CHoW#235:: Cirque de Mystère

[Eofn]

http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/ii293/chowarchive/CHOW_Headerimage/QUEENOFCHOW_logo-3.jpg
http://i1133.photobucket.com/albums/m591/Elixyart/CHoW/CHoWWeekly_235.png
DESCRIPTION
The Cirque de Mystère is an early 20th Century. underground circus show of mystical acts, inexplicable stunts and freakish sideshows. The talented performers of the cirque live dark and dangerous lives with ties in the seedy underworld of sex, crime and the occult. Unable to sustain ‘normal’ lives in mainstream society, many of the cirque troupe lead double lives as thieves, con-artists, assassins and other undesirables.


Design a member of the Cirque de Mystère.

Examples:
The Sadist Lion Tamer
Violent Clowns
The Blind Knife-Throwing Assassin

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Circus
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turn_of_the_century
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_League_of_Extraordinary_Gentlemen

Things to remember:
Can be male or female
The setting is turn of the 20th century so keep in mind the style and design of that era (1850-1920)!
The performers act needs to be clearly identifiable
It’s a dark, dangerous world so the character needs to reflect that


Good luck!


PLEASE NOTE THE RULES AND THE DEADLINE TIME

---------------------------------------------------------
DEADLINE:
SUNDAY, March 6th, 2011


Deadline is Sunday, at 9:00 pm (GMT +1). (Check your timezone!)


---------------------------------------------------------
THE RULES
If you do not stick to these 6 simple rules, you will not be added to the poll.
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:right: 1) FOLLOW THE TOPIC.
It's about designing the character of the topic. The environment or side characters are far less important.

:right:2) SHOW AT LEAST ¾ OF YOUR DESIGN.
This is not an illustration contest, but a design contest. Show your whole design!

:right:3) POST YOUR FINAL IN THE FINALS THREAD.

:right:4) INCLUDE WIPS WITH YOUR FINAL.
Show your work in progress and post (links to) this in the finals thread!

:right:5) SAVE YOUR FILES IN THE FOLLOWING FORMAT. Chow##_Nickname
example: "CHOW#100_Oblio.jpg" ;)
No final.jpgs please!


:right:6) 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).



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. Elixy and Parsakoira 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!

[Martheart]

Everybody, meet the new ChoW moderators!

As of this week, Elixy and Parsakoira will be moderating and running Character of the Week! I'm sure they'll do an awesome job!

[PxelSlayer]

Well, well, well...congratulations, children. Those are some mighty big shoes you have to fill in...Oh, don`t worry. I`m sure we`ll LOVE to play with you. The fun we will have...*insert menacing maniac laughter here*

And as for the topic...how did you know I`ve been feeling all evil and mischievous lately...hmm? I believe a revision of this weeks planning is in store for me..^_^

[Zantillia]

Congratulations you two.
I've tons of work and reference just for the purpose of a dark circus. I'm not obsessive or anything. :^^;: This, is going to be fun! >8D

[Phrix]

Oh yeah! New mods! New topic!
PAR-TEE TIME :D

Can't wait to see everyone's ideas and sketches this week! :)

[DyingAtheist]

'Grats to the new mods. :)

Anyway, awesome topic methinks, lots of ideas that are playable with. Have fun everyone!

[Verehin]

Congrats Elixy and Parsakoira!

And theme, is just WOW!

[Wozza]

It seemed like my real life took over a little bit last week, this week ill be able to take part... but what to create.... hummmmm.

[goldilockz]

Congrats to you two!! I'm already impressed with this week's topic. WOW!

[fdisk]

Congrats Elixy and Parsakoira! You guys are going to be awesome mods! :)

Thanks for being a mod all this time Arthemis! You were great!

[ENNEX]

Congrats Elixy and Parsakoira!! :D I look forward to your topics. :3

And thankyou to Arthemis and IceMoon for all their hard work. <3

[Niva.]

The old mods are dead! LONG LIVE THE NEW MODS!

Hehehehe, congrats, and thanks to the folks who did this before.

Cool topic, for some reason it really made me think of the Vampire's Assistant movie. Anyone else think of that?

[fdisk]

Any crits would be most welcomed and appreciated.

1179017

[astillac]

Oh, this is a friggin awesome one! This is the first CHOW I've been around for from the beginning (last week I came in on Wednesday, I think) and I'm really excited to try again. :D Thank you for the great topic.

[DyingAtheist]

Going for an animal trainer, who trains the animals etc. and does tricks with them in the ring, however, behind it she runs an animal smuggling business. It's all a bit bright at the moment but I will darken it, not sure it's "turn of the century" enough but...eh, stripes, frills, the corset.

Any crits anyone?
Know the right leg looks a bit funny, should be better once shaded, it's meant to be coming towards the screen a bit so looks off when flat. And it will actually have animals in it, a parrot on the shoulder, a rat running around and hopefully a lion in the cage to the right.

[fdisk]

DyingAtheist My only crit is that the animal smuggling aspect doesn't come through in that image.

[DyingAtheist]

DyingAtheist My only crit is that the animal smuggling aspect doesn't come through in that image.

Aye, think it'll be a bit more obvious when the animals are actually in the picture, I'll add a checklist or delivery manifest too just to make sure. Cheers :)

[Eclectix]

So many possibilities, the hardest part of this will be to narrow my options to just one.

[Rhdnor]

This brings back childhood memories. It's always pleasant to put a wicked twist to something that's supposed to be pure and good, peel back the layers to reveal the muck underneath so to speak. I'm thinking a troupe of acrobats, doing their drug trade around the whirligig, right under the audiences eye.

[Sgt. Spanky]

This site is terrific. I've been lurking for about a month now and finally decided to join. I might try my hand at some of these design competitions but first I wanted to ask if Illustrator is acceptable as an imaging format or are these strictly Photoshop based challenges?

Thanks in advance.

[Dana_T]

Hey guys! Sweet topic.

I dunno about the rest of you but whenever circuses come into mind I always think of "circus freaks" and "human marvels".
Maybe this website could be inspirational to some people :) -> http://thehumanmarvels.com/

I hope I can join this time ;3;

[Phrix]

This site is terrific. I've been lurking for about a month now and finally decided to join. I might try my hand at some of these design competitions but first I wanted to ask if Illustrator is acceptable as an imaging format or are these strictly Photoshop based challenges?

Thanks in advance.

The instructions say that all mediums (except for photography) are valid so long as you present a finished piece at the end. I'm assuming that this includes Illustrator. :)

[vandalfish]

Is there love in your future? Madame Sirene can guarantee it...for a price. A one-legged, one-eyed, fortune-telling working woman, she wraps her remaining leg in gauzy fabric fins to better resemble her namesake. Although jaded, she is essentially a kind-hearted and somewhat sad woman who loves animals. In addition to her other ventures, she also peddles "potions" and is usually under the influence of something herself. She has a sewer rat for a pet. Crits most welcome and appreciated. Love this topic!

[MasterTroglodyte]

Oooooooh, vandalfish! That's a GREAT idea!! Crap. I love the concept and the lighting. I can't say anything against it right now... Too early...

