C.O.W. - #020: Brain Stealer - VOTING!!!

[Fozzybar]

ROUND #020 VOTING

Topic: Brain Stealer

Deadline for the voting: Tuesday, 13 September 2005

Posting thread (closed):
http://www.conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?t=50885[/url]






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nightfend:
concept: Kuldugar Brain Stealer:
The gas miners of Kuldugar IX have but one thing to fear and that is the deadly Brain Stealer. Attaching itself to the stalagtites and rocky crevices in the ceilings of the mines, the Brain Stealer skulks about waiting. It prizes above all else the warm brains of the human miners that work on Kuldugar, though it can sustain itself on the brains of lesser creatures that sometimes enter the mines.
http://www.icondream.com/images/cow/brainstealer.jpg
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possessed:
concept: The many different species of Icharus VI all have one thing in common. A well placed fear for the brain stealer (Cephalo Furtum). This intelligent predator starts hurting it’s prey when it’s still miles away from it. With it’s complex mind it can sense the brain activity of higher organisms within a wide range. The proximity of it’s target triggers a series of internal events that will help to overcome even the mightiest of foes. The first action is a vibration that punctures through most types of organic matter. This vibration causes the Olfactory cortex and the Occipital lobes to function at a very low level causing the prey to lose it’s sense of smell and identify potential predators and greatly reduces the vision of the prey.
The second action is delivered through a neuron toxin injected by piercing tentacles in the victims neck. This specialised toxin concentrates on the Cingulate gyrus. It’s effects are the inability to feel emotions which in tern triggers the loss of any feeling of pain and negates all potential aggressive behaviour. Basically the shutting down of all the instincts so needed for survival. The third action has the Brain Stealer grabbing the back of it’s victim’s head with a horned beak similar to those of a cephalopod. This beak is attached to a number of sucker tubes which soak up the contents of the pituitary gland. The Brain Stealer receives a multitude of hormones from this last action which it needs for growth and to strengthen the organs it uses for this delicate matter of prey catching. The prey, if it’s strong and fit enough, never instantly dies from the psychic assaults it had to endure. Instead it reduces them to mindless, gibbering half-beings. When their crazed cries are heard you can sometimes see a bulbous shape floating ominously through the
sky.
http://img54.imageshack.us/img54/8108/brainstealer4at.jpg
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WARHEAD:
concept: The rare Brainius Stealius worm from the desert planet Hur'aa.....
a species of symbiotic worm lived on this desolate waste preying on humanoids. Due to the lack of water and resources the worm when hatched would make for the nearest source of brain activity via prionic sensors in it's skin within 24 hours or it would die (humanoids living close to stagnant water were easy targets for newly hatched worms). They would then enter via the ear canal controlling the nerves and sensory organs of it's host. Locals calling them 'brain stealers' since they completely overtook there humanoid hosts so they were only living, breathing vessels......
The Brain Stealer worm has backward growing spines so that once entered the ear cavity it cannot be pulled out. It has hook like teeth and sucker lips to attach itself to the host's brain, controlling it via chemical and nerve impulses, so it is always near resources that it otherwise couldn't obtain........
http://www.war-studio.com/HostedImages/COWbs.jpg
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Ben powis:
concept: 'The Brain Stealer enters its victim in its earliest form, as a small bug, and makes its way to the head. It is here that it begins to spawn, and in a matter of hours it will grow through the facial orifices of its victim, rendering them unable to move, thou still conscious.
It is in this form, that the Brain Stealer begins its most morbid act of removing the victims brain, with the aid of a vast number of varying sized tentacles it creates a suction motion with its body and literally sucks the brain out from within the victim, pumping it into a translucent sack on its body, which it fills with the fluids from within the victims own head, to protect the brain.
Once the brain is removed the brain stealer is able to detach from its prey and retract its scuttling legs from within its now fully formed body.
The brain stealer feeds off the brain of its victim, it is this which keeps it alive from anywhere to 3 weeks to 2 years, depending on the maturity of the brain cells.
It is not know where Brain Stealers originate from, thou many of their victims are infected while in extreme terrains such as jungle and deserts.
The Brain Stealer is also known by the nickname ‘The Brain Jelly’.'
http://www.benpowis.net/images/Brain%20Stealer%20Comp.jpg
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Kaylon:
concept: My Brain Eater hangs from cave ceilings waiting for un suspecting adventurers...and..is a worm sorta thing....
http://img246.imageshack.us/img246/6650/braineater010us.jpg
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Helzon:
concept: Corporate Raider
"I don't give a fiddler's fuck how you do it. Get it done, tonight!"
Do you see that!?!? That was Bill Mellinsen CE friggin O of THE largest financial firm in this hemisphere! I will have nothing if it doesn't happen...Damon my life will effectively end. I won't even be able to get a job mucking out the gay booths in a back alley porno shop. Don't smile at me like that you sanctimonious prick. My future is on the line here!
What the hell am i gonna do?....If those investment projection figures don't magically shit themselves out....what?!?
You got two hours?
Yeah....
Then that's more than we'll ever need. What's the name and address of the lead data cruncher?
Gustafson, three blocks that way Arlington Tower 1028
Consider it done. But you will owe me so goddamned big...you're lucky I'm not asking for your first born.
What are you talking about?....what do you have in mind, kidnapping?...We can't touch him...everyone in that building is under the heaviest security they can barely shit without someone watching them. What the FRIG is that?
Latest in corporate espionage 'brain stealer'....Hackers can be expensive, sloppy...traced...hunted down, with you paraded infront of the media. Very embarassing. These little beauties ..untouchable as they are discreet. Supply it with a target...it secreets 9 different types of anesthetic and neuro relaxers and voila..his entire memory perfectly copied. Mr. Gustafson won't know what the hell happened other than a wonderful night's sleep with the woman of his dreams. He'll probably even have a little accident too....
Don't you think someone will notice this thing has bored into his brain?!
You are a simple bastard aren't you?.. It first puffs a numbing agent up his nose to deaden the hairs...then crawls up the nasal cavity...into the sinus...and only has to puncture through a thin wall of bone and tissue...no fuss no muss...in/out...and in less than two hours...data beyond your wildest dreams. Everything he has ever thought...from when he was a friggin baby on his momma's boob. All stored right there..in those sacks back there... Collect the data...this thing dies... No one the wiser...and you very much the richer.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v283/Helzon/BrainStealerpost.jpg
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vigostar:
concept: The Einsteinian Muncher is a very small animal that was found in Germany in the ealry 1900's.. Legend has it that Albert Einstein was the only living person to ever domesticate this small creature. A nocturnal animal that was said to be a carnivore loved to eat small birds. Although no hard evidence is found, it is rumored that this creature had a very unusal appetite for an odd delicassy. A person's mind. Once Albert was able to tame the wild animal he discovered that it was unusually smart and like to loom over the head of the beds at night. It used it wide feet and hands that acted like suction devices and abled the creature to place itself on the wall and from what it seemed to meditate. Einsteins curiosity grew deeper and began doing varius experimants with th creature. He learned that the creature had the ability to literally steal the smarts from someone's brain rendering them useless. Although, Einstein knew this was a dangerous experiment it went on for months until the day it stopped. the creature was rumored to have been poisoned but, not before it helped Albert make one of the most facinating discoveries of all time. E=MC2! and the rest is history!
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v402/vigostar/einsteinianfinalweb.jpg
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panda:
concept: The Cranul Ephemerus, known as the "Brain Stealer Beetle" is rare, but not ludicrously unheard of. It has been known to appear atop the skulls of chieftains of the Mer'teba tribes of the southern Grebulan peninsula. It hangs from high branches, waiting for an unsuspecting victim to wander by. Having no external sensory organs, the only way it can tell that prey is beneath is the brain waves that they emit. Having dropped onto the skull of the intended victim, the brain stealer beetle burrows in its eight legs, each tipped with a minorly conductive surface, much like the body of an electric eel, but more subtle. The brain stealer beetle recieves sensory information in the form of electric signals through its legs (this is what it feeds on), but can also transmit its own signals to the host body, taking control of all of the senses.
http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a280/viapanda/Brain-stealer-sm.jpg
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leckronium:
concept: Cranial Man-O-War
In the deep jungle dwells a creature with a developed taste for human knowledge, literally. Observed by Dr. Nole Ongeround in the late 90's, the Cranial Man-O-War was spotted after finding piles of chimpanzee remains in areas south of where Dr. Ongeround was camped. After examining a few of the skulls, Ongeround noticed damage in the sides of all the skulls around the hearing canal. Curious, he decided to investigate further and sent his team out to different watchposts to try and catch one of the culprits in action.
In his journal you can read about the events that followed as Dr. Ongeround took careful notes to document his findings. Here is a brief excerpt of what happened afterwards:
"Day 2. Heard awful screams off in the distance that were short as if they were silenced right away. I went to investigate and found my fellow colleague's limp body hanging from a nearby plant with his head encased in it. Steven, one of the equipment helpers, said the plant opened up like a giant mouth and a tongue-like tentacle came down and wrapped around Dr. Fredov Memin's head and pulled him up into the plant...Could this be a new species?
Day 3 Examined my colleague's body after it dropped from the plant. Body was untouched but the head showed same markings as those found on the chimp skulls along with suction cup-like markings all over the face. Brain seemed to be removed...Noticed that the plant is no longer there. Maybe this isn't a plant I write of?...
Day 6 Wierd things have been happening. Our camp gear is missing and I've been noticing many more of the horizontal vines that stretch for a hundred yards from tree to tree overhead. Very similar to the vines that held the creature Memin died from. I haven't seen Steven in two days.
Day 7 It's just me. I can't find anyone else and our campsite has been trashed. I'm out of food and running low on fresh water. I hiked to a new area in hopes of finding a new way out of here and to get away from those...things. Hope they don't find me..."
...Found one! I was crossing a shallow river when I noticed the vines laying in the water. Very strange creature indeed. I followed the vines for about 150 yards and found the head at the end. Have yet to see the insides since I don't have the strength to pry it open. The outer part is like a rock or some kind of hard plating. This one had moss and vines growing on it which would make great camouflage and I noticed the head looks as if it's being dragged. Perhaps that is the way it gets around. Hope I'm not being followed."
From the last journal entry, it is assumed that this creature followed Dr. Ongeround till they managed to get him. His remains showed the same markings as those described in the previous findings. The creature he found and examined was not there when we arrived to search for the missing party and we're still not sure whether he was describing one or a group of creatures. Future studies have been planned to see if this mystery creature can be explained.
http://home.comcast.net/~leckronium/onlinestorage/manowar1.jpg
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[Fozzybar]

