while i was playing someone drew this picture :

It turned out that the answer was "stem". They actually drew the stem around the middle-endish and didn't even circle it or anything. Did something like this ever happened to you?

I think it is purely the artist using their 'drawing time' to their full advantage. Depending on whom I am playing with and how easy the word is, I will try and make the most of my time 'on the board' and draw something of an OK standard (stop sniggering please, sniggerers)

You can clearly see a stem of the flower there - so I can't see a problem with this draw at all

Edit: Oh.. and welcome to the forum by the way

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i often draw pictures like that just to piss of noobs

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Look at all the little tiny people running away. The last one looks sad. The poor thing is left behind. Oh sorry, I got sidetracked, lol.

I've seen drawings like that a lot. It is frustrating sometimes, but I'm just grateful that they at least draw their word, and that there are no violations within it. It's a bit like people doing "themed" drawings too. Like lemons, nerds, strawberries, etc. Makes it pretty fun sometimes :)

Yes, something like that has happend to me...many times.

There's nothing wrong with it, as the word has been drawn, and the drawer is probably just having fun drawing on the canvas. If you're ever in a room with me, you'll find I draw a lot of fluff before I incorporate my word into the draw . E.g. my word might be choker, but I'll draw an entire face replete with features, and colour everything in, before I do the choker. It just makes it more fun for me to draw.

You'll probably also find people drawing things like someone climbing, for the word limb (English Easy wordlist). So if you guess climb, you'll get points coz limb is in climb. Sometimes people do that because it's easier to draw climb than limb. There's nothing wrong with that either, because so long as you guess the draw you'll get your points .

In the end, if you can guess something that'll mean you've found the word...it's fine .

Of course, it goes without saying porn draws are not accepted, etc.

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Haha, I do that all the time. Although, now that I think about it, I do get a bit peeved when others do it to me.......oh well. My favorite draws though is when I draw a sandwich for the word sandbox just to see everyone get FRUSTRATED that they're close yet haven't found the word yet in the last 300 guesses they've made so far..........

See ya on isketch.......mwahahaha.

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When I get real bored, I like to drive down town and get a great parking spot, then sit in my car and count how many people ask me if i'm leaving.

Taking your time for a draw is the smart thing to do, but it can annoy impatient folks. There's usually some part of a draw that makes it clear what sort of word you are drawing, it's best to leave this until you've finished the less important parts.

E.g. If you were to draw blonde, it's best to start with 2 identical faces, give one a cross and one a tick, and add the hair colours last. By leaving the "key strokes" until the end of the draw you decrease the chances of some smarty pants guessing before the drawing is at it's most clear.

The example you've shown doesn't really follow this though, and some arrows may have helped That's just an explanation of why you generally shouldnt rush to the point...

Edit:

as aerochick said, using words which have the 1st 4 letters can both confuse and help people. I do it, in an attempt to make it easier for people but I think it just confuses them most of the time... especially if you do a purposefully confusing one where the 4 letters aren't the start of the word they're guessing

Alternatively, just draw in 1 stroke

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bwhahahaha! xD

i'm those impatient one that always gets annoyed by this kinda "draw too much" sorta drawings. xD

i find it's ok to draw in details or whatever, but there's a big difference with ppl who draw in details to make things clearer and those who simply just draw too much that it confuse the guesser which exactly is the one in the drawing u should guess.

in this case, i classify the drawing u displayed in the 2nd category. simply just draw too much that it annoys me. xD [ooops! =x]

edit: but being annoyed by these drawings doesn't mean i always can't get the word. =PpP

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I was going to suggest that but heaven forbid more people should use "your" thing...

Nothing wrong with that picture from my perspective. The artist got creative but eventually drew the word. All that's needed in those cases is a little imagination and seeing details within the big picture. Outstanding drawing i might add.

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I think, with drawings like the one shown, you have to look the "odd" things. Why are they drawing a flower?

I, personally, like these and it shows imagination and flair. If it bugs you, go to a room with less experienced players.

I am a total hypocrite on this subject, I admit it.

If I was in a room with friends, or a user-created room with a huge time limit etc, I would think that drawing was great. If I was in a room full of people I didn't know and it was one of the easy english rooms or so, I'd think the artist was being a smart-donkey and would roll my eyes VERY sternly at my computer screen, lol. Depending on the magnitude of the offence, I might be forced to tut.

Like NoHints and Storm have said though, when the word you get is fairly easy, I do often save it until all the other small but necessary details of the picture are in place, or do it with one stroke. This is a bit different though because at least all the other bits and bobs relate to the word. The 'stem' draw would get a bit of an eye roll from me, I'm afraid!

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If I had drawn that pic, it would have had a giant rabbit holding the flower and then those people would have run even faster!

