Chow 148 :: E. G. Brownstone, P.I.

[daestwen]

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

ROUND #148 :: E.G. Brownstone, P.I.

DESCRIPTION

Edmund G. Brownstone, Private Investigator... of the Paranormal!

Mr. Brownstone specializes in paranormal mysteries - and the occasional adultery case (though they frequently overlap).

Time Period Open.

---------------------------------------------------------
DEADLINE
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 22nd, 2009
Deadline is Sunday, at 11:59 pm Eastern Standard Time (GMT -5).
---------------------------------------------------------
: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).


POST YOUR FINALS IN THE FINALS THREAD!
Remember to include your nickname in the file name.

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 will make the selection.

[daestwen]

Please review these helpful reminders if you have not done so already.

:right:ON GETTING TO POLL (http://www.conceptart.org/forums/showpost.php?p=1891823&postcount=15)
-------------------------
:right:NEW ROUND RULE: WIPS PLEASE! (http://www.conceptart.org/forums/showpost.php?p=1910999&postcount=27)
-------------------------
:right:SUBMISSION FORMAT REMINDER (http://www.conceptart.org/forums/showpost.php?p=1911002&postcount=28)



PLEASE REMEMBER TO WRITE YOUR COPYRIGHT INFORMATION UNDER THE IMAGE IN THE FINAL BURNING THREAD SO I DON'T HAVE TO HUNT YOU DOWN LATER!

[shannanigan]

How funny... I was just talking to someone about a book series called "Vampire Mysteries" about a supernatural PI in 20's Chicago. So I'm totally jazzed up already for this one! Perfect timing... :D

[daestwen]

Oh, as I was asked this in IRC, I thought I should clarify:

There is nothing in the brief to expressly state that he must be human, though being humanoid would probably be necessary.

[Sulk-Sal]

The not human part just made my day. Lets see what I can come up with here...

[FerrousJack]

Awesome. My kind of pulpyness.

[IanLlanas]

"Edmumd G. Brownstone, Private Investigator... of the Paranormal!
Mr. Brownstone specializes in paranormal mysteries - and the occasional adultery case (though they frequently overlap)."
Is this a character from literature or otherwise? Just wondering if there is anything else to go on, or is it pretty open ended.

[sony]

sound'ssssssszzzzzz interesting! :rocker:

[rushwolf]

Not my usual thing, very rough layout-- no real design for Mr Brownstone yet-- just wanted to get a feel for his attitude.

E.G. Brownstone discusses an annoying poltergeist infestation, if all too casually.

[Joey-b]

Im googling Atm but still dont have a clue who this is lol
anybud got some extra info?

[shannanigan]

Super quick sketch just to get the idea out of my head. :D
I'm going strange detective pulp comic cover all the way! LOL!

Just one demon henchman in the background at the moment... I'll probably add a couple more.
And "she" needs something less mundane than a handgun for a weapon... like I said super quick idea.

[Joey-b]

Im just guessin itll be something like this? :S

[Tommoy]

For once I started early with a composition/color/light study. D@#$ normal work is screaming for attention.

[davidherd]

Im googling Atm but still dont have a clue who this is lol anybud got some extra info?

I'm not sure it's an existing character, I think that's why it's so open . . . my first doodles.
Update: Going for a period piece: "I haven't yet met a spirit, demon or adulterous wife who didn't succom to a quick blast from my blunderbuss!" . . . his words not mine!

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3568/3283929407_5590fdcf50.jpg

[Joey-b]

Hmm i think this one is better, thisll be the one i go for

Update * hmm thisll be it i think.. (atleast the sketching hehe)

[Darkwolf]

*grins* my cup of tea... hehe, maybe this time I'll actually be shortlisted... still... to work!

[Aly Fell]

What better cover for an investigator of the paranormal than that of a music-hall magician! Like Moloch in Watchmen...

http://imagecache2.allposters.com/images/pic/adc/10266649A~Magician-s-Tricks-Posters.jpg

http://www.ragmachine.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2008/04/p1140703.jpg

Edit01:And an update! It feels very derivative, but fun!

Edit02: Put down a multiply layer as a 'ground' and started on the face. Going to be lots of black, green and red as they feel appropriate. I think I've lost a bit of the 'investigator' angle so I'll work on that part a bit too.

[Joey-b]

thisll be the last update for now. Just wanted to maybe get some crits on the color sceme?

Posh - thats hot!, cant wait to see that finsihed
Davidherd - nice i can already see this turning out wonderfull.. big guns are allways cool hehe

[bluki]

Reminds me of Supernatural, i think i'll participate, since it's been too long i've been participate in CHOW.

[daestwen]

Guys, he is not an existing character. I will always, always, always provide links to more info if it is an existing character, so if there are no links, you know it's open. :P

[Brushcommander]

Sounds like fun :]

[Nether]

Great! Count me in.

Two things sprang immidiately to my mind.

Kolchak the Night Stalker
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carl_Kolchak

and a painting by Frank Frazetta
http://frankfrazetta.org/viewimage.php?loc=frank_frazetta_strangecreatures. jpg

[The Whistler]

Wow, great topic! I have something in mind but can't post it yet since I don't have a scanner here. Hopefully I'll be able to do something this week if my schedule allows it :)

Nice start people!

[daestwen]

Hey guys, Quick Announcement!


As you may have noticed, Oregano decided to phase himself out of Chow in early December. He isn't gone forever, he just needs a break from this place for a while. I've been running it by myself for the last few months, but boy, you guys sure aren't making it easy! The last few weeks Chow has been ridiculously popular. :]

So, I'm enlisting a small amount of official help, from someone you know very well.

Poshspice has agreed to help me out around Chow.

I will still be doing most of it, but Posh will be helping me with doing the selection for poll, as well as helping me reply to PMs and the like (I'm starting to not be able to reply to all of them).

So please say Thank You to Posh for agreeing to help out, and treat him well! :]


THIS ALSO MEANS ALL DEADLINES ARE PUSHED TO MONDAY AT 3:00 pm, [GMT -5/Eastern Standard]

[D@niel]

Thank you Posh!;)

[serhc]

great selection!

[shannanigan]

Two things sprang immidiately to my mind.

Kolchak the Night Stalker
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carl_Kolchak


I LOOOVE Kolchak! The original with Darren McGavin... I have both movies and the entire TV show on DVD. :D

I think thats more the route I'm going... rather than making the "Brownstone" character magical.
Make him a poor schmuck who has to get himself out of precarious situations with the supernatural.


The other show that I thought of for inspiration was on Sci-Fi not to long ago.... "Dresden Files (http://www.scifi.com/dresden/)".
That was a great show, too bad it only made one season. But it is based on a book series.... by Jim Butcher (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Dresden_Files).


P.S. Thanks Posh! :asskisser: LOL!

[masque]

Dirk Gently is who I thought of first off.

I'm thinking along the lines of Sam Spade meets Ghostbusters, a bit of horrible humor, the misadventures of E.G. Brownstone, Spook Dick!

"It was your typical case, I guess: a broad, a body and things that go 'Boo!' "

594755
Just very rough pose and gesture and compo, lot of work still ahead.

And many thanks for pitching in, Posh!

[Ciaee]

My god, already so many great sketches... you guys sure move fast! I hope I'll have time for this one.

[skekTek]

This looks like a great CHOW for me to start with! Time to get started! :thinking:

Oh...and thanks Posh!

:teeth:

[Joey-b]

Last update for today, i like guts

[Nikola Marinkovic]

omg. i must do this one. :)

[skekTek]

Here is a quick sketch of Brownstone's front office. Normal guy with an odd job. The visitor (on the right), her body doesn't seem right to me.

C&C welcomed!

[doomstagg]

joey-b...wtf man. Thats f'd up s right there.

[Inkfish]

Although Edward G. Brownstones clothes may not fit him as good as when he was alive, he's still the number 1 Private Investigator in Arkham.


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v371/inkfish/147_1.jpg

[ErikStorstein]

This sounds like a lot of fun :] Wasn't able to attend the last one due to being sick so it'll be nice to get back to the tablet :P

Joey-b: Maybe get a more paranormal mystery kind of crime go on in the vision? :D Looking good!

Here's my first sketch, just trying to figure out the clothing.

[Sulk-Sal]

Thanks for working with ChoW Posh!

I'm still working on basic sketches, but I do have a character. Hopefully more will get posted later. Looking like lots of fun this round!

[shannanigan]

Here is a quick sketch of Brownstone's front office. Normal guy with an odd job. The visitor (on the right), her body doesn't seem right to me.


YES!!! LOL! Reminds my of the movie "Fido"... which was freakin' brilliant. ;)

The girl... I think she is fine except for the position of the feet. I think the one on the ground need to move up and to the left a little maybe. Something from the knees down is throwing off the perspective a bit...

[fury03]

First chow!


595025

[Deon]

Wow - Awesome topic! There's a lot of potential for fantasy here.
davidherd - I like where you're going!
Just have to pick what direction I want to go in..hmmm...
I hope I can finish this one...
Thanks Posh!!:)

[Inkfish]

some more work on the character
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v371/inkfish/147_2.jpg

[Mulm]

I hope I'll get to finish this...Will be my first CHOW if I do!

http://rikkejansen.net/detective-wip.jpg

The idea is that someone murdered the absinthe fairy. Feedback appreciated!
Working on the character separately for now, probably more fleshed out in the next update.

[dwinbotp]

It's been wonderful participating at these challenges for me, very exciting and fast paced. learning a lot from the people around here a lot, Thanks daestwen and also props to Posh for sharing your time for the Chows.I bet it's a handful eh? but I have never had this much fun in ages.

Here's my rough sketch, sorry for the messed up lines, going for a somewhat downplayed character but kinda cool in his own weird way. having a spirit bugging him too unless he takes their case LOL. c&c are always welcome:)

[rushwolf]

And an update

*** EDIT - I don't want to be entered into the poles, I'm a bit too busy to finish this or anything- D:

[Pixeltuner]

yeez, I haven't even blinked and we're already on page 2. I have some ideas floating around, will post a sketchy thingy tomorrow.

And Posh: Thanks for going the extra mile and helping out on the CHOW. :yayca:

[FerrousJack]

Here my first take. Kinda Lovecraftian bloke I s'pose. Perhaps a Turkish orphan raised in the more stygian regions of New England. He'll have a bit of corruption about him.

[davidherd]

Jeepers, some of you guys are fast!
Many thanks to Posh for helping out, can't think of anyone more qualified.
Joey-B: Gruesome :-), I think the character could be bigger in the composition, he looks great be nice to see more detail though.
skekTek: The upper body of the girl looks fine to me as well maybe the thighs are a little too short though?
Inkfish: Top idea and great rendering, you work very quickly!
Zilrion: Reminds me of the old Sandman (in a good way), nice concept.
fury03: Perfect facial expression, very Sam Spade.
Deon: Cheers, you got some good directions going on yourself. I perosnally favour the 'Pro'.
Mulm: Interesting start, be nice to see more of the character detail.
dwinbotp: Lovely line work, very inky and pulpy. Reminds me a bit on Gene Colan work already.
Rushwolf: Nice value study there, lots of personality.
FerrousJack: 'Kinda Lovecraftian' has got to be good, I love that interpretation and it's rendered rather nicely too.

Last update for me tonight - just refining the line a bit. Lot's of details still to be worked out.
Not sure what's going on with the top of the head, he'll either have horns or be crazy into trepanning . . .

