C.O.W. - #061: Iceberg Devourer

[Fozzybar]

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


Round #061

Topic:
Iceberg Devourer

Deadline:
Friday, 22th September 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!

[Cloister]

Super: Your days are over! ;)
I'm thinking big tasteless ice-cream lover.

[Fozzybar]

thanx to JakkaS and Tyranx for helping me out finding the topic! ;)

...and now Supervlieg and Michael Jaecks, it's your turn :) new fresh reply grounds...

[Fozzybar]

arrrrgh...Cloister, you beat me and the other maniacs :)

[Michael Jaecks]

So is this an iceberg that devours things or something that devours icebergs?

Or an icerberg that devours nuclear planets?

I think I'll do an orange leviathan that devours giant nuclear dreamcicles.

[Moai]

I'm thinking of a smallish, social, heat-producing creature that hollows out the enterior of icebergs. Or maybe that's not devourish enough. I'll think about this one.

[Artifex33]

I took a look through the COW FAQ post, but didn't see anything that would preclude us from doing something robotic or androidal. How much tech is allowed in these? Cyborgs? Full robota?

[llothcat]

mmmm.....

penquins........

[Supervlieg]

Sorry, no entry for me this week. Im going on a holiday tomorrow. Have fun guys! Cant wait to see what you come up with.

[Cloister]

Artifex33: You walk in the city in the year 2015 and a couple of robots move by... then you think; "I wonder where those creatures are heading?"...
When it comes to the cyborg stuff it might be a case of the accessory rule, even in cases of permanent gadgets... but I'm just speculating.
------------------------------------------------------
I've painted on the canvas several times and simply changed stuff that I've been rather happy with... then... oops, I can't change this back can I? No undo-button? oh, perhaps I should have left that part alone?

Enjoy your leave, supervlieg!

[dragon4lunch]

Cloister: I doubt you'll see robots walking by as early as 2015. Sorry, we aren't even wearing silver suits yet.

[Supervlieg]

Well, HE skipped right past silver (http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c287/Relly_Rell16/normal_dangerous_tour_2.jpg) and went straight for the gold suit.

[ScaryPotato]

I'm kind of gearing up for a painting with this one. I've always admired the Group of Seven, AJ Casson in particular, and I'm planning on doing something in his interesting style. Since it's simplified and stylized it seems to be something I'm attracted to as an animator. Anyhow, here's a rough concept of my creature. Think of it as a kind of aggressive sea cucumber!

Here's my finished guy...

http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k35/BigScaryPotato/IcebergDevourerFinal.jpg

Igens Glacies Venterius "Huge Ice-Stomach"

A deep-sea creature by nature, this ocean giant can be found in both the Arctic and Antarctic Oceans clinging to the bottoms of icebergs. The increased salinity of the ocean depths acts as a slight toxin to the Igens Glacies Venterius, and it has discovered that the perfect way to dilute the excess salt in its system is to slowly swim up to the surface in order to feast on the pure fresh water found in the iceberg. Using its mandibular hooks it grasps onto the bottom of a found iceberg and engulfs the lower portion in its thick rubbery maw, grinding away at the ice with rasp-like teeth deep within its mouth. The skin surrounding the mouth is extremely thick and rubbery to avoid gashing itself on the sometimes jagged ice, while the rest of the creature's body is covered in very loose wrinkley skin to aid in the inevitable swelling that occurs once it has consumed the entire lower portion of the iceberg.

[Tyranx]

:party: ΦWeeee!!!


erm, I mean, Good Topic.

[Vampire Ninja]

Well, if I was going for a blunt approach:
http://www.legendmotors.fr/catalog/photos_h1/H12005%20EXTERIEUR.jpg

this joke may take moments to sink in.

[Tyranx]

true true, but damn you should of showed the H2! at least that has a shitty design, this is the cool lookin hummer, I'd like a hydrogen powered one please! ;)

[purplerose]

Vampire Ninja, I'm sooooo slow. After staring at it for a while, I get the joke now. =)

[banhatin]

sorry!ＦＯＺＺＹ how can i understand this weeks topic?

[Tyranx]

It eats Icebergs (those big chuncks of ice that are meltin)

[Fozzybar]

I took a look through the COW FAQ post, but didn't see anything that would preclude us from doing something robotic or androidal. How much tech is allowed in these? Cyborgs? Full robota?
No tech things...we are speaking of creatures...go for the 100% organic and you're fine!



sorry!ＦＯＺＺＹ how can i understand this weeks topic?
Create a creature which eats icebergs...that's all :) Icebergs are the ice mountains you can see in the sea of the polar regions...

[vonky]

I doubt I'll finish (is a procrastinator) but I can't wait to give this a try!! :3

I'm thinking... does it have to devour the iceberg all by itself? Or can they go in packs?

[dariocoelho]

i think this is very much up to you, vonky.
nice topic, fozzy!

[Michael Jaecks]

SV: where'd you get that picture of me? I know you have a shrine devoted to me at your house. Sham on.

[JakkaS]

http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a314/JakkaS/Icebergeater_a.jpg

This is just a joke....

[Michael Jaecks]

I think I've decided my creature has solar cells in its skin, warms the iceberg and drinks it. The planet it lives on had a flash freeze ice age, locking most of the nutrients into the ice. Now the ice age is melting and the seas expanding, but the most concentrated nutrients are still locked inside icebergs. The creature converts the water to hydrogren and blows up like a balloon, floats to the next iceberg, deflates, and feasts again.

Well something like that. I may think of a support creature that renews the icebergs, making the relationship symbiotic. Or maybe my creature will have to find a way to adapt once all the ice is melted.

solar cells and hydrogen balloons. Guess who has watched his netflix copy of Alien Planet like fifty times now... ;)

[fughi from yuggoth]

what about iceberg salad??

[Moai]

Nice idea, Michael. Is that Alien Planet video that thing that was on the Discovery Channel a while ago, with the one planet that had one face always turned towards the sun and the other that was a small moon with a thick atmosphere? That was pretty cool, though it pissed me off a little bit. They could have done at least one more planet if they hadn't repeated themselves so many damn times.
Anywho, I'm still pondering the idea of a colony creature that hollows out icebergs and some sort of sea behemoth that swallows icebergs whole to get the creatures that live inside. I think this topic would have been better if it'd been something besides "devourer," though. Icebergs really aren't the most useful or convenient things to devour, and we already had a devourer not that long ago.
Don't mind me. I'm just purging my negative feelings through complaint. I may not even enter this round and focus instead on getting to know photoshop and my tablet better. But these are so fun I'm sure I'll do something.

