IDW #45: Robot Gladiator - Voting!

[yoitisi]

IDW #45 Topic: Robot Gladiator

Deadline for voting: Wednesday, Oktober 3 2007

No voting for your own entries! :)

Give critiques and comments, we're all here to learn from each other!

Original thread: IDW #45: Robot Gladiator (http://www.conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?t=106377)

[yoitisi]

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Artist: Suici202

http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee70/plietz/RobotGladiator.png

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Artist: ScaryPotato

http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k35/BigScaryPotato/ScaryPotato-RobotGladiator.jpg

Chirurgo delle Spade (Surgeon of Swords)

With its speed and relatively small size, the Chirurgo delle Spade easily outmanouvered other combatants. It relied on its speed to avoid damage, but if there was not time to dodge an attack, it would bow down towards the foe to deflect any strikes with thick armor plating on its top. As soon as the opportunity was there, the Chirurgo delle Spade would leap towards the enemy, using the knife-blade hands and feet to sever hydraulics and power cables, effectively paralyzing the other robot. Although there are no dramatic explosions when the Chirurgo delle Spade fights, fans enjoy the graceful spectacle of him dancing around the opponent and disabling it with such precision.

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Artist: Navarrot

http://www.davidnavarrot.com/images/idw/idw45_nubeslocas.jpg

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Artist: Tom Garden

http://tomgarden.co.uk/sketchbook/idw45.jpg

The Melee rounds are the most visually brutal and exciting to watch! These robots keep going until the engines run dry, or until there isn't much of them left. The melee rounds are more popular than the ballistic rounds, as those ten to end too fast and lack the classic edge of the melee rounds.

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Artist: Schade

http://img212.imageshack.us/img212/9969/idw45schadegn1.jpg

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Artist: Haymaker

http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h155/peterklijn/robokoppie.jpg

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Artist: Zutaiola

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1345/1433627299_041c7703f2_o.jpg

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Artist: Sellis

http://img182.imageshack.us/img182/1042/robotgladiatoridw45sellnu2.jpg

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Artist: Legato

http://incolor.inetnebr.com/legato/IDotW/IDotW045-FinalREDUCED.jpg

BSID24

Designed to a fault to provide a win over sportsman ship or viewer entertainment, the BSID24 has a two pronged approach to its attack. upon entering the arena it fires 10 small multi-frequency probes up that provide full situational awareness while maintaining a constant laser data link with the mech. simultaneously the mech emits huge em chatter, chaff, optical suppressant smoke and ECM bursts. while effectively blinding itself, thought the use of its drones it can begin to pepper the enemy with dumbfire rockets and thermite tipped rounds via its miniguns which stick to, and rapidly burn through the opponent.


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[yoitisi]

Some notes on this round:

Daveneale: No suprise I think, but I considered yours a sketch or a WIP.

Suici202: Maybe make the image a little bigger next time and add some color :)

Haymaker: Was not sure if I should take yours to poll for quality reasons, but seeing that it's your first IDW I let you off the hook. If I've got some more time later I'll put up some critique.

[daveneale]

Yeah...was just messing about with that one, never expected it to go to pole.

Went Sellis, loved the colours/composition and dynamics, but most of all just a couple of badass gladiators.

Scarypotato...rocking perspective, would have liked more detail though

Tom Garden-really awsome, love the dynamism and the colours, you really captured the oldschool design feel of the gladiators of ancient rome.

Schade-very cool, especially in the head area, the angle of the claw type weapon looks a little forced though (like you really wanted to draw it side-on).

Great stuff one and all, hope I get time for the next one

[ScaryPotato]

Zutaiola,you got my vote this round. The lighting is nicely done, and I really like how your design is clearly a robot. A big ugly one at that!

Here are my comments for everyones' drawings;

Suici202- It's interesting how your design looks robotic and biological at the same time, all the curves I think. The design looks a little asymmetrical in parts. I also think that the pose overall would be stronger if the weapon arm was in a little bit more of a dynamic pose instead of the shield arm, might give it a greater sense of action.

Navarrot- The pose and design are great, the robotic codpiece seems a little un-necessary though:) The colouring style is cool but a little on the plain side. A little fleshing out with textures would really liven it up!

Tom Garden-You always seem to be able to put so much stuff in your pieces in such a short amount of time, I am totally envious of your ability to do that!. The sword arc is a little distracting, but really does help clear up what is going on in the painting. The leg positions on the killing robot are kind of wonky, but I've got to say that your colour use is fantastic.

Schade-It's too bad you didn't get to finish this one up. The head and shoulder area are amazing to look at, and the rest had good potential. It looks like the torso is off center from the waist? It looks like maybe it's a resting area for the big cannon, it's a little unclear to my eyes, but overall it's really great.

Haymaker-Try pushing light/dark areas to round out the form on your guy a little more. The design itself is pretty interesting, but watch his pose, he looks a little off balance!

Zutaiola-Cool design and shading, but it's so dark, it feels a little too much a part of the background. The more I look at it, the more I like it though!

Sellis-Very cool and dynamic pose, and the design and colours are good too. There's nothing really to crit, other than the dust cloud looks a little too solid. It's a very good piece.

