Welcome to the new HEE Artist's Rumble Rules and FAQ thread. This is where you will find all you wish to know about

"The Rumble"

and how it is run.

Let's get started with some basics:

HEE’s Artist Rumble

And while it might seem complicated and out of reach the Rumble is quite simple and open to everyone, even brand new artists! Let's first discuss the art tier system to make sure everyone is on the same page. The tiers help artists be grouped by similar skill levels.

Tier 1: The Masters/Experts (Best Artists)

• Description: These artists have a profound understanding of all art fundamentals (composition, color theory, perspective, anatomy, lighting, etc.) and apply them with consistent mastery. Their work is highly original, often pushing creative boundaries, and demonstrates a unique voice and sophisticated problem-solving. They are capable of executing complex ideas flawlessly across various mediums and styles. Their art is consistently high-quality, impactful, and often sought after professionally.

Tier 2: The Proficient/Advanced (Highly Skilled)

• Description: Tier 2 artists have a very solid grasp of art fundamentals and can execute them effectively. Their work is generally strong, showing a good understanding of composition, color, and form. They can produce professional-looking pieces consistently, but might occasionally have minor inconsistencies or areas where their understanding isn't quite as deep as a Tier 1 artist. They are often developing a stronger personal style and are capable of tackling challenging subjects, though they might still rely on reference more heavily or take longer to achieve desired results than a Tier 1 artist. They are often capable of professional-level work for many applications.

Tier 3: The Competent/Developing (Skilled with Room to Grow)

• Description: Tier 3 artists have a foundational understanding of art fundamentals and can apply them with varying degrees of success. They can create recognizable and aesthetically pleasing art, but their work might show more frequent inconsistencies in areas like perspective, anatomy, or lighting. They are actively learning and improving, often focusing on specific fundamentals to strengthen their skills. They may still be exploring their style and experimenting with different techniques. While they can produce good pieces, they might struggle with complex compositions or advanced techniques and often benefit from consistent practice and feedback.

Tier 4: The Emerging/Beginner (Less Skilled)

• Description: Tier 4 artists are just beginning their artistic journey or are still developing a basic understanding of fundamentals. Their work may exhibit significant inconsistencies in proportion, perspective, color harmony, or overall execution. They are often focused on learning basic techniques and concepts, and their pieces might appear primitive or inconsistent in quality as they practice and experiment. They are enthusiastic and eager to learn, but their skills are still very much in the foundational stages.

The Rumble team takes everyone who enters from each tier and sets them up in a 1v1 bracket. There is a series of rounds as artists do their best to work their way up (through the brackets and become the winner of their tier! And that's where our non-artist friends come in, you guys vote on every round to pick your favorite art pieces and choose who advances.

You might be asking what the challenge is, saying that seems pretty easy! Well, each round every pair is given a set of stock images. One horse stock and one background stock. Artists must combine the two images through photo manipulation, digital painting (as long as the images are recognizable) or other approved art technique! Each round also has a theme, something like mythology or elements, the art piece must fit within your assigned theme. It's up to the artist and their creativity to make their artwork stand out from their opponents and win the vote.

The twist? The whole contest is anonymous. Every contestant is given something the Rumble team has come to affectionately call a SSCN (Super Secret Code Name). This is how the artist signs all their artwork and how they are listed during the voting. The code names makes it more fun and helps remove the bias! The voters are choosing based on the art not the artist.

The Rules and Prizes

Here are the Rumble we have two big rules!

1. SUPER SECRET Code Name. Do not reveal you or another player's identity, sometimes art style might give it away and that's okay but please keep your guesses to yourself. This also goes for voter's, the Rumble team doesn't want to see anyone discussing possible identities. This contest is fun because it's anonymous, don't ruin the fun for everyone else.

2. The stock images each artist pair must be easily identifiable. We don't want to have to hunt for the tiny piece of background you incorporated in your image, and you don't want to have to redo it. We are all for creativity and uniqueness, but please utilize the stock we assign you and make sure it's recognizable. No AI generated images are allowed period!

