Team CHOW II: The Happy Little Trees

[CKLamb]

everyone...is.........so.............quiet...the end must be drawing near....tic toc.....tic toc....

[ALH]

Since she has changed so much from the first version, a little taster of whats in store for ye goode mage.

She has also gained a personality along the way, huzzah!

[nimzicki]

Sorry for the silence guys, had a family emergency and im no longer at home this weekend. I've brought my tablet with me though, just need to install Photoshop and I should be able to get finished tonight/tomorrow. We have until Monday to get fully sorted right?

[CKLamb]

Yeah, Monday is the last day. Don't forget your character description too. Hope the family emergency thing turns out okay for you. If you need me to do anything just ask.

[blackcherry]

Any ideas for the final presentation yet? Also what sort of size do our final images need to be? and are we all going to have our character portraits sized to the same height so they line up nicely?

Oh, and another question, with the descriptions are we going to have them incorporated as part of the image,presentation or just written up in the final post?

[CKLamb]

hrmm...good questions....we should talk about it

[blackcherry]

I agree. I think we need to get it sorted quite soon so we know what we're doing for our presentation so that its not all left til the 31st.

I'm finishing off the dark elf tonight and starting work on the backgrounds so hopefully by tomorrow evening they'll be done so I just have to write up the descriptions and put my finals together. Hows yours going?

[nimzicki]

Thanks corey, much appreciated. This is where I am on the dark portrait, the monitor im on is completely different to my mac at home so this might look completely out of whack so let me know:

http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i258/Nimzicki/Digital%20Painting/Fighter_evil_WIP.jpg

Need to sort out the legs and refine a little bit and ill be done, same with the light portrait. In terms of presentation, I think we just need to set a height for everyone to stick to and write the character descriptions within the post, not as part of the portrait, otherwise we are bringing in Graphic Design/Typography issues that we don't need.

[ALH]

otherwise we are bringing in Graphic Design/Typography issues that we don't need.


Aw man, you mean my efforts were to waste?

[nimzicki]

Assuming the colours and brightness aren't complete ass, im about done with looking at these.

http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i258/Nimzicki/Digital%20Painting/Fighter_Good_WIP.jpghttp://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i258/Nimzicki/Digital%20Painting/Fighter_evil_Final.jpg

Character descriptions to follow. Hows everybody doing?

[CKLamb]

My main is finished, I'm just trying to finish off all my extras. Haven't started on my character descriptions. It's going to be close for me.

[ALH]

Assuming the colours and brightness aren't complete ass, im about done with looking at these.

http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i258/Nimzicki/Digital%20Painting/Fighter_Good_WIP.jpghttp://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i258/Nimzicki/Digital%20Painting/Fighter_evil_Final.jpg

Character descriptions to follow. Hows everybody doing?

Hey nim, looking good- can we get a little wildness in the hair/some rugged manly body hair/blood on the evil, and some roughness/dirt and scratches on the good? just to roughen him up a bit, he is looking a little too clean and futuristic atm.

I alspo suspect it may be hard for people to tell which of these is good and which is evil without reading the description, Ideally I would round out some of the edges on the good, as the shapes there atm are evil..but it is evil armour, perhaps put a cliché holy spotlight on the good, to make his half lighter? or make the castle in the background of the evil in ruins/smoking? Evidence of a battle at his feet, lots of blood spatter?

Go wild, really emphasise it. At the moment I'd be prone to thinking the evil side was good because his organic shapes are softer!

[nimzicki]

Ill work on it a bit if I get a chance. I don't agree that the evil side looks good though...at all.

Edit- er, sorry didn't mean to sound like a dick, stressful weekend, my bad. Thanks for the comments, I'll see what I can do :)

[blackcherry]

I've finished both characters, I'm doing the backgrounds now then need to write the descriptions. I'll post what I've got by the end of tonight!

