Welcome to Gaia! ::

Judging is now over! It was very hard to decide because I got so many great entries. I had help from my sisters, Countess Max and ~[P]urdy [P]ossum [P]ie~ who are familiar with my characters. I took their opinions into consideration, as well as my own feelings on the entries. And, because a few categories either got no entries or got only one, I have some extra gold left over. Therefore, all artists who submitted art will be given 1k! I'll be giving out the gold tonight and tomorrow.

Now, the winners!

Best Cassiel:
First Place: Poisonous Vanity (Picture here)
Second Place: Moon_alchemist (Picture here)

Best Preston:
First Place: Hikage11 (Picture here)
Second Place: Pockylove (Picture here)

Best Sebastian:
First Place: Poisonous Vanity (Picture here)
Second Place: None

Best Dedwin:
First Place: [ P U P P E T ] (Picture here)
Second Place: None

Best Archica:
First Place: Vicenta (Picture here)
Second Place: Themeanypoet (Picture here)

Best Jessie:
First Place: Shinigami Myoko (Picture here)
Second Place: Vicenta (Picture here)

Best Rose:
First Place: SweetMiserie (Picture here)
Second Place: [ -Axel- ] (Picture here)

Best of the Bad Guys (Female):
First Place: SweetMiserie (Picture here)

Best Couple:
First Place: SweetMiserie (Picture here)
Second Place: SweetMiserie (Picture here)


Edit: I bumped up the prize amount again! It now totals over 750k!

Edit: I added runner up prizes for all categories except one (which I'll be adding in the near future). The total prize amount now is 650k! It'll be growing too. biggrin I'll probably be increasing the prize amount for each category too, so watch for it!

Also! I have a new contest going! The person who refers the most artists here will win 5k (5,000 gold)! Basically, each artist who enters can tell me who told them about this contest. The person who's name comes up the most will win 5k! Just be sure to tell the artist to let me know you referred them! So even if you can't draw, you can still win some gold here!

Note: I have now included reference pictures of the characters I have art for. I'm only doing this because so many artists refuse to draw OC's without reference pictures. I didn't want to do it because I wanted each artist to give their own interpretation of the characters without being influenced by what another artist has done. But now I realize that is impractical. But please, PLEASE do not feel that you have to go exactly by the reference pictures! I really hope you don't! Please design your own clothes for them and give them a look based more on the descriptions than the references!

Hello, and welcome to my first art contest! The purpose of this contest is to gather up art of my various OC's (Original Characters). I have a total of thirteen characters and nine categories in which to enter, each with their own prize, so there are plenty of choices! Currently, I'm offering over 500k (500,000 gold) in prizes, and the amount may rise over the course of the contest. The prize amount will NEVER GO DOWN. It can only go up. biggrin

Note that the contest will end on November 30, 2007. This gives you over three months to submit your entries. Judging will be done by myself (with help from my sisters) for a couple of days, then prizes will be awarded to the winners. You will receive prizes no later than December 5, 2007 (unless Gaia crashes or something crazy like that XD).

Note: Please feel free to bump and chat in the thread! biggrin

Please read below to find out how to enter!

Contents:

Rules/Guidelines
Characters: Good Guys (Males)
Characters: Good Guys (Females)
Characters: Bad Guys/Couples
Categories/Prizes/Entries
Links/Affiliates

Characters:

These characters are very special to me. They are the stars of a novel series I've been writing for five years (I've been planning it for over six years). As such, I view them almost as my children. XD Some of the descriptions may seem a bit wordy, but I feel the information is important. I give brief descriptions of their personalities so that you'll know what expressions or poses to give them.

You can read what I've written of the first novel (called Zombie Party) here:
http://clinically-cynical.com/zombieparty

Note that reading the story is NOT required. It may give you more insight into the characters, but it's purely optional (a lot of the characters haven't even appeared yet anyway).

