CHoW#232 :: VOTING :: The Zodiac Warrior

[Rhdnor]

To bad I could enter this time again. Never mind.
People I voted for and why:
Einen: For spark or originality with characters, humour, lovely colours, and great skills.
Fetsch: Just a really, really beautiful artwork.
Partisan: Classic looking fantasy art.
Artemis: I liked the character for Libra, nice design.
Tbaldree: Stormy, atmospheric, like he's about to go to war. Great artwork.

[Ahnem Mee]

Because there's so FREAKING many of you, I've tried to be severe and keep my number of votes low.
That said, I've got some honorable mentions for you too, and I'll try and give each one of you my honest critique, hoping you'd do the same for me (gotten a fair deal of that already, but now it's time for the other cheek!), so don't spare the rod folks, and polo-ball this puppy into oblivion!
On to business now:

My girly love goes out to:
- Alex Boca: Love at first sight, when you posted your work in progress. Truely a creature of the Earth element, and the attitude is killer! A splendid creature, and so is this artwork. I must try your style of coloring sometime...
- Dranyer: A monk-like warrior in armor! Suh-weet! Interesting yet no-nonsense take on the matter at hand, and I love the shining armor. Lots. It's waiting to be peeled off that handsome man it's no doubt hiding! In comparison to sayreh who didn't show much of the person inside the armor, this one manages to appeal to me more in that way. Good job!
- Einen: Splendid work! Loved to see your progress and the choices you made along the way - even though it's been a great picture right from the start. Fellow Capricorn, I applaud you! Your witty text cracked me up good, too!
- Pxel Slayer: You're a killer painter, this char had my sympathy right from the beginning! So nice you got that extra day of work in for the action pose - I wasn't fond of it in the beginning, but you totally turned me around with that. Hurray for libra-jesus!
- tbaldree: you're my very favourite from the start, and you really worked for it and earned my continued love! Heroic, iconic, solid. I am soooo going to try out this sort of texture too... Well done, well done!
- Partisan:Very compelling piece, full of energy and story potential! Cool colors be damned!
- GEB: Hello, solemnly brooding lion-man! This vote is for you pinning down a great composition so fast and good, and for what I learned from you considering lighting and atmosphere!

Honorable mentions are for:
- dragon4lunch: Almsot made it into my vote section, above! Super rendering, and it was lovely to follow your progress! I think you could have pushed the Aries-theme a bit further, though!
- Parsakoira: Sweet-ass piece, If only I still loved it as much as I did the WIP where you had only just blocked in those green tones! I find the reds distracting, and the light was better back then too I think. Still, you've been quite an inspiration, and our warrior is seriously rocking it!
- Fetsch: Strong and appealing, with beautiful colors. Missed my vote by a hair.
- xLouisax:Sweet-looking girl, I like her face and the design of the dress especially! Oh my she's totally looking like a blonde greek! I do think her sword deserves more love. But, nice work! Especially for such an unforgiving medium!
- Tommoy: Super-great composition, sweet light and I love the bow! Can't say I'm very fond of the face, however...
- Supervlieg: unexpected take on the subject, and I adore your lines and the clarity of the volumes and all that. Brilliant choice of lighting from the back, too. Missed my vote by a hair - guess the theme is just not for me.
- Janjager: This concept is way out there! Nice and controlled use of motion blur on the net, too. Motion blur ain't easy.
- ArthemisIX: Lovely piece, super-duper outfit and I have absolutely nothing to suggest... but weren't you hosting this thing?
- sayreh: Great concept! Sadly the skelettal minions have become more of a focus of the pic than the actual zodiac warrior... Still, I love it, and I salute you!
- NoShot: I dig the relief on the arm - really nice! And your colors, while muted, still strike me as attractive. Good thinking on those arms' pose, btw!
- Shoronji Knight: This one's great for lettign the eye wander and discover the details! Well done. Must say though that his pointy poker kind of confuses me. Is it magic, or hot metal, or?
- Phantaz: Kudos for picking a humble Taurus concept - I like his expression, even though your brushwork looks somewhat insecure.
- Nickybeats: It's been great to follow up on this one. Good rendering, but I wish I could see more character in this guy... I know I shouldn't talk but it's hard to find critique at all for you!
- Filram: Sweet style! The concept is a bit everyday though. And what to think of the spikey edges of his cloak-pin? Ouch!
- SCF: ... Assassin-nun? Great! The edge of her mask isn't clear on the light side of her face though. But: nice, clear pose; love the outfit. Miiiight do with a splash of color, but I'm not sure. Good work!
- Chris Herschberger: looking at your WIP's, I really get the idea you pushed the limits and drove this baby home. I love the pose and attitude, and I can say you took the trouble to find decent ref for the face. Looking good but there's a bit of lack of refinement, and the simplistic approach of the subject simply can't compete with some of the more daring designs out here, so no vote for you, just this pat on the back in hopes you'll keep on trucking!
- tou: Badass! I like the look on the closest warrior's face a lot! Nice design overall as well, this really barely missed my vote.
- hunchback: Very beautiful, but the design is errr... hard to see, hehe. Lovely style, though. Really stunning!

