• Log InLog In
  • Register
Liquid`
Team Liquid Liquipedia
EDT 17:58
CEST 23:58
KST 06:58
  • Home
  • Forum
  • Calendar
  • Streams
  • Liquipedia
  • Features
  • Store
  • EPT
  • TL+
  • StarCraft 2
  • Brood War
  • Smash
  • Heroes
  • Counter-Strike
  • Overwatch
  • Liquibet
  • Fantasy StarCraft
  • TLPD
  • StarCraft 2
  • Brood War
  • Blogs
Forum Sidebar
Events/Features
News
Featured News
[ASL21] Ro24 Preview Pt2: News Flash6[ASL21] Ro24 Preview Pt1: New Chaos0Team Liquid Map Contest #22 - Presented by Monster Energy11ByuL: The Forgotten Master of ZvT30Behind the Blue - Team Liquid History Book20
Community News
Weekly Cups (March 16-22): herO doubles, Cure surprises3Blizzard Classic Cup @ BlizzCon 2026 - $100k prize pool49Weekly Cups (March 9-15): herO, Clem, ByuN win42026 KungFu Cup Announcement6BGE Stara Zagora 2026 cancelled12
StarCraft 2
General
What mix of new & old maps do you want in the next ladder pool? (SC2) Team Liquid Map Contest #22 - Presented by Monster Energy herO wins SC2 All-Star Invitational Blizzard Classic Cup @ BlizzCon 2026 - $100k prize pool Potential Updates Coming to the SC2 CN Server
Tourneys
RSL Season 4 announced for March-April Sparkling Tuna Cup - Weekly Open Tournament StarCraft Evolution League (SC Evo Biweekly) WardiTV Mondays World University TeamLeague (500$+) | Signups Open
Strategy
Custom Maps
[M] (2) Frigid Storage Publishing has been re-enabled! [Feb 24th 2026]
External Content
Mutation # 519 Inner Power The PondCast: SC2 News & Results Mutation # 518 Radiation Zone Mutation # 517 Distant Threat
Brood War
General
BGH Auto Balance -> http://bghmmr.eu/ [ASL21] Ro24 Preview Pt2: News Flash Pros React To: SoulKey vs Ample ASL21 General Discussion RepMastered™: replay sharing and analyzer site
Tourneys
[ASL21] Ro24 Group D [ASL21] Ro24 Group C [Megathread] Daily Proleagues [ASL21] Ro24 Group B
Strategy
What's the deal with APM & what's its true value Fighting Spirit mining rates Simple Questions, Simple Answers
Other Games
General Games
Starcraft Tabletop Miniature Game Nintendo Switch Thread General RTS Discussion Thread Stormgate/Frost Giant Megathread Darkest Dungeon
Dota 2
The Story of Wings Gaming Official 'what is Dota anymore' discussion
League of Legends
G2 just beat GenG in First stand
Heroes of the Storm
Simple Questions, Simple Answers Heroes of the Storm 2.0
Hearthstone
Deck construction bug Heroes of StarCraft mini-set
TL Mafia
TL Mafia Community Thread Five o'clock TL Mafia Mafia Game Mode Feedback/Ideas Vanilla Mini Mafia
Community
General
US Politics Mega-thread Things Aren’t Peaceful in Palestine The Games Industry And ATVI European Politico-economics QA Mega-thread Canadian Politics Mega-thread
Fan Clubs
The IdrA Fan Club
Media & Entertainment
[Manga] One Piece [Req][Books] Good Fantasy/SciFi books Movie Discussion!
Sports
2024 - 2026 Football Thread Formula 1 Discussion Cricket [SPORT] Tokyo Olympics 2021 Thread General nutrition recommendations
World Cup 2022
Tech Support
[G] How to Block Livestream Ads
TL Community
The Automated Ban List
Blogs
Funny Nicknames
LUCKY_NOOB
Money Laundering In Video Ga…
TrAiDoS
Iranian anarchists: organize…
XenOsky
FS++
Kraekkling
Shocked by a laser…
Spydermine0240
ASL S21 English Commentary…
namkraft
Customize Sidebar...

