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<title>Fantastic Portfolios News</title>
<link>http://www.fantasticportfolios.com/news/</link>
<description><![CDATA[Fantastic Portfolios Site News]]></description>
<image><title>The Fantastic Portfolios Blog</title>
<link>http://www.fantasticportfolios.com/news/</link>
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<title>Sketch Fest November &amp;amp; Blog Bug</title>
<link>http://www.fantasticportfolios.com/news/87</link>
<pubDate>Fri, 11 Nov 2011 08:01:51 -0800</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[  Sketch Fest starts in 5 hours! If you&#39;re new to it, read&nbsp;the intro. If you&#39;re participating, get thee to the&nbsp;prompting page.            The Blog Bug, or the bug in the Flog: There are now more than 10 entries in the blog, but site users may be unable to see a listing of them beyond the latest 10 entries. I&#39;m working on the paging system for earlier entries, but for the moment, you can read all the entries by going through them individually and following the links at the bottom.]]></description>
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<title>November EMG-Zine</title>
<link>http://www.fantasticportfolios.com/news/85</link>
<pubDate>Sun, 06 Nov 2011 03:39:30 -0800</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[EMG-Zine&nbsp;for November 2011 is out, and it&#39;s an adorable one--the month&#39;s theme is Frogs! There&#39;s a frog art gallery, photos of frogs and toads, frog poetry, and frog fiction (no, seriously). Go check it out.        December&#39;s theme is Ships, and January 2012&#39;s theme is Dragonflies... just so you know what&#39;s coming, and maybe so you can find (or write, or paint) something to submit to those issues as well!]]></description>
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<title>Sketch Fest October</title>
<link>http://www.fantasticportfolios.com/news/84</link>
<pubDate>Fri, 21 Oct 2011 08:12:33 -0700</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[October&#39;s&nbsp;Sketch Fest&nbsp;is going to be running in less than 5 hours (starting noon October 21st to noon the next day, Alaska time). Time to sharpen your pencils and find your drawing paper... it&#39;s your monthly dose of 24 hours of sketching madness!    ]]></description>
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<title>October EMG-Zine and the Flog!</title>
<link>http://www.fantasticportfolios.com/news/82</link>
<pubDate>Tue, 04 Oct 2011 21:28:40 -0700</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[Have you checked out Fantastic Portfolios&#39;&nbsp;new blog? The first topic-centered entry tackles fantasy armour and costuming.The October&nbsp;EMG-Zine&nbsp;is also out! The Scandinavian Mythology issue has a lovely&nbsp;gallery, and an article about the&nbsp;Parts and Layout of a Picture&nbsp;by Elizabeth Barette. Melissa Acker takes us behind the art for&nbsp;Map of Worlds.        To comment on the blog and to sign up for Fantastic Portfolios&#39; mailing list, just sign into your member account and check out the Members Area!]]></description>
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<title>Sketch Fest September</title>
<link>http://www.fantasticportfolios.com/news/81</link>
<pubDate>Tue, 06 Sep 2011 20:27:52 -0700</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[...is happening this weekend (September 9-10, Alaska time). Check the&nbsp;EMG Sketch Fest page&nbsp;for details! 24 hours of sketching ideas inspired by public-submitted prompts--it&#39;s fast, furious and very, very addictive!&nbsp;    ]]></description>
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<title>Site Improvements</title>
<link>http://www.fantasticportfolios.com/news/80</link>
<pubDate>Mon, 05 Sep 2011 21:21:04 -0700</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[We&#39;ve got improvements for the site in the pipeline, and could use more of your input about what you&#39;d like to see!&nbsp;Join the discussion in the forum!&nbsp;We&#39;d love to hear from you.    ]]></description>
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<title>EMG-Zine for September</title>
<link>http://www.fantasticportfolios.com/news/79</link>
