C.O.W. - #114: Coconut Cruncher

[Fozzybar]

http://www.conceptart.org/forums/images/cow/cow.jpg

For more infos and details about the rules go here:
http://www.conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?t=110879


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Round #114

Topic:
Coconut Cruncher

Deadline (extended):
Saturday, 12 April 2008



note: The deadline won't be EXACTLY after a week...it can last up to 24 hours more, i am human and have to work also, you know ;)
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How to post

In this thread you can post all wips, questions, comments etc
However if you are done with your entry, post the final image in the following thread.

THREAD FOR FINAL ENTRIES (http://www.conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?t=122639)

READ THE INFO IN THE 1ST POST OF THE FINALS THREAD TO SEE HOW TO POST YOUR FINAL IMAGE!!!

[Fozzybar]

Thanx to Tyrus for this sweet topic ;)

ADDITIONAL INFO

1. Add at least one coconut or parts of it, so viewers can see the creatures relation to the nut(s).

2. No individual/character!!! Make a concept of a species!

[ImRazil]

Cool topic :), here's some inspiration :).

CRUNCH
v. crunched, crunch·ing, crunch·es
v.tr.
1. To chew with a noisy crackling sound.
2. To crush, grind, or tread noisily.
3. Slang To perform operations on; manipulate or process (numerical or mathematical data).
v.intr.
1. To chew noisily with a crackling sound: crunching on celery.
2. To move with a crushing sound: crunching through the snow.
3. To produce or emit a crushing sound.
n.
1. The act or sound of crunching.
2. A modified sit-up having a smaller range of motion that reduces back strain and strengthens the abdominal muscles: stomach crunches.
3.
a. A decisive confrontation.
b. A critical moment or situation, especially one that occurs because of a shortage of time or resources: a year-end crunch; an energy crunch.
c. A period of financial difficulty characterized by tight money and unavailability of credit.

COCONUT
1. The fruit of the coconut palm, consisting of a fibrous husk surrounding a large seed.
2. The large, brown, hard-shelled seed of the coconut, containing white flesh surrounding a partially fluid-filled central cavity.
3. The edible white flesh of the coconut, often shredded and used in food and confections or for the extraction of coconut oil.
4. A coconut palm.

[Tyrus]

Hey thanks Fozzy for picking my topic.

[Hexism]

I'm finishing my entry for this round no matter what! New semester stopped me from completing my last one :(

http://img136.imageshack.us/img136/3281/coconutvy3.jpg

I was thinking of going with #1 , please let me know what you guys think.

[Tyrus]

Desviaciion, 1 is alright but I like 2 a little better. I'd like to see it a bit bigger.

Oh and here is a beginning of my creature. No coconuts yet, I know. They'll be here eventually.

[Kamakazecat]

hey guys, this is my first post to the forum!
iv looked at the daily sketch groups n that, n iv made attempts that never made it onto the thread.

but anyway, this COW interested me, so i've come up with an idea, just wondering if i could get some feedback.

basically its like a relative to either llamas or giraffes, with long neck n bulgy eyes. but it has developed big fat molars and premolars, as the islands it inhabits are rich with coconuts, n pretty much nothing else. it also has a crop to store the milky froot.

anyway, feedback very much appreciated!!:)

[Kaizer]

I think that idea is pretty awesome. You should try it, and see what comes out of it. ^ ^

[electric goat]

wipper.

has evolved to ram coconut trees, shaking that sweet milk loose. jaw is used for crunching nuts and it has a very thick skull.
http://i150.photobucket.com/albums/s116/egoat/cococrusherwip.jpg
any thoughts are welcome.

[Atlam]

Fun topic. Some good ideas come to mind.

Goat: Cool beastie, but I think he may need some manner of lips if he evolved around crunching coconuts with his mouth.

[Hexism]

goat: I think it looks really good so far , but imo would look better if the molars are visible.
tyrus:I'm guessing the head is for ramming right ? maybe would work better if it bulged out , kinda like this:
http://img257.imageshack.us/img257/5629/rawrkc6.jpg
just my 2 cents.

Already started adding more stuff on my #1 choice btw :p
http://img248.imageshack.us/img248/5405/coconut1di9.jpg

[RayTwicket]

this is my first post so i hope it works:)........here's what i got so far, it's a lizard monkey kinda guy who cracks the coconuts open by bashing them with his head !..!. .!..!


any input out there??

[UCT]

Tyrus - cool idea, looks good.

Desviaciion - pleased to see you went with 1, I like it.

Goat - Another snazzy lay out. Youve been turning out really good stuff recently, I look forward to seeing how this comes out.

RayTwicket - Its a great start. Try and blend in some darker tones into the body because you have used black for the eyes and horns on the head, so unless you want them to stand out alot, you will need to spread some of that dark tone value arond the creature.


I doubt I'll finish this one, although would like too.
Turtle Head, (dung?) beatle antlers, armadilo body, shrimp tail, crab claws = ... coconut cruncher!

[RayTwicket]

UCT..........oh yeah i see what you mean, i'll give it a try, thanks.
you're off to a nice start hope you can finish it

[Lege1]

Dope topic! Definitely fits my neck of the woods. I can't wait to see what everyone comes up with for this one. Mike Jaecks and Corriero I hope you guys get down on this one, same goes for Jakkas, Art Eater, and Cloister.