I didn't remember clown being mentioned as an example so I'm kind of disappointed in my concept after reviewing the theme lol. Ah well. Maybe I'll scrap it and do a snake charmer or strong man or something... I'm not sure if I should make him an arsonist or assassin...

[Pixeltuner]

Welcome new moddy-people thingies :) Awesome topic to start with and a barrage of new icons :p

[Parsakoira]

awesome job elixy with the topic :D i might give it a try!

[Eofn]

Thanks to everyone for the kind words! Parsakoira and I are extremely happy to be the new team awesome! :P

Parsakoira We must be in sync hun. We're trying to delete posts at the same time :P

[Parsakoira]

:D haha, didnt see that one coming!

[astillac]

I was so excited about starting to do CHOW that I've stayed up long past when I should (almost 5am now) and made a little sketch. First things first, the pose is blatantly stolen from here (http://charliebowater.tumblr.com/post/2315705150/i-am-not-dead-woo-heres-a-current-personal). I've been staring at that little screenshot since she posted it in December, kinda drooling, and when I was thinking about the character I wanted to make, (a snake charmer that works with venomous snakes and collects gambling debts) this pose just wouldn't leave my mind. It just looks so confident and a bit dangerous. But I don't want people thinking I'm ripping off her stuff without acknowledging it.

Secondly, now that I have it zoomed out, I can see a number of anatomical issues that seem to be stemming from my canvas being too small, the bent leg being chief among them. An easy fix, but I wanted to jump in and show my work, I guess.

Any thoughts or suggestions would be awesome. I'm going to bed now. xD

[thedestroyer]

Awesome sketch MasterTroglodyte.
Looking forward to see it in colour

[tokotewhero]

congrats guys on the new management. this weeks theme is frickn awesome! so much to choose from...and yet my first wip is missing half the brief. the dangerous, underworld side...and he needs a bigger mustache!

[Thole]

You're off to a really good start tokotewhero! Excited to see what you come up with to make him more "underworld" :) And YES, he definitely needs a bigger mustache!

I love evil clowns so I'll probably go in that direction.

[Sean McClain]

hello new mods! thanx for the new topic^^. here is something I stumbled upon that could
be useful for people looking for some inspiration. http://www.fashionfame.com/2010/06/paris-fashion-week-spring-2011-john-galliano-menswear-collection/
going to see if I can get some thumbnails done before work;).

[reimaru]

Congrats new moderators! wish you good luck

vandalfish, really like you character. Love the colors
tokotewhero, nice character and coul be pretty cool realisation if you'll continue idea with poster

Here's my first wip - Knifes thrower. She must have a cutie-cute name and scars all over the body... yeah..
http://s010.radikal.ru/i312/1102/41/a4cf1389078c.jpg

[Eofn]

I've decided to go with a Vampire Illusionist. She obviously needs to kill to survive and the Cirque allows her to move from place to place with ease.

[ArtByManon]

congrats guys on the new management. this weeks theme is frickn awesome! so much to choose from...and yet my first wip is missing half the brief. the dangerous, underworld side...and he needs a bigger mustache!

I love this - and yes, the bigger the moustache the better. Just imagine it fluttering in the wind as he glides through the air...

[ArtbyWard]

yay for the new mods ! :D. O and awesome topic, I hope I can find some time :)

[Sgt. Spanky]

I've decided to go with a Vampire Illusionist. She obviously needs to kill to survive and the Cirque allows her to move from place to place with ease.

Nicely thought out.

I'm gonna go for something a little less subtle. More of an EC horror comics or Killer Klowns from Outer Space cartoony type of thing.

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

UPDATE: I've deleted the sketch because I'm completely re-thinking my entry.

[GEB]

Congrats you two! And what a topic to start with!

[Imotep]

When I saw the theme I immediately thought about the movie "cirque du freak the vampire's assistant" if you need some inspiration watch that one it's nice.

[Oniko]

WOW!! This is the coolest topic yet!

[warburton]

First off, gratz to the new mods, i'm confident you'll both do a great job ;)

Cool topic, as usual, I imagine there will be lots of different and original designs for this one.
Ive been browsing the net for abit of inspiration and to get a few ideas flowing and figured I'd share a few pics I collected on my travels.
Its going to be a challenge to portay a circus character who lives a seperate life outside his/her act. I'm liking the idea of the circus freak, not sure on his day to day life though yet...

Good luck all, looking forward to seeing what gets produced!

[Nikola Marinkovic]

oh new mods! :salutes:

I'm not around less then a week and so many things change :)

Super awesome cool topic this week. I hope I find time this week to work something out.

looking good tokotewhero.

see ya guys

[LibertineM]

Hello, I've been lurking in the CHOW threads for weeks and I think I'll dive into this one due to my fascination with Cirque du Solei. *holds nose and prepares to jump in the deep end!*

[LA-Fairy]

Oh I wish I could join this one.But I have another entry to do before march tenth, and I have to go look for a job. Buhuu..

logistic puppet, the little pink haired figurine you posted, I pointed the creator out to Emilie Autumn and the bloddy crumpets and she got so inspired she made that figurine. Awesome to see it in here. //random

[George Abraham]

I seeem frownin.

http://i219.photobucket.com/albums/cc256/wenresep/Circus-Desighn.jpg

[Ruri]

I for one welcome our new mod overlords.

[David_Ray]

Hey, I'm new to the forum and this is my first CHOW attempt. It's a very cool idea and Im working on an idea of a strongman gone evil. When you're evil and your too big for anyone to stop you or say anything...thats a wicked combo. I'm a big fan of turn of the century tattooing so I plan to ink out most of his torso when I get a little further along. I'm a student and am decided to start doing these competitions to get better so any critique or input is great.

[Crumbelievable]

Going for a slightly unbalanced looking fire breather here.

Tried to give her a more contorted pose, ended up with a broken leg instead. Off to find references I go.

[Rhdnor]

I'm going with the Bad Twins, acrobats. I'm using the Diane Arbus's iconic photograph as inspiration, I only hope I can pull off the creepiness without being overtly freakish.

[astillac]

Worked more on it. It's feeling... clumsy. :/ Not as sinuous as I'd like.

[ryan mcshane]

rgeorge: i think more of a symmetry could work in this,not total symetrical but close, like the photograph, gives more emphasis on the twinness of it :)
tokotewhero: i love it man! can't wait to see it done :D

[Dile_]

not participating really.. just got inspired by the thread and made a speedie.. won't work more on it "/

great work everyone =)

http://i53.tinypic.com/2a510ra.jpg

[hunchback]

some thing with a bunch of clown kids O_O

[Rhdnor]

Hunchback--Very cute!!


From Bad Twins to Bad Troupe. They're some mean assassins and at war with the clowns. I just kept adding more to balance the pic. Putting those mean linoleum carving knives in their hands.

