Intro to the TLKFAAwiki
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Intro
First off, we all need to thank Brian for this wiki. Without him, I wouldn't be typing this.
Secondly, I'd like to say it's been a great deal of fun helping Brian flesh out this site and I hope it becomes a constructive addition to the TLKFAA community.
All the stuff I type here outlines the basic structure that exists thus far. It isn't set in stone, or any material of the sort. The structure will probably evolve over time as we continue to experiment with new ways of doing things. Don't be afraid to try something different! In this article I will be referring to the Inking page and my Hybrid Inking tutorial frequently. (As of now, they are the only two pages that have a lot of substance.)
Yes, I know this article is long, so bear with me.
Wiki Policy
The whole idea of a wiki is that anyone can edit any page. Don't bother adding to this site if you don't want your content brutally edited, added to, or deleted. There are some exceptions, though.
- Only TLKFAA users can contribute to this site.
- Personal tutorials, such as my Hybrid Inking, are only to be edited on the terms of the artist. I decided to only allow "minor edits" or edits that correct grammatical errors, spelling, wording, etc.
Article Types
There are three basic page types.
Navigation
These articles are just pages with links to other pages. A good example is the Tutorials page. No info, just some directional stuff.
Public
These articles are for everyone to edit and include general information about a subject. The Inking page is a good example. Even though I typed the entire thing (as of when I'm writing this), it is still up for artists to add and subtract to freely. Don't be shy about editing these pages! We don't speak in first person on these. There is not "I" because it is not your article.
Personal
These are the invididual tutorials that an artist creates on a subject. Articles that explain how YOU do your work. These are usually branched off a broad tutorial. Notice, at the bottom of the Inking page is a "In-Depth Tutorials" section with my personal Hybrid Inking tutorial link and description. This is where you speak in first person. It's your tutorial, you can say what you want, be humorous, do a hand stand, as long as you stay on topic.
Article Options
These are the little tabs that appear above an article.
Article
The "article" tab is automatically open when you view a page, showing you the article in it's present version.
Edit
Click the "edit" tab on a page to edit the content. You must be logged in to edit. See the Help:Editing page to learn about wiki code before you go off changing stuff.
While editing a page we ask that you use the Template:Inuse feature to allow others to see that you are editing a page. This will display a disclamer that informs anyone who visits the page that someone is currently editing it, thus preventing edit conflicts. For more information please visit the Template:Inuse documentation.
All edits are saved and tagged to an artist. This means that if think you're some hotshot that wants to get attention by messing up an article, we'll know who you are. (There are also multiple backups of each article in the case that this happens.)
Discussion
Click the "discussion" tab to open up the discussion page. This page is for talking about the content of an article. Before making major changes (such as merging two articles) it's a good idea to get input from other people. The page is also an area to discuss the neutrality of an article or the on-topic-ness. Sign your name and date next to your comment by adding ~~~~.
Why don't you practice leaving a comment on the "discussion" section of this page?
History
Click this tab to view and compare older versions of an article to the present one/other older versions. This tab shows how the page has evolved over time.
Watch
Click the "watch" tab to add an article to your watchlist. Your watchlist is accessible in the top right corner of the page if you are logged in. This will inform you of alterations made to the watched article.
If you wish to discontinue this feature, click "Unwatch" (where the "watch" tab used to be).
Adding a Tutorial (Personal Article)
Determining Where Your Tutorial Should Go
The Tutorials page has plenty of categories and subcategories to search through. Find the public article that best fits your description. For my Hybrid Inking tutorial, it best fits on the Inking page. You can link your tutorial from more than one page if it tackles muliple subjects. Use your best judgement in deciding.
Many of you have pre-existing tutorials that cover the extent of the photoshopping process (from a sketch to a finsihed piece, or something of the sort.) There is a page specifically for those on the Digital Art page under Complete Tutorials.
Naming Your Page
You need to create an original name for your page. "Coloring" is too broad and already exists as another page. Try something like, "KittyKatz's Coloring" or "Skip the Paintbucket" or "A Guide to Coloring by KittyKatz." Something that will not already exist as a page. If you are unsure about whether your title is used or not, search the name and see if there are any results.
Placing the Link
There are special places on public pages to place personal tutorial links. Most of them look like headers and are titled "In-Depth Tutorials." There are some that are titled different, so use common sense when adding a link.
You add an internal link by placing two brackets around text. Hybrid Inking Hybrid Inking
I bold my tutorial titles as well. Hybrid Inking Hybrid Inking
Hit return twice and add a short description of your tutorial. You may want to include who it's written by (your name), what it's about, and who would be interested in reading it.
