SOTM 2008 - March (Female Combatants) - Voting Phase

[Ledgem]

22. KasumiGirl

KasumiGirl your entry last month was my top choice, and it's the same deal this time around as well. I guess your artistic sense matches very well with my sense of appreciation!

27. Renegade334

The image is a bit dull and it's a small resolution, but it evokes a really serene feeling and I couldn't help but be drawn to it. That overrides my biases and gets you a vote.

52. Kayos

The use of characters from Fate/Stay Night was incredibly overdone for this contest but those are some amazing sparkle effects you've worked in. If I didn't have access to the original CG I'd probably have thought that the original artist created those. (And if you didn't do it... well, good eye and good hunting abilities )

[thephreak]

2. Bearshare
43. Sephi
20. shinobiknight0

edit: had to edit because i accidentally pressed enter when i only had one entry typed. sry!!

[KiNA]

9. Mitsu Aoi


32. saphrye


34. Riker


All these signatures share the very same thing that sways my votes to them in the end. Amazingly well done and good luck to everyone. Being one that use similar style, I know how frustrating it is to get the effect right within limit.

[Shana]

2. Bearshare


16. Kira_Naruto


23. Solace


Good luck everyone

[BishounoTeresa]

my votes for:

16. Kira_Naruto
Go Teresa!

27. Renegade334
Clare looks beautiful on that pic!

12. Rhyel
Kick ass!

[Thingle]

I vote #13 Runa

# 39 Thingle (meh!)

#43 Sephi (:P)

[KasumiGirl]

Damn it...i can't choose.
Okay, after 10 mins of starring at all the entries, i came up with my top 3. ^^

21. Ichigo-Sora

I like the feel to this, nice job Ichi. ^^

25. DeathKillz

You know, I know, everyone know I love SEIIBAAA! But other than that, i like the overall look. So my vote to you is not just biased.

34. Riker

I have a thing for animation. Not only that, but you managed to keep it Asuki safe AND i really like the bg. oh, and the petals are nice too.

__________________________________________________ ________________

Good luck to everyone, and may I congradulate everyone on their efforts put into the sigs, they all looks fantastic.

[frustra]

27. Renegade334
34. Riker
37. Klashikari

nice. so many great entries. good luck!

[rainbow_rena]

this is so tough :S


2. Bearshare
16. Kira_Naruto
27. Renegade334

[Avantoe]

22. Kasumigirl


25. Deathkillz


34. Riker

[Riker]

It's even harder to decide than last month. D:


9. Mitsu Aoi





27. Renegade334





37. Klashikari

[Spectacular_Insanity]

17. cicido
23. Solace
37. Klashikari

Well, it looks like this is going to be a repeat of last contest for me. I seriously doubt that I'll get a single vote.

[Mitsu Aoi]

I Blame myself to fail at my english class ;__; now busy for a retake exam.


16. Kira_Naruto


32. saphyre


34. Riker


Swords...
Gals...
Special effects...

I easily got attracted to these >.< (My votes sounded like biased on animations )

Spoiler for P.S.:

HAHI!~ BANZAI ANIMATION BANZAI! \(-o-)/

[KiNA]

Haha.. *points to my votes*

\(-0-)/

[Furuno]

9. Mitsu Aoi


25. Deathkillz


27. Renegade334


Good luck everyone. I wish i'm that great with Photoshop....

[Sephi]

20. shinobiknight0

21. Ichigo-Sora

37. Klashikari

[Wrath88]

My votes (after much consideration) go to:
25. Deathkillz
34. Riker
43. Sephi

Sorry, KiNa, but your's don't cut it for me. I'd vote for Klash over yours, by the way.

[V.Velour]

I won't vote this time.
But here are some random thoughts about the signatures. You can when you want to but don't have to take them as serious comments. After all, writing serious criticism for 53 signatures would take forever lol.

Spoiler for random thoughts:

1. Reith - The quality of the signature is bad, the picture itself together with the idea isn't bad but the quality is. And it's lacking something. I would've liked it more if there was a text on the lower right part of the signature.

2. Bearshare - The smudge effect gives a nice special captured moment feeling to the sig and the thick border makes it look like a painting. It's simple yet awesome.

3. KholdStare - I actually like the composition of the piece. What is scratching my eye, is the cut off head and the quality loss.

4. CrowKenobi - There is something in the composition that messes with the balance of the signature. IMHO the text is too big, white and badly placed right next to the moon the way it draws my attention to the big white spot on the left.

