CHOW #45 - World War One - Secret Special Unit - The Wizzard!

[Oblio]

http://www.oreganoproductions.com/chow/chowlines.jpg

ROUND #45


:right: PLEASE CONSOLIDATE YOUR WIPS AND FINALS INTO YOUR FIRST POST.

:right: CLEARLY DESIGNATE YOUR FINAL.

:right: FOLLOW THE TOPIC & POST A DESCRIPTION.
:grandpa: You will receive votes for every successful representation of the topic elements and for your description. The ammount of votes will be listed in the round topic.


:right: Please save your files starting with your nickname.
example: "Oblio_CHOW23_Platformer33 copy copy.jpg" ;)


:right: PLACE THE IMAGE IN A FRAME WITH YOUR NAME/TOPIC
http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i222/ChowPics/frame.jpg
(you can add CA logo, etc).
-------------------------
DEADLINE
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 22nd
The way the deadline works: if deadline is on a Sunday and your image is posted on that Sunday 23:59 your local time it's a good entry.
In fact - as long there is Sunday somewhere on the planet your entry is ok. I will make the poll sometimes Monday afternoon my time (GMT +2) yet i'll have a look at the last entries.
--------------------------


World War One - Secret Special Unit - The Wizzard!

The Movie Shot in wich this character will appear will have the following collor palette.
Please use as COLOR REFERENCE the following pictures.
http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i222/ChowPics/wwiz/very-long-engagement-10.jpg http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i222/ChowPics/wwiz/very-long-engagement-08.jpg
Pictures by Bruno Calvo - © 2004 Warner Independent Pictures. From the movie: "A Very Long Engagement"


Now... concept!

______________
Topic elements:

1 = World War One Soldier Look.
2 = Wizzard (interpret)
3 = Collor Palette Provided.


Make sure your picture contains these - you will receive 3 VOTES for each topic covered.
3 extra votes will be offered for the description.
_____________
Please try to save your progress - maybe a nice tutorial is comming out.


[Edit] - I have updated the pictures. Previous site was down. I hope the palette is the same. If i did any bad.. let me know

[Snarfevs]

Thought these might come in handy:

adobe colour swatches generated from the pics - they can be loaded into the swatches pallet:

pictar 1 (http://snarfevs.co.nr/downloads/arty/table1.act)
pictar 2 (http://snarfevs.co.nr/downloads/arty/table2.act)

[Simon Boxer]

Now there's a good idea, Snarfevs! I can't believe I've never loaded a custom palette... I feel like such a noob.

Great topic, btw!

[Piru]

Hot damn! This topic will generate some impressive imagery I feel it in meh toes!

[Chuck Wadey]

Cool. It's going to be interesting scrolling down the column of finals when they all have the same palette.

[Orifice]

Thats a great palette...

[Wafflehouseninja]

Ok Im in this one and im bringen my A game.

[Snuggles]

Ok Im in this one and im bringen my A game.

Abandon all hope, everybody!

[bradley]

First CHOW but i do follow it every week, ill throw up my WIP sketches for now, excuse the bad scans.

FINAL
cant offer anymore time to this so im calling it done

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y67/bradleywright/bradley_CHOW45_worldwaronew.jpg
Description

General Georgi Konstantinovich - 1st Imperial Spell Casters

Born in the small village of Strelkovka, south west of Moscow in 1851 to a peasant family. His father a shoemaker and his mother a farm worker. Early on in his childhood Georgi would lapse into trance like states, where his parents would witness him fighting the shadows, unable to go near the boy to calm him. On one winter day when Georgi was 11 years old his father heard screams from the woods just outside the village, he ran fearing the boys death to roaming wolves. Instead he watched in fearful awe as his son bathed in red fire battled a black beast. Fear of how to cope with such a child, Georgi was handed to the Russian Military in Moscow. The young scared boy was probed and tested for many years in a bid to understand and harness the power he held. Soon rumours from surrounding villages of shadows coming alive made there way to the capital. Georgi now a young man was sent to cleanse the villages, his quest lasted many years, one battle after another. These battles forged the young man into a hardened soldier and elevated him among the people as there champion. Giving him the title ‘Red Knight’, Russia’s Rebirth.

1915, France - Extract from the Conscripts of Aleski Petrov

The rumoured character the Red Knight made his way into camp today. I fear it is the end for us now. They say where he goes the demons are sure to be. I have yet to see the magic’s he can muster, but it is whispered he commands the wind and fire. They even say he commands a regiment of these strange men. The Imperial Spell Casters I do believe they are called. I dare not say that name out loud for fear of meeting the unforgiving end of my commanders pistol.


WIP
tricky using such a limited pallette but fun, i had to deviate slighty from the pallette to get a touch of red to sit with the green, and he is russian so its gotta have red
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y67/bradleywright/wip3.jpg

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y67/bradleywright/wip1.jpg

incase horses out allowed
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y67/bradleywright/wip2.jpg

[Stephan_R]

This is gonna be a damn thunderdome! I'm scared, but damnit I'm in.

<o_o>

[kingrobot]

hey bradley...don't stray too close to the Rasputin from Hellboy thing...you know, big power gloves with tubes. Keep brainstorming...

[PeanutButterWerewolf]

Wow this topic kicks ass, cant wait to see all the entries...might try join this one.

[Visual Delusion]

I was shattered I couldnt finish the last CHOW, will definately give this one a crack.

[fuuryoku]

Final uploaded.

http://www.thomscottart.com/images/benton.jpg

From a letter by Sgt Michael Bull to his then fiance':
"Dearest Siobhan,

I nearly died today. I don't say that to alarm you, though I know it will do so. I say it because I have to, to do justice to what happened on the field today. We'd lost six men in our squad already and the Jerries were shouting out orders in the next trench for a push to finish us. There was piss-yellow gas floating around and we were ready to give up and let it happen.

Then a miracle happened. This tall officer strides right through the gas, and it parts away to his sides as he walks. No gasmask or anything, but the gas moves away like it's afraid of him. He draws this revolver, about the size of an American Colt, but with a glowing gem set under the barrel, and stops for a second, eyes closed, listening to the german chatter. Then his eyes open and he takes aim. I sneak a look and he's aiming low. I thought if he fired the bullet would hit the ground short of the German trench and be wasted.

Then he started this low chant and the air in front of the pistol formed these glowing rings with symbols rotating around them and a beam like greenish sunlight reached out into the gas and smoke with a noise like a screaming kettle. I figure it's wasted, but about a second later the Jerries are yelling in panic in their trench. You know I don't speak a word of German, but even I could tell they were afraid now.

Then the wizard Leutenant chants a little more and a pair of rifles on the ground glow green and rise up next to him and start picking of and German heads that pop up out of the trench. He looks to us that are left and says 'I see they've taken a fair bit of blood from us today. I think is time they paid for it.'

We won the day love. I've put in for a transfer to the Leutenant's unit, the second Royal Thaumaturgical. They need good NCO's to help the spellcaters do their work, and I've never felt safer or prouder than today alongside Lt. Benton.

Don't worry, love. I had my brush with death today, but I think I'll be fine from here on.

Love, Mike."

