Chow 160 :: Erica, Zombie-Slayer

[ThaDeus]

When i started ,i didn't reaaly know where i go .... so this work isn't good enough for me but i will continue to work hard ... i think i could do better ....

Thanks everyone, this exercice is so good for me !!!Emulation is the word !

Grandmassa Mr. Spect : i like your style !!! very inspiring lighting ... and killing a zombie with a fork ahah ,that's a challenge ;)

openanewworld : amazing work !!! What can i say ? Great sense of detail (as always) ,strong shapes ,very dynamic action in one single picture !!! She's like an amazon of hell ;)

Phuzion : very good line !i can't to see another step to the final stage ,your work is so cool ;)

Squidmonk3j : Well ,i love the illustrative aspect of your picture !and your color scheme is so good ... please continue !!! ;)

Emerging : Waouh !!!! your picture hurts for real ;)

AvisNocturna :Very poetic picture ... it remembers me Blade Runner's mood ,don't know why ... i want more ;)

Kugu:very strong undertanding of anatomy,i love it !!! can't wait to see your final work !


Bangalore Monkey :Like an old Amiga game's cover ;) I like it a lot!!!


Rodimus25 :Very dynamic image ...and she looks so angry ;)

Cosmitron : AHHHH ! I can't say anything else !!!She's the cutest zombie killer i've ever seen ......

Moski : I like your work ,especialy the third b/w Sketch ,so detailed ... your sketchbook is amazing !!!

Muninn :When my girlfriend saw your picture ,she told me that she was amazed by your capacity to tell a complete story in one single picture !! and i totally agree !!And your rendering is blowing my mind ...Can't wait to see the final contribution .

Well ,i really need to work ,but i'm still learning ;)

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[Phuzion]

A slight update... I think I might be sticking with a nail bat, since that sort of says Zombie-Apocalypse more than a gun... but she still has her pistol too, and some nice leather pants :P

Cheers,
~d

[bangalore_monkey]

whoo, this one's moving fast, great stuff everyone. here are some more comments.

ikuru- cool stuff. i like the hockey stick, don't think anyone thought of that.
agou- the outfit is great. i'm also really digging her expression.
Taimic-good start to the chow. maybe not the best angle to showcase the character.
Arthemis IX- that's a lot of blood. i like the sort of futuristic look this has, i don't know what's giving me that impression.
emerging- great rendering. though I'm still confused as to whether he is a zombie, and why she shot him in the balls if the tv said otherwise.
Sulk-Sal-reminds me of baroness from gi joe, with the glasses in the sketch. cool weapons!
Migsta - i really like how you finished this one off. draws attention to erica.
Reymus-perhaps to late to mention, but i find the similarity between the two characters distracting, and detrimental to the character as it puts her on the same level as the zombie.
tonysaurus-cool scene, hope to see more. though that gun reminds me way too much of rob liefeld's, i almost expect her to have pouches all over her outfit.
Markusthebarbarian-i'm really digging the background. also, what a great character. i'm liking it.
KuGu- great scene. i like the cigarette butts, an interesting touch.
Angelsway257- Nice! i like everything about it, her face, both their poses, Robert's outfit. hope to see a final.
Rodimus25- i think it helps that she's not so short. i like the cartoony look to it. i find myself missing her swords though.
NZOB1- great job with the pose, but i just don't know if an action shot is the best way to present a character design. i really like the magazine idea, however.
Sekino- Great! i like everything, especially the style, refreshingly different.
Phaethon- great action and anatomy. ha, that zombie in the bg looks scared.
darklogik- great background, perhaps have it look a little more apoctalyptic, ya know, papers on the ground, broken windows, dead bodies (coming to life), the usual.
squidmonk3j - a little late, but i like it overall. the only thing, she seems way to stiff. i like what you did with the fiance btw.
dawnusllaw- aww, too bad. i like the original. suppose you're right thogh.
MassDet- always jump at the chance to draw a zombie! it's good but a little too pinup-ish for me.
pahavasa- great concept, a lot of thought behind it. however, she doesn't seem all that concerned about the horde of zombies about to devour her, perhaps some more action?
Missile- poshspice is right, getting down exactly what you want before you continue to the final is a HUGE time saver and makes the process a lot less frustrating.
IIKII- i agree about losing a little life from sketch to painting. also, i can't really tell what's happening. where is she, what is the explosion behind her, and where is this turquoise glow coming from? just some things that if answered in the final, will make for a better piece as a whole.
pipmonkey- not a big fan of the first version, but i like the severed head one, especially her expression.
blau- looking good. though she feels a little off balance. maybe a wider stance?
dirkvandulmen- love the crumpled zombie body behind her. nice solid design.
Lotta- i know it's just a wip, but i have no idea what's happening. and, just an idea, a more dynamic angle would improve it as an illustration.
masanyo- ha, those better be heavy duty staples.
Tommoy - you have definitely achieved the spooky atmosphere. great Stuff!
elliste- ha, made me laugh. though i don't know if there would be any expression on the severed head of a zombie... but who cares it's fun.
Grandmassa Mr. Spect- i don't know, seems very rough. and why is there so much texture in certain places. some great anatomy and a good scene, but it needs cleaning up.
lkjhgfdsa- nice and unique.
Sidharth Chaturvedi- i like the idea of the backpack, also the staring contest between her and her fiance.:)
openanewworld- super cool! love all the little details, and the fact they're ripping her clothes off, made me lol. i think we may have a winner
Phuzion- another great one. just really like the feel of this one!
Meon- i like it, her face especially!
quantumrat - yeah, maybe too much smoke. but i like the character.
SunRoamer- haha, great. much clearer, what she's doing. agian, i would just put her in the usual setting of those ads, in the house, but outside it's the apocalypse. you decide, i feel like i'm hijacking your piece.
ThaDeus- i like it, though she seems a little smooshed horizontally, probably just a stylistic choice, but a little distracting.

this is going to be a good one.

[ikuru]

thanks for the feedback guys! love to hear what u think! :)

darklogik, I like ur painting, think it needs some attention on her weight and balance (she is falling over atm), her upper right arm is a bit too short and shoulder is a bit off. I made a paintover for u, hope it helps!
/D

[Claudio Grassi]

@ Phuzion: Those leather pants make alll the difference! U_U super hot :D

@ ThaDeus: Thank you ^_^ I love the textures you are using in your piece, and the broom...hilarious :teeth:...since Im such a n00b, my stuff still has the "digital" look but Ill work on becoming fresher! :P

@ SunRoamer: The idea is very clever..ironing zombies...straightening them out, as it were ;) but the BG is waaay too overpowering...considering her actions, just put her in her living room and add a couple of extra zombies, starched, ironed and folded :D

@ quantumrat: The last crop might get you booted from the final poll...and besides you're throwing away half your work :D...The hand on the gun looks great, the other one..needs a little work, Im sure you can find some refs online... good job on the smoke ;)

@ Ghostbrush: great action scene..but poor girl...between the angle of the pic, the recoil of the gun, her poor footing and the twisting action, the girl is going down U_U ehehe, nice lighting tho :P

@ Meon: Nice start! I think you may have to move her right leg (our left) out a bit more to balance her stance...just nit pickin' :)

@ Grandmassa Mr. Spect: Respect for the cool lighting, excellent anatomy and busy scene!

@ darklogik: Lotsa fun! :P The only crit I can think of is that given what she's wearing (which is perfectly fine) she looks a bit too young..but otherwise very cool!

@ Sidharth Chaturvedi: Nice quiet piece in contrast with the rest...I would add a little more light on the z's face to bring out some of the structures better....but then again, I'd probably get them wrong ;)

@ squidmonk3j: I really like the drawing here...the colors seem a bit dark, but it's too early to tell...the zombie in the side-car with a helmet on, cracks me up! :D

@ Markusthebarbarian: I really like your piece, but the thing that puzzles me is, do her guns shoot light :?: I cant see the barrels ..eheheh

@ Lotta: I agree w missile, she looks like she's tipping forward..and the z's face is comically large and grotesque :) if erica is throwing something...look up some baseball pitcher photos to see the range of motion. hope it helps.

@ Migsta: ehehe..is she holding her gun Gangsta' style? :D she's making sure she can get the zombie on the 3:10 to yuma! :o

@ openanewworld: The composition is crap. the figure is crap. the action is crap. the colors are gonna be crap..just quit already! :teeth: amazing! cant wait to see it finished!

@ tonysaurus: nice colors! I like her make-up too..but her hands look a bit small, also the FT's nozzle is faaar too large, but strangely it looks good :) I would just resize the hands a bit

@ Marsch: Where are the turtles? does she use them as weapons ? :o

@ lkjhgfdsa: First erica that actually looks older...very nice start..I like that she had both goggles and sunglasses! :)

@ Sekino: Sweet! ahahah her face is precious!!!