[Joey-b]

JAKKAS - that could've bin ur entry hehe .. i love it!

[Michael Jaecks]

Yeah, its the same Discovery Channel presentation.

I'm not a huge fan of having bioluminescence on almost all the animals on the planet, though I know it helps from a presentation standpoint. It holds peoples attention. The narrator grates on me a little bit too, but not enough to prevent me from ordering my own copy of the DVD. He's got the omniscient point of view thing going on plus this you-are-here urgency, and its not a good mix I dont think. A tiny quibble. Overall I love the DVD. I've watched it more times than I can realistically count at this point.

There's also some Discovery Channel production that focuses on future evolution on our own planet that I am trying to find. Anyone know the title of that one? I think both are great resources for us.

Edit: Photobucket is so weird. I resized my sketch to 600x600, but it still hotlinks the huge version here.
You know last round I'd try to upload the new versions of the stalker to photobucket, and it would grab an older (much older) version sometimes. Or it would upload the correct one and give me a thumbnail of the old one. So much for their upgrades....

[Cloister]

I think I'm suitingly coming down with a cold this week...
Btw, if anyone is wondering about that silly "berg"-word... I'm happy to announce that it's the Swedish word for mountain. (Which is also used by the Norweigan, and Danish, I think.) Berg, berg, berg.... e sounds approximately like a in bag, and g sounds like j in javelin. (It is nothing like burg in burger...)
Now try to say Ingmar Bergman ;)

[Joey-b]

final is up!

[Michael Jaecks]

Bahrj. Bahrj? Bearj? Beeehrj.

ag. arj. BAAAAAAAArrrrj. I threw a javelin off this baaaaaarj. Hmm.

Hey! Is that a magic penguin tunneling out an iceBAAAAArj with sith lightning? Coolio. I guess that would make him an EMPEROR Penguin, wouldnt it?

I guess its not that funny.

[dragon4lunch]

Cloister - I am claiming that the word "Berg" is German! The Swedes probably copied it :)

[JakkaS]

Joey-B - ur WIP looks good, however I think creatures' arms are too long

[llothcat]

http://llothcat.com/workpress/wp-content/uploads/2006/09/icebrugdevourer3.jpg

iceberg gophers, really. Communal reptile like mammals that bark.

[Joey-b]

micheal jaecks.. omg that was what i was gonna call it haha :)

jakkas - hmm yeah i c thx .. but anywayz i made a totally new one so haha
better?

ofcource very very wip..
i did the scenery a bit.. but i just left the layers out of this one cause well i dont know if its how i want it yet so.. the beast is all u guys get for now
update in my previous post

[Spats]

Hey folks! First time I'm posting here(tell me if I'm doing something wrong :))

Here's mine take on the subject. He endorses cannibalism apparently :o

http://i69.photobucket.com/albums/i80/dweezl/CAdotOrg/icebergdevourer2.jpg

[AztcFireFlower]

Llothcat Excellent design. That face with the cute buggy eyes does it for me. The iceberg with critter colony is nicely done.
Spats Creature is looking good. Look forward to it's final presentation.

[Moai]

Damn you and your exellent creature design, llothcat! Anyway, I'm glad there's another fan of mammal-like reptiles here. Mammals could've taken over hundreds of millions of years earlier, if those danged dinosaurs hadn't evolved.

[Moai]

I think inspiration just struck. Perhaps I'll go more in a weird fantasy direction, and have some sort of battle going on between the God of Winter andt the God of Spring, and the iceberg devourer would be the Spring God's weapon against the Winter God's glaciers and whatnot. Maybe. Llothcat already did better than I would do on the iceberg-burrower. I think I'll borrow an idea from Michael Jaecks and name the Winter God Baaarj.:P

[Fozzybar]

llothcat
really enjoying your improvements...totally huge difference to your first steps i saw in COW ;)

[Cloister]

Dragon4Lunch: You're most likely right. About 70% of the Swedish language spring from German roots... or so I heard. But the triumph in these occations is the untouchable smorgasbord, which I suggest for the next devourer-topic. :confident

Jakkas: I just read your "too long arms"-crit while whatching Joey-B:s new entry, and found that combination hilarious. But then again, I didn't expect that kind of humour from you.

Joey-b: If you can make the surroundings work as well as the creature, you have yourself a great image, but not a very new creature-design, I fear.

Anyone thought of a serious reason for devouring ice-bärjs yet? It could be some bad-ass creature who simply finds them annoying... because of what they're called if nothing else... - Hey, you mr Ice-berg! Berg this! Arrhhhg! :yawn:

[Fozzybar]

smorgasbord? sounds like orgasm...

[Tyranx]

lol JakkaS :D

Llothcat - lol cute critter.

[Joey-b]

Llothcat - nice one.. like his smartass attitude hehe

new update by me btw

[Commander Obvious]

Remember, cars that give off water vapor as their only emission are still giving off a greenhouse gas. Problem != solved.

Okay okay, I'll shutup and draw :D

[DnC]

ooh! this looks like good fun! first post place marker! :-P

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v499/dustydenim/icebergdevourerpost.jpg

This fellow eats the ice in order to maintain his own mass. once through with feeding, he assumes a more liquid form so as to conserve more energy. his enormous size is due to years and years of feeding and gradual growth.

[kovah]

Yeah...

This may be my entry for this week it may not. I start uni on monday so have no clue how much time i will have will post description nearer the time though.

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

[Joey-b]

eey kovah, nice idea.. although the ice berg usually is bigger underwater than above the water

FINISHED MINE!

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y260/b-yeoj/COW61ICEBERGDEVOURER.jpg

- SPECIES -

ОН ЕСТ АЙСБЕРГИ - (He who eats icebergs)

this name was givin to the beast when first spotted by a russian submarine


this creature actually lives on eating magma, it dives into the deepest of the earth to feed itself,
but even this gigantic body isnt strong enough to withstand the enormeous heat from the magma.
So before it dives into the earth he fills himself up with ice to stay cool
You thought the titanic crashed on an ice berg?.. think again..


WIPS
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y260/b-yeoj/COW-61ICEBERGDEVOURER2wip1.jpg
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y260/b-yeoj/COW-61ICEBERGDEVOURER2wip2.jpg
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y260/b-yeoj/COW-61ICEBERGDEVOURER2wip3.jpg
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y260/b-yeoj/COW-61ICEBERGDEVOURER2wip4.jpg

[kovah]

eey kovah, nice idea.. although the ice berg usually is bigger underwater than above the water



Thanks, and i know thats only just occured to me now i am looking at it again. :^^;:

Your ice worm thing is very cool (s'cuse the pun if you will) love the texture of the skin.

