Orc's (Art Dogs Reunion)

[JohnM]

First off I love this forum! I'm finally free to begin to contribute to it.

What makes a good orc...the only truth I've found is that green is a big factor in making a creature that is instantly recognizeable as an Orc. What are they an offshoot of the goblin races with some pig-gene or something I dunno. I wasn't crazy about the LOTR orc's (dudes with face paint and a hygene issue) and the Warhammer orc's have been hacked to death by so many games. I'm striving to make something that I can call my own version of orc's while making them instantly recognizeable as orc's- here's my first sketch I'm going to keep at so cc welcome!

Outlaw is hiring a concept artist btw check out www.gamasutra.com for the skinny.

JMueller

[stalecracker]

Very nice Orc you got there Johnny-Boy!

[Drawnblud]

Perfect!!! I love the sideburns!

[I.was.ink]

very nice sir!

[Lono]

nice John.
since when did you start working digitally?

i think you should remove the lower lip aswell. not just for functionality purposes but he would just look meaner. then you could give him some glistining drool running down his chin and face since he has no lips ti catch it. :)

also,, if you really want to take the ork in a different direction i would dramatically change the "human like" shape of the skull. i wouldnt take it too far though.

i really like the eyes and the musculature of the face.

you prolly dont remember me, but i met you once when you were working at ritual. i think it was at Squirell and Don's "onethumb" appartment during a superbowl party.
i actually started doing concepts on FAKK after you and Joel left.
small world.

-Lono

[Android]

rad Orc John, I really like the ponytail on him, lets meet up for a beer soon:chug:

[Imp Head]

Mid-Air!

As always a Mueller styled concert of cacaphnous brushwork tempered with raw talent. You've been away too long.

I do want to see a little more volume on the cheek bone closest to us. If we're to assume it mirrors the far one it'd have a pretty drastic shadow under the cheek and a nice specular off the top.

However, I simply adore the mouth.


B


PS- Concept artists eh? How much you going to pay me to move to Texas ;)

[foster]

hey john, as always you throw the big punch and knock me out. nice job! bean you can paint and dole out visceral splashes with the best of them.

so you will be sharing more? hurry up, it has been a long wait for me!

jon

[JohnM]

oh my god- all you bastards hang out here too- where's Eli? heh- actually speaking of Eli I can post some stuff he did for me recently it was pretty cool. I had him do an 8 page comic for us.

christ it's like an art dog reunion.

[I.was.ink]

Wow! that's great

[Imp Head]

Last I heard from E was he was in NYC making Flash cartoons for some company or another.

Send the damn comic already!

Woof.

B

[JohnM]

Actually I'm looking at it and I'm gonna have to chop some stuff out- it's pretty specific about our project...which I guess was the point.

Anyway here's my progress on the great Orc quest. I felt like I hit on something with the red nose and the teeth....not sure but I'm gonna keep tinkering with it. Orc's play a big role in the game so I want them to look different but still like an orc..blah- anyway funny story about the teeth I went to the dentist today and as I'm lying there flat on my back with a masked man's hands shoved wrist deep into my pie hole screwing around in there with a friggin' drill... it occurred to me....I was thinking orc's gotta have cool teeth. I couldn't wait to get Dr. Loveless (no joke) hands out of my esophogus so I could get back and alter my green friends grill.

[Deth Jester]

orcs huh... well here are some traits I think of when I think of orcs. right off the bat.. Deffinitly GREEN like you were saying.. But they can either be that really bright green or a pugnant green with some diarea brown mixed in.. :)

Also dark thick blood... when they bleed its like tar...

Also lots of scars... I see them like wild animals that tend to fight a lot as young that continually fight to become alpha male.. Since they have thumbs they begin to use weapons at early ages...

I liked the sharp fang like teeth better.... They are meat eating only creatures none of this tree hugging crap...

I also see them as humped over creatures, not standing tall and proud.. that is just me.. so there back muscles are way over developed while they can have a big fat deposit for there stomache area... I dunno.. just some ideas...

