C.O.W. #150 Lich Dragon Boss Monster -- Posting WIPs thread [Archive]

Michael Jaecks

July 23rd, 2009, 10:42 AM

http://www.conceptart.org/forums/images/cow/cow.jpg

For more infos and details about the rules go here:
http://www.conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?t=110879

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Round #150 Lich Dragon Boss Monster

Topic:
Lich Dragon Boss Monster

Creature Description: Lich Dragon Boss Monster -- For those unfamilliar with the term, a Lich is a powerful mage or wizard that has used arcane, forbidden and powerful magic to cheat and survive a natural death. Their visual appearance takes on decrepit, undead qualities. Corpse-like, thin, withered, or skeletal. Their skin can appear white and drained of blood or dark as tanned leather. They display the characteristics of rot, decay and evil.

A Lich Dragon, then would be a dragon which has used powerful magic to cheat a natural death. I've tacked on the phrase "Boss Monster" to give you some idea of how powerful your design should look. Despite it's withered, undead appearance, it is still massive, formidible, magical and evil. It should look more powerful than an animated corpse or skeletal dragon. Make it glow with magic and crackle with power. Any player character that would have to face this thing at the end of an advanced video game level is going to have to work really hard to defeat your design and level-up.

This creature should still follow the rules in terms of being a part of a species. Please no outfits, armor, accessories, staves, etc. Any dragon of sufficient power could make themselves a Lich Dragon. Yours could be one of many or one of few in the world.

.

Deadline:
Friday July 31th

Finals go here: http://www.conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?t=164054

note: The deadline won't be EXACTLY after a week...it can last up to 24 hours more, i am human and have to work also, you know ;)
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Rabies

July 23rd, 2009, 10:50 AM

awesome :3

Lilly Wolf

July 23rd, 2009, 11:40 AM

well i'm a huge wow fan so lich and dragon fits pretty well.... i'm a newbie here but i think i'll take a stab at it

Michael Jaecks

July 23rd, 2009, 02:19 PM

Cool! I guess I don't know WoW that well; I'm more familliar with D&D and Paizo Pathfinder. Undead dragons are nothing new, but the point is to make something new out of a classic idea that excites people.

I got a couple of e-mails from a friend today who basically chewed me out for posting this topic this particular week because he's already got so much work on his plate. I take that as a ringing endorsement.

Have fun with it and really try to push your design into territory you have not seen before.

volscalkur

July 23rd, 2009, 02:30 PM

This has got to be about the freakin sweetest topic yet!!:skull:
Thanks MJ! You da man!
Can't wait to get started!!
Should be a pretty awesome round! Looking forward to seeing what everyone comes up with!

Michael Jaecks

July 23rd, 2009, 10:04 PM

I want you guys to check out this link:

http://artorder.blogspot.com/2009/07/earthquake-dragon-line-up.html

If you are not already aware of Art Order, you should be. Jon Schindehette is the Senior Art Director for Dungeons and Dragons by Wizards of the Coast. Art Order is his blog. In addition to sharing really great advice about the gaming, illustration and Fantasy Art industries, Jon also runs some really terrific bi-weekly art challenges, not unlike the ones you find on ConceptArt.org. They're run a little differently, often with some really incredible guest judges, and prize packages which can include Dungeons and Dragons products... and sometimes, even, publishing opportunities. There's a really great opportunity for folks to compete and get some exposure both to the online community at large as well as some important art directors and artists who follow Jon's blog. Well worth checking out as a resource on it's own.

But I am also making a point of sharing Jon's last round, the Earthquake Dragon Challenge, because I want you to see the amazing breadth and variety of the entries people submitted. There are a great number of different directions people took the idea of an "Earthquake Dragon." I really want folks here (especially the new people) to look through the entries and find some inspiration through observation. There are so many different ways you can design your new Lich Dragon Boss Monster, and I hope seeing the great variety in the "Earthquake Dragons" will really spur new and interesting ideas in you.

Mighty5cent

July 24th, 2009, 02:42 AM

Hi all. I participated in a few COWs a looong time ago, and decided to give it a whirl again this week. This is more of a design sketch than a WIP, as I plan on doing a completely new pose and setting, but this is what I've got so far...

Also, thanks a lot for the Art Order link. Very inspiring stuff!

