ForumsArt, Music, and WritingArt Skills Contest

6854 5641959
Carlie
offline
Carlie
6,823 posts
Blacksmith

Hello and welcome!

This is a spin-off of the original GFX Art Battle, but with some updated rules and changes. Please make sure to read the rules before entering, since they have been modified. Good luck, we look forward to seeing some creative artistic entries!

Competition Rules
1. Must be hand drawn, either on paper or in a program. It can then be manipulated in an graphics program. But unoriginal artwork cannot be used as the main focus. Copyrighted images cannot be used. All pieces containing copyrighted images will be disqualified.
2. Submissions must follow the current theme that has been chosen by a moderator for that week. If you submit more than one piece, please clarify which one you would like to be judged.
3. If your image is larger than 600 pixels wide, please provide a link to the image instead of posting it in the forum. Otherwise, the image will be cut off.
4. Artists cannot win in subsequent weeks. You can still submit, but if you won the week before, you cannot get first place again the next week.
5. After the deadline, a moderator will pick the winner, and they will be awarded a 25 AP award.

  • 6,854 Replies
Strop
offline
Strop
10,816 posts
Bard

Okay, no more throwing stuff around in the classroom!

Uhh where was I, OH YES SUBMITTING MY OWN ENTRY:

http://i438.photobucket.com/albums/qq105/strawpony/pinja.png

It's totally epic ftw. Seriously, I did my research (with the aid of Google) and to my knowledge, while it has been suggested, nobody has put ever this idea into graphic, so it's (c) me, yayyyyy!

Okay, I'm not that anally retentive. Just this particular character is (c) me.

So there you go, I shall now go and judge the actual entries anon.

Cenere
offline
Cenere
13,657 posts
Jester

*continues throwing with (now) paperballs after Strop leaves for the judging*

Hmmm... Not sure if I will get what you wanted with the theme, horsy...

Strop
offline
Strop
10,816 posts
Bard

Alright! This theme turned out to be a bit of a mystery. People were wondering what I wanted, and possibly thought the theme was too narrow because I in fact probably made it too broad. Perhaps "one page comic strip" might have made it easier, but as it was, this was a round for anything to do with cartoons, comics and their personalities.

Highlighting one of the popular approaches to this theme was Klaushouse, who brings us this week's Champion's Exhibit.

http://triton.imageshack.us/Himg229/scaled.php?server=229&filename=cartoonentrypk6.png&xsize=578&ysize=480

Klaushouse apologises for the paucity of characters in this picture, as he has way too many assignments due and is running on far too little sleep. GO BACK TO SCHOOL KLAUS!

It is fairly obvious, though, that this transgressional &quotop life gone wrong" approach, which mirrors the reality of those media figures idolised to the point of self-destruction, echoes frequently on our minds.

But let us turn to a different kind of parody, something whimsical as opposed to cynical, something magic instead of tragic. The winner of this week has graced us with some pieces of comedy genius, and many other, well...not so glorious swipes at my character. But this one quite possibly takes the cake:

Grand Winner: Cholokid

http://i534.photobucket.com/albums/ee348/Cholokid34/dbzcopy.jpg

After I rofl'd (Frieza's reaction really did it for me), all I could think to say was that Goku's receeding hairline must have been a real downer on his SSJ3 transformation.

That's right Cholokid, in revisiting your tried and true grounds you've earnt yourself a merit! Send a genki dama...no...just a message will do...and I'll destroy the universe- I mean take care of the rest. Yeah.

Even within whimsy there are many kinds. So I give you:

Second Place: Zophia

http://i193.photobucket.com/albums/z121/Mazzelh/Duckstyle.jpg

At first I thought that this was a reproduction, and a beautifully done one at that, with the familiar sights of the Ducktales world (see the $ of Scrooge's building in the dstance?) Then I thought it was a reproduction with Mazzelhs in it.

Then I looked again and realised that I could look at this picture and see a story unfolding before my eyes. The trio as scouts on their first encounter with these curious creatures, and the mazzelh in the tree with that strange looking ray gun and whoa what's gonna happen next!?

