I Tried Stopping It

@Gun6

Napping Pancham

Spoiler

Form/Color
This is a good, clean image. I can still catch a few hints of rough edges (mainly some of the black lines meeting the grass) but it won’t be obvious if you aren’t looking for it. The added perspective in the blurred piece of close up bamboo was a nice touch.

I think in the large scale, the image is a bit unbalanced, the majority of the elements appearing on the right side of the image. The left side of the image could use a few interesting details to make it stand out from the rest, something to make the viewer pay attention to it. Rolling fields are very beautiful, but can be somewhat monotonous without a lot of detail to make each section a little different from each other.

Pokemon
For a sleeping Pancham, everything looks good. THe original pose definitely adds value to the time and effort put into the image. I like the choice of colors, as you added blue instead of straight black to his coat. To me, this would hint at his coat being very clean and shiny, almost reflecting the sky color. Its an interesting touch for sure, one I can accept because it stands out as different and captures the viewer's attention. The shading seems fairly well done; a tad heavy in the chest area perhaps, but overall it still gives a very direct sense of light direction.

Environment
Pandas, bamboo. Makes perfect sense, and you mixed the two in a way that makes it more interesting than just eating it. THe bamboo has two nice colors, although I wish you’d added the lines in, even if just faintly to include another hint of detail. I love the river, and how you included reflections in it, definitely gives a bit of realism to the water. As far as shading goes, everything in the main area seems to be fairly unified, with the light being just behind the top of Pancham’s head. From the rest of the scene I can assume its a partly cloudy day, and it was represented well in the distance.

Improvements
1. Balance through detail. Don’t focus on one part of the scene then mis out on adding some interesting detail or feature that could give another part of the image its own unique quality.

2. Don’t go too heavy handed with the shading.

Score
50/100

With the cleanliness and decent amount of detail and accuracy, I’m letting it pass.

Thoughtful Pancham

Spoiler

Form/Color
THe best part about this image is the contrast of colors that's here. Pancham is fairly monochromatic, and then he’s placed against a sky with reds, yellows, and some brighter white. Its very dramatic, and it sets the pokemon out against the surroundings. This image has a decent balance, in this case the sky acts as a way to add some empty space while still adding value to the overall image.

Again theres those tiny little pixels popping out, but the rest of the scene is good enough for me to avoid hitting that again in detail.

Pokemon
Good work on the expression you conveyed on Pancham, its quite original and shows him thinking and confident about something. You again brought in the colors of the light ito shading Pancham, which makes him feel like he’s part of the scene. The shading is also quite good, smooth enough to pass for a medium mon with this style. The best two areas are behind the head, which has the bright color shading, and the area where the hand is popping out of the black fabric and there is just a hint of a bum. The one thing that does bother me is whether Pancham is wearing a kimono-type outfit or has a sheet wrapped around him. The arm coming up where it is suggests a blanket, but the lines along the right side are saying sleeve to me. Just something to think about in the future.

Environment
Simple yet effective background. You managed to focus on the pokemon, yet give him some amount of action surrounding him. I’m not exactly sure whether the silhouettes are cheering at him or attacking, but either way its an interesting picture. THe lack of details like that could also add a sense of mystery. I think the one thing I’m not really a fan of are the lack of blending on the clouds.

Improvements
1. Make sure all of your elements have the same general shading or blending, mainly the clouds here.

Score
55/100

Its a nice image in general, a lot of good techniques that I think show you’re actually reading my comments.

So go ahead and have yourself a Pancham

 

@Gun6

Bunnelby

Spoiler

Form/Color
So I am a little split on the outlining. The outlines you have on Bunnelby’s den is just so perfect, then the lines for the pokemon are so heavy. They contrast, which is good and bad. They allow the pokemon to be more prominent, but they also set it apart from the scene kind of like it was put there afterward.

Colors are very subtle or subdued in this image, the blues, greys, and browns working together to fit the snowy scene well enough. The image’s balance is fine, as the majority of the elements are placed centrally and it fades out as you get away from the image. Nothing else much to say here.

Pokemon
Bunnelby is spot on. I see you used a fairly well recognized pose of the pokemon, but still managed to make it unique compared to the stock angle. Staring off into the distance makes me wonder what's out there, it draws the viewer in to experience the same thoughts and feelings as the pokemon. As far as color, shading, anatomy, you pass on all counts, so the pokemon itself is fine. Placement and presence in the image is also fine.

