Chow 158 :: VOTING :: The GREEN FAIRY

[PuppyKitten]

rinjii: Yeah, I could see the look you were going for. I think lower opacity (just a bit) on the texture layer would have been a nice touch. That's all.

[Ostrander]

Sorry guys, thread is closed for a couple minutes. We put 51 entries into the poll, thinking we could sneak one past the cap that I've kept on the poll, and... Instantly starting getting system glitches! There's a reason for that cut off.

So, Posh is withdrawing his entry from poll (which you should all tell him is a tragedy, since he won't listen to me) and we'll be up and running again in a minute.


edit: okay! We're back up and running again!

Please, please, please, please pull my entry and put Aly's back in there. He deserves to be in the poll way more than me. Mine was pretty rushed to begin with. I as well as others I'm sure, would much rather see his beautiful image in the poll.

[MichaelNoel]

Agreed on the "Take mine down and put Posh's up" sentiment. I rushed mine a bit as well over the weekend.

It was a great turnout (with great showings from everyone), what happens if we keep getting this many people!?

[cesmls]

Let's see, I like this one, and this one, and this one, and this one, and this one, and - you get the picture.

I can't vote! They are all wonderful!

Congratulations everyone!

[NoShot]

Outstanding work from everyone! Clochette, Liv and Nichols really stood out for me and got my votes. These things are always so fun and inspiring.

[daestwen]

MichaelNoel: When we get 50+ votes, I usually start to use the "Quality Check" bracket and start cutting those that aren't making the upper tier. We've had rounds with almost 90 entries before, which means almost half of the entries got cut! So we like to give everyone a break and let them get into the poll when we can. :]

[Jefita]

Argh....I was over half way through doing crits and then lost it all....Le Sigh

Anyways, I voted for Clochette, Nichols, and JailHouseRock2.

To all of you that I'm too lazy to re-crit - Lots of great work and I enjoyed looking at what you made.

[blau]

Voted for AvisNocturna because I liked it the most from the beginning.
And for David Mcleod for an awesome idea awesomely done.
And for Clochette for the beautiful image.

Puppykitten, yours is probably the most beautiful pic, for me, but then I'm missing the concept. The idea behind the character. Other than the hair/cascade, in this image the girl tells me little of herself.

[Nerahla]

Voted for a few, but liked Nichols and Vargo, well he just slammed this one outta the park. I liked the fact that I could look at the image, in both Vargo's and Nichols' and know what I was looking at instead of just some pretty little vague thing.

Also dug Mercurialis' as well.

[Sekino]

Here are my votes:

Garth Cochrane- I think your fairy embodies the spirit of a good drink very accurately: Slightly uncouth yet jolly. Even though she's no 'classical' beauty, I think she's a very cute and engaging character.

Tommoy- I just love the natural setting and the nonchalant attitude.

Jefita- Nice 'modern' take on the fairy; playful and great sense of movement.

Clochette- Sensuous and otherworldly. The character is so expressive, both curious and mildly annoyed, like I'd assume a fairy would be upon encountering a human... The colour scheme is gorgeous.

JailHouseRock2- It's cute, creepy and funny (not necessarily in that order ). Overall, great character and a very different take on the 'fairy'. I think I'll stick with wine.

I'll try to comment on others tomorrow: So many great ones this time around!

[DauDau]

I was looking for Posh' entry to vote on it and wondered where on earth it went. It did cross my mind, that he withdrew it, because he'd very likely win and he probably wins so often, that he thought he'd give others a go. Or some such.

A lot of really good entries. I was surprised to see the illustrations of fat people in green, but they are wonderful! If nothing else, alcohol is fattening, because of all the sugar in it.

The vintage styles sported here, and on such short notice, are impressive.

[Wiggers]

Voted for Sekino, Clochette, Puppykitten and Matt Dixon, bit of a pisser i coundn't vote for the best piece! very nobel of you Aly but please don't do that again!

[darthmarsh]

Arse, I have also just spent the last hour writing crits only to loose it all, damn you iespell!!!!!!!, Ah well, in a nut shell. I voted for NicHols, Tommy and Clochette, all were excellently done (as were all the entry's this week) but these three really pushed all the right buttons for me.