Are we still going for the 750 px height for the finals?

nimzicki: Your character is looking good and the colours look fine to me overall, though you could maybe play around with the colours in one of them using colour balance and hue/saturation in photoshop to create more of a contrast between the two versions? This would be a quick way of making the different versions more apparent.

[ALH]

Ill work on it a bit if I get a chance. I don't agree that the evil side looks good though...at all.

Edit- er, sorry didn't mean to sound like a dick, stressful weekend, my bad. Thanks for the comments, I'll see what I can do :)

Its ok

I may not have been clear -

The good side has sharp, straight lines and cool colours, while the bad has more of a soft focus ' orky gonna give you some fiine lovin' thing going on, his evil demon eyes are warm, looking almost like candlelight, I cant help but think of him as a misunderstood hobo hero, who just happens to have a crazy demon posession. If i saw both on a battlefield i would be more scared of the armour guy, because he looks well protected, the 'evil' version looks a little exposed by comparison. I think shifting his pose to be more confident and 'dont mess with me' would help there, but obviously theres no time for that now.

Bear in mind im incredibly picky, i've repainted my own good mage 8000 times because i've got stuck in a dumb perfectionist loop, so take this as an outsiders point of view more than anything else D:.

[nimzicki]

Don't get me wrong, I understand where you are coming from, just been staring at it too long I think, appreciate the suggestions, hopefully I'll have time to amend things.

Again, sorry for being a bit short, not at home and a bit stressed. Whose going to do the final submission? Midnight Monday hits corey last but he might be working the night shift again.

[ALH]

Well, seeing as CK has more characters to juggle, it seems fair to let him have the extra time, but if everyone is done by a reasonable time i can make the post.

[CKLamb]

Actually, letting me post it would allow me to work up until the last second, which I definitely need. I just need you all to post everything properly here, so I won't have to fumble around with extra work. Tonight (early tomorrow morning for you), I'll make a post here outlining how I would like you to submit your final work, wips, and descriptions to this thread.

[ALH]

Oh god its so addictive < 3

[CKLamb]

One last thing, for the character description/bio, my first impulse is to say DON'T write it in third person. He, she, it..etc. If you can come up with a clever first person narrative, please do. Try to get in your character's head. Write it from a neutral standpoint, as in neither good nor evil. This would be right before or during the event of our brief story. IF you can't get something going then by all means write a standard 3rd person.

[blackcherry]

This is where my portraits are now. I'm pretty much done now. I'll make them separate for the finals but I've made it so they can be connected side by side.

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Just the description to go now. Are we going to name or characters? And how much do you think we need to put in for the description? Oh and does it have to be general or like a bit about both versions?

The image isn't very clear here, it looks a lot better than this quality-wise. I just did a quick print screen shot of it.

Edit: Just seen that CK has answered some of my queries on the descriptions.

[ALH]

One last thing, for the character description/bio, my first impulse is to say DON'T write it in third person. He, she, it..etc. If you can come up with a clever first person narrative, please do. Try to get in your character's head. Write it from a neutral standpoint, as in neither good nor evil. This would be right before or during the event of our brief story. IF you can't get something going then by all means write a standard 3rd person.

boo, Writing in first person makes it feel like youre doing the characters CV or something, and is surely not something you would encounter in a game?

I would have said to go for writing it as if it is a legend.

MANY HAVE SPOKEN ABOUT THE WISE OLD WOMAN OF WALLSEND, WAILING AS SHE WEAVES HER WIZARDLY WONDERMENTS. SOME SAY SHE WAS ONCE A FAIR MAIDEN, OTHERS A WRETCHED CONCUBINE OF THE DARK LORD, BANISHED FOR FAILING TO BEAR HIM AN HEIR.

