CYCLE 1 FINALE

Just days ago, we saw both of our finalists Pablo and Rozalia tooth and nail in a staggering final task. Both entries were incredibly strong and showed incredible signs of improvement, polish, and talent. Now it's time for one of these designers to take the crown...


Our winner has had their fair share of striking graphics, but struggled in areas. After refining their technique, they proved to us that they were a force to be reckoned with and delivered a strong and unique final entry. Their presence in this competition was powerful and impressionable, through their work they demanded to be respected, and that attitude took them to the top. Their out-of-the-box ideas impressed us all and left us even shocked at times. Their uniqueness made them stand out from the rest. They worked to the bone for this win, and they deserve it more than anybody.



The winner of The Graphics Project Cycle 1 is...

TASK 8 RESULTS

10 contestants. 8 tasks. 2 finalists. The first cycle of The Graphics Project was so much more successful than I expected, and I am truly grateful for all of your dedication and support. It's time to crown our winner.

For their very last task, our finalists were challenged to create a double-feature, including a makeup headshot accompanied with a striking runway look. This was their last chance to make a lasting impression, and prove why they should win Cycle 1. Let's see the final entries...


Rozalia

Stunning. Just stunning. I'm in love with your runway graphic, I can't take my eyes off of it! The technique is flawless, everything looks impeccable - that skirt has me speechless. The makeup and styling choices were so bold, and not at all something I would expect from you. I love the sheer top, and those polka dots must have taken so much time to draw. I cannot fault one single element of this graphic, it's honestly some of the best work I've seen from, not only you, but from any contestant in this entire cycle. You should be so proud of yourself. As for the makeup graphic, I'm very impressed. I like how you chose to include hands in the graphic, as I know they're very difficult to draw. I love the big full lips, they really extenuate the hot pink lip colour you went with! The eyeshadow is very couture and blends well with the rest of the look. I just have a slight issue with a couple of rough edges, mainly on the hands - had they have been smoothed out, this would have been close to a 10/10 for me.  I'm so amazed by how far you've come in this competition, you started out rocky but you really pulled through and showed that you are a talented and exquisite designer.


Pablo

Just breathtaking. The direction you went with in this task is unbelievable! Your ideas are so unique and out-of-the-box, I don't even know how to start praising you for it! You took a huge risk with going for something so "ugly", but you made it beautiful, and you made it you. The runway graphic is remarkable, it amazes me how much patience you had to draw those tassels and all of the mesh, your work is truly a creditable craft. As always, the hair looks gorgeous, your hair technique is one of the best I've seen, and it's improved so much over time. I love the awkward posing of the model, and the effect you made with her feet in the water. Your headshot is so intense and hard hitting, the colours of the makeup are blended so nicely and you really created a unique and striking face. The only problem I have is that your shading can appear blotchy in some areas, I would consider evening out your layers and making sure they are crisp and flow-y. Overall, your final entry is stunning and lives up to the bar you set in this competition. You have been consistent and cunning throughout this cycle, and you deserve to have come this far.



Both of our finalists have delivered nothing short of a masterpiece for the final entries, and I could not be more proud of both of them. They have each represented this competition in such a flawless manner, and I am honored to have experienced their work.

But who will be taking home the crown? Which one of these talented individuals has beaten the rest and raced their way all the way up to the top?


The winner of Cycle 1 of The Graphics Project, whom will receive an exclusive, stunning feature graphic designed by me, a position to judge in the next cycle, and the opportunity to work for Haus of X in up and coming projects, is...

TASK 8

Just months ago I sat at my desk, twiddling my thumbs, trying to think of a fun and exciting project that I could bring to the Stardoll community. Suddenly it hit me that I could create my very own graphics competition! After getting the green flag from Kimberly (creator of SDNTGD, which grounded this format) I was eager to begin. Now here we are, with our final two contestants; Rozalia and Pablo (whom I could not be any more proud of) about to embark on the last step of this cycle.

