CHoW#205 :: Gaia

[Martheart]

http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/ii293/chowarchive/CHOW-LINES/CHOW-LINES-MEDUSA.jpg



ROUND #205:: Gaia



DESCRIPTION



Gaia



Gaia is the Mother of Nature and the personification of Earth. She appeared from Chaos and is the bringer of all life.

Design Gaia!

- Setting can be anything! You don't have to stick with the Greek myth.
- Go wild in your design: Gaia is the mother of all life so her appearance should show her grandness.
- It might be interesting to think of the human influences on nature and how this would reflect on Gaia's appearance.


Some reference:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaia_(mythology)



Good Luck!



PLEASE NOTE THE NEW DEADLINE TIME: 9:00 PM (GMT+1)


---------------------------------------------------------
DEADLINE

SUNDAY,

July 18th
,
2010



Deadline is Sunday, at 9:00 pm (GMT +1).


---------------------------------------------------------
:right: FOLLOW THE TOPIC.

:right: POST YOUR FINAL IN THE FINALS THREAD.

:right: SAVE YOUR FILES IN THE FOLLOWING FORMAT. Chow##_Nickname
example: "CHOW#100_Oblio.jpg" ;)

:right: PLACE THE IMAGE IN A FRAME WITH YOUR NAME/TOPIC

http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i222/ChowPics/frame.jpg
(you can add CA logo, etc).


POST YOUR FINALS IN THE FINALS THREAD!
Remember to include your nickname in the file name.

About quality - as general rule: if your shapes and values are not decent - you are out. Watch proportions, perspective etc. we need perfectly readable shapes and coherent, consistent values.

_____________

BE PROFESSIONAL - only finished and good quality entries will be taken to the poll. Icemoon and Arthemis IX will make the selection.
Please review these helpful reminders if you have not done so already.

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



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

[Saleem]

missed last chow. best get this chow done. been tooooooo lazy recently

[staticpen]

Great topic!

Sketch:

[Beelow]

In again. Awesome topic!

[Auspiciouspanda]

Ooooh interesting. Sketchysketchy.

[Pixeltuner]

niiiiiice, here we go again.

[JanJager]

staticpen
Nice sketch ful of life.
Auspiciouspanda
Very much a goddess

[LostFayth]

Seriously....since the two new mods the briefs have become so short and so much more for open interpretation. Damn...that's so good! I'm gonna tag along for the ride this time :)

[Aly Fell]

Seriously....since the two new mods the briefs have become so short and so much more for open interpretation. Damn...that's so good! I'm gonna tag along for the ride this time :)
I'm glad you appreciate the new mods, they deserve it, but I suggest you develop a degree of tact when phrasing your praise. Have a nice day.

[Pixeltuner]

I'm glad you appreciate the new mods, they deserve it, but I suggest you develop a degree of tact when phrasing your praise. Have a nice day.

Gehe. English is not everyone's first language Aly, so people might be ignorant to the fact that it might be seen as a crude way of praise. :)
But I get your point :yayca:

[Aly Fell]

Gehe. English is not everyone's first language Aly, so people might be ignorant to the fact that it might be seen as a crude way of praise. :)
But I get your point :yayca:

Fair enough... I'm not the happiest bunny this morning so I easily turn into the Tasmanian Devil! :P

[Pixeltuner]

Fair enough... I'm not the happiest bunny this morning so I easily turn into the Tasmanian Devil! :P

I was able to deduct that from your 'have a nice day' already. :P Monday mornings, gotta love em ;)

[LostFayth]

Did I do anything wrong?...Sorry if I offended anyone in any way....I just wanted to express the fact that I'm really happy the briefs are more open to your own interpretation.... :(

Ah well....back to drawing (and studying english I guess ;))

[Nonobot]

This'll be my first chow, so Im going to try and push myself.
I did a couple of pencil sketches ended up with an idea for gaia bursting out or ayers rock. Im not sure about the waterfalls, I think it might pervert it with the movement of water.
Sketch:

[LostFayth]

Okay, here are some of my thoughts and idea's...

Why couldn't Gaia be something cuddly and cute herself? If she is the mother of nature, she could look cute herself right? Look at all the cool animals she has created.

1017310

hehe :P


On a more serious note. Wikipedia stated that the Greek legend says the Greek people thought the Earth was flat with the oceans around it. I'm gonna play with that.

This is what I was thinking of: Gaia pours her ingredients of nature onto the Earth after it's created. With her power and divine magic she creates the nature. On another note....why not make her into a child. Legend says she was created from Chaos, the Earth was created from that as well right? So, she can't be really old. I perceive her to be a child and play with all kinds of parts creating Nature as we know it.

Yes, she is the mother of nature. But once you create something you're its parent right?...I'm still playing with that thought. I'm gonna develop the idea more tonight.

1017311

1017312

[dragon4lunch]

Hehe, I enjoyed your little admonishment and Monday morning comment, Aly. Just remember, when you feel down - just look at your awesome portfolio! Your ladies totally rock!!! :)

[Ostrander]

Lets see what kind of trouble I can get into with this.
Quick sketch
1017398
Quick color rough
1017457

[kayness]

Aly - hey ya, got it. And I second dragon4lunch! Too bad you didn't have time to finish the last CHOW.

Nonobot - heyyyya welcome, nice to see a fellow newbie here :P. I've only participated in 2 CHOWs so far and I hope that I can hold my attention span long enough to be a regular here. Good idea so far, and I think you're really pushing yourself there...imho waterfall running along a body is going to be v. challenging to paint, but I'm sure it's going to be worth it.

Lostfayth - looks cute! like your different interpretations of Gaia

[QueenGwenevere]

...Argh, why do you keep having such fun briefs when I don't have time?

[emze]

cool topic, here´s a first approach

[Weenie]

Argh! I'd love to contribute, but I may not have the time this week :( We'll see - maybe I can slip some sleepless nights in here and there!

[K-Mo]

totally unsure which way to head with this.. i keep changing my mind. i started with this very ethereal and cosmic looking character, planning to have her sort of growing out of the earth and spawning all sort of creatures from her raised hand. i kinda liked where it was going but it just didn't feel 'me'. so then i tried an alternative take on it, where gaia is represented by a punky, urban looking girl who has tattoos covering every inch of her body. i plan to spend a lot of time detailing the tattoos and making them beautiful and epic. i almost like this idea better but i just can't decide! would love to know which one people prefer......

[Pixeltuner]

Here's our mother earth. Bound, scarred and dirty and at last vomiting out humanity because she's sick of them torturing her all the time. Gaia's dying and this is her last resort.

[MasterTroglodyte]

I've been befuddled also, though perhaps much more than the mighty K-Mo...
I apologize for the flickr stuff, but I wanted a smaller image for these...

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4101/4787865296_0ab294e508_m.jpghttp://farm5.static.flickr.com/4097/4787233405_0c12ce3335_m.jpghttp://farm5.static.flickr.com/4141/4787865452_16f465ea5a_m.jpg

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4094/4787233803_b737705a7a_m.jpghttp://farm5.static.flickr.com/4119/4787233871_1cd0550140_m.jpghttp://farm5.static.flickr.com/4123/4787233999_f7086cc53c_m.jpg

[PxelSlayer]

Humm...this could be a prequel to PixelTuners image. Gaia in the moment of her birth, emerging from chaos. Young, pure, beautiful and completely unaware of her faith...

God, I hate working on a laptop -_- are the colors looking OK?

Edit - OK, nothing like pulling an all-niter <3 Thanks for the input on color everyone, if you ever worked on a laptop (God, I hate this thing), you know how it skews colors. Bleh. Now it`s all about detailing and watching the edges (soft+sharp=awesome sauce). Question to self - does color bounce of surfaces even in space? How dependent is lightning/colors to medium (air, water, no atmosphere)? Hummm....

[Pixeltuner]

PixelSlayer: Colours are looking fine, maybe a bit too much black at the moment but that's nothing you can't work out :) Could be some nice complentary pieces indeed. The ethereal beauty of the birth and the poluted Gaia who dies in filth :p

[K-Mo]

@MasterTroglodyte - mighty?! you are too kind.. i don't know about that ;) thumbnails are looking good, i like the bottom middle one, nice sense of action.

@PxelSlayer - colours are looking good to me! :)

[staticpen]

pxelslayer - it's hard to judge colors on such an early wip, but so far everything looks cool!

mastertroglodyte - some good movement in these, but when it all comes down to it they're just figures on a canvas. Why not think outside of the box a little bit and run image searches on living things/things that inspire life, such as fruit, sunlight, planets, vegetation, spring fashion, bugs, bacteria, and so on.

pixeltuner - looks like this one's gonna be daaark!

k-mo - first pose, second concept all the way!

emze - looking wild! what's your inspiration for the distorted legs?

ostrander - dig the idea! in the sketch it looks like she's reaching into a stream, but I can't tell so well in the color pass. What's up?

lostfayth - good thought process. keep working through composition ideas and post up again soon. :)

nonobot - that's a really cool idea, but I see your concerns. It'll be tough to sell that without some innuendo attached. But, I mean this character is about life, and sexuality leads to life, so you could make it work if you wanted and it'd be on topic.

janjager - going regal and authoritative on this one, eh? can't wait to see more.

panda - very middle-eastern vibe with this one. an angle I doubt many will take, so you can stand out with this idea.

--

Update on the whole drawing, and a close up of Gaia's anthropomorphized focal point.

[Nonobot]

K-mo Im liking the tattoo girl, if you follow that one Im expecting something cool like the tatts coming to life coming off her body~

Pxelslayer Its looking very spacey, it reminds me of nebula, which are very chaotic and create life, so that could fit in perfectly!

staticpen Ah, Thanks, bit reassuring there! Im really digging the shape, i think the picture as a whole is leaning to the left, dont know if you get the same feeling from it. Makes me think of a giant seed, kickass.

--
Trying to fix some of the silly look of it all, giving her a more concerned face and wrapping the earth around her, because if I told you why, it could not be unseen. Pretty funny though.

[LA-Fairy]

So I just made a little sketch, don't know if I should run with it or sit this one out.

[Pixeltuner]

Staticpen: Yeah, this is gonna be dark... ;) Off to bed now :)

[CrookedHorn]

Ostrander: well thats just damn awesome. i love your sketch and the colors are so promising
K-Mo:great idea with the tatts! the color sketch is vibrant and sexy.
Staticpen:wicked awesome man! reminds of prelim sketches ive seen for MTG.

im excited to throw down on this CHOW :rocker:

[insubstantial]

ill give her a chance^^

[CrookedHorn]

pixel!!!!! god damn thats awesome!

