Schizo:
Yes, this theme was made for you.
And it's good to see you get the time to work the picture right to the end.
There's an awesome amount of detail throughout the image and the standard of the figure work is right up with your best. The colours are perfect too, particularly the control of saturation in the top left corner. I'd say it's cool but it isn't, it's cold. So very cold!
I too was surprised by your last-minute format change and, like Charlotte, I think I prefer the wider, landscape composition, especially the way the long, reaching arm in the foreground acted like a foundational base for the whole painting. But I don't begrudge you the chance to put in a signature wolf!
He looks like a super scary beast and those teeth are absolutely fantastic!
Phoenixdee:
I do like this idea with the bear. The Narnia/Dark Materials mashup is one of those things that I wished I'd thought of. The best ideas always seem obvious after the fact.
You made some terrific progress in a very short space of time, achieving much more than I would have and there are some wonderful edges on that bear. It gives it an embossed style of emphasis that pulls it out of the background without having to alter the unified palette. I love the falling snow too. It's really easy to end up with something that looks like a flat afterthought but this snow has a lovely variety of size and detail to create a tangible feel of depth and movement.
I like the pose and expression of the girl, so much so that I wish you'd had a few more days to develop it further with some more shading to the face.
Oh and I'm glad you managed to fit the distant figures in. I was worried you would lose them in the crop but their presence keeps a bit of narrative context in the picture. Good Work.
DigitalDave:
Some really strong character art in your idea. You did a great job of depicting your warriors and their relationship while also adding enough details to imply the world they live in.
I was particularly impressed with the clothing, all that fabric and fur is very well rendered and looks completely natural.
It's a shame you didn't get chance to polish off to a finish but we all know that time is far too fleeting at this time of year and my sad effort didn't even get past the abandoned sketch!
And my vote…
Much as I'm drawn to Phoenixdee's idea, and the quick, successful efficiency of the progress, this is one of those occasions when it's very hard to go against the super-professional level of detail in Schizo's painting.
The scary wolf gets it this time.