C.O.W. - #128: Four Seasons Glory - VOTING!

[Fozzybar]

ROUND #128 VOTING

Topic: Four Seasons Glory


Deadline for the voting: Monday, 05 January 2008

Posting thread (closed):
http://conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?t=139679


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OK - before voting/posting read this!!!

1. Please give c&c or a reason why you voted for the image!

2. Feel free to comment on any or all entries, the artists will appreciate it!

3. No voting for your own entry!!! If a participants votes for his own entry, every member has the right to call him a stupid lame moron in this thread! And i will delete his/her vote anyway...

4. The poll is public. Your vote will be seen.

[Wolfentir]

521980Winter
521982Spring
521983Summer
521981Autumn

Artist: Wolfentir

Concept: Arangdyr


The Arangdyr is the general name applied to this majestic creature that changes shape each season. Local inhabitants call the beast different names depending on which season it is, in the Winter it is called Sutarangdyr, in the Spring it is called Keldarangdyr, in the Summer it is called Sumarangdyr, and in the Fall it is called Haustarangdyr. The beast changes itself each season to accommodate for the conditions of the season. In the winter it is a rather portly and tends not to move much, it has spent most of fall eating and storing food so that it can keep warm, its white coat covers the whole body except for the hooves and head to keep warm and disguise itself amongst the snow, it tends to spend Winters on various mountains. During the spring the Arangdyr is the most fit, as it changes its diet to meat, it hunts down smaller prey during the spring. It also sports newly grown stony horns which have flowing stringy fur colored vibrantly to impress potential mates. During the Summer, most of its hair has gone, its neck elongates to feed from treetops, the color fades from its fur on its horns, and it grows a sail on its back to protect the body from the hot sun. During the fall the beast's sail covers its back and appears to be feathered colored like Autumn leaves which will eventually assimilate into the Winter coat, it starts to grow its winter coat back and its horns shrink for the winter.

[Mr--Jack]

http://img209.imageshack.us/img209/5327/cow128mrjacktm9.jpg

Artist: Mr--Jack

Concept: Arthropleurus Leviarcticus

Leviarcticus is one of the largest creatures in the antarctic, only surpassed by the larger cetaceans during the winter months and most certainly the largest during its terrestrial phase from November to April.
During spring, living in a marine form, the creature gorges itself enormously on krill blooms, in order to build up supplies for the summer phase, during which mating occurs and there is little to no feeding. At the start of summer it leaves the ocean in full 'breeding plumage' (so to speak) which consists of an enormous number of brightly coloured fins spreading out from its body, which are dramatic enlargements of the webbing it uses to propel itself while swimming, and which it uses for ponderous but nonetheless highly dramatic courtship displays. During early summer it doesn't move much, as it is quite clumsy and heavy and too much movement may damage their displays, and it is up to the females (who are less display-oriented) to choose their mates.
After the mating season's over the creatures shed the casing across most of their body to relieve themselves of the weight of their display fins and whatnot, and as such the form they take for the overland migration is a much slimmer one,which enables them to become swift hunters and refuel for their winter migration. Their antennae also develop a coating of a highly potent neurotoxin, which makes them scarily efficient in their attacks on the coastal penguin colonies.
After stocking up on food they return to the ocean, where they first give birth to enormous numbers of young, before folding themselves into a more efficient streamlined shape to conserve energy and protect their growing bodies while making the undersea journey back to their spring feeding grounds.

[Sunny Koda]

http://www.sunnykoda.com/source/Boogyla.jpg

Artist: Sunny Koda

Concept: The Boogylark of Central Park
As a child I visited Central Park and there I found, quite to my shock, the strangest creature. It hid in the snow when there was snow and hid in the pond when there was water, in the rubbish when there was news and in the dark when all else slept. No one believed me, so effective was it's disguise. But I resolved to capture the Boogylark. Thus with crayon and paper I did so.

Whilst on business once again in New York City I could not help but think of the Boogylark and resolved to study it. At first I found nothing, but after a time it emerged. I think there was recognition in it's expression and, over several trips across a year the Boogylark revealed to me the shy nature of it's solitary existence.

