Pen and ink tree character

Status: Closed
Prize: £60
Entries Received: 23
Winner: paulmage2

Winner

Contest Brief

I need a drawing of a tree with character, this will then be laser cut out of layers of veneer. The veneer will also have detail etched on to the surface. The picture can only be made up of edges or line shading, so I would suggest a pen and ink drawing. I do not wish the drawing to look like a cartoon, and so feel pen and ink would be better than a vector drawing, but I am quite happy to be proved wrong.

If this idea is successful, it will be the first of a series of cards.

The tree is a 'malevolent elm'

future designs will be:

treacherous elder
sturdy oak
blushing beech
lordly ash
bewitching yew
venerable yew
spiteful holly
sad willow
dancing poplar

But this bid is ONLY FOR THE MALEVOLENT ELM.

I have attached an image of a typical elm tree shape. You do not have to stick to this outline, but the image needs to reflect the shape of an Elm to differentiate it from the other types of tree.

The drawing does not want to be too scary, just for instance a twisted tree with a slight impression of a dark or sinister face. Attached is another card we have made, to show how the finished veneer looks. I am not interested in the background as this will be added later.

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Winner

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Employer Feedback

“This was my first contest and it was fiercely fought. it was a simple drawing, but needed originality to capture the essence of my requirement. paulmage2 simply outperformed everyone else ”

perrybond, United Kingdom.

Public Clarification Board

Mariosboras
- 10 years ago
Good morning, perrybond. When a contestant asks for your help please give as much detail as possible to help him/her draw a correct picture. Just a thought. Thank you.
- 10 years ago
1. Contest Holder
  - 10 years ago
  I tried my best, with close to 100 comments in total, I tried to answer every one, but there is no central place to see the private comments, so I spent a while clicking on each of the 32 entries to see if a comment was on each one. Also I was away with my children for 24hours towards the end of the 7 days. So if your comments were missed, I apologize.
  - 10 years ago
2. Mariosboras
  - 10 years ago
  No worries :) I certainly am glad to see you again! To the next contest! Have fun!
  - 10 years ago
chipchipdesign
- 10 years ago
Please check #35, #36, #37, #38. Thanks
- 10 years ago
Mariosboras
- 10 years ago
#33 :)
- 10 years ago
nufo
- 10 years ago
Hello guys, very fun contest, I really enjoyed inking the elm. Good luck everybody.
- 10 years ago
1. Mariosboras
  - 10 years ago
  :)
  - 10 years ago
Mariosboras
- 10 years ago
#31 :)
- 10 years ago
1. Mariosboras
  - 10 years ago
  Can you please tell me what you like and what do you want me to change?
  - 10 years ago
HackGate
- 10 years ago
Entry #28 with changes. Thank you for your time.
- 10 years ago
1. HackGate
  - 10 years ago
  ok Thanks for rating.
  - 10 years ago
nishankumar
- 10 years ago
Hi, need feedback on my entry #29 . Revised it based on your feedback on my previous entry.
- 10 years ago
guncia3
- 10 years ago
Hi, could you score the remaining 3 entries?
- 10 years ago
guncia3
- 10 years ago
Hi, could you comment on my new one?
- 10 years ago
1. Contest Holder
  - 10 years ago
  brilliantly subtle, good tree shape. Needs a little more character, and the suggestion that he may drop a large branch on you
  - 10 years ago
nishankumar
- 10 years ago
Hello CH, do you have any feedback for entry #20 ? I would like to give you a 5 star work if possible.
- 10 years ago
1. Contest Holder
  - 10 years ago
  Love the detail on the ground and the fact the eyes are just branches behind a hole. Overall, from a distance however the features seem to form into a cute cat face, whereas I need them to look grumpy. Like an old man that has an interesting weathered face, but that's likely to hit you with his stick if you're cheeky or annoying. Not evil or too scary, but grumpy, bad-tempered and not at all happy.
  - 10 years ago
Contest Holder
- 10 years ago
My dashboard shows I have new messages, but I can't find them. If I seem to be ignoring you, please let me know here
- 10 years ago
fadli23
- 10 years ago
Waaiiiiiitt, I wanna try too. drawing is fun!
- 10 years ago
Contest Holder
- 10 years ago
Hi
Thank you all for your contributions so far.
I knew the drawing would be fairly simple, but I put £60 as a was a bit vague as to what I was looking for and was hoping for inspiration.

