Birthday Art Contest! With Money Prizes!

THE CONTEST IS OVER. UNLESS YOU'RE ONE OF THE PEOPLE I GAVE AN EXTENSION TO, YOU CAN NO LONGER JOIN IT. I SUPPOSE YOU CAN STILL SEND STUFF IN IF YOU HAVE THIS ODD THING FOR GIVING BELATED BIRTHDAY PRESENTS TO A FELLOW DEVIANT FOR FREE, BUT YOU WON'T BE ENTERED INTO THE CONTEST.

It's April 9 and today is my birthday. As I am now 27, I have long since passed the point where anyone cares and will most likely be sitting alone in my house eating a pizza that I had to buy myself whilst sulking. Or working. Or sitting alone in my house while eating a pizza that I had to buy myself after sulking at work.

That kind of sucks. Then I thought… Hey, if I'm unlikely to get gifts anymore, perhaps there's a way to make it MORE likely that I'll get some.

So then it hit me. Art contest on short notice. =3

Your goal is simple. Just draw something that you think fits me, my interests and the birthday mood. Draw as many or as few characters as you like, color it or don't, naughty or cute, add some dialogue if you want- just have some fun with it! Prizes and the number of them will be based on the number of people participating in the contest, so it's a good idea to let your artist friends know about it, too!

ENTRIES ARE DUE ON APRIL 9. IF YOU WILL NOT BE DONE BY THEN, THEN YOU CAN ASK FOR A ONE-WEEK EXTENSION, BUT ONLY IF YOU CAN PROVE THAT YOU'VE BEEN WORKING ON SOMETHING AND JUST NEED A LITTLE MORE TIME.

PRIZE TIERS (the bolded tier highlights the current number of participants):

12+ participants:
1st place: $75
2nd place: $30
3rd place: $20

8-11 participants:
1st place: $50
2nd place: $25
3rd place: $10

6-7 participants:
1st place: $40
2nd place: $20

5 participants:
1st place: $30
2nd place: $10

4 participants:
1st place: $20

3 participants:
1st place: $15

Less than 3 participants:
There will be no prize.

Keep in mind: I'm aware of how this could theoretically be gamed, so there IS a skill cutoff in place. Basically, if you can't draw about as well as I can, or better, your entry will not be counted, either toward a prize, or the number of participants. In addition, if you draw subject matter that pisses me off, deliberately or otherwise, you will also be disqualified. If any of this worries you, send me notes about your plans, as I can and will warn you ahead of time if you're crossing my lines, or are likely to have either yourself or a friend disqualified.


WANT SOME TIPS?

-If you want to use one of my OCs, you can't go too wrong with Nancy, who's the closest thing to a main character you'll see in my gallery. Sierra, Kelly, any part of the MacLaine family, or Anjiru are also good options. Hell, add Elliot if you think he can be made amusing (or Rule 63'd into a busty babe if you want to torment him). You don't HAVE to stick with just them, of course, but whoever you choose, try to keep them in character- talk to me about that if you want to be sure you're doing so!

-If you're going the "Anime character YTF likes" route, my tastes change with the winds, but you'll probably do pretty well with, say, my namesake Yuka (and even better if you bunny her up, like in fav.me/d3cr1ns ), or Komon-no-sensei. Want to go off the board? Why not ask me if there are others you like that I too might like? My collection is vast… =3

-If for whatever reason you would like to include ME in the picture (which would make sense), I have some convention pictures I'm present in, like fav.me/d543yep . I can also upload another one or two if asked. What's a little trauma for your eyes in the name of accuracy?

-If you can make one of YOUR characters fit, maybe you're on to something- but remember to make sure the birthday theme is present. In other words, if I can't tell that your entry was explicitly made for me, expect disqualification.

-Don't be afraid to scour the gallery or favorites to see if there's stuff of interest, and don't be afraid to send me a note if you'd like to run ideas past me, or maybe even get suggestions- in fact, it's quite recommended to keep correspondence open if you want to do well!

-My interests are pretty plain to see if you flip through my gallery or site. Apply other fetishes to your entry at your own risk if you don't intend on asking me if I like them. For that matter, it's probably a bad idea to give women jewelry; I almost never like how it looks on a girl outside of chokers and basic rings.

-The more effort you put into your picture, the more likely you're better to do. This includes such things as adding color, adding some humor, and sticking to things you know I like.

-Again: TALK TO ME IF YOU HAVE QUESTIONS. I'm happy to give advice to anyone who asks, be it for characters, situations, or even dialogue, so talking to me a good idea if you're shooting for the top prize (and if you aren't, I don't think you know how contests work).


GETTING YOUR PRIZE:
If you win, I can get you your prize using a couple of methods. IF NONE OF THESE ARE ACCEPTABLE, AND YOU CAN'T THINK OF ANOTHER WAY FOR ME TO GET YOU A PRIZE THAT I AM FINE WITH, YOU WILL NOT BE ABLE TO WIN A PRIZE NO MATTER HOW WELL YOU DO, SO BE SURE YOU'VE READ YOUR OPTIONS BELOW. So the sooner you figure out how you want your prize, the better.

1: I have PayPal and can very easily send you your prize with it.
2: I can gift you appropriately-priced games on Steam. GOG.com may be an option as well.
3: IF YOU LIVE IN THE U.S., it should be possible for me to send you a money order.
4: I'unno, DA points?

That is about it! Have fun, everyone, and remember, the more people who participate, the better the prizes get, so tell others!