inspires them.

I get what you're saying about letting people use who they want and who cares if there are 5 Cutters, that's better than no calendar at all. But ultimately, if I didn't keep some control over that aspect of the calendar every year we would have the same characters over and over and given that choice I would rather there wasn't a calendar. People tend of gravitate toward the Wolfriders and Rayek. If I had to work to produce a mostly Wolfrider/Rayek calendar year after year it would be pointless and boring. This is a fan art calendar, we're making the fan art but I think we have to also understand that fans of the series will be looking for their favourites among the pages and if all we have to offer is a calendar of the same 6 recycled characters year after year I don't think it would have lasted for 18 years.

Having so many submissions with the same character would also be difficult when it came to judging. If I receive 15 submissions and 5 of them are Cutter then those 5 get judged against each other and in the end it's likely that only one or two of those submissions will get in to the printed version (but that is only after they are judged against the rest of the submissions). This would have nothing to do with artistic ability or how well the theme was interpreted but simply because there are too many entries with the same character, so you have to narrow that down.

As for starting early, I don't think it can get much earlier and truthfully giving everyone so much time is a downfall. Most people are working on their images weeks before the deadline and not 9 months before when the calendar is announced. Sign-ups should be in August and the deadline is the end of October. That way people really know if they have the time or not. What would be even better is to start in January and give everyone until March or April. Then when the dropouts come there will be plenty of time to find alternatives.

@Czarine duplicate characters are allowed, I just ask that we all try to vary things. As for sharing sketches and the like, I didn't make the calendar rules. They were passed down to me but I think the reasoning behind the not posting anywhere rule is getting an advanced look at the artwork does dull the excitement of seeing it finished and for the first time but it also taints judging and may allow someone to usurp an idea and use it themselves. If you want to send private messages and share work behind the scenes please go ahead.

Collaborations are fun and encouraged. We've had a few in past calendars and if that is something that interests people we could do a whole collaboration calendar.

As for splitting the workload, the only thing I can't do is Facebook stuff. If you are a member of a holt or EQ social media group then it would be great of you could mention the calendar to other artists but as I mentioned up top, inviting artists is great and they're usually open to the idea but I've had little luck getting them to actually hand anything in.

@Foxeye Thank you and a hug right back at you!

@AceQuester I think we have things covered. But if I need more artwork I'll holler at the group for help.

A few days too late (emailed a few weeks ago that I would not finish on time) but I rushed to finish my entry. Hopefully it's good enough and will it get into the calendar.

Maggie> how many entries do you have by now?

I am more of a reader and admirer of all the beautiful work made on the site. I don't post much but I would miss it if this site were canceled. I would also miss the calendars.
I understand the annual stress and doubt, but so far it has always worked out well. In fact: I, as an artist who contributed to this year's calendar, was too late to get one myself :S
Hopefully this year it will go so well again and with the help of the Pini's it will get attention again.