[Tawnos]

Dile and hunchback those are absolutely FANTASTIC! Loving the mood!
tokotewhero very good start, I cant wait to see where you're taking him!
fdisk I like the scene, though I had to look twice to see the evilness, but I guess thats just me :) When I got it, I liked it. Looks a bit like Mafia covering their activities with a circus.
vandalfish I really like it. Has a great atmosphere to it, and I like the way to lightning goes to. When I saw it, I instantly though maybe she's a prostitute for some extra money? Thats the redlight-fortune-teller-ball, I guess :)
MasterTroglodyte Great concept! What is more creepy than an evil clown? I like the pose and his expression!
reimaru Good pose!
Elixy Great idea! And she looks sexy :P
George Abraham A deadly shooter clown, I like! :)
Ruri Love the Tattoos!
Crumbelievable I like the pose and the overall appeal, but I don't quite see the evil part.
rgeorge Evil Twins! I like! Make them creepy!
astillac I think it looks clumsy because her legs are too short and you're lacking about 1 head in the body as well!

[reimaru]

Crumbelievable, maybe her pose is unbalanced, maybe has some problems (i think the hand is too long), but i truely like it, cuz it's very expressive
rgeorge, always loved twins theme. Great reference. Keep it up!

[Eofn]

Crumbelievable I love the concept. I think it looks unbalanced because of the front foot. It looks like it is turned out too far in comparison to the rest of the body and leg.

[tokotewhero]

Thole-thanks man. clowns are awesome! do it!

Sean McClain-cheers for the link! interesting stuff, lol sprayed on abs!

reimaru-thanks. yeah carny posters should prove fun. though im finding it harder to come up with ways to show the dark side in a poster, will have to come up with more subtle things in the back ground or something...
ps wips look good. really looking forward to seeing how it will progress.

Elixy- looking rad! awesome posture, and characters personality is really coming thru.

Nikola Marinkovic-cheers

LibertineM- no better theme to start with man.

David_Ray- welcome man. good on ya. id suggest finding some reference for your character. If your wanting to do a large muscle man type find some ref for how muscles take form when ppl get that big, but i think most importantly for you is to enlarge the canvas size and add his feet in there. Get him grounded show his weight by the way hes standing. (use ref for this) keep it up!


Crumbelievable- hehe. how often that happens. nice character man. exciting pose! looking forward to it.

ryanoir-thanks man.

Dile- wish you would man.

hunchback- very freaky! aghhh.. i want to draw some clowns now....

rgeorge- I think you need to simplify it man. Twins is an awesome idea like what ryanoir said. perhaps focus on them more, and get them as interesting as possible. lots of potential there! get your freak on!

Tawnos-thanks.



had a little more of a play with the winged man. enlarged winged area(so that it looks like he might just be able to glide or something) having a bit of a hard time coming up with a sneaky dark talent to him, so kinda coped out with assassin. glides to building tops to assassinate high officials and such. has strengthened his hands and chiseled his nails into claws for dealing damage...

..not too sure about him so started playing with another idea after talking it over a little with a work mate, sticking kinda close to features of the first character design.

meet monsieur Swinelick, the man who can eat anything. his talents are an amazing digestive system, and an immunity to poisons. his hidden talents are also surprisingly in assassination. being able to mix and hold poisonous substances in his belly, when released hes able to poison any targets in the near by region. :P

crits most welcome.

-Toko

[reimaru]

tokotewhero, thanks -)
I think arms of winged man looks too demonic for him.. maybe they might have mure human-lookin' fingers or somth from birds.. don't know
And the Pig-man is very funny! Love his small cup

my second wip. Finding a better lookin clothes for her
http://s49.radikal.ru/i125/1103/b0/3a2013bf577a.jpg

[Eofn]

I've got some crits/feedback/chocolate covered comments to give but I'm a little short on time right now so i thought I'd post a quick update and then ad my comments after work. ^_^

[MatejaPetkovic]

i want to join this one, i like theme very much
Ok here is what i did in 45 min, first sketch, but i already like how this turn out so i will finish him soon
I found some interesting images and made photo collage + some over paint to get the mood
I present to you "Elephant man" he he
http://i212.photobucket.com/albums/cc179/sqezavela/Elephantman.jpg

I will deform him more, especially around head, but later

M

[Rhdnor]

i want to join this one, i like theme very much
Ok here is what i did in 45 min, first sketch, but i already like how this turn out so i will finish him soon
I found some interesting images and made photo collage + some over paint to get the mood
I present to you "Elephant man" he he

I will deform him more, especially around head, but later

M

Excellent sketch. Did you use a ref or is it pure imagination?

[MatejaPetkovic]

@rgeorge as i said(and you quoted that text) i made photo collage( this means i have used several photos cut them and stick them in new order) + paint on top of it

M

[UCT]

this would be an awesome faction for drawcraft.

[MatejaPetkovic]

here is small update, now you know why is it called elephantman ;)
http://i212.photobucket.com/albums/cc179/sqezavela/Elephantman2.jpg

M

[Onique]

This is my first sketch for this week challenge.
Sorry for not being so talkative but english is not my native language and i'm sort of out of my comfort zone when it comes to being descriptive.
Critiques are very welcome :)

http://wwwatch.org/web/images/other/wip11.jpg

[UCT]

ONQUIE - resize the image.

[reimaru]

Onique, very nice character. I like the face, hair and how she put her leg on the mace. But i think she's a little bit woody.
Elixy, great detalisation on hair and her face-exprassion tottaly make the understanding of the chraracter. And don't you think that the closest shank is a little short?

[Suncut]

Awesome subject, I just hope I'm going to have time to finish by thursday, since I'm gonna be away for the weekend.

1180379

[Crumbelievable]

Elixy - I'm liking her overall design! Any chance we might get to see some fangs? Kind of a candid moment where she shows some of her true nature?



Minor update. Just tinkering around with colors.
This topic makes me think of characters in a super-villain kind of way, which is what I'm going for with this firebreather. Someone who's gotten burned in the past, but rather than being terrified by fire now, became overly obsessed with it.

[PxelSlayer]

Ladies and gentlemen, I give you - Scaglieri brothers! They pose as a ventriloquist and his puppet, but they are in fact siamese twins with quite...carnivorous nature...O.o

Rough doodling FTW! ^_^

[Eofn]

reimaru lol I'm gonna feel stupid now i know but what exactly is a shank?

Crumbelievable I had the same thought with the fangs but didn't know if it would be too much. I'll give it a go though. Thanks. Loving the colours and costume design on your concept!

PxelSlayer What an awesome concept and so well portrayed!

[LibertineM]

This is Madame Opiatia, she is an acrobat/contortionist who dabbles in the drug trade. She is a tiny woman, dwarfed by her hookah and her capacity to inhale opium. I apologize for any oddness as the internet connection seems to be up and down.

[reimaru]

Elixy, lol, i just don't know how this part of leg called (i looked up in dict and it tells me "shank" o_o) but this (http://clip2net.com/clip/m59775/1299004291-clip-70kb.png)
PxelSlayer bow to you, wonderful concept! cheers

Last wip for today.
http://s48.radikal.ru/i121/1103/38/e1e9b7065aea.jpg

[Swampdigger]

Here are a few of my sketchy ideas exploring costuming and general look, seems like fire breathers are pretty popular for this topic, haha. Everyones stuff is looking good, I'm interested to see how they turn out. :)

Reuban Graves, fire breather with virulent anger issues. Victims usually have to be identified by dental records.

1180433

Update 1: Still gotta get that underworld element in there, plus make sure he doesn't look too drunk, hah.