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redehlert:
concept: Hydrargyros: mercurian mind thief
Minamata disease epidemic, September, 2065
A recent rash of deaths preempted by severe convulsions, bouts of psychosis, severe Tourette's syndrome, and a very high fever was reported along the fishing banks of Minamata, Japan, home of the neo-ethanal and PVC mega-giant Chisso II Corp. Pun intended, something smells fishy here.
Chisso II's factories have affected the waters with their plastic development and waste dumping. The life of the lake have mutated over the 10 year time Chisso II has been in operation. One such creature has been titled the Hydrargyros, meaning of water and silver, based on its appearance. Should a fisherman or bather get brushed by the fins or the pair of barbed whiskers, their descent into death is painful and swift as mentioned above.
The GTFO Research Lab of Kumamoto, Japan captured and preserved the specimen shown here. Determined as a female juvenille of 20 weeks at 11 inches in size. The hydrargyros' fins and whiskers course with mercury. Once contact is made, all functioning capability is lost. Some have reported it is like a thief in the night robbing you of not your possessions, but your mind. No cure is in site and the death toll in this fishing village is already climbing toward a thousand.
Chisso II denies all claims of their use of mercury as a reaction catalyst for their plastics enterprise. GTFO and the public hope to prove and shut down Chisso II. Stay tuned.
http://www.cognitionstudio.com/conceptart/redlrt_cow20.jpg
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MIKECORRIERO:
concept: This insectile creature is actually a part of both the Insect and crustacean family. They are extremely agile with similar characteristics to that of a spiders movements. Thier body is covered by an exoskeleton for protection and they are equipped with both strong fore arms and nimble back legs adding to thier capabilities as a predator. A very unique blend of both species gives this predator the edge over its predecessors. The Brain Stealer is about the size of your average basketball ( just perfectly fitting around the face of a human head). It moved in quickly jumping on to the back of the head and using its 4 limbs to cling on to its prey which are usually intellectual animals ( humans included). The stinger is used as an anesthetic to render its victim helpless and unable to move, yet still aware as to whats going on. Then the creature works its magic, using its claws and highly evolved mouth to get at the specific nutrients it craves which happen to lay hidden within the brain.
http://pratt.edu/~mcorrier/sketch/brainstealer1-web.jpg
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BlkCelebration:
concept: Ursu-Reybro
This creature inhabits in the gaseous plains of the planet Mor'mop. It hides in the mist awaiting its prey. When an unsuspecting local wanders close it propels its body back and flings its long neck fowards aming for the victims head.
The Ursu-Reybro steals the hosts brain (their food of choice) in order to sustain its body's consistency. The specimen pictured above has missed a few meals thus its body begins to slowly evaporate and form part of the abundant gas found in Mor'mop.
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a40/ketzel84/brainbro1.jpg
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Carnifex:
concept: The brain eater is very thick-headed -literally. When it spots victims it will try to ram them till they can't move anymore. If necessary, it pursues them for kilometers.The bonecrest atop its head (used for ramming) provides cooling organs (and presumably others to help it spot brain activities) that make it last much longer than them in the desert area it inhabits. After the victims can't move anymore,the brain eater cracks their skulls open with said bonecrest and feasts on the brain.
http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b363/siansaar/braineaterC.jpg
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Main Loop:
concept: A very small insect, dozens will latch itself upon a victim's head behind the ear where it's easiest to enter underneath the skull.. it will use its 4 serrated blade-like appendages to burrow through far enough to be able to use its proboscis to worm through to brain cells and suck them in much like a snake devours a mouse..
http://www.remtek.net/0/mainloop/default/images/13/336.jpg
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Eriboss:
concept: Little is known about this dog sized creature, nick-named the “brain stealer” by the urban legends and late horror night stories of old ladies and little kids.
With only 3 ever recorded on Earth since the asteriod storms of 2012 the actual details of this other worldly predator are a little shakey.
This is what we have -
These creatures hunt both human and animals, but with an appetite for only the brains. They would use their razor sharp serrated tail to effectively scalp their prey, and would then, apparently, do what is essentially a “handstand” and devour the brains of its victim with its seldom seen mouth, which actually reside between its back legs.
Its “front” head doesn’t appear to have any real function other than maybe being used as a decoy - luring its victim into a false sense of security – although no one has been able to study it in any great commodity as no one has lived long enough to do so.
http://www.reelfilms.co.uk/images/brainstealer.jpg
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young paddy1:
concept: This cat sized creature prowls nocturnally through the troglodyte communities of Castica 3, it's grasping forepaws allow it to grip the face of its humanoid prey while theysleeps passing a neuro toxin through the skin, paralysing the poor victim and starting the digestion process. The mouth parts consist of a toothed sphyncter which can twist up to 180º to saw through the skull and a rasp like tongue that pulls the partially liquified brain matter out of the hole. During the day as the 'Brain Stealer' digests its meal it generates a lot of heat, which it must dump from specialised fins on its back, as well as its bald head and feet, if it did not its thick night based fur would cause it to overheat in the hot daytime suns of the Castica system.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v19/youngpaddy1/braineating.jpg
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Xpose:
concept: Santhor
Built like a tank but with a weak digestive system the Santhor is not to be taken lightly. They grab it's prey's head with it's mandible and uses it razor sharp tounge as a saw cutting off the top of the skull. From there it sucks the brain tissue from the corpse. The Brain is the only substance of food that is not contaminated by parasites on the creatures planet. Don't be surprised to see the Santhor in an almost erect stance. They do this so that they can gaze over the lands looking for a suitable animal to debrain.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v294/xpose/drawings/santhor.jpg
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[Fozzybar]