Big scythe like claws and magic that has kept him alive through countless battle wounds.
http://benjaminclair.com/cow/150_lich_dragon_sketch.JPG

mediaslave

July 24th, 2009, 01:18 PM

Guess we can't recycle old submissions eh? hahah

http://www.mediaslave.ca/clean/graphics/illustration/1.jpg

Michael Jaecks

July 24th, 2009, 03:06 PM

mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmNope. No recycling old entries. :)

scorge

July 24th, 2009, 04:20 PM

I'm not sure if I can draw another dragon right now and I probably should stay away from undead for a little while since "Undead with two heads" is still pretty recent, but thanks for the link MJ! Awesome stuff.;)
A little too tied up with the newborn entry anyway. :D Good luck to all in this round!

Lilly Wolf

July 24th, 2009, 08:16 PM

hey again
here is my concept sketch not really a wip just yet need to design the bugger first
wasnt going for the traditional dragon head so he looks a bit more like a dinosaur unfortunately imo I shall fix that
he's half flesh half bone... you'd be too if you were undead and wondering around all those years

crit welcome

meganite

July 24th, 2009, 10:31 PM

Going with the arcana theme, I'm going to make a dragon that's not QUITE undead... he has a large cut on his neck and maybe elsewhere that looks like it should have killed him. But instead it's glowing with a sickly light. He might have some arcane markings somewhere on him, to keep the enchantments in place. His eyes will also be glowing with an unholy light. Not sure yet whether to do a closeup of the face and do super-foreshortening with the body, or to do a profile angle like I usually do. Here's a couple of thumbs that I'm pretty happy with. I'm liking the profile one best. The other one is more dynamic possibly, but I tend to screw those up, and it doesn't show that much of the body.

732555 732556

For the final, remind me to look at ref.

EDIT: There, a combination. That looks pretty badass, don't it? :)

732519

tandy1000

July 25th, 2009, 12:10 AM

Hi guys :) last week was my first cow but hopefully I can stay closer to the brief this week. Great topic Michael!

http://i26.tinypic.com/4h2k2o.jpg

sepu

July 25th, 2009, 03:03 AM

it is sooooo kickass subject
will do my best :)

njoo

July 25th, 2009, 03:11 AM

Heya, here's my entry for Cow 150, it was hard to come up with much description for this topic because it was pretty specific

C/C welcome~! I might come back to this later if I have more time

Desc: *WIP*

tandy1000

July 25th, 2009, 03:21 AM

Wow njoo very nice :), I also thought about the babyback ribs ribcage where the bones are sticking out, you pulled it off very well. Kick ass man, you should do a tutorial on your style lol.

meganite

July 25th, 2009, 03:22 AM

Woah, creepy Njoo. Lotsa spikes. Lotsa eyes. He seems like almost some strange demonic combination of dragons rather than a single dragon who has used arcane powers to escape death. But it's creepy in a sort of Anime style, proud and noble in its own way sort of. Miyazaki might be proud...?

darkly

July 25th, 2009, 03:50 AM

k I'm only doing this because you asked for it :hugsmile:.

njoo: I don't have much to crit on, but I'm not sure how I feel about the background being a less opaque close up of the dragon. I think the bg would look better as just some textured environment stuff. And if you have an outline around the whole dragon, maybe try varying your line wait a bit. This should also help to pop it out from the background more. Other than that great work. Tough competition!

edit: Also, njoo, just checked out your website/online portfolio and have to admit, I feel a little strange giving you advice, but hey that's why we're all here I guess. Great work!!!

MoHog

July 25th, 2009, 09:20 AM

Got to say I was skeptical at first due to the amount of imagery/lore that has already been built around this kind of beastie...
That said my first sketch turned out to be great fun, so good call as always MJ - thanks for the topic

732802

beginnings of the sketch, will continue with the hind quarters
c/c are always welcome - any suggestions on taking graphite into digital (maintaining the linework into a paint)

njoo: you've been busy lately, as per usual very inspiring work. The cell-shading style seems to be working a treat

pixel cheetah

July 25th, 2009, 09:34 AM

Mighty5cent: not bad, bit too static IMO

Lilly wolf: bit confusing, use black to emphasize the important parts

tandy1000: looks nice but bit too small, hard to see the details

meganite: looks promising!

njoo: truly kick a@Ss dragon! I second the demand for a detailed WIP!!!

MoHog: good start!

sepu

July 25th, 2009, 01:26 PM

WIPWIPWIP

thesaint

July 25th, 2009, 01:48 PM

Wow, this will be awesome. I'm in.