[carlosranna]

Wow... I liked this topic!

Hope i have the time to be a part of it. It might be my first CHOW.

[fedezz]

Shit, can't let this one pass. I'm in!

EDIT: FINAL, added description
http://img281.imageshack.us/img281/4928/fedezzchow45ne6.jpg

Description:

British army papers, february 1916
-------
Codename seer: a blind individual is trained and technologicaly enhanced to take advantage of his heightened hearing. The objective of this project is to generate a unit able to locate enemy positions at long range, making it specially useful for artillery. The unit is also equipped with cutting edge gas-protection technology.
------
Well, that was the official report. The unit was actually "manufactured" by overcharging a person's brain with ectoplasmic energy employing top secret machinery. The result of this process is a creature able to penetrate the space-time membrane and "touch" objects at incredible long distances. However, there's a price to pay for this kind of power: the massive ammounts of ectoplasmic energy required burns the head of the individual entirely, and dissociates the spirit from the physical being. But this spiritual entity still needs the physical body to use as a host, and this body needs oxygen to survive. A device disguised as a gasmask is used to draw oxygen to the lungs directly, bypassing the now useless head, which is also covered to avoid panicking friendly troops.
-----
EOF
----

[Beelow]

I back online again. gonna get crackin on this one! should be fun!:)

Edit:final as it is ever going to be, wanted to work some more on it but couldn't get around to it. Here goes! I may have not made it in time. Crosssfingers*
http://i45.photobucket.com/albums/f55/Beelow3/beelow_Chow45_Wizardspecialunit.jpg

[Quai]

good topic

[t i m]

I'm in. WIP'S Coming....

[Oblio]

fuurikou - check your proportions. hand is too big... or head too small.. .or.. hmm.. get a reference.
Can;t find a good one in the reference area (see photography) then just make one with a digital camera. for proportions anything will do - webcam, phone camera.. etc.

thumb/doodle
http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d105/afantana/Oblio_WWIZ.jpg
and almost done.
if i find more time tomorrow... i'll work som emore on this.. or do another (i don;t like it to much but it was good practice)
http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d105/afantana/Oblio_chow45_WWIZ.jpg
Volburan blew up his hand with his own powers on a friday 13, when he was 13 years old.
He's 56 now and even out of control as he is, nobody around him will want to see him go. He smells very bad, his skin has strange collors every day and he never talks. He's got himself many names now: Dark Volburan, Silent Light, Papa Death... yet nobody is calling him out loud.

[t i m]

Ok guys got my idea, was bumming around with getting a character together in my head..Here's a few quick sketches...

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a296/gr4phic4rt/WIP1.jpg

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a296/gr4phic4rt/chow45wip2.jpg

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a296/gr4phic4rt/CHOW45WIP3copy.jpg

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a296/gr4phic4rt/Chow45Wip4.jpg


Description:

" Engel des Todes"

The year is 1915 a trench war wages between the German and Allied Armies in Belgium. Both sides have been dispersing large amounts of chlorine gas to rout out the enemy forces occupied in trenches across the battlfield from them. Chlorine gas is a green, thick, and extremly toxic substance which when inhaled deteriorates the lungs of its victims causing severe burns and death within 48 hours of inhalation. As deadly a weapon chlorine gas is, dispersing the gas upon enemy troops with accuracy has shown to be a problem. Often if the wind is not in their favor an attacker can have their own gas come back and inflict casualities on their own troops. The Germans needed a way to get those canisters into British trenches, and unleash them at close range where wind will play no factor in it's devastation.

Enter..."Engel des Todes" (rough translation: The Angels of Death)

This is a group of highly trained German soldiers whose main goal is to at the dead of night sneak across the mile wide area, known as Dead Man's Land, getting as deep behind enemy lines as possible. On there backs they carry massive drums filled with a deadly mix of chlorine and phosgene known as White Star. Once they have reached their object they pull the pin on a pair of grenades and detonate themselves along with the cansiter of White Star, engulfing the area in the deadly gas. The soldiers were asked to make this ultimate sacrifice to further the damaging effects of the gas. Upon detonation, British soldiers would advance on the area where the explosion occured instantly making themselves victims of the gases deadly effects. Das Todesegels troops were equiped with automatic weapons and gas masks, so no matter what even if their canisters rupture they will get that gas to it's destination and kill as many men as possible.

As the attacks occured British troops relayed the events via morse code to the command posts far away from the font lines. One such message read as follows: "German Commando...Explosion....Cloud of Green Smoke...Heavy Casualties..No Signs of Enemy Troops" Through the broken messages and talk among young British soldiers it sounded as if the Germans had magicians, or WIZARDS in their employ...With that the legend of these "Wizards" as British troops called them began. Their exploits quickly made it into the trenches and oh how the young British soldiers feared these unknown German troops. Where as suicide bombers are common place in the world today, such events seemed almost unfathomable at that time. So contrary to the facts, British troops told stories of how these crazed Germans unleashed this toxic green smoke and all but vanished leaving behind scraps of uniform and the occasional helmet.

Thanks for taking your time to read this, I hope my final doesn't dissapoint.

~Tim~


P.S. Still working on some thumbnails for a final composition, and yes I will stick to the color pallete. :)

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a296/gr4phic4rt/prevlight.jpg
http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a296/gr4phic4rt/colorlaydownwip2copy.jpg

WIP Update: I've got some serious lighting issues on my hands moonlight + flashlights = Tim's pulling his hair out..:nohope: At the same time I started on a palette too..

Also I may lower the viewers prospective a bit make those trench walls taller, like he's jumping on top of you, as it stands it may come off a bit flat.?

Well This is it...I abandoned the action pose to put more focus on the character, that and I had alot of other stuff going on.

FINAL:

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a296/gr4phic4rt/timothy_CHOW45_final2.jpg

[chadmango]

Well most annoyingly I just don't have the time to fine tune this bugger, but I just had to enter :)

Crits would be very much appreciated, although I won't be able to make any changes until after the deadline grrrr.

Anyway, here he is...

http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g169/chadmango/chadmango_chow44_secretspe.jpg


It is well known that Germany were experimenting with the notion of the ''perfect' soldier during WWII, but what has not been recorded is the attempts by the British during the Great War. When a soldier was wounded he had a 50/50 chance of going home or returning to the front line as one of these new 'crack unit' soldiers. Above is one of the failed attempts by British scientists. Nicknamed 'the wizard', corporal Simpson lasted 43 minutes in no mans land. Fortunatley out of the 75 soldiers killed by the electricity, at least 25 were German. There were many other 'members' of this crack unit, but Simpson was by far the most public of failures.

[dragon4lunch]

Timothy "Angels of Death" would correctly be translated "Engel des Todes". What you have now is grammatically incorrect. "das" indicated something singular is following. Nice work on the discription. But you are right, suicide commandos were unthinkable at the time (if you don't count trench warfare suicide that is).

In World War I, it was all about pride, patriotism and collonial rivalry. Suicide commandos, as far as I know, did not exist. Even in World War II the Germans only had very few suicidals (that is, individuals who didn't plan on coming back alive). Those were pilots who rammed British planes.