[bluecat]

first CHOW for me.. sorry, I am an ungodly messy sketcher :D

http://i31.tinypic.com/23uap3l.jpg

[K-Mo]

@LA-Fairy - run with it. always run with it ;)

@Nonobot - yeah, i'm leaning towards the tattooed girl too.. just seems more fun and original. but hey, great idea on the tatts coming to life! i might just make the snake on her upper arm come to life, just to inject a teeny tiny touch of magic! thanks!
your piece is looking cool btw! are you an aussie? i'm from melbourne.

@staticpen - yours is looking amazing! huge and epic, i only hope i am able to do stuff like that one day.. and what you said about my piece isfunny cause that's originally exactly what i was planning! i just got carried away with the decorations and stuff in my first design. i do like the pose in the first one, but i think i will have to go with the standing figure because she has more visible 'real estate', ie. more skin to cover with tattoos ;)

@Pixeltuner - whoa that is brutal!! looks like an epic struggle, which i guess is the truth ;) something about her right hand doesnt work for me.. i get that it is supposed to be twisted, but i think it should be either twisted further, or facing palm-towards us maybe..?

[MrWhiskey]

really amazing ideas so far guys :D
well this is my first shot at her . call it a sketch a quick one
not really sure i should go with her hope some feedbacks will help XD

[LA-Fairy]

@LA-Fairy - run with it. always run with it ;)


That is some good advise!
Maybe I should give my acrylic primer a try. This would be thhhhhe chance for it.

[Sillirien]

Hello everyone!
Beautiful stuff you make... and wonderful ideas! Especially I like works where goddess is not just human female.

I have 2 sketches.
Here they are
http://s47.radikal.ru/i117/1007/a0/4bbc6c5fbf35.jpg
http://s002.radikal.ru/i200/1007/33/d1caa698fe0b.jpg (second is too underdone of course)

I was inspired by Keith Parkinson's painting "Earthmother" and some wiccan's images of Goddess.

[KarylGilbertson]

I'm down for this one too... Something simple compositionally with (hopefully) some nice details to come.

Crits?

[Retalliator]

Hey guys, this is what i am working on. I sketched it up and added the base color. I am not entirely sure about the background composition.

The general idea was to draw an old regular looking woman and add little (supernatural) elements to suggest that she is Gaia.

[insubstantial]

gaia seems t be sad nearly everywhere...

[Veshkau]

Some pretty twisting ideas so far - I like it!

Here's a super-rough comp to start, not had a chance to get much done yet. I'm not usually one to push illustrations since this is a character design contest, but one week won't hurt. Won't get to work on this for a few days unfortunately, since my fiancée is graduating - woo!

Tons of things need fixing/adding to this but it's getting late and it's a work night.

[BahadirBaris]

Hi all,

Here is my starting. I wanted to make her colorfull to sembolize energy, which she gives to all of nature.

[MrWhiskey]

wasnt really happy with the first one so i went back to gray scale
and changed this and that
i want her to be both natural and a bit human in there
a bit twisted and dark
cos well we twisted her in a way
but i still want her to have some compassion in her eyes
and a certain weird kind of beauty to her

[CrookedHorn]

MrWhiskey:something about it reminds me of pans labyrinth and i like it.

[RickyS]

Lots of awesome ideas here. I felt like having fun too, so I'm going to try this weeks ChoW! :)

Just a really rough thumbnail sketch so far. I'll probably have to change the legs due to posing issues. I'm aiming for a stylized and exaggerated design. I want the final to look as uplifting as possible since she is raising life from the earth (like the tree branch she sits on). I also wanted Gaia to kind of blend in with her natural environment, so I gave her a green skin tone. Not sure what I'll do with the costume design though. I'll probably give her something organic and elegant like a dress.

1017817

[MasterTroglodyte]

Wow! MrWhiskey! Such movement! Such structure! Wow upon wow!!! (I'm reminded of an old mexican beer ad... "¡Puro Mexico! ¡Puro sabor! ¡Pura Tecate!") I'm just elated to have you on board this one, good sir.

[staticpen]

crookedhorn - Thanks! :sungod:

bluecat - no need to apologize - that's what a sketch it for! Keep it up.

k-mo - thanks! if you've got the ideas to cover the whole figure, by all means go for it! the last standing pose was stiff to me, though, so give a few more poses a try while it's still early?

mr.whiskey - as everyone is saying, your image is moving great within the canvas. :)

sillirien - the facial structure for the second one is so nice. great sketches!

karyl - I'd elongate the legs, you know? She seems rather squat right now.

veshkau - grats to the fiancé! your sketch is awfully timely considering recent events. way to plug world events into an illustration to make it relevant.

baris - good call with the colors. :) I have something similar in mind for mine.

Sorry to anyone I didn't cover. Not all of the images are loading up for me.

[leckronium]

This is my first pass at cleaning up my rough. I still plan on changing some things but I'm too tired tonight. I might move her left leg so that it's going to the left side of the picture and I need to add more growth directly behind her. She will be looking up into the light. The idea was that pollution is harming her and destroying everything she creates.

1017923

[Howie]

interesting stuff so far

trying to keep this loose and organic without being too vague

http://i907.photobucket.com/albums/ac280/Howie1388/gaiav1.jpg

Edit: worked on it a little more

http://i907.photobucket.com/albums/ac280/Howie1388/gaiav2.jpg

[Mephistoau]

@MrWhiskey
Hell man that 2nd sketch owns the first. That looks mad.

@Ostrander
Looking good dude, nice colour sketch

[Auspiciouspanda]

@janJager- Thanks! Lovin the sketch, but it does look a little bit like a queen at the moment. I'm excited to see how you might subtly make her seem...inhuman

@Ostrander- Really neat sketches! Where are you going with the hair? it seems to be the focal point of the image at the moment.


@K-Mo- Love the pose and color choices. She definitely seem's to have a dark side which is great. I like the first image a lot better at the moment but i also don't see why you couldn't play with it and "punk it up" so to say.

@pixeltuner- This is a great image! really dark... but great. At the moment the background textures seem a little intense and distracting, but i love the texture you used on her legs and the ground at the bottom of the image.

@mr.whiskey- Fantastic movement, and i love the pose. The creature-esqe take is really beautifully done as well.

@Staticpen- Awesome illustration going on here, and i love your linework. I have trouble getting that natural pencil look in photoshop. My only concern is that Gaia herself may become a secondary focus of the image.

Here's my update. getting a little to focused on her face, but i did start thinking about the background.

[Pixeltuner]

K-mo: Thx! I think I'm gonna need some ref for that arm to see how such a pose really works :)
auspiciouspanda: Yeah, I started this image from a lot of texture so I need to refine that into a less flat looking mess :P

[ArtByManon]

totally unsure which way to head with this.. i keep changing my mind. i started with this very ethereal and cosmic looking character, planning to have her sort of growing out of the earth and spawning all sort of creatures from her raised hand. i kinda liked where it was going but it just didn't feel 'me'. so then i tried an alternative take on it, where gaia is represented by a punky, urban looking girl who has tattoos covering every inch of her body. i plan to spend a lot of time detailing the tattoos and making them beautiful and epic. i almost like this idea better but i just can't decide! would love to know which one people prefer......

Personally I love the feel of the first one - just the pose and the colours etc.

[ArtByManon]

I'm loving these images - Pixeltuner, very dark, i like it.
Also as everyone is saying, mr. whiskey... awesome. and yes, very pans labyrinth feel to it!

I'm going to have to join in on this i think - I've been thinking on doing a Gaia/mother earth image myself so I should use this as a sign to say I should go ahead and do it!

[Saleem]

quick sketch from last night. might try sumthing else.
seeing awesome work from all. will crit later

[DefiledVisions]

Loving this topic a lot! will see if I can get something done within the time limits.. lots of stuff going on this week.
reminds me of a painting I did of Gaia last year
http://conceptart.org/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=661138&stc=1&d=1241257458

[ArtByManon]

My idea is that she has a thundercloud for hair (starting with volcanic eruption perhaps, maybe she's made of lava, not sure yet) and the forks of lightning come down to her palms... pure raw mother nature.

Saleem, it looks like we have a similar vision!! Just realised after i posted!

Not sure about her stance - I think she needs to be more rooted - I ended up with a bit of a tornado of hair too... any crits would be a great help! Not sure that the pose is just a little boring right now - or i shoudl be doing it from a different angle perhaps?

[xabian]

Awesome works so far people!
Just worked the pose out on mine and I'm beginning to flesh it out, thinking of adding like water orbs orbiting around here with roots/greenery coming up from the ground i dunno, just experimenting for now

[Rusty]

1 hours worth of doodlin probably being a bit stereotypical with mine, nice challenging topic!

[Mephistoau]

Just a quick sketch, about 15 mins just trying to get something i liked.

[LostFayth]

Rusty Looking good. I like how she looks. Great expression on her face :D
Howie Nice colors. I wonder where it'll go :)
leckronium I like your sketch. Nice and subtle way to show mankind's effect on her environment :D
MrWhiskey oh wow....
BahadirBaris I'm totally digging the color pallete and sketch.
Sillirien I think I like your second sketch more. It shows more of her personality and the pain she is in.
Pixeltuner......that's just amazing. I really like where you are going :D

This is the sketch i finally came up with.

1018158

I have to fix some stuff. I'm not happy with her face and feet. I don't have an idea what I am going to do with the background. I did, however, do a value and color rough to do some planning. I don't like the colors. I'm open to any suggestions ;)

1018159 1018160

[Nonobot]

Pixeltuner - Thats looking pretty sexy, the little people look like pop candy! I really like the textures, gives it a gritty and strong feel!
K-mo -Cheers, but no Im from England, I was going to move there as a kid but it didnt happen for some reason.
ArtByManon - Reminds me allot more of storm from x-men with the pose and everything. I think its just the feet on her that are looking kind of stiff, try it with different stances, a ballerina pose? Haha! It may be cool if you have her creating the earth from storm above he head maybe?

-
Jumped into colour mode. Not pleased with the skin tones yet, also I'm on and off with the idea of adding a belly button. Also how ill colour the double helix hair, i duno! (Sorry these are so small aswell, maybe ill have to do some cropping?)

[MrWhiskey]

Tnx yous guys

Rusty: love it :) the the whole head is amazing :)
Lost Fayth: like the idea of her playing with earth creating and stuff cool
Veshkau: good sketch i would really like to see the finished one colud be really cool
Manon: you too i've seen your other work so lets see how this one looks

all in all i'm really happy to see all these awesome ideas didn't know chow was so fun :)
here i just slapped on some colors i realty don't have time to finish it now but hopefully it'll be done

[Incinerated]

first time trying chow
1018198

[ArtByManon]

Dang, looking like storm from Xmen isn't good LOL - I'll have to fiddle about with it!

