Okie dokie, welcome to the OC-Maniac, the OCs Only group!

Before we take you through the guide, we'll have a run-down of the specified group rules.

The Rules

Breaking the rules will result in the declination of a deviation and an advice from an admin, and a warn for any heavy offenses.

Photomanipulations are now allowed, given that the pictures used are stock photography, used with proper permission, and credits given where they are due. NO ARTIST/ACTOR/SINGER pictures.
Celebrity pictures are not allowed as they are copyrighted by their respective companies. Along with SOPA coming along, it might be time to exercise caution. We will decline any manips with celebrities in them.

Mature content is NOT allowed. This includes extreme gore, sexual activity and extreme nudity a.k.a stark nakedness.
_{Sexual activity means your OCs doing the xxx thing. It doesn't matter if there's a mature content filter on it. A 12 year old could cheat the system and say they're 19, and we're trying to keep it family-friendly here.}

Bases and traces are NOT allowed, unless you can prove that the drawing or pixel doll was made on your own, from SCRATCH. This is to make it fair for everyone else in this group that worked their butts off to draw as much as they can today. As much as tracing is a kind of tool for practice nowadays, you don't have to show it off.
_{If a picture is suspicious looking, an admin will question it. In that case, prepare screenshots of works in progress, with all the layers shown.}

Fanart of ANY series are NOT allowed. This group is an Original character group, not a fanbase, or any-kind-of-art group. Keep it to OCs ONLY.

Empty memes and memes that DO NOT involve OCs are NOT allowed.

Be polite.
_{An admin will question your submission if it's iffy. There are no hidden agendas. No, we're not out to eat your brains. All you have to do is answer, truthfully, or add the information in the artist's comments. Don't be a prick and tell us to 'piss off', we're spending our time on this for free just so you have a platform to show your stuff to a bigger audience. Appreciate that.}

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Now that's done, we move on to The Guide.

The Guide

This section will explain the folders to members.
Remember, the folders are there to make it easier for outsiders/members to browse through.

The clean-up has resulted in subfolders being removed, new folders made and folders renamed. All previous art has been moved into the Archives.

Main folders are in bold and underlined.
Sub-folders are in italics.
The folders are arranged in the order shown in the group gallery.

Featured

Forever closed to submissions.

Contests

Forever closed to submissions.

OCM Challenges - Click for subfolders - Contains folders for group contests/challenges. The folders to submit to will be made and notified when a contest/challenge is up.
Archived Contests - Forever closed. This is to keep old contest submissions.
_{Submissions not related to any group contest will be declined.}

Crafts

Where all the plushies, dolls and OC-related handicraft go. Drawings or literature of any kind will be declined.

Hub for Resources

Main folder forever closed.

Memes - Digi and Trad: Filled memes involving OCs are to be submitted here. Others are declined.
Tutorials and References: This folder is where character concepts, tutorials and expression concepts are submitted.
Character Reference Sheets: This folder is for all reference sheets, for any OC. Do not submit reference sheets to the Digital folder.

Literature

All written works are submitted here. Drawings/crafts of any kind will be declined.

Animations

All animations are to be submitted here. Still drawings, crafts and written works are declined.

Comics

Comics are submitted here.
Comic covers go to the respective Digital/Traditional folders, unless a link to the comic is stated in the Artist's comments.
Incomplete comics are not allowed.

Fur and Feathers - Comic
High School Havoc - Comic
Candle Jack - Comic
Hang Man - Comic
Mecreada - Comic - All subfolders of the Comics folder is only open to their owners. Submissions from other members are declined.

Cosplays

Photographs of yourself, or anyone else, cosplaying as your OC. Cosplays of mainstream characters are declined.

Digital Art

All digital OC artwork are submitted to this folder. It doesn't matter if they're based on any series, so long as they are your OCs. This includes 3D characters, and compilations of well drawn OCs. Fanart, reference sheets, concept sheets, doodles and linearts will be declined.

Traditional Art

All traditional OC artwork are submitted to this folder. It doesn't matter if they're based on any series, so long as they are your OCs. This includes compilations of well drawn OCs. Fanart, reference sheets, concept sheets, doodles and linearts will be declined.

Black n White

All black and white/lineart OC artworks are submitted to this folder. It doesn't matter if they're based on any series, so long as they are your OCs. Coloured art and fanart will be declined.

The Archives

All folders in this folder are forever closed. Keeps all the artwork in the group before this update.

Commissions, Requests and Gifts

For all commissions, requests and gifts of any kind that involve other people's characters. Drawings of other people's characters for contests or as commisions/winner gifts/requests are to be submitted here. They are declined everywhere else.

It doesn't matter what they are for, so long as the characters in the drawing are the other person's. It shouldn't be offensive, obviously.

Finished Sketches

Doodles, compilations of doodles, messy drawings and clean sketches are submitted here. WIPs are not allowed, unless requiring criticism, in which the WIP will be removed should the complete one be submitted later.

Photomanipulations

Photomanips which contain your OCs. The photos are declined anywhere else. Scenery photos, drawings, crafts, animations and drawing added to photo-backgrounds are NOT allowed.

That ends The Guide.
Admins will question where necessary, and may decline without further explanation in some cases.
If they do, then you submitted to the wrong folder.
We will also decline if the piece is giving us a headache deciding a.k.a you better be clear or it'll expire.

Tl;dr - Read this journal again.

Any questions regarding inability to submit to folders that are supposed to be open, confusion and other gallery problems are to be asked through this journal, or through a note sent to the group. The 'Send a Note' button is on the left side of the group's homepage.