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legato:
concept: Flow Bug aka "Brain bug", "Crimson collar", "Blade bug"
Male Flow Bug (artist's conception) *note the addition of Martian parasites. scaring on the chest armor and partially fossilized parasites seem to suggest that even on mars, lesser creatures will always capitalize on the stronger ones
Origin
Fossilized husks of these bugs were found on the mars expedition of 2156. While originally drilling for frozen ice, the discovery of a large male 2 meters in length greatly excited the scientific world. Having been only the 23rd discovery of life was reason enough, but a closer examination revealed that the bone-like exoskeleton was naturally resistant radiation that otherwise killed off DNA of all previous animal finds.
The decision to clone and breed this creature was met with some angry sentiment. but went ahead on April 14th 2157.
Many of the early "batches" failed and died due to the lack of knowledge surrounding what the creature needed to survive. Through essentially trial and error it was found out two things:
1) The creature needed an atmospheric pressure of at LEAST 1atm (further evidence that Mars once had an atmospheric pressure of greater than 1atm, and estimated to be as high as 3atm) like bugs on earth, the Flow Bug doesn't have lungs, and takes in air and circulates it by compressing his body in waves, starting at the tail end and working all the way up to it's neck. This wave effect creates a suction that systematically sucks air into pours along its body. This function fulfills both inhaling and exhaling and is performed at all times including sleep (much like a shark needing to swim at all times) this unique trait also gave the creature it's name as the Flow Bug obviously in regards to its flow like breathing motions.
2) When the creatures hatch out of their protective cases, they are genderless. All newly born lack the tail pinchers and thus gave the scientists a run for a while. At first they were fed only pure nutrients, but all seemed to die after a month regardless of diet. Only after they were allowed to eat living pray (small mice) did any live past the first month. Much to the amazement of the researchers, the bugs instinctively ate the brain of their prey first, and than finished the rest. Seemingly at random, some of the larvae would develop a larger left 'arm' and blade and the dual scythes on its back. it was brought to the attention of the group by a casual onlooker the ratio between male and female mice and male and female flow bugs.
The Flow Bugs are unique in that their gender is unknown until they eat their first meal. When the pituitary gland is digested, the high levels of either estrogen or testosterone determine the sex of the bug for the rest of its life. This tactic seems to naturally create a greater number of female bugs and a smaller number of male bugs based on the stereotypically weaker nature of most female creatures. This secures a large breeding population and ensures the survival of the species. While the Flow Bug continues to eat the brains of it's victims their importance is only that of boosting the nutrients of the bug, and studies done only show a 10% stunting of growth compared to bugs that have free reign over any part of their victim.
Hunting Tactics
The first and foremost noticeable part of the Flow Bug is it's forward blade arms. Often compared to a praying mantis's arms in reverse these are the primary defense and offense of the creature. The blades are always growing and do not shed when the Flow Bug molts. Female Flow Bug's arms are symmetrical, while male's arms are asymmetrical (mainly to explain why the pictures arm is huge as all hell, and to lessen the focus on my lack of drawing ability). The male's larger blade is often explained as aiding it in battles for domination.
With most Flow Bugs only reaching 5-6 feet in length, they are fairly fragile considering their prey is often larger than they themselves. To combat the need to bring down large game, they have been equipped with a special ability. At the base of each blade is a gland that secretes a powerful anticoagulant (much like leeches) and an equally powerful neuro-stimulant. When the blades are swept in an arc, the venom in large concentrations runs down the leading edge of the blade via centrifugal force. This coats the leading and cutting edge of the blade with venom. Once stricken the prey is allowed to escape as not to hurt the Flow Bug. With gaping wounds that won't stop bleeding and a almost seizing body, the pray doesn't get far before it collapses due to loss of blood. This provides a convenient way of not only protecting itself from fighting but also following its prey as it escapes. The unique nature of the venom delivery system is often considered superior to serpents and other venomous animals, as it doesn't rely on tubes and fragile teeth.
Lacking a lower mandible the creature tends to be very messy, and thus often gets the name "crimson collar" due to large amounts of blood covering its neck.
The spines on its body are highly attuned to EM fields. Much like a shark the Flow Bug can track pray simply by the electrical field it puts off. Due to the limitations of air exchange, the range of sense is much shorter but allows fairly competent hunting ability in the complete darkness of Mars's night. A seemingly larger factor they play is tracking the freshly stricken prey by sensing the massive amounts of electrical activity put off by the spasming victim.
Differences between the Mar's breed and the Earth breed
While currently in its 13th year in captive breeding programs, sizes found on mars have not even been remotely reached. it is commonly believed that this is due to the lack of atmospheric pressure and that larger bugs are quite literally suffocating on the lack of forced air. The largest and heartiest specimens are all located at or near sea level, and often start stunting growth at only 3 months. When properly fed, the growth rate is explosive. Attempts to breed in special pressure chambers have been unsuccessful as no live pray is equally adapted. The need for live pray over any type of substitute still baffles scientists who have tried everything from synthetic testosterone to chemically altered meals that match living creatures nutrients exactly.
While prehistoric Martian climate is unknown when kept in a purely temperate climate year-round the Flow Bug demonstrates yearly breeding cycles common to mammals. Unlike earth's bugs which live a year, breed and die, the Flow Bug is sexually active yearly and only dies due to exhaustion, combat or otherwise (this is largely speculation, as they have not been observed in their natural habitat) while there have been many scares due to limited amounts of zoo escapes, earth's seasonal climate changes spell disaster for would-be escapees and none have known to lived past a few months. Therefore, all zoo exhibits must keep a fairly constant temperature.
While a certain constant temperature isn't needed, the temperature DOES need to be consistent. Rapid changes in season spell the end for Flow Bugs, but they are quite capable of living between 65 degrees to 150 degrees F (18 to 67 degrees C). usually a compromise of 80 degrees F (27 degrees C) is used and this provides the most common coloration of the dark brown with orange stripes. As the temperature lowers, the color overall color get darker, and vice versa on the opposite end of the spectrum. (Its to be noted that two Flow Bugs have been born as albino, leading researchers to question the reason such an odd genetic abnormality appears on two different planets)
Breeding, and Birthing
While female Flow Bugs don't grow as big as their male counterparts, the size difference isn't that large. Mainly the addition of the male's rear claws and large forward arm are what give the appearance of dominance. The large rear hooks have only been seen used in courtship rituals and fighting for dominance. Its as almost as if the bug doesn't know they are there until those 2 instances which is well enough for any would-be prey.
Upon fertilization and conception the young form hard outer husks and grow in mass under the female's belly (think kind of like... the new, crappy "lost in space")
Captive larvae are proportionate to their mother's size, but preserved specimens on Mars have been as large as 1 foot long. Upon hatching they are completely autonomous and are one of the few species that don't attack each other. In addition unlike many insects, it appears as if the mother gives her young a "grace period" and while cannibalism is common among adults that are strapped for food, the young TEND to be safe.
http://incolor.inetnebr.com/legato/Digital%20Art/Brain%20Eater%20Final%20Flat.jpg
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Fozzybar:
concept: FROM OUTER SPACE
This gigantic creatures live in a far far far....faaaaaar away galaxy...they travel the galaxies for food...for this species food means intelligence...their senses locate emotions like "love", "hate", "fear" etc...emotions which tell them "there is intelligent life"...
After locating a planet with intelligent life, they swarm out to invade with billions of individuals...floating very high in the atmosphere they "suck" intelligence out of the brains...a planet like our earth would be exhausted in a few days...wherever the "Brain Stealers" invade there is only simple life afterwards...all intelligence is gone...and humans for example would walk like braindeads through their cities not understanding what they are supposed to do with all the technology...they are reduced to their instincts...
Only hope for mankind would be the next generation which is up on their own to understand what their ancestors built up and what to use it for...
PS: on the image you can see two jet-pilots crashing into each, since their brains lost intelligence and they weren't able to control the ships anymore...on a side note General Corriero was responsible for sending them into their doom...
http://www.kidomatix.com/ca/cow/cow_020_brainstealer_fozzybar.jpg
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tagHeuer:
concept: The brain stealer is an obsessive collector. He lives in a cave deep below suburbia where he has stockpiled millions of human brains. He has organized them into piles alphabetically depending on the last name of the human it was stolen from, keeping these piles orderly is his one true love and he spends countless hours checking to make sure all the right brains are in the correct piles. Monsters travel from all over the underworld to view his collection. Rumor has it that when all the tourists are gone for the day he curls up into a ball and rolls down each pile screaming “ I feel so alive”
http://eliheuer.com/2d/conceptart/BrainStealer.jpg
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DaRobertz:
concept: XC-652 also know as "The Brain Stealer's" Brain Stealer
It's the year 2005. After the Typhoon Katrina the world was again struck by a disaster. At this point in time, Evil Genius Fozzybar von Lichtenstein challenged his fellow members of the secret underground organisation CA to create a new type of creature, a so called "Brain Stealer". Not long after, the world was introduced to a new line of species, all specialised in stealing brains. In order to fight this new found thread, a group of brave scientists was given the task to create a weapon to fight back. After a long time of experiments on all sort of creatures (Elephants, Camels, Spiders etc.), specimen XC-652 was born. XC-652 is specialized in fighting the brain stealers on their own ground by stealing their brains. Using the shiny orb (yes folks, its really, really shiny) attached to it's tail (in which infact a small part of the brain can be found), it detects high amounts of brain activity to locate possible brain stealers (eating brains makes you smarter, so brain stealers have larger amount of brain activity than normal organismes). Upon locating a brain stealer, it uses it's spear like tentacles to capture it and after that it sucks the brain using it's evolved nose/mouth. Thanks XC-652, the people of earth can rest assure, XC-652 will take care of the brain stealers....
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y253/DaRobertz/cow20.jpg
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PlaguE:
concept: This insect like creature lives where ever mass amount of people can be found. Primarily a nomadic beast it lives in constant search of new food sources. Despite its massive size (standing nearly 9 1/2 ft) its diet consists of only human brains. The Brain Stealer is adequetly addapted for aquiring and extracting the brain. It is equiped with four appendiges, two of which house circular saw blades. The other two arms are equiped with massive glowing blades made of a bone like material. Below the stomach of the Brain Stealer is a pouch used for storing severed heads and brains untill ripened to its likeing. The way the brains stealer goes about killing its prey (the human) is realy quite brutal. It waits and ambushed an unsuspecting group of humans, decapitating as many as possible with its saw apendeges. Then it picks through the remains collecting only the heads and storing them in its pouch. The brain stealer is primarily nocturnal and has evolved a nightvison, which gives it its luminecent features mostly during an attack.
http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a175/kdingman/mantis-5.jpg
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[Fozzybar]

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arteric:
concept: Begin Datastream:
Message// Priority 6
From// Battleclass Starship SOLSTICE
To// Station 4-0-1
Attn// Captain McGee
RE// Lost 13 Infantry Support Suits
Begin Message:
Hell Bill, this is your good buddy Captain Olster en route to the Orion front. Cargo: 3,547 Infantry Support Suits. It was 3,560.
We picked up an unwelcome passenger on our refueling stop in the Balastan System. The caretaker crew has been spotting small rodent-like creatures scavenging throughout the lower levels... hard to miss with their giant glowing red eyes. I’ve never seen anything like them, and the 3 that have been captured have given me the downright creeps. I had them destroyed immediately, damn the science unit and their requests for dissection. The filters never picked these creatures up when they somehow came on board... either we’ve got a bug in the system or they just aren’t a registered life form.
Unfortunately, these stow-a-ways have found a new food supply. A few of our more sick-minded crew have nicknamed these nastys “Brain Stealers” for reasons I figure you’ve all ready guessed, and that I am at a loss as how to report back to the Home Unit.
With their immensely powerful fore-limbs and razor sharp claws, these “Brain Stealers” (and that is the LAST time I will call them that, damn caretakers and their sick jokes) have crawled their way into the infantry storage chambers and popped open some containment helmets like soup cans. I’ve lost 13 soldiers this way, good boys too, damn it! These kids never even got a chance to fight, but died while in storage like some rubbish in a dumpster that a rodent has decided to dive into. I’ll tell you, I am trying like mad to get these things off my ship before I loose more of these soldiers... I have no idea how I am going to write to their mothers back home.
“Sorry, your boy will not be coming home to be reimplanted. He was killed, not honorably on the field of battle, but in a cargo hold by some hungry red-eyed vermin that decided his brain looked like a RTE ration. Please contact Marine Central and they will help in the preparations to cremate your son’s body-in-waiting.”
No, that just doesn’t cut it, and these kids deserved better. What am I going to do Bill? In the meantime, put a quarantine on the Balastan Refueling Station.... or better yet, bomb the damn thing into dust, would ya?
/// end of message ///
http://www.pepperink.com/Art_Images_Large/Brain_Stealer.jpg
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I.was.ink:
concept: This mosquito like creature will attack its victims at night when they are sleeping and unaware of their surroundings. It will latch on with it's thin, yet bone like limbs, to strike into the human's head and begin to consume. It's motivation for attack is not to instantly kill its prey, but to slowly drain their brain while they lie still therefore killing them with a slow and painless death. With every new brain he eats, this creature's sack(attached to his back) grows in size and provides him with more limbs to destroy and eat his prey at a faster rate.
http://www.visiblesurface.com/iwasink/sketch/Brain-Stealer.jpg
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Floris Didden:
concept: The Brainusereptor
The Brainusereptor calls the colonised world of Ezuzo Secundus it's home. The creature is insect like, sporting 6 limbs total, 2 stemming from the lower region of it's carapace which serve as legs when standing upright, and 4 more limbs on the upper half of the body, portruding from a spot right next to the large head, which are used for walking and interacting with it's environment, as seen on figure #1.
Before the arival of settlers on Ezuzo Secundus the Brainusereptor hunted small game rodent like creatures. With the arival of the colonisers however, this all changed. In good human fashion the face of Ezuzo Secundus was quickly pockmarked with thousands of stinking factorys belching out black fumes and toxic wastefluids. Most of the natural foodsources of the Brainusereptor did not survive this attack, leaving the Brainusereptor to either die out or look for alternatives.
So it came to pass that the settlers on Ezuzo Secundus only became aware of the existence of the Brainusereptor when they started venturing forth into the factorys where they started stealing human brains from the thinking-machines (a marvelous invention where a human brain of a deceased person is kept in a semi-dead state so the computer can use the recources in the brain for it's operations, greatly enhancing the problem solving capability of said computer). Thus they were named "Brainusereptor", a quasi-latin name hinting at it's occupation of a brain (brainus) thief (ereptor).
Figure #1 shows a foto of a particulary sneaky Brainusereptor beeing caught redhanded trying to steal one of our most prized brains from the great library.
http://student-kmt.hku.nl/~floris1/art/cow20final.jpg
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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!

