Mr.Goblin
Art & Graphics Design Moderator
- Joined
- May 26, 2008
- Messages
- 4,465





Image is courtesy of Clint Langley.
Overwhelming Odds
Contestants are to create a group of people or a single character faced with insurmountable odds or overwhelming numbers of enemies. For example, a knight vs a demon, a squad of marines vs a swarm. Despite their/his oncoming death, "these/this hero/es" faced it with valor and courage, despising fear as it stares at their/his eyes.

- First Place: 50 reputation points and your entry on an award icon. Also the chance of getting a unique thematic rank icon done specifically regarding preference.
- Second Place: 35 reputation points and an award icon
- Third Place: 20 reputation points and an award icon


Theme | Does the artist take advantage of the theme, or is the vision unfitting? | /10% |
Execution | Does the artist display the design in an effective manner, or is it hard to tell what is what? Are artistic techniques used effectively to make the character interesting, or does the style deteriorate the concept? Is the appearance of the design objectively pleasing, or is it of low quality? | /25% |
Concept | Does the design offer a new creative approach, or is it generic and cliché? Does it have character, or is it just another boring design? Does the design make sense and fit the description, or is it necessary to read the title to understand? | /40% |
Realism | Does the design balance, or are the proportions impractical? Is the anatomy or construction correct, does it allow the character to move as it should, or is functionality disregarded entirely? | /25% |
- 75 % of the winner shall be determined by the contest's appointed judge(s).
- 25 % of the winner shall be determined by the results of a public poll.


Mr.Goblin
Theme 8/10
You've handed the theme very well. The fear of that character really did not help a bit, as the theme suggests. Colors really helped a lot and attracts people including me
Execution 24/25
Very high quality art. Shading is splendid. And color choices are excellent. The armor could get a bit more texture in it as it looks too clean.
The face is very detailed (textured and shaded carefully). I also love the emotions even though it gets out of the theme.
Concept 35/40
The concept of an alien fighting other aliens is an underrated idea and that is quite good. Nothing more to say.
Realism 25/25
Too obvious, you nailed it. The structure and composition is excellent.
Total 92
GunSlinger
Theme 4/10
It would be more cool if the monster is still living and the main character fights it. It is not overwhelming anymore.
Execution 20/25
The main character and the knight is good but the monster is not. The design is quite confusing or is not defined.
Concept 27/40
The giant dead monster seems out of place and attracts the viewers eye instead of those two shaking hands.
Realism 15/25
Poorly designed monster, the two humans however gave it back.
Total 66
Edge45
Theme 8/10
You've handled the theme effectively.
Execution 18/25
The art as a whole seems to be a little blurry, you could have been more sharp. Details was there but the lighting seems to be in need of work. That ultralisk which on the first look doesn't seem to be doesn't catch attention on which he should be.
Concept 28/40
Not very creative but was handled fine.
Realism 19/25
Construction of the ultralisk could be more precise same with the monster.
Total 73
deepstrasz
Theme 0/10
Doesn't look like it fits the theme.
Execution 10/25
The line art seems to be okay but not that really good. I suggest drawing much more as it helps a lot on improving drawing skills.
Concept 5/40
Seems pretty out of place and I am not sure where this will go.
Realism 10/25
Study more of anatomy and it'll help you a lot. The drawing isn't bad, but for a competition it needs more. Draw and study more, if you prefer to improve.
Total 25
HappyCockroach
Theme 8/10
Very creative approach to the theme it's hilarious to see that cockroach on his dying moment.
Execution 18/25
Details on the cockroach was top notch. Line art on the creature is excellent except for the human body.
Concept 32/40
Unexpected concept and is portrayed very well.
Realism 20/25
Cockroach was realistic the other details are not.
Total 78
San
Theme 8/10
Follow the theme directly.
Execution 18/25
The lineart of ginseng monster is done well however the man has that feeling of being fat that is unrealistic.
Concept 28/40
Same concept as the others, one on one on a giant monster
Realism 18/25
Shading was done well and details are great.
Total 72
TheKurt009
Theme 8/10
Theme is excuted well.
Execution 23/25
Light effects were attracting and is mesmerizing. However, I don't much really like those visible brush strokes particularly on the female archer's white clothes and on the serpent's back. Color choices was good and is pleasing to the eyes. The rain could have been more existent as it blends into the art making the art as picture with scratches.
Concept 28/40
Same from the others.
Realism 22/25
The female is realistic; the serpent needs more work. The clothing could be more neater.
Total 81
Flyphor
Theme 8/10
Good even for a wip.