5. Cyz - Well. There's an ass, lol. The composition doesn't seem right. In that kind of signature maybe the font could be bit bigger and more noticeable.

6. Spectacular Insanity - It's too big and empty. If it were smaller it would probably look better but right now there's this huge space with almost nothing on it. The text would look better in white and not gray.

7. Ice Climbers - The flow of the signature is good, you can feel the movement in it. I'm not sure if the white space on the right is the best choice tho.

8. Reflection - I think it would have looked better if Rider would have been placed a bit more to the left and the text on the right. The text's placement is a bit weird and makes it hard to read. There is also this super bright spot right in the middle of the sig making her face disappear into it.

9. Mitsu Aoi - A simple yet effective signature to catch one's eye. Nice work on the animation.

10. Miko Miko - The left side is somewhat empty and the font choice is not the best. It's too curly :S

11. Shinobu - The signature looks messy. At the first glance I had a hard time figuring out what shape exactly does the render have other than the face and hair. The font/text is also hardly noticeable.

12. Rhyel - It's simple. Maybe too simple. And too big IMHO :/

13. Runa - Pretty effects, nice colors. Only thing I don't like is the shape under the text.

14. Utter_iMADNESS - The colors are bleh, the quality of the background is bad and the text has too many effects on it.

15. nammerboi - A bit overbright in the middle, but a good sig I would say.

16. Kira_Naruto - Don't like the background much, blue and brown/gold don't go together that well. The animation is nice tho.

17. cicido - A bit empty but I have to say I really like the green. The font choice is questionable tho.

18. Endrance - The quality, let's be honest, sucks. The two pictures on each sides are a bit too much and the center render is oversharp.

19. Avantoe - The render has a really bad quality :S. It's simple but not in a good way. Looks too much like just a c4d and a render slapped on it.

20. shinobiknight0 - There is a bit too much space on both sides of the signature. Other than that I like the positioning, the effects and the tones of the sig.

21. Ichigo-Sora - It's pretty nice I guess. It's missing something, can't say what tho :/

22. KasumiGirl - There are these grayish parts on left and right of the sig that ruin the colorite of the picture. And it kinda lacks depth.

23. Solace - Why didn't you use your current signature as your entry? The blue one looks too random to me.

24. MagicaLideaL - Quality loss :S I'm not a super HD sucker but it's possible to fit much more quality in the 50KB we're given.

25. Deathkillz - Smaller dimensions would have worked better since right now it feels a bit empty on the sides. The blending on the text is not always a good idea. Sometimes it's better to just let the layer at normal :S

26. konstargirl - The text is too random, render could be blended better. It's not a bad signature, it's just boring.

27. Renegade334 - Don't have really anything to say. Looks awesome.

28. mimi_girl - Again, too much space that isn't needed. In addition, the text looks too randomly placed. Closer to the render would have been better. Probably.

29. Bakakami - A pretty background. Name font is not the best. The render looks a bit plain compared with the bg.

30. bkg9990 - Font choice is bleh. The bigger render is beautiful, I like the effects on it but the smaller feels a bit too much like it doesn't have to be there.

31. pcube19622 - A bit dull. Maybe it's the colors. I would have placed the font closer to the main render.

32. saphyre - Knowing Saya's sword, I would have put the blood into the place Saya lets it flow when she is fighting. The dripping blood drops are a bit too round and the animation is a bit too fast.

33. Marina - Like the composition but not the colors. They look washed out. It's probably intentional but it makes the sig a bit dull.

34. Riker - The animation is very well done but I seriously don't like the outcome of the bg.

35. Loli Gurl - A bg, badly cut out render, text.

36. genryou - why a png? So much quality loss because of it. The text is too sharp and hard to read. The idea itself seems nice.

37. Klashikari - It's nice but nothing very amazing. You got lucky with the render it seems.

38. mikoo - One of my favorites actually. A nice popout (no cut off heads yay). Also the colors match well. No quality loss. Nice and simple and it doesn't need anything more.

39. Thingle - The text is uhh...well could be better. Some quote would have been nicer. Too big dimensions IMHO.

40. Faeyice - The text :/. There has to be a better place to put it. But pretty nice outcome actually.

41. retro_plexus - I have to say, it's one of the very very few Naruto sig's that I have seen that actually looks pretty ok. Don't like the text placing and font tho.

42. kamo - Like the render. Nothing really wrong with it tho it kinda lacks something.