<pubDate>Mon, 05 Sep 2011 21:18:42 -0700</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[This month&#39;s theme is mushrooms! Check out the&nbsp;gallery of mushroom-related art, a page of more&nbsp;mushroom photo-references&nbsp;than you could ever want, an&nbsp;article on those fungi&nbsp;and even poems of mushroom goodness.&nbsp;        For something non-mushroom-related, Erica Liszewski&#39;s fantastic article on&nbsp;Gaits of the Quadruped&nbsp;will have you drawing four-legged animals with more confidence. It comes with animated gifs! And of course there are the regular columns from Ursula Vernon, Melissa Acker, and Constanza Ehrenhaus.    Check out September&#39;s&nbsp;EMG-Zine!]]></description>
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<title>EMG-Zine for June</title>
<link>http://www.fantasticportfolios.com/news/78</link>
<pubDate>Fri, 03 Jun 2011 11:56:51 -0700</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[In this month&#39;s issue, Missy walks us through an acrylic still life, Jenny Heidewald gives us an overview of gemstones and jewelry, and Constanza interviews artist Kelly Chehardy. We also have Jewelry-themed poetry and art.&nbsp;Enjoy!]]></description>
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<title>EMG-Zine for May</title>
<link>http://www.fantasticportfolios.com/news/77</link>
<pubDate>Tue, 24 May 2011 10:56:12 -0700</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[In this issue, Jenny Heidewald talks about drawing trees, Constanza interviews Alexandra Knickel, and Missy walks us through a dryad watercolor. We also have plenty of dryad-themed poetry and art.&nbsp;Enjoy!]]></description>
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<title>EMG-Zine April</title>
<link>http://www.fantasticportfolios.com/news/76</link>
<pubDate>Fri, 01 Apr 2011 09:51:47 -0700</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[In this month&#39;s issue, Ursula talks about finishing big projects (and hers in particular), Missy walks us through using watercolor pencils on a finished piece, Jenny Heidewald examines how to depict wind in visual art, Constanza interviews artist Liiga Smilshkalne, and M. G. Ellington talks about rebuilding your online audience. We also have lots of Wind-themed poetry and art.&nbsp;Enjoy!]]></description>
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<title>EMG-Zine for February</title>
<link>http://www.fantasticportfolios.com/news/75</link>
<pubDate>Mon, 07 Feb 2011 09:40:40 -0800</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[In this month&#39;s issue, Missy walks us through a watercolor of a jackalope, Jenny Heidewald takes a closer look at rabbits and hares, Constanza interviews artist Henning Ludvigsen, and Ursula contemplates her stack of artist magazines. We also have Rabbit-themed fiction and art. Enjoy!&nbsp;Read this issue!]]></description>
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<title>January EMG-Zine</title>
<link>http://www.fantasticportfolios.com/news/74</link>
<pubDate>Wed, 05 Jan 2011 09:11:51 -0800</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[  In this month&#39;s issue, Missy, Annie and Jenny Heidewald present three different takes on creativity, inspiration and artist block, and Constanza interviews artist Angela Sasser. We also have Creation-themed poetry and art. Enjoy!]]></description>
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<title>December EMG-Zine</title>
<link>http://www.fantasticportfolios.com/news/73</link>
<pubDate>Fri, 03 Dec 2010 13:34:54 -0800</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[In this month&#39;s issue, Constanza interviews artist Laura Pelick; Missy walks us through the final stages of an African-themed watercolor piece, and Jenny Heidewald offers a guest feature with a walkthrough of an African-themed piece. We also have African Mythology-themed poetry and art.&nbsp;Enjoy!]]></description>
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<title>November EMG-Zine</title>
<link>http://www.fantasticportfolios.com/news/72</link>
<pubDate>Mon, 15 Nov 2010 12:00:02 -0800</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[In this month&#39;s issue, Annie Rodrigue dispels the mystery of DPI; Constanza interviews artist Marley Mcleay; Missy walks us through an African-themed watercolor piece, and Jenny Heidewald offers a guest feature in which she illustrates the different classifications of clouds. We also have Storm-themed art. Enjoy! (and enjoy the October issue from the archives as well!)]]></description>
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<title>EMG-Zine for September</title>
<link>http://www.fantasticportfolios.com/news/71</link>