[Lege1]

Got some good ideas and concepts here. Feeling pretty good about this one.
=P

[get0ut]

wip. I hope its not to simular to Desviaciion's. It's an angry oversized hamster-like-rodent that collects coconuts from the ground, then cracks them open.. ^^! http://i299.photobucket.com/albums/mm289/zibi222/coconut-1.jpg

[Tommoy]

I'm a bit confused about the definition, can it also be a coconut crusher that next crunches the pieces?

http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t19/Tommoy/COW114s1k.jpg

[Tyrus]

Tommoy, its technically up to Fozzy on that one, but I think so long as it crunches it at some point its all right.

[Hexism]

Wow Tommoy , your design is looking real badass. It's like something that would fit really well in the Star Wars universe XD !

[Tommoy]

Tyrus: then it crushes the nut with its 4 teeth and then crunches the parts within its mouth (not visible).
Desviaciion, yes it's family of the Rancor (thanks wikipedia) and of my avatar:)

[Saurus]

I'm liking that drawing Tommoy and getout!
I'm new to CA and trying to get better at this art stuff :P...anyway here's a rough sketch I did in a short time...it'll eventually be in a tree...or I might do something completely different....comments?

[Kaizer]

Saurus, make its head smaller, or body bigger. It looks disproportionate.

[Kaizer]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v735/kaizerblkh/Sketchbook%20for%20CA/114_kaizer_sketch.jpg
Critiques, please?

[DeKal]

hahaha

[RayTwicket]

there's some cool ideas out there can't wait to see how they turn out
well here's my idea(again is that ok?) ...i might even finish this one...maybe...hopefully.

any feed back is awesome, bear in mind this is a wip:)

[phoebe]

Hi, my name's Phoebe, I'm 16 from Boston. I'm new to this whole contest but I'm looking ofrward to the challenge.
Some good looking coconut crunchers out there. Heres my WIP. Critiques welcome.
http://img216.imageshack.us/img216/5153/coconutcrushwipvc4.jpg

[Lege1]

Awesome Dekal I like the wip alot bro ☺ It starts =) Are you doing this weeks Chow too? I gotta have at that one...

[Kaizer]

RayTwicket, maybe make his head a little darker so the horns blend in, and maybe give him a little less personality. He sort of looks like he has a human expression.

[Lege1]

Whoaaakskiii broskiii! New etchy sketchy cleaned up from my manic idea. I am already envious of the way these things live...:sungod:

[Arteater]

Lega1: Great progress, you are the man, maybe you should give the creature some more space, so we can see the whole coconut, just a thought . keep it up

[Fozzybar]

I'm a bit confused about the definition, can it also be a coconut crusher that next crunches the pieces?Hmm, what do you mean exactly?

[Fozzybar]

RayTwicket
Show the whole body, don't cover hal of the body with the leaves...

[Hexism]

phoebe : welcome XD , yours look alright so far , keep working on it.
lege1: nice progress , I'm looking forward to see updates.



here's mine so far , college is being a **** again , so I only have a little time for this tonight:
http://img151.imageshack.us/img151/9616/coconut2oi0.jpg

[Lege1]

Arteater: That's what's up man. I am glad you're liking the progress on my coconut creatures no doubt. I'll definitely consider cropping the canvas down some and making that coconut all the more apparent. There are already so many coconuts in the picture, but one big one in the front won't kill the picture, at least I don't think.

So what's good with you on this COW? You did awesome on the last one. Your work looked almost 3D and I think that's huge for working in 2D if nobody else thinks so. I hope you drop an ill tempered coconut creature this round. I would love to see what you come up with.

[Arteater]

I hope I have time to finish him :)

W.I.P.
any crits are welcome(draw overs, total rips, or ideas)
http://fc08.deviantart.com/fs27/i/2008/099/4/4/C_O_W__114_w_i_p__1_by_arteaterproductions.jpg

[mcmatz]

Here's my very rough WIP.

Part parrot. Part monkey.

[Lege1]

Arteater: This extreme close up thing with the blurred backrounds is mad ill. I likes a lot. I am a big fan of rats and rodents so I am liking your creature. Can't wait to see you throw the details on it.
All is well my way. Injecting myself with creative steroids, and feeling pretty good about progress my way.lol Think about adding some claws on your creature. I think that would make it look dope and serve a great purpose for tree climbing, unless of course you wanna add some wings =)

[DeKal]

legend - much better second wip. the first worried me. nice composition. watch your anatomy..the limbs are looking a little tube-like. put a few extra bumps and knots on the sillhouette.

tommoy - looking fresh

[RayTwicket]

hmmm ok thanks guys, i'll give it a shot, i was going to add darker scales n junk to his head/face so that shouldn't be a problem, i'll see what i can do about the facial expression:) and Fozzy : would it be alright if i finished this angle and did a character profile as a side bar kinda pic?

[PsiBug]

This is the rocky-rumped Pengrack. Still a W.I.P.
http://img256.imageshack.us/img256/2892/coconutcrusher2008vi4.jpg

edited to add description: The Rocky-rumped pengrack is quite strong and agile despite its stout appearance. This amusing hog-sized creature uses its specialized middle finger to slice low hanging coconuts from their stalks. (Scientists have also observed the male pengrack using its elongated middle digit in a strange flicking gesture toward rival males during mating season, but this behavior is not fully understood.) After pressing the nut slightly into the firm earth and walking around the nut several times, the pengrack turns its stoney posterior toward the nut and sits on it repeatedly in a most determined way until the nut cracks. The pengrack then uses its long curved incisors to efficiently remove the meat from the crunched coconut.

