CHOW#91 - FINAL BURNING - Guest: Poshspice Topic:The Gangster and his Moll

[Oblio]

These are the finals! SHOW CHOWracter!
http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i222/ChowPics/SupportChow.jpg (http://www.conceptartstore.com/index.html)
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+ All other posts wil be delleted.
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+ Do not post placeholders.
+ Please comment only after the poll has been set up and the voting has started. Thank you.
Thank you.


]--------------------------



The Gangster and his Moll






POLL RULES
(for the new people)
NOT ALL ENTRIES ARE TAKEN TO THE POLL.
(the selection is based on technical quality criteria)
ENTRIES NOT POLLED WILL RECEIVE C&C
(i really try to do this every time)
IT IS A DIFFICULT PROCESS - MISTAKES CAN BE MADE
I am trying to set this as a professional demand. I act as the client...
Oblio is always looking for feedback - If Oblio is wrong - tell him so.
THINK BEFORE YOU VOTE. GIVE FEEDBACK
See if the entry you are voting for has mathced the topic requirements. Take time and give feedback - you will learn a lot
!!! DON'T VOTE FOR YOURSELF !!!
YOU CAN VOTE MORE THEN ONE ENTRY
You can vote only ONCE! It's up to you for how many entries you cast your vote.Think before you click that button.


______________

ROUND COMMENTS:


Hi Andrei,

Hope you had a good trip! :)

Because this was a much more 'open' CHOW, I've gone throught the final burning and I'm going to pass them all (you might have other ideas). The turnout isn't as high as usual (I thought it wouldn't be), but it is much looser. People tend to want simplistic themes I think. The more complicated they become, in that they stray from one character, one theme, the less the turnout is. The CHOW should be about learning, but I guess a balance has to be struck between that and having fun. In the end I've been designing characters for animation and computer games on and off now for nearly 20 years, and I've NEVER been asked to design half the type of characters the CHOW ends up being, but as a character designer you do get to do alot of 'second pirate from the right' or 'generic soldier' or 'friendly chef'. That's the way it is, but I guess we do have to have fun with this! :)

I'll offer up crits when the final thread goes up. Pity I had other things on this weekend and couldn't finish.

All the best

Aly.


I was about to take only few images up to the poll - but i don;t have the time to crit. Put more effort in your pieces people.
Thank you all for being part of this. Thanks Aly.



COOOONGRATULATIONS - JessiBean got the winner crown in a difficult round with great entries.
Think of a topic for the next week. (after Oregano's round)

[RadioactivePJ]

When is the deadline?

[JessiBean]

If there are good fairies and bad fairies, these are definitely the latter. They had a scheme to keep the neighborhood in line and themselves well stocked in gold -- golden honey, that is.

213651

[Brunob]

HUmm.. this is my final.. "my moll is hardcore man, you have kill permission".

[S.C. Watson]

What caught my interest with this week's chow was the idea of the relationship between the two characters. So, that is where I focused my energies. I could have (and probably should have, since it was implied in the brief :bashful: ) done a more contemporary interpretation, but this was what came to mind. And so, since the brief was fairly open, I decided to run with it.

There are a couple of minor areas that I really should work the kinks out of, and will if I have time after work Sunday. But I think it's fairly passable for my purposes here. I hope. :\


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v25/Oregano/CA/Chow091_Oregano.jpg

Cheers,
~Oreg.

[llothcat]

http://colvinart.net/chow91_llothcat.jpg

I wasn't intending on participating this week, since I wanted to work on my speed-painting, stop fighting the damn paint program, and do a whole lot of landscapes to stuff my portfolio with. This one started out as a study of last week's winner. I botched it, naturally, and then started to play with it. I think it's one of my better pieces.

[The Whistler]

Here's mine :)

[edujante]

http://edujante.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/10/ganstadef2.jpg

Alexandrino Torrano, the tagliatele Godfather´s family is one of the most influent MAN in brukling. Rich and powerfull, his only weaknes is Dalia O´neill, an irish girl, non a simple girl, her Daughter is Pat O´Neill, Leader of bloodyIrish Gang...and also the enemies of tagliatele family....crap!

[OYO!]

