As the art leader of Smogon, this contest has been exciting to both manage, follow, and in the end judge the results closely. It has also been one of the most nerve-wrecking, since this is arguable the first time where I've been required to decide which participant is above the other, even when the differences between certain submissions has been minimal in both appearance and significance. So while I've done an effort to put my reasoning into words, my gut has also played a part in evaluating all entries, and it is my hopes that you all may agree with what I've concluded.
But this contest has gone on long enough, and we all want to see which talented artisans have been acknowledged for their efforts, so let's get right to it!
Arkeis is already quite the esteemed artist within the Smogon community, so when he decided to enter the battlefield on the contest's last few days, all bets were off. Apart from actually meeting deadline on such time, he also managed to produce three stunning images, all of them sporting a smooth lineart with pulsing colors. However, apart from Mega Gallade, the images don't show off much depth, and are instead lined up in a more horizontal manner. But with that said, the attribute that pushed Arkeis' entry over the edge onto the winning platform was the energy all three Mega Pokemon displayed, since all three are showing varying facial expressions and stances that proves they're ready to fight. So while other minor flaws made this a difficult decision, Arkeis certainly deserves the winning spot.
Roadsama was the first artist to show off some early concepts for all three entries, and while he needed more time than others to finalize them, he certainly didn't finish last. His lineart is light and elegant, while still clearly visible even when his images are shrunk down significantly. The poses of all three Mega Pokemon all follow a certain direction that guides the viewer's eyes along all their features, while also giving a clear sense of depth so that it really feels that they're emerging from their frames. However, there were some notable flaws that prevented Roadsama from emerging at the top. The colors used aren't quite as vibrant as other contestants, and while their poses are stunning, their facial expressions are rather calm, which makes for a slight disadvantage seeing as they're meant to decorate a site dedicated towards Pokemon battles. But make no mistake: Been many times where I've deemed this to be the winning entry only to have second thoughts, so the marginal has been as slim as it could be. But as there can be no ties, Roadsama ended up with a solid second place as a result, one he earned well.
aXl quickly got the favor of various people following the contest, and it's not difficult to see why. His Mega Diancie image, a notoriously difficult Pokemon to draw, came out quite splendidly, while his soaring Mega Altaria and charging Chesnaught makes for two stunning images as well. But while his sense for detail gives his images the edge at a higher resolution, the purpose of this contest was to create small icons for the frontpage, and at that scale, the same details don't perform as well. One could solve this by not shrinking them as much, but then you'd only get bust shots, thus missing out on other body features that makes for a stronger impression overall. And while his Diancie and Altaria were both fine specimens, his Chesnaught strayed a bit too far away from the norm with its unusual beard and oversized eyes. Some would consider these to be minor flaws, and they would be correct, because aXl's entry was practically breathing down Roadsama's neck in terms of quality, but in the end, aXl landed comfortably on a respectable third place.
The contest clearly stated that up to three winners will be chosen, but given the high quality of our submissions, a fourth place felt to be in order when one looks at what Pedro Larez produced. In fact, Pedro brought the heat early by slamming a complete entry merely five days into the contest, featuring three Pokemon who all have shaped OU into what it is today. His lineart is simple and firm, although less smooth compared to other participants. And while one would initially find all three images to be well crafted for their final role as frontpage icons, the sad truth is that these images can only be shrunk so far before the lineart starts to buckle and become blurry, making it difficult to feature Talonflame's impressive wingspan or Metagross menacing claws. But nonetheless, Pedro's entry was assumed to be the winning submission for quite some time, and while that didn't turn out to be the case, his efforts to quickly get the contest up and running with three solid images will be recognised by having them featured on the frontpage as well.
And with that, the contest has been concluded. These images will get hosted on Smogon and featured on our frontpage ASAP once chaos gets a breather to tinker with the site, starting with Arkeis and then moving down the pedestal each month (after the first lap, we'll reconsider how often we need to switch). But for now, let's applaud the above winners, and to everyone else who participated but didn't reach all the way!
Below is the updated list of Pokemon the winners are elligible to receive. Arkeis has earned three, Roadsama will receive two, and aXl gets one. Contact either Layell , princessofmusic , or both of them when you know which ones you want!
Thanks for reading, and thanks to everyone who made this contest an excellent occasions to remember Pokemon ORAS by. :)
But this contest has gone on long enough, and we all want to see which talented artisans have been acknowledged for their efforts, so let's get right to it!
