I entered this in a gameart competition in early 2004 and placed in the top 3 among 30 other entries. I used 4 256X256b maps for the textures and it was a challenge to make ps2 characters using small textures, all hand painted and modelled by myself(under 2500 polygons). I was still a student in art school at the time and the people who won above me were already industry professionals. Here is what some of the judges said:
Jamie Field - Senior Artist - Kuju Entertainment.
"This entry has a quite exquisitely subtle skin. In fact that is undoubtedly this entry's greatest charm. It is blessed with a subtlety that truly echoes the grace and fervour of the subject matter. Very pink skintones could have looked awkward and wrong if not painted with great skill. Roach doesnt find this a problem. :) Almost too subtle for most game engines but when observing the natural contrast of the texture as a whole it all makes sense. Vivid striking colours play a big part here. This is probably the best example of a good texture with little in the way of faked shade and hilights I have ever seen."
Eric Miller - Artist - Iron Lore Entertainment.
"I have to say Roach did an awesome job of creating a unique interpretation of the character Athena! This is the character that stands out the most to me. I really enjoy the use of colour here - she is very dynamic. She does have some anatomy issues in the texture (the collar bone) but, the overall look is very strong. She has a great expression on her face giving her a lot of character and the unique helmet is an excellent touch that really helps push her over the top. Excellent work Roach[Mxf]!"
