Le Bello's Challenging Create-A-Soul Challenge Contest!

Goodness... I regret that my descriptive skills are not great enough to give all these spectacular entries the sort of commemoration they deserve. Almost everything here has inspired me in some way... either through the composition of parts, color, detail, concept, or just general aesthetic. Let me just say, I suppose, that anyone who's entered this contest, you should be proud of your efforts. All of you. And yes, you too. :D

This is the sort of thing I love to see in a community. Not just a wealth of good work, but a real sense of everyone coming together, inspiring each other to do better and better - and the results of which can definitely be found in this thread. I'll be honest, I didn't think I was going to be able to complete an entry for this contest, let alone one that would be able to stand up to anyone else's; but everything I've seen here, the effort put into each design, the support of each other, and the touch of whimsy and humor that never seems too far off, made me want to keep going despite any reservations I might've had. And that's something that's extended into all my CaS work, too - not just the ones you may see here. I've really improved, even just over the last month or two, and I think this contest is an excellent representation of how, and why. I still have a lot farther to go and a lot more to learn, but things like this are what makes we want to keep improving. So thank you, the lot of you. :)

That out of the way, I realize there must be a winner, no matter how difficult a decision that might be... and for me, I think that winner would be Fliptop, and his Scotsman. I'm not quite sure why, exactly, but his design pretty much struck me from the first time I'd seen it. I guess part of it might be that he comes off very masculine and war-worthy without necessarily resorting to full plate and overly broad shoulders (although that's not to say I entirely approve of midriff-bearing plate as proper battle armor! Your abs will never have the properties of steel, I'm sorry to say.) I really enjoyed the description you gave of him, as well - the idea of using Z.W.E.I's style to combine a bit of myth and good, old-fashioned man-and-dog beatdown is both quite amusing and rather fitting. All the little details come together to create a very appropriate feel, I think, and ultimately that's what earned you my vote.
 
Lonewolf_Kai said:
Hmm.... Who do I vote for...? ~_~

*AHEM!!!* ...After an incredibly long time, here are my top 7 choices for this round's contest - as well as my own reasons and opinions on why I like them so much. So, without further ado:





1.) Idoll's version of Cu Chulainn. Why so? Because I like the overall representation of that character as well as the tragic, yet heroic story associated with this one (which IS informative, I might add, since I didn't know most of the Irish legends including him). Good use of the colors, too! :)

Idoll's work seems to be quite striking and bold in terms of presentation. I like that. Even if Idoll doesn't win, I see PLENTY of promising great work coming from this person sometime in the future....



2.) Fliptop's designs always seem to caught my eye one way or the other, and his Alastair from Scotland is no exception here. Many points to you for actually making use of the bow and quiver to accentuate this design's overall flair. He really looks a masculine, deadly and grim-looking fellow, now that I've seen him properly.... Wow...! o.O

Fliptop surely works hard to create his CaS, and it definitely shows here. Unfortunately, there are indeed plenty of people that are better than him when it comes to making incredible works of art. Nevertheless, I noticed that he is improving his work slowly but surely, for he actually learns how to do it better than before through experience.

I will look forward to see where your work can go from here.



3.) Matty82's version of France's Marie Antoinette (or inspired by her, according to his words) really caught me by surprise when she first appeared. I mean, sure, it was an alternate entry that invalidated the first version, but there's no denying the fact that his artistic talent shows in the resulting masterpiece despite all that. Truly incredible, I must say! ^_^

While Matty82 claims that this work is submitted to this contest for sheer fun (which surprised me even more when I read his post, to be honest), I think that its' a strong contender to win it all due to the amount of artistical and classical influences involved in this one. However, since there are indeed plenty of talented people participating in this contest, he might be facing stiff competition....

...Perhaps that's probably the reason why Matty82 could make his works of art SO good: He is having a lot of fun when it comes to creating them. Hmm.... I guess I have a lot to learn, huh...? ~_~



4.) MistaKoo's Osman of the Ottoman Empire looks incredibly good! I would really award him a LOT of points in terms of sheer improvisation alone! That fact that the very same improvisation only improved the overall design of that Turk - in addition to the excellent use of patterns, too!

In case the rest of you folks haven't noticed yet, I was talking about the improvised Sultan Hat, of course. ;)

All in all, it was really a great design, MistaKoo. Not bad at all!



