Winner's listings - SotW - Updated Weekly

[t0Rn]

SotW #1.
Well, it’s been a long week, and a lot of entries were posted, far more than I expected. Through over an hour of trying to decide on which signature should win, I finally began to start typing this.

Generally, the majority of the sig’s were excellent, and some produced more impressive sig’s than I expected. Insane, bl00dy, Aaron and JZEX all produced really nice looking sig’s, I was perplexed by each of these entries, as each posses a unique but very visually appealing look. Silver, SANTIARIUM and Machina #99891 all produced eye-catching sig’s, and each one of them was very nice looking, and did themselves justice. Version 2 and Ash both produced very different sig’s in all, however both were exceptionally inimitable, and the result was moving. As like Version 2 and Ash, Glow and Depth produced very dissimilar sig’s, and overall the striking outcome is astounding. 092 :: SSJ Sonic-X, MrStabby, Project #22329 and Matt all created admirable sig’s, each one suppressing their own magnitude, and each looks really attention-grabbing, first-rate work overall. DimeS, NiCk, NJ_Styles, AceD, Naruto and Zero Tolerance each formed worthy sig’s, and each attain a tremendous standard of work. The most effective use of images came from Eternity, King Orestes and UC, each sig astonished me. They all administer a towering paradigm, and the bedazzling outcomes of each really achieve the creator’s full potential. After the final look at 00-Sheva7’s frightening, but yet very effective manip, and the last gaze over Luke’s “n00b” sig, , I finally came to the conclusion of the final, and superior few. Mcca21, Anni and D5 (XaineX), all achieve an immense superiority, which frankly, few could achieve. I was bewildered when thinking of a winner between these final few. The renders in each are exceedingly beyond belief, and the look of each says everything that there is needed to know.
So, the winner of SSD’s Sig of the Week #1, is D5 (XaineX).

D5’s (XaineX’s) sig.

tornapart.250free.com/SOTW1.jpg[/img]


t0Rn

[t0Rn]

SotW #2
Another week with many new and impressive entries. Late last night, myself and Oliver finally picked a winner, after choosing between quite a few high standard sig’s. Once again bl00dy, Aaron and JzEx produced very nice sig’s, each different in their own unique way. SANITARIUM and Glow produced excellent sig’s, and the animation on Glow’s was really effective. XianeX and Fuze both made very nice sig’s, each of a specific colour, and both done at a high measure. 092 :: SSJ Sonic-X, crazymocro, MrStabby, Eternity and Depth all produced truthly fantastic sig’s, each one of them of an excellent standard, and both me and Oliver were very impressed. OZ, Insane, Independent and yablink3d all produced notable sig’s, and each of them very unique, and good work overall. Version 2’s and Matt’s sig’s were excellent, very impressive and both attained a very simple look. One that caught my eye was the eye in Altherity’s. This is an excellent piece of work. The background render and brush work is radiant. The centre shape and text go very nicely with the green, and the eye looks great. Overall, this is an outstanding signature. The winner of SotW #2 is Altherity.

Altherity's sig.



t0Rn

[t0Rn]

SotW #3
A new week and yet again some very impressive entries were entered, although many entries were not showing, most likely to fault of their host, . Me and MrStabby both judged this week’s entries. Equinox produced another sig of a style of which I have never seen come from someone else, and improves each week on his unique work. Ash produced a nice sig, for more reasons than one, , and Beam used a great render and produced an excellent all round sig. LPF produced an worthy sig, and Insane and bl00dy’s sig look really great, the animation on bl00dy’s suits it perfectly, and the all around grunge effect on Insane’s is yet again exceptionally nice. GriM produced a nice sig with nice use of images and CD43P made a nice render, and overall made a majestic sig. Alex, bigballaispathetic, LYC, Forte and Rocky all produced admirable signatures, all of which were at a good standard. All of these signatures are unique and used nice effects to enhance the final product, which in all cases was visually appealing, and to a high standard. SSJ Sonic-X once again entered a sig of a very high standard, and Eternity and Matt 13 both produced gratifying sig’s, for another consecutive week, and both attaining a simple style. DimeS, UFX and DA5H all produced worthy signatures all unique in there own way. The animation on UFX's is very smooth and eye catching. Deprived and yablink3d both produced a high standard of signatures and both used nice effects, and yablink3d’s text complimented the signature highly. Orestes Zero and Psycho's signatures are both excellent. The animation and blending in psycho's sig is very nice and both are to a high and simplistic standard. After a final look at the remaining few, we came to a decision. D5, for yet another week produced a great sig, with a magnificent render and use of effects all round. Legend also produced a sig of a very high standard, and the render and its effects, as like D5’s, are great. Although the text wasn’t the best on both images, we came to a decision to who should win. We decided upon Legend, his sig was made at a very high level, the render and its effects were enough to surpass D5’s, but both still attain an extremely high level.