Holy and Molly

214470


In the years preceeding the great online recession, several issues laid the foundations for what was to become the greatest technological implosion

mankind had seen. These issues were the seeds of the events that would ultimately unravel the internet and send the world's computer-dependant population

into panic. Amongst these contentious issues, one stood out as being a prophetic foreshadowing of things to come. Around the start of the 21st century,

there was an unprecedented 3 year rise in the industry known as 'kiddy porn'. While the industry enjoyed a brief and flourishing success amongst

enthusiasts, it was not long before the sadistic whims of a few were drowned out by the voices of the many, screaming for justice. Perhaps the most

shortlived of the online fetishes, the ultimate destruction of this trend was brought about by a ruthless gang of vigilante children - many of whom

were ex kiddy-porn victims, or relatives of victims. In an unprecedented act of government cooperation, various maximum security institutions worked

covertly with the infant mob, allowing temporary use of their deranged inmates for the purpose of seeking their unique brand of justice. Under the

direction of the wily, streetwise children, these inmates would perform a humiliating death ritual on the perpetrators of kiddy porn websites and

premesis. Often the arduous execution would involve dressing the offenders up in pink tutus, gagging them with pacifiers and forcefeeding them

liquid banana food until they died. Amongst these vigilantes, Molly and Holy were the most feared by their sworn enemies. Their torture procedures

would often include not only those mentioned above, but they also displayed an uncanny predilection for dressing the offenders up in childrens angel

outfits, earning the inmate the ironically twisted title of 'holy'.


OYO !

[Daray]

Nice work so far! Here's mine. Bit more showbiz style gangster and moll. She obviously pulls the strings!

214651

[fydbac]

A moll and her gangster. She takes up her arms from him and demonstrates just who's in charge...

[rodriguez]

Hey heres my final

http://img64.imageshack.us/img64/9279/chow91rodriguezra2.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

[Coleb]

My final.

[Tom Garden]

Here we go! Wish i'd had more time on this than off and on this sunday! Hope you like it! btw,

Shes the driving force for this mad gansters stabbing rampages! She finds her lustful fetish for seeing people stabbed is fullfilled through her man, leaving her hands clean from the acts of violence. He does it for her, because it gets her going if u know what i mean *wink wink*

http://tomgarden.co.uk/Webpics/tomgarden_gangster_chow91.jpg

[solorpower]

Made this at the last minute. Lots of good entries in here!

http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b335/solorpower/chow91_solorpower.jpg

[deviousg]

great stuff! Here is my entry.

Tried to convey personality though faces and action. Trying new stuff here.

He was never really in control of her, or at best they were in a constant struggle for dominance. In time, she would be his downfall, second guessing, opening her mouth at the wrong time, and worst of all challenging his superiority.

great fun this topic.

http://www.gregbowen.com/GANGSTER.jpg

[Ostrander]

Final.
214897
Decided to take a completely different approach then what I initially intended.

[dabble]

Hello Everyone,

I hope I qualify for this round, couldn't get a connection to CA to attach my image. Sorry guys no WIPs or full color from me this week. Got sick the last few days and wasn't sure how much I could get done. This what I got so far a red monochromatic piece. I could easily spend more hours on this to add more details in general, especially to the building.

Concept: Going for a 1920-30's Shanghai Gangster and his Moll. The gangster, grew up in the streets as a orphan, violence was common and a nurturing companion to him. He learn to use the crude tool of meat cleavers to hack his way as top muscle in the Shanghai underground. His life was saved many years ago by his now Moll, since then he has risen to one of the top 3 bosses in the city. The Moll, daughter of a notorious corrupt politician inherited her father quick wit and sharp tongue. Her father was murdered by rival politicians and she was forced to fend for herself on the streets as a teenager. She saved a gangsters life once and since then has played him to her advantage. She also keeps him under control by a narcotic substance.

http://i186.photobucket.com/albums/x18/dabble21/ConceptArt/CHOW/91_gangsta_web.jpg

[longshao]

http://i135.photobucket.com/albums/q137/yty2000/gmollsmall.jpg
Man I swear the forum was down last night. I hope it's not too late.

[timothee]

Damn internet connection! I tried all of yesterday night trying to log on, to no avail. Oh well, better late than never. Here's my final:
http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r146/timdeplace/CHOW91_Gangster_Timothee.jpg
Bruno's boxing career was over after an injury to his famous right hand,so he had to make his money elsewere. The Hungarian ex-Boxer soon took over England's underworld, taking control of all the major illegal operations like betting, drugs, and arms dealing. He soon found his soul mate, in the form of Madame Lexie, head of a major prostitution ring in London. Together, they formed a strong alliance that would create an Underground Empire. He was the "muscle", she was the "brains". They ruthlessly took out the local competition, giving them full control of the streets.

