Project CBRunway 4: The Audition Judging Thread [Archive]

mattbib

03-05-2009, 09:09 AM

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v467/mattbib/Hosted_Images/projectcbrunway4Med.png
Welcome to the runway!

We had twenty designers try-out for Project CBRunway 4, but unfortunately there can be only sixteen finalists.

Designers were asked to create and design original costume samples for a superhero and superheroine using the provided model sheet (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v467/mattbib/Hosted_Images/Audition_Model_Sheet.png). Their costumes could consist of natural or synthetic materials and should reflect their own style and demonstrate what they would bring to the runway. Remember, they were designing two costumes, not characters. As such they should not have applied features to the model forms. Audition pieces should have shown us their stuff. Designers were told not to hold back. All submissions should have included a short written description of the costume, explaining, to the best of their ability, material, functionality, design inspiration, etc. Designers had one month to post their designs in the Audition thread (http://forums.comicbookresources.com/showthread.php?t=254832).

A panel of judges scored each entry on criteria such as originality, creativity, color choice, "real world" wearability, and overall aesthetics. The judges will send the sixteen designers with the most points on to the runway.

mattbib

03-05-2009, 09:41 AM

Now I'd like to introduce our judges.

atoningunifex is co-winner of Project CBRunway 3. He's currently wowing CBR with his "Atoningunifex Draws Daily (Hopefully) (http://forums.comicbookresources.com/showthread.php?t=252403)" thread.
http://alyxchance.com/vigil/groupshot2.jpg

Dazzler is the other co-winner of Project CBRunway 3. You can view Dazzler's award-winning work in "Art Disco: Dazzler's Doodles (http://forums.comicbookresources.com/showthread.php?t=244526)".
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3125/2627207212_3e0a9dbd7f_o.jpg

Pro is the winner of Project CBRunway 2. His amazing talent can be seen in "Pro's Art Thread (http://forums.comicbookresources.com/showthread.php?t=179727)".
http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k318/nightowlarts/enchanted.jpg

Vegetarian Goat is the winner of the very first Project CBRunway. His brilliant designs can be seen here on CBR in "Dan's Marvel Doodles (http://forums.comicbookresources.com/showthread.php?t=18296)", "Dan's Marvel Doodles II: Re-Assembled! (http://forums.comicbookresources.com/showthread.php?t=93348)", and in his very own web-comic, Comic Book Dude & Vegetarian Girl! (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CBDandVG/).
http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e309/VegetarianGoat/Avenrungroup.jpg

mattbib

03-05-2009, 09:59 AM

Lastly, bakla, is well-known and respected for his design ability, fashion sense, and raw talent. We're delighted to have him and his real-world design experience as our guest gudge!
http://designcanteen.com/108dazzler_07.jpg

And now to indroduce our sixteen finalists...

mattbib

03-05-2009, 10:03 AM

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y93/Spyderizzle/CBR4-R1.jpg
These are some solid designs. Both designs have strong details. I like the piping and the gloves on the female design. I'm less sold on the pants, but they work with the design. The male design has some fun color detail.
GREAT JOB! I love them. Love, love, love. Excellent work with the ribbing, the red body highlights, the shoes, the layering, everything. A must have! They both work extremely well to me.
Too practical can lead to predictable, but you’ve circumvented that danger with the large armored collar on the male and the loincloth/jacket combination which makes an outfit that would otherwise perhaps border on predictable, simply very practical and aesthetically pleasing. Make sure to make your deadlines and you have a good chance to make it to the finals. It won’t be your artistic skills if you lose.
I do like these outfits a lot. I do. And while they’re striking in the comic book world, they’re borderline generic in the video game world, and if I saw this book on the shelf, I might think it was just a licensed video game product. It needs to go that extra mile to make it stand out to me. Also, I’m undsure if this was intended, but the femal costume works better if one assumes that the face is an all white mask, a la The Chameleon. I think throwing some hair and skin into the mix might soften the impact a little.
One of the best entries, with great details and just the right amount of asymmetry to keep the outfits from being rote.

