Help

• Take a tour
  • The Introductory Tour
  • The Getting Started Tour
  • The Menu Tour
  • The Picture Lists Tour
  • The Groups Tour
• Getting Started

  First, join us and upload your own paintings and drawings. On your Settings page you can fill in the details you want to appear on your Artist Page, including (if you want) your Artist Statement and your portrait or photo. These details will appear next to your pictures. To see other Artist Pages, click their name under their paintings or drawings.

  If you already have your own website, you can have its address appear under each of your pictures. You will also have your own web address here -
  www.paintingsilove.com/artist/yourname.

  Check out the Recent Activity page to get a sense of the activity and comments currently being made. If you want to receive comments, it is best to make comments on other artists' pictures, because artists often check out the work of those who have commented on their work. You have to vote first, before you can make a comment.

  There are two levels of membership. Everyone joins as a Free Member – or you can pay US$19.95 per year to receive extra benefits as a Supporting Member. To compare Free versus Supporting Memberships, click here.

• Pictures

  Image content
  Paintings I Love specialises in hand-created paintings and drawings only (any non-digital medium). No photography, sculpture, 3D, textiles, ceramics, murals, mosaics, pottery, jewelry, digital or computer-created works are accepted - there are other sites for those. In short, we cater for hand-created art using traditional materials painted or drawn on flat canvas or paper. Works created using a computer are not accepted. Artistic nudes are accepted - explicit nudity and adult content are not.

  Although we love all art, we wish to keep our website focussed, therefore content not meeting these terms will be removed. We also reserve the right to remove any images or comments not deemed suitable for the site without prior notice.

  Image quality
  To show best on Paintings I Love, photos of pictures should be at least 700 pixels wide. Those that rate best generally have nothing showing but the picture itself - no frame, no background wall or flooring, and no flare from a flash. And they are in sharp focus. Here is an article on how to photograph paintings.

  If you don't have any photo editing software, we recommend using an online editor such as snipshot.com, or the free IrfanView from irfanview.com (for Windows), or Picasa from google. You can use these to crop out unnecessary background, sharpen, rotate, and adjust the color, brightness and contrast so that the photo best represents your picture.

  You can also rotate your picture, or replace it with a better photo, by clicking the Replace Picture button underneath it. Its votes & comments are not removed when replacing the picture this way.

  Editing picture text
  To change the title or description of a picture you have uploaded, just place the mouse over the words under the picture and click. You will then be able to edit the text and save it. To change your email address, name, password or Artist Statement, click on Settings in the top right menu.

  Artist's avatar (main thumbnail)
  You can choose your own avatar if you are a Supporting Member. Just click on any of your pictures and click the Set Avatar button underneath it. You can change your avatar this way as often as you like. Avatars showing in the Supporting Members section tend to get more comments as they are visible more often across the site, so you can use this to promote new works, or perhaps older works that you would like more feedback on.

  If you are a Supporting Member, you can also sort all your pictures to show in the order you prefer on your artist page.

  If you are not a Supporting Member, your main picture is automatically set to be your current most popular one based on recent votes, and changes accordingly. This is to provide a variety of images over time for viewers, and so that the community can decide which pictures are shown, as this main picture is also shown on all your comments, and can appear on every page, including the home page, while you are online. New pictures tend to become your avatar fairly quickly once they have received a few votes.

• Supporting Members
  

  Supporting Members pay a yearly subscription of US$19.95 for a range of extra benefits, such as being able to sort the pictures in their Artist Pages, choose and change their avatar (main thumbnail), access more exposure, use slideshows, and create their own Groups. It's easy to become a Supporting Member. Click here for more information.

• How does the site work?

  How to vote
  To vote for a picture according to your taste, click on the picture, and then click on one of the 5 stars that will appear above it. They stand for:

  	I love it
  	I like it
  	It's ok
  	I don't like it
  	I really don't like it

  It can sometimes take a few minutes for your votes to appear on the site.

  You need to have joined as a member and be logged in to be able to vote for pictures.

  The more votes you and other members make, the better we will be able to make Recommendations for your tastes.

  Making Comments
  Paintings I Love aims to be a welcoming, supportive environment where artists can receive complimentary comments on their works and constructive criticism. Abuse, disrepect and rudeness will not be tolerated. A full list of guidelines is available here.

  Comments let you give feedback to artists about what you like in their picture and ask questions on technique. Leaving comments is also the best way to get comments back on your own pictures, as a thumbnail of your most popular picture is automatically shown next to your name, and the people you are commenting on often check out the work of those commenting on theirs. Your thumbnail may also appear on the Recent Activity pages, and in the Artists Online Now section on every page when you are online.

  Before being able to post comments,

  • You must have validated your email address. (We send you an email with an activation link to click on.)
  • You must have voted on the picture you are commenting on.

  To reply to a specific comment, click the 'reply' link under the comment. A text entry area will open up for you to type in your reply.

  It can sometimes take a few minutes for your comments to appear on the site. This is because various things are updated at different times when the computers are not so busy. If everything was instantly updated, the site would be quite slow.

