C.O.W. - #005: Symbiotic predators - VOTING!!!

[Fozzybar]

ROUND #005 VOTING

Topic: Symbiotic predators

Deadline for the voting: Monday, 14.03.2005

Posting thread (closed):
http://www.conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?t=39491







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coondoggle:
concept: The gentle natured Plains Jumper lays its eggs in the burrow nests of the aggressive Grey Split-Tailed Weaver Vole. While carnivorous, PJs are unable to kill their prey, they are far too playful. Send a PJ into the savannah alone and you will find him/her playing karate chop fake out or poker with it's would be dinner. By laying eggs in the Weaver Vole burrow nests the PJ parent ensures it's offspring to bond with a surrogate Weaver Vole parent, who becomes a life partner with the surviving PJ young. Weaver Voles attach themselves to their offspring by rolling grasses into ropes which lash one to the other. In the Weaver Vole PJ partnership the PJ provides quick escape for the Weaver Vole as he/she grows. An awkward three legged race of sorts. The PJ also provides the speed necessary to get close to prey easily. The Weaver Vole naturally secretes a sword-like hair on it's third birthday. It jowels this hair to keep it sharp and constanly coated in reconstuctive fluids, which are also slightly toxic. Pouncing from their hiding place the PJ will often use a wide swinging kick to provide power for the Weaver Vole's sword swing. The Weaver Vole aims for the neck or belly of an animal and with luck a quick clean kill provides the two with dinner. Etiquette on the savannah states that whom ever landed the killing blow eats first. This partnership is a pretty sweet deal for the Weaver Vole, who only invested a short period of rearing time to the PJ.
http://www.dougbot.com/forum/katySymb.jpg
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Helzon:
concept: Anatomy: The Deathmask comprised of the:
a) Marshland Dusk Dog and
b) Arboreal Shade Claw
Within the rotted boles of banyan trees the female Spine-sliver Deathmask prepares a cavernous burrow.
The female Marshland Dusk Dog will give birth first to a discreet number of "pups" that coincides with the number within the Arboreal Shade Claw's clutch.
The Shade Claw has the uncanny ability to hold it's eggs intra-uterine to within 24 hours of hatching. The female Shade Claw will climb the inside of the banyan tree and proceed to leave her clutch adhered to the inside wall by way of a mucousal membrane.
After which she will die along with her Dusk Dog counterpart.
Nonetheless the pups still have access to a thick and near pasty milk that is rich in vitamins and immuno suppressive compounds. These compounds are critically important as the symbiote needs to "accept" it's partner without inflaming either immune system and thus causing rejection of tissues and sudden onset death.
After the Shade Claw hatching, the entire brood will descend to the burrow floor.
Coupling:
The Shade Claw hatchling will nestle itself along a channeled ridge that already exists along the back of the pup. Over the next hour the hatchling will secrete a mild form of acid that will "erode" a soft gelatinous membrane, exposing briefly the spinal column of the Dusk dog and allow the coupling to take place.
Once married, the newly formed Deathmasks will feast for upwards of a week upon the remains of their parents. Thereafter, they will migrate from their burrow, eventually venturing to open grassy plains.
Noteworthy aspects:
The jaw. It is a scissoring geometry where grooves in the Shade Claw half bypass the crushing jaws of the Dusk Dog which can result in a five to seven kilo removal of material and any bones are splintered to digestible portions.
Illustrated Example:
a) A long hollowed recurved shaft that acts as a conduit for a ganglian nerve cluster is inserted at a posterior duct of the Dusk dog this gives the adrenal control to the Shade Claw half.
b) The eye itself is thought to have a capability of seeing not only normal visible spectrum but also the "near infrared"....the barbed end is inserted into an anterior duct where an optic nerve fiber taps into the Dusk Dog nervous system.
c) The male scent/reproductive sac. Here it would be noted that the sac emits a greasy, foul smelling liquid that is easily detectible many kilometers off.
Comments: It should be noted that not much has been said here of the attributes of the Dusk Dog...however, a spotted dun colored coat that blends well with it's surroundings, the honed sense of smell that can detect prey hundreds of meters off and the digestive capability of dissolving hooves make the Spine-Sliver Deathmask quite a formidable symbiotic predator.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v283/Helzon/Spine-sliver2.jpg
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dougbot:
concept: The Ash Stalker of Oroboros is two predators combined into one. The Astriche attaches itself to the Slendrich at a very young age. Then the tendrils of the Astriche puncture the skin of the Slendrich where it can feed off of the Slendrich's ingested food. The Astriche seems parasitic, but in fact is symbiotic.
The two sunned Oroboros is named for the high altitude storm raging above it. A mixture of ash (the planet is heavily volcanic) and clouds circles most of the center of the planet keeping it in almost constant darkness. The Astiche uses its bio-luminescence to attract creatures to the Slendrich, which then kills and eats its prey. Both Astriche and Slendrich are able to get enough nutrition from a kill to sustain both of them.
Also the Astriche provides protection for the Slendrich due to its tough spiny skin, and poisonous secretions. The agile Slendrich gives the Astriche speed and power that it wouldn't have to both catch prey and escape other predators.
http://www.dougbot.com/forum/COW05.jpg
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JoBeSu:
concept: The Witherock brute is adicted to the Rootmonkeys howling..like heroin for humans
and the Howling Rootmonkey obvious is protected by the Witherock brute..no Rootmonkey no howling.
The Rootmonkey starts his life upsidedown with his head roots in the ground,The Witherockbrute
finds the Rootmonkey and drags them up from the ground..and they live their Symbiotic friendship rest of thier lifes.
http://jobesu.se/ForumPost/SymbioticMonster.jpg
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DSillustration:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v704/DSillustration/pred-final3.jpg
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Matt Dixon:
concept:The Dogscrobbler is a rampant carnivore with such dreadful flatulence that it's prey can smell ( and hear ) their approach over long distances. How fortunate then, that the Pink Snuffler's primary source of nourishment should be warm methane. Young Dogscrobblers take up residence inside the rubbery body of a Pink Snuffler during complicated pairing rituals conducted on rainy Tuesdays in April and begin a relationship that will usually last for many years. The Dogscrobbler is able to hunt effectively with the sounds and odours of it's digestive system contained by the tightly-fitting body of it's symbiotic friend, while the Pink Snuffler is provided with a plentiful supply of nutritious gas to enjoy. Phrrrt.
http://www.vortex.plus.com/COW05.jpg
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Prometheus|ANJ:
concept: The catapult slugs originally fed on cadavers, this because they were too slow to hunt prey, being slugs and all. It's unknown if they formed the symbiotic relationship because of their relatively high intelligence, or if that came later as a product of being predators.
The 'pitcher' has four long eyestalks giving it excellent stereoscopic vision. Although not particulary fast, it makes it up by being silent and stealthy. The eyes are often used as periscope when hiding in vegitation.
The 'muerde' (named by its first unfortunate mexican victim) is carried on the pitcher's tail 'spoon'. Once a prey is selected, the muerde is launced into a surprisingly accurate trajectory. When it lands on the prey it sinks its needle sharp teeth into it and injects a dissolving venom.
Minutes later, the prey is dead and can be digested by the symbiotic predators.
http://itchstudios.com/psg/misc4/catapult.jpg
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Bretton:
concept: The Death-kiss snake is a quick fangless small mouthed snake who can kill with a single kiss from it's poison lips. It's mouth is so small however, that it cannot ingest what it kills.
The Red-faced Hunch-beast has a large body that is much to heavy for it's thin legs to carry for further then a few yards before falling down. This makes him useless against anything that can move faster than a sloth.
Obviously without the teamwork of these two animals they would both be long extinct by now. The long Death-kiss snake lays in wait inside the Hunch-beasts stomache until the stomache contracts signaling to the snake that prey is near.At the signal the snake quickly springs from the beast's stomache, hopefully managing to plant tulips on their prey. The snake retracts into the stomache and waits for his easy-to-swallow, predigested meal.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v16/bretton/smpred003.jpg
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Shamagim:
concept: Thakarah/ Caphinian
For a long time, the Thakarah was the moust devastating predator on the planet, his audition is enhanced by the large membranes around his head, with those he can sense irregular vibrations, along with his olfaction he knows where the food is, even if is miles away...Also, this creature as an armored exoeskeleton made of chitin in his vital areas, in other areas he deposit fluids to keep him walking on the vast desert.
Well good thing dont last forever.....over time, the other species that were once the pray for this beast became faster, and, to make it even harder on the Thakarah, he became slower( he started to keep to much fluid betwen his armor, and the need for it didnt diminish)...
Another story is the one of the Caphinian, this creature was know as "the cave lurker", but the intelligent and dominant species started to raid the caves looking for water, pushing the Caphinian feeding grounds away every time, this creature didnt possesed any of the common senses we know ( such as audition, vision, etc) intead it haves a short ranged thermoception, thats because it is an ambush predator. Despite being faster than moust animals, the Caphinian overheated after 30 seconds of maximun speed running, this is because his muscles make 4 times the effort that normal muscles do...
Well this creatures were doomed as they were, so the caphinians started to sneak in the Thakarah´s spinacles ( wish did looked like a cave, and did have enought space and warmt to keep the caphinians comfortable) and then, as theThakara went where the food was, so did the Caphinians( using the Thakarahs as trailer homes ) from there, everytime they find the pray, the Thakaras would take the caphinian close enought to slay moust of the herd ( from the front to the last row), and then the Thakarah would eat the remainings of the hunt, and in case of a larger pray, the caphinian would slow the praw down, and the thakarah would kill it, and eat moust of it, leaving the remains to the Caphinians........