[Kaizer]

PsiBug, that has to be my favorite creature yet.

[Lege1]

A little cococut crunching action. It always feels good to do better. I think this is my best illustration yet. Let me know what you all think.

Awesome entrees so far.

Dekal: No worries bro, I think everyone was trippin on the first w.i.p. like, "what's this guy doing?" You know how busy my schedule can get. Sometimes I only have time to jot down a quick idea, and that's all the first w.i.p. was. Hope you like this one bro. I made sure to include the rim lighting just for you =)

THE COCONUT CRUNCHER

The Coconut Cruncher is a species of crustacean and was once a water animal that has now migrated and adapted to live on land. The creatures have been stranded on an unknown group of islands somewhere by the Galopagos Archipelago and have nothing else to feed on but cococuts. These creatures have evolved into highly skilled coconut hunters and feasters.
The Coconut Cruncher foreges by easily scaling trees with its frog, and monkey like hind limbs. It uses it's tail, which has a claw like gripping device, to pluck the survival seeds from the trees of life. The Coconut Cruncher makes its way back down the tree with ease and proceeds to use it's claw like hands to open the coconuts. The Coconut Crusher has two claws, a larger one for doing the actual crushing if it already did not use the tail device, and another smaller claw is used for scavenging and picking up pieces. The Coconut Cruncher also has a perfect armormed body for dealing with the rugged beach terrain, strong flat teeth for further coconut crushing and grinding up food like a cow. The Coconut Cruncher can also use it's tail as a weapon by using it as a club when holding a coconut inside. The male Coconut Crunchers have ramming horns on the front of their head that they use in combat when competeing for female species during mating season which is everyother month.

P.S. In case any of you didn't know.......................
The keyboard shortcuts for photoshop to zoom works here on interenet explorer. Those shorcuts are:

Hold the control key and press the +/= key to zoom in.
Hold the control key and press the -/_ key to zoom out.
And last, but not least,
hold the control key and press 0/) key to resume to normal view. =)

[Tyrus]

Okay I now have two ideas and sketches for three.

The left one is a sketch of the original idea
The right two are new more surreal-looking Crunchers

Which do you all like best?

[Lege1]

Tyrus: Far right one all day bro!!!!

[Arteater]

some more work
http://fc04.deviantart.com/fs27/i/2008/100/2/f/C_O_W__114_w_i_p__2_by_arteaterproductions.jpg

[electric goat]

Hi guys! Just some off the top of my head thoughts fer ya. Thanks for all the input you have given me. We’ll do the “pro” “con” style comments. A color wip update from me too. Let me know your thoughts.

http://i150.photobucket.com/albums/s116/egoat/cococrusherpaintlow.jpg
chilling with pops on the beach eating coconuts while mom looks for food at the local volcano. you know how it is...

Desviaciion- p: digging the multi appendage element you have here and I like the function of the tail. Looks like it could exist so bonus points for that! C: bkg and creature really close in palette. The extra set of eyes don’t feel as integrated into I’ts anatomy as the extra set of arms do.

Uct- thanks for the comment! It’s been really fun to do this again.p: I really like the variety of creatures you’ve combined on this one. You’ve also unified them well. I hope you can get some time to spend on this one. The weird fork thing on it’s back is a nice unique touch. C: bkg palette seems to intense and interfers with your critter. Also consider how large this guy is and how big the crunching device needs to be to crunch a nut.

Getout- no you get out! Hehe P: liking the big cheeks and stocky upper body. Unique and believable. I don’t think its too similar too desvi….c: appendage anatomy doesn’t seem to fit as well. Maybe consider the creature’s silouette and see if you can pronounce some joints or muscles. Kind of looks like he’s posing. he’s an angry hamster, he should be pissed!

Tommoy- looking forward to yours as always. P: unique and functional, ilike it. I like the humor in such a mammoth head crushing one little coconut at a time. Liking the teeth, I would never have come up with that. C: I feel like his left arm could be pushed a little further into the foreground to add dimension. He would look like he’s walking too. Finish it dude!

Saurus- p: color palette is very nice and fits concept. C: a little early for too many crits but I would look at some frog and isect anatomy and revisit.

Kaizer-p:I like the intelligent feel of this one, kind of mysterious too. Nice job using a koala base for the anatomy without borrowing too much. C: I feel like his left ear is too high and that the head construction needs to be worked out a bit. Also, consider where it’s pelvis and spine are sitting and you might see that the tail is much too high.

Dekal- awesome p: really digging design and allaround character of this guy. I tried something with a sloth like appearance and got no where fast, so good job! Setting is descriptive but simple, just what daddy like. C: butt anatomy seems weird. It all kinda blobs together down there.

ray wicket- p: he really feels high up there! I like the natural feel of his face and skin. C: can’t see him but if you include another view you’re cool. Im not believing the background texture. I would try rendering everything with the same technique, or at least make it look that way. if you rendered the bkg like you rendered your critter you may like the results.