5.) Samaras_Madness created a masterpiece by the name of Anastasia of Russia. What makes it so is that the mix of colors in that character somehow pleases me so much - so much, in fact, that I'm actually inspired by it! Not to mention that she looks also looks beautifully done when it comes to her overall design, too. ^^

I'm truly humbled, Samaras_Madness.... Nothing else needs to be said.



6.) Gatsu has really delivered his share of masterpieces from different parts of the world. However, Le_Bello himself had to personally tell him that only one may be submitted, and that me and the others had to tell him which one that he should send for the contest. And so, he chose the Spanish Toreador, Miguel.

I must admit that I'm incredibly impressed by Miguel's overall design. The degree of realism that most of his designs seem to have is much more prevalent here compared to the others, and that impressed me to no end. A real masterpiece! m(_ _)m

Nevertheless, there are many talented designs that might rival this one, so anything is possible at this point....



7.) Leona's entry is, by far, the biggest surprise of all because not only it was unexpected, but it was quite unnoticeable until I've seen it at the last moment. Her CaS skills used to create Jolana, the Hungarian Gypsy were quite amazing, judging from what I've seen so far. From the look of her face; to the choice of clothing used; to the correct skin tone; and even the choice of accessories make this one of the most simple, yet elegantly made designs that I've ever seen in my life!

...And did I forget to mention that the amount of colors, stickers and patterns that were used for this character were incredibly fitting, too? In fact, I'd even dare say that THIS is a true masterpiece! Magnificent...!



HONORABLE MENTION: LordDraco3's Comrade Astaroth is incredibly a riot! I really like it, man! xD

However, because his design looks a bit pale compared to the others above, yet more better than the rest, I guess this design will have to settle for this spot (which is still incredibly cool since it amused me to no end!).





...Now that I've enumerated my top 7 choices, here's what I have to say BEFORE I reveal my choice. And do take note that this is the THIRD time that I'll say this:


To be quite honest with you, there's absolutely TOO MANY talented people participating in this contest, submitting incredibly magnificent works of art from left and right for me to choose from! My brain feels like its literally floating in the middle of the great Pacific Ocean right now, taking a nice, long vacation in the sun.... Damn it...! T^T


Due to this, I also wish to congratulate every single participant in this round's contest, win or lose, for the sheer amount of inspiration that you're giving me and making it one of the most memorable experiences of my life, EVER! With all that said, here are my top 5 WINNERS for this contest, in terms of sheer overall quality ~



*) 1st Place: Jolana, the Hungarian Gypsy by Leona. I simply just CAN'T stop looking at her design at all! Hell, if didn't have any self-control, I might keep on gazing at her for hours! o_O

...And that alone, deserves my vote. Congratulations! m(_ _)m



*) 2nd Place: Miguel, the Spanish Toreador by Gatsu. This design would've won it all - if it weren't for Leona's surprise entry (which I really didn't anticipate at all, to be perfectly honest). If it were possible, I think both you and Leona should tie for first place. However, Le_Bello perfectly made clear in his rules which meant, "There can only be ONE winner."

Nevertheless, you managed to create a GREAT masterpiece and you should keep it in your collection, man. Well done! ^_^



*) 3rd Place: Matty82's version of Marie Antoinette. The sheer quality of this work of art cannot be underestimated at all, even if it does seem to fall short compared to the top two.... If Matty82 himself were serious and made a better design, he would've won this contest hands down! Instead, he decided on this design, which STILL earns him 3rd place from me....

In any case, it was a splendid work of art coming from you, but of course you already knew that! Thanks again also for giving me something to think about with that design, too! :)



*) 4th Place: Fliptop's Alastair of Scotland is already impressive, and I think I've already mentioned earlier about the reasons why I like this design so much. 'Nuff said!

Keep it up, man! :D



*) 5th Place: The last place belongs to Samaras_Madness' Anastasia of Russia. The reason? Because of the creator's great mix of colors (which gave me a TON of inspiration, mind you!) as well as the character's overall design. Too bad it gets overshadowed by the top 4, but I still this find design incredibly neat anyway. Cool! ^^

I'd also like to see more of that coloring style from your future CaS designs, Samaras_Madness. Please continue what you've started. I'm serious. :)




...And that wraps up my votes for today. Thank you all for reading and have a pleasant day! Later...! ^_^
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Thanks for the inspiring words and I honestly mean it when I say I'm not here to win the reason I enterd this contest was purely to wet my creative juices and to create something that I normily wouldn't do
Again thank you so much for putting my work in such hard regard
 
