CGAN Nov21 - Bilbo's Birthday - Finals

Bilbo's Birthday Bash

Brief: It's 20 years since the first of Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings movies and we're celebrating with a birthday party! Whether you want to capture Bilbo himself, the feast, a tower of gifts, or the whole shebang in some massively epic wide angle scene, or some other aspect, we're having fun in the Shire this month.  

Deadline: Tuesday the 30th of November at midnight (UTC).

This thread is where you post your final entries, WIPs (work in progress) should be posted over here: 
cgartnexus.com/index.php/forums/challeng...ilbo-s-birthday-wips

Challenge rules and guidelines:
cgartnexus.com/index.php/forums/challenge-rules

Rules in brief:
- All challenge entries must be your own work.
- You should post at least two WIP images that are clearly different from your final entry and each other.
- Your final entry should contain your image (inserted so it shows up full size) and at least two links to your WIP posts on the forum.
- No chatter in the finals thread – if you have questions, post them in the WIP thread or PM an admin.
- Feedback is allowed & encouraged together with the voting and in the WIP thread.
- Deadline is given in UK time (midnight UTC) with a grace period of 5 minutes for getting the post sorted.
- Each member may cast one vote.
- No cheating! Admins may decide to disqualify an entry that does not adhere to the above rules.
 

Much WIP
WIP 1: cgartnexus.com/index.php/forums/challeng...-wips?start=10#37894
WIP 2: cgartnexus.com/index.php/forums/challeng...-wips?start=10#37904
WIP 3: cgartnexus.com/index.php/forums/challeng...-wips?start=10#37997
WIP 4: cgartnexus.com/index.php/forums/challeng...-wips?start=10#37999
WIP 5: cgartnexus.com/index.php/forums/challeng...-wips?start=20#38077
WIP 6: cgartnexus.com/index.php/forums/challeng...-wips?start=20#38094
WIP 7: cgartnexus.com/index.php/forums/challeng...-wips?start=30#38124
WIP 8: cgartnexus.com/index.php/forums/challeng...-wips?start=30#38148

Many Hobbit

 

1: Blurry Bilbo.  

2: Starey Gandalf.  

 

Clearly people hate Hobbits these days with just the two entries this time around, thanks Peter Jackson  . Despite that it's voting time until the end of the 8th. 

My vote is obviously going to Valence who did a far better job of painting Bilbo's face, tankards, cakes, and just about everything else (and inserting secret subliminal Star Wars references in the background, no doubt paid by Disney  ). I think he possibly even has more Hobbits in his picture than I do... and fireworks.

There are Star Wars references?!
*goes back to look at my own picture*
EDIT: Hey, the window looks like the Death Star!

Anyway, I vote Banj. A wonderfully ambitious and successful picture. It actually reminds me of the paintings Nickillus used to do for those IFX tutorials/covers in the way that there are so many little stories in all the whimsical poses. The whole composition has drama, humour and meaning that is all held together by that beautiful lighting. But my favourite bit has to be Gandalf in a pose and style that we don't usually see. Such a well-rendered expressive face that captures everything about the character. I wish he was in my picture instead of that startled wizard that I struggled with.
So I vote Banj. And if we end up in a tie I'll resurrect my impostor account to vote for him again.

I still haven't been able to make up my mind....

Bilbo's going to die of old age before we get a result 

My impostor votes for Banj!

Don't make me get Binky