@ Tydal: Hard to crit at this stage, but I would point out the feet.theyre a bit large and out of perspective..otherwise its a good start!

@ Reymus: I see youre using some "bounce light" on her face, but its making it look like a 5 o'clock shadow...also there seems too be too little contrast overall. Its a bit late but I wish both figures werent walking with the same posture....seems a bit akward...but I like her design, very necromunda :)

@ ikuru: oooOOH!! fresh style..a bit young looking but otherwise really nice. love the hockey stick..I was thinking of doing a field hockey stick on mine but scrapped it later.

@ Sulk-Sal: Dang! that's one mad max-ine looking chick! bad-ass...cant wait for the finished piece.

@ Raffix: Hello. its too early to really say anythinng constructive other than to consider the shape and mass of the hair..it looks very ratty..but it could be waht you were going for...post an update :) and welcome!

@ elliste: Batter-up! pow! :D thew only thing thats a bit off is her calm and complacent expression...give her a mood! :@ ehehe

@ pahavasa: Cool scene...the machete looks especially good...the one thing that kinda bugs me is that the main zombie looks like hes made out of wood ... :P Im sure color will kill the illusion ;)

@ Tommoy: Wow, this has gone thru some changes! And I gotta say, I like the cross much better than the shotg. Makes a LOT more sense...not that it HAS to make sense...but Im pragmatic like that. ;)

@ masanyo: thats..thats my swingline stapler...I was told I could keep my stapler if i....thats mine. :D fun piece!


Phew..thats all I can type for now as its dinner time... heres an update..Ive almost finished the figure and Im waaay behind..hope I can finish the BG by monday. I dont know if Ill give her long hair or not...either way I added her pink I-pod Mi ...wireless headphones and wifi connection for direct music d/l. and her livestrong bracelet...plus other junk. ;)

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[SMILEFACE]

thanks for the comments everybodies ROCK'N IT!!!

i still gotta rename the files... that will prob take longer than make'n the pic:D

all yall RRRRRRRRRRROOOOOCCCCCK!!!

[manni]

phew, cool stuff going on here. will take ages for me to get there :)
still, as sad as it sounds, i'm quite happy with the current outcome, for it's my first digital painting, and i'm still struggling with the basics. so i guess, back to the anatomy studies for me :lifedrawing:

[Matt Smith]

Finished sketch. Hopefully I will be able to finish the coloring by monday.

[Leo Ki]

That thread is awesome! I wanted to comment on every post but there are so many that I ended up skipping a lot. I'll write more crits during the week end.

ThaDeus - The coloring technique looks great, waiting for more. Watch out her left knee (our right) too low.
quantumrat - The crop is nice but we lose much of the character and weapons.
Ghostbrush - I like the composition and dynamics, but she's a bit unbalanced.
Meon - Neat!
Grandmassa Mr. Spect - Great atmosphere.
darklogik - Hehe, so cute. The park meter was funnier though.
Sidharth Chaturvedi - Haha, so glum.
squidmonk3j - She sure looks like a winner.
Markusthebarbarian - Fantastic!
Lotta - Try to make it clearer what she is doing (throwing the wedding ring?) and why.
Migsta - Superb!
Phuzion - Nothing will disturb her, eh?
openanewworld - Yearh! Is it her fiance on the cross?
tonysaurus - An almost melancholic feel to this scene, original.
Reymus - The attitude of the zombie fiance is great, but I don't understand that of Erica.
emerging - Sexy dark humor. The facial expressions are well tuned.
Cosmitron - luvitluvit!
Rodimus25 - Great style!
Muninn - Killer idea! And beautiful.
Poshpice - Edit04!

This is my first chow - my first *ow even.

I started with this first sketch. Early morning in the bathroom, Erica is hearing about the zombie catastrophe on the radio when Robert breaks into the bathroom, already green and rotten. Crying "Robert! This is not you! This is not you!", she uses what is at hand: the curtain rod. (Note to emerging: she aims for the head ;))

684086

Then I wanted something more dynamic. Erica's new job is at a company that develops breakthrough tools for the industry. She snaps the ionic megawelder prototype and cuts her way to nowhere through the raging crowd. I'm afraid I'm off-topic, because that fantasy tool is nothing near-future. I'd be grateful if somebody could tell me whether I should abandon this concept to remain on-topic. I'd also be grateful for any crits to improve.

684087

[Gavage]

Overhauled... everything.

Erica v2.0

...after she was overcome by a horde of vicious zombies in a Bridal Wear Shop while trying on dresses for her fiancée (who was sadly killed in the attack), Erica was saved by paramedics. Unfortunately her dress was no match for teeth - she had been bitten. In a radical move to prevent the spreading of infection, the paramedics removed most of Erica's right leg. Fast forward two months. Erica now spends her days hunting zombies to satisfy the hungry rage caused by the loss of her lover. A circular straw strapped to her thigh controlled by a long wire to her left hand ensures no zombie who comes close will survive to tell the tale. The bridal gown she was wearing on the first day of the apocalypse clings to her in tatters above a set of motorcycle leathers, her only reminder of life before hell.

*cough*

This should prove a lot easier to adjust now. I hope.

Edit: Adding second WIP, replaced random pole with a crutch sharpened into a spear at one end.

[ArtbyWard]

Wow, this must be the round with the most awesome pieces ever!! Heres my wip, trying a bit of a different style for once. Erica as she discovers she can kill a zombie too.

[bangalore_monkey]

Missile-

Evil dead+planet terror. thought i like all the story behind it.

icemoon- but she's wrecked a perfectly good vaio.

[ArtbyWard]

bangalore_monkey: Yeah, perhaps even scarier :P I might change it into a macbook though

[pahavasa]

Thanks for all the feedback!

bangalore_monkey yeah, you're absolutely right. She looks more pissed off than scared, almost as she's facing just another daily nuisance. Even if it's so the image surely would be more powerful with a more tense posture. Will remember that next time!

KuGu, thanks for the criticism! Now that you said it he really does look a bit wood-ish - unfortunately though we have no time to colour this as we're both away from our computers for the next few days, but we'll definitely learn from this. By the way your work is one of our favourites, we really like the composition and the pose. The way her spine is curved and the feeling of weight makes it really plausible. Looking forward to the finished piece.

darklogik, is it just me or is the character leaning a little bit too much on the viewer's left? It looks like she's a bit off balance. Otherwise, great work, the pink works really well. Not sure about the blue shoes, tho.

Grandmassa Mr. Spect, really nice work and use of colour. Looks like she's in a rave-party-gone-wrong, thanks to intense colours.

Ghostbrush, you have great movement in your image, the feeling of space is well-achieved thanks to the three levels of the picture (the hand, the main character, the background characters). One thing that's bugs us is Erica's right hand - the placement of the shoulder indicates that she's firing straight foward, and therefore the rest of her hand looks a bit weird when facing the other direction than the shoulder it's attached to.

Meon, great brushwork, clean but not too clean. Keep it going.

Here's our final shot, 'cause as mentioned earlier, we don't have time to work on this project during the weekend. Had fun and learned a lot, we will certainly attend to these weekly challenges more often from now on!

[darklogik]

Last round of feed back =)

Adjusted the positioning and balance, THANK YOU! made it alot more post apocalyptic and gave it a "from a car" vantage point.

Really have loved this round and all the great work!!!

Thanks

[Cosmitron]

Hi guys! here's an update. I hope I'll find some time to get this done :)
http://bolospoilerman.free.fr/Chow/Step_04.jpg

[Alien Ape Star]

:lifedrawing:

[Sidharth Chaturvedi]

Cosmitron, you rock.

Here's some more progress on this thing.

[Cosmitron]

Cosmitron, you rock.

Here's some more progress on this thing.

Hey mate! Our two Erikas seem to share the same appendix!! :)
Besides I like the tired and cautious attitude of yours. :blahblah:

[bangalore_monkey]

cosmitron, that is looking Great!

what's with all the hearts?

[Cosmitron]

cosmitron, that is looking Great!

what's with all the hearts?
Thanks!

I'm just setting the scene the day Erika discovered she'll be the one.
Warm summer morning, cooking for her boyfriend - though she had no intention to cook her boyfriend - dressed in what could be her past teenage years t-shirt and future housewife kitchen-gown and slippers, hence the hearts.. :D

[bangalore_monkey]

Thanks!

I'm just setting the scene the day Erika discovered she'll be the one.
Warm summer morning, cooking for her boyfriend - though she had no intention to cook her boyfriend - dressed in what could be her past teenage years t-shirt and future housewife kitchen-gown and slippers, hence the hearts.. :D

ah, i thought there might be someting to it , there appears to be one in the zombie goo at her feet.

