So I have submitted quite a few CW's in the past (over 20) with not a single one ever being accepted. I stopped trying over a year ago because I was just so discouraged, but recently I decided to give it another go. I felt a bit more confident in this new design, though I expected denial would happen and I was okay with that. However, when I received the denial for this new design, the reason shocked me. Apparently an admin suspects that my own artwork is NOT my own artwork and has banned me from submitted any other CW's without opening a ticket first. I can't help but feel disrespected and blindsided by this. I have been a member for over 4 years, have had multiple art threads showing my art (and have done commissions for many users), and even submitted CW's before. I'm getting completely tired with the bigotry of the admins on this site.

Has anyone else had a similar issue happen to them? Where their CW was denied either for a totally ridiculous reason or that an admin suspects their own work is not theirs? I'm curious if this is a common practice.

Hi! It has happened to a few people in the past - it's never a pleasant situation since it questions your integrity as an artist, but I wouldn't say it is always non-justified / ridiculous either. If there were no policy and set of rules around cws, it would probably turn into a chaotic thing very quickly. Sometimes it's just coincidences, too ; an item looking like something else, or a technique that is far different, which brings the questionning of legitimacy. In most cases I'd say that you simply need to show your reference pictures, possibly your working file (psd usually) and the matter is solved.

It's possible as well that your 'regular' art is completely different from your 'cw' art, which may make the comparison very thin. I know some artists who use completely different techniques depending on what they draw - to a point where I wouldn't have thought the same person could've drawn both styles. It may also be a reason for suspicion (that's just me taking a wild guess though, I might be completely wrong!)

As for past items - have you ever tried asking for tips about denied items? A lot of artists are very willing to look at other's art and give tips / advice. I know that some denials are often blurry and/or unclear, something that artists can usually explain better.

Again, I know it's really unpleasant, and I would probably feel hurt as well if I was accused of not having drawn my own art, but I do hope it doesn't discourage you from getting your first cw on-site!

Thanks so much for your advice :) I have asked for help in the past, however I did not receive a single critique that was actually helpful. The majority of comments was, "your style is crap", "this item is stupid", "just stop trying to submit it", "it probably won't work because it looks like shit". This has made me feel pretty bitter about the site, honestly. =/

well that's... pretty sad qq Im not sure when that was, and who replied that kind of crap, but I promise that a whole lot of artists are far more helpful (and nicer) than that!

I've drawn a fair amount of cws okay, way too many actually, several hundreds atleast). I'd be happy to take a look at some of the items you've submitted in the past & try to help out! You can smail me if you'd like n_n

For the ticket thingy - I'd say pull out your working file, maybe sorting out a couple layers with names to make it easier. If they ask for it, it'll be ready - then the matter should be resolved faster!

I have long since deleted the files of my past submissions out of bitterness and believing they would not become of anything. However, I will certainly be contacting you for future submissions. I have already opened a ticket and sent them my PSD files, but I was told that it will take a VERY long time to resolve this issue, which is very frustrating.

never say never! I think my first cw was denied 6 times in a row before being accepted. I thought about trashing the file, printing it out just to burn it live, but I was luckier and had really helpful people giving me tips until it was finally accepted.

If anything, think about the satisfying feeling of getting your very first item on-site. There is no magic trick for this, as every artist is different, but I do believe it is worth the time & efforts (:

As for the ticket - aw im sorry, I hope 'very long' actually doesn't mean as long as it sounds ;;