June 2024 marked the end of the second edition of the Crystal Canvas Rookies competition, organized by Ten Square Games. The contest, aimed at emerging artists, once again attracted nearly 100 talented individuals from all over Poland who took up the challenge of interpreting the “Aerial Adventures” theme. This edition, like the previous one, was an excellent opportunity to showcase their skills, gain valuable experience, and make new friends in the art industry.

The second edition was special not only because of the high artistic level, but also due to the cooperation with the Eugeniusz Geppert Academy of Art and Design in Wrocław. The organizers visited the academy, where they had the opportunity to meet students to talk about the competition, which is becoming increasingly recognized in the art community. It is also an important touchstone for further cooperation between Ten Square Games and the Academy of Art and Design, as future editions will surely prove.

Aerial Adventures in 3D

The theme of this year’s competition, “Aerial Adventures,” inspired works that transported viewers into a world of dreamy skies, aerial travel, and extraordinary machines. Participants were free to interpret the theme, which resulted in a variety of designs – from realistic visualizations to fantastic landscapes and characters.

Marcin Szkoda, the first-place winner in the 3D category, focused on combining history and fantasy. “I’ve always been particularly interested in the beginnings of aviation, when there was only the element, man’s dream of flying, and the machine. A hallmark of those times is the phenomenon of barnstorming, that is, demonstrations of the skills of pilots who roam through villages and towns, providing entertainment for local communities,” said Marcin.

His work is a design for the interior of a barn, which serves as both a hangar for the aircraft and a temporary home for the hero. “I wanted my work not to be just a pretty picture, but to sell a potential game, to show elements that encourage people to enter its world. […] I am very happy that my art has been recognized. Winning such a high place is a very great honor for me and an inspiration for further work.”

Karol Cadet, who took third place in the 3D category, admits that his success in the competition was somewhat of a surprise: “Placing third in the Crystal Canvas Rookies was a pleasant surprise. I’d had the idea for the work for a long time, but it was only after I coincidentally came across the title of the competition that everything took shape and I proceeded.”

Karol presented a world full of mysterious biomechanical constructions on a desolate, foggy planet, which he admitted was a reflection of his own thoughts and inspirations: “The world depicted in the graphic is part of a larger premise I’ve been living for some time, and in fact the first finished work from this universe. […] I could say that this is what the inside of my head would currently look like if I opened it.”

Exceptional works in the 2D category

In the 2D category, first place went to Karolina Lewicka, whose work, full of humor and creativity, particularly stood out. “Initially, my work was supposed to look completely different, but I decided to abandon the original concept in favor of the idea of a flying machine controlled by mice,” Karolina said. “The final look and theme of the artwork came unexpectedly, and the inspiration came from my pet mice – Gambit and Roszada. […] I believe that such competitions are extremely important and valuable. They give emerging artists a chance to showcase their talent and gain valuable experience.”

Second place in this category went to Liza Daragenskaya. Her work depicting a city on kites won the jury’s praise for its lightness and dynamism. “I immediately associated the theme of the competition with childhood and dreams of flying, so in my illustration I wanted to capture the atmosphere of fun and lightness,” Liza said. “In order to better understand how such a world could work, I started by doing research on kites, yachts, and wind.”

“I believe that competitions like Crystal Canvas Rookies are not only a great opportunity to validate one’s skills, but also motivation to learn new ones, step out of one’s comfort zone and show off.”

Third place in the 2D category went to Paulina Piechaczek, whose work focused on creating a fantastic airship. “I love creating brand-new fantastic elements, characters and landscapes, so I decided to come up with an airship,” Paulina explained. “The whole process was a lot of fun for me, as I love challenges and all kinds of opportunities to improve my skills. […] Competitions aimed at young artists are the best motivation for them to develop their skills and change their approach to their art.”

The voice of the jurors and organizers

The jury of this year’s edition, including people working at Ten Square Games such as Malwina Werner, 2D Artist and winner of last year’s contest, and Mateusz Bogusz, Senior 3D Generalist & Art Lead, were unanimous about the high level of work and the participants’ commitment. “Each participant showed how much potential there is in young artists,” Malwina stressed. “It is clear that the competition motivates development and the search for new means of expression.”

Mateusz Bogusz added, “I am impressed by the creativity and courage shown by the participants. Many works exceeded our expectations and showed that the future of the art industry is in good hands.”

The jury also included Sebastian Szczeciak, Senior 3D Character Artist, who highlighted the portfolio consultations that each person awarded a place on the podium, or an honorable mention, was given: “I think it was a great opportunity not only to give advice for the portfolio, but also to talk about the industry, recruitment, and future career directions.”

The competition’s organizers, Alexandra Lison and Daniel Stojanowski, expressed their satisfaction with this year’s event. “Crystal Canvas Rookies has already become not only a competition, but also a platform for sharing experiences and inspiration,” Alexandra said. “We are happy that we could support young artists in their growth.”

Daniel Stojanowski stressed the importance of this year’s innovations: “The cooperation with the Academy of Art and Design and the presence of sponsors such as Republic of Gamers shows that our competition is gaining recognition and becoming an important event on the calendar of young artists.”

Future prospects

The second edition of Crystal Canvas Rookies showed it is not only an opportunity to compete, but more importantly a place where young artists can develop their skills, gain valuable experience, and make contacts in the industry. The winners and all participants of this edition proved that the young generation of artists is full of talent and ready for the challenges the industry brings. We are already looking forward to the next edition, which is sure to bring even more inspiring works and discover more talents.