The Good Guys: Males



Cassiel
Age: 19
Size: Average height. Thin.
Skin: Ghostly white (he's technically a zombie, but the only real indication of this is that he has very pale white skin)
Hair: Straight and jet-black. Hangs to the jaw-line. Think Matt from Deathnote (only black, not red XD). Here's a picture of Matt. Remember, the reference is for the hairstyle, nothing else.
Eyes: Aquamarine-blue. Very bright. The color of his eyes are important (as zombies in my story have these very bright aqua eyes that look like they're almost glowing).
Clothes: Dresses in a semi-gothic fashion. Black clothes, goth-esque jewelry and accessories. Throw in a piercing if you want. He doesn't go all out with the goth look though. No black eye liner or anything like that. XD Basically, his interest in the goth look extends to clothing and jewelry/accessories, but not any sort of makeup.
Personality: Very kind-hearted and sweet (despite the goth thing). No angsty/emo poses. Relaxed and laid back. Has a cute smile. Has a certain noble air to him, as he would do anything to help others. A genuinely nice guy.
History: Cassiel was shopping at the mall with his girlfriend Brittany when it suddenly came under a zombie attack. Together with two other survivors, they attempted to escape. One by one, they fell to the zombies who surrounded them and cut off the exits. Brittany was badly bitten, and realizing she was dying and there was no chance to escape, shoved Cassiel into a nearby candy store and pulled down the metal gate, locking it from the outside. She died in front of Cassiel before becoming a zombie herself. The rest of the zombie horde broke through the gate, and while Cassiel managed to put Brittany out of her zombie-induced misery and fight off his attackers for a while, he was eventually bitten and became a zombie himself. Because the zombie virus affects everyone differently, Cassiel has retained his human memories and thoughts. He has increased strength and speed, can only be killed by having his brain destroyed, and struggles with a taste for flesh while being an actual nice guy.



Preston
Age: 18
Size: Short and thin. Looks younger than his age.
Skin: Sort of pale. Not zombie-pale though.
Hair: Orange-red. Hangs to the bottom of his ears. His bangs are long and completely cover his eyes (what his eyes look like is a huge mystery, so they can't be visible at all).
Eyes: N/A
Clothes: Wears baggy, oversized jeans and T-shirts with funny phrases on them or loose sweaters/sweatshirts. Should look somewhat poorly-kept.
Personality: Shy, easily frightened, introverted, etc. He reminds the other characters of a hurt puppy. Has a dark side, however. Angsty/emo poses are fine for him. He probably looks somewhat defensive, as if expecting to be hurt.
History: Preston's single mother abused and neglected him, locking him away for most of his childhood because she was ashamed of him. She feared him most of all, because of his eyes (which are still a mystery). He was poorly fed and dressed. During the zombie attack on his neighborhood, his mother became a zombie. He used a meat cleaver to chop up her head (thus, killing her) and has adopted it as his weapon of choice ever since.


Art by Izumi K. Rukawa

Sebastian
Age: 19
Size: Average height. Thin.
Skin: Not exactly tanned, but not pale either. Average.
Hair: Vibrant, dark red. Kenshin-red, if you watch Rurouni Kenshin (anime, not manga). Hair style is like the one on this guy (the STYLE of the hair is the only similarity).
Eyes: Icy blue. So pale that the black pupils stand out a lot.
Clothes: Is very stylish and fashionable. Trendy, even. Use your own judgment here. Just make sure he's in dark colors. Navy blue, maroon, hunter green, etc. Any color as long as it's a dark shade. Prefer not black (already have enough characters in black XD).
Personality: Crude, rude, selfish, blunt, doesn't get along with others, arrogant, etc. He's a jerk. Very serious and stern. Easily annoyed. Should probably be glaring. Has a way of cutting people down. Is a fierce figher who uses only his hands. Give him gloves that cover his hands (in other words, no fingerless gloves). Beyond his crude exterior, he's actually very shy (though no one knows this). May come into play in couple pictures. biggrin
History: Sebastian's story is still a mystery in my novel. All I can say is that he had a rocky relationship with his family members and probably went through the most lengthy and desperate battle for suvival among all the other characters when the zombie outbreak occurred. But he's not exactly eager to share his story.