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3632/3285454783_ebd921b0cd.jpg (http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3632/3285454783_ebd921b0cd_b.jpg)

[Nikola Marinkovic]

Here is my first WIP.
Mine E. G. Brownstone is one eyed detective. He have one but sharp eye... To look through his magnifying glass. :)

[dwinbotp]

2nd take at him...better i hope
davidherd...I know that avatar :) hope you finish yours man!

[pepps]

FerrousJack: he has lots of character, aha i like him a lot =)
dwinbotp: i like the second sketch best, but i also love the face in the upper right corner of the first image =) looking very good overall!

early sketch, i want to have a miyazaki feel to it, a positive, bright character, a bit funny, with a big passion for paranormal. he´s like a robot engineer by day, and paranormal investigator by night, who´ll eventually find a door to another dimension; or something like that =) i´m not completely sure about the time though.
i also have this idea of a semi-human character, but i´m not sure about it =)

[AhChu]

Think I might go for a good ol Exorcism type thing abit like Constantine

[AhChu]

now taking a look at my thumb it looks like some dirty b-grade porn :) storyline included

[bevis]

well heres a quick rough of what i want to do. i wana change a bit and make it a bit more stylised. bleh

[Jason Snair]

E.G. Brownstone:

To many in the public, E.G was a normal senior citizen. He lived alone, in a quiet apartment building and kept to himself. He had no family and spoke to few. Many passed him by and would fail to even notice him.

In certain circles, however, E.G was very well known. In fact, he was a legend to some of those in the paranormal underworld. He spent a life time building a reputable career investigating mysteries from all over the world, from all walks of life, dead and alive. He was the best. He never let a case go unsolved.

But during the mid 1970's, at the age 73, mysteries began swirling about E.G himself. Rumors that flew in the face of everything E.G. had built. Many began suspecting a hidden past, covered up and long forgotten. Some even suspected that E.G. was much, much older than he let on. People began questioning his entire career and his successes.

Who really is E.G. Brownstone? Hmmmm

[DIMAGYAN]

good works so far!...thanks Poshspice and good luck with the new responsability.

wanting to do somenthing diferent(for me anyway).

595328

[Max Challie]

Here's a silly sketch I did in my Moleskin Munchkin. I don't intend to go into the poll, just a little something for fun. I might work on the idea more though, who knows.

595362

[Hendric VII]

A lot of people going the 'ghostbuster's" route with tech and toys. I thought more people would take the path that Inkfish is taking where the guys is dead or a ghost or is part of the paranormal scene. Good luck to all you tallented people!

[ARRGH!]

First shot at CHOW so give us hand. Here's my sketch, Thanks

[doomstagg]

http://doomstagg.com/conceptart/egbrownstone2.jpg
a wip.
He is in contemporary urban attire. Think of him as a young Lemmy.

Hopefully this time around I can get some feedback, because apparently my anatomy and rendering for Baba Yaga were appalling . Any feedback in these early stages helps.

[vineris]

595425

I imagine that in a fantasy world, some of the best paranormal investigators would be cats.

I figure he's like a less moral, more dapper Harry Dresden. :)

[doomstagg]

ARRGH! Looks compositionally strong. Is he squating down to pick this thing up or is he standing with the mangled corpse dangling?
Bevis I can see this animating very cool. Nice details.
Ferrous Jack I love your style...I'm off to look at more of your work. We have a similair style.

[FerrousJack]

Added some colores. :inject: I might not be able to work on it much this week, so this could be my last update for a few days.

[shannanigan]

I'm still in scribble mode, but I think I've got my plan here.
Now I gotta you know... really draw the damn thing. LOL! :D

Oh and figure out a snazzy "Noir" story title for that box on the bottom...

[Crowsrock]

First (saved) WIP

[Ionic]

Started work on it today :) rock an roll ya'll

[Inkfish]

Davidherd looks promising, i like the historical setting :)

rushwolf Looks like a great start! What's happening with his chin though? :)

Started to modernize him a bit, maybe he's been around for a while? :) Looking at this picture there seems to be some anatomical issues that need fixing (like the left arm)

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v371/inkfish/147_3.jpg

[The Whistler]

OK, a really really REALLY bad photo of my sketch, taken with a phone camera since I don't have anything else here... I shouldn't have done it but hey, I drew something after a long time and everyone's posting ;) :p

I won't be able to work on it further for two more days but hopefully I'll make it then, I have to work more on the hands and make that colt recognizable. The BG will be more paranormal in time, and I'll make him more recognizable as a detective during the process :)


EDIT: Oh yeah, and THANKS MR. POSHSPICE :)

EDIT1: a sense of atmosphere... gotta add dead skeletons below

EDIT2: basic colors and light, still no skeletons, light will come from above also, so that's where the highlights are coming from

EDIT3: had to change the pose due to major anatomical flaws...

[Nether]

I see people have been busy. Lookin good.

Poshspice Thanks for helping out in managing the CHOW. Your entry is already looking superb. Gotta love those magicians of olden times.

Shannanigan Only ever watched the first episode of Dresden Files. It was promising, but I never got to watch the rest of the season.

skekTek Hilarious concept. Not sure if there's anything wrong with the woman.

FerrousJack Hope you have time to finish cause yours is looking very good. Reminds me a bit of Mignolas work somehow.

Here's what I got so far. Going for the obvious film noir style. Drew Bogart and Nicholson for warmup and started there.
E.G. Brownstone, Detective of the Paranormal extraordinaire. Solving mysteries with the help of ancient artifacts, self made contraptions and his trusty sidekick imp, Chews.

595553

[Bryno]

Hello and Good evening Lady's and gentle men!

Nice entry's so far! I'm might as well have a go myself... Crits 'n Coms are super welcome!

http://www.brynodesign.com/bryno01my.jpg

[D@niel]

Nice work guys!

A WIP

[Joey-b]

Page 3 crits

D@niel - good work so far, in my first sketch i had a similair gun hehe

Nehter - Nice sketches, love the sidekick imp

Inkfish - thats a good solid design, i think he's leaning a bit backwards, looks kinda weird. other than that nice job!

Bryno - I like that style, his head is way to big

The Whistler - good design, phone camera? pretty good still then hehe

Crowsrock - his hand has about 7 fingers hehe

Shannanigan - nice, i love that comic book feel, i think his torso is way to short and his body slightly to big

Ferrousjack - one of my favorites untill now no crits

Here is my update
going for a more magical ghostly vision/flashback
pff this one is hard for me.. the characters in it look like shit.. ill keep going on it

[Jason Snair]

Great entries so far everyone. I wish I had the time this morning to crit everyone....here's the one's that just caught my eye.

D@niel: Love it. Great mood, great atmosphere.
Shannanigan: Good concept, doing a comic book cover. I know you're only in the sketch phase, but be careful of the composition. Right now you have it sliced vertically pretty evenly between the foreground character and E.G/Background. I'd make the slice more interesting. Perhaps bend the foreground character a little. Have her tail go back up and to the right and use it to guide the eye back upward to our main character.

[davidherd]

Just checkin in during lunch to see what you busy people are up to now. These threads seem to get faster all the time.

@dwinbotp: Yes, thats the 'Avatar of many unfinished CHoWs'. Yours is looking very Gene Colan now and that's a huge compliment. Beautiful shapes.
@D@niel: Looking good fella, especially like the subtle weaponry.
@Inkfish: Do you think maybe his left elbow is a bit low or maybe his left breast projects out too far?
@Joey-B: Yeah you certainly haven't made it easy for yourself there :-)
@JasonSnair: Brilliant characterisation. Beautiful work.
@doomstagg: Watch the relationship between the head and the shoulders, it seems that head should be a bit higher, even if he is leaning a bit.
@ARRGGH: Lovely atmospheric drawing, really nice but watch that you don't break the "three-quarter of the character must be in view" rule.

Can't wait to get home and get back into it.

[Delmar]

dwinbotp: great sketches.....may fav is the pro.
Joey-B: It's good that you changed the vision of the character, now it fits the topic
better.
FerrousJack: Really like the mood of your piece...i hope you have time to finish it.
Daniel: Uhh....delicious colors. Right now it looks a bit like he would be
the leader of the whole gang, maybe it would be cool if the guys cloth had a
different color than black, so that he is a bit more separated from the monsters
in the bg.
Jason Snair: Like the old school feeling of the design.

Thanks Posh for your help!....i figure that the last chow were really time consuming....so thank you daestwen for your effort you put into this every week.:drinkup:

I decided to go a more cartoony and "friendly" way with my sketch....as i realized that also in the last chows...a good deal of entries, mine included, always tend to walk more on the dark side....here's the sketch

[Nether]

D@niel Really good job on the atmosphere and look of the character. He's not completely human is he. Nice touch with the partly concealed gun.

Joey-B Thanks for the feedback. Yours is looking very weird. Liking the guts and corpse, which somehow bring Jack the Ripper to my mind.

Delmar I like how you took a noticeably different path than the rest of us. Looking very good.

Sketched out the faces of E.G. and Chews and gave the poor investigator a gun to shoot supernatural horrors with. I'm still not sure about the final layout. Might still go back to the office layout I sketched earlier. Not sure if the one below even meets the requirements for the 2/3rds of the character visible rule.

595635

[Joey-b]

Nehter - Thanks man thats what i was going for.. kinda like jack the ripper feel

[Artofinca]

early 20th century E. G. Brownstone, P.I. ...
and yes Thanks Posh :)

[azekariel]

These WIPs are blowing me away D: Seriously amazing. Good luck to everyone!

[The Whistler]

The Whistler - good design, phone camera? pretty good still then hehe



:bashful: aw man LOL, I can't believe I wrote that... Thanks man hehe

[rodriguez]

I'd love to get this one done
So many half finished Chow's its not even funny

Thanks PoshSpice for helping out and a huge Thanks to Daestwen for putting in so much effort

Gotta love Chow

[Joey-b]

Uh... update/downdate
Turned of the colors layer cause it looks like crap

not sure where to go with the colors...

Anybud got any idea's on it, or crits :yayca:

[The Whistler]

Hey Joey-b, I like the figures in his imagination better this way, but watch his neck, it seems to get too thin where it meets the head and too wide where it meets the torso, it makes him look like he doesn't have the trapezius muscle.

[shannanigan]

In case anyone needs it..... "How to Draw Fedoras (http://cartoonsnap.blogspot.com/2008/11/how-to-draw-hats-men-classic-fedora-hat.html)". Haha! :D


Jason - Thanks for the suggestions. I'm still tweaking a bit and hope to start the lines tonight so I'll keep it in mind. I had considered moving her leg more to the right, but that skirt is a little tight. LOL! I'll pass on the pinstripes I had planned for her suit for sure... since that will only make it more vertical. ;)


JoeyB - Yeah this is still rough, I'm working out the anatomy. He will be wearing period appropriate pants though, guys in the 1940's wore their pants high up. I just need to find a decent reference so it doesn't throw off the anatomy.

