Robot Claw

For the fifth consecutive year, Bernard and I are competing in a postcard contest. With the same five judges as last year the category this time is food.

This year we’re using markers only – no pencil sketches! – and I printed cards featuring lovely AI art of girls eating. While the ten subjects – most chosen by judges – are all types of food, there is no requirement to literally depict the subject: images evocative of or inspired by are acceptable ok. At least that was the theory…

Fruit

Mine is on the left, and Bernard’s on the right. Immediately we both learned how shockingly poor quality the markers were! The colour distribution is strange, they bleed a bit onto the postcard, and they change colour as they dry. I suppose I shouldn’t have simply purchased the cheapest option, but $8 for 40 markers was a deal only a fool would have ignored!

As for the art, I wish I’d done a sunset background instead of blue (which dried darker than it looked when drawing), and Bernard’s leaves I think also suffered from colour changing.

To our surprise this first category was a tie: we each scored 7.5 points (each judge divides 3 points between the two pics)! Individual judges had preferences, but in the end the scores were even. Here’s some of their comments:

“Both good but flawed. Left pic is wallpaper-like or even stained-glass window-like, except the fruit isn’t uniform. Right pic is more striking, while having size problems and missing a shadow.”
“Love the stained-glass motif but left seemed less fruit centric. Love the blue.”
“I like the stained-glass window effect of the first picture with the checkerboard style contrasting. The structure and balance of form and colour are very well done. The second picture is pleasing in its simplicity with clever use of negative space and a modernised with the black outlines and stylised shadowing.”

Pasta

Mine is left and Bernard’s right. I hated mine. The spaghetti was extremely difficult to render with the markers, and none of the colours were quite right. I added an ‘Italian’ background but the green dried lighter and it looks silly. I was positive I’d lose… but then I got Bernard’s in the mail and suddenly wasn’t so sure!

The judges preferred mine, and I won 8.1 to 6.9. The comments suggested they liked our efforts better than we did! Here’s what they said:

“I marvel at the technical artistry in the left picture. The fork full of fettuccine is so well executed I feel like I could lean in and take a bite from the plate. Right ois a visual magnet. The combination of colours and forms is so attractive it should be gracing the front of an Italian postcard or advertising your favourite Italian restaurant.”
“Left is good but it’s a bit bland and boring.”
“Both pictures were made with longing. Made by a person really longed to see a pasta.”

Hamburger

Bernard is left and me right. I was keenly aware mine was a risk, but I felt Hamburglar was as iconic to ‘hamburger’ as a simple depiction. I was even going to draw him without any burgers, and in retrospect wish I had. I was very proud at the likeness, and was happy had the correct colours as well.

The judges were confused, and I got a couple of questions asking if mine was even allowed! Even after explaining this wasn’t supposed to be a simple ‘drawings of food’ contest they greatly preferred Bernard’s (unquestionably well rendered) literal depiction, and he won 10.3 to 4.7 in the contests first blowout!

“The left hamburger looks delicious. Two all beef patties special sauce lettuce cheese pickled onions on a sesame seed bun!!!!! I will remember that phrase till the day I die I think. Right is disappointing. I don’t want to eat those hamburgers!!”
“The Hamburglar pic is cute, but there’s so much more burger to the other one.”
“What’s the green stripe in left?”

Ramen

Mine is right, Bernard left. I went with a pop-arty approach, and traced around inverted glasses to get perfect circles. I half based mine on a reference photo but felt noodles were essential and added many more, as well as two naruto. I was happy with it, and personally felt Bernard’s – while well drawn – was lacking in actual ramen!

He scored a narrow victory with 7.3 to my 6.7. The judges were torn with two ties and it came down to one of them to cast the decider. Their comments:

“Both are great and could be T-shirt designs or something. If I had to pick a fault, the bowl on the right is maybe a tad too stylised.”
“While left is more traditional the modern twist of right is superb.”
“Left just had more… soul? Also broth, key ingredient to ramen. Kudos to the spiral fish cakes though on right.”
“I like the egg yolk on the left but it looks quite rushed. The meat color for the right is too pink and it looks too flat and lacks toppings, but I like the cartoon approach.”

Cereal

Mine is left, Bernard is right. I’m proud that I didn’t use any reference photo. I held a box of Raisin Bran as a model, and labored over the transparency of the bag which was a big challenge due to the markers. When I received Bernard’s I was impressed, but I felt it was a bit ‘safe’ and had a feeling by this point risks would be noticed by the judges. The fact we both used fruit loops was a coincidence.

The judges overwhelmingly preferred mine, and I won 10.45 to 4.55. Some comments:

“So much detail in left. I love the colours and perspective and the splashing of the milk. While right is nice it just pales besides the obvious effort taken in left.”
“I like the dynamic splash of the milk on the left, although right has something of a seriousness/still life quality to it. Did you guys align on fruit loops before starting?”
“Funny that the actual cereals are so similar. Left pic is very dynamic, and I have to award it more points.”

With one tie and two wins each we’re now tied at the halfway point! This is a challenging contest – food is much more difficult to draw than previous categories – and it’s absolutely anyone’s game at this point.

Come back in six weeks or so to see who wins!