Execution 15/25
Even for a wip the lines are crisp and sharp. Armor is done pretty well and the monster looks pretty golem-like.
Concept 28/40
Concept are most like others.
Realism 13/25
The knight is almost finished and is realistic however the monster is almost chicken scratch.
Total 64
Naze
Theme 9/10
Creative approach
Execution 22/25
The crowd's faces/skulls is great. Lighting techniques is splendid however the candles could have been added shading as it looks very flat. The main enemy could use some too. There are minor lighting errors.
Concept 33/40
Concept seems to be unique. The archer on the window seems to be out of place. Atmosphere seems great too.
Realism 21/25
The man on the wheel seems great, semi realistic and the emotions are there too. The wheel could be more circular.
Total 85
Mr.Goblin
It took me a while studying the picture, but when I finally figured out that what the protagonist is standing on is water, and ripples (not swooping movement lines) I could see that there were reflections in the water, which surprised me with a new cool unit.
Having two angles like that in one picture (using the water reflection is really creative and I liked it a lot. It shows how much detail that have been put down in one picture.
Theme 10/10 - The theme is spot on here.
Execution 21/25 - I'm not sure how, but the ripples on the water could have been improved. I had a hard time understanding it was water, mainly because the ripples wasn't disturbed by other pieces of armor / debris breaking the ripples, and also, because they overlap the antagonists weapon a little.
Most of the picture is really high quality, but there are low quality items in a few cornors. This is however probably an artistic choice since they didn't matter too much though.
Concept 40/40 - I really like that you can look into the reflection in the water to see the real antagonist here. It wasn't obvious, but in a good way. The protagonists facial expression really makes him look afraid, overwhelmed and hopeless. You captured the essence of the moment here. I can't really see what you could have done better in this category.
Realism 23/25 - Realism is almost perfect. The only thing missing is the shadow from the antagonist, which (according to the shadow of the protagonist) should be right over the protagonist.
94/100
Gunslinger
Is the creature dead yet? The humans seems relaxed about it, so it made me assume it is, but it is not a very natural death position, clinched to the wall like that. Perhaps it tried to escape, and slipped down (explaining the down-gong claw marks), but it doesn't make sense it would stay like that.
Theme 1/10 - Well, it might have been, but it is not overwhelming odds anymore, since the creature seems to have been defeated already? This is more of an aftermath picture.
Execution 10/25 - The picture is in general low quality, and could have been polished further. There are many things to say, but for example: Shading of the creatures leg could have been much better, I'm not sure that is a leg or dark blood pouring from it.
Concept 25/40 - You made the two humans standing next to each other somehow have a very personal connection. I could pretty much understand from the picture that one of the guys killed the beast and therefore rescued the other.
Realism 20/25 - All charcters and the environment seems to be of realistic size. You could have faded the cliffs a little though, so it was made more clear that they are standing in an alley, perhaps?
55/100
Happy Cockroach
One of my favorites form this contest. It is comedic, but still not far from the theme at hand. No colour needed really, in fact it should have made it worse.
A brilliant artwork that is not perfect in all ways, but defenitely one of the most creative ideas.
Theme 6/10 - Well, a cockroach can move pretty quickly, and especially while being aware of the foot, he should be able to avoid it. Not overwhelming, I'd say.
Execution 16/25 - The cockroach is well-drawn, and the shoe doesn't really require more detail, even though it could have had it. The backgorund as well as the other foot, is very poorly drawn, but they are not that important either.
Concept 40/40 - It is made super clear what is going on here. A creative piece with much character, which is what was best with this picture.
Realism 22/25 - The cockroach might be a tad too big perhaps, or maybe the perspective is a little wrong. Those are minor gripes though.
84/100
deepstrasz
Unfinished and doesn't really answer to theme of the contest.
A little bit squiggly all over. The left arm could really use some work, since it currently has a very weird curve going on there. The books seems a little strange too, as the back appears shorter than the lenght of the book, creating some kind of scrapbook proportions?
-/100
Naze
Theme 10/10 - It is clear that the archer is supposed to either kill the main cultist, or perhaps save the man on the board. Both tasks are close to impossible with the amount of cultists in the room.
Execution 20/25 - It is easy to see what is happening (or going to happen) in this scene, and the atmosphere setting is not perfect, but decent anyway. It is shady and a little scary, but the very blue skies outside brighten it up a little oo much. I love the look of the cultists though. the faces are really intimidating. Nice.
Concept 27/40 - I like how the archer is made his pose signals calm consideration, and the man on the round board really looks like he is in pain or possessed, which is cool. However, why is the board round, and the man on it is pinned to the right of its center? Why is it off-center of the ctone circle in the floor? Feels like some refining here could be good.
