[Dhabih]

Hi All,
It's been a long time coming, and I'm not sure anyone is even active here anymore, but it didn't seem right to just closeup without a word.

20 years ago this place started as one of the only, if not only, places to share and talk about digital art. A lot of talent had made it's way through here and a ton of learning and feedback and discussion that made it a joy for me to host. I believe at one point I was getting 50,000 people through here a day. A number that is not very impressive today, but in 1999, quite a feat. The more I got caught up in my work, the less time I had to spend here, but this forum thrived for many years after i'd stopped frequenting it thanks to all your contributions. Quite frankly I am as impressed as I am surprised that it went on for as long as it did. A huge huge thank you to Rowan 'Sumaleth' Crawford for really being the groundskeeper here in my stead. Without him, I have no doubt this place would have died many years ago.

After discussing it with Rowan, rather than completely shut it down, I will be locking the forums sometime in the next week or two so that people can still come here for the history of it in the future. Unfortunately many of the image links are dead and not much can be seen by way of images, but I guess it feels wrong to wipe it from existence.

If you'd like to hang and chat, I've created a Steam group chat

https://s.team/chat/errauEkw

Drop by there and say hi! Who knows...maybe we can get more than 10 people in it


peace,

-Dhabih
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http://www.sijun.com/

[Sumaleth]

It's been my pleasure to be part of Sijun all this time, as both an occasional digital art practitioner but mostly, I guess, as just a big fan of digital art.

It's been a huge joy to see names of artists I remember from these forums from 15-20 years ago making waves in film, television, videogames, and education in the years since. I suspect a full list of Sijun alumni achievements would be mind boggling.

Some recent self-portrait pixels for old time's sake:





Rowan
@Sumaleth
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Art Links Archive -- Artists and Tutorials

[alyssa milano]

[sicksicksick]

[whom]

[Lakka]

Thank you very much for all the times and inspiration..

Was not really sure what to do or where to head at one point and my young life, then got a wacom as a gift and found the forums by accident, and now working with architecture. I do not think I ever got any kind of personal connection to anyone here, but I can honestly say this place has affected my life greatly, much more than I probably like to realise or give credit for

The love to make something and develop yourself as well as to give a nod when someone was pushing themselves always felt so authentic and inspiring here.

One of a kind place.

[Tzan]

Thanks Dhabih, for making the place.
It was always a highlight for my day so see the amazing stuff people made.

Thanks to Sumaleth for keeping it alive for so long.

Bye everyone !

Tzan

( I have the same username on the Unity game engine forums and on Brikwars.com forum. )

[dot]

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...

[Freddio]

Thanks for all the great memories Dhabih!
What a fantastic creation! Sorry to see you close up shop.

You and everyone on this forum sculpted my path to becoming an Industrial designer.
I utilise the skills I learnt here on a daily basis.

Thanks also to Samuleth, great job mate!
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Design portfolio

[Dhabih]

Thanks for your admin help too Freddio!! Glad to hear you are doing well and able to use your skills for work thats the best.
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http://www.sijun.com/

[samhell]

*Tips hat and grouphugs*

Thank you Sijuners! You are all class and in a league of your own. Never have I come across a nicer and a friendlier place on the internet. I learnt so darn much here that it's hard to put into words.

So glad I was able to participate and be part of this.

And just to name a few:
Whom, Durgldeep, Sumaleth, everyone - thank you for your comments and the discussions we had. ^__^

<3

[[Shizo]]

Whaaaat!! Dhabih, I'm still waiting for your second painting tutorial! You promised!!!!!!!1!!!11 lol

Anyways, it was a pleasure to be trolling you all for all these years. I was one of the first ones to sign up too so I got to see this forum's entire lifespan through and through... *proud*

What an awesome community of geeky digital artists it was.

Thanx all! byeeeeee!

PS: Thanx Sumaleth. QuakeRally 4 ever!!!

[durgldeep]

[durgldeep]

[durgldeep]

[durgldeep]

True (I think): defeat an artist ('the conventional wisdom of Malaga which held
that a painter and a good-for-nothing are the same thing') and in place of
something (at least) they will choose to do - nothing.