Anyway, nice sketches. A little more detail on their outfit would be good.

[bradley]

Timothy - i like your take on the brief, it would be cool to have a little side comic to go with your final piece in that drawn style of how they go about there sneaking and blowing up. Though i dont see why they need to gas masks if there about to kill themselves.

updated mine

[Wafflehouseninja]

here is a thumb set.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v412/Waffleninja/chow.jpg

Famed inventor and scientist Nikola Tesla heeded the call of the Mother land during The Great War. He aplyed his skills to the creation of wepons. Powerfull and highly dangerous to the target as well as the user.A squad was formed to iplement these new tools of war. Code named: wizzard.

[wassermelone]

Im noting a distinct lack of Rincewind/Luggage :(

[Hookswords]

Firstly, damn you Wafflehouseninja! I was playing with the idea of the tesla. Lookin good. Secondly, is the double z intentional on the topic? "Wizzard"

[dragon4lunch]

Timothy I also just noted that the German soldier in that one picture is holding a Sturmgewehr, an MP44. That is a World War 2 weapon.

[S.C. Watson]

Hmmm.... This looks like it's going to be good...

[Jjod27]

I am new here, where do I check out all the finals when they are done?

[t i m]

Dragon: Thanks for the proper translation I updated the description. Also I plan on paying alot more attention to detail in the uniform for the final piece so stay tuned. I should also do a little more research into the weaponary that German solidiers had back in 1915, all great crits, much appreciated.

Bradley: I plan on making a few thumbnails to better describe what the "Angels" objectives were, I'll try my best to include them in the final. As for the gas masks, the thought behind those were that even if the canisters ruptured do to malfunction or small arms fire, the German troops would not be affected by there own gas and be able to deliver it to the enemy postions. Thanks for taking the time to comment, much appreciated...

Now for some crits..I'm not very good at these, last art class I had was in highschool so i'm afraid I won't be able to give much technical advice.

Bradley: First off after seeing some of the colors you layed down on that sketch I gotta say I love it! Digging the textures too so far the painting is going really well. My only crit would be as I look at the piece I don't get a sense of a powerfull wizard as more of a man who loathes his abilities. This could have been intentional, but I sure woulda loved to see ol' Georgi in action. Looking forward to the final..

Fuuryoku: Digging the colors in your piece as well, I can still see that your fleshing out the pose, and I agree the anatomy is a bit off, looking good though. Also the composition leaves me wondering just what can a gun like that do? Who is he shooting at? Is there a meaning to the staff he carries, does it have special powers too?

fedezz: Man that costume is great! Anatomy is spot on too. Not much to crit yet, can't wait to see the finished product!

Oblio: Looking good definetly sparking an interest as to who this guy is, and what powers he has, other than the ability to fly that is. Looking forward to the description.

Chadmango: Great Idea I love how you touched on the concept of the "perfect soldier" and gave us your take on what that may entail. Check your anatomy the head and neck seem a bit off center, this piece would also benfit greatly from a background, "set the scene of that giant catastrophe" so to speak. All in all a great idea, a little more time invested in it and your gonna have a super piece!

wafflehouseninja: Love that guy in the middle, great expression. It's pretty clear you spent a bit more time on him than the others. The idea is intriguing as well. A little more explanation as to what there weapons do, maybe incorperate that into the finished product, you've got a great idea and from your sketch I can see that the finished product should be a treat, can't wait.

[Volles Metall]

Awesome stuff everyone. I like the topic for this current CHOW. I am gunna join in on the fun. :teeth:

[Stephan_R]

Hi Timothy, might I give some ideas...?

I'd point the soldier's arm and flashlight up higher right at your main character in the middle. (For instance place the flashlight above that bag on the ground rather than below it... to point to your center peice more and offer less confusion with the stuff on the ground) Also I would change the legs for your middle character's landing... and put his left foot down so it balances his upper body more. Keep it up!

bradley: i like your scene and mood, but the main character could use some *Pop & pazzazz* like add some more colors in his uniform as well as brighten him for a stronger focal point?

fedezz: awesome design, i like the pose too!

Oblio: pretty cool layout for a scene, it makes me want to see more :)

fuuryoku: the pose and scene make it feel flat for some reason, maybe try moving his face and arm to point closer to the viewer?

wafflehouseninja: great designs and thumbs, lots of character there. I'm anxious to see your final.

[chadmango]

Hey Timothy thanks for the crit mate. Think I've fixed the head and neck issue. You are right about the background... I'm going to work on it, but time is a real issue this week. So may have to just stick with what I've got, oh well :(

[bradley]

timothy - well the charcter is kinda in his 60s by the time we see him here, maybe the war is taking its toll on him, cheers for crit

Stephan R - Yeah already on that, i havent put in the secondary light source which is going to be some flame or electricity(magic stuff) coming from his gloved hand, so that should pop him out a bit. cheers for crit

[Vampire Ninja]

http://student.vfs.com/~3d64klaus/WW1wizard.jpg

The Wizzard.

The head of a secret special unit of snipers from World War One. These men lived entirely in the trenches for years, eating and drinking little, with little rest and almost no sleep. Each of the Wizzard’s men were a deadly shot, but the Wizard himself was known for the most precise and steady shot ever seen. His men sat in a line waiting hours on end for a single man to lift his head up above the trenches, for but a split second, which was all it would take the Wizard’s men to take that man’s life. The Wizard received his nickname due to his unusually long wizard like beard, along with his magical deadly aim.

[Piru]

Bailed out!

[cesaraguilar]

mi wizard save is not a warrior[

http://img106.imageshack.us/img106/7813/soldadoscopiaih2.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

The magicians were selected between the people of army were not combatant to have special habilities to cure to heal tolook the future… they were welded very appreciated between soldiers because they saved lives



http://img106.imageshack.us/img106/7813/soldadoscopiaih2.jpg (http://imageshack.us)[/QUOTE]

[sephone]

It's been a while since I've posted. I think I can make time for this one. Hey Stephan R glad to see you're actively painting away. I'm trying to make arangements to go to the SF workshop. Hope to see you there.

[Volles Metall]

Here it is. I had no time to make a BG... sorry. Hope you all like it! :teeth:


FINAL
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v487/narutoJRM/VollesMetall_CHOW45_FINAL.jpg

Description:
----------------------------------------------------------------
TOP SECRET
Name: Hans Morrell
Codename: Der Zauberer (The Wizard)
Known Info: Hans was born with the awesome and magical power of telekinesis. He can move objects with his mind and thus is also able to stop a bullet in its tracks. His native country of Germany took notice of this ability and took him from his parents at the very young age of 2 so that they could mold him into a weapon of war as well as study him; they hoped to find a way to extract, or learn, his power and how it works so that one day all the troops of their great country would be unstopable. The German Military and Government were not able to learn how he was able to use his mind in such a masterful way but they were determend to use Hans to their advantage. He was swiftly put into duty. He became an great power and feared asset of the German Army. He moved up in rank as fast as the bullets in which he was able to stop.

[Simon Boxer]

Cool piece, Bradley.

Great idea, cesaraguilar! Wish I'd thought of that.

