Sajhiri
<center>
(See post 10 for the rest of the awards!)
Introduction</center>
It's been over a year since I held my first art contest on Gaia, and it was a great success! I've participated in several before and since then, and as an artist and listening to other artists, decided it was time to run another one.
I decided there is nothing worse than spending weeks or months on a piece, only to receive a tiny prize worth a couple thousand gold tops. So this is one contest where even the smallest OFFICIAL prize will substantial. No official prize for this competition will be below the max value of 20,000 gold! An official prize is any prize in the prizes list before the competition ends. Mind you, I might add some smaller consolation prizes after submissions close if I feel there are entries that still deserve SOMETHING for being entered.
So without further ado, welcome to my contest!
<CENTER>Table of Contents
Post 1: Introduction, News, and Updates
Post 2: Prizes, Entry Eligibility
Post 3: Rules, Judging
Post 4: The Characters
Post 5: Entries
Post 6: Entries
Post 7: Entries
Post 8: Entries
Post 9: Link Exchange, Donators, Blacklist
Post 10: Winners!
</CENTER>
<center>News and Updates</center>
-------------------------------
<center>HONORABLE MENTIONS</center>
Each of the following contestants will receive an honorable mention for their one or more entries. They were all 63 points or above on their score, and were just edged out of the categories they were eligible for. Each person below will receive 2000 gold. I wish it were more, but even after selling off most of my store items and duplicate inventory I was too broke to do more. sad
This is the location where news and updates about the contest will be found!
Top Prize Winners
We're nearing the end now, so the overall prizes I'll do one at a time. I want everyone to know that these 7 (yes 7) pieces all scored over 80 points by my scoring system. Which meant they had to excel in all areas. That was a really tough accomplishment for anyone!
<center>SIXTH PLACE OVERALL</center>
<img src="http://www.planet-krypton.com/gaia/contest2/entries/th-164.jpg" align="left">
Title: Untitled
Artist: Desna (JR Desna)
Media: Pencil
Comments: When Desna submitted the Work-in-Progress for this it piqued my curiosity and made me think something special was at hand. The final version, however, exceeded my expectations tenfold. Holy Concept Batman! The majority of the cast of my stories, with Alessandra and Andres as the central focus. This are the first images of Adamo, Malcolm, Emeranthe, Genevra, and Laurent anyone has done other than me. They've been completely neglected in two other contests (Here and MAG) and I was so tickled pink to see them, and to see them done so fabulously! Every portrait in this piece is SPOT ON for personality and look! I love Desna's style as well. there is something about simple and uncluttered pencil art that makes me swoon.
-------------------------------
<center>FIFTH PLACE OVERALL</center>
This resulted in a TIE between two pieces. Each will receive a November 2003 letter!
<img src="http://www.planet-krypton.com/gaia/contest2/entries/th-082.jpg" align="left">
Title: Berceuse
Artist: Luc_iole (Luciole Loong)
Media: Watercolor
Comments: I squeed the first time I saw this. I love watercolors, though I am hopeless inept with them myself, so to see someone weild them so masterfully and for one of my characters was a real treat. The dress design for this was elegant and soft and beautiful, and the hair design was breathtaking. I love the colors and the soft feeling, almost a dreamlike quality, that the image provokes. What drew me most to this image was the sense of secretiveness in the figure, an almost cross between forced smiling and surprise, as if she's just been caught doing something she shouldn't be doing, such as eavesdropping on the General Mercat. This piece did lose some trueness to character as, although artisitcally a masterpiece, since it was missing Both Alessandra's family heirloom pendant AND one of her documented hairstyles, it could easily have been someone else.
<img src="http://www.planet-krypton.com/gaia/contest2/entries/th-169.jpg" align="left">
Title: Untitled
Artist: ryo0oki (Sylvia Shi)
Media: Open Canvas
Comments: Again, like with Luciole's piece, I squee'd when I saw this posted. I love Ryo0oki's style, and this is an artist whom I have watched consistently improve since I came to Gaia. It's always a joy to witness artist growth, and it gives me hope that I too can get better. The expression on her face is lovely, and the use of patterns was very nice. However, like Luciole's this too lost some TTC points for being a figure that I would not have pointed to and said "That is Alessandra" upon first look. She is missing her signature jewelry and hairstyle, and I think a few folks had trouble with her eye color. Pale blue violet is not blue, and is not purple. It would be closer to perriwinkle or even lilac. But overall this was a striking piece and I love it.
