Gets in first!
Atto:
I love the imagination of this pose. It has all the aggressive action that you would want but also has the unexpected twist of using the foot in that way to show the skill and dexterity of the character. But as well as being imaginative it was also a tough challenge that you set yourself and even though it took a bit of thought and effort, I think the end result is worth it.
I do agree that, with a bit more time, a background could really help the picture. Even something as simple as a plain horizon just to add a sense of space.
As it is, the picture looks like a character concept and is successful in that way, with that great expression and the descriptive outfit with that lovely embossed details on the arms. I also like the shading on that other foot. It's tricky to get right when it's so close to the light source but it's done very well here and immediately caught my eye in a good and satisfying way.
Oaktree:
I really like the mood and atmosphere of this picture. The composition feels epic and cinematic and even though it's a more understated pose it still has a subtle sense of action with the flowing cloak, the sweeping depth and dimension of the staff, and of course that familiar gesture.
The landscape is done very efficiently with the vast sky described by the linear clouds and the loose brush strokes shaping the form of the foreground rocks.
I still feel you could push the values of the character further. I don't know if it was a time issue or if you were being a little tentative with the shading but it would be worthwhile to experiment further with it, maybe by using a multiply layer just to darken the creases and shadow sides to emphasize the form.
I actually liked the whirlpool cloud bubbling up from the deep but this alternative also works and the little speedy trail it leaves behind shows its urgent obedience as if the cloud itself is a character in the story.
Yian:
I was a bit frustrated that you didn't get chance to work your idea any further. I would have loved to see how you could take something so bizarre and surreal as that reference photo (and so different from your usual work) and then transform it into something amazing with your superior skills and artistic kung-fu.
Maybe the next challenge.
The vote is a tricky one to call. Both pics do good things in different ways and picking between them feels very subjective.
But I'm gonna go for Oaktree this month. I think Atto's character is rendered better technically and certainly deserves praise for that, yet Oaktree's feels like a more complete picture and is very evocative of the original subject matter. Just looking at it immediately takes me back to the TV show in my mind and makes me recall school kids bouncing around playgrounds while doing the little cloud gesture and singing the theme tune. It has a powerful feeling of nostalgia to it and any painting that elicits emotions like that and can take you away to another time and place is always worth my vote.