ArtSpots Forum Group - ArtSpots News

ArtSpots Excellence in Anthropomorphic Art Scholarship - kynliod

Wed, 23 Jul 2008 21:23:33 -0000

What a cool thing to do! I'm not schooling, but yay for the applicants! =D

Updates and fixes here and there - Babbage C. Cheetah

Wed, 23 Jul 2008 19:06:50 -0000

Metsys said:If you want to add a search within the current results feature, I'd put another search box below the header at the top of the page content with some text that says "Search within these results." That way there's a visual cue and text explaining it. I don't think people will have a problem with that.

That's precisely the situation where people would use the "search within these results" for general searching. :) If anything, the Google method of providing a separate link (which is at the bottom of the search results pages) would probably be the best option if we wanted to do such a thing.

Updates and fixes here and there - Metsys

Tue, 22 Jul 2008 15:20:15 -0000

Yeah, there's a lot of context sensitive design that if done poorly can be really annoying. In this case I think it's because the search button would still be in the header, so a user would assume that the search will be site wide. If you want to add a search within the current results feature, I'd put another search box below the header at the top of the page content with some text that says "Search within these results." That way there's a visual cue and text explaining it. I don't think people will have a problem with that.

Updates and fixes here and there - Feather Dancer

Tue, 22 Jul 2008 09:25:56 -0000

Ah DA has that and it's extremely irritating. Personally I prefer to search from any page (And is the assumption it'll do as such by most) so that it'll pick up any artist or artwork as it does now just perhaps a mite tidier. Otherwise people just get confused and fustrated having to remember to go to specific sections each time if they realise at all.

Updates and fixes here and there - Nocte

Tue, 22 Jul 2008 07:37:07 -0000

I can see how two search boxes would be confusing, yes. The thing I had in mind was to let the search box apply to the currently active tab. So if you are looking at the artist list, you would search for artists. In the forum, you could search posts and topic titles. And so on.

Questions and Answers - Drakenhart

Tue, 22 Jul 2008 03:14:36 -0000

*flexes shoulders* :) Muhahahah! Excellent.

Questions and Answers - Edward of Woodstock

Mon, 21 Jul 2008 22:57:59 -0000

When Artspots was originally created, certain artists were chosen to be allowed to bypass the assessment process and freely given galleries on Artspots (That translating into Companion status now), whereas everyone else had to apply for that. Will this happen with the Salon & Matire De Guild status? Can you reveal any information about the kind of selection criteria you're going to be looking at for Maitre status? Will it be loose or strict, etc? Are you concerned about setting the bar too high with Matire de Guild & the Salon versus the level of "payback" people will get for it? When you get to a certain level of skill, I imagine that people don't usually need to "prove it" as it were.

Questions and Answers - AmonOmega

Mon, 21 Jul 2008 18:50:15 -0000

Ohhhh, fantastic! :) I love this website! Bring on the PAAIN! >:D I am so READY.

Compagnon Filter - KoOkY!

Mon, 21 Jul 2008 02:50:21 -0000

Naryu said: a course you! your not watched for nothin' ;) *hugs* <3

*Blushes* On you stop. :P I stink. Hehe. I don't really watch anyone for the most part, I usually am able to keep up with the recent uploads so catch everyone as they go by.

Compagnon Filter - Fru

Mon, 21 Jul 2008 02:16:52 -0000

This is good because lots of people wanted it, and I can see how it is useful and handy! But I will echo Kooky's thoughts and say make sure to check up on the non-compagnons once in a while ;D

Compagnon Filter - Whisper Panthress

Mon, 21 Jul 2008 00:00:56 -0000

I missed the 100+ response thread and did not understand what happened until I read it. Thank you for allowing the option of the compagnon filter.

Questions and Answers - Growly

Sun, 20 Jul 2008 22:28:41 -0000

Oh lawd, I'm never going to get in at this rate. xD Still, I anxiously await the new features!

Questions and Answers - Seurat the Cheetah Artiste

Sun, 20 Jul 2008 21:57:59 -0000

Naryu said: now you have me curious, nervous as hell yes D: but curious!

