Chow 159 :: The OUTLAW

[Aly Fell]

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

ROUND #159 :: THE OUTLAW

DESCRIPTION

The OUTLAW

Thomas 'The Baron' Cochrane was one of the last of his kind. The twentieth century had dawned and he was an unwelcome memory of a violent time in his country's history. He had ridden with Quantrill’s Raiders, had known Jesse James and Cole Younger, and between times as a paid killer he had worked the ranches alongside William Bonney and John Chisum. Now he was approaching old age, the scars of battles fought across his face and reflected in his bitter eyes. All he owned he brought with him, his gun, his horse, his bedroll and the bottle of laudanum he was addicted to. Not much for a lifetime of thievery and murder. He was despised by a country that was fast becoming respectable. But he wasn't going to go with a whimper. There would be one last gunfight, and he didn't intend for either of them to walk away from this one.

Cochrane is a cowboy and gunfighter. You have free reign with his look, but he is aging. Not young. And bare in mind he is now part of the early twentieth century.

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


---------------------------------------------------------
DEADLINE
MONDAY, MAY 25th, 2009
Deadline is Monday, at 5:00 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. Daestwen and Poshspice will make the selection.
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!669981673043

[~baxter]

mmm I love me some Western. Definitely should be a good round~ :D

[Migsta]

I may have to do this too!

[Phuzion]

Oh snap! Thanks for the heads-up Aly! I think I'd best jump in on this one :P

Cheers,
~d

[liolev]

Yup, certainly sounds great. I'm in.(:

[JailHouseRock2]

Sounds cool, cheers for the topic Aly!

[NicHolS]

ahh brilliant topic! was just thinking about gunslingers last night ironically enough... whats the odds! if im feeling well again i will hopefully partake in this week :P

[Imaginary]

Ha! Gonna keep an extra eye on this one since Phuzion is taking part. :P

[Amber Alexander]

I don't have much experience drawing men let alone older ones so this will be a good learning experience for me but here is my initial sketch:

[Lt_Action]

Bad.Ass.

[Sidharth Chaturvedi]

Oh hell yes.

[Aly Fell]

First rough. I think Sam Elliot has probably got that aging cowboy look down to a tee. Particularly as Lee Scoresby in The Golden Compass. Or John Wayne in The Shootist...

Edit01: Did a bit of work today, but doubt I'll finish it. Only 3/4 anyway so not really eligble for the poll. And there's something REALLY stiff about his arm!

[YihyoungLi]

Mine's a hippie. :)

[zephyri]

Damn. I might have to crowbar some time in for this somewhere in my non existant free time. Sam Elliott = drool, so your sketch has my vote already Posh!

[sketchius]

First WIP:
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[englishduke]

Posh- as usual yours has so much life even at such an early scale, nice work
Sketchius-nice expression, he looks like he just got slapped.

Thought I might throw in a WIP this round since I have a little time, hopefully I can finish him. Nice work guys and girls

http://i144.photobucket.com/albums/r180/englishduke/old_gunslinger.jpg

[FridayEve]

Thought I would try direct painting instead of doing a drawing first.

[Pixeltuner]

fridayeve: that looks pretty f*n' amazing already. and you pretty much nailed the character. end the round already.

here's my take. probably not gonna finish as usual lately, but having fun nonetheless.

[Cyr]

Friday Eve, was Malcolm McDowell the base reference for the face?

[ianthegeek]

Didn't get a real opportunity too do anything with the last chow so I would really like to finish this one.
Think there may be allot of long beards, long coats, long hair and long moostachios in this one :)

And after looking through the thread I'm a little concerned that my design may be a little similar too Posh's (long beard, long hair, long coat). Only mine wont look as good. Any thoughts?

[~baxter]

Awesome starts so far :D

Channeling some Day-Lewis on this one :P

[YihyoungLi]

Everyone's looks good so far. :)

FridayEve: really impressive technique. :oneye:

Maybe I should have stuck to something traditional? My hippie looks outta place.

[Sean McClain]

Posh that sketch is framable to me:) what you did on the last poll was
cool.

it seems I have some pressure on this one, my grandfather grew up in the west,
on a cattle ranch and did rodeo until his 40's I saw him win a gold belt lassoing a cow when I was 3, he wasn't an outlaw but I told my mom about this chow and she asked me to make it in his likeness so we can send him a print for his birthday.
here is a rough layout of my shapes and colors, I am trying to go with some french styles and do croquis and grissaille etc. in my own way probably not perfectly accurate but that never stopped me.
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[daestwen]

sketchee sketchee.

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[Amber Alexander]

WIP update:

[BRINKMAN!]

I based mine on Lee Van Cleef and some other reference photos of turn-of-the century style. I need to fix the left (his right) arm & hand.

[BRINKMAN!]

The illustrations for the upcoming Red Dead Redemption (Rockstar) are really, really good. They blend a Leone intro sequence with Rockstar's established illo style.
A little inspiration for everyone as we work! :)

http://zilla1.googlepages.com/RDR1.jpg
http://zilla1.googlepages.com/RDR2.jpg

[blau]

Quick idea
http://img205.imageshack.us/img205/3351/94798973.jpg

I'll have to use lots of reference. Never drew a horse. Or a moustache... Not even an old man, I think.

[Adam Schumpert]

Awesome topic! Just a quick wip. I'm really hoping to find time to finish this one.

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[3vil]

Good one Adam!I love the scene,one thing wrong with it though...
The gouy should be old...

[Aly Fell]

Yup. Great action shot Adam but remember we're looking at a guy who fought in the American Civil War, so say he was 25ish in 1864, by about 1905 he'd be early to mid 60's. And people tended to look old before their times if it was a rough life.

[Pixeltuner]

Adam: Nice action indeed, although he looks more like x-men's Cable right now :D

[Tommoy]

Adam Schumpert, great action, lots of drama, also in the mirror, great idea.
Blau, grumpy old fellah.
Brinkman, interesting choices in the details of the clothing like the tie and the hat.
Amber Alexander, good action but this kind of turn is no easy pose to draw.
Daestwen, nice sketchees.
Darknight, a little to rough to comment.
Yihjoungli, a hippie indeed, give him a big gun, then nobody could doubt anymore. Love the face.
Baxter, nice sketch, good pose. Sorry that I used more or less the same pose.
Ianthegeek, good sketch. I don't think it should be a problem some of us use the same elements like the mustache and the long coat.
Pixeltuner, nice fresh view on the topic, don't bale out.
FridayEve, wow this old dude rocks.
Englishduke, if it wasn't for the guns this could also be a biblical figure.
Sketchius, funny approach, I like it.
Poshspice, those sketches of you inspire.
Wheezy, nice sketch, looks like his best days are behind him.

[RichLyons]

heres me dude, on his horse running from something.. bank hold up maybe, might put cash flying out the back of his saddle bag.

[Mark Tarrisse]

RichLyons : Mann you must start a sketchbook... :)

[mojokingbee]

Hi, There is my first attempt at the weekly stuff. It's still a bit rough but here's my take...this should be interesting for me as my colouring could use some improvement.
http://i117.photobucket.com/albums/o57/mojokingbee26/Chow_159_1rough.jpg

http://i117.photobucket.com/albums/o57/mojokingbee26/Chow_159_2rough.jpg

[Adam Schumpert]

3vil, Poshspice, Pixeltuner, Thanks for the heads up I'll be sure to age him a bit more.

Although I will say just because you are 60ish doesn't mean feeble.

One of the main sources of inspiration I'm using is Jack Palance's character Curly from "City Slickers" and he was 72 when he made the movie.
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Also Clint Eastwood's Character William Munny from Unforgiven. Eastwood was 62.
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Both characters are scary SOBs despite their hard life or age.

