Contest 2010 Calendar Contest! (Drawing)

I bet a lot came a lot closer to the deadline because good art takes time.

 

We had a few good entries early in, but we didn't even have 12 until... last week? Seriously. People really kept us waiting! And then we had a few great entries after the deadline that I would have also liked to have included in the first cut.

 

I see, i bet it was so hard choosing the final 12. Because there must have been so many good entries in the end. I am amazed you manged to chose so fast. I was expecting it to take much longer. Especially because so many people on here entered.

But as i said a lot of them would be at the end because of how long it can take. I am not doing any thing during the day at the moment so i had the time to spend all day on it.

I am looking forwards to seeing the other entries.

 

One of the entry appears seasoned like for a particular month I thought they were all supposed to me mutual so you could use them for any month. A lot of the other entries look like they could be for any season though and are very good ^^

 

Oh yeah, i see that now too! Lol!

 

Ah, I'm getting butterflies.
I'm so nervous waiting for the voting to finish tomorrow.
Looks like I'll be getting no sleep tonight then. *sigh*

 

Will you be posting those entries as well? I'm really intrigued to see these! They must be fantastic! Or will it be up to the artist to post the entry?

 

We're going to post everything (even the entries received late)... smaller images of everything, but individual artists can always link to larger versions in their posts. (Maybe we can ask people to post links to their pics at standard wallpaper sizes... that would be cool.)

 

Sounds awesome, thanks!

 

is there a way that I can get mine posted? I finished a day or two after the deadline and I would like to share it. It doesn't have to be counted for anything, but I feel like I worked too hard on it to not share it with this community, but if not, it's all right.

 

I'm sorry that you didn't get your entry in on time! We would still definitely love to see it, though, and post it up with the others once the contest is over.

Please PM your picture to Truffle with a note explaining that it was finished late but you'd like to show everyone your hard work. Thanks so much for sharing your picture with us!

 

Awesome I'll go pm her right now c:

 

*Le gasp*! that's a wonderful idea! wallpapers!The entries that made it to the calander would make some great wallpapers, I'm I'm sure that a bunch that did not make the final cut probably would as well! I would totally be up for doing wallpaper sized versions of the art if anyone else is!

 

I would not be up for giving away a wallpaper version of my art this was simply for the contest and It said artwork would only be used for the calander if used at all ext ext. I don't want my art turned into a wallpaper I can do that myself on deviantart. o.O

 

I have had and heard of back experiences when people have allowed wall paper sized versions of their stuff and i have just had to settle a case of someone stealing my work and i wouldn't want to go though that again there was a lot of drama and people got pretty upset.

I wouldn't mind if people used it as a wall paper as is if it fits their screen as long as that is all they use it for.

 

We're not requiring it (which is why we said we would ask), nor are we hosting it - we'll post the small version and it will be the artist's choice as to whether they upload or link larger versions.

 

I'll totally make wallpapers! I have the huuggee image since I scanned at 300dpi.

What are the most common sizes? I thought 800X600 had gone out of favor with newer bigger screens, but 1024 X 768, I wonder what else? I know mine at home is like, 1400 X 900 XD or something like that.

 

I would have to resize mine if they are going that big. Mine is set up for 800x600.

 

That is much better

 

I'd also like to link a better image (in retrospect, I don't think the scanner did any kindness to my images), detail enlargements, and maybe a couple of 'WIP' shots I took (if they look interesting enuff when I dl 'em off my card) - would this be kosher?
(I'd like to see the same from other people, too - it's interesting to see 'behind the scenes')

 

As long as you put them in one post, sure.

We're also talking about the possibility of adding a 13th image (And having the cover image only be on the cover). We had cut back to 12 partly due to the lack of entries in the early stages - but as we ended up with just over 50, it seems that we have some to spare! Most likely, after the cover voting concludes tonight, we'll put up all images that didn't make the mods' cut and have members choose the final picture. As these entries wouldn't be under consideration for the cover or top prize, we will probably allow the entries that came in within a few hours after the deadline.

 

Wow! That's fantastic news, Armeleia!

Also, we were discussing elsewhere that most calendars have 13 months, including December of the previous year since or January of the year following, so the cover image could be replicated as either December or Janaury as well, if you wanted to go that route.