Arkeis is already quite the esteemed artist within the Smogon community, so when he decided to enter the battlefield on the contest's last few days, all bets were off. Apart from actually meeting deadline on such time, he also managed to produce three stunning images, all of them sporting a smooth lineart with pulsing colors. However, apart from Mega Gallade, the images don't show off much depth, and are instead lined up in a more horizontal manner. But with that said, the attribute that pushed Arkeis' entry over the edge onto the winning platform was the energy all three Mega Pokemon displayed, since all three are showing varying facial expressions and stances that proves they're ready to fight. So while other minor flaws made this a difficult decision, Arkeis certainly deserves the winning spot.
Roadsama was the first artist to show off some early concepts for all three entries, and while he needed more time than others to finalize them, he certainly didn't finish last. His lineart is light and elegant, while still clearly visible even when his images are shrunk down significantly. The poses of all three Mega Pokemon all follow a certain direction that guides the viewer's eyes along all their features, while also giving a clear sense of depth so that it really feels that they're emerging from their frames. However, there were some notable flaws that prevented Roadsama from emerging at the top. The colors used aren't quite as vibrant as other contestants, and while their poses are stunning, their facial expressions are rather calm, which makes for a slight disadvantage seeing as they're meant to decorate a site dedicated towards Pokemon battles. But make no mistake: Been many times where I've deemed this to be the winning entry only to have second thoughts, so the marginal has been as slim as it could be. But as there can be no ties, Roadsama ended up with a solid second place as a result, one he earned well.
aXl quickly got the favor of various people following the contest, and it's not difficult to see why. His Mega Diancie image, a notoriously difficult Pokemon to draw, came out quite splendidly, while his soaring Mega Altaria and charging Chesnaught makes for two stunning images as well. But while his sense for detail gives his images the edge at a higher resolution, the purpose of this contest was to create small icons for the frontpage, and at that scale, the same details don't perform as well. One could solve this by not shrinking them as much, but then you'd only get bust shots, thus missing out on other body features that makes for a stronger impression overall. And while his Diancie and Altaria were both fine specimens, his Chesnaught strayed a bit too far away from the norm with its unusual beard and oversized eyes. Some would consider these to be minor flaws, and they would be correct, because aXl's entry was practically breathing down Roadsama's neck in terms of quality, but in the end, aXl landed comfortably on a respectable third place.
The contest clearly stated that up to three winners will be chosen, but given the high quality of our submissions, a fourth place felt to be in order when one looks at what Pedro Larez produced. In fact, Pedro brought the heat early by slamming a complete entry merely five days into the contest, featuring three Pokemon who all have shaped OU into what it is today. His lineart is simple and firm, although less smooth compared to other participants. And while one would initially find all three images to be well crafted for their final role as frontpage icons, the sad truth is that these images can only be shrunk so far before the lineart starts to buckle and become blurry, making it difficult to feature Talonflame's impressive wingspan or Metagross menacing claws. But nonetheless, Pedro's entry was assumed to be the winning submission for quite some time, and while that didn't turn out to be the case, his efforts to quickly get the contest up and running with three solid images will be recognised by having them featured on the frontpage as well.
~ ~ ~
And with that, the contest has been concluded. These images will get hosted on Smogon and featured on our frontpage ASAP once chaos gets a breather to tinker with the site, starting with Arkeis and then moving down the pedestal each month (after the first lap, we'll reconsider how often we need to switch). But for now, let's applaud the above winners, and to everyone else who participated but didn't reach all the way!
Below is the updated list of Pokemon the winners are elligible to receive. Arkeis has earned three, Roadsama will receive two, and aXl gets one. Contact either Layell , princessofmusic , or both of them when you know which ones you want!
- 5IV Adamant HA Talonflame
- 5IV Modest HA Dragalge w/ Haze and Toxic Spikes
- 5IV Timid HA Greninja w/ Toxic Spikes
- 5IV Jolly HA Lopunny w/ Encore and Fake Out
- 6IV Jolly HA Crobat w/ Brave Bird and Defog
- 6IV Jolly HA Breloom w/ Bullet Seed and Drain Punch
- 5IV Timid Keen Eye Chatot w/ Boomburst, Defog, and Nasty Plot
- 6IV Timid Keen Eye Pidgeot
- 5IV Bold Sturdy Shuckle w/ Knock Off
- 5IV Timid Illusion Zoroark
- 6IV Jolly Intimidate Staraptor
- 5IV Jolly HA Crawdaunt w/ Aqua Jet
- 5IV Jolly Pressure Weavile w/ Ice Shard and Icicle Crash
- 5IV Adamant HA Scolipede w/ Spikes and Toxic Spikes
- 6IV Adamant Defiant Bisharp w/ Pursuit and Sucker Punch
Thanks for reading, and thanks to everyone who made this contest an excellent occasions to remember Pokemon ORAS by. :)