Legend’s sig.

tornapart.250free.com/SOTW3.gif[/img]


t0Rn

[t0Rn]

SotW #4
I’m apologizing for the time this has taken, I have a lot going on in my life right now, and this has been delayed by a few days. So sorry.

shn6 and Nevaeh both produced simple and effective green sigs, and Jacob made a nice sig which attains an elegant style. For yet another week bl00dy produced an outstanding sig which holds a very professional look. LFX and Matt 13 entered excellent sigs, and like always Matt’s was to a particularly high standard. Unfortunately Eternity’s wasn’t showing, , and Mousy entered a nice sig with a very simple look. The orange and images in mf’s and PsYcHo’s sigs were used effectively to produced a nice outcome. Crazed made a very nice image, the use of stocks, effects and colour made the outcome very impressive. Anni produced an excellent render and some fantastic 2D work, but the image was slightly over powered by some of the lighting effects, although the product was notable. Joe and JzEx both produced red sigs which used the images in them to a full. Legend made a noteworthy sig, but a better choice of font would have justified it more so. Nomi and Deprived both made dark sigs and used stocks very effectively and the result was very nice. As always, DimeS produced an excellent sig, very nice effect all round, but could have improved on the pixel work. Aaron produced a very nice sig, the effects are really simple yet are very effective and the text and colour does the whole image justice. Urban Legend and SSJ Sonic-X produced very unique sigs and the effects and pixel in SSJ Sonic-X’s was very nice and harmonizes the sig perfectly. Orestes Zero and Insane both produced a sig of their own unique style; both should be pleased with the final outcome, as both are very effective and visually appealing. crazymocro made an excellent sig, I was very impressed, the use of effects and colour is astounding, great work. Reborn and Reedy both produced first-rate sigs, both done to a very high and professional standard. VodkaFish made a very simple but effective sig; the effects and the text go nicely with the colour. For another week, myself and MrStabby decided on the winner, and this weeks winner is *Crazy! The render in his sig is great and the brushing is beyond belief and really goes excellent with the sig. The text and pixel is great and the whole sig fits together perfectly.

*Crazy!’s sig.

tornapart.250free.com/SOTW4.jpg[/img]


t0Rn

[Ollie]

SOTW #5

Well sorry for the delay, seems like I am taking over the sig of the week in torn's place.

There was some impressive entries, quite difficult to choose a winner, this week with the help of Ash.

Here are some of the entries that caught my eye and some comments and suggestions about them. Obviously I cannot comment on all of them.

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bl00dy - The background effects on here were ok, although quite a common style of grunge work. The background could of done with a little bit more texture, plus the eye could stand out a little bit more, maybe by making it lighter. Plus the text could stand out a bit more from the background. A good effort here.

Equinox - Again nice background effects although it could of done with a feature in the middle to focus it a bit more. Perhaps through the use of some images rather than just filters. Text is mainly ok, although could be sharper.

I .V. Pimpin - Some nice colouring on here, also some use of brushes to create a hi-tech kind of style. Although the main text could stand out more. Also in the middle of the image it seems a little bit plain. Most of the effects seem a little concentrated to the sides.

Orestes Zero - A nice simple looking entry here. Could do with a bit more detail in the background. Not sure if the darkened bar across the top is needed for this since there is nothing to go in it. Text is ok, althought he font is quite a common style.

Xephra - Some really nice renders here very effective nice coloring, although there could be more 2D work perhaps a little more lighting. Text is very small though which was the main thing that let it down here. Really needs to be bigger for more emphasis.

crazymocro - Again very effective background, I like the kind of tentacle effect used there. Looks really good, some good effects in the background. Could of been a winner but I think the text just seems too small and doesn't stand out enough.

yablink3d - Nice background here too, although I would probably take off the scanlines effect. They seem to let it down a bit. Also I think the text could be improved. But overall a very good entry.

And Finally our winner:

Oddyssey - A very good entry here, I like the background effects used here, although not too sure about the black curves to the left and right. The text is small but it stands out well. Also some nice pixel work/brushes next to it.

Well Done.

[Ollie]

SOTW 6

Nice selection of entries this week, it was a theme of summer, some followed it better than others. Here are some comments on the particular entries that caught my eye. Remember I can't comment on all, if you are not included here don't worry you can keep trying for next week

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Eternity: Nice variation with colour on here, I especially like the text and the little shape next to it. Works out and stands out nicely. Although I think the background effects could be improved a bit more. Looking at the bottom of it, it seems a bit pixelated, but nevertheless a good entry.

faintlythere: The text on here is really good, stands out well and I like the style applied to it, fits in perfectly which is good. The previous entry was a lot better though (the orange one) could of been a possibly winner. On this one a little more was needed in the background also the cutting on the girl to the right could be improved a bit more.

Blake: Now I can see some hard work has gone in here, especially for someone new. The right concept was here, but it needed tidying up a little bit. Some smoother looking text and perhaps have the background all one colour so you can blend other things in.
Maybe a border too.