You know, all epic, or potentially as if we knew the character, rather than actually *being* that character. typical NPC spiel-

Oh CKlamb? That shifty looking dude with the scars? yeah i heard of him, he always smelled of beets. Nice chap though, always bought a bunch of roses for the missus. Heard he got in a bit of bother with some demon armour though, nasty stuff.#

EDIT--

That is to say, leaving it open for peoples interperetation, as a first person account takes away a bit of the mystery. Its more fun if people can project their own personality onto , for example, my basic scared of death/old/mage by how they interpret the image than me tell everyone specifically how she would react to whatever situation. As this is a static portrait project not one which will have animation etc theres no real need for an intense personality workup, a backstory is enough :).

[CKLamb]

Well, a good first person narrative doesn't usually give everything out on an open platter. Say for example, you took a small clip of an inner dialogue that your witch is having with herself as she lays awake at night curiously awaiting the inevitable. First person doesn't have to be ham fisted, but if you are against it then by all means do a third person, just keep it short and interesting. Focus on the pathos of the character not their role in a story. The problem, for me, about third person is that it's getting to know a character through an intermediary source, which isn't quite the same as meeting the person. Meeting someone and hearing about someone are completely different experiences. Again, time is short, just make sure you can get the reader's attention.

[ALH]

Say for example, you took a small clip of an inner dialogue that your witch is having with herself as she lays awake at night curiously awaiting the inevitable.

Theres the problem really, I cant place myself into the shoes of an ancient old woman, I can only proxy. I can guess at what someone like her may think from my own conversations with old women, but until I am myself that age theres no way i could make it sound right. If she was younger I'd have a stab at it, but I cant even suspend disbelief at this one, its too much to make up at the last minute. I can bullshit for england if its backstory you're after, but internal narrative? olawd.


A quick check - Mageys costume has changed a lot over the past couple of days as i've been pushing it to settle, part of these changes is a mask like structure over the 'good' mages face- kind of a play on the whole final fantasy black mage 'no face' thing as well as some honeycomb/beekeeping stuff I was exploring earlier. Artistically It works, it helps balance the elements a bit, and offers contrast between the nakedness of the evil mage, warts n all - but it does obscure her face, and im wondering if there are any objections to this, be they from the group or from anyone official lurking around? I wouldnt want my crazy fashion stuff to clash with the teams chances, and i can always change things up

..and probably will tomorrow morning.

Version in this JPG is slightly darker than what i;d go for, because its nearly 3AM and im tired, can barely type now.

[CKLamb]

Cherry- I don't plan on naming any of my characters, not sure about everyone else. As far as description, try to write more about his personal characteristics. You could highlight a possible character flaw that would lead to the dark path and a saving point that could lead to the light.

ALH- Umm, not much to say other then what I said the last two posts, do what you want if you don't like my suggestion. It's not a biggie. As far as the veil, if you can do it without flattening your image by all means do what you think looks more interesting. ATM you've taken the part of your painting that has the most depth and flattened it with the patterning. From the looks of it, you have a top-front light. If you could render the veil accordingly I think it would mesh volumetrically.

I'll post the format for finals soon.

EDIT: If one of you could prep our team logo to the 300 x 300 px I would appreciate that.

[CKLamb]

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RACE:
CLASS:

LIGHT DESCRIPTION:

DARK DESCRIPTION:


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Portrait constraints: 700px height max
WIP Board Parameters: height 500px
width 1000px

Completely open to discussion on rearranging this and adding more data for the characters.

Light and Dark can be on either side.

[nimzicki]

Christ, all that over a 5ish line character description?! You strike me as someone that gets told to calm down a lot ALH but also someone that doesn't like being told to. Im not being horrible but instead of all that you could've just given it a bash and be done already. Its a good thing to have an opinion but you need to know when to stop, arguing until you wear the other person down isn't the way to get your point across.

Its only a few lines, try it both ways, see which works better, thats all. Stop over thinking everything.