mattbib

03-05-2009, 10:07 AM

http://i386.photobucket.com/albums/oo309/mohofrappe/affinityauditionsforreal.png

I'm a big fan of Affinity's style. I like his fashion-oriented approach to costumes. I think his designs look like they'd be part of a fun European space adventure kinda comic.
I love the retro-groovy female design. I like the shape and i like the little pink boots and I like the attitude.
I think the male design a lot. I think it actually gives off more of a European/Russian kinda feel than a Latin kinda feel, but it's a lot of fun.
These desigs really made me smile.
Great kookiness. The shoes and bubble design for the female are stellar. The man’s costume, although I like it, is just a little bit Jackson for me. Which in its own way, makes it work. Love his pants.
Retro rocks. Bold flamboyant choices make these outfits reminiscent of a long-ago era that never happened.
This well named gentleman has an affinity for combining retro designs with post modern into a look that’s all his own. These outfits make me wonder about the story in addition to the character, and to me, that’s the highest function of comic art visuals.
I LOVE the woman’s silhouette – it’s very couture, very Iris van Herpen, plus I love the hot pink, which is very on-trend for Fall! Although I wonder how acceptable it is for a man to wear hot pink, I would wear it myself, so I’m not sure I should hold it to a double standard. Still, I have to deduct points for the hot pink headpiece – that would be just wrong on a hero trying to be taken seriously.

mattbib

03-05-2009, 10:11 AM

http://www.50footrobot.com/images/COSTUMES2_50footrobot.jpg
I liked aspects of these designs very much. I like the idea of the "skin" and I like the wrestler aspects of the male character. I think there could have been more done with the skin aspect. I think the design for the female character is very nice, but not overly striking. It's also a little "look at my tits" for a warrior. I like the male design quite a bit, though. I like the boots and kneepads and wrist brace. I like the idea fo the tattoo (even though it kinda conflicts with the idea fo the skin). I would ahve enjoyed soem stronger colors as well.
WOW. These looks look practical and very “real world” wearable. Love the shoes/piping on the female figure. Love the tattoo color when put with the blue pants of the male. Not crazy about the boots, though. Still, great work.
Great shading lets you convey materials very nicely, and I like the coloring.
I think this is a really strong pair, and it’s something that would catch my eye at the comic store, especially if the archeological angle is played up on. However- I think these costumes work BEST with the skin tones/tattoo provided, and it’s my understanding that these elements were not to be introduced to the design.
I like the realism of the details, as well as the attention to detail, down to the seams.

mattbib

03-05-2009, 10:14 AM

http://i201.photobucket.com/albums/aa53/spaghettikiss/00-audition.gif
I love that spaghettikiss has a strong point of view. And I really like his junkyard/steampunk approach. I think he could have taken a bit more risk with color. Still, excellent designs and I want to see more.
LOVE the steampunk designs and the overall technical skill. Especially love the aviator’s cap on the female design. The exhaust pipes and the weird one-eyed mask on the male are killer. Would loved to have seen some sort of bold singular color choice to be off-set from all the gray, gray, gray, though. Excellent.

Interesting starting choice. Original, but not sure they are the best choice to wow the jury with your design skills (which I know you have) given that they are essentially wearing junk. Colors are a bit dull for that reason too.
However no one accessorized more than you did and I love your eye for detail.
I like the idea, but I think it could’ve been pushed a little farther. There’s no shortage of steampunky/cyberpunky characters out there, and while I’m a big fan of both genres, there’s just nothing here that stands out to me. But it wouldn’t take much to change that.
Nice outfits, but they seem like 2ndary characters more than Super-Heroes. They need to feel more heroic, I think.

mattbib

03-05-2009, 10:17 AM

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t182/CaironIX/audition.jpg
I really like the male design in this pairing. I love assymetry and I think the colors work well together. I like the design elements on the arms and legs and I like the turtleneck collar. I think the female design was good, but I wasn't in love with the yellow patterning.
Nice work with the crazy patterns and the solid blocks of color and cutouts. Love it. The male costume seems like it could use a little more in terms of patterning, but still, nice, solid work.
Love the highcollar and color schemes. The female’s color scheme reminds me of Doctor strange. If you make it to the contest remember to assesorise in order to move away from only a color scheme toward a fullblown outfit.
This pair is very bold. I like the asymmetry, and the color choices compliment each other well. However, I think this is one of those times when the costume looks excellent on the page, but completely ridiculous in a real-world context. There’s not much room for cross-media interpretation. That having been said, I think it’s a striking enough visual that it could prompt a sale based on its own merits, and could achieve staying power, provided the writing is as unique as the outfits.
These look like fun characters to draw – I don’t know what they do or why they’re dressed like that, but just by looking at them I’m curious – which is a good sign. Clean but still unusual design, somewhat 80s assymetry

