Welcome to the
Chrono Compendium Dream Splash VI Fan Art Contest! It has been quite some time since we've operated such a competition, so I'd like to warmly welcome both old and new faces.
For those new to the competition, the concept is simple: Chrono fans can create a themed fan art in any medium of their choice, pick a category, and enter it by posting to the Compendium (an in-depth entry explanation is below) between May 1st and July 31st. On or around August 1st we will release a voting poll for each category.
This year, the theme is the
Dream of Zeal! This category could mean multiple things to multiple people, and that's intentional. Thinking on the Dream of Zeal, that may be a vision of the literal, physical kingdom floating far above the frozen wastes of the ice ages. It may mean the Dream of immortality as pursued by Queen Zeal and her minions using the Mammon Machine and Lavos' power. It may also mean the Dream of the planet, the Dream of Melchior with Masa, Mune, and Doreen, or a thousand other different interpretations.
To me, for example, the Dream of Zeal is
legacy. The Dream is to keep the Chronoverse relevant almost 25-years after Chrono Trigger's release and nearly two decades since the last official new entry into the series. The Dream is a symbolic interpretation of Queen Zeal's pursuit of power and immortality; however, I want to keep Chrono Trigger alive in our hearts and to keep showing Square Enix that the Chrono community is alive and well.
But that's just how I view things! You should interpret it however the theme makes you feel.
RULES:1.) The contest begins May 1st, 2018 and runs until July 31st, 2018. Any entries outside of that date range will not be considered.
EDIT: However, the acceptance period has been extended to August 17th, 2018 as a surprise gesture of goodwill to those with unfinished entries.
2.) You can use any character or setting from the franchise, regardless of source game.
3.) Any medium is welcome, just make sure you categorize it properly when submitting.
4.) If you use any sort of art component from another artist, please remember to credit them appropriately. For example, if you create a video and use a remixed song, please credit the remix author.
6.) With your submission, you must make a short description of your interpretation of the piece and how it applies to the Dream of Zeal.
5.) Have fun and keep the Dream of Zeal alive!
HOW TO ENTER:The submission process is quite simple and straightforward and must be done here at the Chrono Compendium.
1.) If not already registered, please do so.
2.) Once in the forums, scroll down to
Termina Esplanade - Special Events and Feedback. Here is a direct link:
https://www.chronocompendium.com/Forums/index.php?board=104.03.) Once here, choose to create a "
New Topic." Please provide the title of your post and the category for which it is to be entered into. Also, in the message of the post, please post your submission along with a short descriptor indicating how it applies to your interpretation of the Dream of Zeal.
Please format the post appropriately, as such:
INSERT TITLE HERE [CATEGORY GOES HERE].
For example, let's say I make a painting using oil-based paints. I can capture that however I see fit (photograph, computer scan, etc). This would fall under the 2D art category, so I would post it as:
The Fall of Magic [2D Art]
Just a reminder, but you can submit multiple entries in each category! Just make sure each submission is a unique forum post.
CATEGORIES:2D Art: This may be paintings, drawings, etc. (may be traditional or digital)
3D Art: This may be sculptures or anything in the 3D medium. (may be traditional or digital)
Moving Art: Any sort of moving art; this may be functional sprites, animated .gifs, video edits, or even custom animation. If it moves, it's to go here.
Written Word (Short Form): This may be poetry, fan fiction, or an article (less than 500 words)
Written Word (Long Form): This may be poetry, fan fiction, or an article (of equal to or more than 500 words)
Sound and Music: This may be remixes, original music related to the Chronoverse through lyrics, or music heavily inspired by the Chronoverse
Hacking and Interactive: This may be a ROM hack or interactive fan game via another means (ie, Java-based, RPGMaker, etc), may also be a fan-creation tool (such as a custom addon for Geiger's Temporal Flux)
VOTING AND PRIZES:As previously stated, the contest begins May 1st, 2018 and runs until July 31st, 2018.
On or around August 1st, 2018, six voting posts will be created, listing each registered entry. Each registered user at the Compendium may make one vote per category.
