Submission Guidelines

6 min read

Deviation Actions

Birds-Club's avatar
By
Published:
6.4K Views



Since we have so many members in this group, the submission limit is 2 submissions per member per week. It is up to you to decide how you will distribute your submissions!

All submitted work must be your own. If you want another artist's work to be featured, invite them to the group so they can submit it themselves, or submit it to our Favourites. Also, if you upload a photograph that someone else took, do not submit it here.

Due to the large amount of submissions, we have had to implement quality control. If your deviation is rejected and you want to know why, please comment on the correspondence item and the admin will tell you. Don't just resubmit your artwork, wasting your chances of getting into the gallery and wasting the admins' time!


:damphyr: Why was my deviation rejected? (general case)
  • It is not a bird. Obvious rule, but we've gotten submissions of squirrels, snails, humans, etc., in the past! :confused:
  • It is a scrap - please submit work you're proud to display in your main gallery!
  • It has a watermark that obscures an important part of the image
  • It is not your work. We will not accept stolen images, photos taken by someone else (even if they give you permission to share on deviantART), or other people's deviations that you submitted. If you want someone else's work to be showcased in our group, please add it to our favorites or invite the person to our group.
  • We will only accept dead bird images if the bird is prey to a predatory bird, if the bird died a natural death, or if the photograph illustrates a political point. Taxidermy photos will be accepted either if it is your own work, or if you took an artistic shot of a preserved bird and you make sure we understand that it is a preserved bird and not a live one. We will NOT accept pictures of roadkill, pictures of birds as human food items (like roasted chicken), or pictures where cruelty or disrespect are shown to the bird by the artist.

:damphyr: Why was my photo rejected?
  • Blurry or out of focus
  • Noisy
  • Over- or underexposed
  • Bad use of flash - too harsh, causes red-eye, or casts strong shadows that are not appealing
  • Bad composition - haphazardly taken; does not follow the rule of thirds
  • Bird is in pose that is not visually appealing
  • Bird is a common species and the photograph isn't outstanding - for example, mundane photos of pigeons or sparrows
  • Subpar zoo snapshots - has distracting humans, fences, or glass reflections


:damphyr: Why was my artwork rejected?
  • A simple sketch - if it's just lineart, we won't accept it. Unless it's really good lineart.
  • Work In Progress (WIP) - Submit it again when you're done
  • Bad scan or photograph, or improper orientation - presentation of your artwork is important!
  • Poor anatomy (unless it's intentional, as in fantastical or abstract works)
  • Poor technique


:damphyr: Why was my photomanipulation rejected?
  • Photos were poorly cut out
  • Looks more like a random collage than a coherent piece of work
  • Does not use legal stock, e.g. uses photos from Google Images


:damphyr: Why was my prose or poetry rejected?
  • Poor spelling
  • Poor grammar
  • Not in English - sorry, we just can't read it!
  • For stories - underdeveloped plot or characters


:damphyr: Why was my film rejected?
  • Poor quality - shaky camera, moving the camera too fast, too light or too dark, etc


:damphyr: Resources
Photo tips:
How to capture birds in flight using a feeder
How to photograph birds in the wild
Tips for using a Point and Shoot
F stops for beginners
Composition
Composition again
Lighting
How To Fix Overexposed Photos In Photoshop
Post processing
Post processing again
Find inspiration for photography
How to evaluate a photo
Nature photo tutorials

Art tips:
Drawing Birds (parts 2 and 3 linked in description)
Drawing Wings
Drawing Wings again
Drawing Folded Wings
Bird Wing Tutorial
How to choose good stock
How to choose a good texture
Tutorials for various image programs
Tutorials for traditional artists
AquaSixio's WIPs and tutorials for digital painting
ailah's tutorial on how to draw critters digitally

Literature tips:
Guide to Non-Verbal Communication in Fiction
How to create a character

Cosplay tips:
How to make realistic wings

Watermark tutorials:
How to add a watermark with Picnik (free)
Signature watermark (Photoshop)



© 2010 - 2024 Birds-Club
Comments68
Join the community to add your comment. Already a deviant? Log In
steffchep's avatar
Thank you for this set of guidelines!
One question - does the bird have to be the central character, or would a piece of, say, a druid character surrounded by animals including a bird also count?
Annaleen Hanssen (for example :D)