Contest Winners for August: "Worst Fear"

[Lee White]

Well, here we are again. The competition is getting stronger and it looks like technique and concept are both getting REALLY good. I notice an improvement in both areas in the submissions.

This is both good and bad. It's good if you made it in, but it's getting a little harder. You need to have everything working together to make the cut. I saw quite a few that had good concepts, but the technique wasn't quite there. And vice versa.

So congrats to the winner and honorable mentions. And for the others I want to stress that you should KEEP TRYING. These kinds of projects are what make you stonger! : )

Winner: Tess Wrathall (@TessW)

This one was a no brainer for me. It had everything going for it. A great concept that is so unique I can't say that I ever would have anticipated it. Then the technique is flawless. Color and lighting are amazing. Great work Tess!

Second Place: Tyson Ranes (@Tyson-Ranes)

Second place was tricky and it took some time to figure it out. There were 4 that were right there and I kept switching between them. Ultimately, I had to keep coming back to the prompt. Which one really hit "worst fear" the best. In my option, Tyson's image couldn't be ignored. Great paint technique and hit the fear topic perfectly.

Honorable Mention (in no particular order):

Megan Stringfellow @stringfellowart

Beautiful palette and super fun design

Sarah Elliott @sarahelliott489
Very nice design here. This one has such a calm feeling and is so scary at the same time.

Mike Blake @MikeBlakeStudio
Very fun composition and style. Very current in the children's market right now.

noemie Gionet @NoWayMe
Totally pro work here. Concept is great and another that feels ready to be published

Julian Beresford @julian-beresford
Had a few wolf entries. This one was so sinister and the character design was on point.

Eric Castleman @Eric-Castleman
Eric seems to be on a streak and finding himself in the top group every month! Great work as usual.

No name on this one. But I loved the understated quality of it. I kept coming back to it for it's simplicity and style.

Kai Satoshi @kai-satoshi
Wonderful style and palette. Kai belongs at Pixar I think...

Gary Wilkinson
Scale is a great tool for this prompt and this piece is terrifying. Lovely design!!

Rebecca Hirsch @RHirsch
Simple style and a concept we all identify with. Keep me away from the basement!

Niki Vaszi @NikiVaszi
Saw this one on the forums and loved it immediately. Great paint strokes and texture. I'd like to see more from this story. Reminds me of the "Stranger Things" series.

That's it for this month. Like I said before, this was some great work. You guys keep stepping it up! See you next month! BTW, here's the link for next months topic:

http://forum.svslearn.com/topic/3703/september-illustration-contest-transportation

[TessaW]

Oh, wow. Just want to say thank you to all of you who helped steer my illustration to what it became. I was lost with it for a while! And a big shout out to Tyson, who I know was feeling a bit down after the last competition. He makes really good work, and it paid off for him in this particular competition! Good job, Tyson!!! Congrats to the rest of the finalists and to everyone else; there were a lot of amazing pieces that I think could easily have taken 1st place right along with me.

Thank you!

[julian beresford]

@TessW Congratulation Tess, great piece you were one of the ones I had on my list to win.

@Lee-White Thanks Lee, glad you liked the character design of the wolf

[HeidiGFX]

There are a couple that must have been uploaded after the last time i checked but my favorites are all here! congrats
Great job!

[A Former User]

Congratulations @TessW !!! Such great execution! Everyone submitted wonderful artwork! They were all so different with styles. - H

[Lynn Larson]

Excellence work guys! You all did such an amazing job!

[NoWayMe]

@tessw My prediction was right Amazing work!

[Gary Wilkinson]

Great work @TessW, @Tyson-Ranes and to everyone else, it was my first competition and I feel I learned a lot from you all. Excited for the next one Oh and I will remember to put my name on it properly next time (Wilkinson, not Wilkenson, sorry my bad)

[lmrush]

Congratulations @TessW and @Tyson-Ranes and all the others, fantastic work everyone!

[Eric Castleman]

Everyone did really well this month. Many people who didn't make the cut had a huge leap in skill from July to August, and I hope none of them feel discouraged by not making the cut. I am looking forward to being pushed off this list by all of you

@Tyson-Ranes dude, what a leap you made. Your art has always been stellar, but your concept this month was much stronger, and deserved the placement it received.

@TessW great piece! Incredibly professional. When I flipped through the images via @Chip-Valecek slideshow (you are awesome for doing this every month, and your piece this month was a even stronger than last btw) I saw your image, and knew I was doomed my wife couldn't even lie to me about it after seeing yours lol.

@NoWayMe yours was my personal favorite. You really captured something in your piece that reminds me of when I first met my wife. The girl in your image also has an incredibly indearing vibe to her, and so it sold me right away. Love it!

[Chip Valecek]

Great work from everyone once again. It's getting harder and harder each month with the level of work you are all doing. Congrats on the winners, very well deserved.

@Eric-Castleman thanks for the kind words. Nothing like getting knock out month after month to come out swinging the next in the hopes to land a punch. The only way to get better right?

[stringfellowart]

I'm not surprised @TessW won! Congratulations guys!

[MOO]

@tessw It's beautiful! Such a great job. You are awesome.

[holleywilliamson]

Congrats @TessW and @Tyson-Ranes and everyone else, awesome submissions!

[MOO]

Everyone did a fantastic job! It will be a long time before I can catch up with you all. Just amazing work, IMO.

[seelliott]

Wow really did not expect to make the cut with so many great entries!!

Mine is the one with the girl falling through the sky. Sarah Elliott @sarahelliott489

[aska]

@tessw I was silently voting for urs to win! great job

[aska]

@aska oh, n forgot to add that other finalists done a great job too:-) It would be a dream to have all those pieces in ones portfolio.

[Kat]

Congrats to all the winners, you guys deserve it! @TessW, I just loved yours, there is so much emotion in it, and it's so beautifully done...totally a winner!

[Jose Ramos]

Congrats Tess, it´s a great work and all others too, this was a awesome contest.
I've enjoyed watching all the works.