One Month Challenge: Puppet Master & Puppet

[S.C. Watson]

Okay kiddies.

Now we play hard. This is a ONE MONTH CHALLENGE.

THE RULES:


DON'T SIGN UP UNLESS YOU INTEND TO FINISH.
IF YOU DON'T FINISH BY DEADLINE, YOU'RE OUT.
THUMBNAILS AND WIPS REQUIRED. Chains optional.
POST THUMBS, WIPS AND FINALS IN SAME POST. DO NOT SCATTER THEM THROUGH THE THREAD.
MAKE YOUR FINAL KICK ASS. Image is everything 8)
PUBLIC VOTE.
STICK TO THE ILLUSTRATION DESCRIPTION.
ANY MEDIUM, EXCEPT PHOTOGRAPHY.
YOUR MEDIUM AND IMAGE SIZE MUST BE CLEARLY POSTED*
POSTED IMAGES NO LARGER THAN 650X700 PIXELS. (horizontal or vertical orientations)
DEADLINE: JANUARY 15TH.

*Post your medium above your image. For example:
Image Title
Medium, size


CHARACTER DESCRIPTION:
PUPPET MASTER AND PUPPET

The Puppet Master is a metaphorical term used for a character who operates behind the scenes, avoids public scrutiny, but controls others and event through subtle and often unseen channels. They are cunning, devious, and dangerous. They are the power behind the power.

The Puppet is the primary personality controlled by the Puppet Master, often without their knowledge. Puppets have limited options, and must react when told to, and follow through with their Masters' preplanned moves. Some are aware of their plight, and fight against the constant manipulations of their Master, while most are unwitting dupes, subject to their Master's control.

The relationship between the two characters is best described as symbiotic - the Master is not necessarily an "evil" character, nor is the Puppet. However, one or the other may be, or both, or neither. Often, but not always, neither can survive without the other.

Your goal with this piece is to actively explore the relationship between the two characters. Convey, in a single image clearly who is who, but take it further than the expected.

Yes. Both characters are required.

Bush/Rove portraits will automatically be disqualified.

Good luck.

~Oreg.

[Jska]

Oh man I'm so in. This will be tough but rewarding. WOOT!

[CaptainInsano]

I know I'm gonna get my ass kicked but I'm so in this!

[Aly Fell]

Great idea! As for Bush/Rove... I was thinking more Bush/Blair! But I wont go there! ;) This is about symbiosis I guess... The timing for me clashes a bit with Last Man Standing TD, but I'll give it a go. Does this mean there is no ChOW next week Shane?

[Sundance]

I'm in...a month is more my style (as if I actually had a style). Visions of Master/Servent entries are dancing in my head, but they always do that! :meow:

[AmishCommy]

i can't get the political aspect out of my mind - if i get a bout of inspiration i'm in.

Oreg - thanks for pushing the rest of us with these ChoW ideas. First time i've been inspired to spend more than 30 minutes per drawing in a long while.

[Lohan]

Bush/Rove portraits will automatically be disqualified.



Thank god. Count me in.

[threeeyesworm]

Omg I want to be in so badly.

But I can't ><

[Robot]

Count me in, really looking forward to participate....

[Joeri]

yheah me too.
are there no deadlines when tumps/color shemes etc. should be hand in?

[romance]

i be in

[bluefooted]

This sounds fun - I'm in!

But... I have a dumb question: what are 'chains'?

[S.C. Watson]

Does this mean there is no ChOW next week Shane?

ChOW will proceed as normal.

are there no deadlines when tumps/color shemes etc. should be hand in?
This falls into the category of wips (works in progress).
As you complete them. However, they are required for the final. This is about process, not just one image.

But... I have a dumb question: what are 'chains'?

"whips & chains". It's a pun. a punny pun at that. definately a pun to be pundered. :needle:

~Oreg.

[S.C. Watson]

Added a point regarding medium and image size to the rules.

[ToxicDustbunny]

Is anyone allowed to participate?

[S.C. Watson]

Is anyone allowed to participate?
Well, ahem, there is that small entrance fee, payable to me in international bearer bonds - I'll pm you my Swiss account so you can make the deposit :P

Sure. It's open to anyone.

~Oreg.

[ToxicDustbunny]

I shall contact my accountant in the Cayman Islands.:wink:
Thanks

[bluefooted]

"whips & chains". It's a pun. a punny pun at that. definately a pun to be pundered. :needle:

~Oreg.

I guess I'm not kinky enough :perv: :^^;:

[neoknocker]

I'm in. I'll have to sacrifice a few things but hey! It's only the holidays and I got about a week worth of vacation!

[Infinitum]

I'm in, I like the subject. Be a good one to start the new year on.

First Wip

Some time in the early 23rd century robots finally became advanced enough to allow battles to be fought remotely. The pilots of these robots became known as the Puppet Masters, and their robots the Puppets.
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y153/Infinitum1/PuppetMasterandPuppet.jpg

FINAL

Title - Puppet Master & Puppet
Medium - Pencil and Digital
Image size - 700 x 329

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y153/Infinitum1/InfinitumPuppetMasterPuppetFinal.jpg

[silentkitty]

Sounds like fun, I'm in. :)

[brokk]

Metallica - "Master of Puppets" :needle:

:P

[bwkeough]

WHOA!

sounds like fun, I am IN!!

[Sundance]

Metallica - "Master of Puppets" :needle:

:P


Amen brotha :devil:

[Fozzybar]

i am in for Muppetmaster & his Muppet...:perv:

[S.C. Watson]

i am in for Muppetmaster & his Muppet...:perv:
LOL! :P

[princeofhappiness]

WIP:
Untitled for the Moment
Digital - Pencil
632 x 619


http://img403.imageshack.us/img403/7885/puppetcopy9ec.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

[jhagen22]

Sounds like a blast! I'm in.

_____________________________

I finally remembered to put up my rough. I'm not so sure about the positioning of the heads. They seem a little bland to me now. I might tilt them a little and pump up the composition.

I had done a painting some time ago called, "The Seduction of the Assassin" with a seductress caressing a knight as her dragon prepares to devour him. This is along the same line with the evil woman whispering in his ear. She has total power over him. So I might have his head resting more in her hand. Usually in a composition like this, she would be in shadow, but I thought I would have her in light and him in darkness. Like he is losing strength. She has all the power over him as he slips away into darkness.

http://img344.imageshack.us/img344/117/puppetrough25tr.jpg

[redehlert]

damn. what about bush/cheney!?!?
:)

[Firefly]

I'm totally blank, but I'll plant my flag anyway :yayca:

I really like the idea of a longer project, great idea Oregano!

[Sundance]

http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a172/Sundance5000/bush_puppet.jpg

Just came across this lil' gem when I did a "puppet" image serch :tihi:

Posh, you realize Blair controls Bush...he just makes it looks like Bush dictates his every move, because he wants us to think that we are in control. You sneaky Brits :P

[young paddy1]

okely dokely

[masque]

i'm in with an initial thumb.
http://www.metrocast.net/~chipartist/ImagePost/P-M01_thumb01b.jpg http://www.metrocast.net/~chipartist/ImagePost/P-M01_thumb01redlineb.jpg
12/16&17/05 -- i didn't save the "rawer" prelim stages 'cause they quickly evolved into this scene. i'm also still evolving my all-digital drawing workflow so this may seem a bit more than the usual thumb level but its how i often work when i start with the Wacom. about 2 hours so far (i'm built for comfort. i ain't built for speed).

actually worked at final pixel dimensions but most of the layout was done at a 50% view scale in Photoshop, so it looked like these scaled thumbs (edit of 12/20 -- this prelim stuff knocked down another 50% size to save post space and bandwidth). why blueline? i dunno. found i like it better than ersatz graphite or sepia. maybe a throwback to my wannabe comic artist days, pre-digital, remember non-repro blue?

major visual theme i wanted to get down was tension. after blocking in a few placeholder strokes for the figures i laid in the tension lines (reconstructed in the redline markup -- you can maybe still see some in the sketch). wanted to have everything directing and redirecting the eye back to the puppet's face, but still have a flow from master to puppet to victim and back.

planned next steps: expand on the scope, start adding in a cadre of other puppet street assassins along the right-hand wall, lined up in the shadows like latter-day golems. explore the 3 main characters in greater detail, develop their personae. get environmental refs. formally lay out the scene for better technical aspects (perspective, proportion, etc.)

anticipated visual style -- film noirish, hence the canted framing (which i may tilt even more) and suggestions of bold shadow patterning, heavy chiaroscuro.

please crit. we got time for lots of mutually beneficial dialogs, and i for one will really benefit from such.

basic story concept roughly along the lines of The Manchurian Candidate -- acquisition & maintenance of power via political assassination.

