C.O.W. - #039: Small, Medium, Big - 3 Species Helping Each Other To Survive

[Fozzybar]

Round #039

Topic:
Small, Medium, Big - 3 Species Helping Each Other To Survive

Deadline:
Friday, 24th March 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]

thx to JakkaS for the topic!

ADDITIONAL NOTES:

- No individual Characters! 3 species which live in a symbiosis.
- All 3 creatures must be shown in 1 image (interacting or presentation style, doesn't matter)
- if not obvious post a description how the symbiosis works

[Nexus]

Hmmm, this is going to be a tough one. Not only do we have to come up with an original creature we have to come up with three. And they all have to interact with each other in a creative way. Jakkas great topic but this one is going to take some serious thought. I'll do my brainstorm later, too many ideas for this one as it is.

[imp_pixel]

I think this is a cool idea. I'm still disappointed in my last entry, since I had some other ideas but rushed to get one of them at the end...don't think I did a good enough rendering. Will be taking my time with this one and am looking forward to what everyone's going to come up with.

[Legato]

We need at least one parasite that attaches and 'enhances' a male's reproductive system as a means of furthering the attractiveness of the first party, and heightening the chances of its own genetic expansion

[Hookswords]

An interesting proposal. This will produce some very profound images. The variables are wide open with restrictions that make you really think

[Nexus]

Ok, once again it's time for my weekly brainstorm. I think we all know this one is gonna be a mindbender. Three creature designs and they all have to work in concert with each other. Now I wouldnt worry about tackling the creatures individually, they'll design themselves after the idea behind them is handled. The first thing to address is how they help each other to survive. In the natural world there are many forms of symbiosm. However in this case it has to be the form of symbiosm known as mutualism. In a mutalistic relationship all the involved organisms benefit from the relationship. Keep in mind that they dont even have to be aware of each other but they do need each other. Sharks are barely aware of the service lampreys provide (parasite removal) but they benefit greatly from the union. So I think the best way to go about it would be to have a host organism. This will be the large creature. It can perform a number of functions from providing protection to providing a home for its symbionts. But it seems logical that it would perform a function in relation to its size. Now generally symbiotic relationships involve two organisms. Throwing a third creature in the mix provides a bit of a challenge. Now both of these remaining organisms could live on the host organism, live off some biological product of the host organism, etc. However they have to provide some function for each other. It doesnt have to be a web relationship, in that they help each other directly. It can be unilateral, as in the big one helps the medium which helps the small or some variation thereof. Really I cant say anything too specific about this one at the moment because its such an open topic. But I think that this line of thought should at least be a start. Remember the concept ( especially with this one) is whats important here not the creatures itself, at least initally. Good luck all, write more when theres time.

[chaosrocks]

dear nexus
I really like to listen to your ideas. I can't help but vault from yours to mine.
I have studied bio (usless degree, but mine) I think the world of sybiosis is much wider than we might think. All things are connected in the web of life. Our task here, as I see it, is to choose three of those interconnected entities and portray them, with a visual reference to how they are interconnected, belive me ...I haven't a clue as to how to do this. I haven't dreamed up this ecosystem yet.... I really believe that this task will be to dream up a small portion of an interconnected ecosytem....
wow, lets mix world ecological theory in with our COW......can't wait to see what comes of it.
c.rocks

[Nexus]

C.rocks, that's fair enough. Ive taken a Bio class or two in my day so I see where you are coming from. But in terms of ecosystem, that by definition is all the involved animals within a specific environment. Since this is only 3 animals it is closer to symbiosm. I think for this project it should be more of closed loop relationship. Now of course all organisms effect each other in some way by proxy even if its through thousands upon thousands of steps. Ill stick with symbiosm, otherwise it could easily expand into somehting more complex than it was ever intended to be.

[chaosrocks]

Nexus-
you have point there. I tend to see the complexities in a system. I was just trying to broaden the field. which, I admit, was already pretty durn broad. I am still trying to pinpoint a visual image for this. It's not so hard if the large component is Flora. but to make all three fauna is a real challenge

alright ,,,, I know ... more art.. less chat
c.rocks

[hwango]

Just to make sure we're all on the same page, is this:

A helps B, B helps C, C helps A

or

A helps B and C, B helps A and C, C helps A and B

or is either one acceptable?

[walnut]

I think they should al benefit from eachother, be it actively or passively. Sort of a micro-ecosystem. Well, that's what i think at least.

[Fozzybar]

what walnut said...

[H.H.V.]

This COW really forces you to do something completely original. If you finally find a concept that works, it can't be something else than original.

[Fozzybar]

ok, H.H.V., now all of us are really curious to see your entry

[Nexus]

Wow its only Monday evening but usually there's some sketches or something up by this point ( I know how fast some of you work, speedy bastards). Of course this isnt an easy one. I mean this creatures can help each other survive in ways that dont even exist within sybiosm on this planet. It boggles the mind to think of the thousands of different ways that creatures might interact on an alien world.

[Fozzybar]

i will enter this one...because i already started...yikes...

[Tyranx]

I'm surprised no one has posted anything yet... I may enter this one, but I can't promise anything since The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion comes out today! and besides I'm doin an environment.

[Fozzybar]

you know, actually i am glad no one posts his wip, because it's sometimes getting out of hand....and afterwards i am the bad boy, because i didn't take one of artist xy's 10 images he posted to the poll....