Voting will remain open until August 15th, 2018, in which voting polls will be locked and all submitted votes will be considered final. A final thread will be created announcing each category's winner.
No financial awards will be rewarded, however, each category's winner will receive:
1.) Bragging rights, here and elsewhere.
2.) A small, uniquely themed .gif trophy.
3.) A special, one-of-a-kind forum title befitting the champions of their respective art mediums.
Those unique titles are:
2D Art: Artist of Termina
3D Art: Sculptor of Kajar
Moving Art: Shaper of Zurvan
Written Word (Short Form): Poet of El Nido
Written Word (Long Form): Chronicler of Time
Sound and Music: Synergist of Marbule
Hacking and Interactive: Prodigy of Keeper Dome
OTHER CONSIDERATIONS:This seems pertinent, but a rehash of thoughts from a previous competition:
Quote from: Ramsus on February 27, 2007, 03:53:05 pm
...some things every artist should consider when making their entry:
1. It will be judged as seen on a computer screen.
The exact size and type of screens used will be released at a later time. Images that are too big to be viewed on the screen will not be resized. The judges will have screens that are at least capable of 1024x768, so you can feel safe with anything up to about 1000 pixels wide or 600 pixels tall.
For example, if you're creating something for an art gallery exhibit in a narrow hall as part of a competition, you wouldn't make a painting that requires the viewer to step back 20 feet. Also, many artistic works are meant to be experienced in a certain environment, like a fountain statue in a garden. It's only fair to the artist if we let them know in advance that, regardless of how they make the image, it will be rated solely as it looks on the judge's screen.
We should also limit entries to digital images, so that a photo of a plush doll is a photo of a plush doll, and won't be judged by the quality of the plush doll (which would be unfair to the plush doll, since such a thing is meant to be held and felt). It's either that, or actually set up some way to send physical entries to the judges.
Furthermore, all entries should be kept completely anonymous from the judges. No entry should have any identifying marks or data on the image or in the meta-data. This makes it difficult to create to create a context based on who created the work, but it's necessary to prevent personal bias from interfering with the contest.
2. The work will be judged in isolation of the artist's identity, by judges of varying levels of familiarity with the Chrono series.
This means you can assume some common background knowledge of the Chrono series and use it in your works. I can't say the same for any subculture or slang references, since some of the judges may not be from the same country, or might not be familiar the online gaming culture. In other words, "O Rly?" or "pwned!" might not make sense to some of the judges. The same goes for SNL references.
3. While technique is important, the perceived "difficulty" or "effort" of an angle, pose, or technique will not be a basis for judging any of the works.
This is an easy one to understand. If you try something challenging just because it's hard, but it doesn't make the work any more interesting or appealing (or you flat out failed with it), then all it shows is bad taste in entering it as an example of "your best" work. This isn't kindergarten, so we won't feel bad for you and give you points for trying harder. If you want to try something, find a feeling, theme, or story and try communicating it with your character's poses, the angle of the scene, the lighting, the colors, and the characteristics of the techniques you decide to use... That's much more important than trying a "hard to draw" pose.
After all, you wouldn't expect a master croissant chef, if given the opportunity to cook whatever he wants for a contest, to compete by making some new type of pie he's still trying to master.
While you should always push yourself as an artist, remember that you should also be mindful of what you show the world, and what you do for practice or experiment. A good photographer will often take thousands of photos only to end up showing people a few dozen.
So try a few things first (brainstorm -- draw lots of thumbnails and rough drafts, look at some references, experiment), use the techniques you've already mastered (even if they're still few in number) in place of the ones you're still learning to do your best work, hide it for a week, fix it, and then enter...
Also, feel free to change, update, or remove your entry at any time, so if you notice a few problems or have a completely new and better idea, you can fix it before the deadline.
Special thanks to:
ZeaLity for helping found the Chrono Compendium
Ramsus for keeping the lights on in this place
Tushantin for the lovely original artwork and banner
