🎨Texturing Contest #34 - Void

[Footman16]

Contestants must re-texture a SD unit model found in-game (Warcraft 3 Classic) or a custom model from the Hive Workshop, transforming the unit into a thematically void design.

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• Submissions must follow the contest theme.
• Submissions may not be started / made before the official launch of the contest.
• Submissions must be 100% freehand.
• Teamwork is not allowed (physically working on someone else's entry).
  • Giving feedback isn't considered teamwork and is always welcome. However, if you feel someone is abusing it, you may appeal to the appointed moderator.
• Post a Works-In-Progress (pictures or videos) in the contest thread during the contest process. It must be clear that you are working on the submission.
• The submission must be posted in the Skins section, before the contest ends.
  • The resource description must make it clear that it's a submission for this contest by stating: "Entry for Hive's Texturing Contest #34"
• Post your final entry in the contest thread before contest is over. The post should be a little presentation, having your submission attached.
• Judges may not participate.
• Submission must follow the Skin Submission Rules.
• SD meaning no .ORM textures or otherwise made for the HD Reforged graphics.
• The chosen model must be a unit with animations i.e. no doodads etc.
• Model edits are not allowed.
• Textures can be in 512 or 1024 pixels dimension when submitted as final entry.

Breaking any of these rules may lead to punishment in the judgement score, up to disqualification from the contest, depending on the weight of the issue. In case of doubts towards a certain rule you are very encouraged to discuss it in the contest thread so others and judges may help with sorting it out.

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• 1st place: 750 experience points
• 2nd place: 600 experience points
• 3rd place: 450 experience points
• Entry: 150 experience points
• Judge: 25 experience points per entrant

The three winners will receive an award icon representing the winning entry.

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• Footman16
• Panda
• PROXY
• If no judges are found (at least two is required) before the deadline, the winners will be decided by the votes of a public poll. The poll results will be hidden until a person has voted. Changing your vote afterwards will not be possible.
• Want to be a judge? Read this.

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(Last updated October 30th, 2025)

CONTESTANT	WIP	ENTRY
Riki​	WIP 1 | WIP 2
Vinz​	WIP 1 | WIP 2
Vindorei	WIP 1 | WIP 2	Xal'atath
AnyNameYouWish	WIP 1 | WIP 2	Void-Touched Mage
Slaani	WIP 1 | WIP 2
AlanFluorine	WIP 1 | WIP 2 | WIP 3 | WIP 4	Abyss Knight (Cho'gall Death Knight)
Draktar	WIP 1 | WIP 2
PrinceYaser	WIP 1 | WIP 2	Vesh'gaz the Star Eater

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Shading	Does the unit fit into the WCIII lighting environment? Is the source of light consistent? Does the unit have a realistic 3D shape enhanced by the shading? Is each individual part shaded according to the material?	30
Concept	Does the design of the unit suit the model it is wrapped on? Has the author come up with creative ways to change parts of the model into something new? Does the unit fit into the style of WCIII?	40
Details	Does the unit appear blurry and bland in-game? Are the details appropriate and realistically placed? Are the materials in use easily recognized?	30
		/total value

Spoiler: Results calculation

FinalScore = (40*Reached_Votes/POSSIBLE_VOTES) + (60*Average_Judge_Score/POSSIBLE_SCORE)

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The contest shall begin on April 19th, 2025 and conclude on June 8th, 2026 GMT (day is included).

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Assigned Staff: @Footman16

Previous Contest | Poll | Results

 

[Footman16]

@Moy @Vinz @PrinceYaser @Draktar @Darkfang @Shido @TheZodiarch @ZethHolyblade @Archian @aeman @Mouseketeer @A.R. @Arowanna @Maxwell @demongrel @Bleeq @nightelfbuilder

The contest is underway folks, I hope to see a good turnout for our beloved textures/skins section! Excited to see what people come up with for this.

 

[Shido]

Wha...What... Man I still in my retirement since ever . Ya need aunty Shido give her spa day for a little while.

 

[Panda]

Seems like everyone's been on retirement.

 

[Footman16]

Seems like everyone's been on retirement.

Just means new people will need to fill the ranks! Even if you've never textured before I'd say to still give these things ago, all you need is GIMP (which is free) or any other photoediting software and Mr Goblin has even made an amazing tutorial on how to produce some of the most common materials here.

I know some of the best artists have drawing tablets but I've always just used a mouse because I'm a masochist.

 

[Shido]

I know some of the best artists have drawing tablets but I've always just used a mouse because I'm a masochist.

Heya, that's my field mister Betsy.
You expect the fact I went retirement simply because I got busy with Maya, lucky to you my texturing class is close so you can expect I would drop something new.

