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AETHER d'ANIMAUX Volume 01 — Spirit of the Animal


Production: Aether Preview!
UPDATE: June 23, 2008

Hello Hello Hello!

For all interested parties, I have posted the first 100 Pages of Aether below!

Aether d'Animaux • V01 • Build 2008-06-13
http://www.intrinsikdesign.com/clients/aether/mock-ups/AdA_V01_Mock-Up_20080613.pdf

This link is a low-resolution PDF and will require a suitable PDF viewer to open. Please note this PDF reflects the post-crash build (with modifications) and shows the remaining holes currently being filled. Images with "FPO" (For Placement Only) over them are images that were unrecoverable after my HDD crash and/or their resolutions are below ideal print quality (300dpi). Description info shown in Magenta reflects information also lost in the HDD crash.

Categories not represented in this PDF: Cosplay & Fursuit, Sequential Illustration, Sculpture, Traditional Illustration. These Categories are coming with next journal post.

Enjoy!

Production: Aether Notes
UPDATE: December, 2007

Hello all! Happy Holidays!

Just a quick note:

Aether has not been cancelled.

Unfortunately I had no way of knowing that my employer was going to be sending me on several trips, and ontop of everything else, they've decimated my life. If you had any idea how close Aether is to being done, you would understand my frustration. It's literally, right there...

I've tried to "hire" some back-up help to wrap things up, but as the old saying goes, if you want something done right, you have to do it yourself.

Although 2007 is all but vanished (and my shame for being behind schedule mounts) Aether will indeed arrive.

Since the publication had officially been stripped of its "Best of _____" status because of some mounting pressures over semantics, the debut edition isn't obligated to a specific year. Though I had sincerely intended to be well into edition #2 by now, too much has overwhelmed me this year.

Everyone has had a lot of patience, but I know it's wearing thin. We're getting there!

I just got back from Europe, and the office will be closed between Christmas and New Year's Day, so I plan to take full advantage of every day in there that I can.

Happy Holidays to everyone, and thanks again for your participation.


Production: Almost Complete!
UPDATE: July 31, 2007

Even though I had thougtht I would have said this months ago by this point, I am finally ecstatic to announce that Aether is very near completion!

|As of this update, I am laying out the Traditional Illustration Category, which is the final Category. Once this is complete, I will be building the index, double-checking page numbering, and performing a general proof-read for obvious spelling errors, mismatched art/artist descriptions, etc.

Also as of this email, there are a handful of artists who have not yet supplied high-res files or ENtry Forms for your pieces! You know who you because I've sent you several email reminders. Such persons are also listed here, if you are in doubt!

Aether will be sent to lulu.com in August!


Production: Need Missing High-Res Art & Entry Forms!
UPDATE: June 18, 2007

Hello hello, art enthusiasts and Aether participants!

ALL MISSING MATERIALS ARE DUE BY JULY 1st!

As Aether 2007 becomes more and more pieced together, it has become imperative that all missing elements be corrected or supplied as soon as possible!

If you have submitted works for Aether 2007, please verify that we have everything that we need from you: i.e. HIGH-RES ART, Entry Forms, and Contact Information! A full list if missing materials is found here:

http://www.intrinsikdesign.com/clients/aether/selections.html

PLEASE NOTE that if I do not receive the missing elements, I will go to press without it! Artwork without entry forms will be simply labeled with your name and title of work. Any low-res artwork that has not been replaced with high-res work will be removed if the quality cannot be guaranteed!

ALSO, if you would like to supply a few lines of extra description and/or thumbnail sketches of your masterworks in-process, I also need that information right away! Details here:

http://www.furaffinity.net/journal/105777/

Thanks again, one and all!

Still pluggin' away,
-Brian / Kross

Production Updates
UPDATE: June 15, 2007

Greetings one and all! As we are now striding through the middle of June, the time has come once again to provide a status report on the production of Aether d'Animaux, 2007.