 

I'm not sure what Cafepress will allow us... so we'll see! If it's possible to double up with the cover, I definitely want to so I can see the winner's pic throughout the year too. That said, I think they run Jan-Dec.

But with so many entries, it seems better to have 13. (One of the mods was like "Weren't we doing 13? When did we switch?" "When we had 10 entries." "Oooooh.")

 

There are also several print on demand companies that offer calendars as well, and a way to purchase online individually so you wouldn't have to ship out yourself, if you were interested, that could offer more flexibility in the month, and possibly better prices!

Though you guys do have that Cafepress shop so it makes sense to put it there. XD

 

That's a cool idea.

 

I know I just wanted to be clear like my friend I have had copyright issues in the past... it can be a real pain and it would be a shame since I like DOA so much. Just wanted to make sure ^^

 

lol! ty for that 'slice of life' quote - it made me

I've always preferred the 13- or 14-month format, myself, when purchasing a calendar. I was actually kind of surprised by the letter-size format, too - all the 'hip' calendars thse days seem to be 12"X12".

What I *really* hope is this works out so well as a promo it becomes an annual 'thing'.

...and I would a dolleh 'page a day' calendar.

...just sayin'

 

As it said in the rules that we wouldn't be using the images for anything other than the calendar without permission, we definitely wouldn't be impinging on anyone's intellectual property by doing anything otherwise. We're really big on having permission for everything we do, so you don't need to worry. (We've even already asked Pipos about the finalist whose pictures show recognizable sculpts!)

We're not really realistically expecting to make much money on it (or sell many copies)... we mostly just decided to it it because in the Mijn Schatje plagiarism thread, people had said they would like to do a calendar. Seemed easy enough to organize one, and when we got a cool prize donation...

Cafepress is good for simplicity (and we've already gone with their 8x11.5 format), but I would be interested in hearing your alternatives if they would be cheaper for members or more flexible. Drop me a PM if you have any you've used before that you can recommend.

ETA: OMG, editing to include responses to more posts... I can't seem to get this right!

 

I'm just really eager to see who the artists are. Since I'm still learning about photoshop i would love to talk technique and babble about things I can do to make my art better.

 

The only thing I was bummed about with the calendar was how many computer art pics were chosen.
I really like traditional art, so to see only one or two get in made me sad. TwT

(The pictures are fantastic though, so I'm not really complaining, lol.)

I guess I'm not really in on all this computer art technology, lol. XD

 

I think the dice were (somewhat) loaded against 'analogue' (as opposed to digital, see? ) media by the rather short lead-up time: some techniques, like oil paint (a.k.a. zomg, isn't it frakkin' dry yet?) were entirely out of the question.

With near-infinite opportunities to 'do-over', digital art makes creating a high-impact and professional-looking image on shorter notice a lot less labour-intensive and risky than 'old-skewl'. Also, scanning isn't always exactly kind to 'analogue' pieces - a lot of their character and charm don't translate well to onscreen viewing.

As an artist who works with equal proficiency in both analogue and digital, it was a *rilly* tough call as which path to take. I had a lot of extremely kewl ideas that I knew I could never complete in time (which is why I'm hoping this proves such a stunning success it goes yearly, lol!), not even if I called in 'sick' to work for a week and sat up till half-past-stupid every nite for a month.

 

Lol, that is true. My scanner eats my pictures all the time. >_>
And do-overs... oh geeze, I know what that's like too. XP

I like digital art, don't get me wrong.
I just wish there was an easier way to transfer traditional art to computers.

Which is why I want to get a tablet, lol. XD

 

I am all traditional art wise, which is the reason why i only got one picture in. I think an artist could have done it. mind you i have all day to do it.

 

A good tablet is a beautiful thing...if you can draw without looking at your hand. Much of the most-awesomely fun stuff in the good software can only be used with a pressure-, tilt-, and bearing-sensitve tablet.

Pretty well the best way to digital-image 'analogue' artzes is equally old-skewl: set up a 'copy stand', good lighting & metering, and take a photo. The problem with scanning a piece of 'analogue' art is the light comes from everywhere, all at once, so subtle distinctions in texture are either hyperexaggerated, or washed out completely.

I like scanning for b&w pencil sketches, though - it doesn't look the same as irl, but I find the effect very interesting.