NEW: 3. Your names will be shown under the option you voted for!



not accepted entries:

Oblio Sorry...but your entry was built upon a concept where the creatures were mutated/deformed humanoids, which are less a species more many different individuals...

J2XA If we take your creature out of the background there is nothing like a recognizable creature-design...


note:

legato please...pleeeeeaaaaaaaseeeee....don't do this again...shorten your descriptions for gods sake...it was a pain in the ass to handle this...:)

[Fozzybar]

REDEHLERT!!!!!

I didn't get any email from you...please post your entry as soon as possible in this thread...i will paste it under your name/concept then!!!

[Fozzybar]

First of all i have to say, though the participants rate was rather high (25) the creature-designs were pretty weak inspirational - mine included of course!!!

leckronium
I really enjoyed the story...it is very well written, reminds me of Predator, which is good, especially when talking about Brain Stealers :) Also the rendering, coloring and atmosphere of your entry is great, but it lacks creature-design, therefore it couldn't stand longer on my favs position :)

MIKECORRIERO
Lovely design and rendering as always! Though the concept and creature-design is leaned on known formulas you added nice details which make your piece stand out...

Main Loop
Fantastic rendering there, but as nearly everyones entry quite classic interpretation of the topic...

Eriboss
Very nice drawing and design...though i am not sure, if a different background were more beneficial for the piece...keep at COW, i think you have a nice fresh style!!!

young paddy1
I watched your progress for a while and i have to say you're improving greatly...it looks as if you stepped on to a next level...keep going!!!

legato
as i said previously...you're killing me with the size of your description...:)...regarding your entry, i think your sketch was much better, it was more dynamically and looser...try to get rid of the black shadows they make your coloring look dirty and unnatural...try to use colors and values to create a focus...eg fade out the tail, the focus would be more on the important part which is the head and also your piece will gain more depth, add a different color to the brownish scheme and use them all over the piece to generate harmony...

tagHeuer
My fav concept!!! Really great, so funny...i still ask if it doesn't stink like hell there in its cave with all the brains which should rotten :) I think the creature could use more an expression of its behaviour (weird lonesome nerd)...

DaRobertz
Hehe, nice concept...cool twist on the topic :)

arteric
I am glad to see you're on a new approach of your artwork...the painterly style really works and i think you should stick to it for a while...Bummer that the creature itself i a little bit blurry...some sharpening would make it pop out and define the focus...

Floris Didden
Superb composition and rendering there...really greatly done...love the little fella, looks like he's in hurry to catch this brain and run away as quick as possible :)

So the final decision here were between my favs MIKECORRIERO, tagHeuer and Floris Didden...at last i voted for:

MIKECORRIERO
though tagHeuer had the best concept IMO, Floris Didden an awesomly done rendering, coloring and composition, i went for my emotional
impression...and i just liked MIKECORRIEROs the best...maybe it's the overall feeling than the essence of points at the end...just like the ratings for a computer game...eg Tetris has poor graphics, there is no great animation, nor a level design...but it's FUN FOR THE HELL...so this time the emotional factor was a big one for making my decision...

[Fozzybar]

New round is on:
http://www.conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?t=51414

[OxCreative]

awwww......i didn't make it to the poll :(

Anyway..... I voted for MIKECORRIERO. This was a very very hard decision between MIKECORRIERO and LECKRONIUM.

MIKECORRIERO
The reason i voted for Mike is that it was a bit more creature orientated and was well executed with a fantastic colour scheme.


LECKRONIUM
Fantastic work - This would make a great portfolio piece!

ARTERIC
Great Idea, but i didn't like the colours or rendering - I have seen you do much better (my fav was the one eating the page!)

I.WAS.INK
Nice rendering and style - my one crit would be the face, it would have looked better more Bug or insect like

FLORIS DIDDEN
Again great rendering and style and also atmosphere - I wasn't to keen on the knife and fork.....kinda makes it a bit more of a character as opposed to a creature

LEGATO
Clean and coherent work, could have done with a background to finish it off. Reminds me of the Bug in Men In Black

FOZZYBAR
I loved the transclucent effect of the creature, looked really shiny and slimey!
I also liked the explosion on the left! My crit would be the way the creatures dangly bits come of the main body :bashful: it looks like its coming from one side and not from underneath

TAGHEUER
I love your style of work.....always has a friendly feel to it - despite the fact the creature is eating brains! Well rendered and great colours!

DAROBERTZ
This was a nice piece of work but it really reminds me of the StarWars Walker things. It looks a bit too mechanical to be a creature

PLAGUE
Nice concept, wasn't too keen on the colours though. Nice style too!

BLKCELEBRATION
I struggled to make this one out. Its been blurred a bit too much. You should put a background to it and make the edges a bit more defined

CARNIFEX
Nice, clear and plausible....looks like something that could really exist!
Great Work!

MAIN LOOP
This is another nice piece. The legs on the viewers left a little too long but apart from that great!

ERIBOSS
Great gritty style, really amazing! I think i could have done with some more colour though! Keep up the good work!

YOUNG PADDY1
The thing that i focus on when i see your work is that it kinda looks like several animals chopped up and stuck together. It doesn't flow as well as most peoples work. You must practice hard as must I :bashful:

XPOSE
Nice colours.....the background was a bit bold though....could have done with something to break it up. Also the limbs look a little short but it can easily be fixed!

NIGHTFEND
Nice colours and great concept!
The man looks a little too green though

POSSESSED
I love the colours! The enviroment looks a little plain. You have a foreground (the grass) and i suppose the sky could be the background but there is no mid ground.

WARHEAD
Nice idea but the background clashes with the colour of the creature

BEN POWIS
Great style and concept. It looks a little cluttered though.....alot going on so you don't know what to focus on

KAYLON
Nice colours, the concept is kinda the same as NIGHTFEND's though

HELZON
Loved the concept but wasn't keen on the colours. Looks a bit vibrant like when ou use the colour replacement in photoshop. I would love to see some lineart of it though!

VIGOSTAR
Great style and colours. My crit is that the feet look a little too angled down as if they are hanging and it would be nice with a background

PANDA
Nice concept and colours although it looks a little unifinshed and could do with some more definition.

[Sundance]

I voted for leckronium. Pretty unique concept, nice story telling, and really good art. Eriboss was a close second - I love your style and story, I just loved leckronium's a touch more.

Nice stuff all around.

[arteric]

I voted for Floris. The creature had such character, and the environment was extremely well rendered. Excellent work by all who entered, but this creature just won me over.

Eric

[possessed]

J2XA, thnx for your crits, you're right about the middle ground, I couldn't really figure out what to do with it and I wanted the focus more and the creature and less on it's surroundings.

leckronium You have my vote, great concept, well executed. It stands out from the others not being either a balloon, insect, or wurmy monster.

Helzon all of your stuff rock my socks off, though I suggest you aim your skill at coloring for now , you're allready a master at the pencils.

Nightfend well rendered (like the last one) but this screams D&D to me. It achieves what it's supposed to but the piece doesn't feel very original imho.

Floris didden Fun creature, nice vibrant colors and a suberb surrounding for the little critter. I'd like to see a bit more suspense ( the scene would like it very much) You could achieve this via some light spots (which in tern create darker area's)

Fozzy Great use of transparency (haven't we seen this before ? :p) The creature itself feels very flat (as does mine). A different perspective might have 'upped' the piece.

Mike unoriginal concept but your skills elevate even the lesser concepts. The colors and detailing/texturing are excellent but won't win me over. If the creature was fully rendered all over the place it might have.

Carnifex cool beast but it screams herbivore to me. It's eyes seem to be at the side of it's head and it has hooves and the basic build of a herbivore. If you want to make a convincing predator, try thinking about what they need that gives them the edge in (brain)hunting.

