Art [HB!] FINAL ROUND (oh yeah!)

[Delta]

[COLOR=#35425E][SIZE=1][CENTER][SIZE=5][b]Handicap Battles![COLOR=Red]
FINAL ROUND[/COLOR][/b][/SIZE]
[COLOR=Red]The super-duper exciting conclusion to
the super-duper graphics tournament
we've come to hate and love![/COLOR][/CENTER]

Of course we're going to see this tournament to its bloody finish! You all have impressed us with your ability to deliver high-quality work under restricting and (extremely) frustrating circumstances. For that, I salute you, dear artists of OB!

Now, on to the match...

+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+

[SIZE=2][b]Participants:[/b] [b][COLOR=Red]sakurasuka[/color][/b] and [b][COLOR=Red]Ezekiel[/COLOR][/b]

[b]Date Due:[/b] June 19, 2006

[b]Handicap Set:[/b]
[SIZE=2][i]Play It[/i] got a banner in Nifty Fifty '06, so did [i]Anime Lounge[/i]. I say [i]Art Studio[/i] should have one as well. [list][SIZE=2][b]Theme:[/b] Art Studio[*][b]Dominant color(s):[/b] Pink and/or gold[*][b]Size:[/b] 500 pixels by 300 pixels
[*][b]Banned:[/b] [URL=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sans-serif][COLOR=Red][u]fonts without serifs[/u][/COLOR][/url]
[*][b]Banned:[/b] Solid borders. Funky borders are a must.
[*][b]Required:[/b] [i]?Terrible! Orange and pink don?t mix ? they resemble vomit, and the text isn?t much better. This isn?t art, it?s just lame.?[/i] must appear somewhere in your piece.
[*]That's it.[/SIZE][/list][/SIZE]+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+

[SIZE=1][CENTER][IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v487/meoi/Untitled-1-1.jpg[/IMG][/CENTER]

It's out raking dead leaves for its funeral pyre.

I'm pretty sure I wasn't the only one who missed your chromatic CG's. You both have really interesting methods when it comes to color-treating images, and I've noticed a great difference in the "finishes" you two apply on your banners. With your contrasting styles, this match is bound to rock!

Go crazy and best of luck to both of you![/SIZE][/SIZE][/SIZE][/COLOR]

[Ezekiel]

[SIZE=1]Oowah, this round was so much fun~ I've gotta say, I'm really happy with the picture. Moreso because I made all the brushes used by hand (yes, by hand) by flicking ink over paper, scanning it and converting it. =D Makes me feel like a mother to these pixels, or some such.

Anyway, here's the picture. I'm posting it early incase I need to make any changes. Delta, I know you said no solid borders and that my border is solid...but I thought it was funky and a break from what I normally do, so hopefully it's okay. I hope so. =/

[IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v219/AzureImi/finalround.png[/IMG]

I'm loving the addition of Iruka, by the way. It inspired me to use dear Ebisu. <3[/SIZE]

[Retribution]

[size=1]I just wanted to say thanks for the shoutout. The subtle ones are always best.

The piece looks much more aesthetically pleasing than the one I invisioned while writing that line, though. Good luck to the both of you.[/size]

[sakurasuka]

[size=1]

*Squeals*

Zeke, that is GORGEOUS!

Ahem.



Art Studio -- Ayumi Style.
[IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v150/unmei_shinpai/HBimg_47.gif[/IMG]



Stock- For the second time, I've used my hero -- Ayumi Hamasaki. She really does portray the Art and Beauty, and uniqueness of the Art Studio perfectly.
Text- Century Schoolbook BT. I know, bad choice. Too late to turn back now.
Border- By hand. Boo-ya.
Inspiration- [URL=http://www.leekspin.com/.]Leek Spin.[/URL]

All except the stock was done basically by hand. Watercolor Paint + Scanner + Google + Vectorness = Cool white splatter-y circles.

Fun fun fun.

Edit- Fixed.

[/size]

[Delta]

[COLOR=#35425E][CENTER][b]How to Vote[/b]

Members must post a paragraph of at least three sentences about the entry they?re going to vote for, and one sentence of constructive criticism for the other entry. It?s a pretty simple format so if a member fails to follow it, he/she will be sent a love letter via PM by the Tournament Presider and will be given the rest of the voting period to edit his/her vote. His/her vote will be invalidated if it still isn't of the prescribed format by the end of the voting period.


[b][SIZE=8][COLOR=Red]GO GO GO![/COLOR][/SIZE][/b][/CENTER][/COLOR]

[Ezekiel]

[SIZE=1]I just wanted to add before voting gets into full spin: [B]sakurasuka, your piece is [I]amazing[/I][/B]. We really do have such different styles, you're is so clean and soft while mine is just...loud, heh. I'm really glad I got to face you in this final round, seeing as we both use Paint Shop Pro and we're in the minority for that respect.

*bows*[/SIZE]

[Retribution]

[size=1]Well, I'm voting for [b]sakurasuka[/b].