It seem to me that peoples perceptions of age are often off by several years. A lot of times when someone hears
60 the really picture 70-80 in their minds.

However if my pic is reading as a young cowpoke who is prematurely gray then I definitely need to age him a bit more.
So once again thanks for the heads up. :confident

Later,
Adam

[bangalore_monkey]

couldn't pass this one up!

some great stuff already.

here's a wip.

[NicHolS]

hey guys, heres my update wip layout, has the usual feet and proportion issues ill sort out but im aiming at the old historical photo sepiatone vibe... sadly some people are already seemingly using sam elliot as ref for theirs too so i may steer mine away... wanted a gaunt look withou looking frail cos i agree with adam, old people can be hard as nails. especially in the old times, you had to be....

Amber Alexander - nice pose, was gonna try this myself but glad i didnt now hehe

Poshspice - wow great sketch, sam elliot is just too perfect for this characer isnt he!

YihyoungLi - loving the mo! 10% more mo! :P

sketchius - love the relaxed pose maybe try leaning his boot up on something... an old spittoon or something?

englishduke - nice facial hair, very original, try watching your color saturation and cloth weighting too. cloth tends to make "z" shapes from point to point... get a sheet ad lay it over 2 chairs to see what im rambling about :)

FridayEve - my fav so far, nice to hear youre trying a different approach... still feels too much of a torso portrait and not fullbody but im sure youre working on that

Pixeltuner - nice style, definately a change from so many realistic approaches (inc myself)

ianthegeek - love the details but try not to make it too convoluted

~baxter - great pose! try not to kill too much space with a flat coat, some negative space will help the image breathe but theres also room for some cool finer coat details like folds or coat lining in the shadows

darknight - nice abgle but work on your focal point, i know this is just a sketch but having the horse head, gun, face and sun all in a row may detract from the most crucial focal point (the gun/face i suppose?)

daestwen - great style, has a lot of chaaracter in the face. pose feels a little flat so far, too even... he needs more asymetry to me, be it a lean or arm gesture or weapon/detail.

BRINKMAN! - wow nailed the more modern era look well but i would work on his pose, same reason as i suggested to daestwen. also thanks for the inspiration

Adam Schumpert wow very cable feeling to me too, great pose i really hope you finish all of it. dont try and bite off too much, sometimes simple looks best. last few rounds were a perfect example of this!

Tommoy - great image so far, you should really play up the dusty vibe. fantastic! you gonna enter this weeks cow again too? i will if i get time

RichLyons - booyah, glad youre back mate, missed ya last round! love the top hat but im sensing a trend with the fat men.... is there something you want to tell us? haha nar just kiddin :)

mojokingbee - nice, cant wait to see your colors on this, feet are bugging me though

bangalore_monkey - best facial features ive seen yet, im digging it~!

[Ostrander]

Wow, really awesome characters so far guys!:yum:
I doubt I'll be able to bring anything to the table this week but here's some doodles. Good luck gang!
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[Dani Duck]

I just want to throw out a general comment to everyone.

DON'T FORGET THE 3/4 RULE.

I've seen a lot of great work not get in to the final polling, because people tend to forget about this rule.

Minimum 3/4's of character must be visible. No bust or head shots.

Keep up the good work, everyone!

[Dan!]

woo so much great work already- here i go- still nudging pixels around-

[Warhole]

great stuff, ladies and gents!
fun, because i wanted to continue this western idea today ;-)

edit; no busts or headshots(autsch)?
well, disqualified

[masanyo]

Hi everyone, this is the first time I post.
so this would make my first CHOW

I like the idea of a loner, in the middle of nowhere, probably getting ready for his last gunfight the next day.

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again.
hello to everyone.

[Phaethon]

I've finally got time for CHoW this week! Here's a sketch.

[YihyoungLi]

To solidify his 'cowboy'-ness I should add a hat and make the gun more visible, but I think I'm going to call it done. It's only Tuesday ehehe. But it's an improvement for me.

[darklogik]

Decided to give this a go, and I hope I will be able to join in most from this point on. Love the concept and direction for this guy so here is my first Chow Go. :mittenbop:

Let me know where I stand =)

Thanks

[EnnuiVee]

This looked like a fun character to start up my forum life here. Some quick thumbnails of ideas from my sketchbook, nothing in composition form yet. Taken with my camera,-gah my scanner is out of commission for this week.

[Hunkulus]

Hi everyone... This is officially my first post on this site so go easy on me.. :bashful:

http://fc06.deviantart.com/fs44/f/2009/139/9/8/987e2e9f10269f7cbb9824197f722d13.jpg

Here's what I have so far. This started out as a preparatory sketch and became a little more developed...I'm working towards a full body piece so that's in the pipeline...Let me know what you think. Cheers

[Pixeltuner]

wahey, found the time for a little update. need to get back into some hand studies again (I f*k them op all the time), and gotta get me some ref for the holster and gun as well. :yayca:

[Giorge]

So i did a quick drawing , i might just get into this
ref on the confederate revolver and confederate belt buckle
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NicHolS - man that looks really nice , cant wait to see the finished one

RichLyons - that character is just awesome

[DImanic]

Awsome work going on, I'm loving this topic.

[bangalore_monkey]

comments:

wheezy- i like the idea that's he's gotten fat and lazy in his retirement from outlawing.

Amber Alexander- nice. the face makes me think of lee van cleef. with this pose, it seems a bit staged, i'd try to squeeze in a bit more dynamism.

poshspice- i didn't know lemmy was a gunslinger. has a great feel to it

YihyoungLi- not really getting the whole hippie idea, but an original design for sure.

sketchius- nice. i like the mood, he looks very depressed.

englishduke - i like the idea, a different take on the outlaw look, more mexican atire. i'm having a hard time, though, discerning what's what below his arm.

FridayEve- excellent. i can imagine this guy existing. a good turn of the century look as well.

Pixeltuner- interesting concept. kinda works with his nickname, the duke. he's got a sort of swashbuckler look.

ianthegeek - i like it. don't know what's up with his hands, but i think it's a solid design.

~baxter- lol, daniel plainview would be a badass outlaw.

darknight- can't see much yet, but it's got promise. i like the outfit idea.

daestwen- he's got a real battle hardened look. hope to see more.

BRINKMAN!- the upper class outlaw. be carefull, by the description, he didn't seem that well to do.

Adam Schumpert- for some reason, the first thing i though of when i saw him was Cable the comic book character, looks like him. this looks action packed, a fitting end for the outlaw perhaps?

Tommoy- i like it all except for the pose, a little too cliche action movie for me.

RichLyons- a refreshingly different idea. i like it

mojokingbee- love the style. this looks good!

NicHolS- more sam elliot that anyone else. a perfect role for him i think. this is looking good, i like the long hair.

Ostrander- some good stuff, too bad there won't be a final.

Dan!- cool, but as i said elsewhere, the pose is a tad silly and cliche.

Warhole- damn the rules, there's so much character here!

masanyo- that's one cute outlaw.

Phaethon - nice execution of the turn of the century look.

darklogik- i'm liking it. i hope to see it finished.

Hunkulus - that's one scruffy mother. great!

Giorge- looks fun, though i'm having a hard time figuring out who's hand that is punching.

NZOB1- down and out. he looks like a homeless person..



slowly but surely getting to something i like.

[NoShot]

I'm playing around with some different styles. I may evolve this one by leaving a lot of the blocked color in the figure and background, but with a more sketchy style for the figure's face torso, arms, hands. Not sure.

Edit: replaced previous with this one

[sketchius]

Here's my second WIP. I wanted to go for an old sepia photograph feel where the character is captured in a candid pose. I want to continue to work on the old, faded photo effect.
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[John Isaacson]

http://i573.photobucket.com/albums/ss180/mrtortoise/chowtheoutlaw.jpg


heres my first attempt , was wondering im hoping to include both a facial close up and the below sketch in final result... as full body is included hoping wont result in my disqualification...

