2024 Derpibooru Community Collab

Princess Celestia

Administrator

Devops

The 2024 Derpibooru Community Collab

Hello, I know it’s this time of the year again and many people are excited to start posting their characters, but before you all dive into it, I’d like to say a couple of words of what’s been on my mind lately.

First of all, the collab will be handled mostly by me and our wonderful team of moderators this year around. Some of you may be unaware, but the thing was basically resting on Joey’s shoulders the entire time, and honestly I’m extremely thankful to them and their consistent and dedicated effort throughout the years, but life happens, and as it happens they’re unable to run this year’s collab because of life.

Second of all, things will probably be changing next year. Assembling these large collab images is a collossal effort that usually cannot be delegated between many people, so a single person has to basically do all the work with arranging the characters. This has been a huge pain point throughout the last few years, and the main source of the delays in posting the collab. We’ve had a few ideas of how to perhaps automate or crowdsource placement of the characters on the image, or even what to do instead of the collab, ideas of what would have the same value as the community collab, give people recognition they deserve, and be fun (or perhaps even more fun) for everyone involved. We’re not yet settled on it, and will probably require some internal discussion, as well as discussion with the community before we’re able to come up with a replacement event. If push comes to shove, I’ll run the next year’s collab exactly the same as this year, but I really think that change is necessary here, and besides, doing the same thing for almost a decade gets kinda stale, in my humble opinion.

And very importantly, third of all, we’re changing how you submit images to the collab. The collab badges will be issued automatically, so the artist tags, character tags and the description MUST be correct, otherwise you may not receive your badge! Please read How do I get my OC in the photo section very carefully before submitting!

With that out of the way…

Let’s kick off the 2024 Derpibooru Community Collaboration Project!

What is the Derpibooru Community Collab?

The Derpibooru Community Collab is an annual event on Derpibooru where hundreds of artists and fans gather to create a massive group photograph showing off all the original characters of the Derpibooru community and beyond. The event is open to everyone, regardless of if you’re an artist, a member of the site, or just someone who has an OC they want to show off.

For example, here is the 2021 Community Collab, featuring over 1300 characters and drawn by nearly 600 artists:

How do I get my OC in the photo?

It’s simple! Just upload (or commission and have the artist upload) a picture of of your OC posing for the metaphorical camera, and then add the 2024 community collab tag to it. That’s all there is to it! As long as your submission meets the rules and guidelines below and has the tag, it’ll be added to the image.

It is very important that you add the 2024 community collab tag to your image. If the tag is not on your submission, then it will not be included. Additionally, please make sure the description of the image has a link to the user profile of the OC owner (not artist), like so: [oc:nighty cloud](/tags/oc-colon-nighty+cloud) belongs to [Luna](/profiles/Luna). If the image has more than one OC in it, link all the user profiles in a similar manner. Failing to add links to the OC owner profiles will result in delays in receiving your event badge, so make sure you add them!

When are submissions due?

The deadline is Friday, January 19th, at 23:59 UTC (GMT+0).

