New episode is out and yes, they do have to make some Magic art.
Elaine's criticism of Katie's artwork has already raised some eyebrows. I think her comment of the artwork being "too sexy" is a PC way of saying that the combination of the sexy pose and the rather infantilized character isn't what they are looking for. She has great technique with the markers and definitely can draw, I think the art she produced looks like some 18+ artwork of a power puff girl you'd find on DeviantArt. Not that that is necessarily a bad thing, bit it isn't what I would have targeted if I had given the challenge.
Personally I think Maki's artwork was the best. Better than the eventual winner and the problem that cost him could have easily been fixed in the next production step.
I watched while making a sandwich, and didn't work out whose are was whose. I really loved Maki's painting, but the colour criticism was spot on considering everyone else got the colour right.
Also I like now I can check look back and see who I'd pick, because we weren't told at the end.
Maki should have won, and Katie's artwork looked more like something you see on a skateboard deck, even though it's not maybe the market the people at MTG were looking for, it was the closest to the actual market skateboards are sold to.
The few I really liked, any of which might have won: Monica. Maki. Erika.
Good: Amy - had a lot of energy but, in the end, too messy for printed design. Nick - messed up with the angry face, but I still like the design. Also the placement of the logo is obviously wrong, but for a final design, this could be fixed or moved or something. However, if I was to pick any design for a skateboard, without considering the actual design brief, it could easily be this one.
Okay: Katie - cute, but not really the right character or skateboard style. Abby - captured the cheekiness of the character perfectly, but the execution wasn't very good.
Not good: Tavis - he drew a bloke. And an angry bloke. Mac - nice idea, but no colour. I think the long view of the character would have been a great design detail, and then a very tight portrait down the bottom of the twisty mountain. An all round fail, but a noble fail.
My prediction is that Mac and Tavis will do the challenge, and that, due to experience, Tavis will win.
Mac is definitely near the bottom, if not the bottom, of the totem pole right now. I really did like his concept the best, but he failed at execution. I would be very surprised if he is able to execute at the wastebasket.
That said, I think Abby and Mac are the weakest links in the house at this point. Out of those two, I predict Abby would do a funnier cartoon, and win. Either against Tavis, and Tavis is back to the house easily.
I agree with Luke - Monica, Maki, and Erika definitely did the best work this time around.
Maki's was my favourite, but I think the biggest flaw with it is that it's not trivial to visualize on a skateboard. That, I think, is mostly due to the lack of consideration of the form factor. The effects of using paint also don't quite jive with what you'd normally expect on a skateboard, but then that also resulted in some unique advantages. If not for those aspects I'd definitely say he deserved to win; primarily because his portrayal of Chandra's facial expression was superb, but also from the fluid, active pose.
Given those factors, I guess Maki not winning the challenge is sensible. I liked Monica's more than Erika's, but Erika did a better job with the facial expression, and that was one of the most important aspects. It's a pity that the MtG people didn't take the time to give Monica some praise - she deserved it.
That said, I think Abby and Mac are the weakest links in the house at this point. Out of those two, I predict Abby would do a funnier cartoon, and win. Either against Tavis, and Tavis is back to the house easily.
Yeah, I think you've got this pretty much right.
A more interesting matchup would be Katie vs Tavis, I think. Both of them have experience with the elimination process, and both have put out some solid work. That said, my money would be on Tavis, since his strip was funnier than either of Katie's.
Also, it's a real pity that Lexxy was eliminated - I would have liked to see what she would have come up with for the skateboard design. Of course, I might have said much the same thing about Tavis. Either way, although there's only one winner in the end, it's a pity to see strong contestants eliminated early.
Every single person in the house will end up on the hot seat at least once, most likely more tha once. We will get to see everything we want to see.
Also, remember that Maki has that redraw ticket from the beginning. They haven't mentioned it, and he hasn't used it. I'm sure he will bust it out at the craziest possible opportunity. This will likely allow him to extend his stay in the house by a week. If he gets within a week of winning on his own merit, it may put him over the top.
Yeah, that redraw ticket sounds totally overpowered, depending on what it actually does.
That said, merely having a redraw ticket probably makes it much more likely that you'll be nominated for elimination later on, especially if someone else wants to use you to take down an even stronger opponent ^_~
There is this game where players collaboratively create a map of an area around their post-apocalyptic camp. It was a game I wanted to play at PAX-E and it would be really cool with some decent artists.
While I agreed with what the judges said, they were very specific that they wanted the artists' own style injected into the board. So their complaint that many of the pictures were too stylized sat poorly with me. I think if they really didn't want them so stylized, they should have said, "We want to see a little of your style in these pieces, but ultimately we want them to fit with our view of Magic and standard artwork."
I disagree that Abby is the weakest. Her art is the least developed, but her humor and her likability will get her far, as that is how reality TV goes. Also, she's not a big threat, so eliminating her is not priority for any of the other contestants.
