What is Art Fight and How It Works

Ready, Set, Draw! The Art Fight Arena

What is Art Fight?

Art fight began in 2007, when a user named Blankit on a petsite forum. Back then, only a few artists participated. Today, there’s as many as 400,000 participants! (Maybe you’ll be one of them!) Once the event starts, players are randomly assigned to one of two teams. Team names change each year, so you’re never really sure what you’ll be up for. By the way, this is all happening, typically, on artfight.net. That’s also the place for you to register to join, when the time rolls around!

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What’s Art Fight Like?

Before we get into how Art Fight works, let’s learn about what it’s like. Sure, I’ll explain how Art Fight works, but you won’t really get a feel for what it’s all about without some firsthand accounts of the event. Below, we’ve featured a few CharacterHub users who shared their favorite Art Fight experiences!

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“What you put into the event is what you'll get out of it. The more you draw, the more you'll get in return. Know your limits too. It is extremely common for people to question how much time and energy they'll have for Art Fight, which is always ok!

Because I have a lot of characters (especially fandom ones) my OCs have been included in so many themed mass attacks (gift art featuring multiple characters).

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If you have a "design me a ___ OC" or "redesign this OC" and you're specific enough, there's a chance you can be gifted wonderful designs!”

-CoolKaius

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“I've been doing Artfight since 2017, and I think my favorite experience happened in 2022 when I had a very long revenge chain (where we keep drawing for each other back and forth) with a very nice person. I think it's also very nice to have a sort of timeline of growth to look back on.”

• Yubakeme on CharacterHub

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“I've been participating in Artfight for the past few years, and it's something I always look forward to doing again after it's over. I love looking at other creators' awesome characters and having the event as an excuse to draw them. Sometimes, it helps get me out of my comfort zone and pushes the limits of what I thought I was capable of! It's a rewarding experience, especially seeing the glee when the receiver comments on the art. I received a few memorable pieces this year too. I can't wait to do it all again.”

-CreeperCreation on CharacterHub

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“This year was my official "first" year participating, with last year as my year to watch people participate. This year, I was able to draw so many characters from amazing artists. I think one of my favorite memories has to be a response to one of my attacks. I came across the artfight account of one of my favorite artists, and I decided to attack it. What I wasn't expecting was to get not only a response, but a revenge art! I was so happy that day, and I just felt so warm inside that my attack wasn't pushed to the dust!”

-Villounside on CharacterHub

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“I'm just  overwhelmed with the amount of attacks and love I have gotten from this event! Never did I ever think I would get attacked let alone get well over 300 in a year! My stats are a wreck, man! All I ever wanted from the event was to draw out cool/neat characters to me without feeling awkward about giving fan art of OCs to others. I found so many amazing artists through the event! I can't wait to do it again, However I'm going to have to put some rules in place so others will think twice before they might want to attack me. ^^;”

-alreadyish on CharacterHub

“Artfight 2024 marked my fourth year in a row on the winning team. I feel so lucky! I've got my fingers crossed for being on the winning team again next year, but whether I win or lose, I know I'll have fun during Artfight 2025. I made some incredible art this past Artfight and received some of the most breathtaking artwork I have ever seen in my life. However, the most memorable Artfight interaction from this year actually came shortly before the fight ended. Someone I had drawn an attack for hid their character before I could submit an attack. I commented on their profile asking if they wanted to see the art I drew anyway, maybe via email, and they said yes! We exchanged emails and I sent them the artwork. They told me they loved it, and though I hadn't expected revenge attacks, they promised to revenge me either after the fight or next year. A month or so later, they sent me their revenge artwork. It totally made my week! I feel like I've made an Artfight mutual, because we both agreed we wanted to attack each other again next year. It was definitely one of the most memorable Artfight experiences I've had so far.”

-VoidCatGalaxy 

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“I met a really cool person who made AMAZING art for me in art fight, we attacked each other in the year 2023 (I had made a simple sketch and he gave me a wonderful rendered art??), then we followed each other on other social medias and in 2024, I wasn't very active and I thought he wouldn't remember me, but then he attacked me and I was really happy for remember me, so I did my best to reward his attack! :)”

-blanickstar 

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“I heard about and joined ArtFight literally a day before it started, and I definitely don't regret it. I managed to draw 30 attacks (my goal), and I'm satisfied with how much I got to experiment and improve my skills. Plus, I was able to connect with another side of some fandoms that most people never touch (guess I'm an OC maker now :P). I've taken notes for next year to make my attacking process a little bit less stressful and more streamlined (hopefully).”

