Artists – Rules and Q&A

• Just like for authors, the golden rule is don’t be an asshole. You don’t have to like everyone, we don’t even ask you to be nice, but you have to be respectful and civil. If someone is being less than civil to you, take it to an admin. Don’t engage in asshole-esque shenanigans.
• It’s rare, but we have seen instances of what amounts to art plagiarism. It’s hard to define what that really is, but make sure it’s your work, you manipulating images or creating something. Don’t take someone else’s work and minimally modify it.
  • If this is at all unclear, contact an admin for clarification.
• One piece of art is the minimum, but you may supply your author additional pieces up to the maximum. (Maximum will be explained in the Participant Gateway, available after signup.)
• Monthly check-ins are optional for authors, but there’s a mandatory check-in for artists in April. This check-in is mandatory due to breakdown in communication between authors and artists that often isn’t discovered until after art is due.
• If you sign up, you do not have to claim a story. If nothing appeals to you, don’t claim. You’ll be effectively “dropped-out” of the challenge for the year, so there’s no need to officially drop out.
• Official drop-out is only required if you claim a story and cannot complete the challenge.

• Sizing:
  • Primary art must have a long edge of at least 700 pixels. The maximum for any edge is 1200 pixels. (an exception to this is ebook covers, in which case the long edge may be up to 1600 pixels)
  • We generally discourage unique chapter banners, and they’d fall outside our quantity maximums unless the author writes 10k+ chapters. However, chapter banners, if created, should be 700 – 1000 pixels wide. Maximum height is 100% of the width.
  • All chapter banners should generally be the same size unless you’re creating uniquely shaped art for each chapter. Note: free hand cropping chapter banners does not count as a reason why your art needs to be varied sizes. If you need help with cropping, please talk to a moderator.
  • A chapter spacer does not count in your art quantity limits, and is welcome. They should generally follow the same width guidelines, however, they may be smaller if it’s aesthetically pleasing to the artist and/or author. (for example, if you want a small divider that’s 300 pixels wide, that’s fine)
  • Cast collages should follow the same guidelines as primary art, however, there’s a maximum height of 1200 pixels. If there’s a big cast, create more than one cast collage.
  • Supplemental art can be smaller (though not larger) if it’s appropriate for the art. Such as a small image created to illustrate a spirit animal or piece of art for a single character.
  • Any art submitted with words on it needs to be legible.
    • If the image is too small for the words to be read, it will be returned to the artist.
    • If the font is blurry, the art will be returned to the artist.
    • If you’re placing a lot of text on art, we recommend using maximum allowable width for your size.
• Art Galleries
  • We generate a final art gallery for each artist with unique pieces of art.
  • If chapter banners are the same, save for the words on them, only one banner will be included in the gallery.
  • If we make an error about which art is included in your gallery, please contact us.
• We will compress the art before uploading it to the site.
• Videos should be posted on YouTube, Vimeo, or whatever public service you use and a link provided to the author and admin.
• If the art is a video submission, the minimum length is 90 seconds. There is no maximum length provided the hosting service allows it.
• Un-retouched photos with a title on them are not considered art unless they’re part of a mood board/collage. Taking a photo from online and adding text would not be considered manipulation or “art” for the purposes of the challenge.
• Basic collages may not be acceptable for the challenge. Please contact an admin if you’re in doubt about your collage.
• Someone may claim for you by proxy. Since we now use google forms for art claims, you can arrange for anyone to claim for you. However, it helps for us to know in advance if you’re not going to be available during claims in case there’s an issue and we need to get in touch with you.
• It happens every year that every choice someone submits is claimed. Art claims happens in under 15 minutes, usually, and people miss out on being able to claim if they’re not available when we contact them.

• Art must not contain trigger content.
  • No images of abused children, animals, violent acts, etc.
  • Make sure the author is okay with this kind of content if you want to include it in supplementary art that will be hosted off-site.
  • No art with this content will be hosted on the Quantum Bang site, nor will it be displayed with the story, so do not submit it with the art package.
  • That should be handled by the author directly for their posting on other sites.
• Adult-themed art (nudity) is fine, though we recommend checking with the author if they are okay with nudity as they may have limitations that the site does not. Such as where else they plan to post it.
  • Art with nudity should not be in the main art, but it can be in supplemental art.
• Art generated entirely by AI is prohibited, but AI as a tool is allowed. For more specifics, see the AI tab.

Added for 2024 and onward

AI is an emerging technology and how it would apply to fandom and challenges was something we didn’t anticipate in years past. Going forward, we’ve set the following guidelines, which may change as this becomes better understood and the use of it evolves.

Entire images created by AI are not allowed by the challenges.

Meaning, you cannot enter a prompt into any AI engine, stick a title on it, and submit it for the challenge.

However, you certainly can leverage AI as a tool.