[Chuck,mate.]

add intentions to give it a go.
yupe. really did.
but after thinking myself to a coma,
i decided: screw this.
who`s got the time and mental health for this sort of project?!


so here`s a quick little sketch.
i kinda had a direction with it when i started, but now i don`t have the slighest idea what`s what, where, or why.
so don`t ask people.

[JakkaS]

First, thx FOZZ for choosing my proposition.
I thought it could be great challenge to us, but now I think its killer theme. Hehe, but I will not give up!

This is what I have for now! Only some silly sketches…

[eyesofruby]

Jakkas, I really like the top sketch of the second picture. The winged creature appears more integrated with the big creature. The small creature perched on the nose looks a little odd, primarily because it appears to just be standing there and would probably cause the big creature a bit of trouble manuvering his trunk in the long run. I like the idea of the perched middle creature, but maybe you could find a different way to incorporate the small creature, or scale him down so that if he did ride on the trunk of the large creature, he would be less of a burden.

Other than that, I really like the direction you're heading.

[GatorKyle]

Those are good sketches Jakkas. I really like the little creatures' heads on the bottom of the left hand page. I don't think I am going to be able to do one this week, too much work to do, but I am going to try to get some concepts done.

[Soulweaver]

All I had time for this week was a speed painting, and I don't know if the concept is terribly original , but here it is:

The papal scoutbird (1) feeds exclusively on larderbug larvae, but it's not strong enough to break into their termite-like nests.

The giant bear snail (2) uses its clawed pseudopods to tear apart larderbug nests, but it has two problems: it can't climb the trees where the nests hang, and it can't withstand the larderbug bites long enough to eat its fill.

Dorwigs (3) are tiny blood-sucking parasites, but their spines are so poisonous that few hosts can survive long enough for the dorwigs to mature and reproduce.

How they work together to survive:
Put simply, the three species would starve without each others' help.

The scoutbird flies ahead to find a larderbug hive. Once it finds one, it leads the bear snail to it and uses its serrated beak to knock it out of the tree. The bear snail rips the nest apart so both it and the scoutbird can eat the juicy larderbug larvae.

Normally, the bear snail would be forced away by the larderbug soldiers' vicious bites. This is where dorwigs play their part: the bear snail is not only immune to dorwig poison, but it also stores the toxin within its own body. This toxin discourages the larderbugs from biting or kills them outright, so the bear snail and scoutbird can eat in peace.

[redehlert]

jakkas - yo so crazy! nice ideas...tough project.

[Nexus]

Hurray WIPs. Ill be honest one of the most interesting things about CoW is watching the progression of the work. Fozzy is right that sometimes it gets a little out of hand but 2 or 3 WIPs are fine as long as they replace each other.

Jakkas- I like the first aquatic creature the most so far and of the two versions below I like the first one. Although I will say I like second version of the flying creature minus the bat wings.

Soulweaver- The concept seems fairly sound and I sure wish you had time to do a finished piece. I was especially enjoying the bear snail design.

[Plate]

I like these topics that require thinking. They might not get the most entries, but I think they bring about some of the COW's best concepts.

FINAL:


Frosty Mimic

Red-tailed Polwogger – a small amphibious creature. Its flippers are small and weak, but it is a powerful swimmer due to its long flat tail which is splayed and webbed at the tip. It feeds mostly on fish and insects, but will also scavenge for carrion when food is scarce.

Sabre-toothed Tetrapus – a bizarre and highly territorial creature that typically inhabits small shallow ponds. Its diet consists mostly of algae, but they are also known to drag in and eat animals that come to their ponds to drink. The tetrapus is also amphibious, but it leaves the water only during cold winters to avoid being frozen alive. Its movement on land is awkward, but it is still adept at ensnaring creatures with its long spindly tentacles.

Twigglet – this oddly-shaped mammal lives in heavily wooded areas, where it is well camouflaged by the wood-like appearance of its fur. It can hold perfectly still for hours on end, waiting for small rodents and other prey to pass within reach of its long, stick-like arms.

These three normally solitary species have been sighted teaming up in recect and particularly harsh winters, presumably because working together increases the chances that each will be fed. Certain strangely coincidental features have led them to covering themselves in snow and mimicing snowmen, providing them with perfect camouflage for suburban winter landscapes. In this state, their main prey is bullies and jerks, the kind of people who enjoy cruelly destroying things loved by children. When one approaches, the tetrapus will spring its tentacles from the snow and entrap its prey as all three species attack and devour it. Evolutionary scientists are baffled by this behavior, but some religious groups have put forth a theory to explain it - that these "frosties," as they are sometimes called, are actually serving as a sort of divine litmus test by weeding a number of the wicked out from the population.

[Nexus]

Plate these are some odd little creatures. I feel of the three that the top left one is most interesting. Will you be sticking to this stylized simplistic feel or will you bend the design towards a more naturalistic representational approach?

[Plate]

Thanks, Nexus. I'll probably keep the designs pretty simple and stylized like this, partly because it's what I'm better at, and partly because of time constraints - showing them in action will take a bit more sketching than this, and I have classes and homework to do on every day up until the deadline. But even with the simple designs, I'm hoping to render it all to the best of my ability.

[Jonoy]

No time this week; 3 assignments due tomorrow and heaps of maya modelling/rigging to do...eep!

Great theme I thought, gunna have to do it in my own time just for the concept though.
Keep them coming everyone!