As for myself, I kinda like some parts of my creature and I think at some point I might revise it and give the floating balloon a more blown up look and make some more curling tentacles.

[redehlert]

Main Loop gets my vote this week out of all of the slick ass entries. It just seemed the most anatomically realistic out of the bunch.
Other nods and hell yeahs go to Leck, Foz, MikeC, Floris, Tag, BlkC, and NightFend.
Cheers,
D

[Helzon]

Mea culpa, mea culpa, mea maxima culpa..
with that bit of self flagellation out of the way...
Step (1):Admit that you have a problem:
My name is Helzon and my coloring sucks.
I would like to improve them light years beyond the hideous shades and hues that sport them at this moment...
If I may kindly ask any who crit this abomination...to be a touch more specific....as to what about them sucks..
1) Hue-wrong colors completely...this thing should have been green or blue?
2) Saturation-my retinas are bleeding from the intensity? Don't ever go near that end of the triangle in Painter again!
3) Value-hsssss...the light! we's hates the light it hurts us... *Gollum...gollum*, or conversely...what the hell is goin on?..put a flashlight on the thing? Or better yet stuff a candle up its ass...

btw...thx possessed and j2xa...i agree with your crits and appreciate the time you took to write them.
Cheers!

[OxCreative]

Helzon
The bits shaded black are good as are the very dark red and purple. But then on the creatures head and back it gets a bit too light and shiny looking. Your colouring looks very smooth and your base colours and lowlights are good but the highlights seem a bit too much.

I think you should lose the green and turn the rest a kinda very dark red/maroon or even a dark purple/blue

Hope this helps!
:teeth:

(If you want a commment or crit on any work just gimme a shout, i'll be glad to help :yayca: )

[Xpose]

I voted for Mike. The cleaness and the colors just sold it.

[bluefooted]

Great work guys! Love those juicy brains... Wish I could've participated, but teaching is killing me right now (it's eating my Brain!)

Anyway, there were a few entries that stood out.

Nightfiend Really creepy, nice coloring and rendering. This one stood out to me because of the 'ick' factor. Was also nice to see the brain stealer in action.

MikeCorriero Beautiful colors and anatomy, as always! Love the exoskeleton feel of it.

Floris Didden Great atmosphere and rendering. Love all the details and the work you put into it really shows.

But in the end I voted for Leckronium! A pretty picture, good description. This one looked like it actually could just steal your brain as you passed underneath it. Loved seeing it in it's environment.

[Legato]

legato please...pleeeeeaaaaaaaseeeee....don't do this again...shorten your descriptions for gods sake...it was a pain in the ass to handle this...:)sorry, i figured my backstory was the only thing giving me a fighting chance :\

[redehlert]

Whoa...I got a vote!
All I want to do is to thank you....even though I don't know who you are.
....or do I? :er:

Cheers!
D

[DaRobertz]

Well, i'm gonna vote for Floris. Nice concept and great painting. I want to thank everyone for the crits so far. If i find te time, i'll try to crit some pieces.

Keep up the good work :yayca:

Robert

[Matt Dixon]

Just back from holiday - looks like I missed an interesting round. I have to second Fozzy's comment over the slight lack of overall originality on display, but individually there were some very nice ideas. In the end I chose Fozzybar's creation to vote for as it was the most unique concept. Really liked Floris Didden's image, too.

( That's two votes in two round from me, Fozzy. You'll have to do something amazing next time around to get a third! :wink: )

[Carnifex]

thanx for the comments. possessed,yeah,i wanted to give it a twist by giving it hooves but you're right on the face.
my vote goes to main loop. i just love the rendering, and it's sorta like you'd imagine "space invaders" to be like. concept isn't that strong,but hey,it's fun.
aww red! if you hadn't coloured it,i'd probably have voted for you. you took out the depth and added sucking colours instead. sorry to be so hard on you,but the uncoloured one was really so much better to me.
i'm abit disappointed with the general lack of variety. almost everything seems to be an insect.
helzon,try with one general colour first and subtle coloured highlights next time. or de-saturated.
floris-my runner-up. but why an insect again,arghh.
:teeth:

[Eriboss]

great stuff, cool cool cool - with a couple of gems in there too!
Fozz, veryyy nearly got my vote, love the picture, them extra planes really make it and the concept has a really nice angle!
But i have to vote for Floris D, cause that pictue is just hilarious, its the one I always came back to, and it really illustrates the concept perfectly!
Nice work
Cya next week,

Eri :evilmustache:

ps. thanks everyone for comments and crits :)

[nightfend]

I voted for Floris Didden. I really liked this piece as the background was done really well and you get to see the creature in action with the brain.

There are a number of other really great images out there that I liked as well from Helzon, Main Loop, and Fozzy.

It was also nice seeing so many entries this time around, though there were a few that seemed more like fast concepts rather than finished pieces.

[Fozzybar]

Whoa...I got a vote!
All I want to do is to thank you....even though I don't know who you are.
....or do I? Well, actually you know...if you click on the number indicating your vote the voters names will be shown...;)




( That's two votes in two round from me, Fozzy. You'll have to do something amazing next time around to get a third!) Hey, hey! Wait! Whenever you post an entry it's very hard to vote for someone else...sometimes i catch me thinking "....i can't vote again for Matt....i can't, i can't...aaaaah WTF it's the best in my opinion so i vote for it!!!"...same happened with MIKECORRIERO's piece this round...i really would like to vote for a newbie or for one who didn't won yet, but i think as dumb it is to vote for popular artists also it's equally dumb to vote for a piece which is not your favorite...

I updated redehlerts image...so we are a complete happy family again :)

[Floris Didden]

I voted for Fozzybar. He clearly deferentiates his piece from the insect/leech crowd and, although the creature might not be very intimidating in terms of ammount of tentacles and sharp pointy ends, the looming blobs cruising through the sky while crashing planes with their brain sucking psyches just does it for me. I'm very glad you added those crashing planes.
Crit would be that you could've given a bit more structure to the creatures form, he seems to consist of just one piece and it would have been interesting to see some shapes of internal organs, perhaps. Maybe some sort of propulsion system or his brain sucking lobe.

Close runner up is leckronium. I really liked your description, and the concept is pretty original. The story conjures up all sorts images of jungle scenes with a lone explorer about to beeing snapped and I think you could have made the piece itself more interesting by showing it more in action rather then the close up we got now.

Other favorites are:
Mike, cool creature, great rendering, I love the colours and texture. I'm not sure how the creature would use it's claws to work towards the brain though, it looks like he would be using them just to hold on, since it appears to have only 4 claws.

tagHeuer, a very funny story, the "I feel so alive" quote had me laughing. The piece itself is very simple, yet effective. I think it would be great for a short story for a childrensbook.

Main Loop, I just love the rendering, surely that's not digital. It has this whole old school sci-fi look going on, both the colours and the creature design.

--
Thanks for all the nice words everyone, I tried to take all the crits from last CoW into account when making this one, thanks a whole lot for that, especially Mike, thanks man.

[redehlert]

Well, actually you know...if you click on the number indicating your vote the voters names will be shown...;)
Whoa! Cool.
Helzon, Mike....buddy....now you have to explain yourself. No use in hiding.
Cheers!
D

[arteric]

Well... two weeks back and I seem incapable of getting a VOTE! Damn you people are hard to impress. Plus I am trying new styles and software so my images are jumping around a bit. I swear... a vote will be mine shortly! I WILL HAVE A VOTE! and I WILL KILL HIM!

On the the Upside/Downside Critiques: (The short version)

leckronium:
Upside: Stellar image (love the out of focus background) with intense colors and great light source. Neat back story (told in first person narrative.... mine was too this time.)
Downside: It is mostly just a big mouth, and would liked to have seen more anatomy to the creature. I think all of the drippings distract me from the creature, might have been too much drool.

panda:
Upside: Nice Character design with function added to it's form. It was smart to give us a human face, helps us to understand scale and see it in action.
Downside: The rendering looks like it was pretty rushed. Take more time with the image and vary your color scheme a bit.

vigostar:
Upside: Unique design compared to most this week. Almost no one used Fur, and the bluish color has that perfect mottled skin quality.
Downside: Kinda looks like a turkey to me. Without any other objects we get no sense of scale or feeling of 3 dimensions.

Helzon:
Upside: Interesting story (another told in first person or through dialog this week) and obvious rendering ability in terms of 3 dimensions and light sources.
Downside: You style is so abstract looking that your images are hard to make out (what is head, what are arms.... etc.) In terms of color I think you need to simplify a bit, there is too much going on in your all ready busy style. Try to focus attention in one area with brighter light sources and fade other parts back (the arm in the background works well doing this).

Kaylon:
Upside: Good rendering, I like the veins and the translucent quality to the flesh. You back lighting is good and it has a nice subtle color scheme.
Downside: You said it yourself "and... is a worm sorta thing..." Obviously it wasn't thought through too deeply with that description. Put a little more into the back story next time and it will match up to you good images.

Ben Powis:
Upside: Good concept with a thurough life and feeding cycle. Creepy descriptions too.
Downside: The image could have used some more fleshing out, it is a little too sketchy to make out, and the textured background detracts from the image in my opinion.

Warhead:
Upside: The mouth is pretty damn intimidating. I like the figure one and figure two sub images, they help in the overall concept.
Downside: It reminds me too much of the worms from dune, and the worm itself could have used more detail and surface texture.

possessed:
Upside: I love the image of that thing drifting along by moonlight. The tips of grass at the bottom perfectly balance the graphic layout of the piece.
Downside: We are a bit too far away from the creature, I would liked to have been closer to get a better look at it.

nightfend:
Upside: Technically, a great piece. It is obvious you are a skilled illustrator, each image shows this. I like the surface of the Brain Stealer most of all, the skin is fantastic.
Downside: It is another mouth worm (with a couple of appendages.) It did say Brain Stealer, not Brain eater, and I would like to have seen something more original that another mouth with teeth.