I have just spent the last few hours analyzing all the submissions and have now refined my requirement.

I think the design which will sell best as a card is one that reflects the text on the card and I have decided that it would be best if the face (and other humanoid bits) are subtle enough that at a casual glance can be missed. - So I have revised the scoring to reflect this, whereas before I feel I was marking on the quality of the drawing.

(Text to follow)
- 10 years ago
View 1 more message
1. nishankumar
  - 10 years ago
  Thanks for the update ! I will attempt to draw a new one based on that text.
  - 10 years ago
2. Contest Holder
  - 10 years ago
  No, It's not the end. I'm letting it run the full 7 days. I've just tried to clarify what I'm looking for.
  - 10 years ago
HackGate
- 10 years ago
amazing inking skills and tree study there guncia3. Do not close this early CH, I want to try something cool for this one too.
- 10 years ago
View 5 more messages
1. HackGate
  - 10 years ago
  freelancers have no Bosses so I guess its cool to pretend to have one...for a while. haha
  - 10 years ago
2. Contest Holder
  - 10 years ago
  I'm no boss, just a man with an idea; I'm winging it, like everyone else.
  - 10 years ago
Contest Holder
- 10 years ago
This is the text which is to go onto the card: (first draught)

"The Malevolent Elm likes to be left alone. It is resistant to the axe, does not easily split. On the hearth, the very flames seem cold. It doesn't mind the wet and was often used for ships keels and lock gates, but most infamously it is the the choice for coffins. Occasionally it will fill it's own coffin and is dubbed 'the widow maker', due to its propensity to drop large branches without warning.

If you were called to defend the King and had more in your arm than in your purse, the Elm would give up a longbow, though more reluctantly than the famous Yew."
- 10 years ago
guncia3
- 10 years ago
Hi, comment on my new try too, please no 13 (correction of the eyes)
- 10 years ago
1. Contest Holder
  - 10 years ago
  It's very good, cannot suggest any more improvements. I just need to decide if it's what I want
  - 10 years ago
nishankumar
- 10 years ago
Hello, need feedback for my latest entry #12.
- 10 years ago
1. Contest Holder
  - 10 years ago
  I think it's good, but not quite what I'm after. It's difficult to describe, but I think I'd like a little less character and a bit more tree
  - 10 years ago
guncia3
- 10 years ago
Hi, could you comment on my new one, no 11?
- 10 years ago
1. Contest Holder
  - 10 years ago
  wow, much better, like the tree detail, love the subtlety of the face; the fact it is not really there. Only suggestion is to change one of the eyes so they are both looking in the same direction, I think this would make him look less mad and more sinister
  - 10 years ago
nishankumar
- 10 years ago
Hi, my latest entries are #9 and #10 .
- 10 years ago
guncia3
- 10 years ago
Hi, could you comment on my entry (no 7), so that I might make necessary changes?
- 10 years ago
1. Contest Holder
  - 10 years ago
  This is just a quick sketch of a tree with a face superimposed, the tree needs to be more detailed and face an integral part of the tree.
  - 10 years ago
Chalice777
- 10 years ago
Hello, I have just submitted my entry #3. Let me know what changes I have to make. Thanks. :)
- 10 years ago
1. Contest Holder
  - 10 years ago
  Hi, the Elm is tall and bitty as you have drawn, but the leaves are not so dence as to give cloud-like sections. I also feel the mouth could do with some work as I have mentioned to nishankumar below.
  - 10 years ago
nishankumar
- 10 years ago
Hi there, let me know what I can improve on for my entry #2
- 10 years ago
1. nishankumar
  - 10 years ago
  By the way, my private message board has some errors so I can't see feedbacks. Replying here would do.
  - 10 years ago
2. Contest Holder
  - 10 years ago
  Tree shape is good, mouth and eyes look a bit 'halloween pumpkin' like. Think the feature need more character and with a better reference back to the tree, for instance you know when a branch is damaged and it grows a protective scar: imagine a branch that has split lengthways and the bark has grown round it forming the lips of a mouth.
  - 10 years ago
houroborus
- 10 years ago
You can contact me for this, so we can talk about the details. Kind Regards
- 10 years ago
1. Contest Holder
  - 10 years ago
  What further details would you like?
  - 10 years ago