BACKGROUND BLITZ: The Sea - WINNERS ANNOUNCED!

[lorenzo]

THE SEA

Spoiler

Caspar David Friedrich - Chalk Cliffs on Rügen; Pierre Auguste Renoir, View of Venice (Doges Palace); Arnold Böcklin, Isle of the Dead (third version); John Atkinson Grimshaw, The Lighthouse at Scarborough; Claude Monet, Palazzo Ducale.

[close]

Your job is to draw a background that features the sea. For example a lighthouse on a stormy day, a window overlooking a port, people sunbathing on the beach, a foggy morning on the harbour, three men in a boat, etc. What's important, is the presence of the sea.

Deadline: 12th 18th of September 2017

Voting:

Concept: your background should tell us something about the place you have depicted.
Playability: does it have clear walkable areas (swimmable areas?), things to interact with, etc?
Artistic Execution: what's the feeling of the place? Does the image convey the wanted atmosphere?

Have fun and good luck!

[DBoyWheeler]

Decided to try my hand at this.



Here, we're on a beach of the sea, at sunset.  In the distance is an island with a castle--perhaps the protagonist's objective destination?

Maybe he/she might be brave enough to swim across, or perhaps he/she is waiting for a ship or some other ride.  Perhaps that protagonist needs to summon that ride.  What do you think?

[lorenzo]

Nice background DBoyWheeler!
It reminds me of one of the King's Quest games (was it the fourth?), where you had to swim to reach some faraway castle. Or something like that, I haven't played those games in ages.

Maybe he/she might be brave enough to swim across, or perhaps he/she is waiting for a ship or some other ride.  Perhaps that protagonist needs to summon that ride.  What do you think?

I don't know, but I can definitely imagine half a dozen ways to die while traversing those waters, in true Sierra style.

[DBoyWheeler]

Nice background DBoyWheeler!
It reminds me of one of the King's Quest games (was it the fourth?), where you had to swim to reach some faraway castle. Or something like that, I haven't played those games in ages.

I don't know, but I can definitely imagine half a dozen ways to die while traversing those waters, in true Sierra style.

Might be either the second or the fourth.  Thanks for pointing out the similarities.

Oh, you sadistic madman, you!

[Rocchinator]

Man im a little bit busy lately but i will try to come up with something

[lorenzo]

I hope you'll be able to find some free time to draw, best of luck!

[lorenzo]

Only three days left!

Is anyone working on an entry? Or maybe no one liked the theme...

[xBRANEx]

I'm working on something, I'll post it if there are no more entries but I'm not feeling confident on this one. It's a great theme, but it's hard!

[lorenzo]

I'm working on something, I'll post it if there are no more entries but I'm not feeling confident on this one.

I often find myself in the same situation, but don't let it stop you! In my opinion, the background blitz it's a great opportunity to get out of your comfort zone and draw something different; even if the result isn't what you expected, it's a good way to practice! And showing your work helps building confidence.

Of course, if you don't feel like posting your background, it's all right!

If you (or anyone else) need more time, just let me know and I'll extend the deadline.

[Rocchinator]

i think you should extend it a little bit just to get more entries im trying to get one done

[lorenzo]

All right! The new deadline is the 18th of September.

[xBRANEx]

Here's my entry:

[imgzoom]https://image.ibb.co/cKseWv/dock.png[/imgzoom]


I'm quite satisfied how it turned out in the end

[Blondbraid]

I just finished my entry, though I could only do my concept justice in GIF form:

[Mandle]

That actually makes me feel a little seasick looking at it Blondbraid... Well done!

[lorenzo]

xBRANEx: that's a lovely entry, I'm glad you decided to post it! Great atmosphere, I love the choice of colours.

Blondbraid: nice interpretation of the theme! And the animation adds a lot to the feeling of being at sea.

[HanaIndiana]

I like the different takes on Sea.
Blondbraid, I'm a little scared to ask what the pitcher and bucket are for.

[Kini]

Hi all,

I've been lurking in the background of these forums for some time, but have decided to start entering these competitions semi-regularly from now on. Here's my first entry. In case it's not obvious (which I have a strong feeling it isn't!), it's a room inside a crappy ferry, where the crew is setting up for a talent contest.

Great entries from everyone else so far!

EDIT: I re-did my background. Here's the new version. I couldn't get the banner text to work, so I've left it out this time.

[imgzoom]http://i67.tinypic.com/muyhkm.png[/imgzoom]

And here's the old one...

Spoiler

[close]

[CaptainD]

Mine is not very good at all because I suck at graphics, but I did this for practice.  Not really sure why I decided to add a flying saucer attacking a rock, but we can call it intrigue.

[Rocchinator]

wow a waterfall of entries, tomorrow i will upload mine!

[Danvzare]

It looks like this contest is really starting to shape up with so many great entries.

[Rocchinator]

Here its mine

[lorenzo]

So many great entries, all with different styles and interpretations of the theme!

esufmp: nice background, it really evokes the idea of a cheap ferry! It would fit perfectly in an adventure game. I can imagine a puzzle where you have to win the talent contest, and I wouldn't mind exploring the rest of the ship.

CaptainD: well, that was an unexpected sci-fi twist! Those aliens... first they attack our rocks, then the whole planet.

Rocchinator: lovely background, as usual! Those columns give the image a nice mythological vibe, and I like the adventurous feeling.

[Kini]

Thanks lorenzo I love your art style and would love to pick your brains about something, if you don't mind. I'll PM you so as not to steer this thread off-topic.

[DBoyWheeler]

Very neat scene, Rocchinator.  I might have to have you in some future game projects.