Phoebe-16! Keep it up kid! That’s the age I was when I got my first internship You could probably do the same and kick my ass if you got some quality stuff in front of the right eyes. P: digging the coconutty pallete and overall arachnid feel to this one. The fore most appendages look really good, they sit in space well. C: paint the bkg, punk kids these days I tell ya…hehe. Need more space between the back appendages and head. The anatomy in that general region is hard to read. Remember, air is not totally transparent and will desaturate the color of forms thar are farther away. Now paint!

Arteater- thank you for your kind words, mine brain is pretty weird. P: liking his general character and with your last entry in mind I know we well get to see some great detail in that face. Posture is interesting too, good job! C: I think you need to unify your palette a bit. Maybe less pastel but I know you’ll add color. A good opportunity for reflected light underneath your creature. Could be used as a focal element on its chin/head.

Mcmatz- p: digging his pose and beak. Nice blend of critters there. C: a bit early for too many crits but I think his arms need to be longer. Looks a bit too human proportioned at the moment.

Psibug- really groovy, must finish! Reminds me of matt Dixon’s work. P: crunching function is creative and funny. Seems to fit his character too. Really liking the long finger on the claws. Without a description is still seems like it does something important. Groovyness! C: hmmm….digging…..ummm…less cartoony in the eyes maybe?

Lege1-word. P: the bold lighting and time of day here make for a very dramatic setting. Really like the little guy in the tree. Seeing a tail being used like that is unique. C: some anatomy seems misaligned or inconsistent from side to side. Like his arms for instance, one feels like muscle and the other like an exoskeleton. His back left foot is just bare touching the tree forming a tangent. Kind of gets flat there.

Tyrus- I agree with lege1 so we’ll go by that one. P: a very unique and interesting design here. I like his mouth a lot. Just enough anatomical info to believe it could work like that . Good job! C: a bit hard to read all of your critter but color will help with that. The fore most appendage seems out of place in it’s design. Maybe you push it to look more like the rest of your critter.

[Mr--Jack]

Alright, here we go! I've seen people's COWs on DA for far too long and thought, hey, that'd be good to do, so finally I decided to get off my ass and begin.

about an hour so far in photoshop.
It's a relatively crustacean creature, which uses its claws and tail to force coconuts very slowly onto its rings of teeth, which can be moved separately (the muscular rings, not each tooth) to grind away at the shell; the entire nut is eaten, and rather than there being one central mouth the crushed nut is absorbed between the rings to be properly digested.

(cool stuff by everyone else too; particularly liking yours PsiBug...)

[Kaizer]

Kaizer-p:I like the intelligent feel of this one, kind of mysterious too. Nice job using a koala base for the anatomy without borrowing too much. C: I feel like his left ear is too high and that the head construction needs to be worked out a bit. Also, consider where it’s pelvis and spine are sitting and you might see that the tail is much too high.
Thanks. I see what you mean about the tail, and I'll definitely fix the ear, but I'm not sure what you mean about its head. Would you mind explaining?

[Lege1]

Electric Goat:
I definitely agree with you on the bold colors and lighting making for a dramatic setting. This is more or less the direction I am wanting to push towards no doubt. My use of over sauturated colors in the recent past was a disaster for me. I am feeling things are getting more under control with all that although I still like using bright colors. I've come to realize that focal points should more or less be the areas that are more saturated.

I am glad you liked what I did with the tail of my creature. I am always trying to think a bit further outside the box where possible. I thought that was a good addition to the creature and,if anything, would build up the creatures character. The little guy in the tree I thought was fresh. I envisioned these things kind of jumping up into the trees and plucking coconuts with their tails.

I see what you are saying about the arms but I was definitely not going for symmetry here. I wanted there to be a distinct difference between the two arms because they pose entirely different jobs. If anything I feel I could of course have added more muscle to the arm with the bigger claw, and wimped out the eating arm.

You have a very valid point on what you said about my creatures left foot and thank you for pointing that out. I will see to making adjustments on that if and when I can. I am not liking how the foot lines up with the tree and there could indeed be better anatomy to the feet. I am not the greatest scholar in the arts and am not up to par with all the technical terms of things. You use the word "tangent" to describe that static between the foot and the tree. Very good =)

Thanks for the C&C.

[Hexism]

arteater: nice , I like how you did the shards. It looks really angry lol.
lege1:looks good overall , I really like the strong colors , I hope you smoothen up the fur and the coconuts though .
goat: awesome work , I can't wait for the final product ! thanks for the crit to , I did some bg changes , not sure if it looks better or worse now:

http://img444.imageshack.us/img444/5584/coconut3yy4.jpg

[PsiBug]

(Comments limited to 2nd page of thread)
Desviaciion: I like where you're going with this little feller.

Kaizer: Thanks for the comment!

Lege1: I think I like the sharpest areas best. The blurred areas seem distracting to me. I like how you showed the tail being used to pluck a coconut. The proportions of the legs (to each other) and toes (to the rest of the body) may still need some attention. I like the yellow highlights much better than the white ones.

Tyrus: I agree that the far right one is the strongest. The leg placement and the design of the upper jaw read best in the far right version. I like the beak spots on the middle one though.

Arteater: The creature and the coconut fragments are developing well. You might still want to put a whole coconut in there somewhere.

electric goat: Lots of delicious detail. You've created a really complex critter that still looks believable and coherent. the babies are cute. Thanks for the feedback! Glad you picked up on the specialized middle finger which is used for hacking down low hanging coconuts as well as for flipping the bird to competing males during mating season. (going to add description to my previous post)

Mr--Jack: Really digging the lighting and detail on the appendages and mouth area. It's cool to see the process you use. Thanks for the comment!

