[Sun Kitten]

Thank you very much to everyone who entered the competition this Expo It was fantastic to see the wall filling up over the weekend. There were some stunning entries there, and judging them was really very hard.
The winners this time will receive a Wacom graphics tablet and Letraset art kit - markers and, for the best in show, tonesheets as well. Congratulations to the winners, who are listed below.

Best in show, over 16 - Aileen Strauch

This is a wonderful piece of art, with great use of colour and attention to detail. It's obvious that a lot of work went into this. The closeup and the distant figure are well-placed and complement each other, and the whole image is balanced. The background is also nicely done, and adds to the whole. And of course, it's a very appropriate image for the end of October.

Best in show, under 16 - Molly Woodit

Molly's lovely pencil work made this an instant contender for best in show. The addition of the touches of colour in the butterflies is very effective, and the girl's expression and pose are beautiful. The pencil shading is appropriate to the mood and all the lines are clear, well-placed and confident.

It should be noted that, last May, the only pictures eligible for Best in Show were those drawn during the event. This time, everything entered was eligible, so apologies to those who didn't realise or were misinformed.

[Sun Kitten]

Best fanart, over 16 - Rachel Saunders

Ed from Fullmetal Alchemist, in a fantastically dynamic pose. This category was very hard to judge, but Rachel's use of watercolours and the excellent shading and foreshortening have won her the prize. In particular, the lineart was done with different colours, including sepia and aquamarine. The abstract background makes this a very well-executed piece.

Best fanart, under 16 - Danielle Tatlock

A somewhat more unusual subject, this is Gara from the J-rock band Merry. Danielle has pulled off a challenging head position very well, and the pose overall is whimsical and attractive. The design on the tie is unique, and the studded belt is a nice touch.

Best original character, over 16 - Johnny Hoang

These characters are immediately interesting and the panda is ace - the beanie hat in particular raised a smile from us all. We look for originality as well as artistic talent in this category and this picture displays both in spades. The characters look like an interesting group with a story behind them.

Best original character, under 16 - Miranda Montano

Not only are these characters intriguing and recognisable, they also capture a certain look that is very popular at the moment. The limited colour palette is very nicely done and the designs are contemporary and appealing. The expressions are typically Japanese and capture a real feeling of character and mood.

So well done to you all, and we will get in touch with you as soon as possible!

[Scorpio]

Congratulations to all the winners!! Hope you will make good use of your prizes!

Here's some general feedback that might help people with future competitions:

1) For "best original" we were looking for innovative character design. A strong concept will outweigh technical skill (within reasonable extent). The key word being"original", drawings that were blatantly based on existing characters or ones that relied heavily upon manga stereotypes (catgirls, fairies etc) did not make it into the final cut.

2) There was NO prejudice in regards of b/w vs colour pictures. People might have been worried that the coloured entries stood out more...and we definitely took that into account by judging each one based on perspective and markmaking. The winning entry for Best Original Character Over 16 was created at Expo, and despite being a sketch you can clearly tell that there is a confident and talented artist behind it.

3) Plagiarism. At least one entry we had was an identical copy of an existing (official) artwork. Tracing pictures is outright fraud...and you're very unlikely to get away with it because between all the artists in Sweatdrop, we have seen a hell of a lot of pictures and will recognise stolen ones immediately. Copying something by eye is great practise (in the privacy of your home), but unacceptable for a competition. You can argue that copying takes skill, but from personal experience there are images I copied to perfection when I was 16 that I still cannot draw from scratch today. So base line, it's cheating.

4) For "best in show" we focused on the overall attractiveness of a piece. In contrast to "best original", a picture slightly weaker in concept but strong on technical skill can make it into this shortlist. We looked for the artistic beauty in facial expression, composition, colour etc. The over 16s were especially tough to judge because there were several outstanding entries.

5) Honourable mentions: We had several adorable pieces from children aged 10 or younger. Although slightly disadvantaged, they can rest assured that their drawings were publically displayed to an audience of professional/semi professional artists, who saw and loved their work. In 10 years, you'll be running the scene !!

Lastly, kudos to the person who entered with a blank sheet of paper entitled "Three ghosts eating marshmallows in a blizzard". It might not have gotten you a tablet but it gave us all a good laugh!

[Emma]

Well done to you all!!

Definately ditto on the ghosts in the snow....loved it!

[Emma]

bumpety bump!

We seem to have overlooked this one!
Lots of nice omments on the commended entries, but these guys are the Expo Oct 2005 winners!
Any of you guys who are out there reading, you'll be receiving contact soon of you haven't already done so!

