Art [HB!] jigglyness vs. r2vq

[Delta]

[COLOR=#35425E][CENTER][b][u]ROUND 1[/u][/b][/CENTER]

[b]Participants:[/b] jigglyness, r2vq

[b]Date Due:[/b] May 23, 2006

[b]Handicap Set:[/b][list][*]Dimensions: 500px by 500 px [*]Limited palette : [URL=http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v487/meoi/7eb5826d.jpg][b]CLICK[/B][/URL][/list]

[b]Reminders:[/b][list][*]The participants will be given [COLOR=#ED1C24]three full days[/COLOR] to create, edit and submit their pieces. [*]A 5-day voting period will begin immediately after the deadline. All members can vote, except for the two participants of the match. [*]Voters must post a paragraph of at least [COLOR=#ED1C24]three sentences[/color] about the entry they?re going to vote for, and [COLOR=#ED1C24]one sentence[/color] of constructive criticism for the other entry. [*]Good luck![/list][/COLOR]

[jigglyness]

my entry:
[img]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v513/sesshofreako/forums/ob.jpg[/img]

-I don't really remember where the original stock came from except it was from a video game.
-I was thinking about leaving it blk and Wht but it needed some color. I hope the colors stay withing the palette.
-I had to redo this one a few times to finally get it to look the way i wanted it to look. I still don't know most of the functions in photoshop. :animeswea

good luck r2vq

[r2vq]

[color=Blue]-=+[/color][b]Intro[/b][color=Blue]+=-[/color]
[size=1]Submitted for the approval of the Otakuboards society, I call this piece Are You Afraid of the Dark.
This piece complies with all OBHB Round 1 Regulations. This piece is no wider than 500 pixels and no taller than 500 pixels. No colours were used except those found in the pallet, that being blacks, whites, shades of grey, and red.

I spent pretty much my entire day off work working on this.
After 15 hours of work with 24 different versions of this on my desktop, I think it's fair to say, I need a life.
That's 15 hours of... A minor tweak here, and a major shift there... The image went down the path from photographic experiment, to vector graphic, to bitmapped JPEG, to finally, an animated GIF. (edit: If you count the amount of time it took to write this post... 16 hours. xD)[/size]


[color=Red]-=+[/color][b]Entry[/b][color=Red]+=-[/color]
[img]http://www.otakuboards.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=25513&stc=1[/img]

[color=Blue]-=+[/color][b]Breakdown[/b][color=Blue]+=-[/color]
[size=1]+My face was photographed this morning for "conceptual" purposes.

+Then I spent some time (poorly) vectoring it Illustrator 10.

+After that came moving my images to Photoshop 7. (Yeah, I have to move on to CS)

+I ripped the DS Lite logo from an IGN image, and modified the Arial-based text to appear a little more similar to it. (I should have used Illustrator, but I guess forgetting to do so shows how rusty I am..) D,F,T, and O are the letters I modded.

+It took me five hours to position it in a decent location (first in the bottom left, then on the top right, then in the center, then the split up... then center again...) and that's when I noticed the mishapen form of vector imaging I called a head.

+I used the photographs from this morning to replace my face.

+I then decided to animate the bugger. That took another 5 hours.[/size]

[color=Red]-=+[/color][b]Notes[/b][color=Red]+=-[/color]
[size=1]+The original design had my feet reflecting the light too. That didn't work out though...

+Most of the versions had gradients at the top or the bottom... but it either went against the concept, or didn't work with the lighting.

+I played around with a stylus shaped logo... but it didn't make the cut.

+The [color=red]red light[/color] on the DS is the battery light, and was in the original photograph.[/size]

Oh whell. That's that. If I don't cease working on it now, I never will stop. It's been fun, and crazy, working on this. I wish jigglyness, and all the other competitors good luck and good night. ^^;;

-r2

[jigglyness]

wow. I think I'm gonna get owned in this round. =.=

[Delta]

[COLOR=#35425E][SIZE=1]Fabulous! Such wonderful creations this early into the tournament! Choosing between your submissions won't be an easy task.