1181804

[MatejaPetkovic]

update, he is wearing Galliano trousers :)
http://i212.photobucket.com/albums/cc179/sqezavela/Elephantman3.jpg

M

[LibertineM]

Last WPI for the day. The hookah tubing was distracting to me and looked like a bicycle intertube. Hopefully she looks suitably stung out.

[LA-Fairy]

Awesome stuff everyone so far!

[RichLyons]

Here is my spin on Pagliacci, an opera about a jealous clown who murders his cheating wife. I think he stabs her in front of the crowd in the opera, but I went with a drunken confrontation ending in tragedy. The clown Canio, staggers from his tent covered in his wife’s blood.
Mr Bungle, IT, and that serial killer that dressed as a clown in America have ensured that all clowns freak me out.
Hope to finish before the weekend.

Cheers Rich

[MasterTroglodyte]

Things are getting really creepy around here! lol...

I think I don't know where to go without better reference... I dunno. I like that he's evil with ruffles... but I'm pretty sure I gave him the shoes of a jester or Christmas elf and not clown boots... Though I don't know if clowns had giant shoes circa 1901... ah well

I'll try and post crits/comments later...

[JanJager]

Great stuff so far.

[Rhdnor]

Mateja---I didn't even see that, duh.

Not much progress, but I should like feedback at this point. It is creepy?

[Phrix]

Mateja---I didn't even see that, duh.

Not much progress, but I should like feedback at this point. It is creepy?

The faces are wonderfully rendered! But sadly, I do not find it creepy. Usually people are creeped out by something with unusually attentive or wide eyes, staring straight at the viewer. Much like being stared at by a predator. Also, much of the time creepy things have dulled or cooler colors. I'm not sure why that is. Most of all, what really creeps people out, is things that are supposed to be ordinary but are warped and exaggerated. Which is probably why so many people are scared of clowns... Over all, I like the figures and the composition, so I wouldn't warp them. I would suggest adding emphasis to the twin's faces/eyes (with light/contrast) and making the warped parts the war with the clowns going on in the surroundings. Only a suggestion of course. Hope it helps.

[Sgt. Spanky]

Okay, Take - 2

This unfortunate fellow has been beaten and used his whole wretched life. Permanently bent from a spinal injury he suffered as a child when severely beaten by his alcoholic father, he also suffers from neurofibromatosis as seen by his facial deformities. Filled with anger from a lifetime of abuse and seething with hatred for the human race he utilizes his prosthetics for far rmore sinister purposes than they were ever intended.

http://www.cybrscot.com/images/xtra/mystere1.jpg http://www.cybrscot.com/images/xtra/mystere2.jpg

[Rhdnor]

I found this

http://moviesgonemoldy.blogspot.com/2010/08/circus-of-horrors-1960.html

Quite funny actually....

[RichLyons]

another work in progress

[Eofn]

RichLyons I'm in love with this concept. You can totally see what type of person he is and the life he leads. It's also refreshing to see a creepy clown that isn't your typical 'horror' clown! One itty bitty critty would be about the makeup. Is there any chance of bringing it out a little more, maybe with some colour? Nothing to bright obviously but just enough so that it stands out :)

rgeorge I have to agree with Phrix. It's a beautiful render but the darkness of the characters isn't really coming through. It was also mentioned earlier something about symmetry with the twins and I agree. Twins are disturbing when they are in unison; total and exact copies of each other. Also are they masks or heads at the bottom of the image? I'm not sure how deep that ring swing is but they seem to be balancing on their edge :S As for colour and form it looks gorgeous :)

LibertineM There is something bothering me about the feasibility of this pose (which is a funny thing to say about a contortionist :P) I'm not a gymnast so I could be wrong but I'm not sure this is even possible due to the centre of gravity not being...well central. I had a quick search on google and these are some similar poses I found:
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_p9ovlSP1YC4/TEh7ogd_IfI/AAAAAAAAAFg/8NLqTGjn1Dk/s1600/gymnast.jpg http://www.sullingtoncommon.co.uk/indeximages/Gymnast%27s-sculpture1.jpg
All the poses I could find with both legs bent over required the gymnast to balance on the length of her lower arm and all the poses where she was balanced on just her hands, one of her legs needed to be extended to act as a counter weight. I hope this all makes sense.

Swampdigger Nice thumbs! I thing the two on the right have the most character ^_^

reimaru Ah lol. I would have just called it the shin! I did use a photo reference but it couldn't hurt to play around with the length.

I have to pop out now I'll add the rest later. I apologize if Ive come across super negative or anything but we all make mistakes and you don't learn how to do it right till you know how you've done it wrong ^_^

[Tawnos]

Reaally cool pose! Loving it!

[Thole]

Onique Like the concept but it need more life

Suncut Crazy pose! Finish it! :)

Crumbelievable Nice wip, not sure about the legs though, kinda looks like she's in a hurry

PxelSlayer Love it! :D Want another wip! Would love to see a show with the Scaglieri brothers!

reimaru I think the head is a little too big, so is the forehead

Swampdigger Would probably go with the upper right- or the lower right sketch, or a mix of both :)

MatejaPetkovic Looks amazing! :) Would like to see a shadow from the front arm on the pants. The texture in the face could need some further explanation I think.

LibertineM Some reference material would probably be a good idea. It doesn't look like the foot i actually gripping the nozzle

RichLyons Just like Elixy said it would be nice with a little bit of color in the make up, other than that, it's just absolute eye candy to me :)

MasterTroglodyte A dark backgrund would be nice. Can't figure out what it is h's holding... Maybe it's just me -_-' Like the expression in his face though!

JanJager The more i look at it the more i like it, just hate that clowns smirking face! xD In a good way! haha

rgeorge the image is very stiff, but maybe that's the point? :S Not sure how the heads can balance, maybe they could hang from the ring in string or something?

Sgt. Spanky He looks very compact! Maybe you should extend the prosthetic arm a little and give him an elbow? the blade wouldn't be much use of a weapon otherwise :/ the face looks nice but very much not human, was his dad maybe a alcoholic gorilla? :O Sorry for the bad joke...

RichLyons Still loving it!


Hopefully I can get started on my contribution today :) probably going with the lion tamer

[IvanHrastaman]

name:Emmanuel
age:31
profesione: snake tamer/asassin

[daveneale]

tokotewhero's: Nice idea/design, quite liking the exagerated proportions.

hunchback: Liking the composition

RichLyons: Nice pose, really like how you trated the trousers/shoes

Getting close to being done, still a few things to tweak though:

1180988

[MatejaPetkovic]

Thanks Thole, i will add it later
update
http://i212.photobucket.com/albums/cc179/sqezavela/Elephantman06.jpg

M

[ArtByManon]

Daveneale - i love the line of your work, its so exquisite - always a treat to look at your site too. Great stuff.

Mateja - great creepy image...

[Sonia Leticia]

Wow some serious sexy WIPs going on in here! And when I say sexy, I mean creepy and nightmare-inducing..

[Eofn]

Trying some colours. It's frustrating how much they change in a strong purple light!

