Emuparadise Contest (enter and you could win!) -- Create My Tattoo

[Drageuth]

Yes, the thread title is about as direct as I could make it. This is a contest, going out to everyone on Emuparadise -- however, more directly, it's going out to all of the artists of Emuparadise, who seem to have fallen into the background a little bit from what I remember seeing "back in the day."

So, what I figured would be that I would get one of you to design my next tattoo. And yes, I will pay you for it. In sweet, delicious merchandise. If your design is the sexiest, coolest winner.

The winner will not be chosen by any sort of poll or voting schematic. This is not a contest to see who is the best artist on Emuparadise -- this is a contest for one of you to design my tattoo, and if there is a design that I think looks amazing and I want to have permanently inked into my arm, then that person will win.

However, if no one submits a sketch that I like in the time frame, then no one wins, and I will go in and get an actual tattoo artist to do it for me.

What do you win, you ask? Well, there is one GRAND PRIZE of $50 worth of merchandise, from any online store that you choose to purchase from (however, no eBay auctions, and they must accept credit cards). I will buy whatever items you choose from that site, provided that the total cost, including shipping, comes out to $50 or less.

Been wanting to get an Acekard for your Nintendo DS? Been meaning to get a game for your PS3, but don't have any money? Want to get some free X-Box Live time? Well then, you better do a good job.

Now, rules.

1. I will be the sole judge for this contest, because it is going on my body. Therefore, even if you have the sexiest, sweetest design, and everyone loves you for it, if it's not what I'm looking for or I don't think it will look good on my arm, you still won't win.
2. Yes, multiple entries are allowed. In fact, they are encouraged. So try your hand at a few different ways of doing something.
3. All entries must be hand drawn. Not necessarily pen and paper, but I don't want to see clip art stitched together. I want some good, honest, clean lines.
4. Please don't go overboard on the shading. I'm looking for simple colours, similar to what you will find on most Nintendo NES box art covers. Click here for an example of what I mean. Some solid colours, maybe a little bit of definition, but please don't go overboard. Also, solid black outlines would be appreciated as well.
5. There are a few things that I absolutely, positively want in the design (listed below).
6. Original artwork only, please. If you find a sketch of something online that's similar to what I'm looking for, but not quite, and send me that one, then you will not win. In fact, I may ban you. Not really. But please, original artwork only.
7. I have final veto power on all prize payouts. If the site that you are looking at ordering from sounds like it's being housed in the back of a drug den, serviced by trained monkeys and managed by the King Pin, I may refuse to purchase from that site.

That seems like an awful lot of reading, doesn't it, without even knowing what I'm looking for. Well, here's the part about the actual tattoo.

I want to get a Nintendo montage tattooed on my right arm. I currently have two tattoos on that arm already, and the tattoo will have to fit in behind my current tattoos. There is a "picture" of them below, to give you an idea. (By picture, I mean an MS Paint representation, done hastily while waiting for hot dogs to cook in the microwave).

There are a few must haves in terms of what actual characters and items and whatnot are in the tattoo, but only a couple of them do I actually have set in stone. Otherwise, there are a few things that I would like to have, but if it starts to get too clustered, they are okay to leave them out.

1. MUST HAVE: Kirby in the "top left" corner of the outside, shooting a star out of his mouth. The basic idea that I had for that one was the kind of facial expression he might have shooting an enemy out of his mouth that he had turned into a star, like in Kirby's adventure.
2. MUST HAVE: A star, shooting through the design (over, under, doesn't really matter), wrapping around and finishing on my wrist. The star on my wrist should be the same star design as you would find in Super Mario 64.
3. MUST HAVE: Along the path of the star, reading backwards up from the star back into Kirby's mouth, I would like to have the Konami Code written into the stardust that shoots off the star's path. Not all of the stardust has to be the Konami Code, but I would like it to be there.
   
   For those that don't know, the Konami Code is "Up Up Down Down Left Right Left Right B A Start." I would like these in button form (not words). So, for example, for the arrows, just draw in a little image of an arrow. For B and A, a little circle with "B" or "A" in the center, and for start, an elongated oval with "S" in the center (similar to the start button on the Nintendo NES).
4. MUST HAVE: The Master Sword (Legend of Zelda) through the middle of the design. I've always been partial to the design from Ocarina of Time, but as long as it's somewhat recognizable as The Master Sword, I would be happy. The size indicated does not have to be the actual size used, but I would like it to be a predominant piece in the design.
5. MUST HAVE: A castle window (similar style to Super Mario 64) at the top of the Master Sword, with the blue/white cloud design from the box art of Super Mario Bros. 2. The clouds can be a little bit more wispy and elongated -- that part is up to your discretion.
6. MUST HAVE: a somewhat cartoony look, with clean lines.

I would also like to somehow include:

• Random enemies from the Super Mario Bros. games. A Koopa, a Goomba, etc.
• Random items from the Super Mario Bros. games. A ? Block, a couple of coins, etc.
• A couple of random items from the Legend of Zelda games. Perhaps a boomerang and the Triforce hidden somewhere in there.
• Anything that reminds you of "classic Nintendo" would be perfectly acceptable, as long as it jives with the rest of the design.

