C.O.W. - #119: Unicorn Hunter

[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 #119

Topic:
Unicorn Hunter

Deadline (extended):
Friday, 01 August 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://conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?t=132108)

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

[Fozzybar]

Thanx to davi for the inspiration ;)

ADDITIONAL INFO

1. Unicorn Hunter is a species, which is specialised on hunting down Unicorns. The reason is up to you.

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

[Zeitwolf]

I'm going to do a giant burning red bull...

[Fozzybar]

Thanx for posting that...now no one will come up with this stupid idea :D ;)

Don't watch too much movies guys, you see the result...

[Zeitwolf]

Hey! Best unicorn movie ever! >o< aw... so romantic *puts America into the player*

actually, fire is not a stupid idea, I think... but maybe teeth are better...

[Fozzybar]

i tell you...burning teeth!!! :perv:

[Michael Jaecks]

Yay! I nice, demonic, horrific grisly topic.

Lets give those stoopid unicorns a lil of the good ole COW SMACKDOWN!

[Zeitwolf]

i tell you...burning teeth!!! :perv:
with drills...

[Rist]

Is the unicorn the flying type like pegasus or the land mammal like the fairy tale?

[Zeitwolf]

or goat-like like in "Das tapfere Schneiderlein"?

[Samolo]

You just crushed down all my ideas! what am I going to draw now? That fire bull was going to be my first COW winning piece! now what to do!

[Kezrek]

Ohh. I like this topic. *already has an idea*

Entering for the first time... long time lurker... yaaaaaaaahahaahaay. *scared*

[kurios]

http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a247/kurios/unicornhuntersketch1.jpg

I immediately thought of a creature that would resemble a unicorn so it would be tricked into getting close. I was figuring something that could leap up and start clawing at it with front legs that either released blades or spikes.

I then thought of a praying mantis, so my creature is part insect-like. I made the front legs so a clawed foot supported it and then became like a mantis.

The tail is whip-like and has a stinger at the end with small barbs the length of it to wrap around the unicorn's body.

The "horn" is an antennae.

My main concern is about how thin it is and whether it could support its own weight and how better to portray the front legs.

[Zeitwolf]

Hm, maybe there should have been a round with designing unicorns first, and then a round with unicorn hunters after it... I really can't decide on what design the unicorns should have at all...

[Arteater]

zeitwolf: I don't think the unicorn is the main focus, maybe a horse with a horn will do. I don't think you would have to have a unicorn in the illustration at all as long as the concept is sound.

[Fozzybar]

That's maybe one funny part of this round, to have a beautiful unicorn beside the actual creature...HUNT THIS FREAKS DOWN!

Of course you don't need to draw an unicorn if you don't feel like it ;)

[HunterKiller_]

Aw I don't wanna kill Unicorns but this topic is to sweet to miss.

Too bad we can't do humanoid characters, because smelly, sweaty, suspicious old men are the best unicorn killers...

[Michael Jaecks]

I did a beastiary last year for a German RPG company called Ulisses-Spiele, and in their game a lot of different animals were unicorns...one we did was this crazy hippopotamus/boar unicorn... there was a six legged evil unicorn and even a unicorn lizard-man-thing that stood upright.

Hunt them all down!

[MJ_Alcazar]

Hmmm, interesting. I might try this one if I have time. :)

[Lege1]

Some work and a few shout outs to ArtEater, Dekal, and Mike Jaecks. You guys rock and thanks Fozz for choosing an ill topic. =]

[pmihaichuk]

Here's an initial sketch...The creature latches on to the unicorn and grinds the horn down to feed.

http://photos-h.ak.facebook.com/photos-ak-snc1/v263/243/26/6100384323/n6100384323_601703_8480.jpg

[DeKal]

lege, great concept. wip #2 has all the energy and emotion though. i think you lost it after that. once again, i think you went waayy to dark in wip3 and you had to fight the values back up. overall, comin out pretty good though

[Demo]

Heres my WIP it supposed to be a wolf that has one of the lighted lures on it to attract the unicorns into darker areas of the woods
http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd17/Demo_09/Unicornkillers2.jpg

[Lege1]

If you're interested in viewing my final please go ahead and peep the final thread. Thanx.....

Dekal: Thanks for the C&C bro. I jacked up the levels on 3 to see if anyone would call me out on it and you did. I use a dark gray but not black to build my volume with midtones. Thanks again though bro, you know your shyt no doubt.

[MonsterFace]

Its just a sketch so ya D= Still more work to do! I just wanted to get it in lol Also shrunk it :T

[Rist]

The reason I brought it up is because if I chose the flying unicorn my creature might be different from if i used the non-flying one. I guess its a decision the artists has to decide.

[Fozzybar]

Lege1
No plants allowed. I think you have to come up with another entry.

[indus]

cool topic~!(boredom killer was too hard for me)

first time I thought bee - wasp like unicorn what more huge and bloody style...but now I changed my mind.

I'll post my sketches soon :cheerleader:

[Rist]

kurios: To me it looks like a running dog (those thin little runts). So be careful how you try and potray the things as it might look like something you did not intend. Why not thick and large front arms and thin and small back legs?

pmihaichuk: Very similar to why my creature is going to attack and kill the unicorn. No worries though, your design looks more insect/reptile while mine is a mammal. Keep going!

Demo: I see a small flaw with your idea. Animals usually stay away from fires that humans make to keep warm, what makes this unicorn any different? The question is 'WHY' would it be attracted by the light?

Lege1: I think your design looks more animal than plant. Because it has plant-like features in order to camo in the woods does not mean its a plant design. This should be allowed for poll in my opinion. But its the activity leaders decision to reject entries so I wont argue. I just hope mine is not too human....

Monster Face: It feels like a reptile evolving into a mammal.

Great work so far guys!


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Okay here is mine. If its too human then that's fine, it was fun to design.

I am thinking this creature lurks in the dark while all day creatures are sleeping. It sneaks up onto a sleeping unicorn, grabs it with its right arm and this chops off the horn with its left pincer. Bashes the Unicorn to the ground, picks up the horn and starts sucking on it like some bottle of coke.

