Ceenda vs Tedsuo

[ceenda]

Challenge to be decided.

Tedsuo seems to have dissapeared. Possibly up to a monastry up on the hills to perfect his karma for the battle ahead...

:D "yo gonna need it, beeeotch!"

[Tedsuo]

"Tedsuo" is "Busy." He will deal with your bald, scribblin' arse soon enough.




I mean, surely you're not that eager to take a pounding? Are yah?


I like this "challenge forum" set up. This way, there's a record of how much I bitch talked before I got my ass handed to me. :)

[ceenda]

Okay, after some PMs we have a subject!

CHALLENGE: "last refuge of a scoundrel"

TOPIC: "Imagine the head of a criminal/fanatical/secret organisation which has been defeated by the 'good guys'. The leader prepares to make his last stand in his last base (could be a converted cave, dis-used submarine, factory).

DELIVERABLES: 3 pictures: 1 sketch showing the concept of the base, 1 sketch of the bad guy himself, 1 fully completed picture to illustrate the scene classically.

(both Tedsuo and I are particularly busy with work stuff at the moment, so this could be slow off the ground)

[Tedsuo]

Internet... too slow... must... break... free!


I'll be back in action once I get home, around the tenth or so. :)


One question: Can we interpret the challenge any way, or does it need to be restricted to modern day?

[ceenda]

Yup! Any setting or time period. :beer:

[ceenda]

Finally got some time today to get cracking on this. I decided to go for a "Judge Dredd" style Mega-City-1 affair in some disused part of town. This is more of a colour-study than an architecture one, but it's a start. I'll post some sketches of the protagonists soon. I'm sensing a "gasmasks and boilersuits" vibe for this one. :D

http://www.ccir.ed.ac.uk/~nanderso/thunderdome_building_wip_1e.jpg

[UPDATE]

Was playing around with a few ideas on paper and decided to scan this one in and colour it up a bit in Painter. The anatomy is a bit strange (i.e., the arm, not the fact that he's got no legs :D), but it's quite close to the chemicals/rust theme I'm trying to conjur up for the base.

http://www.ccir.ed.ac.uk/~nanderso/thunderdome_protagonist_1f.jpg

[Tedsuo]

Woo! That's looking cool man! I especially like where you're going with that villain, it almost has a sort of Jules Vern feel too it. :chug:


Hookay, time to get off my bum and start throwing out ideas. I decided to go with a fantasy setting. I grew up enjoying the color illustrations in my AD&D manuals, and I thought it would be cool to do something in that vein.

So, here's a sketch of the villian, Agkamyr, and his lieutenant Grillen.

http://tazmanianhamster.tripod.com/pics/duel/Birds_2_web.jpg


They come from a race of gigantic, caniverous bird people. Agkamyr leads a rabid, sacular faction of an oppresive religious organization. Sort of like the spanish inquisition, only not as open. They live in a large, cathedral-like tree in the middle of a dark forest. No sketches of that yet; but I did a color study:


http://tazmanianhamster.tripod.com/pics/duel/Duel_hall_web.jpg

Looks like we're both going for blue-greens and red-oranges. :)

Just to get the weels turning I did another quick one thinking about mood:



http://tazmanianhamster.tripod.com/pics/duel/birds_bw_web.jpg


For the final illustration, I wanted to show the hero defeating the baddies in their own den. Which means I need a hero. Since I have this quasi-religious thing going, I though a knight templar sort of character would be cool:

http://tazmanianhamster.tripod.com/pics/duel/hero_1_web.jpg


Not the greatest sketch in the world, but you get the idea. :)


Last but not least, a rough comp for the final illustration:

http://tazmanianhamster.tripod.com/pics/duel/Defeat_sketch_web.jpg


That's all for now! Cant' wait to see where this all goes. :D


-T

[ceenda]

:eek:

I'm going to have to "up the pace" a bit. You've been busy! These look great, very moody. Reminds me a bit of the bad guys in "The Dark Crystal".

I now have the kick-in-the-butt I need. :D

[sheepchase]

Great thread! I really like both of your concepts. I can't wait to see these develop.
:chug:

[Tedsuo]

Dude, they totally look like Skeksies. I'm going to change them a bit, make them creepier. I mean, what they hey, right?


I noticed they already have their own emoticon though: :chicken:



:clown: ,

-T

[MGH]

Looking real cool guys.