<pubDate>Thu, 02 Sep 2010 15:09:09 -0700</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[This month we have a detailed look at ravens and how to draw them from   Jenny Heidewald, a look at a wonderful technique for combining   crosshatching with ink washes from Melissa Acker, an interview with   Brenda Lyons from Constanza Ehrenhaus, and Ursula gives us the real   scoop on 23-book deals. Be sure to enjoy our amazing gallery of art, our   generous portion of fiction and poetry, and the brand, spanking new   webpage! Read this issue!]]></description>
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<title>EMG-Zine for August</title>
<link>http://www.fantasticportfolios.com/news/70</link>
<pubDate>Tue, 03 Aug 2010 16:31:13 -0700</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[Welcome to our 56th issue of EMG-Zine! Our theme this month is &#39;Roses,&#39;   and we&#39;ve got an excellent tutorial on drawing roses from Jenny   Heidewald, as well as her part 2 on framing! Melissa is on her honeymoon   (congratulations!), so we&#39;ve reprinted her article from February 2008   on sketching in the field. Constanza interviews Kate Wade, Annie shows   us how to do flawless watercolor washes, and we&#39;ve also got a selection   of rose-themed poetry and a gorgeous gallery of artwork. Mind the   thorns!  Read this issue! ]]></description>
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<title>EMG-Zine for July</title>
<link>http://www.fantasticportfolios.com/news/69</link>
<pubDate>Tue, 27 Jul 2010 11:19:29 -0700</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[Our theme for the month is &#39;Familiars.&#39; We&#39;ve got a   wonderful acrylic walkthrough of a familiar-themed painting by Missy,   Annie talks about drawing from life, Coty interviews Ciruelo Cabral, and   Jenny Heidewald brings us a great introduction to framing artwork.   Enjoy the familiar-themed art gallery and a story - Enjoy!]]></description>
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<title>EMG-Zine June</title>
<link>http://www.fantasticportfolios.com/news/68</link>
<pubDate>Tue, 01 Jun 2010 11:01:48 -0700</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[In this month&#39;s issue, Annie Rodrigue walks us through the steps to use   Photoshop to remove pencil lines from artwork; Constanza interviews   artist Patrick McEvoy; Missy walks us through an Earth-themed unicorn   watercolor piece, and Ursula offers her perspective on the hot topic of   fan fiction. We also have Earth-themed poetry and art. Enjoy!&nbsp;Read this issue!]]></description>
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<title>EMG-Zine May</title>
<link>http://www.fantasticportfolios.com/news/67</link>
<pubDate>Thu, 06 May 2010 20:07:53 -0700</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[In this month&#39;s issue, Annie Rodrigue discusses how to acquire a style;   Constanza interviews artist Joseph Corsentino; Missy walks us through a   Shell Dragon colored pencil piece, and Ursula extols the benefits of   having an agent. We have the third and final installment of M.C.A.   Hogarth&#39;s excellent series on the many roles a freelance creative has to   take on to be successful. We also have dragon-themed fiction, poetry   and art. (And check out April&#39;s issue in the archives!) Enjoy! Read this   issue!(And check out April&#39;s issue in the archives!) ]]></description>
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<title>EMG-Zine March</title>
<link>http://www.fantasticportfolios.com/news/66</link>
<pubDate>Mon, 01 Mar 2010 09:11:47 -0800</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[In this month&#39;s issue, Constanza interviews artist Priscilla Hernandez,  Missy talks about working with watercolor on illustration board, and  Annie Rodrigue explains the purpose behind looking at our art in  reverse. We have the first in M.C.A. Hogarth&#39;s excellent series on the  many roles a freelance creative has to take on to be successful. We  also have Dance-themed fiction, poetry and art. Enjoy! ]]></description>
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<title>EMG-Zine February</title>
<link>http://www.fantasticportfolios.com/news/65</link>
<pubDate>Mon, 15 Feb 2010 12:55:44 -0800</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[  In this month&#39;s issue, Ursula envies game designers; Constanza  interviews artist Jessica Douglas, Missy walks us through a watercolor  tiger; and Annie Rodrigue answers a question about working with color.  In a guest feature, Amy Edwards discusses keeping freelance clients. We  also have Tiger-themed art. Enjoy! ]]></description>
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<title>EMG-Zine for December</title>
