Yuletart 2013 is officially over! Apart from a few minor hiccups, things went smoothly this year and, most importantly, we got to see some really fantastic, fun art! Special thanks go out to our pinch hitters, you guys were life savers. We hope everyone had a great time, and we'll see you next year!

( Click for the master list. )

Confession time! Because there didn't seem to be much interest in the weekly challenges this year, when we got busy and forgot one, well… we didn't worry about it too much since stocking stuffers are always open. But we've had a request for weekly challenges, and we definitely want to make the exchange as accessible to everyone as possible, so we're bringing them back!

To make things as flexible and inspiring for everyone as possible, though, we're going to give you our list of all our challenge prompt ideas, and anyone can submit art for any fandom for any of the prompts throughout the month of December!

The Prompts

• Warm Drinks


• The Color of Winter


• Ugly Sweaters


• Still a Kid


• Lights in the Dark


• Winter Decor


• Cookies!


• Home for the Holidays


• Family Gathering


• DIY Decorations


• Gifts Gone Wrong and Right


• Surprises


• Holiday Travel

We hope you find something to inspire you! Submission instructions are here.

As you've probably seen, stocking stuffer claims are now open! Details are here.

Request!

In past years we've always gotten loads of art early, but wouldn't you know it, the one year we count on this, we've only gotten a few. If you're able to turn in your art before the deadline, please do! Thanks in advance!

Weekly Challenge #1: WARM DRINKS!

Each week during December, we'll post a special challenge "theme" on Sunday, and artists will have through the following Saturday to turn in art based on that theme. Here's the details:

• ANYONE CAN PARTICIPATE IN THE WEEKLY CHALLENGE! And when we say anyone, we mean anyone: If you wanted to participate in the main exchange this year but were unable to, here's your chance! Artists do not have to have signed up for the formal exchange to submit weekly challenge art. (Just make sure you're aware of our guidelines before submitting.)


• Art can be for ANY fandom.


• There is no limit for how many submissions you can make for the weekly challenge.


• If you're taking part in the main exchange, you must have already submitted art for your first assignment to participate in a weekly challenge.


• Submission instructions are here. (This is also linked on the community sidebar.)

Just a reminder that tomorrow (November 30) is the LAST DAY FOR ARTIST CHECK-INS! If you haven't checked in, please do so right away, or you risk losing your spot in the exchange! (We use the check-ins to determine where we might need pinch hitters for abandoned assignments.)

Other Important Dates:

DECEMBER 1: Stocking stuffers and weekly open prompts begin (Both are open to anyone, even if you are not in the formal exchange this year! Stocking stuffer claims will be casual, first-come, first serve and entirely optional.)

DECEMBER 4: Posting of gift art begins! (If you're able to get your art in early, please do!)

DECEMBER 8: First claims due.

DECEMBER 15: Second claims due.

All assignments for the formal 2013 Yuletart Exchange have been handed out! If you used a Dreamwidth journal to make claims, your assignment was provided in a reply to your claims comment. If you were anonymous, you have been sent an email. If you have not received your assignment or there is something wrong with the assignment you received, please let us know ASAP.

Make sure you reply to your assignment so that we know you received it!

We gave the few late folks a day's extension; if you missed that, you've unfortunately missed being part of the formal exchange this year. However, stocking stuffers and weekly prompts will be open to EVERYONE, so keep a weather eye out for those once December rolls around!

Looks like we're going to have another great exchange this year. Have fun and get creative! ♥

PROMPTS - The initial 2013 prompts post is now open, for those of you who want to get on a jump on making your lists of preferred claims!

CLAIMS - The claims post will open tomorrow afternoon/evening Eastern time.

SIGN-UPS - The sign-up post is still open, but will close on (or around) midnight Pacific time. (We might not get around to officially closing it until tomorrow morning, but don't count on having that extra time!)

It's almost time for prompts to open — And there is just over 24 hours left to sign up for Yuletart 2013! If you know someone who wants to sign up and hasn't, be sure to give them a nudge and pass on the word!

Want to get an idea of what kind of fandoms will be represented in our prompts list this year? (We know you do!) The initial fandom reference list is now up, and we've got an amazing variety coming at 'cha. Artists, make a note of your favorites for when prompts open on the 29th!

See you then!

CLOSED

Oops, we got started on this a bit later than we thought today. We extended the sign-ups an additional day to make up for it. Thanks for your patience!

BEFORE YOU SIGN UP, PLEASE MAKE SURE YOU'VE READ THE FAQ! This ensures that you understand precisely what Yuletart is about and what will be expected of you as a participant. Thank you!

IMPORTANT DATES

You can see the full schedule here.
October 15 - 28: Sign-Ups are open via screened comments to this post. All sign-up prompts will be compiled into a post for claiming. Artists will have their personal info removed from their prompts and will be assigned a number which others may then claim.
October 29 - November 4: Prompts claiming. (Also screened.)
November 8: The mods will hand out assignments by replying to comments in the claims post. (Anyone without a Dreamwidth account will have their assignment emailed.)