*rubs hands* Goood. Gooood. ;)

Questions and Answers - Seurat the Cheetah Artiste

Sun, 20 Jul 2008 21:45:47 -0000

I also want to mention something about the content issues that were brought up earlier. We are a PG site, and do not allow porn/purely fetishistic art and never will. We were expecting a boost from our Anthrocon presence, what we were not expecting was other sites going down at the exact same time, causing an even larger influx. We take care of such art as soon as we can, many times before it even leaves the first page of recents. The merger does not constitute us softening the rules for such material. As a matter of fact, the rules for the site are being re-tooled as I speak. Right now, even, oui! And, I shall remind people, flags exist so that the community can help bring problem pieces to our attention. This was another reason for the merge, believe it or not! Why try to split up a positive note like a PG art site, and diminish its influence? As far as I know, we are the only active PG anthro art site. Why block that to artists who also want that but might still need some work to improve, and encourage them to go to other "anything-goes" sites to get eyes on their work?

Questions and Answers - Naryu

Sun, 20 Jul 2008 21:43:05 -0000

now you have me curious, nervous as hell yes D: but curious!

ArtSpots Excellence in Anthropomorphic Art Scholarship - inaliak

Sun, 20 Jul 2008 21:36:12 -0000

Oh wow, that's fantastic! Too bad I'm done school though. ;3 Good luck everyone!

Compagnon Filter - inaliak

Sun, 20 Jul 2008 21:33:36 -0000

Awesome, I was going to ask about something like this but logged on an there it was! And of course I will still check in on what the non-Compagnons are up to. :)

Questions and Answers - Seurat the Cheetah Artiste

Sun, 20 Jul 2008 21:06:28 -0000

Ah, things have settled, somewhat, and have given me enough time to go over our changes post and answer some questions and worries people may have. A few people have brought up other sites like ConceptArt.org and CG Society as models of sites that have large communities and high quality. There are different dynamics playing about here. Nobody is looking to "break into" the anthropomorphic fandom, or any fandom, really. They are, however, looking to break into concept design and 3D graphics as careers. The core base on those sites are professionals and companies. The core base of art patrons on sites like this one are other fans. This is not to say we are not going to be taking a page (or two) from these sites. Already we have a Sketchbook Pages group, the idea shamelessly ganked from CA.org awhile ago. The new ArtSpots site will be more accommodating to things like tutorials, interviews, articles, and similar activities. In short, one of our aims is to become similar to a ConceptArt for the anthro fandom. We feel this goal can be better achieved by taking down the wall that separates the skilled artists from the ones still learning. Better able to have a dialogue, that way, oui. (A little tidbit. Early in ArtSpots life, we had a technical admin from CA.org contact us, curious if our code was available. If I recall correctly, they were pondering the idea of letting users have their own gallery spaces. Whether the were not able to work this in or are still debating coding it themselves, I do not know. I have not talked to anyone there in a good long while. Food for thought, still.) Part of the merge was also to try and remove the stigma from posting pieces like sketches to a gallery. I find that a skilled artist's sketch is usually much more interesting to look at then the finished piece that results from it. I am not talking about random doodles, although those are fun too, but rather showing a step during work. A lot of artists, including many ArtSpots artists, were afraid to post anything but what they felt was the best. I wanted to remove that fear. The Maître de guilde status, otherwise known as master, and the Salon are going to be included to help further our goal. A few people had questions about this. Let me answer those, too. The Salon will include works on an individual piece-by-piece basis, mostly submitted by masters. If a compagnon submits a piece that is included in a salon, they become a Maître de guilde. We are still working on the details. A lot of this is still being worked out to be more self-explanatory. It is not the easiest of tasks. :)
And… for those who are dismayed that there might be nothing to work towards, or that having your artwork next to a previous ArtSpots-only artist removes some of the thrill or pride that existed, I just have to say this: You thought we were tough before on applicants getting into ArtSpots? That our standards were too high? This new change will allow us to be, how shall I say, utterly ruthless and—this, this is the most important part—without regrets. >:)

Updates and fixes here and there - Babbage C. Cheetah

Sun, 20 Jul 2008 03:35:36 -0000

I think the enhanced search box would work too. I wouldn't create a separate one for the artists, though, just use the existing one. The main reason for that is because in our usability testing (we actually did some!) having two search boxes on the screen is nothing but confusion. People would gravitate towards the artist one and type in a general keyword they wanted to find. So, in that respect, you would start to type 'dra' and get: dragon draft horse Drakenhart ... So that the next key, 'k' (drak) would narrow it just down to Drakenhart. This could be doable, yes. :)

Compagnon Filter - Scott Ruggels

Sat, 19 Jul 2008 05:02:18 -0000

Thank you. Scott

Give Two Cents, Get Two Cents - Whisper Panthress

Sat, 19 Jul 2008 04:09:36 -0000

XianJaguar said: I remember you mentioning this earlier. I figured you must have started the program, because I actually started getting comments on my art. At first I thought it was really weird that my art had comments, til I remembered you mentioning something about this, and so I came here and saw "Oh, you did start!". Mystery Solved.

