Adunakhor has provided contestants with a very interesting second task for the Guild theme in April: He proposed them to go wild and create a brave and representative champion for a guild of their choice. I must say I'm pretty impressed with the two entries I'll share with you hereunder. Even when they're just a couple, both of them are so full of champion feeling and dedication, that I'm pretty sure this poll will be REALLY exciting to follow. Exquisite pieces, guys! Congrats to both artists and a big thank you for sharing your talent with us.
Going back to our bussiness... The original task readed as this:
"Your challenge Choose one of Ravnica's guilds andmake a picture showing the portrait of a champion or general, as he or she is leading the guild`s army into battle. Your piece must follow this guideline:
- Portrait: I wanna see a close up of the champions face. Your piece should show parts of the upper body as well, but the main focus is on the face - The champion's face must show signs of battle, e.g. dirt, blood, emotion, etc. The champion is not wearing a helmet. Addendum: The champion can wear any other form of head dress, but the face must be fully visible. - The champion is wielding a weapon like a sword. Since the main focus of the of this is on the face, only a glance / part of the weapon should be visible - The champion should be recognizable as member of his corresponding guild, due to insignia or other stuff on the champion`s armor or the champion's anatomy. - Your piece is designed to be put on a booster box. This means you have space to "go broad" and put other stuff left and right of the champion, e.g. like the indication of the soldiers following your champions. This is not mandatory, though.
- Addendum: The champion can be fictional or a "real" one from the ravnica block."
Now, please, let's go an take a look at what we have got:
" as the Orzhov's champion">
This is what the artist said about his piece and the process involved in it:
"First off, i was so excited about doing this challenge despite research on Orzhov's guild, i went with a very "loose" and open artistic liberation. I created a guild champion (wasn't sure if i was supposed to use the one provided, but was making that clear)
This is my story of her:
It is the Orzhov Champion and she is called Mikova, the Champion Mage. Born of Sorin Markov's essence, left over from his master creation, Avacyn and forged by the binding mystical powers of the Obzedat, Teysa has placed the gift of the Orzhova upon the shoulders of this loyal and fearless being. Not human, not angel, not vampire, not ghost, but something else. Something the other guild champions will never expect. The Dragon's maze maybe treturous, but with the light of servant spirits guiding her path, and the rod of blight firm in her grasp, she will not fail the Guild of Orzhov, their is no choice, she has been willed to win, and that is the only will she knows."
" as the Izzet's champion">
A couple of words from the artist regarding his inspiration:
Loved the first Ravnica Artwork assignement, and this one was no different. After my Gruul piece from few months back I decided to mix it up and try my hand at an Izzet character.
Humans are kinda boring, and niv-mizzet likes to be unique as a dragon so I figured; There's minotaurs on Ravnica right, why not make a Blue-Red one. Minotaurs, outside of Ravnica, have had a tendency to appear in a combination of mostly red and sometimes blue, so this one didn't seem like too much of a stretch
Besides MTG needs moar minotaurs for sure!"
Well... The pieces are served, and now it's your time to declare wich champion has became the Maze's Conquerer!
We have two delicious pieces here. They depict two magnificent champions competing inside the maze of all mazes. So...
Both are beautiful designs but my vote is for Tsjagatai. The minotaur's rage and unbridled power is conveyed clearly, and I love the special F/X of the electricity emanating from his horns as conductors.
Hope to see more designs by both artists in this forum!
Gotta say that I am absolutely in love with queengothica`s piece. It looks like an artwork you would find on magic cards of the old days, very unique, no mainstream stuff. It really has a magic feeling to me, maybe because it's a mixture of real paint and digital touch ups.
Tsjagatai's work is again top notch and even goes the extra mile to show some clan soldiers in the background! The Minotaur has a very aggressive and ruthless look to it and is a convincing champion. Well done
The two pieces are so different, that it is tough to make a decision, but my vote will go to queengothica's this time.
Agreed with adu. Both are incredible in their own styles and emotional facades. I would need to vote for both of them, since I can't decide wich one catches my heart more. What a shame I didn't allowed the poll to chose multiple options...
Let's see how the community defines this. (again, congrats to both of you! :D)
Going back to our bussiness... The original task readed as this:
"Your challenge
Choose one of Ravnica's guilds andmake a picture showing the portrait of a champion or general, as he or she is leading the guild`s army into battle. Your piece must follow this guideline:
- Portrait: I wanna see a close up of the champions face. Your piece should show parts of the upper body as well, but the main focus is on the face
- The champion's face must show signs of battle, e.g. dirt, blood, emotion, etc. The champion is not wearing a helmet. Addendum: The champion can wear any other form of head dress, but the face must be fully visible.
- The champion is wielding a weapon like a sword. Since the main focus of the of this is on the face, only a glance / part of the weapon should be visible
- The champion should be recognizable as member of his corresponding guild, due to insignia or other stuff on the champion`s armor or the champion's anatomy.
- Your piece is designed to be put on a booster box. This means you have space to "go broad" and put other stuff left and right of the champion, e.g. like the indication of the soldiers following your champions. This is not mandatory, though.
- Addendum: The champion can be fictional or a "real" one from the ravnica block."
Now, please, let's go an take a look at what we have got:
This is what the artist said about his piece and the process involved in it:
"First off, i was so excited about doing this challenge despite research on Orzhov's guild, i went with a very "loose" and open artistic liberation. I created a guild champion (wasn't sure if i was supposed to use the one provided, but was making that clear)
This is my story of her:
It is the Orzhov Champion and she is called Mikova, the Champion Mage. Born of Sorin Markov's essence, left over from his master creation, Avacyn and forged by the binding mystical powers of the Obzedat, Teysa has placed the gift of the Orzhova upon the shoulders of this loyal and fearless being. Not human, not angel, not vampire, not ghost, but something else. Something the other guild champions will never expect. The Dragon's maze maybe treturous, but with the light of servant spirits guiding her path, and the rod of blight firm in her grasp, she will not fail the Guild of Orzhov, their is no choice, she has been willed to win, and that is the only will she knows."
A couple of words from the artist regarding his inspiration:
"Izzet Fictional Champion:
Vizgarth, Blastseeker Extraordinaire
Loved the first Ravnica Artwork assignement, and this one was no different. After my Gruul piece from few months back I decided to mix it up and try my hand at an Izzet character.
Humans are kinda boring, and niv-mizzet likes to be unique as a dragon so I figured; There's minotaurs on Ravnica right, why not make a Blue-Red one. Minotaurs, outside of Ravnica, have had a tendency to appear in a combination of mostly red and sometimes blue, so this one didn't seem like too much of a stretch
Besides MTG needs moar minotaurs for sure!"
Well... The pieces are served, and now it's your time to declare wich champion has became the Maze's Conquerer!
We have two delicious pieces here. They depict two magnificent champions competing inside the maze of all mazes. So...
Hope to see more designs by both artists in this forum!
Tsjagatai's work is again top notch and even goes the extra mile to show some clan soldiers in the background! The Minotaur has a very aggressive and ruthless look to it and is a convincing champion. Well done
The two pieces are so different, that it is tough to make a decision, but my vote will go to queengothica's this time.
My gallery of altered cards
Let's see how the community defines this.