To further it's camouflage it utilises spongy chords on it's head that it can rearrange. The Boogylark's entire body too changes as the seasons turn. In the summer the heat forces it to slip below the surface of the murky ponds and lick at the crumbs thrown to the ducks above, breathing through it's ear-reeds. In the autumn it creates a cocoon and sleeps all day, foraging dying leaves at night. People disregard the Boogylark as a bum, no one looks too close at bums and it actually emits a stink not unlike the whiskey my father used to drink. In the winter it emerges and enjoys watching the antics of people playing in the snow, it's flabby body keeps it warm whilst it sits still as a statue. Finally in spring the Boogylark sings amongst the tree branches at night, luring Owls in mating season in close before swallowing them whole! Field mice consider the Boogylark a friend indeed and I must admit, after this years strange study, so do I.

[Flaskpost]

http://img141.imageshack.us/img141/9928/solochvrarefq3.jpg

Artist: Flaskpost

Concept: Chelicerata Lardsackius
In winter times, the Lardsackius does pretty much nothing at all, besides sleeping. It lives off of the fat reserves it stored up during the rest of the year.
When snow starts to melt, it grows legs, and by the beginning of summer it has grown ready to start its hunting for lard.
By the time autumn hits, the Lardsackius starts to adapt for winter.

[deerinheadlights]

http://i33.tinypic.com/2eewwli.jpg
http://i38.tinypic.com/295vexz.jpg
http://i38.tinypic.com/e80dvm.jpg
http://i36.tinypic.com/2i0yh5h.jpg

Artist: Deerinheadlights

Concept: Hydrondarun
The hydrondarun is an amphibian that has evolved beyond being able to swim, but still constantly needs water. It is unusual in the respect that it can subsist only on water, and that it changes shape every season to properly gather it. When the water reaches the hydrondarun's stomach, it is mixed with toxins, giving the hydrondarun nearly no fear of predators.

In the spring, it has suction cups open on the top half of its body to help catch spring showers. In the summer, all of its pores close up and it becomes a round water sack. the previously small middle appendage is now a primative leg, to help it walk with its bulk. In the fall, the suction cups open on the creature's stomach, so it can gather up the moisture of fallen leaves. The hydrondarun burrows in snow in the winter, all it's pores are open so it can get a head start collecting for next summer.

[rosatron]

Artist: rosatron

Concept: Ottopus

[IanMc]

http://i260.photobucket.com/albums/ii6/IanMcC_bucket/meerbeestweb.jpg

In the system of Formalhaut is a water covered planet with an orbit so large and attenuated that for half of its year the planet is covered in a thick layer of ice. However, the planet’s year is the equivalent of 47 standard years, and those species not found in the upper atmosphere have adapted to an amphibious life, depending on prevailing conditions. The Meerbeest feeds on abundant plankton during the warm summers, then emerges onto the slush ice in Autumn to fight and breed during the Winter , where many predators are an environmental threat. In Spring it returns to the warming seas to spawn and fatten up again.

[meganite]

552970
552971
552969
552972

Artist: Meganite

Concept: "Fall Fairy" (versiforma regalis)


The "Fall Fairy", as it's commonly known, changes form over the seasons, shedding its exoskeleton to reveal each new form. It is most visible in the fall, when its newly formed wings show forth their breeding colors, hence the name "fall fairy". It lives in northern temperate climates where small ponds form from the melting winter snow, enabling its amphibious lifestyle.

In the spring, when the ice begins melting, the adult females spring to life from their winter chrysalis. Falling into the water from the trees above, they quickly swim to hide under the nearest rocks, where they will raise their young, newly hatched out of the eggs which were laid in the winter shell. Well equipped predators, they use their two forelimbs like spring-loaded pikes to lash out and grab passing prey. They are strong swimmers, using a fin on their tail to propel themselves. Their four hind limbs are fitted with small gills that they keep in motion using small movements. These also assist as fins when darting out of the way of larger predators.