[mechashiva]

FridayEve: hooomygosh, you're really good at skin tones. The red around the eyes makes him look the proper age.
Adam: whoah, hot. I almost regret agreeing with Posh about the age thing, because he looks so bad ass.
Tommoy: I can almost taste the dust in yours. Super awesome.
Rich Lyons: ooh, I love his greedy little face. Yours definitely has a lot of personality.
mojokingbee: That's a freaking sweet pose you've got going on there.
And Pixelturner's costume painting abilities are making me kinda jealous. :0

Ok, so here's mine. Still has a looooong way to go, I just wanted to hurry and get something up.
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[DImanic]

bangalore_monkey - thanks for the observation.

Made some changes to hopefully give him a more 'old withered' cowboy look, though he is homeless I dont want him looking like a homeless person.

Need to do some work on the gun and gun hand, need to find reference but unfortunately work now beckons.

[~baxter]

Thanks for the crits/comments :)

Still in the rough, but some progression.Taking in a more graphical approach. Reminds me of the Cowboy Bebop intro sequence :P

[♦♦Jackdaw♦♦]

Hunkulus - Hey man.. thats a nice sketch but are you aware of the 3/4 rule? Check the first post of this thread, it explains it all there :).

[Sidharth Chaturvedi]

And here's mine. I may or may not color it in PS.

[Adam Schumpert]

First off, thanks everyone for the crits/comments! :teeth:

Updated wip...
Hows the age reading?... better, worse, the same?

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:thinking:

[EnnuiVee]

Just an update. Here's the first rough step, blocking things out a bit. I imagine his horse to be old and worn. Maybe they're trudging in snow. Not sure if i'll go for a cell-shaded look or a rougher, painted look. comments mighty welcome.

[theDC]

My initial pencil sketch... I am seeing some awesome work in here. It's wonderfully motivating =]


*Update*
Slowly but surely... =D

[Freddy Scribbles]

looking like another awesome round

I finally get to play in photoshop some...
stupid not-really-working computer.

Here's the doodleness so far. Probably won't get to finish but it feels nice to draw something other than eyeballs (freelancey thing)

[Freddy Scribbles]

HA...I just looked at my wip again and it almost feels like his trousers are about to fall down.

[Amber Alexander]

I didn't work much on the details yet but still working on the pose to not look staged, tried to add more movement

WIP update:

[darklogik]

Progress of mine =)

[Marco Mazzoni]

Here's something I started this evening. I've been on a bit of a western kick lately so this is exactly what I needed.

I know the perspective on the front leg is off, too tired to deal with it tonight though.

[NicHolS]

wow marco mazzoni youre well on your way to taking this topic out! great angle! only crit is there isnt really much focus on the character, mostly the horse which takes up half the page... perhaps if he was doing something the viewer can see, or his face was more visible... atm id dare say its closer to an illustration then a character design... but wouldn't need much to fix that :)

heres my wip, i havnt really worked on it since last post very much but instead thought id post a tute for all the guys struggling with their compositions and layout/focal point analysis. these are the steps i often take, (but not always sigh lol) they help me spot why an image which looks good but doesn't look great, which im sure everyone has experienced. after doing this tute i will focus on these 6 steps to ensure it helps me focus my efforts on important aspects and not kill time with a shoe lace, blade of grass or piece of string you eventually wont even notice in the final composition.

1 get your perspective grid overlay figured out, the most simple way you can spot if a character shot is off is with one of these. takes 2 seconds to whip up and already i can see my feet issues, arm length issues, width of leg issues and this will help me ensure all small details once im zoomed in and detailing are still in perspective with the overall piece. even with my simple seemingly frontal angle you ncan still do some subtle stuff and i will hopefully aim to push this in the final image.

1.1 your palette/swatch. try and nail this down as early as possible, it doesn't always have to be flashy and grand to look good. a good system i sometimes use is picking 2 main colors/hues with a tint (light) and shade/tone (mid/dark) of each and then one major accent color and if really necessary one more slight undertone color or bounce light color and then let the mixing of these do the trick. in this example ive gone as simple as possible and gone sepia color, which is essentially one flat hue in and range of tint/tone/shades. dont forget to add in some slight variance of hue or saturation (and i mean slight people! lol) which will often add a lot of subtle depth to your colors. i often forget this myself like in last weeks chow for instance!

2 flow of focal points. try and predict where the viewers eye SHOULD be going and analyze where it is actually going. it often helps to loop this flow so the artist can keep the viewers attention from flowing off the page. ive used a simple spittoon to try and help rotate the viewer back to the face/head also aided by the angle of the shadow on the wall. these hotspots are where you should focus your time and attention, and nowhere else!

3 framing your boundaries. every image should keep you inside the frame... you shouldn't (usually) have something bleeding off a page unless intentionally so (in the case of a comic strip or sequential.) im using the shadows with a soft falloff to help frame and control the character, it helps to ensure the angles are visually interesting and not always just vertical or horizontal.

4 lines of focus or flow. this is the usual step most artists try and focus on the most to have a nice dynamic composition, usually these lines are full of action and grace (but can also be simple straight lines if thats your desire.) i stuck with heavy straight lines since hes an old man who is very strong willed, i wouldn't imagine him jumping around like a young man would so his lines are straight and firm and all leading to his head as the main focus. these still be refined as having laid these out i realised how much further i could push these lines... so we will see how much this can come into effect in my final

5 contrast in key lighting (value silhouettes). most people are aware of high mid and low key lighting (if not then high key is high contrast, low key is therefore low contrast) and in this diagram you can see where i will try and emphasize the hard definition of the tonal values. ive elected to ensure the upper torso has the most contrast and this will also ensure the silhouette is also visually interesting and stand out. backlit will often save you here time and time again! almost all chows which win tend to use backlit lighting lol

well thats about all for now, i hope some of the younger guys learnt from each of these, if you want me to explain something better or further just shout and ill see what i can do.... cheers all!
adam

[ianthegeek]

Great post NicHolS. I'll definitely try to bare some of that in mind. Not sure about the younger guys comment though. Some of us are just old amateurs. But thanks for rubbing that in :)

[Warhole]

Very old amateur here ;-)

[MichaelNoel]

Ehhh... I'll try and get something up.

@Warhole: Please either extend that picture, or do another one, that first one you posted was awesome.

[Wiggers]

No real ideas yet just some faces.

[bangalore_monkey]

wanted to get this done before the weekend. so here's what will probably end up being the final. C+c welcome.

[Amber Alexander]

Nichols do you just make those grids with the line tool?

[|flow|]

Probably won't finish it.

[MichaelNoel]

Here's my entry, though I might go back and do something else if I feel like it. I have a lot of work this coming week, so I got this out of the way early. T_T

If there's a serious problem with it, I can scrap it I guess.

[Sean McClain]

o.k. I redid my design, I wanted something that focused on the character
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[blau]

wow! many great things here already
I only have a bunch of quick ideas, studies and sketches... I kindda like the last one the most but I'm not sure if I can pull it off

http://img190.imageshack.us/img190/5060/60333781.jpghttp://img39.imageshack.us/img39/5011/79819522.jpg
http://img39.imageshack.us/img39/9120/86149838.jpghttp://img39.imageshack.us/img39/1520/78675497.jpg
http://img200.imageshack.us/img200/381/62005104.jpg

[Amber Alexander]

After going over NicHolS' post about backlighting, colors, focal point flow and all that, alot of that was new to me so I went and reworked almost the whole illustration. I'm really trying to make it more dynamic and not just a guy standing there. Any suggestions would help. Thanks

WIP update: top one is the reworked image and bottom is the old one

[F87]

Good work everyone. Here are my wip pics so far:

http://www.f.oceansend.com/outlaw.jpg

http://www.f.oceansend.com/outlaw2.jpg

http://www.f.oceansend.com/outlaw3.jpg

[Phaethon]

Progress. Any comments are welcome!

