- Oct 16, 2010
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SOTM (alternatives include SotM and sotm), short for signature of the month, is a graphics competition held monthly at Anime-Sharing Forum. The term "SOTM" is also used widely at other online forums having similar competitions.[citation needed] In a typical SOTM competition, the forum staff member responsible for maintaining it decides a theme and other criteria for the month. All interested members have to do to participate is submit their signature entries in accordance with the criteria.
―Ignispedia, the nonexistent encylopaedia
Hi! This is my first time handling an SOTM. Previously, it had always been Pinkylicious, but she's been quite occupied with Life® that she hasn't had the leisure to take care of the competition for a while.
Signature of the Month is a simple competition open for all members. While it is focused on graphics design, it's often not the only criterion that's taken into account: there's also the issue of how well your entry represents the theme, how well all the elements you use in your piece blend together, whether it's pleasant to look at, and other such factors (as well as personal biases of the voters). Therefore, you're invited to join in and help liven up the party even if you're not very much into graphics design. This is just for fun!
Winning isn't everything, buuuuut it gives you a trophy to decorate your collections with. Or not. It's not physical, after all. But you can still brag to your friends―wait, do you have any?―and getting one gives a warm and fuzzy feel inside. Whoo, would you look at that. Pure gold! Or maybe bronze? Copper? Brass?
Nah, not any one of those materials. Just #FFE14D.
Signature of the Month is a simple competition open for all members. While it is focused on graphics design, it's often not the only criterion that's taken into account: there's also the issue of how well your entry represents the theme, how well all the elements you use in your piece blend together, whether it's pleasant to look at, and other such factors (as well as personal biases of the voters). Therefore, you're invited to join in and help liven up the party even if you're not very much into graphics design. This is just for fun!
Winning isn't everything, buuuuut it gives you a trophy to decorate your collections with. Or not. It's not physical, after all. But you can still brag to your friends―wait, do you have any?―and getting one gives a warm and fuzzy feel inside. Whoo, would you look at that. Pure gold! Or maybe bronze? Copper? Brass?
Nah, not any one of those materials. Just #FFE14D.
I suppose it's more appropriate to call these "criteria", but referring to them as "rules" may help ensure that people pay attention to them. At least, I hope so. Anyway, the rules for SOTM are pretty simple:
- Your entry must be 500x300 or smaller. This means that you can submit an entry that's 500x300, 400x200, 300x100, or any size within the limit. I changed the old SOTM rule mandating that entries be of exactly 500x300 in size. If you can achieve the kind of goal you have in mind with a smaller size, why not?
. - Your entry must contain the words "SOTM" and either "Anime-Sharing", "AS", or "ASF". It is not necessary to append the ".com" to "Anime-Sharing". Capitalisation does NOT matter. You CAN have your username in your signature. This is another rule that I changed, because if your creativity lies with typography, why not show it by signing your authorship on your work?
. - Your entry must be in either JPG/JPEG, PNG, or GIF. Yeah, I know BMP is big and sexy, and TIFF has this charm yung'uns just won't understand, but no.
. - No nudity, profanity, or other such material that may be considered offensive. This isn't as vague as it may sound. Just don't flash uncovered private parts (some skin is fine, but don't go overboard either), stay away from slurs or profanity, and you'll be fine.
. - Your entry must be your own design. Well, duh! No, you don't have to create all elements in your entry from scratch, as art isn't so much about creating something from scratch (that's inventing) as it is making use of assets available to you. Just don't ask someone else to make a signature for you and enter it in the competition.
The theme for this month's SOTM shall be...
BURN, BABY, BURN.
It's spring! The season of love. The season of flowers. The season of pleasant warmth. The season where every single Rune Factory and Harvest Moon protagonist receives a farm and gets to know a whole lot of pretty young girls.
Too mainstream, don't you think?
Pinkylicious may like pinky stuff. I, however, like fiery stuff. Because that's what I am. Fire isn't just about the danger it entails and the permanent damage it leaves, but also the light it radiates in things like candles and the warmth it gives―so long as you don't touch it, anyway―in things like hearths. The burning passion of a spiky-haired, fifteen-year-old shounen doesn't count. Did you know that the sun also has lots of fire on and in it? If only I could be so grossly incandescent.
Anyway, to clarify:
You can make anything related to fire. A warm hearth in a house weathering a harsh blizzard? An assortment of candles lining a chandelier? A wizard wielding a fire spell? Or even something as simple as cooking? Go ahead! You don't have to make a signature out of an image of you setting fire to a house. Because I don't condone arson in any way, shape, or form. You'll also go to jail for doing that. Instead, show us your BUUUUUURNING LOOOOOOOVE!
Please submit your entry before the deadline. If you're unsure about aspects of your draft entry, feel free to ask around in the discussion thread. You can have only ONE post in the entry submission thread, but you're not restricted from discussing the SOTM as much as you want in the discussion thread. The deadline may be extended on our discretion if circumstances necessitate it, but it won't be shortened for no reason, so rest assured and don't rush. Take your time to make a masterpiece!
BURN, BABY, BURN.
It's spring! The season of love. The season of flowers. The season of pleasant warmth. The season where every single Rune Factory and Harvest Moon protagonist receives a farm and gets to know a whole lot of pretty young girls.
Too mainstream, don't you think?
Pinkylicious may like pinky stuff. I, however, like fiery stuff. Because that's what I am. Fire isn't just about the danger it entails and the permanent damage it leaves, but also the light it radiates in things like candles and the warmth it gives―so long as you don't touch it, anyway―in things like hearths. The burning passion of a spiky-haired, fifteen-year-old shounen doesn't count. Did you know that the sun also has lots of fire on and in it? If only I could be so grossly incandescent.
Anyway, to clarify:
The theme for SOTM #30 is FIRE.
No, it does NOT necessarily need to depict anything burning. Anything related to or depicting fire is fine.
No, it does NOT necessarily need to depict anything burning. Anything related to or depicting fire is fine.
You can make anything related to fire. A warm hearth in a house weathering a harsh blizzard? An assortment of candles lining a chandelier? A wizard wielding a fire spell? Or even something as simple as cooking? Go ahead! You don't have to make a signature out of an image of you setting fire to a house. Because I don't condone arson in any way, shape, or form. You'll also go to jail for doing that. Instead, show us your BUUUUUURNING LOOOOOOOVE!
The deadline is on 1 MAY 2015.
You MAY edit your entry submission post as many times as you please before the deadline.
You MAY edit your entry submission post as many times as you please before the deadline.
Please submit your entry before the deadline. If you're unsure about aspects of your draft entry, feel free to ask around in the discussion thread. You can have only ONE post in the entry submission thread, but you're not restricted from discussing the SOTM as much as you want in the discussion thread. The deadline may be extended on our discretion if circumstances necessitate it, but it won't be shortened for no reason, so rest assured and don't rush. Take your time to make a masterpiece!
This thread is only for ENTRIES!
For discussions, questions and comments, please go to this thread instead.
For discussions, questions and comments, please go to this thread instead.
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