[vonky]

I have an idea, finally. Something tall, with very long legs, like a superstretched version of that thing from that movie. Was it from star wars? Well, anyway, it uses its long fangs and/or horns to kill animals (or people) and absorbs their lifespirit and warmth. It holds the warmth in its belly - did I mention the belly? Well, it has a belly, a big round warm one, - and then uses the warmth to melt the icebergs straight into its probiscus - suddenly it has a probiscus? - by venting the heat through long hollow tusks, but the motive for this long and complex process is yet to be decided. *intakes breath*

Ok good. I'll shut up and draw now.

[Joey-b]

finished one is up in my previous post

vonky - sounds nice, now draw it :P

[llothcat]

:bashful: Just saw all your replies to my post:) All I can say is thanks!

[Moai]

Joey-b: Nice final!
Kovah: I like the idea and creature design. But I think it could be improved tremendously if you studied some images of sharks and whales and whatnot to see how their fins and tails move and operate. The creature's curving tail looks somewhat uncomfortable, and having something come right to the edge of the picture is almost never a good idea.
As for me, I don't think I'll enter this round. I need to get some still life practice in on my tablet, to increase my knowledge of light and form and all that.

[kovah]

Joey-b: Nice final!
Kovah: I like the idea and creature design. But I think it could be improved tremendously if you studied some images of sharks and whales and whatnot to see how their fins and tails move and operate. The creature's curving tail looks somewhat uncomfortable, and having something come right to the edge of the picture is almost never a good idea.
As for me, I don't think I'll enter this round. I need to get some still life practice in on my tablet, to increase my knowledge of light and form and all that.

If i get some time during the week i probably will edit it somewhat and take your advice thankya. Good luck with your practice :)

[fughi from yuggoth]

Well, if I was going for a blunt approach:
http://www.legendmotors.fr/catalog/photos_h1/H12005%20EXTERIEUR.jpg

this joke may take moments to sink in.

hell yeah,now i get it:}
after 6h or so...

[Joey-b]

wow moai..no crit? hehe

[Piru]

http://www.piru.be/downloads/piru_cow061final.jpg

First entry ever, hope you guys like it! Crit away too! wips in my sb (http://conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?t=59880)

[njoo]

I've always wanted to enter the C.O.W. but everytime I plan to something stop me, so this time I decided to screw my other work which will end up being late haha and took some time today to make this ice pooper... don't ask me how it works haha.

http://www.weewung.com/poo/icepooper.jpg

nJoo
http://njoo.deviantart.com

http://www.andrewhou.com

[Lodin]

Very nices ideas here! I have a preference for the llothcat idea and the Joeb render.

The Ancient artic ghost of dragon.

This legendary ghost "lives" in south of polar circle.
For Hunting the titanic dragon must blen into his corpse many piece of ice floe or icebergs, to become material. Step by step his energy dissolve his corpse of ice and he must redo it to hunt anymore. With his huge size he can attack a ship as tall as a tanker.

http://img221.imageshack.us/img221/8392/creature3bdbo2.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

[JakkaS]

njoo - nice concept....I like design of the creature and rendering is superb too. I am glad that u finally entered. :D I hope this is first but not the last COW from u :D

[Fozzybar]

hehe...it reminds me also of this:

http://www.kidomatix.com/ca/cow/cow_025_arcticcarnivore_fozzybar.jpg

not that you misunderstand it...no harm, i just got instantly reminded of it ;)

[Moai]

wow moai..no crit? hehe

Nothing's jumping out at me!:wink: I could search for something to nitpick though, if you want.
Alas, inspiration has struck, and I will will do something for this. I knew that this would happen!:P Anyway, I'm going with my idea of the two gods battling each other. My creature's going to be an elephant/tortoise/alien beast of behemoth proportions, that scoops up icebergs with its big scoop-shaped head and drops them into a warming tank on its back, where they melt. I'll get to draw water in all three of its states, ice, liquid water, and steam, which will be a good practice for me.

[llothcat]

heh, that reminds me of the "snowballs of death"

[Tyranx]

hahahaaAAA!!! Fozzy thats hilarious! did you do that?

[Fozzybar]

hehe, didn't you know? It was for the topic "Arctic Carnivore"...this one is the actually not known South Pole Polar Bear...:)

[vigostar]

I wanted your guys opinion on this. Im not sure if I should continue.. im not really feeling it but, let me know if I should just try and grind through it or start something else.. I tokk this pic with my cell phone so sorry about the bad pic

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v402/vigostar/glacierdevourer.jpg

[redehlert]

llothcat - that's sweet! post it bigger! my fav so far. :)
cheers!
d

[Eric Gerhard]

I'll post as soon as possible...

[Cloister]

Joey-b: Looking good! Perhaps you should remove the two largest sea-gulls. The blue tone and the position of them makes me feel as if they're really far away. But a size comparison with the humans tells me otherwise.
...And maybe the way you rendered the drool makes your creature look smaller and less dangerous.


Lodin: That's absolutely terrifying, but what foremost impresseses me is not so much the creature as the swirling wind around it, and the two characters below.


Perhaps I'll manage an entry by tomorrow night. Oh you poor little penguins...

[Tyranx]

Nice one Lodin.

[KaWaii]

The first thing that came into my head when I read the topic:

A SMALL creature afraid of cold. Shivering but living at icebergs. It thinks the icebergs are the cause of the cold. So it decides to eat all those DAMMED ICEBERGS !! GAARGH !!

[Lodin]

Tyranx: Thanks! I hope to see a work from you each creature of the week As many other I think :)

Cloister: Thanks too! I speak english as an oyster so, I hope to understand what you say. In fact, the wind very strong is to show the humidity of air ( well i'm trying :p). I have some difficulties to represent the amospheric effects but I'm working on! :)

[Cloister]

Lodin (the Oyster):;) The atmosphere is perfect! It is the beast that might get better... somehow.

[Fozzybar]

Well, if I was going for a blunt approach:
http://www.legendmotors.fr/catalog/photos_h1/H12005%20EXTERIEUR.jpg

this joke may take moments to sink in.

btw...i wanted to mention that i still don't get it...:(

[Piru]

lol same here fozzy :P

[Maieth]

lol, no entry this time, sorry folks. i hate being busy -_-
can't believe i never finished last weeks either, i developed an idea an everythin :( o well.
Fozzy, think about the natural cause of the destruction of icebergs..you MIGHT get it then..maybe... Took me a good five minutes, just looking at it and trying ot figure it out, lol

[Fozzybar]

ah ok...i was thinking about the hummer especially, so a picture of an ordinary car would have been better :)

[Eric Gerhard]

I hope you guys like this one.