<link>http://www.fantasticportfolios.com/news/64</link>
<pubDate>Sun, 06 Dec 2009 13:38:48 -0800</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[&nbsp;In  this month&#39;s issue, Ursula discusses self publishing; Constanza  interviews artist Louisa Gaille, Missy walks us through a collage  gryphon, and Nicole discusses using RSS feeds. In a guest feature,  Annie Rodrigue walks us through an ink wash piece of a dragon and a  snow princess. We also have Jungle-themed poetry, art and comics. Enjoy!&nbsp; ]]></description>
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<title>EMG-Zine for November</title>
<link>http://www.fantasticportfolios.com/news/63</link>
<pubDate>Tue, 03 Nov 2009 11:37:30 -0800</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[In  this month&#39;s issue, Ursula talks about the Uncanny Valley; Constanza  interviews artist Jasmine Becket-Griffith, Missy walks us through a  dragon in mixed media, and Nicole talks about ordinary art supply  alternatives. We also have Moon-themed poetry, art and comics. Enjoy! Read this issue! ]]></description>
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<title>EMG-Zine for October</title>
<link>http://www.fantasticportfolios.com/news/62</link>
<pubDate>Thu, 01 Oct 2009 09:18:55 -0700</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[In this month&#39;s issue, Ursula talks about becoming a children&#39;s book  author; Constanza interviews artist Katerina Koukiotis, Missy walks us  through a fairy in ink, Nicole talks about "time boxing", a form of  time management, and Ellen introduces us to collaborative projects. We  also have Faery-Court-themed poetry, art and comics. Enjoy! Read this issue!&nbsp;  ]]></description>
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<title>EMG-zine for September</title>
<link>http://www.fantasticportfolios.com/news/61</link>
<pubDate>Sat, 19 Sep 2009 12:43:29 -0700</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[    In this issue, Ursula tells us about her messy studio, Nicole talks  about keeping your creative fires burning when your life is crazy,  Constanza interviews artist Rita Ria, and Missy gives us a walkthrough  of a colored-pencil phoenix. In a guest feature, Jessica Douglas walks  us through creating pale skin tone, also in colored pencil, and we have  Indian-Mythology-themed poetry, art and comics. Read this issue! (And be sure to check the archives for August, if you missed it!)]]></description>
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<title>EMG-zine for July</title>
<link>http://www.fantasticportfolios.com/news/60</link>
<pubDate>Fri, 24 Jul 2009 11:11:07 -0700</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[      In this issue, Nicole discusses keeping up with your online presence  without making it a full-time job; Constanza interviews artist Chris  Malidore; Missy walks us through brainstorming a new piece and Ursula  explains why the art she makes isn&#39;t necessarily what she likes on her  walls. In a feature; Ellen discusses how to give criticism. We also have plenty of Alice-themed art, fiction, poetry and comics. Enjoy!    ]]></description>
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<title>EMG-Zine for June</title>
<link>http://www.fantasticportfolios.com/news/59</link>
<pubDate>Fri, 05 Jun 2009 15:12:09 -0700</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[    	In  this issue, Constanza interviews artist James McPartlin; Missy walks us  through a graphite piece, and Ursula gives us the low-down on her new  technique. In a feature, Ellen discusses how to receive criticism. We  also have plenty of spider-themed art, fiction, poetry and comics.  Enjoy! Enjoy! ]]></description>
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<title>EMG-Zine for May</title>
<link>http://www.fantasticportfolios.com/news/58</link>
<pubDate>Fri, 01 May 2009 11:27:11 -0700</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[  In this issue, we welcome a new columnist, Constanza Ehrenhaus! She  will be undertaking the Artist Spotlight column with a series of  interviews with contemporary artists. Ursula Vernon talks about losing  and finding ideas, Nicole Cadet gives us some tips on how to cut back  our commitments when they become overwhelming, and Missy Acker walks us  through a watercolor piece of a griffin. We also have guest features by  Erika Harm and Constanza Ehrenhaus, and fire-themed art! Enjoy!(And be sure to check out the awesome material from April, too.) ]]></description>
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<title>EMG-Zine for March</title>
