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Date Last Updated: 2 february 2006


RULES OF CONDUCT

Hopefully, these rules are just common sense, but we will post them here just in case.

Do not Post Angry

Remember, respect for our fellow artists is most important. Never post an angry response. Read your post before submitting. Realize also you can be held legally accountable for claims you make including libel, for harassment, and for other behaviours.

Personal Information

You should always exercise judgment when revealing personal information about yourself when you post messages in public forums. Additionally, users who are aware of another user's personal information (including name and location) must respect that user's privacy and not reveal his or her personal information on the site.

Free Speech

We value free speech. It is a very difficult issue to determine what constitutes a personal opinion and what is simply a derogatory or misplaced statement. Those of us who volunteer our time to monitor this site have to make a decision that will hopefully, be acceptable to all the community members. Sometimes, we will anger some members because we allow something they think is repulsive. Sometimes, we will anger community members who feel we are unfairly censoring a post. If a decision is made to remove or edit a post or thread, we will also remove or edit all follow-up posts or threads that reference the post in question. For example, you may not start the same argument in a different forum, or post "why do you censor that post?" All follow-up posts or threads relating to an edited or removed post or thread will be removed, and the users engaging in that behaviour may be warned or have their accounts removed.

Threatening to Leave the Community

We do not permit public "I am leaving [or threatening to leave] the community because I am fed up" posts because they are contrary to the spirit of friendship and community we all want to instill.

Posting Emails or PMs to the Forums

It is not permitted to post emails or PMs to the public forums. If the message was intended to have a private audience, it should not be posted publicly without the consent of the writer.

Inappropriate Language

The use of inappropriate or offensive language is not permitted in these forums. Inappropriate or offensive language includes, but is not limited to, any language or content that is sexually oriented, sexually suggestive or abusive, harassing, defamatory, vulgar, obscene, profane, hateful, or that contains racially, ethnically or otherwise objectionable material of any kind. We ask that you please be considerate to other members in the forums when posting your messages.

Harassment

Any transmission that is deemed unlawful, harmful, threatening, abusive, harassing, defamatory, vulgar or profane will not be tolerated.

Private Messages

The Private Messaging system or (PMs) may not be used to harass any member..

Removing Users

We have an international community that fosters open, friendly sharing of ideas and that discourages abuse or rudeness. If anyone continues to step outside the protocol, the "three-strike" rule will be enforced.

Three-Strikes Guideline

Moderators strive to give members the benefit of 3 strikes. The first strike will be a warning, often sent by PM or email. The second strike will be a warning that one more incident will lead to account removal. The third strike is account removal. Please know, this is a guideline only. Spam and other behaviours deemed particularly injurious to the community will often lead to immediate removal without notice.


USER AGREEMENT

Please read this page carefully. These are the rules that govern our community and help make Encaustic-International a place where everyone is treated with respect and friendship.

To ensure the community retains its friendly atmosphere and to prevent problems, it is necessary to have rules that govern the site. These rules apply to all members of the site.

Please read these terms carefully. These rules are meant to ensure a community that is considerate and respectful to members.

Rule Summary

Registration to this site is free! We do insist that you abide by the rules and policies summarized here and detailed below. By using the site, you agree to these terms.

  • We will not tolerate personal attacks or inflammatory posts. PLEASE IGNORE POSTS OR THREADS THAT ENGAGE IN PERSONAL ATTACK. The best solution is to report them *privately* to the site administrator or a moderator.
  • We do not allow posting of pornographic art. The Encaustic-International Admin. team will be the sole arbiter of what does and what does not constitute pornographic art.
  • Postings that infringe the copyrights or trademarks of others, are defamatory or disparaging of others, or that are otherwise unlawful, are not permitted.
  • Each member is allowed one login account. Registering with multiple accounts is not allowed. If discovered, the user will be banned immediately and for a pre-determined amount of time.
  • We reserve the right, in our sole discretion, to remove posts and to close threads without notice.
  • We have the right, in our sole discretion, to terminate the user account of anyone who violates the User Agreement or whose use of, or behaviors in connection with, the site we deem to be unacceptable. We have tried to create a fair set of rules and very much dislike having to remove members; however, we will do so to protect the community and the atmosphere of the community.
  • While these rules cover most common situations, they cannot anticipate everything. Consequently we reserve the right to take any actions we deem appropriate to ensure these forums are not disrupted or abused in any way. We also have the right, in our sole discretion, to revise and update all of our policies, including this User Agreement from time to time, without prior notice.
  • You will receive a password and account designation upon completing the Service's registration process. You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of the password and account, and are fully responsible for all activities that occur under your password or account. You agree to (a) immediately notify Admin. of any unauthorized use of your password or account or any other breach of security, and (b) ensure that you exit from your account at the end of each session. We cannot and will not be liable for any loss or damage arising from your failure to comply with this Section.
  • Encaustic-International may, in their sole discretion remove or move any content that violates the User Agreement or in any way is otherwise objectionable to the well being of the entire community. Although we believe in freedom of expression, it is important to maintain a peaceful, cohesive community.
  • You are solely responsible for your interactions with other Encaustic International members. Encaustic International reserves the right, but has no obligation, to monitor disputes between you and other Members.
THE FORUM handles Registration, Login and Main User Profiles for all areas below
Encaustic Forum FAQ
Login problems?
* Check you are logged out on the Gallery & the FORUM.
* Close all browser windows.
* Login on the Forum then use link in top left of FORUM header to go to the Gallery
Read this if you have ... PROBLEMS POSTING ON THE FORUM?