I like the red eye thing you have going.. Im a big fan of the pig nose as well fro them, but I can see them with a long pointy nose.. but I tend to think of goblins more with long pointy noses and big long elf ears... *shrug* I hope to see some more.. keep em rolling in..

peace.

[stalecracker]

Hey John-

I like the "old" one better... I did a quick paintover of some little detail ideas...

Here 'tis-

http://www.imgmag.net/images/screamcheese/orc4_jm_JT.jpg

Hey IMP!

[Jason Manley]

go away from the forums for a day and miss all the action...

I too like the first one better...there is a feel that is happening from all the diagonal strokes. while i like the addition of stalecrackers color in places i think that the design takes from that initial directional energy that is in the top piece. i like the gestural quality in the top image...he could move. the rendered images start to be still. how one balances that...only god knows. I sure as hell struggle with it.

the teeth piece...i can tell you wanted to paint the teeth...festering rotten dog gums breath is something i think of. what does that look like anyways? just for a second..imagine an animator opening and closing that mouth....imagine how it would use the phonems to speak...do you see what i am trying to say?

great to see you posting..please dont stop.


j

PS..you elitists are cursed for not inviting andrew and i to your art dog group. hahahahha

[JohnM]

ahhh- good one! blue face paint add's that tribal edge...the novacaine wore off and I agree the old one is better...but I did have fun painting the teeth :) gonna keep whackin' at it. thanks for the crit!

[JohnM]

notha' in progress- not sure what I'm doing with it- it started as an oil painting at home- just the face then I scanned it and started adding some shtuff.

[foster]

hey! send a detail of the figure painting you just posted.

i loved the new nose you made for the orc, it is a kind of ren and stimpy orc. but your third try hits the nail on the head.

jon

[foster]

well, your future third try.

jon

[Bomba]

Hey John!

Yeah, it does seem like a family reunion of the artdawgs. Is that still going on?

Great to see you here and the new work.

-Jason Felix-

[BoBo_the_seal]

Thank you for contributing! These are great.

Heh, I've been studying a lot of the work you created while you were here at Ritual. I really dig the painting of Blade you did.

Looking forward to more.

- BoBo

[Oblio]

heh - Bobo was the missing one! :D
Comme on guys - i'll stick your post - to have you in my attention forever! :) (as a constant reminder of what this forum is about) :chug:
So... you professionals - just post them all in here.
(i'll just be silently amazed)

(and about that nose - isn't it a bit too much to the right? Orc's left?
oh.. and .. since you have so manny orcs in your game... do you have female orcs too? beautifull ones? :chug: )

Oblio

[hawkprey]

Love it! Inspired!

I still cannot figure out how you get that "fleshy", raw meat feel with the skin. Keep posting man! I am taking notes!

[MindCandyMan]

Well Mr. Mueller I don't know you but just judging by the stuff you have posted ...it's AWESOME. Your style has a really loose feeling but also conveys a sense of tactful control. I am impressed! Definitely keep posting! :o

[azjohnl]

fantastic stuff, i really like your colors, they really make your art work on so many levels! Cant wait to see more!

[JohnM]

here's a detail of that noggin'-
Thanks, what a great forum! foster (pound for pound the best painter in america), despain (couldn't afford em') and Felix ( he of ungodly talent) all in one thread.

I don't know if Art dog is still around- I went searchin' the other day on yahoo groups, but there's like 2 million of them and about 2,000 with the words Art and Dog in them :)

For those that don't know wtf I'm yakkin' about Art Dog was a yahoo group forum started by mostly WOTC guys- Deterlizzi, Brom, Elmore and some other dudes- it was a neat e-mail forum that spawned many a great pontification from the mountain of creativity. The first time I had experienced such an exchange with so many talented people- it was really fantastic.

[MindCandyMan]

That sounds like it was really cool...I would have loved to see that! WOTC...I'm right in assuming wizards of the coast right?

[Imp Head]

Yeah they're still kicking. It was just "artdog" John. If you're account is still active you should still be able to access it.

It's still got some major talent on it but it's really not up to it's previous glory back in the day.

And yes MindCandyMan, WOTC does stand for Wizards of the Coast.

Brian

[JohnM]

It all went down hill after Eli left :)

can't show the comic thing he did for me just yet- soon.

