[WAR: Season II] Drawn Art

[Rival Max]

Listen. I understand that Fakemon design is supposed to be fun and cool and I know that you meant well.

However, designing a monster is an art entirely of its own. I have a concept but I still haven't gotten to flesh it out and THEN I have to worry about making a freaking masterpiece on top of that. I do hope that future weeks don't require us to design anything else because all that's doing for me is adding extra stress on top of the stress sundae I've been enjoying lately. >_>

So yeah, may or may not be able to get an entry in. :\

Sorry to sound harsh but I'm hoping you can understand where I'm coming from. For people who are wanting to participate in as many contests as possible for WAR, hopefully you can see why having to design a Fakemon adds unnecessary stress.

Maybe next year we just need to have a Pokemon design competition so that way we can bunch all this kind of stuff into that section. x] For designing Fakemon, Fusions, Crossbreeds, Megas, whatever.

Its a art challenge Speed.. I would hope all the challenges would be tough enough to test your creativity and skill out. If the challenges were to be more simple it would be unfair for those of us who really only have creativity. People with advanced editing programs already have a huge edge over anyone without a tabelt and photoshop.

[SassySnivy]

Its a art challenge Speed.. I would hope all the challenges would be tough enough to test your creativity and skill out. If the challenges were to be more simple it would be unfair for those of us who really only have creativity. People with advanced editing programs already have a huge edge over anyone without a tabelt and photoshop.

Yes, I know. But the thing is artwork and creating a full-blown design are on different sides of the spectrum. I didn't say that the challenges needed to be simpler, just not as much monster designing. You can have a good prompt that requires creativity without requiring a full-blown original character design.

And that isn't necessarily true. If you've mastered your own program of choice, you can do anything and can do it well. It's less to do with technicalities and more to do with skill.

[VeloJello]

Yes, I know. But the thing is artwork and creating a full-blown design are on different sides of the spectrum. I didn't say that the challenges needed to be simpler, just not as much monster designing. You can have a good prompt that requires creativity without requiring a full-blown original character design.

Not every prompt is going to appeal to every person, though. Some artists are really good at character design and really love it, so they want to show that off, and that's fine. Other artists don't enjoy character design and don't want to do it, and that's fine, too! But each week is going to be a different challenge, and there will be other weeks. Last year, there were two prompts containing character design (create a fake Mega, create a full-blown Fakemon), and there was still plenty of participation. For me, personally, if you want an example, look at Creative Writing. I absolutely loathe like writing historical fiction, so I'm not going to participate this week, and it's not Neo's fault or anyone else's that I pretty much can't participate. I personally think it's good that different artists should get a chance to show different skillsets.

[Neo Emolga]

Yes, I know. But the thing is artwork and creating a full-blown design are on different sides of the spectrum. I didn't say that the challenges needed to be simpler, just not as much monster designing. You can have a good prompt that requires creativity without requiring a full-blown original character design.

It happens. I got stuck on trying to figure out what new typing to create, and the only ones I could come up with (Sound, Celestial, and Imagination) got me stuck on trying to visualize what kind of Pokemon would fit those types. I also doubted reusing a fakemon I had already created years ago (Narsaka the legendary of Imagination) would have been permitted. Unless... I redrew him. Hmm, you know, that might have been a great question to ask if I still had time! XD

So no sweats, if you don't get anything in, there's still plenty of time left in the upcoming weeks. Sometimes, we have that week were things just don't click for some reason and often just getting a fresh new theme and new stuff to work with is all you need to get your inspiration and motivation back to jump into action. Here's to hoping next week's theme is more of a comfort zone for you, because I'd love to see your work. :3

[SassySnivy]

Okay. I understand a little better now that it's been put into perspective. Maybe I'm just being too hard on myself lately to do as many competitions as possible and win as much as possible. I told myself that I was wanting to get 2nd place on WAR MVP or even first so when I have to miss out of a week it really takes a toll on me.

[Pokemon Trainer Sarah]

I think you're putting too much pressure on yourself Speed. :) One of the things I love about how Coru judges is that he really takes creativity into account. Not just with the idea itself but with how you posed the Pokemon or composed the artwork etc. That means even of you are not the absolute #1 artist on PXR, you can still win points by being creative. It's less about making something perfect, which makes it much more accessible to everyone! Monster design is one way to bring out that creativity and I think requiring a new type was brilliant. I really liked seeing all the new types!

In short, I think you need to calm down a little or you will burn yourself out. And we care about you and don't want that to happen! I didn't have time to enter everything I wanted to this week either, and most people are probably in the same boat.

Also awesome work everyone who entered!

[Morzone]

My only personal requirement for my fakemon creations is: Would it work in the game? I try to imagine the creations in the battle stage in any Pokemon game,. If I think it looks really fake, then I'd start over. With the drawing at least, not with the idea/theme.