Nether - Dammit! I had added triple facial scars to my rough sketch last night... but you beat me too it! LOL! And Chews.... :heart:

[Mara644]

hi all!

i stumbled upon this great community some months ago and find it extremely inspiring!
after having 'participated' secretly a couple of times now, i'd like to join you guys this time :yayca:

there are some pretty cool visions of mr. brownstone posted here already!
here's my first idea, not sure about the details/equipment/stuff, but will try to work on the image. and having posted it will make sure, that i'll try to finish it...


http://lenalewerenz.gmxhome.de/conceptart/chow_brownstone_sk1.jpg

[bevis]

posting an update of what ive been working on.
same character, better lines and stuff. im still going to put him in the same set, with the black rocks and billowing smoke with the blue / green lava stuff in the cracks. still going to hang a bunch of gadgets off him. i really want to draw some electrical metre somewhere, maybe in a pocket on the backpacket, and still got to add the spade thing. and must have a torch! :D

character: i imagined him kinda like a baseball junkie whenever hes not working. and when hes working all he can think about how he should be home watching the game. hes very lazy, hates his job but at the same time kicks ass at it. right after this picture he spits on the floor :P and ends up spitting on his shoe, then says "i f#$ing hate my job :/" (hill billy voice), for his boring adultery jobs, i imagine him nt doing much investigating and jst going ahead and kicking some dudes ass in a bar. then has a shot of wiskey then goes home. think im going to put a wiskey flask hanging from his weighst. overall hes more a get the job done as quick as possible kinda guy, if it means kicking ass and shooting grannies then so be it.

[FerrousJack]

Uh... update/downdate
Turned of the colors layer cause it looks like crap

not sure where to go with the colors...

Anybud got any idea's on it, or crits :yayca:

I'll give a crit! I really like the concept but I'd reconsider your character's pose a bit and redo his head. You might need to get some reference for his neck/head area... I know that's one of the the most difficult angles to draw a person. I hope you don't mind, but I did a sketch over your pic... It is just a suggestion. :)

As for the colors, I thought they were coming along fine except the character looks to be the same hue as the background, so he doesn't pop quite as much as he should

[shannanigan]

there are some pretty cool visions of mr. brownstone posted here already!
here's my first idea, not sure about the details/equipment/stuff, but will try to work on the image. and having posted it will make sure, that i'll try to finish it...



He looks very pleased with himself... I like it! LOL!
I'm also in details/equipment limbo, gotta think up some cool contraptions! :D

Welcome to CA!

[Sulk-Sal]

Well, here we go again! 3rd times the charm right!?

Joey-b - I like the piece with the colors turned off. Perhaps a combination of the two? Although you may want a bit more interaction between the woman and monster.

Nether - Enjoying the concepts, but I don't think it meets the requirements of 3/4. On your previous wip the extended shot seemed better, but as for the office, it will depend on the mood your going for. I could see either being very cool.

shannanigan - Just enjoying the concept. Can't wait to see more of the piece worked out.

As for my piece...When I heard non-human, I went completely that route. Not sure what race he is, but give me some time and I'll make something up :p The orbs he uses are actually a part of his body that he can use to see what he needs to, and can be "stretched" into the window in front of him. Behind him will be a wall of newspaper clippings of the incident in question, all to help him concentrate.

BTW, do I meet the 3/4ths rule?

[Inkfish]

Thanks for the crits Joey-B and Davidherd Spot on. I tried to fix the issues you mentioned.

lil update

[Wolfentir]

Hey everyone, I think I'm gonna go for a little more realisticy approach to this round. I got the idea that E.G. would be like a 19th century paranormal investigator type person, carrying charms and whatnot. Hes got an arm computer powered by arcane magic. Anyway heres a rough little poop here, any comments or critiques this far on would be quite handy!

596003

[dan liimatta]

& this should be a fun topic :P

initial sketches - org format.

started with.
596006

but probably going with.
596005

Good luck everyone and may the ink be with you.

[Felida]

Here's my P.I. :geekg:
Well... no human but I paid attention that he still can fit the description.
Who can find all the parts of his costume :D?

[ErikStorstein]

Felida: Doesn't those gloves have 5fingers, while his hands have 3? Other than that, loving the detail. oh and it says elfs on the book, shouldn't it be elves? xD
Joey-B: Liking the vision more now! :)
Nether: Hah, that surely give some supernatual flashbacks with the special gun that works on em all. Though yours look way cooler.

Personally I'm thinking of scratching my initial idea, I might go for having a robot character instead. still just doing lots of small sketches, I'll see if I can scan them and edit it in later :)

Edit: Started messing around with one of the sketches so added it.
Edit2: just experimenting :P

[davidherd]

Not much progress tonight - baby won't sleep :(

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3178/3288315065_1299e0100d.jpg (http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3178/3288315065_1299e0100d_b.jpg)

[kelly x]

Just saying these are awesome starts!! and such a great topic!! Wishing I could do this, alas, no but I'll vote... can it be a maybe? You and Posh will make a good team and Dash, so glad you got the help.

[shannanigan]

Felida: Doesn't those gloves have 5fingers, while his hands have 3? Other than that, loving the detail. oh and it says elfs on the book, shouldn't it be elves? xD

Damn... hawk eyes! I can't believe you noticed the "elfs" on the bookshelf. LOL!


Felida... I like him! Nice combo of fantasy and vintage style. I also love the little creepies in the jar. :D

[NateShaw]

Nether cool gun design. For the arabic, try something off of here: http://www.artislamic.com/3dd-esmullah.html. right now you have a random collection of unconnected arabic letters.

"I've got the thingie. Half in English, half in...squibbly."

arrested development anyone?

[vineris]

Crits time:

rushwolf - I liked the depth of the first concept, but the second has a lot more character
shannanigan - neat idea with the comic cover. The guy seems awfully stiff to me right now, though, and his feet look like they're on the horizon line while the vanishing point of the street is obviously above him.
Tommoy - Nice atmosphere with the backlighting
davidherd - not a whole lot to say yet. I like the era you picked.
Poshspice - lovely, as usual
masque - too early to tell yet -- the composition looks massed together. You're going to need quite a bit of contrast between the figures to keep them from running together.
Skektek - I like the zombie secretary but the main character design is awfully ordinary. Better as an illustration than a concept, I think.
Inkfish - good stuff
Zilrion - interesting concept. A bit too much leg? All that detail feels squished on top.
fury03 - great character! The balance feels a bit off. Something about how the legs are placed maybe?
Deon - I like the floaty Baron Harkonnen-esque design.
Mulm - This also seems to be more about the scene than the character.
dwinbotp - I like the concept. His body seems quite long to me.
Ferrousjack - Looks good, but needs more oomph or something.
Nikola Marinkovic - interesting angle. Not much to go on otherwise.
pepps - creeeeepy! But interesting!
AhChu - well, there went my other idea.
bevis - ha ha! Nicely stylized.
Jason Snair - great start!
Dimagyan - I like the style. Nothing about it says "paranormal investigator", though.
Max Challie - interesting idea! It looks like it would benefit from some more photoreference.
ARRGH - very atmospheric, but also very indistinct -- the important bits all seem to be much the same grey. Also, I think you need a bit more body to qualify for the 3/4 rule.
doomstagg - the anatomy looks mostly all right to me. You might want to get some photoreference for the positioning of the hands/arms, they seem long and the rear arm seems oddly positioned to me. It's also a bit hard to tell, but it doesn't look like his feet are quite placed on the plane defined by the perspective lines.
Crowsrock - he's looking a bit neckless right now. You'll need more photoreference for this, I think.

More later!

[Jason Snair]

Update: (For the description of my character see page 2.) I don't like the device he's holding. Right now it's just a place holder till I design some more appropriate.

[Daniela Blanco]

I haven't participated here for a while............but finally got some time for this one.....
Great concept ........thanks PoshSpice and Daestwen........
Great ideas from a lot of people here already.....

Here is my first pretty rough idea...........I don't realy know why......but the theme reminded me of a Batman style (from the old movies by Tim Burton).....
That's what I'm trying to achieve with the perspective and the gargoyle......

Critics and comments are always welcome......

[shannanigan]

Ok... took a 15 minute break from the daily grind of Shoe design to work over my pic here (Yes. OCD kicked in. LOL!). I've roughed out a few alterations per various bits of advice I got here.

I know its ugly and the foreshortened arm needs work still but... I adjusted his pose to be more dynamic and moved her tail a bit. Better? Less vertical?

Thanks! :D

[Adam Schumpert]

Wow 4 pages in the thread already... awesome! looking great everyone! :teeth:

Just a start for me... trying to keep it simple for now.

596221

[dwinbotp]

Some crits for everyone, I humbly give them, new here:)
shannanigan, cool comicbook cover concept, love them old school covers, vintage ftw, I prefer the second pose of the character, much stronger character.
Tommoy, great ambient lighting, can't wait to see it finished.
Poshspice Great idea, can already see how it's gonna look
Skektek add something more definitive for the main character, my attention is being drawn to the funky zombie(love zombies)
Inkfish, very dark yet whimsical look. nice accessories!
bevis cool style for the illo.
Nether, love your concepts for the gun.
Felida, love your idea for your p.i. Lots of things to look out for, wanna see it fully colored
Artofinca, nice sketch. hope to see more detail work soon!
D@niel, lovely colors and mood for first wip, waiting to see what you'd add to him:)
JasonSnair, cool color work and great looking characterization!
AdamShumpert, liking the action you added into this
davidherd, just waiting for you to finish this piece.
vineris, thanks for the crit too, I kinda have a different style when it comes to body length, can't be helped, i grew up reading Asian comicbooks and they tend to draw 9 head bodies instead of the standard 8, i'll adjust it though:)


whew, wip update, and Joey-b, you're right, no point in adding too much detail when no one can see them anyway:) but then again I'm such a detail freak , detail work relaxes me!

[MJ_Alcazar]

Wow, four pages already. I feel slow.

Oh, and almost forgot. Thanks Poshspice for helping out and keeping CHOW possible!

[Eleventy]

Figured I might as well give this a shot. Here's my very rough initial idea, going for that film noir feel.

[shannanigan]

As for my piece...When I heard non-human, I went completely that route. Not sure what race he is, but give me some time and I'll make something up :p The orbs he uses are actually a part of his body that he can use to see what he needs to, and can be "stretched" into the window in front of him. Behind him will be a wall of newspaper clippings of the incident in question, all to help him concentrate.

I really like the design of the character!

You have so much implied movement for the character with the arms and "dreads"... but the legs look really stiff. With all those moving appendages I think he needs a wider stance to keep his balance. :D

[Ajene]

muhahaha, my first CHOW, anyway i used doctor strange as my ref.
I sill working on it, i gonna change the pose, and use a couple more refs

[ErikStorstein]

I really really need some sleep now. Will be max one hour before I have to get up for school >_< not so smart, so I wont include any feedback this time.

As for my own concept, the gas mask has multiple functions. It allows you to see spirits/ghosts, as well as other creatures normally not visible to the naked eye. The gases which are held in the container at his back changes his voice (much like gas balloons) which makes him able to communicate with them when he inhales them.

In this painting I'll have a sad spirit trying to touch his hand while looking into his eyes, clearly looking for help or guideance). Not that sure of what to do with the background though

I know anatomy might seem way off, I hate using references (yeah I know, I should but well I'm stubborn, I like using my mind, and this is my first time trying to do it in a perspective like this. Feedback would be greatly appreciated though!) :D

[MichaelNoel]

Figured I might as well give this a shot. Here's my very rough initial idea, going for that film noir feel.

Skulduggery Pleasant much? :3

Great stuff so far, we'll see if I can get time to enter...

[ChaoticKnight]

Well I thought I'd jump in this one. First CHOW, i dunno if I'll finish though.
**Quick Update for tonight.

[Crowsrock]

Second WIP

[Wolfentir]

Great entries so far, a few comments

Mulm - I like the feel of yours so far, cool colors.

rushwolf - that dude is gross but awesome

dwinbotp - i really like yours so far, the idea of the third eye is really cool

Jason Snair - Quite awesome, colors are great as well as the design

Artofinca - He looks a lot like a witch hunter so far, not a bad thing, at all.

dan liimatta - pretty rad so far

Felida - I nearly gave up life when i saw this

Adam Schumpert - Great pose, full of action, I like the little talismans too .

