Focus On Community
Issue #12: That Artistic Touch, Part 1
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For years, numerous individuals have contributed to the community through their gifts of art. Some have submitted works done the old fashioned way. Pen and ink drawings have been around since well before the internet and were among some of the earliest TK art found. Those who remember "the glory days" of searching old Penthouse magazines and the like for TK mentions may also have found some of this early art. The many graphics programs available out there today have dramaticly increased the variety, quantity and often quality of works available. But, all have one thing in common...the giftedness and generosity of those who make use of them to share their talents with the community.
Many may be familiar with some of the old works that were among the first contributed well before the days of the internet. Others weren't even around yet. How times change! Today, we add the works of people like BAC, Bandito, Scavenger, grippedchimp, Dave2112, Snail Shell and so many more to that ever-increasing list of talented folks. Over the years, two things have remained constant. First is the dedication and generosity of these folks in sharing their talents. Second is the unfortunate lack of recognition that they tend to get for their efforts.
I have recently begun work on the new Artists Directory section of this site. It is now live and being added to. In it, you'll find links to pages & sites, for those artists who have their work available for viewing. Many have their own pages on deviantart and similar servers or their own sections on the various tickling forums. Some make their works available free of charge in the various forums, groups, etc. Others utilize their talents to help support themselves, offering works for sale and taking commission work. We'll include all we can find.
In addition, we hope to contact and provide profiles for each of the artists, creating their own profile page with a sample of their work and links to where you can find more of their goodies. In thinking about tickling artists and what they contribute to our community, I considered my own artistic side and what it means to me. I've dealved into a number of areas of artistic endeavor. But, that simply isn't enough to do justice to the contributions these folks made/make. When I create, I tend to do so for myself. They create for others as well as for themselves.
I have to admit to being somewhat embarrassed and ashamed at the lack of attention that I myself have paid to the artistic portion of our community. It's been a good deal of time since I've even opened the artwork forums to take a look at what was there. I knew that we had a number of active artist. But, I never really appreciated how many there were...or how talented they were...until I began work on the Artists Directories this past week.
I encourage you. If you haven't checked out the artwork sections of the various forums, the deviant art accounts and so many other places where these works are housed, take some time to do so! There's some truly amazing work out there! Of course it would help if you knew where to look. And for this lacking I must apologize. I've prided myself in the growth of this site and my progress in gathering information for you. But, I've ignored an entire section of it, including many sites that were/are not yet listed simply because I didn't look in the actual artwork sections for links. I simply assumed that site owners would stick links in the links sections. I was wrong.
It is fitting then, that this new section of the site is here. In compiling the information, it will also be drawing attention to people, sites and works that have rarely received the attention, recognition or gratitude they deserve. So, check out those artwork forums. Check out the Artists Directories as I continue to get things plugged in. Take time to learn about our artists and about what other artwork sites and groups are out there. And, most of all, join me in giving our artists the thanks and praise that they so deserve!
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Be sure to check back for part 2 of this topic, where we'll hear AnnoXanti (Bohemianne) share some thoughts from the artist perspecitve!.
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