Chow 190 :: VOTING :: Kitsune

[daestwen]

FINALS ONLY
-=ROUND 190=-
-= Kitsune =-

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http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/ii293/chowarchive/CHOW-LINES/CHOW-LINES-MEDUSA.jpg
NOT SURE ABOUT THE GUIDELINES? CLICK HERE! (http://www.conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?t=117390)
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ROUND #190:: Kitsune

DESCRIPTION

Kitsune

Fox spirit from Japan.

"Appearance: That of a superb vixen with a bushy tail ... Or that of a young woman who is so alluring that none can resist her. ... When the Kitsune turns herself into a vixen, she retains something of her womanly appearance, and when she is a woman, the vixen that quivers beneath the surface cannot be forgotten."
From : "the Complete Encyclopedia of Elves, Goblins and Other Little Creatures" by Pierre Dubois

Portray a Kitsune! Depending on the story they can be tricksy devils or loving wife (though usually with a tragic ending!). They are always beautiful and always slightly dangerous! Think up a story for yourself where a kitsune might appear, and design her accordingly!

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


SPECIAL WINNING PRIZE!

Round 200 is coming up soon, and to celebrate it we will be granting the winners of the next few rounds their chance to host chow! You'll be asked to supply a topic for the chow after the poll for your entry is complete. So, the winner of this round will choose the topic for 192.

This will continue until there is a host for 198, and then 199 and 200 will be the lead up to the new queen and the new queen round!

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SUBMITTING YOUR ENTRY:
1: You must submit ONE full sized image.
2: Make sure your name and CHOW # are EASILY READABLE on your entry.
3: Use the Standard format (Below);

http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i222/ChowPics/frame.jpg
:right: PLACE THE IMAGE IN A FRAME WITH YOUR NAME/TOPIC
:right: SAVE YOUR FILE IN THE FOLLOWING FORMAT:
Chow##_Nickname
example: "CHOW#100_Oregano.jpg"

THE REST IS EASY:
1: No comments before poll is set. They WILL be deleted with utmost malice and petty grumbling. >:{
2: Sit back and enjoy the show. BYOPC (Bring your own popcorn)
3: Good luck to all.
[/LEFT][/SIZE]

Please review these helpful reminders if you have not done so already.

:right:ON GETTING TO POLL (http://www.conceptart.org/forums/showpost.php?p=1891823&postcount=15)
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:right:NEW ROUND RULE: WIPS PLEASE! (http://www.conceptart.org/forums/showpost.php?p=1910999&postcount=27)
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:right:SUBMISSION FORMAT REMINDER (http://www.conceptart.org/forums/showpost.php?p=1911002&postcount=28)



PLEASE REMEMBER TO WRITE YOUR COPYRIGHT INFORMATION UNDER THE IMAGE IN THE FINAL BURNING THREAD SO I DON'T HAVE TO HUNT YOU DOWN LATER!

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Quick Check: Have You Submitted Your Chow Properly?

- is it named correctly? (ie, "CHOW#100_Oregano.jpg")
- has it been uploaded using the attachment editor?
- have you also uploaded or linked to your wips?
- have you followed the brief?

Good luck!

[Johann de Venecia]

Johann de Venecia / Concept Art / Character / Fantasy / Photoshop

[crossmirage]

Eliza Ting / Concept Art / Character / Fantasy / Photoshop

[Niva.]

Niva. / Conceptart / Characters / Fantasy

Artist: Niva
Title: CHOW 190 Kitsune

917212

And the obligatory animated GIF:

http://www.eternalseven.com/images/2010/Kitsune-Vixen-WIP.gif

[Podcod]

First time entering CHOW :)

[MittyMandi]

First time... Hope it goes well :3

[JanJager]

Kisune

[Josu]

Conceptart>Characters>Fantasy>Photoshop

[Windsrock]

My Kitsune and wips

[Vaejoun]

Name: Vaejoun
CHOW: #190
Topic: Kitsune

Story: A japanese hunter killed some foxes to sell the fure. But he was watched by the fox ghosts, the kitsune. They plan to take revenge.
And so a kitsune appears as a beautiful woman and flatters the hunter. She gives him a special sake to dring, which makes him very happy.
But after a while he starts to feel pain and realizes that the pain wont go away until he drinks the sake again. So he goes back to her, but now she has cold smile on her face und refuses to give him the Sake.
Thoug she could kill him anytime she waits to let him stay in agony for a little longer.

