Judge feedback

Judge feedback is anonymous and shown in a random order.

• A lot of thought has clearly gone into this environment, and the artist is clearly enthused by both the subject matter and the possibilities of 3D art.  A diorama is also a good choice for a contest such as this, as it helps keep the work load manageable.

  Things that could help the scene:

  -  secondary bounced light from the sunlight, which appears to be absent - the extremely dark desk is falling victim to this.  

  - More colour variation across the board, but especially in the walls and floor which are very monochrome.
  

  - Although the tree is stylised, the canopy is too smooth.  Layered leaves would help with that.

• Even though the project could have been pushed way further, in terms of details, variations, lighting and concept, your documentation shows commitment and passion for your project. The scene currently lacks an inviting feel and some warmth (the grey wall is a bit dull). But it's a good start and I encourage you to keep making dioramas.

• like the references - like that this isn't an attempt at standard realism

• Your prep work and report were excellent, and I got a good feeling for what you are striving for. 

  I think you've missed the mark on the execution, but that's fine for a rising star candidate, I would take some time and really focus on learning each core skill. Research each bit of the process..

  For example your stonework fails to look right because of the deep shadows that are uniformly spaced and applied with such a dark shadow that even when in direct light looks dark, it looses one of the core feelings which is how the grout and bricks sit on one another. If I were you I would take some time making a PBR stone texture from start to finish until you feel you have the process down.  This will help you build the core skills that make all texturing easier going forward.