LBTN™ VS FOURSTARFIZZLE

[The Mask of Norro]

EAST WING SEMIFINALS

LBTN™ vs fourstarfizzle

Story: A year on earth is a time of constant change. From spring, summer, autumn and winter... there are thousands of places on earth that have varying outlooks on what the seasons are all about. Winter to Floridians is alot like summer to New Yorkers, and in Alaska the summers bring forth never-ending sun. A company is coming out with a calendar depicting the seasons of the world, and have offered you money to input your own piece into it. It can be any season of your choosing.

Basic Rules: Create a graphic based around a season of the year, but try to be really creative with it. Remember-- you can depict this season from ANYWHERE. Summer in antartica, spring in Peru... wherever you want.

Restrictions: Include a border, and it also must obviously be about a season of the earth somewhere on the earth.

Size: No size limits, just make sure it's reasonable.

Deadline: May 8th, 2006

[fourstarfizzle]

Wasn't really sure where to go with this, hopefully it is still within the rules, but I was really stuck on it, and with my exams coming up on monday, I just went for an old school monocromatic style photo.

[The LBTN Express]

I didn't want to go over the top with it, as with the last round I thought something simple, yet effective suits the rules better. I had this picture for a project I did a few years ago stored on my computer. I saw it whilst digging around all my stocks and stuff looking for ideas and thought it would be perfect for a calendar shot, so I just made it look like there was some actual sun above them, deepened the shadows giving the effect it was the height of summertime in Vietnam.

[The Mask of Norro]

ALLDAWSON'S JUDGING

LBTN vs fourstarfizzle

fourstarfizzle

Pros: The monochrome and 'noisy' effect looks good.

Cons: I'm not liking the drop shadow on the main text.

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LBTN

Pros: I like the 'Vietnam Summertime' text and how you've separated it from the picture with it on the bar. Nice effects on the picture.

Cons: The font used for the small text adds nothing to the graphic.

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Result

I choose LBTN here. Both were quite simple, I just find LBTN's more interesting and I like the way the top bar's colour scheme compliments the colours in the picture.

WILDCAT'S JUDGING

LBTN™ vs fourstarfizzle

LBTN™

PROS: I love the concept and the cows cooling off in the mud on a hot summer day gives me a perfect feel of what summers are like in Vietnam.

CONS: Not fond of the text used at the bottom. I would have liked to see something a little bolder and a little more appealing than a simple single stroke black text.

fourstarfizzle

PROS: I love the image and the text is really crisp and fits the piece well. The image also gives a very strong visual impact as well.

CONS: As much as I love the piece it doesn't fit the rules as I see them. Instead of representing what any season in a certain place can look like this image shows one specific event in one specific time and isn't representative of a typyical spring in Egypt.

Judgement: Both are excellent peices however graphic art aside, I give my vote to LBTN™ for the simple reason that I think his peice best followed the rules laid out for the project as I took them to mean.

MY JUDGING

LBTN™

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Pros: Oh, oh this is nice. The colors, the lighting, the picture itself... I'm loving the way you've handled all of this! Nicely conveys a side of summer most people wouldn't normally think of... it's a very nice touch to my rules, really. The bar at the top, with the 'Vietnam Summertime' text, is superbly done as well.

Cons: The text at the bottom really adds nothing to the graphic as a whole. It's tiny and hard to read... could definitely use a bit of resizing.

FOURSTARFIZZLE

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Pros: Ooooh, this is quite nice. I'm liking how you've decided to go with a contrast to the idea behind spring... fits the purpose of the rules pretty well in that. Font choice is nice, the effects on the top work well in making the text stand out as well. Grayscale works pretty well considering the picture as well.

Cons: Kinda hard for me to pick at anything about this aside from the bottom-- just seems like a bit much for a picture going up over a calender for a month. Informational, but perhaps a bit too indulgent.

MATCH OUTCOME

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I loved the both of your works, to be honest... you both did a great job staying in-line with the rules and running with them in your own seperate directions.

LBTN™ did an excellent job portraying just how intense a Vietnam summertime would be, while using a scene for the season that no one would normally think of. The colors and contrast are executed to near-perfection too.

Fizzle did an excellent job as well, because his was a contrast to what most would think of when thinking of spring. Font effects were nicely done, balance was apparent throughout the graphic too.

In the end, I'd say that fourstarfizzle just narrowly outses LBTN™ for me in this one.

However... LBTN™ already has two votes for him, and so LBTN™ advances to the east wing finals!! Congratulations, LBTN™! You did an excellent job!

Fizzle, thank you so much for your excellent contributions to this tournament. You put in some phenomenal work, there's no question that you deserved to make it this far. Better luck next time mate-- I say this because I hope to see you the next time this thing happens again (and, yes, I'll do what I can to make sure it all goes by smoother then this year )

LBTN™, congrats again man... you've earned your spot. Prepare for the finals, they're coming soon, and you've still got some battling to do!