[Gadbury]

Still early days, the design's going to change a bit, I just decided to try and practice rendering her body a little for now. I'm really bad at drawing women so hopefulyl I'll learn something from this :)

[PMaz]

Awsome topic. Defenetly doing this one.

http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/gg202/PMaz_2008/gaia.jpg

[Mephistoau]

Damn man. Almost 4am. Sigh i gotta got to bed - anyway, spent about 1hr -1.5hrs putting down a little colour. Still just playing with it a bit. Any crits would be super... i've kinda gotta work on.. well, everything haha.

@Pixeltuner
I don't even know why, but i love your progress - it's not usually my kinda style, but for some reason it just clicks with me. Actually reminds me of Androids work :)

[PMaz]

Mephistoau I think the thing that stands out is your generic grass brush. I suggest to make yourself some grass brush to make it look a little more natural. One or two vegetation brush can really up your arsenal anyway.(i should listen to what I'm saying and do it myself)

Cheer.

And here is my first tonal draft

http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/gg202/PMaz_2008/gaiatones.jpg

[Rusty]

LostFayth, Everything is actually there dude you just need to work on giving your lines a bit more finesse, i'm guessing you used reference because proportions for the most part are spot on especially with the head. At this point just take care with your lines and don't hurry them, i usually find a good start to an image makes things a lot easier on yourself later on.

IMO i also find Open Canvas a hell of a lot better for linework/sketching than Photoshop (once brush settings are adjusted to your own taste) Analog rotate feel is similar to Corel Painter another big plus with Open Canvas. Maybe look into giving that program a wizz, never know.

[LostFayth]

Oh Rusty! Thank you so much man! :D

Those lines are my pencil lines. I don't know what it is, but lately I can't draw nice lines with my pencils. Maybe it's because I drew a whole semester with pens at school. I kinda redid my lines fixing a few things here and there in Photoshop. I was planning to loose the lines completely and treat it as a painting. I might change that for this time and see what I can do using lines. It's always good to keep challenging yourself right? Thanks for your thoughts and the paintover!! :D

I wish I could use open canvas. I'm using an imac for everything I do and as far as I know, there is no open canvas for the mac system right? :o

[Obliviongrin]

Great ideas and artwork- very inspiring!
This is the start of a concept

[staticpen]

rusty - fun sketch! The facial structure is very emotive.

mephistoau - Much less subdued than your greyscale. Very cool!

lostfayth - it's a good idea, but right now the flowy thing looks like a skirt of some sort, but line over the legs suggests it's not. That, plus how it starts right at her waist where a skirt would, makes it a bit confusing to look at in my opinion. Try some different placements/shapes? Also, don't be afraid to get saturated with the colors. Everything is a bit muddy right now.

nonobot - great job getting vibrant colors form a greyscale underpainting! I agree with you about the skin tone, but you'll work that out. Bellybutton or not is an issue I had on my mind with my image, too, haha. It's hard to to decide given her origin, no?

mrwhiskey - I don't want to be a downer, but I think the value shifts you made in this color pass hurt the impact of the image. You had some amazing juxtaposition between darks and lights in the b&w sketch that got left behind in this recent wip. For instance, I think the dark forehead against the light bg arch along the top/right side works really well and brings your eye right to it - in your color piece, you've lightened the values on the head and darkened the top/right side of the bg. A lot of times what you don't paint sells the image, and (at least to my eyes) leaving the majority of the headpiece lost in shadow against the bright bg works well because it creates such an original silhouette. The values of the wooden piece on the left also got shallower, so it loses a lot of pop it once had. Here's a look at your original b&w sketch and your color version desaturated to reveal the value changes:
http://www.mediafire.com/imgbnc.php/6e9389fa38f890b4fe9a7c6b0c8646e16g.jpg
With all that said, these are just my opinions, I think your design is totally rad, and the facial expression on your new version is fantastic. :)

incinerated - Welcome! Try to push those highlights and shadows, yeah? When you squint, the figure looks like it's toned with one flat value.

mr.gadbury - female form's looking solid to me! The near shoulder/arm is just a tad wonky, and the ribcage needs a bit more curve. Shoulders have spot highlights, and the highlight between the breasts goes down a little further to where the ribcage splits, and under the near breast. I did a paintover (and left the forearm a little elongated - I don't know if this was a purposeful stylistic choice of yours or not, but it looks cool to me, so I left it): http://www.mediafire.com/imgbnc.php/844965584e14d1aa473475b18a4a27905g.jpg

pmaz - I don't know what to say except WILD. @__@ Dig the bird on top. :)

---

Made some changes to the composition. Also, someone said Gaia might be lost in the big creature, but the big thing/figure are both one and the same. Thanks to whomever said it, because it was a heads up that the idea wasn't translating to the viewer. Here I've directly connected the figure to the beast/tree/bug part in order to try and get that idea across better.

[MrWhiskey]

Thnx for the open canvas hint Rusty
i'm trying it out now .its pretty cool

[MrWhiskey]

tnx for the feedback staticpen :)
ill try and fix that . well honestly i have no idea what i will do to it till the end
soo u know just tell me whenever i fuck up XD that would be nice

[lake7less]

Don't know if I'll get the time for it but at least I'm having some fun.
great topic and great job everyone

PxelSlayer: dude, that thing just became my wallpaper, can't wait to replace it with the final version. Awesome nebula look.

[xabian]

Fleshing out the body for now, couple of anatomy issues I'm working on but still, making good progress I suppose

[PMaz]

Thank you for the pat on the back Staticpen. Its always welcome ;p

Pretty much done.
Total time: 1hr pecils, 2hrs of photoshop
http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/gg202/PMaz_2008/gaia1copy.jpg

They paved my face with concrete.
They stripped me of my green dress,
leaving me with black rubber and twisted metal.
My breath is now the stench of death,
for brown water is my only sustenance.
From my bosom only flow the black tar
man is so fond of and my fertility is forever gone.

Nevertheless, I thank man for my stone face.
Since eyeless I will never behold how mankind rapped its own mother.

GAÏA

Cheer.

[Gavage]

ArtByManon: If you're going the tornado hair direction, a floating figure would probably look more appropriate than something grounded in which case it might be worth pointing the feet downwards a little more. (And maybe increasing the canvas vertically so she is a little more central.)

Edit: Sorry if that comment is a little obsolete, hadn't noticed page 3 when I tapped it out. >_>

Personally going for the toxic route inspired by some of the pictures from the recent oil spill that I found a little disturbing. Might be a bit too post-apocalyptic looking... trying to make a character that appears naturally elegant but distorted and contaminated.

[jac-k]

staticpen : Great composition and the orifice looks very.....([']) :P

Nonobot: Be careful with your values; it's getting muddy (lights needs to be pushed further). Nice concept.

Rusty: lookin' good


Here's mine. Not too sure on where I'm going to go with her costume, but she's supposed to be taking plant matter and weaving it into something...

Had a problem before where the opacity gradient from the pen pressure would end abruptly, making productivity a lot slower than usual (reinstalling driver and resetting brush settings did nothing). Needed to reformat my hdd for other reasons but it did the trick! Also played around with wet edges :D

[ArtByManon]

ArtByManon: If you're going the tornado hair direction, a floating figure would probably look more appropriate than something grounded in which case it might be worth pointing the feet downwards a little more. (And maybe increasing the canvas vertically so she is a little more central.)

Edit: Sorry if that comment is a little obsolete, hadn't noticed page 3 when I tapped it out. >_>

Personally going for the toxic route inspired by some of the pictures from the recent oil spill that I found a little disturbing. Might be a bit too post-apocalyptic looking... trying to make a character that appears naturally elegant but distorted and contaminated.

Not obsolete at all, thank you - I like the idea of the floating image, although i might try a couple of other ideas too, i kind of want her to come from the earth. Its very hard ot be original with Gaia - hence such an excellent subject!

[Tawnos]

First ChoW :)

First Sketch with Pencil.
Not sure if I should follow it.
Critique welcome!

[basti0n]

havent finished an event in a couple weeks but im loving this topic so far. i dont have a scanner but here are some pics of my pencils so far, sry they are big....

http://i978.photobucket.com/albums/ae267/elephantmemory/character%20of%20the%20week/DSC00939.jpg
http://i978.photobucket.com/albums/ae267/elephantmemory/character%20of%20the%20week/DSC00941.jpg
http://i978.photobucket.com/albums/ae267/elephantmemory/character%20of%20the%20week/DSC00943.jpg
http://i978.photobucket.com/albums/ae267/elephantmemory/character%20of%20the%20week/DSC00944.jpg




nice to see the designs of so many coming together so far.

[popwilleatitse1f]

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_6GGcln-fE78/TDzh2T8BxrI/AAAAAAAAAXw/_pQdptiyIrQ/s1600/Gaia.jpg

I sketched this portrait yesterday as part of a piece that is exactly what this challenge is asking for before I even know about it. I was locked out of my apartment so a quick sketch turned into a nearly finished piece while waiting for my flatmate to get home. I cleaned it up on photoshop a bit tonight and added some line weight and highlights. This is a glorified sketch so we will see where I will go with this because I am not exactly sure.

[bluecat]

did a bit more sketchin, tightened it up a bit.

i think i might add more vines before I do a value study? also, how do you guys feel about maybe some tattoos?


http://i27.tinypic.com/v6nn8z.jpg

[Tawnos]

Roughly blocked in some colours.
I'm gonna continue this tomorrow, it's 1:30 am right now... :)

[madhatter106]

Interesting subject - I've been determined to avoid the "naked girl with stone and vegetation" route, so I started thinking of Gaia as a sort of "CEO of the planet" or a Martha Stewart of the Entire Earth. Power suit, power scarf, a sort of 80's style business woman. I wanted her to be big, kind of a Venus of Willendorf body type, and very imposing and stern, hence her body language and head posture. The initial idea was including the earth as a button on her jacket, and the vines came later after working on this a bit...

I am so tempted to add a big black mole on her cheek (think Roseanne in the movie "She Devil") because, after all, Mother Nature ain't always pretty...

[MJ_Alcazar]

Hmmm, not sure where I'm going with this. Just an initial thought, probably change a bunch, but I'm liking some things about it.

Very cool ideas from everyone.

[MasterTroglodyte]

I saw some versions of gaia akin to this one as I was looking just now, and wonder if I should still go with it... I was going to do a butt-kicking Gaia... Of course, my thought is that Gaia, being more or less a Titan, would also be more or less aloof, current environmental and political controversies notwithstanding. So despite my relative lack of displeasure at this current go, I may have to start all over again...