[Oblio]

Waiting for the call - who might go up ?
I'll set up the poll in about... 12 hours or so. Time is a bitch.

[Chate Noire]

I couldn't reach CA all day...can I still squeeze this in?...
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y131/chatenoire/CHOW91_ChateNoire.jpg

[Benjamen Christ]

The forum was down last night, so here we go. Sorry could not resist.

Behind every powerful man is a bigger woman. After a hard day, this gangster likes to get down with his lady, and she is more than happy to work it out.

http://community.imaginefx.com/fxpose/christismellows_portfolio/images/56210/original.aspx

[mrbo18]

Here's my final.

[MarkWinters]

Yakuza in love...

[cowboy surfer]

He can get you anything, knows the best smuggling routes in the galaxy, he's funny, smooth, ruthless and quick thinking.
A man like this makes enemies. Others want a piece of his action, a cut...

She stops them... He belongs to her and so do all his riches!!

http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l319/cowboy-surfer/chow91_cowboysurfer.jpg

[Splittingadams]

http://adamandhannah.com/chow91_splittingadams_gangster.jpg

wow, good stuff... damnit.

a story to go with it enjoy.:lens:


“Are you fucking kidding me?” He sat scowling at the sultry red head standing in front of him. “Who the fuck do you think runs this show?” He was losing his temper. His voice rose as his anger did. “I do. I fucking do!” He screamed.

She was calm, standing in front of him. Her green dress clung to her body, showing all her curves. The dress he bought for her. Even in his anger he was still stunned at how beautiful she was. How dangerous she was.

“You sent me in to negotiate and that’s what I did. If you don’t like it then you go do it your way.” She sifted her weight, jutting her hip out defiantly.

“Bitch.” He spat the word at her.

A slow smile crept across her lips. She knew he couldn’t negotiate this deal without getting dead. She was his only hope. Which made her powerful and indispensable.

A defeated snarl escaped his throat. “Quit smiling. It’s not your style.”

Her eyes locked with his. She slowly slid her tongue across her teeth, distracting him for just a moment.
“What would you know about style?” She moved toward him.

He was sitting down, vulnerable to her. “You didn’t ask that last night.” He smirked at her.

“That was not now.” She kept moving forward. Relentlessly.

He looked away, conceding to her. “How are we going to do this?”

“They’re meeting in Room 308 right now. We have a guy on the inside, plus me. When you get the signal, come in shooting. We’ll be out of the way by then. Collect the money and we’re gone.”

“I said I didn’t want you in there.” He said through clinched teeth.

She stopped right in front of him and bent at the waist so her eyes were level with his, allowing her lips to touch his as she spoke, “Again, I negotiated. If you want-”

He grabbed her and pulled her down onto him. She straddled him, rubbing against his body, kissing him passionately, roughly. The way she liked it.

“You better be fucking right about this. It’d be a shame to lose a body like this.” He said with a husky voice.

She stood up, smiling with her dangerous eyes, and walked behind him.

The cat, which had been paying little attention to the scene, jumped onto his lap and continued to ignore the world.

“You have protection?” He asked, not bothering to turn around.

“It’s a bit late for that, don’t you think?” Her voice was seductive with a hint of a smile.

“Damn it woman!” He pounded the armrests, momentarily disturbing the cat’s apathy.

From behind him he heard her low laugh and the unmistakable cocking of a revolver.

“Of course I do. What kind of a girl do you think I am?”

He glared straight ahead. Damn woman.

[matias]

http://members.optusnet.com.au/matias.jakku/Linking%20Files/Matias_CHOW%2091.JPG
Gangster & Moll

An aussie bikie and his tough-as-old-leather moll!

I think Im too late, if so sorry I missed the poll, hopefully next time!

[Tom Garden]

hehe, i think i was too tired from throwing a lot of effort in from my last chow!! :) looking forward to the next round

[Aly Fell]

Some class entries here. Well done all who took part. I'll pop back with some observations as soon as I have a moment... or a bit more than a moment! :)

[daestwen]

I voted: JessiBean and fydbac.

