Guide to Sparkle dogs [WIP, but posting's fine]

[~Razzle~]

Sparkle dogs
What they are and how to avoid making them

I've seen a lot of arguing on what sparkle dogs are, and a lot of people are being yelled at for making a sparkle dog, when really, it's not one of those creatures. Hopfully, this guide will help show you...

- What sparkle dogs are
- What you should do when you encounter one
- How to avoid making them
- How to make a sparkle dog not a sparkle dog

This guide is a work in progress, but I have enough information
down and enough reserved posts that you can post now. :3

[~Razzle~]

Sparkle dogs
What they are and how to avoid making them

Well, you're still here, so I'm assuming you're still with me.
Great! This section will be all about what sparkle dogs are.

Sparkle dogs are any animal with bright, neon colors that hurt the eyes. You see that hurting the eyes part? Not every animal with bright colors is a sparkle dog. This is one of the biggest mistakes I've run into. I have here an examples of a sparkle dog, and a brightly colored animal.

Lines by randomzness. Art/coloring by me.

Ow. My eyes. They burn! D:
Now, let me point out a few things.
- The base color
That green is a bright neon green. Now, just that color isn't bothering me. It's how it was used. It's used in large amounts, and doesn't look good with the other colors.
- Other colors
Look at the wings and the paws. Again, it's not that color that makes it the sparkle dog. It's how it was used, and the shade, and what it's next to. Honestly, that hot pink next to neon green of that shade? Doesn't look good.
- Markings
Ugh. There are checkers on the wings, stripes on the hair that make my head hurt, pink spots on the left back leg, and that weird chalk on the tail. Again again, it's not those markings that makes it the sparkle dog. It's how they were used. Even without the markings, it would still be a sparkle dog. To some people, the markings make it better, to some it makes it worse.




Lines/Coloring by randomzness. Character belongs to me.



Oh, so much better! <3
- The base color
Look at that orange! It's a nice and pretty shade, bright, but doesn't stress the eyes. It also looks nice next to the other colors.
- Other colors
Along the dolphin's back. A nice green, in little swirls. Again, it's bright, but pleasant. Nearer to the tail, the green fades into a nice blue.
- Markings
Not all over the place, the markings are a nice unnatural addition. Makes it different, something that can't really be copied. The markings refuse to color the whole body, but are placed so it's not taking up to little or to much space. Up on the top fin, is a string with beads and a feather; A nice addition, that again makes it different.



You see the difference? Honestly, which is better, the top dog or the bottom dolphin? The dolphin, of course. Why? Because it's not a sparkle dog. Bright, unnatural colors, but it's peaceful to the eyes. The dog, however, strains the eyes far, far to much. That top one, is a sparkle dog. Now, here's a little test.



Is this a sparkle dog? Post and tell me what you think, and why.

Lines by randomzness. Art/coloring by me.

[~Razzle~]

Sparkle dogs
What they are and how to avoid making them

Fantastic, you survived the pain of a sparkle dog!
This part will show you what to do when you find one.

Alright, I've seen far to many fights between passerby and artist, concerning sparkle dogs. Here is an example of a (Mature) conversation.

Oh my gosh, this is horrible and a sparkle dog! You should remove it right now!

I'm not breaking any site rules by being artistic and drawing what I want.

You have to, it's in the site rules, and if you don't I'll report you!

Now, hold up. Show me the rule that says "No sparkle dogs". There is no rule against sparkle dogs! Sparkle dogs are only animals that strain the eyes when you look at them, and they are highly frowned upon - not rule breaking monsters.

There is no rule saying that I can not draw "Sparkle dogs" that I am aware of. If there is, can I see it?

You didn't take down the drawing! I'll give you one more day, then I'll report you to Tessa!

Wow. Just, wow. This person seems to want to start a war. First, they didn't answer the artist's question, that only shows that they probably don't know what they're talking about. Next, you don't just report somebody to Tess, you report it to the staff.

I do not need to take down this art, it's not breaking any rules. Please leave me alone.

Thank god!
At this point, some other members stepped in, taking the side of the passerby. Tsk tsk!
I don't exactly know what happened after all this, but I wouldn't be surprised if the artist had grounds to report them for harassment.

That was a mature argument. This part of the guide will show you two things; What you, the passerby, should do if you see one, and/or what you, the artist, should do if you accidentally made one and got the same reaction as the conversation above.

Part one - What you should do as a passerby

Ok, I'm probably shooting myself in the foot for saying this, but, if possible, don't do anything! If you ignore it, the thread will eventually make its way to the back; Page 78 or something at least.
But, if you must say something, this is what you can say.


Hey, I noticed your art, and the coloring job is really good, but the actual colors really hurt my eyes. I'm not saying you should edit it or anything, but for next time, do you think you can make it more pleasant to look at? XD


See? Polite, not threatening, and no grounds to start a war.


Woah, those lines are... Fantastic. One thing I'd say though, is the colors really hurt my eyes. Do you think next time you can tone down the neon-ness?


Again, nice, well done, complementing, but gives a suggestion for next time.


This is really neat, but can I suggest something? Next time, use some nicer colors; these ones really hurt my eyes.
Keep up the good work!


Polite, but isn't complementing their lines or coloring, but isn't saying they did a horrible job. On this one, I added "Keep up the good work" to encourage them to not start a fight, and to keep drawing.

Part two - What you should do as an artist

Alright, two things here. If somebody gives you a suggestion like the ones above, be polite! Thank them for their opinion, thank them for the tip. Don't be afraid to add a smiley face or two to make it seem a more friendly, or their username to make it more personal.


Hey, I noticed your art, and the coloring job is really good, but the actual colors really hurt my eyes. I'm not saying you should edit it or anything, but for next time, do you think you can make it more pleasant to look at? XD




Thanks so much [Username here]! I'll definitively keep that in mind for next time, thanks! :3


It will make Mr. Passerby feel a lot better, and possibly even proud for successively helping you out.

If somebody gives you a threat or an insult, don't flame up. If possible, just ignore them, or correct their behavior; not by yelling at them, but nicely; like training a dog.


Oh my gosh, this is horrible and a sparkle dog! You should remove it right now!




Oh wow, I didn't realize it was so bright! I won't remove this one, because I'm rather fond of the design, but I'll definitively make the next drawing nicer to look at.


If you feel like you'll flame up to much, or sound rude, take a few breaths before typing, ignore it, or save the reply for tomorrow. But hey, this response is nice, and kind of backfires at them; instead of you deciding to hate them, you thank them.

[~Razzle~]

Sparkle dogs
What they are and how to avoid making them

Wow, you're still here? Alright, well this section is about how you can avoid making a
sparkle dog. This part will have a lot of screenshots, so this part is more of a visual
of me drawing a sparkle dog, and a not a sparkle dog.

BLAH BLAH BLAH, GONNA DO THIS PART LATER

[~Razzle~]

Sparkle dogs
What they are and how to avoid making them

Yay, you survived! This section is about how you can make a sparkle dog turn
around, so it's... Not a sparkle dog. This part will also have a lot of screenshots, so
this part is more of a visual of me showing you how to turn a sparkle dog around
before you post it.

Reserved.

[~Razzle~]

Well, you read it all, and I really do hope you know more about sparkle dogs. Here are some other guides you might want to check out...


"How to bookmark a Topic" Guide - by Flamefang

What Is COPPA - A Guide - by Twilight Sparkle

Tricks of the Trade (Sublimes guide to trading revealed!) Guide - By RedtailRox

The "Understanding Rarities" Guide - By Hekomi

Tips for New Players! Guide - By WildDragonfly



If you think your guide (Or somebody else's!) should be up here, feel free to post here or PM me. :3

[~Razzle~]

Reserved for anything I might want to add.

[~Razzle~]

Reserved for anything I might want to add.

[Shine]

....I love sparkle dogs

[~Razzle~]

What do you like about them? :3
Did you read the guide all the way through, or just glance and post? Because it's possible you have a different idea of sparkle dogs than I do. I stated quite clearly that they are animals that strain the eyes, but when I looked in your gallery, all the brightly colored drawings weren't what I would classify as "sparkle dogs".