mattbib

03-05-2009, 10:21 AM

http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g55/mrcassandranova/Audition_Model_Sheetcopy-1.png
I like the color choices of this pair. I like how the design elements tie the characters together and the complementary colors were chosen. I'm not super thrilled with the shoulders on either design. I do like the shapes and the layers and the fully-covered faces.
I like the futuristic look you have going here. Sort of Tron meets, well, I don’t know. The tux tails and lace collar are REALLY cool when you mix them in with all this future tech. Neat! Again, though, something about the color scheme keeps these designs from really popping as much as they should be.
While I’m not too fond of the very minimalistic color choice for the male in particular, you do introduce interesting design elements that may serve to distinguish you from the other contestants.
I like the simplicity and complexity of the designs all at the same time. I also like the choices of what skin shows through – interesting proportions.

mattbib

03-05-2009, 10:24 AM

http://i175.photobucket.com/albums/w159/psiwar/CBRauditionxxx3.jpg

I really like the male design. I like the little samurai touches and I think it would work as a character design. I also like the color choices. I don't know that I'd want to see this design in bright, garish colors.
The female design is okay. Aljira acknowledges the S&M aspects of this design. I would have liked to see more warrior worked in with the sluttiness. I don't like the red and gray combination. I think black would have been a better choice.
Like the belts/straps/layers a lot, but the muted colors with no accents sort of make it fall a little bit flat for me.
Interesting and original choices. Nice details reminiscent of older days yet with a modern touch. I could see these two join the Hellfire Club.
I like this pair, and could easily see it being translated to animation or film without looking ridiculous. But it borderlines on the generic. It needs something else to make it pop. This could be easily remedied by additional facial details.
I have to confess I’ve liked Aljira’s design sense from day one. But the irony is I saw these designs and thought, cool, before I realized who drew them. He has a modern design sensibility and layers in a way that I really respond do, and his attention to detail and proportion is very au courant. Plus the colors are very modern – they can be great as actual, functional costumes in a book or in a movie.

mattbib

03-05-2009, 10:27 AM

http://i246.photobucket.com/albums/gg116/Dukkus/CBRunwayAudition.png
I like the female design a lot. it's busy without being cluttered. I like the assymetry and the textures. The male design is minimal to the point of almost not being a design. Shade put a lot more work into the female design than the male design.
They seem a little on the skimpy side, but I do love the half sleeve, the prints, the textures, and the color highlights. Nice job!
The male outfit is a bit too standard, the female outfit has lots of interesting details though. The arm covering and corset/loincloth combo work well and they’re what got you the high points for originallty.
Again, I think the design is too dependent on the skin color presented. It definitely influences how I receive the colors of the design. Also, the female design is very interesting. The male, not so much.
The woman’s outfit is especially creative, but the overall score was brought down by the African warrior stereotype for the guy.

mattbib

03-05-2009, 10:29 AM

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j263/eg_marsh/comic%20art/cbrrunway1.jpg

Gene M has one fun concept and one okay concept.
I like the stuntwoman concept a lot. And I think the outdit is kinda fun and goofy. It's very Dazzler/Team America, but I think there's a place for that when it's done right- and this is done right. I like the color choices and the star motif.
The street vigilante design is okay. I think that it's a good place to start. I would have liked to see some more design elements thrown in. It's very practical without being very dynamic.
Great idea and nice theme designs. Love the pink/black/white motif, but the male costume looks a little standard when compared with the female. Love the stars.
Practicality is your best quality in this entry. The pink touches on the female outfit add a much-needed splash of color.
This is a perfectly mismatched pair, right down to their muted complimentary colors. While I’m not usually a big fan of the commando types, I think he plays so well off of his counterpart that I don’t really care. I’d give this book a flip-through.
...these don’t look like costumes so much as outfits for specific roles. Super-Heroes need a bit more gravitas than that – they’re Heroes… and they’re Super!