[staticpen]

mastertroglodyte - Eh, what of it? Reinvent the character in a new way! There's something to be said for following the 'rules' for Titans and what have you, such as if you're drawing for a game with a mythological plot that semi-follows the legend (God of War) but there are no restrictions barring the theme here at ChoW, so why not feel free to make what you want while you're here? Whatever you decide, I do enjoy your sketch very much. :)

popwilleatitse1f - Yeah, see where else you can go, considering the 'must show at least 3/4 of character' rule, and that right now it's just a face of a woman. Glad to see some crosshatching around here, though!

--

Still playing around with colors a lot right now.

[Miki Tikus]

Here's a bit of a color test for the angle I might be taking... maybe I'll make the skin a little more grey and add some industry looking things, like smog or concrete, stuff like that? I dunno...

[CrookedHorn]

staticpen: this is looking great. i like the colors

[Rusty]

PMaz, Interesting design man i'm liking it but the proportions are hurting it, even as stylized as it is giving it a solid base will do it wonders.

Mephistoau, I didn't want to change it too much because i'm diggin the bottom heavy feel of her design, i think just watch your proportions and play around with foreshortening to really give the impression of volume, a good practice is to not rely on rendering alone give your image volume but push it as much as you can even from the initial sketch stage, that's IMO anyway. keep at it dude :)

staticpen, Nice layout!, i'll wait to see it progress before i crit

~J

[Mephistoau]

Ah man Rusty that looks awesome ^^ I wants your skilzzzz. Lol.
Seriously though thanks man, i really appreciate the input. And i totally agree, i've gotta try to refrain from rendering before my sketch is tight :'( Thanks man, i'll see what i can pull off with this one, and hopefully improve for the next chow

[Beelow]

Here is my start. Not sure if I am going to finish this but I'll try. Everyone is cooking up some nice ideas. I will try my best to crit this time. I suck as a person now, and feel bad that I didn't get around to critiqing everyones work last round. Gotta get some sleep now. Keep painting though everyone.:steph:

[Howie]

Rusty: really like looking at your paint overs, they help me out too. Typically I don't start with any sketches because when I go to color/render it always seems to come out too tight and I lose a lot of the texture and atmosphere. On the other hand when i just start with random brush strokes and build up the texture and atmosphere first its hard for me to consistently come up with a good design or drawing, sometimes I get lucky and I can find something to build off of but I don't want to rely solely on luck.

I decided to start over because i felt like i hit dead end with my last one. With this one, I started with loose brush strokes but then laid some lines over top to see if that helps keep the atmosphere and mood while still building a decent drawing underneath.

http://i907.photobucket.com/albums/ac280/Howie1388/gaiachow.jpg

[Beelow]

Rusty: really like looking at your paint overs, they help me out too. Typically I don't start with any sketches because when I go to color/render it always seems to come out too tight and I lose a lot of the texture and atmosphere. On the other hand when i just start with random brush strokes and build up the texture and atmosphere first its hard for me to consistently come up with a good design or drawing, sometimes I get lucky and I can find something to build off of but I don't want to rely solely on luck.

I decided to start over because i felt like i hit dead end with my last one. With this one, I started with loose brush strokes but then laid some lines over top to see if that helps keep the atmosphere and mood while still building a decent drawing underneath.

http://i907.photobucket.com/albums/ac280/Howie1388/gaiachow.jpg

Don't worry about being to tight with your renderings. I think it is more important to render tight first then go loose later on down the road. It is important that you learn to get things to visually read right. You have to learn this first. I also think that is one of your main mistakes as well, starting with texture brushes and trying to pull shapes out. Focus on the Basics first then explore, or you can explore along the way, however you want to do it. Foundational skills always comes first. You won't go and build a house without a foundation right? Think in terms of that. Texture and Atmosphere can be added after. Good Design and Composition is always most important.
I always make sure of that first. Of course it is trial and error almost always or always.

[reginanegra]

amazing topic! this is what i came up with... in a time far into the past and long forgoten now, gaia was present on earth connected to all the land through the roots of the great tree, and people would worship her and leave offerings at her feet asking for fertility for their lands.

[shockowaffel]

It's a bit sad that a godlike beeing is chategorized "chow" to begin with, "Cow" would be a bit more interesting, I guess.

[insubstantial]

a bunch of awesome gaias developing here... would be nice to see them all walking on earth hehe

[LostFayth]

Staticpen Thanks for the insight. I fixed the problem, I think. Regarding the colors: I was trying to get a general idea for the pallete. ;) I really like whee you're going with your image :D all the yummy details....<3
basti0n The sketches look great! Keep on going. It's going to be awsome :D
MasterTroglodyte Nice pose and facial expression!!

Rusty....you rock! Painting over artwork and giving so much information...wow :D

I tried to implement the corrections you suggested in the paintover to the best of my ability. I'm starting to like the lines. Maybe, just maybe, I'll keep it and work more stylized than usual :) Thanks a lot mate! :D

Hmm it's about time I did something with the background. I still don't know what to do with it.... :P

1018830

EDIT:

Some more work :)

1018856

EDIT 2:

I'm done for today with this painting. I made some good progress, I think :) I'm gonna continue tomorrow :)

1018906

[Oritey]

staticpen - looking forward to see yours finished -i know thats gonna be LEGEN...wait ..wait...wait for it...DARY!

[Obliviongrin]

Here's where this piece is at for now.. trying to give her an alien feel, based on the theory that life here may have come from somewhere else (although probably bacteria on meteors)

Rusty- really enjoyed seeing your crits
Beelow- great so far!

[Rusty]

K, last paintover crit for now because i need to get back to finishing mine!

Howie, Below hit the nail on the head with his crit dude, learning the basics is important, style and approach usually comes after you've got a good knack of everything, just keep at it!

LostFayth, Not bad to be honest dude main crit is don't get so caught up in details so early on (highlights), again this is my own opinion because all artists work in their own way but another thing i find useful is to work the image in the early stages as if it where a thumbnail image, try and fight the urge to zoom in and paint until it's working as a thumbnail. I don't mean zooming right out so it's ridiculously small, heh! as long as the whole image is in view.

~J

[LA-Fairy]

So here is mine, I've gone traditional this time.
I don't know why, but something still doesn't scream at me.
I first wanted to have like the outline of the human and the hair and have the color everywhere, like she is exploding from her human form, but once I started painting, the idea seemed so out of my comfort zone.

In other news, my cat is growling at her leash LOL

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v12/LA-Fairy/scan00162.jpg

[xabian]

Obliviongrin That's looking beautiful so far, loving the idea behind it being from a more alien world.
Beelow Awesome painting, really feeling the flow in that one!

Just working on adding some atmosphere to mine and decided to chuck in a background. Reckon I'll put some flowers sprouting by her feet.

[alive]

made these last night, the bottom two I tried to make very different from usual interpretation of gaia. any advice on how to change a grayscale to color would be helpful because I have never done that and I'm about to try. Any good tutorials on this would be awesome. btw everyones stuff is looking amazing this round

[alive]

can anyone see my images? I'm having technical difficulties :(

[Reymus]

Great work all!

Obliviongrin - You might consider repositioning the wings, as they don't really help the figure per se but highlight the valley to leading to her hips.

LostFayth - Love it! Like Rusty said above, work large to small.

Rusty - your bottom sketch is def the keeper :).

StaticPen - I like how it's an environment/character/(almost) creature all in one. My only concern would be your figure would end up lost in the narrative.

Late in the game, here's my first.

[alive]

if anyone could tell me which thumbnail I should go with , that would be sick,
also. are my grayscales too dark? I'm having trouble setting up monitor so that my images look right, any advice on anything would be much appreciated

[hunchback]

:sungod:

[xabian]

alive I'm torn between 2 and 4 myself, I'd probs decide on number 2, loving the face on it. Also the levels look good to me, although my monitor is pretty bright =]

[alive]

xabian you are pure awesomeness thnx for responding! Im relieved my levels look okay, but i'm still unsure about my monitor settings since u said urs is bright. luls.
anyways, your piece is looking great and you definitely show talent, but I i think the back leg is a little too long, the proportion of it I mean. The pose might be better if you just made both legs together. Try to build the figure volumetrically and think about strong gesture before anything else. I hope this advice helps.

[CrookedHorn]

I see some great use of color going on this round :)

so i had one WIP that i was really excited about and then Corel Painter X crashed....i didnt save.

Remember to save often kids.:rocker:

here is my second WIP.

[Saleem]

ArtbyManon- yea great minds think alike lol. im Slim JIM from facebook if u remember. anyway awesome pic. im gonna try something else with a dynamic pose and stuff. keep up the good work peeps

[Obliviongrin]

Alive- I favor 2 and 4 as well- Personally, I'd go for 2 only because it's really on the $ for the topic
also, as for color (and I'm no expert) , I usually use variations(image/adjustments) to set a color mood, and when I want to add real color to the image, I set a layer above it on color mode.
hope that's useful
Reymus- thanks for the suggestion- I wanted to keep her wings but saw what you meant about the valley to her hips, so I changed the bkgrd- I apprecaite you pointing that out

[goldilockz]

Amazing concepts abound!

Auspiciouspanda - stooooooooooooooppppppp it is awesome! I love the entire concept so far :)
Nonobot - I like what you're going for. Good idea "wrapping" her in the earth.. before it was rather… icky… LOL!
LostFayth - omgcute <3
Ostrander - lovelovelove the green.
PxelSlayer - I'm not sure how light and colors play out in space. I mean, we know light travels and so does color so maybe just treat is as you would on Earth?
staticpen - That is such a grand concept. Very interesting!
PixelTuner - creeeeeeepyyyyyyy
BahadirBaris - I like the element of magic to yours. Mystical :)
MrWhiskey - Incredible. That's all I can say!
ArtbyManon - Trippy design. The hair is reminiscent of a cyclone.
Mephistoau - Yours feels very "grounded" and I think it works great for your concept. The "hair" has a feel of growing upward even though she's firmly rooted. Cool!
Obliviongrin - Very Frazetta-esque!



For me… I'm going for a pregnant scheme, which seems to be pretty popular. I sort of incorporated the four elements, apparently, without even meaning to! haha!

I need help with mainly the composition. Should I incorporate some type of background or let her be free floating? Maybe space as the background?

[blau]

I don't know what I'm doing with this one. I probably won't finish it :/

http://img571.imageshack.us/img571/465/60837966.jpg

[no87]

CrookedHorn - really like the texture u got going on in yours

hunchback - mate that looks quality!

alive - i really like the number 2. only one i would say is maybe abit to dark is 3. oh and going from grey scale to colour i think alot of people use multiply layers.

insubstantial - nice textures in yours. she almost looks tree like if that makes sense. think it works nicely.

Beelow - awesome lighting in yours. feels really natural. only crit i would say her upper arm left arm feels alittle long maybe.

staticpen - looks a really great character. real epic looking. cant wait to see it finished.

