C.O.W. - #080: Winged Healer

[Fozzybar]

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


Round #080

Topic:
Winged Healer

Deadline:
Tuesday, 20th March 2007




- for any questions or help go here:
http://www.conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?t=37512

note: The deadline won't be EXACTLY after a week...it can last up to 24 hours more, i am human and have to work also, you know ;)

Post your creature for this week!

[Fozzybar]

thanx to TomCardin again for a nice topic!




ADDITIONAL INFO

- creature must have wings
- creature must have the ability of healing (comprehensible)
- no individual or character

[Saise]

1. Placeholder! :P
2. I curse you Fozzybar! Curse you with the powerful name of
Fafarafa the Bleble, god of unfinished pics! Two or three hours more,
and I gonna put the final piece for Lava Swimmer.
Why you make the poll so rapidly? Grhaa! :]

[JAG.]

heh.. it happens man. this should be an interesting topic.. having a hard time deciding on a direction to take with it. i like the challenge - JAG

[Fozzybar]

INFORMATION

btw, here is a thread where we are thinking out loud about making a COW book...go here and add your thoughts:

http://www.conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?t=92339

INFORMATION

[yoitisi]

hard topic once again :P I think I'll have to start thinking outside my own box for COW...which is probably a good thing :)

[Woodlandwalker]

CC always welcome
http://www.glensportfolio.com/winged_healer80.jpg
The year is 2057 and the scientists at Clonecorp are celebrating their 5th anniversary of their greatest creation. Little had they known years ago when they were trying to perfect the perfect household companion that they would have stumbled upon one of natures greatest secrets…extended life.
As the worlds population grows and there is less and less free range for both man and beast the greatest scientific minds got together to form the think-tank that is now Clonecorp. Your average household pet had become passé, and with allergens on the rise, along with shrinking living spaces the idea came about to use the latest cloning and DNA splicing techniques to come up with what would be the perfect household pet.
After thousands of sad (undocumented dangerous) combinations, some of which still plague the outside world today, a variety of new animal was developed. A lucky combination of soft and cuddly, cute and sweet, protective and defensive, along with hypoallergenic, and relatively maintenance free.
Dubbed the "wonder pet", it went on the market for just less than a year when it was found that mammary secretions from this new animal were the only common factor in what seemed to be rejuvenated owners.
Immune systems became strengthened, colds were eliminated, virus’s killed, and in general people became healthier and were living longer. It would seem that the milk from these wonder pets actually had a healing effect, and they became affectionately known as “Winged Healers”.
Now a hot commodity winged healers are being sold for incredible amounts, and it would seem that only the early owners and now the wealthy elite will be able to own such pets…most donations from Clonecorp now go to Retirement and Assisted Living homes, keeping our aged loved ones around with us for as long as possible. Clonecorp vows to continue to helping this population along and produce even more of these lifesaving companions... for a price of course.

[njoo]

WTH?!?!?!? A WIP post already?! lol ur the man Woodlandwalker :D

[Woodlandwalker]

WTH?!?!?!? A WIP post already?! lol ur the man Woodlandwalker :D
ssshhhh... slow day... hehe :wink:

[TomCardin]

He's fast too! Looking good Woodlandwalker.

Can't wait to see what creatures this topic generates. Thanks Fozzybar!

[Wasker]

Thanks for the topic Tom. It's going to be a tricky one to pull off.

[ChaoticKnight]

O_O bright colors and shininess much? I might concentrate on the teen challenge this week. >.<

[Mydrim]

ChaoticKnight> Well, you can make your totally cool dark healer too...

