The ALVINLEEART.COM DIGITAL COLOR CHALLENGE has been concluded and we have come to terms with the five finalists by our board of judges. There were a plethora of submissions to review and after much consideration and many great entries later these are the pieces of work that we found were not only well executed but stood out from the crowd. We want to thank you all for your generous submissions and hard work put towards this contest, it was greatly appreciated! Three of these finalists were actually featured earlier during the competition and still remained in the running for the grand prize. Congratulations for making it on to the voting session, your work speaks for itself! We apologize for the delay of the announcement of our finalists but as you can understand we had hundreds of submissions to review and as the deadline drew near the competition grew more intense. It was a difficult decision to make as we butted heads, argued for specific submissions and debated for days but I hope you are pleased with our final selection.
Vote for your favorite submission now!
NOTABLE SUBMISSIONS:
These are some submissions that we felt were above average and definitely worthy of being noted. These were all very well done and just barely made the cusp of our final five. Here they are for you to see!
Jorge Maese
Fifi Xu
Ryan Burt
Laura Galiffe
Andrea Errico
Muhammed Ansar Ali
Neeraj Menon
Stephen Hetrick
Claudia Madez
THE FIVE FINALISTS (IN NO PARTICULAR ORDER)
Color Challenge Finalist, Danny Araya
Danny Araya
Silver Spring, USA.
http://danielaraya.deviantart.com/
Color Challenge Finalist, Raineiro Cobos
Raineiro Cobos Castro
Bogota, Colombia.
www.raineiro.com
Color Challenge Finalist, Nala Fontaine
Nala Fontaine
Montreal, Canada.
http://nalafontaine.deviantart.com/
Color Challenge Finalist, Seth D Jones
Seth D Jones
Shepherdsville, USA.
Color Challenge Finalist, Fabian "Monk" Schlaga
Fabian “Monk” Schlaga
Kassel, Germany.
http://monk-art.deviantart.com/
Jorge Maese
Fifi Xu
Ryan Burt
Laura Galiffe
Andrea Errico
Muhammed Ansar Ali
Neeraj Menon
Stephen Hetrick
Claudia Madez
October 12th, 2009 at 10:46 pm
Ok guys..we have a little detail about this contest here,.all we know alvin here and his art..and paintings are amazing we fans. but.. seriosly..they are better works on this contest was great to see in the final list.. some of you guys know some talented people around this contest and its ok but,,hey alvin you truly master of the universe they are more talented painting on this shit to be on the list no works looks like unfinished like Raineiro Cobos, in obseravtion this most incomplete palet color looks like unfinished work,.. but hey you are the master of the universe..we are fan of you work.. dont forget that but man cmon.. seriosly?
they are people realy talented people who read the faq and the rules on this one challenge you made to try to do they best work, an this dude looks like never read this one. seem like no to be on the finalist.
in other way– they are a guy (Seth D Jones SALAMANDROS ON deviant.) who send the material LATE. cuz the “mamon” seems never read the rules FAQ cuz forget the mail who the send his work, this is a joke seriosly . and sending later..and you choise his work for the finalist.. cmon man. seriosly we love you work but here we are seee you need more respect for truly work and respect for they people who read serioly the FAQS. youre faqs man.
for this one, this guy post here the detail. of his forgot thing mail:
((((~salamandros Oct 3, 2009, 3:16:13 AM
hey alvin, thanks for the color challenge opportunity! i have a question though, i sent my file in before midnight to colorchallenge@alvinleeart.com which it said in the contest rules. i later found out in the web FAQ there was another address. by that time, it was too late. did your admin accept ones going to the colorchallenge mail address??
P.S.
ALVIN WE love you work seriosly
October 12th, 2009 at 10:32 pm
@Site Admin – Alfred
Thanks a lot for the critique!I’ll make sure my next piece stands out!
October 12th, 2009 at 9:28 pm
Incredible!! I only wish I was able to finish out(wasn’t able to work the backgrounds, texture flourish or finish the halo backlite).
I’ll come back stronger next time, mos def!!
I am in shock I made it, all that belly-achin for nothing. Though I feel for those who didn’t get confirmations.
Congrats on other finalists, superb work with great time and care put into each. The polish is just phenominal.
Monk, great texture, color and effects! I’d vote for you if my measily piece wasnt so laggin in the polls, lol. great work!
Fontaine, I’m in love w/ your flame wisps- perfectly executed.
Cobo, awsome and bold direction that is simple but obviously does the job.
Araya, great colors and I def like the blue textured background.
Thanks everyone for your support!!
-Seth
October 12th, 2009 at 7:57 pm
Fabian definitely got my vote, it’s the most unique of the bunch. I especially like how he degraded the ends of that swirl graphic, quite stunning actually.
I think the concept behind Raineiro’s submission is intriguing but in my opinion suffers due to the lighting on the characters being too soft, if that makes any sense.
That’s my two cents, of course my abilities pale compared to any one of these guys, kudos to all of them.
October 12th, 2009 at 7:39 pm
Nice work all, hope to see something like this again in the future Alvin!
October 12th, 2009 at 7:21 pm
Whoa! if we keep this up, guys, Alvin’s going to be giving people critiques all night!
…but if you DO have a moment to spare, I would really appreciate a bit of concrit on my submission… not so much personal preference (obviously Alvin did not like mine off the bat, that goes without saying), but more of an objective critique of how I could’ve made it better for a ‘comic colorist’ portfolio?