LORD M

July 25th, 2009, 03:03 PM

Very cool WIP, guys!

Thought I would post my WIP.

http://img401.imageshack.us/img401/4448/lichohh.jpg

Edit:

I have now read a bit more on Liches, and will make it more skeletal-like. Foolish I was. :P

lunascythedragon

July 25th, 2009, 03:54 PM

LORD M: looking forward to the finished one, love the head so far ;)

my WIP so far

http://i251.photobucket.com/albums/gg303/blackdragon24_photo/COW150bosslichdragonwip1.jpg

Gominoid

July 25th, 2009, 04:09 PM

Awesome topic!
This is a lot like the undead frost wyrm from Warcraft:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KiP8fAZ4lZk

Look at the frozen landscape, it's a cool idea because corpses are better preserved with cold.

Razorleaf

July 25th, 2009, 04:47 PM

Sepu, I just love the head of yours. Its not your typical dragon head, its got kindof an alien influence going on there. :)

Myriell

July 25th, 2009, 05:30 PM

http://666kb.com/i/bayiy9cdfj3z0xnz1.jpg

I was working on this since hours now. But there's still a hell lot of work to do...

But I love the topic and couldn't resist joining in.. :)

Razorleaf

July 25th, 2009, 07:12 PM

Here's my idea, any crits on composition are welcome! :)

volscalkur

July 25th, 2009, 07:14 PM

Awesome stuff going on here already!

Thanks for the Art Order link! I agree, very inspirational stuff on there!
(What I wouldn’t do to work for Wizards some day!) :teeth:

So I started sketching out a scribbly dragon to get the basic look and anatomy down, for my final I’ll be going with a different pose. I absolutely love this topic! Did I mention that already? :) I hope I can do the vision in my head justice!

My dragon is going to be a member of an ancient race of dragons who use powerful earth magic to keep themselves alive long past their normal lifespan. It is going to have vines and roots holding together it’s mummified flesh and skeleton with some sort of earthy magical energy emanating from it. This particular race also has strong necromantic abilities and can summon dead creatures from the earth to obey their commands so that’s why I have added smaller skeletons.

C&C much appreciated as always!

lkjhgfdsa

July 26th, 2009, 12:33 AM

Wipz
http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a134/jonoy/dracolich_lkjhgfdsa_wip1.jpg

tandy1000

July 26th, 2009, 12:41 AM

WIP#2!
http://i26.tinypic.com/2lm4c94.jpg

Everybody is coming along nicely :) competition is fierce! lkjhgfdsa, those wings are kick ass man.

Kin

July 26th, 2009, 01:56 AM

Haven't been on for a while so I think I'll have a go at this. Initial sketch is a little messy and I dunno if it's withered enough.

sepu

July 26th, 2009, 05:09 AM

WIP WIP WIP

MoHog

July 26th, 2009, 08:11 AM

a couple of sketches later...

733551

final sketch; exposed heart as the glaringly obvious boss weak point, human skeletons merged into the flesh, lots of spines

i'll give some feedback to everyone later today - good stuff all around

Razorleaf

July 26th, 2009, 09:02 AM

lkjhgfdsa - I am really liking yours, there is such drama in the overall feel of the image. Very Nice!

Sepu - I really like the new pose, there is something about it that makes the viewer take a few moments to actually look at it. And your choice of cool colors is brilliant - there is so much you can do with it hahaha! It reminds me of a more femine dragon, something not always portrayed by the artists on here. Very Nice! :)

wanwan

July 26th, 2009, 04:04 PM

My first CotW!

Like how this is going - WIP1
http://rowenaaitken.com/images/style2/150wip1.jpg

pixel cheetah

July 26th, 2009, 05:40 PM

It started out as an iguana and ended up like this! I hope you like it.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v79/gil-galad/COW_LichDragon_WIP01.jpg

Razorleaf

July 26th, 2009, 05:41 PM

Progress on my WIP.

sepu

July 26th, 2009, 06:13 PM

Razorleaf - I was in fact drifting in this direction, with evil = woman, but You gave me this little *push* and now it is "she" ;)

I totally suck when it comes to background/enviro, I will be tempted to just put bigger version in the back as a background...