Da Rulez

All submissions must be rated “safe” and may not have any tags that would be hidden or spoilered by the Default Filter.
All digital art submissions must be either a PNG or SVG file that has a transparent background. Traditional art submissions are an exception this this rule, however we strongly encourage that the background is removed when you submit it to the collab, either by you, or someone willing to lend you a hand (or hoof, or paw, or tentacle, or whatever other appendage they may or may not have).
Any 2D art style is welcome. Art made with 3D models is acceptable if the final render looks like a 2D art style (and appears like something a 2D artist could plausibly draw, e.g. something like Beastars, or Miss Minutes from the “Loki” series). The standard SFM/Blender style rendering is not acceptable.
Images of a pony sitting or standing on all fours should be a minimum of 800px in height, head-to-hoof. 1200px is preferred. Images of ponies standing on their hind legs or in an unusual pose should be proportional.Note that this refers to the resolution of the character itself - not the canvas.
Submissions should be original art – images created using a “pony generator” (this includes pony town assets) or puppet are not allowed. AI generated images are also not allowed. AI assistance is acceptable if it’s used merely to help the artist (e.g. AI upscale, AI blur, etc), generative AI (text-to-image, image-to-image, sketch-to-image, etc) is prohibited.
Only original characters (OCs) may be submitted. Canon characters may appear in such submissions in form of small plushies, stickers, props, and such.
Characters’ species should reasonably fit in the MLP universe, and be of reasonable size (aka similar in size to a pony, griffon, etc) and appearance (no insane clothing, large accessories, etc). Original species are welcome so long as they believably fit (and wouldn’t break Rule #3). The size should ideally not exceed that of the pricesses (so no Sea Serpents, Garble-like dragons, etc). Exceptions to both size and ordinarily Rule #3 cases may be made upon request, please contact Princess Celestia via PM to discuss it.
Characters’ body type should be “feral” (like canon ponies), “semi-anthro” (like dragons) or anything else that appears in the show (like Diamond Dogs), and must not appear too tall or obstruct other characters. Full anthros, humans, Equestria Girls and humanized characters are not permitted.
Characters should be posing for the camera and not doing anything too overly insane (but having some fun is allowed).
Winged characters should be standing/sitting on the ground. Please do not draw a character flying unless you have been giving permission first. See below for more information about having a character flying in the image.
If you own multiple OCs, you may submit up to two of them. This rule applies to who owns the OC, not necessary who drew it.
Submissions may not have any watermark or signature that obstructs the image.
Images should not be offensive in nature or content, be created with the intent to troll, be commonly associated with significantly controversial themes, or otherwise have a negative impact on the final image. This applies to characters themselves, as well as the content of the image.
Due to the nature of this project, all submissions to the collaboration are considered immune to DNPs and takedown requests. If you’re submitting an OC drawn by someone else, please be sure to verify that this is alright with the artist first. Likewise, if you are submitting an OC owned by someone else, please ensure they are ok with it (and not already drawing/having someone else draw their character).
Characters should be drawn completely from head-to-hoof. Please do not crop the image, or create an image that is cut off at the waist, legs, etc.
OCs belonging to people who have been permanently banned from Derpibooru (especially multiple times) are not accepted.

Guidelines

Submissions

The goal of this collab is to allow everyone to show off their current character designs and abilities as an artist. Therefore, please submit some newer artwork – either something drawn within the past few months, or even better, create a brand new image for the collab! We won’t say “no” to an older image, as we understand that not everyone has time and we want as many people as possible to be involved, but please do not resubmit an image that was already in a previous collaboration.

Theme

There’s no specific theme to the collab. This collab will have a “last days of summer” or “summer never ends” kinda aestetic (think like, orange sun, slowly setting down). I was thinking of a big backyard, or a park of some sort.

Posing

Since characters should be facing the camera, it’s preferable that they either be looking straight towards the viewer (portrait view) or at an angle (3/4ths view), as shown in the below examples. Although allowed, it’s discouraged to submit characters that are looking/facing straight to the side (profile view), as those are harder to place within the image, and likely will be pushed towards the sides of the image.

Clothing and Accessories

Accessories and clothing are always allowed and welcome, but due to how crowded the picture will likely be, things may be covered up as well. It’s recommended that any accessories be held close to the character’s head, as shown in the examples below.

Group Photos

If you’d like to submit a photo featuring multiple characters (such as your OC with a friend), that is completely welcome! But again, due to how crowded the image will be, please keep the characters close together and don’t have any large gaps between them. Likewise, if you and your friends are submitting multiple “solo” images that you would like grouped together, please just post such a request in this thread, linking all the images, and we’ll see what we can do!