I’d also totally be up for critiques from anyone else who reads this! (just click my name to see my entry) We could all do a critique exchange or something
October 12th, 2009 at 6:18 pm
hey great job to all the finalists and honorable mentions, there are truly some gems in there! To the finalists good luck although I think we know who the winner might be and well deserved also!
It’s been a huge honor coloring this piece and although there’s some disappointment for not making the cut, it does nothing else but push me forward and keep at it. I mean after all I just started doing digital coloring like two months ago, so I can’t beat myself too much.
Now, and I’m totally jumping on the bandwagon here but if you guys are still up for it, I would really appreciate some critique on my piece. See what worked, what didn’t and what did it lacked that didn’t made it.
Again thanks a lot for the opportunity and the great honor!
October 12th, 2009 at 5:15 pm
congrats and best luck to the 5 finailsts!..ill have to work a lot more on my colors next time, keep up the great work!
October 12th, 2009 at 5:08 pm
Wow! the final ones are so shiney! Well done to everyone who made final five and honourable mentions! Also, I didn’t think the critique given was harsh at all, in fact I’d have loved to have mine critiqued too!
I’ve seen critique that slaughtered, but this is critique helps to point out the flaws and stimulates creative growth ^^
I’d like mine to be critiqued if you guys have the time! Really! I’m used to critique (my lecturers throughout my life were A LOT more harsh by millions XD so I be super grateful if you could hit me with it). I’ve learnt to deal with it-seriously! When I look at my piece in comparison with the finalists and I can see that it doesn’t “pop” but I can’t for the life of me figure out why? @__@ Even a couple of words about it would be nice, I’m still a beginner in terms of colouring so I’d welcome any/all crit (please?)
On to my two cents on my fave of the finalists!
I like Fabian “Monk” Schlaga’s piece the most, because of it’s creative use of textures and blending of flame out of focus, I also like that it used the flame to create different colours, in fact it reminds me of washed out printing or water colours, maybe even sepia tones?? The spread of the flame being added was also a great idea!! (the flecks of flame spray I mean) and really brings it together! I hope this one wins! (also I have to mention that me opinion is without bias in terms of “he’s popular at the cons” because till just now I’d never heard of him *I fail… epically when it comes to knowing the people to know* so that theory doesn’t apply to me.) Good luck Mr. Schlaga!!!!
Thanks for hosting such an amazing competition! I’ll be sure to enter your next one too XD – already entered the Tribute books competitions for Darkstalkers and Street Fighter previously so I hope you’ll get used to seeing my name… EVERYWHERE XD. Strangely, I feel like I improve a ton with each entry into your comps! So thankys! ^^
October 12th, 2009 at 4:41 pm
@Sagi – Yea, I was having trouble deciding. But most of my buddies were for the third one. Thanks for taking a look at my blog!
@dson50 – Hey, thank you
@XaVoR85 – Surething!
October 12th, 2009 at 4:36 pm
@Alvin: no problem, is a contest and I just ask some advice
Thx a lot for beeing patient and replying us all.
October 12th, 2009 at 4:34 pm
@Alfred: Ok, thank you for the reply! Have a nice evening (I guess is so in your country).
October 12th, 2009 at 4:32 pm
Hey All!
Haha, I love it! Let the debating begin! Well, let’s just set the record straight so that all of you are not arguing until the cows come home…
In terms of the Final Five, each of these were rewarded not only for their execution but also their creative approach and originality. With that aside it also had to be consistent. If they were to attempt a specific style, it had to be done with conviction. Not only good in some areas, but solid throughout the entirety of the piece! If you take note, the Final Five all standout from the crowd and done so without many visible “mistakes” in their work. I think most importantly of all the colors had to compliment, not compromise the line-work of the piece. If the contestant were to compromise the linework, it better have been for good reason in my eyes. Subtlety is also often highly overlooked and I quote DaVinci, “Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.” Note that many, if not all of the Finalists did not try to overdo a said style and kept it looking natural and easy on the eyes, thus in my opinion a higher form of refinement in their work.
In terms of the Notable Submissions, it’s quite an achievement to be here as there were hundreds others that did not make it! You were the reason we were late in submitting our finalists because we were debating, and considering much like you guys are doing now for which to remain in the final vote. In the end, it came down to overall execution, refinement, subtlety, skill level and consistency. It wasn’t because you didn’t do a fantastic job already to make it this far, it was probably one little minor or noticeable gripe (a finalist did not possess) that was like a thorn by my side that I couldn’t shake loose! Some of you were also barely squeaked out of the Final Five. In fact, we were sitting with Final Seven for quite some time which included both Andrea Errico and Laura Galiffe. In the end, I went with my gut instincts and these are the Final Five that I felt were most deserving, perhaps some remained because of personal preference but in my mind that’s what made them even more worthy!
Hope you can live with the decisions of the judges and I. There is a reason they are here and not the others. If they are in the Final Five they are there for good reason! Now enjoy the contest and vote for your favorite submission already! Geez!
October 12th, 2009 at 4:22 pm
thanks for having the contest, and i feel honored to be in the notable submissions, very good art over here, maybe i did a very traditional, coloring over the entire piece, i was aiming for a street fighter clean look, but hey maybe next time, congratz to fabian did a tremendous job, and he already knows it
October 12th, 2009 at 4:13 pm
Nah, it’s all good now man. It was kind of a sudden hit type of thing, but I’m over it now. I just gotta respect the decisions. I know it doesn’t necessarily mean that I didn’t do good with it. It just preference from the head honcho himself lol
Ok, I’m done talking about it. You guys won’t hear from me anymore unless it’s about something else.
Again, thanks for responding to my b****ing and moaning lol