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...





TOP PHOTO: Filip

Jack: Your entry this week was so strong it just blew me away. The thing that really struck me about this graphic is the pure attention to detail. Every single material looks flawless, the fur is on point, the leather looks amazing and the sheer skirt is incredible. The model choice is suiting, although I would have liked to have seen you attempt to recreate the real face just so we could compare a possible improvement to last week, I know you're capable! My eye is drawn to the garments and the amazing work you did on the shading, which was the key focus of this task - I am so impressed with this piece, it will be my absolute pleasure to showcase this in my magazine. Congratulations!

Kirsten: Wow this shows such a step up from your previous entries! You've chosen to go with a Stardoll face, which I think fits in with the overall feel of your graphic and you have ensured the shading of it fits with the rest of the graphic, which is something that can be struggled with. You have managed very well with the variety of textures presented - the fur particularly has come out great and your technique for that really stands out well amongst the other entries. I do feel it has a Jack-esque style to it, which could be taken in either direction by readers/followers of the competition, but I think it will fit in well with X, and I'm very interested to see how you progress further into the competition!



RUNNER UP: Helen

Jack: I am so impressed by your level of improvement from the last task, it's insane how much better your entry is this week, it really stood out from the pack. I applaud you for being able to take the criticism and apply it to your work, that's a quality I look for in a winner. I still think you need to push just that little bit harder to nail the skill of definition, but you're certainly getting there! The model choice works wonderfully with the look and the background is P-E-R-F-E-C-T. More detail on both the skirts could have bumped this up to top photo, but nonetheless you should be very proud of this piece.

Kirsten: You've definitely stepped it up a gear this week, and moved away from your typical comfort zone with graphics! The background pulls your eye, which to add to what Jack says, also draws my eye to your entry. Your technique is moving in a good direction now, and as above, a little more definition and detail will help out greatly. I do think the image is a little small though considering the reference provided was pretty large, so it does look a little rough. Good job, and I look forward to seeing how you work on the next task.



3rd: Rozalia

Jack: First things first, that sheer skirt is amazing - you executed the material so well. As for the rest of the outfit, it's mediocre to me, the fur is borderline. I'm really warming to your skin technique, but I wish it was more consistent. The face is a little blurry and the cheekbones look a little grey to me; try using dark reds and brown shades instead of black to make them look more natural, especially on paler skin tones! I think the hair could have been a little better too, it looks almost clay like, try adding more fly-aways to give it a more flowing look. Your entries are slowly improving, you just need to pick up the pace a little.

Kirsten: This is a pretty solid entry from you, and you've shown so far that you can do a pretty decent job but you're still just outside the top two spots, which shows consistency in your entries, but as Jack says, you do show inconsistencies with your techniques. I don't really like the hair with this entry - I think the short hair in the reference is really required so that the clothing stands out, but I find your longer hair quite distracting, especially when it is close to the fur jacket which I'm not a fan of in your entry. Again with the blurred face, which I'm sorry to have to keep bringing up with you, but it's not something that's tricky to fix! I'm also not sure if the model choice fits with the strength of the reference. But excluding the face, I still like your skin shading and look forward to seeing future entries where your clothing technique is on par with it.



4th: Pablo

Jack: It's almost upsetting for me to see you fall back this week, I'm so used to seeing you deliver such a powerful entries, but this certainly doesn't live up to your previous standards. The head is far too small and to be honest I just hate the face. The shoes are also choppy and barely shaded. I like the texture on the coat, but I'm very indifferent to the technique used on the leather skirt; it's very Starplaza 2014 - the sheer skirt on the other hand is shaded nicely, although perhaps a little too dark. Your potential usually beams so strongly through your work, but this week I'm only seeing it glimmer through a few tiny cracks. If you want to get back on top you really need to deliver.

Kirsten: This does seem a bit of a turn for you. It might just be me, but skin tone consistency seems a little off - the face seems to be paler than everything else, which draws my eye in a negative way, then also exaggerates an incorrectly sized head with weak facial shading and, quite frankly, ugly hair shading - which surprises me considering the lovely hair you delivered in Task 3. Unlike Jack, I really really dislike that coat, next to the slight head/hair disaster, it just doesn't give me a good impression or feel for the graphic as a whole unfortunately. Your skin shading has shone in the past, so this time I think it's time to do some practice on your clothing.



BOTTOM TWO

Giselle

Jack: I'm very disorientated by this graphic, it's sloppy in a lot of places but then sub-par in others. The coat is done fairly well, the texture of the fur is incredibly realistic, but it really contrasts against the poorly shaded skirts. For me you made the outfit look cheap. The head is too small and the hair is flat, not to mention your model choice was, once again, very poor. Week after week I feel like you're not making enough improvement, and we're now approaching the top 5. Your entry this week just missed the mark for me, and at this point in the competition there's no room for slip ups.

Kirsten: This does show a good improvement from your early entries, but it does only now bring you up to almost level with where your other competitors have been in the past tasks. The face could use a little more shading, and a better model choice could have benefited, however the head itself doesn't fit with the model - for example look at the head on it's own, then consider it with the sheer size and bulk of the fur jacket, they just don't sit right (fixing this can take time, but you will get there - I certainly struggled with this in the early days of my graphics!). The jacket itself though is a bit of a mess - the edges look awful and the technique just doesn't work out well. The edges of the graphic as a whole are quite blurred/rough, this is an easy fix which really could have been spotted if you'd just tooth-combed over your entry before submitting.



Beth

Jack: In my opinion, your entries never really stand out to me, they often just tend to sit somewhere near the bottom and never shine. The only impressive thing about this is the coat, but other than that your shading is underwhelming and almost amateur. I like the model choice and the hair is okay. I want you to look back at your entry for Task 2 and bring back the quirky and appealing vibe you brought to the competition. The only thing I can really credit you on this time around is the slight improvement from last weeks task, but I'm not sure if that's enough to make up for the beginner-ish feel I get from the rest of the graphic.

Kirsten: When you just see the small size of the graphic like this, the entry looks alright, but the full size version very clearly displays a multitude of flaws unfortunately. The head is very blurred, and frankly that's not really acceptable at this stage in the competition. The jacket also shows a blur, but the technique used has been very haphazard which gives the whole graphic an unappealing quality. I agree with Jack that it is an improvement on last week, but considering all of the contestants and their progression, I'm not quite sure you're at the level to keep on their tails just quite yet.





So who leaves this week?



Giselle.

Unfortunately the judges were not seeing enough improvement in your work and your mediocre delivery was not satisfying enough to the viewer. Sorry, but you have been eliminated.


Congratulations to those of you who made it into the top 5! Things are starting to get intense, I want to see you all fighting tooth and nail to snatch that win - only 4 designers stand between you and the finish line, which of you will be taking the victory lap? 

Task 5 will be posted soon.