When I saw your piece last night, I was in shock. This is by far your best piece, and you've outdone most people on OB with this (myself included). The soft pinks and oranges were an unorthodox yet harmonious way to go, and your stock is just stunning. Your two vectoriing works are also amazing, and my jaw dropped when I read you made them with watercolors and a scanner. The text is just outright sexy... there's no real other way to describe it. You were ingenuitive and effective in your execution, and it seriously, seriously shows.

Ezekiel, your piece was actually pretty good. However, your composition was severly weakened by your text (the quote) and the stock's awkward placement. I sort of felt like it should be showing a bit more. I really do like your background though - loud can be just as much of a compliment as soft.

You two are stunning.[/size]

[YellowBarchetta]

[B]sakurasuka[/B]
First, I love that you used Ayumi again. The vector on each sides is great with the spatter all around. The water color efect is awesome! especially since you used a scanner? Thats insane! and the frame around the edges were subtle but I like them.


[B]Ezekiel[/B]
I really like your piece, I'm not really that into the stock picture all that much. I agree with [B]Retribution[/B] the Text kind of weakened the piece. I loved the backround as well.




I vote for [B]sakurasuka[/B]

[SunfallE]

[COLOR=RoyalBlue][B]Ezekiel:[/B] What I like about your piece is the messy grungy feeling. The choice of colors and the font all fit together nicely. And I love the expression on his face as it really fits what the piece says. The only thing I don?t care for is the border; the outer dash one is fine it?s the inner red one that I don?t care for. Still over all I love how well your piece fits the words.

[B]sakurasuka:[/B] What I like about your piece is how everything flows together. The colors blend beautifully and the border is gorgeous. The placement of the text and the circles add a nice touch. What I don?t care for is the over all picture doesn?t seem to fit the words. It just fits together too well. I hope I makes sense.

Anyway, great work, both of you. ^_^ For this one my vote goes to [B]Ezekiel[/B]. [/COLOR]

[Riku]

[COLOR=DarkOrchid][SIZE=1][FONT=Tahoma]Without dragging this on too long, this pains me to only vote for one out of these two beautifully made pieces. Alas, it must be done. u.u,

My vote goes to.... [B]Ezekiel[/B].

[B]sakurasuka[/B]- your piece is just beautiful. It's so calm and loud at the same time, not to mention cute. ^^ The lightness of the pinks and darkness of the oranges work and blend really well together and not to mention the very awesome border. The whole stock is simply wonderful and I totally fell in love with the creativeness of the vectoring and splatters. The little face by the text kicks arse as well. XD The thing I have a problem with is... well, the font for the whole saying. I know you've already pointed this out, but it just doesn't go well with the whole piece. And the stock just doesn't go with the whole Art-sy theme, I guess. Even though music is art... but whatever. But truly, this is just amazing... watercolours, you say? I'm absolutely stunned. Beautiful job, my friend. *cries and hugs you* ;-;

[B]Zeke[/B]- the thing that got me when I first saw it was the wonderful brightness of this piece! The colours work oh so well together and it just.... screams in loudness and colour. Which I hope makes sense... >.>; Anyways, the stock went so well with the Art quote... Ebisu's like, "WTF?!" XD I love the way you made the text white and glow with orange. It's all placed in a very neat fashion and it just pops out at you with it's orangey goodness. I totally adore the stripe background... it's so beautiful and it's a hore... I'm telling you cause it's so shmexy! =D
The font you used for the Art Studio and all the different artists was very stunning. And also when you Overlayed (I think =/) all of it with the background.... I just fell in love with it. *hugs and pets it* :3 The thing I don't like is the red border around the whole thing. I mean, you've got a pink and orangey thing going here... the red just... sticks out a little. And the pink stroke around Ebisu... not loving it for some reason. *pokes the crap out of the line*
In other words, fantastic job on this piece, my friend, Zeke. I really love the ink splatters that you made by hand! It's all so wonderful and cute. Pixels really are dears, aren't they?

Well, beautiful job again, sakurasuka and Ezekiel. You both definitely deserve to win. I just wish there was two 1st places instead of one.

*cries and hugs you both*

;u;[/FONT][/SIZE][/COLOR]

[Horendithas]

[COLOR=Sienna]I can see that this is not going to be an easy choice. Each piece has aspects that outdo the other and I agree with Keyblade Wielder, both of you certainly deserve to win.

[B]Ezekiel[/B], your piece really fits the guidelines beautifully. The outright clash of orange and pink with the text right near the center top is beautifully done. And the expression on the character?s face is priceless. I also love the messy feel and wacky border you?ve done as well. Overall it?s excellent. The only thing I don?t like is the tiny bit of yellow/gold in the piece, but even it clashes and fits the theme.
[B]
sakuraskuka[/B], your piece is different in that it?s beautiful. The colors are well done and even the font goes well. I agree with SunfallE in that the border is fantastic and overall it?s just hard to find anything wrong with your piece. Which brings me to my only complaint. Although it?s beautifully done it really doesn?t match the saying in the text, but that?s a minor flaw as it fits together so well.

