Breedings are OPEN(if you do the litter), Commissions are CLOSED Hi all,
We have two upcoming litters ready to post, and are currently open to reserve requests on the puppies. We are looking for active DARPG kennels, experience in the breeds a plus but not a necessity. If you need a refresher on our rules you may read the Breeding Rules link above, but essentially if you are interested just leave a comment and we and the other party from the breeding will select what kennels we feel would be the best homes. No fee is required. The two litters are:
- Doberman Pinscher litter - 3rd generation, primarily American working line, variety of colors. There are currently 3 pups available, 1 males and 2 females.
- American Pit Bull Terrier litter - 3rd generation, mix of show and working line, variety of colors. There are 3 pups available, one male and 2 females.
We are about 30% done with contest prizes and tackling the remainder now after unfortunately needing to take an unexpected and long hiatus due to various IRL happenings. These will be submitted in the upcoming few months along with some personal reference sheets and breedings. Ideally our queue will be clear by no later than end of spring, after which we would like to take on some commission work or public breedings in addition to work on showing our own animals. Your patience, as always, is greatly appreciated.
Thanks as always!
-Flash & Thunder
Shock Therapy News - May 2017
Breedings are OPEN(if you do the litter), Commissions are CLOSED Hey there everyone, long time no see. xD
We really want to apologize for our lack of activity over the past year or so. Late last year, life hit us like a mac truck. Apartments were moved, set ups were changed that made art difficult, Thunder in particular had a slew of family issues that included a heart transplant and about seven trips out to Ohio. It's been really crazy and finding any time to do any kind of work at all has been torturous and hard. Things still might be touch and go for a little while longer, there's more family stuff planned for the summer and there's whispers of new jobs on the horizon which always take time away from art. But with any luck, we'll be back to at least part of our regularly scheduled programming in August.
We're definitely trying to get those contest prizes to you guys. How has a year gone by so fast?! We've got a few in our stash and a bunch in our WIP folders on our computers so we'll try to bang those out soon, they are our number one priority definitely. But don't panic if you see some other stuff flying in. Our subscription is running out so we've got some adoptable sets in the works, they are easy and quick to make so we use them as warm up for some of the larger contest pieces. So don't panic if you see a few refs or some adoptables here and there, we really are focusing on the contest entries, they just require more time and effort and smaller, easier things will slip through the cracks.
Also policy update: we will no longer be accepting or using dogs colored on templates for our breeding requests. It's a huge problem in the American Bully breeding circuits, where people will color a template into fifteen different dogs and then never draw them. We are firm believers that the DARPG should be about furthering yourself as an artist, so we will only do dealings with people who actually draw their characters themselves. If you request a breeding with us using a dog on a template, we will ask for some proof that the dog has been drawn at least once by your hand. Or we will need proof that the template you used was of your own creation, that is acceptable as well. More on this will come with time and the breeding rules will be updated.
Let us know your thoughts! We love to hear from you guys and we've missed you all over the year we've been gone. What are you most interested to see more of from us? Horses? Cats? Adoptables? Litters? We aim to please so let us know what you want and we'll do what we can to get it to you! And as always, do not repost our artwork anywhere, on any site, or use our characters for role-playing/forums/etc.
Thanks as always!
-Flash & Thunder
Shock Therapy News - August 2016
Breedings are OPEN(if you do the litter), Commissions are CLOSED Hi all, just wanted to put out another update as summer pushes on. Hope everyone is doing well.
Contest Prizes - We've got a document in our stash listing everyone's names and what contest prize they won, and over the next few months we will be working on whittling it down. No set order, but if you won something, you will get it from us, ideally before December assuming everything goes to schedule. If you want to make any amends to your prize, note us and we can change it if it's not already underway.
Litters/Breedings - As always, these are open if you'd like to design the offspring/breeding picture. We won't do the breeding pic if you offer to do the offspring - the way we work with breedings, the person requesting the breeding is the one to do the picture. So please keep that in mind if you'd like to request one c: On a similar note, please keep any breeding pics G-rated - we know it's becoming more and more common to take the term "breeding pic" very literally, but we will not accept these kinds of images and will ask you to redo them. Both artists on this account work in art professionally and on the off-chance a colleague or employer can link us back to this account, we don't want it full of pictures of animals doin' the do. We ask that you please respect that.