Other than those two, I'm sorry to say I wasn't really impressed this round... Not that some of them aren't really good, I just think it doesn't fit my taste... not enough sci-fi/fantasy. :P

[Aly Fell]

I voted: JessiBean and fydbac.

Other than those two, I'm sorry to say I wasn't really impressed this round... Not that some of them aren't really good, I just think it doesn't fit my taste... not enough sci-fi/fantasy. :P

You could have created an entry that was sci/fi fantasy if that was your thing. :) The brief was 'open' for exactly that reason. The only specifics were the gangster and moll element, and the dominance of the woman in that relationship. The environment, costume, period and all other options were up to the individual artist.

General point (and probably not the place for it): I often wonder whether very specific briefs are preferable to ones where a degree of 'freeplay' is required. I can't help thinking that where there are gaps in the instructions you have spaces in which to put your imagination. CHOW instructions can be like a 'join the dots'; the dots are the instructions and you can join them together as elaborately or as prosaically as you want. You can be mundane, realistic, fantastic, cliched or whatever! :) For example: The brief says 'Create a doorman for a multinational corporation, and he must have a moustache'. Requirements laid down... options could vary from making him an ex-copper on a desk at the Trump Towers, or a demon at the gates of Hell, "Can I see your I.D. sir.... sorry you can't come in!" Or a robot outside the entrance of the latest trendy club orbiting Venus... it's still following the brief! :) If the CHOW specifically states he must be on Earth in a certain period, place, costume, then you also know how much of an option you have with things. Anyway I'm burbling now...

[Daray]

POsh! Couldnt agree any more than that!

[Villa]

nice stuff guys.

voted jessibean, longshao and mark winters.

jessibean: there's good character interaction here, their facial expression's tell a lot. i liked how you played with the fairy concept, but would like to have seen them kinda more mean looking. in the end the final style got me.

longshao: really liked the pose, she holding him back and also kinda supporting as well, good character interaction too.

mark winters: dig the action. tattoos, cool.

i liked oyo!'s entry too but the big guys hand on the moll's head makes it seem contrary to what this weeks chow wanted: the woman leading. seems like he's being more condescendent or maybe patronizing her.

see you later guys, im all up to ears with cow.

[longshao]

Thanks for the votes and comments.
Voted for edujante and fydbac.
edujante--I like the size contrast between the two, very unexpected. It's quite humorous, made me laugh.
fydbac--very dynamic pose and I like the spin you put on the traditional gangster images. The woman's belly area is a little odd.
I also like to mention:
jessibean--these fairies are indeed very bad. It's a good and fun drawing, I just feel they aren't gangsterly enough.
markwinters--I like your first idea more, the chemistry was better. This one is good, too. The tattoo is very nice. Things that bothers me are some anatomical stuff on the girl. There's no hint of her other leg, and her skin is too shinny, almost the same reflectivity as the metal bike.

[MarkWinters]

My votes for this week:

JessiBean - I really do love that this is telling a wicked little story. It looks nice and whimsical... until you look closer. :O Nicely rendered work. The only real crit is her hands look poorly done compared to the rest of the expertly drawn illo.

edujante - This might be my favorite piece this week. You're always good for producing something unique. I don't know how I feel about the light coming from the top. It has the feel of a flouresent bulb or something. That's not enuff to keep me from loving this!

fydbac - Love the dynamic poses and the drawing quality. The designs are spot on and the details are awesome. I'll be spending loads of time at your website! Only thing is I wish I could see the moll's face.

longshao - The dude is badass. Good pose, fearsome expression. Excellent execution. To me she doesn't seem as mean or as gangstery as he does, she looks cool, just not mean.

matias - I love your stylization. Perfect for the topic. Both characters look super tough. The guy looks off balance. Looks like if he lets go of the knife he'll fall over. Also his left arm looks thin at the elbow.

[deviousg]

great stuff all around. Longshao got my vote, I really believed that it fit the brief well, was original, and your guy tough and girl is sexy. Many yakuza themes, which isn't surprising, but your piece took the Asian gangster into history which is great.

The sketch Poshspice started was looking really good.

[Aly Fell]

A start...

Jessi Bean - Smashing work! Lot of effort put into it, story wise and characterisation. The expressions are fab, and suggest a real relationship here. What the gangster is doing to the bee is a little unclear; I had to look twice before I saw the fallen wing, you could perhaps brighten that area slightly...

