[WAR: Season II] Drawn Art

[Neo Emolga]

With the theme scoring, I felt that they were all good and fascinating, that's why none of them had got low scores, but to get 9 and 10, I wanted it to be explained in depth a bit more, most just had a sentence or two about how they liked the animal rather than maybe rather than something that is a solid reason or an experience. Some I feel were better than others, but I did say the descriptions were not needed, so I didn't completely base it off that, I just decided to give maybe 3 or so marks for the description., even though I could totally understand you all and everything with your reason, I felt like there was a little more that people could have said. I don't know how to put it into words, it is hard to explain what I was looking for with the description for full marks, but hopefully you get at what I mean.

First off, it's not fair to judge a piece of art based on a description that was originally not supposed to be a requirement. You're judging on someone's writing now and that's taking your judging area out of the context in question.

Bottom line is you can't do that kind of thing for this section, especially if you gave no forewarning or notice that would be considered in the scoring (quite the contrary, you made it sound like it was a totally optional thing).

Also, if you want, you could also put in why it is your favourite animal and I will add that to the form. If you don't want to, you don't need to, just remove it from the form. It is just there if you want to interest me with some reading and discussion on here. haha

From what I've put in bold and red, it was wrong for you to judge based on the written description. That was a totally unfair thing to do.

I also agree with Sarah's point. I am really hesitant to give full marks because even a really good piece of work can be improved, so I really do not want to give out full marks as it would give the perception that the artist has mastered that area which, although it may be very good, would be unfair to say because there is always room for improvement of some form, even if it is very minimal.

Then in that same light, you're saying it's impossible to get those last two points.

It's not sending a wrong message if you give a really excellent entry the A+ it deserves for a job well done. From my own personal experiences, I'm willing to give a perfect 100 score for something, but it's got to WOW me HARD. For Week #2, one such entry did that, and I felt it was WRONG to not give it the full and justified credit it deserved. It was unique, it followed the directions perfectly and flawlessly beyond even my expectations, and it executed them with craft, mastery, and precision in ways I've never seen done before in my life. If such an entry comes along and does that, give it full credit where it's due and make that perfect score possible. But if you make it impossible, then your scale and system is broken.

I will say that giving you all 8 could be seen as a little negative from one standing point as it may make it look like I just gave you all that score or that it makes it seem less meaningful, but you all did extremely well with matching the theme, but as I said earlier, I do not like to give out full marks due to the above reasons and to access to top marks, I feel a little more emphasis on the meaning of the piece was needed. Hopefully this is ok. :)

Sorry, but it's not ok. :(

As I said before, please do not judge a drawn art entry based on a written description. I wouldn't judge a Creative Writing entry better if it included a banner, because that's not what the judging is focused on. If a person wanted to make it flashy because they were proud of their work, I'm okay with that, but I'm not considering it when determining their final score. Same thing with a person going into rich detail about why they picked a certain animal to draw. No way should that have any bearing on the scoring when it comes to focus context of the submission.

Also, there's another matter I think that needs to be addressed here:

6: All of this MUST be drawn. This means NO digital programs to enhance your work and the only digital work that may be done is if the work is done without any after effects and is worked on as if it was on a piece of paper. This is to make it fair for all the entrants.

People have been doing this (I can spot the gradients and glows) and you have been overlooking them. Since you can't make something have a perfect gradient or glow on paper, you shouldn't be counting this (or possibly making it count against people) when it comes to final scores.

Please consider these points when you judge Week #3 and #4, and yes, I would like to see Week #2's results reevaluated based on what was mentioned here. The points that Suicune's Fire brought up are important considerations and I feel she's right with the things she said.

[Morzone]

Name:Morzone

Team: The Prism League

Myth/Legend: The Illuminati

Summary/Link: The Illuminati originated in the enlightenment era in Bavaria, Germany. Bavaria is the southern most state in the Germany. The Bavarian Illuminati was created, similar to the free masons, to oppose superstition, religious, and similar influences over state power. The secret organization was created in 1776 and lasted 11 years before an edict by the Duke of Bavaria, Charles Theodore, banned all secret societies. This resulted in the fleeing of the leaders of the Illuminati who had become well publicized as heretics by that time.

