C.O.W. - #062: It Came From Above!

[Fozzybar]

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


Round #062

Topic:
It Came From Above!

Deadline:
Sunday, 01st October 2006




- for any questions or help go here:
http://www.conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?t=37512

note: The deadline won't be EXACTLY after a week...it can last up to 24 hours more, i am human and have to work also, you know ;)

Post your creature for this week!

[Fozzybar]

i slightly changed the topic suggestion from walnut, thanx for the inspiration ;)

[Fozzybar]

And above means anything from above, not only from the air, it can also come from a tree or whatever is above you...;)

[Joey-b]

crap.. weird topic.. cool but weird

[dragon4lunch]

YEAH!!!!!!!!!!! lol Cool topic, tons of great opportunities to have fun!

[Mr Man]

Right If I enter this one im gonna put some more time into it. The last one was done at the last minute really.

Hmm, This is a very open ended one, Would be good to see what people come up with.

[ckaos@om]

This sounds great , but hard aswell ..

[walnut]

You're welcome. I might even join in this round, if i can find the time and the will.

[J_absinthe]

I have such a dirty, dirty entry in mind...

:X

[Supervlieg]

Final:

http://www.bolman.nl/cgtalk/supervlieg_cow062.jpg

Gumball
(Bardus Luteolus Avis Globus)
Mostly useless. That's probably the best description for the Mugball. Every once in a while these yellow furry ball-like creatures fall from the sky. How they got up there or why they fall down, no-one knows. Mugballs can't fly, though on their way down they flap their little wings like a madman on fire. They are fairy rigid and survive the landing with no problems whatsoever. Since the body of the Mugball is way too heavy for its legs it can't walk and simply sits around until it dies. The Mugball don't seem to be bothered about starving and make no effort at all to gather food or look for shelter. They usually die within a few weeks.

Worried animal activists tried feeding them, and the Mugballs happily ate all the food that was presented to them. Even when well fed and taken care of, the Gumball remained totally inert and the animal lovers gave up after a while.

People tried eating them. The taste of Mugball meat was compared to eating a three week old sock that has been thoroughly worn. People tried using their fur for various purposes, but when the Mugball dies it loses its hair almost instantly. All in all the Mugballs remain quite the mistery, and whenever they fall from the sky, people quietly ignore them and hope they go away.

[Cloister]

It came from below, made a quick turn, and came down from above. :rolleyes:

The topic brings to mind Evil Dead II... the hero from the sky... and an old computergame called 'It came from the desert'.
Hm... so many choices... what will I bring down upon this round? I'll go out and invoke some thunder, while I think about it.

[Chr]

errr.....but keep in mind we're talking about creatures here ;)

ok! yeah its more lika a razorblade with eyes ;)
i tried to make it more creature-like but ended up with this...

http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l188/chr_014/skyscrapers2.jpg

maybe ill make it into some kind of diving bug

[Fozzybar]

errr.....but keep in mind we're talking about creatures here ;)

[Bryno]

Sounds like fun!

[kovah]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v483/kovah/brainstealer.jpg

This creature has only just been discovered in a remote part of the british countryside. Due to its very nature it is understandable that it has remained inconspicuous for so long.

Two years after its offical discovery it was named the Kawabunga Head hunter due to its unusal cry as its lets go of the cloud it has lived in most of its life (feeding on passing birds.) And drops towards the ground using its arms to steer in hope of landing on its favourite prey - balding men. It has exellent eyesight and so often hits its target.

When its lands on the mans head it wraps its very strong front limbs over the eyes of its prey and stabs its tounge into the mans skull, its tounge contains a toxin that knocks its prey out almost immediatly. Not wanting to kill the man it only takes small bits of brain, resulting in the man waking up several hours later not being able to remember a thing and what most people would describe as a hangover.

Once it has fed on human brain matter it will find a water source and lay its eggs or release sperm. Once these have been fertilized by a member of the opposite sex they will bind to a water molecule and eventually get evaporated into a cloud. The adult then dies and decomposes completely within a matter of hours.

[Blue]

Oh baby. I'm gonna have some fun with this one.:needle:

[ScaryPotato]

I like all these ideas in this forum! Like Michael Jaecks, I've got to admit to having the problem of being addicted, heh:) Anyhow, I did a bunch of quick doodles and have decided to try out a midget tree dwelling ant-eater that extends its ultra long tongue down from the branches to lap up a tasty morsel...

~edit~

Okay, so after Moai showed me that the tree-dwelling anteater already exists I've decided to change my idea a little. After a bunch of sketches, this is what I've come up with! It looks pretty mean instead of cartoony so it's what my attempt this round will be.

http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k35/BigScaryPotato/Red-footedFlyingSpider1b.jpg

SonoΦΦΦun! Things are just too crazy for me for the next few months so I'm going to have to pull out of these competitions for the next few months. I would like to wish everyone the very best though, and to give my word that I will return with a vengeance, possibly as late as next year. Thanks to everyone for the words of advice and inspiration here at Concept Art, as cheesy as it sounds, this place has seriously done wonders for me:)

Ryan

[Chuck Wadey]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v692/ChuckWadey/cow/Cow62_wip.jpg


Final:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v692/ChuckWadey/cow/Cow62_wadey.jpg


These winged reptiles are highly aggressive and not very intelligent. They can attack without warning and destroy a small village in a single fiery pass. It's only through the tools of domestication that man can hope to compete. If a wild pack should migrate to your region, it cannot be allowed to patrol freely, lest you become prey from above. Best to take control of a dragon and turn it's destructive power on your enemies.

[Eric Gerhard]

Yeah... sure.... this one'll be quite nice! heheheh

[Subsonicgerbil]

I think I might take a stab at this one too.
Sonds like fun.

[sm_Felipe]

crazy

[CIRE]

Ill give it a shot...first time in COW

[Piru]

Had fun with 61, will have fun with 62! Count me in! Taking the crits on 61 seriously into account :) thx all!

Hippo Skydivérius

A strange twist of genetic confusion! Some hippo's have started growing wings! Ofcourse this creature's weight is no match to the puny wings that have grown out of it's back. Any attempt to fly therefor ends in a smallscale local earthquake (for some reason they got startled in there instinct too). Although local governement advices wearing safety helmets in the surroundings of breeding places of the Hippo Skydivérius, it is best to avoid any cliffside, hill or even human constructions like bridges. Normally this is a shy creature, but when the adrenaline rush, as a reaction on seeing an elevated position get's hold of the beast, one is better to take a serious distance between him and the Hippo Skydivérius.

Warning: Do not enter Hippo Skydivérius' territories in mating season. The males intend to impress female Hippo's with their 'flying' skills. Nothing is safe in this period. Especially not Range Rover and Defender like jeeps, which are exactly big enough to be a good starterspoint for jumping down of.

http://users.skynet.be/durin/piru_cow062wip9.jpg

[llothcat]

this'll take some thought from me. Hope to make it in by the deadline! (New job this week, so we'll see....)

[Dominus]

hello
here`s my entry, background story inspired by hexen 2:bashful:

http://img81.imageshack.us/img81/922/camefromabovecaiv9.jpg

[EtaCarinae]

Dear Friends,
I think this is my first C.O.W. since the orange sea leviathan. Hope you guys get a kick out it!
Regards,
EtaCarinae

http://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h90/_EtaCarinae/stool-pidgeon01.jpg

The Avian Crapper commonly known as the ‘Stool Pigeon’ is one of Australia’s most notorious dangerous animals. In spring it becomes fiercely territorial defending its clutch of small brown eggs with a unique dive bomb attack. Up to 90% of Australian have suffered an attack from the native bird, with direct hits to the eye not being uncommon.
Plumage may vary from light tan to almost black and the bird is renown for its' loud and sometimes melodic song, often heard first thing in the morning.

[Jabo]

Hm, vague topic, let's see if I can think of something that goes beyond worm-from-a-dark-cloud (No offense Dominus, I love your's).

OK, here are some thumbs, sorted chronologically. Concentrating on the creatures environment first, then developing ideas of the creatures attack-method. The last one is a first draft, may change completely. The idea is to greate a creature that the victim won't recognize as a creature but as part of the environment (Giger's aliens, for example). But what I got now is too mainstream. I'll think about it, more tomorrow (hopefully).

EDIT: My mind's empty. What's the deadline again ;)

http://www.drain5.com/pics/art/cow/cow62_it_came_from_above_thumb01.jpg
http://www.drain5.com/pics/art/cow/cow62_it_came_from_above_thumb02.jpg
http://www.drain5.com/pics/art/cow/cow62_it_came_from_above_thumb03.jpg
http://www.drain5.com/pics/art/cow/cow62_it_came_from_above_thumb04.jpg

http://www.drain5.com/pics/art/cow/cow62_it_came_from_above_thumb06.jpg

[Eric Gerhard]

EtaCarinae - Very funny piece! I've laughed to death!

Dominus - Very nice one. I like the color.

[Moai]

I like all these ideas in this forum! Like Michael Jaecks, I've got to admit to having the problem of being addicted, heh:) Anyhow, I did a bunch of quick doodles and have decided to try out a midget tree dwelling ant-eater that extends its ultra long tongue down from the branches to lap up a tasty morsel...

Behold, the silky anteater. I don't know if it has an ultra-long tongue, though. Doing this image search reminded me just how awesome anteaters are.
http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b320/metalukesurfer/silk1.jpg
http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b320/metalukesurfer/silk2.jpg
I'm addicted to these things too.:rendered: I think a lot of us are.

[cowboy surfer]

Some good thoughts already people.
I to am adicted, I notice everyone who enters each week improving to.
Dominus - F**k yeh! You must have whacked that one out pretty quikly... Er not sure that sounds clean... well done.

On another note photobucket keeps shrinking my images by the time they get here. Can anyone recomend another image hoster? Thanks.

[Swift (BM)]

Dominus, thats brilliant!
I think I'll have a go!
nice stuff people!

I have started mine now! Great stuff, keep it coming. Moai, I like your work can't wait to see what you come up with

SKETCHBOOK (http://www.conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?t=73409)

[Moai]

I just had to say that this is the best topic we've had in a while. Expect a big page of sketches from me.

[ScaryPotato]

Damn Moai! Why did you have to and find a picture of a creature that I thought was imaginary?!:P That little guy looks a lot cuter than the sketches I tried out. I'll try out some other ideas going through this tiny potato-y brain and see what comes of it.

And about Photobucket, you can change the size of the image before you upload it to the site. There is a little setting that gives you the default image size, but if you click it, you can select for the site to support other image sizes, up to 1mb so most images should be able to be shown at full size (my images are usually 1500 in one direction and they work just fine.

[Michael Jaecks]

Gortgronks: Toad Dragons

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a379/neorepto/michaeljaecksGORTGRONKfinal.jpg

Gortgronks, also known as Toad Dragons, hail from a planet that is low in gravity and high in water content. 97% of its surface is covered in water leaving only several small chains of island land masses. Amphibious animals are some of the most common life forms. Many have evolved the capacity to both swim and fly, letting them circulate over the various small continents. Toad Dragons can have 30 foot wingspans, are swfit predators, and give birth to their young in midair. Tadpole Dragons are capable of flight from birth, but rely on their families for food and protection in their early years.

[Maieth]

place marker.

will give it a go and try and keep up this week. :D

[pose]

wooopyyy i'm free and i'm in too :D

[cowboy surfer]

Thanks Moai and Scary-P. Appreciated.
Soooo many directions to go in, how to narrow it down?

[Eric Gerhard]

crazy

Hey Felipe!!! Where exactly are you from?

Sorry not write in portuguese to do nor disrespect our english-speaker friends.... as we are in a forum.....

Good to see a land brother in here!:hatsoff:

[cognition.sb]

Cool illustration, Dominus. Nice use of textures!

[britt]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v246/Brittain/c.jpg

Cindy thought she would clip a flower,
And put it in her hair,
Then she looked up,
And saw something that wasn't there,
It came from above,
With sharp teeth and no hair,
Cindy's life ended.....
Gobble! Gobble gobble.....
Life isn't fair

[Piru]

lol some cool stuff allready!

and MichaelJaecks... I don't know if I want them to be gentle with my children! ;) A misplaced foot is enough you know :^^:


anyway: EDIT: updated doodles!

[Michael Jaecks]

Hey Durin,

You know, you make a good point, though perhaps not intentionally. I'm going to tone down the nails. I've had the broad notion of a reverse dragon, one that puts out fires rather than starts them, in the back of my brain for a long time and this topic seemed like the place to develop it. What I like about the characterization is their blunt looking, gruff bulldogish faces combined with the idea that they really are very kind at heart. "Don't judge a book by its cover" kind of thing.

but if their helpers instead of predators, they wont need giant claws. Good call.

[Joey-b]

i havent got a clue what to draw :'(

[Eric Gerhard]

Yeah.... me too....

[Moai]

I third that. The open-ended topic is nice, but also rather paralyzing.

[Eric Gerhard]

hahaha.... indeed!

[Fozzybar]

Sissies! :P

[Moai]

Sissies! :P

:SYou hurt my feelings!*sniff*

Seriously, though, I've thought up some ideas. My inspiration so far is Queztalcoatl, the feathered serpent of the Aztecs.

[Swift (BM)]

I have started mine, well actually I've finished the drawing I just need to scan it and then maybe colour it.
Check my work and please tell me whether my computer colouring skills are good enough for this.

SKETCHBOOK (http://www.conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?t=73409)

[Blue]

My biggest conundrum is deciding if i want it to be a swarm of something, or something BIG. Ahh, if only we were able to submit two...even then i only have time for one.

I'm gonna make yuh proud this week foz! :D

[Piru]

Hey Durin,

You know, you make a good point, though perhaps not intentionally. I'm going to tone down the nails. I've had the broad notion of a reverse dragon, one that puts out fires rather than starts them, in the back of my brain for a long time and this topic seemed like the place to develop it. What I like about the characterization is their blunt looking, gruff bulldogish faces combined with the idea that they really are very kind at heart. "Don't judge a book by its cover" kind of thing.

but if their helpers instead of predators, they wont need giant claws. Good call.

lol .. eh.. np! :P I like the look of that dragon on the left btw! Don't know if it would work without claws, just give it a try! :)

Swift: just try, you will probably hear/see soon enough! :)

Updated wips above!

[Fozzybar]

I'm gonna make yuh proud this week foz! :D
My breast is already swelling...:perv:

[Pesmerga]

I'm in.

Here's my thumbnail:
http://img56.imageshack.us/img56/3001/itcamefromabovevo8.jpg

[EtaCarinae]

Dear Eric Gerhard,
Thanks, I hope you have almost recovered from your death-by-laughter. Let me know if you ever visit Australia in spring, I'll lend you an umbrella.
Hey Jaecks, I like the muscles in the wing arm. It looks like you've given some thought to how it is going to lift the damn thing off the ground! You could probably take it a bit further too. Also try using a larger brush where possible. I've just started trying and it allows you to concentrate on form and the surfaces where light is falling (and how it's falling). Plenty of time for detail at the end.
Wizzo5454 It does look pretty unfinished but I really like the freshness of this painting, and the colour scheme. I don't think there is anything wrong with the 'perspective' as such although you could definately add some atmospheric perspective... Also what the hell is it? No description. Looks like a Prehistoric Zombie from Outter Space! ...which is cool.
Regards,
EtaCarinae

[Michael Jaecks]

Hey Durin, he'll still have feets, just not big nails.

Eta: Yah. I like them small brushes. Or I get to them awful quick. I think I tend not to zoom as much as others. I dunno. Right now though I am trying to keep my layers numerous and organized. I'm not sure about bigger arms. If you ever look at bat anatomy, a ton of their lift power is actually in the pectorals, while the wings themselves stay thin and light. They look like little He-Man figures with stretched out arms...

I think I need to green the shadows a little....

[dragon4lunch]

britt: Digging the Rocking Balbooma! Very funny! Flesh it out!

[EtaCarinae]

Right now though I am trying to keep my layers numerous and organized. I'm not sure about bigger arms. If you ever look at bat anatomy, a ton of their lift power is actually in the pectorals, while the wings themselves stay thin and light. They look like little He-Man figures with stretched out arms...
Dear Michael Jaecks,
I got some good advice from another poster here the other day, He said "Try to learn one thing at a time rather than fighting all your fights at once" (okay that's a pretty poor para-phrase but hopefully you get the idea). It makes sense so probably good that you know what your trying to achieve at the moment. Once you've decided you're a "layers guy" you can really get sophisticated with their grouping and arrangment. Easy to get carried away. I'm looking forward to seeing how you bring this one together.
BTW interesting trivia on the bats, I'll have to check it out.
Regards,
EtaCarinae

[wizo5454]

Final:

http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l175/wizo5454/snagglerposting2copy.jpg

Damn you njoo, thats a freaking nice entry you got there. Love the concept!

[KaWaii]

Update FINAL:

http://www.kawais-domain.com/Arts/ICFA.jpg

Name specie: Home Droppies. (The "home" means these creatures can't survive without relying on others and they actually "Drops" from the sky)

These birds are useless, however, they possesses one great talent. That's to be able to sense how to find a way to attract YOU to care for it. (acting cute, looking very sad at you and so on)

Their real parents drops their eggs in front of humans/animals. When the egg cracks open, the young bird will reconizes the first living being it sees as it's parent. It'll stick at you untill it's grown up and become a parent themselves.

When you have become the victim of one of these birds, good luck, you'll have to feed them, carry them around (it can't walk), give them attention, help them to go to bathroom, tell story's to have it sleep and so on.

Important note: When awake make sure you're ALWAYS in sight of it. Once it loses sight of you it'll cry, breaking the hearts of all living being around. Example: Your cat might feel really sad and attack you telling you to take care of it.

Of course there are tons of people who wants to take care of them, it's just that once you're a parent, you'll never get away.

Lastly, here's a picture of a baby bird currently living at MY house.

[Piru]

Updated above,

Just a little question Fozzy, I heard that my entry might be to close to an existing animal? Just want to know for sure because I don't see anything regarding this in the COW rules? :) If so, I'll get back to the drawing board! ;)

[Cloister]

Final: I'm fed up with this image now... you're going to have to imagine its back-parts (It has a prolongated body with two small hind legs and a furry tail). The grain? I like it, else it wouldn't be there.

http://www.brandow.se/Page/bilder/Postas/Cloister_above2.jpg

During the war with China in 2020, the US failed to recognize the threat of Chinese black magic, reported forgotten and ridiculed by the CIA. Several Buddhist temples unexpectedly took action in the conflict, bringing from their libraries the secrets of eons passed. The first magical creature summoned by the monks was the Tei-Lin, or as the Americans called it: The Chinese Wingless Hell-bat. This was a powerful species, greatly feared by the air force for its proficient and unaccountable flying. The swift acrobatic manoeuvres of the Tei-Lin (unrivaled by human aircraft) was a main component in the Chinese victory. Post war, the Hell-bat continued to provoke American citizens. No longer under the control of Chinese forces, its simplistic nature constituted no real threat to the world. But its love for a good and hot curry caused some major problems for individual families, and restaurants, before the spice was banned in 2025.

[Joey-b]

hehe thats gonna look great cloister

here is a wip of mine
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y260/b-yeoj/62wip1.jpg

[cognition.sb]

Still intend to make an 'in context' type image for the creature. Might also modify the design slightly... Anyway, so far:


Pouched Climber (OLD CONCEPT): http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f107/cognitionsb/cognitionsb-pouch-sep06.jpg

FINAL (reworked original concept):

http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f107/cognitionsb/cognitionsb-millers2-sep06.jpg

Miller's Bug

In 1822, distinguished adventurer Abe Miller discovered a species that would change his life forever. His hobby took him far and wide, exploring often dangerous landscapes and regions of wilderness. In this particular trip he set out to conquer an infamous set of caves in southern China. Approximately 1100km directly inland from Hong Kong lie a series of caves believed to be haunted. Noone who enters is seen again.

As with most other ventures, Abe set out alone. With flashlight in hand, and supplies in a backpack he proceeded deeper and deeper into the first cave. The steep descent was difficult, but after half an hour of climbing he reached a large, open cavern with a shallow rock pool. Precious minerals protruded from rock formations, stalactites drooped from the ceiling and stalagmites rose from the floor. Abe was in awe until he noticed skeletal remains scattered across the ground. Suddenly his arm began to burn up, and he spun around to see the tip of stalactites detaching and flying towards him. Numerous insects flew in for the assault, spraying an acidic substance at the frantic adventurer. With great agility he managed to outrun the creatures, but the acid drops were now burning all over. Using bottled water to neutralise crucial areas he bought enough time to make it to a creek by the cave entrance. Rescued by a local hiker, the westerner was rushed to medical assistance, living to tell the tale with a permanently scarred face and body.

Creature details:
Up to 21cm from feet to the segment tips, they grip onto the end of stalactites disguised as part of them, with their segments vertical. Camouflaged here they await their prey, whether it be animal or human. Their acidic spray is used to break down food, and they live in swarms. The bugs don't actually fly, but they use the small flesh layers between each pair of segments to glide down onto the victim. After attacking they'll climb back up the wall and into position.

[Swift (BM)]

Here's mine-

http://i110.photobucket.com/albums/n103/BMlord/COW1small.jpg

In the year 2099, the giant, continent sized space ships came.
In 2105, giant worm like creatures hunted down aircraft and large road vehicles by crashing into the ground, trapping the 'prey'. Then they grabbed the vehicle with their inner teeth, before pulling up on their black threads attatched to the ships.

SKETCHBOOK (http://www.conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?t=73409)

[Moai]

Cloister- That reminds me of a Far Side cartoon. There's a man and wife and a couple of guests hanging out in a living room. In the corner there's this huge, hideous beast, just sitting there, and one of the guests reaches over to touch it. The owner of the house says, "Hold on, Frank! We don't know what that thing is or where it came from, but after what happened to the dog last week, we advise people not to touch it." The juxtaposition of a grotesque alien creature and a normal family going about their normal business, not seeming too alarmed, is something I find fairly humorous.

Anywho, I think I have my idea. My creature will be an intelligent species driven underground by a war with another intelligent species. From the point of view of the subterranean denizens, they "came from above."

Edit: Hey, lookit that, I'm level five! I think I'll go roast some myrmillos over a fire. Or maybe I'll get some graham crackers, chocolate bars, and myrmillos and make some s'mores. Or maybe I'll have a nice cup of hot cocoa with myrmillos.:P

Some guy: Shaddup!!:madchef:

[wizo5454]

great rendering cognition, nice job.

xgabo great job, again. Might get my vote once more.

Cloister - Cant wait to see the final result. Cool idea lol.

[zenarion]

Dont think this qualifies as an entry... but i just cannot stop drawing. This tablet is awesome :D How come i never had one before?

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v216/zenarion/Photoshop/blarg_attack.jpg

[xgabo]

Here's my entry. Comments welcome.

http://www.gabo.ca/xgabo_cow62_above.jpg

Clan of the Walking Bird

I am old enough to remember a time before casts. I remember when every creature, whether crawling on the earth or soaring in the sky, was like part of the same family, and treated as equals. There were four major clans on the land; The Lion, the Mammoth, the Walking Bird, and Man. We respected each other as representatives of the four corners of the world, and kept to our own territories.

But then the great famine came, and everything changed. The nomadic Mammoth clan migrated to southern lands, and the remaining clans started attacking and killing each other for survival. Man, the inquisitive ape, looked to the stars for an answer. Some claimed they found it, and many believed them. Two separate classes were born. I remember when a fellow villager first looked at me as if he was different, superior. Soon we had a few controlling the destinies of all. The new leaders taught us that man was above the other animals, and by our right we could harvest nature as much as we needed for survival. They said this new enlightenment came "From Above".

Soon, the rest of us was preparing traps and spikes to erradicate the competition we believed we now had in the other clans. Both Walking Birds and Lions were slowly destroyed without mercy. The remaining cats, afraid of our tools and fire, moved to the dry lands. The birds did the same, except for one. She was a fierce and intelligent warrior, and nobody in the village was able to kill her. In the spring she laid eggs. The leaders ordered them destroyed to ensure the end of the bird clan.

We penetrated the cave and no sign of the mother; we thanked the Gods for our fortune. As we carried the egg out, it appeared. It came from the darkness above us. The other warriors were instantly killed. then she came after me. Fearful for my life, I left the egg and started running out of the cave. She did not follow me, going straight for the egg. For a moment I looked back and our eyes met. I understood then. Necessity had not raised Man over the other animals, but lowered us to a inferior form of life, vicious and alone in the world.

I left that day, never to come back.

[Fozzybar]

Updated above,

Just a little question Fozzy, I heard that my entry might be to close to an existing animal? Just want to know for sure because I don't see anything regarding this in the COW rules? :) If so, I'll get back to the drawing board! ;)No prob, mate! There is no rule for not drawing existing animals...there is only an appeal to every artists participating in COW not to stick to known creatures...personally i don't see ANY reason for not thinking of new designs or shapes...sometimes the overall concept or funny idea justifies using existing animal anatomies (i did this also a few times), but generally at the end it lacks creativity in design.

But there is no rule forbidding that, unless you are drawing a creature which is 100% the same as an existing with no further idea put in it...

But in your case and in the most which occur here in COW, there are slight changes or additions, in design and concept, so it's a valid approach ;)




Swift (3D)
Hey Swift!
Now what i will say is nothing against you or your age or whatever personal. It's just that i made a directive for me and COW, which is that a certain quality level of art must be held. And believe me, i looked through your sketchbook, went to your account info and even opened the admin panel to have an overview about your background.
So i think what i am saying is not a snapshot or random judging. I took time to get an impression about your work.
So i think, you need to work more on your skills and improve your art, before participating in COW. Take it as a motivation and inspiration.
Rejecting your entry only counts for COW, because it's just special rule which was set at the beginning and has its reasons and makes sense, primarily for the sake of COW itself...
Keep working and stay on track! ;)

[Fozzybar]

britt
just to get things right...even if your 2nd entry is on the less serious side :) i don't recommend to use it as an enter for COW...there is only 1 reason: boxing gloves...they are deforming the creature into a char...if it was meant as ajoke only forget my post :)

zenarion
Dont think this qualifies as an entry... Right! :)

[Steve-O]

xgabo..... speechless :jawdrop:

[britt]

Thanks for the heads up Fozzybar...

There's a thin line between character and creature..... and I crossed it...haha:)

[Moai]

Cool picture, xgabo, but the description...wow! That's a work of art in itself.

[dragon4lunch]

xgabo: Dopelicious! Now, I'd try to polish the left hand/fang of the creature up to a level of its gorgeous face, since those are two areas one looks at first. Cool! Interesting colors - very primary and early comic book style. Kinda.

Cloister: Hillarious! I would make those people shocked and scare out of there mind, like real people would be in an insane situation like that!

MrMan: Oh man, you have to polish this baby - it has such a great creepy atmosphere - make it a winner! The greenish/turquoise colors are rocking and this piece has an eerie, tripping 1970s/80s poster look to it. Kind of like a Pink Floyd or 2001 Space Odyssey (ok, that was 60s)!

[Moai]

Joey-b- Nice horses, but you might want to make the creature a bit weirder, as it's looking like a regular ol' pterodactyl/dragon right now.
Zenarion- It's humorous and has a nice graphical look, but it looks like it was produced far too quickly and carelessly for the standards of CoW.
Mr. Man- It needs more contrast and sharper edges. More interesting colors would be nice, too. I agree with dragon4lunch in that it looks like something you'd see flipping through the booklet of Pink Floyd's "The Wall." It's nice, but it could be pushed a lot farther before being called a final.
dragon4lunch- Tell me you're going to enter this one. Your creature designs were getting so good, but you haven't participated since "Highly Explosive," and that was over a month ago.

Here's my doodle file for this round. The blue guy with the boomerang head is my creature for the week. It's an extremely intelligent creature, but most of its culture is based on philosophy and abstract thought, rather than physical technology. Their main source of food were the spiky green savages, upper right. Over the millennia of hunting, the savages became quite intelligent themselves, and began inventing weapons like spears and bows and arrows. The hunters were basically defenceless against these weapons, and were forced to retreat underground. The little pale alien guys, upper left, live underground, and the description will be told from their point of view. To them, the retreating hunters are gods returning from the heavens. The purple ape is just a doodle and has nothing to do with anything.
http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b320/metalukesurfer/above.jpg

[dragon4lunch]

Moai: Hey, thanks man! And yes, I'm working on a flying dragon-type creature that I'll post soon!

[cognition.sb]

lol wizo, I saw your original comment a minute or two ago, came back to quote and reply but you've just edited it. How's that for timing?

I don't mind crits, and yea... I guess it does have headcrab undertones. Anyway, I've decided to completely change the design, I mainly wanted to 'reserve' my concept by posting. I'll be back!

[llothcat]

I'm thinking of going with the winged creatures from the book of Ezeikiel..

as i see it that is, since he gave a real confusing description of them:

http://llothcat.com/workpress/wp-content/uploads/2006/09/above.jpg

4 wings and a mix of ox,eagle, man, and lion.

[Cloister]

xgaboo: That's a happening angle, right there! - a really good and wrathful piece!
There are some details that I think could use some precision. The lower jaw of the creature seems to turn left, rather than going downwards (hard one..) . And if that bump on top of the creature's head is the rigth eyebrow-skull-structure, it should go down and to the right... putting it out of sight. The line between shoulder and neck on the human makes no sense, to me.
By differing the size of stones on the ground more, you can increase the sense of distance... (which you know).
Great entry!

[Jabo]

xgabo: So far, you got my vote. Awesome work. Maybe it's more "It came from ground-level", but that's ok for me. Love the feathers and the overall creature design, aswell as the lighting. Not sure about the linework, a little linear perhaps.

Hope you finish it, Cloister. I'm in the same situation this week, 14 hours yesterday, no sign of less work today or tomorrow. Eager to see your piece finished.

britt: The second one might be better (better linework, actually), but it's a char. Little too much pokemon. I think fozzy would overlook it if the boxing gloves would be abstracted as chitinious or horn paws that nearly look like boxing gloves.

[Eric Gerhard]

Hey guys!

Very nice work you got here....

Congrats everyone.

Fozzy, for me this time will be a little bit hard to finish the COW, because I'll be to busy with some freelance I got, and I've already started the CHOW, so I'll let the COW for next time....:frustrated:

Sorry guys.... but I'll return to vote and to add comments!

Peace to all!

[Pesmerga]

I'm not sure I'll be able to finish this one (or even start it for that matter).

Good luck everyone.

[wizo5454]

lol wizo, I saw your original comment a minute or two ago, came back to quote and reply but you've just edited it. How's that for timing?

I don't mind crits, and yea... I guess it does have headcrab undertones. Anyway, I've decided to completely change the design, I mainly wanted to 'reserve' my concept by posting. I'll be back!

lol. well i edited it because I felt It wasnt such a good critique. And besides, Its your design and what you ve done up to know just blows me away so maybe there was some jelousy in that previous post of mine :^^;: . But im glad you changed your concept I know you ll come up with something even stronger.

[njoo]

Here's my entry for this round! Last week was fun, I still have to comment on all the awesome work everyone did last week! Man...this is too addicting...I must make myself pass on the next round or I'll never get my work done.....ad..d..ic..ting.... @_@

http://www.weewung.com/poo/cow62-ahou.jpg

Andrew Hou
njoo.deviantart.com (http://njoo.deviantart.com)
www.andrewhou.com (http://www.andrewhou.com)

[ScaryPotato]

Wow, I was just taking a quick peek in here to see what new stuff might have been posted, but xgabo and njoo's entries blew me away! xgabo, the colours are so intense and the pose is very striking too. njoo, your iceberg entry was cool, but I really love this one. It has such a nice watercoloury/old storybook feel to it

[pose]

this is my wip - the ostrich tried but couldn't :D
http://img268.imageshack.us/img268/6508/someqy8.jpg


njoo - wohoo i like yours :)

[Cloister]

dragon4lunch: Regarding the sitting family, I initially thought that the attack on their dinner was so swift they wouldn't have time to react. Then I thought, just as you did, that it would look really cool if you had some chairs and people flying, with wine and cutlery flying throught the air... but then I changed my mind again, since their stillness had a comical touch that I enjoyed. The fact is... I don't have time to re-draw it, even if I'd like to. Hopefully I can paint it as it is, and settle with the amusing or speedy interpretation... or perhaps the shock makes them freeze... at least for a second... the roof is yet in the air...

[njoo]

ok I give up... Cloister...where's ur avatar from, whenever I scroll through the page, those freaky eyes always mezmerize me for literally 1-2 second lol.... something really freaky and funky about that picture haha I could've sworn I've seen it before, was it your older work? and btw I love ur layout, can't wait to see it! Ya the stillness gives it this extra sense of comedy to the pic! :D

[dragon4lunch]

http://www.trickstertoys.com/additional/abakka.jpg

I wanted to do a Chinese-type dragon. I call him Abakka. Inventor of the abakus, ancient device for calculating. Yes. Due to the lack of arms, Abakka, had no means of building an abakus, so he had a friendly shepherd build one for him. He ate on of his oxen, well, he was hungry and the shepherd wasn't looking. Just kidding.

I hope the clouds are a good addition. What do you people think?

[xgabo]

njoo - I love your design... it's a lot of fun, something you would see in a Terry Gillian movie.

Dragon4lunch - nice dragon, expecially the face. It looks very aristocratic.

[Swift (BM)]

Fozzy, I understand, thanks for tellin me.

SKETCHBOOK (http://www.conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?t=73409)

[britt]

dragon4lunchb Thanks for the feedback on the designs....still playing with options. Your dragon creature looks good. Maybe add some background
for a more dramatic effect.

xgabo Nice piece, man. I'm enjoying the storytelling.

njooThat's a very cool creature....It's funny and different. Going be tough to beat.

JaboI appreciate the suggestion....not sure if I want to take the chance with Rocky. I have one more idea to try out....then I'll decide on one. Thanks again.

[Chr]

http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l188/chr_014/treebird25.jpg

----

The giant tree bird is completely harmless, but it looks scary. Probably. Noone has ever seen it. Its asymetrical tree-like legs and leaf-like feathers keeps it hidden despite its massive body. When not feeding on various berries it usually follows people and around silently mimicing their sounds and behaviour from above the tree tops.

Final...

(didnt want the bird to eat the children ;) I changed my mind :) )

if its considered a wip om not going to get mad. dont know where to take it further.

[njoo]

Thanks guys for the c&c!

dragon4lunch: I like the face, unique and makes me stare at it. Not sure if you did it on purpose, is it suppose to have no leg? I guess I'm just not use to seeing a chinese-type dragon with no legs hehe. And maybe add some clouds and mist infront so the dragon doesn't look like it's just placed ontop of a bg?


Xgabo: Love your lightning, the pic just pops right out even before really looking at it! and MAN are you a writer or something, how do you write stuff like that? awesome!

Chr: Something really spooky and funky that I like about this pic, the mood's nice~~

Moai: Haha those funky little guys makes it happy and put a smile on my face, I can imagine them jumping and dancing around!

Joey-B: I could've sworn my mom has a pot that looks like that in her cabinet.... lol

[Moai]

Thanks, njoo! That comment got me motivated to actually get to work on this thing.

[Nigel]

Actuelly got inspired for once when i read the topic. So, i made this quick doodle. Doubt i'll make a finished version though, but atleast the concept it self isn't too bad, i think.

http://img167.imageshack.us/my.php?image=deatfromabovecw1.jpg

Sorry for the bad english in the description btw, but i did my best too make the descprition atleast some what understandeble.. really, i did :|

Tell me what you think..

Have to say my favorite entry is njoo's. Seems like a lot of thought was put into it :) The kind of thought only the mind of a mad man could produce, hehe.

[Mr Man]

This is my final submission. Thanks everyone Who helped me out with this, Its been a challenging and fun cow this week and Im glad I put more time into it :)

I did combine the image with some text however it got shrunkard so I thought I might as well type it seperatley.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v63/mrswoman/cowmk3-2.jpg

Day 9 of the Malnus wasteland exploration: Today has been the strangest part of this journey so far. I witnessed one of the strangest events I have ever seen with my own two eyes. As me and my colleagues were travelling across the wastelands to visit the small native village of Calthut, we stumbled upon a small ceremony just west before we got to the village. There were around 50 men, women and children all chanting bizarre callings. Then all of a sudden the sky darkened and clouds began to gather. What we witnessed would never leave our minds. It came from above! A huge green creature as big as the sky came down covered with long thing tentacles. It had two heart penetrating eyes that one could not describe but as death. It appeared that these people were sacrificing themselves to this creature as they did not move an inch in fear. The creature impaled its tentacles through the people’s heads and appeared to absorb their fluids and organs. I wondered to myself why this creature had a mouth though as it did not use it? Perhaps this was for larger prey? It left everyone dead… It swiftly hovered back into the sky leaving a small trail of dark clouds. For many nights I pondered how this creature seemed so magical. I came to a conclusion that perhaps it has some form of incredible static energy hence why the clouds followed it. However it is a mystery how it produces such energy. Perhaps the people thought this strange creature was some form of god?

[buck6455]

below is my first shot at a creature of the week. it's black and white for now. i might ad color later

http://www.vainfantasy.com/art/buck6455_cow62_itcamefromabove.jpg

Frightening at first glance, Aeris-Vesica, or as it's more commonly called, the air crab, is actually a very docile creature. It can usually be found floating over meadows right after dawn, feeding on the nights collection of dew and the nectar of fresh flowers. Shy by nature, the la-z-boy sized animal's fierce looking spines are generally only used in territorial disputes which often end with both of the combatants partially deflated. Luckily, the air crab's many buoyant air bladders are separated by thin membrains that usually prevent a complete collapse.

[davi]

The skies darkened with smoke as dark as tar. Flames pierced the black blanket and within an instant a burning mass speed to the ground shaking the cities with its impact. Terror filled the streets as buildings crumbled, fires spread through city streets, and mother's cried for their babies. The fear caused by the noise, panic and destruction was only equalled by the silence that quietly followed.

The beast rose up form the rumble and its eyeless gaze pierced through the surviors and then it began. ...The beast took.

[Michael Jaecks]

Davi, I love your creature and I love the fact its a walker. No wings. Really nice take. But those buildings... they are photo manipulations, right?

I'm really impressed with the breadth of interesting entries other people have designed this week. Makes me sort of embarrassed to have done a dragon. ;) But I'll finish it.

[Chuck Wadey]

I've been wanting to get some classical dragons into my portflio, so I'll take this opportunity: WIP above.

dragon4lunch - I love it! It's got a quite stillness that's really freaky. Do you like Miyazaki? But watch the tangent where your coils brush up against each other - could use some separation with lighter values in back.

Cloister - Great drawing. Screw the "something else entirely different".

[Moai]

Oh, that's a nice one Davi. I love the simplicity of the way you rendered the creature, and the creature design itself is excellent. I'm kind of confused about the last line of the description, though: "The beast took." What does that mean?
And Chuck Wadey, I'm eager to see that jumble of lines magically turn into a wondrous illustration, as your jumbles of lines tend to do. Strange how that happens.:P

[dragon4lunch]

Chuck Wadey: Thank you! Good advice and nice compliment. Yes, I was thinking of Miyazaki's "Spirited Away" while painting, because there is a flying dragon there as well. I read, that flying dragons in Chinese mythology were associated with the weather. Miyazaki is great, by the way (some of his stories could use a little help though, but his films are beautifully imaginitive!).

I'm working on the improvements to my dragon picture...

[davi]

Davi, I love your creature and I love the fact its a walker. No wings. Really nice take. But those buildings... they are photo manipulations, right?

I'm really impressed with the breadth of interesting entries other people have designed this week. Makes me sort of embarrassed to have done a dragon. ;) But I'll finish it.

yah they are from photo, cause im lazy O.o

Moai, the beast took... lives, families, babies, husbands, wifes, siblings

[adonihs]

Hey guys! Im new to this whole..Cow thinger, but I thought id pitch in, because I have some freetime before work :/ so...enjoy! cool pics so far :)

http://img208.imageshack.us/img208/1468/camefromabovepx8.jpg

[njoo]

hey adonihs, you're here too! nice action in your entry wohoo!

[Cloister]

Thanks everyone for the encouraging comments on my drawing. It looks as if it will get ready in time... :)


njoo: I know what you mean about my avatar... He is rather bothersome in a kind of charming way, isn't he? Actually, it is a 3-D render of a half-goblin that I did two years back, which I then put through the photoshop's Liquify filter, and painted a little on. He also reminds me of someone... but I don't know who... (take a last look, he will transform again, soon.)

dragon4lunch: I like your dragon a lot, especially the head. The body, even though it goes through a double looap (cool), could use some sort of variation, I think. (a change in colour or pattern as it goes along?.. or tiny limbs...)

wizo5454: I like the style (of painting) of this one. Very "arty", in the words positive sense.

[adonihs]

Woops!! I forgot to add a description! Here it is:

It Came From Above:

Hidden in space for decades, it finally emerges. The Spirit Draic shoots down into earth, to consume it's energy from the natural resources of our planet. Destroying everything in its path, consuming anything it touches. Our weapons make it stronger, or fires build its strength. Anything it touches, turn's to flames as it plows through cities, states, and countries at quick speeds.

[Piru]

He also reminds me of someone... but I don't know who...
Andy Serkis? :P

[cotron]

here's mine, had fun, I think I'll participate in these weekly things more often!

http://www.codymiles.com/blog/cpix/d/1228-1/skybutt_001.jpg

It Came from Uranus (or- It Came From A Butt)
description: On the methane-choked planet of Mianus, all was well and good. That is, until that one fateful day. The atmospheric invasion alarms rang all over Mianus; that was the day It Came.... From Uranus!

[Michael Jaecks]

Davi: I certainly wouldnt call you lazy. I think it makes for a really crazy mood with the wonky perspective that adds to the chaos and drama.

cotron thats a nutty little beast. I like it a lot.

Moai: I cant wait to see the blue boomerang guy big.

[llothcat]

updated an eariler post, enjoy!

[Cloister]

llothcat: he, he... cow with wings...

cotron: Cool! It really carries that early sci-fi touch... I like it! Simple but effective background too. Is Uranus above or below Tellus???

durin/piru: That might really be it....GHHHOLLUMM!


---There, work's over for the week. Let's get home and paint!

[cognition.sb]

adonhis - That is one seriously kick ass illustration. Very nice work.
But just a note incase you participate in future; something like that might border on character rather than creature since it's an individual being (it has a specific identity). The creatures in the COW activity are typically a whole species.


Anyway, updated mine with a new concept (adapted from the old). Will probably go back into the wings though...

[Jabo]

davi, cooool.
cotron, love the render and these freaky eyes. welcome to cow!
britt, your newest sketch is the best. love the deathtrap-idea.
cog, love the idea and explanation.

[dragon4lunch]

cotron: Hey, by any chance is the mouth inspired by naked mole rats? I think if you want to go the 50/60s B-movie poster route you should push it further in that direction. They usually have a damsel in distress on it and the font has to be bolder, deeper and recede further.

[Moai]

Adonhis and cotron, very nice.
Michael Jaecks: Fine, I guess I'll finish it then!:P I'm going to have to completely restart it, though, since I don't like how the current illustration is going.

[Chr]

update above

I will write a description and then im done.. just addings details wont make it much better... need to practice color before i can improve it

[adonihs]

cog- thanks bro. Yeah :( think youre right, well hopefully ill get a pass :/ If not, its ok..twas a fun painting, and ill do next week's as well! But thanks again buddy.

cotron- awesome design :D made me laugh

moai- thanks man!

njoo-yup im here :[ haha, glad you are too.

[Vulgar`]

Cloister's always going for something massive.

... that's a good thing.

Xgabo, once again, rookie of the month.

[abidangit]

Hi peoples. I've haunted the forums for a while...yeah, I'm a skulker. Time to participate, so here's my first COW. I had to make myself stop working on it. Not too terribly original, but hey, gotta start somewhere.
http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g288/abifish/moonbat.jpg

[Moai]

abidangit- Cool idea. I'd make the sky a bit darker, to give the glowing tail and the meteorites more of a hight-contrast pop. The pose and appearance of the creature is marvelous.

Here is my most WIPish of WIPs. The second image is one I abandoned.
http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b320/metalukesurfer/above-wip.jpg
http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b320/metalukesurfer/frumabove.jpg

[dragon4lunch]

abi Hey, nice first post! Great texture and nice muscles. Creepy creature! A contender!

[abidangit]

Thanks for the feedback, guys. Now that I'm at home and looking at it on my computer, it's wayyy washed out. That's what I get for working in a dark room with a bright monitor - it was richer and more vibrant at work. I might be able to mess with the jpeg a bit and punch the contrast up, but I left the big PSD file at work like an idiot. I gotta remember to back up my files...

Love your muted palette and weightless quality, dragon4lunch.

davi, I like how solid and robotic your beast is, and the sense of scale is nice.

Njoo, totally demented, I dig it. the image also has great texture and atmosphere).

xgabo, simply lovely. You juggle intense line quality with a sense of volume very well, and your creature has a fierce elegance and your composition rocks.

Dominus, frickin' awesome. I hope someday I can figure out how to get such loose and dynamic brushstrokes going on with my digital art. I am sooo anal.

[abidangit]

Hit it up a bit, looks a little better.
I don't have near the capabilities at home that I do at work. Addicted to the Cintique, but can't afford my own.
http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g288/abifish/moonbat2.jpg

[Moai]

It's a tragedy. Photoshop crashed, and I, like an idiot, hadn't saved my picture. Luckily, I was looking at the most detailed part (the head), when it froze, so I took a screenshot and saved it on MS paint. Now I'm working on a blown-up version of my WIP with that screenshot pasted onto it. Not much work lost, just now I don't have the benefit of seperate layers.
Or, to paraphrase myself: Whine whine, boo hoo, waa waa! I'll shut up and get back to work now.:P

Edit (One last complaint): I just found out that even the nifty custom brush I made disappeared too! Goddammit!!>:|

Edit 2: Screw it. I'm starting over from scratch. This image is a lost cause.

Update 3 (Final): Yep, my final. Am I completely happy with it? No. But it's highly unlikely that I get on my home computer again until next afternoon or evening, and unless Fozz is exceptionally lazy, the poll will probably be up by then.:P I hope next week I can make up my damn mind faster and actually have time to spare on the rendering. Oh well.

Concept: Meyu Maxah
On the bustling streets of Kolay, the air hummed with activity. Merchants and buyers haggled over prices, minstrals fluted and strummed on the corners, chefs scrambled to prepare meals for impatient customers, and thugs chose targets from the shadows. Suddenly, there was a cry: "Meyu Maxah! Meyu Maxah!" All noice ceased, all movements halted except the craning of heads to gaze up at the sky. Then, as one, the knelt down on their triple backwards-facing knees and threw their hands up in prayer; the faithful with joy, the sinners and disbelievers with trembling fear. The Old Gods, the Meyu Maxah, had returned.
Once every two or three generations, the Meyu Maxah appear in the skies of Shakeesh. After about a week of enigmatic inactivity, they disappear just as abruptly. The true nature of these creatures is a mystery. According to folklore, they are the Old Gods, the masters of creation, Those Who Come From Above. When the Meyu Maxah appear, prayer and fasting are mandatory, enforced by the Shee, the Holy Police. All commerse, all personal affairs besides the dire necessities, come to a halt.
Science, however, has a different theory about the nature of the Meyu Maxah. They are believed to be creatures that exist primarily outside the three spatial dimensions which we can detect. Why they choose to appear in our three dimensions every so often is a complete mystery; nothing is known of their motives. Perhaps a developmental phase in their life cycle brings them into our world. Perhaps they come here of their own volition; it is not known. Their apparent weightlessness and free-floating organs may also be explained by this extra-dimensional theory. They may be supported by structures or limbs that never become visible in our three dimensions.
Despite the attention given to them by worshippers and scientists, the Meyu Maxah are quite uneventful beings. They do little more than drift through the air. The only activity they show are occasional, deliberate and intricate movements of their many hands. The faithful see these as messages from the Gods. Scientists, however, view this as proof for their extra-dimensional hypothesis, as the beings appear to be manipulating invisible tools. Computer analysis of these hand-movements have even given them an inkling of what the tools may look like.
However, scientists, may do little more than observe and speculate. The Shee strictly forbid any interaction or close study of the beings. The only known sample of their flesh in the world, a severed hand, is under constant guard in the religious stronghold of Kuu Rea, off limits to scientific scrutiny. Until the veil of superstition is lifted from these creatures, their mystery will endure.
http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b320/metalukesurfer/screwu-2.jpg

[Stephan_R]

White Winged Drunken Dragon

This pink dragon has only two limbs that act as arms as well as wings. The wings will sprout feathers in the spring and lose them in the fall, causing many dragons to crash to the Earth below. This is the reason behind their nickname. Despite the understanding that the dragons will lose their feathers, they are far too frustrated with crawling on the ground and simply cannot help but to take flight each spring. These clumsy beasts develop a talent for spotting soft surfaces below to cushion their inevitable descent.

http://www.steveroyer.com/sketching/cow_62.jpg

I wanted to have some fun with this one. :)

[JakkaS]

hehehe....nice work Stephan :D

[Piru]

hot damn!

[llothcat]

da wiinna!

[Michael Jaecks]

Moai: I like this new image. I've had brushes I downloaded disappear too.... and reappear. I dont know why that happens. But its possible your new brush is not gone, just not appearing in the drop down menu where you saved it.

Sometimes its like PS has a mind of its own.

[njoo]

abidangit: Nice detail on the creature~!

stephan_R: Nice work~~I loove it, right now it looks as if it might fall infront of him instead of ontop, maybe cuz the contrast of the creature's a bit stronger then the character so it looks closer to the viewer then the character~ but anyways, awesome work!

[dragon4lunch]

Moai: Well, at least you learned a lesson. Always save incrementally and also, you can save your brushes. Make a brushes library.

[cognition.sb]

hahah, very nice, Stephan. Awesome colours, might just wanna take a quick look at the guy's right arm. You've got a great sense of humour.

[Evil_Sloth]

Space worms don't usually venture too close to planets unless they are seeking food...

http://img174.imageshack.us/img174/9543/cow64an3.jpg

[wizo5454]

great work Stephan_R. Very nice colors/character in that painting.
Abidangit, lovely colors aswell, great sense of balance on that creature's pose.
Moai, i like how its coming along, the design/colors are cool. sry to hear that PS crash. I know how it feels.

[Stephan_R]

JakkaS: thanks man, to get an ace like you to get a kick outta my work... made me feel good ;)

Durin/Piru: :D "you talking ta mE?" i hope you enjoy it.

njoo: You are exactly right, I got too sloppy on the rendering in this one... quite frustrating. Again, someone so talented got a kick outta my work... i'm honored! I'm a fan of your work.

llothcat: Haha, mmm warm and toasty inside thank you... but I think everyone else (not to mention Jakkas AND SuperV lurking about) will have more unique creatures.

cognition.sb: Yes my whole sense of reality in rendering and proportion went out the window this time :P I can feel I was too focused on enjoying myself. Bitter sweet finish for me :O Thank you very much for the response.

[fughi from yuggoth]

stephan ri don't like the creature very much,but the composition of the image is gorgeous!!!

[Moai]

Moai: I like this new image. I've had brushes I downloaded disappear too.... and reappear. I dont know why that happens. But its possible your new brush is not gone, just not appearing in the drop down menu where you saved it.

Sometimes its like PS has a mind of its own.

Thanks. It'll become more interesting once I add the free-floating limbs.
I opened up PS today and the brush didn't come back. Maybe it will, maybe it won't. I don't really need that brush for this picture anyway, since it was geared more towards making small hatch marks, which I'm not going to do on this picture.
From my point of view, everything on the computer has a mind of its own sometimes. It's like the god of a primitive culture; I don't know how or why it does these things, only that it can cause me suffering at its slightest displeasure. Of course, in this theological system, it only makes logical sense that floppy disks are the devil.:P
dragon4lunch- Yep, lesson learned. I've saving this new image every few minutes.
wizo5454- Thanks. That's what I was going for, an interesting design with pleasing colors. I'm going for an entity that primitive alien cultures might envision as a god.

Stephan_R- You're back! Nice picture. I like that arrow in the frame.
Evil Sloth- Cool creature design. I'd adjust its right arm and fin to face us more, because of perspective. The image has a nice "aged" feel that I like.

Back to woik on mine! I'm having fun with this.

[Cloister]

Update on top of page 2.... uhg... next time I swear I'll skip the surroundings and go for a messy rendering...:zzz:

[Mr Man]

Hey cloister, Its apearing as a red cross for me.

Edit: Oh wait it is. I like the idea and composition alot, it has a fun sort of feel to it.

[Supervlieg]

Final on page 1. Yabadabado.

[dragon4lunch]

Update here as well. Page 2! Ready to go to the voting booth!

[Tyranx]

hehe some cool entries!

Lovin yours Supervlieg, hilarious! :P

[aspira]

This is my first time here, so be easy on me! I actually painted this on watercolor paper and scanned it in. I've always wanted to join just to vote, and figured I'd better give it a shot while I'm at it!
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v692/ChuckWadey/ItCameFromAbove.jpg

The golden spiradacto is an endangered parrot, indigenous to the humid forests of Ghana. Though there are few in existence, they can live over 120 years. Most are not lucky enough to grow old, fat and decrepit (as this one is); as their strong and majestic wings are waterproof, flame resistant, and tipped with delicate solid gold starbursts. It is rumored that if you eat the golden spiradacto’s feet, you will be given the ability to read people’s minds – all of which make them a rare and valuable commodity to the native people of the Cape Coast region.

[Deep_Blue_Void]

This is my first ever COW entry. (After several months I've finally conjured up the courage to enter) I hope it's not too late to enter.

http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k62/dizz_ninja/Deep_Blue_Void_COW62_plague_frog.jpg

The 'plague frogs' are created from the blood of witches who have been killed without just cause. Shortly after death all the witch's hatred becomes stagnant, warping and decomposing her body rapidly, leaving behind a small quantity of black frog spawn. These eggs evaporate into the air forming a dark, ominous, thunder cloud, which gathers over near by villages and towns. Within hours the frogs hatch and grow to their full size. Once the frogs have fully germinated they are released as a shower of chaos and destruction upon the unsuspecting villagers, destroying crops and tainting the land with their hatred.
After the storm has passed, the frogs wither away, almost as quickly as they came, leaving behind a scarred and putrid marshland, unfit for any kind of human settlement.
This is known as 'The Witches Final Curse'.

[Blue]

Awesome entries everyone. gonna make voting a pain. I won't be able to finish by the deadline this week (so much school work) hopefully next week though!

[Cloister]

Moai: Didn't think I would endure it, but alas, I read your description... just kidding, I noticed you're quite a wielder of words yourself. The image brings vibes of hindu culture and the lore of sci-fi desert planets... as I see it. There is certainly nothing wrong with your imagination.

Stephan: Light and moody. Nice image! I can smell the autumn air... Is that red dot a camera focal point?... I find the large type you usually use somewhat distracting.

Evil Sloth: I like the surface of your image. The soil is really beautiful, and the creature has its merits... but I can't get those hexagons in with the rest, though they add to its alien character.

Deep Blue Void: Psychadillically threatening little buggers... (If you can distinguish blue... is the word void still appropriate?)

Chr: I love the creature's eyes, and the quarrelling children!

:tihi: :tihi: :tihi: :tihi: :tihi: :tihi: :tihi: :tihi: :tihi: :x

[njoo]

Deep Blue Void: Funky feel to this, like some mutated sperm swimming up... ya anyways, heheh
Aspira: The poor bird ram his beak somewhere... I wish I know how to watercolor T_T
Evil Sloth: Something about this painting remind me of this famous painter, but with my horrible memory of names, I dunno who... I like the shape of the floating thing~! I keep imagine someone sliding down that tail/slide looking body hehe
Moai: Those hands maked me smile :) You sure can write some nice description~
Supervlieg: Awesomee~~!!! I like the butt hole the most! haha
Cloister: I like the mood of the pic! Still thinking if the texture is too strong or just if it's what's giving that special touch~ I think the falling rocks will is more of a threat then the monster ha
cognition.sb: I like the stalactite concept! Man you people can write nice description!
llothcar: haha flying cow
Chr: Just noticed you changed the composition, reads a lot better now!

darn, I gotta go out, ran outta time, wanted to comment on others, but i guess I have to type later~~ loving the cool stuff~!!

[Chr]

Njoo: yes. I got some good advice about that from Beershite

Cloister: Thanks!

Deep_Blue_Void very cool colors!

Aspira interesting with more traditional media in the competition


---
I was very confused with my painting after a while. im not used to such finnished paintings. but i learned something i think. maybe I will "finnish" it later.

[Supervlieg]

Hey Moai, Some things about photoshop crashing. Custom brushes you make during a photoshop session only get saved when you properly close photoshop. So when you make a brush and crash afterwards in the same session, the brush gets lost, even if you saved the brush. So if you have a really cool brush, save you work and restart PS, that way you'll keep your brush.

Also, some brushes tend to be the cause of a crash, keep an eye out for the brush you use when you crash, and delete it if it keeps crashing with that brush. Either that, or edit the brush (upping the spacing percentage in the brush properties usually does the trick) and delete the old one.

And always hit ctrl-s on a regular basis and lets keep those fingers crossed for an auto backup save in the next ps. Good luck!

[KaWaii]

Updated FINAL on page 1 !!!

Whew, tired now, gotta go sleep XD.

As far I can see, great work everyone ! Will try to crit when voting.

[cowboy surfer]

Very quick wip just cause I wanted to post something!

http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l319/cowboy-surfer/cow62itcamefromabove.jpg

Parrosaur

This legless creature cannot land so endlessly circles the higher air currents occaisionly plummeting downwards to take its prey on the wing.

[Michael Jaecks]

Interesting take... a legless flight animal.

Is it true that sharks never sleep and have to swim perpetually? This animal could be something like that... maybe in a low grav enviro or with some organic mechanism that makes it lighter... reserves of methane for instance, like some of the creatures on that Alien Planet show (which I'm still watching over and over...)

Cool idea.

[Deep_Blue_Void]

njoo thanks for the interesting comment, didn't really look at it like that.

kawai liking the idea of being forced to look after the creature, like an advanced version of the cuckoo bird. With the parent making some other unsuspecting bird raise its chicks.

Moai Shame about PS crashing and that, but I still like the finished result.

Supervlieg I like the eccentricity of your creature, gives much more character. I'd hate to be stuck under one though.

Chr thanks for the comment.

Cloister Thanks for the comment. The name is a play on a line from the book 'Soul Music' by Terry Pratchett. (I admit it's not very good, coudln't think of much at the time of creating my profile :nohope: )

[2medusa]

njoo, nice work! Your style and rendering reminds me a little of Jakkas's COW 29 tentacles winning entry...

http://www.conceptart.org/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=1579&stc=1&d=1134602961

[Moai]

Silly me, I thought the deadline was yesterday.:rolleyes:

Cloister- I didn't even recognise you for a second, with this new avatar of yours.:P Thanks for your compliments. True, I am a bit of a writer. I had a vague dream of being a novelist once, but writing for me is even more dependent on my moods than art. If I'm not in the mood to draw, I can still come up with something fairly decent. If I'm not in the mood to write, though, it's agony. Too stressful. Art is my first love, anyways. As always, you came up with a good picture yourself. The little kid made me laugh out loud.
njoo- Thanks!
Supervlieg- Thanks for the info. The brush is probably what caused the crash. I remade it when after restarting PS, and it froze again. So I'll stay away from that one, I guess. I learned my lesson and am now saving every few minutes.:rendered: The auto backup save idea occured to me as well (I even looked for it in vain on the menus!).
Deep Blue Void- Thanks. I like your image as well. It reminds me of a Stephen King story about vicious toads falling from the sky in a small New England town.
aspira- Nice image! I really like the design of its wings. Welcome to CA!
cowboy surfer- Interesting idea with the legless flyer. Even if this is just a quickie entry, it would be tremendously improved by adding a little color to the creature. Anything's better than plain gray. Also, since the creature is unable to land, it would probably be much more lightweight and have much longer wings. Take a look at the Wandering Albatross: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wandering_Albatross. It's probably too late to change the fundamental design of your creature, but there's still time to add some color. Good luck.

[jfwalls]

Wasn't sure if I was gonna get this done in time, but I just made it! Anyways, this is my first COW, and I couldn't pass up such a cool topic.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v730/jfwalls/Dimensional_Slug.jpg

These extremely rare creatures sometimes appear after large thunderstorms. No one knows exactly where they come from, but it is believed they are somehow pulled from another dimension by the electromagnetism of lightning. Whatever the case they have never been found alive, and decompose very quickly.