[Yoru no Megami]

Kitsune:

I wrote a story to go with the concept. Here it is:

Once upon a time Kitsune was playing in the woods with other animals. As she was running away to hide, she got trapped. The other animals were too far to hear her. Suddenly she heard a noise and tried to free herself but only deepened the wounds on her leg. From the bushes appeared an old man with a walking stick. Kitsune was too scared to think and simply stared at the old man drawing nearer and nearer.
"Poor creature. What did they do to you?" said the old man in a sweet voice.
She tried once more to free herself but the gentle voice and the sorrowful smile of the man convinced her he was a good man. And he was good indeed. Using his walking stick, he opened the trap and freed Kitsune. She looked at the old man then at her paw. The old man crouched gently and bandaged the paw with his scarf and caressed her head. For a moment they stared at each other and the Kitsune smiled, though being a fox the old man was at first scared to see her teeth.
The wounds were too deep to let her stand and the old man took her in his arms and, walking slowly, he took her home.
He cured her and talked to her all the time as if he knew she understood him perfectly.
Five days passed before Kitsune could walk again but, when the old man removed the bandages and she was at last free to run, she simply stood up and looked at him.
"Go, you're free, little fox." Said the old man.
Kitsune stood still. She closed her eyes and, in a flash of light, turned into a beautiful woman. The old man didn't seem surprised. "I knew you were special, little fox."
"You knew it but asked nothing, and simply cured my leg. Now I owe you a present." She said. The old man was about to say something but Kitsune acted before he could speak. She started dancing around and as she touched the ground here and there plants and trees started growing around the little house. In no time the old man had a big garden filled not only with beautiful flowers but also useful vegetables and fruits. "These plants and trees will feed you as long as I'll remember your kindness. And you can be sure I have a strong memory." She said and they both laughed. "Now I have to leave but don't worry, I'll come and pay a visit to you every now and then."
"You'll always be a most welcome guest." replied he and Kitsune danced away and disappeared.
The old man lived for many years and Kitsune paid him a visit every month. They talked and laughed or simply stared at the marvels of nature she had brought him.
But death, in the end, called him and on the day of his funeral Kitsune met the twin sons of the old man. They didn't know who she were and thought she was someone looking to have part of the lands of their dead father. She said nothing when they asked her who she were and simply stared at the flowers that were still blossoming on the trees as if the old man were still there with her. One of the sons, the ruder one, started inquiring in a rude way whether she was a "Special friend" of their father and if he had promised her something. "We're going to give you nothing of what our father has left behind. These fruitful land is our." Said he. Kitsune breathed heavily. The rude son went on. "You better leave now, girl. Take your stuff with you and never come back." It was enough. She was furious but, being a fox spirit she was obviously smater than the rude son.
"Very well," she said turning to face the rude son. "I'm leaving and I'm taking with my all my stuff." The rude son smiled but his smiled soon faded. Kitsune took a deep breath and exhaled hot fire which rapidly destroyed the garden, the plants, the flowers. The two sons of the old man looked around, astonished as all that they thought would grant them a long and prosper life was turning to ash and dust. Kitsune walked away, and soon the forest swallowed her.

[kaktuzlime]

Foxy lady! ;)

[Artofinca]

artofinca / conceptart / character / fantasy

[Yeshin]

Concept Art/ Character/ Fantasy/ Photoshop

[blau]

I went with a more sedate wife type of concept, with just a hint of mischievousness.
I'm not sure if the experiment with the kimono worked, but I like it... sort of
good luck everyone!