Realism 15/25 - The room seems kind of strange I reckon. It is almost as if they are standing in a long corridor. Also, the distance between the wall and the man on the board is strange. Either all the cultist + the man on the board are giants, or the archer is a midget.
72/100
Edge45
Theme 8/10 - Well, the beast is giant and fearsome, but the "hero" seems well-prepared and badass. It delivers the feeling that he is kinda used to this, and not overwhelmed at all.
Execution 17/25 - The upper part of the beast, its head, and the hero looks perfect. However, the surroundings and the lower part of the creature seems kinda blurry and rushed and not put as much work into as the other areas. With more time, this could have been better perhaps.
Concept 30/40 - I really love the face of the beast. It is really cool and creative, aswell as having those small sinister eyes, giving it a shark-like feeling. Brilliant! The hero is also something unique, but as he is pretty small, we can't see real details here. The beast is obviosly dangerous, but from the way the beast is posed, we cannot really see a lot of its atanomy, which is too bad, as I wanted to see more of the creature. Is it an insect, perhaps?
Realism 25/25 - Kinda hard to say here as I couldn't possibly know the intended size of that void bieng, or the surroundings. I cannot find anything that is out of place really.
90/100
San
Theme 10/10 - The pitchfork and the way he is holding it shows some kind of fear and like he is thinking "Wtf is that!?". The whole situation seems kinda hopeless, but the farmer will not give up.
Execution 22/25 - I really like how the "root" is created, and the slight and careful thin lines perfectly shows us the different oddities of its form. It alien, evil and intimidating. The farmer is really well-made too, except that his clothing does not feel very realistic for some reason. I can't really put my finger on what it is, but something is not quite right here. Also, the small debris and pieces of city flying around are not as detailed and great as the two main objects. A little more love could be put here.
Concept 35/40 - A truly unique and fun take on this contest. An entirely new type of creature, with strange and twisting features like some root-plant mutaded into something horrible.
Realism 12/25 - The realism is off. It is actually kinda hard to tell if this thing is floating just above the farms head, about to grab him, or if it is put far in the distance. Even if the thing is in the distance, the houses around it seemed to have exploded at their own, as it is not really close to it, and the picture indicatosnomovement of the thing.
79/100
Flyphor
Theme 10/10 - Right on. The swordsman just saw that thing, and now realize that he will probably die fighting this thing. Is it even worth struggling?
Execution 21/25 - I would have loved to see the hard lining of that warior upper-part in more places of this picture. It looks raelly cool, but in combination with the thinner lines on the same character, it becomes kind of strange. Same thing applies to the icebeing (Just guessing it is made of ice here. seems like it.). Although the scene does not fail to show us the stance of both actors, some parts doesn't seem finished.
Concept 32/40 - A cool golem-like creature and an armored hero about to go into a (gor the hero) hopeless fight to the death. The calm before the storm well embodied in this scene. It could be part of a pre bossfight cinematic in a game. Well done.
Realism 25/25 - Even though the environmanet is done in only a few lines with a pencil, it delivers a clear picture of how the scene looks. The (assumed) normal sized human standing with a pretty clear distance to the golem, gives us a good idea about the size of it. All good.
88/100
TheKurt009
Theme 7/10 - Actually, I didn't get the feeling of the serpent being scary, jsut powerful and wise. It feels more like they are gonna have a good philosphical talk than the serpent is going to hurt or kill the girl.
Execution 20/25 - I really love the horns of the serpent. They seem to be fizzling with magical power, and their shape and bends are really well-made too. The entire head and the the first part of the serpent going straight down into the water, looks very good. However, the rain on the picture just looks like a strange filter put on the picture. I'm not sure if it is possible, but it feels like it could have been made better. The girls dress is kinda cool, but there are many sharp edges in it, where they don't really make sense. It looks like white glowing eels attached to her dress.
Concept 35/40 - The serpent is looking down on the serpent in an overpowering but gracious manner, but the girl stand her ground bravely, and calmly. The girls dress rally makes her have a magical prescence about her, wich is cool. The two of them kind of match each other.
Realism 22/25 - The dimensions of the scene is hard to detrmine. I can't really tell how close the assumed cliff on the left of the picture is (or is that more serpent?), and the cliff that the girl is standing doesn't have a very clear edge towards the water. It looks like a rolling shore, yet water is splashing up.
84/100
Scoring formula: J1+J2/2*0.75 + P/Ptot*25
Contest | Poll
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