Brunob - Nice work. Colour scheme works well together, but the guys anatomy needs a bit of attention. Although he's resting on his knee, there's no weight here. The girls butt could do with rounding out on the top, clothed part, as right now there looks to be a shadow which reduces the volume. I like the hi-lights on the material edge :) The composition could do with a bit more balance though, as the bird seems a bit like an afterthought, forced up in the top corner.

Oregano - There's some great stuff in this, and you're right to think how open the brief was. There is a definite relationship here between the two, and that's the important thing. It can be defined through expression and/or behaviour. My main crit is that colourwise there is little union except in certain areas. You have red, blue, green and gold in fairly primary ways which divide the image up into sections rather than unifying it. However I do love the characterisation which is really what this is all about.

Ilothcat - Congrats on doing it despite saying you wouldn't. Great angle and very different compositionally. I do think the womans anatomy, although stylised, could do with work. At the moment she's resting her hand on a very prominent butt-cheek. I love her expression, but you could push the eyes a bit more; the angle is lost a bit in the hi-lighting. As for the background, it's a little unclear as to what is going on, but this is secondary. One last thing; perhaps tilting the gun so it was more in perspective would have been a good idea as at the moment you're looking at it's underneath (I think ) straight on.

The Whistler - I really like what you've tried to do here, but you need to work on your drawing. The girls pose is a bit confusing; initially it looks like her back is to us, but this is due to the angle of her turned head. Lowering and tilting her head to give it more personality would remove this problem and bringing the arm round toward us a fraction in perspective. The clothing is well on the right track though, but the folds on the guys leg need more definition otherwise it looks a bit formless. With backgrounds, if in doubt about big areas to fill, put them in shadow. The environment is a single source light so you can have some strong dark shadows which hide a multitude of sins, and remove the need for repetitive line making like the uniform lines of the background wall.

Edujante - What can I say? With this you have your own place in the halls of the bizarre! Fab concept and rendering, and strangely reminds me of a Toby Jug (Google if not sure). The only thing I'm not clear of though, is how or why she is the boss in this relationship? I love her demurely posed hand... :)

OYO! - Quite a dark and disturbing back story to this. I enjoy the image, but would love to have seen more of the faces. Both are hidden in some way, and this makes us less involved with the characters, but the posing is strong and the overall colour pull it together as a complete image. The whole thing freaks me out a bit, but that could be to do with the fact I got spooked heavily by Carpenters Halloween when I was younger! :)

Daray - Heh! I don't like where she's holding the gun...! Nice tight and simple composition, and her expression certainly reveals her dominace in the relationship, although I can't help thing the baseball bat is a bit rough for this lass. Something more subtle looks like her stock in trade. Not entirely sure why you've gut off the legs in the smoky background. It gives the impression they are floating a bit. You could have cut the composition off a bit at the bottom and raised it at the top to achieve a similar effect.

Fydbac - I like this a lot. Great dynamism and posing. Reminds me somewhat of Liberatore's Rank Xerox work for some reason. My main crit here is it really would have been great to see the womans face. Hiding it seems a a bit of a cop out, when the rest of the image is so strong. Fab!

rodriguez - I can see you've worked hard on showing an interaction with the two characters, but if I'm being really harsh, they look too 'nice'! :) I don't get a lot of 'attitude' in a sort of gangstery way from either of them. The colour scheme works well, but you need to look at anatomy and how cloth folds over body shapes beneath. For example on the legs of the guy, where the creases you put in don't really correspond to the shape underneath. I love the outfits though, and they just need attention to how you draw them rather than the design, which is great!

Coleb - Strong characters cleany and simply presented. Where would gangsters be without a Thompson eh? What needs attention is the anatomy, not so much on the guy (voluminous clothes can hide a lot! :) ), but on the girl where the splayed out foot looks a bit uncomfortable and the legs a little 'sausage like'. They look as though they are posing for an official portrait, and because of this I don't really get the impression she's the boss, but they are heavy with attitude. :)

Tom Garden - Great render and nicely designed characters... bit of a steampunk vibe in some of the design. His pose is fine in the fact it looks fairly natural, although the arm with the cigarette looks a little awkward (what is his other hand doing!?) The girls legs are a little straight; perhaps a few more girly curves, but the expressions are coming off well and I love the tattoo! The colouring is fresh and muted and avoids oversaturation. One thing I don't think you need is the shadow behind them. The background is a graphical element with the blood splatter, so there's no need to place it in the 'real' world by putting a shadow on it.