 

Well, a tablet doesn't solve all the problems on Earth, though...I still find it pretty hard to finish a picture in a timely manner even with a tablet - so I just stick to traditional^^

But that scanner-thing...sooo true! I usually don't comlpain about my scans, most of them look very close to the original if I have the settings right (at least they do on my screen ) But this time... Wow, talk about loss of quality! I almost didn't send in my entry when I saw that so many shades and colors got flattened...

But it's great to be able to digitally touch up the tiny mistakes that occur when painting traditionally (I'm notorious with accidental water drops). And in print everything seems to look better than on screen (at least from my verry limited experience )

Oh, I'm really curious about all the entries (and of course about the winner)

 

I think a quarter of the entries were traditional media.... not sure though. I generally prefer traditional media, but I have to admit that I am frequently wooed by the sleek, professional look of a well-colored digital image. Both have their pros and cons.

 

hey, I did it: twice; but I pretty well had to drop any other ongoing project and budget what time I had like a miser to bring them both to completion and do the 9-to-5 wageslave gig.

When I work 'analogue' it doesn't always mean 'traditional' - I had been thinking about an image in the style of illustrator Barbara Reid and how awesomely well-suited it would be to depicting BJD...
but there was no way I was going to be finishing that in time, even if I could find my plasticene, and it hadn't hardened since I used it last.

Though...iirc, the work in that style goes surprisingly fast, once you get going...::harbours regrets and 'coulda-shoulda-woulda':: If I could just keep the cat hair out of it

 

I beg to differ. It takes me twice as long to color digitally than traditionally with copic markers or watercolors. That's how I got my entry done entirely in one day XD I penciled and inked at the office and colored when I got home.

 

Winners are posted.

I am heading over to the new house (I'm actually bringing the DoA prizes and charity auction dolls tonight so that they don't get crushed by the movers), but I will try to get the second round pics up for voting for lucky #13.

 

Yaaay! Congrats to Seisei!

CATS OUT OF THE BAG, I made #6! XD Thanks to everyone who voted for me but I'm so happy Seisei won! If anyone is interested here is the full sized image for my picture :B

 

Thank you and lots of to everyone who voted for my picture!! I really appreciate it 3 There were so many great pics entered, and I'm really excited about this calendar

Looking forward to seeing all the other entries!!!

 

Congrats Seisei, and everyone who 'made it' - and best wishes for those in the running for 'lucky 13'!

I'm thrilled to 'represent' for animal dolls, analogue artzes, the over-40 set, and especially tigers!! I'm glad Pipos gave the 'thumbs-up' on the use of their dolls; I was pretty confident -just from my impression, as a customer and fan, of how they operate- but nothing in this life is a 'sure thing'.

Let the ::snoopydance 4 joyz:: commence - hit it, Maurice!

 

Congradulations, seisei!

 

Congrats, seisei! And congrats to all the winners of the top 12! All the pieces were really lovely, and they all deserved to win.

^Seconding this... I prefer working in digital media, because it just seems to suit my personal style and aesthetic better. My digital pieces are generally done from scratch using a mouse (no tablet... ). It takes me WAY longer to work on a digital piece than my hand-drawn pieces ever did, because it takes a lot more "fiddling" to get the lines and shapes just right. To be honest, I did the majority of my entries at work, since we've been insanely slow lately. (My boss even knew and was okay with it as long as I wasn't shirking my normal duties). If I hadn't been able to do that, I doubt I'd have gotten even one piece finished!

 

A big congrats Seisei!! There were all so many entries, and I'm greatly looking forward to seeing all the rest.

Just a question now though, for the 12 that were picked, is it now alright to post the art somewhere else (as I want to get my entry up in my DA gallery)?

Also a comment on the digital/traditional art time/effort debate. Both mediums have their places. Both have their difficulties and eases and time wise it really depends on what your doing. I've easily spent months on a single digital piece while I can get a traditional done in a single evening. But its also been the same the other way around, where a traditional can take numerous months to finish as well. It really just comes down to what your painting and the amount of effort you put into it. This is just my own thoughts however, gained from my own experience.

Anyway, congrats again to all the winners and good luck to the others!

 

ooh wow, nice surprise with the "lucky 13" thing, more voting! (though too bad mine probably won't be counted because it was super late) ~
congrats seisei~ (lol I watch you on dA!) and I can't wait to see all the entries

And to the traditional and cg conversation...others said everything, both have their pros and cons. I usually work with my tablet because I'm just used to it now and it's convenient that everything I need is just a button click away, but it's a pain to draw clean lines. And some things I prefer doing with traditional mediums. I mainly have digital stuff because I don't have to scan those in and I can paint easier.