In the end I?m going to vote for [B]Ezekiel[/B] because I feel their piece fits the words a little better. You guys certainly didn't make that an easy choice. Best of luck to both of you. [/COLOR]

[DeGHead]

[B]Sakurasuka:[/B] I REALLY like this one, and oh god am I glad you had a change in handicaps. The first thing I really like about this is how you have the general picture soft and simple, but then the circular splatters are there to add a little something extra. The only thing I see that I even somewhat don't like, is the fact that yes, orange and pink DON'T mix... ewww...

[B]Ezekiel:[/B] Your piece is really interesting, and I had a little fun trying to read the words on the right side, but overall it just looks too messy. I think there are so many different things and colors going on, that it's a little too much. Now this could just be my "amateur eyes", but it's what I think.

[B]Sakurasuka[/B] gets my vote.

[r2vq]

This is a tough one.

[B]Sakurasuka[/B], the piece is definately easy on the eyes. The soft colours, and the beautiful model scale well together. My two favourite parts are "Art Studi~" written at the top, and the splatters. Especially since they're done by hand. The face in the corner is cute, but the text next to is hard to read because of the font/size/colour. I don't think the picture reflects the quote well (or vice versa), nor was it well placed. Other than that, I likes it.

[B]Ezekiel[/B], I think your piece resembles vomit, but the text is much better. The little blurred versions (or is that a glow?) beneath your font receives a <3 from me. It brings out the words without being totally obtrusive. Just like others, the text in the back made me want to read it, and contrary to Retribution, I love how it looks like Ebisu is criticizing it in the foreground. Unlike Sakurasuka's, though, the piece is almost painful to look at, with the busy nature of splatter, lines, borders, text, glows, transperencies... etc. Although, because of that, I think it seems to relate more to the quote than Sakurasuka's piece.

To both, of you. Congratulations on making it this far. It was definately well deserved. This isn't lame, it's art.

My vote goes to [b]Ezekiel[/b] because I feel his piece fits the text more than Sakurasuka's.

-r2

[Aaryanna]

[COLOR=SeaGreen][B]Ezekiel[/B]: Your piece definitely matches the saying on it. The glaring colors, funky lines and textures just make his expression all that more enjoyable. And the border is a combination of the outer dashes look nice to the inner red looks kind of weird. What really cracks me up is the subtle text underneath on the right side and of course the little dedication in the lower right hand corner. It was fun realizing what you had put there. ^_^ The only thing I don?t like is that the character looks a little distorted on my screen, not by much though.

[B]sakurasuka[/B]: Your piece is stunning in how it goes together so well. I love the colors and the circles and borders look great. The little smiley face is fun and I like how you have a little heart in one of the circles. I also like your choice for the person as she seems to fit in quite nicely with all the effects you have done. The only thing I don?t like is the placement of the actual saying. It just seems kind of out of place.

In the end I vote for [B]Ezekiel[/B].[/COLOR]

[2010DigitalBoy]

Ah, both so great!

Sakurasuka - I love the swirlie thingies!!! Also, your border is really cool, and your text looks good. It's more simplistic than Ezekiel's, but that wont effect my vote. I like the softness of it, and that chick is cute.

Ezekiel - Yours is very very cool, especially since I could totally see that guy from Naruto saying that XD I love the background for it's complexity and overall niftiness. Your border isn't as cool as sakura's but your text looks better.

Because her pic fits the text so well and her background was painstakingly crafted, I choose Ezekiel.

[jigglyness]

I would have to go with [b]ezekiel[/b]. The overall feel fits well with the text. it really does look like vomit and the text really isn't all that great. The colors are really out there which i envisioned orange and pink to really be. The stock fits pretty well also since he looks repulsed at the color, which once again fits in with the text. I like the border also. It fits well with the piece since it's....different.But maybe try to change the font to match with the piece. The font is too simple, maybe go for a funky type of font to match with the funkiness of the piece. >.<

[Delta]

[COLOR=#35425E]Ah, a satisfying conclusion to an extremely entertaining tournament! Thanks you very much, [b]Lunox, Ikillion, and all the participants[/b]: [i]Handicap Battles![/i] would've been different without ye, but I'm sure as hell that it'd be less fun.

[CENTER][b]sakurasuka - 2
Ezekiel - 6[/b]

[SIZE=8][COLOR=Red][b]EZEKIEL IS THE WINRAR!1!!one![/b][/COLOR][/SIZE][/CENTER]

If anyone wants to dwell, reminisce, rant or rave on/about this match (or [HB!] in general), feel free to post in this thread.

Delta out![/COLOR]

[Ezekiel]

[SIZE=1]omg o_o

I honestly can't believe I won this. I was pretty convinced I'd be destroyed in this round 'cuz suka's piece was just incredible.

Thanks so much, sakurasuka, for being an excellent opponent. And for teaching me how to do glowy text, because damn, I'm using it all the time now.

<3 Hope this will be around next year? Was lots of fun.

PS. 'suka got 3 votes.[/SIZE]