[CENTER][SIZE=2][b]Alright, kiddies! The [COLOR=#ED1C24]voting period[/COLOR] has officially begun! [/b] [/SIZE]
(Yay!)[/CENTER]

Now before you cast your votes, please read the little love letter at the starting post. Remember that votes that do not follow the prescribed format will not be counted. Cheers!

PS: Get your votes in before [COLOR=#ED1C24][b]May 28[/b][/COLOR], okay?[/SIZE][/COLOR]

[Onix]

[COLOR=SlateGray][SIZE=1]Well, I might as well cast the first vote, and my vote is for [B]r2vq[/B], by a slim margin I should add.

r2vq's piece was simple, elegant, and stark. The message is clear, and Nintendo really should think about using it for an add campaign ;D. But seriously, it's very elegantly done, and and shows a great bit of photo-editing. The only thing I can say needs to be changed in jigglyness' is that it seems...too cluttered, with all the background text and surface effects.

Well, there's my two cents.[/SIZE][/COLOR]

[sakurasuka]

[size=1]First off, I'd like to say that there's no way I'm getting past the first or second round with all you amazign artists. Just... Wow.

[b]jigglyness[/b]- Goodness. This is a gorgeous piece of work. I could rant about how beautiful it is all day long. I love how you managed to use so much red, seeing as most people tries to stay with one basic color *Cough*. I must agree with Onix, though. It is a bit cluttered. I also don't particularly like the bottom left corner. Something about the scanlines doesn't fit the image.

[b]r2vq[/b]- !!!

=O

Gorgeous. Right now, you could go get a job in advertising or something of the like. I really tried to find things wrong with this image, but I can't find much of anything. Anyway.

Placement = Perfection.
Text = Near perfection [The 'O' bugs me just a little bit. It stands out too much. Maybe make it a hint more rounded?]
Picture = Awesomeness.
Animation = <3

Dang. You guys both did so well. If either of you were against me, you'd both be moving on.

However, I must make my vote. I do vote for [b]r2vq[/b], only because I'm simply in love with it.

I must say, this was a difficult choice.[/size]

[Aaryanna]

[COLOR=SeaGreen][B]jigglyness:[/B] What I like about your piece is the use of red to make the frame with the words damaged people stand out. It?s also got a nice messy feel to it. And the way the border is affected by what the picture is doing really looks nice. The main problem I see is that it?s too busy; so it?s hard to figure out what I am suppose to be focusing on.

[B]r2vq:[/B] First of all I really like the animation you did with this piece. It really fits. The words and image really fit the over all theme. I also like your choice of font. Over all it?s very nicely done. The only thing I don?t care for is that there is so much darkness surrounding the entire piece. Though I suppose that's the whole point right? ^_^

Anyway, although both pieces are nicely done, I have to choose so my vote goes to[B] r2vq[/B][/COLOR]

[Kune]

My vote goes for [B]r2vq[/B]. The piece is really unique and I love the use of animations. It's obvious that you put a lot of hard work and effort into this, and I agree that Nintendo should use this as one of their advertisements. This looks very professional and I am really impressed. The amount of darkness is bothersome...but like mentioned above, that is unavoidable :P.

jigglyness! I like your piece too, but I'm afraid it looks a bit amature. The use of stock brushes in a wide mess is the problem I think. Especially in comparison to r2vq's the level of skill is really apparent. I think you have lots of potential and that you just need more practice.

Good job both you guys!

[Horendithas]

[COLOR=Sienna][B]jigglyness:[/B] I think you did a great job with your piece, the color, border and overall messy/grungy look is nicely done. I too like how the red color makes the frame with the words damaged people show up. My biggest problem with your piece is that it?s far too busy. When I look at it I don?t know where to focus.