  You can delete any comments you don't like on your own pictures. You can also block a member from commenting on your pictures in the future. You will not be able to comment on their work either. If someone is blocked by three different people, that person will no longer be able to post any further comments on the site. All blockings are reviewed by the administrators, and should only be used for people that are obviously abusive. Any blocking that appears to be unfair may be removed.

  Html formatting is not available in the comments, and comments are limited to around 400 words.

  Limited formatting is available, using the wiki style of multiple apostrophes (').

  What you type	What you will see
  ''your text in italics''	your text in italics
  '''your text in bold'''	your text in bold

  To add a link to another picture on PIL, copy and paste its full web address.
  e.g. http://www.paintingsilove.com/image/show/999999/example.
  Or you can use a shortcut with square brackets and the image number from the web address. For this example, you would enter [image 999999].
  The comment will display with a thumbnail of the picture linked to its page.

  Comment Generator
  

  The Comment Generator groups have been designed to help you get more comments and feedback on those pictures of yours which have received little or no feedback.

  This feature has been added because there appear to be many deserving cases on PIL where good artworks slipped through the New listing and missed receiving the kind of positive and supportive feedback that many other artists on PIL have received and appreciated. Since this site aims to help artists grow and interact, the Comment Generator has been developed to encourage that process.

  There are four groups offered:

  • Pictures with less than 2 comments
  • Pictures with less than 5 comments
  • Pictures with less than 10 comments
  • Pictures with less than 20 comments

  You don't need to join these groups - anyone can add eligible pictures to them.

  If you have received no comments at all on an artwork, you could choose to join any or all of these groups at the same time. Those who don’t want to make or receive too many comments at once can choose the lower numbered groups.

  Before your picture will be shown in any group, you must make the required number of comments for that group, eg. for "Pictures with less than 5 comments", you need to comment on 2 pictures in that group.

  When you add a picture to Comment Generator, your picture will remain on the main website as normal, but it will also be shown in the group until it receives the nominated number of comments, i.e. 2, 5, 10 or 20 comments respectively. It is automatically removed from the group within an hour of reaching that number of comments.

  If the picture does not receive the number of comments for its group, it will be removed automatically after the number of days nominated for its group, i.e. in the 2 comments group, pictures are removed after 2 days; in the 5 comments group, pictures are removed after 5 days, and so on. You are welcome to add the picture back to any relevant group after it has been removed this way, as often as you like.

  Important: please make constructive comments that are directly relevant to the pictures, not just a series of short comments, eg. 'nice work' that give the artist very little feedback. The idea is for you to get back what you put in.

  Recommended List
  

  This will show you a selection of pictures that others with similar tastes to you (ie similar voting patterns) have rated highly. Our goal is to have new content every day that reflects your taste in the Recommended list. When you vote favourably for pictures in the Recommended list, they are automatically transferred into the Your Favourites list. When you vote unfavourably for pictures in Recommended list, they are automatically transferred out of your Recommended list.

  Your recommendations are also available on your phone at www.paintingsilove.com/mobile. This page shows a small low-bandwidth version of each picture, along with its description and latest comment, and allows you to quickly comment and vote on each of your recommendations. Ideal for something to do while you've got a few minutes to spare, e.g. waiting in a queue or a restaurant, or travelling to & from work.

  Popular List
  Artworks in the Popular list are presented in an order that reflects the votes the pictures have received and the length of time it has been on the site. We keep the site fresh by showing first the latest artworks received which are attracting strong voting.

  New List
  The New list shows the latest uploads of pictures, in the order they arrive at the website - one picture per artist.

  Random List
  If you love surprises, the Random list will select for you a random collection of works drawn from all areas of the website.

  Your Favorites
  Any artworks you vote for favourably (ie 4 or 5 stars) in any of the lists throughout the site will be added to the Your Favourites list, for you to browse and savour at your leisure.  It helps you reflect on the kind of art you like, as you see the list developing according to your particular tastes.

  Top Rated Lists
  

  The Highest Rated are the pictures with the highest average star rating. They also need a significant minimum number of votes. The final ranking is based on the average star rating, not the number of votes.

  The idea of Top Rated is to provide an outlet for some pictures which are highly rated but do not quite get enough votes to get on the Popular page. Also note that a picture may, for example, have an average rating of 4.6 stars, which will show on its web page as 5 stars, but still not be enough to get onto the Top Rated list as other pictures may have a higher average.

  The History of Most Popular List has the pictures that have been at the top of the popular list. Only one picture a day is added - the one that spent the most time on top that day.

  Navigation tips
  Paintings I Love is a highly interactive website, designed to offer you the highest level of flexibility in discovering the art you enjoy. We hope you will find its rich layers appealing and deeply satisfying.

  When you first scroll down the main lists in Paintings I Love, you will see a number of smaller sized pictures on the page together. When you click on a picture you will see an enlarged image of it. The small "Previous / Next" links at the top of that large image will keep you working through the same list, one large image at a time.

  Underneath the large image, you will also see a number of other paintings under the heading Related by Tags. This means these related pictures share one or more of the Tags categories shown on the lower right of pages.