Fozzt> How do you mean that "(comprehensible)"? Well, I am not sure... The creature has to heal in comprehensible way? Like Woodlandwalker's concept is disqualified? Hmm.. I hope it's meant just like it has to be clear that the creature heals... Ok, when writing this, I am sure yet.. Nevermind:)

[JAG.]

yeah just to be sure.. im fuzzy on the whole must be able to heal' thing. as in it can heal itself?? or it can heal others?? i guess technically it can do both, or just one, huh?

ok i get it.. forget me talking :bashful: - JAG

[Vyse]

Hey there, nice topic!
Where´d you get all these fantastic inspirating ideas? ;)

Well, for me, the "winged healer" means something like an angel. By that, i mean it does not really heal injuries, but heals the mind and soul. Like religious aid or something.
For me now its hard to decide whether i should take part on COW or EOW. For both i´ve got ideas......ah, speaking of ideas; do you guys often have got the same problem as i do? I read the topic and have the image for it in my mind at an instant. Then it´s hard for me to think of other ideas because the idea remains in my head for days, and I dont feel very well to just draw the very first idea and to not really have clearly thought of other ways..... oh well i guess i bore you, sry. ;P

[Woodlandwalker]

Like Woodlandwalker's concept is disqualified?

oh for cryin out loud... yes please.. Foz let me know, hate to be canx right from the get go... let me know and Ill change my storyline
:$

[Lighty]

Well, Ill try to enter this one too. :D And try REALLY hard to make a acual nice design... xD;

[Justin.]

WIPlaceholder!

http://img90.imageshack.us/img90/8480/cow5kb4.jpg

[Taere Flarion]

Well, here's my first attempt ever at COW. The sketch below is obviously a WIP, critique appreciated...other than what I just realized, that being that I may have just drawn a swarm of flying, bat-winged vaginas....>_< Yeah um...I'm officially claiming the flying blue vaguely carnal image concept, so I'd best not see any feathery phalluses after I post this...though that would be amusing.

the image:
http://img80.imageshack.us/img80/2158/80wingedhealerwipkt6.jpg
Native to the steppes, foothills, and mountains of the Pyrethian highlands, the Blue Firamyksh, known by the inhabitants of the region as the "Winged Healer," is a relative of the common bat and a member of the rodent family. They travel in swarms, and feast solely on red polypore fungi, which grow rampantly in the region. Through processing in their primitive digestive system, the fungus' spores are converted from germinating bodies into a thick yellow gelatinous substance that collects on the bottom half of the Firamyksh's body. This yellow gunk is harvested from the corpses of the beast by local tribesmen, and is hailed for its antiseptic and healing qualities.

[Tanoory]

This is my first attempt at the COW, I see the rules says one image, but are you allowed to have lets say an image of the creature flying and then on the same Image the mechanics of how the creature heals?, or different angles like in an anatomy book. Thanks

[rushwolf]

Yeah, just make sure it is all in one image [i.e. 1 jpeg]

[Penabled]

Justin -

That looks sorta like a Skree Griffin from Guild Wars....and for anyone who doesn't play....they are healers in the game.

[cannibalcandy]

I've sketched three different creatures to fit this concept. and I'm thinking about doing them each. One a day, if I can. Maybe not tomorrow, I'm going to go see 300 on Imax!! But I plan to have three done by the end of this comp. Here is my first. Done tonight in quicky fashion...
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y101/cannibalcandy/Birdfinal-wingedhealer.jpg
The Winged Healer is a carrion eater found in humid swamps. It is so called because of it's use by doctors. It is used to clean festering wounds, and damaged tissue like medicinal maggots. It will ONLY eat rotting flesh with it's amazingly sensitive beak and probing with the sensory pads on it's feet. It also secrets a strange organic chemical from glands in the wrinkles of it's medial beak that have been proven to act as an antibiotic. It's odd cone of feathers around it's neck is believed to be both a display during estrus periods to attract mates, and to keep it from soaking it's flight feathers in ichor from feeding.

Heavily referenced Njoo's tut for the Lava swimmer to do this as quickly as possible, but also to get enough information in there to have it feel painterly as well as visually explanatory. You guys tell me if I pulled it off. CHEERS! One down, two to go!

[yoitisi]

Cannibalcandy: that looks sweet :P some crits though: I'm missing something that connects the legs with its body. Also, the shadows and colors on the cone seem to differ from the rest of his body (the green reflection, where does it come from that it only shows up on the crest?)