Commissions - These are closed while we work on contest prizes, but we would like to re-open them at some point after our queue is clear. Commissions and breedings both tend to get filled up very quickly so it's always kind of a toss-up for us as to which one we'd rather focus on opening up - commissions have more direct benefit for us, but we like being able to create offspring and adopt them out as well. You're always welcome to check in and see if they're open, but don't expect them to be so anytime soon, unfortunately.
Linearts - We put out a poll a few months ago asking how people felt about pay-to-use lines. About 55% of responses said they would be willing to buy pay-to-use lines, with 25% saying they can't afford them, and 20% saying they don't use templates at all. So it does seem like a good majority of people would be in support of this. We've hesitated on making any linearts before mostly because we don't use them in our own art so have never really 'gotten' the desire. What we'd like to do is a sort of 'crowdfunding' project for lines - we would make a batch of 5 or 6 different breeds and then release them once certain donation amounts are met. That way we still receive benefits from releasing them, people can donate if they want to help purchase them, and people without access to points can still use them for free after unlocking. Again though, it will likely not start for a while yet.
Other projects - We are still working on a few canine genetic/design tutorials. We also have an ARPG idea that we'd both really like to work on, though it will be a lot of work to set up. Some recent real-life scenarios has also left us recently needing to divert more attention into our normal freelance work/dollar commissions, so we apologize for the slight dip in activity. Ideally this will even back out soon. And as always, do not repost our artwork anywhere, on any site, or use our characters for role-playing/forums/etc.
Thanks as always!
-Flash & Thunder
STS Show - STS Civil War! RESULTS!
First of all before we begin this journal, both Flash and Thunder want to give an enormous THANK YOU to everyone who participated! We had so much fun seeing everyone's entries and are very grateful for everyone who took the time to participate! Please believe me when I say that we would honestly love to give everyone who entered a prize, but unfortunately time is a thing and we have to stick with only our very top picks. That being said, let's get down to business!Winning Team:
Both teams stayed pretty well matched in numbers, but at the end one of them pulled through with a decisive victory! And that team is...
Team Evan also had a really strong showing, but unfortunately not quite enough entries to come out on top. But they also did wonderfully and we thank you so much for helping make the Blue Team so great!
Event Winners:
Now on to the individual winners! Both owners of this account took several hours to go through each entry and confer with each other on which ones we thought really showed the most effort and accuracy. Again, we really did love all the entries, so please don't feel slighted if you didn't place! However as it's just not possible for us to give every single person prizes, here are the ones that stood out to us:
Conformation:
1st place goes to... WagginKennelClub with , a truly beautiful entry! We loved the posing and expression of the dog, and the shading and rendering were really top notch!
Our two runners-up are... Nobody with and Nobody with ! We loved Nobody's entry with it's excellent posing and environment, and Nobody's drawing was beautifully rendered - look at that wooly coat and well-painted background!
We also have two Honorable Mentions to give out, to Nobody with and Nobody with , two really clean and well-drawn images with excellent attention to detail!
Conformation was by far our biggest category and the competetion was pretty tough, so thank you to everyone who participated! Please feel free to use these images for progress towards your titles as well.
Weight pull:
1st place goes to... Nobody with , a very well-drawn image with lovely posing and rendering, that really captures the heart and effort required for this sport!
Our two runners up are... Nobody with and Nobody with . These entries are also great examples of the weight pull sport, with really exceptional posing and shading. Nobody shows a dog really putting it's weight into the sport, and Nobody had a great pose and background.
And our Honorable Mention for this category goes to Nobody with , a very clean and well-drawn image of a dog really putting it's heart into their work.
Weight Pull was our smallest category, but that doesn't mean it lacked in quality! All the entries were fantastic, with some unique breeds and excellent poses. Again, feel free to use these as title images.
Schutzhund:
1st place goes to... Nobody with ! The main image here shows excellent posing and motion, with clean shading and a very well-drawn bite target and environment.