[Onique]

http://wwwatch.org/web/images/other/wip23.jpg

[CrookedHorn]

making a line up.
i wanna find out which character i like best and if time allows it rock that character out. :rocker:

looks like peoples renderings have improved from the last round to this...im liking the progress peoples. :^^: keep it up.

[Paolo13]

wip...started late, hope to have time to finish it....ciao!

[madhatter106]

@rgeorge as i said(and you quoted that text) i made photo collage( this means i have used several photos cut them and stick them in new order) + paint on top of it

M

I haven't done one of these in a while, and I'm not calling shenanigans or anything like (as the guidelines may have changed), but is painting over a photo-montage in the spirit of CHOW? I can understand using one for reference or design work and ideas, but to actually paint over one and submit for your entry...?

[Suncut]

Now I've worked on this enough that I'm starting to plain dislike it. Means it's done soon I guess!

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[Paolo13]

I haven't done one of these in a while, and I'm not calling shenanigans or anything like (as the guidelines may have changed), but is painting over a photo-montage in the spirit of CHOW? I can understand using one for reference or design work and ideas, but to actually paint over one and submit for your entry...?


Actually I have used this method in the Game Industry, i do not fancy it, but if you know how to do it it is good, some AD request this for selecting different kind of texture references, I think that on my sketchbook I posted how I painted over a fire extinguisher in order to show some of the work I do in the office. For environment art I see a lot the use of photo, if you have to reproduce a city like Rome in a game, then a photo will help you get the architecture right and help the 3d artist for texture.
If someone has more info about it please let me know.

Ciao

[MatejaPetkovic]

I haven't done one of these in a while, and I'm not calling shenanigans or anything like (as the guidelines may have changed), but is painting over a photo-montage in the spirit of CHOW? I can understand using one for reference or design work and ideas, but to actually paint over one and submit for your entry...?

At the end i will show entire process how to use collage technique in creating concept art, if moderators have problem with this and find that i am breaking rules or something they won't put my work into final thread. Cheers

and now update(poster behind character is a original poster from David Lynch movie :), this is a little homage to master of cinematography )
http://i212.photobucket.com/albums/cc179/sqezavela/Elephantman07.jpg

M

[Thole]

I got a little bit of work done :) Hopefully you can see where this is going. Gonna make the lions really roughed up and scarred. Crits?

1181321

[KittyKaida]

Holy cow you guys, these really just get better and better!

I don't know if I'll have time to be able to do this one all the way through, but I at least wanted to get in a sketch :)

I'm thinking that she is an expert dagger-thrower, her face hidden behind a veil, thinking of doing a belly dancer type getup.. ? Or maybe an illusionist popping in and out of crime scenes? hmmm.. . anyways, I've got more work to do :( I'll think some more about this later!
ref used for pose thanks ~senshistock

used a brown watercolor pencil (oops lol) on printer paper


Congrats to the new mods woot woot!

[MatejaPetkovic]

@Thole, well i think you choose great character for this theme, but i must say it is to static and dull. I think that you should give more interaction between lion and lion tamer, take a look at these images, and this was just quick google search
http://i212.photobucket.com/albums/cc179/sqezavela/U102P200T1D164490F10DT20080530023240.jpg
http://i212.photobucket.com/albums/cc179/sqezavela/The_Lion_Tamer_by_gatcat.jpg
http://i212.photobucket.com/albums/cc179/sqezavela/lion-tamer-askold-zapashny-pic-reuters-260768636.jpg
http://i212.photobucket.com/albums/cc179/sqezavela/JL-LionTrainerIIG1.jpg
http://i212.photobucket.com/albums/cc179/sqezavela/79249-004-DBD9029C.jpg
http://i212.photobucket.com/albums/cc179/sqezavela/2216778347_89cde6755d.jpg

M

also i found this great page with good reference photos, http://www.flickr.com/photos/mindmob/with/3437009305/

[DImanic]

Hi all, I am loving the work happening here. It just sucks that now is the first chance I've had to start anything.

My idea maybe way too big to pull off before the challenge deadline, but I shall give it a go.

The idea is Cecilia the tattooed woman. she has been covered in a tattoo which was created from a possessed tattoo gun,
the tattoo is like a parasite but it must keep it's host, Cecilia alive and young in order to survive.
The tattoo leaves her body when she sleeps and searches for a young girl,
it covers the girl and absorbs her youth, killing her in the process, it then returns to Cecilia and she is fed from the tattoo, keeping her young.

So far I have only had time to research the possible poses. But I hope to get some scribbles done tonight.

[JessiBean]

Vandalfish - love the scene, very excited to see it rendered. Maybe add some more macabre elements (body parts in jars, etc.) to give it the seedy-underworld vibe?
tokotewhero - looooove these characters. Maybe punch up the scene some for both of them, and I'd like to see some more design/thought put into the winged man's pants/costume.
Suncut - I like the fire breather, and your shapes make a nice composition, but I find my focus is no longer on the character/personality, and I don't see the dark and/or mysterious elements at all. Maybe more focus on the character and a tighter crop on the figure can help you out here.
Crumbelievable - I like your drawing, the character is cute and there's tons of action in this. Your colors are kinda bugging me at the moment - that super bright pink against the yellowy-brown looks kind of odd. See about toning the whole piece with colors that compliment more/give a sense of environment - I love the pinks, maybe I would pull it that way into reds/magentas.
PxelSlayer - AHHH, love the faces!!! I just need to feel more circus here, everything else is AWE-some. :)
RichLyons - you are my hero, I think. Only small crit - took me a moment to read the clown paint on him, maybe make that element stand out a touch more.

sketching and starting to paint.
wheeeee... :D
1181396

[Wolfofsahara]

The She-Wolf (hair disorder)

[MatejaPetkovic]

last post for today, i need to go to bed
http://i212.photobucket.com/albums/cc179/sqezavela/Elephantman08.jpg

Any c&c, i kinda feel left out here :)

M

[DImanic]

Managed a very quick sketch in between jobs. I will try to get some comments down this evening.

I hope my scribble makes sense, the tattoo is peeling off Cecilia who is now unconcious without the tattoo,
the seated figure is the tattoo spirit, there will be no skin just the tattoo
forming the shape - I thought it would make for an interesting challenge.

[fairystrychnine]

I can never seem to get more than a sketch done before the week is up, I'm such a noob, but here she is: the snake charmer/poisoner.

http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll280/tastycactuar/CHOW/alexisunderground.jpg


...aaaand now I can't find my wacom pen. Another week of sketchy fail.

[MasterTroglodyte]

JessiBean — Wow. I'm just... well, I'm not surprised at all. But WOW. I love your lighting, the structure, the surfaces. Everything is loverly. I want to cry on so many levels and for a few different reasons. Wow. You make me want to start the heck over...