ChaoticKnight - Sweeeeeet, big eyeballs, reminds me of some random HP Lovecraft shit.


Heres mine so far, completely changed it around, I used myself as a reference for this so it looks a bit like me, but whatever, tried to go for something with depth, and something a little more dramatic than my flat nonsense, not sure if I'm gonna keep the linework or not, just using it as a guide right now though, any suggestions/comments/critiques would be greatly appreciated!

596463

[IanLlanas]

Isn't it just Tuesday, damn fast artists!

skekTek - It's a cool idea, but kinda flat, perspective wise. Try to break into 3D in a 2D medium.

Mulm - I really like the idea, please kill the green fairy! I would cut out a chunk of the canvas on the right side, better comp.

dwinbotp - reminds me of Spike Spiegel, me likey

rushwolf - looking good, well rendered. But the idea of him telling a story... meh, kinda boring.Not a fan of exposition, even when there's words to go with.

pepps - please, go with it! I love the characters face so far!

AhChu - I knew someone would go the Constantine route, tooo irresistible. Of course low grade b-porn was inevitable as well ;)

bevis - Just might work, like the concept

Jason Snair - Looks good so far... I wouldn't let him alone with my kids though.

DIMAGYAN - Kewl Drawing, don't see how it ties into the brief though.

Max Challie - ditto

AARGH! - Aargh, that's going to be hard to color, but looks dope

doomstagg - That pose is way to ridgid

vineris - Cat's are the natch paranormal detectives :3

shannanigan - I like the idea of the comic cover a lot! And the new pose is way better. The women he is pointing his gun at is almost twice his size though, check the perspective lines.

FerrousJack - Love the colors, excited to see what's next

Crowsrock - I think you are creating to much work for your self down the road, you're diving into details before essentials are resolved, eg, his right eye looks lower than his left but the face is nearly rendered

Inkfish - Glad you made the changes to te jacket, looks much better, not so shiny and puffy. And BTW the idea that he is dead as well rawks!

whistler - nice skecth, can't wait to see where it goes

joey-b - looking much better.

d@niel - Bastard! Too good! When I see stuff like this, I know I need to stop typing and start drawing...

So here's mine. I felt like Edwin is a man of actions, not of words. Utterly ordinary in appearance. Nearly unplace-able in time. Stoic to the max... Cthulhu rising?... Rise from that...

596472

[AhChu]

Starting to put some meat on their bones now, and playing around with different poses, time to try some grey scale rendering

[daestwen]

Ugh, Ian! You stole my idea right out of my head. :P

[IanLlanas]

Ugh, Ian! You stole my idea right out of my head. :P
Yup, I did :) He's psychic too, like me.

[Angel Intheuk]

Hi -
Great entries so far, really inspirational:

Few comments:

Zilrion: I understand about the ref thing, sometimes I just want to be able to draw it my own way but ref is important to make the drawing solid. Your guy's top half looks a bit rubbery, I think it's the alignment of his shoulders that throws it, maybe not wide enough as well? Really like the composition from the ghost pov

wolfentir: Like the concept, but the floor is a bit confusing to the left looks like it's sloping half-way up the wall.

Eleventy: Nice feel about it. His head seems a little too small but that could be the hat and shadow

Chaoticknight: Fantastic! Maybe make him a bit lighter so you can see more details on his hands and clothes?

Felida: One of my fav compositions, took me a while before my eye came to rest on him though looks a little lost hiding in the back there :)

Sorry couldn't do more. those were the ones that jumped out at me...

Anyway, here's a little sketch I did, bit quiet at work today so hopefully can work it up a bit...gonna add a desk to show he's a PI as could just be someone haunted at the moment. Crits most welcome

[Eleventy]

Skulduggery Pleasant much? :3

Great stuff so far, we'll see if I can get time to enter...

I googled the name. Goshdarnit, guess it's true about no new ideas under the sun huh?

Now I'm not sure whether to keep going with it, or start again.

[Tommoy]

Here's my wip:

[NateShaw]

Crowsrock: The hand holding the camera is really awkwardly placed. Try holding something with that finger placement. It just doesn't feel natural. Also, his gun doesn't seem to be placed naturally either. Right now it doesn't sit well on his leg.

[Nether]

Joey-B I'd have suggested the same thing as FerrousJack. The neck and head proportions aren't quite right. As for the color scheme I almost like this toned down version more. Don't slap too many colors there and it'll be fine.

bevis Your E.G. looks like a low budget Ghostbuster, which is good. Liking the style and look very much.

Dwinbotp Glad you like the gun. Coming from you it means a lot. Your E.G. is looking kick-ass as your work always does.

NateShaw Thanks for the tip on the arabic. Wasn't going to leave it as random scribbling anyway.

Finally I managed to scribble a pose I like. Here's the rough sketch I made of it. Still thinking about how to pose the imp, but it's pretty sure he's gonna end up on the shoulder.

596550

[Crowsrock]

Thank you for your crits, NateShaw and IanLlanas. There are a few things on my investigator I have to work over.

[DauDau]

Idea for the detective. Almost steampunk type. Going back and forth in time, he has a different relationship to various ordinary objects. Also, he needs to be prepared for odd behavior by electric instruments, so he likes his old wind-up clock.

A lot of work to do. Hope this one will be finished on time, at least.

[Nether]

Got the preliminary lineart done. I'd appreciate any c&c people might have of the pose, proportions and whatnot.

596618

Oh and I used an online translator for the arabic, so I'm not sure if it's right. Should say something like "In the name of Allah".

[Joey-b]

FerrousJack - damn thats one good paintover, thanks man, mind opener. :yayca:


nice updates everyone!

ow and felida, he has 3 fingers the gloves have 5 :)

[KPMcCard]

We all have to start somewhere.

[Joey-b]

Man this really improved the overall pose, thanks again ferous jack

update
- Changed the legs
- changed the position of his left arm
- cross necklass in his hand instead of around his neck
- changing the face
- and more lol

[FerrousJack]

Slightly updated wip. Precious lunch-time minutes put to good use.

[shannanigan]

shannanigan - I like the idea of the comic cover a lot! And the new pose is way better. The women he is pointing his gun at is almost twice his size though, check the perspective lines.


Thanks for the suggestion Ian. I played around with her size... but the more I reduce her the image looks less dynamic. So I think I'm going to keep some of the forced "faux" perspective. I played around with the size below (first image is original).... I think reducing her a bit will be ok, so I'm leaning towards the middle image.... and I don't want to go any smaller the the 3rd one.... Opinion?


And yeah I didn't get very far last night... I put on my Kolchak DVD hoping to be inspired and ended up getting distracted. LOL! I love that show...

[Vorace]

Post apocalyptic inspector :)

wip of course

great stuff again in this round!

[Nikola Marinkovic]

Wow. So many great entries. I'll try to give some comments later if I catch some time.

OK, I gave up on my last idea because I got new one. :)

Please let me know if I'm breaking some rules of this CHOW making him work with the POLICE. I see him as an investigator of special part of NYPDs C.S.I. working on paranormal cases and not PRIVATE investigator. Again, please let me know is this type of detective allowed or not in this CHOW. Thanks.

C&C are very welcome.
Thanks.
:yayca: :D

[daestwen]

Nikola: Unfortunately the brief very clearly labels him as a 'private' investigator, rather than an investigator in general.

[Nikola Marinkovic]

Ok. Thanks.

[Daniela Blanco]

One more wip................I don't know if I'm going in the right direction with the colors.......but I'll keep up experimenting a little more

[mimer]

trying to get in a sleuthing mood.. all comments and crits appreciated :)

[Mara644]

wow, this is really going to be exciting; so many awesome concepts.
following the other participants' progress is a great way to learn about different techniques and methods of designing (at least i've already learned pretty much).

i like the way Nether did some general concept studies first. the resulting sketch is promising, too.
shannanigan: thanks for the welcome! the comicbook idea is really cool and it's a smart way to explain the character.

here's my next step - some more gear (and colour). now i'm struggling to capture the "...of the Paranormal!" part of the description.

http://lenalewerenz.gmxhome.de/conceptart/chow_brownstone_sk2.jpg

[Adam Schumpert]

Wow. So many great entries. I'll try to give some comments later if I catch some time.

OK, I gave up on my last idea because I got new one. :)

Please let me know if I'm breaking some rules of this CHOW making him work with the POLICE. I see him as an investigator of special part of NYPDs C.S.I. working on paranormal cases and not PRIVATE investigator. Again, please let me know is this type of detective allowed or not in this CHOW. Thanks.

C&C are very welcome.
Thanks.
:yayca: :D

Just a quick idea about this so that you wouldn't nessarily have to completely scrap your new idea Nikola. (unless of coarse this wouldn't fly either Daestwen) Maybe your character could be a PI working as a "Paranormal Consultant" with the NYPD simlar to the relationship that the character Harry Dresden has with the Chicago PD in Jim Butcher's Dresden Files novels?

Just a thought. ;)

[agenda-b]

http://web.mac.com/jbarton5/phantom.jpg
Just saw this challenge, and wanted to contribute. I have a distinct lack of time, so I plan to keep the style pretty simple, and the background minimal. My paranormal detective has a pet crow, a phantom limb (the better to smack around evil spirits with), and an esoteric protection symbol on his neck tie.

[Sulk-Sal]

Mara644 - I'm really enjoying that. he looks so full of himself. Might wanna be careful with whats going on with his right hand and his chest though.

Vorace - Very nice, just watch for the 3/4ths rule.


shannanigan - Thanks! I took your suggestion and widened his stance a bit. For yours I like the second image best as well. I think with the third and smaller your just adding information that doesn't need to be present.

FerrousJack - I'm really enjoying your style. Can't wait to see it finished.

Joey-b - It's looking better each time I see it. I really like the subdued colors with the "highlights" (I don't know what the correct term is).

Nether - I like the pose and design, but watch his right leg. It just looks too thin (his right, not ours).

I added a bit more detail, and an idea of what the "projected image" is. Hopefully this guy is ready for inking.

[blobs]

Hey CHOW people, there are so many pages in this thread that I'm struggling to remember who's work is who's!
I'll try and comment later on tonight, but more probably tomorrow :)

Anyway, here's how my guy is progressing..
Super Paranormal PI Extreme!
My take is that Brownstone is from another dimension, investigating all paranormal mysteries, sometimes he happens to pop into our world.
I'm going to try and dress him up with as much Freemason/Cult symbols as I can.
I've yet to paint in his tools.
I'm not happy with the placement of his leg(s), so I'm in two minds to 'mist' them out, as the second from last image shows.
Feedback is more than welcome! :)

[Inkfish]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v371/inkfish/148_4.jpg
bigger version
http://img5.imageshack.us/img5/3241/1484tv5.jpg

[ChaoticKnight]

This might be it for this week for me. I'm not sure what else I could do. Any crits would be welcome!
@wolfentir: Thanks! I love the ghost in yours haha.
@Angel Intheuk: Thanks, I was planning on that. I tend to work dark and go brighter!
@Joey-b: looking good. something about her anatomy is off though. It might just be that shes perfectly horizontal. It looks a little unnatural.
@shannanigan: just something I noticed, it doesn't appear that she's actually standing on the ground in any of those. You may want to lower her even more, or raise the ground level?