[Nadiamoon]

http://i43.tinypic.com/xbigoy.jpg

[0zz0]

hey,

this is my first post here in chow so comments and crits are very welcome

anyway nice work on this post

here is my wip...
i hope you like it :)

[Nadiamoon]

http://i41.tinypic.com/14l3iw5.png

[AmbientSounds]

K, still in sketch mode but maybe I'll finish on time for once... looking forward to browsing everyone's WIPs! XD

BTW he's not falling over, he's leaning against a wall that doesn't exist yet LOL :P

[Gothique]

Great stuff here, great competition again...I suffer to see some works!
Here is my wip

[NoShot]

Amber Alexander: The addition of the props is a very good thing in my opinion. It adds more to the character by giving him context. The viewer definitely gets the sense that he jumped out of his chair to plug some guy creeping up behind him.

I think his torso is twisted too much relative to his left lower leg (maybe that leg is a bit short too?). I would bend that knee a little more and have the lower left-leg situated more under his body and oriented more towards the left of the frame rather than away from the viewer.

Hope some of that made sense and is correct/useful to you :)

[Amber Alexander]

AmbientSounds: I like the concept of him, he's well drawn but there is something off proportion wise, I think his legs need to be longer and his head is too large. Can't wait to see him in color!

[daestwen]

updaaates... sketch, and then blocking in the colour, back ground and sketching in the shadow. Way way far from done! Crits welcome please and thanks. If i get a moment later I'll try to do some crits for everyone else.

675857 675858

[Amber Alexander]

daestwen: man that face looks awesome, I noticed that his jacket has a belt but it doesn't seem to go anywhere, maybe have it hanging down or remove it and just add buttons.

[dirkvandulmen]

lots of interesting stuff being created ...

so ...

wip ...
made some quick thumbnail sketches tonight ... picked one and painted a silhouette ... painted in the design (still working on my process) ... got a day off tomorrow so maybe I can finish one for a change...it's been a few weeks... enjoy.

[Marco Mazzoni]

NicHolS - Hey thanks. Yeah at that point the horse had recieved most of my attention since I've never really drawn one before (especialy from this crazy angle) so I wanted to make sure I got it right early on. I won't be doing much in the way of crazy designs or posing for this guy, but hopefully when I'm done there will be enough substance to him that he could still be interesting even without the full illustration.

Just some clean up and small tweaks at lunch. I'll try to make time for crits later tonight or sometime tomorrow.

[Terra_Jamez]

The outlaw represents the old century. There is spoken in the discription of the beginning of a new one. So a huge contrast between old and new I would make. Something essential to the outlaw character.

[BlackGuy]

I'm a bit new to CHOW, where do we upload our final versions?

[Terra_Jamez]

Eastwood, Unforgiven

[artina]

Hey everyone,

This is my submission. I am posting early because I'll be working on other things this week. I had a lot of fun with this. I went for an old photo type feel. I'll post the wip in the finals thread.

[Hunkulus]

Here's my wip so far...

Got his body in now ;) .. Checking his gun is prepared for the big show..Trying to get the atmosphere and feel for the character.:yayca:

http://fc03.deviantart.com/fs42/f/2009/140/5/2/5242f14fbcb7c847c0320ff01986051e.jpg

[EnnuiVee]

Another WIP. Comments/ suggestions welcome.

[Reymus]

My first CHOW :) very very early wip, disregard the playing with colors

[F87]

Lookin' cool Reymus.

Update on mine:

http://www.f.oceansend.com/outlaw4.jpg

It needs more refinement all over, then I'm going to texture it up and make him more gritty.

[DImanic]

Not getting very far yet, I keep changing my mind. Have tightened the crop. I am amazed at the development of a lot of you guys, it's pretty inspiring.

[Amber Alexander]

BlackGuy: To answer your question, for every Chow there is a separate post with "Final Burning" in the title made for the final versions. There are quite a few rules so make sure to read over the initial post carefully so you don't get cut once its posted :) And I think that post usually goes up around the weekend before the deadline so it will probably be a few days still, as a guess.

I'm pretty new myself and i'm loving these so hope you are too!

[BlackGuy]

Crap, I need to turn mine in because I may not be around over this weekend. Well, thanks for the info.

[AmbientSounds]

BlackGuy, ya got until Monday at 5pm E.S.T I believe. Good Luck!

[daestwen]

BlackGuy: I'll put up the final burning early for you, no worries!

[MichaelNoel]

@daestwen: You are awesome. I just found out I won't be around after tomorrow, so I very well might have missed it too. :(

Cool stuff from everyone, keep it coming!

[Asterisks]

Hi everyone! Great posts here! I've been looking through the CHOW entries and there is some pretty awesome stuff around here.
I've had this account for a while now but I've never posted.
Today I finally decided to try and participate in this forum, and thought this might be a fun challenge to take. (and I really need the practice)
Here is my current WIP http://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h94/ybkaren/wipgs.jpg gotta work on those legs!

[BlackGuy]

BlackGuy: I'll put up the final burning early for you, no worries!

hey thanks, much appreciated

[NicHolS]

Nichols do you just make those grids with the line tool?

yeah i just paint a vertical line, copy the layer a few times by alt dragging the layer, flatten these then free transform this into whatever plane is required... doesnt always have to be 100% spot on but helps to get it as correct as possible

on another note i think someone already mentioned (arthur two shed i think i was) that a large number of these are very much just torso portrait shots and to remember the 3/4 rule! to me if i dont see a knee id call it less then 3/4... or is this rule somewhat not important anymore? maybe one of the moderators can elaborate better here?

on a positive note, some great posts in the last day! and some great progress too! nadiamoon really has some nice colors cming thru!

[NakedZergling]

i doubt i'll finish :(

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v702/rabidwombat/gunslingercopy.jpg

[trevor]

marco inspired me and i finished my work on time tonight so heres a quickie
about 2 hrs
he reminds me of a mr MacDonald
who doesnt know me but may be my brother
and he is willing to take it to the STREETS!

[Sidharth Chaturvedi]

Update! Decided to color it after all, and had to fix some proportion problems.

[BlackGuy]

man, after seeing everyone else's entries I feel so crappy about the pose I picked. I always thought the CHOW could only be a SLIGHT deviation from a 3/4 full body shot. Next time I'll have to spend a lot more time on the pose and dynamics of the pic.

[Marco Mazzoni]

here's some more....

[Amber Alexander]

man, after seeing everyone else's entries I feel so crappy about the pose I picked. I always thought the CHOW could only be a SLIGHT deviation from a 3/4 full body shot. Next time I'll have to spend a lot more time on the pose and dynamics of the pic.


I could be wrong but as I understood it, its not 3/4, full body its that 3/4ths of the body has to be viewable so like waist up wouldn't be enough, i guess its gotta be knees up

[Johann de Venecia]

Oh man, why did I have to post after Marco Mazzoni? That is awesome. The perspective, palette, the horse... pure win.

Speaking of horses... mine is looking very weird. Not sure how to fix it. Any tips?

Here's some random CC:

Daestwen: The face looks good, I think push the age a little more.

Artina: I think the pose is slightly feminine, ok for a young man, but on an old man, its harder to pull off. Costume looks good, nice work on the leathers.

Enuivee: I'm in no place to crit horses, but I think the two hind legs looks a bit too short, or the shoulders/front legs are a bit high. Your old man has lots of character, looks good.