[Mr.Razorblades]

Desviaciion, is your creature holding a coconut or a watermelon?

[Fozzybar]

neolite
There are more than just the "hairy" brown coconuts you're aiming for i guess. Like green ones with a plain surface as Desviaciion drew ;)

[PsiBug]

Yeah I think the brown hairy nut is the seed and it starts off inside a leathery green husk. The wikipedia Coconut page shows this pretty well: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coconut

[Lege1]

PsiBug:
I am glad you like the sharpest areas best. I think I have too agree to and if a third opinion makes a difference my good friend Dekal let me know straight up that I over killed on the blur thing. I was messing with it and just got a little too carried away when I saw the foreground come so forward. I have a sharpened version that I just so happened to save in case the blur didn’t work out, which it didn’t =).

Just like I wrote to Electric Goat about the tail; I thought that was a good additive for more character. Something that makes the character stand out from the norm. I was very happy that the tail aspect worked out for the majority of everyone, including yourself.

The legs were very difficult because I wanted to try and pull off a very dramatic perspective to my creature. I am not sure how to really go about fixing the legs of my creature but if you, or someone else on here would like to better demonstrate through means of a paint over then be my guest, I would like to see someone else’s vision to broaden my horizon a bit. I am thinking of definitely going back in and re-working the toes a bit to keep up with the quality of the creature. I have to admit that I did get a little lazy there =0 In regards to the highlights I went with both the yellows and white to kinda see how each worked for this particular piece, so a little honesty coming from my way in terms of experimentation is indeed put casually on the table before you and all.

Thanks for your c&c and I’ll be sure to take it into consideration.

[Nexus]

Ok, here's some quick thumbs I whipped up today. I like a couple of them but any input is always good. First one is really tall and it pulls coconuts off trees then smashes them on the ground with that long dangly bit in the front. Second one is more like a monkey, it scuttles up the tree and crushes the fruit with its jaws. Third one is like a bull, it rams the trees with its armored chest and then catches the falling coconuts in its big smashing mouth. Fourth one floats out in the ocean like a buoy near islands with coconuts then uses the suction organs on its back to pull coconuts off of trees and into its huge head.

Anywho, might do a few more but well see.

[DeKal]

electric goat - super fresh!
descvi - real cool..the toe nails are my favorite part
arteater - i like..but the teeth and jaws really dont seem powerful enough to be able to crunch a coconute like that..have you ever tried to break open a coconut? they are fuckin hard as hell...
psibug - cool and funny...i agree with that other comment..id like to see it a little less cartoony..

heres where im at...i dont know..it kinda feels like it still needs something right?

[Nexus]

Dekal. You have two styles competing in the same image. You have these amazingly well rendered muscles and yet cartoony mouth and eyes. They just clash. I'd rework the eyes and face area so that they are a bit more believable and fit with the body.

[electric goat]

dekal- horizon seems to be too saturated, interferes with depth as colors seem too close in value from back to front. looking great! the lighting and anatomy on this guy are awesome! butt region looks good. in regard to it's cartooniness, i think if you removed some of the line around his face and used color to carve out forms you may not have to change the head design.

nexus- two on the right read the best for me. i like the concept behind the first one though.

kaizer- not pretty but i hope this helps! some notes jotted down. take'm with a grain of salt.
http://i150.photobucket.com/albums/s116/egoat/114_kaizer_sketchpo.jpg

lege1- if i have time tonight ill try a "draw over" for you to see if it helps. you are getting better i've noticed, keep it up!

[Michael Jaecks]

neolite
There are more than just the "hairy" brown coconuts you're aiming for i guess. Like green ones with a plain surface as Desviaciion drew ;)

I looked this one up actually. The green part is an outer hull that is actually really thick, like the flesh of the fruit... The brown hairy part (the husk you usually see at the store) is like a peach pit inside the fruit (in fact, I'm quite sure it's quite the same deal, except obviously the coconut contains less arsenic than a peach pit, or we'd get really sick eating Almond Joys and Mounds.)

Sometimes you feel like a nut. Sometimes you don't.

[Lege1]

Nexus: I am with Electric Goats pickins on your prototypes. I don't think the fourth makes much sense, at least from how I am reading it out in what you typed.

Dekal: Awesome run on your first official COW. I think you're doing great. As Nexus said, "don't let the styles clash." One way or the other and if I know you you'l stay too the more realistic sides of the tracks. I like the perspective of looking up in this image and how the palm trees describe that. Watch out for the backround being over saturated for that is something that I struggled with for the longest time. All around bro, I can't wait to see this done and I am really happy that you finally did a creature. Great job!

Electric Goat: Tight work bro and if you can do the paint over that would be great. No obligations though, do what you do at your convenience. Thanks for the thought if you never do get around to the paint over. Thank you also on the compliments of getting better. I have honestly put in a lot of work and it's always good when someone or people in general notice it. I have tried pursuing many different avenues of art as a career but have really come to peace with myself in just doing it as a hobby. I am of course up for making money with it where I can, but I don't stress pursuing the opportunity. I figure if the opportunity comes then it comes and it only stays as long as I let it because too many employers like to capture their artists and hold them like personal genies to grant all their creative wishes. Going the career route with the art and being so serious about getting better really took the fun out of doing it for me and the fun in art is all I personally feel it's really worth. Just a little legendary insight. =)

[Kaizer]

Thank you! I definitely understand. This really helps.