[B]r2vq:[/B] I think your piece is amazing. It looks more like a professional advertisement than a simple piece. The animation is nicely done and the words and picture are perfectly placed. The font is nice though I agree that the o in without is just a little off. It's just a little too big compared to the other letters in the word.

I vote for[B] r2vq[/B]. [/COLOR]

[Katana]

[color=royalblue][size=1]Random fact of the day: I've now been behind indifference when voting for these things twice.

[b]jigglyness:[/b] This is your work, no doubt about it. You have this signature style of being grungy and yet vibrant, gothic but just really cool.
Where I like the picture as a concept, there are just some things I'm not too hot with. The stock, when put through all these effects, just seems a little hacked up in the end, making me not think they were "Damaged People". They just remind me of some fantasy RPG, with some random characters sitting on the hill overlooking a city...*ahem* Yeah. And the big guy, standing up...That one just itches me a bit.
The texting is cool though. Yeah. Cool text. :3

[b]r2vq:[/b] This one is just...um...GLOWY! Yeap.
It is cool, and really original, something I would never have thought of (I can't animate either, come to think of it). I know, realize, and fully get the whole concept of the "DS Light" and in the dark and stuff. I oftentimes play Animal Crossing: Wild World at night when I'm supposed to be asleep. The light just illuminates have my bed.
Something I don't like is the shape of the (your) head. It seems like it went through the fade effect a little too much, and looks more like a floating head over an actual form.
The feet note cracked me up. XD "It illuminates my head, hands, AND feet!"

And, like many others, my vote goes off to [b]r2vq[/b]/ But good job to both of you.[/size][/color]

[SunfallE]

[COLOR=RoyalBlue][B]jigglyness:[/B] First of all I really love the overall messy feel to this piece. Even the very border fits nicely with the messy look. The only problem I see is that I honestly don?t know what I?m suppose to be focusing on. The words Damaged People doesn?t make me think of anything. Still it?s nicely done.

[B]r2vq: [/B]I?m in agreement with the others. Your piece is simply amazing. I love the overall dark feeling to it. I love the animation as it leaves the two most important aspects highlighted, which is the device being held and the word lite. Excellent job.

Both pieces are beautifully done. Over all I like r2vq?s piece the best so my vote goes to [B]r2vq[/B].
[/COLOR]

[Guest Simpson]

[size=1][color=darkslategray]Great job, both of you.

Jigglyness- Very pretty, abstract. I love it. The thing is, like everyone else said, it really doesn't have a focus. Good job on pulling red into it, but maybe you should have everything in greyscale except the point you're supposed to be focusing on, that might make it a bit cleaner than the random blotches ;)

Overall though, I say this is extrememly well done.

r2vq- Wow, advertisements! This piece is really nice, and I love how you pretty much did everything from scratch. The animation is flawless, and I love how it focuses on the picture and the word 'lite'. One small complaint on the placement -- I think that maybe the face could have been brought down a few pixels to tie it into the rest of the piece. Right now, the text and the image look a bit detached.

I think that my vote should go to r2vq, because his image is portayed a bit better. Great job to both of you, and good luck.[/color][/size]

[Retribution]

[size=1]You know, folks, at a certain point, your voting for the same person becomes overkill. If your favorite is winning by a shut-out margin, don't worry about voting until things become close again. It's just sportsmanship. No need to rub it in.[/size]

[Boo]

[size=1]My vote goes to [b]Jigglyness[/b]. Revolution!

Well, first of all, I love the swirly thingies attached to the text box and how you used the red in it. Secondly, I like the use of the text in the upper part of the image. The variation of size makes sure it doesn't get dull and repetitive and still it looks pretty organized. What I also like is the contrast between the upper (right) part and the lower (left) part. The upper part being a bit complicated and the lower more simple. The text doesn't really seem to fit to the impression of the stock used, but meh, it doesn't really bother me much. I'm used to busy pictures so focusing wasn't much of a problem.