MatejaPetkovic — My only thoughts are that it's stiff. Background and foreground are well defined; the textures seem to be well executed, and the lighting is evocative of the intended creepiness. You've even managed to make cigarettes humanizing. But something still feels inorganic or stilted (this taking into account the plasticity of the character itself); obviously, being frank, this is me really grasping at straws. Oh, and I almost always feel left out... :)

[Carlos Rodriguez]

ok start late..... here is my entry, I present the human centipede, he is one of the attractions, but because of his stature remains most of the time watching the entrance to the circus, this position also allows hi to polish his skills, he is an excellent thief.and almost forgot, the reason for his deformity are his 2 Siamese twins

[CrookedHorn]

long shift got two more sketches done though after i got home...crits in the AM

i think i have an idea for the knife thrower/assistant or strong man though i need more horror. i guess ill sleep on it and hope for a nightmare for some inspiration mwahahaha :rocker:

nice face Jessibean, im really digging the stitched lips

[sony]

crookedHorn: nice quickies, gesture for the girl.
paolo13: oh wow i am anxious for the update!

MatejaPetkovic: sleep tight, awesome work!
daveneale: your exaggerations-ssss neat!

[silarvalla]

Havent done a Chow in ages,
This one was too much fun to pass up!
My character is a Sword Swallower for the circus
and a grifter/blade for hire behind the scenes (extortions and the like)
Its brushpen inkwork with photoshop and some illustrator
I've uploaded a bunch of my early concept work too if anyone is into process (i know i am)
I did a bunch of inkblot type things to brainstorm overall shapes and just generate good positive and negative space, and then just filled a few pages of character renderings, different costume ideas faces poses etc.
i finalized a sketch that i liked and used the lightable to clean it up before inking and thats pretty much that, once in the computer i laid down a neutral background (i hate working from white, and laid in some flat colors, for the final im going to put the image of her actually swallowing the sword in the background (with the main illustration i felt like it was hard to tell what she actually did circus-wise) and lay in some more complex tones for the main illus. overall though i think i'm pretty close to done
had lots of fun with this one, love turn of the century stuff
any feedback would be rad!
cheers,
-Sil

[Eofn]

MatejaPetkovic It's difficult to give CC on such an awesome image!

Incidentally, Parsakoira and I have decided that we will allow photo collage-ing as a form of concepting providing that the finished image is painted and wholly original. I hope this clears things up for people.

JessiBean You never fail to impress me with your concepts. If I could have half your talent I would be one happy bunny!

CrookedHorn Knife thrower assistant eh... what about someone who can heal any wound? Think of the situations she could get into without taking any damage!

[MatejaPetkovic]

@nzob1, you choose very difficult thing to go with, BUT i have remembered one photo that can help you to achieve idea you wanted.
http://i212.photobucket.com/albums/cc179/sqezavela/untitled-112.jpg
Hope this helps ;)
@MasterTroglodyte, i needto see more to give you some crit, but as first impression it looks creepy.
@Elixy, since we are talking about my work it will be painted and wholly original, but i doubt that all of parts of original photo will be covered :)

M

[Thole]

MatejaPetkovic Hmm, maybe you are right. I thught I'd get each character to stand out as clearly as possible but maybe I took it a bit too far? I think the cigarette is a bit too much in your piece, liked it better before when it looked a little bit like he was going to strangle himself with his left hand :)

[ArtByManon]

last post for today, i need to go to bed
http://i212.photobucket.com/albums/cc179/sqezavela/Elephantman08.jpg

Any c&c, i kinda feel left out here :)

M

I love this - its so moody and i love that the light doesn't show everything. Are you going to colour it? I think it is lovely in black and white. (sepia could be nice though...)

[MatejaPetkovic]

he he, you are maybe right, but last night while i was working i needed cigarette so i have imagine "how those characters like elephant man get tired after entire day, and that he also need a cigarette break". I kinda like it, it gives me more emotions and some kind of connection with real life. But it is on separate layer so i will think about it
@ArtbyManon, well i was also thinking to leave it in b/w since my inspiration was original movie by David Lynch, and somehow it put image right in that era, but will see

update, i have lift head on 3k canvas so i can do some details
http://i212.photobucket.com/albums/cc179/sqezavela/ElephantMan-head.jpg

M

edit: and here is link to my sb with process shot and explanation of technique i am using for this piece
http://www.conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?p=3047674#post3047674

[Suncut]

Jessibean: Thanks for the crit, I think you're right on all accounts. I'll just need to spend more time thumbnailing next time and thinking thinks through before I jump to painting. I tightened the crop somewhat here and tried and added some of the elements for the character I had in mind originally. I also partly killed the color, I felt I just wasn't in control of the saturation anymore. And now I'm out of time and energy.

1181718

[PxelSlayer]

Sweet Jeebus, people, would you tone it down a little? I log in fere and find an awesomefest going on...sheesh!

Also - JessiBean -> *o*...and then e_e (totally!)
Mateja (ma jel stvarno Mateja ili je ipak Matej? ;) ) - one e_e for you as well :P

And a e_e for the rest of the crowd here (I srsly envy hate you guys)... :D

Mine is quite meh ATM..3 more days to go, shall see if I can pull something out of it...

[MatejaPetkovic]

he he, hvala, da stvarno Mateja, pozdrav iz Beograda

M

[GEB]

MatejaPetkovic: Awesome! As for the use of photos... Whatever works

Pixelslayer: Nice man! Reminds me a scarface from batman

Crookedhorn: Sweet line up! I like the strongman. Maybe do him with a pennyfathing like those dude from family guy ;)

[reimaru]

Mateja, oh, oh, I'm scared.. T__T So living
Pxel, *__* evil brothers.. and the small one I think is more evil, ye? And alsoit would be nice to draw a curtains around. It might make the picture more moody..

Not far (have not much time). Comments?
http://s011.radikal.ru/i317/1103/31/7524a7a5a55a.jpg

[GEB]

Elixy: Nice! I reckon you could do a real nice contrast between dark hair and dead pale skin. Oh and droplets of blood on her chest and around her mouth like she's just fed. Ooh and maybe a drained victim next to her

Jessibean: Creepy I like it

[Eofn]

GEB ooh I like that idea.... just re-sketching some anatomy issues i noticed this morning

[ArtByManon]

Pxelslayer - loving the lighting - i'm liking the moodly lighting in general in here. Don't have time to enter AGAIN this week. Probably won't be able to for another three weeks :(

[Paolo13]

some progress..bit tierd

[DImanic]

MatejaPetkovic: Thanks heaps for the reference pics. That face is looking pretty grotesque, nice!
Suncut: Pleased to see you kept at it, I think we have the same problem - jumping in to soon with detail, I fail to finish so many times. It's really get there though, keep it up.
Paolo13: I can really feel the weight of the flesh in the face, are you going to create more of the body?
Reimaru: Coming along nicely, her face is looking well and truly evil
Jessibean: looking forward to seeing it develop, nice work on the awkward angle with perspective etc.

That's all I can do for now, have people hassling me to do some work. will crit more later and post some development.

[Eofn]

@Paolo13 Just a quick friendly reminder that at least 3/4 of the character need to be visible for it to qualify for the finals thread. ^_^

[Paolo13]

Yep..that is just a crop...hope to finish it!

[loulabella]

I'm loving all the ideas so far, I'm going for the Tarot card illusionist, but can't quite decide if it looks circusy enough yet?

