Request Stream Policies Explained (*Updated Jan. 2023) (Patreon)

*Update Jan. 2023: Hey everyone! I have updated the policies below as of January 2023, just as we're getting some new faces here! Please be sure to review all of the policies below to refresh yourself on them. The newest updates/clarifications are flagged with Asterisks***

Hello!

While we're on the topic of request streams, I thought I ought to add a bit of transparency to the whole set of policies/rules for request streams to avoid confusion in the future!

So let's get right into it!

1. All patrons have access to all livestreams done for this account! This includes any and all request streams, comic streams, illustration streams, or commission-work streams. 

2. Any patron of $15 or more per month may make a request for an upcoming request stream.

3. You must send this request to me via google form (links will be posted on patreon when requests open).

4. These google forms will open 50 hours before the stream starts, but they will close 2 hours before the stream starts. This is a firm deadline, please be sure to get your requests in early. If you have trouble with the google form in any way, please contact me ASAP.

5. All stream start times will be in Central Time (Please plan accordingly). Here is a simple timezone converter:  https://www.thetimezoneconverter.com/ 

6. IN ORDER FOR YOUR REQUEST TO BE CONSIDERED: You must actively be in the picarto.tv chat at the start of the stream while requests are being selected. I will typically sign on early, and give an additional 5 minutes to the start time for people to get on. If you are not in the picarto chat by the time I begin selecting requests, I unfortunately cannot consider your request for that stream*.

7. Active participation is required for your request to be continued. I strongly ask this so that we don't get folks popping in for the start of the stream, and then leaving for the rest. A big part of this stream is the communication I can have with you while I'm drawing your characters. For that reason, I ask that you either: 

      a) Attend for a majority (3 hours) of the stream

     -OR-

      b) Stay until your sketch is drawn.

EXAMPLE A: If your request was accepted, but you are slot #8, it's fair to assume your sketch will be done in the latter half of the stream. So you are more than welcome to depart and come back for the last 3 hours of the stream if that is more convenient for you. 

EXAMPLE B: If your request was accepted, and you are in slot #2, it's fair to assume your sketch will be coming up pretty quickly! So I ask that you stick around. However, if for example I finish your sketch in the first hour of the stream, you do NOT have to stay for an additional 2 hours. You have stayed until your sketch was completed. You are more than welcome to stay and enjoy the rest of the stream, but you do not have to!

8. Time Zone Challenges are taken into account. I will do my best to accommodate challenging times for those who have made a request. My goal is to not have an issue with time zones that makes it unreasonable for a patron to stay for the entire stream. a 6pm stream may be 12am, or 2am for some. I will attempt to get these requests done first. This will be a relatively loose policy, all I ask is that you do your best to stick around, but I understand if you need to leave a little earlier in order to get some shut eye. Please do not push yourself beyond your limits in order to meet this requirement. Communicate forthrightly with me, and we will work something out. There is one stream at each of the times 9am, 12pm, 3pm, and 6pm central time each  month, so there should be at least one stream that is suitable for your schedule. 

9. The number of sketches you've received this month is taken into account. Those who have gotten fewer sketches will be prioritized. I select the order of persons via pools, segregated based on how many sketches they've received this month.

EXAMPLE: Say we are on the 4th stream of the month, and we have the following people and the number of sketches they've received this month

Fur a): 2

Fur b): 2

Fur c): 1

Fur d): 3

Fur e): 0

Fur f): 1

Fur g): 0

Fur h): 3

Fur i): 2

Fur j): 2

Fur k): 3

Fur L): 3

In this example, I would have 4 pools of people. Furs e, and g would be in my first pool. They are guaranteed slots 1 and 2, and I will be selecting which order they'll be in. Same would go for furs c, and f, who would be in my second pool. They would be guaranteed slots 3 and 4, the order is the only thing in question. And same would go for a, b, i, and j, getting into slots 5, 6, 7, and 8. The last few are where things get trickier. Furs d, h, k, and L all have 3 sketches from this month already, but there are only 2 slots left. So I would be selecting between those 4 furs with even odds for those two slots. Unfortunately, two of them would not be receiving slots for this stream. But as you can see, those who did not receive slots, are those who have already received the most sketches this month.

Come the next month, everyone's sketch count returns to 0, and all requests are on an even playing field.

10. The Keeper and Zonker tiers are the only exceptions to the attendance/selection rules. ONCE PER MONTH, they may use their absentee slot, allowing them a guaranteed slot in the stream, without requiring them to attend. They are welcome and encouraged to send along their absentee request at any time during the month so that I can best prepare for the stream.

11. Characters of others may be used in your request with the permission of the owner. Please be sure that the owner of the character being used is okay with you making requests with said character. This includes other patrons. You may have another patron in your request, as long as they are okay with this. This does not require multiple slots in order to have multiple patrons in one request.

***12. There are limitations on sketch content. Along with all of my regular terms of service, sketches are limited to two characters, with minimal to no background. Some exceptions may be made for this, depending on the complexity of the piece. But typically no backgrounds are included with up to 2 characters in a sketch. Please feel free to inquire about your idea if it goes beyond this, I'm happy to let you know if I can do it! 