[Rocchinator]

thanks lorenzo and thanks DBoyWheeler You will

[Kini]

I'm in the process of completely redoing my entry. Should have the new version up tomorrow.

[Kini]

Updated

[lorenzo]

I like the redone background, esufmp! The greater attention to perspective has given the image more depth, especially in the windows: the ship wall now looks properly thick!

[Kini]

Thanks lorenzo!

[lorenzo]

Time to vote!

Entries:

1. DBoyWheeler's castle by the sea!


2. xBRANEx's dock!
[imgzoom]https://image.ibb.co/cKseWv/dock.png[/imgzoom]

3. Blondbraid's cabin!


4. esufmp's talent contest!


5. CaptainD's seaside alien invasion!
[imgzoom]https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2m5b_ORsiiw/WbcIoZeFYtI/AAAAAAAAqwE/-8wOS4X9G3QVk5u7fNn_53Sbq7x7aFCdwCLcBGAs/s1600/Seaside.png[/imgzoom]

6. Rocchinator's mysterious structure on the sea!

Voting categories:

Concept: your background should tell us something about the place you have depicted.
Playability: does it have clear walkable areas (swimmable areas?), things to interact with, etc?
Artistic Execution: what's the feeling of the place? Does the image convey the wanted atmosphere?

Voting ends on the 24th of September.

Trophies:
And here are the trophies! Since the sea can be cruel, I made some horrifying trophies as well, to reflect its nature.

First place gets this terrifying (?) sea monster life-preserver! Nightmare fuel this thing is.

Second place earns this dangerous (??) lion! What a terrible grin!

Third place nets this scary () duck! Just look at its evil eye!

Everyone else gets this creepy dog and my heartfelt thanks for participating in this background blitz!

Now go vote!

[CaptainD]

Concept: Blondbraid - who sleeps in this cabin?  What's in the jug?  What's in the bucket?  Where are they going and why?  So many questions need answering!
Playability: esufmp - looks like a lot of interesting possibilities in that scene.
Artistic Execution: xBRANEx - love the peaceful atmosphere here and use of colours, just looking at it for a while should calm anyone down nicely.

I'm looking forward to receiving my creepy dog

[Kini]

Great entries, everyone. Here are my votes.

Concept: Rocchinator
Playability: Blondbraid
Artistic execution: Rocchinator (I had a hard time deciding between this entry and xBRANEx's, which I think would make a beautiful end credits scene)

[DBoyWheeler]

My votes

Concept: Rocchinator (if this doesn't best describe a sea setting, then tell me what does)
Playability: xBRANEx (so much to interact with, and I can so see myself repairing the boat to row to that island to find out what lies there)
Artistic Execution: Rocchinator (for some reason it has that Greek myth feel--and am I the only one who thinks of the NES game "Battle of Olympus" when I see this?)

[Rocchinator]

Amazing entries and awesome trophies!


Concept: CaptainD
Playability: xBRANEx
Artistic execution: Blondbraid

[selmiak]

Concept: Rocchinator
Playability: xBRANEx
Artistic execution: xBRANEx

I want to make sweet love to xBRANEx color palette. Does this mean I'm a nerd...

[Danvzare]

Concept: CaptainD
Playability: esufmp
Artistic Execution: Blondbraid

[xBRANEx]

Concept: Rocc - I think this is the weakest bg you used for competitions here. But it's still really nice.
Playability: Blondbraid - Your style is so easy to recognize. I really like the bleak mood of this one.
Artistic Execution: Blondbraid

[lorenzo]

RESULTS

On 1st place, we have, with the same number of votes... both Blondbraid and Rocchinator!
You both deserve this monstrous life-preserver!



On 2nd place, we have... xBRANEx!
May this lion-shaped life-preserver serve you well!



On 3rd place, we have... both CaptainD and esufmp!
Here's a duck, as a trophy!

(no creepy dog for you this time, Captain!)


And just for DBoyWheeler, a floating dog!



Thanks everybody for participating, it has been a great background blitz!

Now the question is, with two people on first place, who will host the next one?

[xBRANEx]

Oh nice! Congrats to the winners

[DBoyWheeler]

Thanks.

[CaptainD]

Congrats Blondbraid and Rocchinator!

But no creepy dog... can't help feeling a tinge of regret there!

[Danvzare]

Congratulations you all.

[Kini]

Woop! Congrats everyone.

Could someone please tell me how to create a forum post signature with my fearsome rubber ducky attached? I want to wear it proudly!

Thanks. And I look forward to seeing what the next challenge will be

[Click'd]

Could someone please tell me how to create a forum post signature with my fearsome rubber ducky attached? I want to wear it proudly!

Upload it to an image hoster like imgur, then use the [ IMG ] code on your profile page (signature field) like you would in a post.

[Kini]

Thanks ClickClickClick.

[Blondbraid]

Thank you so much for your votes everyone, and congratulations to Roccinator!

[Rocchinator]

THanks everyone for the votes and congrats to you too Blondbraid and the other winners.

[Daniel Thomas]

Just in case it's misunderstood: The winner, traditionally, starts the next one up.

[Blondbraid]

Just in case it's misunderstood: The winner, traditionally, starts the next one up.

I know, and I'm terribly sorry that I forgot about it. I have been rather busy last month.

[Click'd]

Just in case it's misunderstood: The winner, traditionally, starts the next one up.

What happens when there are two winners?

[Danvzare]

Just in case it's misunderstood: The winner, traditionally, starts the next one up.

What happens when there are two winners?

One usually says they don't have the time to host the contest.

[selmiak]

seems like that

[Blondbraid]

I've been a bit busy lately, but I'll put something together real soon if it's OK with you guys.