Today, the Illuminati are an Urban legend based on the idea that the Illuminati still survives today. According the the legend, the Illuminati is a very powerful underground secret society that is secretly controlling the governments of the world. "Pulling the strings," as it might be called. The Urban legend is represented by the eye of providence, which was the symbol of the Free Mason secret society, a similar society to the Bavarian Illuminati. The original symbol for the Illuminati was in fact the Owl of Minerva, not the eye of providence.

Any organizations claiming to be descended of the Illuminati not only use it as a marketing device instead of keeping it the "secret society" it supposedly is, but also have no factual evidence to prove that they are related to them at all. This leaves the modern day Illuminati nothing, but an Urban legend using the wrong symbol.

Piece of work:

Extra: See those lines coming out of the triangle? those are rays of lights. Whenever I draw rays of light they ALWAYS look weird and messed up to me. Also People: still working on that.

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Man, I thought it was just an interesting coincident when I mentioned the theme scoring. This got a lot bigger than I expected. (sadly, this happens to me often)

My apologies to Corrupt_Voidlich for putting him at the center of all this scrutiny, no one likes to be under that kind of pressure.

I do not apologize for saying what I did though. I want to be able to participate in competitions that are conducted fairly, and judging is a major part in that.

[Coru]

Well I was just explaining my thoughts. The theme was solidly about the connection between you and your favourite animal, this is why I put aside maybe 1 point for it, 2 at the very max but mainly one. I didn't think that was terribly unfair, but ok. I will not do it again if you didn't think it was ok. That is why I said it was optional. I said I didn't know how to word how I judge the description well and I should have worded it differently, maybe then it would have been more agreeable, but if I do wish a description for judging I will mention it.

I didn't say it was Impossible, just that i didn't like to hand out full marks because it is such a subjective concept. I would give out full marks for a piece that is top quality, however, I am weary about it because I know some could improve. I know it isn't giving the wrong message but if I make it easier to get top marks, then why would that be ok as well? How could it be wrong if I myself have not come across a piece that i feel, yes, that is 100% perfect, so I don't give the full marks out and then be picked up on it. However, I have found some that are close, that's why some have got 9/10 in some areas. I think that is a little unfair to say. Especially with art as it is so dependent on the eye of the beholder, so if you see something 'Perfect' I or someone else may not.

Yes, I admit the things I put down may have been a little unclear, that I apologise for and will make sure it does not happen again, but I think it is a little unfair as you have picked up on maybe half or more of the ways I judge that you think is not right. The things you said seem really restricting, I hate to demote marks, that's why I evaluate the piece, see if they have used it too much and I think to myself 'Is that possible without the use of editing software?' In terms of glows, then yes, it is, I have created them myself without the use of editing software so that is why I do not demote marks for that, as I can not be completely certain if the software was used, which would also be wrong if they did not use the editing software and were penalised, is it not?. Gradients are also tricky, they can be created authentically by using tools such as a watercolour tool and any other water based brush tools, which I again have also used and experimented with, which I don't see as taboo in this contest, as watercolours can be used on paper too. So I evaluate if i think it looks authentic and if not, I then re-evaluate based on that. I, however, will mention next time if I feel that they have used editing.

To summarise, I agree that some things should have been clarified better and some may need to be changed, but it is a sweeping statement to say that, a) It is wrong not to give full marks, and b) all effects should be banned, even if I know for a fact they can be done authentically. I don't really understand, to be completely honest, why this has blown to such an extent. I wanted to offer a fun creative environment for artists to collectively come and submit art, but now, it seems like there are some really big restrictions. I am welcome to any ways to improve my judging scheme and style, but I honestly feel that this is a little unfair to me as it is basically saying that a big part of how I judge is wrong. I know it wasn't meant to be the least bit offensive or anything, but this has really made me feel bad about how I judge. It wasn't enough for me to feel bad for some of the entries that didn't place for some of the weeks, but now I have to feel like my judging is failing every one of them. I will defend some of the ways I judge, but I do agree that some need to change a bit.