This is my first time at COW!

Peace to you all.:wink:

http://www.gerhardarts.com/desenhos/icebergdevourer.jpg

[Joey-b]

Eric - eey nice one, but its my idea! :P.. aww well.. we're all supposed to draw an iceberg eater..'

ow and as for the hummer --- Ahah now i get it lmao

[Eric Gerhard]

Ouch! I'm terribly sorry, Joey... I didn't read the post. But in this ilustration, the monster is eating floating Icebergs in the space, well in an oceanic space.

I'll read your post.

Peace!

[Eric Gerhard]

Joey-b - Gee... I saw your COW and now I got your point... But I think that eating ice cubes to get cooler is a very common idea. So I think I had the same. That's quite obvious.

I think your idea is much better than mine, because you added a realistic matter. The creature eats magma, so....

In my case I didn't say why the creature heats itself. I simply said. Anyway... it's my first COW.... Mistakes are common to happen first time! hehe

Beautiful work you did Joey!

Peace!

[Joey-b]

thx man :).. glad u like it.. yeah i wasnt being serious when i said u stole it..

ice and cooling down is rather common yes hehe

[Eric Gerhard]

Hahaha, k!
Nice to meet Joey-b! It's always a great pleasure when we find great artists in kind people!

[ckaos@om]

Hi everyone , you all and the c.o.w threads have been such an inspiration i finaly decided to stop lurking :)
http://img105.imageshack.us/img105/9092/icebergdevourerckaos1rj4.jpg
description :Scyphozoa Antarctica Gigantus: like many evolutionary dead ends, this giant medusa/octopus hybrid died off because of its sheer size and the impracticallity of its feeding process : it lived off of small animals within icebergs , on which it used to climb and swallow fully ..

sorry for the poor quality, haven't done anything 2d in ages, and no tablet currently!

[Eric Gerhard]

No tablet!

Man, you're my hero! Very intelligent work. if you could work a bit more the lights....

Congrats....

[ckaos@om]

thanks Eric! and i agree completely on the lights,one of my many week points, i'll try to improve that !

I like your cow aswell , very painterly strokes, and i juste love "space oceans" :)

[Flake]

Fozzy, that is quite brilliant. :)

[Fozzybar]

hehe thx, but still it was done for an older round ;)

My fingers are itching to start one for this round...

[Moai]

Here's a rough idea of what I'm gonna do. I'll probably do something between the two, since the second version is too busy and the first not busy enough. Tell me watcha think.
http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b320/metalukesurfer/rough.jpg
http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b320/metalukesurfer/rough2.jpg

[wizo5454]

I simply love watching COW, nice concept Moai

[Evil_Sloth]

Finally man kind has found a way to extract a useable fuel source from the heart of Arctic Icebergs only to find that the process has caused the jelly fish to mutate and feed on it.
http://img242.imageshack.us/img242/6293/chowiceberg8qq0.jpg

[zhay13]

Hi to all, i introduce myself, this is my first post in concept art, I`am from argentina and this are my litle monster the Ice Terror Army, they search the sea, they brake the ice with his sharps theets, and melt with the fire of his throat, and sometimes surf the waves 8)
c-you soon

zhay13

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v173/zhay13/IceTerrorArmy.jpg

[kid_militia]

first post as well, here goes with mine.

http://kid-militia.com/cheetoMouth.jpg
The Iceberg Devourers from the frigid waters of [Planet X] are a dangerous mammal that use a gland in their mouth to superheat their massive bony jaws. They in turn use their ultra-hot jaws to attack unsuspecting icebergs from below.

[Fozzybar]

kid_militia
hmm....ooooookay.....but it doesn't eat icebergs?

[Michael Jaecks]

Hey guys,

Eve rybodys doing a nice job this round. Unless a miracle happens and I travel back in time, I think I'm going to miss the deadline this time as some work came up. I love the octopus, Evil Sloth. That was the general direction I was moving in.

Promise to be back next round...

[wizo5454]

I posted my final image further in the thread. Is it ok to change concept a bit like I did when you enter COW?

[kid_militia]

:bashful:
(To Fozzy) hehe, good point. The description seemed okay enough late at night, but when you put it that way, it doesn't really "devour".... "icebergs". Anyways, been edited!

[Moai]

Wow, Michael. I don't think you've missed a single round since I've been a member on this site! It'll be different without you, but work before play, I guess. Have fun working. See you next round.

[Cloister]

:rolleyes: Final... (The colours melt annoyingly well into CA:s background, I see)

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

The Lotenhoss is a rare mammal which lives in the northern polar region. The male is extremely territorial and can’t stand the scent of another male. When encountering urinated spots, normally smaller icebergs, it stays in place until it has devoured the trace entirely, which usually means eating the whole berg. The Lotenhoss can reach a length of 30 feet. It lives mainly off seal, occasional polar bears, and larger fish. No specimen has been sighted in well over 80 years, due to heavy hunting in the early 20th century.

[Piru]

lol cool concept, cloister!

[ckaos@om]

fantastic and inspiring work, cloister :)

[Eric Gerhard]

Beautiful job, Cloister! Nothing to say. The lights are amazing!

[Moai]

Beautiful colors and lighting, Cloister. That's the best looking water I've seen in a while. I don't like the way those clouds are radiating out from the sun, though. I hope that's one of the things you're working on for the final.:rendered:
I voted for your ChoW entry, by the way.:wink:

Final: Yep, the definite final.
Concept: Berg-hemoth
Creating and managing a world is a tough job, to put it mildly, so the young gods were each assigned partners with which to share the responsibilities for their first worlds. One such pair consisted of Baarj and Vililiuru. Baarj enjoyed creating weather and Vililiuru scored well in creating organisms and ecosystems, so the elder gods thought that the two would be able to combine their talents and create a nice world. They were wrong.
The planet they were given was nice and mild, with an even mixture of flat land and shallow seas. Vililiuru envisioned a land of striding beasts and great schools of fish, so he asked Baarj to create a temperate climate in which his creatures could thrive. Baarj hated the idea of such a bland climate; he hoped to create a planet of grinding glaciers and howling winds. The argument escalated until the two attempted to smite each other, then they went and sulked on their own corners of the planet and did with it as they wished.
True to his world, Baarj whipped up some truly foul and icy whether, and soon his side of the planet was covered in glaciers and icebergs. Vililiuru was less successful, for it is difficult to create good creatures without a good climate. The best he could do was a species of algae that thrived in ice. So, in frustration, he created the berg-hemoth. At well over a hundred feet tall, it was a formidable beast, able to easily wade through the planet's shallow seas in search of its favorite food: icebergs. The berg-hemoth's shovel-shaped jaw and spatulate teeth allowed it to scoop up fast quantities of ice into its gullet, where it was evaporated by its furnace-like digestive system. The steam was released into the air through several organic chimneys on its back, along with carbon dioxide, a by-product of its digestive process. The creature's furnace-like body cavity was fueled by hydrogen leeched from the swallowed water, and all nutritional needs were provided by the algae that thrived in the icebergs.
With dozens of these beasts consuming icebergs and releasing greenhouse gasses into the atmosphere, the tide of the struggle turned to Vililiuru's favor. In response, Baarj brew up the coldest, iciest, stormiest whether he could muster. And so the battle between the two young gods raged on. The elder gods looked down at their misguided students and shook their heads.
http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b320/metalukesurfer/baarj-final-2.jpg

[Blue]

Well, cloister killed me on quality control. But i haven't done a CoW in a while so this week i'll just ease myself in. :)

Gigantus Arachnida
This rare species of spider has never been documented by scientists, but from the few blurry photos taken, it is believed this amazing spider somehow uses nuclear fission to warm its body while in the dark depths of the ocean floor. The only reason we can concieve this creature would come to the surface to devour massive chunks of floating ice, is due to the rather shallow waters it has been photographed in. It is possible, while migrating, the water can no long cool the creature when it reaches shallow water and it must consume a massive piece of ice to cool its inner core. Further research is required.

http://www.perfectpencil.com/sketch/cow.jpg

[Joey-b]

damn cloister very nice one, there goes my chance to get even one vote hehe

as for crits -
the hairs are rather thick for such a large creature, and around his chin/ear the hairs are a bit to black compared to the rest of the drawing

and his tail get thin very quick, it doesnt look like it will help him much with swimming

but other than that.. one of ur best entry's i've seen - saves to HD

[banhatin]

heehee!I'd like this huge spider !It so funny!

[Cloister]

Durin/Piru, ckaos@om, Eric Gerhard: Thanks a lot! :rendered:

Moai: Thanks, and thank you for the vote. That dagger got a lot more votes than I could guess... (or even intended.) Yes, the sky is rather weak. If I find time I'll work on it. I'll probably keep the streaking though, but better it if I can.

Joey-b: Good crits, Joey! The thickness of the tail is a crucial point. It crossed my mind when I worked on it, but I put it aside. Now that you bring it up again, I see how weak it is. I'll definitely act on that one. Thanks!
The hair is thick, but that was a deliberate choice on my part. Hairs can get rather thick, as on the porcupine and hedgehog. If it can get thick and soft simultaneously is another question... but I wanted it that way.
And don't be so sure about the voting part... people aren't that predictable (I know the feeling though). Anyway, I fear Tyranx will put his merciless boot in the puddle this week, drowning the rest of us... as he usually does, when participating. But that doesn't make your image bad, now does it?

[VegasMike]

It's been a long time since my last COW submission...Great work so far!

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

This massive alien sea creature uses icebergs as a nursery for it's unfertilized eggs. The female will deposit the eggs in the arctic regions of the planet. The eggs form one large pod that the iceberg forms over time. The eggs can lay dormant for centuries until a male of the species detects their presence within the ice. The male will devour the iceberg and uses a thermal reaction within his body to melt away the ice and awaken the eggs for internal fertilzation. The fertilized eggs are released through special blow hole like vents on the back of it's body.

[Lady Medusa]

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y18/vrd/Iceberg-eater-wip.jpg
WIP, hope I'll manage to finish it

[Eric Gerhard]

Think that my chances to get even 1 vote are decreasing rapidly... hehehehe

Very nice work, VegasMike.

[Michael Jaecks]

Mostly I entered this because I love the name more than anything...Mines stupid simple, but:

The Solar Contrictor

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a379/neorepto/michaeljaeckssolarconstrictor_ed-1.jpg

The Solar Constrictor uses a combination of heat collected from the sun, friction and an acidic compound is secretes from her translucent to break apart and melt icebergs to feed herself and her young. They drink the melted ice through small tubular tongues. The planet of the Solar Constrictor underwent a flash-freeze ice age, and while its finally warming up, most of natures meals are still locked in the ice, like a frozen soup waiting to be thawed.

[Cloister]

The round is starting to look good. I like it! :D

Vegas Mike: That's a powerful beast! I took a look on your deviant stuff, and I'd say it's one of your best. Good work!

Lady Medusa: The creature is not very unique, but there is something about the clean render and the colours which is really attractive. I hope you'll finish it.

Micheal Jeacks: Stop lying to yourself about why you entered... we all know you're addicted! I like your concept, even at this low-detail render.

[Fozzybar]

VegasMike
cool that you entered...cool...haha, got it? :perv:

[Michael Jaecks]

Hey Cloister:

Yeah, step one is admitting you have a problem. I am powerless over Creature of the Week and it has made my life unmanageable.

I added a few more flecks of snow and highlights to the cracks. Its really hard to close the file and do my real work. I'm getting the shakes already.

[xgabo]

Here's my entry. Comments welcome.

http://www.gabo.ca/xgabo_cow61_iceberg.jpg

The Megachelonia Glaciaris

70 million years ago this humongous sea turtle was present on every stretch of ocean in the planet, rivalling the largest pre-historic whales in size. Gently cruising the dark waters, its shell served as a a reef for many migrating species of fish around the globe, and resting place for proto-birds in their oceanic flights. Its diet consisted of all kinds of marine life, swallowed in swarms by the titanic mouth.

But as the Earth's climate changed, the numbers of this magnificent species declined sharply. In need of enormous quantities of oxygen in the air to live, The Megachelonia was unable to cope with a new mixture of gases slowly being introduced in the atmosphere, and a large quantity of them simply could not breath in this new nytrogen-rich environment.

A small population living in the arctic, however, found a way of fending off imminent extinction. when they came out of the water to breath, they always did so nearby an iceberg. The reason s simple: They found out they could crush the ice with their serrated jaw and swallow large quantities of it, freeing pre-historic air bubbles rich in oxygen able to keep them alive.

This desperate measure is only enough to maintain a bare subsistence for the small population, which is slowly declining and becoming smaller with every generation. The accelerated melting of the ice caps is only precipitating the decline, and the species will be completely extinct is the next 30-50 years.