3. Have fun!!

Other things to remember

1. Please don’t share any screenshots or WIP’s in chat or anywhere else of your art piece as that could give your identity away.

2. All art must be properly credited and signed (with code name of course).

3. Art pieces must be no larger than 2000 x 2000. Smaller is fine.

4. We ask that all artists refrain from both revealing their identity and selling their competition pieces before the whole Rumble has ended. Violators will forfeit any prize money earned.

5. All prize monies will be paid out to competitors at the completion of the Artist’s Rumble.

Prize Money

THE RUMBLE TEAM

(The people behind the scenes)

Who to contact if you have questions or issues

Sporting Chance Farm (SCF) - 266600

HMH Reality Check (Reality) - 278107

Mossy Lane Stables (Mossy) - 325753

HRS - 275252

Coldwater Meadows - 28845

The Play

PRELIMINARY ROUND - (unlimited number of contestants)

This is a warm up round to get our seasoned artists back into the swing of things and for our newbies to get a feel for what to expect in the upcoming rounds. This is a great place to work out the kinks and ask questions before we get too deep into competition. All of the artists will be told the Theme of the preliminary round and everyone will receive the exact same stock to work

with. This is a casual round and the artists may or may not sign their completed when submitting their entry (The Rumble Team will know who you are). The art pieces will be put up for voting and the winners will receive their SSCN (Super Secret Code Name) to use in the rest of the competition. (This is your only “Whole Tier Competiton” voting round). If we have a surplus of entries, the top 16 from each tier will move on to Round One.

ROUND ONE - Top 16 matched in pairs (1 vs 1)

This is your first round of 16 artists, skillfully showing us their talents to the best of their ability.

Round One will have a General Theme with each of the four tiers having their own Sub Theme.

All 8 pairs of each tier will have their own specific set of stock to use. All contestants are reminded to turn something in (NO MATTER IF IT IS FINISHED OR NOT). You will have 5 days for your creation and two days for voting . This is where you will start crediting with your SSCN and make sure that any additional stock you may use is properly credited. All credits should be in Arial font and be legible. The winners of this Round will move on to Round 2.

ROUND TWO - Top 8 winners from Round One matched in pairs (1 vs 1)

This is the second round of 8 artists, who now should have an idea of what they are up against. Round Two also has a General Theme with each of the four tiers having their own Sub Theme. All 4 pairs of each tier will have their own specific set of stock to use. There may be a general increase in difficulty. Start flexing your artistic muscles and show us you are up for the challenge. Again, same as before, credit using your SSCN and please turn SOMETHING in. You will have 5 days for creation and two days for voting. The winners of this Round will move on to Round 3 (Semi Finals).

ROUND THREE (Semi- Finals) - Top 4 winners from Round Two matched in pairs (1 vs 1)

This is the semi final round of 4 artists, who have fought tooth and nail and pen and pad to show us that they have earned their positions in this competition. We know now that there is a General Theme with each of the four tiers having their own sub theme (there may be twists added here). The complexity of the competition has heightened and we are all awaiting the stunning work to be submitted. Credit, complete, repeat. Still 5 days for creation and two for voting. The rockstars of this round move on to the Finals Round Four!

ROUND FOUR (The Finals) - Top 2 winners from Round Three (1 vs 1)

This is the Final Round of 2 artists, who have exemplified their skills and showed us how they have mastered their creative skills. They have accepted every challenge we have given them to this point and have reassured us that we have voted wisely to bring them this far. This round will have a General Theme with each of the four tiers having their own sub theme (yet possibly another twist could be added here). We are going to push your limits as far as we can. Only 1 competitor from each Tier will be able to claim the title of 2025 Rumble Artist of the Year! Is it you??

All prizes/prize money will be distributed once the winners are announced.