Btw - eyes like candlelight? Methinks you fancy my character... :D Oh and looking like a battlefield hobo with a crazy demon posession? That is EXACTLY what hes meant to be! I've done a bit of work to both though and if you still think my evil fella is good then you have issues. Ill probably work on finishing them off later tonight along with the descriptions, I know the good portrait still needs some work:

http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i258/Nimzicki/Digital%20Painting/Fighter_Good_Final2.jpghttp://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i258/Nimzicki/Digital%20Painting/Fighter_evil_Final2.jpg

Corey: Submission format looks fine to me, do we need a WIP board though, thought just a link to the sketchbook was sufficient? Looking forward to seeing your finals.

[blackcherry]

nimzicki: I think your character's looking really good . I like how you've got the backgrounds to link as well :) I think that would be a good way to present our pieces but not sure if it would be possible with the submission guidelines calling for separate portraits, either way you could always present them like that outside the competition.

I hope everythings ok with your family situation now!

CK: Does it say we need a WIP board? Like nimzicki said I though we'd only need to link back to the sketchbook for the WIP shots. That was the format in the last competition.

[ALH]

Christ, all that over a 5ish line character description?! You strike me as someone that gets told to calm down a lot ALH but also someone that doesn't like being told to. Im not being horrible but instead of all that you could've just given it a bash and be done already. Its a good thing to have an opinion but you need to know when to stop, arguing until you wear the other person down isn't the way to get your point across.

Im actually pretty embarrassed about doing that in the thread, shouldnt have posted at 1am+ cant say im at my most professionally minded that late. Severe verbal diarrhoea, I didnt mean to sound confrontational.

Evil side looks eviler now, just roughing up that hair really helped.

Not finished, but close -

[CKLamb]

Cherry- The wip board is just for the sketchbook, I wanted a nice little wrap-up at the end, so people don't have to dredge through 10 pages.

[nimzicki]

Were you thinking one WIP board for the light and another for the dark portrait or just one for both?

[blackcherry]

Hey guys, just been checking out the submission guidelines and we need a description for each of the portraits (one for good and one for evil). Quoted from daestwen:

You need to submit at least a paragraph of the brief in the final burning thread for each of the images. If they are longer than that, post the first paragraph and then a link to the rest. Yes, you need one for each portrait, as good and evil would have different descriptions, right?

[CKLamb]

Thanks Cherry.

Rich, both if possible, if not just compile what you can.

EDIT: If your character's classes are different from portrait to portrait please specify.

[ALH]

I'll have a stab at em once i've got my mage done, send over the images as they are so i can weave something heinous - though if more than one of us fancies doing it it could be interesting to choose which is the better idea at the end :3.

Also- seeing as we have to do a description for each, be sure to mention 'the event' in your descriptions for extra brownie points.

' wraught with despair after the event she could take the pain no longer and plunged herself into darkness '

' The event made me see the light and focus on the good things in life...'

edit- remember to be careful about class swaps, we're allowed some leeway, but cant have a ranger turn into a mage etc

[CKLamb]

fuck, fuck, fuck.....

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EDIT: Class swap should stay in the same archetype: Like my archetype is Rogue, subclasses could be thief, burglar, duelist, assassin, etc. You're party role should not change.

[ALH]

I need to go have a nap or eat some food soon, burning the candle at both ends here, but this is what I have so far for the summoner/knight

The Summoners Story-

. dwarf summoner is hired by a noble family to act as a nanny for their restless children. She has a bit of a napoleon complex when pushed about her diminutive height, and is eager to prove herself to be more than a cute little girl, but her heart is in the right place.

. on the way back from market she encounters the other characters mid-struggle, and does her best to help out, sending out all manner of birds and beasts to aid the other warriors.

In one version of the timeline she succeeds and is praised for her actions. She continues on to her noblemans court and in celebration of her exciting victory summons a whole flock of adorable birds for the children to play with. She is a kind nanny and teaches the children the importance of teamwork with her fluffy flock. They grow to be the most well respected and friendly of all the noblemen and women.