[Tyrus]

Thanks for the comments and critiques everyone. Here is a trial picture. Playing with paper effects and probably won't use them. Any comments are welcome.

[Lege1]

Tyrus: Tight work. Makes me feel like Egypt or something =) Can't wait to see your coloring tactics.

[Lege1]

Alright, this is the latest. I made a bunch of edits compared to what I originally had. I took all of your opinions and tried to put it to best use. Thanks again to all those who gave c&c.

[Saurus]

arteater: looks really cool...I can already imagine how that'll look with all the detail that you know how to add..Is it kindof a coconut scavanger that only eats fallen down coconuts?
psibug, really funny and gets the point across! that's top notch stuff
Lege. tat's really cool, it seems almost as if those creatues dominated that island
electric goat. thanks for the commetns!..yours looks awesome for just being off the top of your head..I wish I could do that! I like your way of presenting the drawing a lot.
dekal: that looks freaking cool...looks pretty friendly and the head is jsut awesome

here's mine...just another quick sketch...maybe I'll elaborate it a little more...I'll probaly take the furr away because coconuts grow in warm climates..but I'm still throwing out ideas. comments are welcome!

[lord_regenschirm]

Haha! I'm sorry guys but that's just too sweet ... :D Great idea and nice assembly Saurus!

[Fozzybar]

I looked this one up actually. The green part is an outer hull that is actually really thick, like the flesh of the fruit... The brown hairy part (the husk you usually see at the store) is like a peach pit inside the fruit (in fact, I'm quite sure it's quite the same deal, except obviously the coconut contains less arsenic than a peach pit, or we'd get really sick eating Almond Joys and Mounds.)

Sometimes you feel like a nut. Sometimes you don't.

aaaah, the coconut professor talked...:perv:

[UCT]

Saurus - looks like a very human 'monkey' with a very human face.

[Saurus]

thanks lord!
UCT: cool!...that's actually part of the idea...you'll get it once you read the information on the species which I'm still working on!

[Mr.Razorblades]

I know that coconuts are green and brown but for the sake at first glance it looks like a watermelon, with the dark green areas. Just a thought.

[Lege1]

Saurus:
Thanks on the compliments. My vision was to indeed have an island where this Coconut Cruncher species has taken over. I am glad you saw that in the illustration. Tight work on your piece as well. I was actually going to do a tiki mask like creature but decided last minute not too. I look forward to seeing the finished version. Keep up the good work. ;)

[benu]

WIP: the anatomy looks off but I don't know what to do about it :( Not sure about the background too.

344298

[Arteater]

benu: Great work so far, maybe if he were sitting more indian style it might help the anatomy, it seems the back shin is a tad too long compared to the creature in the tree

Lege1: the anatomy is looking a lot better. the more details you add the better it gets

Sauraus: yup, he is a coconut scavenger, I like you work a lot so far
cant wait to see the end product

ElectricGoat:Nice work, the purple is awesome

Jaecks: are you in on this one?

Here is a little more detail, I changed a lot of things :)
and added some coconuts from request :)
http://fc05.deviantart.com/fs26/i/2008/101/c/4/C_O_W__114_more_w_i_p__by_arteaterproductions.jpg

[Michael Jaecks]

(disengages lurking device)
Arteater: mwhahahahahaha.
(re-engages lurking device)

[benu]

Arteater- :D "these are all MINE!" good work, loving the exploding coconut. And thanks for the advice, I hope this will help.

[DeKal]

benu - fresh..ima sucker for those tall compositions..
lege - you see..you dont gotta paint anything twice..the piece just wasnt finished. definately looking better..you can even keep going with it..throw some details on those toes!
michael jaecks - bring it!

changed the anatomy and composition a bit..i think it looks better

[Lege1]

Dekal: Awesome work man. This is definitely progression for you. Big ups on stepping your game up with trying something new =) This piece came out really fly and I urge you to come back for more C.O.W.

Arteater: Little by little....looking good man, it's coming right along. Thanks for your compliments my way. I've been adding a little here and there too. Keep it up.

[Pixie Trick]

Well, here's a wip. I actually has two sets of wings which I'm having trouble with. I'm trying to make it look less bird and more something else... And I officially hate palm trees :) .

This creature has often been seen grabbing basketballs by accident. They eat coconuts by crrunching them up then swallowing. They then let the pieces stew in mild acid in their large gullet. They are known for regurgitating bits now and them. Recently there have been an invasion of these animals in Hawaii. An novel way to keeps them from grabbing innocent basketballs by accident is to paint a bowling ball brown and leave it out.

344488

Feel completely free to ignore me at any point, but here are my crits. A bunch of people have animals with quite small mouths with which to crunch.

Arteater: Your image is looking rather desaturated on my monitor except for the coconuts. Also, white animals in nature are generally yellowish. Your doesn't have to be of course but adding some other variations/reflective colour on your grey-blue shading might be nice. I love the expression you've gotten.

Devascion: I like the multi arms. Your shadows on your coconut look great but they aren't matching up with the ones on the animal.