[Steel Lunpara]

Name: Magikcthulu
Fakemon Type: Eldritch/Water Type
Description: Magikcthulu, the Eldritch Pokemon, is a being far beyond the comprehension of our feeble minds. The appearance that we see may not be its true form, or even real at all. It has been known to drive those it comes near to insanity, lacking any logic or reason that makes sense to humans. It is not known to appear in this dimension, but those who have somehow seen it have reported bizarre "curses," such as finding one's pockets full of Styrofoam every morning. If you somehow come across the Pokemon on your travels, it is recommended that you hold your hands above your head, scream, and run to the nearest shelter to curl up into the fetal position at and cry.
Entry:
WAR Team: Trainer
Extra Details:Sorry it was so close to being late, I've been having a bit of a busy week. I saw how all you guys were making some legitimate fakemon, ones that could actually be used in a game, if the type were real? So I... I did not. It started with making a "Magikarp Type" and ended with a lovecraftian horror.

[Coru]

Ok, so here are the results (I will also edit them into the Week 1 results reserved post)
All of the entries were great and showed that you all worked hard on them. Well Done everyone!
Also, I apologise, Speed, that this theme wasn't one you were comfortable with. I like to try and balance the themes in the WAR so more people can join in, but that does mean that some people may opt out one week as it isn't their cup of tea. I wanted to start Week 1 with a really creative piece which looked interesting and fun to try and draw attention to the contest so people wouldnt think it was too simple or not interesting. I think that based on what you said though, this week's theme would be better for you. :)
@Mad Max

Spoiler:

Theme: 9/10
Creativity: 8/10
Artistic: [Experimentation: 3/5 | Accuracy: 4/5] 7/10
Effort: 7/10

Total: 31/40
Comments: I like this one plainly due to the way it works. It is simple yet very effective. If pokemon were to create a pokemon like this, many would rage due to the no inanimate objects thing but if I saw this, I wouldn't mind. It works and I can imagine this to be a pokemon. You completely understood the brief and stuck to it very well. Also, I have never seen a 'plastic' type before so that gives you creativity points. It is really interesting. The resistances are also logical. I know they weren't needed for this brief, but I appreciate the logical type matching. I feel that you could have done more with the background. This brief wasnt in need of a background, however, it would award a small amount of marks if done well. Although it fits your style well and does go with the piece, I feel to get those one or two extra marks, you could have done a little bit more with it, however, the main subject, the pokemon, gave you the majority of the marks. One thing I would say, and this is me being very picky, so it isn't a flaw at all, just a suggestion, I would try to stylize your outlines a bit more as they seem to get lost in the piece as they are so uniform in thickness and black. I would suggest, if you are to keep that style, maybe change up the colours slightly so they match the colour of the area. e.g. The red label could have a dark red outline. This would then make the outlines less harsh and would make them seem more part of the piece itself. That, however, was only me being picky. As a piece of art itself it stands well. Great Job!

@JamestheTyphlosion

Spoiler:

Theme: 5/10
Creativity: 8/10
Artistic: [Experimentation: 3/5 | Accuracy: 3/5] 6/10
Effort: 7/10

Total: 26/40
Comments: Now, this is good, but you lost quite a few marks when you didn't follow a certain part of the brief. You gave it a Fire/Dark typing, when the brief asked for a new pokemon typing. This could have done well if not for that one little mistake, but as a piece in itself regardless of the brief it is good. You can imagine it being part of the Zorua/Zoroark line and it works. The colour scheme is good and I like the style. The shading is good too. However, I feel that the right leg looks rather flat. It doesn't seem to have any shading on it at all. This makes it look a little flat. You could have done with adding a small shadow on the leftmost part of the leg and could have tried to add a shadow that the left arm may cast on the leg. However, everywhere else, the shading is good. None of the colours are too harsh and looks like a genuine pokemon. One final thing I have to comment on is the fire. I feel that although the way you did it was good, it didn't really fit the style of this piece. This piece seems to emphasise and include the outlines and as the flames are absent of these outlines, it looks out of place. So if you were to add and outline and then colour in the fire in a similar manner to what you originally did, I feel it would look better. Good Job. :)

@Nekomata

Spoiler:

Theme: 9/10
Creativity: 9/10
Artistic: [Experimentation: 4/5 | Accuracy: 3/5] 7/10
Effort: 8/10

Total: 33/40
Comments: I like this a lot due to the glowy effects of it. It really suits the fact that it is meant to be a light/dark type. That itself is something that I like too. Two contrasting types, those are my favourite pokemon typings. That is why I am so excited for Volcanion. Anyway. It suits the theme really well and it is really creative with the typing and the glowy effects will certainly award you more points for that. You also put a lot of effort into this. It must have been hell just to do all of those stars let alone the pokemon itself. The one issue I have with this is the pose. Due to the colour being very similar to the background, the pose doesn't really help distinguish the true shape of the fakemon. At first glance, it may look like it has one wing, but when inspecting it, you can see that the front wing covers almost half of the body due to the pose. I feel that if the wing was drawn at a slightly different angle to the body, it would have been a little more obvious of the shape and anatomy of the pokemon. However, this certainly doesn't take much away from the piece, it just takes a little longer to take everything from the piece. I like this a lot and I really appreciate the amount of effort that really went into this. Well Done!