If you want me to re-judge the week 2, I shall do that along with week 3. I don't have the time to do it now because I'm overloaded with College homework and I just want to have a day to relax, and then I will get on it.
Please respect the reasons for my judging and I judged in an almost identical way in WAR season I, So I don't understand why I am picked up on these 'bad' things now. I am not being stubborn, I am just defending myself and I do agree on some areas, but some I do not.

[purple umbreon]

Um.....If I have to say, I don't really mind how you judged things. Only thing is that you indeed should have been clear that you would also give a few points for description. I don't mind that my entry didn't get any points. It was fun to draw. And for the first week I kind of would have given a few extra points if people made a background too, even if it is optional. If there is no background it feels empty most of the time. I don't have any art knowledge though but I like drawing. And that is why I keep entering. I don't care if I win or not, I am curious to see how others see it. I am not used to drawing and I know I have a lot to learn. That is also why this is a good opportunity to let someone judge my drawings.

[VeloJello]

Name: Velocity.

Team: Phoenix Battalion.

Myth/Legend: The (Grecian) sphinx.

Summary/Link: Click here to learn more about the sphinx's role in myths and lore! Otherwise, stick around for my little explanation of my take on the sphinx.

Basically, I really like Grecian-model sphinxes, although I have adapted certain traits. In my mind, the sphinx exists as a species, and doesn't have the snake tail (in the interest of making sure that the sphinx isn't simply a riddling chimera); they can also have traits from various birds, big cats, and human ethnicities, hence this sphinx's black fur. They're very clever and magical, though most of them have no interest in guarding anything; sitting around at city gates is boring! Thebes here (their real name isn't actually "Thebes", but their real name has been lost to time) is no exception. Thebes is a major figure in a story of mine, and without them, monsters may never have survived to present day, wow! Unfortunately, Thebes themself has been sort of stepped over since their death. The only thing left of their legacy is the image of a dark-furred sphinx whose magic helped out monsters everywhere.

Piece of work:

Spoiler:

Extra: The "they"s and "their"s aren't a slip-up; Thebes is agender.

[Sou]

Name: Sou Cleife
Team: Trainer
Myth/Legend: Pandora's Box
Summary/Link: Read one article of the story here

Alright, and now for your single dose of explanation provided by me~! Well, to be honest, I've always thought that the subjects of Myth's and Legends were really cool. It can range from stories about fictional people, places and even animals. The best kind, for me anyway, are the ones that try to 'explain' why things are the way they are today or try to teach a lesson to its readers. I won't get into that, but needless to say, its because of that I chose Pandora's Box. Pandora, in the story, was the name of the first woman made by the God's to be presented to Prometheus' brother as his wife. It was a 'gift' to him, so to speak, but in reality, it was a punishment for his brother, Prometheus, stealing fire from them. The God's didn't want man to have anything so to speak, so they crafted the first woman, making her beautiful among other things and finally giving her a box. The important thing here, is that they told Pandora that inside the box were gifts, but that she should never open it. The catch is that they bestowed curiosity onto her as well before presenting her to man. As you know by the story, she did indeed open the box, releasing all the bad things into the world. Some don't specify what these things are, but they all mention that the last thing she did release was Hope. This is why there is Hope in the jar as all the little 'ghosts' are escaping. Some say the bad things were the seven deadly sins, so I decided to write the names of the sins in the largest ghost. The box is also something constantly debated on, some saying it was a Box, others saying it was a jar called Pithos. Pithos were rather large jars and I came across some text saying people were ever put in them for burying. I liked the idea of a large jar containing these things, so I decided to use the jar version rather then a jewelry box of sorts.