I will be honest here. It was a really really big struggle to decide which of these two pieces I would give the grand prize to. In a parallel world there's probably a me somewhere going the other way. One was brash and irreverent. The other was deep and subtle. How could I pick between the two? I guess you could say that in this case, the judgement fell to a purely personal standard of aesthetic when it came to assessing the impact of the idea, and I cannot offer any further, concrete justification of my decision.

Third Place: Cenere

http://i428.photobucket.com/albums/qq1/Cerene_Cerine/cartoon.jpg

Perhaps a controversial piece for its subject matter, but in this day and age such dark subject matter is very much in the fold of the comics world. If you immerse yourself in the worlds of Frank Miller and the like, you will find worlds that appeal to the troubled youth of today and the jaded adults of yesterday, seeking depictions of angst and gruesome, twisted amorality as counterpoint to their tortured souls.

Despite not being sure how to approach the theme, this presentation is therefore particularly relevant to the world of cartoons as it stands now, and therefore I felt it important to showcase what may unwittingly be declared by me to be an apt representation of a significant portion of the market in both style and content.

As usual it was quite difficult to decide which three contestants to place, as there were a number of great entries. I'd like to give a shoutout to the Honorable Mentions (otherwise known as the Hall of Essence):

deth4

http://i369.photobucket.com/albums/oo136/deth4/POPeye.jpg

A wonderful rendition of an old iconic favorite so well known even after spinach was proven to be not-quite-as-useful dietary source of iron as Popeye was supposed to demonstrate, heh. I'm not sure how you did it but the lines and the colours certainly capture the essence.

pedspog

http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp151/Pedspog/ArtComp/Batman.jpg

Traditionally Batman is depicted as working in the dark of the night. But here, it is twilight that descends upon Gotham City, which transforms the scene into one of anticipation.

Or maybe it's a sunrise, and Batman is gazing upon a night's work?

Further along, we come across the Hall of Oddities and The Halls of A Thousand Laughs. We shall begin with:

When It All Goes Terribly Wrong:

Ricador

The stress got to be too much for Spongebob

It...really did. Ricador gets extra credit for "in before everyone else!"

kingryan

http://i296.photobucket.com/albums/mm193/kingryanv/idk.jpg

If this is a Family Guy reference then yes, I lol'd. Otherwise I'm not sure why I'm laughing haha.

The Entries That Defy Categorisation

gantic

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v226/blackcairn/AG/NoIntroductionNecessary.gif

So the lolcat needs no words, and...well I find it very difficult to make words up because I'm not very good at saying words that are not needed! Once again very clever, or should I say, almost too clever...

crimsonblade

http://i530.photobucket.com/albums/dd349/crimsonblade55/CabbagePatchYeti-1.gif

Naturally crimsonblade occupies his own niche in this event, for he has started running what appears to be weekly strips concerning the adventues of Sasquatch, Yeti (and the flaming bell pepper.)

M is for Minimalist

For once, fst6 was joined by another!

owen135731

http://i449.photobucket.com/albums/qq211/Owen135731/armorgamescartooncompetitionkirb-2.jpg

That's not the first time I've seen kirby depicted in chat emotes, but it does remind me of the challenges in making kirby a cartoon character. There's a certain...lack of directional dynamics shall we say. He sucks, he blows (don't take me out of context, PLEASE), and he expands spherically and that's just about all he does. Otherwise he's a puffball with eyes and feet!

fst6

http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb19/fst6/Honey.jpg

Actually I found this rather clever and it's an entry that works well with fst6's...scope of abilities. Something that reminds us that behind all the pizazz and neat pictures, cartoons cannot, for the most part, survive without landmark dialogue and wit.

And now, because there weren't really any entries that were so unworthy they got DM (yes, I'm looking at you fst6), I present you with....