First and foremost, I absolutely MUST thank all participants and interested parties with my most heartfelt appreciation for your time, contributions, volunteering and talent. But most greatly, I appreciate the time and patience you have all demonstrated throughout this process.

|Originally, the hopeful release date for Aether was in the early weeks of March, and now that we are fast approaching on July, it is obvious that some hurdles have appeared to slow down the works. I point sadly to the recent passing of my grandfather as one of many unfortunate roadblocks, but this is the inherent danger of one-person projects.

However, great progress has still been made, and continues to be made. Please see some of the recent Mock-ups that I have posted here on FurAffinity to see an example of the current condition of Aether:

http://www.furaffinity.net/view/548440/

CURRENT STAGE OF DEVELOPMENT:
As absolutely gorgeous as all of the artwork is that has been submitted to Aether, very little of the 900-plus pieces were supplied in accordance with the required specs called out on the Web Page. Meaning, a lot of the work must be converted from RGB to CMYK, converted to 300 dpi, etc. Though easy, it does require a lot of time to process this many images.

I am also in the stage of placing images on the page that compliment each other. The design stages have been completed for the 3D ILLUSTRATION, CONCEPTUAL, FURSUIT/COSPLAY, SEQUENTIAL ILLUSTRATION, and DIGITAL ILLUSTRATION categories.

I am also still waiting for artwork from accepted participants who previously submitted low-res work as place-holders pending acceptance. Please see the Aether Web Site for a list of these people:

http://www.intrinsikdesign.com/clients/selections.html

Some folks have volunteered to further submit brief snippets of information, details or thumbnail sketches pertaining to the works selected to be in Aether. If you are interested in this idea, please see the following link:

http://www.furaffinity.net/journal/105777/

A NOTE OF APOLOGY:
Several days ago, my domain hosting the Aether Web Site (as well as my business email through Intrinsik Design) suddenly became unavailable for 48 hours. The hosting company has mended the error, and I apologize to anyone who may have been trying to get ahold of me during that time.

CLOSING:
Thank you again to all who have participated with their works, their time and their interest. I am continuing to move forward and I am very, very pleased with the current look and feel of Aether, and I trust you will be, too.

In the meantime, please do not hesitate to contact me further if you have any questions, concerns or ideas.

Thanks!
-Brian / KrossBreeder

Nominations Posted
UPDATE: March 27, 2007
The nominations for the 2007 edition of Aether d'Animaux have been tallied, and the full list of nominations can be found here: [LINK]

Jury Panel: Polls Close Today!
UPDATE: March 9, 2007
Five Jurors down, two to go!
Today is the deadline for the Jury process, and we have received a lot of great feedback and commentary from those who have completed the polls! As of this post, two Jurors remain unspoken for. After today, all polls will be tallied and a master list will be created. Please keep your eyeballs here for updates. A link called "THE SHOW" will be created which will supply all of the names of those who were selected into the final publication. Please note that no list will be made or supplied addressing who was not selected. Also note that no list will be composed of which pieces were selected for the book, if an artist entered multiple pieces. We simply don't have that kind of time.

The book will be composed over the next few weeks, and is still planned to be supplied to lulu.com for publication by month's-end.

UPDATE: February 26, 2007
As of today, three Jurors must complete the Jury Process before final selections can be tallied. At which point, all artisans whose work has been selected will be sent an email confirming their entry into Aether d'Animaux, 2007. If the remaining Jurors cannot participate do to scheduling conflicts (as this process is volunteer only and not obligatory), a statement requesting dismissal will be required before I can continue. I want to make sure every piece has been seen by the total Jury, and that every Juror has had ample opportunity to participate.

Once the pieces have been tallied, the layout of the book will commence and shall be completed over the course of a few weeks. More information to come.

Jury Panel now in Session.
DEADLINE: February 28, 2007.

The final count brought us to almost 900 submissions, submitted by over 200 artisans across the globe! Truly an impressive panel of work! I cannot thank you the participant enough for taking the time and interest in this project. I wish you the absolute best of luck now and always with your careers and endeavors.