In the alternate timeline her attempts fail terribly, she just isnt strong enough to make an impact on the battle, and is tossed around like a ragdoll by the demon. Battered, she returns to the children with vengence on her mind, and has less patient with the children, no time for fun or games. She turns her hand to studying the dark arts in order to boost her summon skills, creating a foul jackal like beast to nip at the heels of the children when they step out of line. They learn the merits of dedicating onesself to ones cause, something which drives them in the future to become harsh and cruel to the peasants littering their inherited lands.


Edit knight in soon, grabbing food.

[blackcherry]

Final entries for my Elfin Healer:

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Gender: Male
Race: Elf
Class: Healer

Deep in the heart of the forest, lives an elfin man who is said to have an amazing gift with almost God-like power, being able to heal all wounds, cure all sickness and restore life to all living things. Living in solitude amongst the wild has allowed him to lead a quiet life away from civilians who would likely end up selfishly exploiting his powers for their own means.

With the power in his grasp to build a better world, the healer is held back by moral issues which plague him, does he have the right to use his powers to their full potential and play God? Or should he remain hidden and do nothing unless the opportunity presents itself?

When an unforeseen event occurs the time comes for him to make a choice...

Which path will he chose?

Dark
Giving in to his intoxicating power in the events aftermath, the elfin man quickly becomes a saviour to the people who are instantly in awe at the extent of his healing abilities. Through the use of his gift he gradually begins to exploit all who come to him for help, charging them for home made remedies and the curing of any ailments or injuries they may have. He becomes a figure who is revered and feared amongst the townsfolk. Lost in the depths of megalomania, the healer’s original good intentions for his gift have been warped turning him into a power hungry man who cares little for the feelings and needs of others. He is not well liked and even nature, where he is always been at home, has begun to wither in his presence.

Light
Choosing to remain on the boundaries of civilisation in the aftermath, keeping his gift hidden from others, the elfin man is contented living besides nature which flourishes around him. As a man of the forest he is happy harvesting and growing herbs to make his own cures and medicines. These healing potions for common ailments he distributes amongst the towns folk when passing through. This allows him to help others without having to reveal the extent of power he has in his grasp. Despite preferring to keep his gift hidden, the healer is prepared, if such an opportunity arises, to step in and help those who seek out the need for his amazing power.


(My description here is quite long. We don't need to post it all in the final post though we can link back if its over a paragraph so just submit the light and dark bits)

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I'll get the WIP shots up soon.

[hala]

Rock on peeps and good luck!!! :D

[nimzicki]

Just about done with these:

http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i258/Nimzicki/Digital%20Painting/TheHappyLittleTrees_TChow_fighter_g.jpg http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i258/Nimzicki/Digital%20Painting/TheHappyLittleTrees_TChow_fighter_e.jpg

Gender: Male
Race: Orc
Class: Fighter

Light

Its been 9 days since I put on this God forsaken armour, 9 days since I felt it slice into me and take hold, 9 days since the first time I felt it breathe, speak to me and try to bend my mind to its will. The others...if it wasn't for them...im sure it would have consumed me, I owe them my mind, my life, my soul. I can't let this abomination from the depths take me.

Dark

That armour...that beautiful armour. 9 days since it took hold and still its power surges through me, changing me. I no longer see it. I no longer see anything. I feel it all around me. Power, pure, surging and infinite. I am no longer alone. Nothing will stand in our way, the hunger has begun.

[ALH]

Female/Human/Mage

Evil-

The incident brought the terrible childhood memories back to her, stuck in those devillish jaws, screaming for the handsome prince who did not come..the trauma of battle mixed with the pain was too much for such an old soul to handle. It cracked, as did she, now hopeless and devoid of humanity, she wanders, causing death and destruction as she passes through...


Good-

The incident pushed her to the absolute edge, but she pulled through, and death was no longer something to fear. She accepted her place in life, and vowed to live out her remaining years to the fullest, spreading her vast wealth of magical knowledge as she travels through new towns and cities, eager to explore the wildernesses she was once afraid of.