[Paolo13]

last update..bed time for me

[MatejaPetkovic]

@Paolo13, hey man, i really love your latest update, i think it has excellent energy similar to Francis Bacon paintings(one of mine favorite artist) and maybe he can give you some inspiration to push this one even further
http://www.google.com/images?q=Francis%20Bacon%20paintings&oe=utf-8&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a&um=1&ie=UTF-8&source=og&sa=N&hl=en&tab=wi&biw=1680&bih=897
M

[Arthur Ritus]

Hi guys,

Some really good stuff so far (elephantman, I'm looking at you ;)

This my first time using a graphics tablet, so I'm using the challenge as a basis for becoming more familiar with it. Anyways here's my effort so far.

1182060

[Tamarin]

Arthur Ritus - wow that guy is fully on steroids

MatejaPetkovic - I like what you have going. That is one handsome dude.

JessiBean That is a great perspective and light.

Here is my escape artist.

[madhatter106]

Clown, acrobat, entertainer.
Mountebank, cutpurse, prostitute, drug fiend.

[KittyKaida]

hey guys.. quick question.. why do I attempt complicated light sources with no references? crazy maybe? yes. I think so.
And I see that she needs to be further back on the stage, no worries guys..

any pointers and crits are very welcome as always :heart:

[gankulator]

one took more nutrition from the other

[MrEshovel]

throwing in with this one
lemme know what you think

[JanJager]

Great work
Most bizzare round i think

[Martheart]

Oooo I wish I could do this ChoW, if only I wasn't busy :s Nice work everyone!

[Eofn]

I've been having so many issues with conceptart today :S

FINALS THREAD NOW UP

[steve pete]

tokotewhero's: Nice idea/design, quite liking the exagerated proportions.

hunchback: Liking the composition

RichLyons: Nice pose, really like how you trated the trousers/shoes

Getting close to being done, still a few things to tweak though:
http://www.conceptart.org/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=1180988&d=1299071136


...really liking what you do devaneale. Pity that the 'riders of the apocalypse' round was such a highly competitive round. Good luck with this one though. =)

[Onique]

Again, feedback is highly appreciated
http://wwwatch.org/web/images/other/wip288.jpg

[daveneale]

ArtByManon, steve pete, Thanks guys, really glad you like him :)

Onique: Maybe you want to create more focus in one area....not the greatest paint-over ever, but it explains better than I could in words...basically I think it would be nice to focus the main light source on the head. I also cropped it as I thought there was too much empty space-and I think the pose is maybe a little awkward.

[Eofn]

madhatter106 he NEEDS a slanted bowler hat! Give him that slightly, clockwork orange maddness :P The idea of a clown prostitute is an awesome one, truly inspired!

[MatejaPetkovic]

madhatter106 he NEEDS a slanted bowler hat! Give him that slightly, clockwork orange maddness :P The idea of a clown prostitute is an awesome one, truly inspired!

Second this, also i would like to see some exaggerated make up, like transvestite usually have. I think it will add more to this idea

M

[Eofn]

Re worked some issues that were bothering me.. namely the whole thing :P I still liked the pose but her head/face were really bugging me as was the folds in the dress.

Below is the sketch and a rough idea of lighting. Still looking for references for the costume so that she looks more circus and less burlesque.

[MatejaPetkovic]

@Elixy, maybe this page can help you, http://www.flickr.com/search/?w=all&q=movie+circus&m=text or this even better http://www.flickr.com/search/?w=all&q=circus+costume&m=text

M

[Gadbury]

Joining a bit late in the game - I was thinking of a magician whos act is kind of a voodoo theme - Trying to add more voodoo and less pimp...

[Eofn]

@MatejaPetkovic oh you are a total star! Thank you so much! ^_^

@Mr. Gadbury Veeerry nice! Defiantly getting the voodoo vibe! Kinda reminds more more of a voodoo lion tamer then magician :P

[Gadbury]

Funny you say that Elixy, I was thinking that too. I think its the stuff that looks like rope in his hand - Originally it was meant to be hair

[CupcakeNinja]

I've decided to go with a Vampire Illusionist. She obviously needs to kill to survive and the Cirque allows her to move from place to place with ease.

Epic..absolutely.epic

[Onique]

http://wwwatch.org/web/images/other/wip8.jpg

[Eofn]

@Onique AH! Much much better! The character now pops. Would be nice to see some more detail in the costume if possible!

@Mr. Gadbury in that case you have to change him to that now :P I would personally love to see a voodoo controlled lion or tiger at his command!

[Zantillia]

Elixy That leg is just! :heart: I think the hair feels a little flat now, maybe too simple for an illusionsit, but that's just my opinion.

Onique I like the concept and the coloring, the way she's twisting her torso is odd me thinks...

[Gadbury]

Dayum, you got some awesome ideas, might have to give him a zombie lion!

[reimaru]

Onique, love her hair and face! I think the shadows must be much deeper
Elixy, thats it! Now I'm fuuly enjoing her legs! But the previous face I liked better cuz it was more in the mood

[LibertineM]

Some really fantastic pieces in here, I think I'm learning just by observing the WPI's progress. I will upload my WIP tonight, my guy had a deadline and needed the machine for the last few evenings.
I took Elixy's advice and changed the arm poses, she looks more balanced/counterbalanced now.
I think I was being lazy with the costume and I have added more of an Indian/Asian influence as the specified era was heavily influenced by the British Empire expansion. I couldn't draw much over the last few days so I researched!

[buffichar]

Azul the fire-eater

[madhatter106]

madhatter106 he NEEDS a slanted bowler hat! Give him that slightly, clockwork orange maddness :P The idea of a clown prostitute is an awesome one, truly inspired!

I thought the same thing when I was working on this last night. I am tempted to go the way of the hat, but it would ruin the symmetry of his diabolical spit curls resting on his forehead...we'll see.

Second this, also i would like to see some exaggerated make up, like transvestite usually have. I think it will add more to this idea

As for the makeup, I am deliberately trying to avoid the feminization; I didn't want to go down the road that this clown/male prostitute was peddling wares as a transvestite, or even with any sort of feminization...

Couple comments -

Onique - there's something about the hair that is not sitting right with me, in relation to the little hat she is wearing. Can't quite put my finger on it...I'd also jazz up her costume a little bit - needs sequins or patterns or patches, or something. The inclusion of the spats is a great touch. The exposed leg just screams torns stockings and garters...

Mr. Gadbury - I like the voodoo direction this is going; you could even do a Baron Samedei (spelling?) inspired makeup.

[Ruri]

What an awesome thread!

NZOB1: Fantastic idea.

silarvalla: Nice style!

Elixy: Love the pose, angle and the softness of the lines. I'd put a huge blood splatter around her mouth and neck but that's just how I roll.

Mr. Gadbury: Awesome idea, and I love the Baron Samedi look. Maybe add some more skeleton imagery into his clothes?

Here's where I'm at:

[Gadbury]

Update on mine, starting to add some lions (thanks to Elixy's suggestions)

[Crumbelievable]

Moving a bit slow this week. Need to work on hands and feet more.

[MatejaPetkovic]

Great Mr. Gadbury,

M

[JessiBean]

<3 you guys are awesome

Trying to chip away at this
Hopefully the weekend has lots of painting time

1182914

[Ashgrieve]

First time posting art in a long time.

I won't lie, some of the art around here is so good it's slightly intimidating. :)


I went with a human marionette/suspension theme.

