djmonolith

I have been quiet on here... and have been a bit sad.  I have removed my gallery and am wondering if I am going to keep this DA.  I am waiting for a batch of commissions... for some reason this batch is full of commissions that I paid for but have been waiting for a month (for the hundreds of commissions I have done in the past with artists, a month is unusually long). 

I just found out that has no intention of completing my commission.  I paid him $22.00 for this commission and I can't get my money back because the time limit has expired on Paypal.  That is a real shame.  The lamest part is that he asked for emergency commissions at $8.00, I like his art and knew he was in a bad place so I paid him more.  I guess nice people don't always win.

I am waiting for the following:
paid $6.00 on 3/14
paid 450 points on 3/14
paid 670 points on 3/17
paid $5.00 on 3/19 (i did get an "almost done" update 6 days ago)
paid $6.00 on 3/22 (apparently all commissions are on hold)
:iconcandykikik: paid on 3/25

All this adds up!  And I don't want to delete this account until I complete these commissions... meh.  This post is for me to keep track of these things.  I assume these are all being worked on, but the news that I am out $22.00 from mikhaellochan without an explanation just sucks.

I have stored all my photos and art to end the year... I am not sure what I want to do with this DA.  I am so scatted with multiple projects that I feel like I am not giving the deserved attention to the important things.  I think I completely overdid the commissions this year and have way more than enough for the book… but I still want more!  I love how every artist has a different take on my photos… each one is so creative and interesting and I love them all.  The contests were really fun too because it brought artists that I might not have seen to my attention… and the submissions were all so cool.  Now I am trying to figure out if the beginning of the new year is a good reason to stop actively seeking art.  It is difficult because I see so many amazing artists on here every day and I think, “I want something from that person!”

 

I have also learned quite a bit about how to commission artists on here.  Some are very professional and they communicate well regarding time-lines and due dates.  Others… not so much.  I often wonder what the proper etiquette is regarding asking when a piece is expected to be finished.  Is one month too short?  How about two months?  Each artist is different.  But, for the most part it has been an awesome experience.

 

This account is new.  The old account had hit the 10 year anniversary and that was cool… but it had lost focus and I deleted it.  This new one isn’t even a year old and I am already wondering what the heck I am doing here.  Is it just a place to meet people and commission portraits?  Is that a good enough reason to stay?

 

That question needs to be answered… I think.  So, happy end of 2014… I hope it was a good one for you!

I think I am on a bit of a break... from everything.  I do have a few open DA things:

I will be doing 3 portraits of my own for art trades (nervous but excited).  

I am also looking forward to receiving commissions from:








I also need to start working on the next BIG contest - the mini Contest was amazing and I want to make this next one even more amazing!  

I have removed most of the items in my gallery until I can figure out what I want to do with this account in 2015.  

Well... anyway, I hope you all have a wonderful holiday and new year... !  Thank you for being so wonderful and talented... <3

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Well, one week and one day left in this mini contest.  The contest ends on Friday, December 19th @ 12:00 Midnight (Pacific Time, USA).

If you are interested in joining you can find details about this contest here: djmonolith.deviantart.com/jour…

If you would like to see the gallery of submissions, click here: contests-djmonolith.deviantart…

We currently have 16 different entries from 12 different artists.

Because we have received entries from 10+ artists, I have added a 4th place prize... here is how the prizes shake out:

• 1st Place: $10.00 or 800 points
• 2nd Place: $7.00 or 560 points
• 3rd Place: $5.00 or 400 points
• 4th Place: $3.00 or 240 points

I bumped the 3rd place prize from $4.00 to $5.00 and added a $3.00 4th place prize.

Everyone who enters also gets a Watch and Llama.

Judging:

There will be no new submissions after the deadline.  All entries will be printed, sent out and reviewed by the judges.  The judging will be based on creativity and originality of the depicted theme... There will be a total of 4 judges plus a vote from me.  Once all the judges rank their top 4, the totals will be announced and prizes will be sent.  I expect this will happen at some point on Saturday, December 20th.

A note on the Theme:



This is a portrait contest.  The theme is centered around the two images provided in the contest information djmonolith.deviantart.com/jour… but it is important that the artists feel free to create something using their own style.  As you can seen in the gallery there are a wide variety of interpretations. The most important thing to do is have fun!  You can submit multiple pieces.  You can combine both light and dark into one image.  If you have any questions... please ask!

Please feel free to comment or send me a note.

I am planning to hold a BIG contest at the start of the new year, however, some of you have asked me to hold it sooner because you have time off from work and school and you won't have time later.  So, I would like to do a mini contest for those of you who have free time now.  This will be a quick contest and the prizes will be smaller than the BIG one coming in January.  The theme is light vs. dark.  Create a portrait using these references:







Chose a side:

Light Side - bright colors, pastels, sweet, chibi, kawaii

Dark Side - dark colors, moody, gothy, mysterious, you know...

Easy Peasy.


Anyway, traditional or digital art is welcome.  As with the last contest your creativity is key... have fun with this and go crazy if you want.



I don't expect there to be too many entries because of the holidays.  And some of you are waiting for the January contest.  So, the chances of winning a prize are probably going to be pretty high.

What are the prizes you ask?  An excellent question!!

1st Place: $10.00 or 800 points

2nd Place: $7.00 or 560 points
 
3rd Place: $4.00 or 320 points

As usual, everyone who enters gets a Watch and a llama.  The deadline will be December 19th... just over 3 weeks.  This contest is smaller and there will only be 3 judges.  The judging will be based on creativity and originality of the depicted theme... obviously the final judgement will be totally subjective, that is why I have asked a goth friend and a kawaii friend to be judges, with my vote as the 3rd.
 

If I receive more than 10 entries I will add a 4th place prize!

Comment if you are interested and I will add you to the contest group!  Submissions can be posted here (tag me), uploaded to your stash with a link messaged to me, or posted in the group gallery.