Every fest, fourteen lucky winners get their skin submissions turned loose into the world, and get the hard-earned admiration and love they deserve.
But there’s a lot more than fourteen good entries every fest, and while the runners-up that FR chooses get a skin blueprint, they don’t get much in the way of notice – which is something every artist needs, especially those hoping to run their own shops. And spending hours on a piece of art only to have it passed over unseen is a deeply disheartening experience.
Let’s change that! This thread is for showing off some of the entries that didn't win. Share what you liked about them with the world, and maybe even ask if that artist plans to print!
This thread is not to complain about the winners. It's fine to say you wish a skin had won, but let's avoid 'this is so much better/more thematic than any of the winners,' much less anything more targeted. Stick to talking about the losing entries and what makes them great.
The link to the submissions thread, if you want to take a look for yourself.
I’ll start!
Winter Seal by @Arkenrall. Intricate and pretty! This one was subtle enough to work with many dragons, blended well for darker colors, and was incredibly high quality. I loved the delicate (and as far as I could tell, unique) snowflake patterns trailing the extremities and the cracked ice-scales lining the spine.
Winter Warrior by @Caecilius. I was looking forward to some Gaoler skins this year, and I positively adored this one. The female Gaoler pose is perfect for a warrior, and this skin worked so well with it – tufts of fur poking over the cloth, slipping the sword blade over a stretch of mostly lineless body to create something that could pass for real apparel. From the shining baubles to the intricate pommel, this is an accent I’d have loved to make a dragon for.
Ice Warden’s Knight by @Popvip. A mirror to Winter Warrior, in a way – here’s a deadly ice fighter for a breed that can’t wear apparel. While Gaolers are shaggy and Tundras well illustrate that apparel isn’t always the right way to go with them, Banescales are a breed that really would love apparel. Again, the armor looks like it could be site art – it uses the scale pattern to its advantage, turning them into lapping metal plates, and turns the wing membrane into dual-layered pauldrons. The dagger as an enchanted icicle is really neat.
Frozen Sacrifice by @dransnake. This was a super neat look at the Banescale lore. We saw a lot of skins like that this fest, depicting what happened to the ancient Banescales when the Gaolers cast their spell, but this one was hands-down the coolest to me – a dragon turning to ice and shattering mid-flight.
Arctic Sunrise by @VariantLoki. Ice is one of the fests where submissions tend to get a bit samey, and I thought this was a cool spin on a traditional idea. The colors are striking without being too bold or interpretive, the art for the cracked floes is superb, and the fading on the hind leg really brings it together as a cohesive accent. For Tundras, it’s always tempting to do just the wings, mane, and overcoat, using the cutoffs the lineart provides, but I’ve never liked the effect that creates, and I have to give props for something that takes the extra step.
Freezebane by @Bioluminosity. Utterly beautiful. I’m chilly just looking at this – this is a Banescale made out of winter night, where the howling wind skims flurries of snow off the ground and tosses them through the air. I love the sharp contrasts and how the cold snowy colors appear to glow against the indigo backdrop – edging them in irregular light-mid blues was a master move. This is my favorite kind of landscape accent – one that actually looks like a natural dragon, a scene interpreted into organic patterns.
Iceborn Trader by @Strella. I thought this one was so cool! It had that touch of outside-the-box thinking I love to see in Crystalline Gala submissions. The lineart’s clean, the patterns on the hides are so well done they look like site apparel, and I love that it uses the pelts of different Sornieth animals. This is a great look into some of the less ambitious and more everyday denizens of the Southern Icefield – not every Gaoler can be a warrior or a Shade-hunter.
Snow Totem by @shroudrat. A similar skin to the above – doing relatively subtle frosty alterations to the dragon and using the bulk of the accent as a canvas for clothing instead. It seems apparel-based accents don’t get chosen often, but I love the different textures arrayed here – the smooth warhorn, the faceted blade, the shaggy pelt and tight braids. Really a masterpiece of variety here, and a wonderful outfit for a dragon who would very much love to wear an outfit some day.
Tundra’s Sunrise by @PelicanBitten. The art is astounding. I spent minutes just poring over the snowy crags on the hills, the silhouettes of tundra grass, and how flawless the shadows were. My favorite part is that touch of warm tan where the sun meets the mountain – just like this is a splash of color in a sea of white-blue submissions, the sunrise really brings this landscape to life. And of course, that little mist of breath works wonders bringing your eye back to the Wildclaw.