Robert: Fitting in very well with the summer theme here, although I was a little unsure if the colouring was that effective on here. Might of looked better a little bit ligher perhaps. Also for the text, perhaps place the your name above the summer text, perhaps in a similar font too.

Vash: Again going nicely with the summer theme here, use of appropriate immages too. Although some of the boxes let it down, one is particually too near the text for me. Also I would make the text stand out a bit more from the background, perhaps a much lighter colour.

Joe: Was suprised by this image, definately one of your best. Lots of detail in the background. Nice colouring on here too, although the summer theme could be followed a bit more, seems too much of a focus on anime. Also perhaps make the text a bit bigger.

Rèédy: A nice image here, looks nice. Fits in well with the summer theme too, although there could be a bit more variation in the colour. Perhaps a little bit lighter and maybe some mroe pixel work. The text works well on here.

[xe3]: Very nice background effects used here, looks really effective. Although the black text and kind of sun symbol let it down for me. It seems a little too heavy with the yellow, text could look a bit sharper too. But a really good entry.

and for a winner:

¤Çråzéd¤ - Another suprise, really has improved recently with her work. This was no exception. Works nicely with the summer theme, good use of images. The colouring on here goes well too. The only thing for improvement is the text, could be a bit bigger. Very nice work. Well done.


www.xenodesigns.com/mbd/misc/summer.gif[/img]

[Ollie]

SOTW #7
Some very impressive entries this week all in all a much better turn out than last week. The theme was to include lyrics in the text and if possible represent it in the image.
So here are some of the entries that caught my eye and made it onto the final shortlist.

Archaic - A nice entry, the background is good, the image of the clock fits in well. Nice varitation in the lighting too. Although the smaller text could of been clearer but the text at the topic works well. Maybe more detail and texture in the background.

Jester/Matt - Very nice, slightly different to most of the entries which was good. I particually liked the tiger to the left. Although there could of been more texture in the background.

Eternity - A nice entry, although the thing that let it down for me was the grid. The opacity of it needed to be greatly reduced. Good Images and colours used there. I like the style of text used here too. Perhaps move the smaller text down a bit so it doesn't touch the bigger text.

Serina - This one had a lot of potential, but everything seemed too faded. I think it would be good if things were much sharper and clearer on here. Looks like a nice interface with a little bit more work.

Orestes Zero - Another nice, simple and effective entry here too. The colour is nice, could of done with a bit more of it though. Maybe some lighter and darker areas on there too. The text works well.

SSJ Sonic-X - Very clean looking image, style is quite common though. The background effects look nice, could be a bit more texture on there, looks as though there was a render there but its a bit hidden.

Robert - The background is ok, although there could be a bit more variation in the colour perhaps. The images added there work well, maybe a bit more texture could be added. The text is clear, stands out well. Good Entry.

Malicious - Good entry here, I like the variation in the colour with the background work well. The images added are ok, the text could be a bit sharper though. Particually like the bloodstain effect on there.

XianeX - Another slightly more unique image here, the use of the colours is really good. I also liked the way the 3 colours were used in the text, which was really clear. Good detail on here. Just a little bit too much dodge in the background perhaps.

which brings us to the winner:

faintlythere - Very nice, the background effects are really good, there is lots of detail and variation in there too. The text on here works well too, nice and clear. Although similar to a lot of his work, its a very effective style. I particually like the effects on the girl too.

Well Done

[Ollie]

SOTW#8

This week the theme was to design a theme around the ssd colours with the text. All in all I was a little bit dissapointed at the number of particpants. But there were still some really good entries.

Here some of the people that caught my eye this week. Again don't feel dissapointed or left out because you weren't chosen. It takes a lot or practice and the more you enter these contests then the better your chance of getting a mention or even winning

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BigTymer - A nice shape to this entry, which was the inital attraction. The background effects are quite plain though. A nice render used but really there needs to be more effects so that it stands out. Also the text on there didn't really do it justice, needed to be darker and larger.

Atramental - Another nice entry and has yet again made it into the list The background is nice, seems like a render. But there really needed to be more here, maybe some brushing. The border is ok, but would be better with some detailing to it. Text is mainly ok, except the "SolidSnake Designs" part would look best without the bevel.

Eichi - A very clean looking images, the colours are nice and light on there, some nice lighting. But really needs a bit more texture in there. Text is nice looking, I like the shine to it. Maybe the grey text could be darker though.

JiLt - Now this was an impressive entry, different in style to some of the others, nice pixel work on there too. The background could of been a little bit more detailed though. However the real thing that let it down was the animation. It wasn't really needed, the "ssdv4" text wasn't suitable faded too quickly to a black background with a bit too much detailing.

× Beam.psd × - Another nice entry, good background effects on there, might be nice with a little more lighting to add some variation in the shades of colour. Maybe colour some of the text like the "blue spectrum part" differently too.

XianeX - Another impressive entry, I really liked the "blue spectrum" text on here, had a nice metailic feel to it. The background is nice, possibly a render by the looks of things. Although I wasn't really that sure about the top and bottom text. Something a bit bolder might of worked better. Good lighting in the background.