  You can either choose a new path of discovery via the Related by Tags pictures, or you can choose to stay in your current list by using the "Previous / Next" links at the top of the large images.

  You can also use the "Back" link beside them to go back to the previous list you were in. Note that as the site is dynamic and constantly changing to reflect votes and new uploads, the place you "go back to" will often have changed a little. Alternatively, you can click on the "Home" link to start afresh. Or use your browser Back button.

  When you are working within a list (eg Tag, Artist or Search) and you select, for example, Popular, or New, the pictures you see will be the popular or new ones for that particular list. To move out of that list back to the top of the site so that you can see all pictures again, click "Home".

  Tags

  The Tags function allows you to navigate according to Tag categories, eg watercolor, nature, landscape, acrylic. A list of the most commonly used Tags is shown at the lower right hand side of each page. The size of the Tag name indicates how frequently it is used as a category. It is up to artists to select or create their own Tags for each picture.

  Related by Tags

  When an artwork is selected, the image of it is enlarged. At the bottom right of the artwork, a list of words will appear indicating the Tags that the artist has chosen to categorise the work. Underneath are a number of other paintings collected under the heading Related by Tags. You can click on these, or if you prefer, you can continue by using "previous / next" at the top.

  Back / Previous / Next

  The larger "Previous / Next" links at the bottom of pages allow you to move back and forth through the selected list as required. The small "Previous / Next" links at the top of enlarged images also move you back and forth through the selected list, but by one enlarged image at a time. (The pictures below enlarged images, under the heading Related by Tags are collected there because they share one or more Tags with the selected picture.) The Back link lets you go back to the list you were in when you last selected a picture from it.

• Groups

  Joining a group

  Anyone is able to join a group and add their pictures to it. To join a group, first visit the group and click the Join This Group button just under the group's name.

  To add one of your pictures to the groups you have joined, go to your picture's page and click the Add To Groups button just under the picture. You will be taken to a page showing the groups you have joined, and you can select which groups to add the picture to.

  Creating a group

  Only Supporting Members can create groups. Anyone can add pictures to a group though. As a Supporting Member, you can create groups to promote subjects, styles or projects you are personally interested in. By using groups you can curate your own collections. They can be serious, or fun, e.g.

  • Self-portraits
  • Portraits of other PIL artists
  • Impressionism, or other styles
  • Artists who would like a serious critique
  • Paintings with just a touch of red

  When someone adds a picture to your group, you will need to approve it before it is shown in the group. Any artist you have already approved will be able to add further pictures to your group without pre-approval. You can remove pictures from the group later. No notifications are sent for approval or rejection, or for removal from groups. Check your Activity For You page regularly to see if any of your groups have pictures waiting for approval.

  You can set the avatar for the group after the group is created and it has had a least one picture added. The avatar must be selected from one of the pictures in the group, and you can change it any time. To select the avatar, click on "set as avatar" underneath the picture in your group. If you don't select an avatar, the default image will be the most popular image in the group.

  If you would like to refer to your group in a comment, you can paste its full web address, e.g. http://www.paintingsilove.com/group/show/999/your-group, or you can use a shortcut with square brackets and just the group number, in this example [group 999].

  You can create an invitation by clicking the Invite This Picture To A Group link under a picture's comment box. This will also show an Accept button to the picture's artist, which allows them to immediately add the pre-approved picture to the group. The invitation text can be edited by you, and you can paste your own in. It is recommended that somewhere in the comment you link to your group using the [group 999] special code, and you can also insert Accept and Ignore buttons using the special code [accept 999], where 999 is replaced by the group number from your group's web address, as shown in the previous paragraph. The Accept and Ignore buttons will only be visible to the owner of the picture. If they click on the Accept button, their picture will be immediately added to the group as already approved. Clicking Ignore will just delete the invitation.

  The ranking in the group Popularity list is based on the current popularity of individual pictures in the group, which changes daily and gives priority to recent uploads. It is recommended that groups be actively maintained by the administrator, keeping the number of submitted pictures waiting for approval to a minimum.

• Sets

  Supporting Members can also create Sets, which are very similar to Groups, but only contain pictures from the one artist. For example, you may want to show your landscapes and portraits separately, or your paintings and drawings, or your old works and recent works, or specific exhibitions or series. Pictures can be in more than one Set.

  To create a Set, click the Create A Set button on your artist page. To add a picture to the Set, go to the picture's page and click the Add To Groups button underneath the picture. (The Add To Groups buttons is used to add pictures to Sets as well as Groups.)

  You can select the order in which your pictures are shown within the set by clicking the Sort button which shows when you view your set. Just drag the thumbnails on the Sort page into the order you want, and then click the Save button.

• Artists Online Now

  The Artist Online Now section, on the lower right of most pages, shows a selection of the artists online at the time, up to a maximum number, and mainly those that have just uploaded a picture or made a comment. It's updated every 5 minutes or so. Please note that if there are a lot of artists online at the time, and also because of the delay in updating, you may not necessarily see your avatar in the list all the time.

• Contact us

  Please email any queries to
  

  Twitter: paintingsilove