Its nice to see a bunnelby not in a forest, where I assume a lot of them might live, and a lot of future images will likely show them there. So points for being original.

Environment
While the environment is mostly just snow, I like that you made the snow interesting, and not a white detail-void plane. The light blues mixed in to give it random bumps and small depressions add a lot of detail work there. The sky also makes the land feel frigid with the light clouds floating low, like fog or snow blown off the higher hills that show up in the background.

The shading here is nice. its not too heavy, yet still noticeable enough that the viewer gets clear idea as to the time of day based on the sun’s position. Mixing the brown with purple for some of the darker shading adds environmental interaction, something I always like to see.

If I had to pick something to critique, I would point out your hills and how they line up so nicely even though they are supposed to be a farther distance away. Make them seem more natural, step them or something to make them look less like straight up piles in a row.
Improvements
1. Try to make background portions of the environment flow better and keep things from looking too even/level/perfect.

Score
50/100

Its a good image, and you get a good pokemon for it.

 

Pokemon: Dedenne
Rank: Simple
Creation time: I think 2 1/2 to 3 hours? I'm trying out a new technique. Also the image is huge. Proof

Spoiler

 

@Gun6

Dedenne

Spoiler

Form/Detail
I really, really like this image. There are a lot of different elements that manage to flow together well and create a fun, dynamic scene. First of all, we have this sense of expectation with the motion indicated in Dedenne’s cannonball. Its actually a good idea, having the pokemon coming toward the camera mid dive. Even without motion blur or other more obvious methods of displaying still motion, you show motion through the tail and whiskers, which is a minor detail that caught my eye fairly fast.

Detail in this image is nice in the fact that its minimal, yet enough that it adds definition while still following the clean smooth style you chose to use in the image. Very unified and solid image all around.

If I had to pick out something that could use improvement in this category, I’d have to say the upper right corner seems bereft of anything to catch the eye and bring the image into perfection.

Color and Shading
You managed to add a good variety of colors but still made the pokemon stand out against them with contrast. The very natural coloring that surrounds Dedenne brings it into clear focus with its vivid oranges with the dark black parts to further set it apart. The different shades you used to add cracks to the rocks and layers to the moss are also good touches that don’t take away from the general form and color palette.

Lighting, something thats good but always has room for improvement. Theres a small discrepancy between the environment's lighting and the light shining on the pokemon, where Dedenne is getting light shining almost straight on it compared to the more noon top down light we see on the cliff.

Texture
Despite this image having a clean style, you still managed to add a few textures, like the layers of moss, and the small rock scratches/ledges. Adding texture through lighting is actually a good technique, its how it tends to work in the real world, not as much through color as people tend to think. So nicely done with minimalistic yet noticeable.

Pokemon Anatomy
As far as color, shape, position, and everything goes, you seem to have it set perfect. The left ear throws me off as some of the lines seem a bit jerky or straight in contrast with the rest of the round squishy pokemon. Something that I would have loved to see would have been a bit more emotion from the pokemon. Its not a requirement whatsoever as it does seem happy, but maybe the eyes closed screaming/open mouth happy face might have been appropriate too? Either way, its just a suggestion for consideration on future images, as the rest of the pokemon is fine, and its even interacting with the environment with the aforementioned wind whipping its extremities.

Environment/Perspective
A nice outdoor scene, complete with heavy moss, stone, and water. Fairly generic components for many scenes, but I like the way you made them blend into each other, the moss falling over the cliffs in a similar manner to the water which makes them connect in new ways. The mist that you added thicker as the eye goes down really adds a lot to the image and helps foreshadow whats below Dedenne.You made it seem cloudy but different than the overhead clouds, which is a good thing to do as it aids in telling the two areas apart from each other. The rainbow is a cute little addition, probably not 100% realistic or accurate but a nice little dash of color where it wouldn’t normally be expected.

Something that stood out more and more to me as I looked at it were the whitish dots around the moss. Are they supposed to be water droplets on the camera? If so, they seem to high and should have been placed primarily below the halfway point, as they look out of place so high when the body of water is mainly below the plane of visibility. ANother thing that I saw was the dark line spitting the waterfall close to the bottom of the image; I couldn’t figure out if it was supposed to be a thin rock splitting the falls near the base, or something else. Its dark enough to catch the eye, be sure to fully define it if you feel the need to put it there.

