Art War FAQs

Who is eligible?

THIS CONTEST IS OPEN ONLY TO RESIDENTS OF THE UNITED STATES, ARGENTINA, AUSTRALIA, AUSTRIA, BELARUS, BELGIUM, BELIZE, BOLIVIA, BULGARIA, CHILE, CANADA, COLOMBIA, COSTA RICA, CROATIA, DENMARK, ECUADOR, EL SALVADOR, ESTONIA, FRANCE, FINLAND, GERMANY, GREECE, GUATEMALA, HONDURAS, HONG KONG, HUNGARY, ICELAND, IRELAND, ISRAEL, ITALY, JAMAICA, JAPAN, LATVIA, LITHUANIA, LUXEMBOURG, MACAU, MALAYSIA, MEXICO, NEW ZEALAND, NICARAUGA, NORWAY, PARAGUAY, PERU, POLAND, PORTUGAL, PUERTO RICO, ROMANIA, RUSSIA, SERBIA, SINGAPORE, SLOVAKIA, SOUTH AFRICA, SOUTH KOREA, SPAIN, SWEDEN, SWITZERLAND, TAIWAN, THAILAND, THE CZECH REPUBLIC, THE NETHERLANDS, THE PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF CHINA, THE UKRAINE, THE UNITED KINGDOM, TURKEY, URUGUAY AND VENEZUELA, WHICH ARE: OVER THE AGE OF MAJORITY IN THEIR COUNTRY OF RESIDENCE ON THE DATE REFERENCED BELOW AS THE START DATE FOR THE CONTEST; AND WHO ARE NOT RESIDENTS OF THE STATES OF NORTH DAKOTA, VERMONT, CONNECTICUT, OR MARYLAND IN THE UNITED STATES; THE PROVINCE OF QUEBEC, CANADA; OR RESIDENTS OF THE AUSTRALIAN STATES OF VICTORIA, QUEENSLAND OR THE AUSTRALIAN CAPITAL TERRITORY ("ENTRANTS").

If you are under the legal age of majority in your country of residence on February 26th, 2018, but are over the age of 13 years of age and a resident of the United States of America, or a member country of the European Union other than Spain, or the United Kingdom; who is least 14 years of age and a resident of Spain, the United Kingdom, or Russia; or who is at least 15 years of age and is a resident of the Republic of Korea; and one of your parents or legal guardians must submit a signed, written statement that they have read, understood and agree to these Contest rules with your entry, and that such agreement constitutes acceptance of these Contest rules on behalf of you and themselves.

If you reside in the States of North Dakota, Vermont, Connecticut or Maryland in the United States, the Province of Quebec in Canada, or Queensland, Victoria or the Australian Capital Territory in Australia, you are not eligible to participate in this Contest.

We are well aware these restrictions are a huge bummer for you guys who are not eligible but strict laws on contests and various international shipping limitations mean we simply can't comply with everything.

Note that while you might not be eligible, there are always ways to have a friend or family member in an eligible region enter for you.

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Questions & Answers

Q: How do I apply?
A: Go to the Forums, click on the small red Art War 2D or 3D and make a new topic to post your art there with the right naming format. Take a look at how other participants did it. All of your progress pictures should be in that same topic. All final work in one post if you can.
No need to submit your entry to Cubebrush via e-mail.

Q: I'm posting an image in a correct (or even bigger) size but it gets resized down once uploaded. What should I do?
A: You need to make the file size smaller - either make the image a bit smaller, or compress it a bit.

Q: Is there a limit on age / residence?
A: there are unfortunately some restrictions - see above

Q: What’s the deadline?
A: The deadline for the ART WAR is on March 5th 2018 @ 11h59PM PST. Late entries will NOT be considered.
For the exact time remaining check the Main ART WAR page.

Q: Is "Fanart" permitted and can we use another artist’s concept for 3D submissions?
A: Original art only!

Q: Can I use another artists complete concept? Can I base my characters off of mythical figures or another game / studio’s character?
A: Original art only! It's not fanart as long as you're not copying / basing your own design off of any of the existing characters. You can use any style you want.

Q: What's the maximum canvas size?
A: For now there’s no limit on maximum canvas size but don’t go crazy with the size. Keep in mind that it has to be uploaded on the forums.

Q: Will traditional entries be accepted as well?
You have to submit digital images with your submission but you can do a portion, if not most of it with traditional media. No problem.

Q: Is Collaboration with 2 or 3 people okay?
A: It's a solo contest.

Q: Is it okay to have a mix of light and dark?
A: No, you’ll have to choose one topic. Ambiguous entries will be at a disadvantage.

Q: If i want to participate in both 2D and 3D challenges, do I have to make two separate concepts ?
A: you can enter once in 2D and once in 3D. You can enter both but the entries can't share anything. They both have to be unique.

Q: Does it have to be 1 character?
A: It doesn't have to be just one character, but it has to be obvious who the 'hero' is! You can include side/support (or enemy) characters in your concept sheet/illustration.

Q: Do I have to create just a character concept or a full image with composition?
A: Read the 2D submission requirements, all explained there.

Q: All the concepts must all fit on one "sheet"?
A: A "sheet" implies thumbnails, sketches, iterations, final concept piece, etc. all in one document. You can find examples on any art forum/site or searching for a concept art sheet. Front and back is sufficient, you don't have to make a full turnaround.
The sheet is part of the final submission. It is just as important as the final illustration.
You can read the first post in the ART WAR topic for full information on entry requirements.

Q: Are (pose) references allowed?
A: Yes, of course! If you want some inspiration, many people show their reference boards in their topics.

Q: Can I use 3D models / textures and photos and paint over them?
A: As far as 3D and photo textures go in the 2D category, it needs to be hardly noticeable that you used them. For example, you can't have the textures do most of the work in 'rendering' your final illustration. Also, obviously you can't just place a 3D character in a 2D environment and call it a 2D illustration. Essentially, 3D can be used as a base to get the sense for lighting / forms, but not visible in the final (you can paint over it, though).
It would probably be best, to be safe, to just use both as reference and not
include it in the final illustration.

Q: Can a 3D entry use a 3D / 2D base human design to construct a concept before diving into 3D?
A: We want everything in your entry to be yours. Everything on the concept sheet has to be made by you, including the sketches, silhouettes, design, etc. from which you modeled.
You are free to use your own basemesh, but not somebody else's.

Q: Do the 3D models have to be game models with UV's and normals, etc?
A: It's not required for submission! If you're able to showcase the model with textures and everything to present it as you'd like, you're set!

Q: Does the final illustration for 2D have to be full body?
A: Yes, you should aim to show the character in the final illustration from head to toes - all in all, roughly at least 80% of the character should be visible. Anything less than 80% will be penalized.