I apologize that judging this competition took so long, with a mix of things in real life and online taking up a good chunk of time I didn’t have a chance to fully sit down and review the entries the way I initially wanted to. Regardless, I think I finally reached my decision on the winners and I am excited to announce them. Of course, before I get to the winners, I do want to add: even if you aren’t in the winning placements, not being chosen doesn’t mean you lack anything as an artist or designer: I loved all of the entries I received because they were all unique and beautiful and I can tell a lot of time and effort went into all of them. So, I wanted to say what I liked about those first, before moving onto the winners! Please note, I only judged those that were finished - so any WIPs will not be included in this, but I did love any WIPs I did see and I hope to see them made into some amazing things! Also, if you entered with multiples, I definitely will be mentioning which one(s) were my favorites as well. I apologize, this post will be a tad long!
Zoosea - Your entry was one of the first ones I saw, and it was the one that I was captivated with for a long time, so it was tough to lower this one! The whole design has a terrarium/garden vibe that I still love, and the colors work wonderfully together! Your edits were gorgeous and those tails.. oh how I love them! ;3;
Deerbroken -Your entry is simple, but I love how you used the glow on the fog instead of the actual kalon, it almost gives a spooky/haunting effect and I love the muted, grayscale palette you chose to use! Overall, I love the ghostly appearance and I adore the edits you picked to compliment them!
Arsenic. - Your entry was the only one I received through Discord, so don’t worry I didn’t forget it! You honed in on the demonic-type of design and I was all for it! The edits and palette you chose reminded me of an old friend’s OC and there’s nothing wrong with that, if anything I loved the nostalgic vibe it gave me! I loved the wings and fire element that really sealed the devil vibe!
:Ginger: - I’m posting this after multiple halos changed from a legendary trait, but I still judged it as a legendary! That’s my fault for having my timing being off. I loved the colors you used and the eyes stood out, really giving it a pop of color! For it to be your first entry for the artist search blew my mind, because it’s lovely! I hope you keep going forward with entries, because you did wonderful!
Schnuffel Bunny - The fact you had so many entries to this contest was incredible - especially because each one was so unique and beautiful! I had several favorites, but all of them were breathtaking in their own way! Particularly, if I had to choose one I adored the very first entry you did. I loved the colors of that one as well as the way you did the glow edits. Everything flowed nicely and nothing seemed out of place! Not to mention you added accessories that really added to the design and I adored those as well!
Littlelies - Your entry gave me magical/magician vibes and I adored that! I love the colors you used and the sun-esque shine and stars really compliments the palette! I love all the edits you did as none are really distracting, but they add to the design. Also that hair is beautiful, I love it so much! You kept the design simple and almost centered around the shine, which really makes it feel like it belongs in the design and wasn’t placed there as an afterthought! Also that hair is gorgeous, mkay? ;3;
Plantfood - I adored all of your entries, but if I had to pick one to mark as my favorite - it’d be “city predator”. This one was absolutely stunning in the palette you used and the edits. I love that hair and how the tail splits into three. I love the pop of color the yellow adds, it’s almost striking in the best way! Also that shine really captures the title you gave this design! Just overall gorgeous! <3
Kiesen - If there’s one thing I love, it’s cats and cat-inspired designs, which you executed perfectly! Your edits were clean and really fit with the design. The design is simple and keeping the color palette limited really works! I adore the little fire spirits and how they’re the same color as the accent color you used! c:
Tanjiro - Your entries were wonderfully creative! I loved your second one, honestly! The way you do eyes is beautiful! I loved the pop of color the purple magic brought in and it was a really creative way to add a legendary trait! Also those wings are so cool! I adored the semi-transparent nature they have and how they’re inspired by bat wings!
-Everette- - I enjoyed both of your entries to this contest! Your first was almost holographic in the colors you chose, but that second entry was the one I enjoyed just a little bit more! The fact you interpreted “time” to be prehistoric was incredibly creative! I love the amber you used and how the markings really capture prehistoric artwork! Also the shine almost appears to look like an opal in a way? And I’m all for that!
Sapphireish - Your design is simple, but those colors are my cup of tea hands down! I love how clean your edits are and the pop of color on the face using that teal under the eye is just mm<3. The fact you matched the hair and tail gives it a uniform look! Also those accessories you chose caught the essence of time!
Necropoliis - I love this entry so much, I’m not going to lie! It’s simple, but the fact you used body shine to pull the lightning through the design and made it the same blue as the lightning is stunning! The edits you used and your execution of them is also gorgeous! Also, the alternate form was a pleasant surprise and I love that it makes everything an orange hue! By far one of my favorites and it was in the running until the very end!
Sweet Dreams Always - You kept the palette limited in terms of color, but you really put so much into this design! I love how the lighter colors really stand out against the dominantly dark colors! I’m a sucker for dark coloring in designs in general, too. Not to mention the unique ears you gave this cutie! I’m in awe of how unique and elaborate they are!
ThatPinkThing - Your entry is wonderful! I love the blue lightning shine on the face, giving a cracking sort of look to the design. I’m a sucker for multiple tails and the design on them is elaborate, yet creative! I love that you kept the blues to accents and really honed in on the grayscale with the cat-esque tabby markings tying it all together!
With all that being said, I would love to move over to the ones who placed and will be receiving prizes!
In third place . . .
Cloasiii - I’d be a liar if I didn’t say I was a sucker for nostalgia because I’m in the same boat of dragons and Rise Against. I adore the edits you gave this kalon and the wings are stunning! You kept the markings simple, but it still adds so much to the design with your execution of them. It almost gives a smoky, watercolor appearance and I’m all for it! The red adds a beautiful pop of color. Like before, I’m judging the multiple halos as a legendary trait for the sake of this, and they really add to the design! Well done!
In second place . . .
Sugar.fiz - I loved how you took the space element and incorporated it in this design! From the wings to the glow under the hair to the halo, it really is executed wonderfully. I love how you incorporated the gene splicing element into the back feet and brought it all together with the tails! I’m a sucker for black-and-white hair so that was a nice tough as well, not to mention your edits are beautifully done through the whole design! Seriously, this design is stunning and definitely eye candy!
In first place . . .
LostInTheEcho - I am a sucker for color change, if you couldn’t tell by the placements I have going on here. The fact you took inspiration from the gifs I linked and used them in this way is amazing! Not to mention using a song from Rise Against that I’m not crazy familiar with, bonus points there! You kept the edits simple and it really compliments the overall design. I had a concept from the moment I saw this one and I look forward to making them a reality!
And finally, the grand prize winner . . .
Ilya - I am floored by this design - actually I don’t think floored covers enough of how I feel. Everything about this design is stunning! To be honest, it’s out of my comfort zone in the fact it’s a vibrant watercolor-esque pattern, and I love that. I love it so much! I love the edits you chose and the fact it’s based off Set It Off and captures so much about them, but stands alone as its own design, not feeling like it’s forced to be tied to them. You also really captured the vibe Killer In The Mirror has as well! The fact you also used the color change on the water is definitely different and fun, and I can see myself using that like crazy! Hands down, this is a beautiful entry and I love it so much!
If the winners could please PM me with an indication of how they want to go about their prizes, we can discuss from there! Thank you so much to all the entries again! I adored every single one and it was so tough to pick the winners!