Doctor Dedwin
Age: 23
Size: Average.
Skin: Average.
Hair: Pale blonde. Hangs to the jaw-line and the bangs fall over and cover his left eye.
Eyes: Dark blue. You can give him glasses or not, it's up to you.
Clothes: Wears a doctor's white coat. Is probably blood-stained. Anything else you add is up to you.
Personality: Very mysterious. Likes to experiment on people. Give him an expression that's hard to read (as in, you can't tell if he's happy or not). He's technically a "bad guy" but he really thinks what he's doing is right. Views everything as "scientific". Detached from his emotions.
History: The doctor works for the government, studying zombies, "enhanced" zombies (like Cassiel), and trying to create ways to cure the virus and kill the zombies in the most efficient way possible. He's a firm believer of "the end justifies the means", so he's not opposed to experimenting on innocent humans if he believes it's for the greater good of wiping out all the zombies. To accomplish this, he has separated himself from his emotions and forces himself to believe only in science.

The Bad Guys:

These characters are a team of super-powered zombies (don't ask, except to note that in my story some zombies retain their human personalities and memories) working for the government. They all wear the same black, military-style uniform. Some have added personal touches (which will be noted below). The uniforms are, as I said, black. They have white trim and they are very modern. They have lots of buckles and zippers, and the jackets are long (but not bulky like trench coats). The pants are sort of baggy (but in a fashionable way). They also wear chunky black boots and black gloves. No hoods on the jackets!

Note that since they are all zombies, they all have the same ghostly white skin that Cassiel has, as well as the bright aquamarine-blue eyes.

Bad Guy Number One (Name is a spoiler)
Age: 16
Size: Average height, very thin.
Hair: Bright pink. Styled like the hair in this picture.
Personality: On the surface, is very kind and sweet. But in reality, is a devious, bloodthirsty killer. Should be smiling sweetly but have a dangerous look in his eyes.

Gavin
Age: 22
Size: On the tall side. Thin without being skinny.
Hair: Silver. Styled similar to KH2 Riku, but not quite so long. Something like this. Length is a little past the shoulders, but not hanging way down on his back or anything.
Personality: The most calm and mature of the super zombie squad. Acts like the "big brother" of the group. Seems like a nice guy, cracks jokes, etc. But like the others, he has a violent, flesh-eating streak. XD Should look surprisingly friendly, maybe be grinning.
Notes: Wears a military-style cap/hat (black).

Kai
Age: 18
Size: Fairly short and skinny.
Hair: Midnight blue. The color and style is almost exactly like the guy in this picture and again in this picture.
Personality: An absolute nightmare. Cruel, violent, mysogynistic, sadistic. Was a monster of a person before turning into a super zombie. Now he's much worse. Looks deceptively innocent. Should look maniacal. Picture a cute little bishounen who's totally batshit insane. There you go. Avoid giving him the wide "crazy eyes" though. Just give him a rather evil grin or something.

Lilah
Age: 17
Size: Rather tiny.
Hair: Deep purple. She wears it pulled over to one side, hanging over her shoulder in thick curls. No barrettes or anything.
Personality: Very naive. Believes in the wrong people. Abused all her life and thus, is a competely broken person who latches on to whoever gives her kindness (but in a psychotic, obsessive way). Easily jealous and prone to rages. Should look sweet, but somewhat scared and dangerous (like a cornered animal).

Ruby
Age: 21
Size: Average height. Somewhat voluptuous (not as much as Rose, but more than the rest of the girls).
Hair: Bright crimson red. Not dark red or orange red. BRIGHT RED. Straight and long, hanging to her hips.
Personality: Very sexy. Flirts and comes onto pretty much any good-looking guy who steps into her path. But she's not ditzy or trampy. She just uses her beauty to her advantage, and normally gets results. Isn't afraid to use her body to get what she wants. Mature and strong. Rather calm. Manipulative. Give her full, red lips.
Notes: Make her uniform somewhat revealing, however you want to do it.