Legato-I like the brutal design of your robot a lot! The shading on it overall is very good, but some edges look a little soft here and there, good work!

[Sellis]

Hey all,

Went with schade even though it wasn't 100% complete. It has so much potential and the detail around the face is really impressive. Looking forward to seeing more stuff from you.

Tom Garden Cool entry my good man, think the only problem i had was the opponents legs. Keeping the gladiatorial combat in a purely historical context is a cool idea.

Everyone else, well done.

Thanks,

Stu

[Dr_Brain]

hmmm... fascinating what people suggest for a "robot gladiator". Good work all together. well, when i think about the topic i'd say that just the pics of Zutaiola and Sellis give me the right feeling of robotic gladiators. maybe i got a wrong feeling of a "gladiator" caused by different languages. A gladiator for me imagines antique warriors for show-battles... Rome, Greece, sand, earth, blood, audience, dust, swet, brown, beige, red, bronze, copper, ancient helmets, forks and other old fashioned weapons, chariotries, chains... that's what comes into my mind so according to the topic my vote goes to Zutaiola.

:cheerleader:

[TheDirtSyndicate]

antique warriors for show-battles... Rome, Greece, sand, earth, blood, audience, dust, swet, brown, beige, red, bronze, copper, ancient helmets, forks and other old fashioned weapons, chariotries, chains...

ok, i have absolutely nothing to do with this topic, or this section of the forum, etc...
but based on YOUR OWN SPECIFICATIONS mr brain, you clearly have voted for the wrong person.
neither Zutaiola or Sellis have any of your above mentioned characteristics in their designs. and on top of that, out of the two, SELLIS comes closest only because of the sword and the violent action portrayed.
so based on your interpretation of the topic, and why you say you voted the way you did, you're either giving Zutaiola a sympathy vote, or you're a complete moron who doesn't understand the thoughts inside his own head.
Zutaiola, no offence, but im assuming that you are here to LEARN correct? (aren't we all) and i feel comfortable making the assumption that you (like myself) would HATE getting a sympathy vote?
again, im not trying to offend you or piss anyone off, i just feel that if you list your reasons for voting for an image YOU SHOULD STICK WITH THEM. why are you LYING? it doesn't make sense.
based upon your interpretation of the topic, you should have voted for tom garden or schade.

[yoitisi]

Complete2: Just a couple of observations here: You actually apologize twice for posting that but still you do so, you manage to somehow insult Dr Brain because of his vote, you assume to know what Zuatiola wants based upon your own ideas and I simply have no clue why you wanted to post that...the only person who knows where his vote should go is Dr Brain himself, whether his reasoning is sound or not. That why it's called a vote.

[TheDirtSyndicate]

Complete2: whether his reasoning is sound or not.

it wasn't sound.
thats all i was pointing out.
end of story.
:)

[yoitisi]

it wasn't sound.
thats all i was pointing out.
end of story.
:)

Complete2: Still, there are more polite ways of doing so. The thing that bothered me most was the phrase "I'm not trying to offend you or piss you off, but..." because it actually means you just did (or are about to) but it's okay because you said it wasn't meant to. It's simply no excuse at all.

Anyway, back on topic. I'll leave some comments later today :)

[Vict0r]

Hello people.

I just passs and see this poll, my vote is for Tom, really nice and give me the idea clearly.

Good work to all and congrats!

[yoitisi]

Allright, time for some crits and stuff :)

Suici202: As far as the drawing goes it's quite a solid piece, although the perspective on the two spikes on his back goes the wrong way and it's rights arm is in side-view. My main crit is that the design itself is a bit off here and there. Parts are organic, but other parts are very square and straight. It makes it fall apart a little in my eyes. Also, the joints in his arm look very rigid because of its shoulder pads.

ScaryPotato: Great use of perspective, it really gives the whole a feeling of motion. It lacks some detail though, especially on the front leg and foreground. It makes the whole image look unfinished. Some atmospheric perspective would have helped as well, the legs at the back are almost as detailed and dark as the ones in front. If you'd given it one more pass before posting it as final it would have worked stronger.

Navarrot: Although personally I like the simplicity of your image, I think it may also be it weakest point in terms of design. It sort of hides the fact that the robot is not much more than a human with some robot features slapped on.

Tom Garden: I agree with what is said before about the robot in front, the legs look a bit wonky :) Great pose on the other one though. I also like the colors and details, but I couldn't help thinking that it might also be a human in armor instead of a robot, because there are only a few clues that tell otherwise. You might have the same problem as Navarrot there. I guess it comes with the term robot.

Schade: Shame you didn't really finish it, but I still liked it enough to put it in the poll. My main comment would be that it is a bit blurred yet but that is probably because of it being unfinished. I also find my eye wanders all over the image without really finding a focus point, probably because of the same problem :) The legs look off balance because the body is shifted to the left, but also because they seem to be build on a different scale than the rest of its body.

Haymaker: The design is there, but your main problem is actually drawing the shapes it I think. Most of its part look kind of flat, because you didn't define them for yourself before you started coloring. This makes shading difficult which results in a flat end result. First make sure you've got the shape right, which is kind of hard when you only draw the outlines of its different parts. It also looks a bit off balance because the torso is slightly bend.

