Post by nax on Sept 25, 2013 1:18:06 GMT -5
I'm simultaneously disappointed and impressed.
I'm disappointed because some people just didn't put in any effort. Nevermind Jordan, who didn't even SUBMIT a portrait, there were a few who obviously didn't even try. And this annoys me. This contest - as I understand it - isn't about technical drawing skills. It's about artistry, which is very different. It's about knowing and understanding your subject, and the portraying that understanding through the medium of digital paint. It doesn't have to be pretty, or beautiful, or even easy on the eyes... it just has to be an honest representation of your grasp of the subject. And you could have done that in total abstract, and it would have been better than the half-assed rendering some of you fuckers attempted.
And then there was some really good stuff out there. Jedda's portrayal of me, for instance, clearly illustrated how he sees me - as the Old Guy, who's maybe just a little nuts (and I don't have to agree with that portrayal to recognize the point he made with it. The drawing Brenda did of Nicole is GORGEOUS, but aside from it being from the front of her FB page (and therefore, something approaching Nicole's own self-image), pretty unrevealing of how Brenda sees her. Ricky's portrayal of Animal was simultaneously a cheap play on Animal's name, but a fairly poignant statement about his personality - the huge grin and feral visage suggests a real lust for life, which I think Animal actually possesses.
For my own drawing of Joe, I wanted to represent more of what he is in this game - the contrast speaks not only of the starkness of his persona, bu also of the dichotomy of invisibility (nobody mentions his name as a target, or not for very long, due to his disarming personality) and the stark splash of blood red that warns of danger. But always you're drawn to those baby blues, and it's hard to think of him as dangerous, but it's also hard to see him as "mundane". That's what I was going for, and I think I captured it.
So, does that make my submission any better than someone else's? "Better" is a useless word. In the context of whomever value judges it, it's purely a matter of their appreciation of the composition, and there are myriad possible internal reactions. But in the context of this challenge, only four such possible reactions matter. The reactions of the judges. Will they appreciate the jarring flood of color, or will it make them feel defensive? Will it illicit excitement or fear? Basically, I took a risk by going with this pallet in the first place. I'm hoping it pays off.
Most are predicting that the top three will be me, Brenda and Jermainey. I understand why, and at the same time, they're very different compositions. Brenda's is a beautifully rendered realism, Jermainey's is a cleanly rendered Anime-style, and mine is a more modern art rendition. With those three currently being hailed as "the best" by the other players, it really does come down to a style preference among the judges. This won't be judged on talent so much as internal asthetic conflicts.
I'll be very interested to see how it comes out.
I'm disappointed because some people just didn't put in any effort. Nevermind Jordan, who didn't even SUBMIT a portrait, there were a few who obviously didn't even try. And this annoys me. This contest - as I understand it - isn't about technical drawing skills. It's about artistry, which is very different. It's about knowing and understanding your subject, and the portraying that understanding through the medium of digital paint. It doesn't have to be pretty, or beautiful, or even easy on the eyes... it just has to be an honest representation of your grasp of the subject. And you could have done that in total abstract, and it would have been better than the half-assed rendering some of you fuckers attempted.
And then there was some really good stuff out there. Jedda's portrayal of me, for instance, clearly illustrated how he sees me - as the Old Guy, who's maybe just a little nuts (and I don't have to agree with that portrayal to recognize the point he made with it. The drawing Brenda did of Nicole is GORGEOUS, but aside from it being from the front of her FB page (and therefore, something approaching Nicole's own self-image), pretty unrevealing of how Brenda sees her. Ricky's portrayal of Animal was simultaneously a cheap play on Animal's name, but a fairly poignant statement about his personality - the huge grin and feral visage suggests a real lust for life, which I think Animal actually possesses.
For my own drawing of Joe, I wanted to represent more of what he is in this game - the contrast speaks not only of the starkness of his persona, bu also of the dichotomy of invisibility (nobody mentions his name as a target, or not for very long, due to his disarming personality) and the stark splash of blood red that warns of danger. But always you're drawn to those baby blues, and it's hard to think of him as dangerous, but it's also hard to see him as "mundane". That's what I was going for, and I think I captured it.
So, does that make my submission any better than someone else's? "Better" is a useless word. In the context of whomever value judges it, it's purely a matter of their appreciation of the composition, and there are myriad possible internal reactions. But in the context of this challenge, only four such possible reactions matter. The reactions of the judges. Will they appreciate the jarring flood of color, or will it make them feel defensive? Will it illicit excitement or fear? Basically, I took a risk by going with this pallet in the first place. I'm hoping it pays off.
Most are predicting that the top three will be me, Brenda and Jermainey. I understand why, and at the same time, they're very different compositions. Brenda's is a beautifully rendered realism, Jermainey's is a cleanly rendered Anime-style, and mine is a more modern art rendition. With those three currently being hailed as "the best" by the other players, it really does come down to a style preference among the judges. This won't be judged on talent so much as internal asthetic conflicts.
I'll be very interested to see how it comes out.