12/18/05 -- a few pose and persona thumbs, in graphite this time due to a power failure (two done by candlelight :rolleyes: ); turning more towards a period piece gangland scenario that fits well with my intended film noir visual style. concept still mutable but forming up.
http://www.metrocast.net/~chipartist/ImagePost/P-M01_thumbs02b.jpg

12/20/05 -- Take 2. another quick (for me) and dirty layout, mostly notes to myself but still using the intial blocking,
though flopped L-R.
http://www.metrocast.net/~chipartist/ImagePost/P-M01_thumb03.jpg
source of Master's control now more specific and echoing the FG action (another puppet/master & puppet pair), as well as acting as a harbinger of the main character's future , hinging on how he resolves his current dilemma. FG victim likely to become a cop (in period uniform - 1930s). much technical stuff yet to resolve. i have my refs and will now start a formal layout, beginning with the structual perspective, which is only gonzoed in this thumb.

12/28/05
Title: Turning Point Current size: 596x700
Medium: Digital painting, prelims in pencil w/digital editing
http://www.metrocast.net/~chipartist/ImagePost/TurningPointDrwgSmall.jpg
base drawing for the final, which I plan to paint at 2x size. drawing is more detailed than the painting will likely be but i want a thorough familiarity with the image before moving on to paint. lighting studies coming next. 1/11/06 -- reduced drawing image for bandwidth.

1/11/06 Final submission
Title: Turning Point
Medium: Digital paint (Photoshop CS2) 650x683

http://www.metrocast.net/~chipartist/ImagePost/TurningPointChOWwebU1.jpg

NOTE: This image is also posted in the Critique Center thread for C&C feedback prior to the deadline. Please post any critiques there. Thanks.

1/13/06 -- a few edits and polishes made thanks to good feedback from the Critique Center. i think the fat lady has sung ;)

[cgfuller64]

Gaaaaaaaaaaammmmeeeeeeee Oooooooonnnnnnnnnn! I'm in!

[erisreg]

cool,. i'll give it a shot,.. the process thing is a good idea,..:)

[Pan]

Damn, have to step down from this one at the moment. :(

edit: Ok, I'm not stepping down, because I hate wussing out, so I'm going to try and get my act together for tomorrow. But, if I don't make it, at least I tried :^^;:

[Pibborando]

I havn't entered one of these before, but the one month schedual is tempting.

Sure, I'm in.

Since it's winter break, I'll be sure to think of something in my free time.

[Delvennerim]

Ohho...this is sweet.

I am IN. Bring it. :D

[S.C. Watson]

Masque - I was looking at your thumbnail there and had a couple of thoughts occure to me. I wouldn't have done had you not asked for feedback.

Take this all with a grain of salt.

I wanted to touch on a couple of elements here. One is that the way this is shaping up, you actually have one puppet, one puppet master, and one puppet/master, if that makes sense. Intersting combo.

The first thing that really jumped out at me was that we, as the viewer, need to be down at the victim's level. Check out what I did here:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v25/Oregano/masquePaintover.jpg

This was just a quick and sloppy go over in ps. But I think you'll get the idea. Drop the horizon line *way* down. Bring down the Master character as well, so he works visually. Ad in some buildings, low, so they help convey the impression of being on the ground.

You've got your puppet master there looking kind of gleeful. Not sure if that really works for you here. I would imagine this guy in this case would be more of a stoic crime boss or gang leader. These guys are *always* in control. Period. They can't afford to get happy.

You initial puppet, who's really a puppet/master character needs to be either solidly with the master, or if he's in conflict here as he appears, should propabaly have some reason for the conflict. Perhaps the guy on the ground is a buddy? Or the Boss has his girl friend. Something sublte, but tells the story when you make the connection. You need an "Oh!" momont there. Could be as simple as the characters dressed the same (same gang, that just got trounced by the Boss's guys).

The victim character is the true puppet. His life is forfiet, and is entirely dependent on the puppet/master character. The puppet/master's life is dependent on the puppet, because if he doesn't off him, *he's* done for. This whole range of hierarchical stratification starts to take place with just these three characters.

Hope that helps, and gives you some feedback that you can use.

Cheers,
~Oreg.

[gorillagrin]

I'd love to get in on this now that I have some free time. Count me in!

[bumskee]

nice idea, so we just post our stuff here right?? I will place mine here. :)

[masque]

good feedback, Shane. the triple-layered hierarchy is a good call, i missed the victim as a puppet but you're right. makes for a more succinct visual statement, too. the gang aspect was something i had thought of, with the gang as an unwilling political tool (my "golems"), just didn't have time in the thumb to bring that out. vic as same gang also crossed my mind, as did a crime-boss Master. still a lot of growing needed in these story/personae considerations. your ideas are very useful, opens up some considerations i hadn't yet seen. mulling this all on the road i also realized the political assassination idea might be troublesome to portray unambiguously, brought me back to the gang/mobster ideas.

with the vic now a puppet, your suggestion of viewpoint change is sound, and works well with the up angle view of the shooter. i had seen the conflicting view angles (not angels :P) & was going to resolve them in the more formal layout. i have an idea how to do that and keep the Master in roughly the same position (i still like the connections made in this arrangement), and bring in a more open city BG. i had in mind a skyline at the end of the alley in the thumb, it's just not too clear.

grain of salt? hell, nearly every good dish needs 1/4 tsp or more ;). i do appreciate the comments, no need at all to qualify their offering.

one question in the logistics of this thread. all images we post to the original slot, but what about these discussion posts, which may run rather longish. keep them in standard thread order, or consolidate them as well in some fashion?

[S.C. Watson]

grain of salt? hell, nearly every good dish needs 1/4 tsp or more ;). i do appreciate the comments, no need at all to qualify their offering.

one question in the logistics of this thread. all images we post to the original slot, but what about these discussion posts, which may run rather longish. keep them in standard thread order, or consolidate them as well in some fashion?

hehe - glad it helped. I'm looking forward to seeing this brought to completion.

As for general thread discussion, I'm not worried about it. My main concern is keeping images consolidated in one post so I don't have search through the whole thread to find where someone's final image is.

Starting next week (actually tonight, now that I think about it...) I'm going to carry that rule over to the CHOW as well. That slows me down quite a bit.

Cheers,
~Shane

[styler]

I'll give it a shot

[Trollboy]

sounds tough! i'll giver a go

[fes]

After a few ideas, I'm going with this "puppet of the goddess" one.... still not sure however.