[talmir]

I would keep the look of the birds. I really love how they look in the rough composition.. Just highlighting shadows on theyr faces would make them more than creepy enough

[ceenda]

Time to go into a little more detail. :D

A clandestine organisation in the industrialised city of Gothos is trying to overthrow the ruling Governor by poisoning the water supply of the city with a drug that makes it's victims absolutely psychotic. (Originally, a plan to poison the atmosphere was rendered useless, as everyone in Gothos wears gasmasks and protective gear). The Gothos Security Force, knowing they cannot control a psychotic population, make the first strike. After continued battles both on the street and in the dockland areas, the Alchemists retreat to a factory complex where they prepare to make their last stand. The Grand Alchemist makes ready for one last battle against the GSF.

http://www.ccir.ed.ac.uk/~nanderso/thunderdome_police.jpg

The GSF are your run-of-the-mill security force, with good armour and armaments courtesy of high-income corporations and independant financiers. Low morale, as crime in the industrial sector is rampant, with officers often pushed to the limits.

http://www.ccir.ed.ac.uk/~nanderso/thunderdome_protagonist_1.jpg

The Grand Alchemist has a plan for Gothos, but his/her (no one knows) methods are both cunning and fanatical, using fear and potent mind-bending stimulants to ensure guards have an edge over the security forces.

http://www.ccir.ed.ac.uk/~nanderso/thunderdome_protagonist_2.jpg

The actual base design is still in very rough sketches at the moment. I'm thinking about doing it in 3D (is that allowed?) as my architectural knowledge isn't very good and I tend to work better in 3D for that sort of thing.

[tyboogie]

fun stuff guys

its just so ...fun

[Tedsuo]

Thanks, boogieman.


So, we're lazy? I mean busy. Yeah, busy. With important stuff. And we won't be finishing our final illustrations. Because we suck? No. Because we're cool. Just too damn cool.

Yeah, but in all seriousness, I think both of us just got slammed this week. I mean, crap, it took me three days to even make this post. :P So we're changing the requirements to just the character sketch and an environment sketch. Sorry guys! I know all four of you must be heartbroken. :)


Just for kicks, here's where I was going:

http://tazmanianhamster.tripod.com/pics/Final_1_web.jpg


After the hero slays his lieutenant, Agkamyr flees to the rooty bowels of the tree, where he gives himself up as an avatar for his dark god. This will kill him. But in his final stand, perhaps he will take the hero with him to his grave.


Ceenda, it would be cool to see what you were working on too, just for the hell of it. Btw, I really like your sketch of the Grand Alchemist. I think it's the first time I've seen a "drawing" by you. Cool stuff man!

[ceenda]

Tedsuo: I really like the atmosphere you got going on in these. Very dark and mythical. Class. :chug:

Well, I'm posting now because I'm probably going to be in the office over the weekend working while everyone else is partying. :( The workload this last couple of months has been intense. But after Feb 10th (ironically when my work deadlines are :rolleyes: ) things should be less busy.

http://www.ccir.ed.ac.uk/~nanderso/Alchemist_Base_Concept.jpg

Here's the base design I was working on. The preliminary sketches weren't very good, so I started roughing out basic flat models in 3DSMAX. When I got the basic design I wanted, I took it into photoshop and drew in the background elements and put on some texture using the brush system on a multiply layer. I wanted to go for a refinery/factory which looked a bit cathedral-like (I think we both thought in the same direction there). With pipes for decorations and a giant fan where the windows would be.

http://www.ccir.ed.ac.uk/~nanderso/Grand_Alchemist_Concept_1.jpg

This was as far as I got with the actual design for the bad guy. There are things I both like and dislike about it. I liked the whole industrial feel, but never really got it into a format where he/she seemed formidable and flexible.

Anyhoo, it's been fun. :beer:

[Tedsuo]

Well, it looks like I ran out of time. Here are my final pics:

http://tazmanianhamster.tripod.com/pics/Birds_final.jpg




http://tazmanianhamster.tripod.com/pics/lair_web.jpg




Wish I could have produced some more fully realized images, but real life said "no." I'm off to the final images thread to take my beating like a man.

BTW, I don't consider using 3d to be "cheating" (considering I'm a 3d artist I better not :)). You could submit photomanips and I'd be fine with it. Whatever works to produce the intended final image. The only time I consider that stuff cheating is when someone does it, but claims they didn't.

Well, that was fun man! You made some damn cool stuff. And it actually got me off my ass in general, I'm making speed paints again, which is good. If you ever swing through San Francisco let me know, I owe you a beer.


Cheers,

-T