<link>http://www.fantasticportfolios.com/news/57</link>
<pubDate>Thu, 26 Mar 2009 20:33:21 -0700</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[        	In  this issue, Ursula Vernon touches on working with others, Nicole Cadet  talks about the process of analyzing your own work post-completion, and  Giovanna turns her artist spotlight on Salvador Dali. Missy Acker walks  through a multimedia piece of a selkie. We have guest features by Erika  Harm and Cris Griffin. We also have selkie-themed poetry, fiction, art  and comics. Enjoy!]]></description>
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<title>EMG-Zine for February</title>
<link>http://www.fantasticportfolios.com/news/56</link>
<pubDate>Tue, 10 Feb 2009 14:11:17 -0800</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[  In this issue, Ursula Vernon tackles the issue of art avoidance, while  Nicole Cadet gives us reasons why we shouldn&#39;t feel guilty when we  DON&#39;T get to our art. Missy Acker walks through an ink-and-watercolor  cross-hatching piece. We also have a parcel of humorous fiction, art  and comics. Enjoy!]]></description>
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<title>EMG-Zine December</title>
<link>http://www.fantasticportfolios.com/news/55</link>
<pubDate>Tue, 02 Dec 2008 09:44:48 -0800</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[In this issue we say goodbye to long-time columnist, Marina Bonomi! (We  will miss you!) In her last column, she talks about worldwide mythology  surrounding the swan. Giovanna Adams writes about the life and works of  early science fiction artist Chesley Bonstel, Missy Acker walks us  through a painting of a griffin (with a focus on the wings, of course),  and Ellen gives us the fine details of "Fair Use". We also have  wing-themed art, poetry and comics! It is also our last installment of  the comic Falheria! Thanks for the laughs, Erika! Enjoy this issue! Read this issue!      ]]></description>
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<title>November Zine</title>
<link>http://www.fantasticportfolios.com/news/54</link>
<pubDate>Sat, 22 Nov 2008 22:40:31 -0800</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[In this issue, Melissa Acker shows some techniques that can be used  with ink, Giovanna Adams introduces us to artist and illustrator  Pauline Baynes, and Ursula tackles interior decorating from an artist&#39;s  perspective. We have a feature from Elizabeth Barrette on  Xenolinguistics, and our own Ellen Million gives us a run-through of  her pen-and-ink piece, "Ice Spiders" (including Elizabeth Barrette&#39;s  poem that inspired the piece). Plus, we have ice-themed art, poetry,  and comics. Enjoy!EMG-Zine November      ]]></description>
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<title>October zine!</title>
<link>http://www.fantasticportfolios.com/news/53</link>
<pubDate>Mon, 20 Oct 2008 22:17:31 -0700</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[In this issue, Marina discusses the language of flora; Melissa Acker  outlines the basics of watercolor supplies; Giovanna Adams explores the  life and times of Frank Rudolph Paul, and Ursula talks about the  effects of burnout. We also have Selina Fenech&#39;s walkthrough of her  painting, "Hide and Seek", plus leaves-themed art, comics and poetry.  Enjoy!EMG-Zine October      ]]></description>
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<title>September EMG-Zine</title>
<link>http://www.fantasticportfolios.com/news/52</link>
<pubDate>Sun, 14 Sep 2008 14:54:25 -0700</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[In this issue of EMG-Zine, Marina explores the history of blades in legend; Melissa  Acker demonstrates working in mixed media; and Giovanna Adams explores  the life and times of Lee Brown Coye. We also have the final  installment of Elizabeth Barrette&#39;s fantastic series on Cyberfunded  Creativity, plus blades-themed art, comics and poetry. Enjoy! Be sure to check out the archives for July and August, too!&nbsp;      ]]></description>
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<title>June EMG-Zine</title>
<link>http://www.fantasticportfolios.com/news/49</link>
<pubDate>Tue, 03 Jun 2008 09:27:42 -0700</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[We&#39;ve got a new issue of EMG-Zine up - with an introduction to Cyberfunded Creativity by Elizabeth Barrette, Melissa Acker walks us through the first stages of a painting of a  sphinx, Marina examines the history of the Tarot, Giovanna investigates  the life and art of Sidney Sime, Ursula tackles guilt and art, and  Janet celebrates her 30th column of Healthy Green Artists! Our theme is &#39;Egypt,&#39; and we&#39;ve also got great art and fiction.      ]]></description>
