Face Off recaps are back at Sketchy Details and better than ever. Why? They're multimedia now. I've spent three seasons telling you what I think of the contestants designs from the comfort of my computer screen. Now I'm going to show you. Sketchy Details @Home is my new art/craft/pop culture vlog that launches with response videos to the new season of Face Off. Each week, I'm going to reinterpret the challenge on the show into something I can do on a similarly short time frame. Spoiler alert: a lot of the videos are going to be Halloween-related. I'm behind on my build and have too many characters to make to just sit back and put other projects up front.
I actually started the first project yesterday in anticipation of putting the episode up today. That meant I did not have enough time to create the full figure, only the head, and I'm very happy with how it turned out. I went with a faun since it fit in with the inspiration for my home haunt this year.
Onto the episode itself. Face Off starts off with a new and welcome twist to the series. The 16 designers are split into two groups: new competitors and returning veterans. Eight designers from previous seasons--Frank (S1), Tate (S1 runner-up), Miranda (S2), RJ (S2 runner-up), Alana (S3 Sketchy Details' favorite), Roy (S3), Laura (Sketchy Details' all-time favorite and S3 runner-up), and Eric Z (S4, snooze)--will compete with eight brand new competitors.
The only advantages the veterans have are experience in the workroom and on the judges' stage. The new competitors have all watched the show and are some of the strongest the show's ever had. I'm really drawn into the redemption versus establishment angle that the show is pushing. Well-played, SyFy.
The first Spotlight Challenge had the veterans and rookies compete against each other in a head-to-head design challenge. Each team had to create five original characters that fit together in the same universe: a troll, an ogre, a pixie, a witch, and a faun. That meant some competitors created solo designs while others worked in teams within the team. There were no instructions on how many designs had to be solo work. They could have all broken up the five characters into equal parts and collaborated, or they could have done five solo designs with three contestants filling in as necessary.
It was an interesting experiment in loose restrictions and the results were excellent. None of these designs would have been sent home on any other season.
The judges didn't even announce a top and bottom team; they critiqued 7/10 designs, leaving all of the veterans and half of the rookies onstage for critiques. As always, the photos in the recap and many more are available at SyFy's Face Off page.
The judges gave the challenge win to Miranda for her collaboration with Alana on a Pixie. This wasn't my favorite design but I appreciate the level of detail and transformation in the character. They radically changed the proportions of the model's face, went dark with the inspiration, and still had it read pixie. The styling was really strong and I liked the paint job.
If I'm being perfectly honest, I think Lyma had a stronger Pixie design. The metallic paint was an interesting spin on the fantasy element. I especially liked the metallics in the costuming--the armor, the shoes, even the structure of the wings and webbing on the pants. It was a totally cohesive look that was probably a facial prosthetic away from winning the challenge.
I'm already a broken record and it's only the first episode. Laura, once again, had my favorite design with her Witch. It was very dark and innovative approach with excellent execution. The judges knocked her paint job on the face and I honestly didn't see any problems there. The body had a lot of detail, sure, but the face was all folds and wrinkles. It's not going to have as much highlights and veining when it looked like a folded up accordion.
Laney & Rick's Faun was really cool, too. It had this sense of age and weariness that worked well with their team's high council concept. The hair work was especially well-done. Choosing to lay the hair over the edges meant presenting a far cleaner product onstage than most of their competitors. This design was why I wanted to do a faun for my first @Home video inspired by Face Off.
Adolfo landed in the bottom three with his Troll. It wasn't a bad makeup. There just wasn't a lot going on. It was a solid facial prosthetic that read like a mask because of the lack of detail. He moved too slowly and didn't do enough to really compete with this crowd on the first challenge. The paint color was an odd choice. Not only does Ve Neill consistently knock an orange paint job (the details rarely read well in that color palette), it felt removed from the understanding of a troll.
Both of the ogre looks landed in the bottom three and it's no wonder. The teams of RJ, Eric Z., and Frank and Tolin & Eddie tried to do way too much. I don't think there's ever been a top look that used arm extensions in the history of the show. You do them wrong and they look terrible. Neither team got them right. The veterans' proportions were way off. The arms and hands were far too big for the head, drawing focus away from the ecellent sculpt on the face.
Ultimately, Tolin's attitude got him sent home. He said he liked his piece and the judges do not like it when an artist can not objectively review their work. The really bad decision to make the mouth open and close with the model nodding his head was all his. The proportions were better than the veterans' group but better does not always mean good.
It's looking like a great season. Share your thoughts on the first episode and the premiere of Sketchy Details @Home below.