Art Standards
Quickly drafting what to put here:
Overview, subjective, not judged against others
General art rules: sizing, depictions, defining volucre characteristics, etc
Simple vs complex shading
abstract vs simple vs complex background (change up names here)
stamp brushes/textures dos and donts
Simplified work
Canon vs non canon qualifications
Literature rules
Body Section Requirements
Body section lines by Aiggy
Volucre are split into six main sections for art requirement purposes. In order for a section to count, a majority of it has to be showing.
In prompts that require a fullbody image, 5/6 of the sections should be showing.
In prompts that require a halfbody image, 3/6 sections should be showing.
In prompts that require a headshot, only the head is required to show, and this cannot be replaced with another single section (you can't submit a feet pic for a headshot prompt!)
Wing/Leg Exception: In the case of wings or legs, one wing or leg presenting will count as that section being shown in majority, despite being "half" of the actual section. Showing two, however, will net addititional XP.
Falconers: Falconers do not have split sections as we are very loose with what can qualify as a falconer. However, they must still adhere to similar rules.
If the prompt requires a fullbody falconer, roughly 75% of the falconer must show.
If the prompt requires a halfbody falconer, roughly 50% of the falconer must show.
This percentage is relevant to the falconer design itself, so a non-human falconer's 50% mark will be different than a human one.
Shading
Placeholder, still deciding this
Tracing
Tracing is allowed in artwork, however there are limits on what's allowed and what isn't. Tracing can only be done from photos, and those photos must be from sources that allow tracing. Do not simply trace (or even reference) random photography! If the photo has "All Rights Reserved" by it, it is not free to use. Photos must be linked in the art description and, if needed, the proof of permission to use in artwork needs to be linked as well. Traced work needs to show obvious deviation from the original photograph and shouldn't appear rushed. In essence, we shouldn't be able to instantly tell that your work is traced. Further examples below.
Tracing: NO!
This is obviously rushed! There has been no edits to the anatomy, no attempts to figure out the beak, eyes, and feet. The feathers line up one-to-one, and the speckling of the feathers has been copied over. Some of the anatomy in the wing and face does not make sense as the lighting was obscuring that in the photo, and no additional references were looked at to correct this.
Tracing: YES!
Although these lines are sketchier, this is the form of tracing we accept! The artist has made a better attempt to make the face and wing anatomy unique by adjusting the proportions in addition to making the outline more "readable." Effort has been made to study and improve on the original source.
Photograph reference can be found here.