Round 2: Caio Oliveira

[Caio Oliveira]

I'm getting old! My heart aches!

Page 1
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Page 2
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Page 3
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[Ryall_IDW]

Page One
Well, while some of the action last week might not have played to your strengths, Caio, this week’s script really brought out the best in you. You had a lot of ground to cover, from some specific time-period details to facial expressions to just all these scenes of normalcy, and I have to say, these pages all worked great for me. Panel one, you nailed the angle perfectly, and the rest of the page works equally well. It’s crowded with characters and details, but in a good way. And for the most part, you set up the panels to nicely accommodate the captions, too. Only panel seven has me wondering how much of the art I’d have to cover to fit in those final two captions.

Page Two
The facial expressions here work even better for me—again, this script really shows off your strengths, which are nicely detailed panels and some almost Kevin Maguire-with-manga-influences facial details. I also really like that the clothing feels like real clothing. Small details like the untucked shirt under C.B.’s sweater in panel four, and the lines of embarrassment lining his cheeks there, too, just help further bring this script to life

Page Three
If I have to find things to nit-pick here, I’ll say that the Honda Accord looks more like a Buick (of course, the tree might have been responsible for that)… but that’s a minor nit to pick, and I only mention it because I am searching that hard for panels that don’t work. Panel four is probably my least-favorite of the work on all three pages, because the figures somehow seem too small, but again, that’s a minor thing. Overall, if you did an entire book in this style, it’d be one I’d search out and buy. Nice work.

[jameslucasoni]

While I liked your first round pages all right, Caio, these new samples are a clear leap forward in my mind. You take your style and adapt it to the content of the story in a manner that's really appropriate for the material. Your shot selection is good and your characters are emotive and easy to relate to. I think on your first page, the panel presentation for panels 1-3 are spot on, though I think the girls in panel 3 aren't as “deadhead” as the script spells out, but they are very period and that definitely helps make up for it. Your panel 4 has the kind of charisma and charm that this script demands and your intimate glances are a nice blend of western and manga sensibilities.

Page 2 continues the strong work started on page 1. Even when character faces are obscured, the body language and tone of the scene conveys the appropriate feeling. It's such an emotionally driven narrative and I really feel like you take advantage of each of the opportunities your given on this page.

The last page makes me wonder if you didn't get a little rushed towards the end. While I love panels 2 and 3, I feel like panel 1 is missing the character that the earlier pages have and the 4th panel has issues with both the posing of the figures and the rain effect. The last two panels recover from that slight misstep nicely though and while I do worry that the final panel is not going to have the space for the lettering that the script requires, I feel like there are several small adjustments that could be made to it digitally to fix that small issue.

Overall, Caio, you continue to improve on an already solid foundation and with the grueling nature of this contest, that's special.

[C.B. Cebulski]

Last but not least we move to Mr. Oliveira's pages, and I have to be honest with you here, Caio... I think your pages were the most uneven of the bunch this time around. You clearly have artistic talent, but your strengths and weaknesses are evident when I look closely at your panels and pages. There's an overall inconsistency in your line work that I feel you need to tighten up.

Panel one is pretty simplistic and not putting your best foot forward to start off the story, I feel. I like the angle you chose though. Panel two, however, seems much more thought out and looks like you spent more time on it. And while you nailed the '80s feel for panel three, I called for stoner chicks and referenced the Grateful Dead, but the girls you have here would thank their "lucky stars" to never be caught dead at a Dead show. In panel five, you definitely put a lot of thought into the crowd scene and the clothing and the hair styles. Nice job! But then my look comes off a bit wonky, with an uncomfortable cap, a long neck and a thicker lower body. And I think that last panel is your weakest effort, from the awkward, from the uneven cap that rests on my head, to my dead eyes, to the lack of background... I know you can do better.

Now page two you clearly took to as it's a vast improvement. The overall composition works well and you changed up my look to make my clothing very different and distinctive while keeping the time period in mind. Same with the girls. Very well done. You were also one of a few of the artists here who captured my uneasiness of panel four, and you were really the ONLY contestant to pull off what I was looking for in panel five. You were able to capture the comfortable silence in not only both our looks, but also in the way you placed my hands. High marks for that! My one little quirk with the last panel is that the way you have us placed with those looks; it comes off more like I'm enjoying her fear rather than comforting her.

Page three was pretty clear and solid, for the most part. Nice use of the 80s motif in places again. I grew up in Connecticut so it was funny to see palm trees in panel one, but you had no way of knowing that. :) The way you handled the rain in panel four a little felt off. You gave it more of a wind "swept" look by using a curved effect which I think took way from the feel of the panel. And lastly, your anatomy is way off in the next to last panel. From the forced placement of my baseball cap to my huge hands, moving to the girl's mangled fingers to her bad 3/4 facial angle to her odd neck and chin, you really need to spend more time tightening up your life and figure drawing.

Again, I think you've shown definite talent here, Caio, and I think the judges and the voters all see it. I would just like for you to harness your skills a bit more so we get a more consistent and detailed story, which we all know you are capable of!

Take care,
C.B.