@lorii

Spoiler:

Theme: 9/10
Creativity: 7/10
Artistic: [Experimentation: 3/5 | Accuracy: 4/5] 7/10
Effort: 9/10

Total: 32/40
Comments: This is an interesting piece. The fact that you gave 3 extra positions of the pokemon will give you extra effort marks. I also like the typing. It seems to be a new take on the 'space' typing but very different at the same time. I also like how it seems futuristic. The shading fits with the type it is and how it is robotic. The shading portrays the blockiness and sharpness of the angles and edges that this pokemon has. Which is good. I also like the way it has it's own light sources. Although it makes the shading a little awkward, it seems to work. The only issue I have with this is the arm-like extensions on the bottom that attack the the bottom orb. They look ok, but look quite flat and it isn't clear what exactly they do. It looks a little like they go behind the orb, but it also looks like it attaches to the sides of the orb. I feel a little bit more shading on this would make it a little more clear. Good Work! :)

@Suicune's Fire

Spoiler:

Theme: 9/10
Creativity: 7/10
Artistic: [Experimentation: 4/5 | Accuracy: 3/5] 7/10
Effort: 7/10
Total: 30/40
Comments: I like this for the simplicity it has. It is effective. It symbolizes they backstory very well and I can se this as a genuine pokemon. I also like how it doesn't resemble a different type at all so it is like a stand alone of it's own type. I also think the style is very pokemon-like and suits the piece a lot. The fact it doesnt have a background makes it refreshing as the design of the pokemon is not lost completely and stands out more. The one issue I have with this is the shading. Some areas do not need it and look good without it and I think the paterns it has adds depth the the piece, but some areas are hard to distinguish whether they are in the background or foreground. The main things that suffere from this are the arms. However, they are very thin so I know it could be an issue to try and portray it better. It isn't a major issue though because after a while, you can tell what it is intended to be like. The only other thing I think needs a tiny bit of improvement is the horn-like extension on the head. I don't exactly know if it is meant to be shaped like an L with it pointing forward or not, so if that is made a little clearer, it would improve it a bit. However, I like the piece. Well done!

@MoogleSam

Spoiler:

Theme: 9/10
Creativity: 6/10
Artistic: [Experimentation: 3/5 | Accuracy: 3/5] 6/10
Effort: 7/10
Total: 28/40
Comments:This is a good idea with some well thought through plans. I also like the different forms. I like those types of pokemon as it makes them a little more desirable due to there being different versions. Such as Spinda and the Flabébé line. Also, the way you drew it is quite good. The folds seem natural due to how you drew it and I like the colours. However, I have a few issues. The shading isn't the best. I feel like some areas are shading a bit incorrectly. The left and right legs seem to both be shaded as if there was a light source pointing from the outside area of it. Meaning that the shading implies that there are two light sources, which isn't true if you take into account your other shading. I know the paper folds differently, but the shadows would still be in one consistant direction, unless the folds themselves are creating shadows of their own. So I suggest have three tones if you wish to keep it simple. The original tone, the highlight and shadow. Then take into account where the light source is, and then shade it making sure that the highlights always fall upon the areas closest to and facing the light source. One last thing, you could have made the paint go in different directions when the paper folds to make it look more natural, but this is minor. Overall, good job.

@Lady Darkrina

Spoiler:

Theme: 9/10
Creativity: 7/10
Artistic: [Experimentation: 4/5 | Accuracy: 2/5] 6/10
Effort: 7/10
Total: 29/40
Comments: This is quite refreshing to have a hand drawn piece amongst all of the digitally drawn ones. It's nice. I also like the idea. I love Dragon types so I like it haha. I also like the idea of there being an 'Undead' type. I can see a few being this type (even though all not undead themselves of course) Such as Cubone and marowak, Banette etc. The drawing itself is also good as the anatomy looks mostly correct. Overall it is a good design. It has a few small flaws though. The one main flaw is the colouring. I feel like it is quite colourless and there is little shading in places. Although the colourlessness is completely intended as it is bone, I feel that a more creamish colour would have been better so you could give it white highlights. I also think because of it being a white paper, it makes it seem a little bit flat in areas and making it hard to distinguish some features. All of this would be sorted with a slight change in colour and maybe a few touch ups on the shading to add some shadows in a few areas and highlights in others. Other than that. Well Done. Good work!