Volles - Very authentic looking character! I dig it. The only crit I have is that the folds on his right arm seem to indicate it's coming forwards instead of going behind the back.

[PeanutButterWerewolf]

This is looking pretty awsome!!! Wafflehouseninja and Vampire Ninja I like your interpretations, I guess ninjas think outside the box.

Volles Metall: I had a same idea, its so wierd. I even have one arm behind the back aswell, but mine look more like ww2 than 1...means I lose :(

[Volles Metall]

cognition.sb - Thanks for pointing that out.. I totally agree and will def fix that. I am glad that was brought to my attention before I started coloring. Thanks. :dur: I should have seen that.

Wafflehouseninja - I love the tesla idea. Looking forward to seeing more.

cesaraguilar - Are the soldiers in the BG sitting on something? The legs are throwing me off on some of those guys. I like the healing/medic thing you got going.

t i m o t h y - Your piece is coming along very nice, although I agree with what was brought up about having the flashlight pointed more at the Wizard.

fedezz - Awesome character. Nice pose, nice lines, can't wait for more. But the tubes from the gas mask that are going into the coat... I am not sure how that works out... does he have something under his coat that they are heading into? If so I would think his coat would be puffed out a bit or something. It is a great design but I am not getting the functionallity of it? I am just nit picking tho. Great job man.

fuuryoku - Cool FX from the gun!

bradley - This is my first CHOW too! I am finding it to be really fun. Your piece is looking great, but I think is would be cool if the horse eye protection... some of the horses had eye protection for them in WWI. IMO it would add to the semi-creepiness/mysterious thing your character has going.

PeanutButterWerewolf - Lol. You don't lose, get yours done and throw it up here. No one is a loser when it comes to practice and that is what this is all about; increasing our skills and helping eachother through crits and such. I am looking forward to your character. I hope you have time to finish it. :teeth:

[madhatter106]

Volles - that line art is utterly absolutely beautiful. I am stunned by how gorgeous it is...

Also, I'm surprised that you're the only one who has used (so far) what I consider to be the "iconic" uniform piece of the Central Powers - the pickelhaube - that great german helmet with the spike on the top.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pickelhaube

I do love this CHOW topic - it offers both a high degree of ingenuity as well as a bit of scholarship and research...I can't tell you how long I spent surfing the web for info on WWI uniforms, a topic that I only have a vague familiarity with. Alas, I do love my idea and the method I was going to use to convey it, but I won't make the deadline...perhaps another time... :)

[Volles Metall]

madhatter106 - Wow. Thank you very much. Yea, I spent some time looking at WWI uniforms, gas masks, and helmets. I actually combined the German Pickelhaube with the Swiss helmet-->http://www.go-armynavy.com/03070053.jpg

I wanted to have something that looked and felt like WWI but was a little different because this character is a special unit and I wanted him to have something different with his gear than the usual trooper. This topic is really fun!

[rudszy]

WIP - Bismarck Sonderkommadno.
I'll finish on WIP, because Volles Metall idea. I'm late. :\
http://img98.imageshack.us/img98/5936/bismarckhx5.jpg

[dragon4lunch]

Hey WaffelhouseNinja, looking mighty swell there! I hope you're going to tighten it up some, 'cause this dude has character! Good job!

Volles Metal: Man, that is a nice drawing! Looking forward to see where you're taking this piece!

rudszy: Oh yeah! Make it so!

I'll post my entry soon! Wanna compete in this - great topic. Good to do period pieces, rather than sci-fi all the time. Of course... sci-fi ROCKS!!!

[PeanutButterWerewolf]

Here is my contribution... secret special unit: Zauberer WIP

http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k46/murduk_kudrum/chow.jpg

I'll probably never finish cuz I dont have a tablet...oh well:)

[The Dream Walker]

is it just me? or are many of the entries looking a little too similar...

[Vampire Ninja]

is it just me? or are many of the entries looking a little too similar...
There are quite a few gas masks, but those became crucial during WWI. I think also, people are doing research on uniforms, and you have to make the character fit the time, so again, the lack of a face due to gas masks takes away a lot of personality options that would seperate entries more distinctly, but overall I'd say we have some rather unique entries here.

[Oblio]

http://www.costumes.org/history/100pages/militaryuniforms.htm

http://lafayette.150m.com/thumbsmilitary.html

http://www.worldwaronecolorphotos.com/

have fun

[Supervlieg]

Made some thumbs, let me know what you think. Im leaning towards the bottom right one.

http://www.bolman.nl/cgtalk/supervlieg_chow045.jpg

[Vampire Ninja]

Supervlieg, REALLY sweet thumbnails. I like the bottom right most. Very active, while the wizard himself has a stiff confident stance, as a wizard should! Great stuff man.

[wookiedabo]

bottom rite or top left. bottom rite has got a more powerful atmosphere. all entries are really shapin up.

[SigiLee]

I'd choose bottom right as well. Most arrogant of em.

edit: not sure it's ok to use this post as presentation board now, if not please let me know and I'll edit.

I want to give this topic a shot. I'm prepared for major headacheing ;)

Here are 2 ideas I came up with. Will be detailing the right concept.

The wizard will be chained to a cart/wagon. He floats in the air, often moving with violent spasms, trying to get loose. In his anger he uncontrolably shoots rays from eyes (and mouth). The cart he is on has a protective barrier around the back in order to keep the own soldiers safe from the wizard's fury.

http://i126.photobucket.com/albums/p108/SigiLee/22102006/chow45_concept.jpg


Very rough WIP

Doing some major reconstructive surgery on his face, nose and eyes don't line up correctly with the rest. The rest is just really rough still, so a lot of work left. Tried to go for a hilly background, but failed miserably, will be doing a simple background (no env.)
I'll probably have to change some colours to match the palette. And he will be dressed proper soon (well... proper...)

This is my first real attempt at making something more complicated than a simple head or apple in 2d CG as well as colour in general. So bear with me. I'm open to CC!

http://i126.photobucket.com/albums/p108/SigiLee/22102006/chow45_v2.jpg

I can't promise a 100% that I will finish this piece to the end, but will certainly put in a big effort to try so.

[jackenstein]

Placeholder I suppose.

Once again, I've got a concept that's execution seems to be a bit bigger than I can accomadate. *sigh* It's getting old. Painting with a mouse is so slaggy. Not to mention I'm having trouble finding proper source on Austrian WWI Fashions, particularly that of higher-ups.

[Stephan_R]

I am dedicating my submission to my kids Caleb, Hannah and Stephanie.

Here's a W.I.P. sketch I was doing on ferry rides to work. I wanted to interpret the wizard very literally, and avoid the gas mask cliche'

http://www.steveroyer.com/sketching/chow45_sketch.jpg

...and the final image! Thank you to my buddies, Wizard of Koz and Kevin W. for all the help :) There's a small chance I'll touch up details but for the most part this is my final, with a description to follow soon.

http://www.steveroyer.com/sketching/chow_45.jpg

Young Thomas Wells was a spirited child before the war began. He was always seen carrying around a large book, that was handed down in his family for generations. He was lifted from a small farm in the United States when Germany declared war on Russia. The reason a child was pulled from around the world to a dangerous war zone was clear on October 14th, 1917 in the Battle of Passchendaele, where US soldiers held the front lines against a charging German offensive. Orders were handed down to the American soldiers to watch over young Thomas, as he had a particular skill that could provide an advantage in battle. The events that took place were regarded with biblical references and confusion. All sources referred to how the German soldiers were disfigured in battle, as Thomas Wells single-handedly stood at the line and transformed their morale. It's difficult to say what exactly happened, but it shifted the battle to an allied victory.