[Skello]

Why don't you try another skin color if you want a new orc look? ..... imo. "green orcs" have been done to death..
Looks rad' though.

[foster]

hey john, that detail is nice!

i have learned so much from you over the years. allot of the painter i am is do to influences i got from reading "oink" for those of you who do not know what i am referring to. go to your local comic shop and ask to get any back issues of "oink" or anything from john mueller for that fact.

john you taught me that raw and visceral could be strong and smart.

thanks!

jon

[Avetice]

oh wow
didnt realize it was THE John M hehe, i just bought an oink comic last weekat an old comic store cause of the paintings.
glad to see yet another big hitter on these boards

[JohnM]

Thanks Jon-....the check is in the mail :)

This is the last Oink piece I did for a german variant of Blood & Circus.

I don't spend a lot of time thinking about the past- I can only laugh when you say such nice sh-t about me- seeing your work now it makes me glad I left illustration cuz' I'd have to find a "smart and visceral" way of getting work- you and Ashley seem to be doing ALL of it.

Which is why I basically left comics- I couldn't find a publisher after Kitchen Sink Press that would let me do the type of projects I wanted to do- which brought me to the brave new world of "video games"- that and I was tired of crapping in the woods and pissing in a jug *ed. See Eli 5 Stone for details.

For those artists that are in or thinking about a career in games- I can only say- I think we couldn't be -where we are-at a better time. I'm looking at it from someone who saw the rise and fall of a similar industry (comics) and what made it succesful for creators and what destroyed it for us.

What I'm seeing currently and on the horizon is that games are becoming what "creator owned" comics aspired to be. I'm seeing more and more artists step into leadership roles taking the visual reins of their creations- to not only create the look of their worlds and characters- but also to be the visionary behind their products. I see and participate in the creation of every character as well as every tree and bush- every piece of art that leaves our studio goes through my hands at some point. It's a huge amount of work and comics prepared me for this task to a certain degree but I've had to double my commitment and my output to do the job effectively. I also spent three years learning the visual language of games, learning how to texture, build models, levels, particle systems, interfaces and I'm still learning.

A great example of how artists have stepped into these "power roles" is Sam Wise over at Blizzard- he's become the vison for the Warcraft series that had a bigger opening weekend than Spiderman. His style is all over that game- While he's only one developer out of a hundred that worked on it- the game is undeniably his stylistically- not only his colors and characters, but when you see the toys, books and all the sh-t that starts from his pencil it's inspiring.

Adrian Carmack (doom and quake series) he was the first in my opinion. Adrian is an example of how one artist can imprint his own style on a product that changed the face of entertainment.

Lorne Lanning (Abe's Oddysey) mudokken's...the guy's a genius.

Joe Madureira (battle chasers) is over at Realm interactive leading his own project- this I believe will become the norm as this industry becomes less about "whiz-bang" technology and more about story and character driven worlds- because as the technology plateau's there will be nothing left to do with it but tell stories and explore worlds- those require a direction and vision that only artists can give.

About Oink- he was not a houshold name- but the books were an artistic success in the fact that it really was about what one guy in a shack can do with enough paint, brushes, illegal substances and a whole lotta help and support from his friends. I never made more than a guy at 7-11 when I was doing my books- certainly less than 15k a year, but looking back I'm sure that I didn't care- I was getting to create my idea the way I wanted. I was wealthy in my own way.

I'm a "creation comes first over everything else" type of person- friends, money, family loved ones they all come second to the wealth of "The Project" whatever it maybe at the time. I ecourage every artist in this industry to live and die for "the project" and to take the opportunity we have here and solidify our role in this growing industry because it is and has paved the way for thousands of artists to have jobs and live a creativley satisfying lifestyle that didn't exist just a decade ago.

Being a comic book artist in the early 90's I can honestly tell you- you do NOT want to go back to the "good old days" before games. Waiting tables and hoping for the phone to ring so you can do one painting and be out of work as soon as it's finished having to hustle up another gig- it was a horrible existence for many of us and only a fortunate few were able to say they had a "career" as an aritst.