You can use AI in a variety of ways. Some examples are:

• Expand the background of an image (generative fills)
• Remove unwanted aspects in an image (remove a train, for example)
• Place something new in am image (put a little robot in the lower left corner)
• Alter an image (put a tree tattoo on someone’s arm, age or de-age a person)
• Create an entire image used as part of a greater whole (make a dragon hatching from a fiery egg, and that egg is used as a component in the main art)
• You could use AI to generate all your individual components and then use those components as your images for your art. We wouldn’t consider this to be any different than using 15 different photographs you found on a stock photo site.
  • To further the example. If you wanted an image of a boy with 15 dragons, you could use AI to generate 15 separate dragon images and then manipulate them into a piece of art.
  • You cannot, however, generate a single piece of AI art of a boy with 15 dragons.

If you’re unsure, it’s better to ask than to submit something we’d disqualify.

As an aside, please try to use a more ethical AI tool/engine. We can’t police this, but some AI engines have been “trained” using really shady methods that infringe on artist’s creative works.

• If you don’t claim a story, you’re dropped out unless you’ve signed up to be a pinch hitter (this is a volunteer list generated right before or during art claims).
• If you’ve claimed a story and you’re unable to fulfill the commitment, please contact an admin immediately via the Communication Center or other direct contact such as DM on Discord.
  • We will need time to get a new artist, so please be considerate of this if it seems you are not going to be able to complete the challenge.
  • We do not currently have any penalties defined for dropping out, but if it’s close to the deadline, we may choose to ban you from future challenges.

Q: What kind of art is eligible?
A: Any sort of digital manipulation, drawing, video, etc. If the rules above don’t cover your question, please leave a comment below. We haven’t had gifsets in the past, but if you’re interested in doing a gifset, please contact the admin team ahead of time to discuss what would be appropriate.

Q: Does the art have to encompass the entire story?
A: No. You could capture a moment, scene, character, etc. The point is to be inspired by the story.

Q: What should I do if my author hasn’t replied to my email?
A: If it’s been more than a week without a response, contact the admin team via the contact form or communication system. It’s vital that the admin team be notified if there’s a significant communication lag between author and artist. It helps to keep each other apprised if you know you’re not going to be available for a long stretch of time, such as for a vacation.

Q: Should I read the story?
A: In general, plan to read the story you’ve claimed so that you can make art based on the story. However, if there’s a reason you find you cannot read the story, communicate with the author or reach out to the admin team so we can facilitate getting you a detailed summary. We require warning for major triggers, but there can be individual triggers that make it impossible for you to read the work. It’s important to safeguard your mental health, and we don’t want you to read anything that makes you uncomfortable, so please don’t hesitate to reach out if you find yourself in this situation.

Q: What if the author didn’t send me the story?
A: If you haven’t received the story from the author by 4/1, please let the admin team know. Unless you’d prefer to work from a detailed summary and that should be worked out with the author.

Q: Are collages/mood boards acceptable?
A: Probably. Some collage preparations might be too basic to qualify. If you need guidance in this area, please contact an admin.

Q: Does the author need to approve the art?
A: Not exactly. Ultimately, the art is up to the artist, but the author must see and agree on the final art. The “agreement” has a lot to do with making sure the spelling and names are all correct. If there’s a typo on the art, you must fix it. Also, you should find out early on exactly how the author wants their name and story title to be spelled. Capitalization of story title and author name are at the author discretion. Artist has no say on this. Beyond that, we’re not going to tell you how to be a considerate collaborator… If you really need help in this area, reach out to Jilly directly. (2025 update: we’re now telling you how to be a considerate collaborator because some people can’t manage it. Please consult the Collaboration tab)

Q: How is art submitted?
A: When the time comes, there will be instructions posted for participants about where to send the art. There’s also a short form that will need to be submitted.

Q: Can I watermark the art?
A: Probably. Posting your pseudonym on the art is a common practice, and we encourage you to do so, though it should not take precedence over the story title or author name. Nor should it in any way engender confusion. Also, if you use an artist’s mark of some kind, the admin team may ask that you not use it if it’s a cartoon or silly in some fashion and distracts from the art or creates confusion about the role the mark plays in the art.

Q: I was dismissed from the challenge for not communicating with my author, does that mean I’m banned from the challenge?
A: In this case, probably, but you should reach out to an admin via the contact form and discuss it if you’re unsure or if there were extenuating circumstances that caused your dismissal from the challenge (accident, injury, etc.).

Q: Does the Quantum Bang host the art for use off-site, such as posting on AO3 or other sites?
A: No. Hotlinking to images on the QB is not allowed as it becomes a bandwidth issue for the site. A hard link to the artist’s showcase is fine, but not to the images themselves. Part of the tacit agreement in participating in a Bang is that the artist is agreeing to let the author use the art with their story. Please be prepared to discuss the logistics of off-site image hosting. Some artists prefer to do all their own image hosting, and some authors prefer to have all the images on their image service of choice.