[Oblio]

it's not about the render... but the whole ideea.. that takes my words away.
i feel like i want to have kids.. NOW :)
i was worried that on CA we have only monsters and the like.. and i tried severall times to change that... and now... i look at my WIP entry (not the one posted) and see an old creepy wizzard and.. i feel like blaming myself.
Thank you for your post. Amazing piece.
(Hey .. i LOVE the render too - don;t get any ideeas :D )

[Stephan_R]

Oblio you late night lurker, thank you so much :D!

You know, i love monsters like the next guy but since I have kids I think its just as important that we don't forget the light-hearted, creative stuff that inspired us as kids. Like Disney's "Sword in the Stone" was my inspiration here.

[Volles Metall]

Stephan_R that is AWESOME! :bow:

[skvv]

EDIT: Final Entry... I got frustrated, I need practice and lessons... and practice...

This is about a half-quit half-done entry, but it's here and i'm showing it so i can move on to something else.

http://www.cdheath.com/images/wip/skvv_CHOW45_wizzard.jpg

[dragon4lunch]

Stephan_R - I was going to quote you "on ferry rides to work" and ask if you really take a ferry to work. How cool is that?!

Then I scrolled down and saw you insanely strong entry!!! ARGH!!! HEHEHEHE. I'm about to post my own piece. My entry is peaceful as well and he isn't wearing a gasmask... but your picture is sooo sweet! I dig it that nobody is getting hurt. I love peace!

[Supervlieg]

Great work there Stephan! Looks like you've pwnd us all! This is one of the best takes on the subject in a long while. Good job!

I feel silly doing the gasmask guy now. But then again, gasmasks are always fun.

[Piru]

:drool: seriously pwning the lot Stephan!

[Flake]

Stephan, that is quite splendid and it made me grin like a loon. :)

Well played.

[Uziel]

omg omg omg <3 :xpld: :yayca:

[jackenstein]

Stephan, I've always enjoyed your ability to take something that's got the potential to seem so hopeless and dark, and to turn it on it's ear. Not only are your renders ace, but you're a package: art, concept, skill. It strikes me too, because I think we all wish to some degree that war could be solved just as easily, and since war is such a dark spot on humanity, to take a child going into it and solving it in a way that's blithe and whimsical...it's totally original.

I know I'm ass kissing but man, it's a wonderful idea and even more wonderfully executed.

[Vampire Ninja]

Stephen R, this is my favorite submission to date. I skipped to page two and saw all those people saying how great it was, and I was like, "this thing must be golden" and it was...hehe, seriously though, I REALLY love this work, it is fun but so well rendered, makes me laugh, and still appreciate it on a visual and intellectual sense. Very well thought out, hands down have my vote.

[fedezz]

Updated my first post with my final.

[dragon4lunch]

German General Gerhard von Rabenfels realized in early 1915, that this war was a barbaric waste of human life. He swallowed his pride and bravely, against the will of Kaiser Wilhelm II. (German head of state at the time), called for a cease-fire, which he then turned into peace without Germany having to part with any of their land nor did they have to pay reparation. For single-handedly having ended the war, for being a better human then all the rest of the war-mongering foolish generals and politicians, he was later labeled "Der Zauberer" (the wizard).

A few years later, in 1920, he had a car accident where he ran over and killed a World War I veteran called Adolf Hitler. Little did Rabensfeld know that he had just saved over 50 million human lives...

http://www.trickstertoys.com/additional/dragon4lunch_CHOW45_the_wiz.jpg

Crits VERY welcome!

[dragon4lunch]

fedezz your description sounds like you watched too much Ghost in the Shell :)

Cool entry!

[Azrael]

oh dear god. count me out. the white flag is up Stephan_R. simply brilliant.

[Balsamic]

I am just speechless at Stephan_R's. Simply incredible.

I was working on this, but damn. There's just no competing with Stephan's.
http://www.twentytwofourteen.com/wips/Balsamic.CHOW45.WIP5.jpg

[Marco Mazzoni]

Stephan_R Wow man, you really make it hard for me to even want to finish my entry. I think if my son saw that, he'd wish YOU were his dad! :dad:

[PianoForte]

ok i'm going to post a wip, i doubt i will finish it but i would still like to play with the big boys, makes me feel better about myself

haha
ok well here it is.

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e133/PianoForte159/Wizard.jpg

[dragon4lunch]

Alright, everybody settle down ;)

While we all agree Stephen_R's piece is great and would make an excellent illustration for the climax of a children's book, it isn't exactly a "character concept art" piece! You don't even see the boy's face.

Also, Stepen's image doesn't exactly say World War I. It looks much more like World War II. Germany only produced a total of 20 tanks in World War I and I doubt those saw action in a desert area. This is nit-picky, buy hey, you stole everybody's thunder and I think this is fair cirticism. Yes?

[Demiurgic]

Alright, everybody settle down ;)

While we all agree Stephen_R's piece is great and would make an excellent illustration for the climax of a children's book, it isn't exactly a "character concept art" piece! You don't even see the boy's face.

Also, Stepen's image doesn't exactly say World War I. It looks much more like World War II. Germany only produced a total of 20 tanks in World War I and I doubt those saw action in a desert area. This is nit-picky, buy hey, you stole everybody's thunder and I think this is fair cirticism. Yes?


Hey dragon4lunch, now I'm not getting onto you or anything, but I have to disagree. The piece cleary looks WWI, I don't see anything in it that might say otherwise. As for the setting, it looks like the trenches, which really didn't exist in WWII, and not really a desert setting. Also, the tank definatly looks WWI era to me. As for being a character concept.. well how much more could have been done anyways, its a boy, in a typical uniform with a book, wand, and his favorite teddy bear stuffed into his bag I think. It all looks good to me, but thats just my opinion.

