Part 3 Winners!

And your winners are:

1st Place – 100k & 20 vault points

Blazingwire, sketch by William Koshi, based on “Epilogue” by Tzu

The first coloring entry I had, and I haven’t stopped loving it. You chose probably the most difficult sketch to color because it already had a great deal of shading and though it was mostly soft, some of the finer details were a little rough. You handled this wonderfully. You worked with the shading, but then went over the whole thing to emphasize the highlights and shape. I love the colors all around, and I appreciate that you were able to lighten the dark hair for Tzu compared to the sketch. I had only minor points of criticism, that the figure on the bottom left was Grim appearing naked in the Mists and that the figure on the top right was Dwayna who is generally a bit more blue; however, your decision to color them this way made it a much nicer composition. I can visualize the changes and they throw the picture off balance, so these colors are fine the way they are. I also like the way you have mirrored the bright green of the leaf and the red of the lips on Melandru’s chest and eye. Something else that I noticed and really like about this is the flushing of the skin which gets overlooked sometimes. I myself am guilty of that.
Solid work and congratulations!

2nd Place – 75k & 20 vault points

BlueXIV, sketch by Tzu, based on “The Raven’s Egg” by Aquabeard

I know several people want to crucify me for the last minute entry. It happened before when Tzu’s short story popped up after the deadline (but she did tell me in advance she would be late) and jumped into the top 3. You finished it and got it sent in between the time of the deadline and me actually getting home to check messages and I know you’d been working on it. Excuses aside, it’s a great picture. It follows the guidelines of color in space, the warm colors come forward while the cool colors recede. You paid close attention to Roan as a thought rather than a solid figure (shown here with the starlight coming through him). The colors are beautiful and the campfire filled out an awkward spot in the original composition. It not only sets up the golden section, but highlights the darkness of the egg by placing it in the center of three key points (Grim’s face, Roan’s face and the fire). The fire itself is nicely done. I have trouble getting the right colors and activity when I try to paint fire, so this is a really nice touch. I wish that there was a way the ravens could have come out more for the theme of this. Though it was never a “choice” for Grim, he was going to save Roan anyway, the ravens were an important part of the theme that fell into periphery with the strong dark blue. But it was that or the fire, and the fire is certainly a bold and creative addition to the picture. Beautiful work!

3rd Place – 50k & 20 vault points

Morag D, sketch by Morag D, based on “Epilogue” by Tzu

Soft but active; it’s not harsh but I can see the different strokes and movements. Your colors are beautiful. I know when I’m sketching up the details of a picture, I run into trouble when I start to color, because certain areas are all the same color or too dark or just not very colorful. You chose an array of purples for Grim’s attire (I’m a bit envious that the dervish clothes in-game can’t pick up this much purple) and a pale tone for his hair, which cleared up what would have been a very large awkward spot on the picture if you had gone with black or white. Instead, the hair draws the sand color all the way to the top of the picture (mimicking the grass very well) and the purple balances the shadow behind Professor Yakkington. The same greens were used all around to pull attention to all areas and Roan’s high contrast combined with the intense light on Yakkington’s face (which is looking in Roan’s direction) ensure that the small brown Charr doesn’t get overlooked. It’s a really gorgeous piece.

4th Place – 25k & 20 vault points

Tzu, sketch by Morag D, based on “Epilogue” by Tzu

Of course you caught your own details, like time of day and Nicholas as an old man. I expected that much. What I didn’t expect was this much more detail from this picture. The sketch was already very detailed, but you brought out new levels. What I liked about Blazingwire’s coloring, I like about yours also. That you weren’t afraid to go on top of the lines to add texture and highlights (the druid armor, the vabbian palace, spray of the waterfalls, Yakkington’s fur…). And what I haven’t seen elsewhere, and a great way to tie this in with the rest of the story that has yet to take place, you used the area outside the picture to merge from bright blue, cloudy daytime into the darker starry space of The Mists. The only thing that held you back was probably that you tied yourself to very facts-only colors. The towers are beautiful, but they are so bright and the rest of the picture is so dark that they really push all these hard-worked details away. However when I cover the center of the picture, I can see all the effort you put into the figures. It’s something, again, that I am guilty of myself. I don’t trust the colors and I try to make everything exactly the color it is supposed to be, rather than experimenting with new colors that weren’t there originally. Your technique and attention to detail and facts are amazing, don’t be afraid to play with “fictional colors” (best way I can describe it).

5th Place – 10k & 20 vault points

Beren985, sketch by Tzu, based on “The Raven’s Egg” by Aquabeard

Your picture is so cool and different. Okay, it’s not really an innovation in style, because it’s a very recognizable style, but it’s something that I haven’t seen in this or any other coloring contest. I love exploring the array of colors that you used in Grim’s skin and all the wild strokes you used to animate the sky. The moon went from a photo pasted into the background to an active piece of the picture, and even the fade to shadows has life. I can’t decide whether I would have liked to see Roan and Grim’s armor done with the same style or if that would have been too busy and the picture needs these solid fields to ground itself from the flurry of strokes. Either way, this picture is something fun and unexpected, and I really like that.

Honorable Mention – 20 vault points each
Verene, Alyssaa and Oh_Frustration

Verene, sketch by Tzu, based on “The Raven’s Egg” by Aquabeard

Verene, Very factual. Very melancholy and lonely. More light around the ravens to the right than the ones to the left emphasizes the choice. On one side, the ravens, on the other, Roan; it can’t be both ways. The colors are good, and I like the rounding of the shadow around the bottom of Grim’s armor, as it mirrors the moon’s shape above. The blue of a select few stars and the hints of green in his armor give it more variety and life. I’m not sure about the left side of this picture. It’s very dark and empty, but it helps put the egg in the center. The egg portion of the picture might benefit from being a little brighter so that it becomes a key figure. His hands are realistically bright, and well-shaped by the shadows, but the brightest parts of this picture are the moon and the skirt, so the egg is nearly lost. You’re on the right track with your coloring, but don’t be afraid to exaggerate those highlights on important areas.

Alyssaa, sketch by William Koshi, based on “Epilogue” by Tzu

Alyssaa, what a bright and beautiful sky! And I’m pleasantly surprised that the two figures (the naked Grim and Dwayna) where colored appropriately. I’m just a little confused by the very red Melandru and by Tzu’s very dark hair. Okay, I’m not confused by the hair, really, because you didn’t try to change the shading on the sketch and it was already very dark. If the story isn’t considered, the hair works for coloring purposes as it divides Tzu’s head from Dwayna’s chin. What would have brought this picture to it’s full potential is the tones of the skin. These are important figures, but the tones are so muted and flat in comparision to the mass of activity in the sky. Those are some lovely colors.

Oh_Frustration, sketch by William Koshi, based on “Epilogue” by Tzu

Oh_Frustration, how I wish I could wear the woad and the hood at the same time now, that looks awesome together. You did some cool things with accents on this, though you relied on some filters too. I can see you are very passionate about Grenth from this picture. I know you say you haven’t seen all those things in-game and I think it’s pretty cool that you decided to give it a try anyway. The scene takes place in Vabbi, which, you’ll see in the Nightfall chapter, has alot of gold and bright aqua tiles. About as bright as the aqua you have used on Melandru, she’s the nature goddess. I know you’ll enjoy seeing those things yourself. I did. Vabbi is still one of my favorite places in the game.