Until you tutorial is finished, you should put some sort of "unfinished" tag near it. Hybrid Inking(WIP) Hybrid Inking(WIP)
Creating Your Page
Now, when your link is placed, return to viewing the article. Click on your link (it should be red) and it will open up a blank page to be edited. Here is where you type up your tutorial.
At the top of my Hybrid Inking page I typed out some basic information: my artist's name, to what extend I wanted people to edit it, and a summary of the article.
Divide the steps up, and use headers to title each step. (Using headers will place steps and sub-steps on the Table of Contents).
There are four different headers.
Level 1
Level 2
Level 3
Level 4
Section headings
Subsection
A smaller subsection
An even smaller subsection
I'm not going to go into detail on how to format text or headers, so if you need a better idea of how these work, visit Brian's Help:Editing page or his Editing:Quick Guide.
Uploading Images
On the left navigation bar, under "toolbox" is an Upload file link. This will take you to a place where you can upload files directly to wiki. Select a picture from your computer to upload, and make sure it has an orginal name, since these are all compiled into one big database. "Simba" is too broad, but "KittyKatzsSimbaExample" pretty much insures that no other artist will try to upload something by that name.
As for the description of the picture, I would depict which tutorial it goes to. All the pictures linked to my Hybrid Inking are labeled as "From Shard's Hybrid Inking Tutorial".
If you want to use another artist's picture in your tutorial, ask permission first and remember to credit the work to its respective owner.
Linking Images
There are several ways to link an image.
Adds a thumbnail image. I find these don't work so well if you have a lot of pictures to show. It kinda clogs up the screen.
Caption text
Adds a thumbnail image. I find these don't work so well if you have a lot of pictures to show. It kinda clogs up the screen.
I like to format an image so it is linked
to some text
in my tutorial.
I like to format an image so it is linked to some text in my tutorial.
You can link directly to the image.
You can link directly to the image.
You can find more ways to link to an image in the Help:Editing section.
All done!
Okay, you're all done with your tutorial. Take the unfinished tag off the link on the public page and you're set to go!
A Well-Placed Tutorial A Poorly-Placed Tutorial
Editing Public Pages
As of now, there are loose categories to fill in for each public page. These are not set in stone, but offer a general idea of what to write. As the site progresses sections will be added and deleted as necessary.
Take a look at the Clouds page. I fleshed out a basic skeleton to be filled in, but don't feel confined to just that!
The whole idea behind editing these broad-subject pages is making smart choices. Deciding where you want to add content, whether it is necessary to futher subdivide an article, use your best judgement.
Even if you do goof, there will always be more artists that will move your text into the right place, fix a broken link, and the related tasks.
Creating Internal Links
Create an internal link to the Inking page by adding placing to brackets around the page title.
Create an internal link to the Inking page by adding placing to brackets around the page title. Try using alternate text. Try using alternate text.
Links to an already existing page appear in blue (unvisited) or purple (visited). Links to an a new, unedited page appear in red.
In-Depth Tutorials
This section is on almost every tutorial page. This is where you place links to personal tutorials.
Other Resources
This section is on the bottom of almost every public page. In this section you place external (meaning, not from the TLKFAAwiki site) links. http://www.Adobe.com is a good example of an external link.
Just typing out a URL will produce a link. http://www.adobe.com Just typing out a URL will produce a link. [1]
Stick single brackets around text to create an external link with no title. [1] Stick single brackets around text to create an external link with no title. Official Adobe Website
Add alternate text after the URL so the link appears like so. Official Adobe Website Add alternate text after the URL so the link appears like so.
Adding a New Public Page
Basically, use your head in deciding whether or not a new page is necessary. Place it in the best spot, and fill in a skeletal idea of what kind of content should be added. Also, determine if the page should have an "In-Depth Tutorials" section or an "Other Resources" section at the bottom of the article.
Don't think that what's here already is all that there will be. The current setup is merely what I could think of within a few weeks. New pages (when added wisely) are good and essential to the wiki.
That's All Folks
Whew! It's all finished. For now. By the way, if you see some spelling/grammar mistake, please fix it. I'm not too good at proofreading.
-Shard 17:00, 4 August 2006 (PDT)
Other Comments
The TLKFAA page needs some intelligent, creative person to handle its structure. The idea of the TLKFAA page is to explain the Archives to a new artist, or less-informed one. An example would be an "Artist of the Month" section or article that explains what the AOTM is, the voting process, and yata yata. -Shard 20:09, 4 August 2006 (PDT)
Revisions
Version 1.0.1 Added a section talking about using the Template:InUse to allow others to see that you are currently creating and/or editing a page, so that there are no version conflicts. -Snala 13:41, 27 August 2006 (PDT) Version 1.0 Typed the whole darn thing, trying to get ready for the official launch! -Shard 17:03, 4 August 2006 (PDT)