I was thinking of an asymmetric design to accentuate the grotesqueness of this creature.

http://img233.imageshack.us/img233/7417/20je0.jpg

[heavyflash]

got some nice WIPs here, didn't expect to see something like that that rist, but I like the originality of the creature.

here's mine anyway, i don't think I'll even finish this contest, it's not really my kind of topic. But I really don't like unicorns so I'd say that the killer should look fierce and merciless, so:

[Jolliday]

Kurios—mm, the creature is kind of thin, like you said. I think it’s the position of the front legs, though, that looks more dubious than anything. Not that you can’t have the legs bend, but I think most four-legged creatures in that position would have the legs straight. Unless they spend most of the time on their bellies. You might look at a few photo references of dogs or horses.

Lege-I think that just renaming the creature and putting a few more animalistic features on would work. The design of the head really doesn’t look all that plant-like

Pmihaichuk—Great idea. Can’t wait to see more. I would never have thought of a creature that liked to eat the horn itself.

Demo: great creature, I really like the lighted lures idea.

Monster face—that creature really looks powerful, and low to the ground like it could dodge around the horn all together.

Rist—That thing would give anybody nightmares

Heavyflash—But wouldn’t you enjoy making something that kills unicorns, if you don’t like unicorns all that much? :D. Up to you.

Below: kicking around some ideas for unicorn-killing strategies.

[Jolliday]

Hmm, seems I forgot about the "hunter" part and mixed the title up with "killer" in the last COW. And some of the non-hunting strategies were pretty interesting . . .

[Kaizer]

xD; I'm making a piano-like creature that can climb trees. It drops upon the unicorn to kill it then uses its teeth to eat it. >3
j/k >.>;

[Kezrek]

A rabid, sky-diving air piano is not a bad idea actually... That, or something similar. xD

[Kaizer]

I've decided on making a Piano Bat. Lol. It climbs trees and waits for a unicorn to pass under, then drops itself on the unicorns head and feasts.

[heavyflash]

I ditched the previous sketch and started out with a completely new creature, though, i'm having trouble with value and no matter how much I work on the escaping unicorns, they always come out sketchy.

a little help maybe?.... :bashful:

[Jolliday]

Kaizer-- Can't wait to see it. Hahaha

[Jolliday]

HeavyFlash

The unicorns don't look too bad, especially since they're so small in comparison with the creature. What kind of value problems? Were you wondering about shading, or did you want the creature to stand out more from everything else?

[Kezrek]

Concept sketch. You'll understand why it's so oddly.. odd... when it's done 8D

[TheFlyingWalnut]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v200/MrWilde/01sketch.jpg
Came up with a bunch of sketches, but I liked this one the best. Figure the creature leaves underground, pegs the unicorn then rips it in half letting the unicorn's pure blood fall into it's mouth.

[Ryn]

Jolliday that is super clever and cute! :P

Throwing down a quick and dirty concept sketch to commit myself to this

http://img440.imageshack.us/img440/9533/unicornhunteros1.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

Sea-dwelling creature that surfaces once a year to feed on unicorns. It feeds only on the unicorn's horns*, dissolving the horn into the creature's bloodstream through a mildly acidic sac on the creature's underside. The unicorn's horn contains a certain mineral that grants the creature immense energy, allowing it to grow huge, brightly coloured masses of horns out of its own carapace. The brighter its horns, the more successful the creature is during mating rituals - so the hunting period before mating season is fiercely competitive. Once mating is performed, the creature consumes it's own horns in an attempt to regain energy until next mating season and returns to the water. Until then, it lies sedentary at the very bottom of the ocean, burying it's vulnerable jelly sac in the sand to protect it from predators that swim above.

*Though the removal of the unicorn's horn doesn't kill the beast, in some cases it may come to be rejected by members of its own species. The hornless unicorn in this case will seek refuge in the company of the common horse.

(Now I just need to integrate some mechanism that lets this crazy thing float through the air and water, haha)

[MonsterFace]

Progress! Hopefully you can make out stuff I'm shrinking it to not take up to much area D=

Ryn: Delicious creature! I'm loving the colors on it! O=

Jolliday: I lol'd irl that was to great haha, totally awesome!

[heavyflash]

Jolliday: thanks for replying so quickly, my problem is that everything looks to bright and i'm not specialized in shadows... maybe i'm just too lazy :).

I'll continue working on it and see where it goes!

[MJ_Alcazar]

http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk153/Seloh_Eft/scan0015.jpg

Very rough sketch. I figure the unicorn killer would have a lot of scales around it's face and on it's back to protect itself from the sharp hooves of the unicorn and it might even be able to defend against a horn attack also. Also, I added spikes to its tail so that if it had to, it could fling its tail at the unicorn and possibly injure it. I chose a cat-like body because I thought a unicorn would probably be fast, and a cat would be able to chase it down.

Heavyflash - Nice design on the creature. I liked the idea of the last one too. A horse's body can be made up of a large circle in front, a large circle in back for the chest and the "thighs" respectively. Then just do a series of circles for the main joints and lines leading down and it will look a lot better. Another easy pointer for a horse, it has a joint in the shoulder, a knee joint, an ankle joint, and below that a hoof. :)
Monsterface - nice design! I like it!
Lege1 - I like how your animal can kinda looks like a tree to trick the unicorn. Nice design also. It looks a bit how I'd imagine an octapus that adapted to land would look. :)
Kezrek - Awesome creature. I'm liking it.
Ryn - I'm liking the idea.

[Demo]

Ok heres my Wip for the day i thought about changing the luers to hollowed out unicorn horns to tie it to the topic more and maby the creature has chimes along the luer line to seduce the unicorns with sound IDK any ideas or help on the furr would be nice
http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd17/Demo_09/Unicornkillers3.jpg

[Demo]

O and also i forgot to add about the story about these little guys i was thinking that they are afraid of the dark and the unicorns horn is the only object that produces light when its near it so after a few days when the luers get dimmer they have to seek newer ones their by their hunting of the unicorns

[angel2342]

Just a quick idea I had.

The Unicorn Hunter lays wait for Unicorns to feed from the sweet dew grass that grows on its back. When they come near the creature bursts from the ground and reaches out with its long limbs and grabs the unicorn or snaps them up with its jaws if the unicorn is within range.

[scorge]

WIP
Going for more color/contrast this time. Thinkin' about changing that face. Looks too much like Oscar the Grouch.
I'll give you guys some critiques and well deserved compliments when I have more time. Like, tomorrow.

[Michael Jaecks]

Hey Scorge, I really like this one. Having one unicorn skewer the other is a nice touch...

Mine will be quite a bit different, but it looks like giant centaurs of all types really hate unicorns...

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a379/neorepto/unicornhunter3.jpg

[Zeitwolf]

scorge, jaecks - do you have a collective mind? :D

nice colours, scorge!!

