“Nothing is permanent but change”

This quotation may not be the most clever thing to say, but it’s the first thing that came to my mind when I unearthed Drawball, the largest collaborative web graffiti and web community art as defined in an extensive article hyped with the title “Drawball: from Chaos to Community”. As an evolving-by-the-minute community, every line and shape that you draw could gradually turn into a masterpiece or it could be gone if you came a little too late to save it.

Drawball Playback

Anyone, even kids who loves doodling, can start drawing ANYTHING. And unlike most online communities, there is no need to register and to adhere to rules and regulations to be able to participate and collaborate. I came up with something you can do, though:

  • You only earn your spot once you have proven how good you are. And by saying good, it means being exceptionally artistic/creative and courteous enough to preserve a beautifully-made artwork by not obscuring it with your own.

Who and how many will cooperate to protect a good drawing? What’s worth protecting? How long does a good drawing last? Protecting drawings, whether your own, your group’s or whatever you consider to be good, could prove to be subject to the wisdom of crowds, given time.

source

Another question would be: Would I be recognized for my skills? Well, of course, that’s why they put up a Hall of Fame – but looking for anonymous contributors who deserve some recognition and getting into it (which are equally hard), would be such a chore for its administrators – who only get to determine whose artworks goes up to that level. It is always good to stay hopeful that they constantly scour for drawings and protect it before someone covers it up with graffiti. Users cannot vote for their favorites, save their ongoing sketches and promote themselves here – this is one problem which unregistered involvement poses.

If you draw something of premium quality and we find it, we will protect it and maybe even add it to the hall of fame with your contact information, URL, etc. You can be banned; it is wise to play nice.

I don’t know how they can ban you from drawing and none, so far, has ever claimed or ranted about being banned yet – but let’s be positive on this one.

dragon.jpg

the “rock on” sign I drew is situated somewhere close to this great work 😀

Visiting their website alone will not give you the information you need about Drawball, such as how to draw and develop your own artwork inside the ball, that’s why I tried to find time looking for more sources. By browsing through these topics, you might have also guessed that this überfascinating site has been running for more than a year now and for some who are semi-addicted to updates on arts, designs and the likes, you might feel that you are already way behind on this topic. The good news is, you are not alone.

Who knows if someone drew a portrait of me and was buried somewhere? Oh, I’m sure it would be thrilling to find out. 😀

hall of famer

A hall-of-famer; artwork protected by the site admin.

Start with your own illustration by following this simple how-to. [A personal tip to get unlimited inks to keep going with your work is to do the puzzle in different ways each time you refresh your page after getting 0% ink left, stay longer and the available ink adds up or sign in and out of your vpn server when accessing the site.] Then go back to your previous work by taking note of the link on the lower left. Yes, I really explored it. for my own fulfillment. Enjoy!

By Sarah Malanyaon

About the Author

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Mirko Humbert

Mirko Humbert is the editor-in-chief and main author of Designer Daily and Typography Daily. He is also a graphic designer and the founder of WP Expert.