Land Images | A L C R Y S T

Winter has frosted Alcryst like the cold blush of a corpse, hardening every surface with frigid ice searing through the depths of its heart. The plants are lethargic and slow, the sky is desaturated and dull, and the wind is a violent gale ripping apart flesh and soil alike.

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Land Images

Feb 11, 2016 3:30:16 GMT -6 Word Count:

Post by Brady on Feb 11, 2016 3:30:16 GMT -6

Land Images

Alcryst is best viewed from the eyes of our members, a vast diamond with boundless facets, each offering a unique perspective. Land images allow an array of personal interpretations, discovering unseen corners of the world and widening the visible horizons.

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All IC boards display a default picture depicting the regions's general appearance, called a "land image." While it may embody the gist, it is impossible to properly express the terrain's many leagues in a single picture. Therefore, members may submit their own land images to offer alternative perspectives. For example, the Ethereal Cascades range from small trickles to giant deluges and some views might reflect its surrounding forest environment instead of its normal focal point, the waterfalls. Likewise, buildings in the cities likely encompass several rooms, where the default land image can only show one, and there are both exterior and interior scenery to be selected.
Accepted member-made land images are added as slides adjacent to the default land image, as exhibited in Ensorcelled Tavern. Credit is given to the artist below their image.
Member-made land images must satisfy the following criteria:

The image must be sized 855 pixels wide and 350 pixels tall with square corners; they cannot be rounded. If the original dimensions of your image cannot properly adapt to the required proportions, then you can add solid-colored bars on either side to accommodate the necessary size. For example, the second image in Saccharine Port was too tall to properly fit without the extra spacing. Your land image can be static or animated.
You may not add text to the image. If it is explicitly and absolutely mandatory in a resource provider's rules that you must credit them, then you can give links to the resource and they will credited above or below your image slide.
The artwork must be digital, such as a digital painting or photomanipulation, and you may only use artwork you have created. There must be color and a full background; sketches or simple linework are not acceptable. Photomanipulations must be drastically altered and involve several stock photographs.
Present your highest quality possible. Your submission must be detailed, purposeful, and original, contributing a fresh angle or concept to the board's overall aesthetic. There must be clear effort and time invested into the piece. We appreciate all artists and do not expect perfection or professional expertise, but land images are not suited toward beginners.
You may incorporate subjects if desired, including existing Alcrystan characters, contributions, or a random subject that is intended solely for your submission. You might optionally choose to represent actual interactions that have occurred IC, such as a battle, or even myths recorded in Sundry Towers. If the subject is not your own creation, like another roleplayer's character, you must receive consent from the owner prior to submitting your land image. Subject(s) cannot dominate the picture, as a land image's primary purpose is to portray the landscape and subjects serve only as accents.
You must reasonably match the board description and default land image. Nevertheless, you are afforded creative freedom; as every board contains bountiful miles, its exact details inevitably vary across the territory. For example, while Heliorne is focused on its prominent, central volcano, your image might showcase its other features, such as the smaller dormant volcanoes or the burnt wasteland spanning its base.
The environment and any subjects within must adhere to high fantasy standards. For example, a plain wolf with the only abnormal addition of antlers is not sufficiently magical. The world is teeming with enchantment, from skies split into both day and night to kaleidoscopic trees weeping orbs of light from their boughs; the reality of Earth is suspended and imagination is unrestricted.

If uncertain, you can request feedback or assistance in Academy. You can also post in Inquisitions to discuss your progress directly with administration. You cannot post in Inquisitions for artistic aid but rather to review potential issues that may affect your entry's acceptance or otherwise identify areas that could be changed. You may also brainstorm your concept through Inquisitions to confirm if your idea is accurate to the region.
Rewards for land image submissions are based on differing circumstances. They are distributed privately between administration and the member in question and are not made public knowledge. Each below scenario has a minimum amount of coins that are guaranteed but more may be awarded if the submission significantly exceeds expectations:

Artwork that does not indicate obvious time and care will not receive compensation. For example, a single cropped stock background with minor color adjustments, simple premade brushes, or other small, easy alterations would not be considered adequate. Refer to the adjacent "Example" tab for a land image submission that would not warrant any payment.
If an entry shows that meaningful dedication was invested but the skill level or another condition causes its rejection, the artist will receive at least 15 coins.
Accepted land images will earn at least 60 coins.
If an artist has 10 prior accepted land images, any subsequent successful admissions will additionally earn 4 stat upgrades.

Due to the considerable importance of land images as a public impression of Alcryst and the high value of their payment, land images undergo thorough scrutiny. If your submission is rejected, please understand it is not personal nor a remark on your artistry. If desired, you may inquire the reason for your entry's rejection and whether any potential modifications would permit its acceptance.
You are not limited in the amount of images you may submit overall and you are allowed to enter multiple images for the same IC board. However, your frequency should be sensible, particularly if your submissions are repeatedly rejected without time for true improvement to your skill between attempts. Furthermore, boards with few images should be prioritized over those already bearing many pictures when possible, though you will not be rejected for selecting a popular board.
To submit your land image, post your picture in this thread by pasting the direct URL between [img][/img] tags and name the IC board it illustrates. If there is a larger version of the image, you can also supply its URL, such as a deviation upload on DeviantArt. You must specify where you would like your artist credit to be linked and under which name; for example, you may wish to direct the viewer to your Alcryst profile using your OOC display name or you might prefer your DeviantArt account using its corresponding username. If a character, contribution, or other existing creation is present, then include their most relevant link, such as a biography thread, and tag their owner(s) if applicable. Lastly, post in Invocation to notify staff.
If you upload your artwork to DeviantArt, please link to Alcryst in the deviation description. Both accepted and rejected land images can be added to our DeviantArt page's Landscapes folder.

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The below example of Arcane Oracle helps identify reasons a land image might be rejected.

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It does not match the site's default land image. There can be discrepancies between the building's appearance if different angles are utilized as an explanation or the variations are trivial, but there are no similarities to justifiably believe they are the same structure in any way.
There are visible modern fixtures; the electric lamp in the window, doorbell, house address number, and lamp hanging above the door. Modern elements could be removed through photoshop's clone tool, covered up by another object, re-painted, or transformed into something medieval. For example, lamp posts can be edited to hold fire instead of lightbulbs.
There are only 2 stock images present: the background itself and a wolf. In occasional circumstances, a single background image can be understandable, such as the Axial Terrace where an entire crowd and other merchandise have been individually inserted. Generally, a background should be compiled of many sources to become your own, unique creation. Beyond the stock images, the other lone artistic detail is a premade fog brush.
The only fantasy is a blanketed purple hue, which is both minor and poorly executed. The wolf does not have any fantasy, except a slight purple tinge, and is not blended in realistically.
There is text at the top instead of allowing the resource credit to be placed directly outside of the image by administration. The dimensions are incorrect at 800 pixels wide and 363 pixels tall.

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Post by Brady on Feb 11, 2016 3:30:16 GMT -6