Chow 122 :: Red Sonja

[daestwen]

http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/ii293/chowarchive/CHOW-LINES/CHOW-LINES-MEDUSA.jpg

ROUND #122 :: RED SONJA


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DESCRIPTION

Classic Character Redux!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Sonja

Do your homework! This round is similar in nature to the "John Carter of Mars" round, so if you're interested in what way to go with this, go check out that round.

Key Points:

Red Haired Conan-era Warrior Woman!
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:right: FOLLOW THE TOPIC.

:right: POST YOUR FINAL IN THE FINALS THREAD.


:right: SAVE YOUR FILES IN THE FOLLOWING FORMAT. Chow##_Nickname
example: "CHOW#100_Oblio.jpg" ;)

:right: PLACE THE IMAGE IN A FRAME WITH YOUR NAME/TOPIC

http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i222/ChowPics/frame.jpg
(you can add CA logo, etc).

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DEADLINE
SUNDAY, August 17th, 2008
The way the deadline works: if deadline is on a Sunday and your image is posted on that Sunday 23:59 your local time it's a good entry.
In fact - as long there is Sunday somewhere on the planet your entry is ok. I will make the poll sometimes Monday evening my time (GMT - 8 ) yet I'll have a look at the last entries.
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POST YOUR FINALS IN THE FINALS THREAD!

Remember to include your nickname in the filename.

About quality - as general rule: if your shapes and values are not decent - you are out. Watch proportions, perspective etc. we need perfectly readable shapes and coherent, consistent values.

_____________

BE PROFESSIONAL - only finished and good quality entries will be taken to the poll. Oregano and Daestwen (yay!) will make the selection.

[smugbug]

Red haired warrior chick?! Like, why not?

BTW, more info here: http://www.redsonja.com/htmlfiles/

[adonihs]

ugh I would love to do this, just don't have the time :( especially with Siggraph.

damn you! good luck to all, I'll check out this later =)

[UCT]

BRUTAL!

dopethrone - electric wizard, repeat for the week!

[Erick Willand]

ok this sounds like fun, count me in.

[bluemoon]

It was not until I read Red Sonja's origin story that I truly became inspired for this character concept. If you read the summary in the wikipedia page you'll get what I mean. The most dangerous killers are those who have been damaged because their is a deeper level to their actions. She is not simply a barbarian swinging an axe. No, she is intelligent and and mesmerizing. Playing upon her childhood pain, her weakness becomes her lethal strength. This piece is a perfect chance to truly create a deep character through visual expression. I'm not telling a story, I'm conveying her. Her eyes have to capture you and hold you. She cannot simply be posing on a canvas, she must become the canvas. You cannot simply see a woman in a chain mail bikini, that is what makes you vulnerable. You have to see beneath the skin to the devil lurking, about to kill you. That is what I will paint.

Get creative everyone, I know this round will be fun

[DIMAGYAN]

some sketches. trying to feel the character.

it is posible to cover more of her body, or has to be a bikini armor?
(i read in the wikipedia link that the original costume was a shirt and a red short)

cheers

435259

435260

435263

435264

---edit---
im working with the third sketch. resize the canvas to avoid the square look.working in grey scale now, not finish yet.i need to find references for rocks and clouds... i think im going for the bikini armor, i have to try more variations.

435959

---edit 2---
final image

440282

if the images are too big, tell me and i resize them.

[smugbug]

DIMAGYAN, that last sketch is GOOD, gesture-wise. Like that one, lots as it's the best of the group that captures Red Sonya well!

ETA: be cool if Sonja was sitting on her latest kill, too. Heh.

[feifeicreate]

eh.....i mean.....Do we have to design her with silver chain-mail bikini? I mean...how much room for interpretation here? I'm not familiar with this character, the wiki page does help, but she looks just like another heavy metal bikini lady, with big boobs, big hair, and big sward, and a lot of sexual undertone.

I agree with nightblue, from her story, she should have more depth, more substance, her heroism was the result of her pain and great sympathy. How could I put all this into a picture? (that's more a question to myself...) Because I don't want to create another sex object.

[Nightblue]

My guess is it's go as long as you can tell the reference. I'm not going to do chain mail bikini either, it just feels dated.

[Johann de Venecia]

Dimagyan: That's ace. I like the direction your going, subdued and believable. Love the perspective in the last sketch.

Fun topic, I'll try to get something done too.

Ok, literally whipped this up before laundry time. Its a bit rushed, but I hope I can finish in time to post it in the burn thread. I am SO amazed at all the final entries! I am embarrassed to post!!!

Still at WIP stage, but closer to finished:

http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l69/deceptant10/sonjawip.jpg

[armando]

"Spanish artist Esteban Maroto... redesigned the character and for the first time showed her wearing what would become her famous costume, the silver “metal bikini”, which resembled other fantasy costumes that other Maroto heroines sported in the 1970’s."

That shit made me laugh, "redesigned".

[Aly Fell]

I would SO like to do this! But time and committment are fickle masters/mistresses. Sigh...

Dimagyan - Those sketches are excellent. Just a thought, but how about some more expression. Right now she's a bit blank. Raise an eybrow, or a sly grin might be all that's needed. The last one is my favourite.

Edit: Lunchtime doodle. Don't like the leg, but I ain't gonna finish anyway...

Edit 2: Some doodles, but no more time! Have fun guys!

[Rogzilla]

I am with you Posh. I would love to do this (a good chance to practice female anatomy) but I am moving this week. Oh well, it would probably look too much like Adam Hughes' stuff.

[bluemoon]

eh.....i mean.....Do we have to design her with silver chain-mail bikini? I mean...how much room for interpretation here? I'm not familiar with this character, the wiki page does help, but she looks just like another heavy metal bikini lady, with big boobs, big hair, and big sward, and a lot of sexual undertone.

I agree with nightblue, from her story, she should have more depth, more substance, her heroism was the result of her pain and great sympathy. How could I put all this into a picture? (that's more a question to myself...) Because I don't want to create another sex object.

You could use dark dramatic shadows revealing only a small portion of her body to intense, bright, lighting. As if she is standing under the light of a hole in a dark cave. As if the shadows are her hidden, dark past as she rises up out of her pain into the light of her heroism revealing her strength emotionally and in her physical musculature.
Its bluemoon by the way. Think I might change my name just so there is no mix up haha :)
Personally I'm taking a much darker tone with my interpretation of Red Sonja, focusing on how dark and stone of a person you have to be to kill as much as she does. Capturing the tiger just before she strikes- powerful yet elegant, beautiful in her lethal killing form.

[Pixeltuner]

nice, I'm in if I can find the time. :/

[madhatter106]

eh.....i mean.....Do we have to design her with silver chain-mail bikini? I mean...how much room for interpretation here? I'm not familiar with this character, the wiki page does help, but she looks just like another heavy metal bikini lady, with big boobs, big hair, and big sward, and a lot of sexual undertone.

Going by the John Carter entries, I'd say some of the more innovative and effective ones involved a "redesign," or at least a reinterpretation of the archetypal/prototypical John Carter. I know I'm trying to avoid the "chain-kini," or at least modify it so much that I make it my own...

I think in this challenge, as in that one, we should recognize her as Red Sonja and still convey the "low fantasy" genre in which she was created. Or at least that's how I'm reading the challenge...I'm sure Oregano or Daestwen could swoop in here and set us right if someone starts to really veer off course...

[Pixeltuner]

btw, (most of you might know this, I didn't) Robert Rodriquez is directing a new Red Sonja movie for next year. The first 2 posters look pretty sweet. :)

Here's one of them: http://screenrant.com/wp-content/uploads/red_sonja_poster1.jpg

[Thujon]

Yeeaa...great topic!!! Lets make this right!

Dimagyan:

Looking really good so far! Nice curves.. ;-)

[feifeicreate]

bluemoon, nightblue....Sorry guys, I completely got you two confused...Sorry...(am I allowed to play my Chinese card by saying...I'm horrible with English names? LOL...still, no excuse, Sorry, Sorry).

Well, As for this CHOW, big "thank you" for bluemoon's wonderful suggestion :) dramatic lighting and composition to create a mode is my weak point, something I need to work on more. I think I'll go with something a bit...out side the box, unless Oregano or Daestwen said otherwise (Big boobs and Silver Chainmail Bikini ONLY!!!)

I saw the John Carter CHOW but didn't participate because I just can't quite grasp the character, but from the final posts, I saw 2 very distinctive approach.

Timeline is also something I feel that we could explore, most of the Sonja picture I saw so far, is the typical strong, tough, sward lady. But what about when she just survived destruction of her entire family and horrible rape and met red goddess Scathach who grant her the new power? wouldn't that be a dramatic moment?

[newman]

first wip. the face is pretty jank at the minute, but tis still early days!

secondwip. this round is shaping up to be a doozy! good stuff all round so far...

[Wiggers]

I'm up for this one, nice start Dimagyan, very cute!!

[ikuru]

This topic is too hot to miss.

[elfworks]

i'm in! i'm in! i'm in!!!!!!

[UCT]

Im going to tennerife on Sunday so my effort wont be as developed as hoped but still gonna get something going.

Dimagyan - mega!

EDIT: Red Sonya the film is going to be the sexxy version of 300 with a dab of sin city styled imagery thrown together, with Rose McGowan showing us her true acting 'credencials'. I picked all that up from a poster.

[Rist]

This one is real tough because it challenges peoples knowledge on anatomy. Those who struggle with female anatomy will be left in the dust.

I will push myself to compete in this one because I need to work on my female anatomy and this seems a good excuse to learn it.

[skorpi]

Nice topic, I have to take part since I had this invidious idea...

some first sketches:

[The Whistler]

Cool topic! I'll see if I cam come up with something for this one.

Dimagyan - nice work! I like the last one the most :)

[CarolineBradley]

Was fiddling around with a few sketches and so far this is the only one that doesn't make me crawl under a rock from embarrassment (thank goodness for 'Reference file for Fantasy artists')..

I was thinking of having her in the foreground with shadows/silhouettes of foes behind her.. or just going with a bare plains type background to give more focus on the character?? Hmmm thoughts anyone?
I'll be working in Traditional mediums, my digi sills would have you all piss yourself laughing :D

DIMAGYAN: Love the sketches, the angle and perspective of the last one really draws me in!

Poshspice: Gah! your just way too good! Tis not fair!... anyway... Really like the dreads idea.

skorpi: I prefer the middle sketch, the proportions are best and it draws my eye into it more.

EDIT: Another Idea after posting, just getting the pose onto paper... sonja having a moment of conscious?

[Aly Fell]

Caroline cheers! However I just realised the pose is too close to one of Dimagyans so I'm going to change it, if I get a chance. I like yours because she's casual and 'off duty'.

[Stoat]

Oof! I'm not good at women, especially not busty sword-n-sorcery chicks, but hey -- if you only do what you're good at, you rob the world of the chance to laugh at your sorry ass.