Please remember that by signing up for Yuletart, you're agreeing to complete at least one piece of art for someone else before the deadline, and that you will put thought and effort into your art.

How to Sign Up

When you sign up, you're submitting prompts for the art you'd like to receive. (In other words, art someone else will make for you!) You will later get the chance to claim the art you'd like to give.

1. Copy the form from the text box below and fill out all of the information.


• You may submit up to FIVE prompts. These prompts are listed on the form as A-E.


• Prompts should be listed in order of preference, with A being the prompt you want filled the most and E being the prompt you want filled the least.


• You do not have to submit all five prompts. Just bear in mind that you're more likely to have one of your prompts claimed if you offer a variety of options.


• Prompts may be from the same or different fandoms and may feature the same or different characters. Again, bear in mind that keeping your prompts diverse increases the likelihood of someone claiming one.


• The best prompts have strong, engaging ideas but aren't too confining in their details. It's better to say "I'd love this pairing in a steampunk setting" than "I want this pairing in a steampunk setting in London with green hats and buckled shoes as they chase after a purple people eater who has just killed the queen and is trying to escape back to its home planet using a jet umbrella."


• Please keep your prompts as brief as possible.


• "Highest Rating" is the highest rating of art you're comfortable with receiving for that particular prompt. Remember that Yuletart does not accept anything above an R ("Mature") rating, so please don't ask for anything explicit.


2. Paste the ENTIRE FORM into a comment to this post.


3. If you've pasted correctly, your prompts will be inside a scrolling text box in your comment. (This is to help the mods with all the copy/pasting.)

( Example )

<b>Your Name/Handle/Nickname:</b> <b>Your Email:</b> <b>Do you understand that by submitting this form, you are agreeing to complete and and submit your assigned art by midnight PST on your designated deadline?</b> <textarea rows="13" cols="31"> <b>A</b> <b>Fandom:</b> <b>Characters and/or Pairing:</b> <b>Highest Rating:</b> <b>Prompt:</b> <b>B</b> <b>Fandom:</b> <b>Characters and/or Pairing:</b> <b>Highest Rating:</b> <b>Prompt:</b> <b>C</b> <b>Fandom:</b> <b>Characters and/or Pairing:</b> <b>Highest Rating:</b> <b>Prompt:</b> <b>D</b> <b>Fandom:</b> <b>Characters and/or Pairing:</b> <b>Highest Rating:</b> <b>Prompt:</b> <b>E</b> <b>Fandom:</b> <b>Characters and/or Pairing:</b> <b>Highest Rating:</b> <b>Prompt:</b> </textarea>

Please note that unlike past years, we're not concerned with what you call a fandom. (For example, it's fine to simply say "My Chemical Romance" rather than "bandom.")

If you have any questions, please comment to the FAQ post, as we may miss it if you comment here!

Get creative and have fun,
Your Yuletart Mods

Hello again everyone,

What a fantastic exchange we've had! After having taken last year off and making such big changes in how the exchange is run, the mods weren't sure what sort of reception we'd have this year, but 2012 has turned out to be one of our very best, in no small part due to all of our amazing artists. Thank you to everyone who participated, whether it be via the main exchange, contributing stocking stuffers or weekly challenge pieces, or simply just being a cheerleader for our artists! Special mention goes to scoutassimilator, who contributed not only two pieces for the main exchange, but SIX stocking stuffers!

Now that the exchange has drawn to a close, we'd really appreciate your feedback on any or all of the following, as it will help us better plan the exchange in coming years:

• What did you think of the overall changes to how the exchange was run this year? (In particular, we'd like to know what you thought of the new sign-up and matching process.)


• What are your thoughts on the addition of stocking stuffers and/or weekly challenges?


• Would you be interested in taking part in a summer edition of the exchange in addition to the regular holiday session? (May-August)

Thank you again to everyone! Have a wonderful 2013 and we'll see you next fall!

Cheers,
Your Yuletart Mods (alchemy, glockgal and rural_juror)

THE FINAL WEEKLY CHALLENGE THEME:

NEW YEAR'S EVE

Because we want to encourage artists to make art as much as we can, this year we're going to try out a weekly challenge during the month of December. Each week during December, we'll post a special challenge "theme" on Sunday, and artists will have through the following Saturday to turn in art based on that theme. Here's the details:

• ANYONE CAN PARTICIPATE IN THE WEEKLY CHALLENGE! And when we say anyone, we mean anyone: If you wanted to participate in the main exchange this year but were unable to, here's your chance! Artists do not have to have signed up for the formal exchange to submit weekly challenge art. (Just make sure you're aware of our guidelines before submitting.)


• Art can be for ANY fandom.


• There is no limit for how many submissions you can make for the weekly challenge.


• If you're taking part in the main exchange, you must have already submitted art for your first assignment to participate in a weekly challenge.


• Submission instructions are here. (This is also linked on the community sidebar.)

STOCKING STUFFER CLAIMS CLOSE TONIGHT!

Get any last minute claims in over here. Stocking stuffer art is due by December 25th.