Yea I wondered the same thing :)

ArtSpots Excellence in Anthropomorphic Art Scholarship - Whisper Panthress

Fri, 18 Jul 2008 22:24:27 -0000

good luck everyone!

Compagnon Filter - Naryu

Fri, 18 Jul 2008 22:09:22 -0000

KoOkY! said: Just be sure to peek in now and then to see what us non-Compagnons that are at least trying are up to. :D

a course you! your not watched for nothin' ;) *hugs* <3

Compagnon Filter - Nocte

Fri, 18 Jul 2008 16:19:47 -0000

Thanks Babbage, very much appreciated! I'm probably going to be switching every now and then between both views. It's convenient to see only the best art, but I'd also like to keep an eye out for fresh talents amongst the apprentices. :)

Compagnon Filter - UndyingSong

Fri, 18 Jul 2008 15:36:03 -0000

Personally, I'm not going to use the compagnon checkbox. After all, why would anyone want to miss gorgeous pieces like these? :0 http://www.artspots.com/recent/20442/clover-chains <3

Big Changes Are Afoot - Drakenhart

Fri, 18 Jul 2008 13:45:01 -0000

*smiles* Awesome!

Compagnon Filter - Drakenhart

Fri, 18 Jul 2008 13:42:54 -0000

Easy enough for non's to get noticed if they communicate the desire for crits in teh forums (thus enhancing the community aspect of things. ;)) So keep up with your sketchbooks! I may not comment often but I do look. ;) *chuckles* So I am guessing that others do as well. :)

Compagnon Filter - KoOkY!

Fri, 18 Jul 2008 13:27:02 -0000

Just be sure to peek in now and then to see what us non-Compagnons that are at least trying are up to. :D

Compagnon Filter - Naryu

Fri, 18 Jul 2008 10:43:20 -0000

thank you Babbage :3 now I dont have to block stuffs anymore D:

Compagnon Filter - Feather Dancer

Fri, 18 Jul 2008 08:57:19 -0000

Will we have a point where those who do not have an account and maybe just passing through default onto the blue star also? Does make sense if they come along they see the best after all :) Code awoling permitting of course!

Big Changes Are Afoot - Babbage C. Cheetah

Fri, 18 Jul 2008 02:05:26 -0000

Radioactive Chicken said:
Drakenhart said:How can I feel comfortable showing a potential employer my anthro artworks? Or link to this gallery from a more "professional" site? I can't do it knowing that there will be a ton of fetish stuff that potential employers will raise an eyebrow at.
I imagine some will read this and think big deal but I want to be able to share with others what sort of art I like looking at without being embarressed but quite frankly I am and I can only imagine the the problem compounds if you are talking potential employers.

First, flagging can help bring an image to the attention of the staff. Even one flag, and there's a moderator list it shows up on. Second, I have ArtSpots on my resume. Not only that, but I got my last job because the owner came across ArtSpots and shot me an email wanting to know if I would come in for an interview before even seeing my resume. Believe me, it's also in my best interest to help keep this site employer-friendly. :)

Compagnon Filter - Babbage C. Cheetah

Fri, 18 Jul 2008 01:38:25 -0000

Hello everyone. Just wanted to let people know that there is now a Compagnon filter for those who want it when browsing the recents. When you are logged in, and under the Recent tab, you should see a checkbox up top that, when checked, will show you only Compagnon art. This will be saved, so you do not need to check it again. We are leaving it up for about a week so that people who want to use the filter can find it in plain sight. It is also under your user settings under browsing preferences (just click on your name up top to get to it) and this will be where it permanently resides. Sorry about the delay. I do want to be a geek for a second (what, me?) and point out that ArtSpots is over 20,000 lines of code, not including things like all the HTML, Javascript and whatnot. (It has a lot of whatnot.) Yes, I would like to reduce this number. But, right now, while not exactly big, it's not exactly small either, especially for a web app. So, some things take time, mostly to insure changes made don't break other, seemingly unrelated things. :) So, in that respect, I appreciate everyone's patience while we continue to work on the site revamp.