Are you ready to crown a winner? I know I definitely am;

TASK 7 RESULTS

(Apologies for how long it took me to post this, a lot has been going on and it was hard to find time to draft results)

For the seventh task, contestants were challenged to create a fun and flirty graphic embodying the style and essence of the fashion line Betsey Johnson. Using their own doll, along with mine, the criteria was to have fun and present a graphic that was cute and kitschy.

Unfortunately, Filip decided to bail on the competition just days after this task was posted, forfeiting his chance to return. No contestant will take his place, and Task 7 now stands as part one of the final. There will be no top photo this week as only two contestants remain.

Without further ado, let's see how our final two did...

CYCLE 2 SIGNUPS

The Cycle 2 signups are now open! 

You can apply to be a contestant in our next cycle by clicking our "Signups" tab, or alternatively, just click here.

Thanks

TASK 7

A lot of fashion graphics are created in sleek, stylish and professional manner - so sometimes it's good to experiment, let loose and have fun! I could think of no better designer than Betsey Johnson as one who pushes boundaries and creates fun kitschy clothes that are fun and just adorable! That brings us to this weeks task brief;

You must create a graphic of both mine and your own doll decked out in a glam Betsey Johnson look. You can use any references you wish, but your graphic must include items from Betsey Johnson's fashion line. I'm looking for the contestant who can deliver a gorgeous graphic in which our dolls seem connected, I want to see a dynamic! This is a task that you can take really out of the box and get extra creative with! So just have fun with it.

Here are some images to get you inspired...

As you can see, the garments are bright, unique and striking! Try to capture the craziness of Betsey's designs in your entry.

To clarify, your graphic must include both my doll and your own doll, wearing Betsey Johnson clothing/accessories, posing together. My dolls appearance changes quite often, so click here for the headshot I wish you to use.

The deadline for this task is Monday 10th November 2014. If you require an extension please contact me ASAP.

Good luck! 

TASK 6 RESULTS + THE COMEBACK

Lookbooks are a great way to display a certain style of genre of fashion, and this week our contestants created their very own lookbooks featuring three unique graphics! The competition is incredibly tough right now, it's getting to be neck and neck between our contestants, but let's see who came out on top;



TOP PHOTO: Pablo

Absolutely S-T-U-N-N-I-N-G. I am speechless! You proved to us all why you are here this week, and I am beyond impressed. The originality and odd-ness of the style you went with is just gorgeous and you delivered it so strongly and so well. I adore everything about your lookbook, it was close to flawless. The fringe is drawn beautifully and I am obsessed with the PVC outfit in your headshot. One minor issue I still find myself having with your graphics is sometimes your edges can still appear choppy, it was seen less in this weeks task but I still catch it in some areas (for example, on the legs in your body shot). Overall your entries this week were perfection and I fell in love with everything. You're taking such a strong lead, at this point, you are in line to win.

THE COMEBACK

What you didn't know is that, throughout the competition, each contestant was being secretly scored on a points system - and now, the three eliminated contestants with the highest scores have the chance to return to the competition in time for the final stretch.

The three contestants who scored the most points are Helen, Filip, and Giselle. 

A poll has been created for you, the readers, to decide which contestant should return!

CLICK HERE TO VOTE

Whoever receives the most number of votes will automatically take the place of the contestant eliminated in the next results, making them a part of the official final three.

Vote now! The results of the poll are kept private and will be revealed in the Task 6 results post!

 

TASK 6

I can't believe we are already at the penultimate stage of this competition! It's been a bumpy ride, but we are so close to crowning our first ever winner! Now without further ado, here's your criteria for Task 6;


The world of fashion fuels the graphic industry, without it we would have hardly anything to draw! Designers give us their runway shows, campaigns, ads etc. all for us to grab and turn into our own artistic renditions. For this weeks task, each of you must create a lookbook consisting of three looks; a headshot, a midshot, and a full body shot. All three looks must fit a style theme of your choice, it is important that your theme is carried throughout your entire lookbook. I will be looking for the one contestant who can deliver the most striking, stand out collection of graphics.

To clarify, each of you must create three separate graphics which seam together as a lookbook showcasing a strong and consistent style, this could be any style of your choice from minimalist runway fashion to grungy street style, you could even focus your lookbook on one certain designer/model - it's entirely up to you.