And our runners-up for this category are... Nobody with , and Nobody with ! Both these images have excellent environments, great posing, and accurate drawings and shading, and do very well at showing two different stages of the sport. Nobody's entry shows excellent motion and shading, and Nobody has a beautiful environment and lighting along with their dog.
Our Honorable Mention for this category goes to Nobody with , with a really fun and dynamic pose and very cleanly rendered shading and background.
We had some truly great entries in Schuzthund and people did a great job of creativity with their poses and which part of the sport they chose to illustrate. Again, feel free to use these as title images.
Costume Contest:
This category had undoubtedly the most adorable entries to ever be made, and we loved seeing the creativity that flowed out! We hope you had as much fun making your entries as we did seeing them!
Our Honorable Mentions go to Nobody with - so excited to see these guys in Civil War costumes, great idea and execution! And also one to Nobody with - so many dogs in costumes, and all so wonderfully drawn!
Prize Lists:
First place winners are awarded a free litter/foal design - either with two of our animals, one of yours and one of ours, or two animals owned by you or someone else. Just let us know what you'd like and we are happy to make one for you (the breeding picture and points fee is waived, of course).
In addition to the breeding slot, you may also choose between a sport picture, a reference sheet, or a set of 5 custom designs. The sport picture will be full-body and shaded with no background, similar to this image, and can be used for titling or just an illustration. The reference sheet will be in the style of our 2013-and-on references, with a full-body, a smaller full-body inset, and a headshot (background/text/palette not included); see here, here, or here for examples. They may be for any character, not just ARPG ones (animals/anthros only). The design set will be 5 designs made for your personal use, of any animal you'd like (we have a list of existing lines here if you need inspiration, or we can make a custom one if the animal/breed you want isn't listed); see examples here, here, or here.
Runner-Up winners may choose from either a litter design or any of the three art options listed above.
Honorable Mention winners may receive a free bust sketch of any character of their choosing (animal/anthro only).
Friendly Reminder:
It was brought to our attention recently that after our last contest in 2012, some of the winning contestants were being talked about negatively behind their back - people making insults or rude remarks because someone else placed and they didn't. This is in no way, shape, or form acceptable. If we find someone doing this - talking negatively about the winners or their entries in a public forum - you will be blocked from our account and banned from ever participating or adopting from us ever again, no questions asked. We were appalled that this happened last time and do not intend to let it happen again. We understand it can be sad or frustrating if you didn't place - don't take it out on the people who did. If you're going to get mad at anyone, get mad at us. But this is a Role-Playing Game - there is absolutely no need to be rude and hurtful over dog drawings.Anyway!:
Thanks so much again for entering, everyone! This was so fun to host and we got so many amazing entries. Thank you all for your enthusiasm and participation, and most of all for your support to us - we wouldn't be still making art here if we didn't have people watching! Have a great summer!
STS Show - STS Civil War! CLOSED
STS CIVIL WAR SHOW:
EVENTS-
Conformation (all breeds aside from mixes allowed)Weight Pull (all dogs allowed)Schutzhund (all dogs allowed - entrants may choose to illustrate any part of the Schutzhund process, including tracking, obedience, or protection)Costume Contest (all dogs allowed)
SETTING-
Conformation is outside in a spare pasture. The grass is green and mowed short, mixed with flowering clovers and dandelions. The ring is surrounded by a white wooden fence, 4 feet high with panels in an X-shape, hung with bouquets of cosmos and daisies. There is a treeline off in the distance of a rich deciduous forest, with rolling hills beyond. It’s a beautiful late spring day, with bright sunlight and only a few wisps of cloud in the blue sky. Drawings should be full body with color and some background, shading not required but will add to your score.
Fence Examples
Area Example
Cosmos Flowers
Weight pull takes place adjacent to the conformation ring, on a broad dirt-and-gravel road that leads into the stables. Behind them is a large weathered stable and paddocks. The road is set up with a blue and black carpet for the dogs traction. The sledge is weighted appropriate to each dog. Well-fitting weight pull harnesses are required to be worn. Drawings should be full body with color and some background, shading not required but will add to your score.