Website Feedback

Closed Threads



Active: 1646 users

SC Portrait Contest Fail - Page 2

Blogs > Raihn
Post a Reply
Prev 1 2 All
rel
Profile Blog Joined January 2005
Guam3521 Posts
September 02 2017 14:50 GMT
#21
It's cuz' of the participation trophy world we currently dwell in.
I'll tank push my way into her heart. ☮♥&$!
jaeboss
Profile Blog Joined April 2017
69 Posts
September 02 2017 16:29 GMT
#22
nice pic. what criteria was used for finalists and how in the hell is cheesezerger a finalist?
ninazerg
Profile Blog Joined October 2009
United States7291 Posts
September 02 2017 18:37 GMT
#23
Cheezerger is so bad that it has to win first place.
"If two pregnant women get into a fist fight, it's like a mecha-battle between two unborn babies." - Fyodor Dostoevsky
B-royal
Profile Joined May 2015
Belgium1330 Posts
September 04 2017 14:29 GMT
#24
My untrained eye and amateur opinion finds these portraits the best, the others don't interest me very much, lack a punch, look flat, or failed to make this list for a similar reason.

1. Dark archon (This is the one I voted for). It has a great style and the picture feels very much alive.
2. Dragoon fish bowl. The quality/craftsmanship of this one can not be ignored. It also has a nice humorous element.
3. Lurker birth. I like this one quite a bit, but the background feels very lazy and uninspired.
new BW-player (~E rank fish) twitch.tv/crispydrone || What plays 500 games a season but can't get better? => http://imgur.com/a/pLzf9 <= ||
beentheredonethat
Profile Joined May 2016
2934 Posts
September 04 2017 21:14 GMT
#25
I think this is way cooler than a lot of the finalists.
"Micro tricks like marine splitting, blink stalker micro, and ling/baneling wars were the apex of the game’s achievements; nothing in the world takes your breath away like watching a pro player split marines like a god."
Raihn
Profile Blog Joined August 2008
United States216 Posts
September 08 2017 21:51 GMT
#26
Hi all! I'm surprised by all the comments, but happily so. Sorry, I would have replied sooner but I was away from computer for many moons. Better late than never?


@Shana: Thanks! I'm glad you enjoyed it

@ Zambrah: I think you make some really solid points, I likely did not put enough personality into the rendering, even if the draftsmanship was maybe better than average.

@Essbee: Appreciated. Always something to learn, though :D

@c3rberUs: Thank for the comment. I do take it personally in that I really do think I can come away having learned something. So far, for this, thanks to a lot of the feed back I've several things to consider. 1. that I need to put more effort into personality/story, no matter what the framing. 2. My composition was a bit off the mark, and could have been more interesting. 3. The background was a rushed job, and I should have spent more time on it. 4. I know I rushed the whole illustration, I didn't want to spent much time on it, as they say, you get what you put into something, and I didn't put in enough.

@[sc1f]eonzerg: All too easy.

@asel: Thanks! I agree the styles are pretty divergent. SC1 seems to have more of a humorous yet serious grit to hit, SC2 seems to have a more cartoony yet fantasy art vibe. SC1 is more Pantra and SC2 is more Imagine Dragons, me thinks

@Starlightsun: Thanks!

@JWD[9]: Thanks for taking the time to do some paint over critiques, fun! I think the left to right thing works.

The common design principle is that if you want to evoke impending danger or uneasiness having 'motion' from left to right is best. If you want to evoke things going well or more calm left to right is preferred. This is due to western culture's left to right reading conventions, so might not work as intended for say a Japanese audience.

I think that since there is no facial expression to read, one is forced to derive meaning from other ques. My presentation as previously commented on is a fairly boring textbook 3/4 view of the face, so that leave much to be desired in terms of hints at situation or meaning. The flip certainly adds that tension that the composition is devoid of.

The eye comment on the composition is legit as well. I should have recognized how much of a focal point it is, and ensured that the it was placed wisely. In retrospect I should have leveraged the Golden mean and had the eye as the centerpiece with the rest built around it.

Removing the accurately described half assed shoulder is a good move, and evokes the reflection of having no story or queues for meaning/emotion. Sans shoulder the character seems to be leaning in, shoulders back, maybe in a half turn, as if suddenly becoming aware of danger to the side, or looming over his target just about to pull up his rifle for the kill.