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<title>May EMG-Zine</title>
<link>http://www.fantasticportfolios.com/news/48</link>
<pubDate>Thu, 01 May 2008 11:33:49 -0700</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[The new issue of EMG-Zine is up! It addresses the hot topic of the Orphan Works act (now with 97% less hype), and advanced licensing tips for artists, introduces you to LARP, gives you suggestions for color reference cards, gives the history of steampunk, introduces the amazing work of Ida Rentoul Outhwaite, gives green con prep suggestions, and we find out when NOT to panic.      ]]></description>
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<title>Congratulations!</title>
<link>http://www.fantasticportfolios.com/news/47</link>
<pubDate>Thu, 07 Feb 2008 16:00:32 -0800</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[Congratulations to our contest winner, Liiga Smilshkalne, who chose a years membership to Fantastic Portfolios. Her piece Sunlight was the highest scoring piece! &nbsp;      ]]></description>
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<title>Feb issue of EMG-Zine</title>
<link>http://www.fantasticportfolios.com/news/46</link>
<pubDate>Sun, 03 Feb 2008 14:50:53 -0800</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[This month at EMG-Zine, Janet talks about stretching one&#39;s art supplies to make  them last longer, Melissa demonstrates field sketching and its  usefulness, Giovanna features the life and works of Sulamith Wulfing,  Marina reviews the symbolism of the Rat, and Ursula Vernon talks about  the rules of art - at least, the ones we make for ourselves. This  month&#39;s features include a painting walkthrough and a continued  tutorial on using The Gimp. We also have rat-themed poetry, fiction and  comics!       ]]></description>
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<title>Did you Submit your Portfolio?</title>
<link>http://www.fantasticportfolios.com/news/45</link>
<pubDate>Thu, 24 Jan 2008 16:01:05 -0800</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[If you&#39;re uploading work for the first time, the critics won&#39;t see it until you complete the final step of submitting your portfolio. There should be a button (once you have 4 or more pieces) that says &#39;Submit Your Portfolio.&#39; If you don&#39;t see this, please contact me - I can reset your portfolio for you and make the button come back. It MAY tell you your portfolio has failed when I reset a portfolio - if your member page tells you your portfolio failed, but your individual pieces haven&#39;t been judged, and you don&#39;t have any critiques to read, it is a dirty liar; don&#39;t believe it. The critics are zooming through the queue - if your work has been submitted for more than a week and you haven&#39;t received your results, there&#39;s probably an error somewhere; please let me know so I can fix it!       ]]></description>
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<title>12 Day Contest! </title>
<link>http://www.fantasticportfolios.com/news/44</link>
<pubDate>Sun, 20 Jan 2008 17:35:48 -0800</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[For the next 12 days, until February 1, all work  submitted to Fantastic Portfolios is automatically entered in a contest  for a free 1-year membership, OR, a free copy of the EMG-Zine anthology; your choice!         Results are based on the numerical score the piece receives, there are  no restrictions for theme or subject (beyond the usual Fantastic  Portfolio genre requirements!) and it can be work that has been  completed at any time (doesn&#39;t have to be created for this contest!).      In addition, for those folks who have had a portfolio failed too  recently to submit again, we&#39;re offering a free re-set. Just PM me and  I&#39;ll reset your portfolio so that you can submit!     Also, check out the 12 day, $12 sale at Ellen Million Graphics!      ]]></description>
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<title>New issue of EMG-Zine</title>
<link>http://www.fantasticportfolios.com/news/43</link>