The 2007 Aether Jury is currently reviewing the works submitted since August of 2006. These works have been posted via private web gallery so that each Juror will be allowed the greatest amount of time and flexibility in presiding over each piece. Absolutely NONE of the work has been pre-screened, and every piece that has been submitted will be seen by each Juror.

The criterion for which a piece is reviewed is completely different for each Juror. Art is highly subjective as we all know, so it's important to look further than what lays on the surface of any work. Each Juror will consider many things with each work, including whether the piece fits the "Anthro" and "Pg-13" or less requirements. Each Juror comes to the table with their own life-experiences and beliefs as to what is "anthro", etc.

It is important to note that this process is not a way of claiming what is "The Best", and it is not meant to draw lines in the sand. Simply, the Jury has selected works from a very large and very talented pool of art that they feel speaks to them on some level, or has inspired them in some way. It would be unfair to say that the works not selected for Aether are of lesser quality. Every participant who has submitted work has submitted a masterpiece that they feel proud in, and above all, that is Aether's goal-- to increase our collective pride in the works we produce as individuals.

The Jury process depends on the schedules of each Juror. However, a loose deadline has been placed to have all polls closed by the end of February. At which time, all of the votes will be tallied and any work with a plurality of votes will be included into Aether's final layout, which will be artworked during early March. After a brief porrofreadng and editing phases, the book will be collected and shipped to http://www.lulu.com where it will be printed and published, ready for purchase!

Call for Entries! [NOW CLOSED]
DEADLINE: January 1, 2007 [EXPIRED].

Calling all professional and student artists! Art Directors, Publishers, Artist Representatives, Fine Artists, Illustrators, Fursuitsmiths, Photographers, Sculptors and Animataors! You are herby invited to submit entries to the debut edition of the annual, AETHER d'ANIMAUX, the Anthropormphic and Furry Art competition!

Works may be painted, drawn, sculpted, photographed, by hand or computer, there is no wrong way to create or submit your work, provided that it deal with an anthropomorphic theme.

A Jury of your Furry artisan colleagues will select works to be published in high-quality, full color.

Aether d’Animaux (“Aether”) is an annual publication dedicated to the promotion of Furry, Were-creature, Anthropomorphic and Transformation style artwork, including most forms of 2D and 3D mediums. Aether is a PG13 or less publication.

The services of Aether (“Aether Services”) are offered through Intrinsik Design LLC, the graphic design, web authoring and advertising house responsible for Aether’s campaigning, production, design, and printing.

Aether,  Intrinsik Design LLC, and KAF! Studio are all hosted, operated and based in the United States.


The Purpose of Aether d'Animaux

Aether d'Animaux will come to mean many things to many people. It will be used as a collection of fine art for fans, a source of inspiration for artists, and a point of reference to outside interests. Aether will be a stepping stone for artists who are trying to make a name for themselves, and a place of honor for veterans of the craft.

Aether d'Animaux, like most competition-styled events, carries with it an unfortunate air of vanity. Most artists, especially if they are experienced, know the inherent truth that art is subjective, and that there is never truly a "Best" or "Worst". For this reason, we have decided to remove the "Best Of" modifier from Aether's titles. We feel it is an improvement to call it "Juried" instead, which removes some of the ego and calls the competition for what it is: a collection of art that has gone through a Jury process. Every year, the jury will change and thus so will change the tastes and biases.

Aether is not meant to cause any greif, to participants or fans. In our heart of hearts, this project is meant only to showcase works that will hopefully lift some of the "smut-only" view that the rest of the world tends to see us in. Any anxiety or grief that may befall any participant for any reason is unintended.

But foremost, Aether is a publication that focuses on some of our favorite artworks of the Furry, Anthropomorphic, Transformation and Were-Creature followings. We're looking at technique, skill, concept, presentation, professionalism and other traits of the finer artist.

We hope to add a positive light to the genre that reflects on ethos, not eros.