Insane - A really nice entry, also a close winner. The background effects are good, although to the left there is a little bit too much empty space. The text looked nice, the fonts matched the theme nicely but that didn't really get you any points. Nice simple and effective text, but the caption could be a bit brighter. Also perhaps some more detail on the border.

And for our winner....

He's done it again. Congratulations to faintlythere with his entry. The colours on here are good. The blending on here is excellent, some nice detail to the left but there could be something that stands out a bit more. The text is nice, although there could be a space between SolidSnake Designs. Overall finished nicely with a simple white border.

[Ollie]

SOTW #9

A much better turnout of entries than last week, this week the theme was grunge and there was a very high standard of entries here, although some didn't follow the text rule.

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Ok here are some of the entries that were particually good, this week there was a huge amount of good entries so don't feel bad if you aren't included on here.

. VictorinoX |:. - A nice entry, the background looked good, although I feel that the blending on there could be slightly better, perhaps even with the inclusion of a head or something too.
The text was the main downfall here. The font suited well, although the bevel would of looked good if it was a bit sharper. The slogan doesn't really match too well.

OrestesZero - The colours on here are good, the image used there fits in well, might be nice with a bit more variation with the colour rather than just the blue. Maybe a bit more texture in the middle too.

Aphotic - Nice use of images here, very clean looking could of been a bit grungier in my opinion. The green works well, although it would be good if there was a little bit more variation in the green. Text could of been grungier too. Not really matching the theme too well here but a nice entry overall.

¤Çråzéd¤ - A good entry here, lots of detail used in the background which is good, might of been good with a bit more colour there but still good. I like the sun on there too, I would of gone perhaps for some torn edges or a thicker border. Plus the text seemed a little too thick.

faintlythere - Another excellent entry, winner of the last two SOTW. The downfall of this image is the theme, it looks more abstract than grunge, the colour used on there doesn't really seem suitable. Other than that the background effects look great, nice detail and blending as always. The text on there works well too.

March4Revenge - Very nice looking entry, the colour on here is ok, although might be good if there was more colour than just blue used here. The background effects are very nice. The main thing for improvement is the small pixel font, it could be a bit clearer. Other than that some nice detail.

Insane - The blood and the images on here work together really well, a nice combination, although its quite similar to a lot of your work. I think the text seemed a little bit too chunky for it.

And for our winner....

Rèédy - A very nice entry here, nice variation with the colour to it works well. The background looks nice too. The text stands out well, the font fits in nicely with the grung theme, might be nice with a stroke around it. Nice varitety too. Well Done

[Illusion]

SOTW #10

Well I must say this SOTW has had some of the best pieces I've seen yet. There was no set theme in this week's contest which made the final judgement on myself very difficult. As usual, comments will be given on those which caught my eye more than others, so if you didn't make it in the cut, try harder next time.

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Killa-Very clean piece done here. Everything he put into meshes very well together. In particular, the main font, nicely done. However the background feels a bit empty and the stock's white matte sticks out in certain areas. Also a full border around the piece would have been good.

Christie-I personally loved the background which was made here, it has alot of motion going on within it. The lighted speckale effects look good as well. The only drawbacks of this piece were lighting effects not presence on the render and the typo, which would have looked better of it were a brighter color.

Reedy-Another good grungy piece from our previous winner. This piece was nicely done. I love the use of colors which were applied as well as the main Splinter Cell stock. The typo does wonders as well. The main problem with this piece is it looks too cluttered. It would have looked much cleaner if the two other stocks of Sam Fisher were removed. Also the green border could have been a lighter shade of green for visibility reasons.

Faintlythere-Another nice grunge piece here. The main stock is nice, blends good with the background. Also the colors are used wisely, I like the way some brighter oranges are seen in certain spots. The only major flaws here are the typo. I'm starting to see this used alot lately but it wasn't executed very well here. The cutouts in certain areas bring it down. The background itself could have used some pixel effects as well to fill it.

Joe-This piece is nice. It's very clean, the background is nicely done. The stock used here is good as well and works with the main and subtext used. His only flaws were the stock's opacity. I think it should have been a little brighter than the current state. Also the size. I think it's height is too tall, cutting off some pixels there would have done good for the piece.

Insane-Very good piece here. I love the render used as well as the lightning effects put to use. The pixel effects were done nicely and really enhance their surroundings. My only complaint is a certain area of the render doesn't look natural but like it was cutout.

Exonite-This was a great piece, really caught my eye. The renders blended together all look excellent and the colors used are great. The lighting applied only excels the piece more. The flaw which kept it back was the typo. I think the font is a great choice but the positioning does not work with well.

And the winner is....

CrazyMocro-An excellent piece done here. The background is amazing, I love how it has so many things going on within it that you have to look twice to see. The colors used here were great as well, they only bring out the white to even greater depths. The typo fits great and the pixel effects were a great touch. Excellent work.