Anyway, crank out the other two, I'd love to see em :)

[cannibalcandy]

The green bit was an attempt to do transilluminosity. Light coming through the feathers and visible on the backside... As for the legs... What do you suggest to improve the connection to the body? Thanks for the crit! ^_^

[mattbyng]

im so jealous canibal! i want ur talent!

[FlyingMilton]

Removed because I have a huge creative block right now.

[Johanna Saarenpää]

Ooooh, could be tricky but I'll start to work on something. I look forward to see the different interpretations you guys come up with. Good luck. ;)

[cannibalcandy]

I sketched these out at BurgerKing after work earlier today. You can see the bird version. The other two are comin up! I figure some crits at the earlier stage might help my anatomy or anything that needs fixin' before I get to the paints...

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y101/cannibalcandy/sketches.jpg

[Fozzybar]

Fozzt> How do you mean that "(comprehensible)"? Well, I am not sure... The creature has to heal in comprehensible way? Like Woodlandwalker's concept is disqualified? Hmm.. I hope it's meant just like it has to be clear that the creature heals... Ok, when writing this, I am sure yet.. Nevermind:)I said comprehensible, because i don't want an entry of a winged elephant which is told to be healing but there is no further detail in the concpet or image...just trying to keep the entries on track. I don't want random creatures with wings, where you just claim that the creature is healing for the sake of the topic. More thinking less randomness...;)

And this means that Woodlandwalker is not rejected of course!

[matejkovacic]

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t189/matejkovacic/Cow_80_MATEJKOVACIC.jpg

Butterflies - The Winged Healers - are known for their wing dust,
which combined with the flower dust they gather, heals almost
any disease known to human kind.
If you stand beneath a butterfly and breath the dust, your health
is restored, you are full of power and life again.

Good health,

matejkovacic

-> My sketchbook (http://conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?t=92564)
-> http://www.matejkovacic.com
-> http://www.storyboard.si

[Cloister]

I'll o.d on healing potions +3 to win this topic! ...or at least make a good entry... or just to have some fun making it. I hear it's healing... to paint.

[Supervlieg]

lovely work Cannibal, I love the final as well as the little sketches. Great stuff.

[dragon4lunch]

CanibalCandy: Looking great! Those sketches are lovely as well! Did you use a Micron Pen for those or a mechanical pencil? That is one solid page of sketches! Thumbs up!

[pjentaszeq]

http://one.xthost.info/asgaroth/ankh%20bird%20copy.jpg
Sorry for the quality of picture ...

It's called Ankh bird

[Woodlandwalker]

just an update... and a big tks to Foz for not rejecting me :}

[JAG.]

hey Woodlandwalker.. good update, definitely compounds to your description. just a small nit-pick.. you have 'LOOSE weight' on there.. it should be LOSE. just a typo, no biggie ;) - JAG

[Moai]

Cannibalcandy, that is incredibly awesome.

[Woodlandwalker]

whoops... tks JAG :bashful:

[Justin.]

?

I've never played Guild wars, though I love the art. Seriously, I would never do that intetionally. I was just havin fun with shapes.

[yoitisi]

Cannibalcandy: here's what I ment with the leg:

http://i163.photobucket.com/albums/t291/yoitisi/chicken.jpg

Just an image I found after googling. The legs don't go from cilinder straight into the body, and although a lot of it should be obscured by feathers, some transition is often visible. Also, in your drawing the lower leg (the part above the big joint in the middle of the leg) is angled foreward, while I saw that in actually all the photos I came across they were angled backwards even when bending over like your bird. The upper leg is often invisible beneath all the feathers, which is why I choose this bald chicken. Just a thing I noticed :) hope you don't mind.

Btw: love the sketches, the one in the upper left corner looks cool, although the healer aspect is a bit unclear.

Nuff garbling, great sketches already peeps.

[Kasen Kato]

Does it have to have a ability like it was born with a specail healing power....or can it be like a medic creature and uses equipment instead of born traits?

[ikuru]

Cannibal, you raised the bar on this one, thats 4 sure, and I wish I had some burger shwing ringht now.