How The Competition Works

Currently, there are several active "waves", or stages, to produce Aether. The first three waves are dedicated to creating a mock-up (temporary example) copy in order to show people and generate interest. Once wave 3 completes, the Official Competition will begin!

The Official Aether Competition will open the Call for Entries, in which all interested parties may submit as many works as they wish. For this debut edition only, we have chosen to waive entry fees as a gift to you for your supprt, and to help earn your trust. It is likely that if the print-on-demand avenue of production that we've chosen works well, then future editions will be fee-free as well.

These submissions will be collected and posted to an exclusive, private space for only the eyes of the Jury. Thirteen Jurors (or another odd number), will be selected for their diversity and excellence in their field. These Jurors will review all of the submissions and vote "Yay" on each each entry they feel best represents the goals of Aether. Although there is NO THEME for Aether, each year's Jury panel will inherently carry some form of expectation. With every passing year, the Jury will likely evolve and look for different and more innovative choices. The Jury will never be the same from year to year, but it is likely that a juror will participate more than once. For every entry that receives a multiplicity of votes will become part of the printed publication.

During this time, the Jurors will also be asked to select an image they feel would be best on the cover and back cover of the book.

The Jury will also be asked to select three works from each category they feel are truly exceptional. These three images will be reviewed above all the others and awarded Silver, Gold and Grand Master Awards. These awards will reflect excellence not only in their craft, but also in their professionalism and overall contribution to the genre over the course of their career. Currently, these awards are in spirit only, and do not carry any form of compensation.

Once the Jury has completed their tasks, the book will be assembled, collected, and sent to the printer for publication.

The current printing process planned for Aether will be the print-on-demand services of http://www.lulu.com. An esteemed vendor to the do-it-yourself publisher, their products have been widely used and widely enjoyed.


Why Aether is Juried

Simply, we respect you. Aether is juried in order to be fair. In order to be fair, we need diverse opinions and a wide variety of experience to help balance the scales. We do not want any one school of thought or set of preferences to bias an artist or his/her works. Thus, we need several people with different skills and different perspeectives. There is an odd number of Jurors to avoid a tie-vote.


Rules of the Competition &
Terms of Service Agreement

August 22, 2006

1. ELIGIBILITY:
Any published or unpublished works, provided that it deal with Furry, Anthropomorphic, Transformation, Were-creature, Mythical creature themes, or otherwise sentient animals are invited to participate. This is NOT a competition for only the best artists. We welcome all skill levels to compete.

Use of and Membership of Aether or Aether’s services are void where prohibited. By using the Aether Services, you represent and warrant that (a) all registration information you submit is truthful and accurate; (b) you will maintain the accuracy of such information; (c) you are 14 years of age or older; and (d) your use of the Aether Services does not violate any applicable law or regulation. Your profile may be deleted and your Membership may be terminated without warning, if we believe that you are under 14 years of age or otherwise violate the terms of this agreement.

2: BASIC RULES:

A: There is NO monetary reward for competing. All entrants understand that if chosen, their works will be published in AETHER d’ANIMAUX and all appropriate credits given to said entrant. The only reward for having work(s) selected is the honor of being published in the book.

B: DO NOT SEND ORIGINALS! No submitted materials will be returned! Please send 8-1/2" x 11" (21.6cm x 28cm) computer generated prints, photocopied prints, CDs, ZIP Disks, or DVDs. You may enter by email, post mail or FTP.

C: A Jury of your fellow artisans will select which works will be included in the annual. They will select works based on imagination, craftsmanship, imagination, originality, presentation, among other criterion they feel is important. No one group or school of thought will dominate. Our intention is to be as well rounded as possible so that a greater number of artists will have a stronger chance of entry.

D: Submitting work(s) to AETHER d’ANIMAUX does not guarantee inclusion into the book. The Jury will select whom they feel best represent this year’s edition. All works are judged fairly and equally by a diverse group.

E: This competition is NOT an ego trip for the Jurors or the other entrants. It is our wholesome and sincere intent to create a publication that shows the breadth of talent within the genres. No one person, skill, theme or technique will be biased against, provided it follow the PG-13 and Anthro requirements.