-SeaDust57634585

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Community Combat!

Art fight is all about connecting to the community of competitive artists. So, get ready to get your hands dirty! (With paint, that is!)

Comfortable Collaboration

Remember, don’t take attacks (or lack thereof) personally. Your OC may get tons of attacks, or they may get none. That doesn’t mean that there’s anything wrong with your character. All it means is that, for whatever reason, your OC wasn’t attacked. So, don’t be discouraged! Remember, you’re allowed to include your own OC in attacks, too! Doing that may encourage others to attack you back by doing revenge attacks against you. 

Being comfortable and safe while using the internet is very important. To avoid any uncomfortable situations, Art Fight has a couple important rules to stick to. Some key ones are highlighted below.

• Adults are allowed to participate, and so are minors. You have to be 13 or older to participate. Adults can ask minors to not interact with them, and vice versa. So, don’t feel bad or weird about setting these kinds of boundaries! Your safety and comfort is a priority.
• Sexually explicit content in any form is prohibited. This means that if it’s NSFW (not safe for work), it doesn't belong in Art Fight. Art Fight is meant for anyone 13 or older, so NSFW (not safe for work) attacks are forbidden. This also includes fetish art. It doesn’t matter if the fetish seems innocuous at first sight.  Doing any of these things can get you banned from Art Fight. 
• Do not be hateful in any way. This includes homophobia, sexism, slurs, and more. Art Fight is meant to be a safe space for anyone who’d like to participate.
• If your attacks are physical creations, share personal information at your own risk. Look, we all know how dangerous offline interactions can be. It’s generally not a good idea to send your address to a stranger from the internet. Yes, even if they created super awesome art of your OC. Just be careful and use common sense!

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Let’s say that someone makes you feel unsafe or violated, for any reason. The next step is to report and block that person’s profile immediately. Art Fight is for everyone. You deserve to enjoy it without people making you feel uncomfortable. So, if they’re being weird, block ‘em and move on! 

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Why Participate in Art Fight?

In Art Fight, there’s no grand prize. If you win, all you get is bragging rights. So, why participate? Well, the real goal of Art Fight isn’t really to win. Simply put, Art Fight is about mutually exchanging art. That kind of good-natured rivalry is rare in today’s world. There are no opinions to fight about, or anything that can really go terribly wrong. Art Fight is a beacon in the dreary world of the internet, where positivity shines through. 

By participating, you’ll absolutely improve at your art. Practice makes perfect, and attacks can be considered practice. Some people draw daily attacks. You don’t have to do this, but it’s a surefire way of honing your skills! Plus, it just feels really good to trade art. Or to surprise someone with art! It’s so easy to brighten someone’s day with a doodle of their OC, especially if they haven’t been attacked yet. Plus, you’ll earn points for your team for doing so! It really is a win-win.

Another benefit of participation is networking. When you attack someone, they might do a revenge attack. Then, you might attack them back, and so on, until you find yourself with a new friend! This is just an example scenario. Still, you’re sure to make cool connections in the Art Fight community when you enter. Plus, meeting new people is a recipe for inspiration and connection. You might be inspired by their art, and this can add a whole new depth to yours!

One last benefit I’ll mention is exposure. By entering in your OCs, you’re bringing them to light. Who knows- your character might become famous! Even if your OC doesn’t have overnight fame, exposure is always a good thing for artists. It can help you sell commissions, gain followers, or build your community. All in all, you can’t lose when participating in Art Fight!

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How Art Fight Works

In a world where creativity meets competition, Art Fight emerges. But what exactly goes down in this vibrant arena? Prepare to dive into a realm where imagination clashes with skill. Every brushstroke can be a weapon. Let’s explore the captivating mechanics behind this unique artistic showdown!

