HARPG Secret Santa 2017

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Season's greetings from oxpecker!

Based on your feedback I've decided to open the group to all horse OCs this year. I know not everyone will be happy with this change, but most people have been enthusiastic about the idea and it will help to keep the group lively.

The other change is that I'm running a gift raffle for everyone who spreads the word about this event in a journal, poll or deviation. Read below for details. You could win a free horse portrait!

Let the sign-ups commence!

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Do not join this Secret Santa unless you know that you will have time to complete your artwork within the time constraints (listed below). If you run out of time or become otherwise unable to complete your gift within the time given, you must contact me as soon as possible so that we can work something out. I try to be patient and understanding, so don’t be afraid to send me (oxpecker) a note.

In the case of illness, injury or personal crises I am very understanding. However I am disappointed by poor excuses such as "I felt uninspired", "didn't feel like drawing" etc. If you are prone to these kinds of spells of unproductivity please do not participate. I apologize for seeming terse but take a moment to imagine how unfair it is for those who worked hard on their gifts and submitted them on time.

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You could win a free horse sketch portrait from me (oxpecker) by sharing a link to this journal in your next deviation description, poll, status update or journal (example). After you have posted it, just copy the URL of the post* and paste it into a comment reply [here] to prove that you completed this task. Please link to the actual post, not just your profile. One winner will be drawn by random number generator on November 30th.

Rules:
The link still needs to be active when I draw a winner on November 30th - so you can't post a status, copy the link, and then delete it a week later
You can only enter the raffle once
Anyone can enter the raffle, you don't need to be participating in the Secret Santa

*For status updates I think you need to click the posting date to get the link, correct me if I'm wrong.

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In regards to the dates below, you have the entire 24 hours of that day to complete the relevant activity. I will be using California USA timezone.

15th November - Sign-ups are now open!
30th November - Sign-up period ends.
30th November - 3rd December - Assignments will be handed out via note as quickly as possible.
3rd December to 2nd January - Create and submit your gifts. Images need to be 1) uploaded to your gallery; 2) sent to your recipient; 3) submitted to this group's "2017" folder at some point during this time period***.

***It is very important that you submit your image to this group, as this is how I will be ticking off your names to check that all gifts have been given.

Note: Those who have not sent out their gift by January 1st will receive an enquiry via note. They will have the rest of the week to respond and complete the artwork, otherwise I will assign a replacement artist to complete the missing gift.

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1. First, read ALL of this journal entry. Take special note of the due dates, and ask questions if you don’t understand something.
2. Send this group a note titled “Sign up”. Inside the note you need to copy/paste and answer the following question:

"My Christmas wish is a portrait of one of these horses… "

(Provide a link to your horse’s reference sheet)

- You can list up to three horses for your Secret Santa to choose between (any more than three will be ignored)
- At least one of these characters must be basic in design (no complex markings, no accessories or wings/horns etc)
- Only one of them can be a real life horse (you need to provide quality reference photos, preferably multiple views showing facial and leg markings)
- This system will ensure that every artist can choose a horse that suits their level of drawing ability

Characters permitted: Any OCs and RPG horses, zebras, donkeys, pegasus or fantasy equines. No griffins, Shedu cats, Tokotas, Fawnlings etc, MUST be an equine! Please no copyright characters from movies/TV, e.g. Spirit, My Little Pony. The character must belong to you.

Note: If you have special instructions about the character's markings, or multiple views of their body, please just include it in their reference sheet. Just send me one link, I will only copy one URL per horse.

(Optional) "Do you celebrate a holiday other than Christmas?"

If yes, please let your Santa know what holiday theme you would prefer, e.g. Hanukkah, New Year, Chinese New Year, secular (non-religious)

And you're all set! You will not hear back from me until 30th November - 3rd December for your assignment.

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Between 30th November - 3rd December, I will be sending out notes with your secret gift recipient and their preferred characters. Choose one of these characters to draw.

I will pull random names out of a hat to match you up with your assignment. You must not swap with other players, and I won’t switch people around without a good reason. Also remember it’s a secret! Don’t tell anyone who your assignment is or it will ruin the surprise!

I urge you to begin drawing your image immediately and have it completed well before the due date so that you don’t have to worry about rushing at the last minute. Christmas is a very hectic time of year, and the New Year can creep up on you quickly.

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No free line-arts or photomanips permitted – you must draw the art yourself
Christmas/Holiday/New Years theme is completely optional
Horses must be coloured (shading is optional)
Backgrounds can be very simple; single-colour or photo is fine
You have freedom of choice between a full-body or head-shot portrait
No rough sketches or unfinished work. Put in some effort! If you submit a sketchy headshot it really looks like you're only participating to receive a gift, and that's not cool
Do the right thing and credit resources/reference photos used
Gridding and tracing is permitted, as long as you put effort into it and the end result is high quality
If you run out of time, you must let me know in advance (note me and we can work something out)

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You can submit your gifts and note them to your recipient at any time within the submission period (3rd - 2nd January). This gives you four weeks to create and submit your gift.

Submission period: 3rd December - 2nd January.
IMPORTANT: This is a three step process! See below:
1) Upload your gift to your gallery at any time during this period
2) Send the link to the recipient via note or comment
3) Submit the picture to the "2017" folder of this group (or if you're not sure how to do this please send us a note or leave it as a comment). It's really important that you remember this third step, otherwise I will have no idea that you completed your assignment and I will be hassling you for it after the deadline. Awkward!

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I can make no guarantee that your Secret Santa won’t unexpectedly have a life crisis, or for whatever reason be unable to complete their gift. If you have not received your gift by January 1st, please don’t panic, just send a note to this group and let us know (even though I will probably already be aware of it). I will check on your Secret Santa to find out what is happening. Then we will arrange for a replacement artist to whip something up for you. It might come a little later than is normally considered festive, but this way nobody misses out.

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I don’t think it’s really necessary for me to say this, but for the benefit of the doubt, please be reminded not to look a gift horse in the mouth. In other words, if you are not happy with your Christmas gift for whatever reason, please refrain from complaining. Don’t view this event like a lottery or a lucky dip. The intent of a Secret Santa is to celebrate the spirit of giving, not receiving! So give selflessly, and hope to make somebody’s Christmas really special.

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If you have lots of free time in early to mid January 2018 and wouldn't mind doing some extra art, you can volunteer to be a “back-up” artist in case some Santas don’t end up completing their pictures. Please send this group a note to put your name down for this important job. I’m sure you’ll make somebody very grateful by ensuring that they don’t miss out.

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