http://www.sledgehammerproductions.net/image/symbioticcritters.jpg
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JeffZNY:
concept: The Fuzzwunk is a ferocious hunter, however as a practical joke, God created him with a fine set of gums absent of any teeth. Thankfully, the hammerhead pig-snout is a creature equally screwed, gifted with huge teeth and an even larger appetite, but cursed with a scrawny body unable to support its own massive head. Together, the pair are proof positive that natural selction is a farse invented by scientists to sell text books. booya.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v470/JeffZNY/symbiotesjeffzny.jpg
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stormeffex:
concept: The vapor hound travels the plains of the sulfuric region. It is capable of thriving in such a inhospitable place due to its symbiotic relationship with the sac bug. The sac bug attaches itself to the head of the hound and acts as a gas mask for the hound. By breathing in the sulfuric gas, the sac bug seperates the oxygen particles and releases the toxic stuff through the pores of its dorsal side. Because the sac bug covers the whole head, the bug uses its 16 eyes to navigate the hound around. The hound can travel freely in this region and does most of its hunting on the plains where ample prey awaits. Besides processing oxygen, the sac bug also leeches nutrients from food and disperses it to the hound after its needs are met. Seeing as though its food consumption is relatively low, the hound gets plenty for himself.
http://stu.aii.edu/~th361/sympredators_fin.jpg
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Sapphire:
concept: This is the much-feared Hyacen Breather, a creature that locals worship and fear as a demon of the underworld, who lies in wait for prey to pass by, enormous bulk hidden behind outcroppings of rock or behind thick brush. It tends to live in lower altitudes and at the edges of clearings and valleys where the forest ends. It is uncertain when the synthesis was formed, but it was thought that the Breather was once an aquatic creature, and the Hyacen that live in its belly served another, nonpredatory function.
The small, venemous hyacen are expelled from a specialized chamber in the breather's belly, which breeds and insulates the tiny creatures. A special coat of hair and fat keep the chamber safe and at the correct temperature, especially since the breather's belly often drags on the ground during motion. Once pray is sensed with the tiny sensory organs that line the creature's body, a stream of hyacen are released onto the victim, where each individual attaches itself with hollow spines and pumps a one-shot dose of necrotoxin that begins to digest the pray within seconds. The breather then can enjoy its liquified meal, using its four-pronged mouth to suck out the innards. Once the individual hyacin releases its venom, however, it remains clasped to the victim, and due to the temperature change, dies. However, the nutrients from the dead are used to create food for the newly-hatched hyacen in the breather's belly, and the cycle of life continues. They get a place to live and food from the expended individuals, while the breather gets a highly efficient pre-digestive system.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v35/Sapphire8400/hyacen.jpg
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prostate sunrise:
concept: The HessFeeder of the Terorian Deeps is a strange yet fascinating creature. Large and powerful, due to a quirk in evolution of its kind it is unable to digest but the most diluted of nutrients. In its youth it mainly strains slit on the Deeps floor, sucking out microbs for food. To survive into its full poltential as an adult young HessFeeder's must find a colony of Terrian Worms.
Terrian Worms are mostly known for their ability to ejaculate a very powerful toxin, when used in concert, can effectively destroy most creatures attemping to harm one of their sprawling colonies. Terrian Worms reproduce in an annual mating ritual called "HessMess", named after its discoverer, Ron'vi Hess. A huge clould of egg and sperm are lauch into the surrounding water. This attracts many creatures of the Deeps, but most importantly, HessFeeders.
The young Feeder then gulps down a portion of the cloud. Afterwards, not eating the Worm eggs, it hibernates for 9 months. At this time the Feeder awakens and the Worms have hatched and started to build a colony in the mouth and intestinal tract of the Feeder! the relationship is strange, but the benefits are great. HessFeeders can digest bigger, tougher nutirents, using the Worm toxin(which it somehow gains a immunity to while hibernating) while the Terrian Worms gain a mobile colony capable of finding food, instead of being at the mercy of the currents of the Deeps.
HessFeeder's have been known to live long periods of time and have no limit to size, some so long that it has been recorded Terrian Worms of a foot long! Feeder's that are unable to find Terrian Worms end up as lowly bottom dwellers called SlitFeeders.
http://www.kekaikotaki.com/pics/COW.jpg
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Form:
concept: The Shark Mother
In the year 2005, one of the most startling discoveries of all humankind was made off the coast of Sydney, Australia. Marine biologists were investigating a recent surge in the population of white pointer sharks near Australias Great Barrier Reef when a one man submersible happened across this fearful phenomenon.
What the submersible's operator first assumed was a whale began to approach at great speed, and within seconds, it was within a few hundred metres of the craft. What had earlier appeared to be a massive whale was in fact a shark-like creature of immense proportion. Around the stomach and mouth of the creature were gaping holes in the flesh, which were seen to serve as entrances for a teeming multitude of normal sized sharks that swam freely in and around the large shark's toothless mouth.
The operator realised he had come across a truly symbiotic marvel of nature. Seemingly, the large shark, which he termed the shark-mother, was an ancient specimen of shark, long evolved and time worn. In return for its shelter and fast movement, the sharks that lived within its massive mouth cavity would leave the mouth to hunt, and when succesful, would drag their prey back into the mouth where the shark-mother could absorb the nutrients from the hive meal.
Such a beautiful symbiosis was not, however, to be confused with the lethally predatorial nature of the sharks, and as such, on March 6th, 2005, the great natural wonder that was the great barrier reef was declared permanently closed and protected from touristry, fishing, and transit. A costly price to protect one of natures most marvelous creations.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v47/formsketch/Final.jpg
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arteric:
concept: The Rue Ox and the Thayllich
The Freelantus Plains are a harsh environment, plentiful in wildlife but also full of vegetation poisonous to most of it's inhabitants. Here, carnivorous predators rule and the Rolankus is near the top of that food chain. A strong, lean and quick predator well suited for it's environment, the Rolankus is a near perfect specimen.
However, a sudden evolutionary offshoot of the Rolankus, known as the Rue Ox, was almost certainly destined to be a genetic dead end. Unlike it's cousin, the mutated Rue Ox was massively sized and covered in heavily armored bony plates. The Rue Ox was a slower, plodding creature and though nearly unstoppable, it could not keep up with the faster mammalian creatures around it. With the addition of poor eyesight as a result of it's rapid genetic changes, certain extinction seemed near.
Then, an unusual relationship formed between the Rue Ox and the Thayllich, a small, bat-like creature with bioluminescent sacs used for attracting a mate. The Thayllich, though quick, had few places to hide and was low on the food chain at the time, that is until it started using the Rue Ox as a home.
The Thayllich began to burrow into the the Rue Ox's enormous back which, having no nerve endings there, seemed hardly aware of it's new neighbors. The Thayllich had stumbled across a mobile, heavily defended dwelling and was now protected from it's attackers. This, however, ended up being as beneficial to the Rue Ox who was suddenly saved by the Thayllich's unique diet.
The Thayllich's saliva contains a neurotoxin that will render it's prey unconscious. The Thayllich drinks fluids out of the spinal column of it's meal, but leaves the creature alive. Several hours later the prey would normally wake up with a massive headache but otherwise unharmed... that is no longer the case. The Rue Ox, able to see the bright bioluminescence of feeding Thayllichs even with it's poor eyesight, now finds ready-made meals lying about the Plains. The Rue Ox protects the Thayllichs, and they in turn prepare meals for the Rue Ox which was not well suited for catching food on it's own.
The Rue Ox and the Thayllich are now the most effective hunting combination on the Freelantus Plains, and both are living quite well.
http://tinypic.com/21d5kg
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Scarn:
concept: The Prairie Korj or the Bull of Sev'Era, is a herbivourus predator, easily intimidated by anything larger than itself. It could be found ramming large rocks, or trees simply because it believes them to be a threat, and because of this mistake, many of the Korj have literally rammed their own heads into a bloody mush.
The Turok birds known for their high pitched scream and incredibly short supply of energy, teamed up with the Korj to warn them of possible threats, keeping the animal from impaling itself on a spire, or extending tree branch, and in return the korj kills the possible predator allowing the Turok birds to claim the feast.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v639/Scarn/COW5.jpg
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Pantmonger:
concept: The Scented Lure Frog
This symbiotic relationship starts when the seeds from a lumdas plant falls on the moist top of the a purple backed frog. Here it takes root drawing nutrients from the frog as it grows, until it quickly flowers. It is at this point that the mutually beneficial part of their arrangement commences. The smell and appearance of the flower attracts insect to it with the promise of sweet nectar and the frog can consume its mobile buffet at leisure, drastically increasing the effectiveness of this otherwise lazy predator. As for the plant, well the healthier the frog the richer the ‘ground’ is and the plant flourishes.
http://www.pantmonger.com/concept/lure_frog.jpg
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Ptree3:
concept: My basic concept was a beast type creature that hunts with the aid of some blood sucking leech type creatures which help to weaken the prey. The beast feeds on the meat of the prey and the leeches on the blood, so there is no competition between the two.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v350/ptree303/sym.jpg
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Exo:
concept: This is a pair of aquatic creatures; male and female. The female's body consists of a hard shell that can displace it's self with jet propulsion much like a squid does. The Male has a soft elastic body that's mostly defenseless except for the strong tentacles which are covered with thousands of nearly microscopic venomous barbs. The two, upon reaching sexual maturity, must merge together in order to feed and reproduce, creating a new organism that was at first believed to be one hermaphroditic creature.
http://ndhill.astahost.com/img/squid.jpg
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vigostar:
concept: The BULLRHINO
During WW2 Japanese scientists dicovered a way to combine the genes of two great land animals, the bull and the rhino. Dr.Hirosaka discovered that when combining the genes of both the bull and the rhinoceros it created a sibiotic predator not found in either the bull nor the rhino. This man made creature had all the features of both bull and rhino and carried the characteristics of the animals but, hightened them 100x the aggresiveness and temperment of the bull the sheer brute strength of the rhino with its thick skin now almost impenetrable armor and armed with FOUR horns for offensive purposes. These creatures were bred in order to the be the new strength the Japanese needed in order to win the war. On the final days the program was to be fully completed and armed with over 500 Bullrhinos the Japanese testing facility was hit with the second nuclear bomb. thus, ending the war and the BULLRHINO.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v402/vigostar/bullrhino.jpg
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strych9ine:
concept: Only the second unicorn to ever come into existence, the blood unicorn was born from the flesh of the original slayed creature of myth. The regenerative quality of the blood of the original creature has since been perverted, drawing the life out of the flesh of any lifeform in it's path in order to feed it's insatiable hunger. This unholy patchwork of mythical flesh exists for one purpose only; to become one with all living beings.
The blood has taken on an morbid seperate life of it's own, amalgamating the flesh and bones of the dead with the blood of the living. It continually flows from the earth beneath the blood unicorn's hooves, draining all life in it's path. The skull of the first unicorn forever floats near the hooves of the current incarnation, a constant reminder that the days of purity and good are over.
http://www.codytilson.com/9ine/9ine-COW5.jpg
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0kelvin:
concept: The Trundling Behemoth is an enormous mountain dwelling creature. Being far too slow and clumsy to hunt prey and far too large to forage, the Trundling Behemoth has developed an interesting method of collecting food. It spends weeks climbing to the highest point of a mountain it can reach and searching for a suitable slope. Once it finds the optimal position (they are known to be very picky and indecisive), it tips itself over and rolls down the hill, cutting a swath through the trees and crushing hundreds of animals (mainly small rodents) in the process. The Behemoth's underdeveloped arms are not suited to feeding itself, which is where the Shovelbeaked Mountain Goose comes in. The Goose uses its uniquely shaped beak to scrape the animal carcasses off the Behemoth's body and drop them into the Behemoth's mouth. There is more than enough food left over for the geese to live off of for some time. The Behemoth will spend the next few months getting back onto his feet, at which time he will begin the process again.
http://www.whereismyeyeball.com/images/CA/COW/COW5.jpg
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Jull:
concept: Matagore turtle once had an air sack in its shell hump, for being more time inside the water, but it developed a better respiratory system, so the hump evolved to disappear until a certain point, where the Longinergy electric eel started an symbiotic relation with Matagore, taking advantage of the cavity of its (now empty) hump cavity in order to protect his weak point (a gland in its mouth) since there are some predator fishes that stalk Longinergy, and spite some kind of projectiles directed to its weak point. So, Matagore offers protection, and Longinergy offers an extra impulse for swim, and an easy way to get food with little resistance.... electrocuting their prey.
http://photobucket.com/albums/v162/zafio/forum/cow/jull_cow_005.jpg
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Arri.:
concept: The basic dieta of this symbiotic creatures are the venomus birds.The way they hunt their preys is the same as fhisermans do.The ratarous cegatus is blind and is used by the Acardopterious predatours as bait. The Acardopterious predatoursis hiden under the earth and with his powerful skill for detec other creature hormones is turned up suddenly seizing the prey whit his jaws.If The ratarous cegatus is killed is the end of this cooperation...somethimes the Acardopterious predatours blinded by the hunger has eaten his partner.
http://img207.exs.cx/img207/3968/mostruo019bc.jpg
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Jokisalo:
concept: Emaquatos: Flower looking predator. Lurkes in water, half of it are under water and half on water. That part what looks like flower is actually his mouth, it's just looking like flower to attract attention of vegetarians. Thats it's way to hunt. Creature can move on water way it wants and symbiot just flows with the creature. Symbiot gets food and place to grow up and Emaquatos can use his symbiot as attraction to enemys and planting his seeds on it and so protect it's sort's future.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v333/Jokisalo/sketchbook/Symbiotic-predators.jpg
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leckronium:
concept: This not-so-dynamic-yet-efficient duo is a good example of a companionship that can be found in swamps and wet wildlife habitats. The Venus Flytrap ( Droseraceae Salisb: Dionaea: muscipula) attaches itself to the shell of a slow moving turtle and grows to maturity, producing flowers that attract a wide variety of insects. These insects provide food for both the plant and turtle. Most of the time the turtle is unaware of what is going on but would you complain if something kept dropping food in front of you as payment for a ride? It has also been said that the plant has even figured out how to control the turtle and steer where it wants to go by dangling a meal in front of the turtle's head. Most cases studied of this type of relationship showed very large and healthy turtles that live to very old ages and of course bugless swamps.
http://home.comcast.net/~leckronium/onlinestorage/symbiosis3.jpg
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duddlebug:
concept: Vernon and Fluff: "Hey Vern... i think we got a stopper"
Vernon is a Bear.
Fluff is a pink rabbit.
Vernon needs fluff to attract passing motorists and little kids on picnics. He likes the way they taste.
Fluff needs Vernon to protect him from the other creatures of the forest who like the taste of bunny, men with big rifles who wanna make some nice pink slippers for their wives, kids who think he looks 'kinda cute' and lady rabbits who like the cut of his jib.
So only Vernon is technically a predator. But he needs Fluff. Who'd stop their car for a fierce lookin' hungry bear with a knife and fork in the middle of the night?? But what driver could resist a lonely lookin' pink rabbit desperately hitchin' a ride in the dark of the night?? Could ya? Huh? HUh?
And Fluff needs Vernon. Or he'd be slippers. Or lunch.
http://duddlebug.co.uk/cgtalk_images/VernAndFluf.jpg
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grimmy:
concept: The murderous and insane deaf dumb and blind “stabber”, and its symbiotic Para sympathetic co-exister the “princess” beast. The Princess yelps excitedly and jumps up and down on the stabbers head when she sees prey. Then the stabber kills everything in front of it.
http://www.trevorgrimshaw.com/uploads/Pwincess.jpg
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Gloklund:
concept: Findilian Island Leviathan
The Findilian Island Leviathan is the oceans largest predator. The symbiotic relationship it shares with the Maggenorial Solar Worm is one of nature’s most highly successful acts of Mutualism.
The Worms themselves are attached to the massive creature through a series of rock-like "bore tubes" in which the worms inject their pincer-like tails into the sea beast’s circulatory system. The shear mass of the leviathan is the result of the Solar Worms ability to absorb the suns rays and create a seemingly constant food supply for the Leviathan. The downside to this is that the worms do not store this energy for themselves, so in order for them to survive the Leviathan feeds on the oceans second largest sea creature, the Blue Whale. The high content of fat that is ingested from eating the whale is then passed on to the worms for survival.
http://rhinohidestudios.com/images/island%20leviathan.jpg
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Xpose:
concept: Nature is a very very cruel thing... The Great Painted Ape, named so due to it's colorful skin and fur, is a sweet gentle herbivore that lives deep in the Jungle. The apes favorite plants grow in the swamps of the rain forests. Unfortunately, this is also where the Tiger Sarbs breed. Tiger Sarbs are parasitic creatures. They disguise themselves as just another plant and when The Great Painted Ape walks by to get some it grasps on to it's leg with it's spiny tentacles. Putting a death gripe on it and injecting toxins that knock the ape out. When the ape awakes it feels a horrid pain on it's back and is really confused. It doesn't know that the Tiger Sarb has dug it's way under the skin of it's back and nested. The Tiger Sarb uses it's toxins and tentacles to attack the spinal cord and the brain which turns the gentle creature into a savage blood thirsty beast. The Tiger Sarb sucks the nutrients out of the blood of the ape just leaving him enough to survive. When the life is almost completely gone out of the ape the Tiger Sarb makes it extremely Thirst for water. The Great Ape returns to the waters where it got fooled and the Tiger Sarb rips out of the back leaving whats left of the Great Painted ape to die while it lays eggs and fertilizes others.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v294/xpose/drawings/symproject.jpg
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BIG BRUTICUS:
http://tinypic.com/21etcn
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[Fozzybar]