Couple of thumbnails
http://www.fionasansom.com/assets/dsg/puppermaster_thumbnails.jpg

first rough
http://www.fionasansom.com/assets/dsg/puppermaster_rough1.jpg

Here's a re-jig of the rough with (hopefully) a bit more dynamic perspective:
http://www.fionasansom.com/assets/dsg/puppetmaster_drawing.jpg

And here's a tonal rough, but now I look at it I think the window should be further to the left... drat!:

http://fionasansom.com/assets/dsg/puppermaster_rough2.jpg

Window now to the left

http://fionasansom.com/assets/dsg/puppetmaster.rough3.jpg

This is as far as I've got. I seriously doubt whether I'll be able to finish in time as I've got guests at the mo. Will try, but dunno. Need to finish the Goddess at least :(
http://www.fionasansom.com/assets/dsg/puppetmaster_003.jpg

Well ... this is as far as I got. So it's the final:
http://www.fionasansom.com/assets/dsg/puppetmaster_004.jpg


Title: Puppet of the Goddess
Medium: Digital
Size: Original 4200 x 3900 pixels

[trevor]

im in
seriously
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxx
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v48/trevorclaxton/puppetmasterwebfinal.jpg
DONE!
Vengance
650x700 pixles
painter 8
orig:13x14@300dpi
during a long conflict with a neiboring tribe her inca clan came across an ancient idol with instructions on how
to resurrect a lesser god of war that has lain dormant for over 100 years
with a sacrifice the god would awaken and destroy the enemies of the tribe
having no willing sacrifices the tribe chose a 17 year old girl who had been orphaned years prior in their tribal conflict
and in a rush to commence the ritual they had not deciphered all of the ancient texts on the idol
stating that tghe sacrifice must be a willing one or the god would subvert to her will
having awakened the beast and killing the girl they doomed all of inca civilization as she took revenge on her cruel elders
tribe and all surrounding tribes spreading death destruction and ruin until she was appeased and could pass to the next life
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxx
--------------
place.....held
wip of the final
hopefully ill get it done tonite or by tomorrow night
its gunna be a long one
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v48/trevorclaxton/puppetmaster1wip.jpg
another hour in
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v48/trevorclaxton/puppetmaster2wip.jpg
30 more minutes
just blocking more in
not too pleased with the perspective but ill fix it later
this should be my last update 2nite
2morrow ill make some of these wips into thumbnails and attatch links so im
not taking up too much space here
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v48/trevorclaxton/puppetmaster3wip.jpg
hope you likeee
--------------
here is a wip of the puppet
i changed my idea abit when i started thinking about a back story
i figured something loosely based on inca myth would be more interesting
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v48/trevorclaxton/incanwargod.jpg
about 2 hrs painter
he is a lesser earth god associated with victory in battle
here is a 20 min pencil sketch and color rough of the
puppet master, yes shes dead. i will post the story behind it with the final post
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v48/trevorclaxton/incasacrifice.jpghttp://img.photobucket.com/albums/v48/trevorclaxton/incasacrificecolortest.jpg
and here are a few sketches of my earlier idea
i got to doing these and thought it looked too generic and
i couldnt really come up with an interesting back story but i did like the idea of mutiple arms so at least something good came of it
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v48/trevorclaxton/beast1.jpg
another wip _close up
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v48/trevorclaxton/incanwargodwip2Detail.jpg
and a quick design of its stone idol
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v48/trevorclaxton/totem.jpg

[Kronos]

....heh.....ok, little intimidated by all the the competition, but what the heck

count me in!!! this is gunna be HUGE!!!

[vigostar]

do we have to sign up???? or can we just submit??

[S.C. Watson]

do we have to sign up???? or can we just submit??
I think you just signed up, there, boy 8) (joking) (need a Drill Instructor smiley :P )

It would be wise, in my opinion to make a place holder post so that you have someplace to put your wips and final. I am not keen on hunting for scattered work, especially if this grows to be the monster I suspect it will.

~Oreg.

[abase]

I'll try. Whether anything develops, who knows.

[Orm]

I will put some time in this.

[VirusArtist]

sounds like a great startoff for my new life after 5 weeks of hell... count me in... :)

[solorpower]

OK. I'll do this one 'cause I got some leave days coming! (yeepee!!!)

Sounds like it's gonna be an interesting thread.

One month. Geez......8)

[cgfuller64]

I started over, this one looks darker than it should...but it will give ya an idea...


http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c188/cgfuller64/puppeteerbestcopy.jpg


Santa please bring me a tablet for Xmas, I'm wearing out
\another mouse out.

[StenP]

Oregano -- great idea! I'm in.

[Craig Houghton]

----------------------------------
WIP Step 1 - The placeholder post.
----------------------------------

count me in!




i'm thinking that the first step is a tad easier than the ones to follow..

-Craig

[trevor]

oh yeah... should we post wips of the actual character design process? (sketches, props, detail shots......) hmmmmm
ive already got several pages of sketches
like this just quick doodle trying to come up w/ a design for the puppet

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v48/trevorclaxton/puppet1.jpg
(im not posting the img because im not sure its appropriate)

[BrainBug]

oh yeah... should we post wips of the actual character design process? (sketches, props, detail shots......) hmmmmm
ive already got several pages of sketches
like this just quick doodle trying to come up w/ a design for the puppet

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v48/trevorclaxton/puppet1.jpg
(im not posting the img because im not sure its appropriate)

your puppet looks quite like a bossy type :/

get to work all, i wanna see nice pictures :) http://www.mythforums.com/w3t/images/icons/whipit.gif

[S.C. Watson]

oh yeah... should we post wips of the actual character design process? (sketches, props, detail shots......) hmmmmm
ive already got several pages of sketches
like this just quick doodle trying to come up w/ a design for the puppet

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v48/trevorclaxton/puppet1.jpg
(im not posting the img because im not sure its appropriate)

What you post in terms of works in progress is entirely up to you. What I wanted to do is focus this on the developmental process, which needs to be shown in order for the final piece to be taken to poll.

My one suggestion is that if someone does have a lot of sketches, try to consolidate them into something akin to a collage. They don't have to be huge, but I'd suggest large enough to be seen (duh).

~8)reg

[vigostar]

ok, ok.. damb. i gotta start thinking of what to draw now.... So, much pressure!!!!!!

[Gloominati]

HOLY FUCK!! thats awesome I am so in, guys!!!

[JeffZNY]

HOLD MY PLACE!
yeah, that's right. i'm talking to an inanimate forum.

EDIT: shit, i didnt get around to this after all. sorry guys...great work!

[Mike Corriero]

I guess I'll be holding my place here, with a rough sketch done tonight. This idea may change but for now it's just a bust. I have some interesting Ideas for the arms and lower body, and what the actual "puppet" will be.

Edit: Dec 21st - Updated with Character Anatomy study
Edit: Dec 21st - Updated with cloaking helmet device detached.
and a changed pose for the anatomy study - grey

[Sundance]

Nice to see you back Mike, hope you're doing well and I look forward to seeing your final piece! :teeth:

[Mike Corriero]

Thanks Sundance, I'm feeling a bit better and will soon have a real break hopefully shortly after the holidays. I updated my entry so far with an anatomy study of the puppet master. ;) I hope I'll find the time to actually finish this. I already have the idea figured out about the puppet and the way he uses it.

[shadoman]

Mike, good to see you back too. Those studies are really nice. I love the hands on the one guys chest, but I just love the composition and expression on the left one.

Shane, I'm throwing my hat in by the way. Hope to push myself as much as possible on this since I am off for the rest of the year.

[styler]

to Mike: very interesting I really like those

Edit:december 24th
heres what I have so far
http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c113/twizler191/267.jpg

[Profil]

Mike: you have really improved, you should be proud. The anatomy is really cool too.
I just wonder what he will do with those arms he has attached to his abdomen.

[Mike Corriero]

Shadowman@- Thanks, looking forward to what you produce. I think it will just be cool to see everyones sketches/thumbs.wip

Styler@- Thanks man

Profil@- Thanks, It's possibly because I've been doing a lot of ortho's lately so I've been forced to research more on my anatomy and learn to drawn the sides and backs as well as the front of a creature.
About the hands, you'll see ;) I'm going to try and work out some movement studies and thumbs of poses and various walking methods. This guy is a puppeteer so his limbs are geared toward being able to dislocate bones in joints and bend in very strange ways. He's capable of walking on numerous limbs at once or a variation of 2 or 3 or 4, kind of like how a chimp sometimes walks or uses one hand or both for running.
The limbs will play a part in his puppeteering.

[Trollboy]

@fes: Very nice so far. i really like your concept.

i still havent had time to start anything. too much christmas stuff going on...

[S.C. Watson]

Mike, I'm really digging your Puppet Master guy there. I love the use of the limbs. Fun stuff.

Happy Holidays everyone.

~Oreg.

[fes]

Thanks Trollboy! I think I'm gonna fiddle with the perspective a bit tho.