F: If your work is selected, you will be contacted to re-submit a high-quality file or print of your image(s) if you have not already done so. The file(s) must be IBM or Macintosh compatible.

G: All entry forms MUST be filled out legibly and completely, because all correspondence and author information will be drawn from the forms. If your info is not entered, it will not appear in the book. We will not make guesses as to sizes, mediums, etc.

H: ABSOLUTELY NO THIRD-PATY COPYRIGHTED CHARACTERS WILL BE CONSIDERED. (i.e. Nintendo, Disney, Warner Brothers, etc).

I: Artists creating works as commissions for private or peer characters within the fandom should really get permission from the owner/copyright holder prior to entering the competition. Commissioned artwork that you create is yours to display for reasons of self-promotion, unless otherwise prohibited by a contract or request imposed by the commissioner.

J: Entry into the AETHER d’ ANIMAUX competition does NOT grant AETHER d’ANIMAUX, KAF! Studio, Intrinsik Design LLC, their employees or its publishers rights to the individual works, characters, or themes. All work remains the exclusive property of the creating artist(s).

3. TERM: This Agreement shall remain in full force and effect while you use the Aether Services or are a Member. You may terminate your Membership at any time, for any reason, by sending an email to KrossBreeder@hotmail.com and asking to be removed. Aether may terminate your Membership at any time, without warning. Even after Membership is terminated, this Agreement will remain in effect, including sections 4-13.

4. PASSWORD: When you sign up to become a Member, you will also be given a generic password to access any proofs, mock-ups or other downloadable materials.This password, though generic and universal, maintains the security of otherwise public documents. You agree not to use the account, username, or password for malicious means. You agree not to distribute the username or password to anyone for any reason. You agree to notify Aether immediately if you suspect any unauthorized use of the account or access to the password.

5. PROPRIETARY RIGHTS IN CONTENT IN AETHER.
A. Aether, Intrinsik Design and KAF! Studio do not claim any ownership rights in the text, files, images, photos, video, sounds, works of authorship, or any other materials (collectively, "Content") that you post to the Aether project. After posting your Content to the Aether, you continue to retain all ownership rights in such Content, and you continue to have the right to use your Content in any way you choose. By displaying or publishing ("posting") any Content on or through Aether, you hereby grant to Aether a limited license to use, modify, publicly perform, publicly display, reproduce, and distribute such Content solely on and through the Aether project for reasons of promotion.

B. You represent and warrant that: (i) you own the Content posted by you on or through the Aether web site and Aether publications or otherwise have the right to grant the license set forth in this section, and (ii) the posting of your Content on or through the Aether project does not violate the privacy rights, publicity rights, copyrights, contract rights or any other rights of any person. You agree to pay for all royalties, fees, and any other monies owing any person by reason of any Content posted by you to or through the Aether project.

C. The Aether project contain Content of Aether ("Aether Content"). Aether Content is protected by copyright, trademark, patent, trade secret and other laws, and Aether owns and retains all rights in the Aether Content and the Aether Services. Aether hereby grants you a limited, revocable, nonsublicensable license to reproduce and display the Aether Content (excluding any software code) solely for your personal use in connection with viewing the Aether Website and using the Aether Services.

6. The Aether Services contain Content of Users and other Aether licensors. Except for Content posted by you, you may not copy, modify, translate, publish, broadcast, transmit, distribute, perform, display, or sell any Content appearing on or through the Aether Services.

7. CONTENT POSTED:
A. Aether may delete any Content that in the sole judgment of Aether violates this Agreement or which may be offensive, illegal or violate the rights, harm, or threaten the safety of any person. Aether assumes no responsibility for monitoring the Aether Services for inappropriate Content or conduct. If at any time Aether chooses, in its sole discretion, to monitor the Aether, Aether nonetheless assumes no responsibility for the Content, no obligation to modify or remove any inappropriate Content, and no responsibility for the conduct of the User submitting any such Content.