OK - before voting/posting read this!!!

1. Please give c&c or a reason why you voted for the image!

2. Feel free to comment on any or all entries, the artists will appreciate it!



NOTE:

I have the flu since last wednesday...today it was the first day on the pc again...i DID NOT read the concepts, because it's too taxing right now, so it MIGHT BE that some entries are not fitting by concept...i just copied and pasted everything together - this takes about 1 hour anyway...so it's up to you this time to filter the entries before voting...

[Dougbot]

I voted for JoBeSu because that entry was awesome. Great description too. It was a tough one though. Matt Dixon's made me laugh and was executed to his normal perfection. Protrate Sunrise's was super cool too, and I'm glad he did one. Same goes for Coondoggle's, who's entery was hilarious. Prometheus once again does something amazingly cool. Shamagim, what a cool ass idea, it'd be super creepy to see in a film. Overall excellent work by everyone, wish I had time to comment on everyone's pic.

[Scarn]

I voted for Okelvin - simply because I loved the art and idea.

[Shamagim]

Well i must say that the best 2 in my opinion are the pics made by doutbot and strych9ine, but i ended up voting for strych9ine because of the very original idea, despite of dealing with scientific concepts he still managed to make the fantasy related, and the work is awesome as well, but not as good as douthbot, i must say i was really impresed by the colorin and design that douthbot did in his pic, and he still posted as one of the first.

( Well i was confident on my pic, and thought i could get some votes, but i guess i will make a better one next time ^_^)

Love the work here, good job everyone:cheerleader::cheerleader::cheerleader:

[Matt Dixon]

My vote went to Dougbot. It's a great image and, while a couple of other entries might have had more interesting / original concepts, Doug's pic and description came together really well ( once again ) to give a strong, very engaging feel for the creature and it's habitat. I love the idea of the Ash Stalker scuttling across the ash fields beneath raging storms. Cooooool.

I did an honourable mentions list, but it included just about everyone, so you'll just have to make do with a group hug. *squeeeeeeeeeze*

( We need one of those little saluting smilies with 'COW' on his flag... )

[Helzon]

Voted for dougbot...well executed on all levels(anatomy, comp, lighting, use of color and shading...etc..)...it was a hellaciously tight piece...

Mentions...
JeffZNY: Dude...move over Sesame Street...give me Hemlock Ave! or wherever your creature calls home.....Cater to your laziness?...dude..I appreciate the nudge...the exposition was way too long...and much too involved..I have to learn how to keep it down to merely a novella..:)

JoBeSu:Gotta love that brushwork...damn...simply amazing..and in terms of "Brute"..no prob..my pleasure to help...

Prostate Sunrise:the technique you employed to make the HessFeeder jump off the page..killer...

Stormeffex:the piece screams dynamism....I think the concept is phenomenal as well...blisteringly fine work...

But let me also say that everyone gets points in my book just for having the huevos to submit a piece....Awesome work here...simply awesome!
Cheers!

[vigostar]

Ok, guys and gals.. Great work all around. I must admit that it was very difficult to decid. Ultimatley, I chose DUGBOT's Alien symbiote. I just love the way he created and rendered the image. Special mentions to....
Form- I realy, liked your creature.. Very well thought out, nice colors, and the simplicity behind it rocks!

Strych9ine- Love that fantastical unicorn!

Prostate sunrise- always a pleasure to see what you come up with...

Arri- great colors and mood... Glad to see that you finished it..

Jokisalo- special points awarded for thinking totally outside the box!

Jobesu- Great heart warming discription

Leckronium- Gotta love that turtle.!

duddlebug- that was some pretty funny shiznit.. And cute at the same time!

Expose- I love your discription.

Big Bruticus- cool looking creature

okelvin- your work makes me :teeth:

Gloklund- great i dea. Reminds me off a dinosaur!

Stormeffex- I like that idea of that sac thing! I feel bad for that creature though.. All that gas!@!

Sapphire- Another well thought out discription... Would have love to see some color though!

Arteric- I Always look foward to seeing what you have created. always extremely well thought out.. U have a great imagination.

Scarn- I like the way you did those scales

pantmonger- great combo of animal and plant.. Very interesting and believable

ptree3- that doggy looks scarrrrrry

EXO- wish you would have invested a bit more time in this... looks like a skull?

Dixon- great as always

prometheus- very odd thing you have there...

Bretton- I really like this.. Reminds me of the cat in the hat for some reason.

Shamagin- thats freaking cool as shit- Reminds me of TREMORS..

JeffNY- that was some funny shit----! I like his bugged out eyes!!! Reminds me of oscar from sesame street!
and if I missed anyone.. I apologize.. I look foward to seeing everyone next week!

[arteric]

My Vote went to Gloklund, the sheer scale was amazing, and the above/below water image was rendered extremely well. In the next day or so I shall sit down and give everyone "Arteric's (Amost) Weekly Upside/Downside Critiques and Comments."

Stay Tuned....

-Eric

[JoBeSu]

Very great work by evryone!
Its a hard decision but my vote goes to Helzon because his done such a tremendous work with both art and explanation.

[strych9ine]

My vote went to the ridiculously beautiful piece by Dougbot. There were so many great pieces to pick from, but damn, this hit hard. The color is just as impressive as the design, nice work dude!

Too many close runners up to note all of them... great round.

[Ostrander]

This thread just gets better and better, I missed seeing some of the art from the "regulars" this week though. (Get well soon Fozzy!) What happened to Oregano, Fungi, Stitchface and Lukavi?
There were a lot of really great pieces this week Brettons creature is truly freaky looking, kinda like a cooked turkey with stilt legs. Powerful image, though I think that the "candy cane" striping of the snake works against the piece. Dougbots was rendered immaculately. Very Moebius, Very cool idea. I also liked Forms concept a lot. (cool to show your steps too btw. You're really improving, keep up the good work.) Arri had a beautiful piece as well. I loved JoBeSu's Rootmonkey concept, that kicks ass. The only downside I felt was that the creature he was riding with looked too much like a dragon. Beautiful painting nonetheless. Arterics piece was very well done, this is a big improvement up from your other work in terms of color and composition, very dramatic lighting. You get my vote.