- fdisk: Never thought I'd say this, but it might have worked better with less color(s)... That said, way to go with a ram for a weapon! Teehee!
- Artfix: Nice piece, but so ambitions it kind of drowns out the purpose of the piece - lots going on and nothing of it quite clear, sadly.
- Taimic: Nice, clear silhouette and the willpower to see this through even though all around you the ideas were out of whack! I'm not a great fan of the horse though, and the whole is lost in dark, mostly similar tones which make the guy look bland. I guess sometimes, you got to get mad! You're working digitally, so dare to use bright colors and lighter tones, if it's so easy to get rid of them again if it doesn't work out. That said, nice work regardless, and keep at it!
- Draught: The fiery manes are a real good find, and the composition really pops! Anatomy is found wanting, though, and some portions have been handled rather careless (like the arrows on that shield, and the fact that the background fire has been pasted in, instead of painted like the manes).
- Scatch: Still not totally easy to read, what with the backlighting and all - and I'm not sure about his locomotion with those feet, but you got to admit, that's a damn daring use of light and color you got there! At second glance I'm thinking the arm could use a bit of motion blur or something else that conveys the movement better - no?
- Marzel: Sweet-looking girl, and that's when you eye catches the spiked balls! I love the colors and the gloomy lighting, but the figure's a bit rushed with all the parts that were left out, unrendered.
- Lewis: I like the tattoos, but soem aspects ofthe design are not clear to me - is that a hard had, for example?
- Naomiful: I'd have loved to see more of the process and hear about your choices. I like your lines and the composition, but I don't care so much for the actual warrioress. Not only is she teeny-tiny,but I liked her better halfway your progress tbh. Not sure how the lighting is working there either... But, man do I love that lamp-fish!
- Frozensceptre: This piece get me thinking of the sound he'd make each time I see it! would it be, 'A-ahahaha', or 'ho-ho-ho-ho..!"? Kudos for giving this one a facial expression that's not just the 'staring at the camera, being too badass to use any of my facial muscles' look!
- Kaydel: a bit curde for my tastes, but there's a certain 'elven' quality to him, and that's not a bad thing. The construction of the armor at the hip seems a bit awkward though...
- Felida: lovely colors, and I like how you did that blood in water. the way her fishtail looks is somewhat haphazard however, and this one thing is tearing the whole thing down with it, so sorry. I must say though I don't think the cloth is too bad.
- oldboy115: A pic with lots of subtlety and it's hard for me to rate this. I like the face and the little details (design of the guns, the scratch on her face), but her feet and the fact that I can see her navel through her dress bother me somewhat...
- RicoD: Looking nice and dynamic, but something about hsi anatomy is still a bit fishy to me. Maybe his hands and feet are too small? Like thie watery fish though! Great idea!
- Ennex: Daring use of a stalk of wheat! Her pose doesn't convince me though, as if she'd tip over any second, and her feet... puzzle me... Cute dress though.
DefiledVisions: Much though I liked your early WIPS, I think much of what made those versions great has been lost along the way, not in the least the nice scribbly lines that did so much to create texture! The final, while not bad in itself, looks like too 'thirteen-in-a-dozen' to me now, it's a bit of a missed chance.
- Malakuko: Perseverance that derves commending - yet, I'm not a fan of the design, since it lacks anything I can relate to (me being human, foremost)... The result is not half bad, but looking more of a mindless creature to me at least than evoking the image of a zodiac warrior.
- Halogen: Well done, I like the rendering of the metallic parts a lot! Not forgetting the awesome bacground story you had there, either! And yet, somehow the whole doesn't appeal to me... Is it pose, is it definition of the volumes and edges? Is it values? None of these are bad, but it might be that in this case, they're contributing factors to one another...
- royceble: And out-of-nowhere submission! I can tell the weaponry needs work (especially the hammerhead's perspective), but the guys's anatomy isn't all that bad. I'd like to suggest you take a closer look at what fur behaves like - a pain to draw, yes, but well worth your time.
- lake7less: Cuh-reepy! Good ref for the arms (arms are hard, dammit), and the composition is solid. Can't say I'm very satisfied as a viewer though (and that has nothing to do with lack of genitals or nipples, mind you), but some of the awesome submissions in here might be to blame. Mabye the style is not doing it for me. Nice mask, btw.
- LA-Fairy: ...Wait, she's PISCES? And here I was thinking I was looking at Libra!
- Mitze: Stunning, but I'm not seeing much of Libra in there other than the insignia and the banner... How 'bout getting out of the comfort zone next time? Would love to see you doing high-fantasy, hehe. SF is not my thing, sadly.
- Crumbelievable: Crab on head = win! Nice rendering of skin and hair, but some cool stuff like the crab on her hand was lost in the process of developing this thing I see.
- Nestoronfire: there's only two ways I can tell this is Virgo and that's the symbol on the belt and because you said it (hehe). I'm not really sold on the rendering either - cloth and skin and mountains all look kind of the same to me.
- Dayle:nice vibe you got there going, but anatomy and the construction of the horns require your attention I'd guess. The sudden ue of yellow in the weapon she's holdind of looks weird to me also.
- tempest-haze: great idea for gemini! I find the background somewhat distracting though.
- zy.: Very delicate and therefor very fragile. I can see you rushed it... It's also a pity I can't see the character as a whole.
- Jle914: That chastity belt had virgo coming. Her head looks biggish though, and I cant say I like the weapons. Next time try working bigger, too - I've been looking at this now for a couple of times and only now do I realise that's feathers behind her back!