Surely an imaginative and beautifly drawn picture beats the endless stream of barely recognisable stickmen etc hands down.

As others have pointed out, the word was drawn and that's all that matters. The draw time belongs entirely to the artist and as long as they depict the word during that time they are not breaking the rules.

Surely the point of the draws should be to make the word guessable, not to make it "beautiful" or fancy. In my opinion, having lots of irrelevent things and not even hinting at which part they should be guessing may not be against the rules but it's certainly being a bad sport.

Some other things which aren't against the rules:

Giving 3 hints and leaving the canvas blank - making everyone guess every word that fits.
Hitting done as soon as 1 person finds the word.

Although these things aren't against any rule they can still ruin the game.

This is iSketch, not iSpy....

Hahahaha flopsy, that was hilarious


I usually kinda make obscure drawings. I put the word in a full setting (though usually not such a surrealistic setting, like the drawer of the picture in the first post) and you'll just have to guess for it. I refuse to spoil things with circles, arrows and other clues unless time is really running out.

Of course, I also get lazy and just draw the word on its own.

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I would have to disagree with you entirely there. Watching those who have the ability to draw well create lovely and often funny pictures IMHO only serves to enhance the game. As an admin I see an awful lot of very poorly drawn stickmen and I give thanks for those who take the game to a far more interesting and challenging level.

word ^^^^^^

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Nothing wrong with drawing well, but the main point should be to make it guessable. This is a guessing game, not a sit-for-ages-and-watch-people-drawing-random-nonsense game. There is no way I can accept that the point of a pictionary game is to draw a ridiculoulsy detailed picture rather than a picture designed to make people guess the actual word. It's quite easy for someone who can draw well to just draw a good representation of the actual word, this is not boring and is still a nice picture.

There's no need to insult the poor drawers, if you want a "challenging" game you should spend more time with them (have seen "uncle" drawn just as a stick man, which is a fair representaion). I play iSketch because it's a fun game, from the guessing perspective, not to look at pretty pictures.

I recall you saying once that you don't have to draw the "bog standard" draw...

likewise, drawers also don't have to draw the minimum required to guess the word.

If drawing the context (and it is usually good drawers who bother doing this...) is being a bad sport, then so is not drawing the classic draw for a word - because both confuse people and are not easily guessable.

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This is isketch not Pictionary and no I'm not being pedantic by saying that. Pictionary is a board game you drag out now and then for some fun with the family and usually some hastily scribbled pictures. Isketch is a place many people come to regularly to relax and socialise whilst playing an interesting game. It's been going since 1999 and attracts a great number of regular players who enjoy much more than scribbles.

I take great exception to your accusation that I insult poor drawers. Ask anyone who has seen me admining in the easy rooms with the beginners and you will often find that I am the one asking people not to make rude comments about the draws on the canvass. I also think I can easily state that in the last five and a half years I have spent a considerable amount of time teaching new players the game of isketch and encouraging them to enjoy all the game has to offer. You are welcome to look at the game from your perspective but please keeo in mind that if you don't like the way an artist draws you always have the option to change rooms.

I have to say, I'm with Vik on this one.. I'm a bit of a hypocrite, too. I don't mind those sort of drawings, but I think sometimes when I'm with some friends that I know, then it's easy to trust that they're staying on topic. So you look forward to a clever piece of drawing, ya know? But when you're in a room with people you don't know, you wonder where the drawing is going to head.. sometimes people just draw beautiful pieces of artwork and then we find that none of it is related. Oh, those ones bug me.. lol. *tut* and *tut*. Heh.

I admit to getting a bit impatient with long-winded drawings sometimes, especially if it's people that I don't know (for the reasons stated above), but I'd never openly discourage their drawings as long as the word that they had to draw is in the picture. Even if I don't get it. Even if the time runs out. And sometimes after I see the word, the penny drops, and I let out an, "ooh, I get it now. Nice draw", comment. It's still fun. It is far better than having someone write their word out. :)

Also, NoHints.. I think you'll find that some of our regular friends (or just regular people) that we play isketch with do exactly what you described, anyway. And we tolerate it. You said, "this is a guessing game, not a sit-for-ages-and-watch-people-drawing-random-nonsense game". Most of us are guilty of it in some form, even if we don't realise it. I know I can definitely name a few people (as well as myself - when I'm in the mood) that draw that way.

On a separate note, I'm still laughing at the picture up there ^^^. It is amusing. In a good and clever way :)

Edit: Can I also add that I'm jealous that the artist draws stick men running so well? Because I am! lol. I cannot draw stick men.. their legs always look weird, and it looks like they're walking backwards! Sometimes they even have three legs (sorry, off topic!). Heh.