Awesome work all around to everyone, this was an interesting round, looking forward to the next.

[BIG BRUTICUS]

I voted for leckronium. That turtle is rad!

[Sapphire]

vigostar: Thanks for your comments! I decided not to use color because it might ruin the delicate pencilwork... though it seems to have harmed me this round?

[Bretton]

I voted for Gloklund for a great concept and rendering.


Okelvin - yours made me smile... a lot...

strych9ine - that is the only unicorn i have ever seen that i would not be embarassed to tell someone i liked, sweet rendering too.

jobesu - nice rendering, i really like that rootmonkey

[Xpose]

vigostar: Thanks for your comments! I decided not to use color because it might ruin the delicate pencilwork... though it seems to have harmed me this round?

nah There just wasn't a whole lot of contrast thats all... I really had to look at it to tell what it was. Other than that I liked it.


I voted for stormeffex because I loved the colors, the lighting and the whole concept in general

[Kent Caldwell]

Couple of comments-

Dougbot- Simply awesome, mostly because of the incredible atmosphere you've managed to capture. I can almost hear the thing clanking across the surface. Lighting/ concept is amazing.

Prostate Sunrise- Really like this guy, nice movement in the design and very original.

Ptree3- Your guy had a very nice aesthetic appeal to him, hard to make leeche-like things look good but they do! Very original also....

Arri- Nice concept and composition, really like your style as well....

Duddlebug- The amount of narrative contained within your piece is great- very funny and the scene overall is great. Would love to see this refined in the future looks like a great start.

Those are some of my favorites but there were so many original entries that I had a really tough time narrowing down even my top 5. K that's my 2 cents....

[Form]

Im starting to find dougbot strangely attractive. Well done man, you enticed a vote out of me ;)

[Xpose]

I'd really like a critique though. I didn't get to finish coloring it all the way. I have way over 12 hours in it but I'd like to know how to get better.

[magicgoo]

I like them all and this was a very hard decision. So many are hilarious and cool and soooo well done!

I wound up voting for dougbot, because the pic is cleanly colored and drawn, and the creatures themself are a badass design. Looks very fast and mean, and all of the glowy stuff kicks ass. Also that background is so simple, but really effective in that it fits the mood of the creatures, and makes them stand out.

:D

[brokk]

This round was tough!

JoBeSu, Shamagim, Form, prostate sunrise, Prometheus ANJ, Dougbot, Glokund, stormeffex, I would have given first place to all!
But you can only choose one, and in the end it was Dougbot's piece. Great concept and great execution and presentation.
But the HessFeeder was really really close!

Good work everybody.

[Jull]

Dougbot

all said above...

[leckronium]

I voted for JoBeSu. Everytime I look at the picture I can't help but try to imagine the rootmonkey starting life upside down with it's headroots in the ground ...haha.... crazy idea, nice illustration, good job!.

I demand a follow up illustration! :P

[xia]

Nice one BOT! IT's about time... <3 Doug LOVES it!

[JeffZNY]

Voted for dougie, cause he obviously needed my charity:-P Just kidding...the piece is visually stunning, and my fondness for his skull-bird last week pushed it over the top for me. I see I'm pulling in the big ol' donut...money in the bank!

[mackerman]

wish i had some free time so i could do a round or two...
but until then...

dougbot snags my vote.
basically, it looks really money. (not familiar with money as an adjective, then i suggest you rent the movie Swingers :scribble: ). I believe it sticks to the feel of the topic perfectly and the painting just rocks.

[Kent Caldwell]

Real quick Xspose... with the green face creature of your design... I think the design/ concept is wonderful and execution is very good. What may take it 'to the next level'so to speak is using layers of greens in various shades and throwing in various colors to really texture his skin... rather than just one light, one dark, one highlight. Throwing in blues/ purples in his tusks would help too.

I'm no expert on layering color but it's something you may want to play around with- looking at photoreferences of like fish skin or even something like an iguana and see how many varying colors you can find. Just experiment and take risks....

Damn, I should take my own advice. Anyways, I hope that helps!

[Sapphire]

My vote went to Helzon, because I was extremely impressed by his explanation and the obvious care and planning he took into the concept of the creature. Although Dougbot's rendering is fantastic, I felt like maybe the second creature looked too robotic (just a matter of personal taste). That Helzon even took time to render glands and organs with little tweezers impressed me.

[0kelvin]

I'm not sure who I'm voting for yet, so I'm going to comment on each one and decide at the end!

coondoggle
I like the style. It's refreshingly different. It took me a little while to figure out what was going on though. I think the problem stems from the little guy's head being hard to find. Funny idea!

Helzon
You really went in depth with this (although maybe a bit too much with the description) and it shows. I love the little dissection diagrams on the side.

dougbot
Oh come on, like you need to get your ass kissed any more. One of the top three for sure.

JoBeSu
I love the Rootmonkey. Very, very cool. I really love your stuff. I'm definitely thinking of voting for this one.

DSillustration
Very creepy. Although I'm not sure if it counts as symbiosis if both creatures are from the same species.

Matt Dixon
Hilarious and very well executed.

Prometheus | ANJ
Another favourite I'm really contemplating voting for. The catapult idea is great.

Bretton
I really like the look of the hunch beast. I think Gloklund summed it up nicely with "a cooked turkey with stilt legs."

Shamagim
I love the scale of this piece. The creature really looks huge. It also looks a little flat, though. I almost did something similar but you pulled it off way better than I would've.

JeffZNY
Funny stuff! I think it's a little oversaturated, though. And the background is so busy it detracts from the creatures.

stormeffex
I looks very cool and I like the gasmask idea! My only complaint is that it's a little hard to tell where the sac bug ends and the hound starts.

Sapphire
Very cool. I love the shape of the creature in the profile view. Very nice pencilwork and one of the cooler ideas this week, but I think the lack of colours may end up hurting you in the voting. We're all such colour whores.

prostate sunrise
I really like the look of this guy, especially the mouth. Badass.

Form
Very cool idea, and I liked that you posted your progress.

arteric
I always like reading your concepts, and this one is no exception. Very imaginative! I also like the attention of detail put into the background. I didn't even notice the two moons until just now!

Scarn
The creature looks really good, but the background needs a lot of work.

Pantmonger
I really like the simplicity of this one! Both in the idea and execution.

Ptree3
I like the look of the creature and the leeches. I think his front feet could use some work.

Exo
Cool idea and a creepy looking creature. Like I said for DSIllustration, I don't know if it counts as symbiosis if both creatures are from the same species.

vigostar
This picture is dying for a proper focal point. The bullrhino looks really cool, but a genetically spliced creature isn't symbiotic.

strych9ine
Very cool. Very very cool.

Jull
Cool idea and design, but I think it could use a little more time sharpening up and polishing the picture.

Arri.
I really like these creatures, they both have tons of personality.

Jokisalo
I like the colours, but I think it could be a tad more interesting.

leckronium
I like that you created a symbiosis between existing creatures.

duddlebug
Great idea. I love that you created specific characters. They've got great personality.

grimmy
I like the little cute guy teaming up with the really ugly deadly looking guy. Although the stabber looks about to fall over.

Gloklund
Awesome! I love how immensely huge this thing is. Also, you can never go wrong with dozens of phalluses. You're on my short list for voting.

Xpose
Good concept and description, but the picture itself could use some more work.

BIG BRUTICUS
Cool looking creature, but where's the symbiosis?


I ended up voting for JoBeSu although Gloklund was incredibly close.



0kelvin

[Johann de Venecia]

Awesome entries. The ones that stood out to me were the creatures by Dougbot (nice, sleek design and the colors are intense). Jobesu (I was drawn to this right away. Beautifully rendered! I love your color pallete and the loose brush stroke, not to mention the way you designed the monkey and the lizard. The symbiosis idea was there, the two obviously having some sort of relationship, but to me it was not immediately apparent why one would depend on the other). Mr. Dixon's was superb as usual, his entries are always topnotch, and the idea of one creature "wearing" his symbiote partner is hilarious. Arteric's piece is well thought of, as are all his entries. I can see a change in your coloring which works really well with your lines. Keep it up!