Lege1: Looking good. It doesn't seem as though the blue lighting is hitting your creature evenly. The back in particular doesn't seem to have any blue light on it.

get0ut: Cute. It looks as though it would hit its head if it tried to run on all fours however.

mcmatz: Keep on working on it. It looks quite nice so far.

tyrus: I like the one on the furthest left.

electric goat: Nice work. I must say I love purple.

Mr--jack: Neat idea. It looks more like a sort of grinder to me, but that might just be because of early stage.

Nexus: I like the first one best as well

Dekal: Neat as well. The bottom of the creature seems a little flat.

Saurus: I think of it grabbing a coconut, and falling out of the tree becuause of a lack of counterbalance.

Kaizer: I'm just wondering, but what is that stump looking thing in its head do? Interesting looking.

RayTwicket: I agree with Fozzybar, don't hide half the animal! I'm sure it has a very nice rear end.

Pheobe: Your background isn't doing the work you've put into your animal justice.

PsiBug: I think that sitting on a coconut has got to hurt. Cute!

[Kaizer]

Kaizer: I'm just wondering, but what is that stump looking thing in its head do? Interesting looking.



It's what he uses to open the coconut. He put the coconut against a rock, then runs at it, crushing it between his head and the rock. ^ ^

[get0ut]

Hi everyone!^^ Thanks for the comment and tips electric goat .I see some very interesting concepts and ideas especially DeKal - thats a really groovy creature chilling out on the beach and all :D.http://i299.photobucket.com/albums/mm289/zibi222/coconut1-1.jpg
Well mine is still a wip but I hope I'll make it before the deadline... http://i299.photobucket.com/albums/mm289/zibi222/coconut1-2.jpg Anywayz I think i made him too little of a cruncher and to much insane ^^! You might say hes koo koo for coconuts...ekhm. Comments and crits are very wellcome.

[draconas]

Pixie Trick: maybe you could replace it's legs with wings and leave the feet. (several dinosaurs did so it's logical)

[Tyrus]

Here is a new show of my creature. . . With Color! Yay!

Anyway, here goes.

[Lege1]

PixieTrick: I really don't think the blue lighting should be on top of the creature but thanks for the suggestion. =) Your creatures coming along quiet well, I look forward to seeing the finished product.

[UCT]

thanks lord!
UCT: cool!...that's actually part of the idea...you'll get it once you read the information on the species which I'm still working on!

Ok cool. Notice that there is a restraint on the amount your creature can represent humanoid form tho.

[PsiBug]

Dekal: yeah you nailed it with this latest update I think. and the way you've handled the muscles on that critter is amazing.

[Kaizer]

I think I'm about ready to color him.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v735/kaizerblkh/Sketchbook%20for%20CA/114_Kaizer_sketch2.jpg
I think I'll add more coconut shards. His upper eyes don't seem to want to work, though.. Should I just get rid of them, or keep trying to fix them?

[DeKal]

thanks to all who commented on my piece..a few of the crits made me push it to the next level..i've never used the airbrush for anatomy before but it seems to be a nice way to detail highlights and form...

[Pixie Trick]

Dekal: Much less flat looking now. You might want to tighten up the lines around the muscle. The airbrush has a lot of the same effect as using a soft edged brush in making things look a little mushy.

Lege1: Thanks.

Kaizer: Good to know! You might want to put your animal closer to the smashing coconut rock so that they look connected to one another.

Draconas: Thanks for the idea.

[Arteater]

I think
I put too much on my plate :( I will try to make this work tonight.
http://fc05.deviantart.com/fs29/i/2008/102/1/e/C_O_W__114_last_update_by_arteaterproductions.jpg

[Lege1]

Dekal: Great improvements bro. That airbrush tool works miracles in both PS and painter, just don't go too soft like I used too,lol. Nice progress.

ArtEater: Looking pretty kickass there man, I love how the babies are in the picture. You got a whole family of Coconut Crunchers that you brough here to the table ☺ I see you are big on showing action. I like that alot....

[Tyrus]

Arteater- It's coming together nicely

Thanks for everyone's comments and critiques this is my final.

[electric goat]

work sucks:frustrated: ...coconuts rule.

going to stay up late tonight to finish. nice entries y'all!

[RayTwicket]

thanks for the input everyone, i decided to try it all over again...on the day before deadline woo hoo :) still the same general idea lizard, monkey kinda guy that smashes the coconut with his head, hope i finish
everyone's work looks really good:
get0ut: i really like your sketch, hope you finish it:)
mcmatz: i like your idea are you gonna throw some wings on him....might be cool
PsiBug: :) cool
ElectricGoat: that's awesome, really cool colors
too many comments? ok i'm done
thanks again everyone

[JakkaS]

Some crits and comments: :)

Saurus - your creature's face is awesome....but he looks more like a creature that will be the first of its kind who will crash the coconut :)

Tyrus - IMO, there is too much happening around the creatures....these black shapes are attracting my attention more then the creature...

DeKal - lovely creature and painting...i like how u have painted the body and the muscles on its back...

benu - nice wip...

PsiBug - awesome sketch... I think this is one of my favs....

Nexus - IMO that one on the left is the most unique....

electric goat - nice..love the colors :)

Lege1 - nice idea...but i think it would be much better if you could make it more unique....maybe only the tail would be able to crash the coconut and then u could change the arms and legs into something more useful for climbing...

Mr--Jack - nice start... but where is the progress...

Desviaciion - somehow ur creature reminds me a Prussian officer ...don't ask why.... :)

UCT - nice wip...