Creativity/Effort
While you said there was only 2-3 hours of effort in this image, I’d say you put a fair amount of effort and love into the image, and managed to make it an action shot at the same time.

Improvements
One thing thats more of a real nitpicky critique has more to do with the zoomed in image, which I didn’t view much as compared to the smaller version so I could take it in all at once. I might have scaled it down permanently for submission, as the full size version shows a lot of rough edges between color transitions with the shading. its not a bad thing per say, but making it so people can't zoom in so much here would make it almost imperceptible. But in general I think you’re doing some really good stuff with this art style, so if you wanna keep going with this method you’re fine doing it like this, because you’ve really gotten good with it. Consider adding in more emotional appeal with the pokemon’s face too, to allow the viewer to bond with the feelings of the entities in the image.

Score
60/100

This image probably could have caught a medium if it had a companion image, you did an amazing job on it. You deserve the Dedenne you caught. I know I mentioned a lot of more inconsequential things, but I couldn't find much to critique, so I figured the nitpicky/suggestions would be a better way to help you improve.

 

Pokemon: Swirlix
Rank: Medium (45+)
Creation Time: 2 1/2 hours maybe?
Description: Just a simple little picture of Swirlix with a Yu-Gi-Oh! monster. I wanted to try a fun style that was inspired by the artwork of the card.

Huge picture warning: http://i.imgur.com/INq1nFG.png

proof

 

Pokemon: Spritzee
Rank: Medium (45+)
Creation Time: 2 hours
Description: Just a little Spritzee in the perfume section of a store or mall. Please don't overuse the blur tool, kids.



proof

 

I can claim the Swirlix one ! @Gun6;

 

Pokemon: Pumpkaboo
Rank: Medium (45+)
Creation Time: 2 hours
Description: A Pumpkaboo going for a midnight stroll.



proof

 

@Gun6;

Form/Color
So, as someone who has done some playing around with the Yu-Gi-Oh metagame I immediately recognized the Madolche character (which is good!). I frickin hate that archetype, but I won't hold that against you ;P Anyway, the image itself is pretty cool, you've included this really accurate depiction of Madolche Magileine and it's pretty amazing that that is a totally original pose. You even added in a little unique character in the face with that smirk.

A few notes are just that her shoulders look a little unnatural, especially her right one. It seems like it's a little too far forward in the image/the angle is off. Might want to fix that. Also, her hair looks a little unnatural as well, that one strand is just not really believable. I think you could fix the shading so it looks like it's actually curving with the shoulder instead of just using the linework to do so. Some more of your lines are a little scratchy and uneven, but it isn't really a huge issue for an artwork like this.

Your colors are all spot on though, which is really impressive and all of the shading looks pretty good. You have a nice style that blends the colors together without it looking overdone.

Pokemon
Swirlix is pretty anatomically correct. You got the shaped down perfectly and you decided to include the mystery feet (seriously where do these things go?). The facial expression is pretty cute.

A little bit more detail on the Pokemon would've been nice, especially because of how much detail you did on Madolche Magiliene, but I supposed because of the nature of the image it would be difficult to do without it looking overbearing. I think one thing that really stands out about this image is that it isn't really Swirlix focused, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, but for an artwork that is attempting to catch a Swirlix, it would've been nice to see a bit more. Even if that just meant including the tail.

Environment
I actually really like the background. I like the way the straightness of it and crisp colors works almost to define the center character. Also, the cookie clock tower is very cute and done well. The white outline around the character is a nice touch to make her stand out from the background. finally, I think the stars are pretty good too. Overall, background really maintains the darkness of the image and sets the character in place well

Improvements
1. Give me a little more attention to the Pokemon, in both detail, shading and focus.
2. Work on small nitpicks on the character, especially the shoulder which kinda give me the heeby-jeebys.