[Tommoy]

Two ideas i'm working on, but i think i'm going for the fourlegged one.

WIP
http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t19/Tommoy/WIPCOW5.jpg

http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t19/Tommoy/WIPCOW2S.jpg

http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t19/Tommoy/WIPCOW2D.jpg

http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t19/Tommoy/COW3Dk3.jpg

The winged healer produces little drops of a substance called Hemmelstoet, it can heal instandly. When the injury is severe, you better take 2 drops. The only downside is that the Hemmel doesn't give it for free, he want's something in return. With his suctionpipe he sucks blood out of his patient. Unfortunatly most of his patients die, but chances are you survive feeling better then ever.

(thanks Cloister for the advice)

[cannibalcandy]

Yoitisi

Anatomy suggestions duly noted. I agree with you on the upper leg mass, and if I have time I'll add a bit of thickness there. As for the angle.. I'm pretty happy with it as is.

For why, you ask?: When I designed the awkward little bird I was thinking of the giraffe, specifically how much difficulty it has in trying to drink water. So this little beasty has to squat in a strange position with his knees high behind him as he pokes his face into his feed(so they are set a little bit further back on his body). His spine is pretty rigid, so most of his bodily movements are performed with his legs (Hence a slightly hectic angle). His body compared to his legs is out of proportion and dinky, so he cantelevers at the thigh, instead of moving his neck very much. Like drawing with your shoulder instead of your wrist. His stubby beak is short and broad to better promote the manual sensitivity to pick scabs from healthy meat.

Here is an example of bird legs closer to what I was going for (I think the chicken is a bit heavy on the thigh):
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y101/cannibalcandy/_40123854_flamingo_andy203x250.jpg Thanks a million for the suggestion, please keep up the crits! I really appreciate them.

[Kasen Kato]

Heres my winged healer concept...CC is welcome and much apreciated....

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/177/426205568_471fe84e92_o.jpg

The Dorsiales Medicalias is very large breed of bat....although it resembles a whale it shares no genes....It uses its wings to navigate it through the air but does not use them to take off or stay in the air....It has a helium filled organ that lifts it into the air....It obtains the helium by filtering it out of the atmosphere with its brush like teeth........even though this creature is huge it has bairly any fat....the bladder takes up 70% of the creatures insides.......of course the organ must take a long time to fill......consiquintly the bat cannot fly untill the age of 10 so it is held in its mothers mouth untill then.....the mother keeps her mouth open most of these ten years making sure the baby gets its fill of helium.....but the baby is constatly getting hit by birds, bugs and getting scraped by the mothers teeth.....to protect the baby from infection the mother has a healing agent in her saliva that speeds up the healing process....this saliva also kills bacteria and other harmfull germs.....It can smell the babies damaged tissue and ecscreats the agent when needed.....when this creature was discovered the military used it to pick up injured soldiers in its mouth.....The saliva heals the patiant and delivers them to a hospital for further operation....the miltary dies the fur on the bats that belong to them with the medical colors of white and red......these creatures are even somtimes used in cities to search out injured or dead with there powerful sense of smell.....

[paberu]

Ack nice topic, but so much work to get done -__-. Really want to participate, not sure if I can make a finished work on time (my last entry was embarrassing).

One question? "- no individual or character" is that in regards to can't be humanoid? Just want to clear up on it.

[Kasen Kato]

Your entry was not that bad....And i think the point of this contest is not to win....but more like challenge yourself, learn from other artists, and to ocasionaly kick some ass lol......I liked yours.....

[yoitisi]

Cannibalcandy: No problemo I like the bird nonetheless :P it was more that the transition was obscured behind the bodymass and hair, which seemed to me you weren't sure how to get it right.

Kasen Kato: cute but the red cross actually crossed (wordplay, you get it? haha im sOOOoo funny) my mind but seemed a bit..well, obvious really. Nothing wrong but its a bit of an easy way out to show its a healer.

Tommoy: I'd say go for the fourlegged one too, just my personal opinion though. Also, maybe make it bit more clear its a healer, right now it could be a evil creature that rips your head of in a second also.