Stable appearance (in better weather, of course)
Dirt Road
Carpet and Sled
Pulling Harness Examples
Schutzhund takes place a bit farther away, in a large empty field with grass a bit taller (6-8 inches or so) and no fencing. The treeline and a large hill are off in the background, and the weather is just as sunny as for the show ring. The tracking and obedience takes place closer to the woods, while the protection is more centered in the field to allow more space. The bite targets are wearing padded sleeves for the dogs to grab. Drawings should be full body with color and some background, shading not required but will add to your score.
Nearby forest edge
Field Example
Target Example
Costume Entries have no specific setting, and no shading/background is required (though you can add one if desired). Unlimited costume entries per person/dog are allowed, multiple dogs in one image is fine. Any type of costume - superhero, fantasy, ghost, etc - is allowed. As above, these should be full-body drawings with color.
JUDGING AND RULES-
Judging is based off of effort - in order, we are looking for: breed/character drawn to standard, general anatomy accuracy, and setting accuracy, and bonuses for shading/complexity. There are no hard and fast number values, but in general we are looking for dogs drawn to standard and with effort. Bonus images, written stories, STS cameos, and handlers will not contribute a significant amount to your score, though they are of course always welcome and appreciated.
One dog per entry, though one entry can have multiple drawings if desired (again this will not necessarily earn extra points).
Artists may enter as many different images/dogs as they would like, but only may place with one of them per category (ex: you can win either first place or runner-up in a category, but not both)
Traced images, re-colors, re-used linearts or templates, and photo backgrounds are immediate disqualifications. Everything in your entry must be original and created by you - even if you draw it for the show, we will not allow the same lineart recolored multiple times. We are familiar with how to tell if an image is traced/manipulated!
The drawing must be your own work. You may rent out a dog to use if you wish, but you cannot have someone draw your entry for you.User-created breeds are allowed, as long as the species is realistic (ie no magic, wings, horns, neon colors, etc). They will be judged against their breed standard, so please link to the breed's standard sheet.
Dogs must not be shown behaving inappropriately - no snarling/lunging at other dogs or aggressiveness allowed.
Entrants must participate in the DARPG with either a kennel of their own or one they co-own. Non-DARPG OCs are not allowed.1st-place winners award a bonus 10 points to their team, runners-up provide 5 points, and all conformation/Schutzhund/weight pull entries provide 2 points.
All costume entries award an automatic 1 point per dog to their respective team. (Multiple dogs in a picture will add 1 point per dog, but again the full body should be visible.)
PRIZES-
Each event has 3 prizes given out. 1st place, and 2 runners-up. 1st place receives either one free reference sheet OR a shaded sport picture OR a set of 5 designs of any breed, AND one breeding slot (any kennel’s dogs). Runners up may choose from either one of the art options OR the breeding slot.
Honorable mentions (sketches) may be given to any entry that we feel displays exceptional effort or creativity. There are no limitations on amounts or per which category. Honorable mentions receive a bust sketch of the animal of their choosing.
The Costume Contest will not be judged and will not have prizes awarded - it is strictly for fun and to add points to your team 
However, outstanding entries will be eligible for an honorable mention!
Members of the winning team get a banner graphic they can display on their page (and bragging rights of course)
THE TEAM SYSTEM-
There are two teams - Team Uno and Team Evan, represented by the colors red and blue respectively. Entering dogs are encouraged to sport a red or blue collar, handkerchief, or other token showing their team, but it is not required. Each kennel may choose which team they’d like to participate on, or if they do not have a preference they will be sorted by STS. If teams become too unbalanced, we will hand-sort all teams to ensure balance. Any costume entries and winning event entries will earn points that will go towards their team. At the end of the contest, all points will be tallied. The winning team will receive an exclusive banner graphic and bragging rights.
TO ENTER-
Maltes-Kennels, AgentSpicy-BBEFUBARThomasBlack1, WagginKennelClubSunnyAcreFarms, BinaryGlitchKennelsm18smiths, ShiaWolfe, RoseWoodEstate, Haagen-DaagenVotheiaAgapi, olivionary, DojaMedisinstockcoatPlease CLICK HERE to see the entries!*)