ENCAUSTIC FORUM / GALLERY - REGISTRATION & LOGIN
1. go to either of the above sites & click on register which is in the top header bar somewhere
2. Now click on Register (on the right)
3. Read the rules, then check in the box by "I Agree"
4. Enter a username
6. Enter a Display name if you have that option and want others to see it instead of your user name
7. Enter your choice of password. Repeat the password entry to check and confirm.
8. Enter your email carefully please.
9. Click at the bottom on "Submit"
10. Wait until you see the screen that tells you you are now registered and active.
11. Remember your username and password because these are necessary for you to log on and off with.
NOTE: If you do not log off when you finish then you can usually just carry on without having to login the next time.
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PREPARING YOUR IMAGES
* You need to make the file size reasonably small otherwise it takes people viewing the images online too long to download.
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NOTE THIS: MAXIMUM FILE SIZE UPLOAD INTO THE GALLERY IS 250Kb
If you upload bigger images they will report as successful but will not be saved on the server!
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* Use some image software to prepare the images in a jpg format. ( FREE IMAGE SOFTWARE )
* Ideally resize the images but maintain the aspect ratio (shape of the image) to 600 pixels on the longest edge - if it is bigger then it will save 2 images and use up more than double the space (your space!)
* Save this image as a jpg file type with around 20% to 40% compression.
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ENCAUSTIC GALLERY - UPLOADING
1. go to www.encaustic-international.com/photopost/index.php & LOGIN
2. Click on "upload photos" on the upper right hand side of the screen somewhere.
3. Choose the category - usually Members Encaustic Artwork Galleries or perhaps the current Gallery Challenge folder
4. Click the "browse" button and find the file on your hard drive that you want to upload - a JPG format is best.
5. Choose YES or NO if you want to be informed by email when your image gets comments
6. Click on Upload/Submit
7. On the next screen

  • confirm the category
  • enter a title for your artwork
  • enter your description
  • enter keywords
  • size
  • wax type
  • tools used
  • CHOOSE a Comment Indicator from the drop down menu. By default the indicator is set at: gentle comments please

    You may select the Comment Indicator that best suits your upload - more on this below
    gentle comments please
    honest helpful comments please
    opinions & artistic criticism welcome

9. Click Process Files
So that's it - you should now be taken to the image running live on the internet server for the world to share in and comment upon - have fun and enjoy this encaustic art community.

SHARING - We are all sharing this space & everyone enjoys participating, so to avoid overloading the front page you are reqiested to make just 1 upload per day on the Gallery in any 24 hour period. The system is set to limit uploads . This way you get better exposure on the front page and share that space with the other participants - some of whom will be the ones looking and commenting on your work.

EDITING AND DELETING - just follow the prompts!
Go onto any image you have uploaded and click EDIT on the bar below the image.
ROTATE - click the appropriate flip or rotate button to apply this effect to your image
REPLACE - enter an new file name from your BROWSE window - this will REPLACE the existing image (upload over it)
CHANGE INFORMATION - title, description, size, etc
DELETE - will remove the image and all its accompanying information from your gallery space
Submit Changes - just makes it happen!
* Note: if you find you have used up all your space then you will need to delete an image in order to make space available for a new upload. The quick way to do this in one operation is to use the EDIT feature then simply REPLACE by choosing a new image in the Browse window and altering the image information to suit the newly chosen one. However, this will not show in the recent uploads (or does it?)
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MAKE THE MOST OF YOUR FREE GALLERY SPACE
Careful preparation of your image before upload will allow you to get more images into your Encaustic Gallery space. We currently give 5Mb for your use.

If your image is bigger than 600 pixels along either edge then the server will allow an upload (up to 250Kb in file size) but is then forced to generate a "middle sized image" to display when the normal thumbnail is clicked.