 

[Draktar]

Might join... actually have an idea in mind ^^

 

[PROXY]

If you need a judge, let me know.

 

[Footman16]

If you need a judge, let me know.

Sure, I'll get you added! And if you know anyone who might be keen to participate be sure to bring them this way too

 

[Footman16]

@Moy @PrinceYaser@Darkfang @TheZodiarch @ZethHolyblade @aeman @Mouseketeer @A.R. @Arowanna @Maxwell @demongrel @Bleeq

Any of you guys interested?

@Draktar I'm keen to see what ideas you have

 

[PrinceYaser]

The void has so much to offer. I dunno what to choose!

 

[Arowanna]

The Void in Warcraft lore is basically a complete unknown for me. I barely know anything about Warcraft post-WC3/WOW Vanilla. Aaand I don't even have the software installed for art any more. But if creativity strikes, I'll drop by

 

[Archian]

Time to post some WIPs folks Looking forward to it!

 

[Footman16]

Time to post some WIPs folks Looking forward to it!

Can we tempt you to throw a hat in the ring too?

Would be awesome to see an Archian original after all this time.

 

[PrinceYaser]

Never been participant to 2 contests at the same time. Sounds fun!

 

[Shido]

Not that you can take me seriously if you never promote it, Betsy.

 

[AnyNameYouWish]

I'm in!

Question: is the theme 'void' as a concept or the Void in Warcraft lore? Or can it be either?

 

[Footman16]

I'm in!

Question: is the theme 'void' as a concept or the Void in Warcraft lore? Or can it be either?

That's a tough question, I think void as a concept can work as well as void in a warcraft concept. It is a unit/model that is being skinned so communicating that via a warcraft context is probably an easy way to fulfill the theme criteria.

 

[Villagerino]

Hmm... Maybe I'll think about participating since I started using mouse masochism for freehand stuff

 

[AnyNameYouWish]

I have made a void-corrupted mage skin out of Jaina. Challenged myself to do the skin and hair with all freehand (mouse) and filters. I used drawings I did by hand and photographed for the clothing and armour.

It's at that stage where I feel it's done, and I don't want to tamper with it, but it still doesn't really feel like it's ready for a competition entry.

 

[TheVoidSlayer]

The Void in Warcraft lore is basically a complete unknown for me. I barely know anything about Warcraft post-WC3/WOW Vanilla. Aaand I don't even have the software installed for art any more. But if creativity strikes, I'll drop by

Do you want to know Void? Get inspired by Lovecraft or a dirtier Japanese adaptation based on Lovecraft. The latter sounds sarcastic...or not.

 

[Riki]

I've never made a skin in my life, but I feel encouraged to give it a try. It would be good to learn something about texturing for later

 

[Footman16]

I've never made a skin in my life, but I feel encouraged to give it a try. It would be good to learn something about texturing for later

Mr.Goblin's Tutorial!

For this tutorial you must have photoshop, gimp, or any programs that as the commends to change the opacity and the size of your pencil. My tutorial.doc = GOOGLE DOC DOCUMENT ^Since this Tutorial is really old, This document is the only version available with images. ^ DESCRIPTION: Greetings...

www.hiveworkshop.com

Here's one of the best tutorials I've found from one of the Hive's own texturing legends!

In terms of requirements, I texture using GIMP (free) and a mouse, no drawing tablet need, although they definitely make things easier.

 

[Riki]

Very early WIP, going better than I expected since I'm using mouse lol

 

[Vinz]

 

[vindorei]

Don't know if I can make it, just for fun.

 

[Footman16]

I think I'll extend til the end of September to give more people time to join

 

[vindorei]

Well, first time joining. Here is my entry.

 

[PrinceYaser]

Question, does the custom model have to be approved?

 

[Footman16]

No there'll be no reviews or approval til after the contest so as to not bias or reveal judgements early . Although they are required to be uploaded.

 

[PrinceYaser]

No there'll be no reviews or approval til after the contest so as to not bias or reveal judgements early

I meant the model we choose to reskin, not the skin itself. :]

 

[Footman16]

I meant the model we choose to reskin, not the skin itself. :]

Ah... I'm going to say... No it doesn't need to be approved

 

[Luashine]

I have made a void-corrupted mage skin out of Jaina.

This is Jaina. She has been through a lot in her life. She's a void goth girl now. Can you fix her? Will she bite you?

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I don't know how it'll look in game at scale, but the front seems all too colorful, looking like fire? Pretty flat when Jaina iirc has visible clothing in front?
Otherwise she looks like daredevil

 

[AnyNameYouWish]

This is Jaina. She has been through a lot in her life. She's a void goth girl now. Can you fix her? Will she bite you?