<pubDate>Tue, 01 Jan 2008 23:08:08 -0800</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[  EMG-Zine starts the New Year with some new features! We have two  comics! We also welcome Giovanna Adams, who will spotlight historical  and famous artists and their work in her new column; and Melissa Acker,  who opens her new column with a demonstration of shading with color.  Marina looks at the myth and symbolism behind the color Red, Janet  ruminates on resolutions for the upcoming year, and we usher in the New  Year with Dawn-themed fiction and poetry. Happy new year, everyone!&nbsp;          ]]></description>
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<title>EMG-Zine November issue</title>
<link>http://www.fantasticportfolios.com/news/42</link>
<pubDate>Tue, 27 Nov 2007 11:29:06 -0800</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[Be sure to check out the November issue of EMG-Zine! Our theme is &#39;air,&#39; and we&#39;ve got a lovely gallery of artwork, fiction and poetry, a feature on Japanese weapons for illustrators, tips on creative projects and a tutorial on pixel art. Enjoy!&nbsp;      ]]></description>
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<title>Give our critics work!</title>
<link>http://www.fantasticportfolios.com/news/41</link>
<pubDate>Tue, 25 Sep 2007 16:27:35 -0700</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[Our queue is empty right now, and the wait on critiques is just a few days. It&#39;s a great time to submit some new work for review.(If you&#39;ve submitted work and not gotten any input, make sure you&#39;ve gone through the final step of submitting your portfolio!)      ]]></description>
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<title>Feedback</title>
<link>http://www.fantasticportfolios.com/news/40</link>
<pubDate>Thu, 30 Aug 2007 18:45:41 -0700</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[If things still look weird on the website in a not-good way, drop by the Salon and let me know! ]]></description>
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<title>Last Day for Eternal Memberships</title>
<link>http://www.fantasticportfolios.com/news/39</link>
<pubDate>Thu, 30 Aug 2007 11:28:12 -0700</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[Remember! Tomorrow is the last chance you&#39;ll get to purchase an eternal membership!]]></description>
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<title>Automatic watermarking change</title>
<link>http://www.fantasticportfolios.com/news/38</link>
<pubDate>Wed, 29 Aug 2007 03:28:25 -0700</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[New images that are published publicly on the site will no longer be watermarked automatically by Fantastic Portfolios! This change makes sense since members are now allowed to submit images that they&#39;ve already watermarked themselves. However, automatic watermarking is still an option if you want it, you just have to make sure you set your preferences on your account!        ]]></description>
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<title>New Portfolio Judging System in place</title>
<link>http://www.fantasticportfolios.com/news/36</link>
<pubDate>Sun, 15 Jul 2007 02:28:16 -0700</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[Members submitting their portfolios right now won&#39;t notice anything different, but&nbsp; the format of the feedback from the judges will be slightly different from before.If anything looks strange, please let me know. I really appreciate the feedback!      ]]></description>
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<title>Beta Test Ends 1 September</title>
<link>http://www.fantasticportfolios.com/news/32</link>
<pubDate>Tue, 03 Jul 2007 16:50:58 -0700</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[  We&#39;ve set a date! That means that once September 1st rolls around, eternal memberships will no longer be available, and the clock will start on the memberships with time limits. What? You didn&#39;t know there were memberships available? Check out the details here.&nbsp;          ]]></description>
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<title>Tours Open for Testing!</title>
<link>http://www.fantasticportfolios.com/news/31</link>
<pubDate>Mon, 02 Jul 2007 22:46:02 -0700</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[After fixing a small blip (thanks for spotting it, Ellen), I can happily say to ALL members: feel free to start creating test tours for the site! You can also starting taking other tours and rating them. (Thanks for taking and rating the Paris Hilton tour. Hope you enjoyed it. :P )      ]]></description>
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<title>Policy Change </title>