Score
You did a lot of detail on the Lady, and you clearly put effort in and created a nice image that does a cool cross reference, so despite the lack of Swirlix I'd be willing to give this:

45/100

Just enough for a Medium Pokemon

 

Well, your Spritzee one happens to be the next image that needs a curation so I'll take that too

 

Form/Color
Ok, I'm just going to start off by saying that I am really impressed by this image. There's so much going on here, but it still maintains a humor and you made a lot of small touches that really make the piece stand out. First off all of the shading is done really well, like even that little blue bottle on the shelf looks awesome. Plus all of the little bottles on the shelf below are pretty well done too. The out of focus effect is really nice here, but I'll comment more on that later. Man, that reflection though is really awesome. Really impressed. (Also the lighting on the top shelf which makes it clear that Spritzee is sitting on the glass). Oh also the scratchiness of the frame of the shelf is such a nice touch.

A few nitpick things, the shelf that Spritzee is sitting on seems kinda awkward, especially the orange square which takes up a big section of the image. It's both distracting and just really not pleasing to the eye. Also it draws attention away from the scene, especially because of how the rack draws your eyes right to it. (For example, the monotone grey at the bottom doesn't bother me at all because it is out of way, in fact I didn't even notice that until the end of the curation, so it can be okay to have shapes like this, but not smack in the middle). The lines on the shelf also look a little too black line and seems like they are just floating in space in stead of being a part of something. Maybe a little roundedness to them would make them seem more like actual fixtures.

The colors in this image are all pretty great, very typical of a mall and give the impression of the bright colors a mall uses to draw you into products.

Pokemon
Really nice job on Spritzee, I especially like the shading done. It looks really smooth and natural, especially on the head-poof and the back of the head. The beak and eye both look really good to me. The outline is a little shaky at parts, like the underbelly, but it sort of fits with the image so it isn't that bad.

The placement of the wing is good, but the shading seems a little funky, just maybe a bit more blending would get rid of those ovals that are kinda lopsided (Not that this is a necessity, but since you blended so well on the other parts of the body it would be nice to see). Also the feet look kinda silly, but that's just what Sprtizee's feet are I guess. Overall, not a totally complicated Pokemon to make, but you did a good job still.

Environment
A lot of the effort of the image seems to have gone into the background, which is a good thing, because it makes this really a scene instead of just an image. I like the racks of clothing and it's neat that you actually took the time to vary the colors of clothes on the racks and also put a little person in, very nice touch. I like the sign in the background too, really well done, like the out of focus text.

The door is a little confusing to me because it seems to partially be where my eye is drawn with the perspective, but at the same time it's blurred and there isn't much to see. Also, I'm not really convinced you'd be able to see the clouds from the level of the eye, but I'm not totally sure.

You clearly put a lot of effort into the background and so I'm not going to say a lot more about tiny details. The background of this image is the selling point and that's

Improvements
1. Try to have the perspective lead to something in future images, since just having a door that is undetailed is a little confusing in the image.
2. Look for a way to get rid of that big orange box/ avoid things like that in the future since they are ugly/distracting.

Score
You put a lot of effort into some details that really won me over with this image, your image crafting skills weren't really shining, but you still clearly put a lot of effort in and created a nice product. And for that:

55/100
@Gun6;

 

Pumpkaboo is mine

 

Pokemon: Ralts
Rank: Medium (45+)
Creation Time: 2 1/2hours
Description: A Ralts walking around some ruins that have been converted into a scenic park. Trying out stuff with outlines.



proof

 

ok I'm gonna claim this Ralts. I will have it done tonight

 

Form/Color
Ah Gun, you are so talented to be honest. It's actually difficult to come up with things to comment your art because it is pretty close to flawless. This piece pretty obviously tells a story even though there isnt much there in terms of details. The details you included go very far, is what I'm trying to say. Just look at those trees, so well done. They look really in depth and have such a nice shape to them, very well done.

Your shading is almost flawless to be honest. The clouds look amazing because of the way you shaped them with the dark coloring. The flower closest to the screen is a little incorrect with the shading to me. I think the effect you were going for was that it was a concave shape, sort of like a cone. But it just looks flat. Try adding some lighter gradient on the middle "bulb" and then a little smoother on each of the petals and that effect will come off better.

The colors are all really vibrant and great. Honestly, the whole image pops because of the great pallet of colors you chose. Kudos on that because it was really done well. Only nitpick is that awkward color between where the grass starts and the path begins. Instead of trying to blend these colors, which really contrast, it probably would've been better to make one more dominant. The color that resulted is sorta purple looking which doesn't really make any sense in the context.