[Ollie]

SOTW#11

Another excellent turnout with then entries here some very good ones too Standard is definately getting better and making it harder for me to choose.
This week was based on a gaming theme. Thanks to torn for the helping pick a winner.

Here are some of the entries that caught my eye, these are the ones I felt were particually good. Don't feel bad if yours isn't here, I can't comment on all fully.

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Killa~Klown - A nice entry here, one of the best that I have seen from you. The colour on here is ok, although with greyscale its hard to sucessfully in corporate more colours into it which give more variation. The Text is ok, although the cutting on the images would be good without the slight glow on them.

Aphotic - Looks nice, quite simple looking, nice blending of images on there too, suits the background more. Could be a bit more texture in the background. Try blending in a few more images to do this. The text is ok, quite simple but works well.

Disturbed - The colours on here are nice too, might be good to see a bit more variation in the colour though. The image creates a nice focus on there too, some nice background effects too. The small black text at the bottom doesn't fit in that well.

OhNine - The colours are nice here, quite simple looking though, nice use of the burn feature for the text works well. The background is nice, but could be better with some more texture added to it. Perhaps a thicker border too.

JzEx ¼ - I like the blending of the images here it works well. Suits the gaming theme well. However what lets it down is the text, could do with matching the colour of the border Also the by jzex doesn't really fit in.

Eichi - I liked the shape of this one, looked really effective, although there is a lot of detail that could been added to the border and main background. Plus would of been good if with a bit more variation in the colour. Plus the bottom of text could be improved a bit, perhaps try it at a smaller text side.

Rèédy - Another impressive entry here a former winner too. The blending and colour on here is really good works well. Nice subtle incorporation of more than one colour too. Has a nice firey feel to it. The main thing is that it could have a thicker border and slightly smoother text.

And the winner is
faintlythere - Well he's done it for the third time, another very impressive entry here. The colours and bledning are excellent, the text stands out well too. As does the border. Suits the gaming theme well. The only problem is the style, would be nice to see something slightly different for a change, nevertheless very effective work.

Well Done

[Ollie]

SOTW #12

Well another great selection of entries a lot of a very high standard, although a lot in the same kind of style.

This week the theme was movies, you needed to include something assocociated with a movie plus some text to relate to it aswell. You could also submit 2 entries here too.
Here are the people that caught my eye this week, its not everyone and I have stated which entry I thought was better and that was the one judged.

Don't feel bad if you weren't included

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t0Rn - A nice entry here, the images on there blend in nicely into the background although like I have commented before it does have a kind of 3 eye effect here with the images added in the middle and to the right. Also the text is well positioned but could be a bit more interesting, maybe slightly bigger too.

Joe - An entry asscociated from an anime movie, the image on there works well and fits in nicely with the background. Some nice brushing on there too, good work. Text stands out nicely too, seems appropriate to the style of image too. I think it would be good if there was a little more going on in the background other than just brushing, perhaps a few more related images.

[lpf];; - 2nd Submission - Was suprised by this entry from LPF, something different from what I usually see from him. Still a common style adopted by most but it works well the brushing looks nice and adds a bit of variation to it. Maybe a few more related images would be good here though.

Disturbed - 1st Submission - This looks good, the colours on here work well, might be nice if more than one colour was used here though. I like the background effects, quite common style though. I think the stroke on the small text lets it down a bit, perhaps choose a different font or remove the quote to improve.

faintlythere - 1st Submission - Another very impressive entry, the blending here is really good. Suits with the theme well nice variation with the shades of colour used there. The main let down here was the style of it, a lot of entrys had this same kind of style nothing really that stood out. Effective yes, but needs more new ideas

Rèédy - Some nice blending here the colours are good, would be nice with a bit more variation in the colour there though. The shadow on the text is fine and works well, although the quote could be brought up a little bit. The scanlines are ok, simple and effective. Nothing really unique here that made it stand out from a lot of the other good entries though.

Insane - 1st Submission - Looks nice, the colours on there would be good, might be nice to include more than one colour there. Images are blended in nicely and the text stands out well. But again very common in style.

and finally for our winner: Matthew/Jester

I liked this entry as it was one of the few that actually broke away from the standard kind of feel a lot of the sigs had this week. The eye is a nice focus to the image and the text is nice and varied too, especially the text in the background. Could be a bit less white in the background but I haven't seen the fim so can't really comment too much on that.

Overall very impressive, well done

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[Ollie]

SOTW 13

Ok this week the theme was vector art, a much more challenging contest, something that has never been attempted before by many and I was pleasantly suprised with the entries this week, although not as many people entered there were a lot more quality entries.

So here are some of the entries this week that caught my eye and have been mentioned below, like I always say to people don't feel too bad if you don't get picked here. Its too much to comment on each and everyones peice of work in good detail.

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jaj43123 - Was suprised by this entry the vector to the left looks really effective, very professional looking. Although the background lets it down a bit slightly, could a bit more lighting there. I liked the text a nice thick stroke used on here and font goes well.

