hmmm. i gave it a 5 and 30 seconds later [with only one other vote] it's down to a 3. that means someone gave this tile a 1!? 8^|

I think people are misunderstanding the rating system, or whatever you want to call this phenomenon. It seems that lots of people vote what the have to to move the tiles' average scores where they want it, rather than voting what they think they deserve and letting the community feelings and law of averages shape the scores.

i think you may be right. i hope so anyway, that'd be better than if they were just plain mean spirited.

whoa, that's to deep for me Jeannie.

when i look at this tile i get a feeling of spacial relationship with the floor and the table surface. the drawing isn't photographic quality overall, but i feel like i could touch the table top. the blending was good and the tile sends something off the edges for everyone else to play with.

it reminds me of being in a coffe shop with my dad when i was little. it evoked a memory for me, i was "there" for a minute, 5 years old again, right before my parents divorced, we moved away and i never saw my father again. so this wasn't flattery... i really liked this tile.

and Mike if you look at the works of the impressionist masters you'll find much of their work isn't photographic quality either. infact many of them could have used some more drawing classes. one can't really say that a monet, a van gogh, or a seurat is "better" than a di vinci or vermeer. or vice versa.
so, while i really like and respect the work of the tile artists you mentioned, i think the 'johnny come latelies' deserve a pat on the back once in awhile too, when their work shows improvement, or evokes something within the viewer. i think you're comparing apples and oranges. you may prefer one over the other, but that doesn't mean one is better. my own tastes are eclectic... i like apples and oranges, and just about everything in between.

as far as my voting goes, my average is around 3. so i don't give 5's away lightly. i try to be honest before voting and i definitely pause an extra moment before giving a 5, or before giving a low score.

i still have to wonder as Chris did, was the 1 he received right after my vote an 'honest' vote, or was it an attempt to 'control' the final score.

anyway thanks for sharing your own views and for hearing mine [if you read this whole thing ;o]

With respect, I don't think this tile is worth a five, or a four. If you look at gecko's tiles, TonchyZ's, Samuelf's, Primal_r, Root88, jito, or greg's tiles, THOSE are worth fives. This tile doesn't do much. The colors are bland, the shading is too subtle, and there's nothing really defined in the tile itself. Maybe I'm being too much of a hard-ass, but I think too many people are being too generous. So, it balances out quite nicely.

I think I have to agree, it may be grading on a curve and the pro's in here have set the curve, but it's a system that works. I wnat to rise to thier standards myself, this sites got some of the most profesional artists I've ever had the opportunity to be influanced by. I think we need to be honest in our judgments and, not flattering. Flattery is like a helium balloon, full of hot air. Like false hope is putting your trust in making wishes to the stars that have no ears to hear, so your dreams are never fulfilled. When we learn to live in the real world and share our honest needs and feelings with real people is when we see beautiful things happen. A real person can take being told the truth about their work, and where it needs to be improved; they can use that as fule for their flame, and run with it to light the world on fire then. That's what it takes to win the gold. And dang-gum-it was should have had an Olimpic Quilt.