Pokemon
This Ralts is really well done. It's shaded excellently: the head has an awesome roundness to it, it actually looks as though its legs have depth, it's arms really look like they are popping from its body. Honestly, just great job.

One thing you might want to think about in other pieces is doing a more unique pose though. This is the pretty standard pose for Ralts, which is fine for a Medium Pokemon, but in a higher ranking it would be nice to see you experiment with your own poses. One other small nitpick is I'm not sure you'd see Ralts' arm in its shadow from that angle, but again very minor.

Environment
Most of the image is the "environment" which isn't bad since you did a really good job on it. I love the cobbled pathway, though it's clear where you got tired of doing them and just sort of gave up. Obviously fine for this piece, but I wouldn't be doing my job if I didnt point it out. I really like the cracks on the pillars and in fact, it may be my favorite part of this image. This is one of those details I mentioned earlier that goes a long way.

Also, the clouds being in streaks like that is a little unrealistic, especially when they are that thick. I think it would be better to make them puffier too since as are they sort of take your eye away from the image a little bit since they lead it into the corner. Also again, it's clear that you just put blue on top of the clouds to shape them, which is a shame because I don't think you even had to shape them like that.


Improvements
1. Try out some new poses on your art!
2. Very minor details about shading on very specific things.

Score
Obviously good enough for a Medium Pokemon

60/100 @Gun6;

 

I'm going to claim Pumpkaboo since Axion didn't get to it.

 

Pumpkaboo Curation
@Gun6; Sorry you had to wait so long!

Form

As always, your art is spot-on. There's nothing wrong with the mon's structure at all. The black outlines even resemble the anime-style, which is a common theme in your work. The pose is a bit standard, but with Pumpkaboo, there really isn't getting around that much. There's only so many ways you can draw a triangle on top of a circle. However, you do add some interest with the expression on the hat, which is a great touch.

The only thing I'm still wanting to know more about as far as the Pokemon goes is why the expression exists. It looks a bit surprised or enthralled (rather than relaxed from the walk), but we can't really tell from what. Because of the posture, there's no clues into what's happening/has its attention. Even though this is a Medium-rank, it would still be cool to have some insight into what the Pumpkaboo is doing.

The description says it's out for a stroll, but it's a little hard to tell that's what it's doing (mostly because of its anatomy). Could the Pumpkaboo be doing something additional to give cause for the expression? Perhaps if it was surprised, the ends of its hat could be turned up, or it could be jumping up. This may also be something the background could add to.

Overall, I have no real complaints, just an interest to see more of your work XD

Technique

I think what I like most about your art is the style you present. Like I mentioned before, it's similar to the anime but also smoother and softer in places. Almost like something we'd see on a good-natured greeting card or a comic. It's very pleasing to the eye.

I especially like the glow around the body—I'm assuming this is a ghost effect and maybe the cause of the Pumpkaboo's hovering? If it is. It's a little hard to tell for sure. Is this how the Pumpkaboo is “walking”? If it does play some part, it could perhaps be more pronounced, as right now it sort of goes unnoticed for the most part. If a similar glow was placed in the eyes, that might even solve the “what is the Pumpkaboo doing” question, too.

Another thing I like is the simple shading. I don't feel that anything was missed, yet you don't go overboard. This is what I like best about the cartoony look. It gets the point across without being too detailed, leaving a lighthearted feel. The shadows on the Pokemon give it dimension and make it look realistic as far as the original art goes.

What I don't see is a shadow underneath the Pokemon. This goes back to the hovering aspect—if the ghost is floating, we may not see that shadow on the ground. As it is, it's a little hard to tell where in space the mon is according to the background. Part of that may be because the Pumpkaboo is outlined to stand out, but it does mess with my spacial sense just a little bit.

Background

Like I mentioned before, I find I like the contrast between and outlined Pokemon and a smooth background. I know you messed around with that in your Ralts piece and some others, and I think it does really work. It's basic, but there's some details that are really nice, like the stars and the grooves in the sidewalk. Or at least I'm assuming it's some sort of cement.