Xpose:
Upside: The shape of the creature is good, and I can defineately see the 3 dimensional quality to it. The bottom opening lower jaw is a nice touch as are the red eyes.
Downside: Don't be afraid to go farther with your shadows, up the contract as really make some dark areas to draw your eye towards the light areas that you leave.

young paddy1:
Upside: A well thought out creature, from the "mouth sphyncter" (I like that phrase) to the heat emitting back fins.
Downside: The fur looks too flat and the feet seem unfinished. As with others, don't be afraid to make your shadows darker and your peak lighting brighter to create more contrast to you color scheme.

Eriboss:
Upside: one of the most vicious looking creatures this time out. The hunched form is great, and the decoy head is a GREAT idea.
Downside: The image is look sketchy to really make out what is a unique form. I would like to have seen this rendered more realistically to bring this unique being to life.

Main Loop:
Upside: LOVE the flesh on this one, the red skins and wrinkled forms really give this one weight and realism. The eyes work best of all, just that touch of reflective light gives them so much life.
Downside: The legs don't work for me, they are just too thin and don't seem placed to hold up the weight of this creatures bulbous body which detracts from the believability factor.

Carnifex:
Upside: Took an original route, one of the few Non-insect, non-mouth worm entries. The skull plate is a nice touch, and the shape of the form, the legs and their contours work well.
Downside: I just don't see this as a brain stealer, and it depends too much on the text to make it one. I always say these should work both as an image and as a story separately, which makes them phenomenal when put together. The only Brain Stealer part comes from the text.

[arteric]

BlkCelebration:
Upside: Unique style which stands out. The splatter technique to this piece makes it interesting (reminds me a lot of the artist from "30 Days of Night" - Ben Templesmith I think.)
Downside: Ultimately, too abstract in this style though. Can't really make out what we are looking at, and I would like to have a little more detail given to me instead of trying to fill in the blanks.

MikeCorriero:
Upside: Hands down the best rendering this time out. Killer form, great lighting and texture. No one needs to tell you that you know your way around image creation, is is apparent. I like the peak and subtle back lighting, they work very well.
Downside: It isn't really a brain stealer in appearance, only in text/story. I have said it elsewhere in these critiques, the story and image should both work on their own, so when put together they absolutely rock. This needed something to make the brain stealing more a part of it's form, not just function.

redehlert:
Upside: I like the eye and face shape. One of the few aquatic takes this time out, making it more unique than most. The skin texture works well as does the shading.
Downside: The jar is a distraction, it is too unfinished and pulls me away from the reality this tries to create. In terms of story, it is one of the loosest "Brain Stealers" this time out, and barely makes the cut. Points for thinking outside the box, but more points taken away from being too far from the subject.

PlaguE:
Upside: The head/face area is visually interesting and makes me want to see more.
Downside: It is too hard to make out in some regards, the background distracts too much. It really seems like an assemblage of appendages more than a coherent form.

DaRobertz:
Upside: Points (brownie points mostly) for working ConceptArt.org into the story. A unique take on the idea (typhoon Katrina, huh?) The creature itself has a pretty good form, the legs are well done and I like the side arms.
Downside: The rendering needs work, and to have more time taken, the image looks rushed as soon as you look at it, and that detracts from it's potential.

tagHeuer:
Upside: Cool drawing, I love the orange light, and the more saturated colors near the face work perfectly to draw our eyes there.
Downside: It is a bit too cartoony looking, especially the eyes, protruding brows and the human nose. It would have benefited from a more original shape, or more animal-like characteristics.

Fozzybar:
Upside: Another well executed entry. No one can argue with your technique, and the image is always captivating. The colors work well, and the translucent jelly-fish skin is done extremely well.
Downside: It really is just kind of a jelly fish. Someone else said that they would like to see more organs to the creature, some more defining elements, and I agree with that sentiment. The story is nice, but the image could be more original.

legato:
Upside: Damn, you can type can't you. Probably THE most fleshed out story EVER on Creature of the Week. A lot of imagination went into this beastie. Your brush strokes work pretty well too, and the surface of the creature has a good reflective quality.
Downside: I would like to take a separate poll just to see how many people read that entire concept. Problem is, it has to be digestable, no overwhelming. More story doesn't necessarily make it better, and so much of that doesn't come across in your image.

Floris Didden:
Upside: FANTASTIC image. Such character, and a great expression. The environment is wonderful, Fully detailed, and yet subtle in colors to set it back and keep us focused on the intense red of the character. The skin of the character is great too, the wrinkles and joints come across great. This one got my vote this week.
Downside: The creatures form is a bit too human (stands on two legs, has two eyes, etc.) and could have been a bit more original.

I.was.ink:
Upside: I like that it gains limbs by eating brains.... nice touch. That face is damn freaky and the upward light source is certainly nightmarish.
Downside: It does look unfinished, like you ran out of time, and that hurts the image in the end. It would have been more detailed and formed in both the body and the limbs.

arteric:
Upside: a PERFECT entry with no flaws.... a hands down winner which should have gotten everyones vote.
Downside: That you aren't published and famous.

That's it.... whew. See you all next time around.

Eric

[Legato]

BlkCelebration:
legato:
Upside: Damn, you can type can't you. Probably THE most fleshed out story EVER on Creature of the Week. A lot of imagination went into this beastie. Your brush strokes work pretty well too, and the surface of the creature has a good reflective quality.
Downside: I would like to take a separate poll just to see how many people read that entire concept. Problem is, it has to be digestable, no overwhelming. More story doesn't necessarily make it better, and so much of that doesn't come across in your image.

lol, thank you. as mentioned before, i was banking more on the idea rather than the image, and i think that was what i failed at. this is conceptART.com, not concept literature. while the original story that went with my image was formatted with chapter's in bold, it didn't get transfered that way, and ultimately was too long.

but really, i love when i can just think... "what is opposite of everything else?" and just fleshing out things nobody has ever thought of before.

lol, i can't believe i actually wrote that in word, just to make sure the grammar and spelling was all correct O_o

[Carnifex]

arteric,thanx for the pointers. i will think about this next time.

[Oblio]

Great entries everyone.

Fozzy - what can i say? will a more classic description satisfy you? Aliens who eat brains will pass? In my opinion there are only a few who classify as "Brain Stealers" - you chosed to accept lots of entries who were only about brains and mind in generall. I chosed to picture more designs since i though i might describe a full race - there are lot of different dogs... and we call them all dogs :perv: if i may say so.
As for my description... it is what you assumed - you haven't even wanted to try one :p - my fault probably. I assumed on my end that we... nevermind...
Anyway.. i respect your decission and i'll keep bothering you - hell = i might even like it not to make it from time to time. I still like my concept and consider it a creature.. and the most important - i had fun making it - so.. no harm done. Peace.

The reaction to hormones is always the same and can create new species... genetics and endocrinology are related (see latest medical reports and you'll see it's not bullshit)
More.. i told you i have a collony.. and THEY WERE NOT HUMANS .. they were.. nevermind... bottom line.. if this is about creativity... be open.
On my previous entry i attached a lamp and back-pack to my COW and it barely passed as it was more machine then creature...
Maybe it should be stated that creatures should not have anything attached - no relics, mechanical stuff, etc... and not to be mutated from other creatures and ... you know.. more rules..
no aliens maybe? :p
Ok - enough bla bla - my appologies for all the stupid jokes... keep ip up.


BTW - check this creature out:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/cbbcnews/hi/newsid_4200000/newsid_4209000/4209004.stm


Oblio

[Fozzybar]

ok, yes, yep, yeah, you're right....thanx arteric and Floris...i know that this thing looks like a jellyfish...and it's a good idea to add features you mentioned....next time tell me when working on it, hehe :perv: :dur:

[Bylo]

Voted for Floris :)
Allthough his creature was a bit to humanoid, it still worked. Cool image.

[BlkCelebration]

I voted for floris as well. I liked the conept idea. Nice atmostphere and I think the red on the creature really worked. The way hes pullin' out that brain looks incely done..

Main loop would be my close second. I love the fleshy look to it.

Thanks for the crits. I suppose I wanted to make him look like he was fading away from malnutrition, thats why he looks kinda fuzzy.

[redehlert]

Arteric - redehlert:
Upside: I like the eye and face shape. One of the few aquatic takes this time out, making it more unique than most. The skin texture works well as does the shading.
Downside: The jar is a distraction, it is too unfinished and pulls me away from the reality this tries to create. In terms of story, it is one of the loosest "Brain Stealers" this time out, and barely makes the cut. Points for thinking outside the box, but more points taken away from being too far from the subject.

Thanks for the comments, Arteric! Total agreeance on the jar and overall rendering. That's what happens when I only give an hour of total color rendering. DAMN YOU LABOR DAY WEEKEND! :D At any rate...regarding mercury - there's a lot of research linking mercury to Alzheimers disease due to a lot of people having mercury fillings (ahem...I have a few....how bout you?) and gases leaving the fillings and causing memory loss, thus my subtle 'brain stealer' conclusion. I got a little scientific this week because I didn't want to be literal, ya know? :yayca:
Cheers!
D

[JeffZNY]

we're back? why didn't anyone tell me!
grumble grumble grumble

Fozzy...if there's one thing your entry is missing, it's a giant nut sack. Too bad, because otherwise you'd have had my vote...

[nightfend]

Wow, I come back and check the polls and suddenly a ton of people have voted for my piece. That's sweet! Thanks guys. :confident

[Lake]

GREAT crits, arteric. I really need to bust ass on my rendering, I've been slacking as of late.