Q: I’m posting my art elsewhere. Should I link back to the story?
A: Yes. If the site allows a way to link back, you should link to their master post on the QB. Suggested format:

• The art was inspired by this story at the Quantum Bang: LINK

If you’re on a site like AO3 or Tumblr, you can also link to their companion AO3 or Tumblr, but linking to their challenge post is appropriate.

New for QB2025

As is stated elsewhere in the rules/FAQ, the art is ultimately up the artist, however, as of QB 2025, there are some more concrete guidelines about the collaboration model for the artists.

The art is the artist’s part of the challenge. This is not work for hire, it’s not a gift to the author, it’s your creative vision.

The level of collaboration you desire is up to you. Some artists want a highly collaborative model and some want to read the story and then submit a near-final product that just needs some final tweaks.

(Note: High collaboration has to work for the author too, becuase some authors don’t have a feel for art and being asked to collaborate is a nightmare, so it’s up to the artist to lead the discussion on this.)

A few things to be aware of:

• While the final art is up to the artist, not the author, the artist is not allowed to offer choices to the author and then take back those choices in the name of their “creative vision.”
  • If the artist, for example, offers the author a choice between Image A and Image B, and the author chooses Image A, the artist can’t then decide to go with Image B.
  • The only reasons to back out of a choice are:
    • you renegotiated and came to a consensus about the new direction
    • you couldn’t make the choice you offered work at a technical or skill level, which you should explain clearly to the author.
• If you don’t want to work in a highly collaborative model, don’t offer it. If you’re not sure what kind of model suits you, talk to other artists, start slow, and work your way into it.
  • There’s all kinds of levels of collaboration. You can keep the art design mostly in your control while offering choices to the author about fonts and colors or even character images. It’s not all or nothing.
  • You can ask questions like “what scenes spoke to you the most in the story” to take inspiration from, or you could figure out what spoke the most to you. Both approaches are completely valid.
  • You could ask an author for favorite quotes in the story or you could pick your favorite quotes. Again, both approaches are valid, and they’re different levels of collaboration.
    • It’s worth noting, that asking an author their favorite [whatever] is not an offer, it’s information gathering.
    • You’re not promising to do anything until you actually make a promise.
    • So if you say “what’s your favorite quote?” that’s just a question for your creative process.
    • But if you say “pick a quote for the quote banner” you’ve just given them a choice that you’re committed to.
• Don’t ever surrender complete creative control. You’re supposed to be in the driver’s seat, not the author. It’s one thing to work with an author, it’s another thing to feel like you’re working for them.
• There are things you absolutely should take into account, such as if an author has vision issues and how that might impact their ability to perceive the art.
  • for instance, if an author is red/green colorblind, and you make art that is primarily red and green, this wouldn’t be against the art rules, but if you knew you were making art they would basically not be able to see properly, the admins would consider it breaking the Don’t Be an Asshole rule, which is the main rule of the challenge. No one is saying you’d have to leave out red and green entirely, but to use colors primarily that you know your author can’t see would be a total dick move.
  • If you struggle with what questions you should ask your author up front, talk to other artists in the challenge or ask an admin; we’d rather help facilitate good communication up front than have to mitigate a communication breakdown at the end.
• Finally, if you and your author just cannot collaborate in any fashion and the working relationship is falling apart in a detrimental way, it’s better to let the admins know. We don’t penalize good communication. Even if we had to split up the author&artist pair, we wouldn’t penalize you for communicating well and looping us in on a problem as early as possible. Waiting until it blows up after weeks of strife could potentially be an entirely different issue.

*There are things the authors have complete control over. Such as: spelling, capitalization, character ages, and which characters go on their cast images.

• Re: capitalization – an author may reject, say, an all caps font if they have an all lower-case title, or if it’s important to them that their title be capitalized in a specific way that’s lost in an all caps or small caps font.
• Re: spelling –  if an author is misspelling a character’s name, please discuss it with them, don’t just leave it there. This would feel like an act of malice, to be honest. But if they want an alternate spelling, that’s their choice. If everyone just missed the misspelling, hopefully the admins catch it!
• Re: character ages – if the author says the character is 21 and the images used are obviously of the actor in their 40s, this could be a source of contention. If it comes down to an image availability or technical issue, please discuss with the admins.
• Re: cast images – this is all assuming the artist is providing the cast images, and many of the cast images the artists have provided over the years have been incredibly artistic.
  • The author has to be reasonable in the size of the cast. Meaning, they can’t turn in a cast of 50.
  • Otherwise, they have complete control over the cast.
  • An artist can suggest the significant/likely cast after reading the story if the author is ambivalent for some reason, but if an artist puts someone on the cast that the author wants off, that’s entirely up to the author. A cast choice might be a spoiler that the author doesn’t want to give.