-------------------------------
<center>FOURTH PLACE OVERALL
(Nov 03 Letter + Jacked Up Shirt )</center>
<img src="http://www.planet-krypton.com/gaia/contest2/entries/th-008.jpg" align="left">
Title: Untitled
Artist: [(-Onis-)] (Onis)
Media: Pencil, Open Canvas
Comments: This piece was submitted rather early in the competition, and for some reason I'd overlooked it. Then when I started scoring I pulled it up and was shocked. The architectural work alone would have left me breathless, but the fact that it so captured Alessandra's grace and poise, and her facial expression, really wowed me. This is Alessandra as she should be in a social situation. A Mona Lisa smile that indicates her thoughts may not be solely on the event at hand, and her smile may be something of reflex and training rather than a true indication of her mood. There is somewhat of a sketchy feel to this piece, but somehow that made it all the more charming for me. 90% of the time in my own work, I find I lose some of the perosnality and depth of the drawing when I clean it up or overdetail it. Also, this was an absolutely spectacular example of composition, and is perfectly designed to suit a book or comic cover, leaving room for titles and other information without obstructing the main focal point of the image.
-------------------------------
<center>THIRD PLACE OVERALL
(Nov 03 Letter + Dec 03 Letter + 100K Pure)</center>
<img src="http://www.planet-krypton.com/gaia/contest2/entries/th-042.jpg" align="left">
Title: Alessandra's Revenge
Artist: Shao-mei (Thin Linh Lieu)
Media: Painter
Comments: Wow! The sense of motion, the calculated anger in her eyes, the look on her face that says, "You've taken him from me, now your life is forfeit. And I will enjoy taking it after so many years of your scheming and evil plots against my kingdom." all combine for an incredibly striking image that encapsulates a climactic moment in my story. I adore Shao-mei's style and the work on the folds of Alessandra's dressing gown make my head spin. I'm so NOT that patient myself.The details are mind blowing. I mean...look at the MOLD on the WALLS! The only drawback I had to this was the sword style and her hair being perfectly styled and adorned although she was in her nightclothes.
-------------------------------
<center>RUNNER UP OVERALL
(Oct 03 Letter)</center>
<img src="http://www.planet-krypton.com/gaia/contest2/entries/th-107.jpg" align="left">
Title: Such Beautiful Hair
Artist: Yelehna (ArtDragon)
Media: Painter
Comments: This was a nearly perfect Andres for me, capturing the weight of responsibility and sadness he felt. It also showed the serious side of Alessandra to me, which I very much enjoyed seeing. She is someone with a lot of weight on her shoulders, leading a double life as a spy, hiding a vast oracular secret, aware of great danger to the kingdom, the criminal life of her brother, and the responsibilities she has to her family. She is not always cheery (and is, in fact, rarely genuinely so). I imagine this image to be in the wake of Alessandra telling Andres of her vision of his death, as they would not have been this close prior to that (nor this somber). Because they aren't wearing their royal crowns, it lost a few points for trueness to character. Yelehna was a participant in my last contest, and I've seen her work progress forward in leaps and bounds! The costume designs are spectacular and perfectly in line with my vision. I'm still amazed at the results people get from Painter as I am completely inept with it, much to my chagrin after paying $150 for it. Look at the detail on the grass and flowers. The effort put into the details is amazing. Congratulations Yelehna!
-------------------------------
And now...drumroll please....