As weather gets warmer and prey in the water becomes more scarce, the aquatic insect will climb out of the water onto a branch where it will molt its outer shell. As it emerges, it will now have 6 fully functional legs, the front legs will still used for grabbing at prey. The longer neck allows them to look around in all directions, and they are very swift and agile predators. Four wing spurs can be seen on their back. These will only become true wings when the fall season approaches. The young nymphs are also ready to emerge from the waters as juveniles, completing the same process. They look simply like smaller versions of the adults, and are now ready to venture out on their own. They are camouflaged to blend in with the leaves of most deciduous trees, and now hunt for other insects among the branches. For now, it is safer here, since most migratory birds are now in the area.

As the weather cools, the fall fairy will undergo another molt, shedding its drab outer shell to emerge in beautiful breeding colors. Gaining wings for the first time, juveniles can be a bit clumsy at flying, but they follow the lead of the adults. Males are usually more brightly colored than females, and will show off their wings in dazzling displays of aerial maneuvers. If a male approaches a female to mate, he must be careful not to get eaten by her after mating.

The first icy rains of winter signal the end of the fall fairy's glory. They will grab tightly to a branch over the pond and encase themselves in a hard outer shell, dropping their wings in the process. The females will lay their eggs in the cocoon, and themselves enter a hibernation phase, awaiting the spring rains to swell the water level again. The smaller males, if they were lucky enough to survive the mating season, also hibernate. They will not help raise the young, but live a solitary lifestyle until the next fall.

( if you read all that, congrats, and thanks! )

[aberrant85]

http://nathanheigert.com/images/0_fullsize/cow-fourseasonsfinal.jpg


Artist: Aberrant85

Concept: Root Monster
The root monster is an asexual mollusk creature that develops from a seed-like pod and burrows into the ground to escape the cold during the frozen winter months. There it feeds from underground water and nutrients, rapidly gaining in size and weight. Using it's locomotion tendrils, it burrows to the surface in spring. There it spreads its trunk tendrils to absorb sunlight to gain energy, while preying upon hapless passerby creatures. After a few months, the sluggish creature has gained strength and begins to perambulate to new territory, using the summer sun to incubate its seedlings in its trunk tendrils. As sunlight fades in the autumn, the pods are transposed to its abdomen, and the creature collapses, balanced on its tendrils, abdomen pointed up. The skin of the abdomen peels apart, and the pods are one by one released into the wind to land and burrow far away. The root monster's life cycle now comes to a close, and it dies.

[tsabu]

Dragon Fly

these creature is called often as a dragon fly because of it small size and similarity to the dragons, they have a unique ability to change it shapes with every season and adapt to the climate.From the spring to the autumn they produce a big amount of energy in theirs bodies with is used in the cold winter, in process at the autumn season they dropping some of theirs needless parts used before to accumulate energy, with looks like shining bubbles before in the summer

[gunnarsson]

the "kinomi toho." Its habitat restricted to the southern island of Japan, and hunted by man for its hard shell and tasty tasty flesh, the Kinomi Toho (walking nut) came extinct in the early 1900's.

In the winter this thing lies asleep half burried, getting some oxygen and sunlight from the flowerlike tongue, and slowly eating away on stored bodeyfats.

In the spring it comes out of its onio.. shell. Its thin from loosing all that fat, and preys on smaller beasts by lureing them with the mock flower. the shell becomes armor.

In the summer its eyes closes, it turns around 180 degrees and the second head comes to use. Now it eats fruit and vegetables to get the whole spectrum of nutrition.

In the fall it has already become pretty fat, it has once again the beaked head in use and builds up the last bit of fat for the winter sleep.

http://i170.photobucket.com/albums/u256/pettergunnarsson/gunnarsson_cow128-1.jpg

[Mr. Perfect]

http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f380/Alelluia_LOCKandLOAD/CreatureCycle.jpg