mattbib

03-05-2009, 10:33 AM

http://img142.imageshack.us/img142/5406/auditionentryui8.jpg
I really liked the male character design. I liked the split cape, the full face mask and the use of the alrge circles. Very visually interesting.
Designs are interesting, but I think the color choices could have been bolder. Love the three circles on the male design and the little glasses.
I like the simple colorscheme on the male and the three large discs on his chest will be remembered by anyone who feels his fists of justice!
You can’t really go wrong with Red/Black. It’s a striking visual because of the various subconscious emotions and feelings the color red can embody: Death, Violence, Rage, Passion, Lust, Love, etc. Also, the use of the circle as a repeated element is one that I’m particularly fond of, and guilty of using to excess. But the design manages to capture the essences of various iconic heroes, without being too derivative.
I like the ragged edge to the female’s outfit – very Julius FW08. I like that he kept a clean line for the male outfit, but I also feel like I’m looking at a giant robot bug face.

mattbib

03-05-2009, 10:37 AM

http://img413.imageshack.us/img413/5580/cbrprojectrunwayz.jpg

The female design is a little busy. There's a lot of there there. I don't know that it needed all the little details on the arms and legs.
The male design is simple, but clean. The only thing working against it is that my frist thought was "Oh, it's Kraven the Hunter".
Love them. Love the patterns, the spashes of color, the different textures, the prints, and especially the theme design. Excellent work.
You have an eye for detail, make sure though not to rely on too familiar elements, the male costume reminds me of both Kraven and Sabretooth.
While I deducted points for having too many shades of Wonder Woman/Kraven, I also gave points for using those shades incredibly well. These are so fantastic and brassy- It doesn’t hatter that the people who’d be wearing these in public are sporting a fur coat/vest and a lightning bolt helmet- They’d totally sell the idea. Borderline silly… maybe. Iconic? I’d say yes.
These felt like a Thor background character and a Kraven /Sabretooth variant to me, and as such didn’t feel fresh. Nice renderings though.

mattbib

03-05-2009, 10:40 AM

http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/ii281/Randylbishop/RoseandTHorn2.gif
I thought the female design was strong, if not overly original. I liked the headpiece and the belt. I didn't care as much for the male character. I thought the gloves and boots on the male character were odd and took away from the design.
The female costume rocks my socks! I love the little rose tiara and the thorny belt. The male costume is really interesting, but I’m not sure about the tail thing between his legs… I don’t hate it, and it’s a very unusual styling choice, but I’m not entirely convinced it works. Still, nice job!
The thorns are interesting original elements to add to the outfit and the entire outfit from color to accessories fit together.
Can’t really tell which one would be Rose and which one would be Thorn if you didn’t go by descriptions and gender. Nice attention to detail on the woman’s suit, but that man’s outfit is all kinds of phallic wrong.

mattbib

03-05-2009, 10:43 AM

http://ozbot.typepad.com/.a/6a00d8341c4e3753ef0111689c4b95970c-800wi

I am very torn on this one. I like the male design. I think the animal touches are fun without being overdone. I like that the "mane" is part of the collar of the cape and not a headpiece. I like the way it gives off a Thundercats-meets-Sky Captain kinda vibe.
I do not like the female design as much. It has too many things going on. It's very overdesigned.
These are pretty busy designs, but I like busy designs. Love the man’s cape and the top/sleeves for the female. Nice colors.
You’ve succeeded in capturing the royal aspect of a superhero as was your intent.
Where is my son Akim? I am prepared to compensate.
Very 70s Perez feel to the woman, very 70s Don Heck Villain to the man.

mattbib

03-05-2009, 11:05 AM

http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s201/tylerragan/ZabraandThunderhead.jpg

I really applaud escapegoat for taking a risk. These costumes are unique and harken back (in my mind) to a different time. I really like that they're fun almost to the point of silliness.
I really like the zebra costume. I like the black-and-white, I like the zebra pattern. I'm not super crazy about the boots, but they do resonate to the late 70s/early 80s feel of this costume.
I'm not as crazy about the thunderhead costume, but I like the fun approach to it. I think the changing cloud pattern is hard to get across. I like the mask design a lot.

