Category Archives: Challenges

We had a fun time in Character Contest 67, taking two names from a list to make a mish-mash type of character. I thought it would be good to do that again for the new folks who've joined the community since then, and to give the old-timers another crack at it as well.

Note that you can't re-use characters from any other contests!

In the past I've done a few different Sketches of the Day that involved combining two different archetypes into one. For instance, there was Redneck Wizard, Ninja Cowboy, and Cyborg Pirate.

Thus, your challenge this week is to design one or more characters by combining two words from the following list (slightly updated from last time):

• Cyborg
• Ninja
• Cowboy
• Cheerleader
• Robot
• Dinosaur
• Teen
• Werewolf
• Spirit
• Ghost
• Samurai
• Alien
• Kid
• Doctor
• Shogun
• Zombie
• Sorcerer
• Wizard
• Redneck
• Golem
• Lord
• General
• Captain
• Mutant

So for example, you could do a "Cyborg Cheerleader" or an "Samurai Alien" or "Dinosaur Doctor".

Otherwise the rules are the same:

1. Use only a HeroMachine applet (no PhotoShopping except for basic cropping) to create a PNG or JPG of your entry, named as [your name]-[character name].[file extension]. So DiCicatriz, for instance, would save his "Bayou Belle" character image as DiCicatriz-BayouBelle.png.
2. Post the image to a publicly accessible website (ImageShack, PhotoBucket, the UGO Forums, etc.).
3. Enter the name of your entry and a link directly to the image in a comment to this post. The image cannot have been used in any previous HeroMachine character design contest.
4. The link to your image should go directly to the image (like this) and not to a hosting jump page (like this). If you see "preview" or "rotate" somewhere in the link you're probably doing it wrong.
5. I'll choose a winner next Monday, who will receive his or her choice of any item or a portrait to be included in the final HeroMachine 3 program, or a "Sketch of the Week" style black and white illustration (you pick the subject and I draw it up however I like).

No limit on entries this week, so give it your best shot!

I'm envious of all the great entries in our last contest so I'm going to be a glutton and combine the last two Seven Deadly Sins into one. You know the drill by now -- create something cool using the concepts of gluttony or envy. You might do a green-eyed temptress or a huge fat ogre or Jabba the Hutt getting eaten by a green-eyed temptress. The sky's the limit! Then we don't ever have to do these again.

The rules are the same as usual:

• All entries must be in JPG or PNG form (BMPs are too big), posted to a publicly accessible website (like ImageShack, PhotoBucket, the UGO Forums, whatever);
• Entries must be made as a comment or comments to this post, containing a link directly to the image and the character name;
• The image cannot have been used in any previous HeroMachine character design contest;
• Please name your files as [your name]-[character name].[file extension]. So DiCicatriz, for instance, would save his "Bayou Belle" character image as DiCicatriz-BayouBelle.png.
• Please make the link go directly to the image (like this) and not to a hosting jump page (like this). If you see "preview" or "rotate" somewhere in the link you're probably doing it wrong.
• All entries must be in by next Monday, when I'll choose a winner.

The person with the winning entry as selected by our expert panel (i.e. me) will win their choice of a) a portrait to go in HeroMachine 3, b) an item to go in HeroMachine 3, or c) a custom black and white "Sketch of the Day" style drawing (also by me).

No limit again this week, knock yourselves out.

Good luck, everyone!

I'm skipping the Blank Caption Contest this week for a variety of uninteresting reasons, and instead want to run a more open-ended character design joint.

Your challenge this time out is to create a science-fiction version of a "standard" D&D style archetype. So you might do a "Sci-Fi Ranger" or "Sci-Fi Dwarf" or "Sci-Fi Sorcerer" or "Sci-Fi Mapper" or "Sci-Fi Kobold". It's up to you, but the goal is to translate something familiar from the fantasy genre into space. Like this guy:

The rules are the same as usual:

• All entries must be in JPG or PNG form (BMPs are too big), posted to a publicly accessible website (like ImageShack, PhotoBucket, the UGO Forums, whatever);
• Entries must be made as a comment or comments to this post, containing a link directly to the image and the character name;
• The image cannot have been used in any previous HeroMachine character design contest;
• Please name your files as [your name]-[character name].[file extension]. So DiCicatriz, for instance, would save his "Bayou Belle" character image as DiCicatriz-BayouBelle.png.
• Please make the link go directly to the image (like this) and not to a hosting jump page (like this). If you see "preview" or "rotate" somewhere in the link you're probably doing it wrong.
• All entries must be in by next Monday, when I'll choose a winner.

The person with the winning entry as selected by our expert panel (i.e. me) will win their choice of a) a portrait to go in HeroMachine 3, b) an item to go in HeroMachine 3, or c) a custom black and white "Sketch of the Day" style drawing (also by me).

No limit again this week, knock yourselves out.

Good luck, everyone!