[Phaethon]

Here's some comments on the last page or so:

Sidharth Chaturvedi: Nice scene! I get a good sense of the character just from that facial expression. The problem is, she looks like a young girl rather than a woman - I think it's because that zombie head is so large compared to her body (and the huge backpack is probably not helping either).

Cosmitron : Awesome. Cool angle, great lighting. My one problem - she seems surprisingly calm, even sultry, about holding her zombie boyfriend's head. The boyfriend seems appropriately upset, though :)

darklogik: Can you go back to before the car vantage point? The character design is cool and I love the street sign, but adding that car is just too much stuff in the frame for me. You need some areas for the eye to rest.

pahavasa: Lookin' good. Maybe nix the fire hose if you have time? I think it's competing for attention with her head.

IceMoon: Cute. And gruesome. Is that supposed to be a laptop or a folder or what?

Missile: Well, that's horrifying. Good story, though. The green - for whatever reason - makes me think she's been zombified.

Leo Ki: The curtain rod is good, but for some reason I'm more drawn to the composition and action in the second sketch. Maybe replace the future gun with a Browning or something?

Matt Smith: Cool. Love the attitude.

manni: As you say, there are some anatomy issues. (Watch the lengths and rotations of her limbs.) Get a good reference and don't even try to paint it until you've got a solid sketch underneath. Keep at it!

KuGu: I liked her better without the hat? Otherwise, it's amazing.

Phuzion: Yeah, stick with the bat. It's a piece of cake to shoot zombies while holding coffee. But bludgeoning them with a bat while holding coffee? That's badass.

SunRoamer: Zombie abuse! Someone should call the ASPCZ. I agree about the background - it's too much. Focus on her face instead. You may also want to dial down the contrast in places.

quantumrat: Crop in on the character - I'm focusing more on that black hole than on her. Her eyes also seem big to me.

And finally, my progress for today. After a couple of false starts with painting, I've decided to "ink" this one as a line drawing. Not sure what I'll do about coloring yet. Any comments/critiques would be greatly appreciated.

[darklogik]

Thanks to everyone for the wonderful help and feedback! Took the Window out, I had the same suspicions about it, so Its gone. Can't wait till the next. Hope to get up enough confidence to feel like I can critique as well soon.

Can't Wait to see the polls =) this one will be good!
:rocker:

[NickTrip]

Ok here's what I've been up to. This is kind of embarrassing, but I think it will be helpful (to me) to post this up. I did this from imagination and yeah... I know; but its been good for showing me what I need to learn. Since all of my misunderstandings are exposed, feel free to rip this to shreds if you're feeling generous.

[lkjhgfdsa]

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a134/jonoy/Speedpaint/lkjhgfdsa_zombiewomaNwip2.jpg
the least sexy Erica yet...

[Sidharth Chaturvedi]

Hey mate! Our two Erikas seem to share the same appendix!! :)
Besides I like the tired and cautious attitude of yours. :blahblah:

Thanks man! Glad you like it. But... mine doesn't have an eggbeater :D.

Phaethon: Thanks for the tip, I shrunk the zombie head size, but I think I'll leave the backpack as it is. Wanted it this way.

Anyway, this is the last bit of the value stuff, now I need to add a setting and color.

[Cosmitron]

ah, i thought there might be someting to it , there appears to be one in the zombie goo at her feet.
Oops! That's true! I guess I can't help it! Must be Spring effect. :)
Cosmitron : Awesome. Cool angle, great lighting. My one problem - she seems surprisingly calm, even sultry, about holding her zombie boyfriend's head. The boyfriend seems appropriately upset, though
Man, she has the slayer stuff in her blood. I know common people would probably over react. But she's Erika and her priority now is to figure out how she'll do her new job properly. :D
Thanks man! Glad you like it. But... mine doesn't have an eggbeater .
Well she should! Everybody should.You'll all realise how useful it is. In time :mod:

[Sidharth Chaturvedi]

Early coloring

[Nele Klumpe]

Sidharth Chaturvedi I like her pose and expression. Watch her age though! Now she looks like she's not even 20 ;)



And an update...
That dress is killing me... I feel like I'm making things worse... D:

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[tron-one]

Sidharth Chaturvedi I like her pose and expression. Watch her age though! Now she looks like she's not even 20 ;)



And an update...
That dress is killing me... I feel like I'm making things worse... D:

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It seems to be coming along very well to me. How is it making things worse?

[Nele Klumpe]

It seems to be coming along very well to me. How is it making things worse?
It's mostly the dress and folds and the colours that tend to get muddy while I'm rendering... but maybe that's just me as l'm looking on the picture so much, ha...

[tron-one]

It's mostly the dress and folds and the colours that tend to get muddy while I'm rendering... but maybe that's just me as l'm looking on the picture so much, ha...

Take a break if you've been working on it for a while. An hour or two zoning out on something else can help you organize your thoughts. Then you can come back with fresh eyes. It always works for me.

[Auren]

First couple wips. Got a late start but I think I'll finish it.

[bangalore_monkey]

lkjhgfdsa- looking good so far. it's bugging me, so i have to mention it, the MP5 tucked in her belt is way too small.

[Gavage]

Six millionth re-design for a less awkward pose. Might make the suit black or red, it looks a little bit too Kill Bill at the moment and that won't do. Crutch is now a cattle prod. ...I can't leave this one alone for some reason but it's proving pretty good practice.

Hm.. when I post my final in the other thread, should I include the other versions as WIPs, or just the stages of this one?

Missile-

Evil dead+planet terror. thought i like all the story behind it.

I haven't actually seen Evil Dead, the idea for the saw leg was inspired by Tokyo Gore Police (a character with arms and legs replaced with samurai swords, and numerous limbs turning into random weapons). I know of Ash (who doesn't?) but in all honesty he didn't cross my mind when making this, I got the idea to use one after seeing one at my dad's shop yesterday.

Darklogik: I secretly wish you'd stuck with the parking meter for a weapon but I like that you still went with something less traditional in the end. Nice use of technology and clothing to keep it just a little bit futuristic without being too mad.

Phaethon: Hehe thanks. The action in yours is very striking (har har?) but it's a shame you can't see all of her - mainly the rest of the leg and the baseball bat she's holding. Will they be included in the final?

AvisNocturna: Lovely! I'm not sure what it is but yours reminds me a lot of Meryl from Metal Gear Solid. I don't see anything wrong with the dress but I'm guessing the dots are a nightmare to blend into the folds, they'll look great when it's done though. It's a little hard to tell although not the most important part of the image - are the backgrounds walls or the sides of buildings?

[blau]

And an update...
That dress is killing me... I feel like I'm making things worse... D:

Yes, I think they looked better before. Now they look like they are painted above the picture, maybe if you paint some of the highlights and shadows of the cloth above the dots, they'll fade back a some.

[Crowsrock]

This one I want to join.
Here are two WIPs.

[Nele Klumpe]

Yes, I think they looked better before. Now they look like they are painted above the picture, maybe if you paint some of the highlights and shadows of the cloth above the dots, they'll fade back a some.

Ah, don't worry, they are on a new layer on which I did not work yet so I could concentrate on the folds :)

Missile: Thanks :) Yeah, they're buildings, did not work on them any further so I think that's going to be the next step :D

[Cosmitron]

Phaethon> However, I've followed your advice, though now she looks constipated. :D
So here's a short update.
http://bolospoilerman.free.fr/Chow/face%20update.jpg

[Aly Fell]

Got to admit Cosmitron, I prefered the previous expression However, it's looking fabulous!

[tron-one]

Gonna side with Posh on that one. I liked her previous expression a lot more. Something mischievous about it.

[Cosmitron]

Poshspice> off topic: Should I use "Nonetheless" rather than "However"? :D

[Cosmitron]

Gonna side with Posh on that one. I liked her previous expression a lot more. Something mischievous about it.
Me too, finally.
But I had to try something :steph:

[tron-one]

Me too, finally.
But I had to try something :steph:

Hurry up with that next update!

[Aly Fell]

Poshspice> off topic: Should I use "Nonetheless" rather than "However"? :D
Haha! Oh yes! Lol!

[ikuru]

Cosmitron, I like her face expression on this one, but I like the spacier composition better than the cropped up one. this one feels a bit too tight. :)

[Cosmitron]

ikuru> it's just a focused picture. I'm still working on the full size one. :)

[MJ_Alcazar]

Another update.

[Slash]

HOLY SHIT! zombies and girls! HOW DID I MISS THIS?! how much time is left? maybe i can squeeze one out real quick before the deadline!

[Phaethon]

Phaethon> However, I've followed your advice, though now she looks constipated. :D

Blegh - yeah, the previous expression was better. Sorry for making you change it. M-maybe less constipated/confused and more afraid or angry?