To be honest, I just think r2vq's piece is overrated. The animation isn't any special. The only real purpose the animation of the text has is to let [i]lite[/i] stand out, which didn't work out well, because it isn't placed well and the text next to it is just a lot bigger and holds your attention. And if the text doesn't, the photo does. The animation's speed is also not great. When it fades back to dark, it doesn't flow nicely, in (one of the) last frame(s).
Now some quotes:
[i]"[b]Sakurasuka-[/b] The 'O' bugs me just a little bit. It stands out too much."[/i]
[i]"[b]Simpson-[/b] Right now, the text and the image look a bit detached."[/i]
[i]"[b]Katana-[/b] Something I don't like is the shape of the (your) head. It seems like it went through the fade effect a little too much, and looks more like a floating head over an actual form."[/i]

Now don't get me wrong. I don't think it's really bad, I just think it's way overrated. And I can just be a pain sometimes :)[/size]

[Fyxe]

[size=1][color=slategray]I'm going to go with jigglyness. There, me and Boo contradict you all. >>

Why do I go with jigglyness? Because I can tell time went into it, and it just over-rides r2vq's piece overall, in my opinion. I really like the feeling of the whole thing. The red fades and mixes nicely with the tones of grey and white. It's a very smooth piece, I see no problems with distortion or cropping. The background letters and designs just heighten my interest and impression. Oh, and <3 those blood spatters.
jigglyness, I really enjoyed looking this over, looking at the details. It's enjoyable and my kind of style. Don't let the other voting discourage you, because you have a brilliant piece here.

Now, r2vq, I like your idea. But... you know, things just aren't very smooth. I like how the words fade and put emphasis on "lite", however. Nice job.

So, I'm going [B]jigglyness[/B] all the way. Wow, that sounds strange.[/color][/size]

[Delta]

[COLOR=#35425E][CENTER][b]r2vq - 8
jigglyness - 2[/b][/CENTER]

Poll's closed; votes beyond this post will not be counted. Feel free to discuss their pieces in this thread.

Congratulations, [b]r2vq[/b]![/COLOR]

[jigglyness]

^^' Thanks for Boo and Blase for voting for me even though it was pretty obvious I would lose. thanks for the support. I won't take the loss seriously. I admit I'm still an amateur but I will work hard to get better. Congrats r2vq for the win. You really deserved it. :) good luck on the next round.

[r2vq]

Heh~ Thanksjuu to everyone who voted in this battle.

I shake the hand of jigglyness for being such a great opponent. I look forward to more battles with you in the future. I'd also like to comment on your piece since it was so nice.
Firstly, the red (gradient?) blends so well with the people, and that is my favourite part of the image. It's nice to see the contrast between the white hair, or cloth, or claws, and the red beneath it. The top part of the models, though, don't seem to blend in as well with the image as the bottom half. The shadow behind the top character's cape also looks a little strange.
The font you chose, background and foreground are very nice, and I like the randomness of the background font. Though, it feels like the bottom-right side is a little empty of those fonts.
I really like the border around the image. It works with it because it's as random as the image inside. The comparison between the image inside and the border also gives the inside a foggy look. Overall the messy style works, and it looks good. ^^

Now on to the comments. I really appreciate when people comment (especially if they criticize) my piece. My main reason for entering the tournament is practice and improvement, so I read every comment, and I'll try to respond to them as best I can. ^^

There was actually a lot I wanted to change before I submitted it, but I didn't have the time, since it was in effect a 1 day rush job. There were also a few things that people pointed out that I adore for pointing out. First is the "o"...

