Coloring Guide
Colorist Threads
Colorists must run a colorist thread if they wish to take work on (this does not include guest colorists). Accept work from this thread and keep in mind the restrictions pertaining to your role. Work should be finished within 60 days and dropped in-thread using the correct mule. Payment can only be accepted once the work is done, to prevent any issues occurring if a refund is necessary.
You may have your own rules in what you will and won't accept. You may not offer slots that allow for mockbreedings, redos of another active colorists work, Gods/Demi Gods/ Enlightened characters, and breed hybrids. You may offer breedings, customs, free slots, Guardians, trinkets, and accessories.
What are Guardians?
In most shops these are called Familiars. In this case, we call them 'Guardians.' They are small companion creatures to the kitsusagi. Often they are hybrids or elemental versions of real animals. They can help kitsu in combat, social situations, or mental exercises. You may come up with new guardians but they must be pitched to and approved by Seimei or Manda.
Conversions from Legacy Lines
Community Members may submit their kitsu on legacy lines to be transferred on to the new lines in your customs. It is not required of them to do so. They may still use the kitsu on old lines in the shop. If the colorist is still with us, the kitsu must be given to that original colorist for conversion.
Some of the colorists, however, have left us. If a community member has submitted a kitsu to be converted by a past colorist you may go right ahead and convert!
If they are trying to convert a species that hasn't been rediscovered, they must either wait or they may choose to convert it to an available species. However, once converted, they may not convert it again.
Members may not ask for additional edits, although they can ask for less. They may request either the appropriate new base or the upright base. All Kitsu will be adults. Customers may not request changes to the characters markings or colors. They may allow you to have artistic freedom to alter some of the design, but it is up to THEM to decide.
Breeds, Variants, Hybrids, and Mutants
Breeds are lines that come with their own lore.
Variants are templated alternates of those racial lines such as the different horn styles that are available to nightmares
Hybrids combine the breedlines of two different Kitsu.
Mutants are untemplated changes to the body of the kitsu such as cat tails instead of fox. Changing the pose of the legs/wings. Giving kitsu's Butterfly wings. ect.
We do not do hybrids of breeds unless for very special occasions. This is because every breed has their own powers and balance in the world. If we start mixing willy-nilly we might end up with characters that overpower those who are supposed to be strong; i.e enlightened/gods/demi-gods. Hybrids can be RLC'd, but for a steep price. It physically alters their capabilities and place in the world.
Mutated breedings allow for the rules to get muddled. Mutants are off the wall children that really just allow for anything. We'll host these kind of breedings in specific events. For example, a kid with fourteen eyes on them, spider legs, a cat tail, and a nightmare breed is a mutant. Their certs will be marked as such.
Coloring Do's and Don'ts
We have a few rules on how to color. Once you get the hang of it you won't need this list anymore! Things may be added and removed as the shop grows, but there will always be a note and the kitsu made before a new rule will be permitted to remain as is.
Do's
- Color the lines! You can choose how this is done; you can color the body one solid color or color it per marking. Make sure the lines are easy to distinguish from the body. This means avoiding pure black on the body. Eyes and mouth lines can stay black, as that's a stylistic choice we accept and fits well with the style we are going for.
- Add details to the eyes and orbs. Make them sparkle! Make them pretty!
- Add minimalist highlighting to accentuate shine, hair, metals, and other related materials.
- Color the Shading! I typically use the same color as the lines for this.(Shading should already be set to 50% opacity.)
- Resize according to the chart.
- Extend the canvas to fit edits. It may make certing a little harder, but that's fine.
- In a breeding, unless a special event is going on, stick to the colors and patterns available on the parents.
- Hair and fur colors are considered separate. Eye colors must match parents.
- Collaborate with another artist.
- Template any edits on a premade/event Kitsu. Customs and breeding specific hairs must require permission from the customer.
- Make new templates. Approach Seimei or Manda with sketches first to ensure they fit.
- Get your finished work approved!
- Cut the canvas to fit the kitsu when it's done.
- Stream! Ask before streaming event kitsuasagi in case we're keeping it super secret. Chances are, we won't. We like revealing hints.
Do Not's
- Leave the lines black entirely.
- Color the lines an obnoxious, non-fitting color.
- Drop a kitsu without getting it approved.
- Color an god/demi-god/enlightened character or Hybrid without permission.
- God/demi-god/enlightened's and Hybrids will have unique custom slots and chances.
- Release new templates without approval.
- Forget to resize.
- Leave a surplus of empty space.
- Stream super secret events before they're approved.
Edits:
Normal kitsu do not typically have non-templated edits. Normal kitsu can have variants of their breed, but those edits are already templated and available for general use. If a Kitsu has unique body edits not found on a template, most likely it's a mutant.
You may add glow to eyes and parts of the body, make unique pupils to eyes, add accessories, make elaborate hair, add little creatures to the kitsu (bees, spiders, little cats, etc.)
RLC
All full time and part time colorists will be able to take on RLC. However, there are limits to how much you can take and how long you have to complete it. You also must have all other work and quotas completed.
Full time may take RLC monthly. Part time may take RLC every 3 months.
- You can take only one RLC at a time if doing full customs.
- You may do Semi-Custom sheets with up to 5 kitsu on it. Lines must be completed and approved before releasing the sheet.
- Fully colored kitsu must still be submitted for approval.
- You may do blind box kitsu, up to 5 a sheet. These must be fully lined, colored and approved before selling.
- RLC must be handled via official Kitsu email.
To help with the cost of the server.
10% of the monthly RLC taken must be given to the shop. RLC payments will be sent to the Kitsu Paypal and, once the item is completed, payment will be sent to colorist.
This is also to help facilitate refunds.
Streams
You may always stream. You do not need permission to stream unless you're showing event-specific kitsu.
Growths
When growing a character please keep in mind the growing lengths. For easy reference, here's the lengths (they'll also be on the front page):
- Orbs last a week
- Kits last two weeks
Cropping and Resizing
You must resize your creations! No if ands or buts. The list goes as;
- 60% for Neutral Adults
- 50% for Adults
- 40% for Kits
- 25% for Orb lines
If an edit drastically changes the resize value, resize to fit the lines they fit. As in, if a giant edit makes a kitsu resize way too small at the normal value, grab a regular file, resize that, and compare the two until the edited one fits.
Crop the white space from around the kitsu so that its as small as possible.
Ensure the Kitsu has a transparent background. You will be asked to re-upload if it doesn't.