That's all for now, I'll come back later with some more, but gotta do some work now with Jack White belting out in my ear'ole...

[Daray]

Thanks Posh! Yeah must admit was struggling for the composition this time. But I've got that annoying bug of 'oh shit. I completely forgot about the background. I'm a bit stupid in actually never remembering about the background till its too late and I cant think of anything :P

[Tom Garden]

Brillint crit there posh! :) cheers!

i was not sure about that shadow either haha! I was taking it on and off for a long time! damn, should have left it off hehe.... also yeh - i didnt see how stiff the legs were till people said! eeek! But yeh, very constructive crit, thankyou!

[JessiBean]

THANK YOU for the critiques, poshspice, MarkWinters, longshao and Villa. I do need to punch up the "devious, gangsterly" action some more, and I'll admit I got a little lazy with her hands (I dislike hands intensely, but I'm working on it!) GREAT round this week, I was particularly impressed with longshao's and fydbac's pieces, the former for taking the gangster and applying a more historical spin and the former for updating a 1920's gangster look to something more modern plus all that GREAT action in the posing/composition (and both of you rendered very VERY well). Oh, and I can't forget MarkWinters' piece... your rendering is crazy, all those tattoos are wonderful, the bike looks fantastic. Also love the CA logo on her shirt.

Sweet round.

On to the next CHOW...

[Aly Fell]

Part 2...

Solarpower - The guy reminds me a little of Michael Wincott in 'The Crow'; the long black hair and the suit I guess. Great expression on him; intense and looking directly at us which always draws the viewer in. Interesting shadow work going on, it kind of looks as though they are standing under a leafy tree. Was that your intent? The girl needs a bit more attention to the anatomy to make her look less stiff, she needs to relax into her pose a bit. Perhaps this is something to do with how it looks like she is about to strangle him rather than show affection! :) Love the veins/tendons on his hand!

deviousg - Great image! Some really nice effects with the rain and the flat colour. Lots of work! I'm not sure what's going on with the characters poses though. Although I think you're showing a battle for dominance between the two, as though she is about to attempt something with the gun and he's trying to stop her. The only crit I have with the composition is that somehow the background is fighting for priority over the characters, which should be the main reference in the image, otherwise great!

Ostrander - I'm a sucker for pulp covers! Perhaps a bit of aging on the final image would pay off dividends. Until I read it I was a bit confused, then shocked, then confused again.. :) Smashing dynamism, although it does look like the girl is about to fall out of the car. One thing that would help a lot is the expressions... they work well but are both practically the same and this makes the characters look similar. If 'Tony' had perhaps a more intent expression as though he's concentrating on the driving this might help. Love the Gangsta and the Gun Moll text.

Dabble - Cool concept and story. Great faces, particularly the bloke. I don't think her hand is clear enough, it's kind of lost a bit against the gangster, and proportionally they are a little odd together, he being almost a giant. But that may have been your intention. The background looks a little rushed, (but you know that) and to be honest, if you're going to rush it, maybe a painty tonal background with no details might be better to emphasise the characters more. Otherwise, strong and eyecatching!

Longshao - These two have great 'presence' and are very rooted in their image. Love his pose, very powerful with the strong expression. She's not quite as strong but still works. A bit more love could be given to her hand which seems a bit lost. Maybe a bit more shadow on the girl as well to bring her more 'into' him. Nice work!

Timothee - Fab cartoony approach! For me do you know what would make this: a sepia tint. It is reminiscent of old photographs, despite the obvious modern bits and pieces, so a light adjustment with a sepia wash would work I think. Once again, great expressions and lots of personality, which is what this is all about. His legs are a bit wobbly, and he looks like he has two left feet, but what the heck! Love her dress design. As with Dabbles piece, you don't really need the background; a painted tonal approach lightening up around the characters would be enough, and avoid the 'floating light' behind them ;)

Chate Noire - Her face is great. Love the twisted smile and his works well too. Anatomy on her is a bit off. Feet too big and the hand, and I'm wondering if this is a stylistic thing or not... The pvc of his jeans works very well, but the chair needs some more attention - no form to it at all right now. A secondary light source behind these two would work well with a rim light, as right now they are a little flat. However, the characterisation is excellent!

