As Kermit the frog once said, “It ain’t easy being green.” And as a moderator for a group, sometimes, it ain’t easy deciding what “goes in, and what stays out.”
On the subject of submissions, we’ve had to turn down quite a few lately; which is painful, because the work has really been good! I thought it best to address this in a journal so that everyone would understand why.
In toto, this is a traditional black ink group, which means, we feature artwork rendered by traditional methods, be it with brush, quill, ball-point pen, marker, fingers, toes, whatever you use to make marks on paper, as long as it was dipped or slid in black ink! We don’t care in that regard. Heck, I’ve used all of the above (ummm…except the toes) on the same piece of work when experimenting with different applicators.
That, quite frankly, is why this group was founded. Which means, of course, that we do not include work done with anything else. Unfortunately, a lot of good work doesn’t get accepted because of this very strict criteria. But this does allow us to maintain very high standards, which our other members and watchers have come to expect.
We do not accept work done with ink and color, or pencil, or pastel, or any other mixed medium. If it features color, it will not pass the submission process, period. However…there is one exception, and that is when the artist has included small amounts of white, either for stars or highlights to clean up a line or to bring attention to a certain area. Then, a submission is judged on a case-by-case basis. If your work includes more added white than black (as perceived by the eye) then it will be turned down. Again, the final decision is more subjective than objective.
While we are talking ink, let’s look at digital inking. I love digital ink. I’ve practiced inking digitally myself, and admire those who do so. It’s a discipline all in itself that takes a while to get the hang of, however…here at MoShui, we don’t include digitally rendered, inked pieces because…well, this is a traditional ink group. Again, that means that we have had to turn down some wonderfully rendered digital pieces in the past. On that note, if you have done a traditional ink drawing, and added digital texture, it will probably be rejected, also.
Now, let’s look at quality. Recently, we have had some pieces submitted that met all of the qualifications listed above, but were poorly scanned or photographed which were not accepted. Think about it this way; when someone comes across your work here, we want them to click through to your gallery to view the rest of your creations. If what they encounter here is a fuzzy reproduction that makes it hard to see what they are looking at, they probably will not do so. In the public market-place, you want to present your work in the best possible fashion. Scanners are cheap. If you still can’t afford one, do some research about how to photograph your art in regards to set up, lighting, etc. That will go a long way in helping to present your work properly.
That’s about it.
We value every member that has taken the time to join MoShui. Our sole intention here is to showcase Deviant Artists who have an interest in traditional black ink, whether in creating pieces with the medium, or who simply want to learn more about the process by exposure to those who do so.
Take some time to browse through the galleries here. In them, you will find artists who have been working with ink for decades; seasoned professionals who make their living through ink. You will also find many other members who have dedicated themselves to learning the techniques and applications which make ink such a demanding, yet versatile medium, in the process, producing some wonderfully rich and varied images.
If you like what you see, click through to their personal galleries. Many of our members excel in other mediums, such as oil, acrylic, water-color, and colored pencil. Some are quite proficient with digital programs, as well.
One last thing. Please take a moment and read the information included at the link below (About MoShui). It contains the “who and why we exist.”
As always, your comments and observations are appreciated, and to our new members, “Welcome!” To all our watchers, “thanks for taking an interest in what we are doing here!”
Go visit another member’s gallery, and remember…think ink!