Sweet Mspaint skills, imho

Your correct in that the background doesn't fit my style. Another half assed attempt I thought might add a contrasting texture, but was wrong.

@Glider: Thanks! I think you make some interesting points

@Zambrah: Agreed, I was taken aback by the mish mash only because I remember the tag line 'Ever think you could do better? (than current SC portraits)' - From the post I read about the contest, from memory. I think it's cool, though, that they have a variety to include a wide range of passionate fans, just unexpected.

@ c3rberUS: Agreed. I think we can all have fun, for sure. As an older SC fan I grew up wanting to be able to render as well as Samwise, to obtain a high level of expertise, and for awhile that worked for me. Now, though, I'm forced to learn a different art. I've done several emotes for the likes of Kripp, most are on included in his pool, but some I made were turned down because they were too well rendered, and the twitch fans love their dank meme styles. I reminds me of when grunge rock rolled out and conquered the industry for awhile, leaving highly skilled guitar solos and classically trained vocals in the dust for a long while.

@Zambrah: WELCOME TO ART TALK! You make some good points, I think a lot of the above replies would interest you. 'Successful' Art is always subject to contemporary subjectivity. If I'm not mistaken, Van Gogh was a considered a failure in his lifetime. Medieval art is light years behind roman and Greek draftsmanship, even though the knowledge of the 'correct' way to do perspective etc was known, it was of little interest to artists at the time, the renaissance, or 'rebirth' is just that, the rebirth of the practices and techniques of Greek and roman art.

I think there are definitely going to be a lot of people that wont choose the Mecha Hydralisk. Art is about communication, and what 'speaks' to a person. The 'poor' draftsmanship of some of the others could communicate more personality with those that feel that we live in an age of over saturated perfected rendering in art. Much like how the electric guitar distortion was just noise to contemporary elders at the time of it's emergence, but struck a chord (pun intended) of something raw amongst the youngon's.

Even in well rendered art we see it all the time, artists blanketing their perfect canvas with faux canvas textures, using rougher brushes, etc. to add interest and energy. Memes are raw, simple, and inviting in that anyone can look at it and feel like they could have done it, or could in the future. Dank culture has changed art forever!

@Th1rdEye: Thanks! Theirs is much funnier though :/

@rel: Perhaps, but being a 'community' contest means that participation is exactly the goal of the campaign.

@jaeboss: Thanks, and I do not know, lol. I took a stab in the dark and missed.

@ninazerg: ROFL - likely.

@B-royal: All very cool :D

@beentheredonethat: Thanks! Side Note: But.. Did you get the T-Shirt?




GraphicsRaihnForge.com - Let me know if you need something!
Zambrah
Profile Blog Joined June 2011
United States7393 Posts
September 10 2017 20:06 GMT
#27
Thats why I dislike fine arts, its subject to such whimsy, art patrons and art critics, what I love and admire about commercial art is that it has to speak to the broader public, the public has no fucking clue what black square means, or any Jackson Pollock anything, whereas a well painted head with the correct emotion portrayed is always to some degree capable of communicating emotion.

I've also considered that what once was counter-cultural abstraction has become the culture which means that rendering has become the new counter culture, but I'm not gonna lie, thinking about all of that makes me wee head hurt so I just like to vaguely grumble about over abstraction from afar.