I'm not image searching Sonja. I just hit Wikipedia and dredged up some very old braincells (the Summer of 1978 was a haze of dope and Conan comics).

[UCT]

Does anyone know who was Sonya's typical enemy?

zombie's, goblins and orks, wizard or witches?

[Erick Willand]

ok , here's my first sketch. I wanted to give her a little more armor than the chainmail bikini, but still keep it more sex appeal:yum: than actual protection. I'm planning another sketch up before I start working the final, this one is just to figure out the armor and such. as always all comments are welcome. :yayca:

[chaosrocks]

the most famous enemy/battle was with Conan she nearly whipped his ass too.

there were a number of large supernatural demons I recall. ad evil religious cults

[haroldfay]

Hey, its been a while since i last participated to a chow, but i could'nt miss this one...:medusachow:

http://img401.imageshack.us/img401/6761/img010rs1.jpg

[ikuru]

this chick is a smoking redhead too...
check the link, this is Ninja Theory´s Nariko from heavenly sword. (http://twobrothersandasister.com/wp-content/images/2007/games/hs/01/12.jpg)

[MJ_Alcazar]

wow, some great stuff on here. I think I'm going to try. This sounds like fun. :)

[Villa]

how about oriental warrior themed sonja? guess in the final i would like to show her face a bit more. fine sketches so far ppl.

[Wiggers]

here you go.

[UCT]

Ikuru - is that a mock up already! Great posture and design!

Villa - thats neet dude, get it coloured. :)

haroldfay - RAGE! looks like action is on the cards.

Erick Willand - cool design there, looks like she is falling over slightly to the right.

Wiggers - savage, cool vibes from that there she devil.

I was thinking that this character is alot like the chicks from the Heavy Metal movie, and then I remembered the South Park episode, Major boobage! HA could be well smutty with this one.

[Wiggers]

wow, loving that ikuru!

[Cuervo]

Been lingering round CA for a while now and still havent managed to get anything posted.... but Damn it! ill get this one done! .... (maybe) ;-p

feifeicreate
I really like the idea of the traumatic childhood, and if done well could really be an emotive piece. go for it mate! :-D


Ikuru ... could you have atleast waited till later on in the challange to crush us little peoples hope with a stunner like that.... lol. Love it, great hair and armour.. just enough to not look smutty.... good stuff!

Anyway... off to wrestle with painter.. speak to you all in a bit...


--------edit------

Im a mong..
should really read the whole post and not just loook at the pictures... but in my defence i was alway the kid at the back of the class eating glue... lol

also want to add that this CHOW seems to have a load of hits, must be cause we're all interested in improving our female anatomy and not because we will just at the chance to draw a half naked lady type lol

[madhatter106]

Does anyone know who was Sonya's typical enemy?

zombie's, goblins and orks, wizard or witches?

Well, if you go by the 1985 movie, I'd say it's Sandahl Bergman as the incredibly vain, incredibly campy Queen Gedren...by why would anyone want to go by that??? heheheheh

[Villa]

Ikuru ... could you have atleast waited till later on in the challange to crush us little peoples hope with a stunner like that.... lol. Love it, great hair and armour.. just enough to not look smutty.... good stuff!

read down.

[Vorace]

super awesome stuff guys... inspiring!

I started mine but wont be able to scan it until I got home.

And now I look at Wiggers' and it's like...the same pose as mine...with the same severed head lol!! :oneye: maybe I will have to start over, or is it OK to continue it anyway?

[Wiggers]

ooops i should of read your whole post ikuru, sorry about that!

[Wiggers]

Vorace, lol,

[moonskittles]

My first CHOW! Woo hoo!
Her anatomy is a little bit funky right now. Will fix.

[Kian]

Wow, this'n has taken off already! Some really great sketches. I'll see if I can find a spare few hours

[Nightblue]

Some great stuff here already. Damn people, you guys keep blowing me away :)

Wiggers: The design is really cool. Love all the layered stuff.

Poshspice: she looks dangerous for sure. The sword looks like it's sticking into her foot, but I'm sure it's just the sketch. I love her pose.

newman : The attitude in your piece is great. I can see something really dark and poweful already.

Here's my doodle. I want to picture her to be a bit vulnerble as she sits alone at the campfire, gazing at the flames. Still have no idea about the actual design part, lol. my process is probably really messed up.

http://i227.photobucket.com/albums/dd214/lxc2000/CHOW122_sketch.jpg http://i227.photobucket.com/albums/dd214/lxc2000/CHOW122_sketch2.jpg

[skorpi]

@CarolineBradley: Thank you :)
I like your second sketch, because she isn't posing.

@newman: Great start, I like it.

@Stoat: Not bad but i would draw her longer legs, even if it isn't realistic.

@Erick Willand: Nice design

@haroldfay: I like her pose. But her neck looks stif.

@Villa: Wow, great sketch. I like your design.

@Wiggers: Great sketch too, I like it :)

@moonskittles: She looks more like a table dancer than a warrior, but I like her hairy boots.

@Nightblue: I like your Idea :)


I've worked out her pose, but now I have to do something on her design.

[iuvo]

Lots of great sketches in here already - ChOW always moves so fast!

skorpi, I'm liking the pose, but something about the way her breasts are pushed up seems wrong to me.

Wiggers: Great design!

Nightblue: I like your idea a lot.

moonskittles: She looks like she's gonna have a cute figure. Watch the lenght of her thighs - they look too short for her.

Here's mine: I'm gonna try and do something dramatic and dangerous-looking. First sketch:

http://www.theisel.dk/iuvo-art/red25p.jpg

[Rist]

Just been looking at one of the comics for this and it appears that the weapon selection she uses is similar to the 16th century Rapier + Dagger combo. The dagger to block and deflect and the rapier to thrust and slash.

At first, before research, I was thinking of a body builder style chick. However since seeing her defences and weapon set-up I am thinking she needs to be agile in order to stay alive; so having her with a more athletic physic seems more logical.

I know this was apparent in the comics anyway, but as this is an open topic it is good to UNDERSTAND why she is designed the way she is. The skimpy plate armour is more for cosmetic and symbolic rather than for defence.

So to summerize, this character has to have a strength about her, but not too bulky as to look slow. She has to wear items that stylise her. She is bent on revenge apparently, so she is NOT a happy chappy. Looking at the origins of red hair does not really help to define her nationality as a point of reference. However the main area of red headed people were in Great Britain and Ireland.

Whether this helps anyone, I do not know, I am just openly thinking.

iuvo (http://www.conceptart.org/forums/member.php?u=101504): Not sure about those high heels... Also the Cat skull is not needed unless its on her head as a helmet. I like the sketch, try to push the design in future stages.

skorpi (http://www.conceptart.org/forums/member.php?u=74248): Watch those blacks. They can really flatten a piece. I know because I have done the same mistake many times. All the proportions feel a little off, you should check those. Not sure if you already know, but squint your eyes and you might find mistakes that can be fixed. Keep up the work! Good so far.

Nightblue (http://www.conceptart.org/forums/member.php?u=73294): I remember your first entry, I think it was the COW for dragons, not sure. Anyway back then you did a fantastic job, cannot wait to see this rounds entry from you! I too had the idea of casually sitting beside a fire, but for me the Conan comics (her origin) has always been about dramatic action, so I decided against the casual affair. It be great to see a relaxed side to her though! Keep it up!

moonskittles (http://www.conceptart.org/forums/member.php?u=80466): I do not know why, but I see in my third eye her dancing on a pole........hmm. The pose is alright, but taking into consideration other factors, ones that do not associate with taboo activities, could be good. But then again once you flesh her out and paint in the claymore it should look less like I said and more like you imagine.

---

Well thats it for now, keep it up everyone, sorry I did not review everyones WIP's, but I need to get on with my own ;)

[Saleem]

sounds like fun
im new to this site and a noob on computers
how do i resize this picture

please leave comment
40

[moonskittles]

Eh. Decided to start over and not make her look like a stripper. XD
Not sure what to do with her other arm, but I'll figure it out.

[Pixeltuner]

sweet jebus, I'm not watching for a few hours and it's already crammed in here with wips :D Dimagyan (especially the 3rd but you probably know that by now), Posh (just finish it :p), Wiggers: excellent stuff!

Here's mine, she looks a bit like (of all persons) Lilly Allen.

[vandalfish]

This will be fun...I've been seeing illustrations of Red Sonja all over the place forever, but never knew anything about her up until now. Here are some super dirty sketches just to get an idea of the character..

Update: Did some more work based on one of my sketches. This is the first time in a while I've gone so far into the process work with pencil on paper. Usually I do all my studies digitally even for traditional pieces. Anyway, I'm pretty displeased with this so my final will look absolutely nothing like it. Why am I posting it then? Mostly because I'm at work and therefore have nothing better to do.

[Wiggers]

very nice vandalfish, i like the left one.

[Searious]

still learning but thought id give this one a go, heres whati got so far, unfinished.
http://img396.imageshack.us/img396/6403/redaf9.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

[dragon4lunch]

Saleem that is sweet! Dig the graphic look - the pose, the leaves! There are many applications to resize the image - you'll figure it out ;)

[MJ_Alcazar]

http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk153/Seloh_Eft/scan0007.jpg

Here's a first attempt, I think I'm going to do some more sketches and post them later. You may not be able to see it really well, but when I tried to adjust it after scanning it looked like a black blob. Sorry, I'll try to figure out another way later.

[Rachel Pierce]

Some fantastic sketches here guys! I look forward to seeing more wips.

Don't think ill finish mine, but these chows really get your imagination going! XD

[Stoat]

You're quite right, Skorpi. I always get the legs too short in my first pass. And I never figure it out until I start rendering. By then, I've introduced OTHER problems :)

Love your sketching style, Vandalfish.

[madhatter106]

Kicking around costume silhouette ideas in an attempt to deviate from the chain-kini...

Edit: damn, chainmail is a pain to render, and it's still not done....oh so much to do....hair needs lightening, values need tweaking, the color monster needs to pay a visit....

[zephyri]

Man, long time no see this forum.. I've missed it! Ehehe. And a chance to draw busty naked chick in a chainmail bikini? I can't resist!

Some really nice stuff in here so far.. Aly, as ever, cracking stuff, though I'd love to see you give her more action, a la harlequin!

Pixeltuner, I love the more life-like curves your lady barbarian has, though perhaps she could do with a little more height to give her some curvy grace?

Nightblue: Love the way that rough sketch is coming alive, maybe have some dead opponent in there subtley? Give her reason to be taking a break.

Wiggers... love the look of your Red Sonja, she looks fiercely feral!

And heres an hour or so of thumbnail doodles from me. Not sure if I'll get round to doing anything too polished, but I welcome the distraction at lunchtimes! Will pop back later at a more reasonable hour to comment some more.

435966

[JessiBean]

Tossing my hat in the ring, possibly...
Quick sketches, more soon.