Artist: Mr. Perfect

Concept: Armoured Chameleon
This large beast uses hardened plates of cartilage to help adapt to it's surroundings throughout the year. It's flesh is very tender and thin, making it very vulnerable at times. It expands and contracts based upon the climate. The fur it wears varies in quantity and thickness dependent upon the time of year.
-The Armored Chameleon spends the entirety of winter in a body of water; hibernating below the ice surface. During this time the creature's flesh contracts due to the cold climate conditions. It's body gets a large quantity of fur along the sides, and it's arm and leg plates lock into position alongside it's spine and skull, protecting the tender flesh from any damage. It can survive up to 6 hours underwater; using it's horn to break the ice when in need of oxygen. The young often die when the ice proves too thick to break, consequently suffocating them. This is the only time when it requires the use of it's sonar pick-ups. The large funnel-like bones fall into place directly over their ears when in this form, allowing them to remain aware of undersea activity.
-When spring rolls around the flesh begins to expand again to better convenience the beast during the upcoming summer months. It's arms and legs sprawl out and it crawls back onto land a quadruped. At this time the armour begins to crack and fall off, as the flesh beneath is now becoming too large to accommodate. The fur begins to retract to prevent overheating.
-By summer the beast has expanded to it's full size. Most of the armour has fallen off, revealing it's arms, legs, and the sides of it's face. It is most agile in this form and spends this time hunting and feasting on as much food as it can; preparing itself for the winter. It is an omnivore and will eat almost anything that adds to it's body-mass.
-In the autumn the creature starts to condense in size once again, and the cartilage and fur begins to grow back where it was lost before. The armour somehow expands out from pores all around the beasts body, creating an even plate. It will spend the final few weeks of autumn in the water; ready for the oncoming season.

Not much is known about these fragile giants, but many are fascinated by the creatures ability to adapt and live in an ever-changing environment.

----
This is my final entry. (not a WIP!)
I find the colouring of my projects only to reduce the overall quality of my work, and thus-forth choose most often to settle with a well-shaded complete black and white drawing.
*All works are original and traditionally done by hand.*

[CrowCandy]

http://img370.imageshack.us/img370/6854/fourseasonscreaturesubveg6.jpg (http://img370.imageshack.us/my.php?image=fourseasonscreaturesubveg6.jpg)

Artist: CrowCandy

Concept: "Shutza" Four Seasons Glory
It was only recently discovered that these four shapes belonged to the same animal. The Shutza was originally known as a "Crab Jelly" in spring, "Parasol Jelly" in summer, "Arrowhead Eel" in fall and "Stellar's Marble" in Winter. In the spring it breaks out of the outer shell of its dormant winter form with freshly grown jointed legs and crawls out of the ocean and on to sandy beaches to lay its small, round, yellow eggs. The eggs mature and take the same form as the Shutza's winter shape. They remain dormant until the tides carry them into the water and then emerge the next time spring comes around. In the summer the jointed legs of the Shutza stiffen and straiten while a webbing grows between them. The Shutza's main body resembles a jellyfish especially because of the long tentacles hanging below but is in fact much harder and heavier. The webbed 'parasol' helps keep the animal afloat while it gorges on plankton and small fish all summer. In the fall the tentacles fuse together to form a streamlined muscular tail. The dome becomes a cone and the membrane between the legs deteriorates. This shape is exceptionally effective for migrating to sheltered reefs and shallows in time for winter, when the Shutza takes its dormant form. In winter, the Shutza's body hardens and closes around it in a sphere, cutting off the leftover legs and tail. It sinks to the seafloor to wait out the stormy winter season and emerge once again in spring.



Hooray I finally joined COW!!

[daveneale]

545017

Artist: DaveNeale

Concept: Glurp


Spring: Top left
Summer: Top right
Autumn: Bottom left
Winter: Bottom Right

A Glurp is a small little mammal with an incredibly short life span-only one year long. Though not born in the spring, this is when the creature emerges from winter hibernation to begging it's short life. Once fully thawed it develops quickly into the juvenile and then young adult in the summer-it spends these months growing strong, feeding in grasslands and attempting to find other Glurps with which to mate. Autumn is the time at which a Glurp gives birth, and once born, the baby is still attached to it's mother, continuing to grow and use her nutrients.
Once the baby Glurp has been weaned, and has chomped it's way through the umbilical cord it must be tucked away in a nice cosy winter den-where it will spend the cold winter months hibernating, ready to start it's life in the spring.
Once winter has descended an old Glurp, will find a cave, hole or other sheltered space in which to rot and decay-it's life purpose fulfilled this sorry creature dribbles it's way towards it's end.

