"Elaborate" means to go into detail. _____________
FIRST, you need to see Bancat's topic --
Fan Characters -- What is and is not acceptable to learn the basics.
This topic is linked to that one (so you should also carefully read Bancat's topic) as an elaboration for the new rules applied to the section.
Images
- Images should be clean.
We promote drawing the character yourself, as opposed to using a render (coloring over an image) or line art. This is for your sake, and line art/renders limit what you can make your character(s) look like (in shape and breed), while drawing them yourself doesn't.
- There is no ceiling on how good the art has to be.
However, you should
take your time! There is no rush or time limit to posting your characters. Make them look
good, just not slapped together.
"Sparkledog" Policy
A "sparkledog" is a character that has
no realistic value. This means green, blue, pink, etc. wolves. Even those with rainbow tails and legs.
We encourage you to create
realistic characters. Many people find "sparkledogs" to be ugly and uncreative, and you certainly don't see a Mountain Dew-green wolf in the movies!
Instead, please, please
please use realistic colors. Research: What colors are common in this breed and that one? You can easily find out by typing "Color patterns of a [breed]" into Google web search.
Not all wolves are black, white, or gray! Keep that in mind that
different types have
different color schemes (such as in Akitas, "Black Brindle" and "Agouti" in huskies)!!
UPDATE: Sparkle dog characters are no longer allowed on Animation Source! (This includes Sparkle cats!)
Current Rules
Related to Balto : Fan characters should be connected to the Balto characters / universe. For example, you can invent the son of a character, a friend, a foe, etc... Or make a character connected for other reasons (places, universe, themes etc...) Official characters from other films/series are not accepted. Finally, the animals species and/or styles must be related to Balto. (exceptions can be allowed)
How
simple can this be?
However, adding a flimsy excuse such as "Son of a friend of ... " is an obvious attempt to get around the rules. We aren't stupid, we'll catch onto that quickly and your character won't be activated.
Create a background for the character that
makes sense. Meaning something to the effect of, "Daughter of ..., knew Balto by ..." Only make it detailed and
credible.
For example:
My character
Mischa is the sister of
Balto. Though her biography isn't a total spoiler, yet it tells you a LOT about her! It's not that hard to create a character related to Balto, even just a fan character you make up or an unnamed character from the movies, and make it make sense.
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Used : Your character must be created for a reason : you must associate it to fanarts, fan images, fanfics, ... Unused characters will be disabled automatically after some time.
Another rule that isn't difficult to comprehend. This means:
If you create a character, give it a purpose and use it somewhere on the site!______________________
Complete : Your character must have one "headshot" drawing, one "detailed" drawing, a long description (at least 5 lines long) with such information : Age, Breed (if an animal), Personality, Likes, Dislikes, Background, ... You mustn't use photos but drawings.
Simply: Create a character in full all at once. None of that, "More to come later" junk.
TAKE YOUR TIME and post it all together, rather than fragmented (or not at all).
______________________
Bad renders : Same as for fan images, badly recolored pictures of official characters (from same film or others) can be refused.
Please see Bancat's topic, linked above, for examples of images that are and aren't accepted.
______________________
Your pets : You should avoid creating characters based on your pets. If you do, they must respect all the other rules (associated to creations sent, related to the universe, ...)
Obviously your dog "Feefeefido" wasn't around in Balto's time, nor in the movies. SO, unless you make it a "fan character" of Balto, well, you shouldn't make it a character at all without a valuable explanation as to how s/he's linked to the Balto universe.
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Unique : Your character must be creative and unique, as such you should avoid renders : prefer drawing the pictures of your characters yourself. The name also has to be unique : if someone already used it, add your username in parenthesis to your character name.
I explained this above.
So Catwhohas14tails made some line art. This doesn't mean you
have to use it! Instead, you can do what I do -- create a character using line art first (to create colors, markings, etc.), and then draw it how you see it. Because, let's face it, creating a Rottweiler/husky mix with wolf line art simply won't work out!
So take some time and be
creative. Even if you can't draw well, it doesn't matter as long as viewers understand the concept of the character(s) you've created.
Research the breed(s) your character(s) is (are), and learn about how their colors are and how they're built. From there, you can create a character very well!
HUMAN CHARACTERS
Even though the majority of the roles in the movie are given to some kind of animal, you can make human characters linked to Balto, too! Just because there are animals doesn't mean all of your characters
have to be animals (a lot of people focus on canines).
You can easily draw a human and make a character of it. Don't worry about "how well you do or don't draw," as long as people get the idea! So we also encourage you to
make characters that aren't just wolves, as well!
Even on TLKS, you can create Native African characters (or wildlife rescue characters!) and link them to the movies. Because, you see, humans
do have a role in animal life. As long as you follow the rules, you can make unique characters!
If you'd like to ask a specific question about the section(s), please don't hesitate -- ASK! A moderator will gladly answer them (or Steet/Togo). Keep in mind; as the rules evolve, so will this topic.