Example: upload an image bigger than 600 pixels along one or more edges. You will then see the image has 2 file sizes associated:
File size: 54kb, 163kb
The two files sizes indicate that the server now has 2 files stored. Your original 163Kb upload and the server made middle sized one at 54Kb. So this one image is taking up 217Kb when it could just be taking up the 54Kb if you were to upload the image with a maximum long edge of 600 pixels.You could get 30 images using the oversized method, but if you resize carefully before upload, then in the same space you can get closer to 100 images.
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Advice on Making Comments and Post under gallery images
You are able to comment on the work of others and interact through the posting options beneath every image on the gallery. Please consider carefully, the way in which these comments are made. Please avoid undermining the confidence of the poster. It is better to say nothing than to be too negative, dismissive or aggressively critical.

  • There is a "Comment Indication" shown as the final item in the "Additional Information" box under each uploaded image. This is chosen by the posting member during the upload and signals to you their idea about what comments they wish to receive for this image.
  • gentle comments please is the choice to signal to those who may see your image, then wish to comment on it, that you do not want harsh or opinionated criticism - it will tend to foster encouragement through the comments made, or be left uncommented by those with stronger personal opinions.
  • honest helpful comments please will be asking for exactly that. Encouragement and a stronger personal perspective by the commenter should be the response.
  • opinions & artistic criticism welcome is the open book. Comments can be totally personal, contain opinion and artistic feedback. Global etiquette here is to "go in peace but be real to one's self".

Guidance for considering images before making a critique ( thanks to Zaph for this ) original thread is here
Most artists who offer their work up for honest and helpful critiques want more than just statements such as “I like this” or “ I don’t like this.” Although those statements can be somewhat helpful, I doubt they will help the artist to grow or to improve on his/her work.

When giving a critique on a piece, I try to follow these guidelines:
Description: I describe what I see in the picture. How it affects me when I view it. This I separated into more levels.

Rhythm/Balance: A balanced artwork leaves the viewer feeling "visually comfortable". On the other hand, a work that is not balanced creates a sense of visual stress.

Proportion: How does each part of the painting relate to the rest.

Variety and Emphasis: Has the artist given a particular part of the painting more detail to create emphasis. Does he/she draw your eye to the most important part.

Harmony and Unity: Harmony" in music results in pleasing tones to the ears. "Harmony" in art results from a combination of related Elements of Art creating a pleasing work for the eye. "Unity" infers that the work of art is presented as a " whole". When a work of art has "Unity", the viewer sees the work as a whole, not in separate sections.

Not all artists want a complete detailed critique. When we do a critique though, we should consider the above points as a guideline.
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ADDING AN ICON TO YOUR POSTINGS - 80 x 80 pixels image - exact is best
NOTE: THIS PROCEDURE MAY BE DIFFERENT ON THE CURRENT FORUM - CHECK FAQ TO CLARIFY THIS.
First you need to go and edit your profile. This is on the forum, once logged in (same name & password as the gallery) click on My Home on the top index. Find the Main Configuration area then click on the edit links at the end to explore each set of variables.

Under the Personal Information one you should see a line that says:
URL to your picture (80x80 max pixels, may be smaller) (.gif, .jpg, .png accepted) or it might just say "URL of Picture"

This means that you have to have an image uploaded somewhere on the internet of yourself or the image you want that is 80 x 80 pixels in size. If you have a web site or upload to a web site then that is Ok. If you already have a similar image on another board or site then find it, right click and copy the shortcut, then paste that into the URL in the Personal Information area mentioned above.

Make sure the file name has NO SPACES or it will not work
example: my nice photo.jpg WILL NOT WORK but my_nice_photo.jpg or mynicephoto.jpg or my-nice-photo.jpg WILL WORK

Make sure it is not more than 80 pixels square. The real ideal image size is 80x80 pixels Check information here

All file names uploaded onto the server MUST NOT HAVE ANY SPACES IN THEM. When the server finds a space it thinks this is the end of the file information. So then it does not identify the file type or how to deal with it efficiently. The Windows system can deal with this, but the server uses a code system called UNIX and it is much more sensitive to these issues - it can also be thrown sometimes by UPPER and lower case differences.

Also in the URL input space in your profile you need to put the FULL URL
example: http://www.encaustic-international.com/photos/my_photo.jpg

FAQ on general membership operation in the gallery are here

PROBLEMS POSTING ON THE FORUM?
Many people run fire walls and anti virus software these days. Some can interfere with your ability to post onto the FORUM. If you see the following message you need to re-configure your system.

"We cannot proceed. The host you are trying to send the input from is not a valid host. Please use the back button to return to the previous page"

The issue arises because the user (you) is not submitting the REFERER http header. Usually this happens because you are using a firewall which is filtering out this header.
So you need to configure your firewall to allow submission of the REFERER header for specific sites i.e. in particular for the www.encaustic-international.com domain.