[Amber Alexander]

Another wip update, crits are welcome, not sure what else to work on him now

[Aly Fell]

updaaates... sketch, and then blocking in the colour, back ground and sketching in the shadow. Way way far from done! Crits welcome please and thanks. If i get a moment later I'll try to do some crits for everyone else.

675857 675858

He looks great Daestwen! I reckon you could push the pose a bit more though. Pushing up his shoulder gives a bit more anticipation to it... Forgive the sketch over.

[Quinn Simoes]

work in progress...

[Sidharth Chaturvedi]

Marco, yours is just kicking all kinds of ass! Can't wait to see where it goes.

[Rodimus25]

some scribbles from today, nothing solid yet, still trying to flush something out... meh

[no_name_brand]

some awesome entries so far and nice topic. I've been struggling with this for the last couple of days, just can't find the time. So I'll try to post another WIP before the end of the week. Here is what I got so far.

[openanewworld]

I am in too
http://conceptart.org/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=676302&stc=1&d=1242900214

[NicHolS]

these rounds just get better each week i swear! heres mine so far...

[daveneale]

Kind of getting to a wall on this, may revisit later-really cool stuff so far-hope you get time to finish Trevor

676467

-D

[harris-ejaz]

so i need to start painting again. thought this was a good way to force myself..
concept right now is an older version of sawyer from Lost. Pissed off, on the streets of old San Francisco, in a final standoff with the law.
wonder how it turns out.

[Tetrodotoxin]

:sungod: Having some free time today... :sungod:

676499

[Amber Alexander]

Crits! Maybe i'll get to more another day, so many good entries!

harris-ejaz: I like the concept and the drawing looks pretty good. You should add in a bit of his eyes, right now since we can't see them it looks like he's looking down. If you want the story to be that he's fighting the law in SF then you have to make that speak for it self, something like put a SF landmark in the background otherwise its just another city.

daveneale: I like your painting style but I would add in a bit more contrast in the lights and darks. If the sun is overhead almost all of him would be in shadow but i would at least make the highlights brighter.

NicHolS: your work is amazing and your posts have been really helpful, thank you. You make it look easy damn you! :p

openanewworld: I like the drawing but what conserns me is that the gun and the liquid lead the eye off the page in the same direction which takes away from the great drawing.

no name brand: the face looks interesting, i'd try to add more movement to the overall drawing or a bit more dramatic

Rodimus25: wow, if those are your "scribbles" from a day just wow one of those guys would take me a week to do. Anyway I like the middle right one the best.

Quinn Simoes: I love the look on his face and his shiney bald head!

Johann de Venecia: I like the detail, it looks almost fairytale like. We shouldn't be able to see the side of the handle on the gun that is in his holster, we should only see the front from that angle.

Marco Mazzoni: gorgeous, great colors but to me it looks more like an illustration then concept art.

Sidharth Chaturvedi: There is something about the shadows that feels a bit flat, try adding some subtle color to them to make them more alive.

Trevor: looks awesome, I like what you did with the light coming through his wings but i'm a bit lost as to why there are wings behind him?

Nakedzergling: sketch looks pretty good but there are some proportion issues, his hand and gun are way too large and his feet are a bit large as well.

Asterisks: Since he's standing in an open plain maybe have his jacket blown back by the wind and although the sky is beautiful, my eye goes there first when you want it to go to the character first, maybe crop it down a bit.

NZOB1: I like the concept and his face looks cool, I think his arms and legs might be a bit short though.

F87: I like this drawing, cool idea, you'll have to make it more clear what's in his hand? My first thought was he's drinking beer but I don't think beer came in cans back then and his pose is a bit too stiff, I'd have i'm slouching down a bit or exajurate it the other way and have it really holding it up and arching his back. hope that makes sense.

Reymus: interesting idea, I like that you're making parts of him oversized (hat, beard) but if you're going to go that route i'd push it farther, give him a huge walking stick and a rediculously large belt buckle!

EnnuiVee: You might have to look a horse for reference but I think its legs are too short and i love the look on his face!

Hunkulus: lookin good so far

artina: I like his face and the pose you picked but the folds in his cothes look too round, i'm not sure how to explain it.

durkvandulmen: the broom and the oven mitt, very origional, i love it!!

[dirkvandulmen]

wip ...

[Meon]

Trevor, you always amaze me :D cant wait for the final!


some wips.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v697/Espengenin/theoutlaw3wip.jpg

and this is how far ive gotten, id love some critiques! :D
the second one is just a sketch.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v697/Espengenin/theoutlawwip4.jpghttp://img.photobucket.com/albums/v697/Espengenin/badsketchoutlaw.jpg

[blau]

Sidharth Chaturvedi: I think that horse looks huge from that point of view.
dirkvandulmen: that looks awesome. Vote. Wait, not yet

My update. The hand doesn't want to cooperate. I think I'll have the gun instead of the bottle there anyway.

http://img268.imageshack.us/img268/858/55112529.jpg

[manimatron82]

So many awesome entries! I love the western/gunslinger genre. I'm moving this weekend, so I doubt I'll be able to finish, but I thought I'd share the work I started at lunch. C&C is always more than welcome.

[Dan!]

Nichols- Great looking piece, love where its going - I'd check your reference for that shotgun however- the angles around the hinge point and hammers looks a bit wonky.

[Giorge]

so far so good here is where i stand , needs little bit more finishing touches and its up :P

great job everybody

676741

[Reymus]

a lot more fixing up, but here's an update.

[NicHolS]

Nichols- Great looking piece, love where its going - I'd check your reference for that shotgun however- the angles around the hinge point and hammers looks a bit wonky.

thanks mate, will do! you entering this round? im planning to refine it and finish it off tonight if i can if not tomorrow... but have been crook all week so it will depend how im feeling... damn whooping cough has knocked me sideways for over 2 weeks now

[RichLyons]

a wip, really enjoying this thread. The guide lines were tight but the out comes are very different.

[darklogik]

Here is where Im sitting, hows it going?

Love alot the of different directions here.

[trevor]

Trevor: looks awesome, I like what you did with the light coming through his wings but i'm a bit lost as to why there are wings behind him?
.

the angel of death is behind him
you dont see the hood?
not only has he shot his cheating opponent but he has taken a bullet as well
not sure who death is there for yet

ESPEN!
i want to see how you started the image if you have your base sketch show me you asked for crits and i think any issues with the image start there
his proportions/ anatomy need to be solid before you start throwing in detail
colors look good so far tho

[S.C. Watson]

some sweet work here, people.

~S

[DImanic]

I feel rude that I havent been commenting, I must apologise but I'm preoccupied with my painting because it's the furtherst I've ever got and I dont want to lose momentum.
Someone previously mentioned that the arms and legs were too short, I am actually thinking the head maybe too big.

[no_name_brand]

refining more and about to jump into colour.

[Adam Schumpert]

Wow there really are some awesome images coming along here! I can't wait to see everyone's finals.

Slight update for me... playing around with what colors I'm wanting to use. I'm still not sure I'm going to get this one done. I've got a pretty full schedule over the next couple of days, but I'm hoping I can pull out a few more hours to finish this up.

676967

Take care,
Adam

[Meon]

Hey Trevor, thanks for the critique, unfortunately i didnt save before i was at number 1 in that "wip picture", but you're totally right about the super wonky anatomy/proportion stuff.

so i started on a new one, with a diffrent perspective! Critiques are MOST welcome :D

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v697/Espengenin/wipoutlaw.jpg

how far ive gotten:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v697/Espengenin/outlaw2copy3.jpg

[Aly Fell]

some sweet work here, people.

~S
Quoted for agreement. Pulling out the stops peeps!