<center>GRAND PRIZE OVERALL
(NM Miniwings )</center>
<img src="http://www.planet-krypton.com/gaia/contest2/entries/th-166.jpg" align="left">
Title: A Vision
Artist: Auriana
Media: Painter Classic
Comments: My word, when this was submitted I stared at the screen for 10 minutes dumbfounded. It was as if Auriana had looked into my head and reproduced what Alessandra looked like in my mind in Painter. This was the only entry to exceed the 90 point mark, which was almost impossible to do, because I'm an extremely strict grader. This piece was technically masterful. Painter Classic HAS NO LAYERS! The dress design is wonderful AND perfectly period for Italian Renaissance style. The lace detail is exquisitely done and must have required infinite patience. The face shape, expressiveness, hair color and style, and Alessandra's build is perfect, as is the concept of her seeing a vision in a goblet of wine, and be startled enough by it to spill some. This received a PERFECT True to Character score. I was gobsmacked as I didn't think anyone would be able to do that. This piece was without any doubt deserving of the grand prize as it was damn near flawless! Congratulations Auriana!
<center>SIXTH PLACE OVERALL</center>
<img src="http://www.planet-krypton.com/gaia/contest2/entries/th-164.jpg" align="left">
Title: Untitled
Artist: Desna (JR Desna)
Media: Pencil
Comments: When Desna submitted the Work-in-Progress for this it piqued my curiosity and made me think something special was at hand. The final version, however, exceeded my expectations tenfold. Holy Concept Batman! The majority of the cast of my stories, with Alessandra and Andres as the central focus. This are the first images of Adamo, Malcolm, Emeranthe, Genevra, and Laurent anyone has done other than me. They've been completely neglected in two other contests (Here and MAG) and I was so tickled pink to see them, and to see them done so fabulously! Every portrait in this piece is SPOT ON for personality and look! I love Desna's style as well. there is something about simple and uncluttered pencil art that makes me swoon.
-------------------------------
<center>FIFTH PLACE OVERALL</center>
This resulted in a TIE between two pieces. Each will receive a November 2003 letter!
<img src="http://www.planet-krypton.com/gaia/contest2/entries/th-082.jpg" align="left">
Title: Berceuse
Artist: Luc_iole (Luciole Loong)
Media: Watercolor
Comments: I squeed the first time I saw this. I love watercolors, though I am hopeless inept with them myself, so to see someone weild them so masterfully and for one of my characters was a real treat. The dress design for this was elegant and soft and beautiful, and the hair design was breathtaking. I love the colors and the soft feeling, almost a dreamlike quality, that the image provokes. What drew me most to this image was the sense of secretiveness in the figure, an almost cross between forced smiling and surprise, as if she's just been caught doing something she shouldn't be doing, such as eavesdropping on the General Mercat. This piece did lose some trueness to character as, although artisitcally a masterpiece, since it was missing Both Alessandra's family heirloom pendant AND one of her documented hairstyles, it could easily have been someone else.
<img src="http://www.planet-krypton.com/gaia/contest2/entries/th-169.jpg" align="left">
Title: Untitled
Artist: ryo0oki (Sylvia Shi)
Media: Open Canvas
Comments: Again, like with Luciole's piece, I squee'd when I saw this posted. I love Ryo0oki's style, and this is an artist whom I have watched consistently improve since I came to Gaia. It's always a joy to witness artist growth, and it gives me hope that I too can get better. The expression on her face is lovely, and the use of patterns was very nice. However, like Luciole's this too lost some TTC points for being a figure that I would not have pointed to and said "That is Alessandra" upon first look. She is missing her signature jewelry and hairstyle, and I think a few folks had trouble with her eye color. Pale blue violet is not blue, and is not purple. It would be closer to perriwinkle or even lilac. But overall this was a striking piece and I love it.
-------------------------------
<center>FOURTH PLACE OVERALL
(Nov 03 Letter + Jacked Up Shirt )</center>
<img src="http://www.planet-krypton.com/gaia/contest2/entries/th-008.jpg" align="left">
Title: Untitled
Artist: [(-Onis-)] (Onis)
Media: Pencil, Open Canvas
Comments: This piece was submitted rather early in the competition, and for some reason I'd overlooked it. Then when I started scoring I pulled it up and was shocked. The architectural work alone would have left me breathless, but the fact that it so captured Alessandra's grace and poise, and her facial expression, really wowed me. This is Alessandra as she should be in a social situation. A Mona Lisa smile that indicates her thoughts may not be solely on the event at hand, and her smile may be something of reflex and training rather than a true indication of her mood. There is somewhat of a sketchy feel to this piece, but somehow that made it all the more charming for me. 90% of the time in my own work, I find I lose some of the perosnality and depth of the drawing when I clean it up or overdetail it. Also, this was an absolutely spectacular example of composition, and is perfectly designed to suit a book or comic cover, leaving room for titles and other information without obstructing the main focal point of the image.
