Okay, the entries are in, and the competition is closed! I have been struggling with a headache most of today, and Kingryan has stumbled across a little home truth about strop...I will play with your minds :P
...and yes, you can't get DMs two weeks in a row.
So! I've also made a decision that I do not know how you will react to. Irrespective of this week's turnout, I have been turning over the idea that the previous week's winner's entry should not be at all placed (i.e. 1st, 2nd, 3rd), because if they can't win again I have to think of a way that, in the case that I happen to like the entry best, I can somehow like somebody else's entry more.
See the dilemma? It just doesn't feel like I'm upholding the integrity of the competition ("what integrity" I hear you say) if I have to do this. Therefore I will introduce a new section to the judging- the Champion's Exhibit!
From this week on, the previous week's winner will be invited, as part of the spoils of winning, to submit a piece to this prestigeous section (yes, it's coveted because I say so!) It shall be displayed before I display the winner of this week.
So without further ado, here is the piece from the winner of last week: Zophia
She tells us that it is not quite complete, so I do hope that there will be a time where we see the final version. Even before it was completed I do believe we had already been blown away.
I normally don't put constructive criticism in this section (my commentary here is generally...not very constructive at all...) but sometimes I don't get to post it before the round finishes. Either way, just a little note to Zophia- I do understand you forgot what the sun looks like, so given that it is so low in the sky, do you think the shadows should be longer?
Well, after this, you're back in the competition...until you win again
And now we move onto the winners. But naturally we must have the Strop digest: Once again we witness the trend of "make fun of the guy running the competition", but what else should I expect :P We also witness some more superb entries from the regulars as well as- HERE COMES A NEW CHALLLENGERRRRR!!!
...uhm yeah. You get the idea. There isn't a whole lot to say except that I'm not sure whether to be flattered or worried that I am so easily thought of as "wildlife"! Then again, I'm not sure exactly how strongly the entries as a whole 'articulated' the theme. I was kinda hoping for at least one reference to Where the Wild Things Are but I guess that's just me being too old :P
Without further ado, here is your judgment!
Grand Winner: Cenere
I think it would be most fair if I say now that you will more fully understand why I judged the way I did once I have completed discussing all place-getters. But I am talking here about Cenere's entry. I was vastly impressed that with a simple sketching technique that one can lend so much light and shape to an image. Cenere may have said that there was no 'form' added but I'm going to politely disagree here. Furthermore, I felt that this image most strongly and subtly evoked the themes of "wildlife", with the references to the ever-alluring, mysterious moon.
Congratulations, Cenere, you are the winner of this week's merit! I humbly hope that you will accept it, for if you don't, I really don't know how I would respond, and the Champion's Exhibit looks so sad when empty...
Second Place: Rollie
Rollie only supplied a link, so I will do the same
I hope your nose was not put out of joint by the initial suspicions, for we have just come off the back of some scandals which I shan't detail here lest I sully the occasion. After a little deliberation (because it is my job here not to trust anybody), I decided that it would not be necessary to ask anybody here for their originals, which means that obviously since I've placed this entry second, I consider it to be perfectly legitimate
Either way, this is Rollie's first time at fi- I mean Art Competition. Give him a warm welcome, not least because he is obviously very skilled!
Since Rollie only just arrived on the scene, to enter for the first time and gain a place with an entry that was created incidentally is a very impressive feat. I'd very much like to see your continued involvement in the art contest, as I am sure that you would bring much to it. Also, if I understand right this is a background for a flash game, so I very much look forward to its development, production and release.
Third Place: Pedspog
Another link
Seriously, how did you do it? Just three or so weeks ago, you didn't know how to fix transparency settings and now this! The blending creates a very compelling effect which passively captivates the viewer. In other words it would make a great background, like Rollie's entry. My major criticism here would be that the composition is fairly segmented, hence the order of the placing.
Which is what I've been working towards: both the above entries were 'background' type entries, in which "wildlife" was interpreted as an incidental thing, and either there was no foreground elements because they weren't supposed to be there or nothing in particular leapt out and caught my notice. Nonetheless all these images are well done and impressed me vastly.
And here comes the giggles! The Honorable (and Not-So-Honorable) Mentions!
The Make Fun of Strop corner:
Cholokid:
It occured to me that my black ninja suit is only good for the city...I would have a better time passing off in disguise if I didn't wear anything in the country...oops did I just say that aloud?
Kingryan:
Had the gall to ask me for permission to use one of my images and then turn it against me. I found it very giggle-worthy.
Honorable Mention for being...Disturbing
Thoadthetoad:
But since when has toad not been disturbing? I am still to this day scratching my head over the use of the dreaded "robobunny"...
The Character I Want to See in a Series
Crimsonblade55, with the character Sasquatch
Previous winners of this type of award include Fst6, but this time, Crimson has already entered Sasquatch, and his sidekick Overgrowth into the Tournament!!! I must prepare now for I may eventually face them in mortal combat...
Also: flaming bell-pepper bomb. Epic.
Honorable Mention for Actual Wildness
Esuna2400
That's right, I do happen to think that this entry very nicely fit the theme, given its features. Leaving the furry aside for a moment, I am reminded of an animal philosophy seminar that I attended, which was attached to an art exhibition. Much of the art itself explored, through anthropomorphism, some kind of relationship between man and animal, and man as animal. But I digress.
Esuna is also a newcomer to Art Contest, so please, a warm welcome!
And true to my word, the eponymous Kingryan Bogan Award for Extreme Minimalism, which goes to Fst6
Furthermore fst6 managed to fulfil the requirements for last week's DM. Your honour is redeemed! Now...next time do you think you could have done that with one line? :P
AND LAST BUT CERTAINLY NOT LEAST, ACCORDING TO THIS OFFENDER:
Dishonorable Mention, naturally, goes to Klaushouse, for blatantly lying about the size of his...little man.
Klaus, I don't even know what kind of Dishonorable Mention to give you, because all the ideas I've got are the kind that would get me fired.
So. I decided to inform you in a place that is not on the site. Everybody else, I do not recommend you do not follow this link because...well yeah, you'll be scarred for life or something.
And with that, the competition this week draws to a close! Thank you all for participating...but don't go anywhere because we're starting anew right away!