[Ostrander]

That's great Xgabo!
I'm afraid to post mine, it looks so similar to some of these. :(

[Fozzybar]

xgabi
baby...that's it :)

[cowboy surfer]

Just a placemarker/ WIP. Hope I get it finished in time. Its super heated body melts the `berg so it can inhale the nutrients released in the vapours.
http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l319/cowboy-surfer/icebergdevourercopy.jpg

Updated final image:

http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l319/cowboy-surfer/cow61icebergdevourer.jpg

THERMALID GASYEYE: This unusal creature has discovered the huge store of minerals and nutrients trapped in the frozen `bergs as they formed hundreds of years ago.
The purity of this food source persuades the usually reclusive Thermalids to rise to the surface from the deep sulpher warmed ocean trenches where they usually reside to feed upon the gasses released from the newly broken off icebergs as they wrap there super-heated bodies around them.
They use their unique `vapour gills` to absorb the goodness and filter out the polutants. Sightless and with no mouth, they will use their sensitive electro sonar to create a vision of the world around them. Their usual food source are the deep sea vents gushing out various gaseous nutrients and minerals.

[ArtZealot]

xgabo, i freakin love it. that polar bear standing on top of the iceberg is totally thinking "wtf"

[Cloister]

xgabo: That thing has got some serious turtle-power! The background (mountains and sky) looks a bit like some modern graphical design wall-paper, and speak a different language than the rest, imo. (The water doesn't fade into grey at all, but the mountains are rather misty...)

I'm not surprised this one caught Fozzy's attention, seeing how he's got a preference for helpless creatures trapped on icebergs awaiting the end. ;) (a cool touch btw...)

[Moai]

That's awesome, xgabo. Great textures and nice simple background.

[Piru]

xgabo = ace!

[wizo5454]

yup, i find xgabo's concept really orginal, makes me want to work my concept some more.

Good job everyone, its gonna be a great round.

[Michael Jaecks]

I didnt realize we had until friday to work on this, so I updated a little tonight. I really want to change the head. It seems like it should be the most important part given everything else is either pretty generalize in form or has a lot of flecks around it.

[Tyranx]

Great job Xgabo, I'll give ya some crits later ;P

gotta love the wtf bear

[Fozzybar]

It was about time to enter again ;)

http://www.kidomatix.com/ca/cow/cow_061_iceberg_devourer_fozzybar.jpg

Iceberg Hugger

This weird creatures usually swim in the sea around the polar areas...they often use icebergs to bridge long distances. To do so they climb on icebergs, clutching them and use their back-sails in interaction with the wind to slide through the ocean.

When the mating season arrives the Iceberg Huggers show another unique attribute. Fertilised females clutch icebergs and begin to bite off ice and snow pieces and swallow them. They don't do this for feeding purposes!
The females, full of fertilised eggs, own an unique organ, which covers the eggs in ice! Then hundreds of Iceberg Hugger eggs were laid-off into the ocean...

This is a fabulous method to protect the own spawn...the ice will protect the eggs until they hatch. They don't smell or have any taste, so predators won't touch it...when the eggs hatch, the babies will eat their way through the ice, with this act of freeing themselves they also pick up valuable nutriments, which were also embedded in the ice while being in the mothers body...

Females rarely are seen on icy landmass...why? Because they use the effective method of proceeding with their sails and the iceberg to spread their eggs over a large area, so chances are higher of getting them through the critical time...

[JakkaS]

Great idea FOZZ..and I agree, it WAS about time to enter again! Hehehe..I don't know from where u get this unique ideas :perv:

[Vampire Ninja]

Fozz, Xabo, Cloister, AWESOME concepts. I'm rooting for you three this round.

[Cloister]

Can you get expelled for giving crits to the moderator??? If not:
1. It took me a while to find the iceberg for some reason... I'm not sure that matters though...
2. I like the fin, especially the black parts... but the veins are a bit monotonous, and doesn't really feel natural imo.
3. The eyes doesn't happen for me. They seem more doll-like/cartoonish than the rest of the piece.
3. The desciption/concept is great... now I know what ís meant by a short description... ;)

I'm personally always frustrated about the placing and look of the eyes... probably the hardest choice when you make a creature... they change the whole mood and character so dramatically...

Glad to see the referee participate in the game, it always makes the players more comfortable. I'll vote for you if you slip me an extra vote... no one has to know... :bashful:

[wizo5454]

Here's is my final version of it. (again)

http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l175/wizo5454/serpentpost2-1.jpg


As it often happens in most cataclysms, the simplest form of creatures seems to have taken over the more complexe ones. With their very long elastic-acid tongue and their sharps teeth, the "Iceworm" eat ice at an astronomic rate in hope to catch dead frozen animals in their bites.

[xgabo]

Nice entry, fozzy. I especially like the colour scheme of the creature, colourful but still believable. I also like the idea, using the "iceberg devourer" definition in an unusual way. It's always cool to see how in COW the suggestion of only the title and nothing more creates a very imaginative environment, where people can twist and turn the concept into something unexpected.

some other favourites:

llothcat - great creature design. I want to see the painting bigger! Something going on with the legs in relantioship to the ground, but it's a minor detail.

njoo - great rendering, specially the underbelly of the creature. I don't think the creature would raise so high to eat a such a small berg (probably a waste of energy) but it's great for dramatic effect!

cloister - Very mythological design, something that could very well be in "Clash of Titans". I like the the light in the scene. The creature looks very protective of the iceberg, like it's saying "get your own!"

good work everyone. More crits after the vote.

[Joey-b]

ow.. cloister LOL at ur avy.. hmm i want one 2 hehe

[Michael Jaecks]

I think mine is done. Its simple this week, but that's fine once in a while.

[jackenstein]

Fozzy, that's a huge bitch. Awesome entry, mate.

[BlkCelebration]

Yet another great round! Awsome to have Fozz submitting agian. It's gonna be a touch choice come voting time.