Zutaiola: Speaking of design, I think yours is strongest. It combines the feeling of a gladiotar/tough fighter and of a robot very well. It's weakest points are the legs, but if I remember correctly you said so yourself already in the original thread. It also looks a little too blurred in places, I think it would've been stronger if the outlines were a bit sharper. Some more contrast with the background would've helped as well.

Sellis: Bigger image next time please :P I like it but there are a couple of weak spots. Overall, the composition is shifted too much to the left I think. On the right side of the image little is going on, while the left side is rather busy. I also think making one of the robots more important than the other (for example making the robot up front darker and the other one brighter) would have helped focusing the viewer to your own favourite. In terms of presenting a design it would've been helpfull if one of them was more visible. The green robot dissappears in the smoke, while the other one is hiding it's lower legs and one arm. The posing is good though, it's just that I don't see all of the design.

Legato: I like the bulkyness and weight of the robot :P However, there are a few perspective issues that make it look smaller than it actually is I think. First, the gunarm at the back is bigger than the one up front, which make it look as if it is actually closer to the viewer than it should be. The leg at the back has the same problem. The hip seems to be off-centre as well somehow if I just look at the legs. One other little things is that the main lines are nice and straight, some smaller ones are a bit wobbly (like the air intakes/exhausts) which makes the overall image look a bit soft and unsharp I think.

That's it for now, hope it's of some use to you all :P

[Hiddnfox]

Here's my Crits. Hope they help a little

Suici202: I liked the idea alot. I think your picture could use some more contrast, and perhaps even some color just to help seperate out different parts of the robot. good perspective though!

ScaryPotato: I liked your colors and the overall atmosphere you gave the picture. My only crit is that the low angle shot and the slight 'fogged' distance gave the illusion that the creature was actually much bigger than the measurements given in the small silhouette in the corner.

Navarrot: I liked this one a lot, it just seemed more like a robot soldier than a gladiator. I really liked the graphic setup of the picture. the colors of the robot were most pleasing as well

Tom Garden: I had to choose between yours and Schade. In the long run I chose Schades. I liked your robot I liked the angle of the shot as well, but I felt that there could be a little more color than just reds n yellows. Also maybe if you made the shot just slightly more extreme, Like closer to the robots or even exaggerate the stance a little more of both robots.

Schade: I voted for this one, although I feel it still is VERY unfinished I really enjoyed the detailed areas. definitely the robot I would not want to face in the ring

Haymaker: I liked where your was going. Has an old late 80's early 90's Anime feel to it. Just a few things to improve your skills with blocky objects. up the contrast a bit more and watch the perspective a bit in the chest area. Something that might help you in the perspective way is making a simple basic model of what you are drawing in Google Sketchup. it's free and really easy to use. you can build the model quickly and give it proper shadows. export picture to photoshop or whatever and you've got something to draw over.

Zutaiola: I wish this was brightened up a bit so I could see more of the robot! Looks scary enough though. I think maybe some wear and tear from a few battle should be shown on the surface of the robot. It looks to clean right now. I do like to blue lights that show up in the darkness!

Sellis: wow. upon closer inspection I dont know why I didnt vote for yours. I like the colors, the pose. even the reflected light from the beaten robots back-lights on the smoke. wish it were bigger though. good job!

Legato: I like the robot, looks menacing, but could look more menacing with more contrast. much more. Also I like that you added a few scratches here and there but remember that wear-and-tear is more that just the silver under the paint. this about rust and maybe burn marks from other robots weapons. take a look at old metal dumpsters or maybe old military vehicles to see hoe metal can be worn down. (www.militaryphotos.net hes some great photos in their forums from active military guys in different branches all over the world. can find some great vehicles there yo unever would've imaged)


hope these helped someone! been awhile since I took a shot at critiquing work.

[grenogs]

this was a tough vote, but in the end i voted for scarypotatoe, becouse he took an alterative route, by going to an animal/insect based robot. probably in a real life situation the most practicle, becouse size for size insects are much faster and stronger than any human. So logicly an insect gladiator would also be much faster and stronger than a humanoid version. Also this i think would be a more entertaining gladiator to watch, being hand to hand combat. plus its a very nice image.

[Vulgar`]

This was a formidable round.

v - Navarrot

Mechanus Maximus.

[Zutaiola]

Hello artists!. What a lot of surprises on this round!.:x

First of all, thanks for all those comments, specially Scarypotato, yoitisi, Hiddnfox for taking your time commenting everyone of ours, thanks a lot. I really should liked to work more on this one.

yoitisi Thanks for chairing, you explain everything perfectly.
Dr Brain: :cheerleader:!! :wink:

Voted for Schade, in spite of I would like to see it a little more finished I think is the most interesting as desing, as well it's the most agresive (my opinion) let us see a different culture/aesthetic. If his attitude were a little more dynamic it would be splendid.

The only thing that I would say is that some are closer to Ilustration than desing, but It's all right for me, I think that usually different points of view are positive.:teeth:

[navarrot]

Great round thankx everyone!!