Tina <you### [at] foadorg> wrote:

> Well, I'm glad the results are up, but I do believe that this may have
> been the most unrewarding experience in my life. Not only did I get scores
> I consider outright insulting, but I also garnered an entire two comments.
> My interpretation of this feedback and lack thereof is that the IRTC
> audience considers my work utter crap.

> Since I've already put in a couple weeks of every day work on my current
> entry I will probably end up entering it despite this, but I do think it
> will be my last entry into the contest. I'll keep viewing the entries of
> course; it's a great deal of interesting work and sometimes I get useful
> knowledge from it. But... frankly, I give up any hope of /entering/ the 
> contest being useful to me. 

Don't be too hard on the IRTC or yourself.  The competition is quite fierce,
after all.  As a first entry, you didn't do too badly, really.  A couple of
things to look at:

You actually downplayed the work you did, saying that some things were
simple and easy.  Anyone reading that is going to think "Well, if *she*
didn't think it was difficult, why should I?"  That'll lower your scores a
bit.

Artistically, the piece was a little random.  The message you were trying to
evoke (which is a good one) isn't really clear from the image.  It also
suffered from what I call "easy texture syndrome".  Good textures can make
or break a rendering.  I probably spend as much, if not more time on the
textures as I do on the actual building of objects.  Simplicity of texture
leads to a cartoonish, or crayonlike appearance, which when well done, can
be fabulous, but often results in being slightly garish.  Muted or blended
colors are generally better, rather than 'pure' shades, and good use of
surface normals can really enhance.

I hope you don't take the above the wrong way, since it's meant to be
helpful.  Right now in p.b.i, lots of people have been posting their WIP
IRTC renders.  One thing you might wish to try is to post yours, since
you've been working on it.  You can then get feedback from the whole POV
community, and therefore make your picture better.  Getting early feedback
can really help improve a picture before it's time for that all-important
voting.

I hope this helps.

Geoff

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