Well this is a very tricky one to call this month. As I start typing I still haven't quite decided. Maybe I'll pick a winner as I go along...
Cherry:
You seemed a bit uncertain at the start of the challenge but I don't know why, your picture shows that there was no need to worry. The face is lovely in both design and technique, and the expression has a poignant depth to it. As I said in the other thread, I really like the long slender neck and its proud extension, it gives her that sense of elegance that perfectly suits all the other aspects of the character. The hand gesture is nicely posed although I think the fingers could be a little thinner to match the slenderness of the rest of the figure.
The mask is very well done and is exactly the kind of thing I struggle with especially in this kind of three-quarter view. Designing its shape and then getting it to fit against the complex forms of a face is very tricky but you've done it perfectly and you were right to draw attention to it with those sparkling flares.
The red colour works well with the butterflies to add some movement and context and I especially like the shadow butterflies at the bottom. They give the picture an extra dark edge that really appeals to me. Well done, and I hope your achievements and experience with this picture will mean that you won't be as uncertain the next time you do a black and white image.
Thomgirl:
There's some good work here on the face and the pose. The expression and the over-the-shoulder glance really express the personality, attitude and strength of the character.
The way you've used the gold is really impressive. Even though it's just one colour you've used it in several different ways to represent different things. The fine flowing hair, the organic depth of the eyes and the cold, smooth glare of the metal (so good against the darks on the handle!) All done with just gold and yet all so visibly and tangibly different. And then there are the feathers too! I wasn't expecting those so it was a nice surprise at the end and again so brilliantly done. They look like they're made out of gold leaf and stuck onto my screen. I want to reach out and touch them and get my grubby fingerprints on my display.
One minor issue for my eye is the armpit. I don't think it's wrong, it's just that the crop of the bottom of the picture makes it difficult to read the form. Extending the picture lower to show more of the body or cropping higher to cut out the armpit completely would both make it a little easier on the eye. Well, my eye at least. But being such a trivial thing (and rather subjective) it doesn't affect the overwhelming success of the picture.
Susie:
A lovely first sketch with fine details and nice sense of disturbing creepiness showing a character with two sides. Not only left and right but inside and outside too with the skin peeling back to reveal a different kind of layered depth. Would have been a good one and may still turn out to be if you choose to work it further.
Kodabble:
I was hoping you were going for another last minute rush like you did in some previous challenges but I guess it wasn't to be this month. As always your first wip showed excellent imagination and linework, there's a beautiful connection between the characters despite their obvious differences and I know you would have developed it well given the chance. I hope you get the necessary free time for your next picture.
And my vote? So difficult… especially with the way that BOTH the finished pictures kept improving right until the end, with Cherry's rich, moody values and Thomgirl's beautiful feathers and clever use of colour. Hmm… I'm going to go for…
Thomgirl.
Just. By a tiny fraction.
Those feathers at the end did it for me.
I just want to touch them!!
Edit: And Atto.. (I was sure I'd typed this earlier but I clearly haven't. That'll teach me to do this after 1am!) Your picture had an interesting idea expressing a narrative with a clever visual twist. As I said elsewhere the sharp edges give it a clean comic book style and the composition has the feel of an opening panel showing an establishing shot. It's a shame you didn't finish but I know you've been working hard on other sketches and making good progress with them too.