[scottmcd]

Wish I had time to give a solid critique to everyone. We'll see how much I can get through.

Migsta: Doesn't exactly make me want to try absinthe, but I guess that's the point. The wet texture on the stomach doesn't work for me mainly because it doesn't match the rendering style of the face and rest of the piece. I have that same mismatched rendering style complaint about my own piece too. I like the overall pose and concept. Nice foot.

Sekino: Nice work and it's nice to see alternate styles here too. I think I see what you were going for the left hand, but I'm not sure it comes across. Great shading around the bum and legs.

AvisNocturna: Like this one a lot. I could see spending a littl emore time on the wings. I get the sense that she's pretty to look at but is a real force of chaos.

Missile: Like the leaning Eiffel Tower and the sugar cube on her head. The lower dress loses form I'm not sure what it becomes.

Amber Alexander: Neat thing with the scarf and reflection. I should have said this before, but I think I'd have tried something other than a straight on face shot - that is, had a slight tilt for her head. There are lots of pictures of belly dancers on the web that would be good reference. Out of curiosity, did you do the face first and then come up with a pose for the body or did you do the entire figure first? I still miss the scarf wings you had at one point, but I like what you did with the dragonfly style too.

scottmcd: To comment on my own for a second, I don't like how the wings came out. There are too many inconsistent styles, with the background looking artificial and the wings looking flat. I think I'm going to keep going on it to try to unify things.

hungryan: Way, way better than the first concept. I like this one a lot, particularly the wings. vote

Windsrock: Not exactly sure what to comment on. Rather than specific rendering or construction advice, I think I'd concentrate on the basic concept. You've drawn a decent figure, but she's not really doing anything and there's little context. So, for example, why is she in that particular posture and what does it reveal about her character. I'm not sure if you were going for dramatic, intimidating, awe inspiring, etc. I feel like the leg turning into a drip is an afterthought nod to the brief. Doing quick sketches and thumbnails ahead of time can help with that if you don't already do it.

Angel Intheuk: Nice idea and figure. The only thing I see that bothers me is the cheeks. Those naso-labial folds are intense - see what it's like without them. (I got to use "naso-labial folds" in a sentence! I'm easily amused.)

Artofinca: Nice figure and rendering. I think the background kind of overpowers her a little bit, but not a whole lot.

Telamon: Same comments as from the WIP thread.

Liv: It's bondage fairy! I both think it's funny and a good idea and at the same time am not sure it communicates anything about absinthe to me. I'm kind of glad she's strapped up. I'm not sure I'd survive if she got loose.

Arhemis IX: I like the concept and the rendering a lot. My only complaint is that the expression on her face is completely uninterested and neutral. I like the border treatment.

IceMoon: Wow on the legs. and torso. Nice glass rendering too. I like her expression too. The only thing I can think of to improve is the rendering on the hand that we can see - it's a bit flat.

Curly: I like the suggestion of wings. I still think the hand is kind of just hanging out there. I like the skirt treatment (the green part). While her raised arm does look like a woman's arm, it also looks quite defined and buff. Especially the transition from deltoid to bicep and the bicep. I think you nailed the wrist. Nice work.

Lotta: It's my favorite pose here. "Absinthe-minded" indeed (chucks an eraser at you). I don't think the warping of the glass works, though - I'd have preferred it to be a smooth globe with only what you see through it refracted.

Poshspice: I actually did get to vote for you. I totally understand why you pulled it, being the moderator and all, but it is a very nice piece. My perception isn't quite to the point where I see anything to critique. Once it gets there I'll let you know.

AikodoAL: She's a creepy one - one of those dark fairies I guess. I like the webbing on the hands. The torso and lower abdomen is kind of formless, and there are other anatomy issues (closest knee, shoulder, etc.). That's the kind of stuff that will fix itself with practice and life drawing. The concept comes through loud and clear, which is good.

JailHouseRock2: I like the transluscent shirt, and I still like the way you've handled the bottle and liquid inside it. Given the cartoony nature of the rest of it, I could see having a more exaggerated hip and waist treatment. Not sure, though.

NoShot: Good pose and concept. The facial proportions are off - I've personally always had trouble with upshots of the face.

