No suprise, but congratulations to you matteo. This is one of my favs of yours!

congrats on 2nd!

Wow. Hats off to you, and congrats on first place.

Orange is a product of yellow and red mixed together. It is not a tone of red in the sense that this contest states. If it were, then purple would be allowed as well.

Your work wouldn't be removed for using them as long as they are clearly linked. I know because I used the same ears in a contest here when I first joined.

And don't be discouraged when something is removed momentarily. At least they give you the chance to fix it and go on.

You have plenty of time to improve this entry if you wanted to. I choose not to vote til closer to the end if I believe someone can make vital improvements to their image that will raise their vote.

And here is a tut with a link to the ears I used on my first try at an avatar. I have done a few since the one I entered here and found some new techniques for blending colors and getting more of the avatar look I was going for. http://www.webdesign.org/photoshop/photo-editing/na-vi-avatar-photo-manipulation-exclusive-tutorial.18015.html

Hope that helps.

Fabulous shot author. I love the tender feel of this one!

Its one of my favorite shots so far, however I do have to agree...this isn't really a portrait. You are a fabulous photographer, and always very creative, but even thos of us with a more creative standing in a contest don't always make it on theme. I've been outside the box enough times to know that sometimes those pesky definitions can be the death of an entry.

I will say, awesome shot, great memory for the family, yet....not quite a portrait in the sense of artistic definition.

You should find some avatar ears to make this more like an avatar.

Both avatars in this contest seem to be lacking the avatar ears and hair styles.

Wow. Total surprise on this one. I would have never guessed it was you!

Awesome entry. I'm impressed!

your main source image can't be used off of dA. i'd change the model stock before your whole idea gets pulled.
edit: better. Now you could work on cleaning up the edges a bit.

Because the grass blades are the same proportional size to fit in scene with the "supersized" sheep, your wolf looks miniaturized. Try changing the ground to fit the size of the wolf not the sheep so you get the super sized effect you are going for.

I like your concept but feel you miniaturized the person instead of supersizing the lap top. The coke can onto the right makes all the difference. Perhaps mask it out?

i think adding a ridge along where the face was "removed" would help add to the dimension of the piece. right now, it looks like his face was paper thin.
some softening back on the horizon line would help blend it together as well, maybe use a soft edged eraser set at a 15% opacity just to soften the edge a bit and show some of his sweater through the tree line.
and otherwise, i like it. original concept...the title is suiting. You might think about softening your sunrays back there so they aren't so bold. but thats just a suggestion.
Good Luck

i do like this
and its nice to see the stock photo you used to create it..
you didn't link your brushes though...could you maybe do so?

Congrats! Now package it up and send it over. I do need some new best friends...you know what they say about diamonds
Good job though...really!

This is great! We are huge marvel comic fans in my house, and I have to say, this is definitly my favorite in the contest! My six year old wants me to pass along good luck from him too! he's a fan!

The mood of this work is awesome. Well done and nice transformation of the source. good luck!

This is awesome. I really do adore the imagination of some of the work in this contest, and I do have to say this one is goin to my favs. The detail is superb. Good luck!

"Fugly" or not, I want a whole tank full of these guys! How completely awesome! I love your blending! Well done.

This is pretty cool author! I do love the lighting in it! Only thing I might have done is use some heavily blurred coral or fish in the background to give more dimension and size relevance to your wonderful flashlightacus. good luck!

I knew there was a good reason never to go deep sea diving!

I like your interpretation of the character here. And your water effects are great. Sad thought the lonely guy just wants a friend only to be tricked by cruel creations of humanity. Suppose I'm reading a bit deep but, that is what art does.
Good luck to you.

This is a fabulously fun entry! I've watched it since its debut, and I love your changes! Most of all your creation is so full of imagination, as are your replies with the re-con gull.
And I do think removing the turtle was a good thing. Plays more into that aquatic diva. Good luck!

hahahaha...just by the comments, i know who the author is. would have LOVED to be there.

nice shot. and yes. i'm jealous. THE trent reznor!

oh dear.
excuse the drool.
but... WOW. this is definitely ART. nice stretch

my son freaks out every time i do this with my eyes. :lol:
its fun.
did you try raising the black levels in this? give it a bit more "pop" ?

I agree with MnM. ..cropping that blur would improve the shot immensely.

This is lovely. What a capture...not to mention an amazing keepsake for the expecting mother. Beautiful shot, and definitely one of my favs in this contest.

this is awesome. really. i love the textures you get with this max contrast thing.
well done.

textures are always fun! and i like your overlaying texture here (familiar, i think i've used that quite a few times! )...one thing, i might suggest using a soft edge eraser set at a 15 or 25 % opacity and erase a little more around your main focus of your piece...so that the texture doesn't detract from the focus. also, might make the boy a bit more visable, right now he's getting lost in the business.
i agree with ponti on the pixels on the neck...and on the bit of the head looking "flat" ... could us a bit of work.

all in all, i say good luck to you!

I stand corrected. Well done.

this is great. nicely done!

the lighting on this makes me really raise an eyebrow.
is this photography?
looks entirely manipulated to me.
she's lit in a way that is unreal to the background.

it is beautiful. and worth the other 126 shots.
i know what you mean though... i've taken countless shots of my own eyes only to be unhappy with all of them.

i'm captivated by the color. really. astounding!

suggestion: up the brightness. your musicians get lost in the background.

Awesome creation author! I really like this one!

Good work indeed. This one has a great feel to it. Good luck!

Well done!I agree with arca. you made our boney friend sensitive

strangely surreal. seems... off somewhere. perhaps its just that really weird angle of the shoe.. its making this all seem off kilter. however, its a great idea... and i love the tree you've chosen. along with the fruit...

*agrees with locks*

this is an excellent shot. and the youth of the eye means nothing to the inner quality of the person owning such an eye.
with age, comes character, and experience, and education.... its beautiful.

i really like this one, author! nicely done...that image wasn't an easy one to play with, i worked with it for an evening and then gave it up to the masters. well done and best of luck!

shame.the flash really blew this one out. it would have been a lovely picture otherwise.

i agree with cmyk. and your fairy could have been better blended in to the background.

i thought the only part of this that showed the source being used was the umbrella top.
however...when i put it up on high res, i see that you put the shroom caps on the ends of the chairs as well..and the table. you could have blended them better from what i could see, and some of your shadows under the caps are missing. they would cast some what of a shadow since they stick out from the legs of the chair.

wow.
its a fabulous shot.
absolutely.

in the defense of the photographers out there that live with a camera strapped to their side.

DUDE! I ALWAYS go shopping with my camera in my posession.
i go everywhere with my camera. or a camera of one sort or another. My droid phone has one great camera (for a cell phone anyway), and my point and shoot is always in the side pocket...my canon fits into the central pocket of my purse..so..yeah...

camera is always ready and willing to snap off an amazing shot. or less than amazing. which ever the case may be... the point is..my camera is closer to me than just about anything.