Sylvie
Age: 18
Size: Short and thin. Has somewhat large breasts, though not ridiculously so. XD
Hair: Medium green (not lime green and not hunter green, somewhere in the middle). Shoulder-length and flipped up on the ends. Looks bouncy.
Personality: Geeky, bookworm-ish. Wears glasses. Is a technical genius and so is good with computers and weapons. Easily angered. Like the other super zombies, she has a taste for flesh and can be very violent. She claims that she's working with them to gather more knowledge of the differences between super zombies and regular zombies, as well as between super zombies and humans. Thinks gore and violence is "interesting".
Notes: She wears a pleated skirt with her uniform instead of pants, and a short jacket.

Couple Options:

Here are the various pairings and couples in the story that I'd like to see art of. Please only two characters in each image, as I'm not currently interested in group pictures.

Cassiel and Archica (poses should be fun, sexy, etc. Nothing angsty, as they have a happy relationship. Both are adventurous and rather cheerful)

Sebastian and Jessie (poses should be sweet and innocent, nothing sexy or risque, probably have Sebastian looking protective. Kissing is okay, as long as it's not sexual, as she is only fourteen)

Preston and Jessie (poses should be sweet, with a shy-looking Preston, again, nothing sexy. No kissing! Holding hands would be cute, with Jessie taking the initiative)

Sebastian and Preston (not a romantic pair, though a slight shounen-ai vibe is okay; nothing sexy, no kissing, just have them looking rather comfortable with each other. Maybe leaning on each other, back-to-back or something of that nature)

Preston and Rose (sweet, kissing is okay, Rose should look somewhat maternal or "nurturing" toward a somewhat shy Preston. A sexy vibe is okay, so long as it's very tasteful)

Rose and Doctor Dedwin (poses should be somewhat disturbing, with a cold, domineering, expressionless doctor and a frightened Rose).

Archica and Preston (best friends, so no kissing or romance. Should be funny or cheerful. Archica perhaps teasing Preston)

Archica and Jessie (very good friends, like sisters. Archica likes to dress Jessie up like a doll. Maybe she's braiding Jessie's hair. Something fun and sweet)

Cassiel and Sebastian (the two prettiest boys, Sebastian doesn't trust or like him. Sebastian may look annoyed. Plus points for an obviously accidental kiss, as in one of them falls onto the other and both are rather horrified XD)

Bad Guy Number One and Jessie (Should be fighting or at least visibly at odds with each other, NOTHING even remotely sexual, as they are enemies who fight each other)

Gavin and Archica (Gavin should be flirting somewhat with Archica, but in a harmless, fun way. Archica should look either amused or somewhat annoyed)

Kai and Preston (They fight each other a lot. Preston is creeped out by him but feels pity for him. Use your imagination for the pose. A shounen-ai vibe is okay, but please no kissing or anything sexual)

Lilah and Rose (Again, these two fight each other. Use your imagination)

Lilah and the Doctor Dedwin (She's obsessively in love with him, and thinks he's the only one who cares for her, but he's just manipulating her. He could be holding her tenderly, looking as if he really does care about her, or maybe she's hugging him from behind, looking at him adoringly)

Ruby and Sebastian (She should be advancing on him, perhaps coming onto him. A sexy pose would be ideal. Maybe she's got him pinned down or against the wall, and closing in for a kiss XD, Sebastian should look rather uncomfortable and disgruntled)

Sylvie and Cassiel (They fight each other, but also find each other highly interesting. Cassiel should look rather amused by her, and maybe she's looking annoyed at his amusement XD)

Sylvie and Kai (She's the only girl he doesn't despise, but he'd never admit it, and generally acts as if he finds her annoying. She's the only person who treats him like a normal person, and rants at him like she would anyone else. Use this info to come up with a pose)

Gavin and Kai (Gavin acts as an older brother figure to Kai, always trying to calm him down. Maybe pose them with Gavin trying to cheer Kai up, who is utterly annoyed)

Links/Affiliates:

If you're running a contest of some kind and would like to exchange links with me, please let me know via PM or posting in the thread! I'd love to be affiliates! biggrin Just point me to your contest. Or, if you'd like to put my banner in your signature and advertise for me, I'd be extremely appreciative!

Here is the banner for my contest:





Feel free to direct-link!

Affiliates:

X3 your characters sounds fun to draw, i'm interested in entering.^^

X3

whee Someone's already interested. That's awesome! <3