Bo-Tija: This giant mass of blubber (used to keep warm in such harsh environment) travels slowly accross the ocean. It opens its great mouth to devour icebergs in its path. The Bo-Tija might use its teeth to crush bigger icebergs, but it rarely needs to. It will continue this until it has made a clear path. They are known to be the cause for the decline in the polar caps.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v141/depecheboy/iceosan1.jpg

[JakkaS]

So many great paintings ....it will be a hard voting again. :D
Any way here is main....I will add description later...

http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a314/JakkaS/jakkas-COW61-final.jpg

POLAR ANT
Insects are organisms, that can be found in every place on Earth. Recently, scientists found its representatives near Polar Pole, drifting inside iceberg. Polar Ants, this talk is about, take the advantages of low but stable temperature povided by iceberg's interior to build there nests. In upper part, above water surface, only main shafts are bitten out. All important structures, like Queen chamber, storage rooms, nursery and more, are placed much lower. Drifting home provides safety and also opportunity to hunt. They primarily feed on animals that feel exhausted and look for place to rest after long swim or fly. Low temperature allows to storage food for long time. Within few generations, they usually decrease weight of iceberg to 70% of its initial stage. It is caused by endlessly rising number of tunnels and chambers. It can be said, they eat icebergs from the inside forming their homes.

[Tyranx]

coool! ;), great critter!

haha love the little face in the bottom right.

[Moai]

Beautiful rendering of the ice, Jakkas. Those blues behind the ant are gorgeous. Nice diagram, too. Well garsh, the whole dang picture is good.
Updated mine on page two. The creature is almost finished.

[llothcat]

welp...if my buttith gets kickiths, I won't mind this round. Lots of good entries:D

[Cloister]

:D Man, this round is really happening! I can't tell you how refreshing it is to finally be amongst people who knows what painting is again. Too many years since artschool. Praise the internet! Praise CA, and blessed be the cowites! Really, I am happy! Just look at my face!

Jakkas: Great idea! I love the little crown above the queen's chamber. I might be more impressed with the ice-caves than the creature this week, but still a very solid entry.

BlkCelebration: UUaagh! He looks so friendly and disgusting at the same time. Appetite run berserk is a tasteless trait among life-forms...

MJ: The little red dots did good.

[Michael Jaecks]

Hey Jakkas, the ant is really cute.

They say that there are a few species of insects that can survive in polar climates because of a natural anti-freeze in their bodies. And SETI-types love the idea of naturally occuring anti-freeze because most of the interstellar water in the universe is probably frozen or under a crust of ice. So we like the idea of arctic ants. Yes very much.

Cloister: Thanks. I actually had babies in eggs in the foreground for a while, but then I remembered your "kill your darlings" crit from the Yoda round and I took them out. Its better simple. Did you bloat brush your avatar in the liquify filter? Makes me want to do the same with mine.

[vonky]

http://img146.imageshack.us/img146/2664/beeerjbeastft1.jpg

Southern Souldrinker

In the days before the New Ice Age, the Southern Souldrinker preyed up small, weak-minded mammals, tearing them open with its hude claws and siucking up its blood through its proboscis and its soul through its long, hollow horns. As the blood provided vital nutrients, the souls were kept alive in a specialised organ on the Souldrinker's belly, and used as a source of heat in the long winter months.

However, as the global temperature dropped, many of these species died out, and the Southern Souldrinker was forced to migrate north towardds the equator in search of food. It began to prey on larger animals; then, as even these grew scarce, it began to venture into human habitation to feed on the men and women who lived there.

However, the strength of the human souls had unprecedented side-effects. Unused to the heat and vitality of the souls, many Souldrinkers died, bursting into spontaneous combustion. The number of Souldrinkers dwindled, hunted by humans, and when the atomic bombs began to fall on many of the southernmost continents, the waters grew poisoned and the great plagues continued to wipe them out.

However, an enterprising and unwise group of highly trained genetic engineers intervined, determined to save this unique, if dangerous, species. They held almost all the remaining souldrinkers in captivity, feeding them on dried and preserved meat, and through a mixture of gentic alterations and careful psychological training taught the Souldrinkers to use up their excess heat in melting icebergs, so that the water could be collected and used for human purposes. The Souldrinkers were allowed to drink from the water too, to keep them healthy and allow them to work for longer peroids at a stretch.

However, desperate for proper food, the captive Souldrinkers escaped, and began once again to prey on humans, and with a way to vent their excess heat and an unlimited source of fresh, clean water, began to dominate the southern continents.

As the human race dwindled down to only a few struggling colonies, the last of the poets, Aristh Avel, wrote the following opening verse in his last epic, entitled Souldrunk.

Struggling through winters, harsh, cold and dry
Trudging through snow under ever-bright sky
Under the Souldrinker's calm, staring eyes
Surely the humans shall meet their demise.

[Darktwin]

Jakkas very nice concept, like it a lot, polar ant, wonderful execution also.

[cowboy surfer]

Updated final image on page 2.
Awesome stuff everyone, will crit in the voting this time.
Love the ice ant Jakkas, one of my idea sketches was for an ice bee with the colony ripping appart the `berg as they emerged in the feeding season, glad I didnt go with it now... the comparisons would not have been unfavourable for me I think!

[wizo5454]

god! jakkas, thats an amazing render. (both ice and ant)
I actually had to stop on your image for 5 minutes to grab all the details.
cant wait for your next entry

[Moai]

Posted my final. G'night.

[Cloister]

Micheal J: Your image has a very balanced, nice,clean and finished look now. Good work! .... Yeah, I got tired of my Avatar, or the evil contempteous look I thought it carried, so I put it in a stage of metamorphoses... it is turning into something else. Like the great god Vishnu, who appears in many forms, I carry many faces...:needle: :teeth: 8) :dad: :blah: :D :android: :upset: :blahblah: (and I did not just discover the Liquify filter...)

Moai: Could I hire your creature to plough my garden, or maybe even my country, in the winters? It seems rather effective...

[Joey-b]

moai - i hope u read this on time but uh the water u got in ur pic.. it should fade away a bit in the background cause now it looks a bit to fake

but other than that great design and composition imo :)

[Simon Boxer]

Brilliant work in here. Particularly like njoo's piece.
Jakkas - always good to see you taking a unique direction.
Fozzy - Great concept!

Anyway, with deadline looming here's mine. I might refine the ice a bit if I have time.

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

Kretorius
Giant filter feeders with gaping mouths they swim through the ocean, filtering nourishment out of the water. For these creatures, icebergs are a rich source of nutrients. The water passes out through passages all along its body, but its outer surface is so cold an icy coating develops soon after birth (as it starts swimming around). This icy mass both protects and insulates the creature, but because of the high purity of the filtered coating, the Kretorius have become a commodity. With global warming on the horizon, they're hunted and sold to drought ridden countries.

[ckaos@om]

Xgabo: wow , probably my favorite, love the sharpness and backlighting on the shell
Fozzybar: love the concept and execution, very colorfull:)
cognition.sb:great sense of scale, really nice way to handle the transparency of the water too !