Voted for Fozzy, his seemed the most real to me.

[Dusty]

I voted for Floris Didden. Without even reading the concept, I can tell what is going on. Good story telling, and great rendering. The concept of the little guy is really cute in a curmudgeony kind of way as well.

-Dusty

[Pupil]

Excellent turnout and a real diversity of styles being showcased here. My favourites are: Leckronium - Very atmospheric write-up and the picture is well realised and very clear. It lacks great originality though. Main Loop - Great image but hard to tell the scale of the creature. The flesh is brilliantly painted but it looks wrinkled and heavy and so doesn’t seem appropriate for a creature the size of an insect. Floris - Got my vote. Fantastic image, complete with interaction with the environment. Slightly more original concept than most. Picture illustrates written concept well. I also like the ideas and execution of Tag, Fozzy, I.was.ink, MIKE and viggostar and the styles of Eriboss and BlkCelebration.

[arteric]

Is it just me, or does anyone else get that pang of suckyness deep down in your gut when someone says "Oh, and I also liked so-and-so, and so-and-so, and so-and-so", and go on to list what seems like everyone but YOU in their group of "likes." Seems like that has happened to me both times since we got back from summer break.

Damn, you people are hard to please. What do you want from me... BLOOD? I could hack off a limb to please you. Or do a little dance.

"I'm a little tea pot, short and stout... here is my handle.... here is my spout." See... I'm dancing, I'm dancing!

I guess I am just your little performing circus bear! Is that what you want from me?? I'll put on a dress and balance on a ball! Sure, fine! Go ahead, watch me perform for you, do what I can to please you! You are an emperor and I am your gladiator suffering and dying for your entertainment. Butcher me! GUT ME! DO WHAT YOU WILL! I AM YOUR WILLING PUPPET! YOUR SERVANT! AAAHHHHHHGGGGGGGHHHH!!!!!!!

*ahem* Sorry, got a litle carried away there. I'm fine now, really. Time to get back to work, and um, let's just forget about this little fiasco OK? Just keep it between you and me? All right? Good.

;) Eric

[Carnifex]

yeah i seem to get that alot too. although this time there were some exceptions. t'is more disappointing to see that you got no votes though. oh well.
oh and i just noticed,because you said the pic doesn't stand on it's own without the description-well i think that goes for alot of entries this round.:)

[0kelvin]

I voted for Fozzy. It's the one that really stood out for me.

I also really liked Floris Didden's piece.

tagHeuer had a great concept (the exact same concept I was working on until I saw your piece, ya bastard) and it turned out very funny.

arteric, even though the creature doesn't do it for me, I really like your robot!



0kelvin

[Fozzybar]

As far as the entries not pertaining to the topic without reading the description. Well, I guess we could all illustrate the creature in its specific environment and illustrate its actions and stealing a brain. Although I thought this activity was more about the "design" of the creature itself than the point of illustration. Isnt COW about designing a creature?
YES putting it in an environment helps but then what are we really voting on? The design of the illustration and background elements, or the design of the actual Creature?

well, that's what i thought when starting COW and that's why it's in the rules....background is NOT necessary...of course i makes your image prettier and everyone is free to do one...but really, this is about creature-design/-concept...

I don't say this because of your entry Floris, please don't misinterprete it...just picking up the debate about backrounds... :wink:

[arteric]

Just to be clear, I don't feel that backgrounds are needed in these images at all. But if something is a brain stealer, I would try to see that reflected in it's design.

Mike Corriero, (not picking at all, just for example) is a great illustration... but it pretty much looks like a mesquito/bug to me. If I look JUST at the illustration without regards to the text then I would NEVER know that it has anything to do with effecting or "stealing" someone's brain.

To me, the challenge is to make that function somehow reflected in the art through the creature's form, all the better if it can be done WITHOUT the need for a background. Don't get me wrong, I SUCK at doing this and find it REALLY hard. My two most recent entries have totally missed the mark and I haven't met that criteria either. But that is one of the ways I personally judge an image. We all have our own ways of looking at art as it is a majorly subjective area, I just wanted to help explain my critiques a little more, especially my comments on "only getting the Brain Stealer part from the text."

The perfect entry to me has Brain Stealer clear in the text and the image, so either works on their own. That way when they come together they elevate beyond the norm to really creative art.

That's all for now. It is something I plan to work on a lot more, and something I think people should keep in mind. I think it would make a lot of designs better.

Eric

[possessed]

It seems though that, people will vote for a lavish environment scene and overlook the design of the actual creature. If thats the case, then I guess I'm wasting my time on just trying to design a creature.

Some creatures just 'look' better when placed in an environment but those that don't even need one to look good are the best imho. You're not wasting time since you are one of the people who can accomplish this feat imho.

On a huge side note: I got a vote :D

[arteric]

Mike,

Point taken about seeing animals and not being able to immediately tell their environments and habits.

Here is an example back at you. If someone said "Blood Sucker" and we drew a Mesquito and a pig (assuming someone was looking at these who never saw these two creatures before) which would be quickly more fitting to the viewer? The mesquito has a long protuberance that can pierce skin and looks like a straw, so it can be used for sucking (remember, "sucking" was in the actual title.) The pig has short, stubby appendages, a flat snout and is oversized and portly. Just by form, function can be determined to some degree. Now imagine someone wrote a long story about how the pig can sit on it's victims using it's weight as a weapon, then an extra long sharp tongue (not seen in the image) can come out of it's mouth and stab the back of it's prey's head and suck out the blood.

An exaggeration, of course, but I think you get the idea. My point is simply that I have been seeing a lot more "pigs with involved stories" than thought out forms lately in COW. I just want people to think more as they design. Again, I am by no means exempt from this. I have been WAY outside the box on a number of occasions and often get off track int he design myself. But that is how I learn what I am doing wrong, by seeing what I do and do not like in others work.

No prob, I never thought you were arguing. Discussions like this are great because they spur ideas.

Eric

[leckronium]

I voted for BlkCelebration. The picture caught my attention from the first time I saw it and every time I scroll through the postings I always stop and look at it. It has a lot of energy and I like the textures and color palette you used. The idea of a creature feeding off brains to sustain it's solid state, I thought, was pretty original. The energy you gave the piece directly reflects the evaporation of the starving creature which works well. Job well done! :^^:

[Legato]

Just to be clear, I don't feel that backgrounds are needed in these images at all. But if something is a brain stealer, I would try to see that reflected in it's design.

Mike Corriero, (not picking at all, just for example) is a great illustration... but it pretty much looks like a mesquito/bug to me. If I look JUST at the illustration without regards to the text then I would NEVER know that it has anything to do with effecting or "stealing" someone's brain.

To me, the challenge is to make that function somehow reflected in the art through the creature's form, all the better if it can be done WITHOUT the need for a background. Don't get me wrong, I SUCK at doing this and find it REALLY hard. My two most recent entries have totally missed the mark and I haven't met that criteria either. But that is one of the ways I personally judge an image. We all have our own ways of looking at art as it is a majorly subjective area, I just wanted to help explain my critiques a little more, especially my comments on "only getting the Brain Stealer part from the text."

The perfect entry to me has Brain Stealer clear in the text and the image, so either works on their own. That way when they come together they elevate beyond the norm to really creative art.

That's all for now. It is something I plan to work on a lot more, and something I think people should keep in mind. I think it would make a lot of designs better.

Erici know what your saying, but, my entry for example has really nothing about it visually that would demonstrait that it eats brains or whatever, its the background (story) i put behind it. much in the same way that others put backgrounds visually.


i guess the only problem is, nobody reads the descriptions :\

[Fozzybar]

i think this is a quite interesting discussion, since it's about the essentials of concept-art, especially creature-conceptart in this case...

arteric and MIKECORRIERO ...both of you have valid points and basically you are of the same opinion...

But what i don't understand, arteric...you said

"To me, the challenge is to make that function somehow reflected in the art through the creature's form, all the better if it can be done WITHOUT the need for a background. Don't get me wrong, I SUCK at doing this and find it REALLY hard. My two most recent entries have totally missed the mark and I haven't met that criteria either. But that is one of the ways I personally judge an image."

well...i mean you voted for Floris (don't get me wrong here, i nearly voted for Floris myself, as i mentioned, because it's an outstanding composition and rendering - but it lacks something which you can read after the bracket :) ), but you didn't judge it by your (arteric) criterias - which are completely RIGHT, i second that wholeheartedly...

Floris drew a creature with cutlery in his hands while opening a brain container...there is no misinterpretation of this creatures being a brain stealer :)...right!

BUT....you didn't tell this by his design or appearance...you just read the illustrated action...what i mean is, you judged the pig sitting on his victim while sucking its blood with the sharp tongue...let Floris' creature stand alone doing nothing and not having any tools in his hand and you won't have any clue what its good for...

Do you see my point?

Congrats to Floris anyway, he is a well deserved winner, because i can see the effort, time and knowledge invested in the piece...it's not always about design as we see...at the end the best one wins - regarding all sections, not only design...

[Main Loop]

hey thanks for the votes everyone, and evenmore for the crits, you make me put more into the thought behind the creature..

i think people will always have their own reasons to vote for one, and they will always choose their favorites, and in a perfect world we can have everyone vote for the most feasible concept, but the "cooler looking" picture will always win, no matter how clever the concept is, if the art is lacking i think its a dud.. its like you got 50% of the idea..

[Floris Didden]

I have been following this discussion with interest and now that my name has explicetly been connected with it I feel like responding.