Leona said:
Goodness... I regret that my descriptive skills are not great enough to give all these spectacular entries the sort of commemoration they deserve. Almost everything here has inspired me in some way... either through the composition of parts, color, detail, concept, or just general aesthetic. Let me just say, I suppose, that anyone who's entered this contest, you should be proud of your efforts. All of you. And yes, you too. :D

This is the sort of thing I love to see in a community. Not just a wealth of good work, but a real sense of everyone coming together, inspiring each other to do better and better - and the results of which can definitely be found in this thread. I'll be honest, I didn't think I was going to be able to complete an entry for this contest, let alone one that would be able to stand up to anyone else's; but everything I've seen here, the effort put into each design, the support of each other, and the touch of whimsy and humor that never seems too far off, made me want to keep going despite any reservations I might've had. And that's something that's extended into all my CaS work, too - not just the ones you may see here. I've really improved, even just over the last month or two, and I think this contest is an excellent representation of how, and why. I still have a lot farther to go and a lot more to learn, but things like this are what makes we want to keep improving. So thank you, the lot of you. :)

That out of the way, I realize there must be a winner, no matter how difficult a decision that might be... and for me, I think that winner would be Fliptop, and his Scotsman. I'm not quite sure why, exactly, but his design pretty much struck me from the first time I'd seen it. I guess part of it might be that he comes off very masculine and war-worthy without necessarily resorting to full plate and overly broad shoulders (although that's not to say I entirely approve of midriff-bearing plate as proper battle armor! Your abs will never have the properties of steel, I'm sorry to say.) I really enjoyed the description you gave of him, as well - the idea of using Z.W.E.I's style to combine a bit of myth and good, old-fashioned man-and-dog beatdown is both quite amusing and rather fitting. All the little details come together to create a very appropriate feel, I think, and ultimately that's what earned you my vote.
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Hello, Leona! :)

From what I've seen of your entry so far, I believe that your hard work is starting to pay off beautifully. The fact that I STILL can't get the image of your Jolana off my mind is a true testament to that! You really MUST improve to the utmost (and please, look at my signature for further inspiration in case you got stuck somewhat, too!). I'm serious...! :)

Besides, you also managed to inspire someone like me to keep on going despite all the odds, and I thank you for that. I truly do.... m(_ _)m

...Speaking of which, I should just look back a few pages and see her once again in full glory just to make sure I don't forget it.... Such a beautiful design...! T_T







Matty82 said:
Thanks for the inspiring words and I honestly mean it when I say I'm not here to win the reason I enterd this contest was purely to wet my creative juices and to create something that I normily wouldn't do
Again thank you so much for putting my work in such hard regard
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You're welcome, my friend. ^_^

I believe you'll still learn a LOT of things from this contest, win or lose. In fact, I think that you'll become an even better CaS designer after this experience (at least, I hope so....)!
 
Not only have the entries been through but the roof but some of the analyses are above and beyond. I love that people stepped it up across the board.

Having to choose just one of these? Torture. Here's a wall of text...think of it as me getting my own back for all of you for being so good. You're all bastards. Enjoy.

Draco has Comrade Astaroth with a...jetpack? How on earth you arrived at this concept baffles me and I don't even care. It's ridiculously cool and inventive, as always. I like his big coat, too.

Idoll's Cu Chulainn has this incredibly deep and rich story and mythos driving everything which I love. If you know Dynasty Warriors I get a sort of Zhao Yun vibe from his design. It's simple and heroic with grim details like the blood and scars which add a little story, as well.

Vilarance's Ivy gives me chills. Nice textures give it an icy feeling and that gun was a very inventive stroke.

Matty's Marie Antoinette's is stunning...and I'm pretty sure this is just Matty at jogging pace. In a way this makes his entry all the more terrifying. Fantastic work as usual.

I like that d_b used shades of brown to break up his Black Prince design. It's a very subtle but very classy overall effect.

Rdmunhoz's Ballesteros is one of those few time's I don't mind the use of pitch black since the design just oozes class and style rather effortlessly.

Neclord's German also uses black and red but is more intimidating than classy with those goggles, mask and...cables? (I'm guessing that's what those things on her shoulders are).

MistaKoo threw one hell of a curve ball with Osman. Never imagined seeing the Afro being used in such a way. There is a lot to like here. An awful lot. It made me smile.