I think you could've done even more with it too. The foggy background definitely gives off a slightly spooky vibe that works well with the ghost, but I'm sort of left wondering where exactly this is. The piece suggests its in town somewhere because of the lampost and the cement, but where? It is the outskirts of town or in the middle of the street? Is this a wild Pokemon straying too close or a Trainer's mon? A few more details in the background could give us a little more of an idea of that, fleshing out the story a bit.

I kind of find the curve to the sidewalk a little odd too. You played around with this style in your Ralts piece too, and I'm not really sure what to feel about it. For this rank, it's not really a big deal, but it catches my eye as something odd, mostly because it distorts space. Maybe it stands out more since I'm already wondering where the Pumpkaboo is in relation to it.

The background isn't too important here, as most of the focus is on the Pokemon, but it still provides a scene that fleshes out the story. I am pretty satisfied with it in general.

Result

Per usual, your work is great. For this rank, you definitely did all you needed to. I look forward to seeing some more complex pieces from you! I'm scoring this 50/45 meaning Pumpkaboo is captured!

 

Pokemon: Scyther
Rank: Complex (65+)
Creation Time: 5+ hours (I honestly forget, but it took a while)
Description: A Scyther that I attempted to reimagine in the style of the Madolche Yugioh card archetype. I learned that the card artwork is a lot more intricate than it first seems. I made this back in October but didn't feel like posting it at the time.



EDIT: forgot proof

 

Claiming Scyther, cos I forgot the other day when my net decided to be a jerk.

 

@Gun6; Sorry about the wait!

Madolche Cooscythe. (See what I did there? /shot)

Form

Oh, boy, I love adaptations. They are one of my favorite things in art, writing, and anything else. I love seeing how someone's vision translates over into other universes. It not only blends two stories but creates a new one all on its own. I'm not sure how these cards are used in the metagame since I've been out of the circuit for a while, but I can imagine this Scyther appearing on the field. The first impression reminded me of the YGO game where the cards were chess pieces in a strategy-type game, which I also really enjoyed. Nothing but good thoughts here!

The sewn doll look is spot-on, matching up nicely with the examples you linked. I particularly like the details in the stitching, the ties around the wrists, and the crackles in the cookie. Those little things are what really bring a piece together for me because it shows the artist took time to care enough about each part of the artwork. Transforming Scyther's blades into butter knives was brilliant and so fitting for this dessert theme.

The arm on the left side of the piece does look a little more rounder than the box-like left side, which is a little odd, but it's not really noticeable right away. The eye is also a little strange. The light blue does nice to tie in the shine on the knives and the sky, but because it's so pale and without a very visible pupil like in the other card examples (there is a lighter shade on the eye, but it's super faint and hard to see), it has a slight creep/blank look instead of the cutesy type the plush doll means to portray. Again, this isn't super noticeable, but it did catch me after I swept over the image a couple times. I think adding a pupil would make it a little less eerie. The glow reminds me of a possessed ghost, like a Pumpkaboo or something. The example Madolche were split—half of them had solid eyes and half had normal ones with visible parts and a shine.

The details around the limbs were really nice too. I mentioned the wraps on Scyther's wrists before, but the joints have also been softened and made to match. The harsh points being smoothed out to a flower shape on the legs worked out well. However, the legs are also a little off, and I think that's because they're connected to the middle section instead of the lower section of the Pokemon. That gives the illusion that there's very little space between the arms and legs on the body, which means the lower portion of Scyther is like a huge tail or something. It also makes the middle body seem a little bit squished.

Other than that, I think the form is great for the Madolche style. This is a really unique angle to take with it, and I enjoy it.

Technique

One of the first things I noticed here was that there is a tiny glow around objects and limbs, even if it's on the opposite side of the light (like on Scyther's behind). At first, I thought it looked weird, but then I realized that that is part of the Madolche style, and I actually really like it. It does throw off the shadows a little, since it implies light is coming from many directions at once, but there's enough normal shadow to subdue this and still give the realistic impression. The soft glow also gives everything a little pop that makes it stand out, and that also reinforces that plushie style. The effect isn't too intense, and it mostly smooths into the objects well enough. The only place where it looks a little unfinished is the underside of the bottom portion of the Scyther—here we can see the brush strokes, and it's not quite as blended in as other patches.