Great entries so far! :D

[Inkfish]

ChaoticKnight some quick crits that popped to mind: maybe you could tweak the texture on the giants head some, right now it looks a bit flat with all the vertical seam lines breaking shapes. maybe some subtle veins or something to the eye too? :)

[ChaoticKnight]

@Inkfish: thanks, I actually realized I uploaded the wrong version! >.<

[shannanigan]

@shannanigan: just something I noticed, it doesn't appear that she's actually standing on the ground in any of those. You may want to lower her even more, or raise the ground level?


Yeah... you are totally right! Now that I drew in a bit of detail on the street it really shows. I'll have to adjust it... that is probably whats throwing off the perspective. Its been makin' me nuts. LOL! Thanks!

And yours is awesome... I love the wall turning into a Monster!!

[Angel Intheuk]

@Angel Intheuk: Thanks, I was planning on that. I tend to work dark and go brighter!

Oh I see, cool :) Looks really good. Love the eye

[FerrousJack]

Here are some commentals and criticizations. I may have missed one or two of you, but that's just because I'm so sleepy.

rushwolf: Great rendering so far, but to me the pose doesn't convey exactly what he's doing. Is he yawning or explaining something or is he appalled at something? Maybe work with the hands to make what he's doing more obvious.

shannanigan: Awesome concept. His butt is sticking out too far. Maybe rotate his hips to be facing us more?

Tommoy: Good colors/composition. Crotch seems way too low.

davidherd: I like your concept and sketch so far.

Joey-b: It's developing nicely.

Poshspice: Looks great so far. I like the stage magician angle, but like you said, needs to be more of a private investigator. As a side note, do you usually progress so far on the face before fleshing out the rest of the figure? That's always my temptation, but I normally try to resist it... not sure why now, since you get such good results.

Masque: Great composition. If the angle will allow it, maybe make the character larger/more prominent than he's shown in the sketch.

skekTek: Nice darkly comedic scene you've created. Charcter might need more oomph tho.

Inkfish: The jacket is the only thing that bothers me. I know you're going for a wrinkly look, but it looks to me like a leather jacket of a kind this guy wouldn't wear. Same goes for patches and smiley button. Maybe more of a tweed jacket with patches on the elbows?

Zilrion: Anatomy is a bit off as you say. I'd check some reference on the hat too. Color scheme looks good.

Fury03: Good charcterization on this guy. Makes me curious about his environment.

Deon: All 3 sketches good. I like the PI Geek the best, seems very believable as a character. And who knows if actually can detect the ghosts, he believes he can.

Mulm: Great concept and scene. I'd like a closer look at the charcter tho.

Dwinbotp: Love the spirit Luger. His eyebrows look angry, but the rest of his face looks not angry.

blobs: good character. so much smoking at once. Reminds me of a Lovecraftian Kojak. Can't see you final image for some reason, but i'd flesh out both legs a little more.

Pepp: Great face. Could easily be a Pixar/Disney character too.

AhChu: Exorcism porn... hmmm...

bevis: I think I know this guy. I think you should reconsider ditchign the flip-flips tho, they were my favorite part.

JasonSnair: Now we see the benefit of fully developing a history for our characters. I can see his story in his face. Great job. I think he looks slightly more annoyed/angry/suspicious in the sketch tho, which I like.

DIMAGYAN: Needs more paranormalishness! Which I'm sure is to come...

ARRGH!: Sketch conveys a lot of atmosphere, should probably make a good composition too.

doomstagg: I might loosen up the pose a little. He looks a little stiff and the right arm/hand looks to be in an awkward position.

Vineris: The ghosty feels like an afterthought. Maybe pan the image to see more of alley?

Wolfentir: Pose looks good. Muttonchops look good. Ghosty looks a little non-threatening and different style at this point.

Felida: I like the limited palette. Perspective on side table and bookcase might be a bit off.

Crowsrock: Hands look awkward (as mentioned) Like the creepy on the wall. Like the camera design.

Nether: Great design, tech and details. Head looks a bit too big compared to rest of body/hands.

MJ_Alcazar: Good sketch. Like the boots.

Eleventy: Very noir. Feels pulp magazine too.

ChaoticKnight: I'd be angry too if some little guy put his fingers in my tear duct! I think he either needs a face, or an outfit that is more distinct. Good lighting and brushwork.

Bryno: His suit looks very wrinkly and it feels like he's smiling. But I like the composition as it show in the darkness all the demonic forces that beset his troubled brow.

The Whistler: Looks like a very suave sort of fellow. Perhaps there should be some recently dispatched skeletons or monsters at his feet to show why he is so confident.

D@niel: First thing I thought when I saw this was Charlie Bronson. Actually, that would make a kick-ass movie. Death Wish 6: Hell's Revenge or something where Charlie must battle the forces of the supernatural. It needs something tho, maybe more on the costume?

Delmar: Nice silhouette and constuming. Character's expression looks a bit blank, but that might be what you're going for.

Sulk-sal: Very creative concept. Can't wait to see it progress.

Artofinca: He doesn't come across as 20th century to me. He actually makes me think Puritan, 17th century.

Adam Schumpert: Great dynamismus. Want see more.

IanLlanas: Like how moody it is. Like tentacles. Like hat. Coat looks too long, but might work stylistically.

DauDau: Pose and anatomy doesn't look bad, just indistinct at this point.

KPMcCard: Nice creepy sketch. Doesn't make me think 'private detective' tho at this point.
Vorace: Nice b/w work. can't wait to see more of him.

Nikola Marinkovic: Looks like you are getting distracted by the details (like sleeve on right arm) before finishing the sketch phase. Nice pose tho.

Danielablanco: Good composition. I'd like to see the character more prominently tho.

Mimer: Head and hands look a little small to me, compared to rest of body. He obviously has some powers at his disposal.

Mara644: With that pose his elbows should be sticking out to the sides more. Like outfit and composition.

agenda-b: I love this because it makes me think he's doing what most real PIs do, serving court papers. Good poses and expressions.

[shannanigan]

shannanigan: Awesome concept. His butt is sticking out too far. Maybe rotate his hips to be facing us more?


What can I say... he likes to show off his bum. LOL! :D

[Deon]

Hi folks!
I see everyone's been busy - I managed to put in a bit of work at last!
some Crits:
DauDau - whoa - I was thinking Tron untill I noticed it's a sketchover:) That would've been cool!
Nether - Awesome! Watch the head.
KPMcCard - interesting creature - does it say PI character, though? then again does mine?...
Joey-b - creepy! It reminds me of some vintage murder scene photographs.
FerrousJack- Thanks:) I agree, but the wife likes it when I draw cutesey stuff - so PI old school it is! Your's is looking great, I just think the briefcase could be angled, otherwise it looks flat in the scene.
Shannanigan- Good spot by IanLlanas - I missed that one - love the comic idea - It would be awesome to see this inked - old school.
Vorace - I'm not worthy...:)
Nikola Marinkovic - I like the angle but I think the drawing needs more planning.
danielablanko - this good be a good action shot if you make the main character more involved with the scene - like crouching and leaning to look over the edge or something.
mimer - has potential - needs something to help with character though. a prop maybe?
Mara644 - I like the yellow - did'nt think I would, but I do - the coat looks a little flat at the bottom.
agenda-b - liking the linework!
Sulk-Sal - can't wait to see what you do with those tentacles!
blobs- thanks for stepping up and doing an alien - I was going to do that with my floaty guy thumb.
Inkfish - I'm liking the details - is that a Comedian badge? Something a bit off with the left hand though.
ChaoticKnight - Awesome! Makes me think of Darkman.

I think there are enough guys in fedoras, though:)

My WIP - yea yea - went with the old dude...I liked the dog. - C&C please! don't wanna mess this one up:)

[MJ_Alcazar]

Posh - who can resist old world magicians? Liking the direction. Only thing, and it's probably really weird of me to notice, but his eyebrows bother me. They seem so manicured. I liked them better in your sketches.

skektek - Their expressions are awesome!

Jason Snair - really liking his face.

Shannanigan - liking the comic book feel and the smaller woman looks better. The second image is good, but that last image I might like too if you lowered her. Don't know.

dwintbotb - Really good start, I like how casual he looks and the third eye is a nice touch.



Ok, more comments later. Sorry didn't get to everyone.

[Aly Fell]

Poshspice: Looks great so far. I like the stage magician angle, but like you said, needs to be more of a private investigator. As a side note, do you usually progress so far on the face before fleshing out the rest of the figure? That's always my temptation, but I normally try to resist it... not sure why now, since you get such good results.



You got me on a window into CA as I can't get on right now, except in a very roundabout way which is why I'm not very chatty right now! And to answer your question, more often than not! Although I try not to. I was enjoying his face so I just carried on! :) I think really it's probably better to get at least a rough idea of the image down before concentrating on one bit. I'm just too impatient!

[alesoun]

Oooooh! I so want to do this; especially since my pc packed in 3 days before the deadline for the last CHOW. Thanks for the extra day, Daest!

(Maybe I can do this?)

[Antne]

I love all the different directions this has been going. From the traditional pulp stuff to the aliens it's all so cool.

Here is my progress so far. I have to work on the anatomy issues. His chest looks all messed up. Clean up some detail. I'm not so sure about the word bubbles. I will most likely change up the style or get rid of word bubbles all together.

Love to here what you guys think.

[Jason Snair]

Adding some history:

daestwen: I'm doing some photo collaging, is that okay to do? I got the photos from a license photo subscription site...so i didn't just grab them online somewhere.

[NateShaw]

Nether written Arabic looks pretty no matter what... good try on the text and if you left it how it is probably wouldn't really matter. good choice on the words... beginning of the fatiha. this is what "In the name of Allah looks like":

[NateShaw]

My wip:

[daestwen]

daestwen: I'm doing some photo collaging, is that okay to do? I got the photos from a license photo subscription site...so i didn't just grab them online somewhere.

Long as you have license to them, and long as you aren't using them to piece your actual character together, it's fine by me. :]

[MJ_Alcazar]

Here's an update.

[Daniela Blanco]

Nether: Really great concept and clean lineart..........but I do have one concern ......his left hand's palm seems too small........the fingers should start higher........the side of the big toe seems all right.....but the oppisote part is too short..............Hope you understand my bad english...... :]

Joey-B: awesome work...........really like the idea......and the perspective of his arm and hand are really great......I'm almost never capable of playing with it like this....

FerrousJack: creepy concept and great mood.............keep up....
Thanks for commenting.........I agree with you about mine........I've made some changes in his size........and I hope to make him "jump up" more with the colors and light...

shannanigan: I love your style.............and I would certainly choose the one from the middle...........I agree that if you go less than that it will look less dynamic...

Vorace: looking great so far...........I'm looking forward to it finished....


Nikola Marinkovic: I wish you can keep up with your concept......it's great so far............just his right hand looks a little big.....

mimer: Interesting concept......keep up....

Mara644: Awesome concept.......he has a funny side that I really like

Agenda-b: I like your concept.........but she seems floating.........other than that it looks great....

Blobs: I have nothing to say......just that it's one my favorites so far.....

Inkfish: your concept is really creative.......I'm loving it so far.......I just don't know if I like the green smoke and light.........but it's just my opinion.......I think if you make the smoke looks more real with a white it will make the character looks more real also.......

ChaoticKnight: well.....what can I say,......yours are among the best for me too......

Deon: love your concept..........he seems a singular detective.....very funny....
Thanks for commenting.........I've made another option of mine.......but I really like that he is on foot.........

