2020-07-28


The Black Pearl

You need at least 60 days of seniority and 5 karma points to use the Black Pearl.

We want to clarify a few points regarding the proposals for the Creation Space.


Golden Apple
Using shadows:

You can use shadowing, but please keep it very light so that the images will fit with most backgrounds.

Cut out your edges more:

When we place the coats on a dark background, in some cases, there are stray light colored pixels around the drawing. This makes it impossible to use on a dark background.
Take a look at your coat on a white and on a black background, to get rid of any leftover smudges or pixels. Also, look a little further away at just the outline. Often, the coats have a smudge around the corners or along the border of the image.

Use the smudge or blur tool sparingly:

It's a pity to see a coat that has been worked on and then filtered with a blur filter, and it comes out all smudgy. It's also a pity to see a coat with smudge marks on one side and not the other.

Be careful when reformatting an image:

Sometimes we get drawings of "sausage horses" because the file has been altered, and the horse has been squashed or pulled in another direction. Also, avoid making your resolution too low and giving the picture a pixel art look.



Helios' Ray
Using brushes is allowed:

They can be used, but not in excess.
Seeing the same tree used four times in different backgrounds is starting to feel a bit repetitive, and it's also unfair. Since the aim of the Creation Space is to create things with your own hands, not to make photo manipulations. The same thing goes for photos.

Painting, blurring or smudging landscape pictures:

This is prohibited, and going forward, we may permanently ban players from the Creation Space for this.

Check the perspectives:

Please remember that the horse needs something to stand on. It's rather unusual to see a picture of a beautiful pond in the background while the horse appears to be floating in the middle of it.

The same goes for outer space, clouds, etc. The background should be usable for everyone, not just the Pegasus. Also, make sure the horses won't look like giants in the middle of a forest when you draw trees or other items.



Rules
Plagiarism is forbidden:

Plagiarism is taking someone else's work and passing it off as your own.
Respect the author's rights: don't steal images off the Internet; don't trace photos; don't use the basis of someone else if they have not given their authorization, preferably publicly.

You can draw inspiration from a style, a movement, or a coat without merely copying it. Use your imagination to express your unique personality and create something original.

Here's a quick recap of the things NOT to do in the Creation Space:

➞ Using 100% traced photos as a base for your work.
➞ Submitting AI-generated creations.
➞ Buying or selling a commission (purchased artwork).
➞ Drawing fanart (we don't ban players right away, but it could get us into trouble since we're monetizing it).

Players who submit an artwork not created by themselves, AI-generated, or plagiarized will be permanently banned from using the Black Pearl.

All the other rules still apply. Players who do not follow the rules are exposed to sanctions.



Before posting
On this topic you can:

➞ Learn more about the Black Pearl rules.
➞ Ask for help if you have difficulties to submit your creation.
➞ Post your work in progress and ask for artistic feedback.
➞ Post your creation and ask if it complies with the rules.


On this topic you CAN'T:

➞ Mock, ridicule, or accuse creations and creators.
➞ Ask for votes.
➞ Send suggestions or feedback. Those should be sent directly to Customer Support.
➞ Post excessive steps regarding your work to avoid flooding the topic.
➞ Report creations. For creations in the voting stage, use the Report feature. For creations in the game, please reach out to Customer Support.


You can promote your creations, or creations you voted for, on social media, using #HowrseBP. You can also promote your creations on your profile page.

Kind regards,
The Howrse Team
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  • 2025-08-04
    Ellie28Kitty wrote:

    Hit 60 Days yesterday. Can you submit digital drawings? (Done on a computer)


    Yes, the vast majority of the drawings are digital.
    1
  • 2025-08-04
    Can someone explain exactly what to do with the Helios' Ray frame when you create and upload a Helios' Ray submission?

    I downloaded the file and did all my work on separate layers. I then cut out the inside of the HR frame (the white area, the border surrounding the horse, and the horse) and cut everything outside of that area from my drawing.

    I'm getting the "use compulsory format" error message.
    0
  • 2025-08-05
    Veren wrote:

    Can someone explain exactly what to do with the Helios' Ray frame when you create and upload a Helios' Ray submission?

    I downloaded the file and did all my work on separate layers. I then cut out the inside of the HR frame (the white area, the border surrounding the horse, and the horse) and cut everything outside of that area from my drawing.

    I'm getting the "use compulsory format" error message.

    The one linked on the page of the black pearl has the wrong format.
    This should be the right one. (I know where to find the link in the forums on another server but I don't know about any "official" source on this one >.&ltdefault smiley ;) Be careful not to damage the frame. My program did, but duplicating the frame layer was enough to help me there.

    Dark Sun Palace wrote:

    So, is it possible to make similar variations (like harlequin, lava, rocks) just by posing them differently?
    I don't follow. So the coat would be different and the pose would be another as well. But what's the similarity then? The underlying coat color?
    Dark Sun Palace wrote:

    Or take the same character with slightly different manes and tails, and pose them differently and do different ideas?
    Like a comic book character that looks the same just in different poses?

    Dark Sun Palace wrote:

    That would be a huge time saver for the authors, if you think about it.
    Well, when I'm drawing, the pose and adjusting light and shadow are the most time-consuming things. The idea and coat color are nothing I worry about at all. So I don't see where something like just taking the same underlying coat color would save me that much time o.O

    Or maybe I just don't see what you're talking about.
    0
  • Hi all, you guys were so quick at answering my last question, I'm trying this one here. I asked on the CA server and got one response that was helpful but didn't quite answer my question.

    The problem I'm having is I've designed my GA coat in procreate on a transparent png file, I've emailed myself the file and opened up Microsoft Paint to upload it to the template.

    To keep all the details sharp, I had to use a large canvas to draw on, I want to say 4000x4000 pixels - whereas the template is teeny tiny and 100x100 pixels.

    My question is, because the canvas is so small, when I shrink my drawing it loses all quality and becomes unsalvageable in pixelation. Would I be able to match the canvas size up to 4000x4000? Or would the game reject it?

    If this isn't the way, does anyone have any insight or pointers?

    Thank you, just really trying to figure this out before next round.

    Julia
    0
  • 2025-08-22
    The GA template is 400x400px (the inside area is 300x300px) and you cannot change it in any way, otherwise you won't be able to upload the coat.

    I don't think Microsoft Paint properly supports transparency so you won't be able to resize and put your drawing in the template with it. I also wouldn't recommend using Procreate for resizing since it's known for butchering the quality.

    You could either get a desktop drawing programme to resize your coat in (I recommend Krita, it's free), or use an online image resizer to shrink your coat and then put it into the frame on Procreate.

    If you choose the second option, make sure your original png doesn't have too much empty space around the drawing, try getting the edges as close to the coat as possible without cutting into it. Next find a website to resize your image (I've seen "simple image resizer" being recommended), make sure you have keep aspect ratio on and you can just change the larger dimension to 300px then you can put it directly into the frame using Procreate, without having to change the size again.
    0
  • I used procreate to draw in, I have the large file on a transparent bg, I'll try the recommended resize program you mentioned.

    MS Paint does allow transparency but will not support the shrinking im trying to do either, and as you mentioned, procreate doesn't allow the shrinking either :s
    0
  • Update, I've tried it and others online, it wrecks the quality so badly �
    0