Some sort of RPG for artists. Drawing is an integral part of the game's mechanics.
Hm, don't know of any that are integral. A lot of have "Draw your character here" on the character sheet, including the new Mouse Guard sheets. Vesna Thaw has DRAW YOUR ROBOT.
For some reason it took FOREVER for the damn video to buffer to watch it at 420p.
Pretty much spot on with what others have said. I really like Maki's, Monica's, and Erika's drawings. Wanted Maki to win, but he didn't get the color right.
I think Mac and Amy are going to the draw off. Her drawing did not impress me at all.
Amy's makes me think of Azula; not really the right vibe, but I think it's good art nonetheless. I think several of the others were worse than Amy's.
I really don't think it's likely that Amy will be picked this time around, unless Erika has something against her. I'm with Luke on this - Tavis and Mac seem quite likely to be picked.
WOTC has an article about the episode on it's MTG page today, including all the art and a small interview with Robert Khoo (CEO of Penny Arcade, for those not initiated).
Comments
Elaine's criticism of Katie's artwork has already raised some eyebrows. I think her comment of the artwork being "too sexy" is a PC way of saying that the combination of the sexy pose and the rather infantilized character isn't what they are looking for. She has great technique with the markers and definitely can draw, I think the art she produced looks like some 18+ artwork of a power puff girl you'd find on DeviantArt. Not that that is necessarily a bad thing, bit it isn't what I would have targeted if I had given the challenge.
Personally I think Maki's artwork was the best. Better than the eventual winner and the problem that cost him could have easily been fixed in the next production step.
Also really like the cliffhanger on this episode.
I actually thought Monica did the best job, although Erika's was definitely right up there.
Also I like now I can check look back and see who I'd pick, because we weren't told at the end.
The few I really liked, any of which might have won:
Monica.
Maki.
Erika.
Good:
Amy - had a lot of energy but, in the end, too messy for printed design.
Nick - messed up with the angry face, but I still like the design. Also the placement of the logo is obviously wrong, but for a final design, this could be fixed or moved or something. However, if I was to pick any design for a skateboard, without considering the actual design brief, it could easily be this one.
Okay:
Katie - cute, but not really the right character or skateboard style.
Abby - captured the cheekiness of the character perfectly, but the execution wasn't very good.
Not good:
Tavis - he drew a bloke. And an angry bloke.
Mac - nice idea, but no colour. I think the long view of the character would have been a great design detail, and then a very tight portrait down the bottom of the twisty mountain. An all round fail, but a noble fail.
My prediction is that Mac and Tavis will do the challenge, and that, due to experience, Tavis will win.
Maki's was my favourite, but I think the biggest flaw with it is that it's not trivial to visualize on a skateboard. That, I think, is mostly due to the lack of consideration of the form factor. The effects of using paint also don't quite jive with what you'd normally expect on a skateboard, but then that also resulted in some unique advantages. If not for those aspects I'd definitely say he deserved to win; primarily because his portrayal of Chandra's facial expression was superb, but also from the fluid, active pose.
Given those factors, I guess Maki not winning the challenge is sensible. I liked Monica's more than Erika's, but Erika did a better job with the facial expression, and that was one of the most important aspects. It's a pity that the MtG people didn't take the time to give Monica some praise - she deserved it.
A more interesting matchup would be Katie vs Tavis, I think. Both of them have experience with the elimination process, and both have put out some solid work. That said, my money would be on Tavis, since his strip was funnier than either of Katie's.
Also, it's a real pity that Lexxy was eliminated - I would have liked to see what she would have come up with for the skateboard design. Of course, I might have said much the same thing about Tavis. Either way, although there's only one winner in the end, it's a pity to see strong contestants eliminated early.
Also, remember that Maki has that redraw ticket from the beginning. They haven't mentioned it, and he hasn't used it. I'm sure he will bust it out at the craziest possible opportunity. This will likely allow him to extend his stay in the house by a week. If he gets within a week of winning on his own merit, it may put him over the top.
That said, merely having a redraw ticket probably makes it much more likely that you'll be nominated for elimination later on, especially if someone else wants to use you to take down an even stronger opponent ^_~
Hmm....
Some sort of RPG for artists. Drawing is an integral part of the game's mechanics.
Hmmm......
The Quiet year
Pretty much spot on with what others have said. I really like Maki's, Monica's, and Erika's drawings. Wanted Maki to win, but he didn't get the color right.
I think Mac and Amy are going to the draw off. Her drawing did not impress me at all.
I really don't think it's likely that Amy will be picked this time around, unless Erika has something against her. I'm with Luke on this - Tavis and Mac seem quite likely to be picked.
It's a secret because I don't want anyone else to do it before me!
I LOVED Katie's, but the crit was spot on with regards to family appropriateness.