***[UPDATED JAN. 2023]***

12a. Please note that your complex request, if accepted, may need to be more quickly put together, and as such sketchier than others if one of the following applies to it:

- There are multiple characters of high complexity

- There are more than 2 characters

- There is a necessary background

I try to spend about 20-40 min on each sketch, so obviously a more complex scene, pose, character, or setting will mean I may need to plough through a sketch faster with less attention to anatomy and detail. This is okay! Just bare that in mind when making your request.

13. Request Art Delivery is available once per 6 months! At any time of the year, you may pay for shipping and handling for your request sketches to be sent to you. Prices may vary, but domestic shipping is typically $16.00, and international shipping is typically $40.00. Steep I know, but this includes document mailer materials, packaging, and heavy insurance to ensure that if your package goes missing or is somehow destroyed, I can compensate you for this.
NOTE: If you purchase a traditional commission or a product from me, I can also include the request sketches at that time.
NOTE: Please limit these requests to no more than once every 6 months, allow some time for requests to add up!
NOTE: If you are attending a convention that I too will be attending, let me know! We can avoid shipping costs by hand delivering it to you at con!

14. Apply all the standard chat courtesies to this chat as well. Be kind, courteous, and respectful to each other in chat. This is a safe place for people, not a place to dump problems or emotional weight! Participants actively causing trouble will be removed from the stream. 

***[UPDATED JAN. 2023]***

14a. Please be kind and mindful of your responses to slot availability. I understand it may be frustrating to not get a slot during a stream, however I ask that you keep any venting to yourself. Too often I've had patrons NOT make requests, because they feel bad about taking up a slot when others really want it too.

Let me be clear. This system only works fairly if everyone uses their benefits to their most desired level. 

If you do not get a slot one stream, you will have advantage next time. When you vent at chat with things like "Guess that's just my luck..." or "Of course I didn't get a slot...," you are pushing other patrons to feel guilty about getting their own slot that they've worked just as much for as you have.

15. Please resubmit your request every stream. Unfortunately I am unable to keep track of previous requests, and whether or not you would want to use them in the next stream if you do not get a slot for the current stream. That being said, if you do not get a slot during a stream, and you want to use the same request for the next stream, please resubmit the request in the appropriate time frame for the next stream. 

16. Google forms are now used to submit your requests. A new form will be posted whenever stream requests open. Follow this link and put all applicable information into the form. You will receive the following after you've submitted your request:

1. You will immediately receive an automatic email copy of your request form from google.

2. No later than 2 hours prior to stream start, you will receive a confirmation via telegram from me with all of your references and description.
(IF YOU DO NOT RECEIVE THIS CONFIRMATION FROM ME, somehow I've missed your request, please contact me ASAP so that I can remedy the issue)

17. Please do not use links for references in the google form. I have a section to upload images for in the form, please only upload, and do not link me to images online.

18. Please send ALL of your references with every request. This may seem redundant, but trying to keep references from previous streams becomes an absolute mess on my end. It will save all of us a lot of time if you submit all necessary references for the request each time.
I recommend making a folder on your phone or computer with the base references you use each time.

***[NEW DEC. 2022]***
19. Please send the previous part of any series if you are requesting a sequel. Again, this may seem redundant, but if you want consistency with a series of sketches, this is extraordinarily helpful.
It may seem pretentious, but please bare in mind I have 40 participants who can request sketches each month, and many folks do series of sketches (which is awesome!), so keeping everything straight is extraordinarily difficult.

20. Character markings/tattoos are typically not included in a sketch by default. For a sketch, this does not include shading or detailing, so tattoos and specific markings are typically left out for sketches. I may be able to throw it in there now and then depending on complexity. Kaa's spots on his back for example are very simple, whereas a full sleeve of tattoos may be too complex for a sketch. 

***[UPDATED DEC. 2022]***
20a. You may also see marking for certain species, such as tigers, to display what creature they are. These are all case by case. But specific character markings are not included with most sketches.

21. PLEASE DO NOT STREAM AND DRIVE! I know it sucks, but please please PLEASE be safe. If you need to be driving, please turn off the stream. A sketch is not worth your life, nor the life of others around you. I don't think I could continue doing streams if I learned that someone got hurt or killed because of it.

22. Keep speedpaints in mind! Got an idea for a speedpaint commission down the line, but want it to be a bit more detailed? I can use these requests as a base to save some time on your speedpaint commission! So if you'd like your sketch request to become a speedpaint, it will probably get to a more polished look when commissioned!

23. BLUE MOON REQUESTS. If you are at the Licker, Carrier, or Captor tiers, and are having issues attending streams, this policy is for you.
If you go any 2 consecutive months without receiving a slot, you may use a Blue Moon Absentee slot. Using this works just like a normal absentee slot. You do not need to attend a stream when you use it.

If for example, you went February and March without getting any slots, you could then use a blue moon absentee slot in April or after.

*Blue Moon Absentee slots do not accumulate! If you go 5 months without a slot, and have not used your blue moon absentee slot, you still only have 1 blue moon absentee slot.

*Blue Moon Absentee slots do not expire! If you don't use your Blue Moon Absentee slot on the 3rd month, you can still use it on the 4th. But if a slot is acquired at any time, blue moon or not, the blue moon slot policy resets to 0.

--

These are my current policies. I may add to this in future, but if I do I will make clear note of it. Thank you for reading through these policies, I hope this provides a bit more transparency to the processes of these streams!