Hello everyone,

Today I will touch on a few different topics, the main one being Herald Policies. We’ve got another member spotlight and the Herald’s staff has been busy, so check out the release section!

A special thanks to my staff, who have done an outstanding job in the past two months. Everyone stepped up, grabbed the Gundark by the ears and got to work. Couldn’t be prouder.

Policies Update

Some of you have noticed that certain Herald Policies have been updated on the wiki. My initial goal was to update all policies and then write a report on the subject but due to rising concerns, I now realize that I should have touched on the matter around the same time these first updates went live. I will approach this differently in the future, where changes will be accompanied by a supplemental report. The purpose of these updates is to make the language more concise, offer examples, and list logical exceptions as well as disclaimers, all without changing the fundamental guidelines. So far, the policies that have been updated are Avatars, Requisition Limits and Competition Approval Guidelines. My goal is to build strong foundations before we turn to an overhaul of the art society.

Enforcing the Rules

It has been brought to my attention that, over the years, these rules have not always been enforced, to the point where some members including past Herald staff viewed the wiki articles as "Unofficial" and/or inapplicable. To dispel this notion in no uncertain terms: the Herald Policies ARE official and it has been made clear to me that they are to be enforced. To that effect, I have added key disclaimers to the policies to afford us more leeway in situations where reasonable and justifiable exceptions can be made. If you have any doubts or concerns about a policy or if you have difficulties meeting said guidelines you can always email the [Log in to view e-mail addresses]. We will be happy to discuss the situation and work with you to resolve the matter. Alternatively, my door is always open should you wish to discuss a point with me on Discord.

AI-Generated Art in Competitions

One key addition that’s been made to the Herald Competition Approval Guidelines is that each Graphics competition must include a rule that explicitly states whether or not AI-generated images are allowed in order to avoid confusion for the participants.

Each competition should include a rule that states in no uncertain terms whether or not AI-generated images are allowed. It falls to the organizer to decide if AI-generated art qualifies for placement or only for participation. Consider how this will affect the way you grade AI-generated images vs member-made art. It is recommended not to allow AI-Generated images for competitions set to Advanced difficulty.

The Star Wars Clause

Some have raised concerns with the following line from the Herald Competition Approval Guidelines:

Also note that the competition must be connected to the Star Wars universe or the Dark Jedi Brotherhood in order to be eligible for Clusters of Graphite.

Following discussions with various members, the Grand Master and the Deputy Grand Master, I have replaced that line with the following paragraph:

Also note that in order to be eligible for Clusters of Graphite, the competition should be connected to the Star Wars universe, the Dark Jedi Brotherhood or generic interests adjacent to club and clan culture, such as inktober-style events. If you are uncertain whether or not your prompt falls within an acceptable margin, please consult with the Herald staff. The Herald’s office reserves the right to make exceptions to this rule under certain conditions as well as the right to remand or otherwise decline prompts that stray too far from club interests.

I wish to be flexible and present the membership with as much agency and opportunity as possible. That being said, we are a Star Wars club. While I recognize that people have different and far-reaching interests, Star Wars remains the foundational theme of our club and I think we owe it to ourselves to make an effort to tailor our prompts so that they fall within a reasonable margin. That being said, I would not expect someone who runs a fun AI-generated prompt competition or an Inktober-style competition to painstakingly tailor every little prompt specifically to Star Wars. A basic example of an acceptable vs unacceptable prompt has been added to the policy.

The Monochrome Clause

Another rule that caused concerns is the point under the Avatars policy which states that an avatar cannot be grayscale or monochrome. This requirement exists because your avatar is meant to be an accurate depiction of one’s character. Thus, the avatar of a Chiss with blue skin and red eyes should include these features. The concern that arose (and was unfortunately exacerbated by a miscommunication on my part in early January), was that the avatar of a character that is monochromatic by design (e.g. a character with gray skin, white hair, and silver eyes) would be systematically declined. Clearly, they shouldn’t be. As such, I have added an exception to the rule:

The character in the image should be in color. Grayscale or monochrome images will be remanded. An exception will be made for characters that are monochromatic by design. In this case, use the "Additional Remarks" field to notify the Herald Staff.

Herald Resources

One of the first things I started working on when I was appointed to Herald was the creation of a new and expansive Herald Resources repository. In this new version, found here , you will find resources intended for club-specific graphic design purposes. This includes but isn’t limited to club logos, SW-themed fonts, lightsaber effects and various graphic templates such as warbanners, store icons, load out silhouettes, paper dolls for robes, and more.

I’ve also made two of my Photoshop brush packs available for download. The first contains inking and sketching brushes of my own creation. The second pack contains textured brushes for general use, composed of countless freeware/shareware brushes I've collected over the years. These packs should be compatible with Photoshop, Gimp, Krita, and Clip Studio Paint.

The Herald Resources is a work-in-progress and more will be added to it over time.

Note that the links on the current Herald wiki page point to past iterations of the Herald Resources repository. This will be rectified in the near future. In the meantime, you will always find the new one in the Important Links section of my reports.

Clan Stickers

As mentioned in my last report, my office is looking to expand the set of emojis and stickers available on our Discord server. This is a reminder that each clan is allowed to submit 7 personalized stickers. These can be inside jokes, sayings, reactions or expressions that are unique to your clan. These must be in good taste and anything deemed offensive or otherwise problematic will be declined. This is a good opportunity to promote art amongst your members, maybe even run a competition. Clusters of Graphite will be awarded to artists who supply art for these stickers (unless they are created as a submission to a competition where Clusters and Crescents are already awarded.)

Future Opportunities

There are no open magistrate positions at this time. Look to future reports for openings.

If you are interested in creating art for your fellow members, feel free to contact me. There are always graphics to be done and you will be rewarded for your efforts whether you are part of the staff or working with us as a freelance designer.

Each report, I shine a light on the wonderful work of members of our club.

Meet Clan Odan Urr’s Tomora Nay'ek, who goes by the name of Techsketch on Discord. Tech is immensely talented and has a mastery over clothing and fur that would make any artist jealous.

Seems this report is an Odan Urr special. Meet Gui Sol, who recently got their first drawing tablet. They’ve been posting new art on a regular basis and getting better with each piece. They prove that practice pays off. They even tried their hand at a new robe and you know that’ll make this Herald happy.

Shanree Argentin, Anderson, and Vynn Salm by Aylin, Nora and Malfearak

Nora Olen by Soccora and Malfearak, Morgan B. Sorenn by Vyr, and Alaris Jinn by Malfearak

Quentinshadows, Centam Javik, Ellisyn Kendis by Vyr and Anderson by Rian

Enzo Dek by Nora and Malfearak, and Zosi'val'ria, and Vincent Brujah by Malfearak

Titius Osseus and Morgan B. Sorenn by Vyr, and Ood Bnar by Nora and Malfearak

Eechee, Vincent Brujah, Saal Kesyk, Waza Sunrider, Fenrir, Kah’ri Marru by Malfearak

Important Links

• Herald Resources
• Competitions
• Art Rubric 2.0
• Herald Wiki
• Herald Policies
• [Log in to view e-mail addresses]

Thank you for reading my report. If you have any art-related questions, feedback, or concerns, feel free to message me on Discord or send me an [Log in to view e-mail addresses].