Then Samaras pipe bombed everything with Anastasia. Very nice pattern usage, bold but elegant at the same time. The design is very...dare I say it...beautiful? Yes I think that's the right word.

Yoshariolll's Lucius is striking with the whites and reds and the spear is a nice touch, as is the egyptian skirt thing. An unexpected but effective part choice.

The Pascuzzi's Don Quixote is probably one of the more understated entries due to it's washed out colours but there's a ton of care been put into the stickers on the cape, the hat and shield which help give a sense of dignity and age. This design makes makes grey look good. For that, I love it.

Mumol's icy mermaid's got some nice touches and I like the idea of the fish bones being some sort of ice-whip contraption. The pale colour scheme was also quite nice.

FreeMeal's Serbian looks like he just stepped out of a history book. Nice recurring themes like the egg-shaped helmet and shoulders give this knight a uniqueness and charm.

I liked Scyle's entry for the relative obscurity of the subject choice. Yes Cait Sith was a stupid character in FFVII but using the actual myth as a basis was a very interesting and unorthodox move which I can respect.

Gatsu then Gatsu'd all over the place with 4 characters. Miguel's patterns and colours are very strong. His face sells it though. Old and scarred, this dude has been through some serious stuff. He also has a nice hat.

Then Leona threw another spanner into the works. Jolana's design is so direct it practically punches your face in.

Chobek's Napoleon is instantly recognizable and immediately tells you everything you need to know. The wrinkled face, the hair sticking out the front of his hat, the hat itself, the sash. All of it is very well done.

I also liked John McKee's drinky man. I can't see him (going blind?) so I can't get his name but I remember the cup thing was very cool.

Honourable nods to Nullstate's Statue of Liberty just because it's awesome and Soul's Greek dude...I mean you knew what country that dude was all about.

If I missed anyone I sincerely apologize. I did my best but there were loads of entries for this.

....Oh right yeah...I have to pick one of these...Le Bello may be the biggest bastard of you all.

My vote has been whisked away by Leona's Jolana. An agonizing choice, it was a design that just burrowed into my head and stayed there. I even put off voting just to make sure since it was a late entry but stick it did. The simplicity, elegance and the very well chosen moveset won me over in the end. Leona, make a gallery.

Hey Le Bello, you know how I said people enjoy having wriggle room and the freedom to do their own thing? I totally, completely, utterly and unreservedly regret it. I'm off to shove my head in a sink of freezing cold water.

Well done, everyone! ;D

Oh and Pocky, one word: Penicillin. Ah? Ah? Yeah?...Thought so.
 
Fliptop said:
Not only have the entries been through but the roof but some of the analyses are above and beyond. I love that people stepped it up across the board.
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My thoughts exactly. With the sheer number of entries (all of them GOOD entries), I am really surprised at how many kudos are being thrown out by so many people saying a little something about most/everyone. It makes me happy :)
 
Fliptop said:
....Oh right yeah...I have to pick one of these...Le Bello may be the biggest bastard of you all.

Hey Le Bello, you know how I said people enjoy having wriggle room and the freedom to do their own thing? I totally, completely, utterly and unreservedly regret it. I'm off to shove my head in a sink of freezing cold water.
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I'm the "Jigsaw" of the CaS Forums.

And yeah, sometimes you can wriggle too much right? That being said, this has been the most successful contest in terms of entrants and comments. So much creativity and positivity can only flourish in a community filled with respectable and talented people, and so I thank you all.
 
So, after reading through this whole thread and having to replace my pants several times, I must say that you guys have blown my friggin' mind. As a matter of fact, my brain is well acquainted with the wall behind me. So...messy...
 
Echo01 said:
So, after reading through this whole thread and having to replace my pants several times, I must say that you guys have blown my friggin' mind. As a matter of fact, my brain is well acquainted with the wall behind me. So...messy...
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Feel like voting for a favourite? =|;}D
 
You...you mean...I have to make a choice?! Nuuuuuuuuu!

Haha, if anything, I'll go with the Russian Ivy, Vilarcane's entry. Use of the gun with a fudgin' silencer equipped (how u do dat?!) sealed it for me, plus the quality of the pictures themselves was really good.
 
First post updated. Check the "NOTICE" for the shiny shiny announcement, and I'll be back whenever.

I'll answer any questions regarding the GT, suchs as the whys and the hows, but anything rules-based that fall outside of the 'General Rules', should be addressed to Scyle.

Thank you and goodnight.
 
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