Antne: great concept........I like position of the spirit.....

Jason Snair: I'm loving it so far..........the reds in his face makes him unique...

MJ_Alcazar: nice concept and really clean lineart........keep up.....


Well......and finally here is my wip...............I don't know wich of it to keep up...........is it enough his "magic amulet" taking the ghost by suction?? or he would need a "magic rope" too??? I'll wait for some critics and comments.......

[MJ_Alcazar]

Danielablanco - I don't think the rope reads too well. How about you keep the amulet idea and have him grabbing it with both hands. Like he's really fighting with her?

[skekTek]

Hello everyooooOOWHAT!? Page 6? Holy cow (er...CHoW :wink: )!

Well, don't have time to do CCs today but I will say thank you to all the CCs I received. Yes, as per the initial sketch he is boring, dull, normal, ordinary, etc., but I planned to spice him up a bit.

Not much done so far but getting there.

[ChaoticKnight]

Thanks to some crits, heres some more changes.
@FerrousJack: Thanks yeah, he definitely needed more personality. Dunno if he fits the bill yet...
@Deon: Thanks, I like the details on yours so far!
@danielablanco: Thanks! Yours is coming along as well. Its hard to do extreme foreshortening like that.watch their anatomy. Maybe take some reference photos?

[Adam Schumpert]

Just a quick update, some value... some color... nothing huge... I'll try to put up a few comments when I'm not as sleepy :yawn:

597316
Well off to bed for me. :^^:
Take care

[Crowsrock]

My next uddate! The crits have been very helpfull! Thanks again!

[blackrobin]

antne : nice work, although it deserves a bigger image size, i am missing alot of details, i like it :)

poshspice : another great work from you, but personally i think the concept need a more detective look, it has veered way too far into a magician look

Joey-b : the concept doesnt speak much about your detective, the work focused too much on the victim, e.g attention diverted from your detective to the woman (the horrific face, the nipple, the scattered gut, they are all very strong attention grabber),
http://img132.imageshack.us/img132/3935/crit1rl2.jpg
take a look and study at how other people emphasize the focus people want to see on the concepts they make
http://img410.imageshack.us/img410/163/crit2ek1.jpg
do not insert any additional objects into your concepts if it doesnt amplify the concept into how you want people see it, or if it works against the design of your concept

mulm : i'd suggest to crop your work to gather focus on your character
http://img5.imageshack.us/img5/6418/crit5cg9.jpg

shannanigan : like everyone else said, nice take on the comic book cover, its a very good way to make your work stand out

felida : very nice concept, one of the stronger concepts around. perspective is off, bookshelf vs wall vs chair. finish it please, want to see how it turns up :D

dwinbotp : great work, good skill, but a generic concept

vorace : delicious sketch!

blobs : your work can use more time, but its good, original concept, good work, vote vote :D

ChaoticKnight : sweeeet eyeball, but you are adding too much stuffs into your later wip, i prefer the one at page 4. tentacles, no parking sign and electric spark are not needed, lighting is good

[Wolfentir]

NateShaw - nice colors so far, I wanna see more!

MJ_Alcazar - I like the concept/costume, there are some things that seem kind of off though, I think its his right hand, but overall quite good.

danielablanco - There seem to be some perspective issues, unless hes supposed to be almost kinda falling off the building, could be really cool though!

skekTek - I like what you have so far, especially the zombie secretary. It almost seems like E.G. isn't the main focus of the piece though, I don't know how you could change it to make him more the centerpiece.

ChaoticKnight - Dayum. You've made a lot of progress in a short amount of time, I really like it, lots of good texture and detail.

Adam Schumpert - Great progress! It has a very comic booky feel to it and the shading is great!


Heres an update for today, made everything a bit darker, I was thinking of trying to add color over top of it, but the only techniques I've heard of are to do a new layer and select overlay as the blending style, but whenever I start to color, the values seem to change, and the color never really looks that good, so if anyone can link me to some different coloring techniques or something that would be great, anyway here it is.
597377

[bevis]

ChaoticKnight : Dude I like youre painting, but something about the way youre cloth folds in various places makes the image seem uncomfortable. if you look on his arm that is pulling on the eye, for the cloth to have folded like that his arm would have had to rotate, um, 270 degrees in the wrong way. i would suggest "spiraling" the folds in the other direction. could be wrong double check for me :)

Deon : Awesome ! :D, i feel like i understand his character when i look at him, very easy to read which is great. the only thing that looks wrong to me is the eyes, compared with the goggles they are too close together, or visa versa im not sure.

mulm: i agreed with blackrobin, dont focus tooo much on the story telling and illustration, rather focus on creating and original and exciting character.

thats all i got time for right now will post more tonight, great work everyone :)

[fury03]

lots o great art...


Here's my update... still have alot to do to it if i can find the time

[shannanigan]

I'm am up WAY past my bedtime.... LOL!

So just a little update before I go pass out. I shuffled stuff around a bit and started the final lines. I'm going with this to layout, composition, etc. because if I keep tweaking I'll never get it done! I'll probably mute the colors to look more like a vintage comic... still pondering my coloring options. And I'm not liking the "Mysteries" font... ugg.

Oh and I'm including a close-up of E.G... he turned out kinda smexy. Hahaha! :D

[Aly Fell]

Shannanigan - Looking great, but the writing in the bubble bothers me. Have a look for a comic dialogue font. There are lots free on the net. The ones without a red dot here are free:

http://www.blambot.com/fonts.shtml

Also, maybe the Mysteries font should be sans serif...

[Nether]

Thanks for everyone who gave me feedback. All of them were really helpful and made me notice a couple more parts to tweak.

Fixed the glitches and began working on the greyscale rendering. Also slapped it with an abstract misty background which I kinda like(colorvise that is).

597440597442

[Tommoy]

Really nice wips in this thread, this is going to be fun again.

[Nether]

Finished my grayscale rendering. Damn, my coloring is going to be rushed again.

597509

[Pixeltuner]

looking good everyone!
I played around with some various concepts and poses but none of them really struck a chord. So, I decided to start over with a little bit more of a graphic design asthetic and see where that would bring me. Just abstract shapes n colours slowly revealing something of a character and pose.
This one's all about energy I guess, bit comic cover-ish as well.

[Joey-b]

Thanks a lot of good crits!

blackrobin - thank you very good crits, i guess its to late for this piece.. ill try to get it better, and ill surely keep this in mind for new projects. Thanks alot ! :yayca:

all other people also thanks for the crits!!

Horrible thing happenend, tablet broke down
ill try to finish this piece with mouse than, tsbin a while though hehe, all used to pressure sensitivity now :(

here is my update

[shannanigan]

Shannanigan - Looking great, but the writing in the bubble bothers me.


Thats my handwriting... so what are you trying to say? I got lousy penmanship? Well you'd be right. LOL!

I have the basic Comic fonts... Dom Casual and Comic Sans.... but I don't like them. So thanks for the new Font site, I haven't seen it before. How cool is that.... all Comic fonts! :D

[Jason Snair]

Shannanigan: Another great FREE font site is www.dafont.com. They have a pretty good variety, although some are for Non-Commercial Use only...but there's good selection.

I like the half toning you've done. And I agree with Poshspice about the fonts up top. I like how you've changed the comp a little and redrew some elements. I wondering how it would look if you extended her tail more...like wrap it around the bottom corner, under the green box. That way it controls your eye and points it back up to E.G. Just a thought.

[Aly Fell]

Thats my handwriting... so what are you trying to say? I got lousy penmanship? Well you'd be right. LOL!


Never! I'd never suggest such a thing! ;) It's exquisite! :P

[Mark Tarrisse]

Some nice works already, I have a lot to do this week but... Whatever CHOW is sooo goood ! :D I'll try to finish something, here's what I started, I thought of something more like in the middle of the 19th century.

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y192/markus_the_barbarian/EG_Brownstone_WIP01.jpg

[Delmar]

Awesome wips everybody!!

Some progress....

[The Whistler]

Updated HERE (http://www.conceptart.org/forums/showpost.php?p=2135015&postcount=67)

Thanks for the crits guys, gotta work fast, I have only today and tomorrow to finish, going back to college after

[Joey-b]

some better news now

got all my savings together (car has to wait lol)
ordered a brand new Intuos3 A5wide
cant wait to get it!
Im used to my graphire A6 so, im in for a treat

Now for more serious things

Delmar - I love that, great stuff. one crit his upperarm seems way to short and curved (his right arm)

Pixeltuner - cool action packed pose, curious where ull take this

[Wiggers]

I like that Markus, great face and movement!

[shannanigan]

Shannanigan: Another great FREE font site is www.dafont.com. They have a pretty good variety, although some are for Non-Commercial Use only...but there's good selection.

I like the half toning you've done. And I agree with Poshspice about the fonts up top. I like how you've changed the comp a little and redrew some elements. I wondering how it would look if you extended her tail more...like wrap it around the bottom corner, under the green box. That way it controls your eye and points it back up to E.G. Just a thought.


Another great font site... thanks Jason!

I finally figured out my Tagline/Story Title this morning for the bottom box and had to enlarged it a little to fit and move it over a little to the left. Her tail looks like its pointing at the box now, instead of pointing off the image (which I know is a compositional Faux Pas. ;) )

I had a really stupid moment last night while posting my update. I wanted to explain that I was thinking about coloring this up like a vintage comic but I couldn't remember what the printing process was. All I could think of was "little dots"... "color dots"... blah blah. So thanks for the "Half Toning" term... it was making me nuts. LOL!

[blobs]

Another update on mine below. I'm thinking I'll have his 'legs' as tentacles now, although I've not painted them in at all. I'm kinda losing the will to live with the whole thing right now though lol.

Antne I love it, although at this size I can't make out all that detail that my eye is gagging for!

Jason Snair I like this guy Jason, he reminds me of an alcoholic Gordon Freeman :)
Love the tentacles (who doesn't like tentacles?), I'm not 100% sold on the collage yet, It'll be interesting to see how that goes.

NateShaw I'm liking so far! Although at this stage I don't know what indicates he's a paranormal investigator.

Delmar Oh I love this one loads! Beautiful style! :)

Markusthebarbarian The guy's face is fantastic. The handling of the shadow over his face reminds me to try that next time round.

Joey-b Hey Joey, this is looking much more solid now. I like the use of texture and the story behind your idea. I'm worried the lady at the top looks a little like she's laughing rather than screaming.

Pixeltuner Rock on! :)

Nether Loving it, particularly the imp. I love all the niknaks on EB. Looking very good to me :)

Tommoy Very dramatic stuff mate! :)

Shannanigan Wow, you've flown through this image! My only slight crit is on anatomy, the guy's head looks too big for his body to me. Excellent pistol hand.

fury03 Love it.. I wanna see some spooks :)

Wolfentir It'll be interesting to see how you develop this one. I'm not sure about the demon/ghost, he looks under-developed to me. I'd like to see more design thrown at that.
As for colouring. I tend to use multiply layers for colouring, which really doesn't help you as I have the same problem with values.

I know I've missed loads of people out, sorry!

[Sentinel.]

'Sup everyone!

The moment I read this topic, I immediately thought of Charlie Chan.

I wanted to do a private investigator from Chinatown, maybe around that same era. Here I've got him scoping out some suspicious looking medallion with his trusty dragon spirit in tow. I realize he doesn't fit with the name or read as a private investigator, so I probably won't post in final. This is purely for me. :D Today's the first chance I've had to sketch, so we'll see if I can get it done in time.

http://i189.photobucket.com/albums/z78/sentinel13_7/sentinel13chow148wip.jpg

[agenda-b]

597652
Worked on it a little more.
Blobs: This is coming out great! I think tentacles seem like a perfectly natural solution for his "legs".