[FlipMcgee]

NANO-DECEPTICON MASTER AND PUPPET
Photoshop 562 x 700



Thanks to Oregano for the challenge. Learned a couple of tricks while making this. Good stuff by everyone who finished. See 'ya in the boards. :D

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v67/Flipmcgee/nano_mcgee.jpg



------------------
WIP #4:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v67/Flipmcgee/nano_wip04b.jpg

WIP #3 UPDATE:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v67/Flipmcgee/nano_wip03c.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v67/Flipmcgee/nano_wip03.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v67/Flipmcgee/nano_wip03d.jpg


WIP #2 UPDATE:

Here are the initial thumbs for a nanobot design. I've seen magnified pictures of nanobots before but I'm just going By memory while doing this. Actual nanobots (at least once I saw) aren't really complex looking, as if they're just inconsequential plastic parts of a bigger hardware.

For now, I'm thinking in the back of my head that I'll need claws and protrusions with propellers because in the scene they'll, or at least one, will be totally submerged in a fluid environment. Blood, oil, something like that. Claws or robo-arms to hint at one of their immediate functions.

Major change in this update is I'm exchanging the idea of a holographic nanobot in the background for something more sinister narrative wise. Hopefully that would be a lot more clearer in the next round of wips.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v67/Flipmcgee/nano_ruff.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v67/Flipmcgee/nano_wip02b_mcgee.jpg



---------------------
WIP #1:

Interesting challenge so here I begin with the initial layout. I plan to proceed with a montage effect. The bottom panels represent nanobot or microscope pov. Behind the scientist/puppet master would be a montage of the nanobot. It will likely look holographic and translucent enough to still reveal lab background.

Next wip: nanobot design(s) and perhaps a speed paint to get an idea of lighting, compositing, and color palette schemes.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v67/Flipmcgee/nano_wip01_mcgee.jpg

[Chuck,mate.]

MIKECORRIERO-

sick.
sick.
sick, sick creature/character design.
you is NUTS!

looks seriously promising, man.
can`t wait to see the results on this one.

me?
wish i had the time and patience for a 1 MONTH round.
it`s too demanding.
i can hardly cope with the 1 WEEK rounds.
maybe some day. we`ll see.
everyone - keep it up. this round is gonna kick some
f---ing mind-blowing ASS.

[Gloominati]

so I guess that this is my post here :D

here are my very first thoughts on the design and stuff, still scribbeling everything down that comes to my mind.

http://people.freenet.de/glominatisart/25-12-05(3).jpg

http://people.freenet.de/glominatisart/25-12-05(2).jpg
http://people.freenet.de/glominatisart/25-12-05(1).jpg
__________________________________________________ ___
edit:
well have thought about the story, but I am still not sure if tsi really works.
first the rough thumbnail design :
http://people.freenet.de/glominatisart/26-12-05(7).jpg

This guy is supposed to be the pupetmaster.
He's a very young guy, almost a child with great psychological power. He isn't a real human since the only way he can get energy for living is to suck it out from humans, animaly and sometimes even plants. So he lived this way killing people because of his great desire for energy. One day he got caught by a special unit for missions in heavy warfare. This organisation was interested in this guy's skills since this unit works without any public knowledge only.From that on the puppetmaster workes for this unit. His job in this unit is to help winning wars and battles without fighting. He takes control of the people who normally would die in the warfare (mostly children) an gives them huge powers so that they can fight the enemy without beeing killed themselves. After the danger is gone the puppetmaster is allowed the suck out the puppets energy out to a minimum level so that the puppetmaster can stay alive and even increase his powers and the puppet has fought for it's own safety.

------------------edit: 29th December 05------------------------

I change the design of the puppet-master a bit. I wanna developp the color-scheme and the finals when I ork on the final piece itself.

http://people.freenet.de/glominatisart/29-12-05(3).jpg
http://people.freenet.de/glominatisart/29-12-05(4).jpg

[dariocoelho]

nice work everybody! im really curious to see how things will develop.
i thought of something that captures the topic im currently working on and so i came to my concept of an "aztec" shaman who sees himself forced to prevent the incoming of the spanish conquerors in the 16th century. he as puppetmaster is able to control gigantic stonegolems which are of course some badass creatures the spanish people wont be able to mess with. without them he and his people wont survive so i think theres a clear relationship between the master and the puppet, also the golems wouldnt be able to defend the aztec culture without a brain to think. (in this case puppetS, i hope its ok!) im having a specific scene in my mind, but so far i coudnt catch the mood as i wanted to...anyway, here we go.

title: defending el dorado
medium: painter. size: 700x585 pixels

i first started to sketch some jungleenviroments with some ruins and the usual tomb raider stuff. just to get a feeling for the colors that will mark the atmosphere. these are the two i thought they are worth to show and below you can see ive already startet to sketch the golems and the entire scene as im not very good in planing whole paintings i have to sketch a lot.

http://people.freenet.de/daghwan/art/puppetmaster1.jpg

and some sketches of spanish conquerors. things are getting clearer. ;)

http://www.8ung.at/dariocoelho/gallery/sketches/donsanchez.jpg http://www.8ung.at/dariocoelho/gallery/sketches/aztec.jpg

:update: 26.12.05

i guess its getting serious now. sketched a scene i finally liked and startet to work out the background. i think the fog thats hiding the hills behind works kinda nice, because its showing how big those aztec pyramids can be and keeps the whole painting in a creepy mood, whats my main goal. as you can see ive startet to work on the golem (i decided to make only one). the shaman guy will hide himself behind the rocks at the right bottom, speaking out his words of magic and watching the enemies die. i will bring up a concept of the shaman in the next days. hope you dig.

http://people.freenet.de/daghwan/art/puppetmaster5.jpg

:update:

added the shaman concept.

:update: 29.12.05

i decided to make a new scene concept, because i felt like the first was too loose and messy. i hope this will work now, and i hope that im still keeping the focus on the characters, so please let me know if im getting lost!

http://people.freenet.de/daghwan/art/puppetmaster6.jpg http://people.freenet.de/daghwan/art/puppetmaster7.jpg
http://people.freenet.de/daghwan/art/puppetmaster8.jpg http://people.freenet.de/daghwan/art/puppetmaster9.jpg
http://people.freenet.de/daghwan/art/puppetmaster10.jpg http://people.freenet.de/daghwan/art/puppetmaster11.jpg

:update: 30.12.05

changed some colors, the golem and started to paint out the background a bit. im still exploring something very undefined what may turn out as a great failure but its just the way i paint. anyway, i think im going to stay with this scene as it works quite fine in my head...for now. ;)

:update: 03.01.06

well...not much to say. added the next two steps.

:findal update: 15.01.06

yeeha! ive made it and i think i got where i wanted to be with this painting. lot of work for me and also the first time i spend so long on a single painting. thanks for this challenge as i learned so damn much while painting and developing this concept.
i am still unsatisfied with several parts of it but time is running out and i would bite my ass off if i would miss the deadline.
as you can see i concentraded a lot on detailwork and storytelling. a friend made some suggests as i should make every element take part on the message and maybe change the canvas proportions a bit to keep the focus on the triangle effect of the shaman, golem and the golemhead where he prays to the gods for support. thanks at this point, thomas, i think the changes brought the final image to an level i didnt expect i am able to do...not yet. so...here it is...hope you dig!

my FINAL IMAGE:

http://www.8ung.at/dariocoelho/gallery/paintings/puppetmasterweb.jpg

if you want to see a larger version click here:
http://people.freenet.de/daghwan/art/puppetmaster.jpg

and here are some detail shots in 100%, so in the size ive painted this whole thing. i may mention that im painting on a 15" monitor, so it was hell of a lot scrolling. ;)

http://people.freenet.de/daghwan/art/details/1.jpg http://people.freenet.de/daghwan/art/details/2.jpg
http://people.freenet.de/daghwan/art/details/3.jpg http://people.freenet.de/daghwan/art/details/4.jpg
http://people.freenet.de/daghwan/art/details/5.jpg http://people.freenet.de/daghwan/art/details/6.jpg

[solorpower]

Getting a rough start, so here is the first of many updates. I'm starting with the puppet master, but the concept will change as I come up with other ideas.

