Right.

How would you order these from best to worst?

I think I've noticed a recent dip in the amount of votes flung out to illustrations in competitions and (yep I'm complaining but now your halfway through reading and you have to go on!) and It's not just in my vectors but in other peoples as well. I'm sorry to use examples (especially one of my pieces but I don't want your sympathy ) ok so in one of the recent competitions compare my entry there http://photoshopcontest.com/view-entry/124775/votes.html to another I did a while ago in the same style which got third place http://photoshopcontest.com/view-entry/115133/reach-out.html (which i actually spent less time on than the political peacekeeping one)

and in the same dump truck contest
pachu made this http://photoshopcontest.com/view-entry/125005/votes.html which is what I would call a pretty good illustration worth a lot more votes than he got for it.

nothing against the particular piece or artist but this entry http://photoshopcontest.com/view-entry/124386/votes.html by jcf in which the majority of it was made using filters and not a proper illustration came out on top of me and pachu's and I was wondering why! But I digress.

I was wondering how many of you actually liked illustrations and how highly you would rate them over other types of images. Lets be clear on the jargon...

Vexel - Vector/pixel. It basically is when someone has taken a standard picture and vectorised it. Usually take a long time to do but if there is no thought put into it and it's just a standard picture then IMO there is no point. But I don't want to know about my opinion.

Illustration/Vector - An image made entirely of vectors, can be used to make something aesthetically pleasing such as a building, or can be used to deliver a powerful statement or design.

All source - An image made from only the source picture, no other pictures used. The majority if not all of the work is done in PS.

Chop - An image comprised of several pictures "chopped" together. Some of the work is acquiring the pictures that you will need for the image.

http://photoshopcontest.com/boards/profile.php?mode=viewprofile&u=3556
only one vector artist around here, apart from you lot of cause
then there was pamzylove, we dont talk about her anymore,
http://pamzylove.com/myart/

arg. I'm sick of people comparing me to mezo...

Thats it, Im kickin your ass

Armo, I love graphics! A strong graphics piece is worth more votes than a cut out pretty girl placed on a background with a little source tossed in.

You've grown into a great style and sorry I missed your dump truck entry. Nice work!

and for some odd reason, I thought Pamzy was Kitty...

Vector's like any other image. amount of work involved is not a consideration. Like any other image it needs certain aesthetic qualities,
needs to entertain, cause a reaction, impress, needs originality,
and barring those qualities it would need to be impressively , skillfully done. that leaves for me only two qualities. So out of the box it can not be ignored, or the intensity and detail of a Pamzy.

A six vote difference isn't much.

Each one has it's strengths and weaknesses. Visually I like JCF's more but the piece relies heavily on the spiral sunlight to give it its impact.

Pachu's is obviously hand-done, which gives it the vector style edge but most people probably didn't even consider this. I like Pachu's but it has a certain clip-art feel to it. Too simple, not enough details and too many white lines of identical width.

I think the key to winning with vector art at PSC will be in how hard the artist pushes themselves with the details.

My Sentiments Exaclty!

I don't think your style is anything like hers......both vector-esque, but both different.

as far as kitty/pamzy goes, I never was impressed with her vector stuff when she was here, but I have seen that she has improved a bit since banded

You also have to factor in the variable that so many people wouldn't know good work if it poked them in the eye with a stick.

what's ...vexel?

That's the most realistic comment I've heard around here in a long time!

well take one of mikey's vexels

http://photoshopcontest.com/view-entry/111909/--tom-vector-.html

It's basically where you take a picture and vectorize it; or turn it into vectors.

We used to call that cartooning.

I used to call it that but then i started looking around http://www.vexels.net/ and I guess the name stuck