Thanks foster for reminding me I should think about the past more than I do cuz' it helps me see how lucky I am to be where I'm at.

-Disclaimer- I admit I'm messed in the head and I have a massive mid-life crisis awaiting me somewhere down the road- but by the time I take all these words back, renounce satan, and find jesus :) I'll "hopefully" have created a few cool things.



JM

Outlaw

[I.was.ink]

Hey Ive seen that before! is it in a spectrum? I'll look for oink next time I go to a comic book store. Thanks John! :)

[davi]

as far as "orc" design goes. I disagree with needing the green. I believe I have seen "pink" and dark brown orcs before. I believe LoTR went with the darkbrown mostly.

When designing a species the has a society, like orcs, you need to take a second to think about their background, history, and religion.

Are your Orcs tribal? Maybe give them body modifications, even ones beyond piercings. Forehead shaping, face cutting, lip stretch( cuts from the lips which cause scaring which give the appereance of a longer mouth ), Teeth scupluting, Scarification via cutting and/or branding, etc, etc. If you need help with body modification ideas pm me I've studied up on alot of tribes and body modification.

Are your Orcs reglious? Maybe.. give them tattoos/brands/scars of religious meaning. Perhaps they carry "bibles" or scriptures of some sort.

Do Orcs have a deep background? If they do you might want to try to set a commen theme in their dress code. I've seen too many times Orcs with clothing that doesn't match each other. They work as a pack and society, meaning they probably would gathered intelligance and methods of making the same type of clothing.

I'm sure you have probably thought of alot of this already, but the best way to make a race/species unique is to show the unneeded in my opinion.

Hope some of that makes sense. I suck at expressing my opinion/ideas.

[Kress]

John-
You bring up a lot of juicy points, especially about the state of comics (yes, Ashley Wood and JonF are doing the best and only stuff worth looking at right now - save for a COUPLE things), which until you mentioned it, I thought I was going crazy over. I thought the reason I haven't bought any comics for a few years was in my head, but I guess it's not.

Second, making art for games is really a plush job for artists! Aside from the stress, how else do you describe a full-time job for which you do work in a new, ever-expanding and creator/user-defined genre (which only gets better with technology)?

Lastly, I am a student and sometimes I have issues with inspiration and "keeping the ball rolling". But sometimes, I get that *religious* feeling about my work and my commitment to it: Every once in a while, when I decide that art needs to come first, I find myself thinking that it's selfish to be willing to put it ahead of everything and everyone else - and that the people in my life shouldn't have to get second-hand treatment if I need to disappear for a while and produce some stuff.
But that's bullsh*t, because people lucky enough to want to be an artist, are maybe somewhat talented, and have a big place in their hearts for it should f*cking just go for it. The right people in artists' lives should support them in being creative and following what makes them happy. I don't know - I guess that's true for most things, but it's late, I'm tired, and maybe I'm blabbing but you struck a chord and got me all juiced up...
thanks.

p.s. I remember seeing that Oink for the first time, I was like... 17 or something, thinking, whoooaa.

[killing.people]

its funny john muller did that comic, i had no clue. i have the big one with the complete story. its pretty sick.

who wrote the oink comics?
its funny, in highschool another artist and me exchanged a comic strip back and forth between classes, adding the next frame. we called it an add-on comic book. it was about abducted cows, where in one rose above the rest, excaped, and rescued another. and there was a suicidal beaver screaming sanctuary .. uh ..

i never used to look at the signatures of paintings and game art until i started posting at this site.

i had a smile on my face reading through this thread, the way the professionals to eachother, talk like i would talk to another concept art member, like i would talk to some sitting in the back seat with me.

i am grateful for sharing. i am grateful for all of insiration and humbling.

-killing.meat.preists

[HoodZ]

:chug:

[shaowei]

cool job.
bu i donnot much like the teeth.

[Cannibal80]

Thank you for writing that piece JohnM, it really kinda persuades me to hang in there and try to push my pieces to the limit. Like you, I want to end up in the gaming-industry somehow, somewhen. Posts like yours from professionals in the business inspire me and prepare me (I hope) for what may come.

I love your first orc! I play Warhammer 40K myself, and I have only ever played orks. Over the years i have seen orks or orcs in many shapes and sizes, and I learned a couple of things I believe are true:

- orcs came from "The Hobbit" and were originally a form of subterranean goblinoid species, covered in fur and without a real definite shape or colour. Their society was based on powerfull kings who ruled by might of arms over underground kingdoms, somnetimes just a couple of connected caves and sometimes huge forgotten underground ruins.
- In LOTR/silmarillion that all changed, now the orcs were unholy duplicates ('clones'?) of elves, created by the dark forces of middle earth to copy or mock the purity and perfection of the elves. Several subspecies were conceived, based on region or creator (Uruk'hai, for example).
- Green 'tusked' orcs probably came from the first incarnation of warhammer fantasy or warhammer 40k. In the warhamer 40k universe, they are now not so comical than the olden days, but more feral (there are even rules for a feral ork army). In both fantasy and 40k orks live in a clan-based society, with strong warbosses as leaders and rulers. I belive the 40k orks are based partly on first and second world war german soldiers, but also on the mongolian 'barbarians'.
- In the warhammer 40k universe, orks are some type of fungal/mammal hybrid growth, springing from beds of mushrooms and spreading spores wherever they go, infesting worlds. Therefore, they do not have a particular sex. Their skin and blood (!) is green because of certain algae in thei blood.
- Green orcs were copied by Blizzard into the original Warcraft game. Probably beacause they liked the imagery of the creatures, and they did not bother to 'reinvent' them untill the second and third part of the game. Now the warcraft orcs differ in some major ways (mainly in society and history) from the warhammer orcs, but still have major similarities.


Sorry about the fanboy retoric! :D

[Cannibal80]

Oh! And the pigflag piece kinda reminds me of something called 'Mutant Chronicles'...

[Drakmarr]

I know that none of you know me for my presence in this forum is nothing but a shadow that lurks out of sight and out of mind. My creativity and vision is not nation/world wide known either; but I know most of you through your post. Some of you spread throughout many different boards and some of you dont. Mueller's post inspired me to come out from the woodworks and speak a small bit of mind. For starters I would like to say that I totally agree with alot of what you said about gaming holding a large and bright future for artist worldwide; but I do not believe it is the last resort for promising futures. Take a look at cinema, the internet, architecture, engineering, and the hundreds of other possibilities out there that require artist. In todays age the artist is respected alot more and is more reckognized as a "profession" than it has ever been in the entire history of life. I spend probably 3 hours a day studying peoples art, another 3 or so learning more, and probably 10+ exercising it. I see so many talented people out there exercising their artistic nature that it quite often becomes so overwhelming that it consumes my brain and sends me into washed state.
To be an artist in the past is to suffer more financial difficult times for sure, the job market was small and if you were a painter you had to either paint a house, a billboard, or sell fine art in a gallery to make endsmeat. Today it is a much more developed market and there are more artist out there so competition is evident amongst each other. This is a golden age for art and artist, a benchmark in the timeline of our species for art and artist. To exercise my case take a look at the new construction of the trade towers, they had a competition where the city voted on what architect would get the job based on their design. They didnt just look in the yellow pages for an architect and say "Hey I want you to build the city this building" but they elected based on visual beauty. Cinema is an ever growing market where it uses nothing but artist for its production, CG is introduced where teams number in the hundreds sit at a desk and create virtual lifeforms through data and animate it to replicate life.

I guess that all I am saying is that I concur with Mueller on the now being the dawn of a new age for artist. I notice alot of people out there who often doubt their abilities and question if they are doing the right thing by wanting to be an artist of some nature; I have a response to you who do: "to be a creative artist is not something that you can choose, instead it chooses you. It is not the slave and you are its master but instead you are the slave and it is the master. I see so many people go to college for art and it always has sorta bugged me because I have always felt that the art of creativity cannot be taught; instead it consumes and overwhelms your very being and spews from you like a fount. Art school can teach you technique that is for a fact but so can books and training. Do not ever question yourself for what you are doing but instead act on your heart." A special thanks to everyone out there who contributes to the beauty and portrayal of dreams and life in this profession we all hold so close to our hearts. It is not the depth of the line that makes the image but the heart that is put into it. Mr. Seegmiller said it alot shorter and simpler than I did "Good luck to you. It is a jungle out there but your worth is determined by your own heart. You will be what ever it is that you truly want."

[KayCustomz]

:confused:

[el coro]

yo john, i just wanted to say you blew my mind way back when i first saw oink....it still rates in my mind one of the best painted comics ever in my opinion, i just wanted to say whatup, you're the man, and i'm glad to see you hard at work in the games industry. i really like your digital stuff as well. i just wanted to kiss your ass for a minute, cuz you're one of the people who first inspired me to start painting...anyway keep it real, and keep the TX on lock, dog.-c36

[Seung Ho]

Hi John, good to see you around. Take care.

Seung Ho Henrik

[HyPer]

Wow, this is such a cool thread, i gotta point this out to my brother so he can add those pics to his John Mueller directory ;)
awesome stuff john, so sOOOoOoO inspiring, i rrrealy want to get into more painting now, i definately wanna get my hands on painter and give it a try, PS just gives realy smooth clean results usualy.. Such cool stuff, i didnt know you would visit forums much, let alone post on them, glad you did, im realy digging that oink picture, so much detailed goodness.

I think theres definately some merit to that 2nd ork face you tried, i dig the fleshtones etc, and the teeth are nice, his mouth just seem kinda non-functional at that point tho, maybe im nuts tho, kinda get a clown vibe from it too with the white on the face, awesome stuff iether way, looking forward to seeing more hopefully :)

Ttyl

PS: is that actual rez? or do you have a way higher rez one? could we get a peek at it? if not everyone, can i? :D
hehe

[chudofsinister]

Hey john,
Great to see new work from you. Last we talked you said you were not doing to much painting, Glad to see your back. please keep a posting. Thanks.
Craig

[KHAM]

Hi

first i am new here so forgive me if i do some stupid ;) and i am a german so my english isnt that good

for me (Shadowrun rpg gamer) the ork is nearly perfect except the ears who are in my opinion like elfish ears (bigger naturally) pointed and the teeth are not so much like carnivore teeth more like humans with canine tooth

KHAM

[grey]

I remember nosing around a comicshop and being blown away by Oink, very cool to finally meet (sorta) the creator. I always grab titles for their cover art then toss 'em back on the shelf when I see the interior art, so I remember the few that were great all the way through

[Oblio]

Ups.. looks like you need more Orcs to keep the thread up.
:evilbat:

Obi

[JohnM]

oops- sorry got caught up in some other stuff- here's my latest orc in my quest to make an orc that is still obviously an orc, but not a LOTR or a Warhammer orc. Thanks for all the great comments they help a lot- I'm sure it's often been said how nice it is not to create in a vacuum and what a great opportunity this forum is for beginners and the ol' farts like myself.

C&C welcome- It's a crop of a larger piece, which I'll show as it get's out of it's fragile beginnings.

[davi]

Now this is an improvement! I don't have much to say but i really want to. The design has much more chracter with the icon on the belt and the jewelry. I really like the stomach armor, great stuff all round.

one thing that bugs me is the left most spike looks like it should be coming towards the viewer more and/or changed direction more to the left.

[Happeh]

I would love to see the entire character. ;)

[Android]

awesome orc head john, the lighting and form are very strong it really pops.

that bicep is just begging for some big pulsing heroin veins. :D


shoot-em up!

aj

[Lono]

very nice! i like the direction you have chosen.. looks like you used a bulldog for inspiration on this guy. very cool shit.

you ever seen an english bulldog skull? it looks like a damn alien skull,, an it dont look functional at all.
http://www.skullsunlimited.com/graphics/English_Bulldog.jpg
i have a whole directory of weird animal skulls.

-Lono

[sjoerd]

well ive got an orc 2, cant remember if i allready posted it on concptrt

http://www.webenga.com/blood/GFX/Axenorc.jpg

[sjoerd]

the arm/shoulders got some issues tbh... :(

[Imp Head]

John,

Another brilliant array of texture and color. This one has a much fleshier feel than the last but still says "I am orc, hear me squeal, grunt, howl, or growl."

The only problem I can see is your tendency to "flatten out" the elements of the image giving the piece a slightly skewed look.

I've done a quick repaint of the orc's face to illustrate. I think this guy is a little less fierce than your offering and that does make him lose that little something savage but I think it still illustrates what I'm on about.

http://www.imphead.com/images/jpegs/unorc.jpg

Brian

[pstraub]

They are all fantastic. NIIIIIIICEE!

[MindCandyMan]

I just looked up OINK on the internet and there was a site dedicated to it... :eek: JohnM...it is awesome awesome awesome...I am totally stunned. The art is so gritty and fantastic and exactly the style I love...awesome stuff man.

[keenerbean]

What is it about orcs? For me, they seem to evoke feelings of awe with their raw brutish power, kinda like the bouncers on Jerry Springer. These walking walls of flesh with savage potential. Of course, orcs are a great deal more maliscious than bouncers which makes them much more fun to draw.
Anyway, I did this quick tablet sketch to make a point on physique. I've always pictured orcs as fairly ripped but also awkward in form, barrel-chested, bow-legged and hunched as someone mentioned earlier. I have this guy reared back like a gorilla though, to show they can still be very imposing. I realize he's not very original, but I really just wanted to point out that orcs shouldn't just look like carefully proportioned green bodybuilders, there should be primal element represented in their structure.

JohnM, your doing a great job of pushing the envelope on what is and isn't an orc. Kudos.

http://members.shaw.ca/dylan.chater/images/orc.gif

[JohnM]

Here's where I ended up on this one.

The green might be too green- C&C welcome.

Anyway I took a lot from the boards (The bull dog skull) and Despains paint over is almost completely intact..heh. I might put a city off in the distance to the left. I'll almost certainly add a couple orc's rooting around in the background.

I took some time and wrote up the whol history of the clan. I can say the skull on his breast plate is his fathers' which is a ritual of these green meanies to slay their fathers as a right of passage and wear them into battle- the skulls around the shoulder armor have significgance as well- anyway thanks again guys!

So it's far from done, but it's probably the last version I can show. I'm not sure if I was successful in my quest to create an orc that wasn't too deriviative while still lookin like a damn orc...but it was a fun exercise- and I appreciate all the great input. I'll have to do this again when I get to our Beholder :)


JM

[davi]

that sword design is the coolest thing ever!

[MindCandyMan]

Dude you are SO the man

[Sketch]

Wow! Wow! Wow! That's amazing! I really like this one, John. Maybe something in the sky very far away? Wicked!

[Tedsuo]

Sweet Jesus! I don't quite understand the lighting on the sword, but that is one awesome orc.

[Happeh]

That is SO cool

[Irate Customer]

And the pimpiest part of the entire piece is.......




...the fur lining on the platemail girdle. Because being obese shouldn't mean, being uncomfortable as well.


The talent on these boards continues to amaze this fantasy junky. John, that is exceptional work.

Irate

[Gezstar]

I love the feral look on that orc's face, really brutal and dynamic.

Gez

[killing.people]

ffuck dude.

kick you! - i like his booting boots.

he has an evil crotch.

[I.was.ink]

For those that didn't get a tast of JohnM here you go. hey oblio, or any other mod, can you guys make this one a sticky?


Bump

[tegehel]

ah! another Orc lover! cool...

Very nice pieces, JohnM. Reminds me a lot of game concepts (from Warcraft for instance).

Groar!

C.

[Oblio]

well.. maybe davy can set up an area for the "most wated", or "classical" threads.
Otherwise i'll have few pages of sticky threads - dig some more into the past and you'll see what i mean. There is huge tallent hidden within.


Also - if you love a thread - rate it - it would be easier to find good threads based on the rating.

Oblio:chug:

[incognito]

its davi :D
I think most people joined because they had a taste and wanted more. Wow, this stuff is great.

[cucaracha]

since everybody before me weighed in love for the image, I have to criticize it ;) :D :

I would like to see his shoes/boots a bit more detailed, imho they are a bit too blurry compared to the rest of him.

cu