Round 1: The 2011 Custom Art Competition

[TheKoopaDasher]

Welcome, VGBA users, to Round 1 of the 2011 Custom Art Competition.

The theme for Round 1 is Urgency. Whether by falling blocks, the threatened death of a loved one, or an overwhelming sense of speed, Urgency plays a crucial role not only in the plots of most video games, but in our motivation for playing them as well. Urgency makes our hearts race, our blood boil, and our emotions run wild. It is one of the most satisfying thrills a gamer can receive from a game. For Round 1, you will be asked to capture that sense of urgency and display it in your art. You are free to choose any game, from any genre, on any console, as long as the final design shows a clear sense of urgency.

The main rule of this competition is that your art MUST be custom-made by YOU. Your art can be done using any method you choose (digital, pencil, charcoal, markers, colored pencils, etc), but every piece of art on your box design must be created by you. While you are allowed to use premade templates, ratings logos, developer logos, and game logos, using premade versions is not required, and you are encouraged to be as creative as possible with how you implement these elements in your design. Using premade images in your box presentation is acceptable, but the box design itself must use ONLY custom-made art.

For this competition, your boxes will be judged by a secret panel of Judges. You will be given scores out of 10 points in each of five criteria:

Creativity: Is it unique? Is this a new design or is it a tired idea?

Presentation: Is the box presented in a way that complements it, or is the presentation lacking, and takes away from the appeal of the box?

Attention to Theme: How well did the box apply the rules of the Round's theme? Is the theme barely noticeable or uniquely intertwined?

Art Quality: A great design can be damaged by the overall quality of the art. Are there noticeable mistakes (smudges, stray markings, etc)? Are the figures disproportionate? Does the chosen style seem strange for the game?

Overall Appeal: When you see it, does it appeal to you? If you saw it on the shelf, would you want to buy that game?

You should be sure to do your best in each of these categories. An amazing box with a generic presentation will get a low score, just as a box with a great design that ignores the theme will get a low score.

When the Judges have scored your box, you will be sent a Scorecard via pm with your score, as well as comments regarding why that score was chosen, and how to improve in the future. Once all of the scores have been completed, a Leaderboard will be posted listing your rank in the competition, based on score.

Boxes MUST be submitted to me via PM by 11:59 pm PT on Tuesday, May 31st. No extensions will be given on this deadline. If you do not submit, your plank will be removed from the Leaderboard. I will ask you to NOT submit your box to the main site until this Round is completed and the Leaderboard has been posted.

[Ronthis the Werewolf]

Zees weel be verey deefeecult...

[beardedwalrus]

Oh shit. I know the perfect game to do. It will be tricky to make it work, but I'll find a way.

[Luigi53]

Currently drawing Kirby, Having problems drawing King Dedede XD

[stevencho]

I can already predict that we will not have a lack of Sonic in this round.

[xXStiffyJiffyXx]

I got a great idea now it's just time to put it all down on paper

[Luigi53]

I changed my box to Crash Bandicoot, specifically Dr. Cortex, but I dont know what I will call it.

[xXStiffyJiffyXx]

I changed my box to Crash Bandicoot, specifically Dr. Cortex, but I dont know what I will call it.

I have an idea for a name: Crash Bandicoot

[Luigi53]

I have an idea for a name: Crash Bandicoot

a Game about CORTEX, not Crash. I said a game specifically about Cortex.

[xXStiffyJiffyXx]

a Game about CORTEX, not Crash. I said a game specifically about Cortex.

Oh my bad lol

[Daemon]

Yes.

This is very good. *scuttles off to finish already started work*

[Eggboy'13]

I know just the thing..

[Ronthis the Werewolf]

Hey guys, guess what I'm making?

I can already predict that we will not have a lack of Sonic in this round.

Damn, am I really that predictable?

[LooseJuice]

I wish I knew how to make custom arts, but I'll definitely be watching this competition. Hopefully we get to see these boxes as they're completed. Good luck everyone.

Awesome logo by the way.

[MysticTikal]

Is it too late to sign up? I'd like to if not.

[TheKoopaDasher]

Is it too late to sign up? I'd like to if not.

You can still sign up. Just submit your box by the deadline.

[RoarShark]

I changed my box to Crash Bandicoot, specifically Dr. Cortex, but I dont know what I will call it.

It tends to help if you don't tell everyone what you are making. This IS a competition.

The theme is incredibly interesting. Its broad, but yet at the same time not broad at all. It will be interesting to see the results.

[Daemon]

What do we do when we're finished?

[Luigi53]

Dude, I'm gonna quit this, I suck at drawing, and It's hard to draw on the computer @_@

[TheKoopaDasher]

What do we do when we're finished?

When you finish the box, you need to upload it onto some sort of image-sharing website and send it to me via pm. Preferably a link to it, or the IMG code directly in the pm.