Apologies for any expired submissions! I have not been able to get online often lately due to being so busy in real life, and since I am basically running this alone the majority of the time, I am not able to keep up with the submissions on time. I am currently on a semi-hiatus, thus the group also has been unfortunately suffering this.

I am temporarily setting the group to accept all deviations automatically for members of the group. If your submission has expired already, feel free to resubmit it (if it follows the group rules)!

Please do not abuse this feature and spam the group or submit subject matter that does not comply with the rules/in the wrong folder, and if you notice anything out of place, let me know and I will either change folders or remove it from the group as soon as I am able.

Non-members may not be able to get submissions added at this time, and I do apologize if any get expired in the future.

*If anyone would like to help out more with the group and could help review artwork submissions, it would be greatly appreciated! You would have to read and understand the rules of what is and what is not allowed in the group, and be trustworthy not to abuse/change the rules yourself, and use good judgement overall.

Thanks to those who continued to submit, and again, I very much apologize for the inconvenience!
If you have time, check out our affiliate group, AnimalsofTheWorld and vote for which 3 pieces of their current contest entries you'd like to see win!

Here's the journal with all the info, and you can cast your vote in the comments: animalsoftheworld.deviantart.c…

They need all the voters they can get, so don't be shy about voting. ;D

Thank you!

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NEW FOLDER: I have added a new folder, open for submissions. It is a folder dedicated to studies and tutorials. Also accepted to this folder are photos or artwork of animal skulls or articulated skeletons, as they can help other artists get a better grasp on anatomy as well. Of course, group rules still apply to this folder, so while a study of a bird would be accepted, a study of a dog would not.

Quality standards and this folder:
*This may be the only folder in which sketch gestures are ok, but only if it is anatomically accurate for the most part, and several poses are shown on the page, rather than just one.
*As for tutorials, they should also be as anatomically correct as possible. Please do not submit a tutorial if you made it without understanding the anatomy yourself. Use references when creating tutorials. We want for other artists to be able to use and easily understand the tutorials. If you do not use a reference to get it correct, and make an anatomical error, then any other beginner artists following that tutorial will also make that error. Of course, the anatomy does not have to be 100% perfect, since I know that is difficult to achieve, but try getting is as close as you can.

Here's a few different studies on dA of things that would be very acceptable to this folder:
Sable Antelope Bovine study by THEJETTYJETSHOW :thumb273780206: :thumb374331479: :thumb345694743: Animal Life Studies - Royal Winter Fair 2012 by AlexanderHenderson
As you can see, you can also have stylized works in this folder with still a good grasp on anatomy.

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In other news, I apologize about being semi-inactive here for the most part, it's been busy lately, and hard running this group almost alone the majority of the time. I have been keeping up with submissions though, just not much else other than that.

I've temporarily discontinued the monthly challenges both because I had been to busy to update them, and no one was really entering them in the first place. Of course, you're still free to do the past challenges if you want, or submit animals to the monthly challenge folder if you have a piece of those animals. If any interest is shown in the members to continue this challenge, I may bring it back, continuing where we left off. I would like to, since it's a great way to branch out from animals we're used to drawing and try something new, and also a good way to improve, and maybe even for people to discover new animals.

Of course, I am not upset with our members in any way for not participating, as it is completely optional, nor am I trying to guilt people into entering. I want for people to want to enter these challenges willingly to better themselves as artists, not feel like it's something they have to do. Which is why, until more interest is shown in it, I won't be updating the list for a bit. That's all. :)
I apologize for some inactivity here, there's a lot going on lately, and I haven't had the time to update. There will be no monthly challenge for January, as we are already over halfway through the month. It will continue in February.

I'll go ahead and choose the animal for February and March though, in the event that I am not able to update it when the time comes (since it's possible I may have no time/internet due to moving).
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The animal for February is:
Cottonmouth Water Moccasin

:bigthumb116390167:

February 10th starts the Chinese New Year: The year of the snake! Or more precisely, the year of the Black Water Snake. The Water Moccasin is what comes first to my mind when hearing black water snake, even though they are not always solid black, so I thought they'd be ideal for the start of the new year. :)

Some info on the Cottonmouth Water Moccasin: srelherp.uga.edu/snakes/agkpis…
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The animal for March is:
Common Squirrel Monkey

Squirrel Monkey by amrodel

Continuing the 100 Animal Challenge here, with 004!

Some info on the Common Squirrel Monkey: pin.primate.wisc.edu/factsheet…
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FAQ

Q: What is the Monthly Challenge?