This summer I really got into digital painting and learned a lot about painter and digital painting in the process. Lately I've participated in the DSG a bit and when the Light Bringer CoW was announced I decided to push it a bit further and participated. I learned a lot from the crits I got on the Light Bringer, and I took that with me in the creation of the Brain Stealer.
With the Brain Stealer, I tried to improve on my composition and rendering over the Light Bringer. The aim of the picture was not to make a very realistic creature, but more of a funny and interesting critter for a more light hearted game or a graphic novel. This is not a style I would normally use, so in that regard it was a learning experience as well. Inspiration for this came mostly from the work of Matt Dixon and Bill Watterson.
With this in mind I set off to create an illustration of the entire concept described in the description.

Having said that, I did have my reasons for designing the creature itself the way it is, however simple ;). The big fleshy bulgy head is a reference to the brains that he consumes, his extendable mouth with the small appendages is suited nicely for reaching inside skulls and scooping up the brainy delights inside and the multiple arms are a subttle reference to the fact that he is a "handy" fellow, a thief.

This is all a big learning experience so I'll certainly be trying different approaches in future CoW's I might participate in. Suggestions, as always are greatly apreciated :).

:painting:

[Fozzybar]

Floris Didden
I noticed your improvement at COW and that's a very good thing, which speaks for this activity and also your engagement as an artist. I am happy about the fact that a "new" face won this round...

The reasons why i mentioned your name/entry are quite simple...first your piece is the winner piece (even if the poll isn't over, we can tell this for sure :)), so your artwork has to be the one to set the criterias on. Second i don't like beating around the bush...especially not when it's something which isn't hurting anybody like this discussion, it's more of a help...but i think you didn't take it personally at all...why should you...

MIKECORRIERO
Again you are right, buddy :) The criterias were set wrong sometimes and i also think that many voters vote for the best looking image without reading the concpets...hell it's sometimes difficult for myself to read all that stuff, but as i am the mod of this activity i have no choice :)

Especially if the artwork is more on the weak side people tend not to read the concept...they know that they won't vote for this entry, since it already lost the "visual" criterias...

There is only one way i see to solve this problem:
Pontemonti had to implement a feature like this...

http://www.kidomatix.com/ca/cow/voting_idea.jpg

So every voter had to vote for one option of each category, their vote won't be accepted if they skip one category...this wouldn't solve the problem entirely, since there will be people who still don't read the concept and vote on each category for their favorite cool-looking entry, not regarding the concept or design...

but well...it's one of the many ideas we had lately to optimize COW :)

what do you think?

[possessed]

I like it. Another idea (dunno if this is possible) is to award certain points to each of those categories. Since this is conceptart.org I would set the most points to concept, then design, then rendering. just a thought off course. By dividing the voting system I think we might see a more even dividing of points instead of the usual:
name: 0
name: 16
name: 1
name: 9

[Fozzybar]

it's an interesting idea, possessed...so we would multiply the points of each category with the relevant coefficient....but no way giving most points for concept... most points would be for design, because its the visual transformation of the concept and shows if the artist has the skills needed as a concept artist...its still about art mainly...

[nightfend]

I would leave it like a video game review in a magazine, where you have 3 or 4 categories for each piece and you get an average score based on all of the categories.

So for instance if I got votes for:

creature design - 3
concept - 2
rendering - 4

The total score would be 3.

Just a thought. But I do like voting for different categories for each piece.

[Fozzybar]

i think there is a big mistake when judging entries like that...

i stated this before in this thread when explaining why i voted for MIKECORRIERO:
"...maybe it's the overall feeling than the essence of points at the end...just like the ratings for a computer game...eg Tetris has poor graphics, there is no great animation, nor a level design...but it's FUN FOR THE HELL...so this time the emotional factor was a big one for making my decision..."

and i think it's still valid...you can't judge games and artwork only by a sum-up of single category-points....

[Fozzybar]

I would leave it like a video game review in a magazine, where you have 3 or 4 categories for each piece and you get an average score based on all of the categories.

So for instance if I got votes for:

creature design - 3
concept - 2
rendering - 4

The total score would be 3.

Just a thought. But I do like voting for different categories for each piece.

Also we have to multiply the design in my eyes (because it's the most important part in my eyes)...like:

creature design: 3 (x2)
concept: 2 (x1)
rendering: 4 (x1)

something like that...

[Fozzybar]

Foz runs in panic and headbutts MIKECORRIERO

[arteric]

arteric and MIKECORRIERO ...both of you have valid points and basically you are of the same opinion...

But what i don't understand, arteric... you voted for Floris (don't get me wrong here, i nearly voted for Floris myself, as i mentioned, because it's an outstanding composition and rendering - but it lacks something which you can read after the bracket :) ), but you didn't judge it by your (arteric) criterias ....you didn't tell [it was a brain eater] by his design or appearance...you just read the illustrated action...what i mean is, you judged the pig sitting on his victim while sucking its blood with the sharp tongue...let Floris' creature stand alone doing nothing and not having any tools in his hand and you won't have any clue what its good for...

Do you see my point?

Yes, yes I do, and you are right. :bashful:

But just for argument sake, in my example the "pig sitting on it's victim with it's tongue sucking out the brain" was ONLY in the story, not in the image at all. All we saw in the image was a pig, and all of the "brain stealing" was in the write up. By comparison, the Brain Stealing WAS actually happening in Floris' image. See what I mean? But you are right, I am still judging by action and not design.

I focused on the word "Stealer" for a lot of my judging. It didn't just read "eater".... it said "stealer". I thought that was unique, so I wanted to see who factored that word into their work, and who ignored the unique wording of "stealer" and just made brain eaters. Floris' creation was "stealing" almost more than anyone else with it's hand caught in the proverbial cookie jar, that priceless look on it's face...etc. You just knew it was doing something it shouldn't be doing, and the "stealing" really worked for me. So when I sat down to vote, I guess that stuck out in my mind very strongly and ultimately, combined with a fantastic rendering, won my vote.

Great discussions this time out folks, makes for a lot of interesting thinking.

Eric

[Oblio]

It will be tought - always!
Surely it is important to try and picture the concept in the best way possible to suit the deffinition.
But words are tricky and sometimes this is a good thing.
I think first we should see how we manage to work with the Freestyle and the Full Description.

It is always exciting to interpret the definition as crazy as you can - however, there should be a huge place for creativity even if we stick to the text.
actors can't change the text lines they have and their still very creative. give the same text to different actors and see what they can come up with. Hell.. dress them w the same costume, make them do the same moves and they will still have a lot of freedome.

about ratings... i had a gaming magazine for few years - we used to rate each thing like graphics, sound, story.. but the overall note had to be a different one - there was a .. tilt so to say.

also - since there is a poll at the end - why don;t you take all the posts to the vote?
I understand that are rules, and a graphic quality standard, but since we let the people interpret the concept...

Maybe we shoud have two polls. One that will select a few entries for the final- on those we let it for a week, and we debate.
Opinions change in the debate - and after all the debate is done.. vote again the winner.

[Fozzybar]

also - since there is a poll at the end - why don;t you take all the posts to the vote?
I understand that are rules, and a graphic quality standard, but since we let the people interpret the concept... well, i think people generally don't understand why i am trying to apply the rules strictly...ok, maybe you will understand when we play through the version without rejecting entries:

round 1:
20 members post their entries...all entries are taken to the poll:
5 new interested members see the entries and think they could throw some quick sketches in for the next round, it's cool to have your work in a poll...and you can do a sketch in your 20 minutes break at work...

round 2:
25 members participate...all are taken to the poll:
10 new members see the entries..."wow, this guy draws so bad and he can take part here, i will enter with my furry cat-woman, this will beat em for sure"

round 3:
35 members participate...though a few pros backed out, since they don't feel there work is appreciated and the activity lost its tight community and challenge character...15 new members see the entries and....you know...

round 4:
50 members participating with quick, sloppy entries not regarding the rules or the topic or any quality requirements...


Of course this is exaggerated...but anybody who is active on forums will know that this things happen very fast if not somebody tries to keep things in line...btw it's a heavy load of work to manage all the stuff with "just" 20 entries each week, think of this when we have 50!!! It wouldn't be bad if there were 50 top entries, but i won't do this for 50 entries with 45 sloppy concepts and artwork...

Now maybe now some people understand why it's important to have an eye on the entries...it's not just a set phrase when i say "it's all for the sake of COW"...

Also i am trying to be fair every round...i am posting the reasons for rejected entries, so the artist and other people can see why some images weren't accepted...this way the community can get a feeling about what COWs requirements are....



Maybe we shoud have two polls. One that will select a few entries for the final- on those we let it for a week, and we debate.
Opinions change in the debate - and after all the debate is done.. vote again the winner.We debated very intensely at the SummerBreak-Thread about new ideas and alternate solutions...our main essence was that we have to keep things simple...your idea would blow up the activity time and work wise...

[arteric]

Um, I just noticed I am a level three Gladiator. I mean I JUST NOTICED THIS.... for the first time.... EVER! When the hell did this happen? Was I drafted? Damn, my sword isn't even sharp.... and where did I put that helmet.

A very nervious Eric

[Fozzybar]

MIKECORRIERO
thank you very much...not only me as the mod also all participants who are so kind to crit and help out each other are making COW what it is...let's keep up the good work and i think we already captured the same community feeling of COW we had at the very beginning...:)

arteric
The titles just started yesterday...so don't be nervous, we have everything under control...even your brain....well...er....admittedly this isn't very difficult in your case...cough.... :perv:

[Carnifex]

har de harhar-i have even more than you.

[Fozzybar]

wow....poll is almost over and we have only 85 votes....usually votes count is about >= 100...

I think i have to boost the marketing activities... :bashful: >:D

[Prehistoric]

i voted for nightfend this round.

some really good entries. floris didden and fozzybar especially.

but i loved nightfend's creature.

good job, well painted.