Big Changes Are Afoot - Calzephyr

Thu, 17 Jul 2008 04:25:42 -0000

Personally I like the merge, because I have actually gotten comments on the two newest things I posted (and personally I don't think I suck that much). I don't think anyone was really looking at Jaxpad to be honest.

Big Changes Are Afoot - Frida

Thu, 17 Jul 2008 03:20:19 -0000

Kitsumi said:I largely wanted to post to AS because I felt I could safely point non-anthro types to a site that has good anthro artwork. I don't think I can do that anymore with the influx of weird fetish artwork.

Buenos noches, Frida Cheetah here. I just wanted to make it clear that fetish-related artwork is definitely not okay to post on ArtSpots. If you see anything objectionable, squicky, gross, or just plain uncomfortable, please to be using the convenient Flagging feature on the upper right hand corner on every page. Sometimes I miss a few odd pieces, so it's up to you, my friends, to catch the art I may have overlooked.

Big Changes Are Afoot - Wadifahtook

Wed, 16 Jul 2008 15:44:42 -0000

I have to pull a lemming and third (er, or is it up to sixth?) Thorn and Fru about not making Artspots the new Yerf. I'll be honest. I didn't like Yerf (forums at least, which affected the whole site for me). It was a lovely pool of quality art, but the nasty comments and whole threads making snide comments about such and such an artist were extremely tiresome, as was the constant talk about quality and the rude comments towards and about those percieved as "lowers" as it were. I love the friendly community of Artspots. I love how the staff listens to their users, and especially, how they do not only lend their ears to one or two users, but take everyone into account. :) That said, I am hesitant about the merge. Though shifting through more art with varying levels of effort or skill does not bother me personally, I can understand how it would annoy others or make them lose interest in the site. I will wait to see how it is handled, but the idea of a guild review system, and the unhappiness that is already being shown over the combined sites, makes me wonder if DA-type drama might rear its ugly head here. I hope not, as the friendly feel of Artspots is the only thing that really sets this site apart from others to me.

Big Changes Are Afoot - Radioactive Chicken

Tue, 15 Jul 2008 21:06:49 -0000

Fru said:Proof of this friendliness is the happy lack of n00b-bashing. :) Everything is said in a friendly manner, even if someone is perhaps new and haven't read the rules or whatever ... the Artspots members I've seen reply to these type of posts don't immediately yell "Go read the rules or get out, fool!!", they take time to explain the rule or direct them politely to the correct thread. Just my 2 cents of what is drawing me to Artspots ... the fact that it's more than just a gallery!

lol, yeah that's one thing I don't miss about Yerf. ;o)

Give Two Cents, Get Two Cents - Calzephyr

Tue, 15 Jul 2008 00:52:16 -0000

Neat, I was wondering what the 4 cent credit I had was all about :-)

Give Two Cents, Get Two Cents - Wadifahtook

Mon, 14 Jul 2008 01:44:32 -0000

Awesome! It might just be my imagination, but it seems more art is being posted as a result of the boost in comments. I'm so glad to see a more comment-friendly atmosphere around here. I always felt guilty about posting comments before now, as they almost seemed unwelcome on pictures! Great move guys. :D

Big Changes Are Afoot - Fru

Fri, 11 Jul 2008 23:10:07 -0000

I fourth Thornwolf's comments and would like to add that another important thing, to me at least, is the friendliness of the place ... so far, I have not seen any 'drama' or whatever that is so common on other art sites, and all of the Artspots members I've chatted to on the forums and stuff have been so friendly and willing to chat. :D I don't think this site should just be a clean, quality-controlled gallery showcase. Artspots is not a new Yerf, as people have already pointed out. I like the community feel here, because not only does it make browsing the art more fun when you know who the artist is, or have at least talked to them or checked out their stuff in their Sketchbook thread, it also prevents the site from becoming too elitist ... i.e. people who are only interested in art done by their friends or artists they already know, and not willing to welcome anyone new into their circles. I kinda saw that at Yerf a bit, but here it seems like people are more welcoming. Proof of this friendliness is the happy lack of n00b-bashing. :) Everything is said in a friendly manner, even if someone is perhaps new and haven't read the rules or whatever ... the Artspots members I've seen reply to these type of posts don't immediately yell "Go read the rules or get out, fool!!", they take time to explain the rule or direct them politely to the correct thread. Just my 2 cents of what is drawing me to Artspots ... the fact that it's more than just a gallery!

New Applications Currently Closed - Lupercaleb

Fri, 11 Jul 2008 17:21:20 -0000

thanks for the heads up!