A: The monthly challenge is a challenge that lasts for a month and focuses on one unnoticed animal. This challenge will be mostly based on the '100 Animal Challenge' at first, so it will be a good way to incorporate the challenge into the group. If you've ever wanted to take the challenge, now's your chance, and you can do it along with others as well! :)

Q: Do I have to take part in the challenge? And if I do take part, do I have to draw every animal?

A: Nope! Anyone is free to participate in the challenge, but no one is forced to. It is not mandatory at all to take this challenge to be a member. This is just for fun and to help encourage people to draw animals out of their comfort zone.

Q: Can I submit photography instead of drawing the animal if I have a photo?

A: Yes! Artisan crafts, such as sculptures or plushies are allowed too. But please make sure the photo[s] follows the guidelines listed in the rules, please!

Q: I missed the 'deadline' at the end of the month, can I still submit past animals to the 'Monthly Challenge' folder?

A: Of course! The monthly challenge isn't just limited to one month for that animal, it's more of a spotlight for that animal, and only has a 'deadline' at the end of the month so that another animal can be featured.

Q: Can I submit more than one picture/photo to the folder, or is it just limited to one?

A: You can submit more than one if you wish! But please don't spam the folder. Three would be a reasonable amount to submit at a time, but please make sure that the pictures aren't too similar, or it will be repetitive.
Ok, so since there were no objections to switching it over to monthly, I have decided to end the challenges ending every fortnight, and extend it to a month instead. The past fortnight challenges are still open to submissions as well.

This month's animal is: Ribbon Seal
'Deadline' is the end of December



Some info on the Ribbon Seal: www.afsc.noaa.gov/nmml/educati…

It's not an animal listed on the 100 animal challenge, but I thought they would be fitting for the month of December.
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FAQ

Q: What is the Monthly Challenge?

A: The monthly challenge is a challenge that lasts for a month and focuses on one unnoticed animal. This challenge will be mostly based on the '100 Animal Challenge' at first, so it will be a good way to incorporate the challenge into the group. If you've ever wanted to take the challenge, now's your chance, and you can do it along with others as well! :)

Q: Do I have to take part in the challenge? And if I do take part, do I have to draw every animal?

A: Nope! Anyone is free to participate in the challenge, but no one is forced to. It is not mandatory at all to take this challenge to be a member. This is just for fun and to help encourage people to draw animals out of their comfort zone.

Q: I missed the deadline for the monthly challenge's animal! Can I still submit my entry?

A: Of course! The 'deadline' is just an incentive to get the artwork done so we can move on to the next one, but don't let the word fool you, you're still free to submit even if you're a year late! Haha. You should never feel stressed out or rushed in this group, so take it at your own pace and how you feel comfortable.
Happy Thanksgiving to those in the US! Thank you to everyone who has joined the group or contributed any deviations!

Sorry for late updates, I've been being a lot more busy lately, so it's harder to keep up with. I have a question though, would anyone have any objections to switching the Fortnight Challenge to a Monthly Challenge instead? Special occasions like 'holiday' animals or smaller animals could have differing deadlines though, either a week or two depending on the holiday/animal.
Not that many people are entering so far, so I thought monthly might make it easier for those that want to enter, and for those that want to take all the challenges some time, they don't have too much to do, or they don't fall behind too quickly.

This week's Challenge is: European Lobster
(Homarus gammarus)

The 'deadline' is: Saturday, December 1st
(Sorry I had to shorten the deadline due to being late with this, but I ended it the first of December so that if we start monthly, I can start December's)




They are invertebrates/Crustaceans

Some info on them: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homarus_…
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FAQ

Q: What is the Fortnight Challenge?

A: The fortnight challenge is a challenge that lasts two weeks and focuses on one unnoticed animal. This challenge will be mostly based on the '100 Animal Challenge' at first, so it will be a good way to incorporate the challenge into the group. If you've ever wanted to take the challenge, now's your chance, and you can do it along with others as well! :)

Q: Do I have to take part in the challenge? And if I do take part, do I have to draw every animal?

A: Nope! Anyone is free to participate in the challenge, but no one is forced to. It is not mandatory at all to take this challenge to be a member. This is just for fun and to help encourage people to draw animals out of their comfort zone.

Q: I missed the deadline for the fortnight challenge's animal! Can I still submit my entry?

A: Of course! The 'deadline' is just an incentive to get the artwork done so we can move on to the next one, but don't let the word fool you, you're still free to submit even if you're a year late! Haha. You should never feel stressed out or rushed in this group, so take it at your own pace and how you feel comfortable.