SVS JUNE CONTEST WINNERS (MUSHROOM VILLAGE)
Well you guys sure know how to make it hard for me to pick winners!! (As usual!). What really struck me the most this month is that it really looked like you were having fun. That makes a HUGE difference when you are making images. It's one of the intangibles that somehow makes it way into the work and leaves you and your viewer smiling. Keep that up!
Now the hard part, picking the winners. There could have been so many winners this month, but I had to narrow it down. Feel free to post the ones you think should have won if you disagree with my selection. Contests are, by nature, at the mercy of the judges and I am by no means the last word on it. : )
First Place: Gary Wilkinson www.garywilkinsonart.com
After quite a few strong finishes, I have to give Gary the win on this one. It is just too good to ignore. Clever concept followed by very strong technique is what drew me to this one. What I really appreciate is how appropriate, yet peculiar the concept is here. Nature does like to use disguises and then ATTACK! Gary nailed it.
Second Place: Carrie Copa @carriecopa
Carrie's piece was so charming and reminded me of watching a really good animation. It made me want to know more about what is happening with these little guys. I love the toned palette and cozy lighting too!
Third Place (TIE!): Severin Baschung and Marek Halko
Severin really killed it with the lighting and color balance in this piece. I saw some earlier versions that had some glowing writing on the mushroom which I liked too. I think this world and lighting should be explored more. Maybe 3 images in a series for this one would be great portfolio material.
Beautiful rendering by Marek Halko. This was a very funny take on the topic and absolutely stellar painting technique here. Has a bit of an animated Chris Van Allsburg feel to it or perhaps David Weisner (both Caldecott winning illustrators!. Not bad company to be in for sure.
Honorable Mentions (in no particular order):
VOREN:: This piece drives home the importance of showing an interesting point of view in your images. The composition and scale and all the details work together so well here.
MATT DYE @mattdyedraws: Great flowing design and controlled color balance on a full color piece (not so easy to do). I definitely want to see more from Matt!
Rachel Blackwell @rachy : The sense of adventure in Rachel's image is so engaging. I like how she kept the complicated design and details for the city and kept it simple with the characters so it doesn't get too busy.
Name?: I LOVE the color balance here. The greenish cools are balanced out nicely by the warms. This has a very "Dreamy Summer" type feel which is particularly engaging to me.
Corina St. Martin: I love this painting. It's magical and well painted. I do keep worrying about that bird wanting to eat the main character which adds tension to the image. That may be totally unintentional by Corina. I'd like to hear if you guys feel any danger for the character. The bird does look sweet, but if he gets hungry, watch out! : )
Megan Stringfellow: This is another take on the subject that I never anticipated. You guys always manage to surprise me! The old man in the workshop toiling away on his lovely craft is an awesome idea. Nice touch with the strawberry light thingy too!
Ok, that's gonna do it for this month. You guys kicked some major booty on this one and I can't wait to see what you do for July's challege: HIDDEN Keep up the great work!!!
-Lee