Creativity - 5/5
I love the application of this theme! It really seems like some kind of monolith of nature--it reminds me of the machines from Studio Ghibli's Castle in the Sky. I can see and identify all three fusions clearly, and in general it just looks great. Good job here.
Color & Value - 3/5
You have lovely colors here, but I do have to say that my favorites are the body's tan and the Shaymin's leafy green. The other greens are a little off. For contrast, I'd suggest leaving the head and legs as the body's tan. This is because the greens of the head, legs, and feet claws clash with the other shades, and also take away from them. The claws and the flowery/leafy back are the most visually interesting parts of the work, but the other greens compete for attention with it. What would really drive this work home is not just a tan body, but a tan body topped with green moss, almost like you already have on the top of the "knees"! Take some of those moss pieces and cap off the tan Groudon spikes with them. This will really set the body apart from its accents, and let us appreciate them without them fighting for attention.
The bright green highlights on Groudon's crests are too bright. They draw a lot of attention. Take that highlight down a few shades and it'll be perfect.
You mentioned being worried about the claws on the hands--don't, they look great and stand out great thanks to their darker outlines. Those outlines help distance them from the more "palm-y" parts behind them, making those curled claws really come out at us. Great work there.
Form - 4/5
Love the pose you've chosen here--it gives us the impression of not only a monolith, but a powerful one. Keeping the curled claws was a great choice, and that bit of motion makes this a lot more dynamic than it would be without it! I agree that the back leg is a little lackluster--I think it's mostly because it's turned too far toward us. We see the front of our right one's claws because that leg would be facing us, but the other should have a more flat bottom with the claws stacked behind each other and going toward the left, since we'd be able to see where the foot meets the ground better in profile.
As far as creating this ultimate legendary's anatomy goes, you did great. You mentioned the leaves maybe being too overpowering, but they're fine! The suggestion I'd make there is either shortening it's "height" on the back (horizontal width at this angle), or bring it further up. Thematically, something like this is more likely to grow around the shoulders and upper back than near the tail. The natural cuve of Shaymin's leafy bundle would have also gone better with the curved neck than the flat surface. The only other thing is taking the head and nudging it to the right just a little--the distance it is from the shoulders makes it seem like this beefy creature has a little bit of a narrow neck for its size. Otherwise, great job here.
Technique - 5/5
You mentioned that scratching isn't your thing, which made me excited to see how you handled this challenge technically. The verdict? You did awesome! It's an incredibly clean fusion. The way you layered Shaymin's leaves is really, really nice, and I love how you've dispersed greenery throughout the figure. Your thoughts behind bringing the claws out more were spot-on and a great decision. Your skills really shone in this great, clean fusion.
Overall - 17/20
This was a fantastic sprite. If you make changes to the head and leg colors, I'd love to see it--what a cool creation, really! Thanks so much for sharing this with us.
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