Final version :
http://img116.imageshack.us/img116/5811/icebergdevourerckaosfinalsw5.jpg
Scyphozoa Antarctica Gigantus: like many evolutionary dead ends, this giant medusa/octopus hybrid died off because of its sheer size and the impracticallity of its feeding process : it lived off of small animals within icebergs , on which it used to climb and swallow fully ..

[Eric Gerhard]

Gee... This is my first COW... I have been watching other COWs and I've never seen such an arms race to tough...:nohope:

Did I make myself clear? hihi:^^;:

[jackenstein]

This round has shown some really kick ass concepts! It's gonna be another hard one to judge!

[Ostrander]

Awesome, awesome entries guys.
I thought I'd have some fun with mine and spoof one of my favorite movies.
http://rhinohidestudios.com/images/c61FIN.jpg

With an elastic-like, unhinging jaw, the Iceberg Devourer attacks from below with its fierce predatory menace. Beware!

[Tom Garden]

hiya here's my quickie!

Whurlgen

This thing just loves the other tip of the iceberg! It has a hard body to withstand the depths of the seas where it feeds on the ice. It uses a firey heat from inside to chomp through the ice, working its way up! Usually it only has enough fire to get through one iceburg at a time, and then has to refuel.

http://www.tomgarden.co.uk/Webpics/COW_12.jpg

i also did a pic with it and the iceburg, but i dont like it - but here it is anyways so you get the idea, Fozz - dont take this one into the votes! :P

http://www.tomgarden.co.uk/Webpics/COW_12_ice.jpg

[Eric Gerhard]

Great job!.... With the Iceberg is nice.... Looks like the ID is looking at and thinking: "Dinner, here I come!"

[Moai]

moai - i hope u read this on time but uh the water u got in ur pic.. it should fade away a bit in the background cause now it looks a bit to fake

but other than that great design and composition imo :)

Thanks so much for that crit, Joey-b. The water in my reference didn't fade away, but I didn't take into account that it had a much lower point of view than my picture, so the water would disappear over the horizon before much atmospheric perspective. I changed it. Thanks for the compliments, too. I paid a lot more attention to composition in this piece than in past ones, so that's nice to hear.:rendered:

Cloister- I don't know...It might just leave a giant trench where your garden was, or else squash it flat. It also emits as much greenhouse gases as the entire L.A. area, and with global warming and all, I don't know if it's such a good idea to have one around.

cogniton.sb- Those little blue diagrams are getting quite popular, it seems.:P How'd you manage to get the water patern so smooth and continuous? Nice strong entry.

Ostrander- I love it! I love how tongue-in-cheek it is. Great idea!

Tom Garden- I always enjoy a gnarled, asymmetrical, infernal creature such as this. Cool entry.

I'll comment on the rest o' y'all, come the voting round.

As many have said, this has been one fun round, with lots of great entries.

[Fozzybar]

i will close this round tomorrow...means in 10-12 hours from now...

[Mr Man]

Hope Im not too late, Heres my small contribution.

The Iceberg Devourer (Read Bio to understand image better :) )
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v63/mrswoman/Iceeater.jpg

In the cold harsh lands of the antarctic Live these strange unfortunate creatures. These creatures Have incredibley thick fur covering their entire bodies. This fur however Is an over-estimation of evolution in the making. This poor creatures fur is so thick and heavy that they actually struggle to keep cool. Who would of thought, living in antarctica and trying to stay cool! In order to get these creatures heat levels to normal they eat the ice. But to stay cool for a good amount of time they must eat the ice continously. They eat so much of this ice that they get through a Whole 70 tonne iceberg in 10 days.
Heat is not the only problem their fur has developed. Their fur does not stop growing and as they get older they carrie even more wieght around, meaning their joints buckle and stiffen. There are also rumours that they die from constriction because their hair has dreaded so tightly the creature cannot move at all!

[Moai]

*Checks back in to see if the voting thread and/or the next topic has been posted*
*Sighs, hangs head, and leaves*

[Simon Boxer]

lol, Maoi. Regarding your previous comment (thanks, btw), yea those diagrams are popular. They're also quite useful - I actually included some on my first COW entry (for Fireworks Spewer), amongst others. The finished image dates back to 3rd January!
In other news, my Spongebob impersonation isn't too bad either, and the water is a cloned photo texture ;P

Anyway, updated my image with an abundance of ice.

[gep]

http://www.gepart.com.au/Bore_Whale_low.jpg

Bore Whales have evolved in to the ultimate iceberg demolishing creatures. The ‘worker’ class of these large, loyal and social animals are known to travel in large schools capable of devouring entire icebergs at the speed a large cruise liner can travel.

Bore Whales a have large round mouth which creates a perfect suction on solid ice bergs and by quickly constricting then releasing their spiral jaw muscles they are able to spin their angled, razor-sharp teeth and grind through ice in a circular drilling motion.

Faithful subjects to their Queen Whale, these massive mammals work tirelessly, swimming ahead of her burrowing tunnels through the ice offering her an unobstructed journey.

Humans have discovered by breeding these worker whales along side a boat they can be easily fooled in to believing that a boat is their Queen Whale. The whales will then grow to be loyal workers clearing a path where ever the boat travels.

[Tyranx]

Hey guys, sorry for the last minute entry, work has kept me pretty busy. I did a mini tutorial for this one, I'll have that up in the next few days.

http://www.tyranx.com/concepts/icebergdevourer.jpg

Crastasticus Giganticus

This huge crustacean is the sole survivor of the precambrian era, it has grown immense over millions of years. It is very rarely seen, as it lives in the deepest parts of the ocean.
It has a strange habit of coming up every couple of months to take a big chunk of ice with it back into the murky depths. It does this because its eggs cannot survive in salt water. the creature takes the ice into a huge underwater cave system off the coast of Antartica, which also has several large hydrothermal vents inside. The vents melt the ice and it quickly floats to the top of the cave. the mother covers the eggs in a sticky mucus and sticks them to the top of the cave. the mother has to constantly resurface to bring back fresh water, in the form of Glaciers.

Due to its immense size, there are very few cave systems in the world, and even less with Hydrothermal vents that can accomadate them. This has kept their population low over the eons, and yet this has insured their survival, because the competition for food would be too great otherwise. Only old sailors accounts of a terrible sea monster remain to prove the existence of this creature, but the penguins know the truth.


Cheers, :pirate:

[Joey-b]

sweet tyranx.. i'd expect no less, love the penguins!

[Fozzybar]

poll is on:
http://www.conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?t=78044