RIP ImagineFX Forum

Mine was every day I was able to spend time with friends there. It's what introduced me to digital art, and got me back to doing art in general after quiting 10 to 12 year earlier. ... And yep, it was the Lady Kaz herself who spoke to me first too, when she told me to stop lurkin and come in!

My favorite moment was when I won my first art challenge. I think I did every challenge for like a full year and then finally I won. And I was able to see my work in print for the first time in the magazine. Just an amazing feeling of accomplishment.

Aww that was lovely, thanks Zeph & Dave

My favourite moment isn´t really a single moment, but the whole Daily Sketch Challenge 13. Especially from februar to april I learned a lot about digital painting and I really enjoyed the support from all the other sketching people there. Will we have such a challenge also here?

My favorite moment was every moment someone mentioned me or my art !

Dave and EvilRobot just described exactly my experience. The IFX forum (and the supportive atmosphere and people in it) is what got me back doing art regularly after having quit for more than a decade, and then I entered every contest for a while (there were months I didn't enter due to lack of time, but did the entry anyway afterwards for practice). Definitely the coolest moment was the first time I won a monthly (even though most of the time I hate just about everything I do--maybe I need therapy).

If it were not for this community, I would not have even tried to get into digital art. That's point number one!

My favourite moment though, was when I received my first piece of feedback from Smolin and Markdraws. I felt like I was learning from the first moment I posted something up.

My next favourite moment was when I felt like I was a genuine member of this community, after I had posted up a suggestion or started a thread, and the good folk on here responded and spread the love! I felt like I really belonged here!

I will miss the connection to the magazine, but I am very glad so many of the lovely folk who gave my art an outlet and a home have migrated to this swanky new site. I really do hope that the same spirit continues and that we get loads more getting stuck in over the coming years!!

Thank you for a great experience guys!!

2 words...
Forumites Magazine.

If it was not for IFX forums I would not have been able to create it. I believe one or two of the covers are in this very gallery.

I haven't written anything here yet because I can't actually remember what it was like when I joined the old forum... I think it was back in 2009 pretty much straight after I bought my first copy of the magazine. Nor do I feel my art has developed in leaps and bounds (I could wish, though.) But I think what has meant the most to me will continue right here in this forum and it's two things:

1) An outlet for the art I create (even if I suck at finishing anything). I don't know why but I'm not the kind of person who's content to draw something and then hide it away in a drawer (not anymore anyway! guess I was as a kid...) Being able to share my images keeps me interested in continuing. I know I feel better when drawing and painting - a long hiatus will make me feel down and irritable - but even so I would probably do less of it, if I couldn't share it with anyone.

2) A community of like minded people. Everyone here loves art and fantasy and sci-fi and quite often the same games I do, like MMO's and such. I have a few real life friends who share those interests but it's not on the same level. None of them play the games I play. Few if any of them read the same books. At work, none of my collegues share these hobbies or interests... My father, an artist, thinks fantasy art is a "fad". My mother thinks imaginatory things are unnecessary. So if I didn't have this community I would probably feel very isolated and lonely. Not to mention bored!

So, the IFX forum gave me a lot but I'm very happy that I can take it all with me to where we are now. And thanks guys, for being geeks just like me!

What a lovely post Charlotte!