[Atastrophea]

Spring:
545031

Summer:
545032

Autumn:
545033

Winter:
545035

Artist: Atastrophea

Concept: Spr'o'tling
Descendents of an ill favoured union between an amourous octusnail and a misguided lima been, the Spr'o'tling is a creature governed by its phoenix-like life cycle.

Born completley encased within its protective shell the creature sprouts seedlike in spring, blossoms into exotic beauty in summer and captures the spores of a mate using its fan like ears, thus fertilized it becomes pregnant and bloated in the autumn before assuming a deflated wrinkly appearance in winter after the birth and eventually shrivelling back into its shell entirely to regenerate for the next year.....


~^_^~

[Fozzybar]

No rejections, didn't check entries anyway :D

Poll will be up 2 weeks. I will make a small break between the years, wish you all a Happy New Year. Next year COW will continue, hopefully as regularly as usual ;)

Sorry again, guys! Have a nice holiday...i need some :D

[DauDau]

There are some, where the images don't show up in this thread, and some, where I don't know what to say. My 2 cents, is basically "bravo" to all of youz.

Mr--Jack. I thought it was awesome when I first saw it in color. Still do. I like the cold water feel, the slick dark predator look in Spring and the really flamboyant Summer version, as well. Reminds me of kites and windsurfers. Autumn has humor and I like the movement, when the beast eats the poor penguins.

Sunny Koda, I love the idea, but it's sort of a little stiff.

DeerInHeadlights. The fantasy frog/lizard like animal appealed to me immediately. The colors does a lot, and the appearance of softness. There's something cute and gentle, that really appeals to me, and the use of color works so well to convey the gentleness.

Mr. Perfect. There's something very Pokemon about this creature and the design. I like it. Strong personality and it's a pity, you're hesitant about color. I used to have a bit of the same attitude. I like my black and white much better. Color is something, I tend to ruin. But I'm determined to learn.

CrowCandy. Love this creature. Also a little like I was thinking, too. I really like the different colors segments, the use of water, light, movement. The idea of combining both jellyfish, crab and octopus is great.

Atastrophea. An amazing idea, and I haven't got a clue what to say about it, other than it's got a very strong, distinct "personality" that comes across really well. That's a really good thing.

Good luck to all of you - including those I didn't comment on.

[iansnyder]

Nice work everyone, don't have time to comment right now. For some reason a lot of entries say "Attachments Pending Approval" and I can see them? Sorry if this is addressed somewhere else.

[Mr. Perfect]

Yeah, I don't really wanna make my vote before I can see the ones that are pending.
Any way we can get this fixed ASAP??

[CrowCandy]

I voted for Wolfentir's creature cause it totally looks like an awesome mythological creature but doesn't go so far as to make me doubt that a species of these animals wouldn't be possible. { I know you can't see those pictures int his thread right now but if you go to Wolfentir's devart you can see the creature in the gallery under "fairy tale style"}

Well done, Wolfentir!

Mr-Jack: Your's is so stupendous I absolutely love the lose hard brush strokes and all the vibrant color.

Deer-in-the-headlights: Yours is very appealing to me as well. The design is very creative the way it interacts with water in every season. I especially love the summer form loafing under that leaf. :D He looks like I feel when its really hot out: "UUGH I'm not moving from this spot for a while"

Ianmc: I love the concept of a creature having to become terestrial in some seasons because of the water being covered in ice. Very creative and the seasonal forms you've invented are very distinct while still caryying along one line of thought.

aberrant85:: Your spring and summer pictures are so full of movement I really feel like I can see that creature tentacle-ing its way around on the plains. Your imagry is very vivid.

daveneale: Your Glarps are very expressive. I feel like each season they have a very distinct emotion on their cute little faces. My favorite is the summer form but the winter one is eerily appealing as well because it is so well communicated.