Antne: You've done a great job of giving the character personality. I can't wait to see the final.

ChaoticKnight: I love that giant eyeball! Great job.

shannanigan Great concept, and coming along nicely.

Vorace: Awesome drawing so far. This has a ton of potential.

Inkfish: I never knew a noseless mustache could look so cool.

[Jason Snair]

Sentinel13: Good start, great idea. I like his face. I really want to see some awesome looking dragons/phamtom things in the background. Go all out!

[shannanigan]

597652
shannanigan Great concept, and coming along nicely.


Thanks! I really love your idea with the phantom limb.... very clever!
It does look a tad long... but whos to say ghost parts aren't larger than real parts. ;)

Speaking of parts... nice picture in the background. Hahaha!

[Daniela Blanco]

OK........so after the comments.......I decided to completly change his pose..............it's being really difficult to work with that perspective.......but I really liked the composition.....so I'll keep trying........
The new pose is more dynamic.........but I don't really know if the perspective feels good................I keep mirroring the image every second.....and I always find some mistake.................If you guys could give me some help.....I would appreciate...

Nice wips everybody......just getting better and better

[skorpi]

Another round with many great entries.

I hope I can finish mine. At the moment, i have only some sketches:

[ARRGH!]

Here's an update to my wip. Thanks

[vineris]

More crits:

The Whistler - not much to go on yet. Seems leggy.
D@niel - very cool! Nicely subtle.
Joey-B - sorry to hear about your tablet problems. It's great that you're trying a challenging camera angle! It feels like the neck/jaw and the outstretched hand are quite wonky, though.
Delmar - ha ha! Great design! I like the "dorky superhero" feel to it.
Nether - He's got quite a bit of personality now. The hand in front -- we're looking at the palm from below, but at the fingers from the side, if that makes any sense. That gun is definitely cool.
Artofinca - interesting clothing! Watch his left foot, it doesn't quite look like it's resting on the same plane as the right one.
Mara644 - looking pretty good. His arms seem to be the weakest part right now. His right hand looks bigger than the left, and seems almost disembodied. The left arm seems kinda on the small side, maybe?
Sulk-Sal - very interesting! His body looks kinda flat right now, and the legs look oddly puffy.
Wolfentir - good start, nice dramatic lighting. I liked the outline-less version better, though.
dan liimata - I like the second thumb too. More emphasis on the character.
Felida - cool design, nice atmosphere. The hands look a bit awkward to me.
danielablanco - the guy's head looks tilted down too much given the angle. You have to account for the fact that you're looking at him from quite a bit below. Something a little more like this? (http://www.posemaniacs.com/?p=404)
Adam Schumpert - nicely actiony!
MJ Alcazar - your pencils are looking great! The head seems a bit on the large side.
Eleventy - kinda bland right now.
Ajene - Photoreference! You neeeeeed it!
Chaoticknight - looking good so far! He's also tending a bit towards the neckless end of the spectrum, though.
Ian Llanas - good start for a drawing! Love the tentacles. utterly normal guy... not quite as much.
Angel Intheuk - freaky design! I like it.
DauDau - nicely different idea. Photoref, if you can get it.
KPMcCard - interesting start, and quite unique. But nothing about that really says "paranormal investigator" any more than "boss from horror game". It would also help if you could make your scan/photo less blurry.
Vorace - wonderful, as always. Looking forward to the finished pic.
mimer - definitely a unique person. I'd shift his weight onto one leg or the other, as he seems very up & down and static right now.
agenda-b - nice style and cool idea. I'm not sure the gradient-y colouring is doing much for the guy and the apartment right now, but I can't pinpoint what would fix it.
blobs - I like it!
Antne - it's like God of War meets Indiana Jones. Nice!
Pixeltuner - great lighting. His left arm seems a little too foreshortened here.
Markusthebarbarian - nice start to the head. The legs seem to cut off in a slightly awkward place, I think it would be better if you extended the picture to show the feet.

[Antne]

Here is a larger update. I should be able to get some more done today. Thanks for the comments guys!

[The Whistler]

Thanks Vineris! I'll fix it when I merge layers :)

UPDATE (http://www.conceptart.org/forums/showpost.php?p=2135015&postcount=67)

[Mark Tarrisse]

Well, here's an update, still a lot to work on... But thanks for the comments, and everybody is doing a good job, hope they will as much entries as last weeks CHOW !

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y192/markus_the_barbarian/EG_Brownstone_WIP02.jpg

[Daniela Blanco]

[QUOTE=vineris;2138838]More crits:

danielablanco - the guy's head looks tilted down too much given the angle. You have to account for the fact that you're looking at him from quite a bit below. Something a little more like this? (http://www.posemaniacs.com/?p=404)

Thanks vineris...........it was really useful.........I've seen this site before but I just forgot about it............I'm working on it......I'll post something later....

[Jason Snair]

Markus...: Great mood man, i like the character. I think it needs some more paranormal activity though. Cool background too.

[Felida]

(I'll give my best to be nice to the English language :geekg: )

Markusthebarbarian - Interesting atmosphere. Reminds me of one of this Jack the Ripper-movies. Good job on the face :D Just one thing: do you plan to add something "paranormal"?
The Whistler - I like his facial expression. Maybe you can work a little bit more on the anatomy. I think, his arms are a little bit short and the shoulders a little bit too slender.
Antne - Fun idea. I like the ghost's face a lot!
ARRGH! - interesting composition. I'm not sure but maybe you should pay attention, that there's still enough visible of your P.I. behind the ghost. I'm really curious, how you'll continue your drawing.
skorpi - I like the concept behind your character. Only one thing, at the moment, it looks like he's standing on the victim's body. Is this on purpose?
danielablanco - The new pose is definitely better. But maybe you can overthink your composition a little bit. At the moment, there's no clear center
agenda-b - nice drawing style. But I'm not really sure what his facial expression means. Should he look annoyed? I like the details like his arm and the picture in his hand.
Sentinel13 - Interesting concept. I'm sure you can develope a Chinatown P.I. so I hope, you find the time to finish your piece.
blobs - fun character design and a great coloration. I love, how you play with the "Private investigator cliche".
Delmar - I like your style. But I'm not sure, if this border is a good idea. It makes your drawing pretty flat. Maybe you can add another monster in front of your P.I. to give the drawing more depth.


---------
About the comments on my drawing :D First of all, thanks a lot! But it seems I felt back in some bad old habits: Awkwards hands, bad perspective and so on V__V I hope I can fix that.
Because someone noticed the 5 fingered gloves. That was on purpose. He wears them when he meets normal, human customers to hide his well... differentness. The other customers doesn't mind ;D And abot the "elfs". Another bad habit *laughs* I tend to write rubbish on everything not so important in the backgrounds :geekg:

[The Whistler]

Crit time!

Antne - Right now I like the ghost more than the detective. I like the way you did him too, watch the hands, the one in which he's holding the gun seems a bit bigger than the other.

ARRGH! - I don't quite get what's going on in this picture, it's a bit too dark to me but I'm sure it'll change when you flesh out the detective so he stands out more, right now they both look like ghosts.

skorpi - i like it so far, his legs are a bit on the skinny side but so far so good :)

danielablanco - woo, I like the new pose better! Can't crit much until you flesh him out a bit, can't wait :D

agenda-b - interesting concept :) the only crit I have right now is that the crow is leaning a bit to the front so it looks like it's about to fall over. Oh, and also, maybe try toning down the bg a bit

Sentinel13 - he's great right now, maybe you should do him up for the poll :)

blobs - no crits, I love it, one of my favs :D

delmar - I like it, I'm really curious about how it'll look like when you finish :)

Markusthebarbarian - he looks like Moriarty :) great job!

Joey-b - much better now that you've fixed the neck.

Pixeltuner - I like it so far

Nether - love the accessories! Reminds me of Dirty Harry :)

Tommoy - wooow the chairs... those chairs look awesome! If you render the character as good as those chairs it'll be a smoking image! Now that I'm trough talking about furniture (:P), I like the concept. Can't wait to see it done

shannanigan - great idea about the cover! The position of the sword is somewhat puzzling but I'm sure it'll be clearer once you render it further. Great job!

fury03 - great! this is awesome, I love it because it stands out from the rest, not to mention that you have skill man. Keep it up!

Wolfentir - not much to crit on right now, I like the dramatic lighting, is the ghost the light source?

Crowsrock - nice concept! not too sure about the angle of the camera, it doesn't really seem to be in perspective with the hand. Other than that, I like it so far :)

Adam Schumpert - amazing, one of my favs so far :)

ChaoticKnight - I love the eye! Major kudos for the idea :) a really great image!

skekTek - teehee I love the secretary :) Watch his head, it's a bit big for the body, his forehead is almost as wide as his waist. Can't wait to see what you'll do with this one

MJ Alcazar - no crits really, you keep getting better and better, but then again, I keep telling you this every CHOW ;)

NateShaw - this is a nice image, you seem to have a great sense of color. The problem is that nothing speaks paranormal detective to me in this one, but then again, I don't know what your further plans are for this image. We'll just wait and see I guess :)

Jason Snair - I like it so far, no crits

Deon - this is awesome for now! can't wait for more

Inkfish - I like it! the only crit would be that the shoulder of his left arm looks a bit dislocated, maybe try pushing it backwards a little?

Sulk-Sal - wow, I don't really get it. Is the monster the detective or is the projected guy the detective? Anyways, I like the projected guy. A great idea that one. :)

Mara644 - I like it :) I love the pose, really confident!

mimer - not much to crit on right now, so far so good :)

Nikola Marinkovic - a good foundation for later, you just have to make him a P.I., but Daestwen already said that. Samo tako nastavi :)

Vorace - that's one sick P.I.! Can't wait to see the rest

Ferrous Jack - love it so far :)

DauDau - hmm, not much to crit on yet, the leg is looking better this way

IanLlanas - Love it, one of my favs :)


Wow, sorry guys, I can't go on anymore, there's just too many of you. I'll try to crit more when I get some sleep :)


EDIT

Felida - aw damn, you're right, now that I look at him his whole torso seems too short. *cries* On to fixing if I want to finish tomorrow. Thanks a bunch for the crit! :)

As for your guy, I like him so far. Watch the coffee table and the cup, they're a bit out of perspective. Keep it up! :)

[Angel Intheuk]

Inspiring round again, so many fantastic interpretations!

Update - just need to neaten it up, add details, more colours etc...crits most welcome

[DauDau]

Quick update: Thank you for the crits, despite my very simple sketches, and no ghosts yet. I am still working on it, and had to work by looking at various photos, in the end. Hope to upload a more interesting wip tomorrow. (No WIP today. Too dull.)

[Jason Snair]

Update: Wellll, I like the collage elements and I'm going to save it for my portfolio (perhaps), but I think I've gone too far. The focus isn't on the character anymore and I'm not sure that's the right path.

Anyone have any thoughts? The whole collage is on it's own layer, so I can literally click it away.

Still need to paint the suit. I'm still thinking about the device he's holding. It's conflicting with the 70's era theme.

[The Whistler]

Aaaaand the last update (http://www.conceptart.org/forums/showpost.php?p=2135015&postcount=67) for today, fixed anatomy a bit... Now I'm going to bed. *yawn*

[DynamiteDill]

Hi, long time reader, first time poster.
Inspiration from a Boris Vallejo painting.
Here's my start:

[shannanigan]

Anyone have any thoughts? The whole collage is on it's own layer, so I can literally click it away.