[Joshaft]

Here's my lineart so far. Going to try to get this one colored...

[openanewworld]

Amber Alexander, thanks I take your critique man nice one I change his hand on the bottle, instead pulling the wine to the group, he raise his bottle up to bless the soul of people he killed to hell quicker

http://conceptart.org/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=677088&stc=1&d=1242980911

[Quike Garcia]

Wow, I'd loved to enter this one...

Wonderful work here!!

[Tommoy]

Nice work all.
Comment on a few.
Nichols, super, although i wonder if the huge boots are intentional, they seem a bit out of proportion.
Dirk, haha lol, great take on the topic, maybe tweak a little to get the upper and lower part of his left arm and right leg more in proportion.
Giorge, great action and movement, I feel the outlaws right arm needs to be angled different somehow. Also the sherifs rightarm looks a bit strange, but thats not finished yet.
Richlions, very funny, awesome character. But the head of the horse???
Adam, wonderful setting, I was wondering if the gun is pointing in the right direction if he aimed on the shot person in the mirror but that could be nitpicking.
Joshaft, cute drawing.
Openanewworld, it seems like he is sitting to far back on his horse, could also be the foreshortening of the horse.

[Adam Schumpert]

Tommoy Thanks for the heads up about the gun, I'll try to fix that when I get a chance. :teeth:

Got a little bit more done...
677203

[pipmonkey]

So this is my first post in the CHOW forum. I am not sure if i'm doing this right but wanted to take part. I am the most undisciplined person in the world so it is rare for me to follow a character drawing through till the end, but I am hoping to use this forum, and this site, to get more disciplined and to improve my skills in general.

I like this piece but it does kind of look like three different old men who vaguely look a like. And the pose is a bit weak. i had some facial reference but not any chair reference so it's not quite there, he should be way more hunched over. I also wanted to put a massive bomb under his chair so 'that' would be his last stand. In my head the native american girl is his daughter, who now cares for him, something happened in his past and she is a bittersweet reminder of it.

Anyway here it is. Please crit away at it. I know it could be iimproved and I know it's not finished. I am not sure if i will take this piece any further, but it has been a learning experience.

http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h160/pipmonkey/cowboycopy.jpg

[Giorge]

Ah ... done! , and it was worth it , i felt like i just read a book , and found so many new things.

Here are the wips , the finished piece is in the finalist thread , wish you guys good luck with your pieces , cant wait to see all the finalists

Ill try to do some critiques after i rest a while , need a clear mind

677256

cheers and good luck

[NickTrip]

Here's what I've got cooking for this week.
It seems very unlikely that I'll be able to finish this, but I'm going to give it my best go.

The idea here is to subtly have the outlaw in defeat.

[Joshaft]

Lineart with background. Trying to figure out how I want to proceed with colors...

[Liv]

Cool round! :D I have done way to few males in the past.. but Im gonna give this a try. So far all Ive got is this (very) rough lineart but I hope Ill be able to sort it out before sunday.

[Matt Smith]

I should have been doing character of the week years ago. I have been a bad boy.

[Cyr]

Pipmonkey, do a Google Image search on "antique wheelchair".

The chair you've got pictured here is closer to the modern, tubular-steel wheelchair. Antique wheelchairs were wooden, and almost all straight-angle board-&-slab design; they had more in common with an Adirondack Chair than a modern wheelchair.

[manimatron82]

Had some more time today to work on this. wip2:

[darklogik]

Just trying to find the last few tweaks he needs, and suggestions and comments would be great. Thanks

[Lotta]

I suspect mine is a bit too dark, and he looks too much like a nice grandpa or santa... looking good everybody...
this is a wip. hopefully I'll get sumthin finished.
http://i304.photobucket.com/albums/nn184/Lotta_90/seta5.jpg

[ianthegeek]

This is about as far as i have got. Probably wont get an opportunity to touch this until monday now and i know there are a number of things that aren't quite right yet.
Ah well. That's life :)

[Artofinca]

got several favorites already :)
here is mine wip

[ArtbyWard]

Heres my wip, I hope I can finish! If anyone has crits I am very pleased to hear them :)

[openanewworld]

Tommoy, thanks for your critique I will pay more attention of the perspective, but now I am still mucking around the color http://conceptart.org/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=678411&stc=1&d=1243097686

[kevin mayle]

http://i661.photobucket.com/albums/uu333/kevinmayle52/Outlaw.jpg

http://i661.photobucket.com/albums/uu333/kevinmayle52/Outlaw-WIP-1.jpg
http://i661.photobucket.com/albums/uu333/kevinmayle52/Outlaw-WIP-2.jpg

[kevin mayle]

http://i661.photobucket.com/albums/uu333/kevinmayle52/CHOW-159-Outlaw.jpg

[Flipnastywebby]

A few fun crits before I gotta get back to work…….

Pipmonky:: lovin the ink brush
Giorge :: I was interested by you first sketch and was curious how the final was going to turn out and I will say this…..very pleased that you changed the first to a fish hook. Nasty move man I love it!
Nichols:: what can I say its sexy and a very well thought out character of the week…..and your Avatar….haha love the itouch glare :pirate:
Dirkvandulmen :: I laughed for a good three minutes….dont know if you were going for that but its hilarious. Your rending is executed well too. I dunno if its too late but I would love to see some duel light sources on him. Just to break up the plastic feel it has. I know it is stylized but a little colorized rim light never hurt nothin’ 
Adam schumpert :: im excited for the final. You’ve grown so much in the last 6 months its sickening. Keep that momentum up sir!
Trevor :: I like the thought process behind it, would love to see it finished.

Everybody else….ill get to ya’ll Monday when the finals are posted.


As an observation ::

This has now turned more into Illustration of the week rather than Character of the week, or so it would seem. This, I think is wonderful as it challenges everyone out there to really push their skillz as an artist. That being said, some of the better illustrations ive been seeing are starting to rely more on the environment than the character to fill the brief, or so it seems. Granted, I would feel compelled to rock an illustration with interacting elements over creating something that looks just like 50 other identical somethings just in my style.
As a finishing point, the character interacts with his/her enviro just as much as the enviro does with them…..soooooo I guess what I am saying is from CHOW 001 to the current present, this thread has evolved into a whole different beast and its made us all better for it 

Keep on rockin it!

[Amber Alexander]

As an observation ::

This has now turned more into Illustration of the week rather than Character of the week, or so it would seem. This, I think is wonderful as it challenges everyone out there to really push their skillz as an artist. That being said, some of the better illustrations ive been seeing are starting to rely more on the environment than the character to fill the brief, or so it seems. Granted, I would feel compelled to rock an illustration with interacting elements over creating something that looks just like 50 other identical somethings just in my style.
As a finishing point, the character interacts with his/her enviro just as much as the enviro does with them…..soooooo I guess what I am saying is from CHOW 001 to the current present, this thread has evolved into a whole different beast and its made us all better for it 

Keep on rockin it!

I've noticed the same thing that its turned less into concept art and more into illustration (we're more worried about an interesting pose rather then the character) and maybe eventually we could even get them split into separate forums, for example character of the week be just that, character concept, no background and maybe even include model sheets sometimes and illustration be completely different. Its just a thought but don't get me wrong, I absolutely love these and my work is better for being here.

[matejkovacic]

Nice round and a lot of good work from all of you. I agree about the
illustration and character being separate contests.
My WIP, as much as I managed to do today. Comments welcome!

[Dan!]

ok last iteration for the weekend.

