Stock and Resources Updates

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LETS TALK ABOUT STOCK "REQUESTS"



Every year we get excited, eager, passionate new stock providers entering our small but growing community, and every year these new stock models in particular get targeted by a small group of "requesters" Those of us who have been on the site for more than a few years recognise the types of "requests" I'm talking about and know to absolutely avoid them at all costs, but its something that I've seen more and more regularly over the last few months, and its definitely a concern.

There are standard "pose requests" that are NOT requested for the "artist" to work from.  They are simply asking you to take photos of yourself in provocative poses so they can get off to your stock.

Firstly - please keep in mind that the images you are providing to artists are STOCK ART - they are first and foremost designed to provide artists with useable, useful references, either for traditional art, or digital art or whatever media they choose to create their own artwork with.

Regularly repeated "requests" you should avoid -

:bulletpink: "play dead with your feet to the camera"
:bulletpink: "can you take more photos of yourself in your panties bending over"
:bulletpink: "could you hog tie yourself and stick an apple in your mouth"
:bulletpink: "could you do more shots tied up/gagged/bound/naked"
:bulletpink: "can you take photos of yourself soaking wet in the shower"
:bulletpink: "can you just take photos of your toes/in stockings"

I'm sure you are starting to get my drift.  These "pose requests" are NOT designed to be useful to an artist.  They are designed to get the requesters jollies off.  Over your photos.  This is NOT what stock is designed for, and as Tasastock so succinctly said standing in my kitchen on Friday - if you must take photos of yourself with no clothes on for the sake of art, take NUDE photos, not NAKED photos.  Theres a difference and its something you should learn to see.

Nude reference stock art - good USEFUL poses, either full body or portrait, good lighting/extreme lighting to help pose and form
Naked shots - not useful blurry self portraits of you in your knickers in the (usually dirty) bathroom/bedroom mirror with poor/non-existent lighting taken on your phone camera, or worse on your webcam.

If you are new to model stock, PLEASE for your own sakes TALK to your fellow stockers, compare notes on "requests" and learn to avoid the ones that are not genuine - for your own sakes.
If you don't really care about stock but just want to take photos of yourself in your (usually dirty) bathroom mirror tied up naked, please do not post to stock.  You have a scrapbook for a reason - OR if they are better quality and not taken with your phone or webcam, the photography gallery can be found in the main drop down list.

"Older" stock providers - PLEASE help our newer members by TALKING to them and helping them!!! As people with significantly more experience you are a vital source of information!!

EDIT - not an hour after posting this I got a couple of notes all with similar examples -

Hi. I just want to thank you for posting the stock pics. I admit, I'm
not an artist, I'm an admirer of beautiful pictures of beautiful women
and you are most certainly a beautiful woman. I'm also an admirer of
legs in hosiery and you have some of the most gorgeous pantyhose legs
and feet I've seen on DA. If you decide to post more stock photos of
yourself I urge you to continue wearing pantyhose. Thanks.


Perfect example of what we're talking about, thanks to the people who sent me the notes, who will remain deliberately anon ;)  Would you walk up to somebody you don't know in the street and tell her this?  (actually... given the manners of some of these people... they probably would) :roll:

EDIT PART DEUX

AdorkaStock also makes a very valid point that SOME requests are of course going to be legit and that the best way to tell is to check out the requesters gallery and faves which will give you an immediate indication of how they might be utilising your potential stock.

Also - in case I came across as being completely anti nude/naked/fetish - nude stock does not mean you have to look like a sack of beans, and I have nothing against fetishes in all their forms (but theres a time and a place)  - we simply want you to consider any requests you get and to be aware that there is a small few who aren't looking for reference stock.  When you are not sure, ask :)

LARGE THUMBNAILS ARE RELEASED - HOW THEY IMPACT YOUR STOCK



By now most of you should have noticed that DA has rolled the new "large thumbnails" for all galleries.  These new thumbnails CROP long/tall/thin art to "zoom in" on just the top part of the image.