Johann de Venecia: Wow, really nice. The bottom of the picture is muddy and indisctinct. It almost reads as a form of something, but not quite. I think it distracts from the main focus a little bit.

That's all I have time for right now. Hopefully I'll get to pick up where I left off later.

[Amber Alexander]

scottmcd: maybe I didn't make it obvious enough but her head is tilted down, I'll have to work on that. If you look at the WIPS the origional face is straight on and very plain. But to answer your question I try to get a reference for a pose I like first, I did use a belly dancer for this one actually :p I had to make up her backleg because it was covered in fabric in the reference but the part i'm not that happy with are the stings of beads, they dont look real to me.

[Gavage]

There are some really beautiful entries up. I wasn't entirely sure how many we're supposed to vote for so I just went for two - Chronoperates because it was the most appealing character design to me (and that does seem to be what the main focus should be for these) with the almost tribal marks on the body, and Johann de Venecia because there is something quite epic about that one - the style of it reminds me of a vintage poster but with a dark fantasy twist.

Missile: Like the leaning Eiffel Tower and the sugar cube on her head. The lower dress loses form I'm not sure what it becomes.

Thank you for the comment - I'm not even sure myself what was going on with the dress to be honest. Something between fabric and tentacles lost in a mess of blurred digital paint. Really need to work on drawing more realistic cloth before I go trying anything like that again.

[NickTrip]

Thanks, PuppyKitten!

[hungryan]

scottmcd: Thanks for your kind words. I'm a bit dissapointed that almost noone likes my stuff, (I thought it turned out pretty well, so I'm a little suprised about it) but hey... maybe next time.
I think I did my stuff with comments in the WIP thread, so that's about it.

[scottmcd]

hungryan: It's easy to say, but try not to let the number of votes you get affect your view of a piece's quality. It's only natural, but votes in an activity like CHoW have a bias toward a certain style. Things that deviate from that style don't get as many votes but can be just as successful at what they were trying to do. I don't think it's wrong, but I do try to keep it in mind.

[Mercuralis]

scottmcd: Thanks for your kind words. I'm a bit dissapointed that almost noone likes my stuff, (I thought it turned out pretty well, so I'm a little suprised about it) but hey... maybe next time.
I think I did my stuff with comments in the WIP thread, so that's about it.

Honestly, I thought the style of your image was cool... but the image itself didn't make much sense to me. Her legs were really out of proportion to her body, and those green things on top of her head really distracted from her wings (which I thought were pretty epic in concept). I'm still not sure what the green things on her head are supposed to be. Are they hair? Are they massive antennae? The idea behind her sleeves also seems somewhat better than the execution. They look really uncomfortable, and like she wouldn't be able to move her arms much.

Compositionally you have all these elements that are pulling away from your main figure, rather than drawing the eye to it. The poor glass of absinthe is lost outside of the frame, and it even takes awhile for me to notice it.

I really did like the style though... sort of medieval tarot card looking. Very cool. I just felt like overall it could have been pulled together a little more tightly.

[hungryan]

Mercuralis: Those things on her head are 2 giant leafs rolled up. I was thinking I do something crazy about the design of her costume, because usually I make boring, too mundane concepts. I don't think the same about compositional problems, but maybe I'm still too connected to the image. But I think I should work on something else and forget about this really.

[blackcherry]

For this round my votes go to:

flashrabbit: This was possibly my favourite piece. I found it original and different from the rest of the selection and I loved the whole scene you potrayed her in. Having her coming out of the glass and pouring the liquid in the guys mouth is great. It also has a dark feel to it.

Chronoperates: I loved the whole final rendering of this piece. It's dark, detailed and the textures and properties of the different materials have been potrayed well. I especially love her absinthe spoon wings!

Matt Dixon: Really like your version of tinkerbell as the absinthe green fairy. It's a fun concept which you pulled off well

There's some really great entries here, once again it was tough to pick three. Nice work everyone!

[Aaron Death]

Clochette absolutely rocks.

Lol, so wonderful.

[PixelFish]

Clochette's piece is rocking my socks.

I also dug Jefita's cute punk fairy.

Nichols layout really grabbed my eye.