[Cloister]

Nice drawing there, mr Jaecks... nice light, scorge. You guys are the true children of the (uni)corn. Perhaps one of your creatures will be the one who pops this (uni)corn. If I could only participate. I'd show you giant centaur people the meaning of hunter... Looks to me you're more into unicorn squashers, or perhaps mashed unicorn creators.... Stay true to the subtleties in all these profound topic titles that Fozz delivers after days of poetic consideration... will ya? ;)

[Michael Jaecks]

Go meditate.

[Pixelestial]

MonsterFace - Love the sketch!

Scorge - Actually, I like the face your guy has right now. For some reason, muppets and unicorns just seem to go together.

Here's my critter. Basically, they use their axe-heads to deforest an area to make unicorns easier to catch.

[Zeitwolf]

soulweaver - coolest hunting concept ever, srsly... helped with predators in germany's middle ages ;) ... only deficit is, it's not in Jollyday's Unicorn Killing Almanac ;)

[scorge]

Thanks MJ. It does seem appropriate doesn't it, the centaurs I mean? I was really trying to come up with something that could stand upright, but not be humanoid. Centaur seemed like the way to go. Cool sketch!
Zietwolf: Thank you. I think Jaeks and I have a collective desire to see something really bad happen to a sweet lovable creature.
Jolliday: Awesome. That's all I can say.
Heavyflash: Remember to start out light, real light, then when you're ready and you feel the anatomy and proportion are right, use darker cleaner lines to draw the outline of the Unicorns. If you're drawing in PS or Painter, you can draw as dark as you want, then keep overlaying until its right and clean. This is usually the hardest and most time consuming step, because all you want to do is get to the finishing, but in the end, as long as your initial line drawing is correct, shading and color will be simpler than you think. Hope this helps. Nice creature. Big old meany isn't he.
Kezrek: Welcome to COW. That looks oddly kickass to me. Looking forward to the end result.
Ryn: Very cool concept, a nice twist. Love the rendering.
MonsterFace: Beautiful classic style, and the line weights are superb. Lookin' good so far.
Demo: It's a good concept, but the anatomy should be your first concern over the fur. You also might want to lighten the background some. Here's some help for the fur.
Photoshop
Linear Dodge: Found in the brush Mode
Shape dynamics: In the brushes palette, found in the Window pull down menu.
Custom Brush: Looks like you already know how to make one of these, now you just have to learn to use it to its full potential.
It great to use custom brushes, but in the case of something organic, you don't want it to look like a custom brush was used. Tends to take away from the random nature of...well, nature.
Of course if you already know how to do all these things, then please disregard this message.:wink:
Cloister: Don't you have a diaper to change somewhere? I'm sure someone's going to tell me I'm drawing like you again for this one. Thanks for the compliment, and criticism, and overall feeling of happiness.

[Zombunny27]

Ok...so when I think unicorn, I can't help but think of the Glass Menagerie. So my creature excretes a sand like substance from it's nasal cavity, in areas unicorns are typically spotted. When a unicorn treads across the sand the creature uses its store of electrical current(stored across its back) to scorch the sand substance turning the sand and the unicorn to glass.

The unicorn is not the end goal for this creature. It seeks the pure young girls connected and drawn to the unicorns. The creature cannot seek the girls when their unicorns are "alive." With the connection between unicorn and girl severed the girls are forced out of safety to find their unicorn, but as soon as they touch it's glass form it shatters. This destroys the girls purity which safeguards them from the taint of this creature. And then it feeds.

Yea...no clue where all that came from...haha. Anyway here's a really rough scribble.

[MJ_Alcazar]

http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk153/Seloh_Eft/scan0017.jpg
ok, here's mine after shading.
Soulweaver - nice design. I like the idea.
Scorge - I don't know, I like the face it has now. It looks really cool.
Michael Jaecks - yours is looking good too. Those centaurs are not very unicorn friendly. :)

[indus]

here is my sketch for the unicorn hunter
It is getting harder again...

http://in2thepaper.cdn2.cafe24.com/cow/119_s.jpg

[Michael Jaecks]

Guys: Thanks
Cloister, Scorge is right. Change the diapers, then meditate.
Scorge: Yah, I think the centaur motif was a good starting place for unicorn killing. I know some of my friends in Sweden and the surrounding Northern European area have very vaulted, spiritual thinking about the poetry of unicorns, but here in the US, the unicorn represents pure kitsch... it's like a characiture of goodness... (Lisa Frank... My Little Pony....)which must be destroyed by big, sinewy, brute, demonic Sagitarrian force.

Without mercy or forethought.

;)

oooh... indus,, you added yours as I was typing... I like the minotaur monkeys.

[heavyflash]

so the contest's deadline is august 1st now?... hmm... i still got plenty of time before the contest reaches its deadline, so i may start again with a different approach, because my background doesn't suit at all the scene that I want to imitate and my creature lost my motivation to continue working on it.

So i'll start again and will post my sketches later on.

Michael Jaecks: your creature is looking really good, can't wait for updates!
kezrek: like the idea of a flying creature, looking awesome!
monsterface: yours is one of my favorite illustrations ;)
Scorge: thanks for the tips, will use them in my next WIP. Your drawing has a lot of potential by the way.
Mj Alcazar: your concept is looking nice. But what's with his his right legs, are they different from the ones on his left side? just asking...
soulweaver: really like your drawing, really creative :) I like the colors too.
indus: real nice sketches, I enjoy the second scene, has a lot of movement.

this turned out to be a longer post than I expected.

[Moai]

Monsterface- Very nice start so far. Excellent job on the musculature, and I like the combination of reptilian and mammalian characteristics. Personality-wise, it's a good antithesis to a unicorn; nasty and cunning as opposed to the pure unicorn.
Michael Jaecks- Nice sketch!
Soulweaver- Excellent little critter. I love his design, especially the tail-hand.
Indus- Excellent creature design.

One thing I noticed, though, is that a few of these may be straying a bit too far into human-like territory. However, Fozzybar is the judge of that, not I.
I may enter this, if I feel like it. Predators are always fun.

[MJ_Alcazar]

Heavyflash - hmmm...well, his hind legs are different from his front, if that's what you were saying. But, I didn't mean to make his right legs different than his left....hmmmm. If you were talking about how dark they are in comparison, yeah, I accidently shaded them to darkly. I'm going to do another WIP i think with it actually attacking a unicorn. Is that allowed? I think I need to go back and re-read rules. :) THANKS though, for the comment. :)
Wow, that was a long post.