Brilliant. Rocket scientists, all.

[whom]

[whom]

[durgldeep]

Conceptual art

"sometimes simply called conceptualism, is art in which the concept(s) or idea(s)
involved in the work take precedence over traditional aesthetic, technical, and
material concerns"
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conceptual_art

Flip that backwards and whom's mysterious "warehouse" stuff was like answers to
undefined (conceptual art) statements

[balistic]

It's amazing how much the field of digital painting has grown in the time that this forum was active. It was extremely important to my development as an artist, and I still remember a lot of the helpful critiques and paint-overs I received. You all rock!

If anyone wants to keep in touch with me, I still have my website at www.bprince.com and an ArtStation profile at https://www.artstation.com/brianprince
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brian.prince|light.comp.paint

[watmough]

This place was so important to me.
Its the reason ive been working as a concept artist now for 12 years.
Thanks Sijun.

[Zorglub]

I used to post here back in the early 2000s (I think I was 19 when I joined). Art was always a hobby, but I never had the discipline of practice and I always considered myself a doodler (especially compared to some of the art gods here). It really meant a lot to me to have a community like this back in those days - I was a new immigrant at that time and drawing was a bit of therapy I guess.

I'm 36 now and work in a completely unrelated field (marketing) but have started getting back into drawing and digital painting as a hobby (I even bought and old Cintiq, and my wife has the iPad Pro with the Pencil - in my days on Sijun I only ever used a Wacom Graphire tablet) and have started Googling to see if I can find an online community of artists like the old Sijun was. Unfortunately, nothing even remotely close to it exists today so I'm trying to download various bits of art, tips and tutorials that still exist here so I don't lose them to ravages of time.

I was sad to hear that Sijun will be closing, but I guess people like me who abandoned it are at least partly to blame. Looking back on things I wish I could've kept my art habbit going and had more discipline to practice and learn more effectively (maybe I would've even been doing something more artistic career-wise). Life has a funny way of getting in the way of things you actually enjoy the most. I guess that's my little rambling goodbye. With a little regret and a lot of good memories, so long Sijun, and thanks for all the art.

[dodds]

I started on here back in '98 when I was a little studio junior at at an advertsing agency and the talent, advice, connections and community of constructive helpful criticism of my work really helped me get to where I am today.

If anyone wants to keep in touch my details are:
Website: www.inksplat.net
Email: dodds@inksplat.net
FB: https://www.facebook.com/inksplat
IG: https://www.instagram.com/rowandodds
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/inksplat
Current Project: https://www.realink.digital

Thank you to everyone I've met here along the way, you've all been a wonderful influence, inspiration and reason to try harder at building my skills and craft. I hope you are all doing well in life and art ❤️️❤️️❤️️
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Rowan Dodds
Inksplat Studios

Real-ink™ Digital Brushes Project

[med]

It was a pleasure lurking, participating, and running those contests back in the day (around 2006 I believe). This place is a goldmine, for those who wish to venture. Thanks for everything

[jfrancis]

I learned a lot here. Thank you.

[whom]

I've been thinking...
Would it be possible to make a new nostalgia speed painting thread temporarily for maybe 1 year before we close this down? It would be fun just to reminisce the good old times before this old forum disappears.

Not sure if many would post but maybe we could lure Sparth back to just make something out of it?
I still look at this place with a lot of nostalgia, I had a tough time back then and still do I guess. Im a little bit out of the regular ordinary person so I guess interest in things have been more important for me than success or root yourself with family etc.

[Dhabih]

i've been wondering if there just needs to be a new space again. i feel like so much of the web is just about portfolio display and not much dialog. not something i'd get to for awhile, but if there is going to be a space i'd want one that also didnt have the images hosted offsite because they all end up becoming broken links after a few years.
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http://www.sijun.com/

[whom]

[Dhabih]

oh no for sure not.. i dont mean a forum like this. i dunno what i mean
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http://www.sijun.com/

[durgldeep]