[unruhe]

Great entries!

Here is mine. Black&White unfortunately

[Freddy Scribbles]

Kitsune CHOW 190 Freddy Scribbles

[jozulus]

jotsune :geekg:

[Nele Klumpe]

Nele Klumpe / Conceptart / Character /Fantasy /Graphite

917806

917805

[Giorge]

I nicknamed mine foxy, and gave it some "new" . The pose may seem a bit weird but, is a running pose of changing directions. Foxes usually do that when they are being chased or just running after pray , the red hair and trench coat reminds you of the red fur of the fox and the end of her trench coat that resembles a foxes tail. When she wants she can easily turn into a fox , her clothes being just an illusion for the viewers.
Enough said ... the image will tell you more

917808

917812

short story
"Shiro learned trough his last 3 years that he could make a living by stealing from antiques shops, old peoples houses, cemeteries. He had an eye for the good stuff, you might say. One afternoon he was passing trough a cemetery in his hometown of Tokyo; suddenly a flicker caught his eye, it came one of the fox statues. They had long green or grey eyes of crystal quartz or some other diaphanous substance; and they create a strong impression as mythological conceptions. But he did not care for any of that, and approaching slowly the one statute that his hands were sweating to grasp, he noticed the abundance of rice that was laying on the ground around it , the closer he got, the more rice on the ground. Checked his surroundings and, pulled out a crowbar that he always kept with him and in a couple of moments the little fox came loose.
'that was to easy' he said to himself , and he was already thinking how much he could get for it
he turned
a tall Caucasian lady with red hair and a red trench coat was standing right behind him, she was holding a cricket bat in her hand.
he gasped
words slowly came out of his mouth << やべ >>
he starts running with the 1st step he takes , when he reached the gate of the cemetery, he took a quick look back, the woman was walking slowly behind him
O_O , he was out of breath, but he kept on running, he didn't quite know what was happening, he took a turn in an alley, kept on running , with another glimpse he saw the tall woman running after him, he was running on his last resources , taking a turn here , jumping trough there, and so on , if he could only reach the train station.
As he took a turn he felt the vibrant smack of the cricket bat to his forehead , his brain was rolling around inside his skull; then he felt a pain in his left ear ... X_X ." Fin!

P.S. Don't excuse the bad English, it's not one of my strong points ^^

[dirkvandulmen]

Wasn't planning on making ChoW this week, but somehow I did.
Here's my Kitsune, or at least my interpetation of it.

[Tommoy]

The pin up approach.

[DIMAGYAN]

Atsuko reveal a hint of her true nature to her husband Tarou.It was a warm sunset.The hands dry and heavy due to the long hours of fishing.The scent of soup filling the air.It was like every day, yet he can't believe what he sees.She smiles.He is a bit disoriented but walks to the hot meal.To the loving wife.To the strange illusion.They have to talk.But silence is for the moment, the only sound.

Not really a story(my english doesn't allow me to do a proper story) but that was the main idea behind the entry.

Diego Garcia/Conceptart/Characters/Fantasy/Sai

917857

Wip
917859

[Novbert]

917858
917854

[Nike]

Veronika Sossau - conceptart -> characters -> fantasy ->photoshop

[dwinbotp]

Kitsune lures lost souls into following her into a Hundred Ghost Night March. Bells ring out unto the night enticing men and lulling them towards a path akin to limbo, where the only thing you see is her wily sweet smile and the flowing tail behind her.

[Misho]

Great topic !!!

http://i185.photobucket.com/albums/x306/foreown/making.gif

[JParrilla]

Copyright info: Joseph Parrilla/Photoshop/Illustration/Feb, 28, 2010

This is my first CHOW entry and unfortunately I wasnt aware of the WIP rule. I forgot to save WIP's and I usually only work in 2 layers.. sketch and color. So I have no WIP's to show. I still wanted to post my entry though. Im not sure if Im subject to disqualification but Ill try anyways. Thanks!

[Shogo]

such great stuff everyone, this was a blast!

[blackcherry]

L.E.O / ConceptArt / Characters / Illustrator (& Photoshop)

918074

918080

[Hideyoshi]

Worked on this all day long, it was fun and I learned a lot. Feels good to finally go a CHOW again! :)

918116

918117

918118

[Afekay]

Hello everyone, here's my stuff:

Afekay/Conceptart/Character/Fantasy

http://img199.imageshack.us/img199/200/chow190afekay.jpg

http://img96.imageshack.us/img96/8893/chow190afekaywip.jpg

[cz64]

my first chow final. next final will be hopefully more... final than this but oh well.

[mickeymao]

Gareth Hinds | Conceptart | Character | Fantasy | Colored Pencil

MY thinking: The Kitsune is after all a fox. It can shape-shift, but I decided to show it in its native form. I liked the idea that kitsune are "noted for having as many as nine tails", and that supposedly one would get more tales as it grew older and more powerful, so I went with the nine tails. I liked the simplicity of my first sketch (bottom left), and was sick of working digital, so I jumped right to a drawing in colored pencil on brown paper. I apologize, I forgot to scan the initial outline drawing before I added the color.

[PuppyKitten]

Sara LaPorte/ Concept Art/ Character/ Fantasy/ Photoshop

I think this is about as much work as I'll be able to put into this one...

[LeoListens]

A fierce samurai warrior, after becoming the only survivor of a terrible battle, wanders confusedly through the enchanted forest. There he comes across a big white fox. The kitsune promises him a supernatural descendant. The samurai questions the creature’s reputation and intentions. No tricks, the kitsune claims.

But their child it’s no human being at all, but is born as a powerful kitsune. It comes as a big surprise for the White Fox. Then, the samurai warrior reveals himself to be a kitsune in disguise.

And so, the White Fox was tricked by another of his kind, giving birth to a pure blood kitsune, which is forbidden by the laws of Inari.

[monkeydoodles]

Monkeydoodles/Concept Art/Character/Fantasy

Reference from the lovely http://reiko-stocks.deviantart.com/art/Rei-BW-Lace-02-39285371. Looking at this again, I could have pushed my darker values more, and sharpened up shapes, but I'm happy I got this far. :)

[teapo]

Mike Guiang | Concept Art | Character | Photoshop

Edit- re-uploaded the images with correct save format CHOW#190__teapo :D I had __Kitsune instead lol

Well here it goes, this is actually my first CHOW entry. But from the looks of it, everyone's is looking so great! So many talented artists, I wish to reach your levels soon :3

No reference used for this. However I would go back and change my coloring. I was trying a new approach to coloring in PS.

[majortom]

Alex Welch / Concept Art / Characters / Fantasy / Photoshop

My first time finishing CHOW.. thanks again for everyone who helped me and good luck!

[timothee]

Here's the final:

[elixia_dragmire]

Okay, heres the littel bit of story to tthe image.

a rich japanese merchant has married his new young bride. over the past few months he has found that she prefer to venture to the pond at the bottom of the garden alone but more worrying than he's also noticed that there are less and les fish in the pond as days go by ...

[Artfix]

Good luck all. This was fun!

[PxelSlayer]

PxelSlayer/concept art/character/fantasy/photoshop

In the spirit of the Olympics - it`s about participating. :)

Tags - Geisha, fox, mythology, nervous breakdown while endlessly tweaking

[Mistermike]

My final image

[FilRam]

http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj67/FilRam/thumbs_FilRam_Chow_190.jpg

http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj67/FilRam/FilRam_Chow_190.jpg

[Adam Schumpert]

Whew! just barely got this one done before I had to go to work this morning
:teeth: Good luck everyone! Great round!

918645

Adam Schumpert/ConceptArt/Characters/Fantasy/Photoshop

918646

[lmeden]

A quick CHOW. Good luck, all!

[lilithim]

First CHoW, super-impressed by everyone's stuff. I have a lot to learn from you all.

Jennifer Hickman/ConceptArt/Characters/Fantasy/Photoshop

[l.sheridan]

918822
918824
918829

[meeatu]

Awesome work all!

[gerezon]

Wow, so many great entries this round, great work everyone! :yayca:

[noiion]

Here's mine

[Mykro]

Michael O'Sullivan/ConceptArt/Characters/Fantasy/Photoshop

Amazing stuff everyone. Hopefully I made it in...

[QueenGwenevere]

Here's mine... freakin' last minute... (had to kill mos of the background, alas...)

[Veshkau]

New Metal Gear Character: Shiroi Kitsune (White Fox)

BACKSTORY:
Frank Jaegar (Gray Fox), the reknowned cyborg ninja, never returned home. Several years later his Daughter has been contacted by an anonymous informant, claiming to be a member of the covert ops group "Foxhound" of which her father was a ranking officer. This man has told her that her father is still alive but is being held against his will in a medical research facility in the heart of Alaska. The girl is no stranger to stealth, combat or even murder; her father taught her how to survive from a young age. However, she has an ability which even Jaeger himself could not have hoped for. This was a gift from her mother - a Kitsune. A shapeshifter.

[Bendragon]

Good luck to all!

[Veshkau]

Final

[Aly Fell]

No more entries. Ten minute grace. Thanks.

[daestwen]

Blaaaagh

919088

919089

[witcrack]

Here's mine.
919086

And here's the WIP
919090

Good round and good luck, everyone!

[daestwen]

POLL IS UP!

Some cuts today...

Podcod – No WIPS, naming
Unruhe – No WIPs
JParrilla – No WIPs
Noiion – No WIPs
Veshkau - No WIPs

Me (daestwen) and witcrack - past the deadline and there are already 50 entries unfortunately. :( So we're cut.

[Veshkau]

My WIPS are there, posted above the final. Put them in 2 posts because of an upload issue. Sorry for the confusion

[daestwen]

Veshkau :: Sorry, but I don't have space to squeeze you back in now anyway. :( Make sure to please put them all in the same post next time, even if it means deleting previous posts and reposting.

[witcrack]

OH MANN! This is my most polished CHOW!!! ... :D
But fair is fair, right? well, alright then :)

But I can get critique still, can't i?

[Veshkau]

Daestwen: I tried 4 times to upload it to the same post but the attachments didn't update. Spent a lot of time of this, but never mind. Good luck everyone else.

[Niva.]

Notice how when the topic is female (Morrigan was the last one I think) there are always more than 50 entries.

I voted for:
Hideyoshi - excellent painting overall, love the whole scene. It's not perfect but imo the strongest entry. I think the contrast could've been stretched more towards the front. Really better than anything I can do.

Artofinca - don't care for the fox face BUT your piece is superb. All the brushes give it that "android" look and I say that as the highest of compliments.

Vaejoun - Love the orange hair, also your work on the story appealed to me greatly. Very strong piece. I WANTED to do the hair of mine as orange but never managed to get the look I desired. You succeeded with such simplicity in this regard I'm hoping to learn something from observing.

Tommoy - way to sneak a pinup in here.

PuppyKitten - I didn't vote for you though I liked your piece. It simply looks unfinished. You really should've pushed the contrast, a couple simple adjustment layers would've done your piece some proper justice because otherwise it had lots of good stuff going on.

Dastwen sorry you didn't make it into the vote, thanks for your work though!

Congrats on everyone who finished, was fun! Looking forward to the next topic now :)

[Razorleaf]

I especially like Misho, dwinbotp and Johann de Venecia. All three are beautifully rendered and stayed true to the description. There is just something about Misho's that draws me in, it could be the design, the colors or the character - I am not sure - but I felt that it lacked a real japanese feel. Still it is very nice. Johann's reminded me of the spirit form, something very japanese but I felt it needed something more to give it that extra uummph. Dwinbotp's is very nicely done, a bit spirit-like and japanese. Excellent work everyone! :)

[Maggithamay]

This was a tough decision! I liked Jozulus and Hideyoshi's entries a lot because they illustrated what a Kitsune would be like in different cultures, and I really liked Artofinca's for the whole reversed-mask concept. In the end, though, Jozulus got my vote. I really liked the European feel, and that her hair and hood actually formed the shadow on the wall. You guys all did an amazing job!

[daestwen]

Daestwen: I tried 4 times to upload it to the same post but the attachments didn't update. Spent a lot of time of this, but never mind. Good luck everyone else.

Next time if something like that happens, PM me. I can fix it if I know about it, but I can't if I don't know!

I'd put you in the poll but the poll breaks if it has more than fifty peope, so it would require cutting someone else to do so - the exact reason that wit and myself got cut.

Sorry. :(

[blau]

Some comments, I tried to be constructive :)

FilRam: Good idea, but you are using too much black, and not in a good way, you need a better control of your values. link (http://gurneyjourney.blogspot.com/2009/05/tonal-focus.html)

Mistermike: Good idea too. Even with the stilization, its good to have an understanding of the anatomy, the shape of the shoulders or the way the neck joins the body, for example. I like the silouette behind a lot! but it could use a bit of tweaking so there's no doubt its a fox.

Artfix: Awesome mood! But there are very weird things going on with her anatomy. Maybe working more on the line drawing would help with this.

Elixia: Very nice design. Something that would help the image is atmospheric perspective. The trees all use the same colors, and this doesn't help with the sense of depth. Toning them down, the same way you have with the woods in the distance, would probably help. link (http://www.handprint.com/HP/WCL/perspect6.html#aerial)

Timothee: Very nice. Though the face expression was way better in your wip. Also the interaction of her body with the car could use some work. It doesn't really look like she has her body aginst that surface. Since you are using black right below, some of the shadows don't read as shadows

majortom: I like the design of the image, what you did with the fan and also the hand/paw (though whats that bump in the wrist??). I think the colors could be better selected, or used. The blue dress calls too much attention on itself, in contrast with the desaturated skintones. Particularly the contrast of the saturated blues and the orange of the rope below calls attention to an uninteresting area. You could use some reference to get a better sense of the fabric, and to include a little variation in those blues, that are too monocromatic now.

teapo: Love your idea! I would work more on adding detail, especially on her face. As it is, her face expression isn't telling me anything.

PuppyKitten: Very beautiful and lovely! CHOW and CA could use your awesomeness more often :)

mickeymao: Nice idea. Love the intelligence in her expression. I would use the different tones to better give a sense of volume, and the structure of the anatomy of the head could use some work. Particularly the ears seem very oddly placed.

blackcherry: Very nice design. Maybe working with the face expression would help with the character. And I like a lot the stylization of the forms... except for the knee... its bugging me for some reason... a matter of taste, probably.

JParrilla: Very oddly proportioned. Could use some reference.

Misho: Excellent design. I think there was a different tilt of the head in your first wip, that fitted better with the pose.

Novbert: Nice idea. I liked more the warmth in the colors of your third wip, and the colors in your final are all too saturated!

dirkvandulmen: Always enjoy your style and playful take on themes

giorged: and excellent image, but there's a tiny thing that bugs me. The grey line on the ground, below her right hand. Maybe a little emphasis of the hand overlapping the line, or fading the line, like the one in front, would help to the sense of depth.

AvisNocturna: Very nice design and image. Love the abstraction in the fabric pattern, though I would make it a bit more subtle, integrating more with the shadows of the fabric. In my opinion, the unfinished style of the typography doesn't work with the image.

[teapo]

Would have liked to work on mine some more but it was a good experience for a first CHOW entry. Good luck everyone~

[Josu]

multiple vote this time, so many amazing entrys

[QueenGwenevere]

Nice variety this round, gotta say I'm liking the range of interpretations... (and it could have all been cheesecake, with that subject.) Back for a proper look at everything after food, shower, nap, all that good stuff...

[Johann de Venecia]

Nice round. Voted for Afekay, Hideyoshi, Dmagyan, Mickeymao and Leolistens (I think that was all of them). I'm surprised not more people voted for the last 3, I found them to be the strongest with a classical take on a folklore, I thought it was very fitting.

Some crits... Dmagyan since you went for BW, maybe a bg or even an indication of a bg would have helped the char pop out a little. Mickeymao, its probably your choice to give the fox a common orange color, but maybe giving it something extra (besides the 9 tails) to indicate otherwordly-ness. Artfix, I didn't vote for it but I really like yours too because of the very creepy vibe, surreal composition - its very different from everything else. I wish it was more polished. Good job to everyone.

[noiion]

Haha!! Been so busy I couldn't get enough time to put WIPs. Oh well. Maybe next time. It's like I got a chance anyways. To many awesome entries.. Wished I could vote for at least 10. Voted QueenGwenevere. The foxy Kimono caught my eyes.

[Pixeltuner]

Great round! A lot of pieces I haven't seen yet so no votes yet. I bailed out. No time etc.
Better luck next time.

[elixia_dragmire]

blau: thank you some much for the link! bg's are my weakest point (making a point this year to work on that!) that link is rather handy.

Again thank you to everyone who left comments on how to improve, second chow and i can see sooo much improvement already.

as a personal crit, i feel i jumped into this too quickly and didn't do enough research of concept sketchies to get my head around it.

[Novbert]

Wow, this round was hard. So many great entries that I thought I need to be extra nitpicky... but there were simply so many cool pics that I eventually chose five of them:

So my votes go for:
Puppykitten: My favourite in this round. I love the mood, the facial expression, the idea with the tail and the bunnies. Just some nitpicking: Maybe it could use some more contrast, and the pose of the right hand is a bit unnatural. I've already hold a bunny in my hands and believe me - you wouldn't do it this way ;)
Kaktuzume: My second favourite. The tails part could have been a bit more emphasized, but I love the simplicity - and also loved the wip sketches.
dwinbotp: First I didn't want to vote for it - mainly because of the crazy color scheme - but it somehow works. Those nice little touches like the pattern of the clothes, the marks on the lamp and the ear which crosses the frame of the pic totally sells it. Nice work.
Tommoy: I was also hesitating wheter to vote on it or not, but I couldn't resist. She's just too sexy :P
Gerezon: The pose is just a bit boring, but the face sells it.

Runner ups:
Adam Schumpert: I loved the composition but the initial brownish color scheme looked much better than the final which looks a bit too polished and 'sterile' for me
AvisNoctruma: Nice pencil sketch, though the definition of the clothes could have been better.
Giorge: I love the pastel colors though the pose is kinda unrealistic and it's hard to tell what's going on. More clear storytelling would have been nice.
JanJager: I like the mood but the character rendering is a bit too blurry for me. Also the face could be more suggestive - especially the eyes.
PxelSlayer: Nice rendering on the girl, but the cloth is totally undefined - and its color makes the tail too hard to recognize.
Misho: I love the color scheme, but can't figure out what was your goal when rendering the face. Maybe it's just me but it rather looks like a hamster.
Hideyoshi: I like the mood but it could use some more polishing and definition.

[Simon Boxer]

Voted Jozulus.
Love the costuming and use of colour, plus it has some cool narrative elements. She has a lot of personality.
Even though you took a bit of liberty with her proportions I think it works.

[Wiggers]

Voted for Puppykitten beautiful piece very cute! also voted for dwinbotp loved it also one of very few where the girl actually looks Japanese, last vote went on Afekay great piece of work!

[Bendragon]

Epic turnout guys! I almost missed this one because of a slow internet connection (housemates bloody downloading shit)! Anyway... really great round! I cant remember who I voted for... there were too many :P

[Windsrock]

My votes went for:
Bendragon
Adam Schumpert: That would be a nice poster, her neck might be just a little too twisted.
jozulus: Fantastic east-european version.
Artofinca: I have liked your works before and this is no exception. You have a firm style :)
Dirkvandulmen: She's soooo adorable!
Vaejoun: Great colours and good composition. Quite intensive mood.
Johann de Venecia: Very beautifully done and serene. Makes me want to have a cup of tee myself :)

Even this was a hard cut. There's so many great entries.

I still have some other comments:
QueenGwenevere: Maybe you should make that blurry area of background just one colour. Cos now there's too much going on and it would make the character pop out from the picture.
Artfix: I too like that surrelism in your piece.
lilithim: You get extra point for drawing that soulstone in the picture :D
Afekay: I understand what you were thinkin when making her "tails" furry, but I liked it more before.

That's all from me. Thanks!

[QueenGwenevere]

QueenGwenevere: Maybe you should make that blurry area of background just one colour. Cos now there's too much going on and it would make the character pop out from the picture.

eheheh, you don't want to know what I had planned for this, then (and which I still want to try...) There was going to be even more decorative elements in the background, I wanted the whole thing to look like these ludicrously overdecorated Japanese screens from the Momoyama era or thereabouts... Like, EVERYTHING covered with gold and ornamental do-dads, total overkill. Man, I love that stuff.

The trick is going to be doing that, but NOT losing the figure in the process - as, like you said, right now she doesn't pop enough. Man, I do NOT know how I'm going to make this work... still gonna try, though. ;)

[blackcherry]

Voted for:

Afekay: My favourite of this round. I really liked it when I saw your post in the WIP thread but it looks amazing now you’ve finished it. I love the character design and the foxes forming from her tails. The contrast of the blue and orange also works really well. Awesome piece!

Dwinbotp: Another favourite. I love the surreal, fantasy feel to the image which suits the topic. Great use of colour, and I like the additional details such as the lantern, staff and design on the cloak.

QueenGwenevere: Love the fox design on the cloak and her hair. I like the use of warm colours too, it’s very bold and really sets off the piece. Also I agree with what’s been said about the background, I think less detailed in a fairly bright yellow colour would work well. Great piece. Nice work in progress shots too.


Other comments:

Adam Schumpert: I really love the fox tattoo design on her back. It’s great. Makes me want to go and get a tattoo. Really like the face of your character too.

Puppykitten: Very cute. Love the character’s face and design, and I also like the bunnies, especially how they form the tail. I think it would be stronger if it was bolder though, maybe stronger contrast in the image.

Johann de Venecia: Great cloak design! I also really like the fox’s face and the background. Good use of colour and detail.

JanJager: Really like your piece overall. The only thing that gets me about it is the very front branch in the light brown. It’s not working for me. It seems to detract from the character, maybe it needs to be darker? Not sure, but aside from that great!

Artofinca: Love the patterns and brushes!

Dirkvandulmen: Cute! I like the shapes of her figure.

Hideyoshi: I’m not sure why but when I look at your image I think of Avatar. I think it’s the colours used in the environment and the tribal feel.

Cz64: I liked yours, It has an interesting style to it! I like how the bright orange sash flows around the scene (like tails?) and also forms a foxes head on the woman. I think the character’s pose could be more dynamic to really set it off.

[Cyr]

Yeesh, this is one of the most difficult CHOWs yet to decide votes for.

Going thru the poll images, I found I'd marked twelve -- TWELVE! -- images as vote-worthy. Usually, in other CHOWs, I've picked five or six at most.

Part of this difficulty, I find, is that there are actually three sub-categories to this particular CHOW. There are the "traditional" representations of Kitsune, there are the "modernized" versions, and there are the "comic" versions. There are very good pieces in each sub-category I'd like to vote for.

But twelve? Is that too many? Or should I just say "Damn good CHOW" and cast my votes as impulse takes me?

I'm still pondering. Decisions, decisions....

[kittymeow84]

I voted and then forgot to post about it. My picks were
Bendragon
Adam Schumpert
Freddy Scribbles
Tommoy
Kaktuzlime
Johan de Venicia