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I don't know how it'll look in game at scale, but the front seems all too colorful, looking like fire? Pretty flat when Jaina iirc has visible clothing in front?
Otherwise she looks like daredevil

I haven't tested it in game yet. I might redo the front... I wanted it to look like cracked and irritated skin and have her shirtless to show it. I hope I can keep the colorfulness though. I wanted to do something in the theme of void that wasn't just coloured black and purple.

 

[Luashine]

@AnyNameYouWish maybe draw her front as very skinny, nigh on skeletal fiery ribs? I'm missing an anchor in the texture to keep my eyes on. Then again, depends on in-game looks.

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Mmmmh... fiery Jaina ribs i will bite!

 

[AnyNameYouWish]

@AnyNameYouWish maybe draw her front as very skinny, nigh on skeletal fiery ribs? I'm missing an anchor in the texture to keep my eyes on. Then again, depends on in-game looks.

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Mmmmh... fiery Jaina ribs i will bite!

Interesting idea. Thanks for the feedback!

 

[Footman16]

Just wanted to give this a wee bump, to hopefully get some more people interested and joining! Tell ya friends, tell ya family all about it!

 

[Moy]

If you guys need another judge, I am here

 

[AnyNameYouWish]

Though in-game testing does reveal a bit of small detail 'looks great in magos where you can zoom to your heart's content' syndrome, I think this update is at least creepier. Not gonna call it done just yet though.

(Btw the file with HQ in its name is saved with the compressed JPG setting in BLPlab, and so has smoother blending, since compressed JPG textures over 256x256 pixels crash Magos. For me, anyway)

EDIT: @deepstraz that's not the reaction I'm hoping for with a horror skin, do you have any constructive criticism?

 

[TheVoidSlayer]

Though in-game testing does reveal a bit of small detail 'looks great in magos where you can zoom to your heart's content' syndrome, I think this update is at least creepier. Not gonna call it done just yet though.

(Btw the file with HQ in its name is saved with the compressed JPG setting in BLPlab, and so has smoother blending, since compressed JPG textures over 256x256 pixels crash Magos. For me, anyway)
View attachment 547839View attachment 547838
View attachment 547835

I think they told you to change the palette from red to purple or dark blue. But I'll say that the skin is not bad.

Jaina.exe be like)

 

[AnyNameYouWish]

I think they told you to change the palette from red to purple or dark blue. But I'll say that the skin is not bad.

Jaina.exe be like)

Haha I had Sonic.Exe come to mind more than once.

I wanted to avoid the common trope of 'void' being just associated with cool colours and purple especially. I want to convey void as an undoing, an unraveling of structure and life

Can we enter a 256x256 skin? For me 512 feels a bit unnecessary and can lead to details getting lost

 

[Footman16]

512x512 is a larger canvas though so it allows you to add more details. A smaller canvas results in details getting lost.

 

[AnyNameYouWish]

512x512 is a larger canvas though so it allows you to add more details. A smaller canvas results in details getting lost.

Yes, but a smaller canvas also forces one to be more economical and avoid over-detailing which might not be too visible in game. Anyway I'm just wondering if it breaks contest rules to submit a 256x256 skin.

 

[Footman16]

You can work in 256x256 but the rules state the final submission must have dimensions of either 512 or 1024.

 

[AnyNameYouWish]

I pretty much started over. I'm much happier with this now.

EDIT: the in-game screenshots show the slightest hint of interior mouth line on the portrait, I've fixed this now. Turns out the Jaina portrait model takes the white for her teeth from her lower legs.
EDIT 2: WIP screenshot:

 

[Slaani]

There is still time to enter, right?

 

[Footman16]

There is still time to enter, right?

Ofc people can enter right up until the competition finishes. If people need more time extensions are always possible. Id like to see as many people as possible get involved.

 

[Slaani]

Thanks! I am not normally a fan of newest WoW Lore, like Void Elves etc. but somehow their aesthetics stuck with me, and the competition sounds like a very good excuse to get to work on them (actually, to work on something at all.. thanks for the motivation!). I think about doing a skin for Sellenisko's Nuala model, I guess it is okay? Unless extra approval of the author is required first?

I really admire Sellenisko's models, it would be super fun to work on something that they made.

 

[Footman16]

Thanks! I am not normally a fan of newest WoW Lore, like Void Elves etc. but somehow the aesthetics stuck with me, and the competition sounds like a very good excuse to get to work on something. I think about doing a skin for Sellenisko's Nuala model, I guess it is okay? Unless extra approval of the author is required first?

I really adore Sellenisko's models, it would be super fun to work on something outta their workshop.

Making textures does not require special permission since it's not editing the model itself or the original work in that sense.

 

[Slaani]

Okay, a work in progress evidence is required, right?

I am working on her blades, making these more Void Elf like, but still somewhat match the red trail effect.