Lois and Clark (Smallville) 2013 1k

Superman. The archetypal superhero, the one we always think of: massively strong and able to fly, wearing a tight-fitting, colourful costume, looks that girls swoon over and the indispensible Secret Identity. As a human, he's an everyman called Clark Kent who works for the Daily Planet Newspaper and carries a reciprocated torch for his colleague, Lois Lane. The civil identity has always been a part of Superman's image, so depicting it makes an option for any artist who wants to go into the true identity of a hero.

In this picture, we see Clark Kent - denoted by his subdued, civilian suit - and Lois, standing back to back in front of a photographic background of clouds, and the logo of the Daily Planet, the newspaper for which they work. Lois holds the end of Clark's tie and wears a teasing expression, while Clark appears to be giving the viewer a friendly but neutral look.

The idea behind the picture isn't bad: it's an intriguing look at what appears to be a pair of completely normal co-workers and lovers, and knowing Clark's claim to fame makes the whole pleasingly ironic. All in all, though, the idea is quite simple ... maybe slightly too simple.

What about the execution? Well, the background photo was certainly very well chosen, and the Daily Planet logo looks very professionally made. Best of all, as far as the background is concerned, is the sun just peeping out from behind the logo, and spreading across it, complete with lens flare.

The figures are, fundamentally speaking, nicely executed. The anatomy, hair and colours look true to life and believable, as do most elements of the faces. However, the eyes on both figures could do with some work - Lois appears wall-eyed if the picture is viewed from close up, while Clark's right eye is noticeably higher than the left. It's rather a shame, because for the most part, both faces look both attractive and life-like. Furthermore, Clark's jacket seems to have very strange proportions, with the far breast seeming to flap over most of his front. This would only really be possible if the jacket were double-breasted - not a usual everyday accessory for Clark, as it might attract attention.

A word on the technique: the figures, according to the artist, were sketched in pencil, and a lot of the shading seems to have done in this way as well. While the artist is obviously skilled, it does give the figures a rough look, and this simply clashes with the photograph used for the background and the digital-looking logo.

So, to summarize. There's a lot of top-notch art on this site, and this picture would probably struggle to find its place among The Best. That doesn't mean that it doesn't have its merits, though: some skill and dedication was needed to make it, and is apparent to the viewer. While the mix of styles didn't quite work out, this is a piece of quality art, and deserves its share of recognition.