Razorleaf

July 26th, 2009, 07:33 PM

Thanks Sepu and "she" is really coming along nicely :)

lkjhgfdsa

July 26th, 2009, 09:05 PM

update
http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a134/jonoy/Illustrations/dracolich_lkjhgfdsa_wip2.jpg

Ragnj

July 26th, 2009, 09:23 PM

lkjhgfdsa that looks focken amasing, not only a great peice of art but spot on for the competition imo.

Think ill consider myself inspired and give this a go.

sepu

July 26th, 2009, 10:11 PM

lkjhgfdsa - this is REAL pleasure to watch this dragon get mastered all the way thru wip's. I love light and composition, and adore general view :)
But I have to ask about one thing with his anatomy - if disproportion in all his limbs was your intention?
I know that power-full magic of undead can have dramatic results on one's body, but his arms are totally different, so are legs, so are wings(fleshy parts) and this makes me curious :)

lkjhgfdsa

July 27th, 2009, 12:44 AM

yeah, I decided not to fix the proportions, just the length of the back wing as it was a bit too wacky, though there is still time and its as easy as cut and past with a touch-up on the foreshortening to fix the lengths...maybe!

updated image above

Mighty5cent

July 27th, 2009, 01:07 AM

lkjhgfdsa - that's looking amazing! the concept, the colors, the dragon's face, all look great!

Here's my update. Still have some more work to put into it, most importantly establishing some better scale. He's not feeling as big as he should :)

http://benjaminclair.com/cow/150_lich_dragon_sketch2.JPG

jouste

July 27th, 2009, 03:44 AM

wicked entries so far peoples! cool topic as well.

here's some wips and where mine is at atm.

it's maggotmaw tangleguts!

being a lazy dragon and an even more inept sorcerer, the lich transformation was not very kind to maggotmaw the necrotic dragon. the sloppy necromancy failed to staple up his decomposing body and left his entrails dangling down in a constant writhing mass of gory-grabbing tentacles!

donning the name maggotmaw tangle guts he blasts foes with his maggoty breath and strangles the life out of his enemies with his man-o-warian intestines of disgusting death!

-------
some early wips

http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/gg219/1_jouste/process/cow150wipboard.jpg

here's whats up for now

http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/gg219/1_jouste/process/cow150_wip.jpg

wanwan

July 27th, 2009, 05:13 AM

It started out as an iguana and ended up like this! I hope you like it.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v79/gil-galad/COW_LichDragon_WIP01.jpg

pixel cheetah; Just wondered if you had uploaded the right sketch?

Great work so far everyone, will be good to see all the WIPs :)

sepu

July 27th, 2009, 06:14 AM

trying to puff some smoke - suprisingly I got it like I wanted it, so now it will be important not to destroy it when working on it :D

Razorleaf

July 27th, 2009, 07:51 AM

Very Nice lkjhgfdsa! You create such drama and story telling in your work that it is visually stunning. :)

wanwan

July 27th, 2009, 08:34 AM

http://rowenaaitken.com/images/style2/150wip2.jpg

Changed the comp a little, any crits would be greatly appreciated!

Arbinn

July 27th, 2009, 09:38 AM

Lineart WIP.

The legs need more work and I think the kite on the dragon's head needs to go but I'm pretty happy with the design.

http://i524.photobucket.com/albums/cc323/Arbinnn/WIP-1.jpg

Partialartist

July 27th, 2009, 11:52 AM

Here's what I have so far. Hopefully I'll get it done in time.

lunascythedragon

July 27th, 2009, 11:58 AM

wip 2
http://i251.photobucket.com/albums/gg303/blackdragon24_photo/COW150bosslichdragonwip2.jpg

Steve Somers

July 27th, 2009, 01:28 PM

Hello fellow artists. I've been a fan of this particular forum for a long time and this will be my first shot at submitting something. So here's two ideas, I like both, but both have some issues to resolve before I finalize. Does anyone have any thoughts which works better for the description? My main thing is to do a dragon that doesn't rely on the standard template of a brontosaur with wings. If I go with the one that looks more cobra-like I'll add a body so it fits the rules of the game better....

wanwan

July 27th, 2009, 01:30 PM

http://rowenaaitken.com/images/style2/150wip3.jpg

Added a bit of colour, trying to make it pop a little more. Going for the serpent edge.

pixel cheetah

July 27th, 2009, 01:43 PM

jouste: awesome idea and implementation!

steve: both of them bloody good! The second might fit more the traditional idea of a lich dragon.

wanwan: looks very meneacing and powerful! And yes, absolutely sure. ;)

blobs

July 27th, 2009, 02:03 PM

Sketch for now.. not sure if I'll finish this one (as per usual).. I might submit the final as line work.. may be.