In the end, my vote went to (dun-dun DUN)... Gloklund. Wonderful rendering, and I like the idea of that deap-sea mammoth with a mini ecosystem thriving on his back. Sort of like a mobile island.

[MoP]

Voted for Prometheus. His design was both hugely original, believable (even though stylised and unnatural) and had that "cool" element... the teeth on the "projectile" creature are just great. The flesh has a great texture and sliminess to it, feels like you could almost touch it!

Props to Helzon, JoBeSu, and Dougbot for awesome designs paired with superb painting skills. You guys almost got my vote :perv:

Duddlebug gets the comedy award, it's a great concept..... just a shame the final image wasn't as polished as it could have been.

Superb entries all round! Best set of concepts and images yet, I think!

MoP

[arteric]

Hello, good evening and welcome once again to "Arteric's (Almost) Weekly Upside/Downside Critiques and Comments." The place where EVERYONE gets critiqued. There was a lot of posts early in the week about the definition of "Symbiotic Predators". We got it pretty much settled, so some people didn't get to the top of my voting list by being too far off the mark (parasitic relationships or genetic mixing and merging of various animals didn't quite fit the concept.) So, without further delay...

JeffZNY
Upside: Cool color scheme... the bright colors leap at you. I love the source lighting shinning on them from above, the top washed-out glow on the Hammerhead Pig-Snout really pulls you eye to it's face. The texture in the brush strokes is great on the characters, and wonderful personality to both characters.... (is it just me or does the Fuzzwunk look like Cookie Monster?
Downside: It is a little hard to make out what is going on at first. The spacial layout could use more focus to clarify the image. (Maybe turn the characters a bit more, not a straight on shot of both where they seem to blend together a bit.) The body of the Fuzzwunk could have used more time, it seems a bit rushed or underdeveloped. The complex background fights with the complex foreground textures and might have worked better simplified.

Shamagin:
Upside: Epic looking image, the massive mouth of the Thakarah and expansive head with the small eyes makes this creature feel like it is about to overwhelm you. You actually feel like you should move out of the way. I can almost hear the roar of this stampede. There is great drama and impact to the image. The open orifices on it's face are a great touch. I liked the concept of one creature living in another (I used it in mine too.)
Downside: The overall image seems a bit to smoothed out, no one area is bright enough/strong enough to really focus your eye on. The mouth could have been darker and more ominous to pull us in, but being so central to the image it might have made for a less interesting composition. The Caphinians seem underdeveloped, I would like to have seen a more unique anatomy to them.

Bretton:
Upside: The face of the Red-Faced Hunch Beast is one of the creepiest things I saw this week. Great character to the features, the sunken eyes and downturned mouth are cool. The rendering itself is very well done, the chalk-like texture gives it an "otherworldly" feel like an image pull from some 1800's dark children's story. I like the roundedness and backlighting of the close-up image too. Your style definitely stands out.
Downside: The body of the Red-Faced Hunch Beast seems under-developed. Though party because of the concept in being out of proportion, it seems sketchy when compared to the facial detail, almost underdrawn. The snake seems too simple, almost looking like a sock-puppet or something. The idea of living in a stomach is great, but I would like to see the snake look less cartoony and with more of a face than it currently has. Maybe if you showed the ravages of living in an acid filled stomach, or how it could survive there, it would add to the concept.

PrometheusIANJ:
Upside: As always, great brushwork. Lots of movement and wonderful colors. I love the small color spots you add to create that shinny look, and then just the touches of reddish-pink amongst all that gray really draws attention to the open areas on both creatures giving them a wonderfully organic feel. I like the almost unrecognizable quality to the "Pitcher"... it feels like some strange beast that is tough to identify because it is so alien.
Downside: I still think a lack of background or environment somewhat hurts this image. We don't get a sense of scale or place, so it is hard to commit to believing in them without those extra touches. The Muerde seems a little too simple, it is basically a "mouth ball" and I would like to have seen some organ or anatomical feature to make it seem more original, and more alive.

Matt Dixon:
Upside: Wonderfully rendered image (as always) with a wonderful 3D quality. I can "feel" this thing, it has weight and a believability due to the excellent drawing skill. The shading and color scheme are great, all of that warm pink suddenly shocked away by the vibrant green face peering at us. The eyes of the Dogscrobbler are awesome, I can just feel him staring me down.
Downside: Only my opinion, but I think this is one of the weaker concepts I have seen from you. The flatulence idea really isn't shown at all in the image. (A puffed up back side, even smell lines might have added to this) and without the description it is just a monster in a costume. I thought the idea was two monsters that combine to go out on Halloween looking like a kid in a costumer to prey on unsuspecting Trick-Or-Treaters before I read the concept. With the idea and the image being so far apart, I couldn't go for this one this week.

DSillustration:
Upside: The concept of two creatures merged together (as I said above) isn't quite the "symbiotic" idea, but that they are male and female, and that the male and female spend life hooked together IS a great touch! The drawing lines have a great flow to them, and the shapes are clearly rendered in a realistic 3D space. I like the monotone color scheme, and I REALLY like how the legs are used for the one, and the arms for the other, and that they can switch... the organics have a very well thought out balance to them.
Downside: The creatures look dead, like we have found skeletal remains, but I don't think that is what you were going for. The problem is I cannot tell if it is, so that part isn't clear enough. I would like to have seen some eyes, or non-skull like features to the faces so that we could read into them more. It would have given them more life. As with other images, I think the lack of a background hurts this image as we do not get a sense of scale or environment.

JoBeSu:
Upside: I so wanted to vote for this one. Before you gave them names I was calling them the "Turban Headed Spike Monkey" and the "Ledgeback Lizard." The rendering is top notch, great understanding of anatomy, surface textures and light. The brush strokes are great, lively and powerful, and both creatures have great personas. The small details like the monkeys underbite and the washed out peak light areas make this one a serious contender.
Downside: The concept just wasn't there from the beginning, your original post even said that you hadn't thought one up. There are many things we, the viewer, can read into this relationship, but I would have preferred one thought up by you, then made clearer in the final image. The neck area on the lizard seems less defined than the rest of the image, your brush strokes get a little lost in that area with no discernible tendons or muscles when compared to the rest of the image.

dougbot:
Upside: Seems like a runaway this week. The colors blow me away. From the neon blue of the bioluminescence to the cold gray of the skin, the blazing orange of the sun on the horizon and peeking through the clouds, this was top notch all the way. The creature is sleek and nasty looking, even the ground with the scattered rocks and mottled colors has a feel of realism to it. The lighting is killer and the rendering as professional as they come.
Downside: A bit parasitic in the concept the way the two are merged together, even though both benefit. The description makes the planet sound like a stormy, volcanic hell, but it seems barren and calm in the image by comparison. I would like to have seem more of an atmospheric effect to convey the storm and ash. Also, did you get the name Oroboros from "The Great and Secret Show" by Clive Barker? That is the name of the bad guys in that book. (Although he draws many of his names from mysticism, so this may be a term I am not familiar with.)

Helzon:
Upside: Damn incredible and detailed image! Could be straight out of a textbook. I love the little touches, the push-pins holding up the skin, the dissection tools just barely showing in the image to hold flaps of skin out of the way. The reference letters to important points in the description. The Hyena-like Marshland Dusk Dog is great, and the line work really brings out the textures.
Downside: The concept is pretty much OVER thought out. It needed to be paired down just to the most important (and coolest) points to really drive this idea home. The relationship is too parasitic for me, almost creating a third life form instead of being two symbiotic ones. The Aboreal Shade Claw is hard to make out, and it looks more like an external set of organs. I would like to have seen that creature more thought out, more defined and maybe simplified a bit.