[Demo]

Scorge thanks for the tip iv tried all that stuff but the lenier dodge so hopefully that might help i tried to throw down a basic wolf kind of idea so that way i didnt spend so much time sitting back and not participating in Chow like iv done before

[Demo]

Umm im having a hard time with the lenier dodge technique but i tried 2 different ways and ill post both if any one has any other things to add that might help ill try to work more but i think im about to end this one for now, mabey, idk, ....naaaa
One of these kind of seemes too fuzzy the other kind of seems too streaky
http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd17/Demo_09/UnicornHunters2-1.jpg
http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd17/Demo_09/Unicornkillers4-1.jpg

[scorge]

Had to post one more time.
Indus: Fuckin-A sweet idea and sketches to boot. Make 'em look good and you've got my vote.<3
MJ: We do tend to think dangerously big don't we?:D
Demo: Like I said the biggest problem here is the stiffness of your creature. Even if he's sitting still waiting for the next Unicorn Happy-Meal to come along, there should be some evidence of life. i.e. Ready to pounce, or wind blowing through the fur, or anxious look in the eye, or even better, all three combined. You've got the right idea with the lighting. you just have to work on the character of this guy. Bring him to life doctor. Don't be afraid to bend a limb or open a jaw. You know what they say about the omelet and the eggs it takes to make it.:needle:

[Lege1]

Fozz: Sorry you didn't accept my first concept and thought it was too plant like. This illustration is to make up for that with humor cause as you could imagine I wasn't too happy about finding out that my first concept was not going to be valid. You know I am a good sport though =) CONCEPTART.ORG people...."Where monsters like me are made!" hahahahahahahahahaahah

SPECIAL THANKS TO:

RIST
JOLLIDAY
MJ ALCAZAR

"FOR HAVING MY BACK."

"RELEASE THE HOUNDS!"

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b93/legend0187/UnicornHunter_002.gif

[Lege1]

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b93/legend0187/UnicornHunter_002_072708_11x17_web_.jpg

[Snarfevs]

Hrm...

Comments in reverse order of appearance

Lege: I like the perspective, the steps animation is great. The posing of the one on the right confuses the scale of the image, however, as it appears to be standing on the background and it's hard to tell if it's in front on behind the unicorn.

Demo: I like the concept, the body seems a little ill-defined atm.

Indus: These sketches look really sweet. Lots of action in the second one, great sense of movement but still easy to read.

MJ_Alcazar: I'm interested in what the concept is and whether the spines on the head and tail are functionally related to hunting unicorns.

Hadesdream: Fascinating concept. Nice non-literal take on the topic.

Soulweaver: This one is really nice. It has a lot of attitude. The angular style and gritty rendering is really satisfying. This would look great in a children's book.

Michael Jaecks: Great implicit perspective on the figure, flawless anatomy, and those unicorns being handled like that looks hilarious.

scorge: Really weird palette but it works well. Strong anatomy and nice background happening.

angel2342: For some reason this in its current stage reminds me of one of those medieval woodcuts, which is of course quite fitting

MonsterFace: SWEET anatomy.

Ryn: I had a feeling a concept like this was going to come along. I guess the idea is that the hunter needs or prefers to hunt unicorns for some reason, and the only real differentiating feature between a unicorn and a horse is the horn. As such, a creature that goes after the horn alone is satisfyingly logical.

Kezrek: I really dig the double mouth.

heavyflash: Looking forward to seeing this more developed, and reading the concept.

Jolliday: @diagram: YES! (esp. piano)

Rist: I like the functional asymmetry. That penor is freaking me out though!

pmihaichuk: difficult to see what's going on, but good that it specifically goes after the horn too.

Lege1: now I'm confused. Are you Lege?

WIP

Concept: Quoit-faced Absalom (Metazelus absoloma)

The Absalom is a heavily genetically engineered species based off a large and surprisingly agile terrestrial pseudocrustacean, Metazelus woroni. The Absalom was developed by the Federal Invasive Species Countermeasures Consortium (FISCC) in hopes of controlling feral unicorn populations that have been ravaging hundreds of thousands of square kilometers of pristine wilderness throughout the Northwestern Grabens. In stark contrast to their mythical allure, unicorns represent a significant threat to biodiversity as introduced species in a number of ecosystems, especially sphagnum moss bogs and other delicate ephemerals which are rapidly destroyed by trampling hooves. Unicorns are also notorious for property destruction and personal injury. Unicorn culls have so far proven ineffective and uneconomical. The Absalom is a specifically engineered to attack and kill unicorns by leaping long distances and throwing its toroidal body over the horn, clamping down tightly with strong peristaltic muscles and gnashing away at the eyes, mouth and neck of the unicorn. If the Absalom is killed, it will remain attached to the horn and begin to decompose, eventually posing an infection risk to the unicorn. If, however, the Absalom successfully severs a jugular vein, it will detach and others will move in to lap up the unicorn's blood, which contains a protein the species needs to moult. This is a precaution to prevent the species from becoming viable without unicorns.

The Absalom sometimes attacks other horned species, but this behavior is relatively rare. Within the last 5 years, feral unicorn encroachment has slowed by 85%.

[Kaizer]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v735/kaizerblkh/PianoBat-sketch.jpg
Piano Bat. First sketch.. Looks a tid too much like an actual bat, though... It's only supposed to resemble one. hmm.. I can't think of what to do with it though.
It's about the size of a pig and it can dislocate its jaw (like a snake) to wrap it's mouth around the unicorn's neck to suffocate it.

[Kreator]

cool topic , couldn't resist a sketch.
http://img299.imageshack.us/img299/2518/unicornmuncheriv4.jpg

[Kezrek]

Scorge - Thanks, I just hope I can finish in time.

[Lege1]

Snarfevs: Thanks for the crits no doubt. We as artists can never get enough of those. There are definitely lessons to continue to be learned. Overall I am happy with this image though. I worked on it for about 7 and a half hours straight and used no references just because.......I didn't feel like it. I don't understand your question about confusion but I assure you that I am not. Your concept looks tight. It reminds me of some space invading species that fell off an asteroid and ready to feast on some unicorn flesh. Keep up the good work.....Your concept is SICK! I love it.

Kreator: Great sketch!

Mike Jaecks: Great sketch can't wait to see that finished.

[MJ_Alcazar]

Snarfevs - nice, I like it. And thanks for the comment.
Kreator - looks pretty powerful. :)
Kaizer - hmmm....not sure where you're wanting to go, so I don't have any pointers quite yet. I'll comment if something pops up. But maybe you should roll the tongue up in it's mouth more like an iguana? Because if the tongue is that long it wont fit inside the mouth like that. :)
Lege1 - I agree, the one on the right is throwing off the image. Maybe shrink him down.




http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk153/Seloh_Eft/scan0018.jpg
Another WIP.
and here's the story too, if it helps any. :)
Braeken - Unicorn Hunters use these beasts in their capture of unicorns. Their strong jaws and tusks allow the Braeken to successfully remove the prized Unicorn horn without damaging it. After several attempts at training these animals, it was found they work best if raised and trained in pairs. Either female-female or male-female. Males tend to not get along with each other. The Braeken prefer to sneak up on a unicorn, jump on its back while its comrade rams the unicorn with its powerful horns in either the chest or side. One ram will usually crush the ribs. Then, one of the Braeken will grab ahold of the horn and wrench it from the unicorns skull and take it back to its master. If the unicorn fights back and manages to escape the first attack, the two can chase their prey down and use its spiked tail to trip the unicorn, where it will be taken down.

[Zeitwolf]

422542
designed to reach speeds up to 130 km/h - faster than any unicorn.

[Lege1]

Mj Alacazar: Thank you much for the critique but I am unfortunately tapped out on time with this one. My college studies are top priority and there is a big test awaiting me in Environmental Science tommorow. It's unfortunate that the Unicorn Hunter to the right throws the image off in you and Snarfevs opinions. In my opinion "It's always something,lol." All in all I hope you can like and appreciate my image otherwise. I see this forum lacks a sense of humor. Good practice place though =)

Zeitwolf: It is all about speed =) Time is money and money is time =) Glad to see you have a cheetah of a "Unicorn Killer" on the prowl. Imagine a collaboration of our creatures, my creatures can shepard the the unicorns in herds while your creatures mass massacre on the ground level of things. Sounds like a fantastic C.O.W. extravaganza to me. Too bad this stuff doesn't get broadcasted on national television or something.

[benu]

Unicorns are, in fact, a very interesting mythological species, at least in the original ancient legends. There are various types from all over the world, and some of them are quite cruel and vicious. One of them, the persian shadhahvar, has branched horn, through which the wind will blow and play a beautiful melody. This will attract all humans and animals in the area, and they approach the shadhahvar to listen to the music. The unicorn then stomps them to death and eats them.
I agree though, that these kitschy abominations which are popular today must be destroyed.

WIP:
422536

[Rist]

Here is my loose WIP.

http://img228.imageshack.us/img228/1484/cowuni2cs0.jpg

[Lege1]

Rist: It's a little hard to tell what the hell is going on here, but I like your dreary day color palette. It will be interesting to see this one evolve.

[Rist]

Lege1: The idea and context is pretty simple. The process is still unrefined at this time. When I dull down some values and enhance others, colour some areas and desaturate others, I hop it wont be as hard to read.

Description:

Right now the Unicorn Hunter is in his cave. This cave is home to him, where he keeps his prized game. He feeds off the red fluid that can be found in the unicorns horn. Suckling on its juices. Once finished he would strip the carcass and clean the skull and horn for trophy display. The Unicorn Hunter is not one of a kind, but a species. You can find similar events occurring elsewhere. Do not go looking because these beasts, though Unicorn predators, will kill humans on sight.

[Freha]

My first COW... Here goes nothing! *closes eyes tight and leaps*

Creature: Unurg Beast

Unurg beasts hunt unicorns in order to grow and maintain their exoskeletons. Unurg are solitary hunters. They don't have eyes, instead there is a deep pit in their face where heat and "mystical" energy sensors "see" in the place of eyes. Since unicorns dissipate quickly after death, Unurg beasts swallow huge chunks of their kill all at once. Their lower "jaw" rolls backward toward their chest to allow them to grip massive pieces of flesh. Unurg then pull and tear away pieces to swallow. Their large chest area is not for lungs, since they take in oxygen through their skin and have no lungs, it is instead for their huge stomach. An Unurg can carry an entire dismembered unicorn in its stomach.

The air scoop in their chest funnels air through cavities that make a flute like noise. This noise serenades the unicorns and they sometimes move towards the "music", and their doom. Unurg can run at high speeds for long periods and not tire. Their muscles always have plenty of oxygen so there is no fatigue. Unurg beats often will run their prey into exhaustion. But this doesn't always go as planed since unicorns are far more agile and can run into water to escape. If an Unurg beast enters water deeper than its boney limb ends, it will start to drown/suffocate. Most often Unurg will use their very sharp front limbs to trip up and cut off a unicorn's limbs, stopping them in their tracks. Dinner is served.

My first study/sketch. :)

[Lege1]

Freha: Glad to see you leap in. That's what it takes. For all those people just lurking in these forums and not jumping in you all should take notes from Freha. ***There is alot of good artists on here but that shouldn't intimidate you when you can never be good enough anyway. Bring whatever you got and have fun with it. Fun is mainly all majority of art is worth anyway in my opinion, and having fun doesn't mean that you can't dream of being a pro either. Be willing to sacrifice and all things are possible. It's all about what you want and can do =)***

Freha: I am really digging your creature design and very cool how you thought out the details of how this thin functions and plays its role in the Unicorn Hunter existence. Keep up the good work and always be good to throw down a good round of any of the concept art forums. What are you thinking about for colors?

Rist: If I could only make the suggestion of making the image more readable before worrying about blocking in shades and values of color. It's all about what works for you, but every artist has his/ her own way of doing things. I love how some artists who can't draw for crap out of their heads like to tell other artists who draw out of their heads how to do the damn thing. That's just one good example of people in the crazy world of image making. Feel free to hit me up if you ever want my two cents worth of knowledge and keep up the good work.

[Freha]

Thanks for the encouragement Lege1 :)

I figured I'd better get the "back story" on the buggers worked out before I started a final painting. I'm still tossing around color ideas... should they be white since they eat unicorns, and unicorn "stuff" is what makes up their exoskeleton... or should they be some other coloring... I'm still stumped on that part of their design.

[Lege1]

Freha: You're very welcom and if you ever want my advice just ask. I'll do my best to help although I do not know it all. I would never recommend using white for anything in an illustration except for the brightest of bright highlights in an image. This still doesn't mean that you can't go with an off white or maybe even a beige like bone white. Just stay away from the "new file super white!" =)

[MJ_Alcazar]

benu - that's beautiful. I like it.
Freha - good job taking the leap. This is my first time too. :) I like your design.

[Freha]

WIP of my Unurg beast hunting. I'm having problems with the forest... I always have problems painting forest backgrounds. :(

[Lege1]

Freha: Coming along very well indeed. You say that you are having trouble with the forest backround right? Many a great artist will simply advise using a reference. There are many great pictures of forests online. You may want to check out a website called www.flickr.com, but make sure you are not in the line of copyright infringement on anyone elses work. Try doing some speed paintings of forests and do them in black and white. Then gradually build up into using colors. Remember also that light determines the color of things so trees don't always have to have brown trunks and green leaves =) Hope that helps and if anyone else has any good info towards the cause that they feel free to contribute. Good luck Freha, looking good. Always feel free to share back any information with me that you feel would be of benifit towards the cause. Thanx and happy image making.

[MJ_Alcazar]

Freha - I agree with Lege, flickr has some pretty good photos to work with, if you watch the copyright. It's looking great! My only thing is, with the horse, when it is in that pose, the front legs will be curled up in front of it because it's actually leaping. So, you would see less upper leg and the lower half past the knee would be closer in perspective. I like the whole cutting the leg off thing though. :D

[Lege1]

Freha: I definitely agree with MJ Alcazar on the cutting the leg off thing being cool. I also agree with what he's saying about the legs. =) Minor adjustments but nobody's telling you that you have to change anything =)

[Freha]

Freha - I agree with Lege, flickr has some pretty good photos to work with, if you watch the copyright. It's looking great! My only thing is, with the horse, when it is in that pose, the front legs will be curled up in front of it because it's actually leaping. So, you would see less upper leg and the lower half past the knee would be closer in perspective. I like the whole cutting the leg off thing though. :D

Equines behave differently when they are in a frightful or traumatized state. Your statement holds some truth to it... if the unicorn wasn't in the "OMGWTFOHNOES" pose. Normally when a horse or equine is in control of its movement the legs would be as you said, but in a situation such as this, I assumed that the unicorn would be reacting off-balanced. My so lovingly termed "OMGWTFOHNOES" pose is when all the legs stiffen and the horse just freaks out. I've seen it before.

And thanks, I thought the leg being chopped off would be a nice gruesome moment to illustrate. ;)

[MJ_Alcazar]

Hmmm, I like that phrase. :) and yeah, I see that. I forgot about how weird equines could act when scared. Valid point, I stand corrected. :) I think I was thinking more along the lines of an older wild horse, they're usually pretty good with the control thing after that long. :) Of course, even they have their moments.

[gnahz]

http://i155.photobucket.com/albums/s288/gnahzCA/uniconhunter.jpg

WIP
a rough sketch... been awhile since i drew creatures T-T....

[heavyflash]

And finally i came up with a design that i'm comfortable with... the real reason why unicorns became extinct:

Concept: The (don't know the name of the creature) lived on earth long before unicorns moved in to their territory. These mammals lived peacefully until the unicorns (the [blank] is actually "cousins" with the unicorn and a relative to the rhinoceros) started to invade their space and eat their food.

The (blank) saw them as rivals and slowly, brutally, viciously started to kill them and drive them away from their territory, becoming the unicorn hunters.

Rough sketch:

[DefiledVisions]

hey there people! thought I'd join in on this week :) never finnished a cow before, but tried a few and failed miserabley.

Anyhow.. my idea of a unicorn killer is something that attacks from above because a unicorn in my mind is something that lives in a forest. At first I thought of something squirrel-like / lion-like.. a feline, strong treeclimber that kills with fangs and claws..

then I doodled some kind of random thing, primate like. The main idea with that one is that it either thrusts itself out of the trees and lands on the unicorn, slicing it to pieces with the hindlegs, or.. hangs upside down from the tree in its hindlegs, and chokes/punches/whatever on the unicorn with its powerful front legs..

I like both, but gonna doodle some more.

[DefiledVisions]

I've chosen which concept to work on.. but I don't know what kind of composition, if it should be static or dynamic.

I like both, in the dynamic I can add lots of details and movement, and in the static I only need to focus on the creature... static is my comfort zone, so I think I'll try dynamic.
Which one do you like more?

[Rist]

update

http://img231.imageshack.us/img231/2442/cowuni3as8.jpg

[DefiledVisions]

Looking good there Rist. My only issue is the over-all darkness of the picture. It took a long time for me to realise that it is a unicorn it's siting on.

Might I suggest following things:

Add a second light source, right now the only light is coming from the entrance. A more gloomy light lighting up the left side would lift up the image a lot I think.

Add some more colour, right now everything is very grayish. Some more distinct colours would help the piece aswell. This shouldn't be much of a problem though if you add, let's say a blue light from within the cave.

Keep it up :)

[Pixelestial]

Thanks for all the positive feedback, everyone!

DefiledVisions - I'd say go with the dynamic version for sure if you have the time, for all the reasons you mentioned. Is that a mustache and goatee on your creature? :)

[DefiledVisions]

Haha it sure looks like it :D I think it's a tounge and some big bushy whiskers. Not quite sure yet.

[heavyflash]

sigh, i'm really having trouble getting my finished my drawing up here. The scanning will erase all the light gray and turn it in to white, leading to a very contrasty drawing. A picture... well I need to keep trying with that, but till now it's making all the white gray... :[

I can't do digital either. Any tips on how to get a pencil drawing neatly in to the computer screen? i would appreciate any help you can give. :^^:

Have you seen Oregano's drawing (http://conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?t=130841&page=2) for CHOW 117? how did he get to that? :yayca:

[DefiledVisions]

Hey there heavyflash, no idea actually. Try pm'ing him.
When I scan my pencils they also get raped by the scanner. I try my best to alter the contrast in photoshop to get it as good as possible. try that.

more wip.. first time I play around with many overlay and multiply layers... I like!
Allthough.. I need to define the lighting, and work a lot on horse anatomy.. at the moment it feels wrong.

There's also something with the bottom right thats bugging me.. could it be the placement of the head?

[Razorleaf]

Thought I'd particpate this week. I sorted though some of the animal kingdom groups and found that I liked the canine one best. But the dog/wolf thing has been done to death. So I opted to kindof merge some bird/dino/dragon/canine into one. Its not really original but I'm comfortable with it.

http://i298.photobucket.com/albums/mm260/Razorleaf_album/CharacterSketch1.jpg

[scorge]

Making progress.......and copies of course.(SNL)
Defiled Visions: Gonna be cool.
Snarfevs: Nice one. Isn't it great when wierdness works?

[longshao]

Haven't been around COW for a while, how's everybody doing~

WIP/color sketch
http://i135.photobucket.com/albums/q137/yty2000/unicorn.jpg

[heavyflash]

scorge: it's looking amazing, keep those updates coming! ;)

Defiled visions: i'd like to see where that leads your drawing. Ha ha! thanks for the reply, but I think my cheap scanner pulled it off and now I have it in my files. >:D

longshao: i'm intimidated by your drawing, not just because of it's looks, also from it's chances to winning this round :dead:

Anyway, I hope this fits the bill, as crappy as it looks....

[Michael Jaecks]

longshao and scorge: looking very nice.

Here's my WIP. These guys are... you know... super evil, corrupt and blah blah blah. I'll think of something to write. The main thing I think is that it's the smell of the unicorn's goodness that sets them off. They're trying to wipe out the entire species.

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a379/neorepto/unicornhunterjaeckswip.jpg

[gnahz]

http://i155.photobucket.com/albums/s288/gnahzCA/unicon-hunter4.jpg

final i guess O_o...

[heavyflash]

this could be my final. Is the quality acceptable for the final entry? I just hope it doesn't get eliminated after y submit it to the finals thread. :S

[Arteater]

longshao: wow that guys is awesome. I can't wait to see the final

Michael Jaecks: You have some awesome rendering there , love the dead unicorns scattered about decaying. Awesome anatomy on that massive beast.

gnahz: Pretty nice work, I just think the anatomy in the legs should be more defined , if this guy is charging in pursuit a little more definition wouldn't hurt.

scorge: are those eyeballs on the hoofs ? If so ,that is sweeeeeeet!

DefiledVisions: I.M.O.>The creature looks a tad human, mabee its just the sketch. I think the light area in the bottom right is distracting from the composition. I can't seem to focus on what's happening.t. Think of what you want people to focus on and work your highest contrast and detail in that area.I took a look through your sketchbook and seen some amazing sketches, it seems to me you have some trouble with coloring. Im not a pro at all of this but you have some major potential. here is a link to help out with lighting I found it somewhere on here :)
http://www.itchy-animation.co.uk/light.htm

[Arteater]

well here is what I have so far, between work and trying to close on a house I haven't had the time to do horse studies. Tell me what you guys think of it, to me it kinda looks like a giant cat on steroids :D
http://fc02.deviantart.com/fs32/f/2008/211/0/c/C_O_W__119_unicorn_hunter_by_arteaterproductions.j pg

[DefiledVisions]

Thanks a bunch Arteater! great help there, I've also lowered the contrast on the unicorn, cause it's all about the creature, and as the sketch is now it's more about the whole event than the creature itself.

btw.. definitely giant cat on steroids :D

and MichaelJeacks that creature is aweeesome!

[benu]

I would say I'm finished. Nice work from everybody so far.
424300

[DefiledVisions]

more wip.. I got inspired by biking through the forest today. The wather has been really great, well above normal temperatures etc. and while I was biking I felt like looking up towards the trees. I was awestruck by the way the light shines through the leaves..

so decied to change my seting. It's going to be really tough rendering it.. :(

[Ekul]

Hey all, awesome stuff!! This is my first ever C.O.W - woo!!! I'm no where near as good as you fine people but this is what I have come up with so far. Kind of a creature-from-the-depths-of-hell kind of thing. These creatures are pure evil out to devour to purest thing in the world- a unicorn.

[RichKid]

THIS IS AN AWESOME TOPIC. i have some roughs but its on paper, so when it switches to digital im all over this

[Zeitwolf]

Great perspective, defiledvision!!

Fozzy, please tell me if this is "thema verfehlt" as soon as possible!

[Fozzybar]

Yes, it is. We really want to see the classic Unicorn interpretation here.

[Zeitwolf]

Bummer!

thanks for the fast reply!

[Arteater]

I tried to make a sprite out of my creature :D
http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e335/arteater/Untitled.gif

[corspufo]

Arteater: Your giant kitty is touching itself. LOL! I like the idea you've got going and the atmosphere of the image. I would say, push the menace of your creature, because right now he's a little adorable.

DefiledVisions: Unless you're going for some kind of Ape Thing, your creature is way too humanoid. Also, I'd make the creature the prominent object in your scene. Your eye should go straight to it. Right now the Unicorn is the main area of focus. Actually in post 94, I thought your second sketch had more promise.

[Rist]

Arteater: I agree with corspufo, it does seem like the kitty is pleasuring itself. I like the diagonals on the creature.

[Arteater]

corspufo: Thanks for the advice, I think for this round I'll leave him a cute kitty :) I dont have enough cute concepts in my sketch book. Altho he kinda does look like he's grabbing his junk :D

[RichKid]

here is my rough in so far, it has the same basic features of a unicorn so it can sneak up into the kill zone before the unicorn realizes it isnt with good company

[Spysheep]

here's my rough creature I started today. I roams the plains devouring herds of unicorn. The Baleen filers the horns from the beasts where it then processes the magical energy into it's system. The unicorn goop from one herd can keep the Kraglemana energized for months at a time. The rest of the unicorn is then discharged from its blowhole.

[artiphats]

ok here is my wip for now...

[Michael Jaecks]

A color WIP:

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a379/neorepto/unicornhunterjaecksWIPWed2.jpg

Folks... help me out.... I need crits, feedback...

I know it's pretty good, but I want to make it really good

tear it up. Talk to me about where I'm missing the boat....

[scorge]

MJ: While I'm sure this is not in my best interest, because I would love to beat the pants off you in this one,(even though Longshao is back in the mix so we can all consider ourselves hosed)I shall grudgingly oblige and give you the feedback you so strongly desire. Jesus help me I sound like Cloister, or maybe even Lander.:tihi:
In other words, I'll do my best not to say "Awesome", "Very Cool" or anything else like that.
First thing is the eyes. Somewhat typical/buggish and not very evil.
Head's too small.
Unicorns are too small, and the one in his left hand seems to be getting the gynecological exam of the century.
Not too sure about those horns,
The skin appears to be smooth as silk, even though it's falling off his body in a decaying kind of gruesome way.
Bony kneecaps on the front legs appear to be on top of the muscle instead of protruding through them.
Striations in the muscles on the mid back overlap in an unnatural way.
And finally, even though the focus is on the predator rather than the prey, the unicorns could use some work.
Did I mention the Unicorns?
Okay, now that that's over with, I feel like a jerk. See what you made me do?
Oh, and the colors are awesome, and the anatomy is very cool.
Shit.
:wink:

[RichKid]

here is a little update on my hunter

[Moai]

That looks great, Richkid. Really nice proportions and modeling of form!