[dragon4lunch]

Here is the German WWI tank: http://mailer.fsu.edu/~akirk/tanks/ww1/a7v5.gif

Also, I think the helmet of the boy need to bee flatter, since I believe it is supposed to be a British helmet. And I think the the legs of the giraffe look broken. Hehe, Demiurgic your counter crit prompted me to widen my critique. It's all in good spirit though. His piece is great, no doubt. But I do kind of get tired of people with the most fleshed out, illustrated book imagery with scenery and everything keep winning, even if this is a character concept thread. This is particularly noticable in the C.O.W. thread! It's whack my friend, whack. Hehehe. Yes, I laugh, but it's true. :(

[Beelow]

Stephan R that is hip, I love your interpretation of this theme, superb image. I don't think I can top that but I don't think I will though. XD

[Hookswords]

Well, I struggled through this one. I had a hard time finding the time to work on it this week, I struggled with the design and composition, and in the end I couldnt do what I wanted in the time I had. I experimented a little on this one and that was one of my downfalls in the end, from one point of view. I did learn a lot about how I could do things different given time. But the image I have vs the one in my head are very different. Though this topic did give me a great idea, something I'd like to flesh out a little more. So this may not be the last time you folks see this character. I dont know if it will make the cut for voting. If so great, if not, I understand.

http://img84.imageshack.us/img84/1624/thewizzardpostqf1.jpg

An excerpt from The Occult and the German Army by James David Wolfcub:

Interview with a German pilot-

"The Wizzards? Yes... I know of them. You never knew when they would be joining us on missions. There was something not entirely human about them. They were phantoms...I dunno...demons maybe....They would...they would stand on our wings...perched...waiting....No pilot would speak it, but we all protested them flying up with us. That is, until you saw them in action. A man on your wing Laughs...the very idea was insane. The weight alone would completly ruin your flight path, and rip through your wing....but it was as if they were weightless. It was as if a ghost stood on your wing. They would stand there arrogantly...the wind had no power over these "men". These were men of magic...there is no other way to explain it. How did they operate? Laughs They would leap from our wings and highjack enemy planes. Laughs I know it sounds insane, especially since other than balloon crews, no one really used parachutes. The Wizzards didnt have parachutes...they didnt need them. They would leap from our wings and take enemy planes...they would kill the pilot and take flight and fight alongside us. How did we know who to shoot at? Laughs If you didnt think I'm crazy yet, you will now. When they took the plane...its colours changed. They would look like our planes. This was part of their magic. I know it because, when we would land, the planes they captured looked like the enemy's. They had magic in our heads. That's why you never spoke ill of them and stayed clear of them. You never knew what else they could do to your head. The ground crews would still have to strip the captured planes and re-outfit them to our parameters. The Wizzards made our efforts easier because they cut in half the number of planes we'd have to shoot down on a mission. And when many of our plane factorys were bombed, the missions of the Wizzards proved very valuable. Mortality rate? No, I never saw one die, or fail. You would see some come back from missions....their uniforms riddled with bullet holes, but not a drop of blood was spilled. If they did have any blood on them, it was from the pilot they killed. They flew with only one weapon, a whip of metal and chain with a dagger on the end. No one but the top of the Fatherland army knows what became of them..they vanished as quickly as they moved in battle. These were not men, they were phantoms, summoned for the war..."

[Marco Mazzoni]

dragon4lunch, I noticed that too and I think there is good reason for that. Typicaly a fleshed out illustration lends itself to a more clear concept because it's able to show the subject in action. What better way to understand something than to see how it reacts to its surroundings?

Of course, if the initial concept is crap then the image will fall flat on it's face, but hey, I'm workin' on that too ;)

[fedezz]

Well, I have to agree with dragon4lunch. Don't get me wrong, Stephan's piece is fantastic, and narrative wise stunning. Also, as cute as the image is, I don't see it compatible with the palette and overall mood depicted in the color reference frames posted. Perhaps the tone of the movie/game/wherever the character is going to be used, could be clarified in the briefing?
Marco Mazzoni - I'm not against full fleshed illustrations, but perhaps a balanced way to show the character reacting to his surroundings, signature actions AND show clearly the character design would we adding some kind of small schematic sequence, something very common in cow. That way, the character still the main element in the image.
I dunno, it's my first chow, just some thoughts.

[Eric Gerhard]

Fantastic Stephan!!!!

[Mr-Joe]

Stephen_R........ your the man.... That is so freekin great.. where do you think up these ideas, I gotta say the past things I have seen from you have made me into a big fan. The robot sitting on the car one for the 3CH has been my desktop background, that is just pure genious. You got a great childrens book style thing going on. Id love to see some of your wips. Truely a great inspiration for me, keep it up I cant wait to see some more.

[dragon4lunch]

Yes, Stephen_R = great/awesome/all-that-good-stuff. We got it. Could someone please crit my entry? I put at least 20 hours into it. Thanks.

[jackenstein]

Yes, Stephen_R = great/awesome/all-that-good-stuff. We got it. Could someone please crit my entry? I put at least 20 hours into it. Thanks.
A tad green eyed are we?

I mean, you bring up some valid points, but begging for crits isn't exactly the way to motivate people off of something they enjoy.

As for your piece, the floor still looks somewhat unfinished, the flow of the bottom of the jack looks off, and I think his face needs more contrast. I'm not against the use of chartruese in the military, but if we're going for accuracy, I'm not certain it was part of the color palette. I do, however, like Stephan, appreciate the approach. You decided to take a different route that wasn't obviously mystical, and that's admirable. He does feel like he could've been operating during that time, and it really shows that you did invest time as far as styling goes.

[Greenjack]

Hi,

First time post on CA. Have been painting for a couple of years, mainly airbrush stuff and a lot of it photo referenced portraiture. Got into Photoshop 2 months ago having stumbled across CA and having been truly inspired by the talent here. Decided that I need to work more from my imagination and try to develop my skills. Here's the result of the last 2 days efforts, straight in with the finished (or as finished as it's going to get) result, wasn't sure I was going to complete it, so no WIPS. Still got a lot to learn, and in retrospect, maybe a view of the backside isn't a great place to start when it comes to character development. Nearly decided to call it a day when I saw Stephen_R's piece this morning, wow! Hope this is considered worthy of entry, critiques welcome.

http://i116.photobucket.com/albums/o21/greenjackCA/Thewizard.jpg

Generaloberst Erich von Klinkerhoffen, seventh son of a seventh son, hated the war. He hated the rain, he hated the mud and, more than anything, he hated the muck they called food. True, they were in a more comfortable position than the British, having dug in months earlier, but for the sake of his own sanity he would have to end this debacle soon. Heavy with sorrow at what he must now do, he stood under the dawning sky, and chanted the ancient invocations that would release the elemental. As the first offensive began he realised that the 1st of July 1916 would be remembered for all time.

[fedezz]

Yes, Stephen_R = great/awesome/all-that-good-stuff. We got it. Could someone please crit my entry? I put at least 20 hours into it. Thanks.
Chill man...no one's getting good crits, not even Stephan. Personally, I'll give in-depth critiques to everyone once the finals are posted, 'cause wips updating all the time in the same post kinda confuses me.

[jackenstein]

Chill man...no one's getting good crits, not even Stephan. Personally, I'll give in-depth critiques to everyone once the finals are posted, 'cause wips updating all the time in the same post kinda confuses me.
That, and generally people save complete crits for when the round is over so they can critique in one massive post instead of doing it sparsely.

[Supervlieg]

Well, here goes nothing ;)

http://www.bolman.nl/cgtalk/supervlieg_chow045_2.jpg

From the journal of Private Alex J. Murphy
Saturday, 1st of July 1916
"From afar all we could see was a green glow. It wasnt clear what was causing the kills on our squadron. I looked like a green ball, but shooting it yielded no results. Thunder shot from this green ball and our men exploded when hit. It was like fighting a god. All we know is we lost that battle within a few seconds. As the battle came to an end I saw this mighty silhoutte standing in a ball of fire. I don't remember what happened after that. I guess I must have lost consciousness. I know not how I survived but I woke up the morning after the battle to find our whole platoon dead. Where the man stood who had defeated us only a hill off glass remained."

[Johnnyhorse]

Well, since I'm not even participating in the event, I'll critique a few.. or two.

Supervlieg - Very nice mood, and the costume/figure is strangely unique, even considering similar-ish designs in every other person's piece. For crits...
The mask should probably have just a few more highlighs, not just specular lines, but solid highlights as well (around his eyes I suppose). These highlights would make sense since there is a huge orb of light infront of him.
The thing that immediately struck me, even though it is a very minor detail, but important to the concept, are the bullets hitting the shield. It would be a lot more accurate to make the bullets sequential instead of all 4 hitting at once... maybe have some ripples or just smoke or something for the first 2 bullets and then gradually progress.
Finally, the background, considering it's WWI, is a little too simple... there should be atleast more craters/barbed wire/fences/tank jacks/and just generally people around.

Dragon4Lunch - As J-Absinthe said (and im guessing chartreuse means that green/yellow), the green color throws the whole picture a little off. Even more importantly though, I think the skin needs a lot of work. If the whole picture had the same washed out look that his skin has, it would work perfectly, but the rest of the picture is colored pretty conservatively, save for his face. Either add some warmth to the skin tones or make the rest of the picture more like an old photograph.
Also, as absinthe mentioned, the bottom of the coat is a little awkward. The front of the jacket should extend further than the back at this perspective.
Finally, I don't know if the smoke adds more than it distracts from the concept... and if you are keeping it, touch up the tips of the smoke--its pretty obvious you were using the round brush (and smoke isn't very round at the ends).

Okay, I think I used up all my crit energy. To all the people I didn't crit, please don't take offense! the two i crit were just the newest ones that seem the most finished.
Okay, good work everyone, keep it up!

[dragon4lunch]

absinthe and Johnnyhorse thanks man, I'll improve the piece. I'm not quite sure where you guys see green but I'm changing some of the color...

[skvv]

Supervlieg, cool entry, even from the thumbnail i knew that would be my fav.

[Johnnyhorse]

absinthe and Johnnyhorse thanks man, I'll improve the piece. I'm not quite sure where you guys see green but I'm changing some of the color...

I'm talking about the tassels and the sash that cross his chest and on his shoulders... and it's definitely green, greenish yellow ;)

[Demiurgic]

Yes, Stephen_R = great/awesome/all-that-good-stuff. We got it. Could someone please crit my entry? I put at least 20 hours into it. Thanks.

Lol! Wow man.. well I suppose it did work for you, since I'm going to give you my thoughts on it. First on what you said earlier about concepts that are more fleshed out winning more often: True, it is a bit unfair, but when you consider that these activities are a week long, than I think the entries should be well fleshed out. That isn't to say that concept isn't as important, it should be just as important, but if all you got is a quick sketch to show for a whole week.. see what I mean? Plus, personally I don't get annoyed no matter who wins, its up to ppl, I just enjoy participating and seeing all the great concepts and artwork.

As for your entry, I definatly like it, it was one of my fav when I was first checking out all the entries. Both the piece and the concept. However the general's anatomy seems off, thats all I can tell at this point but if I had to guess it seems like the head is slightly to big, or perhaps his shoulders are not broad enough, both things which I think you stated you noticed already. Only other thing really I have to say is that his jacket doesn't seem like it would flap that much in the wind, it looks like its made of heavier material than that.

Oh yea, and considering Germany hadn't needed to part with land or pay reparation, Hitler would never have become what he did, and almost certainly would never had gotten the chance he did to take over. Actually, I think running over Himler would be a better precaution, but hey, what the heck, might as well be safer than sorry. :P

Supervlieg - Definatly like it, great job.

[Hookswords]

Update with my final and description. I may not have had a great execution, but I came up with a great idea I'd like to persue further, and learned a few things for next time. Great entrys from everyone!

[Wizard of KOZ]

Well here is mine. I think It turned out a little flat. It was a little too ambitious of me to take on a bg, and 4 characters. :xpld: Oh well I wanted challenge myself. Once again mad props to Stephen R for all of his help on this.

http://www.landofkoz.com/Paintings/wizardofkoz_chow45.jpg

And a composistion one with effects added:
http://www.landofkoz.com/Paintings/wizardofkoz_comp_chow45.jpg

The Wizard unit was formed from the best of the allied soldiers. From the United States "The Seer", from France "The Medic", from Russia "The inventor", and from Britain "The Colonel". Their achievements on the battlefield and indeed their very existence were known to very few. This was essential lest the enemy intelligence find out and attempt counter measures.

This photograph (the only in known existence) is from the last time the members of the Wizard Unit were seen alive. It is not known whether they were Killed, captured, or simply deserted.

[Stephan_R]

I wanted to give some last minute ideas, in case anyone still wanted them while there's time left. Thanks so much for the compliments all, I'm proud to be apart of the forums.... it is such a great stress relief and experience building exercise.

Wizard of KOZ: Hi buddy ! Glad to see you entering these. I'll throw out some ideas I had for ya ;) First off the foreground silhouettes don't seem to make much sense to me (not that they need to) but it could be cool if they were either recognizable objects.. or not so busy with shapes cut out I dunno. I love the folder piece and would like to see that as your submission. I'd try to take away the black border surrounding the "folder" and make that the concept art forum background color (maybe throw in a shadow under the folder so it looks like it's sitting RIGHT on the forum itself) Maybe change the green tones to the jackets? They all seem similar, but that's personal taste :) I like to see the unique look each soldier gets through their own trials and experiences. Some fade more than others, some are dirtier than others, etc. Maybe define the legs a bit more on the two guys on the right? Also it feels like you could "lighten" the brown fog behind the characters and wall to pop them all out more and put more depth between the background and foreground. Maybe lighten the robot's lower body a tad, to show it's metal and catching more light. You could make the glass on the robot a tad more transparent too, and/or throw something cool inside there? I know you appreciate comments so I hope this doesn't feel like ripping it apart too much. :D

dragon4lunch: You might be able to swap the color of the background and the skintones, to give his flesh some lively feel. With cooler tones behind him, it will pop out the uniform from the background as well giving him a nice bold silhouette. THe brightness on the character could go up or down as well to stand out more from the background too if you wanted. The smokey-grime splatter on the bottom right is distracting to me. I agree with another post someone made about his head being just a little too big, great details throughout though. The green everyone is talking about on the shoulder tassles and chest rope could be changed to a faded yellow to look more natural.

skvv: You could tighten the face to be more clear. Lower the saturation on the pants maybe, to match the rest of the piece. THe barb wire on the right is such a tight and dark form that it pulls my eye away from the character.

Hookswords: The lower legs look unnaturally posed. You might try lightening or darkening the background. You could throw in some highlights somewhere around his head/shoulder/weapon to make it the focus. I like the Cowboy Beebop vibe :)

Greenjack: Keep at it ;) You might try brightening the background mountains so they have the look of more "distance" than the foreground. RIght now they're the same darkness and it flattens the piece I think. THe wrinkles on your guy seem to follow anatomy, but clothing has a mind of its own :) Try making wrinkles "bunch" around joints? Maybe change the color of the helmet as well to pop a bit from the clothing, and to show it's a different material. The magic swirl effect looks kind of flat, try fading the areas closer (or further) from the character to show it has distance from the head and tail.

Supervlieg: Fantastic piece as always. I love the rock reflection and the character's focual points. I wouldn't mind seeing something on the horizon, and ya the bullet hitting sequentially are sort of odd (unless they're sticking?) but ya awesome piece. I know you were sticking to the color palette, but what if the background clouds/smoke were a cooler tone?

[Pavel Sokov]

this is by far the best topic i have seen and will produce the best entries.
i am actualy going to sketch some ideas down.

bradley i really love that u payed homage to my motherland, it is great stuff.
but one thing. the soldier in the back firing doesn't look up to par with anything else, he seems childishly drawn and his unifrom isnt screaming russia to me. so in my personal very russian opinion i think it would be best to leave him out and put all the focus on the pwnage wizard and horse u got going on.

[Wafflehouseninja]

Nice work all. interesting stuff going on here. Im have to pull out of this one. Been out of action with the flu. Working with childeren is killen me.

[t i m]

getting there....

[Marco Mazzoni]

It was tough as hell to fight my initial urge to paint a sinister looking dude in a gas mask (I friggin' LOVE gas masks, btw :gasmask: ) but now I'm kinda glad I did ;)

Anyway, I've been having way too much fun with this guy and I need to stop before it gets any more cluttered.

FINAL
http://www.butcherfx.com/stuff/CA/WWIzard%20(small).jpg

When Sgt. Mullins joined the SSU his mission was simple, use his mysterious power to kill as many German troops as possible. In the beginning this was an easy task that he carried out with entheusiasm. With a fiery clap of his hands the trenches would overflow with his enemy's blood.

As the bloody months passed in the trenches though, Sgt. Mullins' outlook on the war changed drasticaly. He started spending less energy turning Germans inside-out and more time putting his own troops back together. It would seem that the more he healed, the more powerfull he became. His obsession with healing grew untill he began healing the opposition. There was a point in which no casualties had occured on either side for over six days.

His work was not appreciated by his men, and schemes were made against him. On the morning of November 17th of 1918, Sgt. Mullins was shot in the back by two allied troops, whom he had healed just moments before.

[Dark_Eyes]

Well, believe it or not, this is my first post at CA. Thanks so much guys and gals, this stuff is SO INSPIRING! (I certainly owe you one.)
http://i123.photobucket.com/albums/o295/collinsully/CollinSully_CHOW-45_Final.jpg
When the Kaiser was assasinated, few realized that the globalist powers were responsible. Baron Warburg, the highest ranking member of the most secret organization, The Thule Society, had made contact with the three "hidden masters" of the order. The Three granted Baron Warburg the power to commune with demons. Among these demons, Magog the terrible, took the form of a dual headed eagle. Ordo Ab Chao, was his slogan, and he craved the blood of innocents. Under the spell of Magog, Baron Warburg arranged for the Kaiser's assasination, bringing forth the first great war, and giving birth to the New World Order's plan to dominate all life on the planet Earth.

[Pavel Sokov]

Hey again guys, i drew a shitty sketch 5 mins ago, i will scan it tommorow.
i will post it so anyone who is ambitious with PS but is dry of ideas can copy it somewhat if he finds there are interisting elements involved.

[wizo5454]

errr...Stephan_r.... excellent piece
A-maze-ing!!!!

[Wizard of KOZ]

Not at all Steve, those are great crits and I agree with all of them. I need to start messing around with textuers as well. A lot of people here really have some great grit to their works and I'd love to incorperate that into mine. Any suggestions from anyone would be much appriciated.

Dragon4lunch Your piece is really well rendered out, except I think is head is too large, and I feel the yellows are way over saturated. Also from looking at this piece nothing about seems very out of the ordinary for me. If I didn't know the theme I would never guess he was a special soldier.

Supervlieg great piece I'm really sold on the concept of him being a Wizard, one suggestion would be maybe some soldiers over to the right, just some silo's nothing too fancy. Also since the rock that the wizard is on is so nicely detailed, the strokes on the hill to the right stand out as being simply rushed, or unfinished. I would just make it a flat color and take the any futher focus away.

skvv Great pose and composistion although it doesn't feel like he's in battle. Although he definatly looks powerful. I would have loved to see this one pushed a little farther along, it has great potential.

hookswordsI'm not feeling the wizard part of this, His costume is definatly cool. I'm just not getting WW1 era from it. Anatomy wise his feet are way jacked up. It's ok to use photo reference for poses and such. CA has a great Wiki with tons of ref on it. Keep it up. I hope with the next topic you can find time to truly flesh out a piece.

GreenjackGreat attempt, but I would suggest concentrating on just the character next time. Don't worry about a fully flesh out BG. Also keep in mind your light source, don't just add shadows for the sake of shadows. I know this all too well as it's something I still struggle with.
Lastly keep your anatomy in check, his torso seems too long and dis-proportioned.

whew thats all I got for now, I'll crit some more tomorow.

[Volles Metall]

YAY! I finished my character... well, as much as I could at least. Ran outta time, i have no BG and I wanted to add more stuff to the character. done none the less tho. :) i had fun. Great work everyone!

[Migsta]

Here's mine!

http://www.miguellleras.com/images/Migsta_CHOW45_wwi_Wizzard.jpg

These Secret Special Unit soldiers look like normal soldiers going in to the front lines, but these soldiers posess the power of wizardry, and with that can protect all soldiers around them and can unleash a force unseen by normal man.

[dragon4lunch]

Wizard of KOZ "If I didn't know the theme I would never guess he was a special soldier.
"

Yes, but you would be able to tell he is a German World War I general ;)

Demiurgic, JohnnyHorse and Stephen_R - big thanks to you! I'm fixing it! Thank you!

EDIT: Just got done fixing it! I like it much better now! You guys were right! I didn't want to part with the smoke though, but i knocked it down considerably.

[Blue Severin]

Yay, got mine done on time this round.

Experimentation on the battlefield was running rampant. There were not only odd vehicle designs, but human experimentation as well. One of the most effective inventions was telekinetic enhancement. Unfortunately, the success rate of the experiment was 1 in 25, with disastrous explosions during the course of experimenation. The survivors became heroes to their comrades, able to kill without leaving the safety of the trench. These "Wizzards" were all destroyed in battle, or so the official report goes.

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a144/jbrassell/BlueSeverin_CHOW45_wizzard.jpg

[t i m]

Allright final is up...

Great pics everyone!! Had a really fun time doing this, and I definetly plan on doing more!

[Supervlieg]

Thanks for the feedback guys. I managed to work in some of your comments. I think it adds a lot to the picture. (updated on this page)

Stephan: I tried the cooler tone in the background, but it made it look a lot desaturated. And the picture popped a lot less.

[Greenjack]

Thanks for the input. Too late to make any changes I'm afraid, but welcome none the less. Next time more focus on the character.......maybe even a face!