[CKLamb]

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RACE: Halfbreed (Elf/Troll)
CLASS: Assassin (Dark) & Thief (Light)

Light Description: Freak...monster...your words can't hurt me anymore. I know ignorance runs deep, but I shall endure and overcome...I've seen the goodness that is buried within. If it were not for them, if it were not for love and companionship, I fear what might have been.

Dark Description: Freak...monster...let the meat-sacks have their fun.....night comes all the same. I'm not your dog to kick around anymore, I won't grovel for your affections, for your love...I don't need love. You can't use me anymore...not after what happened. Hmm, look at that one....yesss...he looks just like that bastard healer. Your nose will look wonderful in my collection...


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RACE: Gnome
CLASS: Summoner

Light Description: Tiny, yes. I am very small. Yet, within me, like this small bird, lies a great power. No, not magic, you silly. Unity. Individually we are weak, however, together, united, we are invincible. As the healer has taught us, it is through unity, compassion, and love that we shall triumph over the darkness of night.

Dark Description: Everyone...I can see it. They look down on me. They pity me...weak and insignificant little me. Ah, but things have changed...I've power now...I am strong...the deamon armor has taught me well, and you will know me by the trail of the dead.


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RACE: Human
CLASS: Inquisitor (Dark) and Paladin(Light)

Light Description: Brotherhood and humility, these are my daily bread. If we are not bound by compassion, we are lost to the void that is despair. After many trials and tribulations, our path lead a man to salvation, and perhaps redemption. With the healer's blessing upon me, I shall spread this seed of hope among the fallen and abused.

Dark Description: Compassion?!? You speak of compassion! Pah, you've not seen the darkness in man. I have witnessed the insidious heart that beats within you all. I shall not stop until I have that bastard orc's head upon my mantle. The truth my dear friends is out there, and I shall seek it out and pluck it from their skulls.

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[nimzicki]

So thats it then people, we had our ups and downs but I don't think anyone can say that they haven't learned something from this. Even if its just that CKLamb is a gun toting Mexican cowboy. I signed up to this thing with the pure intention of using it as a learning experience and what I have gained from this is invaluable.

I just wanted to say another thanks to all The Happy Little Tree's, especially CKLamb who has helped me out with paintover after paintover showing me the error of my dumbass ways and for schooling me everytime he posted his portraits. I can't thank him enough for his patience in that respect :) These were the first full character designs i've ever created and im glad to say I don't hate them :p

Looking back at a couple of my pieces from a month or so back I can definitely see an improvement from all this and ill continue working on the weekly CHOW challenges in the hope of improving more.

All thats left now is to see where the voting goes, and my bet is that it gets split between those Howling Loveboys and Studio Moinoi and my god they tore it up. But everyone loves an underdog right? :p

It's been fun guys, stay frosty.

[blackcherry]

Nice work everyone! It's been good fun working with you all! Thanks CK for making the Final post :)

[ALH]

GJ to everyone on this, i know ill be bitching about my own images for a while yet, but i think on a whole our characters gel together well in an interesting way. Its been fun to unravel the mystery of the demon armour, and i recommend any curious visitors to this page go back to the start of the thread and read the little story we have woven :). Im proud of what we have created!

My WIP board -

[CKLamb]

nimzicki- Doris, like I said before...keep your panties on. For someone just starting, you've got the most important trait for succeeding, perseverance. I'm glad if I was able to help you in any way that I could.

ALH- Sarah, I'm glad you opted not to rape us with your imaginary penis, though I think Rich would be in more danger than I, as I live an ocean away ;P. I think you should be really proud of your witch! Some time apart from it will make you see it through better eyes. It really has this nice radiant glow.

Cherry- By God you're probably the sweetest person on the team, you consistently are up beat and on time with all your stuff, even with the week off! Thank you so much for everything you've done to make this a successful project!

TEAM: Well, in the end, I think the only asses we may have kicked are our own, but those are the one's that count! I consider myself very lucky to have been able to work with you all in this endeavor. I wish you all the best, and look me up anytime!