Vargo's graphite technique is very nice.

Mercuralis has a nicely polished fairy and I dig the little skull.

Came close to voting for Matt Dixon's Tinkerbell/Green Fairy mashup, because it was really well executed, but I felt it was a little too close to Original Tinkerbell. Still, very nice job.

Of the bottle-as-clothing fairies, I gave my vote to Arthemis IX, because I saw that one before Curly's. (Also while Curly's is very nice, I can't help wondering how the inverted absinthe skirt works, and it breaks my brain.)

I also dug Max's Van Gogh, with the little hint of Van Gogh brushstrokes, although it didn't make my short list.

Lots of neat pieces and different styles this round. I admit to being slightly disappointed that I didn't get to see JessiBean's colours for her WIP, but understand why she and PoshSpice might choose to not go further, given their wins in the past.

[scottmcd]

A few more...

wheezy: I think too much is still soft and fuzzy. The face and shoulder leaves have detail, but the wings should probably have it too at least. Reference for the wings would be good, and she's stiff. I like the hair and those shoulder leaves.

Clochette: Like everyone, I like this one. I imagine it's a conscious choice, but I could see varying the line weight more. vote

Jefita: I already mentioned liking the hair thing. The belt buckle is great, and I like her feet and how it looks like those might be tattoos, but maybe they're not.

No Name Brand: First thing that jumps out at me is that the far side of her chest couldn't really be attached to the torso as it's drawn. Pun intended, I guess. I like the treatment of the torso, though, except for that. The glow on the wings is nice and not overdone. The placement of the pelvis and how the legs connect seems lost. I imagine that you drew it before adding the skirt. Also, how is she sitting on the spoon? It looks at first like she's astride it, especially given how her arms are gripping it. But it goes behind the far leg.

Lt. Action: Cool take on the wings. The total saturation is still a little hard to look at.

Mongosmash: The green fairy elements seem like an afterthought and aren't really connected to the picture. The head dress thing is particularly flat compared to the style of the woman. The weight on her hands is resting on empty air rather than the edge of the shot glass. My guess is that you found a reference picture to draw from before you had a concept for the picture. Though I admit to disliking her pose and expression, I think the drawing of the woman herself is well done, but I'd rather see the good drawing in service of the concept, not the other way around.

RonPower: Fun concept and good expression on her face to go with it. It might look better to actually paint the letters instead of use a font.

Rodimus25: I thought the leaves coming off of her back/butt worked better than the final version. It reads for me as tentacles coming up to grab her. No, I haven't watched inappropriate anime recently, why do you ask? I like the style and the hair. The thighs seem flat, but the depth returns over the calves, especially when you get to the feet - good job there. I'm not sure what ties this particular green fairy to absinthe.

'k, page 1 done...

[Dan!]

I WISH I could have voted for one- but sooo many were spot on- nice round all!!

[JailHouseRock2]

So much great work, thanks so much for the kind words and crits guys!

I'll just comment on a some atm, don't have that much time, will get to the rest later.


Garth Cochrane- Dude nice as lighting on this one, good to see a fat fairy the remains cute. Nice work!

curly- Great colour in this one, cool use of the glass too

Johann de Venecia- I always love your style, great colours as well, not sure about the anatomy on the guys chest tho, but still great piece! You got my vote!

no_name_brand- Sexy as heel, love the stockings!

Migsta- Unlike Garth's this ones fat as fu*k but no way cute. That's why I love it, great rendering and lighting! YOU got my vote.

IceMoon- Great expression, and nice use of reds!

Rodimus25- Cool stuff, almost loks alein, dose't scream absinthe too me tho. Nice work all the same!

Sekino- One of my favs, love how simple it is, and am still amazed you did this with watercolour! Very cute, and love your style, You got my vote.

Slash- I know you rushed this one man, but it still looks awesome!

Tommoy- Cute as cute mate, could use some better contrast, and I'm not sure about the anatomy round the belly, looks slightly off (but wtf do I know). Love the tree too!

Jefita- You already I love this, one of the most fun ones in my mind!

flashrabbit- Not sure about the skello arm, but love the idea!

clochette- What can I say? I love you and I love this piece. You got my vote.

