Smeargle's Studio Update
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Introduction
A while has passed since the last Smeargle's Studio update, but luckily, we're back for one more look at Smogon's artistic community. Spring has arrived at last, and this article will showcase and recount some of the changes that have happened since the start of the new year, as well as a few artist featurettes.
End of the MAC
In 2010, a resident artist named Bucky initiated the Monthly Art Contest, or MAC for short, as a simple and fun activity that the community's artists could partake in. Each round of the MAC had its own theme, and all entries for that round had to obey the given theme, with past themes including various seasons, contrast, realistic Pokémon, and even the Studio itself. Despite its humble origins, the MAC expanded and eventually became a beloved and long-standing forum tradition, spanning four years and well over two dozen individual rounds. Sadly, nothing lasts forever, and the MAC has now reached a conclusion after 32 rounds of competition. Nevertheless, it will live on in the memories of many of the Studio's veterans. To view some of the results from past rounds of the MAC, you can browse previous versions of the Smeargle's Studio update or delve into the Studio archives.
Smeargle's Laptop
Days after the start of the new year, the head Studio mods unveiled a brand-new subforum within the Studio, titled Smeargle's Laptop. This subforum is meant to serve as a collective home for all non-original artwork, such as banners and other, similar graphics, as well as non-scratch spriting work, allowing greater freedom for those who want to share their creations. Visit the subforum here!
Secret Santa 2014
As mentioned in the last Smeargle's Studio update, the fifth annual Secret Santa took off in November and ended with a blast. About 40 participants had signed up, an impressive number and more than ever in the history of Secret Santa. Unfortunately, many of these users were new accounts that ended up being "flakes" and never showed up again to submit artwork, leaving the host, Santa elcheeso, in a tough spot. In order not to disappoint any hopeful recipients, Santa elcheeso enlisted the help of a ragtag group of helper elves who took on the extra work of completing unfulfilled requests. The plan was a success, and in the end, everybody received a gift, with the exception of one anonymous flake. Even Santa elcheeso himself wasn't left out, for at the last minute, a lovely elf named Nerina doodled a holiday-themed Drifloon just for him! You can see some of the results from the round below, while the full thread is located here.
Artist Spotlight: brightobject
Formerly known as hiddenpowerice, brightobject is a flexible artist who excels at both traditional and digital artwork, as shown in his many images created for the site. Through his artwork, he exhibits an innovative approach to color and lighting, as well as a knack for creative design. To date, brightobject has made a large number of contributions to different departments in the community, including the "Pokémon of the Week" series on Smogon's Facebook page, as well as to both The Smog and The Player, having made cover images for both. You can take a look at brightobject's art thread here.
Artist Spotlight: Nerina
Nerina is an up-and-coming artist who's supplied a plethora of illustrations to some of The Smog's recent issues. More than anything else, Nerina is highly proficient in traditional artwork, including a range of mediums such as acrylic, oil, pencil, and watercolor, and among her non-Pokémon works are vivid, stunning landscapes and pointed architectural pieces. As well, Nerina has already begun to dabble in the realm of digital artwork, producing impressive works such as the smoothly rendered Mega Rayquaza composition that became the cover of issue #39 of The Smog, which fittingly mirrored the introduction of Anything Goes. Head over to Nerina's art thread to view her gallery.
Artist Spotlight: MiniArchitect
The work of MiniArchitect has a signature sharp and polished style, thanks to the artist's expertise in the use of vector software to produce images. Likewise, MiniArchitect's works include a variety of logos for the community, including one in particular for the Smogon Classic tournament. Other works of his include various compositions for The Smog and The Player, as well as the Facebook "Pokémon of the Week" series, adding a bit of creativity to Smogon's social media scene. Check out MiniArchitect's full gallery at his art thread here.
Conclusion
The end of the MAC also means it's unlikely there'll be another Smeargle's Studio update for a long time, as the main purpose of these articles was originally to review the winning entries from each round of competition. As a result, we hope you enjoyed this last update and all of the artwork herein!
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