@Steve.. love 'em both, I couldn't pick between them.
@wanwan.. that is looking flippin' good so far! :)
@jouste..that is classy stuff :D
@lkjhgfdsa.. cheers for the process shots!! :)

longshao

July 27th, 2009, 02:37 PM

http://i630.photobucket.com/albums/uu22/hspg/lichdragon.jpg
Rough sketch

wanwan

July 27th, 2009, 02:39 PM

thanks blobs ;) if that is your real name!

lkjhgfdsa - great username and great work so far

jouste - envious of your cartoony gory combo!

really high standards chaps and chapettes!

Steve Somers

July 27th, 2009, 05:50 PM

SEPU: I like the rendering through the neck and head, and the general paleness overall, one confusing thing though is the wings. Visually I like the way they fit in the composition, but when I try to picture how they'd work, it seems like they're inverted. Maybe some folds near the base where they attach to show they're folded over?

Mitze

July 27th, 2009, 06:38 PM

Great work by everyone.

WIP

http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f162/mekese2000/lichdragon11.jpg

sepu

July 27th, 2009, 07:54 PM

FAST ART

July 27th, 2009, 09:59 PM

think thats not realy a boss-monster but a litch dragon of caurse..

meganite

July 28th, 2009, 02:19 AM

WOW, everyone's pics are turning out awesome :O I especially like wanwan's and lkjhgfdsa's ... OMG I don't know how I can compete... but here's mine, C&C super-welcome. I fixed the point of view a bit, so he looks bigger.

735414

dwinbotp

July 28th, 2009, 03:42 AM

Whoa! wish I can come up with something for this, just too cool to pass up! so many wonderful entries from all around! great stuff guys! :D

dwinbotp

July 28th, 2009, 03:57 AM

here's my background for the lich boss dragon, mood lighting does wonders for creative juices:)

Mr. P Show.

July 28th, 2009, 07:31 AM

Mine so far:

Steve Somers

July 28th, 2009, 09:33 AM

Steve Somers - when she was coming up from the void I was struggling with this wing thing same way - to leave or change them.
I decided that they look too nice on the picture and that she is usually tightly folded anyway(snakelike long body gave me this impression).
Still I'm not sure if I'm not going to put one "folded" dragon, like daughter of big one, somewhere on the final just to clarify any confusion :)

Here is speedy to show how I worked it out in my mind:

Ahhh.. okay, I get it now. Very cool!! And your explanation drawing is pretty sweet, I dig the profile of the beast, it would be cool to see that one developed too, especially the semi transparent wing idea.

sepu

July 28th, 2009, 09:35 AM

She still needs lots of love, and some colors, but I'm happy how it goes so far.
Steve Somers I have changed this strange wing-thing ( I cannot expect everybody to have my view on dragon anatomy :) better to keep it more traditional)
also added some offerings on small altar:

Steve Somers

July 28th, 2009, 09:43 AM

That's lookin real nice... like the addition of the nude sacrifice... and boobs on the dragon... I am all in favor of new ideas in dragon anatomy.

dwinbotp

July 28th, 2009, 01:41 PM

Finished! :) but took a big chunk of the day to do so. Here's the wips, again, I apologize if the workflow looks messy and disorienting, changed my mind so many times until I felt satisfied with it. The finished final comes right after the WIPS. C&C like always, are welcome and greatly appreciated!:D

Steve Somers

July 28th, 2009, 02:39 PM

That turned out amazing. Great use of lighting.

pahavasa

July 28th, 2009, 05:22 PM

Coolest topic ever, nice work so far everyone.

My dragon's hollow inside, so it's better not to get eaten by a thing that no-one can kill and will prison you forever and so on.
735999

wanwan

July 28th, 2009, 05:37 PM

really like the hands inside the belly pahavasa

almost finished my piece, getting away from it tonight and finish it in the morning.

unfort all my links will prob mess up since the art is getting moved to a different section tonight but i will post a link to the previous wips.

Razorleaf

July 28th, 2009, 06:04 PM

Fast Art - I love your take on the "Lich" factor hahahah ..... very nice! :)

DeathByChris

July 29th, 2009, 12:31 AM

first time posting, figured Id get off my butt and start participating.
hopefully Ill finsh in time.