[mojokingbee]

sweet entries from everyone. I wasn't happy with what I had so re-started from scratch...with luck I'll get it done by tonight.
http://i117.photobucket.com/albums/o57/mojokingbee26/Chow_159_finalrough.jpg

http://i117.photobucket.com/albums/o57/mojokingbee26/Chow_159_wip5.jpg

[NicHolS]

I've noticed the same thing that its turned less into concept art and more into illustration (we're more worried about an interesting pose rather then the character) and maybe eventually we could even get them split into separate forums, for example character of the week be just that, character concept, no background and maybe even include model sheets sometimes and illustration be completely different. Its just a thought but don't get me wrong, I absolutely love these and my work is better for being here.

yeah i totally agree actually, i do think there is a good place in the chow for things like presentation and composition and picking suitably fitting poses for each character but it should still support the character and not just look pretty for the heck of it. the focal point should be the character itself just like the eow on the environments and cow for creatures. they have rules which ensure the cow's arent always biped and character like, and the eow must have its focal point on the landscape and not its characters. maybe something suitable would be worth adding to the chow along the same lines? i know ive commented on a few reminding them to focus on the character and not just the illustrative quality.

heres mine, will no doubt be the final unless anyone can pick it to shreds... thanks to all those who gave feedback already, its definately a much stronger image for it.

adam

[JaneM]

Oh heck, I am so late!

[JaneM]

Got some colour on...

[JaneM]

And racing ahead with more background and minor adjustments...

[Claudio Grassi]

Amazing round everyone!!! Looking good..Im sorry I wasn't able to participate in the forum but Ill try to post something for final burning....

Anyhow I really wanted to put in my 2 cents regarding the CHOW v Illo OW discussion that is forming. I have to agree that the focus seems to be less and less on the character and more on the overall illustration. I would like to see CHOW remain more about the character and costume and overall design..however I also have to agree with Flipnastywebby in that having very talented people rock-out amazing illustrations helps motivate all of us to improve, and ultimately, as great as it would be to sport a little CHOW icon on my avatar, this is more about furthering our skills, and sharing ideas. So I guess Im on the fence...but one thing is certain: CHOW is shitloads of fun! :yayca:

Good luck to all!

[Razorleaf]

I think this is one of THE best CHOWs yet! The characters are excellent. Two thumbs up to everyone who has participated. I can't wait to place my vote. :)

[JaneM]

KuGu: I also agree that character design is character design, and not environment design. I believe that many pieces here win because they have this wonderful surroundings as well. But then again, it's not really about winning... ;)

Anyway, I've started to chisel out the guy now:

[englishduke]

Had some extra time and decided to scrap my last piece and try somthing new. Let me know if its an improvment or not. I have to believe it is since I hate the last one HA

http://i144.photobucket.com/albums/r180/englishduke/gunslinger2_finished.jpg

[daestwen]

Okay guys,

The Character vs. Illustration has been a standard problem here basically from the beginning, so I understand the argument. Unfortunately there is no clear way to deal with it.

We do sometimes put in rules like "must be an orthographic design" but the problem is these restrictions always end up restricting the number of entries.

We do have some measures in place - like the 3/4ths rule. We have to be able to see most of the character to have it count as a character design. But beyond that we don't really have the same kind of way to focus as cow and eow do - both of them focus down by saying what you *can't* do. Cow and Eow are NOT about character, that's the rule that it boils down to for those, so they can easily monitor for it.

Yes, I can say "chow cannot be an eow or a cow", but the entries really aren't suffering from that problem, and I would get a lot of people saying "well no duh". :P

I suppose I could make a rule saying "if I think it is too focused on illustration rather than design, I will cut it". But how do I enforce that? And how do I draw a clear cut, easily understandable line for what's too far an illustration, and what's not?

Or, with some of those who do awesome illustrations, but the character design is awesome as well? Do I cut them because they made a painting that works as a painting as well as a design?

I know well enough by now that cutting arbitrarily really doesn't work in chow. People are very very passionate about this contest and so I try to make sure that if I cut people it's for clear cut, understandable reasons that are easily explained. I'm not sure how that would apply to a 'not too illustrative, please' rule.

If you have suggestions for figuring that out, by all means, I would like to hear them. But please keep them to the discussion thread that is stickied. It's not really an discussion I would like to go into in a normal thread, and if you put it in the appropriate thread then I will have an easier time finding the suggestions at a later date.

Thanks.

[NickTrip]

I'ave got an update. In the first one I've blocked in the values, and the second the hands and head are done. Hopefully I'll finish up this stage before the end of the day.

[hungryan]

679661

2 WIPS. He had a face, but I didn't like it. Will keep it in a sketchy style. Hope to finish tomorrow.

[Liv]

updated wip. I just might be able to finish on time, maybe.

*edit* added mustache ^^

[Marco Mazzoni]

Well it looks like the mob has spoken. Turns out illustration and concept art ARE mutually exclusive. Hmm, don't tell my employer...

I've always looked to these challenges help to grow as an artist and to try and have some fun in the process. I assure you that I'm not here to try to change the rules by drawing some guy on a horse from a low angle, I'm just trying to keep things interesting for myself. I mean, I guess I could sit here and argue about what you guys think "concept art" actually is, but I'd rather just get back to drawing pretty things for the heck of it.

Anyway, in the interest of avoiding drama at the polls, I'm out. Have fun.

[NicHolS]

instead of cutting maybe people should just spot them early, if no one tells the person then maybe its considered fine? i think marco should still enter his this week tho as i really enjoy his weekly participation and wouldnt want him to miss out this round. just my 2 cents...


Okay guys,

The Character vs. Illustration has been a standard problem here basically from the beginning, so I understand the argument. Unfortunately there is no clear way to deal with it.

We do sometimes put in rules like "must be an orthographic design" but the problem is these restrictions always end up restricting the number of entries.

We do have some measures in place - like the 3/4ths rule. We have to be able to see most of the character to have it count as a character design. But beyond that we don't really have the same kind of way to focus as cow and eow do - both of them focus down by saying what you *can't* do. Cow and Eow are NOT about character, that's the rule that it boils down to for those, so they can easily monitor for it.

Yes, I can say "chow cannot be an eow or a cow", but the entries really aren't suffering from that problem, and I would get a lot of people saying "well no duh". :P

I suppose I could make a rule saying "if I think it is too focused on illustration rather than design, I will cut it". But how do I enforce that? And how do I draw a clear cut, easily understandable line for what's too far an illustration, and what's not?

Or, with some of those who do awesome illustrations, but the character design is awesome as well? Do I cut them because they made a painting that works as a painting as well as a design?

I know well enough by now that cutting arbitrarily really doesn't work in chow. People are very very passionate about this contest and so I try to make sure that if I cut people it's for clear cut, understandable reasons that are easily explained. I'm not sure how that would apply to a 'not too illustrative, please' rule.

If you have suggestions for figuring that out, by all means, I would like to hear them. But please keep them to the discussion thread that is stickied. It's not really an discussion I would like to go into in a normal thread, and if you put it in the appropriate thread then I will have an easier time finding the suggestions at a later date.

Thanks.

[mechashiva]

I still need to power through the rest of this - I do the face and then get bored. :I I think his proportions are craaazzzyyy off, so his whole body might get redone. + his clothes look kind of boring.

679785

ETA: yeahhh, I like this one a little better.

679804

[Claudio Grassi]

instead of cutting maybe people should just spot them early, if no one tells the person then maybe its considered fine? i think marco should still enter his this week tho as i really enjoy his weekly participation and wouldnt want him to miss out this round. just my 2 cents...

I agree Marco...dont bail out dude...your pic is both fantastic and inspirational..If all the talented artists start pulling out because they can no longer let loose creatively then we all lose....AND, I myself will no longer post my awesome art either :confident...just kidding, I suck.:[

[matejkovacic]

Marco I think your character is great and since administrator is supporting the pose
as it also helps tell something about the character and makes us more creative,
please put your picture in the poll.