Rusty - that is one great character you sketched. wouldn't say its a sterotype. lol what's with the mini rocket?

MrWhiskey - man, really like the head in yours!!

Pixeltuner - you have some really nice textures man. and that characters looks quality. really dark piece. think you should do more random arms in it because the one you got works really nicely!!

soo many awesome pieces!!
mine i went for shot down corpse of a super hero gets embodied by gaia.

[Howie]

thanks for the feedback beelow and rusty

update
http://i907.photobucket.com/albums/ac280/Howie1388/gaiachow2.jpg

[Retalliator]

LostFayth The little girl looks really cute, i'm looking forward to seeing what you'll do with the background.
Beelow Nice pose, kind of like frozen in time.
MrWhiskey I like where this is going, both Gaia's design, which is very original, and the composition.


This is where i have gotten to. I am not happy with the rock she is sitting on, something is off. I may remove it. I have too much to work on and i have been extremely busy these days.

[basti0n]

spent literally 8 hours on tech support from yesterday to today cuz of a blue screen corrupted memory pool issue. hopefully tomorrow i can get some work done. >< crits after work tonight.

[Soupandbutter]

This is where i am so far:

1019332

1019333

[staticpen]

alive - here's what I learned coloring over greyscale from: http://www.conceptart.org/forums/showpost.php?p=1671044&postcount=139

[CrookedHorn]

no87::thankyou :rocker:
i like the cryptonyte(spelling?) shards glowing all around her.

something about the color reminds me of final fantasy VII and the life stream.....i dunno but i like it :)

looking forward to my shift being over so i can go home and knock out some more earth mother awesome sauce


staticpen::great link, thanks for sharing!

[fdisk]

Unfortunately I only had 2 hours this week to dedicate to CHOW so here's my WIP as well as my final entry; I'm flying across the country on Friday so I hope I'll find a computer with Internet connection to post in the finals thread.

1019361

1019362

[PaperJester]

Here's my sketch-take on it. I know its kinda pretty messy but painting isn't quite my thing yet =P

[MasterTroglodyte]

staticpen — Your color palette is inspiring thus far and I like your original approach. Are you going to push the values more or do like a Japanese print? watercolor?
Rusty — I concur with Reymus, the bottom version is definitely more "alive." Props as always for making me envious. I've got to speed up...

hunchback — Compelling! I honestly don't know what else you can do with it! I also think your placement of the complimentary red in the image is intriguing... :)

CrookedHorn — Talk about color, mister!

and on and on and on... I realize I don't have much in the way of critique for anyone at this stage... and I think all I can do is go on about how extraordinary so many pieces seem to be thus far. I'm grateful for the inspiration.

My piece is well, "exploding" currently. I'll likely pare the color back a tad, but I was just trying to experiment and take a risk or two...

[jkeener]

First try at a chow, I'm not to happy with the color, I think I will do it all over again. Mixing color in photoshop is hard for me, any tips?

[staticpen]

miki tikus - Nice triangular composition, but the head is a little crowded by the top of the frame in my opinion. It's very early in your drawing, but remember to vary those values so the image doesn't come out muddy. Generally, you wanna get a light, mid and dark tone, and have a ratio of 3:2:1 of those values in any order within your composition. Rembrandt did a lot of his portraits in mostly shadow, some mid tones (not as much as shadow) and a light focal point (very little of the painting was this bright). See here (http://teachers.sduhsd.k12.ca.us/ltrupe/art%20history%20web/final/chap19BaroqueRococo/Rembrandt-Self-Portrait,%20older.jpg). If you squint most of the painting disappears into darkness - then there's some midtone on the shoulder and background - and the face is easily focused on because it's still clear.

Rusty - Thanks man. Great paintovers - you're very helpful, and that's awesome!

Beelow - Rad, man! The circular theme really pulls me in and keeps me there.

Howie - That sketch cleaned up nicely, dude!

reginanegra - Ethereal! Awesome branch work. :) I'd adjust the value of either the ground or group of people, though - perhaps spotlight them with ambient light? I almost didn't see them, and they're super important for scale here.

insubstantial - Gritty! Push those values, man, and this complex silhouette can pop against that circular background piece.

lostfayth - Thank you kindly! Your image reads a lot easier to me now. Rusty is right, though - keep away from the zoom button until you really must go in. We can tell that you're using a pretty small brush for a lot of these highlights, and in Rusty's paintover, for instance, the shirt is lit very believably with a quick application of a big brush. No need to go in! The huge majority of how successful an image is depends on how it reads from a distance - if you look at a thumbnail and the values and shapes are right your brain will fill in the details itself - this is when you know you've got a good foundation.

Oritey - Thanks man!

Oblivion - Very statuesque!

LA-Fairy - Traditional paint, huh? Tough stuff! It's hard to make critiques because what you put down is more or less permanent, but one thing that could help here is extending the back of the skull. The neck just heads straight up right now. Keep going!

xabian - She looks intense, dude. I'd be careful with the light here, though. Are you using a source from the right and a source from underneath? Because the outside of the arm on the right has the shadow on the right side with light underneath, but the left arm has shadow underneath and light on the left. Consistency with your light is gonna be really critical here!

alive - I dropped a link up above with a great tutorial for coloring over greyscale. Good stuff, though! I, too, like the second thumb the best. Strong separation of lights, mids and darks. You might try extending the midtone behind her down and to the left some more toward the backlight and brightening the arm on the left so that her light value stands out a little more against the background.

Reymus - Thanks man. It's my main concern as well. Still working things out! As for your image, that's one of my favorite poses from that set! Good call. She's raised toward the top right at a nice angle, so extending the hillside in the background vaguely toward the top left could create a strong X composition worth experimenting with.

hunchback - Eerie, man! I dig it very much. :D

CrookedHorn - BUMMER. I hear Painter crashes waaay more than PS. :( Digging those abstract shapes, though.

Goldilockz - Thanks! Fun idea with the elements. Your hand structure is looking pretty solid, too, except for the one on the right. From wrist to knuckles it's a sort of wedge/square shape, and what you've drawn is really elongated. Just shorten it a bit and it should read a little clearer.

Blau - Not finish it? Aw, man! It looks so epic. :D

no87 - Thanks very much. ;) Those are some intense greens! Love it.

Retalliator - Some intense detailing there! Be careful not to just put parallel lines on the face when it comes to aged wrinkles, though. There are a couple specific shapes that occur, like more than one bag under the eyes, the top of the chin staying relatively free of thick folds, and the space between the eyes having a vertical fold. See here (http://www.shutterpoint.com/photos/A/654929-Happy-old-lady_view.jpg) and here (http://fc01.deviantart.net/fs42/f/2009/137/a/e/___Old_Man____cinematic_effect_by_88pixels.png).

soupandbutter - Very cool! I love the staff.

fdisk - Glowy things in a bush! Reminds me of fireflies. :)

paperjester - That's an awesome design!! Final Fantasy meets Shadow of the Colossus. :D

MasterTroglodyte - Hey thanks! I was originally going for a narrow value range that uses hue to generate contrast (van gogh did a lot with this, and a lot of cel-cut japanese art does the same), but as I got more into it I pushed lights and darks a little more. We'll see how it ends up! Your piece is looking incredibly serious and apocalyptic, by the way. :) It's still early and I don't know your process, but don't be afraid of harder brushes to add some impact to your shapes. :D

JKeener - Adorable. :) You might try blocking in your colors and then using the smudge brush to add soft transitions.

--

Changing values and colors around here and there.

[leckronium]

This is what I have so far. There's still a lot I want to do but I thought I'd post my progress anyways. The hair swirlies are just an idea I had.... not sure if they're going to stay. The idea was her hair pollinates everything in the near by area and causes instant growth.

1019427

[Rusty]

Another paintover while i have a break from mine.

xabian, I'm liking the subtle tones you did around the face and the more masculine body type but proportions are hurting your image, personally i would've for a slightly diff pose but i've stayed close to yours on this paint over.
That little vine you started on her shoulder is very cool, try and keep that to a bare minimum and it'll be a nice detail, keep away from the blue highlight stuff man it just looks like space filler with no context behind it, maybe keep with the plant feel and do a subtle floral texture, just an idea.

keep at it dude :)

[Pixeltuner]

no87: Thx, and that's what I thought too. I've already added an arm pulling her hair and probably will add more. Corporate arms pulling mother earth apart! :p

[JanJager]

Great work everybody.

[ArtByManon]

This is where i am so far:

1019332

1019333

This is fantastic - love it!!

I'm thinking of maybe going a different angle than I have - I want to do the cyclone hair one, but think I might have a better idea...

[Axazel]

This looked like so much fun. I just joined!

Sketches and shadow:
http://i32.tinypic.com/2wd0l8i.jpg
http://i26.tinypic.com/25p08qt.jpg
I want to be better. Still in college, I want to work with concept design for games and/or animate. Any help is much appreciated!

[Retalliator]

Staticpen Thnx for the ref pics, i'll rework the wrinkles.

[InFlame]

hey dudes,

so many nice entries so far! :D

okay, that's what I have so far. I probably won't get it to the deadline but it's fun to try some new things! :D

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[xLouisax]

wow these are all really cool! really wana do this one!

[xLouisax]

http://i165.photobucket.com/albums/u43/louisasasa/gaia.jpg

[LostFayth]

Staticpen and Rusty....I think I love you....Thank you soooo much! :D The paintovers and advice are just priceless.

soupandbutter Wow...I really like your take on Gaia! :D
fdisk Cool. I really like the dolphin-dress :D
Staticpen...yum, yum. Smells good. When can I eat it? :D Nice colors, it's really coming along well.
leckronium oh wow....it keeps getting better. I like the colors.
JanJager I like your idea. Her face is looking good, sure thing.
Axazel Welcome, welcome. I'm digging the process you made. I'm looking forward to the final.
xLouisax Glad to see you decided to join us. I'm looking forward to seeing more of you :)


This is where I'm at with my painting.

1019694

I also made a thumbnail to check it out, it's coming along quite good, I think. :)

1019695

[Obliviongrin]

I had some time last night, despite the heat here in upstate NY and in my studio, so here's an updated version....
BTW, great work every one!
Staticpen- I really like the piece you're doing, and how it's progressing

[CrookedHorn]

third idea

thank you for the crits staticpen, and your piece is looking beautiful :rocker:

ill get to the massive page o crit friday morning.

[Axazel]

I love how everything looks!

Blau I would really like to see here this goes - don't quit!

Howie the painterly style and texture of the background really resounds with the forest and earth in this.

Retalliator The rock looks like a hand holding her. It will be interesting to see what you come up with!

SoupandButter My favorite part of this is the pattern on her chest. I attempted something similar on my figures stomach, but still have yet to make it comfortable. If you have any advice, I could use your mark making eye.

