BLOODSPORT 16- The Big Rig

Bloodsport 16 is here. the last two challenges have been working on your skills with design. this time were going to broaden it out and do a challenge on setting a scene with a lot of emphasis on MOOD and COMPOSITION.  for this challenge, you are being asked to set up a scene as if it were a dynamic still from a movie, and composed on the traditional 16: 9 movie frame format. unlike an illustration, movie scenes are about pulling the viewer into the action and making us feel as if we are there, not merely showcasing the characters and designs in the blatant way concept art and fantasy illustration tends to. as always, there will be a lot of freedom in what you are able to do with this challenge. however, there are a few twists to keep it interesting. 

imagine it is the high era of 80s movie releases. you have been hired to concept screens for a new blockbuster (can be fantasy, sci fi, horror, anything b-movie related in the 80s. think ridley scott and john carpenter.) it is your job to use the movie title to generate scene ideas with lots of mood and atmosphere to set the tone for the film. the image should encompass everything about the title, as if to sell the concept to the potential viewers.

RULE 1:

your scene must not only be designed on the 16:9 horizontal frame format, but it must also push a strong mood or feeling, setting the scene. to achieve this, we are asking you to watch some of your favorite movies, look for ones you really appreciate and want to learn from, and then study / interpret them into your own work.  if your scene is dark and foreboding, study a movie that achieves that feeling. on the other hand, if it is bright and uplifting , you will need to study a particular movie and a particular scene to properly convey that as well.

RULE 2:

Because of our lovely guest judge (see below), this contests subject matter will be derived from a source material near and dear to our hearts. your scenes subject matter or mood MUST come from one of the titles on the following list: JUDAS PRIEST SONGS


Thats right. your scene, subject matter, and mood must be related to one of the titles of any JUDAS PRIEST song. not the lyrics or the album, just the song title. do anything you want- go as vague or as specific to the title as you see fit!.


16X9 Cinema format below-

EXAMPLES

                                     

AND REMEMBER! THIS TIME WE ARE EMPHASIZING COMPOSITION, MOOD, and TITLE

REQUIREMENTS FOR ALL ENTRIES! 
             
- MUST BE presented in 16 x 9 horizontal cinema format-

-MUST include MOOD and SCENE studies from specific movies you wish to learn from

- MUST include studies done to be eligible to enter! Poses, materials, reference studies, lighting, composition sketches, etc.


THIS CONTEST HAS NO RESTRICTIONS FOR SUBJECT MATTER AS LONG AS IT IS INTERPRETED FROM THE RULES ABOVE   !

Goodluck-

...oh, and did we mention?

were going to keep the ball rolling with our guest judge idea, to try and offer more real industry feedback from pros with real industry experience! this time around were happy to have Brad Rigney on board to look at your work and offer feedback to the winners! 





please send finals to FINALS THREAD HERE

we will no longer be acceepting submissions to the gmail. the forum is just easier!


DUE SATURDAY, MAY 18th  @5pm est

BLOODSPORT 15- Guild of Golems!

It's time for Bloodsport 15! this time were dialing it back a bit to focus on pure design aesthetic and imagining champions for a game called Guild of Golems, where sorcerers of all kinds gather to do battle with one another, aided by their magically created or summoned creatures. in the Beastmaster challenge, we asked you to design a warrior in armor themed around their animal counterpart. the challenge had some awesome results, but we still think we can push creative design even further. for this challenge you are being asked to create a compelling design for both a sorcerer character as well as their golem companion/servant. the sorcerer character can be male or female, and can exist in any time period or culture you believe to be most effective. they do not have to be human, however, a strong emphasis on anatomy and posture should be apparent despite whatever creature (human or otherwise) you may choose. the theme of the sorcerer's design MUST be reflective of their companion creature.

example 1:

a male wizard in red robes trimmed with gold flame designs, clearly representing a fire element. his companion is a large golem made of molten rock with flames on him mirroring the wizard's design.

example 2:

a sorcerer with gaunt features and tattered robes themed on decay and death. his creature companion could be a hulking mass of dead bodies, or a plague infected monster. something reflective of his design elements.


to be clear- in the last challenge you were restricted to animals and creatures for your design themes. this time it is totally open to interpretation. pick a theme, design a sorcerer around it, and then craft his companion monster he has summoned on the same theme.