[quote name='sakurasuka][size=1]Text = Near perfection [The 'O' bugs me just a little bit. It stands out too much. Maybe make it a hint more rounded?][/size][/QUOTE][QUOTE=indifference][COLOR=Sienna']The font is nice though I agree that the o in without is just a little off. It's just a little too big compared to the other letters in the word.[/COLOR][/quote]The reason the "o" stood out is because I used the square from the DS logo... which was the "o" from Nintendo. I made it smaller, but it became pixelated. In the end, it didn't work out, and I wanted to change it, but I decided to keep it~ due to fatigue. xD

[quote name='Aaryanna][COLOR=SeaGreen]The only thing I don?t care for is that there is so much darkness surrounding the entire piece. Though I suppose that's the whole point right? ^_^[/COLOR][/QUOTE][QUOTE=Kune]The amount of darkness is bothersome...but like mentioned above, that is unavoidable :P.[/QUOTE][QUOTE=SunfallE][COLOR=RoyalBlue']I love the overall dark feeling to it.[/COLOR][/quote]
The overall darkness was my main concern. There's so much black in this piece that I felt that it may be overpowering everything else in it. Even the items that weren't black mostly had black shading or were faded around the edges.
Like I said, I tried gradients and borders, but in the end, there was nothing I could do without compromising the message. T_T

[QUOTE=Katana][color=royalblue][size=1]Something I don't like is the shape of the (your) head. It seems like it went through the fade effect a little too much, and looks more like a floating head over an actual form.
The feet note cracked me up. XD "It illuminates my head, hands, AND feet!"[/size][/color][/QUOTE]Actually, the head shape was taken from the photograph. I didn't add any black to it, just changed the brightness here and there to smooth it out.
The reason my feet were supposed to be in the picture were to remove the whole "floating head" visual. I was worried about that at first, but, ironically, I decided the shape of my feet was too weird. xD

[quote name='Simpson][size=1][color=darkslategray]One small complaint on the placement -- I think that maybe the face could have been brought down a few pixels to tie it into the rest of the piece. Right now, the text and the image look a bit detached.[/color'][/size][/quote]
[quote name='Boo][size=1']...which didn't work out well, because it isn't placed well and the text next to it is just a lot bigger and holds your attention. And if the text doesn't, the photo does.[/size][/quote]Yeah~ I spent about four or five hours moving the words and picture around the canvas, trying to find the perfect position. I eventually settled on the current one, which wasn't my favourite, because I thought it would appeal to the masses with the least resistance. My original placement was a lot more sperated.
It just never occurred to me that I should resize the text after I initially sized them. But I did size them to try to match the theme; too small would have them drowning, too large would make the whole piece not dark...
The size of "lite" in comparison to DS, though, wasn't a choice that I made. I wanted it to be near official, so I the "(box)DSLite" section is from the actual DS Lite advertisements. The extra brightness and effects were the only way to make "Lite" stand out at all.

[quote name='Boo][size=1]The animation isn't any special. The only real purpose the animation of the text has is to let [i]lite[/i'] stand out, which didn't work out well... //snip// The animation's speed is also not great. When it fades back to dark, it doesn't flow nicely, in (one of the) last frame(s).[/size][/quote]Yeah, I spent a lot of time on the Animation. I had to decide whether to have it fade in and out (current), have it flash, fade in and out with a flicker or two, or have it radiate. The last option was my favourite idea, but fading in and out made it a little more obvious, and I wanted the animation to stand out.
The timing of the animation was funny (not haha funny xP)... I've taken a video class before, so I can work with frames, but the way InDesign does its animation frames work are a little confusing at times. [i][size=1] Each frame can be this many seconds... well if I tween this layer will this tween... [/size][/i] Making the animation smooth was my main concern, but I eventually had to give up, less spend another day on it. ^^;;

[quote name='Bláse][size=1][color=slategray]...things just aren't very smooth.[/color'][/size][/quote]I'm very glad you mentioned this. I actually realized this after I rendered the final GIF. I realized that I did the text in bitmap, rather than vector. It made the letter edges very rough. It hurt, but I learned my lesson from that. xD

Thanks again everyone~
-r2