-------------------------------
<center>THIRD PLACE OVERALL
(Nov 03 Letter + Dec 03 Letter + 100K Pure)</center>
<img src="http://www.planet-krypton.com/gaia/contest2/entries/th-042.jpg" align="left">
Title: Alessandra's Revenge
Artist: Shao-mei (Thin Linh Lieu)
Media: Painter
Comments: Wow! The sense of motion, the calculated anger in her eyes, the look on her face that says, "You've taken him from me, now your life is forfeit. And I will enjoy taking it after so many years of your scheming and evil plots against my kingdom." all combine for an incredibly striking image that encapsulates a climactic moment in my story. I adore Shao-mei's style and the work on the folds of Alessandra's dressing gown make my head spin. I'm so NOT that patient myself.The details are mind blowing. I mean...look at the MOLD on the WALLS! The only drawback I had to this was the sword style and her hair being perfectly styled and adorned although she was in her nightclothes.
-------------------------------
<center>RUNNER UP OVERALL
(Oct 03 Letter)</center>
<img src="http://www.planet-krypton.com/gaia/contest2/entries/th-107.jpg" align="left">
Title: Such Beautiful Hair
Artist: Yelehna (ArtDragon)
Media: Painter
Comments: This was a nearly perfect Andres for me, capturing the weight of responsibility and sadness he felt. It also showed the serious side of Alessandra to me, which I very much enjoyed seeing. She is someone with a lot of weight on her shoulders, leading a double life as a spy, hiding a vast oracular secret, aware of great danger to the kingdom, the criminal life of her brother, and the responsibilities she has to her family. She is not always cheery (and is, in fact, rarely genuinely so). I imagine this image to be in the wake of Alessandra telling Andres of her vision of his death, as they would not have been this close prior to that (nor this somber). Because they aren't wearing their royal crowns, it lost a few points for trueness to character. Yelehna was a participant in my last contest, and I've seen her work progress forward in leaps and bounds! The costume designs are spectacular and perfectly in line with my vision. I'm still amazed at the results people get from Painter as I am completely inept with it, much to my chagrin after paying $150 for it. Look at the detail on the grass and flowers. The effort put into the details is amazing. Congratulations Yelehna!
-------------------------------
And now...drumroll please....
<center>GRAND PRIZE OVERALL
(NM Miniwings )</center>
<img src="http://www.planet-krypton.com/gaia/contest2/entries/th-166.jpg" align="left">
Title: A Vision
Artist: Auriana
Media: Painter Classic
Comments: My word, when this was submitted I stared at the screen for 10 minutes dumbfounded. It was as if Auriana had looked into my head and reproduced what Alessandra looked like in my mind in Painter. This was the only entry to exceed the 90 point mark, which was almost impossible to do, because I'm an extremely strict grader. This piece was technically masterful. Painter Classic HAS NO LAYERS! The dress design is wonderful AND perfectly period for Italian Renaissance style. The lace detail is exquisitely done and must have required infinite patience. The face shape, expressiveness, hair color and style, and Alessandra's build is perfect, as is the concept of her seeing a vision in a goblet of wine, and be startled enough by it to spill some. This received a PERFECT True to Character score. I was gobsmacked as I didn't think anyone would be able to do that. This piece was without any doubt deserving of the grand prize as it was damn near flawless! Congratulations Auriana!
(See post 10 for the rest of the awards!)
Introduction</center>
It's been over a year since I held my first art contest on Gaia, and it was a great success! I've participated in several before and since then, and as an artist and listening to other artists, decided it was time to run another one.
I decided there is nothing worse than spending weeks or months on a piece, only to receive a tiny prize worth a couple thousand gold tops. So this is one contest where even the smallest OFFICIAL prize will substantial. No official prize for this competition will be below the max value of 20,000 gold! An official prize is any prize in the prizes list before the competition ends. Mind you, I might add some smaller consolation prizes after submissions close if I feel there are entries that still deserve SOMETHING for being entered.