But theres always something I'll admire about dramatic lighting, dramatic posing, and an engaging composition, though from what I've heard as my eyesight diminishes and I get older Ill appreciate fuzzy life paintings of landscapes more and more as the years go on.
Incremental change is the Democrat version of Trickle Down economics.
beentheredonethat
Profile Joined May 2016
2934 Posts
September 10 2017 22:15 GMT
#28
I'm not understanding the T-Shirt reference^^
"Micro tricks like marine splitting, blink stalker micro, and ling/baneling wars were the apex of the game’s achievements; nothing in the world takes your breath away like watching a pro player split marines like a god."
NoS-Craig
Profile Joined July 2011
Australia3129 Posts
September 12 2017 15:18 GMT
#29
If I do use that as a avatar/portrait I'll definitely credit you. Looks like a gangsta ghost about to get shit done, well done on the Ghost picture man.
Artosis loves Starcraft
[GiTM]-Ace
Profile Joined September 2002
United States4935 Posts
September 17 2017 11:47 GMT
#30
looks pretty good man
I may not be the best player right now but I think I can beat any 'best' players. I'll beat all the best players and become the best player. Watch me. - Jju
Prev 1 2 All
Please log in or register to reply.
Live Events Refresh
Next event in 2h 3m
[ Submit Event ]
Live Streams
Refresh
StarCraft 2
PiGStarcraft273
elazer 180
SteadfastSC 134
Hui .91
ForJumy 9
StarCraft: Brood War
Shine 19
Bale 8
Dota 2
monkeys_forever346
Counter-Strike
pashabiceps2094
Heroes of the Storm
Liquid`Hasu471
Other Games
summit1g8251
Grubby3869
shahzam533
ZombieGrub262
KnowMe202
C9.Mang0165
ToD6
Organizations
StarCraft 2
Blizzard YouTube
StarCraft: Brood War
BSLTrovo
sctven
[ Show 16 non-featured ]
StarCraft 2
• Hupsaiya 47
• AfreecaTV YouTube
• intothetv
• Kozan
• IndyKCrew
• LaughNgamezSOOP
• Migwel
• sooper7s
StarCraft: Brood War
• Azhi_Dahaki3
• BSLYoutube
• STPLYoutube
• ZZZeroYoutube
Dota 2
• masondota21515
• lizZardDota255
League of Legends
• Doublelift2439
Other Games
• imaqtpie1311
Upcoming Events
Replay Cast
2h 3m
Sparkling Tuna Cup
12h 3m
Afreeca Starleague
12h 3m
Rush vs PianO
Flash vs Speed
PiGosaur Cup
1d 2h
Replay Cast
1d 11h
Afreeca Starleague
1d 12h
BeSt vs Leta
Queen vs Jaedong
Replay Cast
2 days
The PondCast
2 days
OSC
3 days
RSL Revival
3 days
TriGGeR vs Cure
ByuN vs Rogue
[ Show More ]
Replay Cast
4 days
RSL Revival
4 days
Maru vs MaxPax
BSL
4 days
RSL Revival
5 days
uThermal 2v2 Circuit
5 days
BSL
5 days
Liquipedia Results

Completed

2026 Changsha Offline CUP
WardiTV Winter 2026
NationLESS Cup

Ongoing

BSL Season 22
CSL Elite League 2026
CSL Season 20: Qualifier 1
ASL Season 21
Acropolis #4 - TS6
StarCraft2 Community Team League 2026 Spring
RSL Revival: Season 4
Nations Cup 2026
BLAST Open Spring 2026
ESL Pro League S23 Finals
ESL Pro League S23 Stage 1&2
PGL Cluj-Napoca 2026
IEM Kraków 2026
BLAST Bounty Winter 2026
BLAST Bounty Winter Qual

Upcoming

CSL Season 20: Qualifier 2
Escore Tournament S2: W1
CSL 2026 SPRING (S20)
Acropolis #4
IPSL Spring 2026
BSL 22 Non-Korean Championship
CSLAN 4
Kung Fu Cup 2026 Grand Finals
HSC XXIX
uThermal 2v2 2026 Main Event
IEM Cologne Major 2026
Stake Ranked Episode 2
CS Asia Championships 2026
IEM Atlanta 2026
Asian Champions League 2026
PGL Astana 2026
BLAST Rivals Spring 2026
CCT Season 3 Global Finals
IEM Rio 2026
PGL Bucharest 2026
Stake Ranked Episode 1
TLPD

1. ByuN
2. TY
3. Dark
4. Solar
5. Stats
6. Nerchio
7. sOs
8. soO
9. INnoVation
10. Elazer
1. Rain
2. Flash
3. EffOrt
4. Last
5. Bisu
6. Soulkey
7. Mini
8. Sharp
Sidebar Settings...

Advertising | Privacy Policy | Terms Of Use | Contact Us

Original banner artwork: Jim Warren
The contents of this webpage are copyright © 2026 TLnet. All Rights Reserved.