PaperJester I love this concept! At this point is that your arms are not quite in proportion to one another. A beautiful sketch, I wish it was finished already~

xLouisax Nice beginning! I like the clothing, can't wait to see more!



Here's the direction I'm going to run with. A small update:
http://i29.tinypic.com/s43vw5.jpg

[Nonobot]

goldilockz - Ha! Yeah when I noticed I was face palmed, but with my fist! Oh the shamee~ I really like the multi-limb look, nice~
Retalliator Mm, i think it may be the rock behind her is lit, when it should be in shadow? Coming along nicely though!

I think I've either finished or hit a wall with mine. So i'll post it again in the final unless I do something drastic to it.
For a while I tried giving my character two belly buttons and joining them with an umbilical chord, but it just thew my picture off.
Great works everyone!

[dawnusllaw]

Here's my start. Not really sure where it's going to be honest. Just wanted to get something in. suggestions/crits appreciated :)

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

[xabian]

alive Glad I could help dude =] and thanks for the feedback!
staticpen Thanks dude, ended up scrapping that background, got some better more fitting idea
Rusty Wow man, helped so much, especially with the face, just couldn't stop it looking like a guys face haha, still struggling with the feet mind you, gonna grab myself a mirror see if that helps.

Anyway cheers all, hope I haven't missed anybody =]

Well total re-work on it, still got the feet and arms to do, and need some tweaking on the boobs as there totally wonky and a few other little bits, like I'm thinking of changing the colour of the flower on her shoulder so it stands out over her hair.

[Grafguy]

Great work from everybody so far, amazing :)

Here's a WIP of my version.

[ArtByManon]

Wanted to go more dynamic - trying to get away from using photo ref and developing more of my own style and trying not to go too much down the 'realism' route.

What dya guys reck?

[CrookedHorn]

i reckon thats one dynamic pose :rocker:
reference is great for lighting and landmarks on the body.

i think youll do great with this one :)

[Reymus]

Crookedhorn - Good to know somebody braved Painter again! My crit would just be a rehashed tip Andrew Jones said (I think). When creating the figure in that style don't make the shapes or figure subservient to one or the other. So I suppose to make sure that they 'mesh' together in harmony.

JanJager - Love her! But she seems quite small in comparison to her carriers (then again they could be mud/earth golems :p)

Staticpen - Thanks for the bg advice, I'll use it! Yours is looking great so far!

Playing with a color scheme.

[ajaxplaysdice]

First CotW. Don't know if I'll be going ahead with it or not yet. (I'm so intimidated >>)

[Rarebit]

Here is what i'm working on,
my process on this one has been (seemed) extremely disorganized, the concept has developed with the image. Lots of cleaning to do.
(I'm not sure if it is currently within the guidelines of CHOW at this point?)
Gaia moves by having successive clusters of arms sprout out of the ground to pass her along, in the next iteration of the image this will be included. I may make a small supplemental "walk" gif to illustrate this.
Sorry for the disorganized post, any C&C greatly appreciated.

[staticpen]

Axazel - I dig your image! Your sketch was excellent, but a few things got out of perspective when you painted over it.
-You don't quite see that much of the skull from this angle, the ear drops a bit, and the jaw line opens up a little bit more.
-The arm on the right was a little low for how she's raising it. Also, the shoulders are closer to the skull when we do this. Raise your arms in the mirror and check it out!
-From the base of the neck you can draw 45' degree lines over the ribcage to find the nipples. You had them placed straight forward in your drawing.
-You don't need to add that much shadow on the belly in this kind of light. A much softer transition adds a lot of grace, too, I think.
-Really good pose, but the front knee was pointed a little bit in the wrong direction.
-This is fairly minor stuff, though. Keep up the good work!

http://www.mediafire.com/imgbnc.php/c45ee909549142e7e45f3465c2d3b9d06g.jpg

Thanks all, and keep going!

[PHATandy]

Rarebit That is looking super sweet. Absolutely love how much your pushing your design ideas way beyond the norm. I think the only thing would be to get a good sense of scale going, make sure you can tell whether its really big or just normal size. Im guessing its gonna be super huge.

Loving all the work so far :)
Its my first --OW for a while (probably years), so i thought id post up some WIPs in here instead of my SB.

Going for the old lady approach - wanders the forests nuturing the plants. Going for a bit of a primordial look to the plants and lights. Get an amoebic quality to it. It being Life and all.

Crits and thoughts are super appreciated as always :)

[Goog]

Some great stuff goin on!

My final (more or less) + step by step process. On the third to last frame I extended the canvas vertically, but the animation couldn't deal with that.

Oh, and when does the finals thread open? I'm goin on vacation on sat...

[JanJager]

This seems to bee a great round to. Plenty of grate entries.
Thanks for the crit
Reymus I like yours too. Reminds me of a goddess looking down thoughtfully. Perhaps you can add some reflections underneath her.
Looking forward to see you colouring the background. Personal I think its easier for me to paint the skin tones when I have the background colours.
Here is what have so far. My first thought was an ordinary women warshiped as Gaia in early mankind but I am not sure where it end, wont probably not bee able to finish sins I'm going for holiday in a few hours. But will try to come back with some crits. The golems crying her is a cool idea.

[CrookedHorn]

Reymus::thank you, yeah ive been playing around with the pattern chalk brush(so much fun) and i was playing around with the figure in multiple poses. it was 5am and i figured id have another go at it after work tonight. i was thinking of embedding her with in the chaos but i wanna make sure i hit the 3/4 mark. ill put what you said to good use :rocker:


you have some great color in the face of your figure. i would check out some ref. from the knees of your figure(knees are hard!). also remember just because its in shadow doesnt mean there isnt any detail. her torso will have some beautiful curves :)

your elbow looks great!

[staticpen]

phatandy - Awesome illustrated style! I love it. Your color palette is right up my alley, too. So cool. Welcome! Happy to have you around. :)

Goog - That's fantastic! I love the lighting and composition. Great stuff. :D

JanJager - Ah, man, this is coming out to be so genuine. I love it.

--

Gonna let this sit for the night and look at it with fresh eyes tomorrow.

[goldilockz]

Goog... yours is SICK!! I heart I heart!

Here is more of my digital tomfoolery. I am of the suck, but all that matters is that I am learning so many things. Question. Should I bring the fire/arm down a little?

[bluecat]

http://i31.tinypic.com/mtksoh.png

really, really rough color... too bright right now.


http://i30.tinypic.com/qzk5cz.jpg

bit better.


http://i28.tinypic.com/2qmojnm.jpg

rough values.. the proportions turned out to be a tad wonky, so i'm in the middle of fixing that up.


http://i25.tinypic.com/2cnw6yd.png

face. still pretty rough. the eye on the left is way too far over, i think..

[CrookedHorn]

goldilockz::maybe not down but possibly put more of a bend in it or really give it an exaggerated stretch. all the others arms have nice angles to them. you can get some nice duel lighting from the orange on one side and possibly green from the earth on the other.
keep up the good work
HA! tomfoolery :rocker:

[Axazel]

Dawnusllaw - Keep up the work. Wonderful horns.

Bluecat - I like your colors up to this point. The only thing I see, is that your lines are a bit thick and overwhelm your wonderful color!! If your are going in a darker direction, then I'm sure they will be eaten up no problem.

Ajaxplaysdice - Don't be intimidated~ Work hard to be your best! Your horns are well proportioned and nice. The left hand on the figure (on our right side) looks as though it's not physically possible, hehe. So just check the physicality and you'll be golden!

Rarebit - You're in the guidelines. Seeing it in motion would be great.

Staticpen - Thanks for the critique! Yeah, things did get a bit off from my reference, heh.. I didn't want to change the pose though. Don't give up on me! haha. I went back to my photo. I really like the concept of your piece. It will be interesting to see how your colors will develop.

Here's where I am at this point:

http://i29.tinypic.com/2s7aryq.jpg

[Rusty]

Another kit kat break another paintover.

ArtByManon, Nice concept, love the tornado hair and her voluptuous bum! heh! but watch the pose, artist Prometheus ANJ calls it "fly swatted" or too many confusing angles going all over the place doing their own thing and that's the feeling i get from it, instead, aim to reinforce the main action/pose that is going on, make it clear for the viewer what is going on and if you have a mirror act it out to help give you some cues to work from.

Keep at it mate :)

[Rhdnor]

I've always wanted to do Gaia, I hope its not too late. I was imagining a very happy earth mother type figure, so I drew her dancing, and then I sort of narrowed down on this very content goddessy woman with the world and the elements tattooed on her body. I have to make the tattoo flow a little. It's mostly a symbolic representation, very illustratorish.

[PaperJester]

Axazel Thanks, unfortunately I wasn't feeling that one too much. Yours is turning out pretty damn sick if I might add

Yeah I felt like starting over. Here's my new Gaia:
still the same concept but less arms

[Ithoual]

Hi, there are really nice works,janjager, staticpen and Rarebit's ones are really cool :] .

For this topic I've tried to work the situation more then the character itself, actually i didn't have much ideas about what could be look like gaïa. What she could feel or do about us is more stimulating for me.

I'm still not sure about the posing i don't know if she have to cast a spell or something, the 2nd one seems to give a better perspective but i think the sky is a bit empty...

Anyway if you have advices about the composition / color etc... thx very much! :]

Good luck all !

[dawnusllaw]

an update. Still kinda flopping around here, but I like the drawing so I'll see where it goes...

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

Now for some feedback!

RGeorge - I like the idea, you might find some ref for the hands and feet. they don't quite fit proportionately with the body. Keep it up!
Axazel - Thanks! I like horns :P You've got a great start, I like where you're going with the trees and the background
Bluecat - Keep it up! The proportions do need some work but you'll get it :)
Goldilockz - nice start! One thing, her left lower arm looks like it's grown out of the upper one, maybe drop it down a bit?
Staticpen - can't wait to see where this ends up, keep goin!
more to come, must sleep now

[Amberthyst]

I've been keeping an eye on this thread while waiting for my account activation email, and thank goodness, it came before the deadline! There're so many fantastic works here, it's hard to keep up.

Been dying to try something like this, so I've been working off and on to see if I could come up with something interesting. Ridiculously nervous, since this is my first time posting anything like this for all to see, but in any case, I would love to hear some feedback!

So this is my rough composition idea, but I feel like it's a bit plain, like something's missing. I'll probably play around with things like adding leaves to the branches, flowers...

[CrookedHorn]

:rocker:

[ArtByManon]

Another kit kat break another paintover.

