It's something I'd like clarification on. There are a lot of BGs it seems that are coming out (the new CS ones are a great example) that are lacking lineart. However, if you submit a BG for CW use, you must have it 100% with lineart?

I thought that CWs would be allowed to have the same lenience as Officials seeing as they have to be approved by staff and staff artists can have a full creative spectrum.

It would make for much less stress on artists if CWs were given the same rules for lineart as Officials. I just don't get it.

I'm not saying the new official backgrounds aren't beautiful, because they are, it's just that it doesn't make much sense that it's one way for official art and another for CWs.

Actually, CW backgrounds do not need 100% lineart... and there are background CWs with pretty much no lineart c: (However, item icons still must have black outline!)

Some examples of CWs that have minimal lineart are , , , ,, , , , but there are many more; what tends to get CWs denied is how soft shaded (instead of cel shaded) they look, not the lack of lineart in itself.

Still, official artists do have more freedom to use different art styles, especially when it comes to abstract backgrounds! It's just how it is, CWs do have stricter rules... I believe it's easier to do it this way to keep proper standards, since it's something everyone/anyone can do. If suddenly we're all allowed to try a wide range of art styles, it makes the work much harder for the queue staff and the wardrobe could soon get filled with things that don't really mesh well with the other site items (which, as far as I know, is a concern official staff always have) c:

Same could be said about the quality of some CWs that shouldn't be accepted based on the rules, but they are anyways. Consistency lacks in both directions. =/

I personally don't think CWs should be allowed the same "lenience" as official items...if we compare CWs to Official items, CWs almost always look better. I personally think the more strict rules on CWs help with that, not that the artists aren't talented.

Also is completely right, there are TONS of CW bgs out there that have almost no line art at all. Take the for example, yes it's all clouds but it has zero line art, not even one black line anywhere in sight.

That makes a lot of sense. I wasn't criticizing just moreso curious as to the standards. Thanks for the examples, too. I'd love to have a more "painted" background of my own and was wondering why the lineart policy was so strict. Now, apparently, it's not as strict as it once was.

I guess it needs to be all or nothing? Nothing in between in regards to backgrounds?

Not a problem! Yeah, thankfully the policy for bgs has become much less strict since the CW feature was introduced c:

I'm not sure what you mean by "nothing in between", but generally whether a background gets accepted with more or less lineart depends a lot on what is portrayed! (It's much easier to get away with a lineless bg when you're doing, for example, nature than architecture / indoor areas)

Like, for example, when I submitted my BG that I'm currently wearing, the mountains were lacking lineart (which I loved) but everything else had it and it was denied. Once the lineart got put on them it was accepted. I'm just wondering if it has to be all lineart or no lineart, no in-betweens?

You'e welcome C:

Hmm if you want a truly zero lined BG you might want to try something with all water or clouds, as neither has to be lined. That's my understanding of it at least.

Ah, I see... that's tricky :/ Technically, it doesn't have to be fully lineart or fully lineless, but it tends to be easier to get away with minimal lines when you've got the whole bg done in a painterly style!

The comes to mind, because I know the original design was denied due to the lack of lineart in some parts (notably the pink tree on the background, on the right side of the viewer), while other parts were considered fine by staff without it (the bushes on the left side of the viewer and the trees/some branches in the farther background)! (Also, not all lineart needs to be black! Colored lines can be very helpful sometimes, so they can still be added and not look super heavy)

Sometimes staff will ask for more lineart if they feel like the elements are blending too much into each other or if they feel it's absolutely necessary to keep the perspective consistent, but that's entirely up to their judgement! However, when the background as a whole is based on having minimal lineart to create a particular effect (the painterly styles I mentioned), they tend to be a bit more lenient c:

That is rather frustrating lol! I take it you have a shop or have submitted a ton of CWs to know all this? You're a fountain of information :3

Haha, yes, the approval process is a box full of surprises, but thankfully most artists around have already gotten the hang of it for the most part xD

I help a friend on her shop and have seen a lot of denials on other people's items, I guess ^_^; but thank you! Glad I could be helpful c: