Completely agree with the overdone bump in most of your models. Makes them all look like plastic. Also try using specular more to define your materials.
Except that article is from 4 years ago :P, they're definately fistdeep into bungie nowdays, full access to content and have some fulltime animators to animate the scenes.
Really sweet How about putting some weak omnis where the candles are and baking in their lights? Your concept seems to have a really wel-defined lightsource/sources.
yeah my problem is getting them that defined from the front, but still looking ok from the other angles, although i think i've done alright with this go.
I knew more competitions were coming but last time I checked, the countdown was still going and I've just totally forgot Will definately give this one a try :]
Yah, I like the background of the middle one. I think it could still use a little highlight in the upper right area to help define the silhouette of the left eye's smoke.
Remade the hair and I think its a little bit better now. I have to polish it, define hair strands, and mke it a lil'bit softer and improve hair intersections with head