[Michael Jaecks]

Nice job on the crit, scorge. Thanks for the second set of eyes.

"Gynecologoical exam of the century".

hehehehehehe. Thats one part I might not change.... still its a great line.

"Jesus help me I sound like Cloister"

hehehehhehehe.... that'll be Cloister's new signature.

Fret not. You're a straight shooter. Thanks.

[abaker]

hey all...

my first time posting on this site... a friend put me onto this thread, and thought i would give it a go. sadly didn't have time to put the creature into an environment.

http://img227.imageshack.us/img227/7426/unicornkillerfin2ly1.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
http://img227.imageshack.us/img227/7426/unicornkillerfin2ly1.f99aab3322.jpg (http://g.imageshack.us/g.php?h=227&i=unicornkillerfin2ly1.jpg)

the idea behind the "dai" cat was that they were loners by nature...intelligent hunters, they'd just take the horse down with speed and strength... long saber teeth for cutting right through all the blood vessels of the unicorns throat, plates which are good against the ol horn... hope you likes :)

[ATAnderson]

Looking good everyone. Final is up.

Welcome to abaker

SpySheep - I think I'm going to enjoy your final

ATA

[DefiledVisions]

Thanks for the feedback corspufo. I might just stick to the second sketch.. I really want to finnish this other one, but time is not on my side... goodbye party for a mate so we'll see.

It's gonna be a tight tommorow :P

lol really funny concept spysheep,

[Arteater]

Michael Jaecks: I think your composition is great, I was thinking maybe some light in the clouds above the creatures head, kinda like highlights for the light in the lower right. But then again it could be overkill., great work all in all, wish I could help more ;)

Richkid;Nice work, I like the way its coming out.

My final is up , Thanks for all the crits .

[TheFlyingWalnut]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v200/MrWilde/03sketch.jpg http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v200/MrWilde/02sketch.jpg
rethinking my concept, if I can get my energy up I'll do a final version before the deadline.

[Spysheep]

thank you guys, try not to let you down :) I love the texture of your critter abaker.
Richkid, i love yours! it has such an awesome feel to it, not to mention great technique in the painting...:::slap:::
another day, another wip

[artiphats]

hey guys I am off to work... but before I go I wanted to post an update to get some feedback. I think this one is coming along pretty well, but I would appreciate any and all crits so that I can really push it when I get home tonight. Obviously I havent really started on the Unicorn, and other obvious areas still need work. The one thing missing all together are the hunters I am going to have sitting up on the cliffs.

thanks in advance - Ray (also posting in the critique thread)

[DefiledVisions]

I still got atleast 6 hours left I hope... trying hard to finnish this. I still don't have any special process, this is just fooling around with screen, overlay and multiply layers.. see ya in finals ( I hope! ) :yayca:

*update* more detailing.

[Lege1]

To the Majority of the Forum:
I just wanted to stop in and give the majority of the house a big cyber applause for real, for this forum had some super duper fantastic entrees. Awesome work all! The different styles that everyone has brought to the table has been a pleasure this round.

much love,
-=Lege1

[DefiledVisions]

thanks lege.

more detailing and balancing.. bleh

[Ryn]

Ryn: I had a feeling a concept like this was going to come along. I guess the idea is that the hunter needs or prefers to hunt unicorns for some reason, and the only real differentiating feature between a unicorn and a horse is the horn. As such, a creature that goes after the horn alone is satisfyingly logical.

Thanks a bunch mate, that's definitely what I was going for. :)
Also, I LOVE your design. The intricacies of the colours and textures are downright gorgeous. I spent a good 5 minutes just trying to figure out what you did/how you did it to see if I can learn from it. Cheers mate.

So much great work this round. This was my first CoW but this is so inspiring I think I'm going to wind up addicted. Everyone did a really excellent job; thanks for the inspiration!

[Kezrek]

Thanks Lege! Like Ryn said, there is so much great work here. Even though mine will be swamped, it's a good experience and I think I'll keep doing this again and again. It's soup for the soul. xD

[MonsterFace]

I don't know the process, if we need to get it in now or what lol. Im probably going to tweak and work on what I have now even yet, but getting something shown none the less for progress and critique might be good <: and a little scribble extra my entry assaulting a unicorn O:

I Forgot to add the story behind mine:
"Once upon a time not all that long ago to be frank, there lived an old sorceress in the outskirts of a dense forest. Now this old hag had a rather disdain for the unicorns that roamed the forest and surrounding meadows seeing as they always pooped in her yard and ate her fruits and such and made an awful mess of everything. One day she was fed up beyond belief and she began to look for a way to eliminate the problem once and for all, now around this time a certain biologist's book became public. She was intrigued by the ideas and decided since the unicorns were eating her crop and being flat out jerks to the travelers she'd forcibly create a niche and make a predator for them. She she whipped up a spell that would turn all the neighboring elves in their village into ferocious beasts (she thought this was a good plan seeing as elves if you've noticed seem to populate quick and all with name legolas oddly enough). To make sure these beasts didn't just ignore her desire to rid the world of unicorns she added unicorn hairs to the concoction, but alas this was the days before knowledge of DNA and her skin cells were entered as well resulting in her being gobbled up as well when the spell was enacted. None the less the spell did its trick and the creatures couldn't live without the flesh of the unicorn, and now these creatures lay in wait baiting the beasts with their still golden hair (though now it protrudes from their other end) before leaping onto them and ripping out their jugular. The creatures continued their elf tradition of popping out of no-where and began ravaging the unicorn population much to the frown of P.E.T.P.A. (princesses for the ethical treatment of pretty animals)

[Jasonwclark]

This thread has some of the funniest concepts I've seen so far. What a great idea. Jollidays diagram totally cracked me up.


I don't have the skills to jump in yet, but here are some images for inspiration. Best of luck all. :)

[Fozzybar]

poll is on:

http://conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?t=132108