[emerging]

I have to say this is a lot of fun. Doing this weekly thing for the first time. A lot of inspiration. Makes me "get off" my lazy butt and do something haha. One person pointed out something i thought was pretty important and made me think if i should go with it or not... Basically the fact that there is a ring may mislead the viewer into a different interpretation of the idea. Like right now its word play with dark humour (if u read tv ull know how its connected to where the guy got shot lol).. the reason i put in the ring is not to make it seem as if he got shot for proposing to her but because i wanted it to signify his relationship to her as well as put more drama into the whole situation (he just proposed today and already turned into zombie etc) please offer me some thoughts on this one, because now it seems it depends on a person who is viewing it, like some pple misinterpret it and some get it exactly right. If i need to remove the ring i could always put in a remote control in there to fill in the space, or a spilled drink..

[darklogik]

Id just say, rather than messing with the ring (i like the statement) make "Robert" a little more zombie, maybe vary his skin color more away from hers and more greenish or blueish to put more emphasis on "He Turned" soon after the proposal.

Maybe throw a newer bite mark or wound on him too.

Love it all around though and I get the idea =P

Good luck.

[Taimic]

thats how far i cam, little cleaning up and some details, dont really know where i wanna go now, or if i make it till deadline... we will see ^^

[PuppyKitten]

Hey guys, I wasn't going to enter this round because it's not something I'd usually draw. But then I realized that's the exact reason I SHOULD enter.

A little action, a few zombies, and I am eager to paint a black and white image with just a hint of color in important areas. All things I need to practice on. So here's my sketch, enlarged and I'm just starting to clean it up.

Is there anything really awful looking so far?

[Gavage]

Puppykitten: That's actually pretty cute. The gun could maybe do with being a little bigger because she looks quite small herself and most handguns would seem a lot larger by comparison - but of course smaller guns do exist, depends what style you're going for really.

Hopefully last WIP. Ended up with some sort of demonic Power Ranger looking thing. Am I allowed to have the face obscured this much or should I keep the visor raised?

http://img37.imageshack.us/img37/2623/ericav3wip2.jpg

[SunRoamer]

@Puppykitten:
The image so far is really beautiful and I really love your lines and shading @.@ But unless Erica feeds on zombies (which will help you maintain eternal youth :>) she looks far too young. As it is now I thought that she was... 15 or so >.<

E:
@emerging:
Well, I didn't misinterpret the thing with the ring so I'd totally keep it, especially since it makes the whole thing a lot more tragical ;) I agree with Darklogik, however. The guy should look more like a zombie ;) If you want to make him look like someone who's just been infected and therefore don't give him large wound, heavily changed skin-colour and whatnot, how about just adding more veins popping out? You could also give him not clouded pupils but rather bloodfilled eyes or something like that (because, as it is now, the popping veins, the foam and the clouded pupils could also come only from his... discomfort xD)


Thanks for all the feedback. Well, I started working on some colour (my way of working is messed up right now, but well, it's after midnight over here *yawn*)...

I attached several images:
First one shows the "normal" picture and in the second one I added some black outlines, which give the whole picture a more comic-like feel (which I don't think is bad considering the whole idea and the current background). Moreover it helps separate Erica from the background, and well, it also showed me that the normal version is wrong as it is now (anatomy-wise) xD
Third and fourth image show different faces, but what matters to me is only which one you prefer concerning the direction she's looking in (at the viewer or at the zombie)

[Nele Klumpe]

PuppyKitten: Aw, very cute! I agree on sunroamer though, she looks way too young, minly because of the proportions of her head and maybe also because of her body, but that may be considered as stylisation :D You could make her expression a bit clearer. right now I cannot tell wether she looks happy or angry.

SunRoamer: Make her look towards the viewer! It makes the picture look even more ironic! Also try to desaturate the background. I don't know if you even need that much of action, it just distracts the viewer. Also watch her legs, they kind of look broken to me right now.

[Marsch]

update .
please give thy opnion
As for the TURTLE i mentioned earlier:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CMNry4PE93Y famous meme i included.

[S.C. Watson]

PK - lovely, lovely work as always.

~S
(Oreg.)

[Clochette]

Cosmitron : First one first one! :O PLeaaaase !!
Puppy kitten : this is lovely tho she looks really young, she is supposed to be nearly 30... :S

[dawnusllaw]

ok, last revision, I promise :P

Bangalore Monkey: I thought it looked ok to but it was a little off. And yes, zombie-killer in a wedding dress is still a cool idea! hehe

Cosmitron: I see what you mean, it's not quite believable.

http://i390.photobucket.com/albums/oo343/jp74/CHOW160b.jpg

[PuppyKitten]

SunRoamer, Clochette and Avis: Yeah, I don't know how to draw 30 year olds. All the thirty year olds I see look no different than any 20 year old really. They don't exactly have wrinkles or anything. I'll see if changing her proportions helps. *fingers crossed*

Edit: Yeah I'm looking at photos and I seriously can't see a difference between a 30 year old and a 20 year old. At all. I'm fucked.

Also, thanks Shane! <3 It's been a while, how are you doing?

[ryuloulou]

hi everyone
as usual, I am starting late.
hope I can finish on time.

Pupykitten> I am always very fond of your pictures... so smooth
she looks very young for a girl in her 30's. I would very much love to know what she eats/takes.
I think her apparent youth comes from partly the fullness of her cheeks.


here is the first rough.
http://stephaniehans.free.fr/erika1.jpg

[dawnusllaw]

Man, this round is producing some scrumptous eye candy! Figured now was a good time for comments, so here goes!

SunRoamer: lovin; the idea you're going with. One suggestion, the zombie looks more like a torture victim, maybe a little more decay? Her face is super creepy, I love it!
Cosmitron: Man, you're progress on this is quick, at least compared to me lol! Can't wait for your final.
NickTrip: Great start. The only criticism I can offer is that her body seems to have some proportion issues, particularly in the torso, it looks like she's missing an abdomen. Other than that, great composition and shading.
DarkLogic: Nice work. I love that she's wearing motorcross gear
OpenANewWorld: man that's a crazy sketch! All that detail from the get-go, I'm almost afraid to see the end result!
Angelsway257: looking good, I love the mask on the boyfriend
Bangalore monkey: excellent work, I like the pulp fiction layout with the modern style of the business suit
Rodimus25: that's an awesome start, she looks really young though. Looking forward to your final!
Pixeltuner: oh that's awesome, I would run from her even if I wasn't a zombie lol she's scary
DIMAGYAN: zombie tweetybird!! 'nuff said!

That's all for now, I'll try and get more comments in before the end

[Claudio Grassi]

@ Slash: YOU have plenty of time, for the rest of us, the water is already up to our necks! :0

@ MJ_Alcazar: Im wondering why the boots are so shaky looking? the lighting on the face may be a bit too dark, but thats usually a problem with monitors, an dmine isnt one of the best >_> otherwise it's looking fab! :)

@ Cosmitron: Nothing but respect..it's such a fantastic piece that Im almost certain you just bagged youre first CHOW title :D I thin that I liked the first expression better..kinda non-challant given the gravity of the situation it went well with the whole idea of her using a kitchen appliance to kill her zombified bf..who BTW is hilarious...you sir/madam are very talented!

@ Crowsrock: I really like the idea of the cleaver attached to the shotgun. Im not really sure what she's holding in her other hand? nice start! :)

@ Missile: Hahahahah..ok..Im down w the redesign..however..something as ridonculously fun as the circular leg saw deserves a scene to see it in action :D Palomita!

@ Auren: You have time, and it looks like your a good way into it...the perspective on the ground seems a little whacky...but I cant put my finger on it....I like the sling :P

@ AvisNocturna: Looking fantastic!!!! Th eonly thing I can tell you about the dress is that it seems a bit stiff and "thick" but Im only mentioning it because you brought it up..otherwise I wouldnt have really noticed it.

@ Sidharth Chaturvedi: I still feel the zombie's face is a bit dark, and its a shame cuz it seems so interesting...but overall I still love the quiet look of it...

@ lkjhgfdsa: I say: In a zombie apocalypse, any living girl is automatically sexy! the same is true for guys..thats why I cant wait for it to happen :teeth:

@ NickTrip: I dont know why you'd feel embarrassed by posting yur image. There are a couple of obvious problems with the figure...her left leg(our right) is bent far too much..other than that I would recommend that you take the image and flip the canvas horizontally, you'll instantly see some other smaller problems...hope this helps!

@ darklogik: Critiquing isnt necessarily about insulting or "criticizing" peoples work, nor do you need a license to do it, otherwise I'd be spending less time posting ;).. you have more than enough talent to tell people what you think works and what doesnt, besides, it's just an opinion which may be of use to the artist...even if it's just a nit-pick..so dig in! :D

@ Phaethon: nice boot-to-the-face! the only nit-pick I got is her pubic bone area...it seems twisted..bear in mind that the pelvis is one solid piece..besides that, its very dynamic.

