Professional Character Design Competition (CASH PRIZE)

[Bigfun]

THE WINNERS HAVE BEEN POSTED Thanks!


We need a Character Designer to populate our new game. To find the best talent, we are holding a small design contest.
For you - better than an unpaid "art test". For us - we hope to find professionals who get our project and can add to our team.

Espionage Game
James Bond with a hint of Noir.
1961 is reimagined with 2012 technology and geopolitics. Midcentury bold. Powerful and paranoid.
(Mad Men. OSS 117, a little Bob Kane, more realistic visuals than American Dad, less realistic than Archer)

Balance cartoon and realistic - features should look CHOPPED!
Define character with strong angles, edges and facets.
Human, (no robot, mutant or toy look) with clear attitude.
Skecth must translate well to fully rigged 3D models in game.

PRIZES
1st: $250
2nd: $150
3rd: $125
One artist might win all three.
The real prize is the Concept Artist gig on our new game.

[ new ] WIN CONDITION:
This is NOT an illustration contest.
It is a design contest for 3D characters.
This means a rough pencil sketch beats a gorgeous rendering, if the pencil artist can better imagine shapes and volumes that make a face (and body) expressive, memorable and unique.

[ new ] DEADLINE:
Pictures received before dawn on Thursday April 19 2012



Intellectual Property
All non-winning submissions remain your property. We use nothing that we have not paid for.

Development
We reserve the right to base characters on the winning designs. We plan to hire the winning artist(s) to develop these and other game characters.

Character
Design as many of these characters as you like. One artist can win all the prizes. Post entries here. Winner will be announced here.


Protagonist
Ian Solitaire:
Our current artist did a great job on Ian. But you might try to up it. Good luck.
Due to a hasty field promotion, Ian has more responsibility than he’s ready for. He’d rather fight than think, but he now has to carefully apply his Ivy League brain and help his agents think clearly as well.

Agent
Cookie:
Middle aged female agent with zero hetero sex appeal. Very tough, dogged in her devotion to Ian and to hunting down the bad guys. She ain't Moneypenny. More butch. She is both intellectual and unstoppable.

Double Agent
Honeypot:
Secret Agent bait. She can attract, seduce and corrupt Ian (or Cookie, I think).
She is also quite dangerous with a big gun, a stick or just her hands.
Her sweet, vulnerable appearance hides both her seductive powers and her fighting skills.

Master Villain
Hugh Jigo:
Real Estate Tycoon/Rising Communist Political Star – A billionaire making unusually large purchases of worthless desert land, and a rising populist rallying desert governments around the promise of a green (red) future. Fat, bald, but an eloquent speaker.

Commander
Gen. Malaise
Military Strategist/Ousted Warlord – A ruthless military leader, hated and feared in the desert, currently waging a guerilla war against an opposing government unfriendly to Jigo’s proposal of uniting the desert countries - where he is building a naval fleet and awaiting rising sea levels. Weathered, scarred and blind in one eye.

[carermejo]

Hi are very interested in your contest (I really like the tem) and I wanted to get the questions in the hope that answer me.
1. as an Italian can I participate in the contest?
2. is not specified what he wants to see if any features or a character study for all?
3. we offer you a kind of sketch or study in front, side and three-quarters of the character?
4. the work we publish them here or on some e-mail?

I asked too many questions XD I hope you respond. see you soon.
P. S. Happy Easter: D

[Bigfun]

1. as an Italian can I participate in the contest?
You can participate in the contest, and win it. No problem.

2. is not specified what he wants to see if any features or a character study for all?
Create one character - or all five.. It is up to you. There are three prizes.
Submit s simple pencil sketch of a single pose, or a full color multiple rendering. It is up to you.

3. we offer you a kind of sketch or study in front, side and three-quarters of the character?
That's fine See above.

4. the work we publish them here or on some e-mail?
We prefer that you publish here. But if you are concerned with privacy, you can email to BigFunDev/at/gmail/dot/com

[Blankstate]

I'll bite. Seems like it could be a fun little gig. Here are some very rough quick silhouettes of the basic character archetypes you've provided. Granny was just for kicks.
Couple of quick questions: What is your companies name and were are you located? I'm an artist from central California and if you'd like to see more and discuss rates my e-mail is [email protected]

[Bigfun]

Nice stylish silhouettes.
But silhouette is very limited character design.
Our company Big Fun Development Corporation is in Atlanta - independent sine 1996. Making games is all we do.

[shipeng lee]

Hi,
I'm a professional artist（in 3D&2D), and very interested in this job, I'm much experienced in doing game graphic and concept arts, I have experience with different types of design and can work in variety of styles, check out my gallery please, thank you for your time and consideration.

Shipeng Lee

Gallery:

http://shipenglee.deviantart.com/gallery/
http://shipenglee.deviantart.com/gallery/?offset=24
http://shipenglee.deviantart.com/gallery/?offset=48
http://shipenglee.deviantart.com/gallery/?offset=72
E-Mail:
shipenglee.studio[at]gmail.com

[Blankstate]

Thank you. The silhouettes are free and just to show that I am able to work within the style you are looking for. What I am proposing are fully drawn lineart character sheets for each. Will see about coming up with one or more for this comp. Thanks again.