But there’s a lot more than fourteen good entries every fest, and while the runners-up that FR chooses get a skin blueprint, they don’t get much in the way of notice – which is something every artist needs, especially those hoping to run their own shops. And spending hours on a piece of art only to have it passed over unseen is a deeply disheartening experience.
Let’s change that! This thread is for showing off some of the entries that didn't win. Share what you liked about them with the world, and maybe even ask if that artist plans to print!
This thread is not to complain about the winners. It's fine to say you wish a skin had won, but let's avoid 'this is so much better/more thematic than any of the winners,' much less anything more targeted. Stick to talking about the losing entries and what makes them great.
The link to the submissions thread, if you want to take a look for yourself.
I’ll start!
Winter Seal by @Arkenrall. Intricate and pretty! This one was subtle enough to work with many dragons, blended well for darker colors, and was incredibly high quality. I loved the delicate (and as far as I could tell, unique) snowflake patterns trailing the extremities and the cracked ice-scales lining the spine.
Winter Warrior by @Caecilius. I was looking forward to some Gaoler skins this year, and I positively adored this one. The female Gaoler pose is perfect for a warrior, and this skin worked so well with it – tufts of fur poking over the cloth, slipping the sword blade over a stretch of mostly lineless body to create something that could pass for real apparel. From the shining baubles to the intricate pommel, this is an accent I’d have loved to make a dragon for.
Ice Warden’s Knight by @Popvip. A mirror to Winter Warrior, in a way – here’s a deadly ice fighter for a breed that can’t wear apparel. While Gaolers are shaggy and Tundras well illustrate that apparel isn’t always the right way to go with them, Banescales are a breed that really would love apparel. Again, the armor looks like it could be site art – it uses the scale pattern to its advantage, turning them into lapping metal plates, and turns the wing membrane into dual-layered pauldrons. The dagger as an enchanted icicle is really neat.
Frozen Sacrifice by @dransnake. This was a super neat look at the Banescale lore. We saw a lot of skins like that this fest, depicting what happened to the ancient Banescales when the Gaolers cast their spell, but this one was hands-down the coolest to me – a dragon turning to ice and shattering mid-flight.
Arctic Sunrise by @VariantLoki. Ice is one of the fests where submissions tend to get a bit samey, and I thought this was a cool spin on a traditional idea. The colors are striking without being too bold or interpretive, the art for the cracked floes is superb, and the fading on the hind leg really brings it together as a cohesive accent. For Tundras, it’s always tempting to do just the wings, mane, and overcoat, using the cutoffs the lineart provides, but I’ve never liked the effect that creates, and I have to give props for something that takes the extra step.
Freezebane by @Bioluminosity. Utterly beautiful. I’m chilly just looking at this – this is a Banescale made out of winter night, where the howling wind skims flurries of snow off the ground and tosses them through the air. I love the sharp contrasts and how the cold snowy colors appear to glow against the indigo backdrop – edging them in irregular light-mid blues was a master move. This is my favorite kind of landscape accent – one that actually looks like a natural dragon, a scene interpreted into organic patterns.
Iceborn Trader by @Strella. I thought this one was so cool! It had that touch of outside-the-box thinking I love to see in Crystalline Gala submissions. The lineart’s clean, the patterns on the hides are so well done they look like site apparel, and I love that it uses the pelts of different Sornieth animals. This is a great look into some of the less ambitious and more everyday denizens of the Southern Icefield – not every Gaoler can be a warrior or a Shade-hunter.
Snow Totem by @shroudrat. A similar skin to the above – doing relatively subtle frosty alterations to the dragon and using the bulk of the accent as a canvas for clothing instead. It seems apparel-based accents don’t get chosen often, but I love the different textures arrayed here – the smooth warhorn, the faceted blade, the shaggy pelt and tight braids. Really a masterpiece of variety here, and a wonderful outfit for a dragon who would very much love to wear an outfit some day.
Tundra’s Sunrise by @PelicanBitten. The art is astounding. I spent minutes just poring over the snowy crags on the hills, the silhouettes of tundra grass, and how flawless the shadows were. My favorite part is that touch of warm tan where the sun meets the mountain – just like this is a splash of color in a sea of white-blue submissions, the sunrise really brings this landscape to life. And of course, that little mist of breath works wonders bringing your eye back to the Wildclaw.
Noodledad's wayward child on a whirlwind tour of Sornieth
