RESULTS: Custom Character Contest 2014 - Best Likeness (Entries-Only Thread)

IndigoJanson

Many congratulations to Tarina Kivi, Sasje, Scorpio64dragon and Kerya -- all excellent choices and well-deserved!

Appreciate the honourable mention, thank you! (I was on the road and missed this, so replying a little late.)

Scott Livingston

First batch of feedback... :)

Stezza - Fred Flintstone: This entry scored very highly in the categories of creativity/originality and overall render quality. I was particularly impressed with the clothing and scene, including the custom props and re-textured Dino. In terms of the character--you were going for a unique take on the Fred Flintstone character rather than an exact likeness or a more realistic approach. So in terms of the character, the question isn’t how closely your version corresponds matches Fred’s appearance, but how well you captured his personality and essence. The biggest issue I have is that the eyebrows seem a little low and aggressive-looking...except when he’s angry, Fred’s eyebrows tend to be high, especially the inner brows. This might be more personal preference, but given the overall body/limb proportions I might have preferred to see larger hands and feet, and more pronounced facial features; or alternatively you could have gone in the opposite direction and made the overall proportions more realistic/less exaggerated. I do like the boisterous pose...very fitting. Other nice little details include the nose shape and the five-o-clock shadow you added. All around, I felt this was a very fine entry and an excellent render.

Jindi - Mary, Queen of Scots: While the character likeness was strong, what impressed me the most about this was the extent of customization you had to do to create the finished render...modeling the accessories, creating the hair ruff, kitbashing and retexturing the outfits, rendering the wall portrait, etc. And your use of the Azumi texture was inspired...never would have guessed it was that one, and never would have thought to try it myself for this character, but it works very well. I’d be hard-pressed to explain why exactly I preferred your Rudolf Nureyev entry to this one...they were both excellent entries. I think maybe Rudolf has a more unique (more challenging) face. I saw, and really liked, the more somber version you posted to the gallery, also. http://www.daz3d.com/gallery/#images/26587

Odaa - Wild Bill Hickok: You did a great job with the facial features: the nose and cheeks look spot-on to me. I see slight differences in the eyes (they look a little wide/round and the upper lid could perhaps be larger) and chin (looks narrower and more pointed than in photos of Wild Bill). The hair and facial hair work very well for the character, and the outfit seems fitting too, even though he’s not usually pictured wearing Native American clothing. I would have liked to see a bit more “personality” in the pose and expression in order to really bring the character to life. Nice work overall, though--he’s very recognizable and convincing

Luci45 - Ender Wiggin: I’m a fan of the Ender books (haven’t seen the movie though) so I am familiar with the character. The mixed emotions seem fitting for the character given the situation he’s placed in. He does bear a fairly close resemblance to the actor who plays Ender in the film, though younger (as you mentioned, that’s as it should be). I don’t really picture him with a shaved head, though it’s of course very plausible. The lighting gives him an unnatural, kind of alien appearance. It looks great (and is an interesting take on the source material, with its discussion on humanity vs. other-ness, etc.) but it probably doesn’t help you “sell” the character as Ender. I have mixed feelings about the dialed-in crow’s feet too. Kind of makes him look young and old at the same time, which sort of feels appropriate though maybe detracts from pure realism a little (with the expression some wrinkling would be expected, but it probably wouldn't look like crow's feet...I did a Google image search for "tantrum"--not that I really needed to as I see it on my own kids all the time--to get some examples of exaggerated expressions on children's faces). I should also mention that you did an outstanding job with the postwork.

gulan7 - Lara Croft: Excellent use of freebies! The pose, props, and set all seem fitting for Ms. Croft. The outfit as well, although I think she usually bares her midriff. In terms of the character shape, your character’s body type seems a bit less muscular and voluptuous than Lara Croft is usually portrayed. The face looks very close to your reference image...I think the lips and maybe the eyes are a little smaller in your character, which is fine if you were aiming at a more realistic, less cartoony appearance. The way the render is framed and lit, it’s hard to see the details of the character in order to compare them to the reference, but I think she makes a good Lara Croft.

Cybersox13 - Telly Savalas/Kojak: Your target has a very unique face and poses an interesting challenge, and I think you got very close. The main differences I see are in the jaw (slightly too square and/or wide) and in the forehead/brow area (Savalas’s eyebrows appear to be a little lower, his temples are a little recessed/indented, and his forehead appears a little more rounded). The eyes look really good to me, especially in the smiling render. The shape of the nose and lips look good, though I think they might be a little large. All in all, I thought the character likeness was very strong and I also felt this was one of the top entries for creativity/originality (thanks to the hand painted moles and interesting morph combinations including Hitomi).