Atastrophea: Very nice pencil work going on here. I really like the changing shape of he neck and head. My favorite is the winter form.

[CavyWolfe]

I voted for CrowCandy; though it was a decision between you an MrJack, it definantly seemed something you could find, and it had cute little crab legs. :>

[Fozzybar]

Yeah, I don't really wanna make my vote before I can see the ones that are pending.
Any way we can get this fixed ASAP??

Well, after logging in since 2 months i saw that the first time...dunno what that means...i looked in the edit mode in that posts, but there was no option to change it...

[meganite]

Does that mean we'll have to re-post our pictures? Is it only because we are using the CA servers to store our images? I could get mine from my Deviantart website if I need to.

[IVIATT]

Mr Jack - Well thought out, original concept. I think the most successful images are Summer and Winter because the background does not detract from the creature in focus. Nice choice of tones based on the season.

Crow Candy I really love the overall idea, though I think the creature is doing less physical change and rather just changing its movement dynamics. Still very cool though. I'd say fall is the most successful because you used much more green in the water so there is a natural sense of the diffusion of light.

Atastrophea I think it's awesome that you went for the traditional pencil look for this one, especially because COW has such a tendency towards digital. Though this in no means dictates that pencil concepts cannot be as successful if not more successful than digital work. Texturing looks great. But, as always, push contrast more. Eyes look dark enough, but work more into those spaces where you can create the strongest shadows.

Gunnarsson I think the idea is the strongest aspect here. In terms of rendering, the creatures look nice at this stage. It still feels a bit sketchy, but that is fine when ideas are being worked out. Only other thing I would say is that it is a bit confusing when the creature changes the direction that it is facing. If it is already changing its shape based on season, changing the direction it's facing in makes things difficult. But very intriguing idea nonetheless.

[yoitisi]

Well, after logging in since 2 months i saw that the first time...dunno what that means...i looked in the edit mode in that posts, but there was no option to change it...

There is indeed a slight problem with the attachment manager system, as a copyright system is being added to it as we speak. According to some posts Jason has made on various places of the site (Support & Lounge for example) they should be done with this by the start of January and then it should work as normal.

As it is, attachments might not appear because people haven't filled in the copyright info? Not sure about that, but might be worth a try to upload them again (or indeed, link them from other sites, though this is less preferable I guess :P).

[The_Macedonian]

My dilema was bethwen Mr.Jack and Daveneale, but at the the end my vote went to Davenaele

[zimfin]

Great stuff folks! I went for Daveneale in the end. I loved the quality of the pieces and the character shining through! Well done!

[gunnarsson]

I would have thought that IanMC had gotten more votes, mine was pending between IanMC and Mr Jack and as my pointer, swooping over the names in this list of lists much like a big omnious raven, gliding through the air in ever faster circles, bloodfreezing distant caws filling the ears of every little trembling flame of life hiding in the much to small crevices and holes of this flawlessly exact and sterile landscape that is the internet, I finally went for Mr Jack.
MrJackI really like the summer one, very good reality and weight feeling there, and the others are great too!
And Ian MC, yours were really discusting, with that red burned, infectedlike faces and the asses of every season are gross. just, a good job!

[meganite]

I voted for davenale because I thought his creature was very skillfully rendered and it was also cute, but sad at the end of its lifespan.

I was seriously thinking of voting for Mr. Jack because his creature was just so awesome, but I think at the end some people's work outshone his.

Aberrant, I really like your creature concept.

Gunnarson, your creature is really cool too, but the drawings seem kinda blurry to me, they don't have the sharp lines that I attribute to a finished piece.

Also, everyone, sorry I didn't repost my pictures in time for people to vote on them. Vacation sort of just happened, and I didn't get a chance to. Well now they're up, not that it matters much 9_9 ... someone please give me a crit, please? :(

I guess some of us didn't update our pics either... I wish Wolfentir could have had a fair chance, his creature was one of my faves from the WIP pages.

[HareTrinity]

Mr--Jack: I'll be honest, a major offputting factor for me in this was stage 3 with the penguins. I like penguins, and I know that they do get eaten, and that they got drawn being eaten in a Futurama episode, but I just don't like to see it. Where's all the art of owls/dolphins/horses/other popular animals being eaten anyway?