Wow, that was a doozy. Cheerio everyone!

[Ahnem Mee]

Double post. Ignore!

[Martheart]

- ArthemisIX: Lovely piece, super-duper outfit and I have absolutely nothing to suggest... but weren't you hosting this thing?

That doesn't mean I can't make designs for the topics too, ofcourse!

My favourites for this round were:

Alex Boca: The nice colors and high level of detail really give this illustration an amazing atmosphere. Well done!
Einen: A fantastic character, I love the style and colors. The illustration is rendered nicely, earning my vote.
Partisan: The composition is really good, and the whole illustration feels very "epic". You designed an impressive warrior.

[Rusty]

My faves this round:

Malakuko, Your rendering skills have improved from the last time i saw your work, I'm impressed dude! The design shows some well thought out decisions, I actually preferred those 2 black eyes you had in an earlier version. A few more days on it would polish that one off nicely.

Naomiful, Composition and technique wise this one shows the most skill and I'm not being biased because I'm a fan of your work. Masterful illustration but I'm not so sure it's as successful as a piece of character design.

Defiled Visions, Works great in thumbnail but gets a bit too messy and clumsy when viewed full size. Love the proportions of the character.

Mitze, Having a hard time pinning down why i like this one but i just like it. I think one of the reasons is because the star sign symbols work well with the theme you've gone for, and the theme itself is almost a contradiction of star sign theory in a way. The initial sketch has more pathos than where you ended up imo, and your rendering is a little stale, love the colors though.

[dragon4lunch]

My vote went to Alex Boca. A definite beauty your illustration is. My second vote would have gone to my piece, but I know that's a no-no

We should have a second voting system to vote purely on technique. I'd find that interesting and helpful.

[naomiful]

ty all... yes I got too excited but spent only a short time on it w/o thinking much (and it shows loud)

i enjoyed:

Alex Boca: for detail and color, but not so much composition
Ennex: simple clean concept I liked, but skills to come up
tbaldree: very warrior~

[doodles-inc]

- Halogen: Well done, I like the rendering of the metallic parts a lot! Not forgetting the awesome bacground story you had there, either! And yet, somehow the whole doesn't appeal to me... Is it pose, is it definition of the volumes and edges? Is it values? None of these are bad, but it might be that in this case, they're contributing factors to one another...

Thank you so very much..Super crit and you have given me something to be thinking about for next time. I really appreciate this.

[fdisk]

Ahnem Mee: WOW! Kudos for giving everyone feedback! Thank you! What exactly do you mean by less colors? Simpler palette or less saturation?

[Ahnem Mee]

Ah, good to see the effort is appreciated! It's been very useful for me too as I've been learning lots.

fdisk - Palette, though I have to say it might be a bit of both.
IMO the color of the armguard is a bit unfortunate, clashing with the rest of the picture. As far as saturation goes... I find myself on a slippery slope here because I'm not all that knowledgeable about light, but there seems to be an inconsistency when it comes to deciding what to make saturated and what not. The shadows on the ram's head vs. the rocks for example.
Also I'm thinking the warm shadows on the warrior are not working with the cool shadows you got elsewhere.

... Am I making sense? I've been staring a good deal at the pic writing this reply so I hope I haven't stared it dead yet.

And, ha! I'm only noticing this now, but - great Scott! That guy's beard is like Aries' symbol upside-down!

[fdisk]

Ah, good to see the effort is appreciated! It's been very useful for me too as I've been learning lots.

fdisk - Palette, though I have to say it might be a bit of both.
IMO the color of the armguard is a bit unfortunate, clashing with the rest of the picture. As far as saturation goes... I find myself on a slippery slope here because I'm not all that knowledgeable about light, but there seems to be an inconsistency when it comes to deciding what to make saturated and what not. The shadows on the ram's head vs. the rocks for example.
Also I'm thinking the warm shadows on the warrior are not working with the cool shadows you got elsewhere.

... Am I making sense? I've been staring a good deal at the pic writing this reply so I hope I haven't stared it dead yet.

And, ha! I'm only noticing this now, but - great Scott! That guy's beard is like Aries' symbol upside-down!

Yes it is! Thanks for noticing that!

Thank you wholeheartedly for the feedback, it does make sense. I'm not a professional artist or have any proper training whatsoever so I struggle a lot with the basics sometimes.

I'm not trying to make excuses, I'm aware of my shortcomings and I can't thank you enough for taking the time to give me a proper critique on how to improve! I will keep all your advise in mind for my future images.

[Venger]

Chris Herschberger: - Try not to base it on others art work, at least not without crediting them:
http://cghub.com/images/view/82451/

[dragon4lunch]

Venger: Hehe, the pose does look exactly the same, but let's be real - you can't call this a credit-worthy situation. Those designs are very different.