Teams and Participation

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Once you’ve registered, you’re all set…right? Well, the good news is that you don’t have to worry about choosing a team, because they’re picked at random! So, all you have to do is sit back and wait to be assigned to a team. After clicking on the "Get Sorted" button under the Current Event section, that is!  Then, you’ll get randomly sorted into one of the two themed teams. 

Art Fight is all about fun themes and teamwork. Each year, artists are split into two teams based on a special theme. For example, in 2024, the teams were Seafoam and Stardust. The website gets a fresh look to match these themes, making everything feel exciting. The team names are always named after colors. The colors are chosen based on the overall theme of the event for that year, so you never really know what to expect. Being in one team or the other doesn’t really impact the event experience, though. So, don’t stress about which team you’re assigned to! While it’s fun to represent your team by using your team’s color in your moves, you don’t have to. Oh, and you also have a chance to change what team you’re on! So, it truly isn’t something to stress about. While the themes add a twist, you don’t have to stick to them when creating your art. The main goal is to enjoy drawing and connect with other artists!

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Now that you’ve got your team sorted out, you can actually participate! Well…not quite. (Sorry.) At this point, you need to either choose which OC you’d like to enter, or create one. (Read on to learn how!) With that done, you can finally do an attack!

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Or… you can not do attacks! Just because you’re on the Art Fight site doesn’t mean you have to participate! You can choose to be a spectator, rooting for your favorite artists to win. When you’re a spectator, you aren’t a part of either team. You can still upload your characters, but you can’t attack or be attacked. Since you can’t view most Art Fight related things without an account, you’ll have to have one to be a spectator. Whether you’re a spectator or an artist, hopefully the team you root for this year wins! 

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Art Assault! Er…Attack! 

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Attacks aren’t meant to be mean. So, don’t worry! In this context, an ‘attack’ is making art of an opposing team member’s OC. You can also attack someone from your team as well, for fewer points. This is called ‘Friendly Fire.’ (Get it? Cuz its…your friends…haha…yeah.) So, you can attack your friends regardless of their team! Just watch out, because they can attack you back!

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In response to an attack, a player has a couple options. They can simply thank the artist or rate the attack. If they choose to rate the attack, the artist gets bonus points. Or, one can choose to do a revenge attack.  Revenge attacks earn points for your team, just like regular attacks. They can also impact your battle ratio. This is the ratio of art received versus given by an artist. Users with higher battle ratios are considered bigger threats. They may be targeted more often by the opposing team, so watch out! 

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Remember, all of this is optional. You can just do nothing! It’s all up to you, so no pressure! Just keep all of the choices you have in mind so you can plan out your next moves accordingly. 

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Let’s talk points. Different attacks can earn different amounts of points based on a few factors.  If you put more time and effort into your attack, it’s worth more points. This is the core tenant of the Art Fight scoring system. Although point values may vary from year to year, this fact remains the same. When you submit an attack, you rate your own art. Then, moderators will double check your rating for accuracy. The main goal is to have fun while staying fair! You can also earn bonus points for an attack if you include certain things. The criteria for earning bonus points can vary each year, though. Just keep your eyes peeled and be ready to strike! 

Remember that you’re earning points for yourself and for your team. Each team's total score is the sum of all attack points earned by its members. If your team scores more points than the opposing team, your team wins! The highest-scoring individual attacks are highlighted, too, though! So, you’ll have to work extra hard to get recognized!

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There are a few other categories for an attack to be rated. Below is the breakdown of the system.

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Size:

• How much of the OC is visible? The more you draw, the more points you earn. This rule applies to animals, humans, and any other species of OC!
• Headshots include about 25-30% of a character.
• Half body is 40-70% of the character. 
• 75% or more of the OC counts as a full body shot.
• This category also considers how simple you draw the character. No stick figures here! (But, seriously, you can draw a stick figure. As long as it’s not a random blob of color, your OC is welcome in Art Fight!)

This is an example of a rough sketch. Notice the messiness and lack of lineart. Since this is pretty low effort, it’d be rated with a relatively low score. 