[DImanic]

So much to do still and so little time left.

[BlackGuy]

Well it looks like the mob has spoken. Turns out illustration and concept art ARE mutually exclusive. Hmm, don't tell my employer...

I've always looked to these challenges help to grow as an artist and to try and have some fun in the process. I assure you that I'm not here to try to change the rules by drawing some guy on a horse from a low angle, I'm just trying to keep things interesting for myself. I mean, I guess I could sit here and argue about what you guys think "concept art" actually is, but I'd rather just get back to drawing pretty things for the heck of it.

Anyway, in the interest of avoiding drama at the polls, I'm out. Have fun.

I agree with the others man, there's no need to pull out. Your post inspired me to start thinking about drama and dynamism more often. In fact your post made me embarrassed about my entry! You should definitely submit.

[Marco Mazzoni]

Shit, you guys will have to forgive me, my hangover chose my words for me and I came across sounding pretty cranky/whiny.

It's really not a big deal or anything, it's just that I've seen this happen in previous CHOWs where the validity of a piece that goes to poll is hotly debated because it's more of an illustration. Seemed this was heading in that direction and I honestly just didn't want to be in the middle of it. That's all.

It's been a great round and I'm still going try and make time for crits, though it'll probably happen after the poll.

[JessiBean]

When CHOW asks for strict character concepts (orthos, etc.) people don't participate. If people wanted that so badly, hop in on those rounds.

So long as the illo gives a sense of character, I say rock on - nothing bad about setting a scene/tone/story beat, it is often very important in concept. If your character is so weak it gets lost in the bg, THEN we have an issue. Focus on the CHARACTER. The rest is like a bonus, you can do it or not, it's cool either way.

Marco, I think your piece is/was stunning.
Sweet round, looking forward to the poll.

[S.C. Watson]

Regarding the "too illustrative" issue surrounding Chow at the moment, I'd like to remind people that we have a Guidelines Thread here (http://conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?t=117390).

To quote form those guidelines:

Background imagery NOT NECESSARY unless indicated by the brief.
Otherwise feel free to include it.

What this means: Include a background image or not. It's up to you. Unless the brief says otherwise.
Why: Backgrounds are not the focus of CHOW.


No sketches for finals - we want finished work, just like the rest of the Weeklies.

What this means: Finished work is a fairly relative term. Review some of Wes Burt's or Marko's work (or John Singer Sargent for that matter) to see drawings that technically are sketches, but would be accepted in CHOW.
Why: For our purposes here, a sketch is a unfinished thought. A drawing (including artistically unfinished ones) are a complete thought - either completed by the artist, or by the viewer.

Simply put, we have a wide, wide spread of skill levels that enter Chow. If you can pull off a fully rendered, fully illustrated piece, do so, so long as it stays on target.

You can do an Ortho of your character if you want, so long as it meets the brief criteria.

HOW you approach Chow is up to you. Work to your strengths. If you're in game design, or want to be, submit the characters as you would to your potential AD. It's a good way to build your portfolio. So long as the character is identifiable, you shouldn't have a problem.

~Shane

edit - And seriously, let's move this to the discussion thread (http://www.conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?t=123393&page=3)now.

[NickTrip]

I've got my greyscale completed now. I just hope I have enough time to do my color glaze and post it before I have to go to work.

[Phaethon]

Okay - one more post before I put this sucker up for real. Any comments or critiques would be greatly appreciated. Here are some comments on the last few entries:

NickTrip: I hate to tell you at this late stage, but I think his right arm is too short. Is it supposed to be foreshortened? Good composition, though - it's got a nice strong diagonal. Also, I like his hat.

NZOB1: You've got a promising start on his face, but you need to deal with his hair and beard as single objects, rather than splitting them up into individual hairs. Think of his hair more as a mass with highlights and shadows.

Liv: That is one ugly sonofabitch. Good work.

JaneM: He looks a bit young for the prompt. Also, the proportions outside the head and chest seem funky - too short arms, too long legs. You had him pinned down better in your earlier ones.

NicHolS: Love that snarl. This guy oozes personality.

Dan!: The Coke poster is too prominent - I'm focusing on it way more than on the character.

IceMoon: I can almost hear the gunshot. Don't tighten it up too much - it'll stiffen the scene and you'll lose that dynamism.

ianthegeek: That horse is enormous. Dig the clothing, though.

[~baxter]

A lot of nice work all around!

Memorial day plans got dropped on me, so I'm going to have to drop from this one. Wish I hustled earlier in the week :P

[Phuzion]

Aw man, I totally blanked on this one! I wonder if I could pull something out by... 2pm Pacific... Ugh. It was such a good topic too!

Cheers,
~daniel

[Razorleaf]

I've wanted to participate in this Chow all week but didn't have the time .... but I woke up this morning and thought I'd see how far I could get in a day anyway. :)

[Giorge]

So i decided to make some critiques as it is popper and decent

Adam Schumpert - that's a nice idea , but it has many anatomic problems and perspective problems , for instance , the lower part of the body is to big in proportion to the other half , and even if he is in perspective , leaning back on the counter , his body cant possibly be that small, his busted shoulder looks to big compared to the other one with looks normal

Marco Mazzoni - the shot is very good and dramatic , but is less character and more horse belly

NicHolS - nice , i see you put lots of time in your composition and that's really interesting and nice, but somehow you didn't put to much attention on your character , haha he looks like that old country singer that i don't know his name, or that guy from ghost rider, nice feel there , more attention to the character!

Johann de Venecia - nice piece there m8 , like the colors ,like his looks , one thing though , heel too too far away maybe you should have brought him more in front , i mean he's the center of interest , but he's to far away , and now he's just part of the nature

YihyoungLi - lol , why the hell is he a hippie , the character is positioned at the beginning of xx century , no hippies then "And bare in mind he is now part of the early twentieth century."

openanewworld - man , looks good , clean , same as Johann de Venecia , maybe you should have brought the character closer to see what he's about

Tommoy - more attention on anatomy , and the material of cloth and how it raps around the character , so far it feels fluffy and soft

RichLyons - still waiting to see what you have for us m8 , so far i like it , and even though the character is character and horse , it really kicks to the front

posh - don't you have enough chows on the shelf as it is , haha , can't wait to see what you bring to the table

Phaethon - damn it man! he has a mini cannon in his hand , that gun is to big , his face in kinda messed up (anatomically speaking) , and the shadows , don't quite fit the scene

cheers to all and good luck , may the best "character" win

[daestwen]

Hey guys, just a head's up.

Poll will be delayed tonight by at least 4 or five hours. I forgot it was my dad's birthday today so I have to take him out to dinner. :P So enjoy the short extension!

[NickTrip]

I figure while the poll is delayed I'd also post my finish up here. Any and all comments and crits are welcomed.
Everyone's work looks great!

[Flipnastywebby]

ok now.....clarification time.....
marco, my apologies about this man. your chow is pimp...like with a big ol hat, coat, belt and cane pimp.
my reaction was more towards illos like openanewworld (and might i add is also a great illo)
you wouldnt know the dude was badass without the background
you would think that he was just a drunk washed up cow boy on a horse.
because of the fire you now think, damn this mofo has some skill even drunk.
thats an example of the bg helping fill out the brief(or add to the character)

also.....the illos that exploded out of peoples heads are wonderful. i meant to compliment the artists who can rock that hard and fast and push the rest of us to step up.
by no means should the chow be changed(my opinion)
the other thing i ment to say is that; I feel like this is one of the only competitions on this thread in which the original idea of chow evolved into something wonderful all because of the drive the artists participating. they gave life to a wonderful community of artists striving to become the best they can.
So keep pushing, keep rocking, and keep creating!

Kugu, rumor has it your art doesnt suck :pirate: