ConceptartCohesion #001: 8th Day >>> EOW - Mystical Cavern Temple ProNatura

[Fozzybar]

http://www.conceptart.org/forums/images/cacb.jpg


ConceptartCohesion #001: 8th Day

Storyline:

The year 2446 CE

Mankind and its technology have advanced at an exponential rate, however trivial political, religious and social demands have caused the splintering of former superpowers into smaller nation states, pitting themselves against each in a number of minor conflicts.

Since 2395 a minimum of 27 conflicts, hostile incursions and border disputes have been raging in various confined areas across the planets surface, sparking a new global economy.
Covenants of major corporations have banded together in various factions and are now the true international players, feeding the ever increasing demand of new weapons technology.
The change in style of warfare has rendered weapons of mass destruction virtually useless increasing an appetite for more unconventional weapon systems, specifically the VidaNova Corporations newest developments in the field of creating new species of animals bred for specific purposes.

The idea behind this new move is too harness the animals natural intelligence, sensory abilities, and ability to traverse difficult terrain. They are currently working on models for civilian implementation, ranging from beasts of burden for remote areas to leisure models as pets. However there have been worrying reports of certain products escaping from captivity, and having unexpected effects on the flora and fauna they interact with, conspiracy theorists place blame on a huge range of subjects, ranging from the Cytarabinoside used in manipulating metabolic pathways in the animals, to mother earth resting control back from humanity to satan himself.
Some minor political and religious groups are already rallying, trying to bring this series of unnerving events to the public eye, wild rumors and conspiracy theories are already calling this the 8th day of creation.



http://www.conceptart.org/forums/images/EOW.jpg

Topic:
Mystical Cavern Temple ProNatura


Description:
Mystical Cavern Temple ProNatura - Abuse and contempt of mother nature lead the way for ProNatura - a group of people who denounce the reprobate behaviour of VidaNova and the likes of them. This peaceful and reasonable group lives reclusively in hidden places like in huge caverns, arctic wastelands etc.

The most popular base of this group is the Mystical Cavern Temple. A very huge cave with an amazingly beautiful and mystical temple built in. The temple offers unequaled opportunities and is called the 8th wonder of the world, with a certain allusion to the fateful term of the 8th day.

The architecture and lighting atmosphere of this place describes the wonderful relation of the inhabitants to mother nature and their will of getting back to the roots while rejecting all kind of violence and abuse against nature.

Deadline:
Wednesday, 15th March 2006


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Linked weekly activities:

COW - Creature Of The Week
Giant Suicide Digger
LINK: COW thread for ConceptartCohesion campaign (http://www.conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?t=63203)

IDW - Industrial Design Of The Week
Genetic Soldier Transport
LINK: IDW thread for ConceptartCohesion campaign (http://www.conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?t=63194)

ChOW - Character Of The Week
"The Head" - Chief of VidaNova
LINK: ChOW thread for ConceptartCohesion campaign (http://www.conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?t=63202)


Link to the campaigns main thread:
main thread for ConceptartCohesion campaign (http://www.conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?t=62480)

[Fozzybar]

the new round is on....sorry for any typos or bad phrasing in the description...my english too poor for a task like this...correct me if there is anything wrong and i will change it :)

[Red_Rook]

thank you for taking care of this fozzy <3

nice topic!

[yAdam]

The cohesion is such a great idea, and although i didn't actually finish even one last week, i'm going to actually do at least two this week!!

Update...finished, pretty much...

http://www.filelodge.com/files/hdd6/138549/pronatura_f.JPG

[Form]

your perspective on the building doest look like it naturally conforms with the cliff, i would suggest moving the temple vp a little to the left.

[Kei-th]

I think Form is right about that! The building looks kind of weird.. also the paths leading towards the buildings a strange

[yAdam]

Cheers for the input form and kei-th...I updated the first image, did nothing but change the perspective of the temple to match the cliff/cavern face. Hopefully it does match now... and the paths wont look like that when its finished... I just stuck something there to remind me about them...

[Fozzybar]

thank you for taking care of this fozzy <3

nice topic!

you're welcome...i wasn't sure about the topic, because environments aren't my strong side, but i hope it will motivate some people to get more entries this time...

[Sorknes]

Wonderful topic indeed, I can't wait to see the entries!

*jumps around happy as a school girl*

[Keng]

woah..., weird.. after having seen Yadam's first post, my mind is having trouble dealing with the flip around. It keeps trying to flip it back.