Christ - Interesting relationship these two have... I tend to think she should be the one holding the whip though! What really works here is the girl - casual pose with a nice tilt to her head, although she isn't looking at him, but rather above. He isn't as strong. I know he's small but the arms are of different sizes, and the mask looks as though it's part of him rather than his wearing it. No problems compositionally as they are centred well, but cutting off the feet is not a good idea, It mucks up the balance. Just extend down a bit and finish them off. :)

mrbo18 - Although you've tried some daring things compositionally here, it's let down by the fact it looks unfinished. The guy almost disappears into the background, and I struggle to see what's going on. Has she killed him? Her pose is interesting, but is just a bit too twisted to work, and I'm dying to draw some eyebrows on that high forehead! :) However there are some really nice touches with her hand, and things like the foot foreshortening.

Mark Winters - Fab work Mark. Great action piece. The wheels on the bike work very well. I do wonder where her left leg is though! ;) She is well tattooed as is he... He works better than her, and I'm sure you can see the problem with her slightly twisted face. We were always told when learning to ride a motorbike to never brake with the front brake alone, and this is a fine example of what can happen if you do... :)

Cowboy surfer - Good for you in setting the characters in a different setting, space. However I wouldn't really have known this from the image alone, despite the guns. Her pose is a bit lads mag, and I really wonder what she's doing with that sword... checking the edge. I like his casual look, but there's some strange hi-lighting going on. If you're going for a 'plasma' effect, perhaps a more intense blue would be appropriate. Both the characters are on different levels in the composition. With no grounding to them this is a little confusing. Putting his feet more in perspective would really help.

Splittingadams - I really enjoyed this image. She's excellent, and the relationship between them is apparent. Nice little story, but remember the character concept has to work without a story, and you're OK here, just! ;) I don't think you were quite sure what you wanted as a background, but the chair's fine, although I'm a little confused by the diaphanous material over it, but that's probably just me! I do like the hair on the woman; the shadow of the hair behind is excellent.

matias - Smashing render! He looks very like your avatar. The main crit I have is the obvious unbalance of his pose. Both legs far to the right make him look as though he's about to fall to the left. Characterisation is spot on, and I think their look is great. Great interaction, and she's holding him back indicating her control. There ara alot of tattoos in this thread, and I reckon he could do with a couple. Something about all that flesh needs a bit of art on it!

Hope I haven't missed anyone, and thanks again all who entered. On to the miners daughter! My fingers hurt now... grammar and spelling are probably all over the place by the end!

[timothee]

Voted Mark Winters, just a great energy in the pose, and nice render as well. Thanks SVE for the vote, appreciate it. Posh, I know what you mean about the wobbly legs, I was having a hard time trying to show his legs underneath the slacks.
Wish I had more time this week for the characters, but kind of rushed it a little. i'll definitely put the background in early next time, as I noticed that the characters get lost a bit with the wallpaper. Oh well, you learn and move on.

[Ostrander]

Part 2...
Ostrander - I'm a sucker for pulp covers! Perhaps a bit of aging on the final image would pay off dividends. Until I read it I was a bit confused, then shocked, then confused again.. :) Smashing dynamism, although it does look like the girl is about to fall out of the car. One thing that would help a lot is the expressions... they work well but are both practically the same and this makes the characters look similar. If 'Tony' had perhaps a more intent expression as though he's concentrating on the driving this might help. Love the Gangsta and the Gun Moll text.

Thanks for the great crit Aly, I appreciate it! I was all over the place on this. I originally had an idea but I thought was too stereotypical and decided against it and then went in a completely different direction but scrapped it as well and then decided on this faux comic cover idea. I agree about the expressions being similar too. Time got the best of me I suppose. I wanted to add the aging effects really bad but wasn't sure how to get it to come across, in the time I had left. I don't suppose you have a tutorial lying around that could show how it's done? (hint,hint) ;)
I missed out on that issue of IFX sadly:( Thanks again for the crit! :D

Voted for Longshao, great solid characters. :)

[Coleb]

Thanks Posh for the crit.

I don´t see how anyone can complain about the brief being constraining, from the entries there was certainly a wide variety of interpretations. I think mine was the most mundane.

It was my first stab at a ¨comic¨style and I have to say it was a lot harder than I thought. I would have liked to spend a lot more time hatching and shading and all, but found myself constantly redrawing line weights and trying to get the contours right - not very successfully on her legs, as you rightfully pointed out.