 

YOUUU! *points to keelerleah and bows* That is some of the most awesome art I've seen! How do you do it? How long did it take you? What programs did you use?

 

Winners may post their pics elsewhere at this point. People who are still in the running for the Lucky 13 (now posted!) should not post their pics or identify their entries yet.

http://www.denofangels.com/forums/showthread.php?t=317376

 

I never meant for it to be a 'pro-con' thang, I was just posing a theory as to why there might be fewer 'analogue' entries. There are just a lot of analogue media where you not only have to contend with the working time, but also drying time, or prep time...even just hauling stuff out of the cabinet and clearing off a workspace time. And -as an artist I know said once- in digital art, "you never run out of your favorite colour of blue!"

I like analogue and digital work equally, but I chose to take the path less-travelled-by on this go-round because that's how the ideas I wanted to work with occurred. Veiwing the top picks, I was going: ...dummy! Because digital work looks so good onscreen. Whereas a lot of the elements in mine, even the fact it's done in woodburning, kinda washes out, especially at low-res.

...It didn't occur to me until 'after' I could have worked my pictures further, digitally ah, well....
next time ::muahahaha::

 

Wow... I just checked out the "Lucky 13" thread and the mods had a really difficult job narrowing it down! There are so many amazing entries! Looking at the entries for all the contests (design, photography, all of them) just proves that DoA has so much talent!

 

You can combine digital ad analogue arts. I draw all my stuff by hand and touch up and color on photoshop. Im' sure lots of others do that as well. I'm expirimenting a lot since I'm still learning. Though I have seen people color partially digitall and partially with watercolor before and it looked really intriguing.

 

Congrats seisei! And also congrats to everyone else who got in the calendar! There were so many beautiful drawings; I can't wait to see which picture wins the 13th spot!

The majority of my work is done this way, too.

 

*grins* Yes me. lol How did I do it? Um, with practice... I've been working with digital mediums for a few years now but in the beginning I was AWFUL, so it really is just with practice. Time, well this one took about a week to do. Mostly in the evenings and at night (I really dislike painting during the day). And program wise I only have ever just used photoshop.

 

I have a long ways to go...I have only been practicing for a month. My pictures look awful compared to the other entries.

 

Congrats Seisei!! It was too bad my traditional art didn't win. lol. ^ ^ My entry was entry number three..>< may have to check the number. And the lucky 13 seems pretty interesting lol.

 

Holy doodle, there were soooo many gorgeous entries!! Wow, what a tough job that must have been for the mods, I know I could barely narrow it down for my own vote just now. Gosh, just looking at those makes me honored to think I actually made it in. AMAZING JOB everyone!!!

 

I often combine analogue and digital (and have been since I got my first computer and Painter 3.1 'back when') but it didn't feel 'right' for this piece.
Check on the original scan at 300dpi and see if you agree. This is the huge version - approximately 300% magnification on my monitor.
(if you like enuff to dl for wallpaper, feel free and ty for teh luv, but please respect my copyright)

However, I did realize -after the fact- I could have tweaked the colour and grain a touch to help it 'read' better at a lower-resolution. Because of the linework all being woodburned, there is no black in the image (even Maurice and neveR's pupils are only 70% Cool Grey) and while this gives it a warm, coppery patina irl, on a computer monitor (especially the craptastic old CRT I use at work!) a lot of that subtlety is lost.

If you're interested in my techniques, I keep an 'artz' journal (in a sporadic fashion) at http://tigerbaby.livejournal.com/ - I will be posting about my calendar image there in a few days.

 

*gasp* all the entries are gorgeous!!! So glad I didnt make a dork out of myself and actually get one in on time

tigerbaby I just adored yours!!! the more I see images and pictures of thos cheeky little Pipos - the more I want one... *sigh* now I have to hate you.... LOL

And a HUGE congratulations to Seisei what a beautiful concept!! Just love it!!! Looking forwards to next year so I can get it and hang it up!!!

 

Congratulations Seisei!
I'm gutted getting so close and not winning but I'm glad I lost to you cause your entry was amazing! I can't wait to buy the calender for next year. ^_^

 

Congrats Seisei!!