[Form]

looking good, yadam

[chaosrocks]

yeah Yadam, the light is really nice..I've done four sketches so far...hate em all...not sure I'll finish


c.rocks

[Nexus]

Nice, Yadam, I'm likin where this is going. I cant wait to see it when its really refined and tightened up. The bridge section reminds me of Rivendale from Lord of the Rings. The only thing I can really crit at this stage is the path up to the building on the right side of the image. I think it needs to come more towards the viewer, as it stands now it looks very flat. Instead have the path start real close to the viewer and recede backwards, it'll give the piece more depth.

[yAdam]

Thanks everyone.. and keng, I flipped it back!!!!!!!8)

I pretty much finished this now.. I'm happy with it as it is, but theres more I could do with the foreground, and some bits here and there, but i'll get on with the ChOW and then look over it again later in the week....

[Kei-th]

yAdam really great improvements!! good job
but for the next time, don't edit your images just make a new post and include the new works so we can see it in steps :)

[koshime]

Hey yadam. Good job. just a few small tweaks (perspective of the doorways)and it should be a perfect entry. Not sure if i will try my hand at this cohesion this week. Am busy working on a project. Might send in a last min entree. Otherwise.

[yAdam]

Thanks! I'll sort out the perpective. + I do have step by step images, but I didn't think anyone would want to see them. I'll stick them together and put them in the first post or my sketchbook later on.

[chaosrocks]

http://i39.photobucket.com/albums/e181/chaosrocks/templew.jpg

and done.....

c.rocks

Monday...update
Tuesday update
wednesday..okay I updated again..but I really am done this time

[Pootle]

Great topic...I just couldn't resist.

Y-adam:looking good

Hope it's okay to post a WIP for now (I do plan to finish it), hence all cavern and no temple yet (planned to go on the right hand side a the bottom of the arch, maybe a waterfall from the top on the left)

Update (final):
http://helen.pootle.net/other/Upload/POSTED/eow1.jpg

[chaosrocks]

uuup-daate

c.rocks

[Hanuka]

alright guys, don't bitchslap me - this is just a cheap and undecided color-thumb so far. im giving this a serious go tomorrow, if i find the time.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v101/hanuka/crystalpagoda.jpg

crits, please :)

yAdam: holy crap, great perspective, design and detail. i just wished there was more color variation in the seperate elements. it's like the trees are monochrome, that building is monochrome and the rocks are monochrome too, three colored world.
c.rocks: nice start, just be a little keener on those colors. hope to see this finished.
pootle: nice fluffyness in those colors. i like where you're going with this, very maxfield parrish. eagerly awaiting the final piece.

edit: if i don't get to finish this, please don't take it into poll. thanks.

[Tyranx]

I don't know if we need a description anymore since we have this cohesion thing. Anyways heres mine:

http://tyranx.com/images/temple.jpg

[Form]

very nice tyranx... i wonder why everybody has chosen steps this round?!

Im annoyed i wont find time to do my entry cos of work. My idea was to create a temple dedicated to preserving the last living tree on earth, a feeble and delicate withering oak held up and preserved with an array of biomechanical nutrient machines...

The temple and its accomodation would obviously be placed around this monument... pity i wont find the time :(

[chaosrocks]

*small unheard voice*
there's no steps in mine......
update
c.rocks

[meeatu]

edited
http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b59/meeatu/cavern_2.jpg

[yAdam]

Looks great tyranx! Would have been good to see more of the temple though..

Form, I read the description as these people reject technology, but reading it back it only says vida nova type research, I didnt put any hint of tech in because of that.. Thats why i put steps in, i'm sure I would have anyway, but its always nice to do something thats not necessarily sci fi..:)

Hanuka, cheers! I totally agree about the colour, I'm not too worried about the cliff and green areas, but I should have added more ruin type bits on the temple... I think i'll work on this at least one more hour, but the one up at the moment will probably be my entry.. I'll try and improve on it tomorrow if I get a chance though..

[Pootle]

Hanuka: Thanks for the ref. I googled Maxfield Parrish - great stuff. Crit attempt; I'm struggling to get the scale, maybe you could add something to show it more?

Tyranx: that's gorgeous. Um ... I know this is a bit cheeky but..any chance of a step by step on your rocks?

Form: concept sounds cool

C.rocks: crit attempt; your stalagtites/mites threw me a bit to start with, maybe you could add some shadow and texture to define them more (I crashed and burned on this in mine!)

[artiphats]

Tyranx that is a great entry. Looks like it's gonna be hard to top that. Meeatu I hope you finish, yours looks VERY promising! I wish I had time to enter, but looks like I am only going to make the Industry Design this round. No more time... (crying)..