James - The colours on this one worked really well together, had a nice summer feel to it too which is nice, Instead of the anime character to the right I think it would be good with a vector on there instead. The text colours being varied in places worked well here too.

Disturbed - A nice style here too, the colours on here might of been good if they were slightly brighter and a bit more variation. The details in the background are good, fits the title pretty well. I think that the text could be improved though, perhaps something a bit bigger and have the text in an arc shape for the "word around us part"

Rèédy - A nice attempt at a vector but it did need some work, some of the selections on the face could be a bit smoother. Perhaps less shadow behind the snowboards, perhaps if they just had a grey outline. The text is fine, stands out well although you don't really need the 'vector art' bit.

faintlythere - The colours on there work really well together, the shapes in the background go nicely and are not the main feature of the image which is good. The scattered text is nice too. The guy on there is ok, although could have a little more detail but overall an excellent entry.

JzEx ¼ - Another very good entry, the colours on here worked well, I like the outlines of the people here too. Also the white border fits in well. The main thing which I didn't think was too good, was the brushes used to the right, they are quite commonly used on images, might of been good if they were done with the shape or pen tools

D5 - A close winner here, the vector of the guy to the right is excellent, no real problems there, the background is ok, although quite plain looking, might be good with a little bit more colour in there, perhaps the US flag colours gently faded into it so it doesn't overpower.
Text on there is ok but a little bit bulky for something like this.

And now a for our winner.

Voice - Very nice vector work here, I like the style of the moon at the top a lot too, The white border fits in well. The only small thing that I'd change is moving the text up to the top.

Excellent Work.

[Ollie]

Ok well another week has gone by, this weeks theme was based around nature. Was a little dissapointed with the turn out this week, not as many as last week. Some were disqualified for incorrect size. There was also supposed to be no text, a few of you missed that rule and later changed thier entries, I have been nice enough to ignore that edit since it was so few people and I did see the entries before and after.

Anyway, not as many made it to the list this week. Why? Because I didn't feel that there weren't as many high quality entries this week, which is a shame.

Still here are some of the very nice peices of work that caught my eye. Don't feel bad if your name isn't here.

beam - Not a bad entry, colours work well., much this was from a previous peice of work, I don't think the right part was cropped here, since it does lack some detail. The lighting on there is nice, but really would work better if this was a totally new image.

Disturbed - The colour on here is ok, although you could lighten it a bit in some areas. The green colour suits the natural theme pretty well although something lighter would generally work best. The tiger blends in well, although it looses its effectiveness when its recoloured. Not too sure about the tech lines in the background, not really suiting the theme.

SSJ Sonic-X - The colour on here are nice, a good light and clean looking image. Some nice blending. Would be nice if the colour from the butterflies was brought out a bit more though. I think they are butterfilies anyway

Black Plastered - A nice entry here, seems like some good use of stock images for the background. I like the variation in colour on here too. Although really it could do with something that stands out more, perhaps insect or flower that is the main focus of the image.

faintlythere - This was a really really close winner, I love the lava effects on here, that stood out really well. The sky could be a little clearer I thought. Also a faded scanlines effect in the background didn't work too well. The problem with the volcano is that little else can be addded around it.

And for our winner....

Crazed - Probably the best use of colour here, fitting in really well with the theme, the images flow together really nicely too. The lion to the right creates some good interest on there too. Nice lighting on here too and also plenty of images to add some variation.


Well done again.

[Ollie]

SOTW 15

Ok this week the theme was a free for all event, people could choose what ever they wished to base thier sigs around. However with the new feature of adding an avatar to these 5 weekly free for all events.

A good turn out of entries here too, all really nicely done but as with previous sotw's a similar style was seen throughout here.

Below are some of the particually good entries.

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JzEx ¼ - Some nice colours used here, style of the image is very common around here which does let it down a bit,
Lots going on in the background too, some nice variation. The smaller text on the sig is a bit blurry though. Also for the avatar, I think the X would look good presented in the middle.

Killa~Klown - Improving in your graphics nicely, although the style of this one is very similar to a lot of entries, the fonts used there are a little overused, often nice to see something a bit different. The text on the sig is ok, the images blend in well. The avatar lets it down a bit though, the letters seem a bit too big and overlap onto the border.

LPF - Nice variation in the colours here, good background effects and pretty good use of the filters, could do with a bit more texture and more of a focus to the image. The text works nicely with the colours, not too complex. Nicely done.

Disturbed - Looks nice, the image in the middle grabs people's attention, I quite like the colour of it. The background effects on there are nice but some features such as the fairy dust are a bit too common. Could do with some smoother text, perhaps an initial on the avatar.

Insane - The render in the background is nice here, the image used there is nice, perhaps a little more colour could be used the sig and avatar. The real let down is the style, again very commonly used. It would be nice to see a slightly different approach because thats what makes things stand out. Very nicely done though.