@ bangalore_monkey: Thanks for all the comments...I didnt make it in time to crit your work, but it has a great b-movie feel to it..only thing I would say is that at first glance the lettering reads (to me) as zombie slayer "ePica" :P

Crap! I started this post 5 hours ago then walked away from the pc and now Ive lost my place in the queue....its 3.31 am and I need sleep...so Ill try to get to everyone else tomorrow...my bad :(

update------>color---------->sleep!

685135

[S.C. Watson]

Edit: Yeah I'm looking at photos and I seriously can't see a difference between a 30 year old and a 20 year old. At all. I'm fucked.

Also, thanks Shane! <3 It's been a while, how are you doing?

A little more angular features on people in their 30's. Rule of thumb is to loose the baby fat, a little more hollow around the eyes, etc. :)

I'm doing well, and glad to be back! Very pleased to see you're still in here slinging pixels! :heart:

Small update on page two! (http://www.conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?t=158822&page=2)

Best,
~S

[KonnA]

OpenANewWorld, you're my hero.

[PuppyKitten]

A little more angular features on people in their 30's. Rule of thumb is to loose the baby fat, a little more hollow around the eyes, etc. :)

I'm doing well, and glad to be back! Very pleased to see you're still in here slinging pixels! :heart:

Small update on page two! (http://www.conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?t=158822&page=2)

Best,
~S

I changed her face a bit, I think it helped. We'll see.

I hadn't noticed that you're entering this round! Your zombie dude looks awesome! I love his pose and the fact that he's holding a heart (is it his own?)

[Sekino]

Puppykitten: Your girl looks very teenage-like right now partly because of her delicate, lanky limbs. Full-grown adults have more developed, sinewy muscles. Even a very slender woman will have traces of rolling muscles and tendons under the skin (especially in the thigh, shoulder and hip areas). Hope this helps. Your drawing is gorgeous so far!

[Reymus]

My last wip before fixing up.

[elliste]

685187

Thank you for the crits Kugu. I tried to change her expression a bit. I wanted her to look like she was concentrating on hitting a home run with his head. XD -and you were right, the way I had it looked like she was very complacent.

any other things you guys see that could use some help would be appreciated.

Emerging - I like the ring there. I think it helps support the back story for erica. I agree with Darklogic about maybe making robert more zombified :P

Sunroamer - I like the option you had where she is looking down at her work.. she looks quite creepy in that one

[S.C. Watson]

I changed her face a bit, I think it helped. We'll see.

I hadn't noticed that you're entering this round! Your zombie dude looks awesome! I love his pose and the fact that he's holding a heart (is it his own?)

Last note on your character's face: try emphasizing the bridge of the nose more. Losing the bridge, or having a smooth space there is indicative of youth (look at children's faces vs. adults - generally speaking, the older you are, the more pronounced that bridge is going to be). Another trick is to emphasize lines around the mouth.

haha - we may never know exactly *who's* heart it is - I suppose it's the thought that counts in this case :P

Best,
~S

[Nightblue]

Jumping in semi-late. Gonna try to actually finish this one, and do so quick-ish.

edit: Updated.

[Phaethon]

All right - time to force myself to stop working on this for tonight.

Edit: Couldn't sleep so I updated it.

[S.C. Watson]

started adding colour, page 2 (http://www.conceptart.org/forums/showpost.php?p=2270781&postcount=53).

[NickTrip]

Ok, I'm all done with this week's entry. I like the way the colors came out.

Thank you for the helpful advice, KuGu and Dawnusllaw. I can't make the changes this time around, but its great to get the feedback to help me look out for the problems next time. Thanks!

[pahavasa]

Wow, darklogik, the jump from the image just before adding the window to the final is amazing! Great, great work, definitely looks more balanced now. The shadows and the added contrast really gives the image more depth.

[Cosmitron]

Hi guys!
CHOW competition is definitely exciting!
puppykitten>wo-how! your drawing is amazing! I'm roughly stunned by the inherent smoothness yet detailed paint of your art. You've got the touch, you've got the power! And yes she looks 13. :D
dawnusllaw> Oh well.. Zombies are not quite believable either. :)
Ryuloulou> I must admit I love your Erika's behaviour. The cute little woman, with that resolute -I'll kill 'em all with pain- gesture, very Zhang Ziyi!
Kugu> Nice work on Erika's dressing! IMHO, it tells a lot of her story.
Nightblue> great Sketch!

here is an update, though.
http://bolospoilerman.free.fr/Chow/Guess%20Who%27s%20Coming%20To%20Dinner%20Color%20S tep%2005.jpg

[Auren]

Cosmitron Nice job man. Can't wait to see it completely finished.
PuppyKittenAdorable yet deadly. The age thing has already been mentioned as a critique so I'll just say I can't wait to see yours finished either. Love your paint style.
AvisNosturna Yours will really come together once you get th espots under control. Just make sure the pattern conforms to the fold of the cloth.
SCWatsonI think that purple might be a bit bright. Looking good otherwise though.

[ThaDeus]

Here's another step ... I think i'll finish it today ,lot of work to do ,i know :lounge:
Thanks everyone for the comments ,this exercice is very useful ,a learn a lot of my mistakes seeing all your works .
I think i'l come back as often as i can !!

[Cosmitron]

Cosmitron Nice job man. Can't wait to see it completely finished.
...
Oh well,it has to. So I finally consider it as done. :) Thanks!:lounge:

[Cosmitron]

Here's another step ... I think i'll finish it today ,lot of work to do ,i know :lounge:
Thanks everyone for the comments ,this exercice is very useful ,a learn a lot of my mistakes seeing all your works .
I think i'l come back as often as i can !!
This goes better and better. I dig the colors and overall design. Can't wait to see it done!

[Pixeltuner]

I think I'm pretty much done as well. Maybe some last-minute tightening, but I'll give it a rest right now. :)

[SunRoamer]

For now, I simply continued working on Erica and the Zombie. Since I'm not too sure about the background (like designing a whole kitchen scene or something similar is much more work, and well, I guess you also know about the Illustration vs. Concept discussion which is repeatedly coming up then and there). So the only thing I did to the background was desaturate it... >.<

What I'd like to know right now is whether you prefer the version with or without the outlines... and of course I'd like to know everything that you think needs to be improved, as well xD

Another question:
can I submit something to the finals thread and still edit it afterwards? In case that I've progressed far enough (which I haven't yet, but oh well...) and, although there're still things I work on, want to make sure I don't miss the deadline? xD

[Garth Cochrane]

I know I'm leaving it to the last minute but oh well...did some practice runs on colours for erica but for now I've still got the placeholder sketch. I'll finish this up tomorrow night.

[bangalore_monkey]

Garth Cochrane - i think i'm gonna drop the title letters in my piece( at least for the poll) as you had the idea first. feel like i'm stealing your creative thunder.

[tron-one]

You guys are making me so upset I haven't had the time to draw. I can barely keep up with all these submissions

@Cosmitron - Are you going to color the blood before you wrap up? Right now it looks like clear gelatin-like goop coming from the body and the mixer.

@Grandmassa mr spect - The loose strokes give it a painting quality that really works though I'm wondering if it would have been better if there was just a tiny bit more control when it came to her face. That way it'd be a bit easier to read and the looseness of the rest of the piece can effectively imply movement and action. Good job, nonetheless.

@Ghostbrush - Love the hair and the glowing zombie eyes in the background. The angle always makes me feel she's just about to keel over. Too bad you don't have more time to work on it.

@Quantumrat - Your idea is sound. I like where it can go but right now I think your girl is getting lost in the background. Add a wider range of values or desaturate the background some so she stands out. Or do you plan on replacing the background altogether?

@Phuzion - I freaking love it! Her attitude is spot on, the haircut and the coffee cup imply a sense of class and poise, what we'd expect from our well-off zombie killer. Maybe make the nails in the bat bigger? I don't see your version as a gal that'd go easy on her opponents.

@KuGu - Very interesting angle. The little accessories and knick-knacks really add to her personality. She really seems like she can handle herself. Can't wait to see it completely finished.

@Matt Smith - Great lines. No luck finishing it sooner? I really want to see the final.

@Pahavasa - I like your take on it but something about her is off to me and I can't pinpoint it. I think maybe her head is a smidge too big for her body. :|

@darklogik - Excellent work. It was fun watching you go from start to finish.

@Sidharth Chaturvedi - Great work with value and a pretty amusing spin on it.

@emerging - I think you should nix the ring altogether. I really don't think anything needs to fill that space. If anything, maybe add a little blood to the effected area and his wrists.