Pjentaszeq: I don't know if you ment it as a final or that it's just a sketch, but some color would really make it look cooler. What is the idea behind it?

Matejkovacic:A bit simple, and since you still have till next tuesday maybe do something more with the background. Might be cool to expand the idea of the dust and do something more with it than just the ordinary butterfly, which it looks like to me right now.

Flying Milton: Uhm yep, wings...:P

Taere Flarion: >>the flying blue vaguely carnal image concept<< Lol, wasn't my first thought so you should be save there. Might be an advise: first focus on just one of them instead of going for a full herd or group and make the one look very good instead of 3 lesser creatures.

Justin Oaksford: the sketch makes me curious, would like to see more :)

Woodlandwalker: Not much to say really, the concept is there and clear...maybe the eye could use some attention, make it nice and shiny. It's a bit dull right now (you could take cannibalcandy's creature for example I guess :) )

Hmm I really should focus on my own entry at the moment but since I started giving crits and such I thought I might finish it as well :D hope you people don't mind.

Here's a sketch so far. I think it will be a mix of traditional and digital (the creature is done with markers again) this time. This is just a test to see if it would work, two separate during-lunchtime-and-brakes-sketches thrown together on a digital background.

http://i163.photobucket.com/albums/t291/yoitisi/Wingedhealersketchklein.jpg

Problem is, I like this sketch so much right now I fear that if I do it again to render it a bit more tighter I will ruin the atmosphere and idea...so please crit the hell out of it so I can feel bad about my sketch and start over :P

[FlyingMilton]

Cannibalcandy: No problemo I like the bird nonetheless
Flying Milton: Uhm yep, wings...:P


They will be bigger >:| ! I have the idear mapped out and the description. Just have to do some research and gather reference. It's not a final.

[longshao]

Concept sketch.
A winded healer about to remove evil spirits from a dying person.
http://i135.photobucket.com/albums/q137/yty2000/fd.jpg
I jsut had this serpent thing in my head and had to get it down on a piece of paper.

Love your rendering, cannibalcandy, cool sketches, too. :)

[hurricane]

Great stuff so far!!



http://www.bjornhurri.com/sb/07/March/hurricow03.jpg
Now and then the winged healer apears. All the wildlife goes crazy and follows this mamoth of good will while healing their wounds or aches.
There is very little known about it as humans are afraid of disturbing this wonderful creature!

[ikuru]

the leader has entered, hurri, thats fucking great man;)

[ghūl]

wow, got some good looking ones out already. Gonna have to jump aboard
this one...brb :bounce:

[Justin.]

NO!! NOT HURRICANE!!!

Wind>Wings!!

[silken]

My place holder...:)

The Healer Phage is a small griffin-like creature with unusual characteristics. it's huge tail feather sloughs off a dust that has healing properties. The Phage was hunted almost to extinction until it was found that shed feathers retain the healing properties and are just as potent as those of a live creature. Feather Collectors are employed to go collect the molted feathers of captured birds and the feathers are then put through procedures that remove all the dust from the shafts. The dust is then ground even finer and various pills are made from it. The most effective use for the dust has been to help arthritic patients and to ease and reduce the effects of Alzheimer's.

Both the male and female produce the dust, though the male's plumage is far more impressive.

[Teknoholic]

I don't know if there are any special rules about submissions or polling... :dur:

Link to the WIP (http://benjaminart.com/TEMP/winged_healer.jpg)

http://benjaminart.com/TEMP/winged_healer_fin.jpg

CONCEPT:

Massive, silent, enigmatic. The ixian is referenced in primitive mythologies dating back as far as the earliest histories of mankind. Living in the upper atmosphere, these creatures descend to low altitudes only to hover near battlefields, execution sites, hospitals, and other places of great pain and suffering. Their great tentacles project healing light that some say can even bring the dead back to life.

Those touched by the ixian, however, are forever changed. Survivors gradually become distant, often described by loved ones as shadows of their former selves. This is the paradox of their healing gift, leaving some to wonder if they are truly altruistic beings after all.

Autopsies of ixian flesh recovered in an ambush reveal that the creatures have no discernible central nervous system. This has caused many researchers to theorize that they are in fact composed of billions of symbiotic microorganisms living in a floating colony.

Little or nothing is known about their diet, reproduction, or life cycle.

[ReflectingAbyss]

Well, here's my work in progress.

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y224/reflectingabyss/whereshrimp.jpg

CONCEPT:
The Skamp. This abomination to evolution has been seen by only a few, fortunate people.
While feeding, the skamp is required to ascend to great altitudes in search of the rare Yogito flower. It's tough exoskeleton prevents any damage from the pressure and feather-like fingers help locate any Yogito in the snow.
As a result of constant interaction with this rare flower under such harsh conditions, the Skamp has acquired a sort of mental healing aura. Scientifically speaking, this creature has evolved so that the pollen acquired from the Yogito bonds with the chemicals in the Skamp's fur to create a euphoric gas. While this gas may have only been intended to sooth the Skamp's own difficulties with stress, it can affect any complex organism it comes into contact with.
Many things are still unknown about the Skamp, but it is assumed to be intelligent and imitates a very moth-ike lifestyle.

[ZebraHDH]

Nice wips everybody...

[Woodlandwalker]

wow.... tks yoitisi... took your adv and made some updates... tks fer takin the time and crit our work... helps us all in the end. :bashful:

[Cloister]

Woodland walker: Lovely little critter! No crits needed.

cannibalcandy: NICE! Very clean and stylish... very design-ish presentation... I love the turquise touches. Great drawings as well. Your candy will eat most of the other candy this round, I figure.

yoitisi: Cute little demon!

lonshao: William Blake must have been sort of inspired by your wip as he painted 'The Red Devil'...

Hurricane: Nice moody light.. Is that blue spray the healing stuff?

Back to painting... I wish... stuck at work, I fear...

[Pluizje]

Here's my sketch. First time participating :)
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v605/Mamari/Pluizje_Cow80.jpg

here we go..
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v605/Mamari/MerelCow80healer.jpg
This little critter is the size of a regular butterfly and is sometimes mistaken for one in daylight. They fly around in swarms around little pounds and swamps, collecting nectar with their long tongues. At night the tiny ball on it's tail lits up so it can collect nectar then too. It then produces a dust-like substance which is saved in the hair of their furry bodies. This dust is said to have a healing effect on organisms in it's surrounding. It doesn't heal serious injuries but does help healing scratches, infections and it gets people's spirits up.

[jfwalls]

For anyone doing butterfly wings, here's a great image (http://music.calarts.edu/~cbaker/files/images/butterflies.jpg) I found on google.

[ikuru]

nice jf, wings are really hard stuff I think, let alone making something flying beliveble.

[cannibalcandy]

CanibalCandy: Looking great! Those sketches are lovely as well! Did you use a Micron Pen for those or a mechanical pencil? That is one solid page of sketches! Thumbs up!

Pilot Hi-tec 0.3

it's like butttttaaah!

[Cloister]

FINAL:

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

The Hain&#180;loch Thammalin
In the truly ancient days, when Gods still made battle upon the earth, creatures could be seen roaming the skies that modern man can only dream. One of those divine creatures was the Hain&#180;loch-Thammalin – The Winged Healer. In service of the higher deities the Thammalin went about quickly from place to place in assistance of the fighters and warlocks. Its shimmering tail carried healing powers that is said to have awoken the dead, and its presence alone strengthened the morale of every soul who laid eyes upon it. A species of bard song and of myth, the winged healers are said to strengthen still the hearts of those who pray for their attendance, in a time of dire need or suffering.

[Vyse]

Wow, very nice Cloister!
Looks like a Chewbacca-dog with wings to me.....cool!
In comparsion to the far away mountains and also somehow to the little 'lakes', it seems to be gigantic. Really big. But i guess this impression is intended.