In terms of design it's definitely original though! The continuous changing of the body armour seems a little incredible, but this is still all easily made up by the beautiful Winter image. I found the other 3 a bit jagged and inconsistent in terms of art (e.g. in Summer; the rough black lines of the critter contrast to the arty squiggle in the water under its head, and again with the much smoother reflexion of the ice tower in front of its head).

Still, I scrolled down and was met by Winter, which is a subtle use of colours and shades that really does seem to give depth and size to the creature and its habitat. And maybe I have a soft spot for giant larvae-like critters too.

SunnyKoda: You know I like this piece, it's original and could probably be a cute little child's book tale. Winter stage seems to have less of a 3D feel than the others, but it's still one of the memorable images that make me glad I attend this forum!

Flaskpost: I'm not exactly sure why this creature takes so long to develop its limbs, and then why they wither so soon after if it still has enough energy to last the Winter. Maybe making this a 1-year lifespan stage would have worked better?

Some pictures with background would be nice too (considering the majority of the world's wildlife is tiny and could easily seem bland, I don't mind that in COWs, but it would be nice to put it in context so that the pictures show there's more to it than that).

I'd have loved to see Summer raiding a factory labelled "LARD" to be honest! But I guess harvesting from roadkill would be more likely...

Deeinheadlights: Finals come up and he's still a cutie! It's a shame the suckers disappear in Summer (makes it difficult to tell they're all one creature, at a glance it looks a bit like dragon-bunny-newt-cat), but I guess I should have continued talking in the design thread if I had anything to say.

IanMc: Do you realise how much it takes for a limb to change into a different type of limb? Every year would be pretty impossible... Still, your skill at drawing the critter's silly smile, funny butt and cool eyes make it obviously the same thing, and frankly quite adorable. The art itself is gorgeous, especially your awesome colouring skills.

Meganite: It's nice to see the finished thing! Not sure about Fall's long neck, but the rest is an elegant combination of dragonfly/moth/praying mantis. I still think Spring looks a little unfinished, but that just makes Fall look more stunning. I do like that you managed to keep the design on the wings simple, too!

Aberrant85: It's some nice art, a strange plant/fungi/animal mix and a sad little story, but all this is hard to focus on because Summer makes me laugh. Running land squid = Awesome!

Gunnarsson: Odd little flowerbird, my main complaint would be that it's hard to make out the creature in the art, Fall being the most obvious. I understand that this makes for some awesome camouflage properties, but it puts me off voting for it. Maybe a little diagram of what the creature looks like paired with the pictures of it in its habitat would have brought that out better.

Mr. Perfect: Very clear picture, but I can't help but feel that the bodies don't have as much enthusiasm in their design as the head (the head's original and full of character, and the body, while original, seems to fit uneasily into the picture). Also, that Summer goes bipedal seems strange.

CrowCandy: I love this, especially for the idea that a jellyfish could turn into a horseshoe-crab like creature and crawl spider-like across the sand. Not sure that'd be comfy on its tentacles, but it's an awesome idea. Summer's art seems out of place (maybe because the tentacles look a little detached), but this is a very interesting creature which I like a lot. That it makes use of its regenerating properties yearly (having cut off its own legs to sleep for Winter, ouch) is definitely something I didn't expect to read in the description either!

Dave Neale: Cute face! I love Summer's cartoony one, like an alien okapi (that then goes into the macabre Winter, aww). It's a varied and likeable piece, if the oversized head didn't make my neck hurt and if I weren't so sold on CrowCandy's then I'd probably vote for this.

Atastrophea: The way the ears, legs and shell change make me think of Pokémon... The art's lovely, and your random summary of where this creature came from makes me smile, but the changes do seem a bit extreme for every year.

Wolfentir and Rosatron, yours aren't loading and I need to get going, sorry!

Vote goes to CrowCandy, great to see jellyfish getting a say in a COW! [EDIT: Rather, would have done if I hadn't missed the deadline, but great job all!]