435977 436071 436089





Update:

Playing with some color... think I may render up a couple of these, a Sonja series, if you will. :^^:
I think the boobies inspire me

436160

[smugbug]

Gonna do this thang. WIP

435979

ETA: Oh, and great stuff so far, from everyone! This is going to be a goooood CHOW. I can sense it.

[CarolineBradley]

After looking for good ref for my pose I came across two stock images that just knocked me flat (they where ideal)..

So my final idea which I'm sticking with!

Poshspice: Thank you. Its a pity you have to change it, she looked so fun yet dangerous in that pose..

All the sketches are looking amazing! this wil be a great chow (I cant wait)!!!

[DIMAGYAN]

PatriciaS:thanks! im not too familiar with the character so between the wikkipedia link and the one provide by you (thanks) i make those sketches.
is a very good idea your suggestion! i wanted to make her in a sort of "break" from the combat...but your suggestion sound very good too...not sure what to do now!
on the other hand Poshspice make a great work in his sketch with something similar, so i guess i would leave her on the rock.

lukavi:thanks! hope i can keep the believable feel with the final painting.

Poshspice:thanks! you are right, is lacking of expression. i wanted to give her some sort of serenity feel or look...i have to make something with her face.

Thujon:thanks!
uct:thanks!
Wiggers:thanks!
The Whistler:thanks!
CarolineBradley:thanks!
Pixeltuner:thanks! yeah, i see it :)

this is moving fast, very nice.

Poshspice:that is a great sketch and pose! love the figure. wich leg is the one you don't like? too bad you don't have time to finish it.on a side note, i think the thing with the posture using the sword is one of the first thougth when one think in this kind of characters (im guilty of that on my third sketch!)...in any case i like your responsability with the process and the final result(like the lots of sketches for your harley chow)...waiting to see this one finished or another one.

CarolineBradley:i like the feeling of your sketches. i like the first the most

Stoat:i like the movement. it is true that the legs are a bit short, not too much, thou.

Villa:i like her armor and pose, very good.

Wiggers: very good. i like her costume.

Pixeltuner:i like her look and the body you made. the left arm seems a bit short.

PatriciaS:i like her look and the interaction with the dead body.

[madhatter106]

JessiBean, the second pose I think works better for this character - the first one makes her look a bit introverted and closed off.

zephyri, I love the first upper left thumbnail you've done, such a dynamic pose! Would love to see that one worked up...

It's helped me in this challenge to think who I would cast in the role of Red Sonja if I were doing the movie. Obviously, Rodriguez has the right idea by using Rose McGowan in the upcoming 2009 movie - I found myself looking at poses and pics of Betty Paige and Carmen Electra for a suitable body type. I don't know if I want to go in an Amazonian, American Gladiators kind of direction - for me, she's less "German swim team" and more "dangerous hot chick with a sword"...though I'm looking forward to all the entries in final burning, it's gonna be a helluva round...

[feifeicreate]

Here's my take on Red Sonja. I pick the moment right after her family was killed and she's raped. I didn't read the comic, so I don't know how the goddess appeared in front of her. But I presume after she got her new power, the first thing she'd do was revenge. So here she is, her first kill, happy, sad, a bit lost, and very very painful... I guess not painful enough LOL...

I'm not sure if this is Sonja enough, after all, maybe it got too far away from the concept. I guess I'm just sick and tired of big boobs and chainmail bikini. I want to draw something different. I mean think of where she come from, she's 17, not quite a woman, just a common girl who got throw into the turmoil of destiny. where did she got all that body builder muscle and everything? I don't know if anyone play MGS4, I kind of like how the game did with the beauties. They're all victim of a horrendous crime, and if you defeat them, they all look fragile and innocent. I think that's probably want I want to give to Sonja...

If this is a bit too far off the brief, please let me know, so I'd think of something else alone the line of Chainmail or bikini. :D

[feifeicreate]

Here's some comments :)

DIMAGYAN Love the last one, and I see that you put some values to it, really nice :) But personally, I feel that the composition could be a bit stronger.

Poshspice I always like your work. and...what exactly she just killed? LOL

newmanI like the dark feeling of her. I think as someone who's powered by vengeance, she shouldn't be all nice and sweet anyway.

skorpiI like the idea of drawing her in action, but I feel that it could be a bit "up close and personal". change the "camera angle" a bit so to speak, might give you something more dramatic.

(will add more later :)

[septomin]

Ahh...wow, I'm sorry if this is too close to your idea feifeicreate. But like yourself, I'm a little sick of the Red Sonja archetype.

[iansnyder]

Hi everyone, this is my first CHOW; I read all the rules but please let me know if I'm doing something wrong. There are already so many amazing sketches it's a little daunting, but I'll give it my best! Here's what I've come up with so far, not too crazy about the layout, but I thought with so much killing she needs a break every once in a while ;) Any crits or ideas are of course welcome!

436088

EDIT: FeiFeiCreate & Septomin: I had similar ideas; the bikini and everything is a bit silly, I think, but I need all the help I can get :D

[smugbug]

It's helped me in this challenge to think who I would cast in the role of Red Sonja if I were doing the movie. Obviously, Rodriguez has the right idea by using Rose McGowan in the upcoming 2009 movie - I found myself looking at poses and pics of Betty Paige and Carmen Electra for a suitable body type. I don't know if I want to go in an Amazonian, American Gladiators kind of direction - for me, she's less "German swim team" and more "dangerous hot chick with a sword"...though I'm looking forward to all the entries in final burning, it's gonna be a helluva round...

Interesting! Although, I don't see Rose McGowan in the role at all.

I'm going a Sandahl Bergman (Valeria in Conan The Barbarian) route as I found her to be the ultimate female warrior captured on film. IMO, she's gonna have to have SOME physical presence (development) from years of wielding a large heavy sword.

[Vorace]

Wow this round will be total kick ass...

my sketch, reworked it a bit after I saw Wiggers' -wich is awesome-. But I was to lazy to start it over lol :

Ok she has immense boobies. I know :)

update :

boob job for free and some fast and shitty colors!

[MJ_Alcazar]

Some more sketches up. I'm trying to figure out which way I want to go. I also have one where she's meeting her goddess that grants her the ability to use the sword, but it isn't done yet.

http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk153/Seloh_Eft/scan0008.jpg

http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk153/Seloh_Eft/scan0009-1.jpg

Wow, amazing stuff on here.

http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk153/Seloh_Eft/scan0010-1.jpg

Well, it didn't turn out the way I hoped. But, no sense splitting hairs over it now. I'll come back tomorrow with a fresh mind and do it again, or one of the other's again.

[Nightblue]

Vorace: That's wicked design. The boobs look like balloons though, which kind of detracts from the rest of the body that is so lively and beautifully designed. I love, LOVE the shoulder pad and the axe.

septomin: Coming along nicely. Her expression and the softness of her skin are quite nice.

feifeicreate: I like your choice of the scene. The sketch is still rough, but I think you could afford to push the perspective a bit more - such an emotional moment deserves something dynamic. The size of the man also looks a tad big.

JessiBean: I'm jealous of your quick sketches :) so full of movement and life yet very very solid in structure. My favorite is the third one, although the middle one could be quite powerful if she glares at the viewer.

zephyri: Thanks! I'm currently thinking about placing a bloody sack near her foot to imply the kill, although I'm not sure if she has any reason to keep the head of her prey - I have not heard of the character till this CHOW :P Your sketches are very dynamic. I love the first one and the crouch one.

vandalfish: your sketches look awesome! The first and the last sketch look like they'd work well with the topic.

Rist: Thanks for the comment! I believe you are remembering my first COW entry, which was successful largely because the design was based on Jakkas' wonderful thumbnail from CHOW100. I'm still trying to outdo that one completely on my own rights :P

iuvo: Thanks! I like your style a lot. The lighting also looks interesting.

skorpi: Thanks! Great start, especially on the face. Her waist seems a bit off though.

[MJ_Alcazar]

feifeicreate - I love the direction you're going. She's looking good

Septomin - I love the look on her face! I like the direction as well.

Vorace - I like the outfit, she's looking nice. I agree with Nightblue though, the boobs due tend to detract from the rest of the image, which is quite wonderful.

CarolineBradley - I like her! Her hands are a little small I think, but great pose.

Nightblue - I love the pose, looking good.

Wiggers - I love her! She looks awesome.

Dimagyan - I like her, but her expression is just a bit blank. That may have been mentioned though, sorry if I'm repeating.

Poshspice - it looks great, full of personality! Please finish!

Villa - looking great!

Sorry if I haven't gotten you yet. I'll get on and try for more later. Must....watch...olympics. :)

[Vorace]

Nightblue and MJ_Alcazar : thanks!! yeah she will need some boob reduction, something less...eeh...oversized

[DeKal]

yea this will be a great round

JESSI - ughh..i love them all so much..eenie meenie mynie moe would be a good method to choose which to use. i like the last one the best though.
VORACE - genious. dont change a thing

[♦♦Jackdaw♦♦]

REAAALLYY nice stuff so far. Some great sketches. Loving the studies by JessiBean I must say. I havent done one of these in a while.. its looking like i have no choice with this one. Gotta do it.

[Nightblue]

Nightblue and MJ_Alcazar : thanks!! yeah she will need some boob reduction, something less...eeh...oversized

lol it's not even so much the size, more because of the shape. They look too round, or something, I dunno... boobs are hard to draw.

===

Now with actual character design, kind of... yay!

edit: updated with character linework. on a fresher look the legs look way too bare, fixing that tomorrow.

[feifeicreate]

dramatic perspective? But I'm horrible at foreshorten figure.....But...let's give it a shot....

[bluemoon]

Just spitting out some quick poses. I want to cover her with armor but there is just something so much more brutal about not being protected....The face will come and so will some very intense lighting and shadowing- these things are very important to me and will require most of my attention... oh and the other arm too, not sure how I want it. However I don't want to push too far without critiques from everyone so lemme have it :).

Overall I'm stoked about this round, some really impressive stuff here.

Poshspice- I like the pose, its very confident, but your right the problem area is the legs. If straighten and angle her left leg (flex it a little maybe?) and place the only under her right leg, raising it a little it would really make her pose stronger and more dynamic.

Newman- Fuckin love it! The tone, the pallet, the chaos of dead bodies bellow her, its brutal!

Villa- Very interesting take. I really like it, the armor is especially impressive. Very cool can't wait to see the final.

Saleem- I like the style, its sick.

JessieBean- Damn that is intense! You've got some impressive painting skills chick.

Feifeicreate- That really convey's a sense of...can't quite put my tongue on it. You've managed to give her a feeling I can't express through words. Like she's finally got her revenge but all it did was bring back an intense emotional wave of her pain full memory that has completely drained her. Like the heavens are about to break open storm is about to flood the ground only beneath her. If you don't mind my input...Very heavy dark colors like blues and grays would add a perfect tone to this. She hasn't been a killer very long so give her torn rags for clothing and cuts and bruises and dirt across her body. It would also be interesting if the viewpoint was more from above as she looks up through the falling rain, her soul sinks as the dead heap bellow her begins to drain red.

http://i531.photobucket.com/albums/dd357/fleetingreverie/shedemonbitches.jpg

[iansnyder]

feifeicreate: You've got a great mood going already!