Piece of work:

Spoiler:

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Extra: Couldn't seem to keep my hands steady for this, but it was alot of fun irregardless :>

[Arrow-Jolteon]

Name: Arrow-Jolteon
Team: Jupiter Mining Corporation
Myth/Legend: The Loch Ness Monster
Summary/Link: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/ancient...loch-ness.html

The Loch Ness Monster was one of my very first encounters with folklore, and one that fascinated me for years. Aquatic monsters are just so cool, and in some ways I feel they're more versatile and mysterious than land-based creatures. The story of the Loch Ness Monster officially begins in the year 565 A.D. when St. Columba allegedly saved a man from the monster's attack. However even before then there were tales in the area about Water Horses and other lake monsters, which some people tie to the legend of the loch. In my piece I based the monster's design on the Pictish Beast, which you can see here , and which some people believe may represent the elusive monster.

Piece of Work:


Extra: I wanted to do so much more with this awful piece, but I ran out of time. Need to work on my water.

[Shruikan]

Name: Shruikan
Team: Trainer
Myth/Legend: Tristan and Isuelt
Summary/Link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tristan_and_Iseult
Pretty much, Tristan(or Tristram) was one of the Knights of the Round Table, and he was tasked with escorting Iseult across the sea from Ireland to marry his uncle King Mark. Along the way the two accidentally drank a love potion intended for Iseult and Mark to take at their wedding. It's effect caused them to fall deeply in love for either three years or the rest of thier lives. Thought they were hopelessly in love, they both knew they could never be together, and Iseult and Mark were married, while Tristan returned to the Round Table, but they never forgot each other.
Piece of work:
Extra: I drew them as pokemon cause I suck at drawing people :P ALso, I would have done a lot more to this, but as it is a barely had enough time to get it to this point. Tristan's holding a Harp because that's what he was famous for. Now let's see how many mistakes you can find :P

[purple umbreon]

Name: Purple umbreon
Team: Awesome
Myth/Legend: De bokkenrijders (buckdrivers)
Summary/Link: Buckdrivers were people or ghosts that drove on bucks in the air. Those people were said to have made a pact with the devil and drove during the night on flying bucks. They did that with the use of a magical spell. Once a year they went to Mookerheide to see the devil.
Buckdrivers are also associated with groups of bandits and thieves. They could work in group or alone. They were active in parts of Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany.
Piece of work:
20150627_134803[1].jpg
Extra: Well, I tried. That circle is the moon, on the right you have part of the church tower, on the bottom the roof of a house and then you have my failed attempt of a buckdriver. It is just a legend. I don't know that much about it.

[Elysia]

Name: Elysia
Team: Yoga Bears
Myth/Legend: Princess Mononoke/The Spirit Princess
Summary/Link: I'm a link to the best movie of all time's wiki page [spoilers!]
It's, uh, not a real-world legend, but Miyazaki has kind of been a legend in the film industry, and also he makes movies with beautiful backstories and things. I chose to illustrate the titular Princess Mononoke (translates roughly to "the princess of the wild spirits"). In-universe, Princess Mononoke is seen as a legendary spirit of the forest, and the people of the surrounding villages mistake her for a human girl who has been overtaken by the forest spirits (she's really just a normal human girl who has a penchant for climbing things, biting people, and riding giant wolves). She rides alongside the wolf spirit, Moro, and Moro's two cubs, and she often wears a mask lined/with a giant mane of with wolf fur. She repeatedly attacks humans who infringe too far into the forest, and she and Moro attempt to defend the forest and its spirits from the humans. Although she was a human who was abandoned by her parents as they fled from the forest spirits when she was a baby, she believes herself to be fully wolf, and will lash out at humans in a feral rage if they harm the forest. She is accepted by the spirits and feared and reviled by the humans, who view her as princess of the monsters.

Also, because I'm obsessed, here's the link to one of the more memorable songs/repeating refrains from the film, titled "The Legend of Ashitaka".



/tried to go with a more jagged style here because San is a bad*ss