>>26547 True. This was my first competition and I gave myself a small amount of time to complete the task. The worst entries are done by those, I assume, with limited knowledge and / or imagination. Kudos anyway to them for trying. And criticism can make them/us/me better.

At the same time, since this is an annual contest, I wouldn't be surprised in the least if some of the finalists, if not all of them, have already begun working on their entry for 2014. ;)

But it was a fun journey nonetheless. :)

>>26543 There are a few of those contestants that seem to be fairly professional. I was reading some of their critiques of others work (which was way over my head)which might indicate you have your work cut out for you, Vis. At first glance, the 'whites' and 'shadowing' seem to play a role in the entries. That youngster from Russia looks to have talent (the santa on the bulldozer). I suppose it may be reasonable to assume that those who are new to this field would be having the most trouble; practice makes perfect, huh?

no probs, geezer. Man, some of those entries are downright fugly others are almost on par with yours. So did you win?

>>26431 Sorry for the delay, old chap! The contest entries are here:
http://blenderartists.org/forum/showthread.php?317565-Blender-Guru-Competition-Christmas-2013&p=2514288

The user places the light source(s) where he feels is best, and my lights are placed haphazardly.

Can I ask where the light sources are in reference of the shadows (or lack of)? Doesn't the program automatically add them? If not, why the F not? ;)

And do you have a link to the contest? Like to see the feeble attempts of the others ;)

>>26410 haha thank you! ;) There are a handful of really amazing submissions, but the majority are pure crap.

>>26405 Thank you, goodgrief! I'll post some additional renders so you can see what's involved. In terms of the contest, it's basically a fun thing that we CG guys do from time to time to improve our skills, gain exposure and win cash and prizes. :)

Always happy to see a vis45 original :)
Great work. If this doesn't win then that competition is bullshit! :D

Not knowing what you're talking about, the best in the competition anyway.
Mom and Dad are 're-gifting' their kid and got caught by santa.

Thanks, Grim! The beard wasn't too bad as it's a particle system. The main problem was lighting it properly, and I'm still not convinced it's as good as it could be if I had more experience.

And the story is whatever you want it to be. ;)

Sweet! That beard must rack up the poly count!

So, what's the story here?