The cream on the cookie is the only thing that also doesn't have an outline (besides the sky background, as far as objects go), and I can't really decide if I like it or not. On one hand, it definitely does portray that softness that the rest of the image is trying to tell. At the same time, it's a little out of place, when even things like the floating butter are outlined, which could arguably be made of similar material. The cream softness does make sure that Scyther sticks out and stays the focal point, as that's in the foreground. If that was the purpose, however, the cookie and floating objects don't follow the same effect, since their outlines could potentially take away from the Scyther. Ultimately, this is up to you, and the card art does do this a similar way; it's just odd to see just one of the lesser important objects be treated differently from the rest.

On that same line, the shading of color is also very well done, giving the Scyther's skin a nice, smooth feel like this made-of-fabric, doll-style would. I think that perhaps the face, particularly around the eye, the Scyther's chest, and the leg on the left side could've maybe been smoothed out a little more, since the colors are a little more separated and don't blend so subtly into each other. After all, the skin would be more round than say, the blades, in which you portrayed that flat, sharp surface very well. Glass, metal, and other similar materials always stumped me in class, so I always appreciate seeing these effects done well.

Everything is done in the same style, so the piece feels very unified to me, like all of the pieces are supposed to be there. There are a few oddities here and there, but as this piece was relatively older by the time you posted it, I bet you have already improved. Mostly I just like to see consistency—just like in writing, sometimes every word, and in this case, object, color, or technique, has a certain meaning and purpose. Keeping like objects together will help them reinforce the effect you're seeking.

Background

You mentioned before that backgrounds weren't really your strong suit, and that's okay. Some other things have been mentioned in your other pieces, but, as all art is different, there are some other things to keep in mind here.

The focal point, of course, is generally the Pokemon in these works, but the background really does help tie everything together. As I mentioned before, the piece did seem unified—everything looks like it's supposed to be there. I just wish there was... more of it, for lack of better words. When I look at it, it feels a little lonely/empty. Now, this may be an intended effect, as it's in the lofty sky, but that clashes with the Madolche/sweet/cutesy feel that the rest of the image is styled in.

I think that maybe the sky just needed more objects in it. Looking at the other card examples, they seem littered (especially the last with the owl) with other related objects relating to the creature or the sweet treat. When I think of Scyther, I think of many things, like fighting Bugsy in Azalea, the National Park Bug-catching contest, and net balls. Maybe a few objects like potions, other types of Pokeballs, a bug-catching net (Park/Bugsy), poffins (for the sweets theme), or Apricorns (Kurt in Azalea) would help connect to people viewing your art.

I feel that the Pokemon itself was really well done, so a few little details to connect to people on a deeper emotional level, subtly, might make them even more attached to your piece without even realizing why. A lot of those types of objects would go well in the Madolche style too. Think like your Spritzee piece—that had a lot going on for it in the background, and although it wasn't the focus of the piece, it added a bit of story and context for the Pokemon. This is another place where those little details can really shine through, since many viewers take in the background without really focusing on it at first. The background will influence what people think of the entire piece without them really knowing it.

The only part of the background that I think really fell a little flat would be the expanse of white space on the bottom. For what's going on here, with soft colors and glow effects and the color scheme, it seems like there's just too much. It draws my eye away from the rest of the piece in a not so great way, since there isn't anything there but white.

Cutting the image off perhaps slightly below the outward-facing cookie corner might've helped with that, although you would lose out on a little bit of the cookie detail. That adds a slight dynamic tint to the piece as well, since it suggests there's more off-screen that viewers can't see (but only slight, since its just a cookie).

I do feel that the sky was a good fit, though, since Scyther is part Flying-type. The scene you have is slightly more realistic than the card art, but I like it. The emptiness just sort of conflicted with the Madolche theme.

Result

I really like the angle you took with this piece. The adaptation went over well, portraying a soft and sweet theme on a usually-tough Pokemon. That was a nice contrast and also a unique set-up. The forms and techniques used mostly matched. The only think that stuck out was the emptier background (according to card theme) and the white space. Still, I'm going to score this 70/65.

I feel that this is almost to demanding rank, but there were just a couple things that stopped it a little short, such as the background bringing everything together and the little touch-ups on the Pokemon (attaching anatomy, smoothing of color/glow). I am very impressed with this, however, and am excited to see what else you do.