Here's an example of what I'm expecting;

 As you can see, this is a headshot, midshot, and full body shot, following a relaxed nude theme.

You do not have to use just one Stardoll model, nor do you have to use one at all, feel free to draw a real face if you want to (at this point in the game it's crucial to do anything you can to impress - play to your strengths).

There are barely any guidelines to this task as I want to test your creative capability. I expect each of you to bring your A-Game as this task will determine our final two!

Your deadline is Thursday 23rd October 2014. If you require an extension, please contact me ASAP.

If you have any questions or concerns about this task, please do not hesitate to let me know, I have seen instances where people have struggled with their work because they did not understand the concept.

Good luck!

TASK 5 RESULTS

For this weeks task, our final five were asked to create a blog banner for the legendary blog Haus of X, ensuring to capture the minimalist style and essence of the blog. Not only were we putting the skill of our designers to the test, but also there ability to deliver an entire themed piece, including fonts and a layout too.

Before we begin, I would like to say I am incredibly impressed with all of the entries this week, each of you managed to portray the feel of X whilst staying true to your own personal styles. It has been an incredibly difficult judging as I don't want to see any of you leave! But only one of you can reign in the end, so let's see how you all did...


TOP PHOTO: Beth

Jack: I flipped back and forth, back and forth between all the entries this week, but yours remained my favorite. You have captured the effortless elegance of X, but at the same time, brought a sense of your revitalizing vibe to the graphic. I was just so incredibly impressed by your dramatic improvement. The shading is near flawless on everything. I think a little more attention to face shading would have made this a jaw dropper, but regardless, this is the best graphic you have produced throughout the entire competition - I want to keep seeing this Beth! I knew there was a reason I kept you last week, I am just beaming with pride! Congratulations.

Kirsten: This is such a step up on your previous entries, good job! Each doll looks individual, yet they both look good together, and viewing this image size, it looks like good shading and work on both. When you view the full size image though, you need to just be careful with some of your edges and making sure it's neat, particularly in the hair area. I agree with Jack that a little more in the faces would make them pop out that little bit more, but great job!

TASK 5

Commission work is a big part of getting you recognized as a graphic designer, and one of the most often requests is a blog banner. Not only do blog banners require your graphic skills, but also test your ability to execute themes, fonts and layouts.

For this task, each of you needs to design a blog banner for my legendary blog Haus of X - but that's not all! The banner must include two models; Sary.Babyface and tolady and it must also be black and white.

(Current banner for TGV, also a previous Haus of X banner)

Here are some guidelines for this task

• Banner must a landscape image.
• You must only use both the two models provided. (To clarify, they are Sary.Babyface and tolady)
• The graphic must be black and white/greyscale.
• You must remove any Stardesign Hair from the models, this includes any face shading/makeup/add-ons created in Stardesign Hair. 
•  

Everything else is entirely up to you! The banner can be headshots, midshots, or bodyshots and you can decide on whatever outfits/makeup/hair you wish, but make sure you take into consideration the minimalistic and edgy style of Haus of X.

The winner of this task will have their banner displayed on the Haus of X blog for 24 hours during the release of X Magazine: XIV - so the heat is on.


Your deadline for this task is Monday 6th October 2014. As ever, if you require an extension, please contact me ASAP.

Good luck!

TASK 4 RESULTS

A huge part of becoming a successful graphic designer is having a recognizable technique. This week you were all challenged to refine your technique and show us what you're made of. All of the contestants were given this very same reference image which they simply had to recreate in their own style;

What you didn't know is that the winner of this task will get their graphic featured in the monumentally anticipated upcoming issue of X Magazine!

So let's see how you all did...

TASK 4

When I first started graphics, it took me a while to define my own style and figure out what worked for me. After a lot of experimentation, I found my niche in runway illustrations. An important part of being a successful graphic designer is having a unique style, so this weeks task is going to put yours to the test!

Inspired by my love of drawing runway looks, your challenge is to simply create a graphic of this stunning look from Givenchy FW/11

 

I've set a couple of guidelines for this task

• You must use the image above as your reference image, recreating the whole image. (Click here for an example)
• Whether you want to use a Stardoll face or draw the real face of the model is completely up to you, the key of this task is to play to your strengths.
• You do not have to use the background, you can use your own background or not even a background at all.
• You must include the whole body and all of the garments.

 I chose this reference image because of the different textures and and materials, I want to see how well you can all convey them. Having original, creative ideas is a great attribute but won't mean anything if you can't have a clean delivery. The point of this task is to see who has the basic technique skills to succeed in this industry.


The deadline for this task is 22nd September 2014 - if you require an extension, please contact me ASAP.

Good luck!

TASK 3 RESULTS

For our third task, the contestants were split into two teams and each team was assigned a celebrity - the challenge was to capture the essence and style of the given celebrity in a striking graphic!

*Prior to Task 3, Virginia (Rei1981) had to resign from the competition, but proceedings will go as normal

**Key parts of your feedback are in bold


TOP PHOTO: Filip

Jack: Flicking through all the entries, this is the one that stood out the most to me. Although it's not your best work technique wise, the essence of this piece is quite incredible - and that's what I was looking for. I think you captured Lana's dark and eery vibe exceptionally well. I'm impressed with the detail on the hand and parts of the face, but I would have liked to have seen a cleaner finish around the mouth and eyes. Overall you did an amazing job this week, you were also the only one not to depict Lana in white!

Kirsten: Personally I don't feel like this is the strongest graphic of the bunch this week, but it stands out in the crowd with its heavy feel. It is also a marked improvement on the entry sent last week. You have clearly spent time with the face, however there are some smaller details which could have been captured or worked on more carefully. Having said that, there are some aspects which do seem very much unfinished when I look at the graphic - for example the eyes seem especially flat and lifeless with almost no work on them when you look at the full sized image, and also the hair.

IMPORTANT

It has come to my attention that contestants have been posting their work on Facebook pages etc. prior to the day of results. I would like to request that you do not share your work anywhere until after the results of the task have been posted. This is to protect not only your work but also the foundation of The Graphics Project. Any contestants found posting their work before the results will receive a warning.

Thank you for understanding.

TASK 3

Celebrity culture is one of the dominating aspects of media, especially more so with this generation. A famous persons image, attitude, and overall vibe is what makes them admirable.

For this week's task, you will be split into two teams - each team will be assigned to a celebrity. Your challenge is to create a graphic inspired by the style and personality of that celebrity.

Your teams and assigned celebrities are as follows:

Team 1: Rihanna

Giselle
Virginia
Beth
Gabriel

Team 2: Lana Del Rey

Helen
Filip
Pablo
Rozalia








Study your celebrity and really try to capture their essence. It is not necessary to include your celebrities face in the graphic, so long as you are channeling them as best you can.

The deadline for this task is Friday 5th September 2014. If you require an extension please contact me.

Good luck!

Info

This is just a short post to tell you that, due to other priorities, the third task will not be posted until August 28th at the latest. Take this time to reflect on your critique and polish up on anything you may think needs improvement.

Thank you for your co-operation.

TASK 2 RESULTS

For your second task, you were all asked to create a graphic featuring this top, let's see how you all did...


TOP PHOTO: Pablo

 Jack: Once again you have knocked it out of the park, combining your striking technique and another elaborate idea. The fact that you drew three models, all decked out in fabulous outfits, is very impressive. The feel of this graphic is just so breath-taking, it's something I would expect to find on a billboard in Soho. The only thing that brings this down a notch is the awkward knee on the very far right, it's anatomically incorrect - unfortunately such minor flaws can decrease the quality of an otherwise near flawless graphic. It's very important that you pay attention to all the tiny details. I would also keep an eye on the nose contour, be sure not to go too dark and defined. Other than that, I'm amazed by your efforts and creativity, you have really set the bar.

Kirsten: Wow! This is pretty impressive to tackle 3 different models - each stands out well on their own but also looks good in a group. The colours are well chosen and really pop from the screen, as well as this, I feel like you're the only contestant who really stepped out from the box and really took the task brief to the next level, e.g. with the clothing, well done! Having said that, I'm not too big a fan on how the skirts and jackets were done, in the full size image they just don't sit rightly with the style of the top and skin. Overall a stellar job!

TASK 2

Ascending to the top of the pack when it comes to the graphics industry is all about establishing a good reputation. Being a well known, trusted member of the community is key to succeeding and putting your work out there! This means usually taking orders from people and showing that you can deliver a request - but sometimes customers can be quite specific.

This weeks task is based on a scenario you might find yourself in should you take requests, which is as follows: A customer has sent you a great reference image, but they hate the top the model is wearing. They sent you another image of a top they want you to use in the reference instead.

For your challenge, you may use any reference image + model you want, but you must all dress her in this top;

As the winner of top photo last week, Pablo; you may recolour the top if you wish. The rest of you must keep it as the colour it appears in the image above.

Your deadline for this task is August 11th 2014. To review the submission options click here. If you require an extension, please contact me by August 9th.

Remember to take in and apply your critique from last week, and good luck!

TASK 1 RESULTS

For your first task, you were each assigned a unique colour which you had to incorporate into a striking graphic! Let's see how you all did...


TOP PHOTO: Pablo

Jack: I absolutely love the idea behind this. I was looking for something outside of the box, and this is exactly that! It's instantly apparent what your colour was and the tribal style face paint is just genius! There are a few issues with the shading though, I would work on separating the clavicle into it's different parts instead of making it all one, also add a few more layers to the hair to make it less choppy (choppiness can also be avoided by drawing smoother curves and fly-aways). Overall this is really great work, well done.

Kirsten: Very interesting concept and interpretation with the colour, you've definitely gone out to impress with this first task! It's a complicated pose, and although I see some anatomical issues, it's been executed pretty well. I quite like your shading technique on the clothing and look forward to seeing more, the skin technique isn't too bad, but I agree with Jack on working on the neck shading around collarbones. For me the hair is the only bit of a let down - it seems quite weakly worked on and, for me, plays with the proportions of the graphic in a way which doesn't really work out too well. But I have to say, great start!

TASK 1

Getting your work noticed in the graphics industry is one of the key factors to success, you want to create something that stands out from the crowd! For the first task, you have each been assigned a colour which you must use in your entry, make the colour the central focus of the graphic. You have total control of the pose, model etc. the only rule is that you MUST include the colour you have been given.

Here are your randomly assigned colours;

CYCLE 1 CONTESTANS

The application process for the first cycle of The Graphics Project has now come to a close. I want to begin by saying thank you to everyone who applied. All of the applicants showed amazing levels of skill and significance, but I scouted out the 10 designers whom I thought had the most potential to succeed within the industry. The 10 contestant who made it into Cycle 1 are...



- Rozalia (Rozalia214)
- Helen (_StarHelen_)
- Beth (Pavlovagurl)
- Pablo (Xx.sophiie.LuvxX)
- Filip (SoniaBellaStone)
- Marycha (MARYCHA)
- Virginia (Rei1981)
- Giselle (Aeon_Flux_96)
- Natalie (Natalielinda08)
- Gabriel (julia-changDiva)


Congratulations to you all! And to those of you who didn't make it, keep working hard, there's always next season.

Now, in my 3+ years on the Stardoll social scene, I learned that one of the most important things in order to keep yourself on the top is to know how to draw attention to yourself, your work, and what you have to offer to the community. I want all of the competitors to really focus and deliver the best of the best. I'm not looking for average, I'm not looking for "good" graphics, I'm looking for something jaw dropping, something exquisite, I want you to change the game.

Not only will the winner of this competition receive and amazing Stardollar prize and notoriety within the industry, but also the chance to work at Haus of X, the most exclusive project in Stardoll history. The winner of The Graphics Project will be determined, unique and positive, they will think outside of the box, and not be afraid to take risks.


Your first task will be posted soon. Good luck.


*

Cycle 1

Welcome to The Graphics Project. 

Do you think you have to what it takes to become Stardoll's most notorious graphics designer? Apply now by completing the form below in the comments.

Name:

Username:

Link to graphics blog (if available):

Years/months of experience:

Good luck.