@Velocity

Spoiler:

Theme: 9/10
Creativity: 9/10
Artistic: [Experimentation: 4/5 | Accuracy: 4/5] 8/10
Effort: 9/10
Total: 35/40
Comments: I wondered if you would enter this year after winning twice last year, haha. You didn't disappoint.
Your style fits very well with the design. The background is also fully incorporated creating an overall great piece. I also like how you have an evolutionary line. Although it gives little merit as I asked for one, it would give you maybe an extra point. I also like how your type seems to be in the pokemon but also in the atmosphere of the piece itself. Shading is accurate, anatomy is good and there is little I can fault with this to be honest, which I don't like as I like to give constructive criticism for everyone haha. Good Work!

@Morzone

Spoiler:

Theme: 9/10
Creativity: 7/10
Artistic: [Experimentation: 3/5 | Accuracy: 3/5] 6/10
Effort: 7/10
Total: 29/40
Comments: Another hand drawn piece. I like it. Many seem to submit digital pieces as if they think that they are of higher quality or are more comfortable with it, so it is always nice to see hand drawn ones. This is an interesting piece. I like how it is a 'silk' type. It is something outside the box. I like it. I can also see it as a pokemon. It has that cuteness most pokemon do but looks cool as well. I also like the entry you did. It is quite interesting and a very unique idea. However, I feel the main thing that let this down is the shading, moreso the lack of. This lack of shading leaves the pokemon to look a little flat and it then lowers the quality of it. I feel if you had maybe added a bit of shading to the white ghost like areas, then it would have looked much better and would have scored higher. However, I do like how you have made the ribbon silvery-gold (That's what I get from the picture anyway) Apart from that one issue, it is good. Well done. :)

@PTGigi

Spoiler:

Theme: 9/10
Creativity: 9/10
Artistic: [Experimentation: 4/5 | Accuracy: 4/5] 8/10
Effort: 8/10
Total: 34/40
Comments: I like this one. The vibrant colours suit the fakemon and I like the background too. However, it doesn't really go with the style of the fakemon, which is a little bit of a negative. However, the two styles are good in themselves and both work nicely, maybe just a bit of refinement to brng the together would help. I think the fakemon is well designed and I like the style. I also like the idea of all fossil pokemon getting their own type. It would work really well and would stop them from being stuck with a part rock typing. I like the way you did the fakemon and how it looks quite eyecatching. It really makes me want to have that fakemon on my team right away. One thing I would say that could improve it could be the shading in some parts. You have used shading well in some areas, such as the back arm and leg, however, on the side of the fakemon that we see, there is hardly any shading so looks quite flat. If you were to add some shading in some areas, it could give the fakemon more character by adding a bit more texture to it. However, this is not a completely major thing as it looks good without it, just a suggestion to enhance the look of the fakemon. Good Job!

@The Frost Dragon

Spoiler:

Theme: 9/10
Creativity: 9/10
Artistic: [Experimentation: 4/5 | Accuracy: 4/5] 8/10
Effort: 7/10
Total: 33/40
Comments: This one cracks me up. haha. It is genius. Pure genius. I never expected a piece like this and it wasn't what I was originally looking for, but it is all interpretation. You stuck to the brief and you decided to go to a sort of comedical approach. I love that and it will definitely give you quite a lot of creativity points for that. I also like the style. Very simple but it works. The fakemon design itself is actually quite good regardless of what it was intended to be and the shading is correct and the background helps add some prospective to the piece. One thing I would say, and this is me being picky, is that I don't like the way the flames have been done. I mentioned a similar point for JamesTheTyphlosion's piece. The fire does not fit with the style of the piece. Although the fire is done well, it doesn't suit the rest of the piece and that is why it looks a little weird to me. I feel if you change the fire to match your style more, it would be a big improvement to the piece. By matching the style, I mean giving it an outline and shading it in a similar fashion to the fakemon where it is blocked shading rather than gradients. or smudges colours to create a fire type pattern. Overall, love your take on this. Good Job!

So that means:
RESULTS:

Gold:

Spoiler:

Team The Phoenix Battalion
Velocity
35 POINTS
Gains 3 points

Silver:

Spoiler:

Team The Prism League
PTGigi
34 POINTS
Gains 2 points

Bronze:

Spoiler:

Team The Prism League
Nekomata
33 POINTS
Gains 1 point

Team Trainer
THE FROST DRAGON
33 POINTS
Gains 1 point

This, of course, means that next week, to balance out the points system, sadly, we will not have a 3rd place winning. This is to keep the points system balanced and fair.
If there are any draws of any kind, there will be some form of compromise in the points system sadly.

[Suicune's Fire]

Cool cool. :] Do we get this week's theme yet? o: Or will that come later too? Thanks, Coru!