Coondoggle:
Upside: Massively kinetic image, full of energy and movement. The colors are bright and vivid, and I can appreciate the exaggeration in the drawing style having come from a cartooning background myself. The PJ's face is wonderfully exuberant and the curving tail is a great focal point to move your eye through the image.
Downside: The image is a little hard to make out at first glance ("Is that gray thing sticking out of the brown guys ass? I can't tell..." I heard when some people first saw it.) The drawing style is too simplistic to be very cohesive, making the image feel like it is coming apart or sketched too quickly without much thought or planning. The background is too simplistic in the end and, being just a gradient of color, is almost a distraction to the eye.

strych9ine:
Upside: I love the deep, rich color pallet, the dark shading, the intensely red blood.... I also like the form of the horse itself, the detailing to the musculature, the texture of the skull and even the small scratch-looking marks in the blood ripples. Super dramatic image and very eye-catching.
Downside: The concept seems to be off the mark for me, and it is very far-out there (great in a roll playing game or story setting, but not a bull’s-eye when it comes to symbiotic predators.) It gets a little touch to tell what is going on in the background, is that the horses mane wrapping around darkly behind it, or is it the edge of some dark, rocky outcropping where the blood has pooled? More definition to the background would help to solidify this image.

vigostar:
Upside: Excellent line work, great textures and a killer eye for detail. I like the sparse white space at the bottom to give your eye a place to rest amongst all of the other line movement and shades. The eyes on the creature convey intense rage and power, and the shading on the muscles is excellent, with nice highlights to help them pop.
Downside: The concept seems to be missed with this one, as it is two merged animals and not two separate symbiotic predators. The bamboo tree like structures in the background detract from the image which has so much intense detail in the foreground, it feels tacked on just to fill the space as does the rounded moon shape. The anatomy of the creature is off, and it feels almost like we are looking at it from several angles. I get the feeling you drew a lot of detail in a small area (like a leg for example) before any of the rest of the image was really sketched out, making it feel disjointed.

Exo:
Upside: I love the free flowing movement to the strokes, and the deep reds to the front facial tentacle features. The small areas of bright white colors give the creature a wet or slimy feel to it. The form of the hard shell shape is rounded nicely and feels like it has a weight to it.
Downside: Without the story it looks like a skull with tentacles, or dripping a blood like substance. It is very hard to see that this is two creatures, and even with the story the skull-like structure doesn't feel alive at all. It needs some anatomical feature to give it that "living" quality. The background doesn't work for me, I can't tell where they are, (certainly not aquatic) so I don't get the sense of looking at something moving or hunting.

Ptree3
Upside: Good drawing overall, the beast's hunched stance feels menacing and tense. The shading on the beast is also excellently colored. I like the baboon like feature to it's face, and the idea of leech creatures living on something is unique, and creepy. The small leech looks wet with the nice white highlight you have running along it's back, and the small upward prongs it has are a nice touch.
Downside: The back legs of the beast seem off, either out of perspective or anatomically stiff overall. The front hands have a similar feel, almost like the arms are turned backwards or something, and without thumbs I feel like this creature should have feet that are more like paws than what we see here. The pure white background is glaring when seen against the color of the beast and leeches. Some color would have helped, an actual background environment would have been even better.

[arteric]

Pantmonger:
Upside: The frog looks terrific. I like the spots under the mouth, the coloring on the bulging eye and the shading overall. It is an instantly recognizable image, and we can almost feel it perched on the branch and balanced. The flower is nicely done as well, and the concept of a plant growing out of a creature is very interesting.
Downside: Unfortunately, the plant is not a predator, it is a lure so it missed the concept mark in the end. Where the plant and the frog meet needs more work, we really don't see the plant growing INTO the frog, just on it's back. I would like to have seen the root system under the skin. The back legs of the frog feel less finished than it's face and upper body. The left front arm seems turned funny, and it doesn't look right... like it needs to be turned more at the joint of the body... either that or the hand looks like it is backward. That area is a little confusing.

Scarn:
Upside: Excellent color work. I love the purple backlight on its legs, the deep grooves in the horns and spikes, and the scales are fantastic. The texture to the creature is really cool, and the small areas on it's shoulders and back that are brightly lit make it feel even more massive and muscular. I also like the webbed feet and how they thicken from the knee down instead of thinning at the ankle as would normally be expected.
Downside: The background doesn't feel like it is part of the same picture, the creature almost seems to be floating in front of it. The face is the creatures weakest part and seems undefined, the round hole for a nose doesn't work for me. The bird seems under-drawn in comparison to the Korj (I know it is much smaller, but maybe it could have had an oversized mouth and beak to make us see the anatomical mechanics behind it's screaming.)

Form:
Upside: Probably my favorite image I have seen from you so far. The creature feels huge, and I love the holes along the sides of it's mouth. It also feels like it is crusty and covered in barnacles, like it has been under water for a long time. I like the little details like the split area on the corner of the mouth. But most of all I love the murky underwater feel you've captured so perfectly here, the haze to the submersible's spotlight and the simple highlights along the underwater ridge... I want to hold my breath as I look at this, that is how effective the simple environment is.
Downside: The shark seems to be off somewhat anatomically, it's body once you get past the mouth feels flat and under-developed. The fins don't seem like the would propel this creature, they appear too narrow and I would expect them to be more life flippers (or even like the tail of a whale.) The nose feels a bit off too, like it is turned too much upward for the rest of the face, and even though I like the idea of the gills being there, they could have benefited from being drawn with a little more detail.

prostate sunrise:
Upside: The skin texture is the best out of any creature this time around. The muscles move under the skin which I can almost feel pulled taught against the tendons and bones... the coloring and shading to the skin add to it's amazing appearance. I like the multiple-flipper feature, and again how the muscles and skin meet here works wonderfully. The idea of the worms almost being the creatures teeth is great, and the look of that disgusting open maw gaping at us it extremely effective. I like the details around the mouth, the skin wrinkles and the folds, it all works well.
Downside: The unfinished looking nature of the image is a distraction for me. I would love to have seen this more complete looking, it would have been right at the top of my list. The same goes for the background, the pure white is so glaring against the gray skin it almost is blinding. Something about the face area doesn't work for me. I think it is because the rest of the shape is so alien and different, I almost want to see some recognizable feature around the face, an eye I can almost tell is looking back at me, then this creature would have had more life to it I think.

Sapphire:
Upside: Very good pencil work here. I like the strange body shape to the Haycen-Breather, low to the ground, bent oddly and oversized on the hind legs. The backward jointed neck is an excellent touch. The organs that line the back are cool looking, and the over all concept of one life cycle living inside another life cycle is pretty neat. I really like the top image of the Haycen-Breather the most, the small veins on it's tensed front legs are great attention to detail.
Downside: Since the rest of the Breather is so strange, I almost wish the face was a bit more recognizable, and I think the addition of the four pronged mouth was a bit of overkill in the end. I would like to have a face that looked back at me more, one that had that predatory glint in it's eye/tentacle/antenae or whatever, but something that I could have seen more intelligence behind. The small Haycen themselves seem less thought out, and the close up image of one is too simple for my tastes. Could the body have had a more interesting shape somehow? I don't know, I just feel like that creature is missing something. As always, color and a background of some sort improves almost any image in my opinion.... once in a while it just isn't needed, but I think it could have helped here.

stormeffex:
Upside: Totally cool looking creature. Massively powerful looking, and the overall red color scheme is great!!! Red creature against a red background, most would never have the courage to try it but it is awesome here. I like the green underlighting along the bottom side of the creature too. The small escaping vapors from the head pores is a really good touch, as are the burning-looking gasses along the creatures back.
Downside: The squiggles along the face bugs are a bit distracting to me and take away from the image, it looks too busy in that area. The ground looks the most unfinished, much more so than the rest of the image so it loses something there for me as well. The front paw doesn't seem to fit with the feel of the rest of the creature, and I would like to have seen a more original appendage there clawing it's way at us.

Big Bruticus:
Upside: I like the image of a caterpillar like creature becoming the back of the more dog like body. Did you have a nightmare or something about this? It is a startling image... especially with those bug eyes and smiling mouth! Those tiny caterpillar legs long the next are creepy, and I like the shading in the discoloration of spots along the shoulders and back.
Downside: Missed the concept by being two creatures merged into one. The feet of the creature are my least favorite part, they don't fit with the rest of the anatomy of either being. The wrinkles in the neck seem a bit too straight and don't follow the roundedness or curve of the neck enough. The furry puff on the back of the tail doesn't work for me either, with the rest of it looking so dangerous, that puff almost seems silly.

Xpose:
Upside: I like the rendering, the Tiger Sarb is neat looking (almost like the face of an old man with a long moustache.) Those pupil-less blue eyes are a great touch and down right freaky looking. I also like the back of it's head which resembles a squid in shape, the patterned color spots are a great touch that give it a very organic feel.
Downside: The concept is very parasitic. The Painted Ape is so changed by the relationship that it is not symbiotic and therefor misses the idea in the end. The ape is a weaker image than the Sarb, it feels flatter, more 2 dimensional and less anatomically accurate. The ape is more of an outline without much texture along it's surface, the color does part of that job but I would like to have seem more implied hair features to make it seem more fur covered. The fangs on the ape just seem too darn big, almost like those of a sabre tooth tiger... and would hang down past it's chin if it's mouth was closed... a feature it would not have if it lived it's life as an herbivore.