Great patterning and asymmetry. That female costume is killer. The man’s costume is a great idea, but I’m not sure about the circle thingies on his shoulders. Love the mask.
Great details in these costumes like the animated male armor and the zebrahead sillouette on the female’s chest.
I think Zebra is a strong design that could be pushed with little effort. Especially once you bring makeup/hair into the mix. But I think Thunderhead is silly. In the end, he ended up hurting Zebra’s score. Sorry.
The sprayed-on motifs are just too kitschy.

mattbib

03-05-2009, 11:08 AM

http://www.rearaccount.com/crap/cbrunway/audition3.gif
Another mixed-bag. I liked that Manon decided to use the hammer and sickle motif, but I hated the shoulder wings and I didn't like the pink. I like the wrestler motif of the male design. I really like the question mark mask. I don't know about the pink in the belt. And i'm not crazy about the patterns on the legs. But I will say this: There was a lot going on in these designs, but the details were cohesive.
Just crazy, and I think that’s what makes them work. I like their wonkiness. If I thought they were trying to be earnest, I’m not sure I’d be as into them. Love those shoulderpads. The mucha libre (is that what they’re called?) mask on the male and the crazy rattlesnake tattoo are great. The hammer and sickle of the female costume is just great.
I like your originality. While the retro feel makes for less than practical clothing the designs are plain fun.
Before I even noticed the writeup, I thought to myself how perfect this would be for a Heavy Metal story- and then the irony set in. This pair compliments each other so well, without being dependent on one another- It’s just wacky enough and garish enough to work. I love it.
The man’s costume is overdesigned and the colors are just odd, while the woman’s is all kinds of weird juxtapositions. The sickle treatment is nice, but the rest doesn’t match up and falters.

mattbib

03-05-2009, 11:12 AM

http://img12.imageshack.us/img12/1282/auditionpp0.jpg
I like that deanlegion thought outside of the form. I think he takes risks and sometimes they pay off and soemtimes they don't. I liked the dragon suit design because it was fun and a little silly. I thought the female design had some good bits- and it definitely shows a point of view- but I wasn't in love with the cotton candy wrap.
The female costume is fantastic. I absolutely adore it! It’s got kind of a Spellbinder/Magpie (Batman villains) look going for it…and I love the shock of pink with the stark punk black leather. The male costume, I have to say, just doesn’t work as well for me. It seems cool, but for me, unfortunately, the full body dragon thing isn’t very practical. Points for thinking outside the box, though!
Very nice designs. I like how you’ve expanded the original model to include more details that make very interesting silhouettes.
Feels like the Hellfire Club’s new Pink Queen and an odd Godzilla hero who looks more like a villain. Actually they both look like villains.

mattbib

03-05-2009, 11:17 AM

And there you have them, our sixteen finalists. Congratulations and good luck!

Thanks to all who auditioned and especially to our judges.

For those who auditioned but did not make the finals, be sure to post a design for the first challenge in the Play Along At Home (http://forums.comicbookresources.com/showthread.php?t=134555) thread. If a finalist fails to submit an entry in the first challenge one of you will take his or her spot.

Pro

03-05-2009, 11:31 AM

Congrats to all who made it through so far.
Get ready because in the next few weeks your artistic talents will be put to the limit like never before!

escapegoat

03-05-2009, 11:33 AM

So the first round doesn't start this week?

Bah! I wanna jump in right now and get designin' with my bad self!

Shade101

03-05-2009, 11:41 AM

I completely agree with my critique. All my attention and time went to the female's costume, and I slacked off on the male's costume. Mostly because I decided to start this at the last minute!

PROCRASTINATION GETS YOU NOWHERE KIDS!

CBrown

03-05-2009, 12:01 PM

Thanks for the feedback, everyone. Can definitely see the criticisms, even though Kraven wasn't who I was thinking of (though I was thinking of a particular character!). Sure is hard to think up a superhero concept that's never been used before, huh?

LewMoxinsghost

03-05-2009, 12:10 PM

That muffled sound you heard was me screaming YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEES! I made it into the competition!!! WOOOOOOOOOO!!

Congrats to everyone that made it in! I also agreed one hundred percent with my critique. The phallic tail thing bothers me a little too, but I kept thinking about old medieval suits of armor and how sometimes the Holy Roman Cross or something would hang down as a codpiece cover. He would be using large stuff as a shield and somehow I think that would make it look alright in a Thor kind of way, so I left it alone.

To those who did not make it, please try again next time. I would still love to see more of your art. :cool: