C.O.W. #182_Guardian(s) of the Portal Gate_Voting!

[scorge]

C.O.W. #182 Guardian of the Portal Gate - VOTING!!

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

ROUND #182 VOTING

Topic: Guardian of the Portal Gate

Deadline for the voting: Wednesday July 14th, 2010

Posting thread (closed): http://www.conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?t=191196

[Vic Gonzalez]

Artist: Vic Gonzalez

Concept: Smoke Guardian
Hello. This time I worked more. Here you have a guardian of smoke, which guards the entrance to a mysterious cave. I do not dare to pass. And you?. The truth is that the guardian seems fair .... Who knows?. We may let it go ....

[YUZworks]

Good job Vic. It really shows you've put more effort into this!
Nice interpretation of the subject aswell.

edit: whoops this topic might be allergic to smalltalk... delete my post if you like ^^"

[Jonas_J]

Artist: Braintree

Concept: Portal Guardian
The glands on this hostile creature's back emmits a steam in which you can glimps other worlds. Many scholars have tried to examine the creature and it's glands; those who have not been crushed by the creature's powerfull jaws have been unable to discern how, or why, the other worlds appear in the smoky vapors.

[Emil_J.]

Artist: Fumble

Concept: Guardian of the Necromancer Portal
This huge creature stands guard over the portal leading to the world of the dead. To become a powerful necromancer you must defeat the guardian and step though the portal to gain knowledge of the afterlife and how to twist it too your will.

[jrbarker]

Artist: J.R.Barker

Concept: Portal Guardian


The way out is through.

[Broken Lawnmower]

Artist: Broken Lawnmower

Concept: Portal Guardian

Some believe the Blue Cave is the gateway between our world and the world of the dead, and that it's guardian prevents people from getting in...or out. Others believe there is another Blue Cave somewhere else on our planet protected by some other terrible beast and that both caves act as portals between each other. No one can know for sure though, as all attempts made so far to bypass the Cave's protector have ended in horrible catastrophe.

[George Abraham]

Artist: Zaorr

Concept: Akeelu's Guardian
Rumor has it that the imperial master sorcerer "Phul Kam ul" in service of the great
second dynasty Queen "Nefreteel Urr Akeelu", have been in service to protect the
king's sacred collection and treasure; Said to contain both artifacts and
instruments of divine power and possibly, guarding secrets of time. The collection
was sought after and tracked down by numerous kings and power mongers who had either the skill or stupidity to undertake such a quest. Eventually
fabled through countless unsuccessful attempts or disappearances, every effort was
made to close off and demolish any shaft that may still lead to the doorway.

There are still untold fears and legends surrounding a certain magical
“guardian” supposedly summoned into being by the “master” to protect the
treasures, who as it may, where also killed by his own creation in his attempt to
destroy the "treasure keep", acting upon the queen's request at her death. The
treasures contained many dangers should any of its secrets fall into cruel hands.
The unearthly creature (Who are about to eat you, should you choose not to stop reading this sighn) infallibly protects the treasure to this day and destroys
anyone so unfortunate as to have wandered into its domain: The entrance to the
"Akeelu Keep".

[lkjhgfdsa]

Artist: Lkjhgfdsa

Concept: The Guardian
The penalty for murder in the Green lands is exile into the Red lands.
The Guardian of the Portal-Gate ensures that any who try to return are turned back.

[dragon4lunch]

Artist: dragon4lunch

Concept: Portal Guardian
A mysterious creature, large and bizarre enough to scare away most who encounter it. Those brave enough to approach will realize it can speak - in riddles of course! Where does the glowing cave lead? Why would you want to go there? The guardian might know - but is it on your side?

[Soupandbutter]

Artist: SoupAndButter

Concept: TortPort
Scientists have found a portal to another dimension on the back of a giant turtle.


1013866

[porcupine]

Artist: porcupine

Concept: The Watcher
Deep in an enchanted forest lies the portal to the Underworld where creatures such as goblins, gnomes, grendelworms and wisps have their home. The portal is guarded by an ancient creature simply known as The Watcher. He never leaves his post, and does not stop the creatures of Underworld from running amok outside but should any overworlders approach the portal they will not live to tell the tale of it.

[ded]

a gatehugger. tapping the energy source from the portal itself for summoning the keeper from another dimension for keeping the portal safe. security isn't free you know

[IVIATT]

Artist: IVIATT

Concept: Deep Forest Guardian
Far within a blue forest is a creature so ancient that it has been in place long before the trees grew around it. Within the great eye of the creature lies the gateway to an alien realm. However, only those the guardian deems worth may pass.

[Pareeeee]

Artist: Pareeeee

Concept: Interplanetary Portal Guardian

This massive creature not only guards the portal, it IS the portal.
One must enter the vortex in the creature's mouth to reach the other side - and many have battled the creature and died.
The portal leads to a mystery planet trillions of lightyears away.

[ninety9]

Artist: ninety9

Concept: leviathan aerologus portaliis


The so called guardian of the portal gate (belonging to the species of leviathanim) incorporates a onedirectional portal,
meaning while a portal in another region of the planet forms the entrance, it exits through the guardians shining mouth.
from time to time certain winged creatures fly into the portals and end up as additional snack for the guardians. since the portal is only one way whatever the guardian devours passes it to end in his abdominal organs.
due to the guardian enormous size there´s still a pretty good chance that fast creatures can escape his scrunching mouth.
scientists have failed both to recreate these portals artificially and find out why these portals are only one-way.
it seems to be one of natures secrets and is some rarely seen and extraordinary form of "hunter"-prey-relationship since the guardian selects from the species that exit through the portal.
it is assumed that the guardians, or called by their real scientific name: leviathan aerologus portaliis, keep an eye on the habitats and ecosystem they live in and control certain populations.

[Si_Swe]

Artist: Si_Swe
Concept:Dee-Wa and Soo-Wa

Walking in the Ichi woods, down past the Hiya falls,
Lies there a secret temple, with spirits in it's walls.
A gate unto the spirit world, glowing with pale blue
And it's faithful watchers Dee-Wa and brother Soo.
Ewa-Ye my little owlet, do not flee in fright,
Friendly are these watchers who wait there every night.
To Shishigami of the forest, they greet with open arms
To head into the spirit realm where not a soul is harmed.
To Ishkoodah the comet they lead out by the hand,
Enter into the mortal realm, the wild and weathered land.
To us they calmly block the way into the spirit world,
And try he may but from the gate Bakemono is hurled.
So in those Ichi Woods take care, down past the falls of Hiya,
And give a friendly greeting to Soo-Wa and his Dee-Wa.

[Suneater]

Artist: Suneater

Concept: Guardian of the Living Gates

Legend has it that deep in the savage Ramaan Canyon lies the valley of the Lifetree, the first living thing in all creation. Many poor souls who have suffered loss seek this valley, for it is said that the seeds of the Lifetree can bring back loved ones from the Sea of Souls. Those who find the sacred gates to the vale, however, will rarely find what they seek, for only those who are worthy may tread that hallowed ground. All others will be turned back by the mighty Guardian of the Living Gates.

The Guardian is a powerful beast, about the size of a whale, and gifted with a keen intellect. It lazily floats about using it's psychic powers, which it directs through the knob on it's forehead. The exact magnitude of the being's psychic powers is unknown, as those fools who rouse it's wrath never live to tell the tale. Most people assume that the creature is immortal, but this is not technically true. In fact, the Guardian itself was gifted with a seed of the Lifetree long ago, which sustains it's life indefinitely.

[Aram]

Artist: Aram
Concept: Gideon The Gategolem
Gideon guards the gate to an other plain of existence. Once created by a the mighty Wizard Egon the loud, his lives Duty is it to protect the mystical World that lies beyond.

[Arbinn]

Artist: Arbinn

Concept: Celestial Gate Keeper


The ethereal pomras are immensely old beings whose only purpose seems to be to upkeep rare portal gates leading to various places around the universe. The portals refuse to work and appear as mere flat stone surfaces without the presence of a pomra. Active portals look like liquid chrome but a freshly opened portal appears as a mix of cream and lava as the gate keeper nurtures it.

Sometimes a gate keeper opens a portal to a place which it cannot resist and travels through it. This closes the portal behind the creature as it stops maintaining the one way gate, trapping the pomra permanently to the portal's final destination. On a few rare occasions that destination has been Earth which has lead to myths about dragons as humans have sighted the dying flightless creature making its way to a dark cave, hole or pit to die.

[JanJager]

Artist: JanJager

Concept: Guardian of the Portal Gate
Guardian of the Portal Gate the last hope for the tribe

[Wilko]

Artist: Wilko

Concept: Guardian of the Desert Portal

Legends tell of a portal to paradise somewhere in the depths of the desert. This portal is not a stone gateway or a door, but a pair of dead trees perched on the edge of a cliff face – it is said that those with faith and courage can step through this natural gateway to paradise, but those who fear and doubt will plummet into the rocky sea below. Seekers of the portal speak of its guardian, a strange creature of unworldly and terrifying beauty that fixes you in its gaze and fills you with an overwhelming fear that sends you running and crawling away back into the sweltering desert.

[GoldenSerpent]

Artist: GoldenSerpent

Concept: Zephedieu
When the clouds must be parted and the portal to heaven opened to receive souls into the kingdom of God the Zephedieu are released. These immortal guardians protect the portal to heaven.They will not hesitate to attack any entity that tries to disrupt the portal or the ascending procession of souls.

1013776

[Rich3]

Artist: Rich3

Concept: Ancient Guardian
Bound to the North Pole Portal for all eternity by it's alien masters, this giant mutated creature watches over the snow planes, allowing only the worthy passage to the worlds beyond.

1013831

[J-Sun]

Artist: J-Sun

Concept: Aurian Sphinx
The Aurian Sphinx may look somewhat familiar - as it is the inspiration for
statues ranging from the Guardian Lions of the Forbidden City to the Sphinx at
the Great Pyramids. Like the statues it later inspired, it is a creature that stands
guard over the most sacred and important of places.
Highly intelligent, and generally distrustful of other intelligent species the Sphinx
serve as protectors of the arcane portal system. It is the Sphinx who decides who
will have access to the portals and who will not. Aurian Sphinx, despite their
monstrous size and appearance are in fact a very peaceful and introspective race.
Why they so vigilantly protect the portals, their relationship to the portals origins
and whether or not they answer to a higher power remains a mystery, as it is the
Sphinx who usually asks the questions...

http://www.digitaljungle.com/cow/J-SunCOW182.jpg

[scorge]

Went with Arbinn this time for really stepping up his game. Great job man. For everyone else I liked you'll notice my name in the thanks column. Awesome round guys. :)

[Arbinn]

Thanks scorge. :) My vote went for Golden Serpent. The pose could be a little more dynamic for the body and the front legs look a bit too short (shoulders appear to be too high) but otherwise the creature is great!

More comments later.

[emerging]

i voted for Golden Serpent - really stands out from the rest of the work great colors

[lancer_idenoure]

oh god no im not too late am i? i thought we had TWO extra days!?
Artist: lancer_idenoure

Concept: Ing Leviathan
The Ing Leviathan is a colossal beast that guards the entrance to Dark Aether. Due to being constantly radiated by being in close to proximity to the portal at all times, the Ing Leviathan remains in state of dimensional flux and is capable of switching between Aether and Dark Aether at will. This ensures that even if one makes it past this behemoth, they do not escape.

oh great. im in a hotel in chicago with shitty internet service so now that im already late posting, i cant even attach my final. for the second time in this round, fml!!!!!! ill try to get it posted tomorrow but i doubt itll get counted by then. scorge, forgive me :(
ps if you guys dont see me in future topics, its cuz i shot myself in the mouth. cheers!
edit: ok got it

[ninety9]

as usual crits for all:

Vic Gonzales: the conept for the guardian is not the most innovative compared to many others here BUT i really like the picture. especially all the little details rock.
i like them even more than the creature itself. the stonehead where the smokeguardian gets out, the construction with the hands that hold the bridge: that is some really fresh designs that i really like a lot!
what bugs me a little bit is that the smoke creature seems to have solid teeth wich i don´t understand. all in all a nice take on the theme and some great details. keep it up!

Braintree: i like the strokes+textures. the interpretation of the concept is refreshing as well. i see some anatomy-issues though, especially regarding the legs.

Fumble: the rendering is very nice, pose and composition as well. the guy looks a bit humanoid to me and the overall-concept isn´t as strong as some others in this round.

jrbarker: really cool concept! one of this rounds best in my opinion. i miss some depth to recognize forms better. the "worm" look a bit flat although the head indicates that it´s pretty massive.

Broken Lawnmower: i love creatures with multiple faces on one head. the sketchy concept look is nice too. the concept and connection of portal+guardian could be a bit more elaborated.

zaorr: u put a lot of work in this, the background looks very well executed as well. but i miss some sharpness on the creature. it´s a bit hard to see details since it looks blurred and the black spot in the center unfortunately draws the eye.

Lkjhgfdsa: got my vote. at first i didn´t want to vote it because i don´t know. but when i checked all entries and concentrated on the concepts and creatures this was the strongest of all for me. the creature/guardian looks really special and unique. the portal is well executed as well and the story to connect both is great too.
i don´t need to comment on your style of rendring since i really like it, it´s very unique.

dragon4lunch: great creature, great background, great rendering and very moody lighting. it´s just that the concept and combination of portal+creature isn´t the strongest in this round.

soupandbutter: as i said before it still looks like a turtle with a portal in its shell (still cool). the idea of bringing this under water is unique amongst this rounds participants and makes it stand out. rendering and scene are very nice too.

porcupine: strong idea and story u got there. the rendering lacks some depths but it´s a good start. perhaps tone the creature down a bit and accntuate the edges with lights instead of lighting it as a whole.

ded: it´s a bit hard to see what´s going on beneath the creature. the portal is a bit hard to see. the rendering and texture are nice though. the creature is a bit genreic since it looks a lot like an octopus-slug-hybrid.

will add the others when i am back from sunbathing :D

[George Abraham]

There's allot of great entries in there.

I voted for lkjhgfdsa.

The style is a good break from the usual.


Learn't some new stuff this round.

Cheers.

[Si_Swe]

Don't have time for my usual crits. Maybe tomorrow when my internet will (hopefully) be set up. I voted for GoldenSerpent for creating a creature with both a regal sense and a violent outward appearance. lkjhgfdsa, Arbinn and IVIATT were all pretty damn fantastic this round. I also really enjoyed Ninety9's piece this round.
Cheers! Probably crits tomorrow (TechSavvy permitting).

[ninety9]

ok here my continued crits:

|V|att: great atmospher/mood on this. the colorscheme works very well. interesting take on the topic to have this kind of combined creature and building as this is what it looks like especially regarding the back of it. the rendering is very nice. one of my faves.

Pareeeee: your final looks pretty nice and u have had a good progress starting with your first thumb. the connection of (back-)ground and creature could be better. the lighting should be tweaked as well. some shadows on the teeth/claws are off.

myself: i recommend doing crits for everyone who got time since for me it helps big time finding things that one could improve on ones own artworks. after writing the crits here i realized that, although i still think i got a pretty refreshing interpretation of the topic, my creature kinda lacks the "guardian"-aspect and therefore didn´t hit the theme that well.

Si_Swe: the combination of the organic/plant elements and the indio-culture-aspects works pretty well. i think this artwork has some mood on it that comes with the second look at it. at least that´s what happened to me. the only crit is that the eye jumps a lot all across the canvas and some more lighting would´ve improved the readability of all the great details on the two guardians. the more i look at them the more it like it. it somehow reminds me of some of beksinskis work (if u don´t know him, check him out. he´s polish and did great artworks!).

Suneater: the improvements u made on the creature really worked and the picture is readable way better than before. but it´s a bit hard to understand what´s going on there and the creatures left arm+portal are a bit hard to spot.

Aram: id like to see more of the body to understand how gideon looks. what i see looks more like a gate with a face and reminds me of some robots and your creature seems to be an individual not a species. try to polish your rendering some more to make it stand out. it looks a bit unfinished.

Arbinn: you improve from round to round and i guess it´s not long until u get your first win on COW. the face of your gatekeeper is one of the best i´ve seen in the last rounds and the bending tail looks so good. the portal and the stone structure in contrast look a bit rushed and flat. the dark spot/blob on the left side of the "portalsoup" distracts me a bit from the natural look of the twirl. the glow on the wingstips don´t fit for me - i´d like it more without it. one of my faves this round and please work on it again and push it even further, this will be even more kickass than it already is.

JanJager: unique idea, great atmosphere on this one and nice rendering. i don´t understand the story though. the creature is the tribe´s last hope (to get to a warm place or find warmth?)? are they supposed to high-jump into the gate? :D

Wilko: good idea with the portal, the creature´s legs look a bit unnatural. the sun looks too sharp compared to the rest of the picture and elements. keep up the good work.

GoldenSerpent: great concept and story. the creature fits it 100% although i hope this guy will never try to land and move on ground as it will fail miserably and crawl like a worm ;) u missed my vote very close. i really like it.

Rich3: i miss a focuspoint on the creature/picture and would like to see moe of the portal. u captured the snowy and cold atmosphere and mood of the northpole-setting pretty well. the fur looks good, especially on the face region. perhaps add some reference to get a sense of scale. u write the creature is a giant so something to compare the size with would help to get a sense of scale.

J-Sun: nice idea with the sphinx and creating the "ancestor" of the sphinx that we all know. some more detail and fine lines on the fur would make them stand out even more.

lancer_idenoure: the front-part of the creature shows one of the best renderings in this round. it looks awesome. the only crit i have is that the portal looks blurry and rushed compared to the other stuff going on there.


some general thoughts on COW and the last few rounds:
i know a lot of you have loads of work to do and deadlines and stuff BUT i think it´d be great if some more would crit the creatures presented here if they find the time to. it helps so much to see what others like/dislike or wich problems and weaknesses they spot in the artworks so one can improve.
it sometimes looks as if a lot just pick the artwork that looks the most professional and polished, vote for it and that´s it. i don´t want to make enemies or sound like someone´s mother but i just think it would help a lot of people posting here if they get crits for the work they did within a week.

the other thing is: i do not get where´s the sense of voting yourself... honestly... ;)

i hope my crits helped and i did not piss off anybody. see you next round.

[porcupine]

Nintey9 - I agree with you. What drives me to do this is not to get votes or such but to get the much needed feedback and critiqe to become a better artist! Last round I was too ill to write any but I'll try do it for this round. Its kinda intimidating tho since I'm pretty much a beginner and cant give much technical advice, and also english is not my native languge, but I'll try write down what I like and dislike and atleast offer a pair of different eyes.

(And yeah, whats the point in voting on yourself, thats just silly imo :))

Anyway heres my thoughts on this round:

Vic Gonzales - I love the perspective, the bridge and the hands, it really looks good. The concept of the creature is cool too but I think the eyes and teeth should be done different to look more like a part of the creature.

Braintree - Interesting concept and I like your creature. Perhaps the portal look bit rough compared to the rest of the image.

Fumble - Nice and different creature and I like how tall he looks. His chest looks bit flat tho (perhaps intentional?) and why has he spikes on only one leg?

jrbarker - Wow! Not much to say, its a great pic. If anything, the left tentacle(?) looks slightly off, like it dont belong to the creature.

Broken Lawnmover - Amazing creature and nice with the same glow from its eyes as the color of the cave. Only bad thing is the trees/background, theres so bright colors and so much going on it kinda takes focus from the creature.

Zaorr - Interesting story and its a good sense of depth in the creature. The masks and flowerpots are too blurry imo and that black thing on the mask steals attention from the creature.

lkhjgfdsa - Another great pic. Really nice colors and detail, cant really find any flaws in it except I think its too many birds everywhere, but that might just be me.

dragon4lunch - Very nice and pretty image. Make me think of comic book-illustrations. The right legs doesnt stand out from the background but other than that is very nice.

Soupandbutter - A cool and dynamic scene and a pretty picture. Downside is its pretty much a turtle and not so much an original creature.

ded - Nice creature and rendering, its hard to see the portal tho.

IVIATT - Its oh so dreamy. The mood is fantastic! I wish I could draw forest like that. I love the colors and the structure on the left of the creature makes it look half beast, half structure. I voted on this, its awesome imo!

Pareeee - Cool creature. It looks dangerous and the image fits your description. The background looks too blurry, especially where it meet the edges of creature.

Ninety9 - Another really beautiful picture. I like how you made two of them and also the clouds and portal-glow looks really nice. I think the blue in the sky is too blue tho, maybe too saturated or wrong color.

Si Swe - Wow, really nice image there. The look like they belong together and the detail on heads and necks and also the green on the wall is great. The stag and person is very nice too! Only thing I doesnt like is the outside, for some reason it doesnt look like its outside, it just looks weird somehow.

Suneater - Nice story and portal. The creature in itself is very cool too, I especially like the tail and its texture but I think his color is off, it doesnt feel like he belongs in the room.

Aram - it looks like an interesting creature but I think you should spend some more time on picture before submitting, it feels kinda sketchy.

Arbinn - Overall an amazing picture. The creatures face is beautiful and I like the top of the wings. You always come up with such original creatures, they look like completely new creatures and thats not easy. Only thing I see to improve is that the fur looks kinda mushy in some spots.

JanJager - Another amazing picture with beautful rendering and mood. The creature feels ancient and worshiped. On the other hand it kinda looks like a hairy reindeer, a very beautiful reindeer but not so much new design.

Wilko - Beautiful creature and I also like the trees. It looks unfinished tho, especially in the face and eyes and the sun hurts my eyes.

GoldenSerpent - Fantastic! What I love the most is the sense that he is always flying and never lands, the face is great too! Perhaps is the image bit too pink, but still beautiful.

Rich3 - I really like it! Try make the edges bit clearer and it would be even better!

J-Sun - Nice creatures with a cool expression. I like the lights and reflections and overall its a nice picture. The guardians seems bit flat, especially around the heads.

lancer_idenoure - Nice one. Cant really find anything to critique, perhaps some of the spikes looks like they in front of creature instead of coming out of it.

[Arbinn]

Thanks ninety9. :) I usually don't continue my works after I announce them finished (hence the announcement ^_^) but I might change a thing or two from my gate keeper as I like it quite a bit myself. Personally I don't think the darker area in the portal is a flaw since I didn't want the portal to look the same at every part. The shining "wings" is a blunder though, not a major but nevertheless. The shining horn is ok if I just make it subtler I think. The stone pillar on the other hand is simply crappy. I found it extremely hard to render a surface that is almost completely in shadows so I just made a few quick brush strokes with a custom brush on it. I didn't even search for reference for the pillar since it was like 00:30 AM, I had to wake up at 7:00 AM and I had already been working on the piece for several hours and just wanted to post it. :P

By the way scorge just a quick suggestion for the deadlines: Can you start making announcements 6-12 hours before you create the poll? It would greatly help us who live elsewhere as it would give us some kind of a warning so that we know if we have time to continue our work in the morning/the next day or not. Currently I either try to finish my work in the night (7 AM alarm every day :E) or beg for more time with my embarassing bambi eyes. Usually the poll goes up while I'm asleep and as the deadline isn't that solid I'm often confused if we get more time or not and stay up way too late. OR you can just make deadlines rock solid with exact date and time. :P

TOP 3

3rd. dragon4lunch Sweet piece! The creature looks pretty funny. :D You get the 3rd place for the flawless execution and unique creature.

2nd. lkjhgfdsa The ground has way too much details imo. It rips my attention from the creature and pokes me in the eye when I try to look at the guardian as if saying "Hey! Psst! Over here! Look at me. Am I not sweet ground eh?". You're lucky I have a weak spot for details, which earns you my second place. :P The creature looks terrific. I like the design a lot. The human looks flat which catches my attention in the otherwise top quality work.

1st. GoldenSerpent Damn you and your superior art skills! *hisses* I dropped some critique earlier so not much to say here. :) I love how you replaced the back legs with wings. The face is also phenomenal and the colors work absolutely great. Just awesome winner stuff here. :)

Vic Gonzalez I don't remember if smoke beings like that were exactly allowed in the rules (at least random blobs weren't) but anyway: I like the environment in this piece. It's very high quality and the smoke coiling around the bridge looks nice. The creature itself is quite flat and boring though. I think you should have scrapped the idea of teeth and similar solid physical things on your creature and make it completely a ghostlike, dimensional monster of some kind. A big head floating in the air just looks somewhat dumb to me. :P
Braintree Unique idea for the portal and nice execution. The creature is just too boring and unimaginative imo. The lumps are nice though
Fumble Your creature made me think of Bloodhunter (http://www.dotallyrad.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/bloodhunter1.jpg) from Heroes of Newerth. :D I think it's a but too humanoid but otherwise the picture is very nice. The portal could pop out more.
jrbarker I hope you had remade the shell. It looks so much like a raspberry. :D The portal is damn kickass. One of my favorites. Other parts of the creature would have benefited from some other and less saturated colors than teal. It also lacks some details but overall good job.
Broken Lawnmower I love the color theme. I think the creature could have used way more details though.
zaorr Nice job using 3D to get background right. Something I could try sometime. The work looks somewhat rushed. The creature would look better with more details. The blood is too saturated, especially around the mouth, which looks weird to the viewer. I like the red rubies/crystals on top of the head.
Soupandbutter I like the portal and I'm sure you could have pushed it further. For example: show the other side of the portal as top of a waterfall which is caused by the water pouring through the portal. The creature is quite standard turtle. I would have liked to see something more unique.
porcupine There's quite a lot of flashy points and areas in the picture, each demanding my attention. The creature's front legs look very stiff. The entrance of the portal is nice.
ded Good job. I think you could have pushed the lower part of the creature and portal more as it's hard for me to figure out what's going on there.
IVIATT Very nice! More details on the creature would have made it damn kickass.
Pareeeee The portal is cool. There's some nice rendering on your creature but the perspective and shoulder/neck area of your creature are off. The details of the neck (or whatever that area above the head is) steal attention from the nice looking portal.
ninety9 Very cool creature and nice execution. I think the blue sky doesn't work as well as the orange one you had and it's TOO blue. :D The massive glow that looks almost like a weak laser beam coming from the creature's mouth doesn't work imo. It should spread more to work better.
Si_Swe There's cool atmosphere in your piece. The creatures look very nice and remind me of some ancient culture. :)
Suneater Interesting concept. The red shadows under the creature look funny with all that yellow smoke and light around. :P
Aram The guardian looks quite mechanical. :o The composition is quite nice. You could have pushed the creature back a bit and bring the leaves closer to the viewer by adding more details. This way it would have seemed as if the viewer was looking the creature from a bush. :)
JanJager Nice work although a bit too standard elk for my liking. :o The portal steals attention from the rest of the picture with the brightness without having that much to offer as it doesn't have any details in it.
Wilko The work looks unfinished. :o The creature has quite successful anatomy apart from the front legs.
Rich3 The atmosphere is nice. You could have made the borders of the creature glow due to the immense amount of light coming from behind it.
J-Sun There's something very beautiful in this work. There are parts that look unfinished like the lying sphinx but overall the picture is very well done! The sitting Sphinx looks great.

EDIT. Did someone vote for himself? O_O *rushes to check*
EDIT2. Awww, that is not cool man. :(

[GoldenSerpent]

Critiques for everyone!!! :D

Vic Gonzalez: You have a really cool background in your picture but your smoke monster seems a little bland, also his fangs stick out a rather awkward angle.

Braintree: Great concept with the smoke portal, I like your style too, there’s just one problem that bothers me in this picture, and that is the creature’s raised left arm, the angle for both the wrist and the elbow seem very off to me.

Fumble: Pretty solid piece, a few more little holes in your creature’s wings would make it look more realistic as right now it seems too symmetrical for both wings to have one hole about the same size in them. I think you pulled off it’s skin texture very nicely, very creepy!

jrbarker: That shell is awesome, one thing that seems a bit off is that your creature’s head and eyes aren’t quite lined up with the human figure. Flashing some of the creature's gums in a nice snarl might also make him more believable.

Broken Lawnmower: I like the multiple faces and fluffy mane but the body seems off, I’m not sure why, it is either a problem with proportions or the pose, I think a quick reference picture of some sort of large cat lying down could easily fix it though.

zaorr: I think your creature has too many soft edges, which makes it seem a bit blurry, try some harder edged brushes to make your creature pop.

Lkjhgfdsa: There are some great textures going on in your piece and I love your creature’s odd feathery plates and writhing tentacles. Your creature’s arm seems to be pointing to the other side of the picture instead of at the portal though, and the man doesn’t really look like he’s looking at the creature either, maybe tilt his head up more.

dragon4lunch: I like how you cropped this from your original picture in the WIPs thread, it really adds more prominence to your creature. Overall good work, I think a different color would have worked better for the legs as they blend in too much with the surrounding rocks, maybe yellow or purple to tie in with the rest of your creature’s color scheme.

SoupAndButter: I like all the tribal markings you have on your turtle creature, but the roundness of its body bothers me since turtles have flat bellies. I also sort of miss the portal that led to the sky in one of your earlier renderings.

porcupine: I think you should have had the sparkles in the background be less bright or maybe smaller and more concentrated around the portal as right now they are stealing a lot of attention away from your portal. Your creature is a bit too humanoid for my taste, even if you prefer a more human look try looking through some animal books for inspiration for cool little things like crests and markings to add to your future designs.

ded: I think I liked your second concept in the WIPs section better, I miss seeing the creature spread out across the portal and it had a more interesting face. I like your different take on the prompt though, I thought it was pretty clever to have a creature protecting the portal only for it’s own nourishment.

IVIATT: I really like the abstract designs on your guardian, my only complaint is with the arm in the background as it seems an awkward pose and starts looking too much like it’s part of the cliff near it, I think it would look better draping over the edge of the cliff where your creature is resting like the other arm.

Pareeeee: You did a good job on your portal but your creature seems awkward, it lacks a solid skeletal structure also try shading with a different color instead of a black.

ninety9: Looks good, I know you have the supplemental full body sketch at the bottom but I would have liked to see more of the creature’s body in your detail picture. I think there should also be some red/orange highlights around your creature’s mouth because of the lighting of the portal. I like the fact that you did some extra work and created an additional creature to serve as prey for your portal guardian. :)

Si_Swe: As I told you earlier, I love what you did with the design of your creatures’ heads, It would have been cool if there were more carved features in the rest of their body, and their lower half doesn’t really fit to me. I guess with craved heads I’d expect them to be sort of merged with the temple instead of being able to move around on such long legs.


Suneater: interesting creature design, I like the colorful fins but don’t think they look quite right, too see-through maybe, I think looking at some references of male betta fish would help. Your creature also doesn’t quite look like it’s in the environment, adding some dark green to it’s shadows might help, how the lighting should be is sort of tough since it’s a cave setting and has two light sources.

Aram: I don’t really know what to critique on this one since I see a human-faced robotic structure surrounding the portal and not a creature.

Arbinn: Fantastic work, you really pushed this further with the time extension, the colors are looking great and I like all the details you put into the face and limbs, they have a fleshy look that is very believable. The fur doesn’t quite work for me though, it’s too blurry at the edges, I’d go back in with a small hard smudge tool at around 90+ pressure and create some more distinct filaments. I like the docile look of your creature, it has personality,and the way you have his tail wrapping around the rock is very well done! You’ve got my vote! :D

JanJager: I like the horn portal concept but the picture still looks rather sketchy to me, there also should be more yellow light hitting the figures and horns from the yellow portal.

Wilko: I think your picture would look better if the sketching underneath wasn’t visible, for example around the trees there are outlines that are not filled in and seem unnecessary, I’d also like to see some more muscle definition on the creature itself.

Rich3: Interesting head but the body is lacking in anatomical structure, try using some reference photos to fix that, also don’t crop off your creature’s toes.

J-Sun: I really like your creature, the eyes are piercing and the picture has an interesting mix of ancient, with the sphinx like creatures, and futuristic, the mechanical looking portal, that makes it stand out from other entries. Your creature’s legs, especially the one lying down don’t look like they have any bone-structure though, and that is a big problem.

lancer_idenoure: This is some great work, it’s disappointing you didn’t make it to the poll but you should definitely try the next round! :) I like all the eye(?) structures on your creature’s body, the spines turned out really nice as well, the legs look a little odd but insect legs are hard to draw, in my opinion at least, just try to have lots of references for them.

[IVIATT]

I agree with scorge. Arbin definatly brought his game to the next level for the most part. Glad you included the detail shot of the face because it really reveals the tremendous detail you incorporated into the piece. There are a few areas of the design which are distracting, such as the little rectangular hole on its lower back. The shape of the tail is also a bit strange (just the bottom segement). But definatly a step up for you. Nice.

[Wilko]

Thanks for the crit everyone, I had some trouble with this one - I haven't done many landscape studies so I think that caused me problems. Struggled with the sand and sea, and was planning on doing a lot more with the clouds but ran out of time/steam. Also agree that the front leg anatomy is a bit off.

Really great work all, this was my first COW and I had a lot of fun so definitely will be participating again. I'll try and get in from the begining next time so I can give more crit.

Anyway for what it's worth here's my thoughts on the entires:

Vic Gonzales - The enviroment is great and I really like the concept. The smoke itself looks nice but I kinda wanted a bit more form to the creature - at the moment it seems to be a plume of smoke with a head, maybe would have been nice to see the form of the smoke body as well?
Braintree - really dig your entry! The creature is great and I really like the concept. I think the smoke and portal itself looks significantly less rendered than the rest of it, apart from that it looks solid to me.
Fumble - Really like the creature, well painted and the anatomy seems tight. I think maybe the composition could be a bit better though? Fairly minor problem however, otherwise awesome.
jrbarker - the colour and lighting is really fantastic here, I like the shell and the head of the creature. Not much crit other than the main body of the creature is I guess a little bit dull, but that is just inevitable with a snail like creature, so not really sure what to suggest. Again I think this is a minor issue for an otherwise great image.
Broken Lawnmower - Love this entry, the colour is fantastic and the creature is really menacing. Reminds me of the sphynx creatures in the first Neverending Story film. My only crit would be it does kinda feel like a speed painting - this is good cos it gives the whole thing an energy, but could be improved by a bit more rendering.
Zaorr - I like the crab/lobster esque design. I think maybe the pallette is a bit muddy, could have been interesting to throw a bit of purple or yellow or something in there to make it a bit more vibrant.
Lkjhgfdsa - This is great, I really like the concept (only person to think of a guardian stopping people coming back through the portal instead of going in to it). It's really hard to falt this picture, I think maybe the arms are just a little too humanoid.
dragon4lunch - I think the execution of this image is really fantastic but I'm not as keen on the design of the creature. I think if we could see the spidery legs go in to the creature than rather than tucking under the snake-like body it might have improved its anatomy.
SoupAndButter - I really like this. I love the glow coming from the cracks in the creatures skin. My only crit would be that it's just a bit to similar to an existing turtle, maybe an extra pair of flippers or a tail or something might have helped.
porcupine - There are some good elements here but I'm not sure about the anatomy of the creature. Maybe needed more time spent on thinking about the anatomy, the muscle placement etc (particularly the hands and feet).
ded - I like this but the rendering seems uneven in places (some parts look really good, other parts look a bit unfinished). I'm also not keen on how the background just dissapears in to black. Otherwise a nice image.
IVIATT - this is one of my favourite entries but I think a couple of things let it down from taking the top spot. Firstly I only just noticed the human figure, having this is really great - it adds an impressive sense of scale, I think maybe the figure could be made a bit more visible somehow? It also confuses me how the creature kind of dissapears in to the background.
Pareeeee - I love the portal in this image, nice work. I'm not sure about the anatomy of the creature however, it just seems like a bunch of spiky appendage. When you look at a creature it almost always easy to imagine how it would move, whether it is quick/slow/slithers/lumbers etc etc. Here I find it a bit hard to visualise.
ninety9 - this is one of the strongest entries I think so well done. My only suggestion for improvement would be a bit more muscle definition and detail on the smaller image.
Si_Swe - Another great entry. My only complaint would be the pallette is just a bit dull and muddy. I know it is a dark scene but I feel a bit of colour could really set the whole thing off.
Suneater - This is strong, beleivable and unique creature design. Personally I'm just not keen on the mix of pink and yellow in the overall colour pallette.
Aram - Interesting concept but I think a bit more detail and rendering is needed.
Arbinn - not much to say, a great entry. I think the rocky side of the portal bowl doesn't seem quite as polished as the rest of it.
JanJager - Another one of my favourite entries, personally I think a bit more definition on the antlers is all this one needed.
GoldenSerpent - what can I say? Such an amazing entry! I voted for this one, I think you made an amazing creature here and the scene behind it is equally fantastic (love the wing legs!). I struggled to find some crit here but I'm not sure I beleive the anatomy of the shoulder/wing joint area - you know the bit I mean? It feels slightly awkward.
Rich3 - I like this, feels cold and it's an interesting creature. The anatomy seems a little funky at times, particularly his right arm - it's hard to tell what's going on there.
J-Sun - Really like the faces on these creatures but I'm not so keen on the body, the body just seems like a slightly non-sepcific four-legged creature body. Could maybe have been a bit more unique?
lancer_idenoure - This is a great entry, not much to say other than it might have been nice to see the whole body of the creature.

Anyway, really good work everyone. Hope someone finds something useful in this crit.

[(lark]

lancer_idenoure: dig the metroid fan art! I like how you spent most of your detail work on the creatures head. Using contrast there really made it stand out as a focal point. A crit I could give is that the creature doesn't taper enough. Its like the fore (head) part is too seperate from the rest of the body. Also I think the portal could have been more interesting or stoud out more. It feels sort of flat.
j-sun: nice take on maybe the most iconic guardian "the sphinx". The portal is what really stands out in the work. Very nice. But in that lies the problem. The sphinxs look bad by comparison. Or not bad just maybe as worked out. They have an almost sketchy quality that doesn't mesh with the really tight straight structure of the portal. And since the sphinx are in the foreground they should show a more defined quality.
rich3:it seems that your creature could have some interesting elements but its hard to tell because its in silhouette. Silhouette can be good for an image at times. But not usually if the major focus point is. The thing being silhouettted. This coiuld be fixed with adding a secondary light source that brightens up the creature so the viewer can get a better idea of what the creature is all about.
goldenserpent:awesme job man! Its extremely well done and is overall just very pretty in your use of colors. The design is pretty interedting in that it has features of existing animals meshed in an interesting way. The one crit I have is that the pose, although making your composition have a lot of energy, feels odd. Its almost as if the creature is falling backwards and grasping to keep itself from being sucked away into the portal. Still a really good job and a close runner up for me.
wilco: really creative concept. At first I was thinking "what's so special about this portal it doesn't seem to go anywhere. But the story explained it for me. A few things I can say is that I think you need to have more of a value range in this work. Example. The sun, although yellow is the lightest pure saturated color, should be the lightest thing in your piece. Its actually a darker value then the clouds right next to it. If you made it white with just a hint of yellow in it. It would read much better as your primary light source.

Gotta run will finish crits later tonight.

[Rich3]

My favourites (in order) - Arbinn, GoldenSerpent, Broken Lawnmower, IVIATT.

Thanks again for the crits, its always useful to get other points of view on work.

Self Crit: I'm fairly happy with the entry, there was a point where I wasn't sure if I was going to enter it but I kept going and I feel I got something presentable out of it (my favourite bit is the right foot :P) . The colours (or lack of) should've been more varied and I ought to have left enough time to properly work it out. The creature wasn't particularly new or well developed either.

Vic Gonzalez: I like the concept, reminds me of a genie, totally different to the other entries. The environment is really good too, feels quite solid with a certain quality to it. Possible improvements; the form seems a bit basic, the teeth look a little flat and don't appear as incorporeal as the rest of the creature.

Braintree: The style of painting and the different darker direction of the guardian were the best parts of this imo. Some more work on the environment and the composition to make the most of the portal/creature combination may have improved it.

Fumble: Good texture and lighting to the piece. The creature design and description is cool, I like the fantasy elements of it. I'm not sure how the creature fits the environment though, it looks quite bat-like, as though it should be hung upside down somewhere, or wrapped around something rather than stood upright.

J.R.Barker: Nice use of colour, the portal-in-a-shell thing is good too as is the human for scale. The snail design isn't particularly developed though (said the guy with the giant rabbit), and some of the snail seems like it needs more work on values.

Broken Lawnmower: Really nice style, kind of water colour graphics mix, the lighting is nice too. The creature design is good but I think there could probably be more detail and form to it.

Zaorr: Again, a different and cool design, good lighting and a sense of movement to it. I thought the background especially the pillar fountains could have been sharper, and the flowers are a bit distracting.

Lkjhgfdsa: Very cool creature, nice lighting and environment (feels like it fits in). The portal does feel pretty flat though, like the portal wall is too thin.

dragon4lunch: Nice style to the painting, the composition is good too showing the creature in action. Good use of scale as well. I'm not sure about the Mohawk, but thats just a personal preference thing.

SoupAndButter: Nice colour scheme, the environment feels like it has depth, and nice use of scale/ composition with the divers. I like the pattern/glow from the creature too. I wonder if the portal could be made more important though, more of a structural part of the guardian?

porcupine: Interesting creature and setting. The values for the creature could be worked on more I think, as could the anatomy (more detail to the body parts like the hands).

ded: I like the concept of the guardian, the fact that there is a relationship between the creature and the portal. The colours are good too. I'm not sure about the environment, if it's underwater then maybe some blue in the background? The portal could stand out more, maybe glowing or something.

IVIATT: Really good values and composition, I like the guardian design, and the use of contrasting colours. I don't get how the creature works though, the humanoid arms and no torso. Feels like it should be more developed in one direction, perhaps more squid like?

Pareeeee: I like the theme of the creature, the mouth being the portal. The desert setting and the colours feel right too. I think the creature looks a bit flat though, more work on how light and shadow effect the edges of the creature could help.

ninety9: Cool creature design and nice texture to the skin and clouds. Showing the creature in action is good too. The environment stands out too much imo, too much colour in comparison to the creature.

Si_Swe: The creature design in really good here, I saw the initial sketches in the wip thread and it shows in the final outcome. The use of colour is good too, it would've been better if the guardians stood out more though, the portal draws my attention as its brighter.

Suneater: The guardian is really interesting, the form is well rendered and the environment works too, although I don't like the contrast of the green/pink colour scheme.

Aram: Peering through the undergrowth at the creature is a nice touch, as is the golem direction. I think more work on lighting would've improved it, and maybe some use of different textures.

Arbinn: Gets my vote. Excellent lighting, contrast of colour and creature design. Only let down by the outer rock part of the portal which I feel is out of place. Some more lighting (like the blue glow on the guardian's tail) could've given it more depth.

JanJager: Good use of lighting and colour, the whole image works well, although the portal is probably too bright/contrasting, and the creature could have been more specialised. I don't agree that the tribes people couldn't use the portal, the guardian would just have to kneel down :P but perhaps if it's head was designed as a means of getting to the portal?

Wilko: Interesting composition and creature design, the colours are eye catching too. Some more depth would have been good (looks a bit 'blocked in'). Also not sure about the guardian's feet.

GoldenSerpent: Very cool creature, nice style and colour scheme. Very nearly voted for this. The only thing I'm not sure about is the back legs, perhaps they could be diminutive and feathered rather than just wings, but I don't suppose it has to land.

J-Sun: Nice creatures and back story, the lighting works quite well too. Some of the environment looks flat and unfinished (hard to see the form of the walls around the guardians).

lancer_idenoure: Cool setting and theme, I like the use of colour. I guess more of the creature could've been shown, like the tail end, which has the possibility of being an interesting part of the creature.

[GoldenSerpent]

Thanks for the crits guys, I think Arbinn and Wilko are right the upper arm anatomy is a bit weird, I'll have to find some refs to see how it should look. About the hind legs/wings thing, I never intended it to land as I don't see why it would since it's only purpose is to fly around the clouds guarding the portal :P I sort of figured it'd be the flying equivalent of some species of sharks which have to constantly swim, of course for different reasons than the sharks. Yeah, I'd definitely see it being a problem if it was an earthly creature who would need to walk around every now and then. Is there a way I could have made the concept read better so it didn't cause confusion?

[jrbarker]

Thanks for all the crit on my snail piece. I appreciate it! Here's just a few thought on all the pieces for this COW. Take it all with a grain of salt (but not around my snail!). Just some ideas.

Vic Gonzales: I like the color scheme happening here. It’s also an interesting angle that showcases the creature and also the scene with the bridge and portal. The solid teeth bother me since the rest of the guy is smokey. Also the perspective seems a bit off on those.

Braintree: I like your painterly style. I love to see brush strokes like that. I wonder if you did this in Photoshop because it looks a little more like Painter. It’s also an intriguing idea with the steam creating a look into another world. Maybe you could have tightened up the painted a bit, but again I like the loose style.

Fumble: I like the Man-Bat look of this creature. The rendering is painterly and loose but tight enough to showcase the form and details. You might start with a more neutral background when you start the painting. (You might have done this.) But I find it difficult to start from a pure white background like that.

Jrbarker: I think this turned out to be one of my better creatures so far. I’m proud of it although there were so many strong ones this time. I think I could have made his eyes lineup with the figure more. But I kind of had it in my head that he was a little blind, just sensing and groping in the dark that there was another presence there. Also I painted the creature before putting the man in, and it just didn’t work from a compositional standpoint to have the man standing anywhere else. So I guess I need to plan a little better next time.

Broken Lawnmower: I really like the almost post-impressionistic style of this piece. Great complimentary color scheme. It could maybe use a little tightening but I actually think it gets the idea across just fine. The three faced idea is very cool too.

Zaorr: Crab People! Crab People. That episode of South Park just came into my head. I like the motion of this character. Maybe tone down the background a bit from being such a focal point. Also, it looks like you used a photo for the ground. That’s okay. But you should paint over it so that it doesn’t look quite as obvious. But great work!

Lkjhgfdsa: Well done. It really comes across as a labor intensive piece. I wonder how many hours you spent on this one. The only criticism I can say is that almost everything (except the background) has the same level of detail. This makes the eye not know quite what to look at. You might try slightly blurring out or making different areas more impressionistic next time. Awesome piece!

dragon4lunch: You’ve developed a style that is unique to you. Very nice. I like the defined and visible line art. The color scheme is also fantastic. Maybe a few more shadows around the legs could help make the creature seem to sit on the rock a little better.

Soupandbutter: The undersea setting is a great idea. I like the inclusion of the divers. It’s a pretty nice rendering too. Like others have said, you could have pushed the design, using the turtle as a starting point to create something a little more unique. As opposed to a basic turtle.
Porcupine: I can see where you’re going with this. I like the shape of the head. But I’d be careful using too much black. It tends to flatten everything else out. I’ve made that mistake recently too with my last creature.

Ded: This is a cool idea. It seems like a couple of us came up with creatures that had a shell. It gets slightly confusing with the portal. You might try to make that a little more defined and less abrstact.

IVIATT: It’s almost monochromatic in a cool way, but that complimentary redish orange just sets it off. Very dreamy. You’re not sure quite what you’re looking at in a good way. You might take the time to get it slightly more detailed like the left arm.

Pareeeee: Cool rendering of the creature. But it kind of look like it doean’t fit with the background. Like it was superimposed. Maybe adding some more shadows on the ground could help out with that. Also think about the silhouette. It’s hard to figure out the shape of what this guy is.

Ninety9: I dig this idea. It’s nice that you showed two of them in the same scene. Interesting take on the portal concept. It would have been nice to see the whole of the creature in the final pic but you show that in the lower picture so we get the idea of what this thing is. Nice work!

Si Swe: I like how you sort of spun off Aztec/Mayan art for the heads of these creatures. It compliments the jungle background. Maybe you could have made the light in and around the portal a little more intense to set it off just a bit.

Suneater: I like how you used the forground to create the illusion of depth in this piece. The only this I would say might help is to add a little more detail to the rocks and stairs around the creature.

Aram: It’s hard to get an idea of what the shape of this guy is. He seems like maybe a carving in the wall, but I’m not sure. Possible you could work on the silohette of the character first and then incorporate the jungle scene around him.

Arbinn: Arbinn turns in a great piece. Nice concept! I like how much care you gave to the face. He looks benevolent. That blue rimlight around the whole creature that is a little confusing as far as where it’s coming from but I just assume it’s ambient cosmic light out there somewhere.

JanJager: Super cool idea. It somehow reminds me of something from Princess Mononoke. The antlers creating the portal is great. Is the sky based on a photo? If not that was really well done. You might make the portal a little more textured rather than just a flatish disk. Like maybe energy coming out of it or something like that.

Wilko: I like where you’re going with this. Although the portal idea doesn’t come across too well. Maybe put something between those trees. I’d keep going with this as it seems a little unfinished. But the color scheme is really nice. You might want to lose the sun. It seems a little tacked on.

GoldenSerpent: Well look at this. Beautiful work. I think the color scheme is inspired and the whole piece is beautifully rendered. Maybe a little more time on the feathers of that main right wing would help take it home. How does he land with wing for feet? Great job!

Rich3: I like the north pole idea. You really got across the ghostly and otherworldly feeling that I think you were going for. I’d just maybe spend a little more time rendering the fur.

J-Sun: These guys scare me in a good way. I like their faces. It’s nice that you put two in the piece. Only a few artists attempted to do that. Maybe lightening up the portal structure would make it seem farther back and give the whole piece a little more space and volume.

Lancer: I love that you went for the whole Metroid thing. It’s totally okay because this specific creature doesn’t exist in the games but seems to belong in that world. Samus is there just to give it scale and to place it in that universe. I think you did a beautiful job of rendering the thing. There’s a lot of black in the piece. At least it looks like it. I wonder if using a really deep purple would help, instead of pure black. But maybe it’s just my monitor. Great job! I’m sorry you didn’t make the cut but this one was worth talking about!

[Si_Swe]

I'd really like to say thanks to everyone doing crits this round. It's nice to see this much feedback. I realized after finishing this piece how many things I would do differently now. To respond to a couple of specific comments:
GoldenSerpent: I understand what you mean about adding more temple elements. I was having trouble making that transfer organic, though, and I didn't want to be ripping off Shadow of the Colossus too much so I felt that the head might be enough. I was thinking, though, that maybe if I had made the skin textured to look have the same type of patterns, that may have been a good compromise. In terms of the legs, I really liked the idea of having lanky giants that crouched so their limbs went out at odd angles. I guess it didn't work quite like I wanted, though.
Wilko: I know what you mean about the palette, getting a good palette down has really been a challenge for me. I often hesitate to add a shock of colour to my pieces for fear of imbalancing the palette. Especially with a mood-based piece like this.
Porcupine: It wasn't actually supposed to be outside. Not really. In my mind it would be the inside of a massive ruin; I guess I didn't get that across very well.
Ninety9: Thank you for saying what's been left unsiad out there for a while. I'm also in this for improvement's sake. I'm still quite the newbie at digital and creatures are an easy way for me to get comfortable with the medium. When I vote, I try not to go for the most "professional" or polished one as much as I can. That should, however, not cause one to change their vote if they truly think one entry is the best. I vote for my favorite entry every round, sometimes that means going with the well-rendered professional piece, sometimes not. I would appreciate a larger ratio of participation to crits, though. I often find there are only about 3 full crits a round. This round is great in that respect, but I like to see what I'm doing wrong. It's what these activities should be about. That's one of the reasons why I'd also like to push a collaborative COW round, if possible. The kind of situation wherein artists can help each other along the way, striving towards a mutual goal.

I'll do what crits I have time for tonight, I'll get the rest done tomorrow if I haven't gotten to everyone.
Vic Gonzalez - While I like the idea of a smoke guardian, in practice you come up against a problem of details. You managed to make a great scene of if with an interesting viewpoint. The problem is that the creature lacks detail and as a result the overall design becomes uninteresting. The initial wow of it being a smoke-beast is lost because only the head has features.
Braintree - Until I read the description I had no idea that smoke was emitting from pores on the creature. You may want to think about making that a little more clear. That said, you have a really unified and cool design. I like the grey palette with the shocks of colour in certain areas. It really has a punch to it. Some hints of green would really help balance the piece.
Fumble - I enjoy the rendering and textures present in your creature, but the environment throws the piece off. The environment as well as the angle of the creatures head give it the impression that it is approximately human-sized, which appears to be wrong given your description. I would work on using scaling tools to help establish size like that.
jrbarker - I'm really enjoying the great flow you have going on in this piece. The composition brings the eye around really nicely. There's an unfortunate focus on the head, though. The head is very well done, but the rest of the creature and environment looks fuzzy and rushed in comparison. It's important to emphasize focal points, but the head isn't the only one, here.
Broken Lawnmower - I love the regal and mystical sense to your creature. It looks proud and wise and it certainly looks like it has reason to be where it is. I find the saturation levels in your piece a bit jarring, the blues and the oranges and reds are very extreme and fray the composition a bit more than they should.
Zaorr - You have an excellent sense of movement. There's a sense of weight and momentum to your creature. I also like how unified the creature is with the ancient architecture it's paired with. They look like they belong together. The main problem area is the torso which looks much flatter than the rest of the body. Having some crisper edges around smaller areas like limbs and mandibles would help establish the details quite a bit more.
lkjhfdsa - Your creature itself is balls-to-the-wall-fantastic. In addition to the great rendering and detail, it has a commanding aura and some really original design. I like how the details on the creature mirror the crags that surround it. That said, the person and the inside of the portal look very flat, and not on the same level of quality as I've come to expect from you.
dragon4lunch - I love how well you've created a scene here. The lighting and the design of the creature really help establish a great mood. You have a really nice style, too. I can imagine this as an illustration in a picture book or as the cover of one an AD&D book. I feel like some more attention could have been payed to the man, but my main problem is that I get less the sense of it guarding a portal gate and more the sense of it guarding treasure. There's something about the cave mouth it's guarding that doesn't give me the mystical sense I'd want from a portal.

Cheers!

[(lark]

continued crits:

janjager: i really like the way you paint man. and like usual you come through with a pretty creative take on the subject. i think the creature is a little too close to an elk. would have liked it too have a bit more elements that make it stand out as an origional species, other then the connecting horns. also i would like the space on the other side of the portal to have more going on. it reads a little like a circular headpiece instead of a portal to another place.

arbinn: you killed it this round man! got my vote. really showed a level up in your skill this week. the subtle colors you used in the creature in its head and upper body are really great. i love how you used a really bizarre scene and design and made it believable. this is the stuff i look for in here. far too often the creatures in this place are really derivative of existing animals, or fantasy creatures, and you created something i really haven't seen before. great job!

aram:i feel this didn't fit the brief or even fit in cow really. i mean no offense, its just that we are creating creatures here. this almost seems like something for e.o.w. you have a decent grasp of value, i just suggest you read the brief closer, and work with more organic forms. keep in there you'll figure it out with practice!

sun eater: really pretty design. your use of color is pretty bold. which works to a degree, but i would have toned it down a bit. the portals look great, but the perspective of the environment seems odd, cant quite put my finger on it.

si swe: you're attention to detail is really great this week. you usually do that well but it stands out as a bit better this week, it shows that you put a good amount of time into it. i also really like the design. like arbinn, i think you did something pretty origional here. i do think that the figure in the doorway could have more of the same kind of detail shown in the rest of the piece.

ninety9: really good composition and color scheme. also the concept of the portal was really creative. even though you showed the full creature in the extra panel, i would have liked it if you used the second creature in the background for this purpose. its allways better to get all of your information in one illustration when it comes to creature design. a crit i can give is that you might want to unify your painting quality. that clouds are very painterly and textural, while the creature has a sketchy "line based" quality. its like if you were looking at a painting of clouds with a drawing on top in colored pencils. maybe use some variation in the hardness of the creatures edges, make bleed out and fuzz into the surroundings. the hard white line on top of the creature is an example of how its really dividing the picture quality of the piece as a whole.

pareeeee: truly bizarre. what else can i say. its very alien, which makes it hard to crit because i initially feel its anatomy is off. but i really have no point of reference. the portal color is neat and really helps it stand out as the focus point.

IVIATT: this piece rules. you always use the warm-cool color scheme so well, and this week is no exception. its so weird, yet so inviting. which is no small feat to pull off. handled a different way this creature would be really creepy, even scary, but the way you painted it all i feel is that i want to hang out in that place and look around for awhile. only crit is that the figure could be lighter. its hard to see, and i didn't even notice it the first couple looks.

ded: I'm sorta confused by whats going on in this piece. what is the portal? is it a ball its grabbing? the piece reads sorta strange. its hard to get a feel for what the creature is because of its pose. you have interesting starting points with the mouth and the head shape but it feels a bit too much like an octopus in a shell with horns.

porcupine: too much contrast! seriously though, you need some more mid range values, and subtler gradations in the piece. the creature is also a bit too amorphous. needs a more defined structure, especially the legs.

soupandbutter: almost got my vote this week. a really fantastic piece, even though it really is just a giant turtle with a portal on its back, it still feels fresh for some reason. i really wish you stayed with the origional idea of the portal going to the sky. it was such a good idea, and I'm not sure why you changed it to a very run of the mill portal to another dimension idea. really fantastic work none the less.

dragon4lunch: neat design. the lighting feels sorta weird to me though. also not a fan of the lines showing in this piece. there is just too much going on to have that much outline information. it makes the eye confused, and cant rest enough to get a feel of how that complex camera angle works along with the landscape.

Lkjhgfdsa: total badassery as far as creature design is concerned. that thing is so damn intricate! the design of the gate is great as well, as is the overall composition. one thing i would like to see handled differently is the portal walls and the base, as well as the figure should be more informed by the lighting of the surrounding daylight world. it doesn't quite read like its in that world.

zaorr: nice composition, its easily the best part of the piece, the creature feels sorta unbalanced though. like its gonna tip over. the lighting in the scene could be a bit more unified as well. just needs a little bit more refining.

broken lawnmower: love your paining style. so much energy! i wish could be as bold as you with my mark making and color. i don't know how you keep it from falling apart. if i did things like that, I'm pretty sure it would be a big mess. not too much to crit so i wont. good job!

jrbarker: neat concept. the creatures head has a lot of cool elements. the only problem i see with the piece is that the lighting scheme doesn't read well. it feels like there are like 5 or 6 light sources. it gets confusing because the only light source the viewer is aware of is the portal, and maybe behind the creature in the distance. but there is light all over the place. try and define your shapes after you know exactly where your light is coming from. it will read a lot better.

fumble: badass rendering! you're very skilled and it shows. i would have liked more background. I'm not a fan of the white background with a bit of landscape for the figure to sit in. it feels it a figurine or something. that's just a pet peev of mine though. really good design and execution though.

braintree: easily the most origional idea of the group. really close to getting my vote. the way you handled painting the portal along with creature is really great, and looks for some reason like you did it effortlessly. your confidence shows in your mark making. great job!

vic gonzalez: i thought of the smoke monster from lost, mixed with a vampire. i admire your balls in going after such a dynamic angle for the viewpoint of the image. it does leave some issues with the composition though. you almost got it, but not quite. still pretty well done considering you turned it in after something like 2 or 3 days after the brief was posted.

myself TOTAL FAIL!!!!111ONEELEVEN. gotta try harder now.

great round everybody. hope the crits help, and no one takes anything as an insult. I'm just trying to help.

[ninety9]

thanks a lot for all the helpful crits+advice. great round, both in WIP and in FINAL/CRIT section

[porcupine]

Si Swe - oh but that explain why it felt like a bad outside :)

Everyone that gives crit - thanks! Think I pushed it too far after last round where I was told to add more contrast. I'll try middle way for next!

[Si_Swe]

My crits cont...

SoupandButter - Your piece has a lot of style, and it’s the style that really sets it apart from the other entries. I like the almost cartoony style that’s taken seriously enough to really create a mood a sense of form. The light effects are great and I think the palette is well done, for the most part. Some aspects of it could use a bit of work: the wisps of seaweed/algae coming off of it and some of its more shadowed details feel off when compared to the care and detail of the portal, head or even the front divers.
porcupine - I like how you’ve added the shining twinkles of light to give a sense of the mystical/magical. It works well enough to establish that part of the mood. I would fade your forest a little more towards the back, to give a better depth to the space. There are two main problems I see: the first is that you have really intense tonal values. You have black and you have white and there’s quite a bit of both. Especially with the white, it makes the image hard to look at. The second problem I have is just that the creature design lacks feature. The legs feature almost no musculature and its stance is a bit static. It’s arms also feel a little bit featureless. I would take a look at muscle references as much as you can to help improve your creatures’ anatomy.
ded - You have some really beautiful textures and colours coming out of this piece but a few things jar it severely. The main thing is just that the background is solid black, it really breaks the mood of the piece and establishes it as a drawing and not a world we can enter into, which is a real shame. Something smaller but also jarring is the use of that particular leaf brush which is very evident and immediately clicked with me as “custom brush”. It’s much better toward the bottom getting more and more evident towards the top.
IVIATT - One of my favorites this round. Really love the mood of the piece and the design of the creature. I still think the piece really needs some balancing in terms of greens/yellows being a little more present. I would suggest rethinking the pose of the far arm, which has a very awkward pose but I’d say it’s my favorite I’ve seen from you and I’m really looking forward to seeing more from you in the future.
Pareeeee - Did you ever play the sixth Final Fantasy game? You creature reminds me of a monster from that called the “Zone Eater” which you had to have suck your entire party in to get to this secret cave. The portal itself is well done, but I think the anatomy of the creature could use a bit of work. The far set of legs looks like it doesn’t quite connect with the body towards the back and some of the angles on the limbs seems awkward and abrupt. I would suggest taking a look at musculature to really give your limbs a better flow.
ninety9 - I really enjoyed this piece, and I feel it’s one of the strongest I’ve seen you put out for COW. The palette is great, and the textures on the leviathins are really nice and tactile. There’s a great painterly sense about them but the clouds and the portals really ground them as an illustration. I would say that problem areas for me are: the foremost fin going through the cloud doesn’t look quite how it should; the cloud shouldn’t flow off the fin like that, it should be partially obscured by cloud with the movement of the cloud effects suggesting the movement of the fin through the clouds. The other issue I have is with those pink pustule-like things on the creature’s head, almost purely because I don’t know what they are, they look out of place, like an aspect of the creature that may not have been finished.
Suneater - The first thing I notice is: yellow is everywhere. There’s a lot of yellow and it’s a really saturated yellow. I’d dial that down a bit. I think your creature’s design is really original and there’s a clear sense of sage-like qualities in your creature. Try and avoid using white and black as shadow and light since they tend to flatten those things.
Aram - In a piece reliant on line, such as this, it’s important to develop a crisp quality of line. Right now your linework is sketchy, it makes forms muddier and cinfuses the scene. Try and do studies from life and familiarize yourself with the tone and saturation in terms of doing colouring.
Arbinn - You really did step up your game, like scorge said. I love the mood of your piece and personality of your creature. There’s something about the way it’s playing with the portal and its wry smile that immediately endear me to it. The rock in which the portal is set could use a bit more attention and there are some issues with certain aspects of the back lighting but its a very strong piece and one of my favorites this round.
JanJager - I like the idea of the creature as a symbol of hope as opposed to the focus on the guardian aspect. It’s something that really came through in the piece and makes it the stronger for it. Aspects of it like the suggestion of dawn and the people in the background really reinforce this. I wish the portal had a bit more depth to it at the moment. It’s almost too pure to really be a portal, and I think that some added oranges would really help create that juxtaposition of this cold tundra environment with warmth of the light.
Wilko - I was a bit put off by the awkwardness of your creatures anatomy the first time I saw it, but I like the way it’s a bit gauche, it gives it the “terrifying beauty” aspect from your description. You’ve also put together, well, a palette that recalls surrealist watercolour paintings, helping to establish an eerie and dreamlike quality. That said, your piece would really benefit from a stronger sense of lighting to create form and a less saturated sun.
GoldenSerpent - As has been said, there is some awkwardness to the arms but I the wings were very well executed. The fact that it wouldn’t be able to walk on land doesn’t bother me. Something about it being angelic makes me think it’s aerial stamina is probably pretty significant, and I can imagine it laying down with all it’s many wings folded pretty easily. There are still a few issues of it being a bit low contrast, but given the nature of the scene, it’s forgivable. Keep up the fantastic work.
Rich3 - I like that your image looks almost like it could be a negative, or potentially an x-ray photograph. It has an otherworldly palette that helps reinforce the alien aspect of the creature. There is some ambiguity in the creature’s form with regard to the torso and midriff as well as it’s right arm, which meld together and end up feeling awkward overall.
J-Sun - There are some really nice touches you’ve put in that really help this piece along. The reflective floor and the mirroring of the patterns in the portal with the marble on the floor. I really enjoy the laziness of their pose paired with their direct eye contact. With the creatures the only problem I really have is that the faces are much flatter than the bodies. It seems like we’re looking at the creatures wearing paper masks of themselves.
lancer_idenoure - You’ve done a really great job recreating this Metroid creature. The rendering looks very mice and you’ve created some really great texture. I guess I just want to see less Metroid and more lancer.

[IVIATT]

So some crits (from the bottom of the thread up):

lancer idenoure Values are spot on in the creature, the light is very convincing and consistent throughout the picture. The design of the creature could fit perfectly within the Metroid universe. Some things that could be fixed/improved upon next time around: theres a major compositional battle between the orb of dark energy and the red eye. They each demand the same amount of attention, and though I can see you are attempting to triangulate between Samus' head, the creature head, and the dark energy, there's a better "triangular solution" when you place the portal elsewhere so as it becomes secondary in the composition to the red eye. No matter what if there is a red circle in a picture it will become a focal point. Other area that needs attention, and this is less important in creature of the week and more for character design, is anatomy. The design of Samus is traditionally very elegant, you look at the original sketches and theres beautiful motion in all of samus' poses. Here she feels rather static and heavy. But you still nailed the lighting, that seems to be your strong point.

J-Sun This piece did immediatly grab my attention because of its sheer boldness and contrast. I love the design of the head especially. The poses of the creatures are fairly convincing, talons are well rendered. Main point of improvement for next time: pay attention to your edges, know when to blend them and when to sharpen them. Some edges I can see you are trying to work the reflective lighting but it ends up looking like it was cut and pasted from another painting. Really sweet compositional note here is the alternating blue red pattern of the head leading into a similar pattern in the stairs. Intelligently executed.

Rich3 Good motion in your strokes. Pay more attention to nailing perspective before you go for details. Same goes for construction. You must have a good foundation before you can begin intermediary and final touches.

Golden Serpent Solid. I can tell you're very comfortable working in the digital medium with your particular methods. The head confuses me mainly because I cant see which of the shapes are supposed to be his eyes. I see alot of cool patterning, but I'm loosing the eyes in it. Other than this, I might add that based on your light source, some cast shadows don't makes sense/arent strong enough. Sweet work, very strong.

JanJager: Very sophisticated, if not the most sophisticated out of this batch. It is much subtler than the other pieces basically due to color use and composition. The oranges just on the horizon travel into small notes of pink on the sides of the body. It looks like you handled this with piece with ease.

Suneater: Your color scheme is quite different from anything i've seen recently. However, the fact that you used pure black (or close to it from what I see) kind of brings down this scheme that you were building. If you had used the same turquoisy color thats in the spines of the creature in and around the black trees on the sides, it would have popped the yellow green out. Nice rendering though, the tunnels leading up to the portals are the most impressive element in my opinion. On the anatomy, same thing I said about lancer's, she's a little clunky here, dont be afraid to attack those hands, despite how pain in the ass hands can be.

Si Swe: Your design is probably my second favorite out of the bunch. Theres a really cool narrative I can see happening here too. Main thing that could have made the piece better is bringing more of the colour out. Your starting to lift some greens out of the shadows, but that's about the most saturated note in the picture. I have the same issue myself with varying saturation in color. Details are reandered so well here, especially on the chest of both creatures. Totally cool design.

Ninety9: Pretty epic. Colors are getting there, but I think the blue of the sky is one or two degrees too overpowering. Tone it back a bit, throw some purples into the mix and it will balance out. There also seems to be areas like the outstretched fin that haven't been tended too. Because of this the edge where the cloud meets the fin isn't as convincing as it should be.

Pareee: Wow we had very similar ideas about the portal location! Work on your edges more though, it looks very cut and pasted. The portal is intense though, definatly grabs attention right off the bat.

Me: Achieved what I wanted out of this piece (atmostphere). But like a few of you said, the human should have stood out much more to emphasize scale. I might have worked even more detail in the carapace of the creature to make it seem aged.

ded: Interesting. Theres a few sweet rendering moments here, like the specular highlights along the lower rim of the shell. You also seem to have a knack for using texture brushes in a cohesive way. That black though, its weighing the piece down. Maybe a dark bluish purple or reddish purple would work?

porcupine: You achieved contrast well with this piece, but the distribution of said contrast isn't as sophisticated as it could be. Some more of the trees could be pushed back, and I think the largest firefly glowy things should be closest to your focal point. That way your eye travels thorughout the picture in a much more "guided" fasion.

Soupandbutter: One of my favs, we seem to have a simliar rendering style, only you use outlines around certain figures to get them to pop. The shell is very cool, and the glowing marks sell the design. The composition doesn't feel very thought out though because its hard to find the main focus of the picture. Maybe if you concentrated the glowing cracks/designs around one area you could achieve a better flow? Regardless its simply really cool and fun to look at. Entertaining.

dragon4lunch: Neat style, almost a storybook feel to it. This design is sort of like Spyro the dragon on lots and lots of steroids haha. Not many complaints other than the setting is monotonous. I would have liked so see some different colors popping out of the magentas in the rocks.

lkjhgfdsa: Mad mad detail! You must have incredible paitience with rendering, and it pays off. Your cast shadows should be much sharper though, it will really help sell the dimension of your figures. Background is nice too, you pretty much used the whole spectrum in this picture and used it well. Lighting and cast shadows though, main things to work on.

Zaorr: Reminds me of the crab-people from south park (walk like crabs, talk like people). Good job triangulating color between the eyes and the potted plants. This has a definate feel of a video game 'mini-boss' to it. Your edges need work though. And even though using a 3d program to make the environment is helpful, it would read well in the final product if it is not cohesive with the rest of your rendering. Right here the greatest volume of detail is in the ground, where it should be in your main focus, the creature.

Broken Lawnmower: I love your color scheme, it works well, and you used a wide range of values. The structure of the creature should be more solidified though, he feels a little "lacking" in some areas, and as for scale, there's nothing in the picture to give us that information. The blues are beautiful.

jrbaker: This is a really smart and well thought out design. But the execution is confusing, theres no real sense of space here and I cant tell where the ground is (to some extent). Cast shadows would help you with this. With the blue glow in the background. You dont necessarily want something thats triangular and fits to the shape of the shell, you want something that complements it. Or establishes a rhythm. If the glow was more circular it may create such a rhythm.

Fumble: Good rendering. Good texturing. Next time go scribble a lot of loose thumbnails for your design and find one that really stands out. This guy is well rendered, but there's not much thats interesting about him. Go crazy with your concept next time, really push your shapes more.

Braintree: Really cool idea, no one thought of anything close to this! The shadows on the bottom of the picture are confusing though, the ground doesn't feel very solid . I do love the sense of musculature in the creature, and the jaw/head feels very real.

Vic Gonzalez: It looks like you did this one fairly quickly. I can see you have talent in rendering, but your environment is cooler and more thought out than your creature. Make up a creature that allows you room to detail it and texture it and give it body language, things that really will bring it to life.

Thats all for now...my first rapid-fire critique, I look forward to more in the future. Great work guys and gals.

[ninety9]

Matt and Si_Swe: yeah u got me. i should practice painting clouds especially since i use clouds on pretty many of my personal pictures since i tend to paint epic creatures aka dragons. i don´t know why they always look flat and painterly - i need to get more volume there.

you´re right about the pustule-like things Si_Swe - i added them for the concept and then didn´t finish on showing their meaning. time-problem. :)

[George Abraham]

Woah!!!

Thanx for all the efforts into the crit's everyone.

Took a mental recess from the picture and all the crit's given is pretty darn obvious and spot on.

Cheers.

[George Abraham]

Continued crits

Can't really say more for the peeps I have critted.

Stuff that stand out for me though:

Arbinn I liked your older portal and the feeling you had going there, the sparkle in the being's eye looked attached to the picture there, the goo doesn't make sense the same way. I imagined some entities walking on the platform the size of little pixels there for a moment in your older pic. Still a cool creature though.
JanJager I didn't want to blurt it out before but I need to get it out. Jagermeister!!!
Wilko Needs some tone. I sense you put allot of effort into it, it'll pay off with every new attempt.
GoldenSerpent Can't help but feel like I have seen the picture before. Awesome feel to it though. I'm a practical brain so I get a little turned off by illogical attributes like the hind legs being wings. What's he doing to do when he lands?
Rich3 Don't hesitate to join in early next time round. It would have been great to see what you do with more time. The creature balance feel's off, it's collar area are a bit ambiguous.
J-Sun Imaginative, like the creature design. The poses could have been a little more dynamic to break them away from their original 2D concept feeling. Love the background, the reflections are a nice touch. Some distracting negative shapes created there with the wings on the floor. The foreground elements could have been cropped out, they are too tacky. Your rendering look's good but you didn't give all the features the same attention, I have a feeling you have exceeded your personal best and that it's a beginning to better work.
lancer idenoure Really cool creature concept, the FX on the creature seems to feel unbalanced a bit, the creature are rendered next level while the rest of the scene looks a few levels down. Maybe with more time.

[GoldenSerpent]

So...any tips on how I could have made the concept read better, since a majority of people think my creature would land? The fact that I didn't make the concept come across right is really frustrating me and I'd like to know how I can rectify that flaw.

[Arbinn]

Well, for me the fact that the creature has such sturdy front legs that look like they can't do anything besides landing creates an illusion that it might be able to land. The landing thing wasn't on top of my mind at all though.

[porcupine]

For what its worth I instantly thought that your guardian was ever flying, watching and would never land, I dont really have any ideas on how to improve the image (maybe because I did came across right to me) but you could always add a line of text in the description to clarify things I suppose.

[Rich3]

I suppose the fact that the creature looks like a big cat means that I expect it to land, maybe looking at birds that spend most of their time airbourne would help?

[GoldenSerpent]

Thanks porcupine, Rich3, and Arbinn I never thought about the front legs causing the problem, but that makes sense. Thanks guys! :D

[Pareeeee]

Thanks for all the crits. I just didn't spend as much time on it as I wanted, I thought the same thing about my image as a lot of you guys said. If I had had more time...lol...the deadline seemed to creep up on me...

No I've never played Final Fantasy...I will have to go and google that creature and see what it looks like!!!!!

[DeathByChris]

I voted for Arbinn the lighting on the hair was just very eye catching and well rendered, nice simple composition as well.
Golden Serpant's was my second favorite.
I also enjoyed,
Si_Swe: very creepy man.
lancer_idenoure: sorry you didn't make it in to the voting, yours has some nice colors I love the purple, but whats the deal with Samus?

[Ricardo Robles]

I finally voted for lkjhgfdsa, but was a dificcult vote, lots of great entries there, like ninety9, Goldenserpent, Janjager, soupandbutter, Arbinn... all them with a wonderful execution and a good approach of the subject.

lkjhgfdsa achieved a really good sensation of guardian of "keeper", joined with a cool and colorful execution, and the story convinced me.
but really great work everyone!:D

[J-Sun]

Vic Gonzales - I can see you put a lot of thought into the scene and took a challenging vantage point from that above angle. I definitely get a sense of the depth of the space and chasm. The details of the gate and the bridge are really well executed and the creature itself and its smokey volume is very convincing. The solid auger-like fangs, seem to take away from the illusion that the creature is made of smoke and distracts me from the overall awesomeness of the piece, but thats just me. Aside from that nitpick - very well done!

Braintree - very cool and unique concept. Really nice work on the musculature and tones overall. I really like how you handled the highlights and shadow details while still maintaining the painterly quality of the piece.

Fumble - Great looking creature! Your Guardian of the Necromancer Portal has a very realistic presence. Your excellent use of highlights and shadows make for a very convincing rendition.

jrbarker - Very cool creature jrbarker. The atmosphere lighting/glows and colors really enhance the intensity of your creatures' gaze. Your Guardian has a real volume to it - like he is going to crawl/slide right out of my monitor.

Broken Lawnmower - Love your Portal Guardian. I immediately get the sense of this creature playing a role in some awesome classical mythology. The relaxed pose creature and the ambient glow from the portal cave are just great.

Zaorr - Great job on the gate and setting. The details of the fountains heads and planters are really nice and the overall quality of the deep shadows and rays of light entering the space is particularly nice.
I really get a sense of dynamism - the creature seems to be lunging right at ya with a sort of depth blur effect which you handle really well.

lkjhgfdsa - Great concept! The details and segmentation of your creature are fantastic. Really like the textures on both the creature and the terrain.

dragon4lunch - Very cool creature and environment as well. I really like your approach to coloring and texture. The color choices on the creatures body and legs might benefit from being more similar to each other and contrasting a bit more from the background. Maybe a simple photoshop adjustment… The textures are great though - wouldn't change them!

Soupandbutter - I really liked this piece. It has a soft quality to it and the composition with the divers in the foreground enhances the illusion of depth that draws me into the scene. Great work!

porcupine - I love the concept of The Watcher. The creature has an endearing yet monstrous appearance emphasized by some very unique anatomy. Great textures - a very fun piece to look at!

ded - Very nicely rendered creature and nice concept. The colors are really good - very nice mix. I'd like to see the environment fleshed out a little more though.

IVIATT - Beautiful work Iviatt! I love the composition with the massive creature and the person standing before it on the precipice awaiting entry to the portal. The dominant blue value with the contrasting portal light is outstanding.

Pareeeee - Very intimidating creature! You did an amazing job rendering the claws and teeth and I especially like the lighting effect and the illumination of the ground beneath the guardians maw.

ninety9 - Your "leviathan aerologus portals" is truly a beast of epic proportions! The colors and atmosphere of the piece are very pleasant in contrast to the strange massive beast - very nice approach. I like that you included the supplemental image of the full Leviathan profile. I would have preferred to see it incorporated into the main piece somehow. Great Stuff!

Si_Swe - Your entry requires a particular amount of pause.. which is a good thing. Your accompanying poetic "description" adds a lot to your piece, which at an immediate glance is rich with narrative. There is a lot to take in with all sorts of interesting details. Great stuff Si Swe! On the technical side - The lighting and shadows are really solid - you seem to have the lighting in the the room just right. My only nitpick would be the shadow area directly beneath Dee-Wa and Soo-Wa's feet.

Suneater - Fantastic creature Suneater! The overall colors and composition are very striking. The woman and cavern walls in the foreground are a nice touch which really draws you into the piece as an observer - greet work!

Aram - I really like the Golem approach you came up with. Solid composition and concept - I would have liked to see more details and lighting/shadows. Perhaps you'll take this piece a step or two further? It is a excellent foundation!

Arbinn - WOW! Incredibly well polished piece Arbinn! Wonderful concept. You've done a amazing job depicting this enchanting Pomra!

JanJager - Definitely among the most original ideas - incorporating the portal into the antlers. Really nice work on the realism of the environment and the inclusion of the tribe folk in the foreground and background.

Wilko - Love to see this worked to further along to a more completed state. Really nice composition - all the elements are in place for a very nice piece. I hope you work on this further!

GoldenSerpent - Excellent creature! I really like how you incorporated the souls into the scene. I feel that the shoulder anatomy issue can easily be overlooked given the nature of the creature - It depends on what you were going for exactly. Overall - a tight solid work - Awesome!

Rich3 - I like the lighting of the fur - you did a great job on that - maybe just tighten up the texture of the fur a bit in some places. The piece has a nice muted color range and a nice eerie feel overall. The creature seems very aware of the observers presence which is especially cool.

lancer_idenoure - The rendering of your creature is stunning! Concept, texture, lighting shadows, reflections are all outstanding! It seems like the Metroid dude was rendered as an afterthought by comparison. He/she sort of take away from things somewhat. Though I imagine that the Metroid dude might simply be unfinished? At any rate, great work!



J-Sun - That's Me! I was actually able to spend a reasonable amount of time developing this piece. In the end I had to cut a few corners and quickly clean up some unfinished areas to submit in time. I really appreciate all of your feedback and comments. I intend to keep working on this one - and I'll be sure to take all of your critiques into account. Very helpful guys - Thanks All! :)
:yayca:

[Carbono]

Vic:
I like the idea of the creature being ethereal/air-based but still lifting something physical as teeths. With that said, I feel that the execution of the image could've been better. The perspective on the teeth looks strange and make the creature seens a little goofy... And the overal image seems to lack contrast. While the highlights on the stairs and hands look good, I don't feel the same thing about the ones on the door and doorway;
I feel that while white highlights are good in some places, softly colored ones tend to work better.
Good drawing, could've been worked a little more.

Braintree
I like the concept, but I felt that some parts of the creatured looked too sketchy, like the paws and back legs. And I think a proper background/foreground could help the piece a lot. Its strange to see a cool world well rendered in the portal, but not on the main image.

Fumble
I like how you've rendered the rocks. But i'm not too sure about the creature design and scale. For me, the creature looks as having the same size as a normal human, and the portal looks like being the size of a human hand. The Stepping stones looks like they are the same size as a human feet. I think another angle and a more defined landscape could've helped to make the creature look huge.
The creature itself, for me, seemed like a mix between a human and a cow. I like how you've rendered its skin, but I feel that the design could've been pushed a little more.

J. R. Barker
I like how you've tried to give the creature a translucent look, subsurface lighting is always a nice touch. I'm not a big fan of some of the highlights on the shell, and I think you could've added some extra layer of highlights to the body of the “giant slime”, since its missing that wet look.
The creature itself, I like the idea of a portal inside the “shell”. But, the creature itself being a slime and the portal being so big... how could it defend it? I think you could easily just run and escape from it and enter the portal.

Broken
Quite different approach on this one, I like it. The creature is simple but very effective. I think the background could've been polished a little more, I see some strokes that don't fit the abstract style of it and looks a little rushed. Nice piece, overall.

Zaorr
I like those small red things on the creature head, but I think a big part of the creature body is in shadows and the face looks somewhat confusing. I can see that you had a good idea, but the execution is someowhat strange, the creature looks offbalance and the background looks rushed, with the textured ground contrasting with the blurry backdrop.

Lkjhgfdsa
You're good and the piece is really top level. The creature design looks unique and I love the execution and rendering... But I feel somewhat a lack of depth going on. I can't really point my finger, but I feel the rendering to be somewhat flat. And the creature finger seens a little out of perspective, to me it looks like its pointing to the left side, and not to the portal.
Anyway, great creature. I like how it looks peacefully and tribal.

Dragon4lunch
The creature has a nice mix to it, legs and slimy snake-like body, and the rendering is nice too. But while its a nice design, i'm not a big fan of the face. I think a less bovine and a more frightening face would be better.
SoupandButter
I love the creature design and the greenish hue of the image, you've managed to find a good contrast while keeping the overall color scheme. I would just change the foreground swimmers colors, they don't look like they are under the sea, a maybe darker and even bluish tone could work wonders.

Porcupine
I see that you're starting at digital painting. Its a good start, by the way. I would advise a more delimited palette next time, there are too many colors going around there. There are some harsh blacks and pure whites too... maybe soft them up a bit?
The creature design has good points to it, I love the legs. A little anatomy work on the arms and this one could be very good, that and a little more depth...
Hope to see more from you, soon. :)

IVIATT
I love it, the magical-blue color scheme is very well done. A little more polishing and I feel this one is portfolio worthy: A little more contrast on the reds/yellows and some small brush work on the eyes and face tentacles.
Lovely piece and creature

Pareee
I like the dynamic perspective and the teeth + portal combo. But i'm not too sure about the anatomy of the creature. Its left paw looks somewhat broken. That “edge only” blue hightlights looks a little strange too, make the creature seems a little flat.

Ninety9
Lovely Sky and Clouds, very well rendered. The creature design looks mystical, its well rendered. But I feel that the design itself doesn't look that eye catching. Actually, the dragon-like creature that flew out of its portal looks very very eye catching.
The overall creature facial design made it look like it has lots of small faces attached. If you pushed it into this direction I think it could've been better.
Anyway, great rendering.

Si_Swe
I like the creatures, but I feel they miss a little contrast and that edge highlights make them a little flat. A wider range of tone on the body could help it a lot, as well as more highlights on the facial mask and a brighter eye.
I like it as it is, but I think some work could do this one wonders.

Suneater
The creature looks beautifulm full of colors. I'm not too sure about the giant chest muscles, but thats a matter of personal taste. The background on the other hand looks very messy and confusing. I think it takes a little out of the image.

Aram
It looks somewhat sketchy and rushed, and I don't think the design speaks about how can the Golem protect the gate. An extra polishing could do this one wonders.

Arbinn
Pretty! I like the colors and the portal looks tasty. Its very well rendered. Great creature. I would only change the rendering on the fingers. Some of the highlights look out of place. Other than that marvelous design!.

JanJager
I like the idea of the portal in the creature antlers. But the creature itself looks too much like a hairy deer with cow nose. I think pushing the design a little further could've helped this one a bit more.

Wilko
It looks very sketchy, in my opinion.

Golden Serpent
That back leg turned into a pair of wings really surprised me, very different concept... I love it. The creature face is really great and so is the general rendering. Great rendering and execution.

Rich3
Looks sketchy in my opinion, I really like the double-ears, But I think the design could've been pushed a little further.

J-Sun
The creatures look very egyptean, with the colored “hair”. But i'm not too sure about the design itself, It lacks a little originality and eye catching factor.

Lancer
Great creature design actually. I love its texture and colors, the rendering seemed a little off on the right claws. But other than that, solid design and art.

My favorites are SoupandButter and IVIATT.
While we got some great designs on this COW, I felt that both pieces integrated very well the portal into the creature.
Since I can only vote in one, my vote will go to IVIATT.

[Giant777]

Wow great designs, I'm fairly new to drawing so I have very less knowledge on technical aspects and so on, so I'm gonna vote for the guardian that captured my imagination, still I respect everyones work. My vote for Artist: Lkjhgfdsa

Artist: Arbinn - Liked your work very much, splendid.
Artist: Braintree - Liked the creature, very nice, and the story.
Artist: Fumble - Nice one kinda like a bat, I liked the pencil work of the creature.
Artist: Suneater - Wow liked your creature very much, very colorful.
Artist: dragon4lunch - Very Nice liked yours also, especially colors and the way it crawls down the cave and exhibiting hostility, nice work, creature is nice, to me looks like its guarding its cave not a portal.
Artist: Lkjhgfdsa - Very very nice, the creature is intimidating, the picture gave a clear picture of a portal and the guardian doing its job. Really nice.
Artist: Broken Lawnmower - More details would have been nice, I like multi-headed creatures. Still nice job.
Artist: GoldenSerpent - Certainly looks fierce and deadly, very bright and colorful, the creature is awesome, but I couldnt get the idea of a portal unless I read the story.
Artist: JanJager - Wow nice idea of portal located in the horns.
Artist: Si_Swe - Wow different creatures, liked it.
Artist: Vic Gonzalez - Liked the place and the smoke monster.
Artist: SoupAndButter - Liked the underwater concept.
Artist: Zaorr - Nice looks like a crab, and its dancing
Artist: ninety9 - Nice work, mystical land, a good view of creature would be nice.
Artist: J-Sun - Looks like Gremlins with wings, liked it.
Artist: J.R.Barker - Nice the portal leads to a nice place.
Artist: Rich3 - Looks like a hare, good one.
Artist: lancer_idenoure, Artist: Pareeeee - reminds me of Starship troopers, still nice.
Artist: Aram - the portal was clear and nice, for a minute I was searching for the monster.
Artist: Wilko - for some reason it was funny in a nice way.
Artist: porcupine - looks nice.
Artist: IVIATT. Artist: ded - liked the creature, but couldnt associate with the concept.