ArtByManon, Nice concept, love the tornado hair and her voluptuous bum! heh! but watch the pose, artist Prometheus ANJ calls it "fly swatted" or too many confusing angles going all over the place doing their own thing and that's the feeling i get from it, instead, aim to reinforce the main action/pose that is going on, make it clear for the viewer what is going on and if you have a mirror act it out to help give you some cues to work from.

Keep at it mate :)

Ahh man rusty thats gorgeous!! I can see the difference in that straight away - I might hav eto steal it!! Hope you don't mind! I was going to change her left arm to more bent, but wasn't sure about the left let how ti was.
Thank you!

[ArtByManon]

Hi, there are really nice works,janjager, staticpen and Rarebit's ones are really cool :] .

For this topic I've tried to work the situation more then the character itself, actually i didn't have much ideas about what could be look like gaïa. What she could feel or do about us is more stimulating for me.

I'm still not sure about the posing i don't know if she have to cast a spell or something, the 2nd one seems to give a better perspective but i think the sky is a bit empty...

Anyway if you have advices about the composition / color etc... thx very much! :]

Good luck all !

I love this Ithoual - really really dramatic angle - maybe you could have the power/energy coming out of her... vulva? She gave birth to the universe after all?

[lake7less]

think it's been over 2h of just sketching her hair all over the place:wtf: ; must have zoned out :bashful:

[reginanegra]

Dawnusllaw - Keep up the work. Wonderful horns.

Bluecat - I like your colors up to this point. The only thing I see, is that your lines are a bit thick and overwhelm your wonderful color!! If your are going in a darker direction, then I'm sure they will be eaten up no problem.

Ajaxplaysdice - Don't be intimidated~ Work hard to be your best! Your horns are well proportioned and nice. The left hand on the figure (on our right side) looks as though it's not physically possible, hehe. So just check the physicality and you'll be golden!

Rarebit - You're in the guidelines. Seeing it in motion would be great.

Staticpen - Thanks for the critique! Yeah, things did get a bit off from my reference, heh.. I didn't want to change the pose though. Don't give up on me! haha. I went back to my photo. I really like the concept of your piece. It will be interesting to see how your colors will develop.

Here's where I am at this point:

http://i29.tinypic.com/2s7aryq.jpg

i am loving your idea! i cant wait to see what you are going to do with the rest of it. staticpen's paintover was right on the spot! i think you should implement those changes to have a anatomicaly sound figure. keep up the good work!

[emze]

here are really nice pieces coming up

an another approach

[Goog]

Ithoual: Arms up! the composition needs it. Or at least, something needs to be there to make sure the viewer's eye doesn't fly off the top of the page. I think the arms give a great point of entry into the painting as well... Also, maybe in that pose she is calling roots up from the ground to destroy the city? But the WIP looks fantastic so far, can't wait to see the finished piece.

[LostFayth]

Artbymanon That pose. Awesome!! The paintover by Rusty really complements the pose better. Implement his thoughts and idea's into it. It'll make the image look better :D
Rarebit Looking pretty sweet.
Goog That looks pretty sweet as well. I like your idea :)
staticpen You keep making me smile time after time again <3
Paperjester Freaking sweet lines dude. I like it a loooot :D
Ithoual Sweeeeeeeet!! I like this first one better. It has the whole "Gwaaah-I'm-humongous-and-gonna-do-stuff-to-you-little-people-feeling".
dawnusllaw Pretty darn good. I like how you decided to show her bones and make her ribcage over her body. I wanna see more!

I'm close to finishing it. Just keep polishing it. I feel like there are some nice dark values missing in the girl. I'm gonna add those later today :)

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[Rarebit]

LostFayth: I don't think your going to get the effect you want by developing the darker tonal range of your piece (though there is no harm in trying). It seems to me that your temperatures are too uniformly cool and it is flattening the image. Hope you don't mind, i played with the color balance a bit to try and illustrate the point. Your light source is very cool, you should expect your shadows to be fairly warm. The color contrasts are what is going to make the urn appear to glow.

[xLouisax]

http://i165.photobucket.com/albums/u43/louisasasa/gaiacoluredcopy.jpg

[Phaethon]

Heya! Here's my Gaia so far, and some thoughts/comments as they occur to me:

LostFayth - yours reminds me of a story I once read, where God is a little girl playing a computer game. :)
lake7less - nice sketch, that forward thrust of the neck gives her a lot of character.
CrookedHorn - looking good! Don't let the textural stuff overwhelm the figure.
dawnusllaw - I'm getting a demonic vibe here rather than a nature vibe...
Ithoual - the first one is way clearer - you lose the arms entirely in the second one and its not clear what she's doing.
PaperJester - cool sketch!
rgeorge - I'm digging the world/womb idea. Push than sun further into the background.
JanJager - good painting! A bit of an older and wiser Gaia, which is nice. I'm not such a fan of the convenient censoring leaves.
Goog - that bright red is unexpected (in a good way)
Reymus - cool; a classical Greek profile, yes?

[ArtByManon]

Much improved with the help of the paintover from rusty (thanks rusty!) - I didn't do it exactly, but stretched the legs out a little more.

Not sure about colours - was going to have earth in the centre of the image there, as if she's creating it... what do you think of that idea?

[ArtbyWard]

You guys are doing great, I can see some very original designs coming up :).

Don't hesitate to finish your piece as the FINAL BURNING (http://conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?p=2807599#post2807599) thread is up!

[Mephistoau]

Basically finished, won't have much time to work on anything over the next couple of days :( But yeah anyways...

[reginanegra]

i think its prety much done.... any suggestions before i post it in the finals thread?
ps: i had another idea from the start about gaia and today i got around to doing it so here it is, just for the fun of it... i call her nebula-gaia :D

[ArtByManon]

i think its prety much done.... any suggestions before i post it in the finals thread?
ps: i had another idea from the start about gaia and today i got around to doing it so here it is, just for the fun of it... i call her nebula-gaia :D

I Like the nebula idea, i'm considering having my gaia in a space type situation. She's representing chaos in mine, thats the idea anyway!

I like your gaia in the tree - the only thing I would say if you still have time to fiddle, is that its a little flat, like the sky and the earth in the background, it looks like its on the same level as the tree etc. The tree looks 2D rather than a 3D form around the trunk area - is gaia part of the tree or in front of it coming out of it?
Only just noticed the little folk at the bottom of the tree - their torches could be throwing off more light - they don't have any shadows - and acutally gaia's tree doesn't like there is any shadow anywhere on the ground?

I really love the concept, and the glows and the indication of space behind - I think just a few indications of shadows cast and a bit mor eon the trunk of the tree could really make it pop out more into a 3D feel. The roots are great.

[Wilko]

Late runner here. I started this 2 days ago - did the pencils, scanned them and been painting today. So many great entries here by the way - really impressed. I'm probably not going to make the deadline but I thought I'd post anyway. Here are the pencils - I'll post up more progress tomorrow.

[InFlame]

I can see many improvement in this thread! good work guys! so much great competitive! :)

I'm not quite sure where it goes...but I think that will be my direction...

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[Axazel]

Everything is looking great!

I think this may as well be my final. I'm running out of steam.

Also, I have included my reference 1)so y'all know who the credit for this cool pose goes to. and 2) the reasoning to my not making radical physical changes. My figure was off, staticpen was right. But I still wanted to stick with the ref cause I love this pose!!

http://i25.tinypic.com/2vkdwjr.jpg
http://i32.tinypic.com/2i7pzy8.jpg

[Ruri]

As always, you got some truly awesome stuff going on here guys.

Not the most original design here...
Still a ways to go...

[K-Mo]

only dropping in briefly to check out people's work. looking great guns, can't wait for finished pieces! bummed to say that this week, work and life have gotten in the way and i wont have time to finish... looking forward to next week though!!

[Afekay]

Hey all, looking for crits! :thinking:

http://img535.imageshack.us/img535/5310/gaia04.jpg

[Lalilulelo]

Here's what I'm working on. About ready to call it. :mod:

Afekay: It's looking strong, honestly. I envy your strong use of blacks and darks..

[Rhdnor]

Can someone point me towards a hair tutorial? More like an impression of hair, not hyper realistic.
:_(

[PaperJester]

Afekay That is looking sick! love it
Lalilulelo Pretty damn badass, i like the revision better though, it looks stronger without the 2 arms

Everyone's lookin great, here's what I got so far though
Im pretty much done with the skin tone and most of the lines on her body
I'm not sure about those tat colors either
& crits would really be appreciated

[staticpen]

Axazel - Oh, totally keep the pose! I never meant you should switch poses. It's a great pose. You don't have to change it to correct is all I'm saying:

http://www.mediafire.com/imgbnc.php/43b05cfbc4a61d2998f4e3f62ab7f9906g.jpg

Afekay - That's some awesome spotlighting, for sure. :D My only crits are that I'm not looking at your focal point. We're attracted to contrast and saturation, and you have strong contrast in the spotlit area on the ground and the area above Gaia. My eye moves back and forth between those two points and completely skips over Gaia. You could redirect our attention to her without changing the lighting by using the other attraction (saturation) and adding some saturated orange/red colors into her facial area. Awesome progress. :)

[Axazel]

Thanks Staticpen!

hehe.. I feel so silly for mistaking fat for knee xD
I appreciate the support!

[Soupandbutter]

When i resize and post on these forums it gets alot fuzzier. I know that this is inevitable when shrinking an image, but is there a method to reduce the amount it fuzzes and keep some of the sharpness?

UPDATE:


1020795

Smaller:
1020796

[Rusty]

Another quick paint over.

ArtByManon, Nice one! Be careful with rim lighting or else you end up doing more harm than good, you really have to think them out or else they can flatten forms or just look confusing, less is usually better. I didn't exactly do a good job with this paint over since i rushed.Also i like the Dr Manhattan creation thing, definitely do it!

Lalilulelo, Afekay, Those are stunning pieces! love 'em

Soupandbutter, Classy touch you got there dude, liking the small details like the moss and the staff head lighting

[reginanegra]

I Like the nebula idea, i'm considering having my gaia in a space type situation. She's representing chaos in mine, thats the idea anyway!

I like your gaia in the tree - the only thing I would say if you still have time to fiddle, is that its a little flat, like the sky and the earth in the background, it looks like its on the same level as the tree etc. The tree looks 2D rather than a 3D form around the trunk area - is gaia part of the tree or in front of it coming out of it?
Only just noticed the little folk at the bottom of the tree - their torches could be throwing off more light - they don't have any shadows - and acutally gaia's tree doesn't like there is any shadow anywhere on the ground?