THIS MEANS THAT IF YOU CROP YOUR FULL BODY STOCK THEY WILL LOOK LIKE MISCATTED 3/4 SHOTS OR PORTRAITS!!

FOR EXAMPLE - Thumbcrop Examples by Elandria

Thanks to Momotte2stocks DamselStock pixelmixtur-stocks ImperialStarletStock MercGribern Biselva kurisu-kuriyosu-san for being my example guinea pigs - these are all full body images.

THIS MEANS THAT ARTISTS LOOKING FOR FULL BODY SHOTS MIGHT WELL MOVE RIGHT ON PAST YOUR WORK THINKING ITS NOT FULL BODY!!

SOLUTION - Keep your shots to the original dimensions to prevent them being cropped - or if you are hiding unwanted backgrounds just block in the sides with a neutral colour rather than completely cropping off the sides.

For more more information on the large thumbnails and other updates, please read this HQ release here -

Site Update: New deviantART ThumbnailsIn our continuous effort to improve the deviantART experience, we're publishing weekly Site Updates to keep members informed and to gather feedback. Below is a list of recent changes to the site, bug fixes, and feedback that was brought up by members in the last Site Update.
New deviantART Thumbnails
This feature will be rolled out to everyone over the next few days.
DeviantART's thumbnail images just got bigger and better! Starting today, we've increased the size of deviantART's thumbnails and, by popular demand from the community, we're also giving you a "Thumbnail Grid" mode.
Here's a run-down of what's changed:
We've made all thumbnails bigger!
Deviations display in tidier rows with no unnecessary cropping, allowing you to see the art as it's meant to be seen!
For literature thumbnails, the background has been lightened an


SUPPORTING OUR STOCK PROVIDERS



jademacalla is what we like to call a prominent figure in our stock community.  He is universally loved/worshipped by everyone who uses his stock and his desire to promote the very best of what stock and resources are about.

Hes currently running a "kickstarter" project which is frankly brilliant in its premise and goals and is something that not only positively promotes excellence in stock but also will ultimately create top quality resources for all you artists out there.  We gain, you gain, Jade gets to hang upside down WIN WIN WIN

Please - go check the project out, support him, promote the project, learn from him - BE INSPIRED.

Kickstarter Update: 1 Week To Go!UPDATE 5
Hello, Everyone! Thanks so much for the continued support of the Kickstarter project. We're super-excited (and still a bit overwhelmed) about the opportunities this is opening up. We've been busy this week laying a bunch of the groundwork for the character (costume details, modifying gear, etc.) and creating the shot list of all the different poses and attitudes we want to shoot.
We have also added a brief FAQ section to the Kickstarter page that clarifies a few key points. All the project details are here: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/94425152/action-packed-cyberpunk-stock-photo-set , and the FAQ section is at the bottom of the page.
Check out the reward section, there's some pretty cool swag for different levels of support. If you know anyone who might be interested in the project, please pass it on.
More soon,
Jade  
UPDATE 4
It is unbelievable to announce that the Epic Stretch Goal, which will result in a collaborative stock pho


CONTESTS AND CHALLENGES EVERYWHERE



When I say EVERYWHERE I mean EVERYWHERE.  I haven't got a list because I am disorganised like that :XD:
Lists are what I am after - so if you are running a contest or a challenge get in touch!! I amd more than happy to promote and can even in some cases help with prises, and I will ALWAYS feature winners in news and journals.
PLEASE SEND CONTEST/CHALLENGE DETAILS BY NOTE PEEPS!!