@Phaethon - ACTION! This is just pure zombie smashin' fun. Only thing that bothers me is how tiny her joints are but that just may be a style decision. Finish! :D

[blau]

bangalore monkey: I think it looks better without the title anyway. Garth Cochrane's too.
Cosmitro: that really looks great man.
Elliste: I think her expression could still use some work.

I think I'm done too.
http://img6.imageshack.us/img6/5653/erica2.jpg

[quantumrat]

Hello - since I'm new to conceptart.org, and to this contest, I'm curious as to the nature of the "poll", of which I keep hearing - Who sets it up? When does it occur? Where can it be found? If there's a link that provides all this information, feel free to point me to it. Thanks!

[ThaDeus]

A little more work and it will be done ..
I have to draw the hand ,her weapon and i'll adjust the colors of her ex boyfriend ... add a little texture ,adjust hue saturation .... ok no time to play left4Dead today .....

[S.C. Watson]

Hello - since I'm new to conceptart.org, and to this contest, I'm curious as to the nature of the "poll", of which I keep hearing - Who sets it up? When does it occur? Where can it be found? If there's a link that provides all this information, feel free to point me to it. Thanks!

The Chow leaders (meaning myself, Daestwen, or Poshspice) will set up the poll in the Final Burning thread located here (http://www.conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?t=159044). There is a new Final Burning thread every week, to correspond to the week's challenge. It is usually set up around Thursday. This coming week's challenge is located here (http://www.conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?t=159338).

You can find more information about Chow here (http://www.conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?t=117390). If you have further questions, please feel free to pm one of the Chow leaders.

Best,
~S

[Cosmitron]

@Cosmitron - Are you going to color the blood before you wrap up? Right now it looks like clear gelatin-like goop coming from the body and the mixer.



Yes I've decided to let it like that. Zombie's goo. :)

[Leo Ki]

Phaeton - As someone said before, I find the pelvis too tilted compared to what I perceive of the spine flexion.
But maybe that kind of forward-swaying high kick does that to the bones.
Otherwise, setting the left buttock a bit higher might look more natural.
Watch out the length of the zombie's index finger and the lower mass of Erica's hair that looks a bit static and far behind.
(And thank you for the advice about the welder. I'm turning to something totally different now)
blau - She's falling back! Maybe a few highlights on the blood spots would make them look fresher?
Pixeltuner - Funny, but too bad the umbrella is hidden now.
ryuloulou - Update!
cosmitron - LOL at the writings you added here and there.


I abandoned my previous WIPs. The first one was too dull and the megawelder in the second one was too futuristic for the brief.
It's a bit late to start over again, I wish I'd noticed the round sooner.

Erica grabbed a medieval armour at the museum, and found a stray horse on the streets, only problem is the horse is zombified.
She calls it Jelly Jumper after Lucky Luke's horse Jolly Jumper.

[hungryan]

http://www.conceptart.org/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=685646&d=1243795448

I post my stuff here also, in case somebody can comment on it.

[pahavasa]

Thanks, tron-one, for pointing that one out - we really had grown blind to the image. Luckily we have all these keen eye pairs here to push us forward. Now that I look at her after a few days break, her neck actually does look a bit too long and her head too big. Her right shoulder seems to be too close to the neck. Should always do something else for awhile and then look at the picture again, before calling it finished... but hey, that's how you learn. Thanks again.

[Cosmitron]

I post my stuff here also, in case somebody can comment on it.
Excellent!

[Martheart]

final update, I'm gonna post this one in the final thread. Made some last adjustments such as the hair to make it a bit more dynamic. Very nice round this one, can't wait for the voting!

[Phaethon]

@ KuGu: I tweaked the area slightly to bring the pubic bone more in line with the rest of the pelvis. It still looks twisted, but hopefully less? :\

@ tron-one: I thickened up her knees, wrists, and elbows just a bit. They were even thinner in the initial sketch, believe it or not.

@ Leo Ki: Changed the length of the index finger, and I moved the seam on the back of her jacket to more accurately reflect her spine. The pelvis is still too twisted, but if I bring it back to a more realistic position, her foot won't connect with the zombie's head :)

Thanks for the comments, folks! They were very helpful - I just wish I hadn't locked into the lines so firmly, or I would have been able to better follow your suggestions.

The final, for reference (http://www.conceptart.org/forums/showpost.php?p=2278860&postcount=29)

[englishduke]

okay so I managed a few more minutes for this, I really appreciate all the crits from everyone on this one. I'm really glad people gotta kick out my piece and hopefully I didnt ruin it. Nice work guys everyone there are some real beauties on this week.

http://i144.photobucket.com/albums/r180/englishduke/CHOW16-_englishduke.jpg

[ikuru]

puppykitten, who cares how old she is? this is so hot!! keep going please!

[darklogik]

If you haven't seen Posh's entry?! WOW talk about killin it! Its amazing. (Teach me please!) And I love the Bauhaus Shirt! extra credit! Talk about swooping in and killing it! =)

[SunRoamer]

I guess this is the final version... critique's welcome nevertheless :D

[Leo Ki]

darklogik - indeeeed ^^

update on the new version with jelly jumper
botched her face, will see to recover that of the first sketch

[Nele Klumpe]

Ah, I see, that's going to be a hard decision! So much great stuff.

Okay, here's my final version. If you still find something that might be worth working on, please tell me :)

685904

[Phaethon]

Leo Ki: I like the armor idea! I couldn't tell if you were going to do this in the earlier sketch, but she should, I think, be wearing only partial armor. That way we can see some modern clothing underneath, and it won't look like she's a medieval zombie-slayer. Consider ditching the horse (delightful as it is) to save time.

[Garth Cochrane]

Garth Cochrane - i think i'm gonna drop the title letters in my piece( at least for the poll) as you had the idea first. feel like i'm stealing your creative thunder.

Don't you dare! C'mon...it's all for fun, no? To be fair, the ideas we had from the start leant themselves to the movie poster setup and you posted first remember?

[Jefita]

Sweet bejebus you guys have been busy this week. Wish I'd been able to move a bit faster. May or may not finish.

Going to go rifle through the pages for zombie goodness now.

[Rodimus25]

puppykitten: awesome wip and nice style, agree wit the others though, she does look young
Cosmitron: glad u switched her expression back, looking badass now:) def got my vote
AvisNocturna: Looking sweet :D
ArthemisIX: love the vibe you got happening.
Pixelturner: thats one crazy redhead, nice entry.


Another wip, almost there, wow theres alot of fantastic entries so far:p Love them all. Great round:D

[Angel Intheuk]

An epic one this week. wow! so many I can't keep up.

Here's my finished Erica.

[ikuru]

Meh, my previous wip is way better than this, (this face is turning out dull and generic compared to that) and I need to be in bed like three hours ago anyhow. :zzz:

[blau]

blau - She's falling back! Maybe a few highlights on the blood spots would make them look fresher?

Thanks, I spent so much time on the trying to get the colors right that didn't realize the blood ended looking old, I used some highlights for the final. Yes, she's way unbalanced, that was on purpose, but if you and other people before saw it as a mistake then it probably wasn't a good idea :/

Yours is looking good :D funny idea there, but be careful with the crazy horse face stealing the attention

[Ronpower]

I am probably only going o get a black and white done for this round, so I'll ink it and try to get it as polished as possible. Here it is so far, starting with thumbnails:

[S.C. Watson]

Hey ikuru, looking good - but also looking a *tad* young!

Best,
~S

[no_name_brand]

My initial motivation for wanting in on this was to do something different then what I normally do. I like were I ended but I don't know if it's a character study anymore. So I'm not sure if it fits in the CHOW anymore. I ended up with a cover for a comic that may never be. Let me know what you guys think?

[dawnusllaw]

last update!

http://i390.photobucket.com/albums/oo343/jp74/chow160_dawnusllaw.jpg

[Ronpower]

I don't think I am going to post in finals because my inking skills just suck. Plus I did not have a whole lot of time to work on this. But crits would be appreciated.

[Matt Smith]

My finished character.

[Aly Fell]

PLEASE NOTE:

Erica is going to be huge. We are already over 50 entries. Now this means as the poll can only be limited to 50, there WILL be cuts. We tried going beyond 50 for the Absinth Fairy and the poll screwed up. There is something in the system that won’t allow polls over 50, and having once split it into two threads with other problems we won’t be doing that either. Bear this in mind. This means the ‘quality’ rule may have to be brought in which is something I don’t like doing.

[ThaDeus]

Here's the final version ....I've learned a lot during this week ,thanks you all for that !