Unlike the previous challenge, where we asked you to do 2 separate illustrations, this time we are asking for one strong piece with both characters in it. the composition, narrative, and aspect ratio of the piece are entirely up to you- but both characters should be present, and it should be clear which is the sorcerer and which is the creature.


for this challenge, we are REALLY pushing an emphasis on design and creative solutions to theming. because of this, we are requiring character sketches as well as the regular studies necessary to be eligible. these do not to be highly polished concept art, but they should be clear explorations of different ideas for the character and creature. dont get locked down into one idea too soon! explore and take some creative risks!

AND REMEMBER! THIS TIME WE ARE EMPHASIZING COMPOSITION, CHARACTER DESIGN, and CREATURE DESIGN!

REQUIREMENTS FOR ALL ENTRIES! 
             
- MUST BE 2 CHARACTERS with a CENTRAL THEME-
    
     1) a sorcerer with a clear design theme (your choice)

     2) a creature the sorcerer has summoned or created reflective of his theme.

-MUST include CHARACTER STUDIES aside from the comp sketch

- MUST include studies done to be eligible to enter! Poses, materials, reference studies, lighting, composition sketches, etc.


THIS CONTEST HAS NO RESTRICTIONS FOR CHARACTER AGE OR GENDER, AND CAN BE TAKEN AS SERIOUSLY OR AS LIGHTLY AS YOU SEE FIT! 

Goodluck-

...oh, and did we mention?

were going to keep the ball rolling with our guest judge idea, to try and offer more real industry feedback from pros with real industry experience! this time around were happy to have Wes Burt on board to look at your work and offer feedback to the winners! 



please send finals to FINALS THREAD HERE

we will no longer be acceepting submissions to the gmail. the forum is just easier!


DUE SATURDAY, APRIL 20th  @5pm est

BLOODSPORT 14- BeastMasters!

Hello!

Card art has been on the rise all over the the world lately, with newer companies taking advantage of all that the new digital and portable platforms have to offer. Increasingly common is the gameplay mechanic that a card can have multiple versions of itself, leveling up as the player goes through the game to change forms and become more powerful as they advance.  with this in mind, we've created a new challenge based in the industries of card art and character design-   BLOODSPORT 14: BeastMasters !

imagine this bloodsport as a set of cards for a popular game based on a new IP. your art director has given you total freedom of design within the parameters of a brief description seen on the cover to each box the game is sold in:

'Mighty warriors of a lost age, whose skills in the arcane arts granted them the ability to shift their forms into those of powerful monsters! Whether bound in the armor of their spirit creatures, or transformed into them through their rage, all who face them fear the BeastMasters!'

This IP is based on characters who come in 2 forms. One is a human form, and the other is a creature that they transform into (actual animals or fantasy monsters- both are acceptable). the human form MUST have a design to its clothing or armor that reflects their creature form. ( basic example: a knight in a lion's head breastplate turning into a lion ).

 aside from this, there are no rules. feel free to make their armor designs and creature forms as fantastic as you see fit!

now, for the twist to keep things interesting- this bloodsport requires 2 of the same illustration, but with the character leveled up in the second to display him in his more powerful monster form. feel free to keep the other aspects of the image the same to save time, or to do 2 totally different images if you're feeling a bit riskier.



SOME EXAMPLES TO GET YOU GOING--

TIGER / CAT

WOLF/ DOG

AND REMEMBER! THIS TIME WE ARE EMPHASIZING COMPOSITION, CHARACTER DESIGN, and CREATURE DESIGN!

REQUIREMENTS FOR ALL ENTRIES! 

- MUST be DESIGNED as a set of VERTICAL CARD ILLUSTRATIONS
             
- MUST BE 2 IMAGES, each highlighting-
    
     1) the human form of the BeastMaster wearing armor themed on his creature form's design

     2) the creature form itself, with or without armor

-MUST have a clear and strong connection between the design themes in the armor and the selected creature or animal the character transforms into!