On reflection I think it all turned out a little bit more boring than I hoped, I think I should have tried a more dynamic pose. Ah well, something to remember for next time.

[PxelSlayer]

Done...ish.
Meh.
:dur:

[madhatter106]

I don't think I can take this one any further; wish I had more time to work on it this weekend...posting here, as well as the final burning thread...

This is going to be a killer round, I'm looking forward to seeing all these perverted deviants together under one tent... ;)

[MatejaPetkovic]

I'm looking forward to seeing all these perverted deviants together under one tent... ;)

Well said.... :)

M

[macimovic]

Hi everybody! I'm following chow for a long time yet I haven't participated until now. I've seen some really fantastic entries so far.

Entering a bit late so I hope I'll be able to finish it.

She's gonna be a rather sadistic tamer (of beast or humans)

[MatejaPetkovic]

ok this is fin, + with second one i had fun(somebody suggested i should do it in sepia, so here it is)
http://i212.photobucket.com/albums/cc179/sqezavela/Elephantman10.jpg

http://i212.photobucket.com/albums/cc179/sqezavela/ElephantMan-final.jpg

Nice start Milice ;)

M

edit: here is one beautiful detail
http://i212.photobucket.com/albums/cc179/sqezavela/ElephantMan-detail.jpg

[Fernando Soares]

This Chow have already became very Inspiring, with a lot of great design, points of view and very distinct techniques. Soon I'm gonna post my entry with the Wip (had some connection problems this week =/

Mr. Gadbury : Man I really liked the Voodoo Idea, looks awesome with the topic.
MatejaPetkovic: Dude your work is awesome, this last image looks like a real picture, congratulations.
Elixy:Nice choice of character Background it fits with the theme and nice pose too, it reflect the bohemian nature of the vampires XD.

[tsad]

hi all! :D
-late start again. not sure if i can finish this one. again.. but ill try :teeth:
so heres some wip of the fishman/thief

1183123 1183124

[Sgt. Spanky]

WIPs

http://www.cybrscot.com/images/xtra/mystere1.jpg http://www.cybrscot.com/images/xtra/mystere2.jpg http://www.cybrscot.com/images/xtra/mystere3.jpg http://www.cybrscot.com/images/xtra/mystere4.jpg

[Tamarin]

Started painting over the sketch today.

[KittyKaida]

mm, trying to grasp the colors and mood of the thing, what do you guys think? my hubby really likes it, which is a good thing lol

contrast and saturation are turned way up too, so I could see if things look right..

[MasterTroglodyte]

Ah JessiBean — I've already said too much... I just really want to say more but I think I'll go from fanboy to stalker, so... LOVE IT. There. I'm done.
MatejaPetkovic — Both are great but I love the scoring and creases on the sepia version! Kudos!
I still have A LONG WAY to go on this so it may not get done... Still learning...

[Rhdnor]

Excellent attempts all round. I shan't be participating this week because my son is teething again and I haven't slept all week. Jessibean, MTroglodyte, Ruri, hunchback, Pxelslayer and Madhatter are personal favourites.

[madhatter106]

tsad - great mood - the messy, painterly touch you're using adds a strange sense of decay to the picture...almost as if I can smell rotten seafood when I look at it...

JessiBean - the inclusion of the elephant and the angle from which you've chosen to portray this character are really great; I am looking forward to seeing where you take this.

PxelSlayer - the thing I like about yours, apart from the eerie moody lighting, is that it creates a double-take when I look at it. At first, I ask myself if the little figure is his puppet; and then I think it's just another figure sitting on his knee; and then I say, "oh gross, is it like his conjoined twin, growing out of his leg?" And then I get creeped out even more. Very sinister, you've managed to really keep true to the brief.

Tamarin - the front-fall breeches are a nice touch.

KittyKaida - the trick with footlights is that they have a habit of giving a huge wash of light from the front - so you wouldn't end up with hugely dramatic light and shadow - you would just have a huge flood of light from the front/sides, depending on how the thrust of the stage is shaped.

MasterTroglodyte - I think I liked the earlier pose you used - maybe it's just that he's on a white background in your most recent version, and not leaning against anything (yet), but it's a little jarring. The added touch of the knife is a gruesome touch - it's as if he's leaning against a circus wagon, and muttering "you lookin' at me?" to the townies that pass by...

[roycebleh]

shoot i'm actually finished with mine but then didn't take into account the 1920s setting so here it is. should i still post it to the finals thread tho? what do you think?

http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a315/roycebleh/chow2352.jpg

[ArtByManon]

MatejaPetkovic - AMAZING. looks so great with the photo round it - although sadly takes away a lot of the detail... but it works!!

[loulabella]

So I haven't been doing digital art for very long, but I'm really quite proud of this image for far, I've only just started adding the greyscale lighting. I would love to have some feedback or advice. :)

[MatejaPetkovic]

Yeah, you win some and you loose some :). I was studying old sepia photos, and there was, almost in all of them, blur that was noticeable, so i also put it. This "old photo" look was just fun experiment, thanks anyway

M

[macimovic]

update

[pauscorpi]

so many awesome entries, great job, guys!

I bit late, but as far as inspiration for horror circus goes , I recommend this movie: Santa Sangre..

zJjXq6oj7Tg

[Eofn]

My Vampire Illusionist finished lineart. Onto the colour now. I really hope I finish but i came down with tonsillitis yesterday and i really dont feel so good.

[Parsakoira]

elixy, looks real nice, one thing though, looks like her torso is misplaced, i think you should try shifting it more to the right! keep at it!

[Afekay]

MatejaPetkovic> Good sense of detail, your character is believable and comes to life.

[macimovic]

Coloring stage. i thought I'd leave it B&W though...

[Eofn]

wow colouring is so much more fun when you sort out the values first! When I look back, I can't believe how bad my first attempt was :S Thank the lord of video tutorials!

[Gadbury]

Small update on mine, not sure how much more I'll be able to do before tomorrow

[Fernando Soares]

Here goes my character, she is the Invulnerable Woman, in her show she can be shot and dont die, but she has only 24 hours to seduce a man and bring him to Death to exchange his soul for hers. The first idea she was an assassin/knife thrower but during the painting I changed my mind.

Couldn't post during the first stages because I had some problems with the internet =/

Here she goes (sketch and wip)
C&C always welcome.
XD

[Eofn]

I think I've probably pushed this as far as I can with my current abilities. So I will call it done and move on :)

@Parsakoira I played around with shifting the torso but when I moved it it didn't seem to line up with the leg :S Although after you pointed it out you're right, there does seem to be something 'off centre' about it.

[macimovic]

Elixy, really cool atmosphere. Love the purple cards :3

[ArtByManon]

Its not circus, but its very dark and incredible animation.... wish i could have joined in on this folks..

http://vimeo.com/17914974

[Sgt. Spanky]

Its not circus, but its very dark and incredible animation.... wish i could have joined in on this folks..

http://vimeo.com/17914974

That...was...FANTASTIC!

The animation was superb and the design was stellar. I can't help but wonder if the look of the piece was influenced at least partially by the work of Gris Grimly.

Thanks for sharing that.

[ArtByManon]

Amazing huh....