Drawn/Painted:

• Drawn or painted attacks fall under this category. Remember, you can use any kind of medium to make an attack. So, don’t worry about this category if you made a craft, 3D model, or other medium.
• Firstly, the judges will examine your finish. Is your attack just a rough sketch, or is it inked? Make sure you erase your guidelines to avoid losing points! 
• You also get more points for using color. You don’t have to, though! Plus, even if you lose out on points in one area, you can make up for it in others.
• Like shading, for example! Fully shaded attacks are rated higher than unshaded ones.
• Lastly, your background is judged. Lower effort backgrounds, like using a photograph, award minimal points. However, if you include a fore-, middle-, and background, you’ll earn much more points. (Of course, that takes much more effort!)

Minecraft Skin by WeafyAnna on ArtFight.net. 

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3D Model:

• It’s acceptable to submit Minecraft skins or painted over Dolls, but using a base awards fewer points. If you choose to do this, you have to at least include custom elements. Some examples include hand textured hair, modified clothes, and more. Creating your own base from scratch will earn you more points for the extra effort.
• Next, your textures will be examined. No texture at all will earn you the least amount of points, while creating your own will get you more.
• Whether or not your model is rigged will contribute to how many points you earn too. However, you have to rig your model yourself to get the points fair and square!
• Just like the drawing category, your background will be judged here as well. Creating a fully finished scene isn’t necessary, but it’ll help you earn the most points for your attack.

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Repainted Monster High doll by  spacenerdy on ArtFight.net.

Crafts:

• Don’t be limited by pens, pencils, and devices! This isn’t just an Art Fight- it’s an all out war! 
• From textiles to wood, you are truly limitless. 
• For cosplays, a person must actually dress up as someone’s OC. That means that drawing an OC’s features on a photo of a real person doesn’t cut it! 
• If you’d like to make a doll, you have to fully paint their face. Plus, you have to make custom clothes for them, too! You also have to credit the original producer of the doll. (Remember, someone had to sculpt the doll at some point!)
• Not much into drawing? Then bake! You can create food art as an attack, too!
• Bust out the legos and perler beads, because you can put those to good use here, too! 
• Papercrafts are welcome, too. As long as it’s some kind of art or craft, it pretty much fits.
• You guessed it- your background will be judged here as well. For crafts that lack a true background, this term has a different meaning here. Instead, it refers to elements that are included in an attack, but are not related to the character. So, make sure to only include what you don’t mind being judged for in an attack!

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Animation:

• Pssst- this isn’t actually it’s own category! This category is an add-on that can be, well, added on to any attack. As long as the attack includes motion, this can be added to an attack of any category.
• How much the character is animated matters. More animation means more points!
• Maybe the character doesn't move, but the background does. That still earns you points! 
• Minimal animation means that the character is barely moving. Maybe they’re just blinking their eyes! This amount of movement will earn you the least points in this category.
• What if 75% of the character is animated and there’s at least 3 frames per scene? Then, my friend, you have partial animation on your hands. You’ll get a moderate amount of points for this.
• If your attack has a mix of partial and fully animated movements, you’re dealing with mixed movement. 
• For full animation, your attack must have 5 frames per scene and animate 75% or more of the character. This takes the most work, but earns you the most points!
• Your technique plays a role as well. Using tweening or 3D animation earns less points than frame-by-frame animations, for example. You can also create animatics, Vtuber rigs, stop motion, and other techniques! 

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There’s also ways to earn extra points! If your art goes above and beyond, they might get polish! Polish is an option for artists to select if they feel very proud of the work they made. This can be because of the time or effort they put into it, or just because they’re proud of it. Artists are encouraged to use this option sparingly. Not every piece can be polished! Another way to earn more points is to include multiple characters in your attack at once. 

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Tips for Art Fight Success

Now that we’ve got the basics down, are you ready to rock Art Fight? By keeping a couple simple tips in mind, you’ll have this thing down! Before we get into that, though, let’s touch on what’s really important. Art Fight isn’t about how good of an artist you are. It’s not about who’s better or worse than anyone else. The whole point isn’t even to win! By dedicating your time to creating art, you’re dedicating time to hone your skills. You’re really learning how to create. So, win or lose, you’ll still be a more skilled artist after completing Art Fight than before!

