Exeggcutor's Beach Day

I would like to submit this to capture Exeggcute please

Difficulty - Medium
Target - Exeggcute
Points needed - 45

 

Claiming for curation. : )

 

@GhostlyGlaceon;
LET’S GET CURATIN’!

CONCEPT & FIRST IMPRESSIONS
So here we have a classic beach sunset, and I’m immediately drawn to the vibrant colors you used to create it! Usually when I look at sunsets (whether real or depictions of one), I find that there’s a sense of drama to them, a mix of solemnness that goes with the end of the day, and a general feeling of being awed by the beauty of it all. Your piece very much possesses that, which is awesome! But what really makes this piece stand out is the charm of your subjects — the relaxed expressions of the Exeggutor and the Exeggcute add a playful tone to the scene, effectively giving the setting a more cheerful vibe. Just look at them! The Pokémon are clearly enjoying themselves out there, and I for one enjoy this piece just as much.

DETAIL, CREATIVITY, & STRUCTURE
Now we go down to the nitty-gritty.

The details present on the Pokémon are good save for some stuff you missed which I’ll cover in the Anatomy section below. Like I mentioned, the expressions on them is what really sells this piece to me. They’re just chilling and enjoying their beach day, except maybe for the Exeggcute on the Kanto-Exeggutor’s right side, which looks less than happy, though I guess having your shell (seed coat?) cracked open all the time does that to you.

Anyway, while the level of detail in this piece is fairly simplistic overall, I appreciate the things you included in it. No beach scene would seem complete without shells, and you certainly have that covered. The shells themselves are drawn fine, though I must mention they look a bit static even with shadows; drawing some portions of them being covered or submerged by the sand would make them look more natural I think. I do commend you on not overdoing things on the foreground, such that the end result doesn’t look crowded at all.

And what about that shadowed figure in the horizon? Where others might see a boat of some sort, no self-respecting Pokémon fan would fail to recognize that as a Lapras! I love that it breaks the blinding white of the sun and serves as a reference for distance; it shows how a small but well-placed detail like that can add so much to a piece.

I also like the detail the texture of the paper provides. The breaks of white from it make the water look alive and glistening, while imparting a coarse appearance to the sand.

I think the only thing lacking in terms of detail is the sky; a few clouds like the one just below Alolan Exeggutor’s neck would go a long way to make that part of the picture look more interesting.

Now let me talk about the lines. Your outlines are neat and I like that you didn’t just use black for them. Nothing wrong about black outlines of course, just that I think you made a good call using colored outlines for this particular piece. Kanto Exeggutor’s crown of leaves for example looks great against the water, and though a black outline would have also provided contrast, using green for it makes it look softer and less jarring. Nice work! Using a soft yellow to outline the sun was also a nice touch.

Then we have the strokes that constitute the sky, the water, and the sand. I like that they’re all more or less horizontal lines, but clever variations on width and slight adjustments to angle made that less obvious. It’s also neat that you managed to make a vertical gradient with the water using horizontal strokes, and then went a bit more erratic with the sand. I think the left side of the water could be blended more smoothly though; consistent application of pressure with your pencils on overlapping areas would help with that.

Aaaaaaand I think that’s all I have to say in this section, so let’s move on!

COLOR CHOICE & SHADING
I have no problem whatsoever with your color choice; this is a pretty eye catching piece and the gradiation of colors in both the water and the sand is great. The only thing that seems off color-wise is the head on Alolan Exeggutor’s tail, which, according to official media, should be a light green instead of the same yellow as its regular heads.

The shadows on the foreground objects are good for the most part, though Kanto Exeggutor’s shadow should be less diagonal and Alolan Exeggutor should be casting a shadow with its neck, heads and leaves at that angle. Some bits of shading on the objects themselves are also a bit off. The shading on Kanto Exeggutor’s leaves should reach the bottom edges instead of just being clumped at the center. The right head on Kanto Exeggutor should also be shaded fully. I know having a large, central light source can be challenging, especially when you have multiple objects to juggle. Learning how shadows work is definitely a learning experience, so just keep at it!

POKÉMON ANATOMY
The Exeggcute are pretty spot on so no problems there. Kanto Exeggutor I have no problems with either; not gonna fault you for a missing head since I assume it’s just obstructed by its leaves, or it could just not be there… the PokéDex does mention some heads falling off and becoming Exeggcute. The more you know, huh. The thickness on the bend of Alolan Exeggutor’s neck is a bit disproportionate, however. It also looks like its missing its feet D: All three were pretty recognizable nonetheless, so I’d say you still did a good job drawing them. Gotta keep a close eye on the forms of your Pokémon, though! They’re arguably the most important part of any capture attempt after all.

THE VERDICT
Now for the exciting part! Time to decide the outcome of your piece!

Spoiler

All the above considered, I think this piece is solidly worthy of Medium Rank. I love the mood of the picture and the effort you put into this really shows through. For future, similar works I would advice more practice with shadows; relentlessly look up references if you have to! Don’t forget to double check if you have your Pokémon’s anatomy correct, too! For now though, I say…

Spoiler: THE RESULT

Exeggute captured. I’m scoring this a 47, which is definitely a pass for Medium. Go get em eggs!​