436200

[JSpayde]

Still got a ways to go. Crits welcome :)

[MarkWinters]

Where I was:
http://markwintersart.com/images/posts/markwinters_redsonja_group.jpg

Where I'm at:
http://markwintersart.com/images/posts/markwinters_redsonja_05.jpg

[DHTenshi]

hi guys! great sketches! really! so, i'm new to any CA activities, and I really want to start joining, so i got just 1 question, if anyone can answer me:
basically, you read the description and her story, and try to draw her trying to convince ppl she IS Red Sonja, but by classic redux, it means i can redo almost everything? (without touching her story) like not drawing her with that "chain-kini" (as someone said lol)?

i read some ppl talking about this, but i needed to get it clear, so i can start understanding the least to join the activity.

thanks in advance!

[Illysian]

Giving this one a shot--But i'm hoping to get a little bit of input for this one (seeings as how this isn't open like my first attempt). Any feedback would be appreciated--I'm wanting to stick with the old premise changing only a little bit of her outfit(I'm changing her hair and face a lot) to focus on the composition and lighting.

[feifeicreate]

Bluemoon Thank you so very much for the input! My problem is always how to create mode with lighting, most of my works are kind of boring...LOL...so your suggestion is just great! I'll give it a try, and the rain idea is great!....eh....just don't know if I can pull it over...I've never draw rain before...I'll go check some reference and see how to draw rain.

For your work, I really like the muscle and the movement, hope to see more.

Nightblue That's some really nice and tight line work. But somehow I like the top one better, maybe it's just because she's in an environment, and has a bit of "mass". And the scenery is very quiet, I like it. Oh, and one more thing, thank you for making her a real girl...I mean without the boobs, body building muscle, and tiny waist...LOL. you got what I'm talking about.

[JSpayde]

hi guys! great sketches! really! so, i'm new to any CA activities, and I really want to start joining, so i got just 1 question, if anyone can answer me:
basically, you read the description and her story, and try to draw her trying to convince ppl she IS Red Sonja, but by classic redux, it means i can redo almost everything? (without touching her story) like not drawing her with that "chain-kini" (as someone said lol)?

i read some ppl talking about this, but i needed to get it clear, so i can start understanding the least to join the activity.

thanks in advance!

Yeah, basically, as long as people still get the idea.

[Pixeltuner]

Zephyri: thx :), I wanted her to be a bit more 'chubby' and less comic-bookish but maybe there's something to be won in the 'grace' department indeed. Can't wait to see where your stuff's gonna go.

Dimagyan: Thanks, and yes.. There are a lot of those little things which are starting to bother me.

Vorace: Cool design, maybe less boob-a-liciousness would indeed be a bit more believable

Jesse: Your figures are amazing as always, hope you can finish this.

[ikuru]

Zephyri, thumb in the bottom right is looking very sweet.

Jessi. all those curves r looking so dynamic. Good work so far.

[Wiggers]

Vorace i agree with Dekal, don't change a thing it looks awsome!!

[Matsign]

Hi guys. Awesome sketches and concepts going off right and left and I couldn't let this go. I have a wedding this weekend so I gotta do as much of this as fast as I can.

I had a friend pose for me :D I'm having with the legs, as usual.

436462

Ugh, fuck. There was a reason I liked that pose so much, sorry posespice, dimygan...

[Aly Fell]

After defeating Barry the Boss-eyed Bogwart, Sonja felt she deserved a bit of time off...

[Wiggers]

Poshspice that's awesome mate!!

[The Whistler]

Posh - hehehehehe awesome man!

Vorace - love yours also (as usual).

Here's mine... I hate it when my sketches turn out too messy, it's a bitch to clean up and I can't ink to save my life. I'll try to ad some fur later on.

[zephyri]

Ahaha Posh that's freakin' awesome. It's like Shrek meets red sonja. The dragon ornaments crack me up no end! And Whistler... wow that's messy? You should see my sketches. O.o

JSpayde, your Sonja is reading a helluva lot like Nuriko from Heavenly sword at the moment, with the mass of swirly hair and that particular outfit.

Matsign, I think her knees and lower legs are still looking a little skinny, the perspective is a bit extreme up to what you have on the upper torso. I like the pose though, she has attitude.

[haroldfay]

I changed me mind! new doodle, ill try something a little gory...

http://img171.imageshack.us/img171/5305/img011sw9.jpg

vorace: awesome!

whistler: nice pose!

nightblue: i like it but she could look more determined!

feifeicreate: nice idea, but her thighs are way too big!

markwinters: very cool sketch, i like the mist!

[Zombunny27]

Wow...some absolutely awesome stuff here already.

Here's a few scribbles, the color one was trying to generate an idea, and the other was after trying to do the pose myself with a camera timer...trying to sort out angles and proportions. The reference one seems pretty dull, seems like I have to combine the qualities from both now. I don't know.

[MarkWinters]

Posh - That's hilarious! I love the toes poking through the boot, genius!

[Cuervo]

My first propper WIP... :yayca:

so heres one of my take on the red sonja.. not sure if im going to keep with it as its not really the most dramatic pose, but hey, still learning..

oh, and the i realise that the feet are in a high heel pose, not really warrior attire, so ill have to fix that..

comment welcome :)

[Zarquino]

I like the ones from matsign and Vorace, cause I think they really represent a barbarian, I think she is not a pretty girl, she is a barbarian, it doesn't mean rude but strong, and not thin, that's what I think.

I'm thinking about painting it, but as anatomy is not my best I still don't know.

PD: from two weeks ago I'm fan of that part of the forum :)

[Stoat]

I keep reminding myself that this is the chick who nearly kicked Conan's ass. But then I make her too butch, and that doesn't work. Meh. I hate painting women.

The lady's breasteses are very shiiiiny. This pleases Stoat.

[Matsign]

zephyri Yes, they are waay too skinny and need work on the foreshortening. Will work on that. I think the hand might be to mannish.

Zarquino Thanks. I see her represented as a tall, striking, femme fatale. I wanted to approach it with more empathy for the character. Smaller frame, but with a gifted power of skill wielding weapons and all. I had the opportunity to have a friend pose for the expression and a bit of the pose. Call it cheating, but... Elwell does it! :mod:

haroldfay Go for the gory! Give her face enough room for personality to show through. Keep the figure in perspective. The hair design looks promising too.

MarkWinters I love what you've done with the shapes to build her. Nice stoic expression. Keep fleshing it out!

bluemoon Don't go to far without figuring that other arm out. Having her other arm with the weapon back in might be appropriate to have it forward, then you'll have to do some serious foreshortening :) If you think the no armor concept works then go for it.

MJ_Alcazar Good idea with her meeting the goddess. Her nose looks like it should be higher on her face. Less is more for details on her face.

Vorace Hot on all levels. I especially like the rope around her face. That armor reminds me of a warhamma' orc. Yah, dem some big breasts.

Posh Comedy haha! That's going to finally burning right?

zephyri Love the dynamics and motion portrayed. That's gonna be a killer.

madhatter106 Nice, she looks very composed and determined. I think overall a light source needs to be specified, then you can really go for the highlights to make her pop.

Jessi You really shine with the female characters. I like the stylized approach on thumbnails. Render that sword and you could call that done :)

PatriciaS Looks like, 'you're next!' Her foot appears caught underneath the dead guy.

feifeicreate I think you're on the right track. Smart concept, too, I agree with you. I wish I could play MGS4...
One thing, did she just kill a giant? The man's head is quite large compared to hers, even if she is young.

septomin Same for you, good start. Love her pained expression. Please continue.

JSpayde I think her head is too large. Hold on the rendering and make sure the proportions are correct :)

Nightblue She's beautiful! I dig the head dress.

Okay gotta stop! Cya.

[MJ_Alcazar]

Matsign, thanks! I'll keep that in mind, I was just about to draw that again, too. :)

[Thujon]

Incredible how much people are on this one...its really great to see all your works, they are inspiring indeed!!!!

Here my first go... some crits would be really helpfull... I still have some problems with anatomy...I have to fix that!!

Costume will be following shortly...

:hugsmile

[moonskittles]

Stoat: liking the hair. Interesting texture to your piece!

Here's an update on mine. Her pose is lacking, but I'm having fun anyway. :)

[Rist]

I was going to try this activity but I am going on an unexpected trip for 2 weeks. I want to make a mark on these activities so i will really push to enter one when I get back!

Good luck all with this.

[feifeicreate]

I'll try to write as much comments as I could :)

Matsign I like her because she looks real with her saggy bally and mocking smile. Would be nice to see her wearing something a bit different.

Posh Now that's what I'm talking about! That's totally cool! If I have to nitpicking something, I'd say the face looks south pacific islander, rather than Russian...But I don't think we're required to follow the story to the word.

haroldfayI'm interested to know what she's trying to kill...LOL...

Hadesdream Her anatomy is a bit off, especially the legs. My suggestions is before you draw the body mass, do a bone structure first, draw out the head, rib cage, hip, arms and legs. Also by doing this, you'll be more aware of the perspective.

CuervoI agree with you, this is not a very exciting pose. But I guess if done well, a simple "looking back" could carry a lot of weight, with nice lighting and background.

StoatI like the one you have before. It's a lot more dramatic, and the lady is prettier too...

The Whistler Good start, would love to see how she turn out. At this point, I think maybe the muscle groups would be a bit more defined, doesn't necessarily look like body builder, but she is a "fighter", and she need some muscle to swing that big sward :)

Thujon I like that you want to draw her from behind, would be interesting how it'll turn out. For the anatomy, this is a very simple pose, i think most of the anatomy book would have something similar, or you could check out fashion magazines, not copy from them, but have some reference to get the proportion right. And you can add on it.

moonskittles Love the hair, but I feel that her proportion is a bit off, the legs are too short.

[daestwen]

Thujon: Careful there, she looks like she's going to fall over. :) You should be able to draw a balance line through her and end at her foot without her leaning over too far.

[madhatter106]

Thujon - I'd agree with daestwen, the leaning looks a bit precarious, like she's going to fall over. I always imagine a small lead weight dangling down at the ankles and tied on a string, hung from the chin - with the "balance line" created by the string.

I do like her pose - I had considered doing a "back pose" with her looking over her shoulder, but I really wanted to show the front of the costume.

Also I would consider the placement of her scabbard - if her sword were sheathed in the way you have it placed now, the back of her head would be clunking against the hilt of the sword. Perhaps if the scabbard were diagonal against her back, that way it would be easier for her to draw the sword, and prevent it from hitting the back of her head when sheated? Also that way, the end of the sword/scabbard is not smacking against her rear end...

stoat - I like the painting, it looks great - it looks like you've chosen to do scale mail rather than chain mail, which I don't blame you - chain (as I discovered last night) is a bit of a pain to paint. Perhaps some texture to it, to make it look less new and more worn? Dings, dents, maybe a bit of dried blood? Heheheheheh. Her anatomy seems pretty good - though I wish the pose were a bit more dramatic/dynamic. It seems to me she's just a touch too short? But maybe because it's the foreshortening of the walking pose that gives that optical illusion to me.

[iansnyder]

There are so many great entries already! Here's a bit more progress on mine, still need to define shapes a lot more:

436725

[Saleem]

yea man thanks for the comment
im really happy you like my drawing
Im new to this site

I did it in photoshop
still learning
whats all this levels mean
gladiator

anyway man im gonna draw some more

thanks

[sourgasm]

I saw the reference to the John Carter of Mars thread and ran straight over there. Got inspired and worked on my sketch for a while. Came back and actually read the description and noticed the "conan era female" tagged on there. I'm guessing my Cyber Sonja is out, eh?

Was fun to do anyway ;P

[Cup_of_Tea?]

Could have probably done with a more dramatic pose and I have just seen that I have a very similar look to the madhatters, yikes, sorry that wasn't intentional.
Hopefully I have more time this week to get it coloured and entered properly.

http://i212.photobucket.com/albums/cc68/weeewilla/chow122.jpg

[Thujon]

feifeicreate

I draw her without reference from my mind...you are absolutely right about magazines and a simple pose. I wanted to keep it simple.
I didnt want her as a Sex-Symbol...rather like a warrior woman looking at her mayham...;-))

...but some action is always great... but still tough for me to do.. one day one day...soon...hehe

daestwen

Thanks so much...I didnt see it before..but now...bless you laddy..:hugsmile:

madhatter106

You are right...the scabbard is misplaced....thanks!!!


Here some progress with some colors... Ill have to do much more...:yum:

[The Whistler]

feifeicreate - thanks :) she is kinda thin, I'll bulk her up a bit when I color :)

Zephyri - :) I like to have clean sketches because I rely on a sketch very much when I color. I also can't sketch in PS so I do it by hand and my eraser is kinda crappy so I get smudges all over... grrr

I redid her a bit, updated in the post above

[Thujon]

..OMG...costumes are a pain in the *** ...does anyone have some kind of help with coustumes??? Links?? Tutorials??
Regards...

[The Whistler]

Thujon - I don't know if this helps but it's kinda inspirational, just add the space for boobies and some fur ;)

http://www.fantasy-armor.com/

[inkbrushnme]

my first CHOW

[iansnyder]

inkbrushnme: You have nice motion in that sketch :)

More detailing... trying to think if there's anything drastic I should change.

436838

[axle]

Poshspice: That wouldn't be a reference to an old set of Coro. would it? LOL

[krisCrash]

Nice work everyone :3

iansnyder: I don't know if it's just me, but the connection between shoulders, back, and neck look off. Maybe slope the muscle between deltoid and neck down a bit. But I do not know if this is correct.

---
It would appear that I don't like realism today!

(or I just love drawing big butts? ;) )
This was my first (joke) attempt but I really cannot do torso perspective well: sonjalol.JPG (http://kriscrash.dk/art/08aug/sonjalol.JPG)

[Venger]

Thujon - I'd suggest you go look here (in fact this should be for everyone, it might help)
Donato Red Sonja (http://www.conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?t=107930&highlight=hyboria)
Age of Conan (http://www.conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?t=110722&highlight=hyboria)

[MJ_Alcazar]

http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk153/Seloh_Eft/scan0011-2.jpg

Trying to get the pose now that I know what direction I want to go.
I was hoping to maybe get some crits before I go into the costume. I've been trying to work on anatomy. I'm hoping I'm doing better, but it doesn't seem like I've improved at all sometimes.
Some wonderful stuff on here.

inkbrushne - I love her face, very expresive. Her right hand is a little off, I think her hand may need to be bigger. Is she holding a gun? Just wondering. It looks good though.

iansnyder - I see it too. I don't think you'd see that much chin in that position and from that angle. I just did the pose and my head comes just up to my shoulder. Also, the left hands just a little big. Also, something I noticed when I did the pose, my breasts sit a little higher than that. Of course, that may not be with everyone, and maybe TMI, but thought it might help. It looks great though, great atmosphere. :)

Matsign - I like her, she looks human and has a nice barbarian feel. On the legs, maybe try to beef it up when her right leg comes towards us? I'm not really great with anatomy, but it looks like it might help, maybe not though. Good work!

Poshspice - NICE! Like the wallpaper with the dragons, she looks awesome!

[madhatter106]

iansnyder - there's something off about the neck/shoulders/back area - her head and neck seem to be pushed so far forward that it creates a hunchbacked look. For a second, just imagine that her hair is entirely gone, and draw a line up the spine to the base of the head at the neck - I'd bet you'll find that the curve is either too pronounced or the distance is too far as to look natural. I understand what you're going for with her being hunched over, but I think the hunch is so pronounced that it looks like her spine is either too curved or her neck/head are to far forward. It's a tricky pose, and the rest of it looks pretty good....

MJ Alcazar - the hips on the standing figure are looking too narrow - almost mannish. The hips on ladies are wider. It might be the foreshortening or the angle that's throwing it off, but the whole standing figure is very "butch." The chest/bosom on the kneeling figure (our Sonja) also seems a bit flattened, and more like the pectorals of a male (especially on the left side). Also, as it seems she is sort of kneeling, I think the left leg is too vertical - almost like she's an amputee and balancing on the stump. I think this is in part because one figure seems to be sitting at a certain horizon line, without relating to where the second figure is sitting. If we are looking over the shoulder of the spirit who grants her the sword powers, then the perspective and foreshortening on the spirit/goddess should be much more distinct and pronounced.

inkbrushnme - is that a gun she's holding? It's a bit of a jump. I think if the gun looks too "space-aged" or modern, it may take us out of the whole fantasy setting in which she's nomrally depicted. Though it's an interesting idea - what if it's an old style looking gun, like something early on in the history of firearms? Her pose is great, I like the head tilted back like that.

[Illysian]

Eee--Here's an update--I've still got quite a bit of work to do but I think I'm flushing it out

[MJ_Alcazar]

madhatter106 - thank you so much! I greatly appreciate it. I noticed the spirit looked butch, but I couldn't put my finger on it. It's the first time I've drawn a person in that side view back facing perspective. I'll go back and see if I can fix it. Thanks!

[UCT]

Great works here guys!
I wish I didnt draw people like fucking jigsaws, I have no idea where to put her arms etc. Looks like shes in some theatrical musical or something.

[Eerin]

Sketch:

[MJ_Alcazar]

In light of the perspective issues that came up in my latest sketch, is there anyway I can salvage the picture? Or, is it best to just start again? Any and all help is appreciated.

[Illysian]

MJ-- As much as I like to salvage peices as much as possible--It might be easier on you to start anew. Afterall now that you've done a good attempt you have the muscle memory to do something better. But that's just my two cents you might be able to salvage it, but it might be faster to just keep moving forward.

Hope it helps!

[axle]

UCT: LOVE IT! Great facial expression. My favourite so far. :)

[iansnyder]

Thanks so much for the help!

madhatter: Thanks for the spine line trick, hope this looks better :)

MJ: Thanks for the personalized help :D I would say if you're not too sure about your composition, just start a new one! I think that's really the purpose of the sketch stage :) You really nailed the problems with mine, so I'm looking forward to what you come up with :]

Kris: Thanks, you really nailed it.

Mostly just an update on the position and anatomy:

436988

[DeKal]

im so in.
too many dope entries to mention

[tsujni]

http://i259.photobucket.com/albums/hh319/tsujni/red.jpg

[timothee]

I started blocking in color, still have much to work on. Nice entries so far, can't wait to see them finished. Anyways, here's a WIP
http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r146/timdeplace/sonia.jpg

[Ceyface]

Hi.. so.. first post here. I just kinda uh, decided about a week ago that I wanted to do this kinda thing... no art training so any suggestions would be awesome, been trolling around, helped a lot.

On this one, I just can't figure out how to.. finish her off, make her look more realistic, add details in there. Oh well, I suppose its not done but it's the best I can do for now.

Thanks!

http://i239.photobucket.com/albums/ff272/maver1ck119/Redsonja.jpg

[prepsage]

So many great ones this round and it's only wed!

WIP
http://img98.imageshack.us/img98/4641/prepsagechow2zm8.jpg

[feifeicreate]

A very very very rough value study. I blow the guy's head off because I don't want to draw him...LOL

[zenichi]

inspired by all the great entries and sketches, but wont be able to finish, so good luck everyone.
early sketches
437090


after slaughtering men/beast etc, survey the scene for anymore treats, she sees her own reflection from the pile of blood.... kinda reflective sonja??
437092

too bored with my after battle thing to get going anyway hahaha am already sketching a berserk sonja, kinda like in the middle of a slaughtering frenzy, with saliva flying, muscle rippling, blood spurting scene.... but then again realise that i need to board the plane in 3 hours time! so good luck guys, will be back.... for voting! hahaha have fun.

[MJ_Alcazar]

http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk153/Seloh_Eft/scan0012-2.jpg


Ok, I did another one. I was surprised at how fast I went, especially compared to how long it took to do the other one.

Thank you Illysian and iansnyder for the comments. I probably would've spent another couple days on a dying cause without the kind comments. :)

So, better, worse? Any crits on anatomy problems and others are definitely welcome. I'm really trying to get better. :) edit: I just saw how thin the waist is, I can't believe I missed that earlier, I'll thicken it a little.

Some more awesome stuff on here! So many! Great job guys. I'll try to get some crits up if I can.

[septomin]

DeKaL: Whoa. Awesome.

[Nightblue]

This is shaping up to become one of the rounds with tons of awesome entries :o

Kinda blocked-in the color, started working on skin tone.

http://i227.photobucket.com/albums/dd214/lxc2000/chow122_pv5.jpg

[JessiBean]

Running out of time already this week... and no chance to work after tomorrow. Gonna see if I can be as ambitious as I wanted to be. Progress as of now...

437125 437140

LOVE where you're headed, Mark Winters, this new rendering deal you got going on is ace, and Vorace, you always do the most intricate awesomeness. Totally digging Dekal's too, it stands out for different-ness, just make sure she stays warrior-esque. And since you are going more modern, maybe update her weapons? Posh, do so hope you render up that last one, it's awesome!
:^^:





Edit - One more update, then I gotta sleeeeeeeeeeep...
:xpld:


437159

[DHTenshi]

my 1st sketch, altough i won't continue it, because i'm too slow, and i unfortunately share pc with my brothers u_u (but that's no excuse)

just wanted to show it, so, lemme know what you think, if it's too "not-sonja" looking or maybe if she needs to show more skin... <.<

btw, can anyone tell me when's the deadline? (1st CHOW) thank you

JessiBean, i love your style! i'm waiting for the finished piece! I really like Eerin's and Dekal's

great sketches so far i've seen here! keep it up!

[haroldfay]

wow, nice work in here! i totally dig nightblue's take on this one!

steptomin: nice boobs, but she seems a little too fragile to me.

working my way to the final sketch...

http://img171.imageshack.us/img171/5305/img011sw9.jpg

http://img525.imageshack.us/img525/3564/img013du3.jpg

[Venger]

Couldn't resist.
Not sure If I'll have time to finish it though - need to alter bits and pieces on it.
I blame Wiggers! :P How's it going matey?
Quick update
437168437228

[Brulk]

I just found out about this contest last night and found that it would be fun to add to the contest. Here is a quick sketch of a Red Sonja face off. Let me know if this is too cartoony. If so, I'll add textures and loose paints to provide a more traditional feel. I still need to add her weapons and accessories. By the way. The artists in this site are out of this world. Love the vibe!

http://i538.photobucket.com/albums/ff342/brulk/HulkvsRedSonjaQuickie.jpg

[/ev]

.....

[elfworks]

hey newman,good stuff.i'm liking the one on the right,the facial features are more developed.nice.

[Vorace]

power overwhelming... seriously this round will totally kick ass... I just cant choose any favorite lol
Ok for the first time I will try to comment everyone... im not the best in english so please forgive my magnificient grammar

Dimagyan : superb sketches

Poshspice : top notch as usual... and this big fat sonja is perfect haha

Newman : dark and gritty, I look the mood you are creating. Maybe make her ""pop-out'' a little bit more of the background?

Skorpi : Interesting pose, althought the last one have reallly long legs :P Oh ok I saw your other pose, new point of view, it's a good change. weird tits

CarolineBradley: conan ref yeah! the anatomy of the face of the second picture would benefit some tweaking. The new one is better. The hands are too small and the weapons deserve more love!

Stoat : Nice pose, crit : the tunic create some kind of diagonal with the sword, maybe change a little bit the angle of it? After seeing the update : Wow!!!

Erick Willand : The leg armor doesn't looks totally functional. I like the details on the arm plating, it would be cool if the some other parts of the armor had it too

Haroldfay : Well it's hard to crit the sketch at this stage, waiting for more :)

Villa : oooooh totally totally love it !!

Wiggers : kick ass yeah!

Moonskittles : Sexy pose pole dancing with a sword :P. Second image : better, waiting some equipment :)

Nightblue : I like your character design, especially the helmet. It's going to be a beautiful image

Iuvo : maybe add some details to make her look more dangerous? blood, or little armor plates with studd or anything like this. because right now she her face say ''im dangerous get out of my way'' but her body/design just say ''i'm sexy and unequiped''

Saleem : wooooh smaller image next time please :) I dont get the image sorry ccomputer screen too small

Pixel turner : I like here. her left hands doesnt look very ''natural'' ...like the pose is forced. I think she would benefit a little bit stronger facial expression

vandalfish : I like the style. The left arm and the head look a bit distorded

Searious : be cautious about adding to much black in her skin tone...she looks really dirty

MJ Alcazar :Her right feet his strange, I would suggest using some ref for the hand on the sword. And please show the other arm :) keep it up Ok after looking at the other pictures : I think all of your sketches look too stiff. the one with the 2 characters is the best

madhatter106 : Cool pose, the boobs are a little bit to high on the body, and her left leg looks a lot smaller than the right one

Zephyri : dynamic movement wahoo, I like it . only thing bugging me : the 2 feet that are perfectly parallels

JessiBean : Supersexyawesomepowerfull yeah!

PatriciaS: Mmm not sure about the left leg, and there is something about the pose that looks...eeh.. unbalanced... but I cant say why exactly..so..this is like a useless crit lol I like it anyway and im sure you will do something cool with it

feifeicreate: I like it, waiting to see this in colors!!

septomin : well 3/4 of the image is totally black same comments as Iansnyder

Iansnyder: Maybe some barbarian jewels/tatoos could help to identify her as Red Sonja even when naked?

bluemoon : well I dont know what to say, I need more :P

JSPaide : mm it's a bit blurry and her arms are very long

MarkWinters : ooh love it!

Illysian : Mmm it's a bit confused... I'm not sure how she is fighting

Matsign : I LOVE her face, and the pose

The Whistler : Like the pose. maybe some details could help to differenciate the materiels for the armor parts

haroldfay : cool pose

hadesdream : this leg needs more work! waiting for more

Cuervo : I think the legs are too small

Thujon : she is faaaaalling :) pose is unbalanced

sourgasm : cybersonja need more highlight (well if it's a metal armor)

inkbrushnme : her body is really thin, but she's sexy :)

kriscrash: ok you are going for some forced perspective, maybe some background would help to get that she dont have a super big feet :P

UCT : well... that's a sexy curvy body :)

Eerin : I like this a lot!! leopard skin rocks

Dekal = wow!! love what you are doing here...

tsujni : great style :)

timothee : arm too long or legs too short, but something isnt right with her anatomy

Ceyface : her anatomy needs a lof of work, the arms especially.

prepsage : cool pose, I like her!!

zenichi : I looks very saturated..maybetoo much?

DHTenshi: I like her armor design. Why is she crying? Isnt she supposed to be a blood thirsty barbarian?

venger : wooh that's cool

brulk : sonja against hulk? lol wtf hulk's muscles look like giant tubes

/ev : WOW! love the vibe


fiouuuu finished everyone. first time I do this... and it tooks be like 1 hour argh

kudos eveyrone, brutal CHOW

ok after 1 hour I can choose a favorite..well 2 : JessiBean and /ev !
:yayca:

[Venger]

Any hints??

Ok I see this really great pieces around here...and naturally compare them to mine. Now the way I see, is that Im sort of "constructing" her in photoshop..
I mean I build up layer by layer do some tryout and so on... I think thats why she looks so artificial... theres no life in my BabySonja here...:nohope:
How do the others here handle this???
Do you paint only on one layer?? Without lasso tool??? :$

What the hell am I doing wrong?
( No I am not frustrated :rocker: I just want to get this one right..hehe :anime:)

Wrong place to post this.

Explain how you work - using this topic as an example and post it in the critique center.
That way it's not messing up this thread and you'll get more help.

[smag17]

Hey Everyone,

I used 45 minutes of my lunch here at work to finish this. This is just a quickie and may add a few more additions based on my free time. I know there's plenty more to do, especially with the sword. I just wanted to be a part of this. Thanks!

http://i515.photobucket.com/albums/t357/smag17/Chow122_smag17.jpg

[DanielC]

sketching... this round's gonna be awesome ! great job so far everyone !

[Illysian]

Trying to clarify it a bit more thanks to that tidbit of info!

I might just scrap this one and give it a shot with my runner up XP

Lemme know if this is still making people dizzy sorry about that guys

[Pixeltuner]

Vorace: Thanks. I've been reworking her face and hair yesterday and expanded the canvas a bit to show more legs, but her left arm is still bugging me indeed. Will fix :)

[tomwaits4noman]

too good to past up no sure a few quick sketches will try flesh one of these out more when I get a moment..

[dabble]

Holly Smokes, peeps are on fire this round. Awesome sketches here, fast and deadly. Jessi Bean doing 2? wow! Looking great as well as the regulars too. Here's my pencil sketch so far, as you can see I still have a way to go. Not sure if I will be able to finish this one. I'll try to find some time and at least put some color down on a wip. Good luck everyone, looking forward to seeing the finish pieces.

http://i186.photobucket.com/albums/x18/dabble21/ConceptArt/CHOW/sb08_redS2.jpg

[Xaya]

Great entries everybody!!!

This is my entry so far... needs some more dynamic!:ore:

437337

[Venger]

Her right leg's a little shot Xaya, try flipping it horizontal, it might help.
You could billow out the cloak more to the right - though it's going against your wind direction (see hair)

[daestwen]

Guys, I am so happy with the stuff I'm seeing this round - Really awesome work.

That being said, I thought you should know:

Due to the awesome quality of so many entries, a lot more people are going to be cut from the poll this week.

So push yourselves hard if you want to make the cut!

[The Whistler]

Wow DanielC I love your 2nd sketch. Very energetic :)


My basic colors. Now the try-not-to-mess-up-horribly part begins ;)

[newman]

arggh!
too ... many ... entries...
i can't ... type ... that much!

there are a ton of badass entries this round, venger, nightblue, markwinters, wiggers; all looking awesome.

last wip before final!

::edit::
i reckon this is pretty much done now... i can't decide whether to put the comic header on or not though...

[UCT]

WOW this round is stupid cool! just to let you know if you didnt know already.


daestwen - I might give up now then!

Brulk - not enough sonya, the focus is on the hulk.

[Xaya]

Hey Venger, thanks a lot for your critiques, helped me a lot!

So i changed the wind directioned and made it more believeable (thermic)

Well i hope i just have to do lots of refinements and finish that piece til Sunday!

437380

[zephyri]

Wow some cracking stuff in this thread.
Quickie update from me.

Need to pick one.

[Wiggers]

Hi Des,(venger) i'm good mate, really good to see you doing something for this, about time too!! lovely piece. some top stuff going on in this thread.

dabble, daniel c, newman, lev, venger, xaya, great stuff,and zephyri and that's just on this page!!

zephyri both looking great but i think the left one just edges it.

[Venger]

Usually I don't have the time :(
But its a good to experiment - let see if I can carry it into my work.

Was kind of hoping for an update Wiggers :P

newman, that's really cool - you just need a script block and the rest of the comic (get painting)

No worries Xaya - we're all here to get better.

I'm too lazy to comment on them all - but great CHOW everyone!

[Pixeltuner]

Zephyri: I'd go for the crouching one. Has more tension.

Newman: Cool gritty style. Looking sharp. Maybe you could exaggerate the whole meatpile she's standing on with ribcages, spines and what not sticking out. Littlle humorous touch. :p

[Venger]

Zephyri: I'd go for the crouching one. Has more tension.


Especially if she was on top of a giant dead gorilla!

[♦♦Jackdaw♦♦]

Just when I thought I wasn't going to have time for this one, a quick sketch went out of control and now i seem to have made a half decent start. Still very rough; haven't yet fleshed out the character/monster Sonja will be delivering the death blow to, but you get the idea.

I must say again Jessibean, really great stuff. I envy your eye for the palette.. i'd be way to scared to even try anything as bold as those colors!

newman too - Looking really good dude. Lots of feeling in that pic.

Keep up the good work all. It's great to see such a high quality of work here again.

http://brendandeboy.com/sonja%20copy.jpg

[daestwen]

daestwen - I might give up now then!

Don't give up, just push yourself. :)

Even if you don't make poll, you might be impressed with your improvement, and that's what we're all about!