Vargo- great colours and presentation, and again love the stockings!

PuppyKitten- This is an interesting one. Probably the most beautifully painting and presented piece, but (and again, what do I know) her anatomy and proportions seem a little out. Just like Clo's I love the waterfall hair, and the angel wings. Even tho there are some faults, you got my vote.

ArthemisIX- Great use of the bottle, nice work!

Matt Dixon- I am such a fan of your work mate, but I think this fairy's a little to much like tinkerbell. But amazing rendering as always, so as much as I love it I could not vote yours.

Ronpower- Haha, nice idea, love her eyes!

AvisNocturna- Awesome work, love this one too, cool little crown, and great expression, not sure about the wings tho.

NoShot - every vintage, cool style!

Mercuralis- Another one of my favs, Best colours in my mind, really awesome greens, beautiful presentation, and I like the sugar skull! You got my vote.

More to come later, great work everyone!
matt

[Cyr]

What I was looking for in a depiction of The Green Fairy/Absinthe was:

-- decadence
-- sexuality (not the same as decadence)
-- beauty (not the same as sexuality)
-- danger (not the same as... well, sometimes it is)
-- and otherness, the sense of being in a dream or vision

There were a lot of high-quality entries in this CHOW. But, in trying to keep to a semi-reasonable number of votes, I ended up voting for: Johann de Venecia, Nichols, Artofinca, Clochette, Vargo, Liv, and Vorace.

Honorable mentions: Ron Power's mugshot Fairy, and Sekino's cutie-pie Green Fairy (which reminds me of some of the work seen on the French art blog<a href="http://girlsandroses.blogspot.com/">Girls And Roses</a>.

[flashrabbit]

Some comments.

Migsta / Really cool texture light on the stomach. The light works great.

Sekino / Very cute, I always appreciate some traditional on these activities.
Looks like she's missing a bellybutton?

AvisNocturna / Wings look a little off compared to the rest, love the hair and face.
Nice touch with the "green fairy" font

Missile / The dress looks to solid, almost like thick hair. Also some shadows would add alot I think.

Amber Alexander / Nice job on the fabric.

scottmcd / I would also look shocked if I was caught naked in a drink ;P
There is some anatomy problems and the stuff you already commented on yourself.

hungryan / It was kinda hard to see that the things on her head were giant leafs at first.

Windsrock / The stomach area looks weird. Also the eyes disappear somewhat being the same color as the skin.

Angel Intheuk / Nice job on the hands. The light on the dress looks to strong.
And how the dress is on her legs, almost looks like it's pants then dress below knees.

Artofinca / Nice textures and figure. Her head looks a little loose and far to the left.

telamon / Like the tiny wings, and that she robs him heh.
The green light on the back on the mans head is weird, where does it come from and why is it only there.

Liv / A fellow swede Nice job. I really like the wings.

Arthemis IX / Nice idea with the broken bottle as a dress

IceMoon / Cool pattern on her legs and nice job on the glass.

curly / Very nice, I like the design.

Lotta / Love the facial expression, very cute

Poshspice / Nice as always.

AikidoAl / Very alien like, does she swim around in the absinthe ;O

JailHouseRock2 / Awesome

NoShot / Like the vintage, the glass looks a little flat.
And the wings might have looked better if you made them more solid closer to the body.

Johann de Venecia / Love it. Nice colors and motion in the drawing.

wheezy / Maybe some harder edges there and there otherwise pretty solid.

Clochette / Nice color, love the waterfall hair. Maybe some red shade on the ground to connect the incoming light?

Jefita / The transisition from liquid to hair looks great. Nice job

no_name_brand / Cool outfit. Legs look a little off.I almost expected her to ride the spoon like a broom

Lt_Action / I like the expression, almost like she leers at someone and entices them with a bag of sugar.

MONGOSMASH! / The purple and the light behind her head are very obtrusive.
And the headgear? looks a little unfinished compared to the rest.

Ronpower / Is that a tattoo of a martini glass? Could use some more background color to make the character pop more.

Rodimus25 / Nice skin colors. As someone else already mentioned, I think it works better with the larger leaves.

to be continued....

[Artofinca]

Tons of nice works! Several got my vote