The stuff on the list above is not "mandatory," but I would like some form of "filling in the blanks" done, and I would like them to relate to the overall design.

In the spoiler box below is the actual MS Paint representation of my current arm layout. I would like this to fit below my elbow. However, if it does end up being a bit too tall and I still love it, then I'll just have to endure the pain.

Spoiler warning:

1) Star path. See above about the Konami Code
2) Master Sword. See above.
3) Castle Window.

Also, I forgot to note it in the picture, but the weird little "bulb" on the left side of the each portion of the arm is my other tattoo. Obviously, nothing can go in that section.

For an idea of the arm view and layout, imagine that you have your right arm on the desk, with the inner part of your arm (wrist flat against the desk) facing up. That is how the inner arm is orientated. The outer arm, obviously, is looking at it the same way, but just flip your arm over and look down.

If that doesn't make sense, then I will attempt to take a picture of my arm with my shitty cellphone camera to show where my current tattoos are.

So... yeah! If you would like to make a submission, either link to it in this thread or attach it to a post that it's in this thread. Also, private message submissions will be acceptable, but know that if you win I will be posting the sketch, and finished design, on this site.

Contest closed

[Jazzmarazz]

Yay, another contest! I can't wait until Im awake enough to read all of the specs.
Anyhow, count me in.

[Kermit Da Frog]

If I get the time between making a game from scratch, a card game from scratch, and a couple of other side projects, you can count me in. If not, good luck.

[Drageuth]

I'm hoping that I can get some pretty sweet submissions. I have no idea how this is going to go over, but I figure the actual "win something that you can pick out yourself" might pull a few people in.

[Lee]

I'm hoping that I can get some pretty sweet submissions. I have no idea how this is going to go over, but I figure the actual "win something that you can pick out yourself" might pull a few people in.

Somehow, your title reminded me of an old Saturn(?) game where you were racing, and this crazy dude would talk to you and reward you for winning with stuff like a new seat cover for your car, or "a romantic dinner with yourself, all expenses paid by YOU!", dude kind of looked like Colin Mocherie.

On Topic, your tattoo seems very... "Thought Out"

[Drageuth]

Somehow, your title reminded me of an old Saturn(?) game where you were racing, and this crazy dude would talk to you and reward you for winning with stuff like a new seat cover for your car, or "a romantic dinner with yourself, all expenses paid by YOU!", dude kind of looked like Colin Mocherie.

On Topic, your tattoo seems very... "Thought Out"

Any game where there is a character who looks like Colin Mocherie is a game that I want to own.

And I do have a basic idea of what I want, but I'm not an artist, and I want the touch of someone who actually enjoys gaming to help do this, because I think it will make it better. And if I don't get any interest in it, then oh well -- people have just missed out on a chance to win some free stuff. Not much I can do beyond that. It's still cheaper to offer a $50 reward to someone to do it for me than to have a tattoo artist sketch it out ahead of time at $20 an hour.

[Lee]

Any game where there is a character who looks like Colin Mocherie is a game that I want to own.

I forgot the name of the game, but it uses FMV sequences, so i don't think its a snes game.

[Drageuth]

I forgot the name of the game, but it uses FMV sequences, so i don't think its a snes game.

That's a thread for that.

[Lee]

That's a thread for that.

I can just ask the guy i saw playing it in class today, tomorrow.

I'll try and remember to ask.

[Kermit Da Frog]

Most definitely a better tattoo idea.

[Beelzebub]

I already have a decent preliminary sketch done for this. I just have to find a scanner now. :/

Thanks for the opportunity to get my creative juices flowing. I promise I won't let you down.

[Drageuth]

Not a problem. I'm hoping that by the end of the month I have five or six decent sketches to dig through. Can't wait to see the first one.

[Drageuth]

@Skullpoker: I deleted your post for being both entirely off topic, and entirely uncalled for.

[Drageuth]

So either I am terrible at making contests, or the artist community here wasn't nearly as large as I had hoped. Or people need to read more stickies.
I think Milady would agree with the last one.

[Milady]

People never read the stickies.

I think the contest is a genuinely good one, and I would love to try and help you out, prize or no, but I simply don't have the time to dedicate to a project like this at the moment. I haven't sat down to draw anything for quite some time now, and I would certainly need to complete a few pieces simply to get back into it before I would be able to come up with anything that looks remotely worth your time and money. On top of that, my skills lie with a set of graphite pencils. I've never been terribly good with color, because I've never put much work into being good with color. A piece like the one you require would, for me, require a lot more work than one might anticipate whilst looking at a sprite and thinking, "I could draw that."

That said, there's still a week left. Perhaps I can still give it a try. Even if it's not something you'd like permanently tattooed onto your body, it could be a fun way to get back into drawing again. And I do have a lovely set of colored pencils. I don't have a scanner though, so I guess I'd have to take a good quality picture of it and mail the original to you if you liked it, or something.