Tommoy - dig urs....especially design of the jaw....

Kaizer - nice head design....

phoebe - interesting...but i am not sure how he will be crashing the coconuts...at least for now...

Arteater - I could write a lot of crits and suggestion, but I think quick over-painting will explain more. I hope u will find it useful :)


Sorry for my bad English guys...
Cheers :drinkup:
Kuba

[eraserfoot]

"The tropical sun burned its ears when it first arrived but it sure did take a liking to coconuts."

http://eraserfoot.blogspot.com/

[Kaizer]

I hope to have my final up by the end of the night.

[Michael Jaecks]

I posted mine in the final thread. I wished I had a little more time with this, but work's gotta get done too.

Jakkas: Yours is really great... it's like a Megaman villain almost... CoconutCrabMan! He's really great and the colors are fantastic.

[mcmatz]

This is what I have. My software was gacking on me so I lost some work and I am still trying to learn this digital stuff here is what I have and PLEASE throw technical info in with any remarks as what and how to fix things.

[electric goat]

crap sauce! gotta finish...

[Amedyr]

PsiBug - that is EXACTLY the idea I had... Thank you for putting it on paper and sparing me the work, hehehe :)

[Kaizer]

I hope I get my entry in on time.. I have a few touch ups to do, but I'm going to be out of town all day, so I won't be near a computer to post it up until later tonight. Bah! Why must life happen? ;P

[jhagen22]

Here's my entry. I got a bit rushed this week. I really like the idea I have on this one, but work got in the way.
Anyways, I still like it. :)


Artist: jhagen22

Concept: Coconut Cruncher Caterpillar

The Coconut Cruncher is a giant caterpillar found on a remote island in the south pacific. It was discovered by some stranded sailers who were trying to open up some coconuts. One morning they heard a loud clunking noise and upon investigation they found a pair of 2-foot long caterpillars. Each held a coconut on its head with tiny legs. The males had apparently evolved the ability to hold a coconut on its head and headbutt each other until one of the coconuts are crunched open. The loser slinks away while the winner wins the coconut innards and becomes the dominant male. The sailers were able to survive on the broken coconuts and were very happy....until the Coconut Cruncher Caterpillars emerged from their cocoons as Meat-Eating Moths.

[Arteater]

Jakkas: thanks a lot for the paint over, I wish i could have seen it in time, your eye is right on. Its real cool to see my idea through someone else's eyes. Your entry rocks by the way

M.J.:Great work i love your coloring, always so detailed

[Lege1]

Jakkas: The tail of my creature can crush but serves as more of a picker than crusher. Thanks for the crits anyyway man. You're a master of COW along with a few others so I am at least happy you liked my idea, for nothing else I do actually ever seems to be good enough. Awesome work on your creature as I said before in my message and I agree with MJ on the Mega Man thing which is very cool. Rock on!

[Tyrus]

Is the competition technically over now? No one is posting, but nothing is changing, is my computer just off?

[DeKal]

yea..can we get that poll up?

[Michael Jaecks]

I think Fozz must be bogged down with the work thing.

He'll come back soon, I'm sure.

And if our COW withdrawl pains become too much to bear we can always start another unofficial COW thread.

[Tyrus]

I can wait, I was just wondering considering my computer and internet have been off as of late. I can practice for the next one. I need it.

[JakkaS]

MJ - Thanks :)

Lege1 - Thanks man, but I am not the King of the COW, I am just addicted Cow-maker :) hehe

Arteater - Np, glade I could help :)

----
Hey guys..don't worry about Fozz. I am sure that he will show up soon. :mod:

Cheers
Kuba

[Lander]

Cool work everyone!

Time flies. I thought we had lot's of time to do this one. But now I have posted one at last. I'll have to stop doing these on the last evening. I'm a bit short on time. I guess you can see that on my signature :).

Please tell me if there is anything that needs to be fixed cos I havn't had the time to look away. Maybe I'll have the time before Da man closes the tread for voting.

[PsiBug]

That rocks, Lander.

[Arteater]

Lander: I think it looks pretty good, my only suggestion would be to make the edge of the grass a little harder, so there is more contrast between the grass and the air . make sense? probably not. i like his head a lot , great depth and color in that eye.

[Lander]

Thanks both of you :) I'm not sure, are you thinking of the right side of the creature? I figured that was misty enough to blur the border.

[RayTwicket]

lander that guy is awesome, hope you're in for the next round....anyone have any idea when that might be:)....i think i'm a little addicted

[Michael Jaecks]

lander that guy is awesome, hope you're in for the next round....anyone have any idea when that might be:)....i think i'm a little addicted

mwahahahahahaha. Another junkie hooked on COW.

;)

Admitting you have a problem is the first step.

Hi, my name is Michael and I'm addicted to creature design.

[Lander]

Erhh.... Hi
My name is Sven.
(pause)
Sorry, what I meant to say is Carl and I don't have a problem. I just like comming here in the eleventh hour releasing my tension. I'm not addicted. I just like it so why shouldn't I paint COWs? I can stop. Look I didn't submit COW 110, 111, 112. I can stay away.
:)

[Fozzybar]

Hi, my name is Foz and i am reason for your sickness...and i have no bad feelings about that...:perv:

Sorry for the delay...but finally we finished the big project we were working on ;)

So, poll is online:

http://conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?t=122639