<link>http://www.fantasticportfolios.com/news/30</link>
<pubDate>Mon, 02 Jul 2007 09:41:50 -0700</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[      You may now submit work with watermarks!This policy (not to allow watermarks) was in place to ensure anonymity, but if you choose to, you may submit work with your watermark already in place - we&#39;ll still be professionals and stay as unbiased as possible in our judgements. There are still tools at the site to watermark your work after it&#39;s been accepted, if you prefer to submit clean, unmarked images. Also, there appears to be an error on the portfolio management page - we&#39;ll get that fixed as soon as possible! - edit... I think this is fixed now! Do remember that you have to &#39;submit your portfolio&#39; after you have uploaded artwork, before it will be shown to the critics!                   ]]></description>
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<title>Search bar</title>
<link>http://www.fantasticportfolios.com/news/29</link>
<pubDate>Sat, 05 May 2007 03:05:58 -0700</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[The search function of the site is being worked on. Artists, you&#39;re encouraged to tag all the images you upload with all the relevent keywords, it does affect your art appearing in the search results!The search bar though is making the site menu a little wonky - CSS is a bit trial and error here, but I&#39;m hoping to clear that up. (If the site menu is looking and acting normal to you, then it&#39;s been cleaned up.) Thanks for your patience!Add more art to the site!      ]]></description>
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<title>Integration with EMG</title>
<link>http://www.fantasticportfolios.com/news/28</link>
<pubDate>Sun, 18 Feb 2007 14:01:33 -0800</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[  Hi folks! The "Integration with EMG" component of FP is currently being worked on. It&#39;s a 2-parter:    1) If you have an EMG account and it auto-detects the correct EMG account for you, integrate it to FP by providing your EMG login. Let me know if you run into issues. You can do this anytime now.    2) I&#39;m still working on the "Add/Edit/Manage Products" part that will  recognize the EMG settings for specific pieces of artwork. This part&#39;s  pretty hairy and is not working yet,  but you can see if FP manages to find your EMG artwork by matching your  integrated account and the titles of your art pieces in both places.  You can click on "Use EMG settings" but that&#39;s not working yet!  Gibberish (code!) appears. When this part finally works, you won&#39;t have  to upload high-res files for the images you already have on EMG.  There&#39;ll be a further announcement when this happens.    Thanks for all your patience!            ]]></description>
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<title>Unleashing the Beast</title>
<link>http://www.fantasticportfolios.com/news/15</link>
<pubDate>Thu, 30 Nov 2006 10:11:06 -0800</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[Wow! I&#39;m utterly floored by how quickly and wonderfully Janet&#39;s gotten  this site together. I&#39;m terribly excited to see this project gathering  steam, and I&#39;m off to play with all the nifty features now.&nbsp;      ]]></description>
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<title>Ready for beta testing</title>
<link>http://www.fantasticportfolios.com/news/14</link>
<pubDate>Thu, 30 Nov 2006 08:40:16 -0800</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[  1. The site&#39;s look is not finalized (especially on the public pages). Suggestions welcome!    2. Create an account and login. If playing with the image upload - do  it carefully... it counts uploads and restricts the number. ;) I&#39;ll  have to reset the limit manually if you want to test this. You can if  you want to, though!   3. If you run into an error ANYWHERE  (they&#39;ll probably look like "mysql error..."), post it in News, in the  Core section of the Salon, or email me from my profile. I want to take  care of it ASAP.    4. More little features will be added. I&#39;ll post announcements as they pop up.    5. Though the look on some pages hasn&#39;t been finalized, there is a display issue I do want Firefox and Explorer  users to look out for: please let me know if there are any pages where  the parchment background is broken or disjointed. I&#39;ll need the page,  and your browser model.    6. Thanks for testing!             ]]></description>
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