Why did we create this site?: Well, TechSmurf came up with the idea, and EvilJekyll decided to go with it in a joint effort between them. The idea was to recreate Thom Curtis's site that no longer exists in its original form(www.paintmash.co.uk), in their own image.
What is a paintmash? Anything drawn in MSPaint or other low-fi packages is considered a paintmash. A paintmash is usually referred to as a quick drawing, but here everything drawn in these programs is considered a paintmash.
Our purpose: To bring recognition to MSPaint artwork and those who draw it. We have created this as an all-in-one common place for anyone to upload their artwork. We figured it would be easier for everyone than just a plain forum, or a community on LJ or elsewhere. This site can also be used as an image hoster, because many hosting sites either have issues hosting on forums or communities, or the images are deleted by the hosting service.
Basic principles (Thom Curtis's original guidelines): "There are a few rules, all images as .gif, .jpg, or .png files and must have been created in paint, or other low-fi packages. I'm also afraid that any pictures containing photographic elements will be turned down: artistic purity is important to me."
How did it start?: It started with Thom Curtis. Thom Curtis created the original PaintMash in this manner, "I was bored one night after school, so I sat down, loaded paint and started to draw. It was a revelation: drawing stupid little doodles in paint was fun. I drew some more pictures, and I emailed them to some of my friends; they reciprocated, and I decided to collect all of the images together into one place. I decided to build a little website to keep these pictures in, and I called it PaintMash."
Why do you want us to register for the forums/gallery? Pretty simple answer. For the Forums, we would like your feedback on the tutorials and such, and also to prevent spamming and bots. For the Gallery, mostly so you can gain the recognition you deserve, so that we know which artist did what. The gallery also has a comment and rating feature which we feel could be misused.
Want to see Thom Curtis's original site? Click Here
Special thanks to DmanLT21 and Heather for help with the site.
TechSmurf is a very imaginative artist, whose styles have a background from both the sketchbooks of his youth and the B3ta boards. TechSmurf uses impressive sketch-like techniques for some things, and yet on ohters there is a feel and refinement worthy of a picture frame. His experience on the B3ta boards is highly evident on select pieces.
TechSmurf also draws to help keep his imagination and conveyence of ideas sharp for his aspirations of becoming a video game designer. In a business like that, it helps to have a fresh imagination and at the same time have the ability to communicate with artists doing the graphics, unless you are doing them yourself.
Known outside of PaintMash for:
Is my artwork backed up?: Yes, the entire site is backed up monthly in case of any data loss.
Is my art protected? Yes, it is protected under the Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 License
Are there any limits to uploading my artwork?: There are no limits to how many images you can upload or their size.
Why are guests not allowed on the forums or the gallery?: To prevent spamming and hate posting.
I don't like the style of your website, can you change it?: We have not received any complaints about the site this far. If we get enough complaints, or suggestions to improve the site, we will work on it. Feel free to email us.
Can I advertise your site?: Sure, contact us and we'll make up something to your specifications.
How did you make the site?: We used Dreamweaver MX for most of the coding, Coppermine Photo Gallery for the gallery, and PHPBB for the forums. All images and buttons not used from those were created in MSPaint.
This sounds like a promotion for Microsoft, is it?: No, we are in no way affiliated with Microsoft, we are just interested in your art.
What's up with the 404 page?: I was bored and wanted to do something a little comical with the 404.
Am I protected from having my username and password stolen?:Yes, we never see your password. Coppermine and PHPBB prevent us from ever seeing your password. If you don't trust us, see the F.A.Q. on their websites.