[squidmonk3j]

lots of powerful entries...gg everybody:)

[Phuzion]

PLEASE NOTE:

Erica is going to be huge. We are already over 50 entries. Now this means as the poll can only be limited to 50, there WILL be cuts. We tried going beyond 50 for the Absinth Fairy and the poll screwed up. There is something in the system that won’t allow polls over 50, and having once split it into two threads with other problems we won’t be doing that either. Bear this in mind. This means the ‘quality’ rule may have to be brought in which is something I don’t like doing.

Yes, the quality rule sucks... but there are already several that didn't follow the brief in that she is supposed to be 30 years old, not 12, and not 50, so that will cut some right there, not to mention a few more that really just did an illustration with no "Character Design" at all. I know that is always a hot topic here, One-sheets vs. Design, but I certainly saw a few in which it was difficult to see anything of the character in the image.

For some of you that really want to get into doing some quality Character Designing, I strongly strongly suggest you put away "The Art of Star Wars" books, unless you are looking at them for technique, and start picking up some fashion magazines. The reason I say this is because you cannot get an accurate sense of what people would wear, past, present, or future, if you don't pay attention to what is being worn and created. I guarantee if you look up G-Star's Fall 2009 RTW (Ready To Wear) show, you will see some design that beats the crap out of any sci-fi flic. The other thing that looking at fashion helps with is the material! Most people show material via texture: matte, gloss, rough, smooth etc. But different materials fold in certain ways. Heavy leather does not fold like cotton. I've attached a few sample images that I think show some stellar design! I picked them also because they are from the latest shows...

In order of appearance:
1. Dolce & Gabbana Fall 2009 RTW
2. Dolce & Gabbana Fall 2009 RTW
3. G-Star Fall 2009 RTW
4. G-Star Fall 2009 RTW
5. DSquared Fall 2009 RTW

I hope this gives you some incentive to start really paying attention to what goes into design. It really has nothing to do with drawing skills, I'm sorry to say. And unless it is somehow really crucial to the character, good luck selling it, underwear is not character design either, sorry :P Though we all love it at times...

Cheers,
~d

[bangalore_monkey]

Very true! and you're right, some of that fashion stuff is even odder than the sci-fi stuff that shows up here.

btw, never used them for inspiration here, but i sure love those "art of star wars" books

[ikuru]

Phuzion, u the man.
but underwear rules! :P

[tron-one]

Gotta side with Phuzion on those points. I've made a habit of picking up fashion mags for the past few months. It helps alot.

[Leo Ki]

@Phaeton:
Thank you! You're totally right about the armor being overwhelming. Furthermore I'm not into armor design :P
I won't make it for the deadline, even if I ditch the horse, but maybe I'll post something in the revision thread in a few days just for the sport.

@blau:
Sorry if I missed an explanation of yours about the intentional unbalance. Unbalance is frequent in comics of course,
but usually there is an indication that a leg will quickly sweep to retake the balance, or a hand will grasp something,
which I think doesn't read in your picture. If you want her to be falling, maybe a "oops" expression in her face would make it clearer.
Thanks for your advice about the horse stealing the attention. Next time I do a CHOW I'll definitely start
at the beginning of the week and take the time to brainstorm before going crazy over the brush :P

[Sulk-Sal]

Illustration vs design is always something I'm fighting with. I'd much rather do just the design, but for some reason I always feel that it isn't "good enough" if I don't have more then the character, or some crazy pose, or whatever.

TY Phuzion, looks like I'm gonna have to start trying to find some of those mags (not that I reference Star Wars books, but those are pretty crazy designs).

[Cosmitron]

I think a full illustration sometimes can describe the character background in a revelant way. But as it is a character design contest, and not a character design and character background contest, I think there's a subtle limit to catch. At least, we should manage to draw the full character.

Next time, I'll focus on the character only. It's my mission.

[darklogik]

For My 2 cents, even though im new to Chow, Id say, instead of a finished illustration, it should be a character sheet with a Cool pose and front/ back / side view and maybe an enlargement of a certain item or weapon or necklace.. so on, so people will be less likely to win based on a "cool" illustration rather than the character, and it would give those of us who are trying to figure out what it takes to be a concept artist a chance to see how its done =)

Just my thoughts.

[YihyoungLi]

Just rushed this today...only to find out that entries are closed. It's not very good anyway--terrible composition and no expression at all. blergh. Congrats to those who finished anyway. :)

[PuppyKitten]

We each come into this topic with our own interpretations. If the CHOW leaders want only orthos, then they aren't shy about making that a requirement. If some of us want to do illustrations, and it's not against the rules for that round, then no big thing.

If someone deliberately goes against the brief, they should be cut. But (and I'll admit it became personal at this point), making a character look a little young doesn't go against the brief, because I've seen plenty of mid-late 20 year olds who could pass for their late teens.

I tried very hard to make my character look older. You all recommended making her head smaller, adding a bridge to her nose, making her more sinewy,etc... I did every one of these things. If she still looks too young, then I'm at a loss.

Maybe being raised on TV shows where the 30 year olds all played teenagers in high school made me desensitized, but for my part I still feel that until you hit about 35-40 you don't really start to look old. Hehe :P

[SunRoamer]

Okay, so entry time's over now. Wonder which pictures'll be included in the final poll ;)
Personally I have to say that I really love all the entries :D nice seeing so many different Ericas ^.^

[SMILEFACE]

We each come into this topic with our own interpretations. If the CHOW leaders want only orthos, then they aren't shy about making that a requirement. If some of us want to do illustrations, and it's not against the rules for that round, then no big thing.

If someone deliberately goes against the brief, they should be cut. But (and I'll admit it became personal at this point), making a character look a little young doesn't go against the brief, because I've seen plenty of mid-late 20 year olds who could pass for their late teens.

I tried very hard to make my character look older. You all recommended making her head smaller, adding a bridge to her nose, making her more sinewy,etc... I did every one of these things. If she still looks too young, then I'm at a loss.

Maybe being raised on TV shows where the 30 year olds all played teenagers in high school made me desensitized, but for my part I still feel that until you hit about 35-40 you don't really start to look old. Hehe :P

I think your pic RRRRRRRROOOOCCKKSSSSSS' contest or not your pic has great stlye wwwaaaaayyy cool!!!

[bangalore_monkey]

Puppykittten-

Sorry i didn't share my thoughts earlier.

i agree with the others that she doesn't seem 30. of course you shouldn't be kicked from the poll, especially since you at least tried to make her look older.

i think it comes down to the overall structure, rather than the individual features, to make her look older.

this is something that's important (while more obvious) in caricature. i've attached an image to illustrate what i'll try to say.

with a larger cranium, and more scrunched features, a button nose, and big eyes, you are bound to get a young face.

if you spread out the features across the face, with an obviously longer nose, you will get an older look.

your erica's face my be perfectly proportioned, but what i see is a baby's face, that's just the impression i get, because even subtle differences make a huge difference on the face.

[PuppyKitten]

Thanks very much bangalore_monkey! I worry that if I give her a bigger nose, move her eyes further up, and squish her forehead, then she's gonna look ugly. :P That's just not a face type I find attractive.

But there's definitely a middle ground, and I think if I bite the bullet and practice from reference a little bit, it will help me fix those errors you pointed out.

[Mark Tarrisse]

...then she's gonna look ugly. :P That's just not a face type I find attractive....

It's funny you say that because this round I noticed that many of us try to do often pretty, sexy or attractive chars (especially if they are hero type), and in the end we all got the same type of body, and faces in our chars.
I start to think I'm the only one who thinks that the characters should looks different and not especially pretty (they should all be various as all the people around us). When I go outside, to take a walk, I look at all the peoples around me, and I see so many different faces, they are like landscapes, we are able to draw so many different types of enviroments, why not try the same thing for humans !
You also said that you tried hard to change her face and make her look older, if you see you cant do it, then work harder. And if it still doesnt work maybe you should start to work on drawing different face types (do studies with ref etc.), we are all here to learn and to be as good as we can in what we are doing :)

[PuppyKitten]

I will try harder, Markus. I would have continued making changes, but I ran out of time (I literally posted seconds before Posh closed the entries).

I agree that we shouldn't make every character equally attractive. It doesn't work that way in real life, right? And yes, studying from ref and life will help me fix this. :) But I still think it falls too heavily into the "style" category to be a valid reason for cutting huge groups of people, based on what I'm seeing in this particular challenge.

[emerging]

i dont really agree completely... for me as for anyone else here character design should mean not just the clothing and equipment a character bears but their actual CHARACTER.. their emotion with all its subtleties as well as design of their anatomy IS ALL part of character design, and it should not ONLY matter how much armor or equipment they wear. Otherwise, it becomes like that game for kids where u just dress a naked paper cutout character into different paper cutout clothing which is kitsch!!! So please dont make concept art kitsch, hehe, include background that tells the story, dont rely on clothing to tell the story, look deeper into the character. Only its exterior will not fully portray a complex character... anyway those are my thoughts on this matter.. biased thoughts haha just like anyone else's.. but i felt i had to present a different view on this issue :)

[PuppyKitten]

Very valid points, emerging. I am also fond of pieces with more than just a character against a blank bg.