Crazed - Nice blending of images there, the handwriting to the left is quite a common feature on images though. The eye is nice, works well with it. The colours are good too some nice variation there. Text is nicely positioned on both sig and avatar. Avatar might be nice with the eye.

faintlythere - Once again a very close winner, the detail on here is really nice, the drawing or image of the guy works nicely, blends in well as usual. The border on there is ok, but I think it would of been just as effective with a plain border on it.
Overall a very good sig and avatar set, text on the avatar could be bigger. Main problem is the style needs to be a little different.

And the winner: voice

Well this might suprise some people, but this is an entry that really stood out, simple yes but also very effective. I like the text on the signature too, suits it well not overpowering at all. Shame about the white border like he explained.

The avatar is nice, I particually like the smooth animation on there.

Well Done

[Ollie]

SOTW #16

Well the theme this week was Vintage art, which involved making an old fashioned style of signature, some interesting entries although dissapointed with the amount of people that entered the contest.

Here are some of the entries that caught my eye this week, don't feel bad if you weren't included.

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James - A nice idea behind this one, but hasn't worked out too well, I think the blending on here needs a bit of work. Perhaps make some of the images clearer too. The lady in the middle works well with the them but a bit too faded. Also the text could be a bit bolder on here too. I think a black border could work well too.

Nick D - A simple but effective looking signaure, nice use of images there they all work fairly well together and suits the theme well. The main thing here is the text, I think it could be a bit better positioned, also perhaps make it a bit bigger too.

Holywood - I think this image is missing a border, I think it would of worked well. The images here are ok and work well with the theme. Another simple looking style, perhaps a little quote or caption near the main text.
Background on here is a little plain though.

Disturbed - For this one I think there is a little bit too much brightness on there and the images could flow together a bit more smoothly. Also for the faded text, I think a more old fashioned style of text would look better on it.
Overall the right idea, just need some improving.

Alan - A very simple looking peice, I assume thats what he had in mind, suits the style of an advertisement, the text on there seems very appropriate for the theme aswell. The problem with the text is that it runs into the black. Also its a little bit too simple compared to some of the others. Still nice though.

faintlythere - Very nice background on there, works really well, no problems there, everything is nicely blended in. I especially like the image in the middle with the large glasses, certainly adds some interest to the image. The downfall here is the text, it seems a little bit plain, quite standard looking which doesn't suit the theme too well. Also the opacity has been lowered a bit which also doesn't seem to look as effective.
Maybe a thicker border on there too.


UrbanCinderella - A close winner, the texture on here is really nice as are the colours, the background works well, the image to the left is ok, might be good for something a bit bigger though. Also I think a thicker border would look good on there too. Another thing which I found was the smaller text didn't really work too well. I liked the "vintage" text and the way it slopes off though.

And for our winner

Crazed -

Well some really nice use of colour here, works witht the theme well. The images are blended in really nicely here, flow very smoothly together. Quite a simple kind of effect but does work look effective. I thinkt he text could match the style of the images used on there. It stands out well though. The quality of some of the images could be better though

Good Work and well done once again.

[Ollie]

SOTW #17

Well another week has passed, this week was especially hard as the theme was pixel art and there was a small amount entries, I was hoping for more though.

Ok here are some of the best efforts from what we had this week.

Thank you to those who tried their best here, maybe sometime there will be a second contest for pixel art giving you more chance to improve.

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OnyXi - Well this was quite a simple entry, a nice idea but would be better with a more 3D feel to it in my opinion, also the colours used there are all very strong there is no variation in them.
Just seems a little too blocky.

unorthodoxgfx - Again here it would be good if things were more 3D looking than just being flat, as it allows you to add shadow. I would also try a pixel font in caps instead of just normal text.
Perhaps some clouds in the background too.

Devisionz - Well this was very small, I would of liked something bigger, you were off to a good start but it seems like a white background has just been quickly added.

Crazed - Nice idea with the cat and PC mouse, works well, the mouse and cat could just be a bit smoother looking though. The detail on the cat is pretty good. Might be a tip to zoom in more

Bloody - This is also a very nice looking entry, I like the building and the bridge on there especially, some really good detail. I was hoping for a few more entries like this. I think the pavement/sidewalk colour is a little bit too light on here and could be a bit smoother but overall a nice entry.

and the Winner:

Alan:

Very nicely done, everything seems really smooth and I like the fact that some shadow has been included on it too. Might be good with added things like parked cars and little people outside but a very nice piece of work.

[Ollie]

SOTW #18

Ok well another week over, This week it was the theme of political messages. Many of you chose Bush vs Kerry and there was some interesting slogans aswell as images.

Here are some of the ones that I thought were particually good, don't worry if you didn't make it on to the list. There is always plenty of oppertunity next time .

Thank you to forsaken for help with the judging process this week.

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faintlyunder - The images used here blend together nicely, the one thing this piece lacks is colour, including more than one colour tends to work better and make it more interesting. The text is clear. Slogan isn't too catchy though.

Urban Legend - One of the few that differed in the basis of their sig and it works well. The background and the kind of sprayed paint effect works well. Again would be good to see more than one colour used here. Also the text could be brighter, maybe some red to represent the event more.