¿Dubious?

July 29th, 2009, 12:54 AM

super late start on this one but Im liking how its going so far. Tried to steer clear of traditional dragon stylistic elements and went for a more Final Fantasy-esque implausible giant monster approach. Also figured what better topic than to break in my new copy of Alchemy. Anyway its not much to look at yet.

DImanic

July 29th, 2009, 01:19 AM

Thought I'd give this a go, it's a long time since I have drawn a dragon, it took quite a few sketches. I haven't decided on his tongue yet, trying to avoid the forked tongue.

There is some awesome work going on here.

Mr--Jack

July 29th, 2009, 06:02 AM

ahoy!

frickin' fantastic topic this week, as usual, even if I've been absent a while :P
saw a couple of entries go up on dA nice and early, and thought I'd try to kick myself back into gear now. SO
I'll put up my progress as I go, makes it feel more like I have to finish it if I've actually shown something—plenty of times I've just said 'yeah, I'm in' and promptly done nothing.

Some really nice entries shaping up here, too, I've a feeling it's gonna be a tough round :D

not really sure of this yet, I want to do something a little different from a straight Frost Wyrm undead dragon, perhaps, but we'll see. (if in doubt, add more wings!)

EDIT (added second pic)
I know it's not always a good idea to leap into your first idea, usually it's the most obvious, but I'm liking the way this is going so far.

EDIT 2 (added 3rd pic)
what was that I said about not leaping into your first design? Ah well, I'm really happy with the way it's progressing so far, quite close to what (little) I had in mind. I wasn't sure I was going to have time to get this done this week but now I'm definitely going to go for it :D

Steve Somers

July 29th, 2009, 10:05 AM

NICE!! That beast looks fuckin EVIL!!! I like the dense oily smog around him too -- hope some of that stays..

kovah

July 29th, 2009, 10:30 AM

im really not convinced im gonna get this done on time because i'm poorly sick but i thought i might as well give it a try. Crits would be appreciated if you have a few spare minutes.

DeathByChris

July 29th, 2009, 10:43 AM

Im really digging how dynamic your pose is, Mr--Jack.

Steve Marworthy

July 29th, 2009, 12:23 PM

I know its a bit late, but I'm going to take a shot at this. Looking at all these cool dragons makes it irresistable :)

Droid

July 29th, 2009, 01:17 PM

Mr--Jack, looking really nice there man.

Can really feel the whole evil skeleton dragon feel coming off that, that ideas got evil vibes coming off it!

Can't wait to see all the finished entries guys!

;)

pahavasa

July 29th, 2009, 02:30 PM

Mr--Jack, that looks flippin' sweet! Loving it.

Evolving.
736760

ArkhamAngel

July 29th, 2009, 03:09 PM

Hello, I know I'm leaving it late but I have a little bit of time before deadline.

This is my WIP which has made for a fun day today
http://fc09.deviantart.com/fs46/f/2009/210/4/0/lich_dragon_by_ArkhamAngel.jpg

.Elec7ro

July 29th, 2009, 04:43 PM

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k426/E7art/Other/wup.png

wanwan

July 29th, 2009, 05:33 PM

Elec7ro - is that really appropriate?

ErikStorstein

July 29th, 2009, 06:03 PM

I had this idea(read: kind of stole) on Monday while watching FullMetal Alchemist. I wanted the dragon to be covered in arcane symbols, like the alchemist transmutation circles (I failed there so far, I don't like that part so I'll be reworking it). I also loved how the hand of Alphonse reached out before he was trapped behind the gate, so I wanted to use that as well.

Here are my thumbnails, first one here I played with the idea of using the souls for wings kind of.
736921

and my current wip, let a friend pick a thumb:
736922

pahavasa: your idea seems to be kind of in the same direction as I'm going :P Love those hands on yours though, clever.

Mr--Jack: man, always loved your stuff, that looks bad ass!

Mulm

July 29th, 2009, 07:09 PM

First time COWer here! Hello!

dwinbotp: your colors are just stunning! Great work...:O
Zilrion: Great start! I was playing with the same idea (although didn't turn out well for me :P)

I ended up with a shamanistic/voodoo dragon idea. It absorbs the souls of the daring groups that obviously didn't manage to slay it. Your group, you say? Not likely. But give it a try, dragon's hungry...

Bottom one's probably my final..