The Fanboy Of The Week:

esuna2400

http://i445.photobucket.com/albums/qq172/esuna2400/KakashiSensei.jpg

I am possibly being unfair because I tend to brand any Narutard who is brave enough to post Naruto-related material here a "fanboy"/"fangirl". Bahahahaha. That's why I don't post any naruto-related stuff, except maybe that one pic which I defy you all to find!

So yeah, I'm not a fanboy unless you catch me out >:3

And on that tired note, that's a wrap for this week!

I had an idea for the next theme, but I have to find it again...just give me one moment.

Strop
offline
Strop
10,816 posts
Bard

Oh yeah, now I remember.

This week's theme brought to you by Cholokid.

Theme: Nostalgia
Deadline: Wednesday December 17th


Extended because I lose a few days running errands and travelling, and I want a neat finish for the Christmas festivities!

Cenere
offline
Cenere
13,657 posts
Jester

Congrats, Cholo! And Zophia. And the rest of you~~

Hmm, there will certainly be more Kai-art now, thanks to that theme.

shermzx
offline
shermzx
564 posts
Nomad

oh yea,strop i've seen to have saw the picture somewhere...
you mention something like
"here's something for you narutards."
is that the picture you were referring to?
you drew a pony-like ninja doing a substitute trick...
:P

Zophia
offline
Zophia
9,434 posts
Scribe

Does the close-to-tie mean I can have an imaginary merit? :3
Congratulations to Cholokid, I think the humor of that one was striking~

Btw, Strop. Mine is widely inspired by the fronts of Donald Duck magazines, where every front page is a joke on its own, working in a single non-verbal image - also I am referring back to an old sketch of mine, where one of my mazzelh characters had gotten hold of a polymorph gun; see the Mickey Mouse ears, Scrooge's hat and cane, Donald's hat-thing?
What to do when your uncles and that mouse person are suddenly polymorphed into the shape of green critters... Their otherwise all-knowing book provides no answer. :O

Also, Marco Rota reference in the Don Rosa inspired style - that little bird with the bow is one of his little signature traits~

Ah, references and explaining them.

Strop
offline
Strop
10,816 posts
Bard

uoohhhhhhhh the mystery explained! I bow down before thine depth of knowledge.

And shermzx, don't you dare say another word, or I shall have to kage bunshin my way out of this tight squeeze!

shermzx
offline
shermzx
564 posts
Nomad

lolol
anyways
ZOPHIA!
i spotted a hidden mickey in the donald's duck picture!:P
hello FanBoy

shermzx
offline
shermzx
564 posts
Nomad

oh DARN IT
didn't saw zophia's post >: (
sorry for double posts

Zophia
offline
Zophia
9,434 posts
Scribe

uoohhhhhhhh the mystery explained! I bow down before thine depth of knowledge.
^^
*is still a donaldist*
Man, I could continue right down that lane on the nostalgia theme, but I think I'll go more personal on it... Because trips down memory lane are fun and painful. Yes. I shall possibly make tons of personal references no one else will understand.
Or maybe just do a cave painting.
you drew a pony-like ninja doing a substitute trick...
I remember that! It was an entry for... What was it an entry for? One of the rounds of Art Skills or GFX Battle for sure, but which one...
i spotted a hidden mickey in the donald's duck picture!:P
I should totally have added a REAL hidden Mickey or some equivalent of Rosa's D.U.C.K hidden signature - but couldn't think of one or where to hide it.
shermzx
offline
shermzx
564 posts
Nomad

the clouds probably?
gee,long since i joined this competition..

Zophia
offline
Zophia
9,434 posts
Scribe

Clouds would have worked excellently for a pair of Mickey ears, that's for sure...
Just didn't think of it at the time.

And yeah, long time since you've even been on, no?

shermzx
offline
shermzx
564 posts
Nomad

since my com was rendered useless by myself,i had a computer of myself you see..
then now the &quotublic" computer of my family mouse's is not so smooth

Gantic
offline
Gantic
11,891 posts
King

Nostalgia is my territory. I really can't think of what exactly to draw though. What would make the most impact on Strop? *researches Strop's childhood*

Showing 2026-2040 of 6854