Greetings Contestants! Welcome to the second round of eliminations. You are the finalists still in the running to win a resin Enchanted Doll! I'm going to give a short critique on the strengths and weaknesses of each work. I hope it helps those who didn't make the finals, win next year! Here we go.
You will notice that what all of the finalists have in common, is an outstanding aesthetic presentation of their ideas. The importance of an effective and coherent presentation can not be understated, as it creates a powerful first impression in our subconsciousness. Another reason a well-laid out presentation is effective, is because it demonstrates the artist's commitment to their idea, and shows consideration for the quality of viewer's experience of their artwork. All the finalists left me with a very positive and engaging viewing experience, while presenting unique ideas. That is part of why they made the cut.
#86 by Anne
Biggest Strengths: Incorporation of architectural elements into both, tattoo concept and presentation; delightful use of colour; excellent interpretation of source material.
Weakness: Both tattoos are a little bit too big in relation to the body, giving a slightly crammed and boxed-in appearance on the torso.
Suggestions: Let compositions breathe by shrinking, spacing them out a bit and continuing some elements out to other body parts. Thank you, Anne! Great work!
#92 by Anna
Biggest Strengths: Great use and incorporation of joints in the design; keen sense of scale and proportion.
Weakness: lack of colour detracts a little from the impact.
Suggestions: explore colour more. Thank you, Anna! Great work!
#103 by Ran j
Biggest strengths: Simplicity, elegance and flow of design in relation to doll anatomy; gorgeous rendition. Style of tattoo reminds me a little of Takato Yamamoto's work.
Weakness: While the idea of a skeleton tattoo isn't entirely new, it is redeemed by its' delicate beauty and strong composition on the body. This design is very well suited to the medium and scale of my dolls. It looks great as a 2D painting and will tattoo on porcelain very well.
Suggestions: Slight lack of continuity in the front composition, between the bones on the chest and flowers on the abdomen; perhaps incorporating bone elements somewhere into the floral design would tie the composition together better. Thank you, Ran! Great work!
#129 by Kiersten V
Biggest strengths: Provocative, meaningful and emotionally evocative concept; profound socio-cultural comment on violence against women.
Weakness: Rendition is sufficient enough to convey the powerful message of the tattoo, but I feel it could be pushed a little bit further aesthetically.
Suggestions: Explore the texture and line-work of scarring more. Thank you, Kiersten! Great work!
#204 by Mai M
Biggest strength: Great use of doll anatomy and scale to convey a sense of armour; successful incorporation of headdress to support the tattoo. Byzantine element is delightful.
Weakness: Too much symmetry stifles tension a little.
Suggestions: Consider adding an unexpectedly chaotic or asymmetrical element into the armour design. It might add more dynamism. Thanks Mai! Great work!
#225 "Fire Bird" by Karla R
Biggest strength: Memorable presentation; great adaptation of tattoo design to doll anatomy; successful incorporation of a 3D design element into the tattoo.
Weakness: While the tattoo may be a bit too simplistic, it works in the context of the character design.
Suggestions: I would like to see a more complex 2D element included somewhere into this tattoo design, one that would be a challenge to engrave. Thank you, Karla! Great work!
#244 by Anita D J
Biggest strengths: Intriguing minimalist aesthetic.
Weakness: Perfect mirror symmetry places the flowers into the same visual space and forces them to compete with each other for attention.
Suggestions: A little asymmetrical element, such as experimenting with different heights for flowers, or making one stem more ornate than the other would make the design more dynamic. Thanks Anita, great work!
#249 "Embrace" by Amal
Biggest strengths: Powerful, explorative and stimulating concept with social commentary on body politics; excellent supporting material and visual thought exploration.
Weakness: The aesthetic of overall composition needs to be pushed a little bit farther to support the enormous conceptual potential of this piece.
Suggestions: Be braver with portraying symbolism of physical contact and personal boundaries. Thanks Amal, great work!
#296 "The Egg Timer" by Merrilyn C
Biggest strengths: While the concept of a biological clock is nothing new, it is rendered here in a very beautiful and whimsical way; great adaptation to doll anatomy; Interesting juxtaposition of highly valued Faberge eggs made by a man, with much less valued woman's eggs that procreate our species.
Weakness: Could be interpreted as a little retrograde in sentiment.
Suggestions: Perhaps a little bit more emphasis on the body politics and gender roles would make this whimsical piece more powerful. Thanks Merrilyn, great work!
#304 "Medusa" by CiCi
Biggest strengths: Unique interactive (eye) elements in the tattoo that allow it to change - very creative; Excellent presentation of ideas; great use of body lines in design composition.
Weakness: Design on the abdomen reminds me a bit too much of my tattooed doll Mermaid Song; Design is a bit too busy and too bottom-heavy.
Suggestions: Allow design open up and venture some down the hips and legs; Step away from the traditional image of Medusa and explore other options. Thanks Cici, great work!
And these are the finalists. Let's have a round of applause for them.
Tomorrow night I will announce the final Three. Good luck, contestants!