I really love the concept, and the glows and the indication of space behind - I think just a few indications of shadows cast and a bit mor eon the trunk of the tree could really make it pop out more into a 3D feel. The roots are great.

i see what you mean! the torches and the shadows they cast i actually noticed and corrected. there is supposed to be a hollow in the tree and she comes out of that but i didnt put any part of the tree noticably in front of her body thats why it looks 2d.... :(
now the light ihad some trouble with. at first i had some patches of light coming through the foliage with kinda high contrast, but then i thought with the twilightish sky the contrast shouldnt be so high and i darkened the patches. maybe i went a bit overboard and now it seems all the area around the tree is in shadow.
i ll try to find some time and work on it today :)

[ArtByManon]

Afekay - I like the image, it is very bold with the darks, I like it - maybe pull out/make visible more of the midrange of the body?

[ArtByManon]

Another quick paint over.

ArtByManon, Nice one! Be careful with rim lighting or else you end up doing more harm than good, you really have to think them out or else they can flatten forms or just look confusing, less is usually better. I didn't exactly do a good job with this paint over since i rushed.Also i like the Dr Manhattan creation thing, definitely do it!

Lalilulelo, Afekay, Those are stunning pieces! love 'em

Soupandbutter, Classy touch you got there dude, liking the small details like the moss and the staff head lighting

Thank you again Rusty - again super massively helpful!
I've had a breakthrough since putting this up, so will be excited to see what people think. I will fix the lighting too, cos i know what you mean, it was a bit sharp, and what you've done with the palms of the hands is much better.

[Beelow]

Another update before I submit final. Not sure if I am going to make it. Got a relatively late start on this one.

[ArtByManon]

Ok, much more pleased with my Gaia now - the nebula effect has taken AGES!!! But I think it improves the movement and energy of the picture. Probably nearly finished. Just gonna fiddle about some more and possibly sharpen up some of Gaia herself.

[xLouisax]

Aaah! Gotta go to work v. soon! Will try to finish to some kind of standard!

http://i165.photobucket.com/albums/u43/louisasasa/gaiacoloured2.jpg

[Reymus]

ArtbyManon - I like the piece itself, but I think you need it needs a stronger tie to read Gaia than it is now. You might think about incorporating some rocky/planetary pieces on the path to coalescing to form the Earth.

Update, I'll eventually paint over most of the color layer.

[Ruri]

Getin there now...

[Wilko]

Here is some of my progress, really don't think I'm going to finish in time but I've already learnt alot doing this (particularly that I need to work on and plan my values more in my images). No idea what I'm going to do for the background, should have thought about it more as I was mapping out my character (another lesson learnt! heh).

P.S. ArtbyManon - the nebula looks fantastic, you've integrated it in there really nicely. It was clearly worth the effort.

[ArtByManon]

ArtbyManon - I like the piece itself, but I think you need it needs a stronger tie to read Gaia than it is now. You might think about incorporating some rocky/planetary pieces on the path to coalescing to form the Earth.

Update, I'll eventually paint over most of the color layer.

Cool, good feedback thanks Reymus - I'm considering (was considering) adding an earth in the centre that shes' creating.

[InFlame]

Update

not really happy with the background and much more rendering to do...

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[PaperJester]

A few updates here and there... hopefully done by tonight

[Sillirien]

Hello again friends! I was far from my computer about couple of days, so I tried to draw rally fast this time)
staticpen, thank you for your comment! First I tried to do something with my second sketch but after 3rd attempt I surrendered)
I had one idea - as you can see I tried to draw her belly like it's an Earth.
http://s40.radikal.ru/i088/1007/3a/0fe41f7f739c.jpg
First I thought that it's enought, but now I see that I must to do something with background(and very quickly))! It's my blind side...

[staticpen]

Awesome work, guys! Really pushing these concepts well. :yayca:

[jrbarker]

Here's what I have so far. I may not finish in time, again. :(

[Ruri]

Probably last update before the finals.

[MasterTroglodyte]

Last minute change, so I may not get it done... I absolutely came to hate what I was doing... It got ahead of me... hehe
This is fun to me but I will likely not get it done before tomorrow!

[bluecat]

except, you can't see it, because I used myself and altered it the proportions... not gonna post a photo :lifedrawing: hahahaha!

anyway!

http://i29.tinypic.com/2414lnc.png

sketchy.

http://i26.tinypic.com/25s51ep.png

the hand and the earth look a little funny, but otherwise I am pretty happy with the rough so far.


dunno if i'll finish, but i'll try.

[MasterTroglodyte]

except, you can't see it, because I used myself and altered it the proportions... not gonna post a photo :lifedrawing: hahahaha!

anyway!

http://i29.tinypic.com/2414lnc.png

sketchy.

http://i26.tinypic.com/25s51ep.png

the hand and the earth look a little funny, but otherwise I am pretty happy with the rough so far.


dunno if i'll finish, but i'll try.

Many times I've wished that I could use myself for reference with just a few alterations! Consider yourself lucky! ;)

Just a word on general placement... I think if you're going to have your character facing left you want a little more "lead" room; that is, I think you should move the whole thing a little to the right on your 'canvas.' Otherwise, way to take initiative! I think if I need to draw a monster I'll follow your lead and use myself as ref! :)

[Beelow]

bluecat-Try going greyscale and block in shapes. Or you can try rusty's way and do linework. Whatever works. Spend the most time in the beginning and make sure you have a solid drawing or that you have blocked in shapes and have correct porportions, good composition and design. Main thing Compo and Design. I stress that alot, especially if you are going with a more Illustrative approach, as I have done. If it is straight up and down pose, just design.

MasterTroglodyte- Good drawing and good mood. Getting those values in the right place is important. You don't want to loose quality of your Illustration and/or design because you have not placed value in right places. Get those hands right, it helps lend character to your character. Pull ref if you have to. Make it as important as face. Good drawing though. Keep painting.

Ruri- Not sure if you are going with a stylized look, but you can look into pulling ref as well to get some of that anatomy corrected. Character seems a bit stiff as well. Keep it up though and keep painting.

jrbarker- Idea is cool, but I think correct value placement and getting those hands right would help better the painting. Pull reference or use your own hands, light it and see where those values fall on your hand. I'd do a paintover, but I am strapped for time to finish mine. Keep painting and definitely brush up on painting and drawing hands. Every bit of detail counts in a painting. You don't excellent painted head and poor painted hands or the other way around or everything else. Mistakes can take the quality of an painting/drawing down.

Sillirien- Not a bad idea, just gotta get better at blocking in shapes. Making adjustments in the beginning to make sure the beginning is correct. Keep it simple in the beginning. Make sure things are correct. Then cut in detail as you move along in your painting. If you don't know pull ref. You can definitely see that the face is off with the features of the face. Nose and lips should be more to the right. Eye to the right should be behind the bridge of the nose. You wouldn't see it whole as you have it painted. Keep painting though. Mistakes are bound to happen. Catch them and adjust. Good luck.

PaperJester- Stylized is okay to do. But, I do think that you're character is a bit to masculine side, not sure if you wanted to go that direction. Torso can be smooth out a bit and ribcage seems a bit off. Dark area between the brest looks like chest hair. Probably want to lighten that area up. Be careful and understand angles on women give more of a masculine look as well. Women are more curvier than men. I think you can implement that to help lend a more feminine look. Hope this helps you. Keep it up.

InFlame- Don't get down on yourself. Just gotta recognize your mistakes and move to the next painting. Really look at how stuff behaves in life. Look at paintings and look at pics. Takes some if you have to. Paint/Draw from life as well. It helps. You have to buckle down though, and really see what you are drawing. Don't draw what you think you see, draw what is there. Good luck and definitely do not get discouraged. I was there before. I myself am still trying to grow. This road doesn't end. It only ends when you say it ends.

Wilko- It's always going to be a lesson. Arms to the side really doesn't help with interest to the piece. I think you could have explored more on the design end as well. Just gotta find inspiration from all sources. I am not sure what you are capable of, but do try to push yourself a bit to come up with something interesting with a bit of story. Owl head and antlers are cool base to go off of. Maybe add some garnmets of animal hide to your character. Potion bottle and some pouches. Maybe a pouch with magical dust of some sort. Whatever is going to make the design much more interesting. Good luck with finishing.

Reymus- Watch the porportion of your head or face. It's a bit small compared to the rest of the body. If her hair is going to be suspended the way it is you should indicate that something is holding her hair that way. Gravity would pull her hair down. Knees seem weird as well. You might want take another stab at that. You can also maybe throw some tats on her as well, to give some interest. Other than that everything else seems good.

xLouisax- Values seem a bit dark and lighting off pretty much everywhere. Pull ref to help get those values in the right areas. Pose seems interesting. Hope to see you finish. good luck.

ArtByManon- Interesting take on the topic. You could definitely add some more contrast to the focal point, her face and the area surronding her face. It would really help bring her out more. Good painting and good luck finishing.

Beelow- You suck! Pick another career.

reginanegra-You have a good understanding of mood. Just gotta get the lighting down. Hitting the tree with some rim lighting on the bottom would help give the tree some form. Straight black flattens the trees. Try varying your edges as well. Soft to hard edges really help bring focus to an image. good luck.

Soupandbutter- I like this entry a lot. Just gotta push your values thats about it. Great painting.

Lalilulelo- Good to see you are still around. How have you been? As far as the paints, Good Design, and Idea. Values seems to be consistent throughout whole character. Less black and more midtones to light would help out. Keep at it Lali.

Afekay- Really nice interesting shapes. Interested to how this one will turn out, definitely liking what I am seeing.

Axazel-Staticpen pretty much told you the same thing I would have told you. Keep painting. Waiting to see the finished.

Mephistoau- I do believe that you may have went a bit dark with your values. The violet color that you've added only seems to be on the chick. I think you could actually move some of that value into the background. Good painting though.

To be continued...need a break.

[bluecat]

thanks for the advice! unfortunately, I don't think I'm going to finish in time, but I'll keep that in mind for next week.

[MasterTroglodyte]

Well, I slapped some color on 'er, and couldn't get much farther than that... Though this feels much better than my original take...

I'll do better next time 'round, eh?

[artiphats]

dont think I'll have time to finish, very late start and too many things to fix before I go on. I'll keep working on it after the contest though, except for her ugly face (which is going to get more love) I think it has potential :)

[CrookedHorn]

good luck to everyone! i dont see mine getting finished by the deadline(work on a sunday!?!?!) but i am very excited to see what everyone comes up with :rocker:

[mairuku]

i think i barely made the deadline
unhappy with everything about this but i have to rush off to work now!

good luck everyone! some great entries this round!
happy to participate my first CHOW!

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[Allstar87]

Here's my entry to this weeks CHOW. Wouldnt mind some crits and comments.

Cool stuff this week, keep it up peeps.

[Lalilulelo]

:nohope::upset:Well I obviously didn't read the briefing close enough because I thought the deadline was midnight (hasn't it always been?) Here's mine.
This sucks.