Please Note: There is no particular limit on group sizes, but larger groups may be harder to place, so please keep all characters heads roughly close together. Please do not submit group images where there are 8+ characters in a horizontal row. If you have questions, please ask or post a sketch/mockup here. Additionally, larger group image may be requested to submit a PSD file split into layers in case minor adjustments need to be made.

It is strongly preferred that group photos are submitted as a single image. If you need to submit multiple images that you would like grouped together, you must post such a request in this thread.

Non-Canon Species

Non-canon species are allowed so long as they’re not too far of a departure from a show canon species. There’s not really any clear way to describe it, but just ask if you’re unsure.

Flying Characters

Generally, all characters in the image will be standing/sitting on the ground. However, we typically have a few flying OCs in the air so that there is no empty space above the main group. These characters are a subject to quality control, and their owners are strictly encouraged to make their submissions as interesting as possible without going too extravagant. As such, group submissions for flying characters will get priority in our selection process, as well as applications which feature the most interesting idea(s) for the pose/activity.

These applications are NOT first-come-first-serve, you can submit them at any time and have equal chances as those who submit on day 1.

Click here to request a flying spot

The deadline for requests is December 6th.

But I can’t draw!

One of the great things about this community is that there is always someone willing to help! Every year, we have a help thread where artists can offer help to people needing artwork, and where people needing artwork can find artists.

Check out our art help thread for the 2024 Derpibooru Community Collab, where you may either request your OC to be drawn, or volunteer to draw someone else’s OC (there’s a special badge for doing that)!

Questions and answers

Q: How do I submit an OC to this project?
A: Just upload it to Derpibooru, and add the 2024 community collab tag. That’s all there is to it!

Q: I’m not an artist/I can’t draw my OC. Does that mean I’m excluded?
A: Not at all, if you’re part of Derpibooru’s community, or the MLP fandom in general, you’re welcome to include your OC in the project, even if the picture was drawn by someone else!

Q: Can a submission have multiple OCs?
A: Of course! If you would like to submit one image that contains multiple OCs, that is completely welcome! Though it is highly recommended you check with the owners/creators of the other OCs first before doing so.

Q: I hate those rules! My OC/image doesn’t meet them!
A: If the image you want to submit doesn’t fall within the rules for the collab, or would like an exception made, or anything like that, just ask and we’ll can see if we can work something out.

Q: My friend and I are both submitting images, can our characters be placed next to each other?
A: It is prefered that group submissions be submitted in a single image. However, if you need to upload two or more images and wish to have them placed next to each other, you must post in this thread with links to those images. Make sure I reply and acknowledge your request too (I may miss a post or two occasionally). Do not post such requests in the descriptions of images, as they will not be seen there.

Q: If I submit an image of my OC, is it guaranteed to get included in the image?
A: We will try to include as many submissions as possible. However, some submissions may be rejected, including ones that:
→ Are particularly low quality
→ Appear to be made as a trolling attempt
→ Are overly obtrusive (large accessories, action poses that take up a ton of room, etc)
→ Are made using Pony Creator or any other form of image generator
→ Appear too far removed from the MLP universe (Dinosaur OCs, etc)
→ Are otherwise against the above mentioned rules

Q: Will there be badges for this event?
A: Yes! If your OC is in the collab - you get a badge. An additional “helper artist” badge is available for those who draw someone else’s OC for the collab (does not apply if you draw two of your own OCs).

Q: When will the group photo be posted?
A: When I finish it. I wish I could give you a more direct answer, but it depends on how many submissions there are and how busy I am. It’ll be announced heavily once it is posted though.

Q: I’m not an active member on Derpibooru, can I still participate?
A: Sure!

Q: Do submissions have to be vectors?
A: Not at all! Most submissions are not vectors, in fact. Any form of 2D visual art is welcome, including vectors, digital drawings, and traditional drawings!

Q: I have another question!
A: Just ask! Preferably in this thread instead of PM. Definitely not on Discord.

And that’s about it for this post. If you have any questions or comments, just post here…. Otherwise, good luck and have fun!