Menelaos

July 29th, 2009, 07:21 PM

Well, my apologies for the quality of the photo, however, I just found out my scanner no longer works...Anyway, don't know if I'll finish this work (I'll try real hard tomorrow), but wanted to share my concept nevertheless.

This sketch/wip depicts the "Rise of the Lich Dragon". The great army of Prathor marched into the swamps of Dehenoth to prevent the Evil (mind the capital E) dragon Kraskoth from gaining Lich-dom. As soon as the valiant knights saw the Deadlights (ayum, inspiration from Stephen King's It) in the dragon's eyesockets their souls were taken...giving Kraskoth the strength and power to turn it into the Lich...

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darkly

July 29th, 2009, 08:36 PM

Looking good everyone! I'm especially lichin', I mean likin' dwinbotp's and mr jack's. Some tough comp!

Here's my finished sketch...

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SaintLConcept

July 29th, 2009, 11:26 PM

hey guys , first COW yey! but just read the topic yesterday and cant miss this one ,,,hopefully can finish on time since i have to go to work *sigh*, well here's mine dont really have the 'lich' thing but nevermind, and please be brutal since my digi painting do suck :yayca:

DeathByChris

July 30th, 2009, 12:12 AM

Im starting to wish I experimented more with the anatomy. oh well theres still alittle time left.

meganite

July 30th, 2009, 01:24 AM

Lich Dragon wip 3. I think his front right arm needs some help. I'll probably put the claws closer on a new layer or something. Crits please!!! O_O I really want to nail the black and white before I add color (though I recognize some of contrast is color contrast)

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Steve Marworthy

July 30th, 2009, 04:27 AM

A little further along. I need to come up an interesting background before i start to get the details in

insubstantial

July 30th, 2009, 04:48 AM

yesterday this cow accroached my full attention^^
its deffiately a really nice topic.
http://i215.photobucket.com/albums/cc126/paul_heyduck/LichDragonWIP1.jpg
http://i215.photobucket.com/albums/cc126/paul_heyduck/LichDragonWIP2.jpg
http://i215.photobucket.com/albums/cc126/paul_heyduck/LichDragonWIP3.jpg

VegasMike

July 30th, 2009, 06:26 AM

Hi everyone! Great work and awesome topic, had to get in on this! Comments and crits always welcome.

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pahavasa

July 30th, 2009, 07:17 AM

Thanks for the comments everyone. Feedback still welcome as always.

Getting close to the final version.
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Mr--Jack

July 30th, 2009, 07:38 AM

slam slam slam!
I'm about to be off to bed and I'm not around tomorrow so I've got to put this up now; I'll comment on everything in the poll :D some lovely work this week though!

I kept it fairly simple, I guess, nothing too original with the dragon side of things, but I had a lot of fun with it, so that's all good. (I was tempted, but steered clear of the 'glowing blue/green energy life-energy' sort of thing).

(I'll put this up in finals now, but I might check here tomorrow morning if there are any crits and all :))

wanwan

July 30th, 2009, 07:50 AM

hey pahavasa,

:O the hands have gone! I loved that bit, but I can totally understand why you opted for figures to denote scale. lovely work, would love to see the end result!

sepu

July 30th, 2009, 07:52 AM

some changes, still working on her.

.Elec7ro

July 30th, 2009, 09:26 AM

here my final work:

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k426/E7art/lichdragon.png

annarepp

July 30th, 2009, 09:48 AM

Hi everyone! This is my first post here :) I am a traditional illustrator, but I've been watching this forum for quite a while and I really wanted to try doing some concept art. I know I am very late to submit to this topic and I will probably will not have time to finish, but I thought I'd post some of my sketches. I would really appreciate any comments!!! What I tried here, is to create a different form of dragon, something less traditional, so one turned out more like a basilisk. For the second dragon I had this idea of wings made of fire... Are any of the ideas worth going forward with? Thank you!

pahavasa

July 30th, 2009, 09:52 AM

wanwan, yeah, unfortunately the hands had to go - I liked them too, but in this case they just didn't work. Maybe I'll use them in some other piece later on!

The final:
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wanwan

July 30th, 2009, 10:20 AM

pahavasa: sweeeeeeeeeeet!

blobs

July 30th, 2009, 11:05 AM

Oh mrJack.. loving that!

Not feeling mine at all at the mo, adjusting it as I go.