B. You are solely responsible for the Content that you post on or through any of the Aether, and any material or information that you transmit to other Members and for your interactions with other Users. Aether does not endorse and has no control over the Content. Content is not necessarily reviewed by Aether prior to posting and does not necessarily reflect the opinions or policies of Aether. Aether makes no warranties, express or implied, as to the Content or to the accuracy and reliability of the Content or any material or information that you transmit to other Members.

8. COPYRIGHT POLICY: You may not post, modify, distribute, or reproduce in any way any copyrighted material, trademarks, or other proprietary information belonging to others without obtaining the prior written consent of the owner of such proprietary rights. It is the policy of Aether to terminate Membership privileges of any Member who repeatedly infringes the copyright rights of others upon receipt of prompt notification to Aether by the copyright owner or the copyright owner's legal agent. Without limiting the foregoing, if you believe that your work has been copied and posted on the Aether Services in a way that constitutes copyright infringement, please provide KrossBreeder with the following information: (i) an electronic or physical signature of the person authorized to act on behalf of the owner of the copyright interest; (ii) a description of the copyrighted work that you claim has been infringed; (iii) a description of where the material that you claim is infringing is located on the Aether Services; (iv) your address, telephone number, and email address; (v) a written statement by you that you have a good faith belief that the disputed use is not authorized by the copyright owner, its agent, or the law; (vi) a statement by you, made under penalty of perjury, that the above information in your notice is accurate and that you are the copyright owner or authorized to act on the copyright owner's behalf. Contacting KrosssBreeder for notice of claims of copyright infringement can be reached as follows: Intrinsik Design LLC, Attention Brian Kotulis, 3218 Walton Boulevard, Number 299, Rochester Hills, MI 48309; telephone: (248) 202-6961; Attn: Brian Kotulis; and email: brian@intrinsikdesign.com.

9. MEMBER DISPUTES: You are solely responsible for your interactions with other Aether Members. Aether reserves the right, but has no obligation, to monitor disputes between you and other Members.

10. PRIVACY: Use of the Aether Services is also governed by our Privacy Policy: which is incorporated into this Agreement by this reference.

11. DISPUTES: If there is any dispute about or involving the Aether Services, you agree that the dispute shall be governed by the laws of the State of Michigan, USA, without regard to conflict of law provisions and you agree to exclusive personal jurisdiction and venue in the state and federal courts of the United States located in the State of Michigan, City of Rochester Hills. Either Aether or you may demand that any dispute between Aether and you about or involving the Aether Services must be settled by arbitration utilizing the dispute resolution procedures of the American Arbitration Association (AAA) in Rochester hills, Michigan, USA, provided that the foregoing shall not prevent Aether from seeking injunctive relief in a court of competent jurisdiction.

12. INDEMNITY: You agree to indemnify and hold Aether, its subsidiaries, and affiliates, and their respective officers, agents, partners and employees, harmless from any loss, liability, claim, or demand, including reasonable attorneys' fees, made by any third party due to or arising out of your use of the Aether Services in violation of this Agreement and/or arising from a breach of this Agreement and/or any breach of your representations and warranties set forth above and/or if any Content that you post on the Aether Website or through the Aether Services causes Aether to be liable to another.

13. OTHER: This Agreement is accepted upon your use of the Aether Services and Website or any of the Aether Services and is further affirmed by you becoming a Member. This Agreement constitutes the entire agreement between you and Aether regarding the use of the Aether Services. The failure of Aether to exercise or enforce any right or provision of this Agreement shall not operate as a waiver of such right or provision. The section titles in this Agreement are for convenience only and have no legal or contractual effect. Aether is a trademark of Intrinsik Design, LLC. This Agreement operates to the fullest extent permissible by law. If any provision of this Agreement is unlawful, void or unenforceable, that provision is deemed severable from this Agreement and does not affect the validity and enforceability of any remaining provisions.

Please contact us at: Contact KrossBreeder with any questions regarding this Agreement.