So without further ado, welcome to my contest!
<CENTER>Table of Contents
Post 1: Introduction, News, and Updates
Post 2: Prizes, Entry Eligibility
Post 3: Rules, Judging
Post 4: The Characters
Post 5: Entries
Post 6: Entries
Post 7: Entries
Post 8: Entries
Post 9: Link Exchange, Donators, Blacklist
Post 10: Winners!
</CENTER>
<center>News and Updates</center>
-------------------------------
<center>HONORABLE MENTIONS</center>
Each of the following contestants will receive an honorable mention for their one or more entries. They were all 63 points or above on their score, and were just edged out of the categories they were eligible for. Each person below will receive 2000 gold. I wish it were more, but even after selling off most of my store items and duplicate inventory I was too broke to do more. sad
- AlexiSiguilia
Firrerreo
Aureolee
Sosiqui
Kurrio
Ruevian
yumegari
Agent_W
Helina
UnsolvedEnigma
This is the location where news and updates about the contest will be found!
04.12.05 - The winners were announced last night. Prizes will begin going out today.
04.11.05 - Deadline for Works in Progress has passed. No more entries will be accepted. Awards ceremony tonight at 10:30 EST/7:30 PST!
04.04.05 - Deadline for new Pieces has passed. Only updated versions of already submitted works in progress can now be posted.
04.03.05 - Advertising Contest is Over!
Here are the results from the advertising contest! As so many people did such an exceptional job, I've increased the prizes. The top winner will get their choice of the promised Semi-Custom Silva Regia (They will pick, court, totem, and sex of the fey) or a full body avatar or OC Ink and CG portrait. The second and third place get the choice of a Silva Regia fey of my choice (they will choose the sex) or a waist up avatar or OC pencil Portrait. The 4th through 10th place winners will get their choice of 1000 gold or a pencil avatar or OC headshot!
Ad Contest Points List
User Total Points
Shiaree : 779
Sizzla : 632
Inle-roo : 582
Leonis : 513
Sirenz : 490
Riannon : 378
themostloyal : 377
caroline_cupcake : 374
kihounomizu : 252
TheMadHatter : 241
Ciori : 238
taekwondogirl : 226
yumegari : 190
Hroku : 175
Gabriela Juliana : 145
PeachieMeep : 77
snowy_butterfly : 70
LittleButterfly : 51
Haikari : 30
aya kittie : 28
Glennis : 20
Lucifer Force : 17
Lenachan358 : 14
Karillia : 14
Koko-Tokei : 13
WhiteWallaby : 10
Namida Fierce : 10
Mystic Rush : 10
Mecromace : 10
Lish : 10
Kimaya : 10
Anetra_Pendragon : 10
Sayuri_Nitta : 10
Talamai : 10
Aoko Seiji : 10
ZeoCetra : 7
Seeno : 7
lilwerewolfgirl : 7
Naomi_Kid : 7
Mr. Tumbleweed : 7
Aureolee : 7
Anhelo : 5
RagdollStitches : 3
Elspeth22 : 3
04.01.05 - Alternate thread made to cirumvent DB issues. Contest deadline extended due to Gaia's archiving problem.
03.12.05 - Prize values updated. Some prizes have swapped categories due to changes in prize values, to keep higher value prizes for emphasized categories.
01.09.05 - Additional Reference Images added for Alessandra, Andres, and them as a Couple. Info and images for All other characters in place. Sample Chapters and Scenes List up! See the Characters section and go to the Reference Images area for each. More to come!
01.08.05 - Character Reference Stylesheets are now posted for both Alessandra and Andres. See the Characters section and go to the Reference Images area for each.
01.07.05 - Link Banners added for link exchange and Advertising Contest. See Link Exchange Section! Some Character Information added! Advertising Contest Rules added to the Rules Section!
01.06.05 - Contest thread is created after Sajhiri tallies up her savings. Temporary page header banner and image for her signature are set up. Rules, prizes, and categories are posted.
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