[Jie Kageshinzo]

Is submission already over? Can I still get in?

[Phuzion]

I don't think there is anything wrong with putting some environment in with a character, and in fact, sometimes it is necessary. But the challenges of creating a full on narrative illustration are enough to keep one busy for a week... add the challenge of designing a character on top of that, as well as trying to learn the medium or simply get better than one currently is and it all ends up getting a little neglected... I actually think they should start a "Narrative Illustration of the Week" category because people seem to be interested and it is an aspect of illustration often overlooked. Perhaps, it could be coupled with CHOW in that one week you design a character, and the next week you put them in a narrative illustration. That would allow folks to focus their attention a bit more... just a thought.

By the way, I did not mean that everyone is literally looking at "The Art of Star Wars", that is just my term for when things get TOO "Industry-centric". We often reference past films or games when designing new ones, which never makes sense to me. When we want post-apocalyptic, we always reference Mad Max... as though it hasn't already been done to death. My point was simply to branch out into the real world when studying and referencing. I loved Cosmitron's piece because she is so believable. She's a normal girl, but put in the context of a "Zombie world", she becomes something more. But I think people turned in some really good stuff overall.

Cheers,
~d

[Aly Fell]

Interesting discussion.

I think there are two aspects to this, maybe three. I used to do character sheets for animation projects, and there were fundamental differences between a character sheet and a model sheet. With a model sheet you would generally have what is now called an orthographic, or a ‘turnaround’. Three, maybe four positions, front, back, side and sometimes three-quarter. These were usually static neutral poses that showed the animator - and I’m talking drawn animation - what the character looked like from all angles so there was no discrepancy in each artists style ( which doesn’t always work! ). Then there was the character sheet(s), which would have gestures, poses, and expressions on, and would indicate the behaviour and personality of the character. Combined, these two would hopefully give a broad view of the character requirements.

We were never asked to do an illustration based on the character. A full colour dramatic representation of them in a scene or environment. Now this is just 2D animation. But there would be no need for the animator to do this, so conceptual work for this ‘situation’ wasn’t required. You would get the layout and animate the character to the specifics of each scene. ChOW is different. It is up to the individual to decide how they best want their character to be presented. Sometimes it may be as an ortho, and at other times as a fully fledged illustration. ChOW shouldn’t be about finding the best way to win, but about finding the best way to present the character you visualise. And I emphasise, visualise. We have to be able to see them. Hiding their faces and putting them in shadow is great for mood, but is useless when it comes to seeing the personality.

On the subject of costume design. This fits in with ‘model’. When sketching out the design of the character you go through various costume possibilities, and generally these would be done at an early stage, and wouldn’t be highly finished. Look at fashion drawings; they are rarely rendered up because they are spontaneous and quick. When one is settled on it can be developed further and turned into an ortho or whatever. But costume design is not personality. The character is projected through costume design. That may sound a bit hippy, but think about it. You should be able to show personality without dwelling on outfit, which is a much more difficult thing to do. All too easily a cool outfit is an excuse for lack of personality.

Part of the confusion about what you should do for ChOW stems from getting personality, model design and costume muddled up. In the end, as an artist you have to go with your gut. And it doesn’t matter about winning, really. Yes it’s nice, but if you’ve done something You are proud of that’s the important thing.

[Muninn]

Hey sorry to interrupt the discussion.
Just wanted to let u guys know that I couldn't finish my piece in time. I was gone all weekend, visited my sis who just came back from the hospital :(.. some things are a leeetle more important I guess.
Hopefully next time I'll have more time to spend on it. Gonna finish my Erika no matter how because I grew kinda fond of it, so I'll probable show her later.

Cheers to all the good art in here and thx for the feedback/comments. :D

edit:
I've read up on the discussion and here's my two cents on it.

Maybe in an ideal situation -from designers point of view- we could say, chow is purely about design; submit character sheets only and remind voters to focus on the design not the execution/rendering. A good character design however is far more than just an exterior.
And besides that there's interpretation of the topic, for instance if you look at this chow, you could rule that the zombie outbrake just happend days ago or months ago.. this would have a totally different effect on the looks of the character. Also how the character deals with the situation would have a dramatic impact on how you would want to visalize her. Motivation is key here. Scarcely clad zombie slayers aren't impossible, just motivate why it makes sense. Often the only way you can do this is by going narrative with your illustration. There where a few (near) naked Erika's that I found believable because they where in a situation and setting where it might have made some sense for her to wear that specific nothing :P (like the one with the shotgun girl and the boyfriend zombie lying on the ground hands in his crotch). I'll agree with you however that just plain underwear isn't really top notch design.

Also, I think a pretty picture with a cool pose/perspective and or setting (a narrative illustration if you will) generally appeals more. A Character sheet is more of a functional piece to my opinion, can be just as pretty/interesting to look at, but mostly for those who can appreciate it.
But honestly, I think a pretty rendered picture including a setting/bg with extra drama added, (generally) will draw attention easier, and will most likely draw more votes - there for will probable have a better chance to win. I sense this might also has a lot to do with why people choose to add settings.

[ikuru]

Just cuz someone is naked, does not mean that they lack characteristics, everyone is unique and a strong image should express that, 1 (http://farm1.static.flickr.com/67/185713306_4082e3bfe7_o.jpg), 2 (http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_u0Bt_Li2ip4/Sbewx4ij-5I/AAAAAAAAB2A/8SJzlI8Utf0/s320/vf1.jpg), 3 (http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2089/2061594227_87aebcb567.jpg), 4 (http://i.thisislondon.co.uk/i/pix/2007/04/KMossEarly1PA_243x246.jpg)

I think when it comes to beauty we simply paint what we want or what we love, so it's just feels more fascinating trying to create extreme beauty or extreme horror or whatever than something in-between, like "the fat lady in the grocery store" ;).

[ArtbyWard]

I would love to make something like this once for chow: http://www.creativeuncut.com/gallery-02/vp-ahly2.html

It's really all about design, multiple angles but not a dull model sheet. Also portfolio wise pieces like this are better dan just illustrations if your going for a concept art job, because it shows you can design.

From now on I will try to think more about design, and less about setting (not that I had a setting this time :P). Everytime it feels tempting to make an illustration type of drawing but from now on I will resist that. Try making something that could work in a game for instance, that will be my new goal.

[Gavage]

Random. I sent a message to Posh a little while ago asking about model sheets and using several images at once. Wish I'd have seen this before...

I noticed that many of us try to do often pretty, sexy or attractive chars (especially if they are hero type), and in the end we all got the same type of body, and faces in our chars.
I start to think I'm the only one who thinks that the characters should looks different and not especially pretty (they should all be various as all the people around us). When I go outside, to take a walk, I look at all the peoples around me, and I see so many different faces, they are like landscapes, we are able to draw so many different types of enviroments, why not try the same thing for humans !


It depends whether you're going for an attempt at bringing reality into the piece or seeing the design as a character for a film, game etc. In real life most of us are average, and the 'Erica' you might meet on the street could be anything between a frumpy mother of four to an ex-Olympic athlete or a supermodel. Looking at it from a more entertainment industry point of view - protagonists in action films are almost always attractive, athletic, heroic - the attractiveness is particularly 'important' if the lead is female. Particularly in horror films where the typical image is a busty badly-clothed girl running around screaming yet somehow still overcoming the big bad enemy and saving the day. Though some films do try to go against the conventions, of course. In terms of video games, the most recognisable female character is (arguably) Lara Croft who would no doubt be nowhere near as popular if she was average looking - sex appeal has been a massive part of the character back even when she didn't look remotely human. Down to that whole sex sells type of thing...

[Mark Tarrisse]

Missile :That's what I'm talking about, I mean we are all here to create and try to make things different (at least that's why I'm here).
I definitely know all this "sex sells" stuff, that's why I think we all (conceptartists and illustrators) should try to change little by little all this idealogy :)

[S.C. Watson]

Ok, two, possibly three things here.

1: This conversation *really* should be moved here (http://www.conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?t=123393). Please do so.

2: I am closing the thread to encourage you to do so.

3: You folks have a wide open field with Chow. The way it is set up, it is up to you to bring your character to the game however you see fit, so long as it fits the brief. There are some very good points brought up, but it is on you to show others what you've got.

Do character sheets. Do orthos. Do expressions. Do weapon/artifact/tool sheets. Include it all in your submission.

Ok, this thread is closed, so take the discussion to the discussion thread, please! :)

Best,
~Shane