This is a special club with special rules, make sure you read them before contacting us !
By joining the EEA, you agree to abide by those rules and respect them and the community. Thank you !
:: ON JOINING ELITE ARTISTS (Contributors) ::
You can join the EEA at any time ; it's free and open to all. An administrator will then look through your art before accepting or declining you as a contributor. If you meet the standards (majority of high quality equine work), you will be added to the EEA Contributors' List displayed on the front page. You may also send a note to the group asking for your gallery to be reviewed.
Don't be discouraged if you are not accepted into this list : we are very strict on selection. It doesn't mean you're a bad artist : it means you can improve ! Please do NOT send notes and comments over and over. You can try again only if you feel that you've improved significantly !
Every note and comment is examined and replied to if needed. Be patient and WAIT. We do not delete notes or comments before having worked them through. If you get no answer, there is no need to flood the group by commenting : we haven't had time to answer you yet.
:: ON JOINING EQUINE ELITE ARTISTS (Members) ::
Be welcome ! Everyone can be a member and participate with or without posting art. This group's purpose is for people to enjoy the best of equine art here on deviantART and being a member means you watch the group as a whole and participate in polls and such. As a member, besides trying to submit art to the group, you can suggest favorites (ONLY PHOTOGRAPHY) or people, and also add blog entries ! We have nearly two thousand members, so posting using the EEA blog is a great way to share whatever you want related to the equine world (see more about that on the Blog tab or below). Also you'll keep informed of the latest group news and submissions, and follow your favorite artists' best works !
:: ON SUBMITTING ART ::
Recently we reached 99 contributors, which is the maximum number of admins possible in a group. Nobody ever gave us a clear answer why there even was a limitation, but we had to adapt. It is now possible for every EEA member (and not just contributors) to submit their best drawings for a chance to have them accepted into the EEA gallery.
To submit artwork to the group, simply go to our gallery page, then selected the category it belongs in and click the + sign at the right of the folder. Choose "existing deviation". deviantART will then send the group a message with your deviation for approval by GalopaWXY (founder) or blackseagull (admin).
Deviations in storage will be removed as soon as noticed.
The EEA is sent a big pile deviations per day, and you must understand that it is not possible for us to give an explanation for our choice on every one of them and send you a constructive message about it. When you really want to know, ask in a comment on the submission process and we will do our best to answer
Getting an answer on a deviation that you posted can sometimes take a lot of time (like, more than a month, and it may even expire and you may have to re-submit it). When I started this group I was in school and had plenty of time, now I have a job and so do the admins, meaning there's very little time left for deviantART in general. Currently it's just two people managing this group on their free time. For the load of work, it's very hard ! So please bear with us and do not to get angry enough to go posting hateful comments on the front page, it only demotivates us, makes everyone's day a crap one and it doesn't make anything go faster.
:: EEA standards of quality ::
The required skills to submit art
We are looking for interesting artwork from you, in terms of composition, creativity, anatomy (important, unless purposefully done wrong), interesting colours (complementary, tones chosen and matched well etc.), movement, thought-out backgrounds, developed pieces... think ART. The style does not matter. That EEA contributors are for the majority realistic artists, does not mean you won't be accepted because you don't have any realistic-looking piece. If you are skilled, spend time and work on your art, have talent, you will stand out, no matter were your expertise is.
To be added to the Contributors list, ou must be an equine artist, meaning your main interest in art is equine (horses, unicorn, pegasuses - donkeys, zebras and other horsey creatures) - and make sure your best works are standing out. If we have to browse through too many WIPs, photos or less good drawings, you'll most likely be turned down.
Your art may be any equine and done in any medium, including computer ones.
If you understand all that, you can apply for contributor by note or form, or start submitting art directly. If you get turned down, try looking at your piece with critical eyes : is there enough detail in the shading ? Did you really finish it ? Do you consider it your best work ?
We will turn down : photography / photomanipulation / logo design and AI generated images. Do look at Equine-Photography if you are more of a photographer ; as photo photomanip, there are hundreds of more qualified groups out there!
We will also decline artworks that are traced. By that I mean any process where you are drawing / painting with the reference picture undernearth your artwork. Please don't submit those to the gallery and please say the method clearly in the description, as deviantART in general has had a lot of problems with "cheaters" who weren't honest about their technique. If you believe you're being injustly "accused" of tracing digital artworks, you can use screen-capture methods to film your painting. You can record all or part of it, but please don't make any cuts during the video. These can be uploaded to YouTube or dropped on a server for us to see.
MORE DETAILS HERE
:: ON BLOG ENTRIES ::
Everyone, contributors and members, can add blog entries. These should be :
- News from the equestrian world
News about horses stories, great competitions and results, warnings to the riders etc.
- Article on a horse that you like
famous or has a emotional / interesting / unusual story.
- Article on an equestrian sport
How it works, its rules, its news etc.
- Article on things to do with your horse
For example how to teach him tricks, massage for his back, intelligence experiments...
- Big contests from other communities
Outside or inside of deviantART, the community will love to hear about it.
We encourage EEA members to share what they like to share - for example someone who is crazy about barrel racing can write to the group about that ! Maybe news from barrel racing competitions, maybe an explanatory article on how it works, or tips on training horses to it etc. - what you can think of ! If you love, SHARE. The equestrian world is about passion !
:: ON FAV SUGGESTION ::
Everyone can suggest faves to the EEA, so feel free ! Note that the group only adds photography to our collections ; you can still suggest art pieces as a way to point out artists to us, but they won't be added to the group's favorites but we'll notice them. You may suggest your own photos. Again, photomanipulation is completely forbidden.
More details
:: WEBSITES to look at ::
www.aaea.net/ - American Academy of Equine Art
Establishing a standard of excellence in the field of equine art
www.equineartist.com/artist_pr… - The Professionnal Horse Artist
What it takes to get serious on equine art
www.painthorsegallery.com/ - The Painthorse Gallery
For all America lovers !
www.equestrianartists.co.uk/ - Society of Equestrian Artists
Huge collection of very good equine artists
Welcome to the dA group dedicated to fine equine art !