43. Sephi - The text blending is not good. The sig itself is pretty good, it's a bit big width px wise tho.

44. Jinto - This could use a nice animation. It looks unfinished.

45. Nyao - The colors could be more vivid. The sig looks a bit messy, I don't quite get what's that that's behind her Oo

47. Bernkastel - Too wide, render too sharp, font is bad.

48. Miyoko - quality is bad, text is very hard to see.

49. Bonta Kun - interesting concept. The golden gun steals all the attention tho D:

50. JFX - Don't like the text placement. Everything else is pretty much okay.

51. aolas - bad quality, too many height pixels, the text is...well it's just there.

52. kayos - Too much glittery stuff. A little less and it would be a nice sig.

53. Shana - too much blur everywhere :S

54. Ledgem - empty, the second quote could have been in a smaller text near to the first one. I liked the killer nurse you made better. This one is somehow dull.

[Pellissier]

22. KasumiGirl



37. Klashikari



43. Sephi

[Jinto]

The first two choices were not too hard to find... the third place though was quite a struggling

16. Kira_Naruto

---

4. CrowKenobi

---

And with one pixel advantage towards the contesters for this place (no I am only a little bit biased towards wizards )

2. Bearshare

Spoiler for "no... keep out. I warned you.:

Comments and rating (0-10 which translates roughly to: "oh, a lonely pixel" - "I'ld scrap my current signature for it"). Beware I am in a ranting mood today *puts on his angry face... okay lets get this started*

1. Reith: I think she lacks some fighting spirit. Pose and setup of background is nice. But the whole character has an outlining. So the character does not seem to integrate in the background. Furthermore there is much grain/noise.
(6)

2. Bearshare: The ambient lighting is very nice. The character lacks a little bit fighting spirit. It appears rather soothing to me. A thick black outlining is usually used in obituary notices in newspapers
(8)

3. KholdStare: I can feel the fighting spirit. The size of the sword appears unreal and impractical, but thats not going to influencing my vote (having a broad sword myself - and knowing its heavyness, I can't help but feel amused when I see your entry). Tha card background is an interesting one. I miss borderlines on the sides (like the horizontal 1px lines). The font-shadow effect makes the text appear in front of the character. Though the character is more important and should therefore be in front.
(6.5)

4. CrowKenobi: Border, background, character, pose, font, cholor-scheme and lighting are very nice. Though her left eye is blurred too much imo.
(8.5)

5. Cyz: Hm, looks more like a catwalk scene with weapons... the fighting aspect is quite implicit/indirect. Pose and background setup are okay. I think the two iconsize images look very separated from the background.
(5)

6. Spectacular Insanity: The blurred out background is rather dull. The remaining signature is nice, but oh... the background.
(5)

7. Ice Climbers: I can sense the fighting spirit, even though she will cut her own hair using the sword like this . The background is a little too white washed for my taste. But more important is the overall impression which is nice.
(7)

8. reflection: Well, its a little too overloaded with effects for my taste. It might by better to not use text, if it is unreadable anyway, now its quite confusing. This surely does sound like a lot of bashing, but it is actually not so dramatic, the overall impression is nice.
(6.5)

9. Mitsu Aoi: The animation is nice (timing, quality). The character looks like she is in a fighting mood. Yet there is one thing that irritates me a little, the glow or blur of the (dai)katana. Its supposed to be very sharp, blurring or outerglow will make it look blunt or soft... not like a hard and sharp weapon.
(7.5)

10. Miko Miko: Yep, there is fighting spirit... I can agree with the text. . The background though is undistinctive.
(6.5)

11. Shinbou: Cute battle is an oxymoron, that kinda kills fighting spirit. The background almost swallows the character (too loud).
(5.5)

12. Rhyel: There is fighting spirit (did I mention that I do not like this particular character design?). The sword is not a claymore in size (I know the series' title is meant :P). The fire effect blends well with the character pose, but the background in general is too empty.
(6.5)

13. Runa: The effect and the character are somewhat at odds in my oppinion, it does not perfectly integrate each other. I am not sure if this already in the render... but the red light style element bleeds too much.
(5.5)

14. Utter_iMADNESS: Well, see I am not such a fan of this particular character design. In addition the background seems very chaotic. The font is too blurred. (but hey this is just my taste, don't take it personally ^^')
(6)

15. nammerboi, oi oi ecchii again? Though on a second, closer look... hey there is (dai)katana. The fighting spirit is somewhat killed with the ecchiness. Nice script effect. Background is kinda generic though.
(7)

16. Kira_Naruto: If thats not a nice animation then I do not know what else. Nice contrasting background. Not overly using vintage effects aids in making the signature not too monotone.
(9)