Still need to paint the suit. I'm still thinking about the device he's holding. It's conflicting with the 70's era theme.


I think the device is fine... look up 60's and 70's swag Lamps on Ebay... lots of funky round shapes... thats what it reminds me of.

As for the collage... I do think it distracts from the character because its so blocked out. Maybe having the scrapbook elements overlapping and angled in different directions... and make him into a picture in the center of the pile so you go to him first, and the rest are an added bonus. :D

[IanLlanas]

Here's an update, don't want to spend too much time on this one.

Vineris - Thanks! I feel that "utterly normal guy not so much" comment as well. But I really wanted him to stand in contrast to the world he lives in. Maybe that will hurt me in the polls (if I make it), but I'm gonna stick with it. Not that I'm doing this for the polls, just trying to learn. I really like Colombo, though he's a police detective not a PI, cause he is so unassuming and the villains always underestimate him which is their downfall. I was thinking the along those lines.

I might add some magical glyphs or tattoos or something around him to give a more magical quality, what do people think. If nothing else, it makes the piece pop a bit more.
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I'll try to get back later and post some C&C

[Nikola Marinkovic]

Just a quick idea about this so that you wouldn't nessarily have to completely scrap your new idea Nikola. (unless of coarse this wouldn't fly either Daestwen) Maybe your character could be a PI working as a "Paranormal Consultant" with the NYPD simlar to the relationship that the character Harry Dresden has with the Chicago PD in Jim Butcher's Dresden Files novels?

Just a thought. ;)

Thanks a lot man. :)
Like the idea. I will use it. I wanted to draw him walking around crime scene surrounded by those yellow POLICE LINE DO NOT CROSS tapes. That's the reason why I needed him working for the police.

@The Whistler hehhe... Hvala. ;) Your P.I. looks great. Love his face expression.

You guys are really fast. Its hard to keep up with you. I'll post some updates tomorrow. Now i really need some sleep. I'm so tired I don't even know what I'm writing right now.... zzzZZZzzzZZZzzz... :zzz:

[Sulk-Sal]

Today was kinda crap-tastic, so I won't be posting any crits, but I do have an update. Hopefully the colors won't turn out as muddy as they did with the last one.

The Whistler - I planned for the monster to be the PI. Perhaps a few more visual clues will help, but maybe I should leave it open?

vineris - That's actually not the first time I heard that, but I'm not sure if my eyes can really see it, or if I fully understand what it means. Hopefully the bit of shading fixed it up.

[Vorace]

Jason Snair : reaaally nice idea with the newspapers and little picture in the bottom of the image!!

[agenda-b]

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Updated.

Thank you for all the comments and critiques.

[smokenmirrors]

been quite awhile since I whipped up a wip for some chow action, but now that Im going to REVERIE!!!! i gotz to get my work mojo flowing so my style and method is nice and limber for the workshop, ready to soak in all the freshness....

So heres my rough: lil hellboy vibe meets Van Helsing... will have some background elements fosho, just had to finally get my digi on and work something up.

Vorace: LOVE the bandana action. :P

[Vorace]

final sketch done! starting colors!

[Adam Schumpert]

Thank you everyone for the crits and comments.
Nikola - I'm glad I could help. :teeth:
Just a small update.

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later,
>:D

[Sentinel.]

Jason: Thanks for the advice, the background was looking really empty. I ended up adding a second dragon which (I hope) has balanced it out. :D Also, Shanannigan hit it right on the nose - you should keep the clippings, but maybe break them up a little so they don't compete with him.

Felida and Whistler: Thank you both, I'll post it but I don't expect to make the cut ;)

Here's where I'm at now - I'm doing my first color pass to establish the lighting. I'm still not a 100% sure about some things but it's going in the direction I want. I originally liked the idea of having his arm behind his back, but seeing it in color has changed my mind.

http://i189.photobucket.com/albums/z78/sentinel13_7/sentinel13chow148wip2.jpg

[Wolfentir]

Well, I changed some things around, got rid of the ghost and such, tried to add color, I'm about 40% liking the color one. Here are both colored and black and white

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[Wolfentir]

Well, I changed some things around, got rid of the ghost and such, tried to add color, I'm about 40% liking the color one. Here are both colored and black and white

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[DynamiteDill]

From Sketch to Lineart:

[Crowsrock]

Update!

[Antne]

Another update. Changed up the word bubbles, worked up some detail and anatomy issues.

[Angel Intheuk]

@ Antne - Brilliant :D love the scratchboard style rendering you got going there, I think it looks great, just a bit confusing in his chest area, can't work out whats going on there otherwise it looks finished to me

[Deon]

Hi Daestwen or Posh... I have a question - should we be editing/updating our first post all the time - I see that's what Posh is doing, or is it ok to keep making new posts.
I seem to remember a Oregano asking a while ago the we stick to editing one post, or is it just me?
sorry if it's a dumb question:)

[daestwen]

Deon, it's okay either way, really. :P Posh is really the only person who does it anymore! Though if you'd rather link to your wips than post them in the Finals thread, it makes sense to keep them in one place. :]

[Aly Fell]

Hi Daestwen or Posh... I have a question - should we be editing/updating our first post all the time - I see that's what Posh is doing, or is it ok to keep making new posts.
I seem to remember a Oregano asking a while ago the we stick to editing one post, or is it just me?
sorry if it's a dumb question:)

I try and do it because it keeps things tidy. But it's really up to you. Bear in mind though that people don't always go back through the pages to see your original post. Personally I like to see people progress, so whether it's in one post or littered throughout the thread it doesn't really matter. :)

[-HAWK-]

My first try at a character of the week, just sketching to get a feel for the composition - I went for a sixties-ish feel...yeah, random, I know.
Don't know if I'll finish but it's fun to mess around with.

BTW, everyone's pieces are totally amazing, I love seeing the new entries each week - sooo inspiring!

[Wiggers]

wip...

[The Whistler]

Sulk-Sal - no I was just wondering if the monster is the P.I. why would the projected guy (looks like a member of the swat team) be approaching him with a gun positioned like that, that's all. But If you add those visual clues you talked about It'll be all right :)

[Nether]

Couple of updates. Blocked out the basecolor areas and started on some basic coloring.

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[Deon]

Thanks Posh and Daest for clearing that up!
Here's a WIP that's isn't really much further than the previous one...no time!
Just trying to clear up some anatomy issues in the underlying thumb that were bothering me.. still something wrong with the shoulders methinks...

[Delmar]

:drinkup:

Felida: Thanks a lot for the crit, i changed the frame and put another monster in front of the char...thanks again!

Antne: Great style.....his shirt could be more distinguished from the char. right now the shirt has some of the flesh colors in it...which makes it abit hard to read....

Vorace: Love the rendering....great char.

some progress...i'm getting there.

[Artofinca]

Lots of pro stuff again.
Thanks for the feedback:sungod:
here are my curent wips

[Nether]

Possibly my last update. Next time I can get back to this is monday morning. Not sure if I can make it, but I'll try.

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Now I'm off to buy me a new PC since the last one went off and exploded.

[blobs]

I think I'm going to have to call this my final. I've got too much going on here to do any more, but hell, I have enjoyed it! :)
Next time I comment will have to be in the voting thread I guess. Good luck everyone! :)

[Vorace]

blobs : love your character, great personality. Only thing bothering me is the difficulty we have to notice the eyes out of the fat skin...maybe just make them another color?! Anyway, good job!

[FAST ART]

hope you like my character.. (still in progress)

[blobs]

Vorace You're totally correct mate, thanks so much for pointing that out, I think I've corrected it now! :).. this is definitely my final!
I should point out that I love the upper body of your EB, there's tons of character and lots of wonderful elements! I do think his legs do look small in comparison to his body, even with taking foreshortening into consideration. Can you max his legs out a bit? Or are they like that as part of his story?

[agenda-b]

598465

This one has entered the "done enough" phase. I may fiddle with it more, but probably not.

blobs: I think it turned out great.

Fast Art: Cool idea with the spirit guide in the pipe.

Sentinel13: Its coming along nicely, and I like that you stepped out of the crime noir box with your character.

[Mark Tarrisse]

Wiggers : Man nice sketch as usual, but I want some new colors from you this time ! try to push your self ;)

[kaikai]

Antne-Looks great but I am agreeing with Angel it is a bit confusing in the chest area I think it might be because your pectoral muscles are higher up than normal and the abs I feel like they also need to be lower they are too high relative to where I think the hips are.

Blobs and Fastart- Great very innovative, Excellent design.

Delmar-Cute creature in the bottom left hand corner, also your style is very distinctive.

Wolfentir-I can't tell if you changed it or not but I really like the eyes peeking to his right, so I hope you didn't change it... :D

Crowsrock- the hand holding the camera looks uncomfortable, like its resting on those two bottom fingers, maybe the thumb should wrap around the camera to help grip it? Maybe I'm just being picky. :P

Adam, Vorace, Sentinel, Wiggers- uh Wow, I am humbled by your talent

[Wiggers]

Well he's going to have a red tie Markus:)

[Tommoy]

It's close to finish.

[Kitten Poker]

For Agenda-b...... I really like your pic, maybe before it's called done, the lady in the poster in the background could do with some panties? just a thought. ^_^

[DecayingLolita]

lot of these are awesome, as always,

for some reason i thought of some annoying glasses kid


http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b274/Lucretia_the_fallen/pi5.jpg

[daestwen]

DecayingLolita: I like the idea, but be careful - the face looks just like my sister. :P

[agenda-b]

For Agenda-b...... I really like your pic, maybe before it's called done, the lady in the poster in the background could do with some panties? just a thought. ^_^

That's actually part of the backstory. See, he became locally renowned after stopping an attempt to summon 1000 demons into the world by televangelical satan worshippers. That is also the same incident where he acquired his phantom arm, ability to speak crow, and ability to see ghosts (through his missing eye). What is not common knowledge is that the reason he was there in the first place was not to save the world. He just admired the fact that satanic priestesses didn't wear any pants...

[Daniela Blanco]

Don;t have time for commenting right now.............but thanks all for the critics......all very usefull........

Here is my wip...............I still have lots of things to work on it......... hope I can finish this chow.....

[Felida]

------------------------------------------->
Almost finished. Beside my mistakes, when it comes to perspecive (I'll work on it tomorrow), do you have any critics on my piece?

[Radost]

Sweet comments are given in this post, really useful and decent c&c's.
Here's my test/wip which went all over the place for now, but I don't think it'll be finished or continued.
May the best person win. Oh, and this guy here reads smoke; like tea leaves... but different. >.<

[DauDau]

Wanted to update. Barely got anything done. Not even a monster ghost. His body is a headache. Started over from scratch. Feeling very n00b. Impressed by you guys.

[Daniela Blanco]

Felida.....I felt a little unconfortable doing a paintover on your drawing........I've never done this before............but I have a good intention........hope it's usefull for you..........

Sometimes it makes things easier if you draw all this lines for helping you out....
I think you can make some ajustments on the table and coffee using this lines.... considering that from this point of view of your drawing .......when you have an object on the lower part, its circle is seen from the top, so it's more tall.......
if you have an object in the middle high the circle is almost a line.....

I also think you could remove the side of the shelves where I painted over......because it's alson seen from front .......the side would'n really appear....

Hope you don't mind!!

Other than that your concept is awesome!!