- MUST include studies done to be eligible to enter! Poses, materials, reference studies, lighting, composition sketches, etc.


THIS CONTEST HAS NO RESTRICTIONS FOR CHARACTER AGE OR GENDER, AND CAN BE TAKEN AS SERIOUSLY OR AS LIGHTLY AS YOU SEE FIT! 

Goodluck-

...oh, and did we mention?

were going to keep the ball rolling with our guest judge idea, to try and offer more real industry feedback from pros with real industry experience! this time around were happy to have Anthony Jones on board to look at your work and offer feedback to the winners!



please send finals to crimsondaggersdropbox@gmail.com


DUE FRIDAY, APRIL 5th  @5pm est

BLOODSPORT 13- The Histories of Schaat' Nath : Time Warriors

Hello!

so, weve been gone for a while. almost a whole year. the past bloodsports we did not judge will remain up on the blog, as we firmly believe they are still good prompts for portfolio pieces in case people want to use them later. basically, things got very busy there for a while, and we couldn't balance this on top of other things. thankfully, thats not the case anymore, so were happy to bring you BLOODSPORT 13: The histories of Schaat' Nath : Time Warriors!

imagine this bloodsport as the cover to an old tabletop rpg expansion book, and imagine the blurb on the back as follows:

'The evil wizard Xakxis has plunged the kingdom of Schaat' Nath into darkness! Only YOU, Dillon Kobrax, and your faithful sidekick can stop his evil reign! travel out of time to exciting kingdoms of the past or future to determine the kingdom's fate!'

now, for the twist to keep things interesting- this bloodsport has 2 options- choose either and explore them to their fullest!

option 1) a hero from the past (medeival, prehistoric, anything) is drawn into a future world and must save it. he/she is accompanied by a robot / computer companion of some kind from that time.

option 2) a hero from the future (any kind of sci fi you wish to imagine as the future) is pulled into the past and must save  it. he/she is accompanied by a creature of that strange ancient world. (dinosaur, dragon, monster, etc)

*****(   LEATHER JACKETS OPTIONAL  )******


SOME EXAMPLES TO GET YOU GOING--
**Remember- you can really do anything with this! it is not specific to earth, so your vision of the past and the future are only limited by your imagination! show us the coolest sci fi and ancient design you can come up with!**

AND REMEMBER! THIS TIME WE ARE EMPHASIZING COMPOSITION, JUXTAPOSITION and TIME SPECIFIC DESIGN

Remember- In this challenge the character you chooose can be from the PAST or FUTURE, and will be in a setting opposite his origin. Have fun with the design process and make some really interesting clashes!

REQUIREMENTS FOR ALL ENTRIES! 

- MUST be DESIGNED as a COVER ILLUSTRATION!
              - CHARACTER with SIDEKICK from past or future
              - BACKGROUND opposite time of the character
              - finished and professional presentation in color!

- MUST focus on the juxtaposition of the times. make it clear that the character does not belong where he is, and stands out!

-MUST have a strong focus on sci fi as well as fantasy design. Choosing a sci fi hero doesn't mean the background should be boring in comparison. really work to make both as cool as you can!

- MUST include studies done to be eligible to enter! Poses, materials, reference studies, lighting, composition sketches, etc.


THIS CONTEST HAS NO RESTRICTIONS FOR CHARACTER AGE OR GENDER, AND CAN BE TAKEN AS SERIOUSLY OR AS LIGHTLY AS YOU SEE FIT! 

Goodluck-

...oh, and did we mention?

this bloodsport is going to be guest judged by our good friend and industry leader KEKAI KOTAKI- an artist with plenty of experience in fantasy as well as sci fi! winners will get their work reviewed by him with feedback on strengths, weaknesses, and how to improve! take advantage of his valuable insight from years working within these same genres!




please send finals to crimsondaggersdropbox@gmail.com


DUE FRIDAY, MARCH 22nd @5pm est