[carermejo]

thanks for the answer already I'm putting it to work by April 15 and will publish my work

[Blankstate]

Not altogether sure about the direction I've been going with this at the moment. With references to American Dad and OSS 117 I seem somewhat inclined to think of more nutty adult swim spoof-like humor and much less of more sleek and sophisticated designs like in Deus Ex or even Aeon Flux (even though a lot of Deus Ex looks a bit too Matrix) with smarter gadgets and tech. It's a bit of a conundrum for me at the moment and though personally it would be fun to do either, perhaps you could give a little more clarity on weather the game is intended to lean much more to an out-there humorous spy game or to a more sophisticated spy game with much smaller elements of humor?

[Bigfun]

Blankstate

I am sorry that we did no give you the direction you asked for, but frankly you nailed the balance between cartoon and realism, between entertaining and plausible.
Certainly this is true of your villians. Jigo's head is beautiful - very cruel and serious. And Maliaise looks like tons of fun. Ian seems rather dissolute and innocent, neither of which fits his character as a somewhat compromised man of action facing difficult intellectual hurdles. And Miss Honeypot is far more modest than I would have ever imagined. And Cookie is another fine example of subtle balance -- she is definitely off the traditional heterosex spectrum -- but hard to sy exactly where she lands!

[Captainfusion]

Here's my bid. I am a art student from The Animation Workshop in Denmark.
I could push the design further, but I didn't want to go too stylized for the sake of realism.
I hope you like it, I would very much like to work with you on your project.


Agent Coookie: http:///images/view/225520/

My portfolio: http://bjornbs.carbonmade.com/
My blog: bjornbs.tumblr.com

Critique very welcome btw. :-)

Regards
Bjorn Sorensen

[Eriboss]

Best of luck

[Lostcookie]

Been looking at this for the past few hours and thought I'd have a go myself, as I quite like the feeling of pulp culture. Anywho, boom :



My quick sketch of Ian Solitaire.



And my quick sketch of cookie.

Will definitely check in to post some of Honeypot, Hugh, and Gen. Malaise when I get around to doing them (hopefully tomorrow) as well as try and draw up some quick full body references.

Seems like a fun project.

Edit:

Managed to scratch out a few more sketches.



one of Hugh. I really wanted to try and capture the "eloquent" side of him.



Trying to keep in mind that these should go onto fully rendered models, I thought I'd try something a bit more stylized and geometric, though I'm still contemplating her over all design. I might try and give her a bit more of an innocent flare.

And there's :



I have alternate designs for the both of them that I'd like flesh out if given the time tomorrow to do some quick full body sketches of each character.

So many good entries so far! good luck everyone D:

[Daimida]

here's my entry for Honeypot

[Captainfusion]

Nice sketches.

[DazTibbles]

Here is my take on Ian Solitaire.

New to htis site so no gallery yet. You can check out my DA page here http://daztibbles.deviantart.com/

Cheers
Daz

[DazTibbles]

A quick sketch of Hugo Jigo.

Cheers
Daz

[Bigfun]

Beautiful stuff, DAZ!! Jigo is a little soft but still tough enough

[Tomahawk Monkey]

Here's my entry for 3 of the characters.

Ian Solitaire
Agent Honeypot
Hugh Jigo

[Jussslic]

Ah man, wish I'd seen this earlier! I've been on an Archer kick lately, so I'm kinda loving the theme.

Anyway, there are some really cool entries so far, Daimida I love the way you paint.

Maybe I'll go buy some Code Red, lock myself in my room for a couple days, and see what I can come up with.

[Bigfun]

Jurassslic
i hope you can take a whack at it.
It does not have to be a super duper rendering -- but it must be an amazing character design,

[Daimida]

Jussslic, thank you very much and good luck with making your entry, there's still some time

[Weremole]

Spies are cool. Decided to go for Honeypot, sort of 40's magazine cartoon look.

[Bigfun]

Weremole

Thank you for making this effort but this ain't a 40's magazine look at all!!
This is anime style with a lolicon bent.
We are not going there.
No anime, no schoolgirl lust.
Not on this project.

Thanks

-Jake

[Weremole]

Weremole

Thank you for making this effort but this ain't a 40's magazine look at all!!
This is anime style with a lolicon bent.
We are not going there.
No anime, no schoolgirl lust.
Not on this project.

Thanks

-Jake

I can deal with not hitting a mark as intended but it's obvious from the tone of your comment that this relationship won't progress any further.

[Bigfun]

I am sorry to come off rude to you, Weremole.
I guess I was really overstressing the point to prevent other artists from following your lead.
I am sincerely grateful that you spent time working on our project, I just want to be careful that we do not suggest a direction that will squander the efforts of others.

[navetsea]

Hello,
this contest seems fun
I tried as well, here is my take on Ian Solitaire and Honeypot
have a nice weekend everyone

[carermejo]

This is my version of Agent Cookie, Double Agent Honeypot and Hugh Jigo.






my blog and portfolio http://carermejoart.blogspot.it/p/portfolio_31.html

[Delia Mihai]

Here is my version for Honeypot

[DazTibbles]

Last character from me.
Cheers
Daz