Well done again!

ems^_^

[bex]

oh wow, this is really nice stuff! I especially liked the watercolouring on the ED fanart, and the details in the peice that won 'best in show under 16'..the style of drawing was very soft and natural, very nice
sooo many talented artists! I hope they come join the sweatdrop forums! (If they havnt already ) ^_^

[Mirukai]

Holy jumping-jacks! I won. XDD! (Miranda Montano)

I just read my e-mail and almost had a heart attack. >_>;

Thank you so much for choosing my "Kill the Slugs" picture! <33

[Laura]

Well done to all involved, of course including those who didn't win. Better luck next time!

To those who did, big hugs and many congratulations!! We hope to see some of your artwork up on Sweatdrop soon.

[Blossom]

That's so exciting!!! I'm still jumping around in a circle *literally* ... when I think of the prizes!

A big HUG for everyone.

[Emma]

Well done to miranda and blossom! It's so nice to see winners here on SD!
Letraset and Wacom now have your details and shall be contacting you soon!

Well done again and enjoy your prizes you lucky things ^_~

[ms.mechanation]

I know it's a bit late now, but...
yah! I won! I'm so chuffed, I really couldn't believe it! (My sister found out I had won, I nearly fell down the stairs with excitement! )
I had actually drawn a manga gag strip the previous day about how I couldn't possibly win...ho ho.
Edward Elric, I am indebted to your character forever.

[Target Kiku]

Wow! Thanks so much guys!! I am truly honoured. I was actually looking for when the next London Expo was on, when I found the main site and found my name on the front page. I was like...absoloutely gob-smacked. I then just screamed 'OMG!!!' and accidentally woke my brother up, who hadn't slept for 2 days. XD; I'm still shocked that I won. I feel so honoured~ Meep!
Thanks so much for the comment, Bex! ^__^ I'm glad to hear you liked my piccy. *Glomp*
Congrats to everyone who entered! The artwork is fantastic!! I'm really amazed. In fact, all the artwork I saw on the wall was just amazing. I just kept going back there to stare at the pics, until my brother literally had to leave me. XD

[Saphire]

Excellent work to all those concerned! Looks like it was a tough competition. I'm sorry I missed it, we were actually in London that weekend, but we ddn't have much time to spare and I can just imagine how busy it was....

[Blossom]

Originally Posted by Target Kiku

Congrats to everyone who entered! The artwork is fantastic!! I'm really amazed. In fact, all the artwork I saw on the wall was just amazing. I just kept going back there to stare at the pics, until my brother literally had to leave me. XD

I totally agree with you. There were so many lovely pictures and I also was staring at them while a friend of mine was reading a manga... I was sitting there at the table next to this fantasic wall with all those pictures.

[RikuBuster]

WOW lol congrats peeps, i went on the saturday for my first time ever, and i was the first guy drawing when the expo opened lol (the guy wid the combed bac afro), an i was there for most of the day, lol i was like drawing six pictures, which my friends took an submitted themselves (damn uu ) lol (one of which was Akuma and Ryu from the street fighter gen poster) and the guy wid a sword to his mouth on the original arts wall, plus i guess you all saw (on the saturday) my friends drawing of sum guy with a big head with a small body, had a medallion with an 'M' on it,lol cracked so many jokes... If my friend told me that i could have drawn b4 hand i would of taken time at home and drew instead of missing precios hrs taking photos with girl cosplayers (GOD BLESS THEM)..

P.S BTW does any one know who drew the Trinity Blood fan art on saturday that was so totally cool, major inspiration, plus where can i buy the marker pens coz Ilfords alittle dry on the Manga plus sum tips on how to use them coz frankly i can colour to save my life an want sum images to help me into art foundation, Uni and sum job thats manga related lol. *deep breath

[RikuBuster]

oh yeh i forgot to ask, if those who didnt win get there pics bac as we did leave our address and stuff on the paper when we entered an also who won the wacom graphics tablet compo where you had to fill in the form thingy near the grahics tablet section?

[Sonia: Sorry, had to delete your attachment, it was irrelevant ]

[Sonia Leong]

I'm afraid that we cannot return art that was submitted. We had stated this clearly at the event. Submissions were in the hundreds, so it isn't possible.

[Blossom]

...and again, thank you so much!!! Just got the package from Letraset today. I literally was jumping around. XD~ This really made my day! Thank you!!!
Ok... I'm still waiting for the one from Wacom... ^^° But I still can`t believe it; it's such great stuff.

[Spectre]

Up to now I am still hoping to send my appreciation to whoever drew the Trinity Blood Abel Nightroad fanart.

[Sun Kitten]

Originally Posted by Spectre

Up to now I am still hoping to send my appreciation to whoever drew the Trinity Blood Abel Nightroad fanart.

Well, it's mentioned in another thread - see here, where you can post if you wish. It was a beautiful piece of art. However, giving out contact details to random strangers is not something we are able to do - sorry