G e n e s i s D r i v e ~

Alright, I've flubbed a few entries and had a couple marginal successes, but I'm still nowhere near where I need to be to seriously contend for a shirt.woot win. And I need at least two shirt.woot wins before I can buy a Cintiq <drool>. So, I've decided to formalize something that I've been haphazardly doing anyway, and critique the Fog of War entries from each derby-- well, at least the ones I like. Starting with Derby 191: Robots save the world!

Mirai, by bassanimation

This is one of my favorite entries from the derby (and bassanimation was even kind enough to provide a larger shot for our viewing pleasure). The composition is central, solid, and fills up most of the print space. The color palette is monochromatic (gray scale) with red as an accent. She delineates all forms with a thin black line, uses light and dark shapes to block out shadows and highlights, and used halftones to give the subtle glow to the Earth as well as hint at the metallic gradient on the mecha. Interestingly, she only ever uses black as outlines and for the plant stems and leaves-- everything else is a dark gray. She offsets the stable, solid, unmoving and unyielding form of the robot with the dynamic shape of the girl, the organic elements of plant and smoke, and the ribbon, giving a final result of balanced stability and action. She calls the red throughout, starting with the blossoms (probably using black stems to increase contrast and provide 'weight' to the bottom), then up to the reflectors on the mecha's arms and 'belt', focusing on the girl (using the very pale skin, again, as contrast and to pull the viewer's attention), but then also weaves it up through the ribbon (interjecting a very subtle red Japan, so it's identifiable yet 'lost' in the glow) and red aura. She uses a halftone gradient in the background, starting dark in the middle (to provide extra contrast for the robot and to make the brights of the girl and cat stand out further), and then lighter on the outside, making it a very subtle textured effect. Overall, her strengths in this piece are composition, rhythm and balance. It's more about shapes and patterns than linework.

Fate of the Planet, by patrickspens

I think one of the most talented designers by far (and, look, also generous with a larger version), it's no surprise that this entry won the derby. Clearly his masterful use of halftones allows him to pull almost unprecedented color depth and range from six little colors (and he managed to commit one to the light blade alone!!). Again, the composition is strong, large, and dynamic. You've got a strong repeating element (/ diagonal) repeated in the blade, the bot, and the solar lens flare, which makes it easy for your eye to dance between the three. The lens flare and blade bracket the key point of action, though I find there's some conflict- my eye keeps wanting to pull down to the earth, when I think it would be more fitting to focus on the battle-- but if this is what patrickspens wanted, he certainly accomplished his goal! The only lines in this are highlights, and all other forms are mapped out using tones. It was particularly clever to use the blue and red alternating light sources-- this allowed him to very clearly point out how the form wrapped all the way around (as opposed to leaving half in shadow, as from one light source). Right now I think all I can do is shake my head in wonder-- I need to get a lot better at predicting colors and tones before I attempt something as complex as this.

To the Clouds, by cmdixon2

This is my other favorite entry in the derby, and a designer who's style seems very close to my own. Let's see how many tips I can pick up from him (other than, y'know, always including a full-res picture). First, all the key elements have thicker black lines of varying width-- very natural, and likely done in photoshop. All the background elements are the same color, and he picks out the robot, flames, people, clouds and meteors in different color. There is slight use of halftones in the translucent elements-- the clouds, the fire glow, and the buildings slightly obscured by haze and distance. What very little shading there is on the robot is accomplished through black lines (under the 'chin') and letting the background peek through (neck shadow). The highlights are messy streaks of color that just seems to work. I like the way he put down color strokes for the reflected fire glow on the building to the right, and then used cross-hatch erasing strokes to lower the value a bit. The fire on the building and the red glow first grabs the viewer's eyes, then the glow and arch of the building lead to the robot, where the high contrast of the black and light gray plus orange highlights lead the eye up to the clouds. The two clouds on the far side of the meteor lead the eye back gently to the faded-building, which also gently leads the eye back to the fire, starting the circle again. I really like this mix of halftone and line quality, and it's definitely something to keep in mind for future entries.

W.W.Z. Mechanized Military Infantry, by Midgerock

My last favorite entry (also with a large version for viewing pleasure). I really like the idea of playing with shadow and just hinting at form, which this shirt did brilliantly. Upon close inspection Midgerock uses halftones to get two shades of red on the robot, which leads to depth and also really neat patterning. He uses a very pale pink rather than white for the glowing eyes and highlights, which helps keep everything dark. Rather than leaving the advancing zombie hoard in a flat color, he employs halftones to add texture and variety, and to ease the transition to black where the zombies meet the far ground. Having the robot loom left might have unbalanced the picture, which is why he carries the very pale zombie flesh (zombie hand, zombie arm, zombie face) further to the right. Having the column of smoke behind the robot gave an opportunity to play with high contrast and shadow, and carring the plume above the zombies helped establish balance and also bring the eyes in a circle, from zombie corpse to robot to smoke to zombie hoard, and back again. Rhythm and balance seem key in all these designs.