[Aly Fell]

Yes Zephyri, left! Loads of energy! If you want to do the crouching one I'd have her looking up with a touch of arrogance rather than down.

[sourgasm]

Tons of great entries so far. I think my current favorite is Vorace. Vandal's is pretty smooth. Ev looks great. Newman has a strong one going. Etc, etc, etc.

I started over and went a bit more violent with it. You have to be a real bad ass to hang out with Conan- and it doesn't get much more bad ass than smiling through a spray of entrails.

Still got a ways to go on this one.

EDIT: Zephyri: I dig the one of the left. They're both great, but the left side has the kind of gung ho attitude Red Sonja tends to exhibit when, you know, slaying poor bastards left and right.

[Stoat]

Going to quit soon. I'm starting to fuss. I'll have another look at it tomorrow and fix anything that jumps out at me.

[Stoat]

Heh. Well. Looking at it on the good monitor, this jumps out at me: she looks like she has a winky. That needs fixing.

[sourgasm]

Luckily, it is a fairly easy procedure. Recovery must be a bitch for a warrior, though.

[Xaya]

I finally found some working color palette!

Something still wrong in my painting, looking at it mirrored...

437456

[haroldfay]

omg! there is the hell of a competition for this one!
Dunno if i'll make it to the poll...

i still don't know what she just slashed... a pile of corpses, the belly of a giant beast? can't make up my mind!

http://img229.imageshack.us/img229/7869/img014kl3.jpg

[Venger]

I finally found some working color palette!

Something still wrong in my painting, looking at it mirrored...


She looks a little hunched, try lifting her torso and chin.

Actually her head and neck are too high - or thats where the problem is around that area.

[Eerin]

Xaya - I agree with Venger. She does look as if she is hunched. It also feels as if it would really hurt wearing that armor plate~ the chest looks entirely squished :)

WIP

[sourgasm]

Xaya: It'd probably be easiest to just lasso from the top of her belt to the bottom of her collarbone and then head to edit:distort or filter:liquify and pull things around a bit until her posture straightens up. Get kind of a chest up, waist/hips in sort of thing.

[Aly Fell]

Xaya - Forgive the PO... Push her head up and back, remove the hair on the left, bigger boobage, tilt hips... sorted! :)

[Wiggers]

update

[UCT]

staot, your lady looks like your john from marz charater, but only with big shiney boobs :)

[Stoat]

What can I say, UCT? Style is based on limitations.

[Xaya]

Wow, you are the greatest Poshspice, thanks a lot for your help!
And also a big thanks to Venger, Eerin and sourgasm!!! I love you all!!!

[Ceyface]

You guys are Effing badass. I knew there was a reason I wanted to learn how to do this. Totally doing this one over, not that there is any shot at a poll, but its really fun :)

Ceyface

[Saleem]

something I started today
still learning cs2


437528

getting there

437625

you guys are much better then me, damn
so im gonna try harder lol

what can i do to change pic size

[newman]

nice bunch of updates! wiggers is looking great.
my update on page 6.

[ladydove7]

Wow...unless I pull a magical rabbit out of my butt, I don't think I stand a chance of making a cut here.

Still, I joined up to have a bit of fun with this during lunch breaks. Always been a fan of Red Sonja and Conan. 80's cheesy medievalism for the win!

So here's my sketch page to get her basic look down and a doodle I did in photoshop. Both very rough. I'm actually fancying the 3rd thumbnail where she's crouching and looking up. I can see that as her praying to Scathach, the Red Goddess. Something about this thread compels me to do an image all in reds, whites, and grays.

We'll see what pops out next lunch hour:)

[Wiggers]

great update newman!

[Thujon]

NEWMAN
I absolutely enjoy your masterpiece...!! Its fantastic!!! Thanks 4 sharing!

Xaya

Looking good so far! Could it be that the eyes are too much to the left and right?? ( Didnt know how to say that in english correclty..lol )

haroldfay

Is that your final sketch?? The hilt of the sword is too big ;-)
Her torso is too short...

Eerin

Some BG would be nice....right now I think shes a bit soo sexy for me...:yum:
But nicely rendered!

Wiggers

Really nice atmossphere going here. Some more BG would be interessting...shes a bit pale....almost like undead...Im looking forward to the some process!!!

Saleem

Its too blurry!!! I would like to see some detail...

ladydove7

Your last sketch is good... work on the anatomy though...I have the same problem!! :hugsmile:

Heres some WIP of mine...

[smag17]

The most detailed and completed work here yet. I love how everything is simplified and leads to her crazy expression. Makes me wish I had time to continue with the contest. How long did this take?

[axle]

Newman:... i can't decide whether to put the comic header on or not though...[/QUOTE]

Not.

[zephyri]

Thanks for the thoughts guys... I'm still swinging like a pendulum as far as deciding which one to go with. On one hand I've not done a proper action pic in a long while, but on the other, my head loves to fill the right hand one with a snowy mountain scene and a possible dead yeti or somesuch.

And loving what's being produced in this thread.

Venger, I'm loving the high specular intensity of yours, and the colour choice in general, it has the feel of one of those old master paintings. Just watch the direction of your light though, since on the torso it seems to be coming from above and slightly to the left, yet on her right thigh it's touching the very right hand side too, yet not affecting anything on the right above it. Be consistent with the shadowing too, if the leg is in such deep shadow, I'd image a little more of her underside of the arm would be too.

/ev: I really really like the way this is looking, there's a nice contrast between soft and hard edges and I love how her face is in shadow at the front, highlighting the fiery hair instead. The background has a sort of frazetta feel to it.

DanielC: Really like the second thumb, third one looks a little odd without props, but its an interesting take on the armor.. curious to know how that translates into something more finished.

Newman: holy crap. Wow. LOVE it.

Arthur: Really like the colour scheme, that turquoise compliments the rusty orange beautifully. I'm curious to know exactly what's going on in the image before I comment much more though.

sourgasm: this is such a brill concept. I feel the composition could perhaps be a bit stronger though, I know you wanted to get the sword in, but there feels like there's a lot of dead space on the left. You could do some nifty things with the lighting in this one too though.. get the focu right in on her expression and blood-spattered face!

Stoat: I really, really love your rendering and colour choices... winky aside.. I have one teeensy issue with the pose... and you're probably going to hate me for this, but she feels like she's speed walking... something in the bow of the legs and the way the arm is cocked really reminds me of that slightly chickeny gait that speed walkers have. I think maybe moving the arm might help, or maybe putting a small dagger in the other hand, something like that.

Xaya: with Posh's overpaint there's not much to add! I did like the slightly pinkish tones you had in an early version though.. and you might want to add a little length to her bikini bottom, as it currently looks as if it's curves under her crotch.. unless that was what you were aiming for! Can't imagine chainmail is terribly comfy down there though...>.>

Haroldfay: Liking the attitude your lady has! Her torso looks a little on the squished side.. without the creases in the belly to indicate she's curled a bit at any rate...

Earin; you have a beautiful style.. love the colour choices and the natural boobs.. they're awesome. She has a kind of fashionista look about her... it's unusual but I like it!

Wiggers: looking brill! She's got real character and i'm loving the rendering of the textures!

Saleem: nice start! Which brush are you using? It looks like just the soft edges one at the moment... you might find it helpful to use the harder edged ones a little too.. if you're using a mouse, you could always employ a really low opacity and a little smudge to help blend out the colours.

Ladydove: Nice to see you posting your stuff here m'dear. The thumbs are a good start.. though 2 would be out as I think Chow has a 3/4 of the body rule... but having just done a pose like 3 i can tell you it s a royal bitch! I still like the digital doodle best of the lot... if you could get her face at more of an angle to bring in some form to it and lengthen the arms and make the head a touch bigger, it'd be onto a winner!

Alright. off to go stare at my own for a wee while now until I figure out which to waste more time on.

[Stoat]

Oof! Thanks for the feedback, Zephyri. I swung her arm out like that because it was intersecting the silhouette of her torso in a bad way. I'll take a look at the file tomorrow and see if there's something I can do.

[UCT]

What can I say, UCT? Style is based on limitations.

ahh dude, sorry, I didnt mean it like a harsh comment.

[haroldfay]

thanks for the feedback, thujon and zephyri! its highly appreciated! here is the final sketch, with a stretched torso... ill start the color process tomorrow or maybe tonight...

http://img107.imageshack.us/img107/7543/redsonjazr7.jpg

[sourgasm]

Hey thanks, Zephyri. I somehow didn't even notice how uneven the composition had become on that one. I'll cut it off or throw in a horrified onlooker, or something.

Anyway. Thank ya.

[Seage]

Hey guys. Im so late, omg. I just read the topic this morning. I want in me wants in!
Heres what Ive got so far. Im pretty sure im going with the top left one.
The stuff thats already in here is soooo good. I love you guys!
437605

[Stoat]

ahh dude, sorry, I didnt mean it like a harsh comment.

Heh. No worries. No comment is the harshest comment. You think, "oh, no. Nobody's making eye contact. It's like I farted or something."

[MJ_Alcazar]

http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk153/Seloh_Eft/scan0013-1.jpg

It's more shadowed now, still aways to go. Just wanted to put it up and see if I get any crits. I know I probably won't make poll, but hey, I can at least aim for that goal. :)

There is some absolutely amazing stuff on here!

Wiggers - It's beautiful, I'm getting good vibes from it. Small thing, and it probably just me, but the exposed skin on her torso look a lot like cloth to me.

Xaya - I love her face and the work is amazing. I can't wait to see your next update.

Newman - It's beautiful, she seems just like the battle hardened warrior, even her expression. I like it. :)

/ev - nice, I like it. Those colors are awesome.

haroldfay - I like it, the pose is great. I think, push the expression a bit more? It's looking really good.

Eerin - It's looking good. Like her outfit, and her hair. :) Maybe it's just me, but parts of her look just a little bit flat, I know it's a WIP, so if you've already caught that sorry. Just trying to help! :)

[sourgasm]

I think maybe just tightening up the composition and removing some dead space might even this one out a bit. Is it too cramped now?

[newman]

hey haroldfay, yours is badass! reminds me of milo manara. i'd maybe strech the torso out a bit more though, looks sort of stunted at the minute. looking forward to seeing the colour!

sourgasm, the composition looks cool, but i'd try playing around with the contrast between foreground and background. it'd be nice to have the cut-in-half figure almost in black silohuette, and maybe pull his hand across to partially obscure sonjas face. its only an idea though; i take no responsiblity if it looks wank!

[madhatter106]

sourgasm - you should extend your canvas and make sure we see 3/4 of good old Red Sonja, or you won't qualify for the poll (CHOW rules)...It took me a minute to settle my eyes and see what's going on, what if you "zoom back" so that we see more figure?