Steve Somers

July 30th, 2009, 11:38 AM

BLOBS, I think yours is coming along quite nicely... the head especially.. plenty of personality like a pissed off, crotchety old man... with random flakes of charred crud falling off him..

Steve Somers

July 30th, 2009, 11:41 AM

Here's a little rundown on my steps for this... comments are very welcome since I'm still pretty new to my little pen tablet....

Arbinn

July 30th, 2009, 07:13 PM

Been away for almost the whole week so mine is still just a rough sketch. I liked the design of the dragon in my previous sketch but it was kinda boring as a picture so I drew a new one.

Hopefully I can finish this in time tomorrow.

http://i524.photobucket.com/albums/cc323/Arbinnn/LichDragonWIP.jpg

lemming-clone-

July 30th, 2009, 10:37 PM

Shoooot, there's a lot of great stuff in this thread.
Nothing too original here. Mostly having fun.
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MasterStryke

July 31st, 2009, 02:11 AM

bonethorns on the back? or wings?

what you wanna do next lemming-clone-?

btw: looks interesting yet

merlemage

July 31st, 2009, 04:00 AM

lich crawler

oops i forgot to post this wip
great work everybody!

http://i246.photobucket.com/albums/gg119/sharimc/cow_150_lichdragon_wip.jpg

blobs

July 31st, 2009, 04:17 AM

Cheers Steve :)

My comfort colours are green/brown/orange, so I decided to whip it up half way through and use green/cyan.. eek! WELL out of my fluffy cotton ball there! lol
So here's where I am so far..

Michael Jaecks

July 31st, 2009, 09:20 AM

All righty. Today is the deadline which means you have until around noon Saturday CST to get those finals in.

You guys are really rockin' this topic. I'm very happy to see both the variety of design and style this round. I love it when people take a very classic type topic and give it their personal spin. Very cool.

SO you've got just over 24 hours to finalize or refine your entries. Keep 'em coming!

Icecold

July 31st, 2009, 11:58 AM

I know that it's already too late for me to make it on time, but the topic is so exciting that i will finish this on my own i think.
Here's a little concept sketch i've made.

http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b339/fociupl/Digital%20Art/LichDragon.jpg

meganite

July 31st, 2009, 11:58 AM

I dunno if I'm gonna finish. I guess if we have until noon Saturday (10 here I gotta remember)...haven't had a chance to work on it though, and probably won't until then. Sad day =( Oh well, better luck next time, right? I need practice getting beyond the sketch phase, to me a sketch is just as compelling as the final pic. (I guess i'm an impressionist at heart?). Would mine be excluded by just having a more impressionistic style? I got in trouble before for having one that was "not finished" which I did in a more impressionist style.

bhenart

July 31st, 2009, 12:11 PM

So this is the first time I've ever posted anything on ConceptArt.org (I hope I don't mess up). I couldn't help but get in on this challenge it was just too awesome. Here's my WIPs, hope you enjoy :)

Arbinn

July 31st, 2009, 03:00 PM

Friggin' awesome bhenart. I like blobs' one too.

Here's my current WIP. Still trying to get it done today but I'm not sure if it'll make it in time. :X Hopefully the deadline won't be that strick this time and lasts - if not 24 hours - at least 6-12h longer. ;)

I'm thinking of some kind of name for it. Currently it's just generic Runelord.

http://i524.photobucket.com/albums/cc323/Arbinnn/LichDragonWIP2.jpg

Arbinn

July 31st, 2009, 04:23 PM

Well, couldn't finish in time (it's friday midnight here soon and I'm quitting drawing for today). :(

Current WIP. Greyscale is almost ready. If the voting hasn't started when I wake up I finish this as the first thing I do in the morning.

http://i524.photobucket.com/albums/cc323/Arbinnn/LichDragonWIP3.jpg

volscalkur

July 31st, 2009, 05:04 PM

There is so much killer artwork on here it's ridiculous!
Guess you can't go wrong with undead dragons! :)

Wish I could comment on everyone's but I simply do not have the time! :(

Great to see you on here again VegasMike, I follow your stuff on deviant art and I must say it's very inspirational and your dragon is wicked cool!

Here is my dragon, so far it's only still in the rough sketch stage, but I have a free night as soon as I get off work tonight, so I plan on grinding it out tonight, and hopefully will have something worth posting in finals by tomorrow morning! :)

Awesome round!
Keep it up!!