Collaboration Contest: Dark Halloween (UPDATE!!)UPDATED DATES AND PRIZES
Hi there :wave:
Sign-ups now CLOSED!
SCROLL DOWN FOR UPDATED PRIZES! =D
Hello from the admins of TheArtOfManipulation! We would really like to revive the mentoring aspect of our group and we are going to start by having a Collaboration Contest. :happybounce:
How it Will Work
For this contest, two or more artists must team up and collaborate to create an entry. One artist must be at the intermediate/expert level and the other must be a beginner. We (the admins) will decide which class you fall into and assign participants into teams (requests will be considered if there is a specific person with whom you want to partner). We hope that this contest will create new friendships and allow beginning photomanipulators to learn something new =).
The Rules
:bulletblack: You must note the group TheArtOfManipulation no later than September 4, 2012. Title the note "Collab Contest" and
  
by TheArtOfManipulation
Red Riding Hood Challenge winnersCongratulations, here are the winners chosen through the finalist poll here http://cathleentarawhiti.deviantart.com/journal/poll/3171746/
First place -
:iconSweedies: wins - 3 month premium membership, 300 points, 1 large stock pack http://cathleentarawhiti.deviantart.com/gallery/37862918 and one premium content stock image http://cathleentarawhiti.deviantart.com/gallery/38969668

Second place -
:iconSatoriRose: wins - 1 month premium membership, 100 points, 1 small/med stock pack http://cathleentarawhiti.deviantart.com/gallery/25396766 and one premium content stock image http://cathleentarawhiti.deviantart.com/gallery/38969668

Third place -
:icontwistingthenorm: wins - 1 month premium membership and 1 small/med stock pack http://cathleentarawhiti.deviantart.com/gallery/25396766

Extra prize out of all of the other entries - my choice -
:iconairyfairyamy: wins - 3 month premium membership, 300 points and 1 large stock pack http://cathlee
by CathleenTarawhiti

CLEANING HOUSE



Yep its still happening.  Every day.  Whilst you are asleep (or awake depending on your time zone)  its hard work, and there are only a few of us actually tackling this so PLEASE as much as we LOVE that you are supporting this MAMMOTH task, please remember we can't be at it 24 hours a day!!! PATIENCE!! :heart:

We are trying our best to help stock providers understand what they can and can't do with regards to PREMADES and I must make it clear that like ALL PHOTOMANIPULATIONS (which is essentially what they are just being shared) THEY MUST MUST MUST CREDIT all stock sources.  Regardless of if they are your own photos or renders or whatever.  THIS IS DA POLICY and not something you can pretend doesn't exist.

PRO STOCK SITES - DO NOT ALLOW REDISTRIBUTION OF STOCK FILES - so PLEASE stop using them as sources.  SXC, DEPOSITPHOTOS, GETTY, ISTOCK ET AL - its a NO.  Any "premade" found using prohibited stock sources will be removed or warnings sent to the artist.

You can't just state "stock from the internet" as sufficient credit.  Firstly we will beat you round the head a few times with our FAQ then we will make you memorise them. Then we will introduce you to the artists who used "premades" that weren't legit and later had to remove their hours of hard work because "stock providers" couldn't be bothered to use legitimate sources.  They will be far far harder on you than we will.

LEARN FROM OTHER PEOPLES MISTAKES - DON'T BE THE ONES WHO GIVE PREMADE RESOURCES A BAD NAME. BE RESPONSIBLE FOR YOUR STOCK.

OTHER STOCK SHENANIGANS



If you have something awesome going on that involves stock and resources and would like it promoting - get in touch with Dan-Heffer and myself, thats what we are here for!! :D

:heart: :heart: :heart: :heart: :heart: :heart: :heart: :heart: :heart: :heart: :heart: :heart: :heart: :heart: :heart: :heart:

KEEP BEING RESOURCEFUL!


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Comments159
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BirdsistersStock's avatar
Thank you for this journal!
Back when we started with stock, we were still very young and naive, so we accepted the requests asking for feet and dead poses etc. 
Then we started to wonder why they were never actually used for art afterwards... my model was still under 18 at that time and we seriously did not even consider ppl were just using us for their fetishes.  When it finally dawned on us we felt disgusted and used. We don't judge people on their fetishes but to use naive young girls who are just trying to help the art community for them is just very wrong. 

I think a lot of young stockers out there need to know this ! I will make sure to share!

Thanks again! Wish I had read this 7 years ago :-)