[misledtomisery]

nice work so far. i might do more details, but for now its my final.

http://misledtomisery.com/conceptart/pronatura.jpg

[artiphats]

Ha! Mislead that is the closest of all the entries to the vision I had of the topic, kind of pyramid shaped with big ass trees. Man you are making me want to stay up all night to get an entry in! Damn you! I like the idea of the water coming down from the top. I would say render it out more if you can, you have two strong light sources, maybe push the values more and get in some more details.

[masque]

http://img116.imageshack.us/img116/7994/gaiatemplecavern1nf.jpg

One of the most controversial structures of the modern era, the ProNatura Temple at Gaia Cavern was the embodiment of the vision of Jeremiah Whitcomb, the renegade Naturalista who discovered the Gaia Cavern in 2385 CE. A fugitive from charges of eco-terrorism, Whitcomb literally "went to ground" in the cave-riddled Kentukia region of NorAmeriko, where, according to ProNatura apocrypha, Whitcomb spent 40 days and nights wandering the absolute blackness under the earth before coming upon a faint glow, which led him to the opening into the Gaia Cavern. There Whitcomb is said to have received a revelation from Gaia herself, that this was to become the site of a great temple built in her honor.

Upon his return to the surface, Whitcomb went among his fellow Naturalistas like a prophet of ancient times, evangelizing his vision, gathering a following that came to be known as the Gaia Templars. There were, however, many among the Naturalistas who felt that if the Gaia Cavern was indeed real, then construction of a temple there would be darkest blasphemy upon the true spirit of Gaia, and a perversion of the Naturalistas' guiding stricture "Go lightly upon this good Earth." This schism led to the formation of ProNatura, comprised of Whitcomb's followers, and the minority True Earth Clan, which faded completely in influence and public visibility by the turn of the century.

The Gaia anthrolith is the second largest natural formation of its kind in the known solar system, surpassed in size only by the Martian Triad of Rust. Unique to the Gaia formation, however, is the colony of bioluminescent lithophores permeating the translucent onyx of the flowstone formation, and the almost perfectly circular reflecting pool the anthrolith seems to gaze toward. Given the overwhelming natural beauty of the cavern, it is understandable that Whitcomb was moved to visionary zeal, though some cynics note that the mushrooms found in the darker recesses of the cavern are known to contain certain psychogenic alkaloids, and Whitcomb had fasted for a very long time before finding the cavern.

-- from "ProNatura, an Historical Monograph," by Jaan Na'Shileth, Pan-Ares Press, 2563

[chaosrocks]

holy moly Masque-man..thats beautiful! I wanna go there!
c.rocks

PS Im done
not much point in digging this hole deeper

[Rosherrim]

Beautiful work from everyone so far. This is the first image I've posted up on here, so I hope it's ok. If you have any critique, I'd be glad to hear it.

http://www.charcoal-designs.com/Pronaturatree.jpg

The entire structure of the mystical ProNatura temple is created out of recycled materials, showing its people's affinity with the natural world. Thousands of ProNatura supporters have been known to take shelter in the labyrinth of passageways that wind through the core of the great tree shaped temple, or come together in meetings in the vast, pod-like structures that cling to the tree's form.

[Interceptor]

God damn traynx, masque, those are beautiful. Good job to all, infact.

[masque]

chaosrocks, Interceptor, thank you very much for your kind comments. i really struggled with this image, glad to hear it was worth the effort.

[redehlert]

Tyranx and Masque - superbermundo! (not a real word....but I dig it!)

Cheers!
D

[Tyranx]

Nice one Masque! Love the colors and lighting.

[Orion9282]

I'm going to have to get faster at these paintings if I'm going to try and submit in more than one weekly competiton... I didn't have as much time in this one as my CHow... Hope you dig...

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e16/Orion9282/Orion9282MysticalCavernTemple.jpg

This community sees water as the giver of life. The idea of water flowing through their architecture represents their unity with nature.

[masque]

Dave, many thanks, glad you like! Tyranx, much appreciated, and right back at ya. your handling of multiple light sources is super, really pumps the verite up a notch. the way the light rakes in at the left of the opening, the "photographic" exposure range, the sunwashed commons contrasting with the dimly lit passagway, all subtle but powerful. well done!

[MegaData]

When I read the description, I was thinking of something more along the lines of Mount Rushmore and Crazy Horse Memorial...

In the Arctic Wastelands, Hidden by mountains, the Mystical , spiritual nature, of the ProNatura is shown with the abstract designs on a protector's shield. This 8th wonder of the world features large cavern passageways more brilliant than the exterior eludes to.

Critiques are very much appretiated and encouraged.

http://img90.imageshack.us/img90/8964/pronatura109copy2kh.jpg

[cesaraguilar]

I think this is the oportunity for creater the entry to a lost world

http://img138.imageshack.us/img138/5246/72grutas16wx.jpg (http://imageshack.us)