[MJ_Alcazar]

sourgasm - maybe, just a little, remember you have to show 3/4 or more of her. But, it's actually looking pretty good. The direction of everything is bothering me a bit. Now, I'm not an expert on this by no means and I know you're wanting to show her head. But, I think when your hit in the torso first, you're body goes in that direction, even if the sword is dragged completely through, the man's upper body would still be going forward. Of course, I could be completely wrong, and it's something else that gives the direction a "not quite right" feel. Hope I helped. :)

edit: actually, that zoomed in feeling may have been what was throwing me off.

[vandalfish]

I realized that the only thing Red Sonja was missing as a character was a giant, armored saber-toothed tiger. This is about as far as my sketches ever get before I get impatient and start painting them. Crits are my friend.

[sourgasm]

Ah, thank you all. Good insight. I think I'll rework the painting a bit. I totally forgot about three quarters in view rule. Not much of a concept if the character themselves is obscured, eh?

Alcazar: I think it's the zoomed in crop that's bothering me as well. That should be taken care of when I zoom back out to show more of Sonja to comply with 3/4 rule. I think you're probably right about the body direction, but I'll probably end up ignoring physics for the sake of an interesting composition :P

edit: vandal - the sword being cut off by the edge kind of haults the composition for me. her pose feels a bit like she's ducking a branch as well. you might want to prop her up and make her look more, i don't know the word, majestic? triumphant? er, bad ass? ;P the general composition and style are awesome, though.

I looked through your blog real quick. You've got some great stuff on there.

[vandalfish]

Sourgasm- Both excellent points and thanks much! I have this silly habit of never wanting to leave any edge untouched lately, I'm thinking I'd better break myself of that.

[Pixeltuner]

jeez, you guys all in a hurry or what? Those pages are filling up like crazy. :)

Here's an update on mine. Fixed face, hair, arm, gave her more space.. a lot really. Don't know of she'll be holding the skulls though. (I was initally thinking about some big gem/necklace thing) Maybe make them just 3 severed heads, then I'll have you all beat ;)

[DanielC]

Quick update

http://i186.photobucket.com/albums/x57/dano73/redsonjasnap.jpg

update

http://i186.photobucket.com/albums/x57/dano73/RedSonjastep2.jpg

another update

http://i186.photobucket.com/albums/x57/dano73/Step3-1.jpg

[cakeypigdog]

what a busy old round eh! lots of good entries. Here is my wip so far!

[skorpi]

Wow, so many good entries here <3

vandalfish I like the tiger, good idea.

Pixeltuner I like your design :) Her right tight seems shorter than her left but good work.

DanielC I like her facial expression, thumbs up :)

cakeypigdog Looks great, innoncent in a way

Thanks for the feedback. I changed the perspective.
WIP black/ white and color concept

[MarkWinters]

skorpi - ouch!

[♦♦Jackdaw♦♦]

Zephyri - Thanks for your feedback on the palette, It's something i usually struggle with so I'm glad to hear that someone of your artistic ability thinks its ok =)

DanielC - Like your sketches so far. By the way, how's Dawn and Mark these days? :teeth:

Cakeypigdog - Looking sweet so far man. Nice work.

Pixeltuner - Really liking it dude. The fulller figure is a refreshing change. I've seen your work on here for a while now and it looks like your really starting to find your style. Keep it up! :up:

Wish i could comment on more but i gotta start work now... Hopefully i'll have another update in my lunch break! Great work all.

[DeKal]

matsign - great sketch
posh - stop mocking us with your freakin awesome sketches that you pull out of your ass in 2 seconds. haha
sourgasm - love your concept man. maybe put some more time into the face
markwinters - i fucking love yours man
villa - really like that sketch
venger - great color scheme
ev - love it man. great comp, colors, and pose
dabble - really like the sketch. i think the soldiers hurt the comp though
newman - fucking great man. really enjoyed the gif
zephyri - i like the airborn one way better than the other
stoat - doope
xaya - looking good but i liked the prior color scheme with the purples much better
eerin - nice. i wouldnt go white on her leg though
wiggers -looking good man..she looks a bit viking-ish
skorpi - great image.
jessi - killing it

and a lot of other great ones..i just dont have the patience to mention everyone. sorry

pretty much done here..open to comments, especially on the clothing. went back and forth a few times.

[GeistDel]

Man there are so many great pieces. You can tell this a good topic when you see start seeing everyone come out the woodwork. I can't wait to see the final results. Here is my WIP. I trying for a really gritty look since that whole conan time period was so brutal and savage. Hopefully I achieve the effect. These are just the base color to give you and idea how i am trying to approach this. As always crits are welcome.

[MJ_Alcazar]

Geistdel - hey, I like the defiant look she has. One thing stands out immediately, her face is a little big compared to her body.

[daestwen]

FINAL BURNING THREAD IS UP! (http://www.conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?p=1882583#post1882583)

This round is going to be crrraaazzyyy.

[septomin]

Okay, so, she looks like the Little Mermaid now, but there's still time...

I know I've gotta turn up the barbarian-ness or it won't look like Sonja, but I still want to capture her moment of weakness. Confusion!

[REKLAS]

I'm just gonna state the obvious and say that there are a lot of really nice entries this week. Very impressive stuff. I can't wait to see everyones final.

[MJ_Alcazar]

Agh! Someone pointed out that my character wasn't really red sonja, it was sonja, so I missed the brief. I still have time, just lamenting all the hard work I put into it. Why, oh why, must I think so far outside the sphere that it isn't even the same thing anymore?
Okay, now for some more crits!

skorpi - ouch! :) I like it! Only thing I see, is that I can't tell what she's doing, pulling out the sword, just finishing. It doesn't like she has a lot of force behind her hands, and I can't decide why.

Dekal - are her swords different sizes? Also, I think you need to put some more detail or something in the clothes, right now it looks unfinished because her skin looks complete but everything else looks like it didn't get enough love. :)

cakeypigdog - she's looking good. She has a kind of innocent quality about her. :)

Pixeltuner - I like her! She looks great, I say go with three severed heads in place of the skulls. I think it'd be a nice touch. :)

[Sinix]

Lot's of nice stuff in here. I made this earlier tonight for fun. Might do something more traditional if I get a chance.

http://www.sinixdesign.com/images/junk/sinixChow122a.gif

[Ceyface]

Retry. better, i think, crits are good, real new to this.

http://i239.photobucket.com/albums/ff272/maver1ck119/Sonja2topost.jpg

[MJ_Alcazar]

Ceyface - Look up Andrew Loomis anatomy. It really helped me out with everything. Watch for the tapering at the end of the legs. :)

[Ceyface]

Ah, thanks much :)

[chaosrocks]

sorry no naked bewbs

barest beginings

[haroldfay]

Sooo... here is my final: very old-fashioned but hey, i love old comics!:yayca:

my 2 favourite entries up to date are Nightblue's and Newman's. Good luck to you!

http://img45.imageshack.us/img45/5531/chow122haroldfayyj5.jpg

[Phuzion]

Damn. Oddly enough, Sinix that's rockin'! It's got some serious funk, I'm lovin' it. Brilliance does not always take hours, sometimes it's reached through an inspirational few minutes, sometimes days. Stylin' man. Real stylin'.

Just saw this topic, and might have to try my hand at it... we'll see what time allows for.

Solid work overall!

[MarkWinters]

Quick update. The foliage is all place holder. It's ugly and distracting. Oh well. I'll work up something better this weekend.

http://markwintersart.com/images/posts/markwinters_redsonja_05.jpg

So many great works popping in! I think /ev's gonna rule all. I'll try to pop in and throw crits all around. :)

[Phaethon]

Swoop.

http://www.emmaverse.com/images/Gen_Art/Red-Sonja-4.jpg

A cartoony interpretation. Comments and crits requested.

[Vorace]

worked again on mine!

woah cool update MarkWinters!

[Nightblue]

wow, guys... it's crazy to see all this stuff in one day.

Spent a bit of time tonight watching the Olympics gymnastic match. Kinda wish I saw it before i started this topic because there are some great body motions in there. The little girls are so amazing!

Small update, worked more on the character. Not actually cropping the scene unless I really run out of time.

[Vulgar`]

Great work everyone. This round may rival the Medusa.

[Rustveld]

This is my first time doing a CHOW, it's also my first time posting on CA.
There are so many amazing entries that I feel intimidated posting mine...but I've been lurking around long enough, it's time to start posting!

I started out with a simple sketch, I didn't use any reference so the anatomy is way off. Instead of lineart I made a silhouette of the sketch and I have to say it works better that way, I also placed her more to the center. I gave it a red background and started to color it, but I don't know if that's the right way to go...since she has red hair there won't be any contrast, so I was thinking to rotate it so the red will be underneath, making it a sea of blood... and she's standing on a raft made of people?...

[cakeypigdog]

sinix that is just dam ace! just so cool. If i were you i would run with that as a block in and do a paint over. The compositional use of the canvas is top! I love her expression too.
thanks for the kind words guys. Hopefully i will get some more time on her before the deadline.
So many top entries this time.

[ikuru]

Sinix, Id stick to that one if I was u, just fizz it up a little.

such a gr8 round everyone!
definitely shows that chow should be about boobs and swords a bit more often.

Wish I had more to spend, had a nice one going for a few hours and lost it to a PS crash.

[Quinn Simoes]

Wow, so many great designs!

Here's my WIP...

[tsujni]

http://i259.photobucket.com/albums/hh319/tsujni/red-drk2copy.jpg

[Cam Sykes]

Great entries overall but just had to comment on Vorace's. Man, that is so damn cool and a really original take on Red Sonya. Thought it was worth mentioning that it's cool how you made her hold the head of the slain by it's tongue, nice touch.

[dabble]

Yeah! found some time to add paint to this wip, just means less :zzz:. Looking good everyone, can't wait to see what tomorrow brings.

http://i186.photobucket.com/albums/x18/dabble21/ConceptArt/CHOW/RedSonja12.jpg

[Luthi]

Ooh, this thread is full of awesomeness.

I'm another lurker you've tempted out of the shadows with this one. It's high time I got my feet wet.

So, if you'll excuse the nasty scans for now (I need to hit my scanner with a hammer this weekend!), this is where I'm at... (left/top = messy idea, right/bottom = tidying up)

http://www.bunnyrevolution.com/WIP/RedSonja/redsonja2b.jpghttp://www.bunnyrevolution.com/WIP/RedSonja/redsonja3.jpg

Heck, no matter what happens I'm just glad I finally got out of lurk-mode! :)

[DanielC]

argh... this round is going crazier and crazier... keep working guys !

Couldnt sleep for a bit..wanted to get closer with this one.... working on the bg now.

[Thujon]

Really cool works everyone!!! I feel honored to be part of this...hehe
Some progress of mine...unfortunately...I dont have any time this weekend... so I guess thats it for now....
Greetings to everyone!!

[Rezeroth]

This topic looks interesting. Just curious if a sci fi take on Red Sonja would be allowed? No one did that yet, or would the character no longer be classified as Red Sonja if it's Sci Fi-ed? lol! :D