Sirrah - A nice simple image here, could have a little more going on, I think bush could be cut out a bit better and maybe have some images blended into the US flag. Perhaps slightly bigger text too.

Virus - I like the recolouring of bush and kerry, represents the evil theme well. Some good detail in the background too with a nice selction of images. The main downfall I think was the bottom text, seems like a pixel font that would look better at a smaller size. Maybe some of your good animation would work well here too.

t0Rn - Another nice simple entry, I found that the font was a bit plain there something more interesting on such a simple sig would work welll. Nice variation in the colour too. Very catchy slogan

Insane - Simple looking sig here too, good variation in the colour plus I like the gradient included for the text. Seems a little bit plain though, nothing that really stands out too well.

Je Taime - Very nice entry too, different to some of the others too. I like the brushing in the background, the main thing is that there could be a bit more going on in the image. But very smooth and pleasant looking overall. The "vote" text stands out well too

Finally our Winner Matt13

This entry is excellent. It has a sense of style about it and makes it stand out more than some of the other entries this week. The one main improvement is that you could include some more colour on there I think the text is simple but effective looking. Good Work.


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Well Done

[Ollie]

SOTW#19

The theme this week was space art and we had a range of entries and the winners were also quite close.

Below are some of the entries that caught my eye this week, do not feel bad if you aren't on this list. There is still lots of chances to improve. I was also hoping for more entries this week too.

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Kouga - Not bad, the detail in the background is ok but could be more space themed I feel. The colour on there is ok but it is also good if you could try to use more than one colour here. The text on here needs some work, I would consider making it much brighter and maybe a sci-fi looking font.

Xeolleth - A good entry here too, the colours aren't too bad on here and there is some variation. I think some of the brush work could of been more attached to the planet itself maybe a bit brighter too.
The text on there is plain but nicely laid out.
The lighting in the middle is ok but would look good brushed.

Relativity - One of the more simpler looking images here but it does the job well.The planet is nice and smooth but I think the lighting on here could be a bit brighter. The text could do with a slightly more exciting font, not so sure about the blue border though.

paroxysm - Another fairly simple one, the planet there is a little bit plain and since its one of the main things in the image might of been good with a little more detail on it.
The main text is simple looking but it does the job, the spacing there works well. Not so sure about the pixel font though, that could be brighter.

Bloody - The colour on this one is good, some nice use of brushes by the looks of things too. But seems much more abstract than space related really could do with something like a planet or satellite in there. Also the text used there is a little plain.

c130 - A close winner here, colour used here isn't bad and the brushwork is good. I think there could be more of the planet though, perhaps it would be good not so big, which would allow you to add a little more to the image. The text is ok but a little plain in my opinion.
Maybe add a slightly thicker border too.

And for our winner this week:

Eichi!

A nice entry here, the brushing on here works really well, the colours are good and the lighting works well here too. The text is nicely done too, looks effective. Quite common in style though, not so sure about the need for a pixel brush to the top right. Maybe some more detail on the planet too.


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[Ollie]

SOTW#20

This week there was no set theme but an avatar and signature had to be made

Here are some of the particually good entries this week, don't feel bad if you weren't included, there is always plenty more oppertunities.

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Aphotic - Looks ok, I think it could be a bit brighter in places. Not really sure that it fits the firefox theme all that well, something much more modern and lighter would be good here. The text could be brighter too on the sig perhaps a more interesting font. The avatar matches well too.

Aaron - A nicely done entry here, certainly a lot of detail included on this one which is good. One of your better sigs I think too. One thing that could be improved is trying to use more than one colour for it. The border is ok but you could really add some more detail to it for it to be effective. A little common in style overall.

Robert - Another nicely done entry, like with aarons there could be more colour going on there, it really can make a difference. The background effects look ok but also quite a common choice of effects for many people.
Not sure about the dots on the text though, that lets it down a bit in my opinion.

Anton - An interesting peice, some nice background effects created with the brushes but your other features like the images and text do not stand out too well, which lets the peice down.
The text isn't too clear on the avatar either.

Voice - Very nice entry, simple like your previous work but it looks effective, the animation on both the signature and avatar works well. Very clean looking too. The only thing is that its a little too simple but other than that good work.
Its good that you have gone for a totally different style too.

c130 - I like this one, also slightly different from some of the other entries, I like the size of the avatar too, works well. Maybe some animation on it would be good. Perhaps you could have a little more going on in the background.

Eichi - I like this one too, a close winner along with voice and c130. Some nice brushing on there by the looks of things, might be good with a bit more going on than just the brushing. The text is ok, a little common in style. The text on the avatar could be a bit smoother though.

And for a winner: aztec1989 - This may suprise a few of your or maybe the guy himself too but this was very nicely done. Good detail in the background. The text is clear too. Might be good with more colour here like some of the other peices too.
The character to the left provides a nice focus to the image aswell.
A little more could be done with the avatar though.
Well done.