I was thinking about a pulp cover too - but fortunately someone else already had that brainstorm.

Thanks again - and good work everyone!

[cowboy surfer]

My votes went to JessiBean for a beautiful painting and original idea, Fydbac for energy leaping out at you and awesome details and Longshao for sheer menace and determination of spirit - he's the one I would least like to crit his artwork down an alley on a stormy night!

Would like to thank Poshspice for a very usefull crit, really appreciated and will try to take it all on board for next time.

Well done everybody who had a go, that afterall is what these threads are realy about... expanding our abilities.

[edujante]

Hey Poshspice!Thanks very much 4 tour appreciation!I find in google toby Jug and you are right!is the same style!jajaja

[solorpower]

Part 2...

Solarpower - The guy reminds me a little of Michael Wincott in 'The Crow'; the long black hair and the suit I guess. Great expression on him; intense and looking directly at us which always draws the viewer in. Interesting shadow work going on, it kind of looks as though they are standing under a leafy tree. Was that your intent? The girl needs a bit more attention to the anatomy to make her look less stiff, she needs to relax into her pose a bit. Perhaps this is something to do with how it looks like she is about to strangle him rather than show affection! :) Love the veins/tendons on his hand!

Thanks for the crit Posh. I'm a big fan of your work. You are right in the girl looking stiff. I need to use references for better anatomy until I feel more comfortable drawing from memory. I can handle the renditions fine, it's the poses - anatomy - mood - expressions - I need to improve on.

[longshao]

Thanks markwinter, deviousg, jessibean and cowboy surfer.
And thank you posh for taking the time to crit everybody's work, I very much appreciate your constructive input!

[Chate Noire]

Thanks for the crit =)
I was pushing to make the deadline in this one, I hope to have more time for the miner's daughter. Damn job filling half my day!

[matias]

hey guys! My two votes went to Tom Garden and Mark Winters! Thought they were great, I really loved Mark Winters piece tonnes of attitude really fitted into the theme nicely!

Thanks Poshspice for the comment, I was planning on a mess of nasty old tatts but ran out of time. Unfortunantly got no excuse for the off balance! :S

Cheers guys, good work all round peoples!
-Matias

[rodriguez]

Thanks a lot Poshspice your crit was spot on. I never intended them to look so nice had an image of how i wanted their expressions to look but it didn't turn out that way so i'll need to pratice more on that front and yeah i've been feeling the need for heavy studying lately, clothes included :teeth:

[The Whistler]

voted for jessi :) great work!

thanks poshspice for the crit, i really appreciate it. never noticed the back thing... damn. ah, at least i made it to the poll this time, eh? ;)

[dabble]

Poshspice, Thank you for taking the time to crit my work and all that entered. Thanks for your kind and encouraging words, to be honest I was expecting a harsh crit. Sick or not I feel that this one is perhaps the weakest of my chow entries. I'll make sure to do better or not enter the final burning. With that said there are some nice entries here.

[OYO!]

A start...

OYO! - Quite a dark and disturbing back story to this. I enjoy the image, but would love to have seen more of the faces. Both are hidden in some way, and this makes us less involved with the characters, but the posing is strong and the overall colour pull it together as a complete image. The whole thing freaks me out a bit, but that could be to do with the fact I got spooked heavily by Carpenters Halloween when I was younger! :)



Hey Posh . Thank you very much for the feedback, very useful.
I wasnt very satisfied by the way the colors turned out. I still like much more the sketch. I think i lose some energy on the way, especially for Molly.

I wasn't sure how the back story would be received ... :) And yea it's the first time am trying to do something dark and disturbing, usually am more in happy bungee rabbits !

Anyway, hope to have time for more chow in the future !

I voted for JessiBean as it's the most original concept and the technical quality is there too.

OYO!

[fydbac]

Thank you Poshspice, MarkWinters, longshao for the constructive feedback. Initially I was trying to show her face, but trying to work it in the way I wanted with her height [taking out both the swords], the proportions wasn't working right for me; putting her too high up would've made grabbing the bottom sword weird..., maybe...I don't know. Should've put up the sketches I made for advice, definitely. I certainly should've drawn a head shot instead of the enlargement of how it is.

I'm loved of Jessibean's for the fresh take on gangsters besides the great painting style.