Character Study
http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b335/solorpower/puppetmaster1.jpg

[Kiriko]

Oh crap, I wish I'd been checking the forum more often.
I'm in if you're still taking applicants, and I'll guess I'll be working my ass off to finish in the abbreviated time. D:

EDIT: Woo hoo! Here's what I've completed so far.
Initial thumbnail sketch:
http://kiriko-moth.com/illos/concept_thumb.jpg
I actually had no idea of my concept when I started drawing this...just a vague picture in my head, so I went with it. Sometimes that sort of blind intuitive process works for me.
When I completed the sketch, I figured out what it was that I'd just drawn: The moon directing the ocean tides. Voila, and hopefully not too far off as an interpretation of the theme.
http://kiriko-moth.com/illos/moon_ocean_studies.jpg
Studies, in which I was exploring different poses for the ocean character.
http://kiriko-moth.com/illos/moon_ocean.jpg
Final rough for the illustration
http://kiriko-moth.com/illos/moon_ocean_line.jpg
Inked line art, ready to color in Photoshop.

And my Final!

Title: Pulling the Tide
Medium: Ink and Digital (Photoshop 7.0)
Size: 461x690
http://kiriko-moth.com/pulling_tide.jpg

[cbartrun]

Okay, jumping in with both feet. Great work on the board already! This is going to be a fine adventure. Here are some initial thumbs exploring possible layout and initial character thoughts. WIPs - graphite 680 x 420 composite, final - digital 680 x 540.
http://www.carriebartlett.com/images/PuppetWIPs.jpg

Well, looks like I ran out of time to do this one, but I'll finish it the best that I can. The gray addition to the idea sketches is the final layout. The rest of the WIPs I'll put up underneath the sketches.

The idea is that the muse is manipulating the artist for her own pleasure. The muse being one of Appollo's minions, she's fed up with following him, and thus taking it out on the artist, who is forced to play along.

Well, I tried. Here's what I was able to finish. If I were to improve it, I would have added the light effects, I also would have liked to work the stone textures more by taking it into Painter. I am really new at digital rendering, and would appreciate any pointers anyone might have. Thanks for looking. AMAZING work everyone!!!

Final Illustration
"Amusing the Muse"
680x540
Digital: photoshop

http://www.carriebartlett.com/images/Amusing_the_Muse.jpg

Sorry, had trouble posting the final...didn't quite make it on time. Great challenge! Thanks for the opportunity. :)

[Orm]

I got a small vehicle containing a bodiless human(the master).
The puppet is some unlucky guy picked on the street for his healthy body. His spine is taken away with surgery and then gets replaced by the vehicle. When this happens, the puppet is forced to accept the influence of the master, that is if he doesn´t want to live spineless, and die. maybe more parasytical than symbiotic.
background:
Human has survived its body. All information describing the individual is contained in a small sphere-shaped shell, made of some powermetal material(lightweight, durable etc.).
The upper class does no longer reproduce. They have given up their bodies for personal immortality. forever living in the 8mm shell.
However, there are still people living the primitive "meat-way".
Those warm bodies walking the streets serve a purpose for the bodiless upper class. you see, just because you dont have a body, you still got flesh-based instincts. this is where the vehicle gets in the picture.
it is designed to give the frustrated, decadent, bodiless upper class a temporary body to use for its pleasure.
http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b340/croes/1.jpg http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b340/croes/2.jpg
http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b340/croes/3.jpg
I am still developing the vehicle, I haven´t yet beginned working with the two individuals and how to depict their relationship. Later, I intend to create some kind of scenario based on the stuff I come up with in this early stage.
The "pilot", the little sphere containing a mind, is located in the top of this vehicle-thing.
http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b340/croes/4.jpg

[Andrea Smith]

Oh WOW! What fun! I would looove to participate if I could—but I'm going into college for the first time in about a week. :( However, I will see what I can do! Can you post your WIPs and Final image whenever they are finished? I would like to design some things, and then post everything at once if I can.

At any rate, I'm going to enjoy this one a lot! And if I don't get it finished, then you probably won't miss it very much because I'm not a professional artist by any means!


Hey, dariocoelho, I LOVE your picture so far! BEAUTIFUL colors! I have to say I really like the pose of the golem in the first sketch, but in the second one the shaman is MUCH more involved in the picture. He looks like he is really watching and directing things, as opposed to the first one, where he looks like he's just hiding.

As I said before, I'm going to start for the first time in college very soon, and I am so excited about it!—But I'm not sure how much drawing I will be able to do. At any rate, I have been working hard at my picture for the past couple of days, and I have the idea all figured out. Now I just have to get what is in my mind on paper.

So far, here's what I have. I want to surprise you with the actual storyline, but here are two sketches for perspective and lighting, and one for clothing design. I feel like I'm not quite dead-on with the perspective in either of the two shots, but I think I'm lining everything up right. Does anyone have any tips for me?

Anyway, here they are:

Title: uh...I don't know yet.
Medium: Photoshop 5.0

Darn! Why aren't my pictures showing! I sure don't want that to happen when I submit my final! I'll try again, though.

Here are clothing designs and a messy semi-final (which will be completed if possible). Don't give up hope, I might finish it yet!

Anyway, here are the clothing designs:
http://img9.picsplace.to/img9/6/Clothing_designs.jpeg (http://picsplace.to/)

And here is the previous full-picture plan:
http://img9.picsplace.to/img9/6/planpic2.jpeg (http://picsplace.to/)


Okaaay! I've got a final! Here is is!

FINAL IMAGE:
Image Title—Swan Lake: "Will you marry me, Odette?"
Medium, size—Photoshop 5.0 with a Wacom tablet, 700 x 873
COPYRIGHT to Andrea Helen Smith

http://img8.picsplace.to/img8/6/swanlake2.jpeg

I don't know whether of not you will include a storyline with each picture, Oregano, but I hope you do if it is not too much trouble! Here's the storyline for this picture, however, in case you do.

"As moonlight falls on Swan Lake, Siegfried has managed to get his beloved in a quiet corner. A ring, bright as the moon itself he puts on her finger. "Please, Odette," he says, "Will you marry me?"

"Odette" turns away, a dark smile on her face, and behind the curtains, something rustles. For Siegfried is deceived by magic, moonlight, and love. What he believes is Odette is actually Odile, the daughter of the magician who keeps his real Odette imprisoned. Now poor Siegfried is caught however, because Von Rothbart has triumphed. All Odile has to do is say "Yes," and Odette will be lost forever.

She hesitates, however. She is the key to Von Rothbart's success, but she is not totally happy being a puppet. SHE could triumph if she wanted to. Von Rothbart supports her with his magic, he gives her all the magical power. He makes sure she gets what she wants. But does he really have ALL the power? He can't deceive Siegfried like she can. She could say "No" if she wanted to. Who is the real Puppet Master? Von Rothbart...or Odile?"

[S.C. Watson]

Can you post your WIPs and Final image whenever they are finished? I would like to design some things, and then post everything at once if I can.

Thats fine. Just please make sure to use your first post to put everything in and to clearly mark your final as I don't always have the time to hunting through a someone's multiple posts to figure out which one is to be taken to poll.

Looking forward to seeing what you can come up with!

Cheers,
~Oreg.

[Skrunchey]

quick question.... is there a deadline on signing up for these? not sure if i'm in yet... awesome topic...as we all seem to be someone elses puppet....can't wait to see what everyone comes up with.

[S.C. Watson]

quick question.... is there a deadline on signing up for these?
Nope.

~Oreg.

[shadoman]

Title: You Wouldn't Like Me When I'm Angry
Medium: Digital using PainterIX (for everything minus the first girl sketch)

CONCEPT:
Lunulla is a quirky, ill-tempered, fiery-red-haired, six-year-old girl that has always had something a little weird with her. When she is extremely angered, her eyes glow and she uses all of her rage to lash out on the people around her. After a few outbursts she is now able to control this power and wield it as a weapon. As the Puppet Master she possesses the ability to take out her frustrations on others by using her toys as objects of mass destruction. Any toy in her grasp can be conjured to do her bidding, growing larger than life. And as a young child, her temper-tantrums can be town-destroying massacres.