[dragon4lunch]

jfwalls: Well done! Nicely rounded/complete image there, nice perspective. Now, in terms of creature design the lump doesn't look all that great though.

I notice many times the winner has a complete illustration that doesn't only focus on the creature. I don't know if this really makes sense from a production point of view, since it adds a lot of time cost, but it sure makes for pretty, complete illustrations. What do you guys/gals think?

[jfwalls]

I agree about the lump, and I was doing more of a illustration rather than a formal creature concept. The lump is my response to all the menacing, flying creatures I knew most people would draw. I figured an innocuous, dead slug would be pretty far from the norm.

But c'mon, imagine finding that thing laying in a field when you were a kid?

[VegasMike]

The Great Crab Dragon of Monster Island

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v52/Vegasmike/abuvDonecopy.jpg


The Crab Dragon makes its home on Monster Island and cruises through the upper levels of the jet stream to locate its favorite prey, elephant. The Dragon plummets from above and forces the herd to scatter in fright with a low frequency roar only the elephants can hear. The Dragon will then pick off the lone stragglers and come back for more till its had it's fill. The locals have reported whole herds dissappearing into the belly of the beast in just under an hour. The translation of the african word for the beast is "The creature who came from above."

I reduced the size of the two tribesman...Thanks guys! I was trying to utilize some of the techniques I learned from the Tyranx tutorial specifically layer management...It made things a lot easier in the end! Thanks for the insight Tyranx!

[Cloister]

dragon4lunch: There has beens some discussions on the ILLUSTRATION/BACKGROUND-issue in the "Discussion/Complaining/TrashTalk/"Where the f*** is the Poll?" Questions-Thread.
Since this is a weekly contest though, and not a job assigned to a single person, and since backgrounds are allowed, you are free to charm the jury if you think it works... as you can (and possibly would) on any contest. And since the jury is made up of a variety of image-loving people, a full illustration might do the trick.

This is also an activity which I think was initiated for the user's fun, enjoyment, challange and learning. And a rich image certainly bring no less of those. Personally, I add a background when it shows up in my idea. When the topic "It came from above" started, my first line of thought read: "What kind of above?" (clouds, space, trees, a roof etc?) The topic sort of begged for a background... (even though you can solve it without one..) The drawback, of course, hits right back at you, since you'll be spending a lot of energy on the surroundings instead of the creature (see my entry, this week)...

I like your update btw.:rendered:

[Tyranx]

cool VegasMike! although the two hunters on the left are a bit large. maybe having a few large sillouettes of people close to viewer would work best in this case.

[njoo]

VegasMike: you rock! that elephant's so screwed... :D grats on the blizzard thing too!
Chuck Wadey: wohoo, dragons are always cool! Tho there's something about the big dragon in the sketch that I like a bit more tho, i think it's the arch of the dragon's back that seem to give it a stronger sence of power of the dragon breathing fire~

[jfwalls]

Awesome picture VegasMike! Those 2 dudes on the bottom don't look to worried though.

[BlkCelebration]

Oh man, seems COW keeps getting better and better...another tough choice in the voting.

I'm glad I got out of work early today had some time to finish my piece :confident

I promise to stay away from mammals next round! :P

Sopapo:
These fun-loving simians have too much time on their hands. Other than eating, mating, and keeping their 'stache impecable, they like to play pranks on unsuspecting passersby. Their tails are quite strong and their lenght lets them hang from atop high tree tops. When they see a target they jump down (tail tightly grasped on the branch) in a bungie jump-like fasion and smack people upside the head....I hate those guys.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v141/depecheboy/changoleon1.jpg

[VegasMike]

Thanks njoo! I guess I should tell everyone...I received a phone call on Friday...I didn't get to the phone on time so I went to listen to the message and it was from Blizzard! They wanted to verify my address and congratulate me on winning the "Best Warcraft 2D Character"! I immediately called back to verify and the lady congratulated me and told me to expect a package on Monday...I stood in disbelief and then ran outside to tell my family I won! Unless someone is playing a cruel joke, I have won the secondary prize package and I am stoked! I didn't want to say anything till it's official but I am honored...I know there was a lot of good art submitted!

[cowboy surfer]

MJ - Thanks for comments, yeh sharks have to keep moving when they sleep to keep the flow of water through their gills. Same sort of idea with this, still glides/ flys when asleep.
Moai - Yeh good point about the wings and body shape. Spent most of my time on an EOW this week kind of ran out of time for this.
Vegas Mike - Congratz on thie Blizzard character, have you posted it anywhere so we can see it?

[Piru]

Wasn't it that tauren and or the demonlord you posted in FF? Cool man! Congratz! :hatsoff:

[VegasMike]

I didn't even ask the lady! I would have to assume it's the Tauren though...Im so happy to have won, Thanks cowboy surfer and jfwalls and everyone!

[Cloister]

Vegas: Cool...flying lobster-monster! (see to it, if you use refs, that the stuff doesn't hold a higher quality than the creature... the surrounding seem a bit more refined (other style) than the beast in this case... but that's just my opinion.) Many congrats on the Blizz-thing!


Blk C: Love the face on that monkey!

[britt]

Congrats on the win Vegas Mike!!! :D
Guess that means I didn't win....damn.

[dragon4lunch]

Let's vote! And then new topic!

[Mr Man]

When will the voting comence? I cant wait to start the next cow ^^

[amer-nazri]

Hiya Everybody.

http://img508.imageshack.us/img508/1056/birdiecopybb4.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

These cosmic creatures roam the galaxy in search of floating particles which may provide a form of nutrition. However, there have been cases where these mysterious birds have soared too close to a planet's atmosphere, causing them to be pulled by the gravitational force. Scientists have made the connection between these incidents and the sighting of what was before thought as shooting stars. Others, however, remain skeptical.

[Cloister]

britt: Your entry is such an adorable picture! I simply love it! The only thing that's a bit weird is that even though the eyes and legs tell me all about its roundness, the creature looks a bit flat. A little more light on it could do some good, perhaps... Lovely!

[Michael Jaecks]

Fozz's little light isnt even on. No poll yet. >sigh<

[Orifice]

WIP CREAM
I have just installed this Painter trial period, and I'm tryin to figure out the brushes right now. Kinda frustrating.
http://img523.imageshack.us/img523/1516/cowpaintervisadener5.jpg

[dragon4lunch]

Wow, people still entering this late! What's up with that :p

Hey, I'm impatient here! Time for a vote. And new topic. Come on orange/red dude (Foz).

[Piru]

Maybe he's just having a bad day or something ;) be patient padiwan!

[Mr Man]

It would be nice for a new topic but we have to appreciate that fozz does put alot of his own time into this cow stuff so lets just be patient I guess :)

[Sublimus]

So when does the next one usually begin? I want to get in on it badly.

[dragon4lunch]

Sublimus: Usually as soon as the vote starts. And the vote, ideally, starts within a day after the deadline ended. So this one is over due. Check back soon!

[silliKONe]

The Silk Blooms appeared in the sky in the mid twenty-first century. At first, they puzzled scientists, as they appeared to spontaneously grow from the air. Later, they horrified everyone as they trapped great airliners like hapless flies in their sticky tendrils. Silenty, they spread across the skies. Much too late, it was discovered that they were an airborne spore that leeched nutrition from greenhouse gases. Their numbers too numerous to control, their silkspan grew greater, and their tendrils longer. In time, their hungry threads would reach the surface of the planet and turn mankind into a puddle of biomass.

http://www.simonkono.com/storage/conceptart/sillikone_cow062.jpg

[EtaCarinae]

So when does the next one usually begin? I want to get in on it badly.
Dear Friends,
Isn't it usually a Sunday thing?
Regards,
EtaCarinae

[JakkaS]

If u have too much free time just make some sketches for the previous rounds... :D ....and ...shut up and wait! This is hibernation time for bears...he will wake up soon and set the poll...or we just have to wait until Spring :D

btw, when is starting bear hunting season?

[jfwalls]

silliKONe: Cool concept. You could create some really interesting images with that idea. Nice work on your website too.

[Supervlieg]

btw, when is starting bear hunting season?

Maybe the bear hunting season started allready, maybe we'll never have a Cow again :xpld: .

For all those who can't wait, there is also a thing called Character of the week, with usually lot's of great entries as well.

[Cloister]

I can wait :xpld:... no matter what great topic comes out of this wait... I'm skipping next round. Mama and Papa Bear is coming to visit...
Have fun!

[Fozzybar]

Ok, the bear is ready for da shit...i will come from above and hit you hard like a 1000 pound Grizzly...

Yesterday it was crunch time for a project in the office, so i had to work until night...the poll and next round will be up in 1-2 hours...WORD! ;)

I close this thread now...

[Fozzybar]

poll is on:
http://www.conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?t=78720