Gloklund:
Upside: Immense image with a huge scale. I love how it dwarfs the whale. I love it's upturned anteater-like snout and long mouth, I love the island like back with the translucent worms reaching into the sky and the waves violently crashing against it's shores. (Honestly, what other creature is so big it can actually say it has SHORES!!!!) I love the ripple water light reflecting off it's skin under the surface. This image just works for me in so many ways, and it got my vote this time around.
Downsides: There are some. The simple eye on the creature was probably my least favorite part, I would like to have seen maybe more skin wrinkled up around it to give it more of an "in a socket" feel. The rendering on the rock like structures could have used more detail I think. They seem a little too sketchy looking for me, and I would like to have seen some slightly more interesting formations among them. And DAMN if those worms don't look like clear plastic penises with small legs.... But overall a real winner this week around, at least until you compare it's votes to Dougbot's... then we are ALL lowly scum in the end. (But great job Gloklund!)

[arteric]

grimmy:
Upside: I like the opposites taken to the extreme approach here. The pink cute creature and the evil skeleton death monster is about as far to the opposites as you can go. And those added helpful notes.... "Can See. Can't See." So good in it's simplicity that I almost fell out of my chair laughing. I like the oversized lower jaw on the skeletal structure, and the shading on it works great.
Downside: Too far "out there" to get my vote.... if the image had more detail and time investment I could have gotten behind the unique approach, but the over all feel seems rushed to me (for all I know you spend 30 hours on it, but it doesn't look it.) And added background, more color, maybe a victim.... all elements that would have endeared it to me even more. Also, let's face it, if you are going for the super cute "Prwiincess!"... then those eyes needed to be at least twice that size with even bigger reflective glints in them... and no belly nipples, those things scare kids away.

duddlebug:
Upside: Another "way outside the box" concept that appealed to me. The bears face is priceless, and those sunken, barely-there white eyes are perfect! The all blue color scheme is a really neat touch, it makes you stop for a moment and just go "Wow, that's all blue!" And then you see the tiny bit of pink caught in the headlights. Funny concept, and I like the stylized trees and background, a cool environment.
Downside: Not the first hulking mean animal with a cute pink sidekick/lure this week, so not as original as it could have been. Even though the style is cool, it is very hard to make out what you are looking at at first glance. I think the sky might be too busy and distracting from the foreground elements, characters, and overall story this image is trying to tell. Also, we can't see the cute sidekick/lure at all practically, and it might have been nice to shift the angle we are viewing this from to give us a better idea of what it looked like.

leckronium:
Upside: The turtle is drawn extremely well, with a great face and nice dark eyes with just a hint of a glint of life in them. I like the mouth especially, turned up in that funny sort of smile way that a turtle has. I also like the surface of the turtles skin, very bumpy with a nice look to it. That one bug caught in the foreground is great, it has a cool reflective shell and looks perfectly insect/beetle like, instantly recognizable even being so small.
Downside: Not the first animal/plant combination this week, so it obviously could have been more original. The plant portion is much weaker than the turtle in how it is drawn. The green leafy structures become a blur of color in the center with no real detail to them. I would like to have seen a bit more of how the plant is connect to the turtle, that is the most interesting part of the joining concept but we cannot see it from this angle. Do root take hold? Are they burrowed into the shell? Is there soil on the turtles back that the plant lives off of? The details are what can make a piece like this stand out.

Jokisalo:
Upside: A great amount of well thought out detail to the structure and workings of the creature. I like the bright spotted color scheme to the upper plant portion, and how it subdues down to cooler blue tones down at the root systems. The addition of a human figure for scale takes the image up to another level when we suddenly realize how huge this creature really is. There is a lot of thought to the details of the plants workings and I like the biological details behind it.
Downside: The symbiot doesn't seem to be a predator, so it doesn't work in the end as being "Symbiotic Predators". I see you are from Finland, and forgive me for being a cultural idiot but I sense your English is a little rough, which makes a subject like this (which many people had trouble defining in the beginning) even harder to do. The symbiots themselves simply look like tadpoles, and I would like to have seen something more original in their design as well.

Arri:
Upside: Nasty cool image, to be sure. The bug like creature is fantastic looking. I love it's color scheme, and how it's colors are similar to the background, therefor even though it is huge compared to the small seal like creature, it doesn't over power it. And even though the seal like creature is so small, it stands out because it's color scheme is so different from the rest of the image, striking a great balance overall to the piece. I also like the light along the seal-like creatures back and the subtle under-colors in both beings, the red under the brown of the small one, and the green hues sinking into the skin of the large one.
Downside: The small one seems a lot less like a predator, and more like bait so it misses the symbiotic predators idea in my opinion. They would need to be on more even ground strength and hunting wise for them to be symbiotic. The mouth feature on the bug is it's weakest point and is kind of hard to see overall. I think it would have worked better if the mouth was opened and we got a better look at how those jaws met with the mouth and teeth.

Jull:
Upside: As always, a very cool image with fantastic painterly touches to it. I like the spear-like front appendage with serrated edges running along it. I also like the light source glinting along the upper edges. The hint of tentacle like structures along the base and the small holes in the outer casing (for breathing? For circularity water and pushing it out as propulsion? Not defining adds a sense of mystery to the creature.)
Downside: It is really hard to tell that this is two creatures even after reading the description, and I would have like to seen them visually separated in appearance some how (coloration, or maybe skin texture.) The over all image lacks the detail of your normal images and has a blurry kind of look to it. As always, I like images with some elements of a background, and even though yours usually work fine without them, a background might have helped this one even more.

Okelvin:
Upside: A riot of an idea, great humor and a twisted, sick sense to it. I like the look on the face of the behemoth (indecisiveness can be read clearly in it's blank look.) The simple style to the image has a magical quality to it, almost like some mother goose story or myth that is told about the giant on the mountain. The small image of the Behemoth on it's back reminds me of satellite shots of the Face on mars (an ancient relative). The surface texture on the Behemoth skin in the close up is great as well.
Downside: The Bird is the weaker of the two characters and could have benefitted from some more unique details. (A feather coloration pattern perhaps.) Even though the shovel nose is the point, the shape is a bit off for some reason, I would almost want to see it more exaggerated and longer or heavier. The idea is unique and pretty darn funny too, but I don't get the sense that they are predators or have a predatory nature... but instead they are basically a minor ecosystem unto themselves.

And that is it for this week, if so many people keep submitting so many great entries I will spend all of my time writing these critiques and never have time to draw. But the level of quality really amazes me. I am learning a lot from looking at all of your styles and techniques, and I think we all get better from having each other around. Now, let's get on to those Digging Creatures for Week 6, shall we?

-Eric

[Arri.]

Arteric:

Upside: I love you. You are incredible!!! <3 <3 <3
Downside: I hate you. You are not incredible anymore :P

[Sapphire]

Thank you, arteric! You're awesome...
:D

[Dougbot]

Holy crap! This thread should be renamed to the "Dougbots improved self esteem thread". Thanks for all the kindness. No time, but to answer a few questions, blue, yes, painter and oroboros is that snake eating it's tail (eternity). Thanks again. :bashful:

[strych9ine]

Damn art, thanks for the crits and comments dude! Much appreciated.

[JeroArt]

My vote goes 2 Dougbot's Stalker of Oroboros.
So clean, the colours just jumpin from my screen :P That glow damn!
I like the shape and the contrast of textures from both predators.
And how they combined ;)

Big ups 2 all creators, again, i realy see every1 did their best again.
Great concepts and wonderfull art quality's. :confident

[the-Shaper]

My decision came down to dougbot and Gloklund.
In the end the vote came down to the artistic quality of the work and how finished it appeared.
They were both great concepts, but Gloklunds could have used some touching up.
I decided to vote for dougbot.
Great work by everyone.

[rothgar]

Glad to say the I'm joining the landslide that is the Dougbot fanclub entry. The rendering is awesome.

[iolarnula]

Augh...this was so hard to decide! All of them are fantastic, you guys have some great imagination. But I think prostate sunrise's entry stood out the most for me :)

Great work everyone!