janart, I don't know what this technical knowledge BS you are talking about. Hobbit, Rochr to name just a couple of my favorite artist do some stunnigly brillant work using a combination of Bryce and photoshop, some of which look like digital pictures of paintings. Knowing how to use the program and it's secrets is only part of it. Some here have done some beautiful technical work but have never made to the hot20. No one here is blasting newbies (we were all there at one time) but when a picture makes it into the hot 20 and doesn't look like it has the same "quality" as the rest of the 20 you have to start wondering if they are just there because friends are just voting for it just because they are friends (it has been known to happen and isn't fair to the artist that put a lot of hard work and spirit into thier art). This may or may not be the case with Stormi, DC certainly didn't post his blank picture and expect it in the hot20. This subject has come up before in the forums debating on what is and isn't art. Mostly that's a personal thing of the artist and viewer. It just happens that this time Stormi was new here and apparently took something that wasn't directed at her and took it as a personal insult. You 2 did fly off the handle. And just as MY opinion,though her picture is appealing it doesn't fit in the hot20. Maybe that's just her style of art (I find the textures bland, flat though brightly coloful) but that's just my personal taste. Hell some of my renders that I thought were some of my best work didn't even get a vote in the monthly challenge, I'd drop dead if anything actually got to the hot20 but I still strive to reach that goal.