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First, it’s important to remember that 31 days isn’t all that long. You have to allocate your time properly! It might be a good idea to prepare before the event even starts. You won’t be able to predict your team’s colors or anything like that, so making art ahead of time is impossible. What you can do is get yourself in a rhythm of drawing every day. Yup, every single day! It’s not as daunting as it might seem. I’m not asking you to create a daily masterpiece. All you need to do is set aside 5-30 minutes a day to create art. Don’t worry about running ideas. We’ve got you covered. This will help you get your skills in check for the event. Plus, it’ll get you ready to make lots and lots of attacks!

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Once the event starts, you’ll have to choose which characters to draw. You don’t have to commit to a single OC for the full month. So, don’t feel too much pressure! You’ll probably notice that some OCs get attacked more than others. That doesn’t mean you have to attack them, too! It’s so important to strike a balance between what’s trending and what you love. Make sure to prioritize the latter whenever you can!

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There’s another thing you need to keep balanced: quality versus quantity. Would you rather make 100 sketches for 100 points, or 1 masterpiece for 100 points? Both will get you the same result in the end. Still, you’ll probably end up working harder on the 100 sketches than the 1 masterpiece! Sketches definitely have their place in Art Fight- that’s why they have their own category! So, feel free to sketch as you please. Just remember that more effort means more points for your team! Plus, if you really put effort into your art, you’ll improve immensely. So, it’s a win-win!

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Crafting Your Artistic Alter Ego: Character Creation Station

Alright, artists! It’s time to whip your OCs into shape. If you don’t have some, it’s time to make some. This is the battle of a lifetime here, folks, so let’s get started!

Building Your Art Fight Profile

Once you’ve made your account, you need to spice things up a bit. Of course, you should add a profile picture, your basic info, links to your socials, all that good stuff. It’s also a good idea to add links to your social media, too! You can only include 5 reference images for each of your OCs. So, including a link to your CharacterHub profile can be useful! You can also create a custom thread where you post all of your attacks. This is called an attack thread, and it’s optional. It’s recommended, though, so other artists can see your work easily! 

Training Your Characters For Battle

If you don’t have any OCs to fight with, it’s time to make some! This task can seem daunting. That’s because it kind of is. People are complex. Making characters is basically making someone from scratch. So, it can be a lot! The good news is that there’s tons of resources at your disposal. You’ll be a character creation genius in no time!

I’ve found that writing a character description is a good place to start. It’s a quick, relatively easy way to get your ideas on paper. Plus, it’s easier to integrate little fun details into a drawing when you have a good grasp of who you’re drawing. For example, you might give flowy hair to a water-fairy character! 

On to making art! On Art Fight, you’ll have to upload a few drawings of your OC. Your opposition will use these drawings as references for their attacks. So, you’re gonna have to know how to draw an OC. Don’t worry, you’ve got this. (Ahem- especially if you follow my advice of drawing each day!) These don’t have to be absolutely perfect. Just focus on representing your OC as accurately as possible. Then, your character’s attacks can be just as accurate!

The main thing to focus on when getting your OCs ready for art fight is organization and accuracy. You want others to be able to locate information easily, and you want that information to be accurate. So, make sure to close up any plot holes you have! CharacterHub is a great place to get all your character’s information in one spot. 

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Impact of Art Fight

Essential Tools from Character Hub

In case you haven’t heard, using Character Hub for Art Fight is a game-changer. It’s an all-in-one tool for organizing all the information you could ever need about your OCs. You can create and catalog tons of characters, all for free. Plus, the character profiles are totally customizable. You can choose to log literally whatever you want about your character. From deep lore to cute easter eggs, you can store it all in one place! 

Having a catalog of your characters will make your life so much easier.  You’ll be able to easily access their core traits with Character Hub. Details about their lives, references of how they look, and their preferences can all be included. Plus more! This is super useful during the month of intense competition, as it can save time for referencing. Then, you’ll have more time to advance your attacks!  This is great for your own reference, but it’s awesome for your opponents, too! This organization doesn’t only save time. It also maximizes your potential for engagement with the community. Clear and concise character information encourages more artists to attack your characters, too. Then, you can attack them back! 

 You can prioritize which characters to showcase based on their popularity or uniqueness. (Remember to strike a balance!) That’ll help you stand out against the competition! With a well-organized character page, you can focus on what’s really important: Creating stunning artwork while fostering connections with other artists. 

So, what’re you waiting for? Check out Character Hub today so you’ll be ready in time for next year’s Art Fight!