Final illustration
http://www.shawnadomanis.com/images/illustrations/PuppetMaster_Final.jpg


Works in progress
http://www.shawnadomanis.com/images/illustrations/PuppetMaster_WIP.jpg

Here is a link to a larger version with some close-ups (http://www.shawnadomanis.com/images/illustrations/PuppetMaster_Large.jpg).

[jhagen22]

Infinitum: I like your concept and how they mimic each other. Looking good so far.

princeofhappiness: I don't have a clue what it is so far, but I love the texture on it. My imagination is coming up with some cool ideas. I'm interested to see how close I am when you flesh it out.

masque: I love all your w.i.p.s Great stuff. Very cool to see the thought process behind it. I really like how your composition evolved.

fes: Looking very nice. I like how the first rough is shaping up. The lower left hand portion of the picture is bothering me a little bit. Seems a little empty. Hmmm...even though you wouldn't want it to distract from the center point of the action. Will that area be darker than the man on the throne? That might help him pop if he has some darker area next to him. Just a thought.

trevor: I really love your painting style. 2 hours too? You're killing me here. I need to practice painter more. Great idea behind it.

cgfuller64: Interesting so far. It has a very nightmarish feel to it. Anybody played Max Payne? The mood reminds me of that game.

MikeCorriero: Great character man. Nice slick look to the art too. I'm definately digging it. The anatomy is so weird, not weird-bad though. I like how you came up with an original anatomy for him.

styler: Interesting so far. Are those tribal patterns on the man? And I take it the creature is the puppet? Crazy looking creature there.

FlipMcGee: Looking forward to seeing this one as it comes along. I really like nanobots and all the possibilities that can come out of that.

Gloominati: I really like to see how your character has changed. But I did kind of like the more monsterous look of him earlier, but that's just my personal taste. :^^: I do like how he's coming along.

dariocoelho: Great look to, well, everything so far! I love the character designs and the more calm look of the design you're now going for rather than, "RAAA Golem smash!" :P

solarpower: I'm interested to see this guy fully fleshed out.

cbartrun: Are you going to use the lower right hand design? I like that one. Makes me think of the idea of the Greeks being manipulated by the gods.

Orm: I like this design a lot. One of the reasons is that I had an idea for a character with a similar implant when I was in college. Yours looks more thought out than mine so I'm looking forward to new steps you show.

shadoman: I'm really liking your pencil sketches. Will the finished look more like these? The thumbnail is okay, but the debris looks like it's floating rather than being smashed apart.

[Infinitum]

Thanks Jhagen22, I'm pleased you like it. I've still got a long way to go though. The girl needs a background with loads of computers etc and the robot is going to be on a battlefield. So a lot of work yet.

[shadoman]

Josh, thanks. I have been really sick lately and have not been in the mood to be doing much. So the pencils were when I felt okay and the other thing was in the car and I felt like crap. I am going for a comic book style rendering and hope to have more finished tonight, if I can stay awake.

[jhagen22]

Andrea Smith: Oops forgot to mention that I can't see your pictures.

[fes]

Thanks for your input jhagan22. I'm reworking my rough at the moment but I'm definitly gonna do a tonal rough too, so hopefully that'll sort out the lower left. Fingers crossed anyway.

[FlipMcgee]

Lookin' good, lookin' good. Nice to see a broad spectrum of ideas and approaches. Painted updates are inspiring me to start coloring, pronto!

Just did a tiny update on my own little thread. I'll probably use as much time as allotted as this is more of an exercise for me. But I'll always check on how you guys are proceeding.

Interesting jhagen, on your "Seduction" idea. Brings genres like romance, mystery, and drama to mind. Will await updates on your thread for sure.

Will probably post another progress milestone by the end of this weekend. Aiming for painted concepts this time.

[unknown_epiphany]

hey im def thinking about joining this one jsut because of the crazy idea i have for it. so ill def put my flag up for this challenge of titans muahaha

[unknown_epiphany]

Is it allowed to be in black and white and in traditional media?

[cbartrun]

Hey jhagan22, thanks for the feedback! I've been favoring the lower right amphitheatre-like comp. It goes with the story I've been developing in my head for a greek muse as puppet master, and artist as puppet.

[cgfuller64]

jhagen,
it wuz a bit too nitemarish, had to tone it back a bit, soooo....I started over, However Santa was apparently misinformed regarding my deeds this year and brought me a wacom (NO MORE WORN OUT MICE WHOHOOOO) I Plugged it in for the first time today cuz I've been outta town......WOW these things are awesome! I've been the doing digital art with serious f****n handicap, like having no legs and entering an ass kicking contest. The temptation to break into shouting the chorus from that 80's song "I'm so excited and I just can't hide it" is nearly overwhelming....any new feedback is much appreciated.

thanks man....
Chad

PS Update your image so I can repay the favor....

[Panagos]

I finally got some inspiration for this topic! So I'm in... now to squeeze it into my schedule....
--------------------------------------------------------------------
1/5/06
First, the concept behind the piece. I'm tired of the archetypical undead master idea, with dirty skeletons and zombies and the driving force of overwhelming evil. So I'm trying to design and develop an undead concept that isn't necessarily evil, but is just trying to survive.

This guy is one of a dozen creatures that managed to escape their race's extinction by transferring their souls into other bodies. He's not evil, he doesn't like harming others, but because of his appearance and his association with death he finds himself constantly hunted and attacked without provocation.

Basically, I'm shooting for a 'noble undead' kind of look. I don't want him to be overly decayed and creepy looking, but he needs to have that aura of death while maintaining a sense of nobility and honor. I'll work up a color rough later - but I'm thinking his skin will be translucent white with accents of pink/red and an underlying tone of blue - something along the lines of exaggerated albinism.

Any comments would be appreciated. Thanks.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v400/Panagos/WEBPMCHASheet.jpg

----------------------------------------------------------------------
1/6/06

Ok, here's a couple roughs for the puppets, and a small thumbnail of what I'm thinking of for composition.

Concept - When necessary, the puppet master can fragment his soul and possess multiple shells simultaniously. These puppets are extensions of his will, but require surpervision as they lack the total consciousness of a living individual. To this end he has recruited individuals that he can hold sway over. Through alchemical and magical experimentation over the centuries of his life, he's managed to create partial antidotes for the afflictions of Vampirism and Lycanthropy. A select handful of individuals afflicted with these diseases have willingly become his servants and guardians in exchange for this medicine.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v400/Panagos/WEBPupRough.jpg

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

Just under the wire...

I ended up spending the bulk of my time designing the characters and developing character sheets etc. The final illustration is basically just an assembly of a couple of the characters I designed. Eventually I'll design an illustration including these characters from the ground up, but for this project I was more committed to the concept art/character design aspect than creating an attractive illustration.


FINAL IMAGE

'Puppet Master'
Graphite on paper
11"x14"

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v400/Panagos/WEBPuppetMasterX.jpg

[Andorz]

I'm in. Flippin' between two ideas now.. wip will probably be up later today!

[Panagos]

Just popped up my first WIP, any comments or suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks!

[cgfuller64]

Just popped up my first WIP, any comments or suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks!


Panagos,' very cool, definitely a native american overtone, how will you relate this character to the subject being manipulated. I think the character is strong, but I would like to see more of him....full length. Nice Job!

[Panagos]

For the Puppet Master/Puppet thing, I was originally going to go with some undead grunts being his puppets, maybe a some gore crows or something - he's not a necromancer, but he can fragment his soul and possess multiple shells at the same time.

But I've been thinking that the topic description specifically refers to THE Puppet, not multiple ones. So I'm in the process of re-thinking things. What I've come up with so far is:

Through alchemical and magical experimentation over the centuries of his life, he's managed to create partial antidotes for the afflictions of Vampirism and Lycanthropy. The effects of these antidotes are somewhat short-lived, but when taken regularly, they allow vampires to walk in daylight and werewolves to control their shifting. A select handful of individuals afflicted with these diseases have willingly become his servants and guardians in exchange for this medicine. He's a good master, he treats his servants well; but all the same, they are his puppets and the antidotes are the strings that bind them to him.