17. cicido: Its deep green and blue and overall very dark. Then a windeffect white text and an overlayered rod/spear. Short, it looks a little odd.
(5.5)

18. Endrance: Hm... the arcane-circle-textures look kinda familiar to me ^^'. The background is not very well setup though. My feng-shui powers tell me this will give a bad karma. The character bleeds very much into the background.
(5)

19. Avantoe: It does not look outstanding, though besides the signature being quite pixelated I can't complain much here.
(6.5)

20. shinobiknight0: Now I just do not like too dirty effects, looks like its been used to cover an area so that painting work is not going to taint whats beneath it.
(6)

21. Ichigo-Sora: The sparkly overlay kills it. Absorbs so much contrast that the signature becomes boring. But the fighting spirit is there.
(5)

22. KasumiGirl: Tones and contrast are too brown/boring for my taste. She could be fighting or shooting for fun...
(6)

23. Solcae: Characters look washed out, I don't know if this was intended, but it makes the signature look dull.
(5)

24. MagicaLideaL: pure violet... well I am indifferent towards violet. Fighting spirit is okay.
(6)

25. Deathkillz: Not bad, but too much FX
(6.5)

26. konstargirl: Nah, warrior girl... she is performing a blade dance (with other words... fighting spirit, I am not so sure).
(6)

27. Renegade334: Meh, not this character design again. Monotony... at least there is a nice contrast in the picture.
(6.5)

28. mimi_girl: the characters clothing blends too well with the background. Another violet signature... makes me feel indifferent again. My feng shui alarm is set on by the two figures in the background.
(5.5)

29. Bakakami: Basically its nice, in particular the overall setup. It just feels sound.
(8)

30. bkg9990: I never liked girls who can't handle the recoil of a firearm using them (makes targeting random, and friendly fire a matter of luck). But I am wandering from the subject... it is red, it has fightinf spirit, but the blending is not quite my thing. (the trigger group has the following positions: safety, single shot, and peace -a german military insider joke-)
(5.5)

31. pcube19622: a gray washed character... overFXed
(5.5)

32. sphyre: I have to credit the animation, but somehow this weapon seems to seperate itself from the character (different shading)
(7)

33. Marina: Knowing whats supposed to be shown, I'ld still critisize the blending, which a little too much imo. But the signature is nice in general.
(7)

34. Riker: Well, this a fine animation, now if the pedals partly flew behind the character it would have been even more impressive and plastic. BG and pose is nice.
(8)

35. Loli Gurl: The character is almost completely blended away. The text looks be out of place.
(4)

36. genryou: yep, it definitly reaches out for a good voting. Quite plastic if I might say so. But where is the fighting?
(7.5)

37. Klashikari: Well, imo she looks too cute to convey the fighting spirit. Technically it is well done... but it does not feel fighting enough for me.
(7)

38. mikoo: The setup of the signature is nice. The character is interesting too.
(7)

39. Thingle: Black and White, feels rather monotone. And its this dirt effect again. The fighting spirit is implicitly there.
(6.5)

40. Faeyice: BG is there even any? Its quite empty imo. Though fighting spirit is in it.
(5.5)

41. retro_plexus: *reads the text* Okay then... fight on....
(6)

42. kamo: Now thats a nice scythe, a little bit impractical for farming though. Bledning into the BG is not so good. BG itself is rather boring.
(6)

43. Sephi: Must be some sort of abstract fighting beyond my understanding. And it doesn't help, that it is rather dark. But lighting is well done.
(6.5)

44. Jinto: Oh no, not that signature again.

45. Nyao: Nya(o), I must say its not bad.
(7)

46. V.Velour: The dot effects make it difficult to decipher the supposed pose of the character. A little too sketchy for my taste.
(5.5)

47. Bernkastel: Wah the colors (Thats how I think an LSD-trip must be).
(5)

48. Miyoko: the pose is format-filling... too much actually.
(6)

49. Bonta Kun: Inverse black and white looks very strange.
(5.5)

50. JFX: Victory smile... okay, but I want fighting. The blood is it added? It looks kinda odd.
(6.5)

51. aolas: too much FX kills character. The overal setup of the signature is not so good.
(5)

52. kayos: No, the colors... boah and this look.... but that is fighting spirit.
(6)

53. Shana: BG is very random, not well blended. The fighting spirit theme is rather weak.
(5)

54. Ledgem: Its a little too gray in my oppinion. Btw. that message is worn out and cheesy
(6.5)

Now you are free to rant about my rant. In all honesty, its not as bad as I wrote here. But I was too lazy to sugarcoate everything