[vigostar]

Ok here are some thumbs... I think I like the blue pen version the most.. not exactly sure where im going with this but, i guess we'll see..

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v402/vigostar/puppetmasterthumbs.jpg

[cgfuller64]

For the Puppet Master/Puppet thing, I was originally going to go with some undead grunts being his puppets, maybe a some gore crows or something - he's not a necromancer, but he can fragment his soul and possess multiple shells at the same time.

But I've been thinking that the topic description specifically refers to THE Puppet, not multiple ones. So I'm in the process of re-thinking things. What I've come up with so far is:

Through alchemical and magical experimentation over the centuries of his life, he's managed to create partial antidotes for the afflictions of Vampirism and Lycanthropy. The effects of these antidotes are somewhat short-lived, but when taken regularly, they allow vampires to walk in daylight and werewolves to control their shifting. A select handful of individuals afflicted with these diseases have willingly become his servants and guardians in exchange for this medicine. He's a good master, he treats his servants well; but all the same, they are his puppets and the antidotes are the strings that bind them to him.

Say that ten times fast....should be cool though!

[Panagos]

Say that ten times fast....should be cool though!

Yeah... It ended up being a little on the spot brainstorming...:bashful:

[trevor]

just posted a few more wips
and a weird design thingy(all should make sense soon)
its time to do the final image
havent decided wheather its going to be a scene or a
plain old character concept sheet

[Panagos]

Another wip is up if anyone has any suggestions.

Trevor - I love the Incan stele, it's a great stylized version of the creature and the snake. I can't wait to see how you combine the two.

[bwkeough]

I did a bunch of thumbnails and sketches of ideas that I decided not to do. here are some of them: http://nand.net/~keough/sketchbook/sketch195.jpg

here's the pencils for the idea that I chose and the color rough-in:

http://nand.net/~keough/sketchbook/m-and-p-sketch.jpg http://nand.net/~keough/sketchbook/m-and-p-color-sketch.jpg

and here's the finished image. I could have continued to noodle this guy for a long time, but I need to move on.
http://nand.net/~keough/sketchbook/master-and-puppetFIN.jpg

[trevor]

good to see what somebody else decided not to do
i think its going in the right direction BWK
are those post its????

[trevor]

good to see what somebody else decided not to do
i think its going in the right direction BWK
are those post its????

[bwkeough]

you bet they're post-its! 2" x 3" is the prefect size for thumbnail doodles while I'm at my day job.

the larger image is drawn on 12" x 17" bristol.

[Orm]

Thanks for sharing your thoughts jhagen.
I think development of the vehicle is enough right now. I wanna stick to the subject but don´t know how to show the "relationship between master and puppet" as suggested in the first post.

Im thinking the master might control the child of a powerful leader. thats a good idea, but then:

How to depict the relationship between the master in the vehicle and the kid he controls?
I am happy for any suggestions.

[Zephrym]

WIPS:
http://img284.imageshack.us/img284/5456/puppetmastersketch0js.th.jpg (http://img284.imageshack.us/my.php?image=puppetmastersketch0js.jpg)http://img284.imageshack.us/img284/8594/puppetmasterwip14cv.th.jpg (http://img284.imageshack.us/my.php?image=puppetmasterwip14cv.jpg)
http://img284.imageshack.us/img284/1417/puppetmasterwip24jc.th.jpg (http://img284.imageshack.us/my.php?image=puppetmasterwip24jc.jpg)http://img146.imageshack.us/img146/8092/puppetmasternobg6jj.th.jpg (http://img146.imageshack.us/my.php?image=puppetmasternobg6jj.jpg)

OLD FINAL:
517x700
Pencil, Photoshop 7, Wacom
http://img80.imageshack.us/img80/3796/puppetmasterfinal2sm.th.jpg (http://img80.imageshack.us/my.php?image=puppetmasterfinal2sm.jpg)
UPDATED FINAL: 488x700
http://img77.imageshack.us/img77/5237/puppetmasterfinal26ds.jpg
In the 28th century, humans participate in a program with its ally race, the Telians, where unwanted newborns are provided for a period of one year to the other race to be studied and experimented on in an effort for each race to learn more about the other. In return for its participation in the program, when the one year is up, the infant is given to an adoption agency along with a sum of money to be distributed to the adoptive parents for longterm childcare. The program is designed to have no ill effect on the infants involved, but there is one recorded case where an accident resulted in the complete shutdown of a human infant's physical development. Mentally the child was unhindered, but physically his body would never grow beyond that of a newborn infant. The Telian code of ethics would not allow them to terminate the subject. Instead the child was placed inside a machine body (created roughly in the image of the alien race) that he could control directly through implants in his spinal cord and brain. 19 years passed, during which the subject was raised in Telian society, but over time he developed a severe identity disorder and an obsession with his native human species. Ultimately, the subject withdrew from society and began abducting humans to indulge his obsession through cruel physical and psychological experiments. He is currently a fugitive of both the human and Telian government.

[neoknocker]

Unfortunately, I'll have to step down. ALot of unexpected things came up in the holidays.

Surely the next one though.

Sorry.

[ToxicDustbunny]

I'm going to have to pass after all as well. Holidays got out of hand and I haven't had the chance to start. Hopefully the next one.

Thx!

[romance]

Argh! I forgot I signed up for this. Guess I'd better get a move on!

[vigostar]

kiriko- that looks very promising. I look foward to seeing the final version..

[bluefooted]

Kiriko: I love it already! The linework is fabulous as is the subject matter :perv: Really looking forward to seeing the colors on this.

[bluefooted]

I know it's a doublepost, but this will be where my entry lives :^^:

My main idea was of a sorceress and her minion that she somehow controlled with a bird as a sort of voodoo puppet. I also knew I wanted to try something very Mucha-inspired. Some very crappy wips and a character design for the sorceress:

http://img386.imageshack.us/img386/9192/thumbpup5ue.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

This will eventually be the final drawing. I've got her face inked in because I tend to smear things when working. I'm still working on the dude's posture - eventually he'll be kneeling at her feet - and the bird is still missing. I'm also having problems coming up with ways to connect him and the bird, visually. Maybe give both of them the same broken arm/wing? It is a mystery.

http://img457.imageshack.us/img457/8052/pup1sketch0ic.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

detail of the face:

http://img386.imageshack.us/img386/2320/pupdetail18ux.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

Okay, the (mostly) finished inks:

http://img484.imageshack.us/img484/3505/puppetsm4dn.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

And another detail shot:

http://img478.imageshack.us/img478/4356/pupdetail27hz.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

Hope I can finisht in time - it'll be close :[

First pass with watercolors - I'll finish up coloring in Photoshop:

http://www.angelfire.com/art2/bluefooted/images/mab1.jpg

Final
title: Queen Mab
medium: ink, watercolor, digital
size: 390x644

http://www.angelfire.com/art2/bluefooted/images/mabsm.jpg

and a couple detail shots of the characters:

http://www.angelfire.com/art2/bluefooted/images/char1.jpg

http://www.angelfire.com/art2/bluefooted/images/char2.jpg

Good luck all!

[PSych2]

I hope it's not too late for me to finished my sketch (my first on ConceptArt)
I know that there is late but I'm in.

http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a179/PavelSych/Pupetmaster/Pupetmaser.jpg

update
http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a179/PavelSych/Pupetmaster/Puppetmaser02.jpg

Good luck to everyone


(sory for my english)

[masque]

My final's up on page 1, and also in the Critique Center for anyone wanting to offer C&C.

Good work showing up, hope to see many cool variations on this theme.

[romance]

Damn, great stuff peeps!

Unfortunately I have to withdraw from this. Just too much stuff on my plate at the moment. Maybe next time.

-Rob

[Kiriko]

Thanks, Vigostar and Bluefooted!
I've added my final to my post!

And Bluefooted, that looks awesome so far - so much love for art nouveau and Mucha.

[redehlert]

masque, trevor, mikec, kiriko - hot damn those are my favs right now. all with such different takes on the subject and wonderfully rendered. loving the titles on masque's and kiriko's as well - so fitting.
cheers and good luck all!
d

[masque]

hey, red, would you pop over to the Critique Center and take a look at an udpate i did based on some crits in that thread. i'd love to hear your views on the recent tweaks. Thanks!

[trevor]

thanx alot dave
hows work going?
hopefully ill finish this tonite or saturday
ill at least post some thumbs this evening
nice peice masque
i like the b/w
i dont think it would have been as
convincing in color
sorta film nior look

[styler]

i'm going to drop. I'll participate in something later but i'm just not at a competive level right now. great stuff though

[Andrea Smith]

What do you think of mine? It's not much right now, but it's a start! I'm really going to try and have it finished by Sunday!

[redehlert]

blue - just saw your entry thus far - wow....that's very emotionally charged. love it!

andrea - i looked at yours and even though you're not done as you stated, it's coming along...but i'm not sure i'm getting the puppet master and puppet part of it. care to explain your concept?

cheers!
d

[bwkeough]

ok, the deadline is the 15th, but what time on the 15th? I'm not gonna have much time to work on it again after tonight until Sunday!!

[Thoras]

Exellent work everybody,

Hey, Dariocoelho youve just earned my vote because of the Defending el Dorado concept, one thing though, Aztecs never saw el Dorado, it was a Mayan city.

Hey Masque your work is just cool!! if Dario's drawing gets crappy, I really hope it doesnt, youve got my vote.

[trevor]

just updated with a final work in progress
page 1 crits comments

[Andrea Smith]

Sure, redehlert! Here's the concept:

First of all, this is a scene from the ballet/book "Swan Lake". The man on the far left is Count Von Rothbart, the evil sorceror who turns into an owl and terrorizes the swans. He is the puppet master.
The young woman in the middle is Odile, his daughter, and she is just as bad as he is, but she looks just like the good swan Odette. Then, next to her, is Siegfried the prince, who can't tell that she is not Odette. He is the puppet. He has just given Odile a ring, asking her to marry him, but what he doesn't know is that if she says "Yes" then Odette is lost. He is waiting eagerly for her response, and she is just smiling, looking over her shoulder slightly as if to say to her father "We've got him now!"
Ol' Von Rothbart is not supposed to be looking at the camera. He is actually going to be looking at them.

The hierarchy of this picture is a bit like Masque's great picture, which is layered as well. In this one, Von Rothbart IS the puppet master, and you could say he is the master of Siegfried. But he's also the master of Odile, and he wouldn't get anywhere if she wasn't there to help him. So you have to wonder: Who is the REAL master? Von Rothbart? Odile? At any rate, Siegfried is definitly the puppet!

I hope this helps make my picture clearer!

[trevor]

i will be done tomorrow yay
but is it just me or does it seem like only 5 people will be finishing
their peices for this???
way to drop the ball dudes
for those of you that can finish im looking forward to all the finished peices
theres some good stuff up so far

[dariocoelho]

just to let you know before im writing my comments here, ive posted my final image on the second site.

-infinitum: sad you didnt work it out, cause it is a sweet idea.

-princeofhappiness: i wish i could figure anything out, and especially your idea, but it looks interesting anyway. ;)

-jhagen22: interesting topic, so again...sad you didnt make it. and thanks for your comment!

-masque: i have to admit, im observing your work for a short time, but it seems like your participation is always a garantue for high quality. i loved your concept on the winterbattlefield topic and much more your actual chow entry. wonderfull composition and storytelling in a single image. my fullest respect.

-fes: i PRAY to my gods so you can finish your entry! this looks too awesome to get lost!

-trevor: i really got jealous seeing you developing a quite familiar idea as mine with such a high quality. (not as my amateur-skilled concept.) cant wait to see the final one! one more candidate for my vote...

-cgfuller64: so did santa claws brought you a tablet? ;)

-mikecorriero: the same story as above...cant wait to see your entry! the concepts look so damn sweet!

-flipmcgee: a different idea and in its way very original, but maybe you could have sketched more the enviroment he is working in to make it more...harmonish(?). i cant really figure out what he is doing and involved in just by looking at the picture.

-gloominati: nice idea, just would like to see more.

-kiriko: i fell in love with your pencilwork but to be honest, i dont like the colors you put in digitally. i bet a watercolor coloring would have made it.

-andrea smith: thank you for your kind words! i hope my final image is still in your favor. i like your concept very much too, with a complex background and nicely done developing so far. hope youll make it to the deadline! another candidate for the voting poll.

-shadoman: haha pure fun! put a smile on my tool called face.

-bwkeough: cool idea, but i think some of the other quick thumbnails would have fit better. anyway, im curious to see the final, as im sure it will kick ass.

-bluefooted: this is getting very hot! wish i had the patience and of course skill to make an inking like yours.

-all: great work, great topic, im sure im in the next one month chow!

[Chingwa]

bluefooted, That is an awesome entry! It reminds me so much of Michael Kaluta... very nice job, can't wait to see the final.

[S.C. Watson]

Alright kiddies - well done! Everyone!

You have until midnight tonight (Pacific Standard Time) to put the finishing touches on your entries, if you wish. I will collect everything tomorrow morning and post it in the judging thread!

You all are an inspiration!

good luck and cheers!
~Oreg.

[VirusArtist]

sorry folks.. i have to back out.. too much stress recently (work and visitors..) cant wait to see your final entries :)

cheers,
Etienne

[Panagos]

Ahhhh!!!! Deadline! :^^;:

Does anyone else have this problem? You're going along... constantly looking for work... have nothing of significance to do.... and then BAM!! You're drowning in jobs and deadlines! Feast or famine is the nature of the job I guess.

A couple hours left... I guess I'd better get things polished up. ;)

[Infinitum]

dariocoelho - Who say's I didn't work it out? I've been working on it all day. I'm not going down without a fight.

[dariocoelho]

dariocoelho - Who say's I didn't work it out? I've been working on it all day. I'm not going down without a fight.

hehe glad to read that, infinitum! looking forward for some action+ :donk:

[Mike Corriero]

Disqualify me because I didn't finish or even get to draw the actual puppet, I forgot about this.. sorry

[Infinitum]

Dariocoelho - Ha Ha, I've posted my final now so I hope it lives up to expectations. Yours looked pretty sweet as well.

Nice work everyone. It's a shame that some people have had to drop out but alot of people have other commitments so It's bound to happen.

Anyway I've posted my final. It will be interesting to see the final line up.

[Orm]

I am sorry I missed the deadline and I´m not even close to be finished.
I hope I will bring you something nice some other time.

[trevor]

finished!!!!!!
check it out
good stuffeverybody

[unknown_epiphany]

Yeah im just gonna say this.. Bluefooted got my vote on this one. Just for the classic art noveau feel and the texture of the inks. dude good job and ill def be watching your artwork.

[redehlert]

ya mean, dudette, dude. :)
can't wait to vote!!

[unknown_epiphany]

lol whatever sex bluefooted is. and if it happens to be a girl.. well i enjoy long walks, romantic dinners, and sketching.

[jhagen22]

Damn I feel the fool. I had a lot of work that filled up my time lately, yeah, but I bet I could have found more time to finish. >:| I'm about 3/4 done with my pencils (then I still have to color it). It's looking good for where it is, but I didn't want to fudge my way to the finish line instead of putting the appropriate time into it. I will still finish it and put it up in my sketch book some time soon. And I'll try to kick some ass on the next one. I love the idea of the 1 month challenge and look forward to the next one.
I'll also show the stuff I've been working on in my sketch book as soon as I'm able.

I'll definately leave comments on everyone else's probably tomorrow - early I hope.

[S.C. Watson]

Okay, just a reminder, voting thread will be posted tomorrow.

I will not be up at midnight to close this thing down, so we're doing the honor system here people. Post your final BEFORE MIDNIGHT, PACIFIC STANDARD TIME.

Cheers,
~Shane

[unknown_epiphany]

im actually stoked to see the next assignment. maybe i can finally get in on one of these things.

[S.C. Watson]

Okay, this thread is closed. I will have the voting thread up in a little bit!

~Oreg.

[S.C. Watson]

Voting Thread is Posted! (http://www.conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?t=59655)