[masque]

Final color:

http://img341.imageshack.us/img341/1009/surgeonbugfinalgv2.jpg

"The discovery Delrajian Surgeon Bug has revolutionized field medicine for our glorious soldiers of the Aenzomarche!

"This insectoid feeds on putrefying flesh, and uses the cleansed wounds as nests in which to deposit its eggs. The wound is then sealed around the eggs with a substance not unlike silk from certain Terran insects, which shrinks and helps close the wound, sealing it from further contamination. The eggs' outer layers exude an antibiotic that is effective against both gram neg and pos bacteria, an additional protection for the healing soldier.

"Eggs hatch in 2 days into nearly microscopic larvae which migrate to the surface of the healing wound, and there feed only on shed epithelial cells from the host. They typically enter a metamorphic stage in two to three days, forming dense clusters of pupae on the patient, which emerge as adults within 20 hours(T), fully capable of "surgical" functionality.

"Patients are suspended in hive chambers for treatment, while also undergoing accelerated stem-stim regeneration if necessary. It has been found that limb regeneration is 30% faster in hive chambers than in conventional medical units; coupled with the almost completely self-sustaining nature of Surgeon Bug populations, the Aenzomarche Medical Corps is proud to say it can now put soldiers back on the front in 25% less time than a year ago."
-- Excerpt from the report by the Surgeon General of the Glorious Army of the Aenzomarche, dated Nuemtre 10, 3213, to the Aenzomarche Grand Council.

[chaosrocks]

yay Masque!
c

[BohemianChaos]

ooh, I'd like in... I hope I can finish in time :)

WIP

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b104/gyspy7/Bird1.jpg

The Indigo Bane Raven is attracted by the scent of infection. Once populating much of Europe, especially during times of war, these birds would swarm over battlefields in search of living but infected tissue; they would consume any infectious bacteria, inflating their gut. Those left wounded from battle would stand a slightly better chance of survival, thus earning the nickname of "winged healer."

[ikuru]

Bohemian, that looks sweet, good linework you do. hope to see you finnish it.

[hurricane]

ikuru : thanks

Justin Oaksford : hahha, thanks for that :D

Teknoholic : i like it!

Cloister : yea, the blue parts is the healing stuff! Your entry is looking sharp! front hoof is a tad to large though (for my taste)

BohemianChaos : nice lines!



UPDATE IN PREVIOUS POST

[Teknoholic]

Same to you Hurricane. What is that brush you use to get the speckles on the shell of the bug? :nintendo:

Cloister, looking good. I like those weird antlers on top and the tail. Nice background too. Check it... (http://mediadesigner.digitalmedianet.com/articles/viewarticle.jsp?id=19756-0) Thought you might be into that. Also, I think it's better to not try to draw every hair on the beast, only worry about the areas where there is a transition in light on the fur. For instance, on the forehead and chest, it would look better more generalized. Where what you've done works best is around the edges. Does that make sense? (I guess this is why I draw, words are useless.)

Cannibalcandy, I have your sketch set as my desktop... <3

[laok]

its just a doolie it ok i ink and work on it is my scaner hates me so its not that good

http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d55/laok/yay103.jpg

[Grendel Grack]

Final

109019

The Ahman Tikal, an ancient species originating in the remote mountainous regions of the northern wastes, is a creature of mystery and legend. It is said that the Ahman Tikal or "winged healer" has existed since the beginning of creation, observing the flow of time from the isolated mountain peaks they call home. It is widely believed that long ago they lost ability to see, having witnessed the secret of immortality. These creatures are often sought out for their ability to heal and prolong life, although no one has been able to discover the exact science of their longevity and powers. By placing their massive paws upon a sick or dying person, they can accomplish feats of healing unrivaled by even the finest physicians. Scientists have attempted to study this elusive creature, discovering that their abilities somehow stem from their massive wings which are capable of absorbing the energy of the sun. It is hypothesized that the Ahman Tikal inhabit high mountain peaks to better access the sun's rays and thus convert the energy into a form useful for prolonging life and healing. How this is then passed to those who seek relief remains a mystery.

[Einen]

WIP

http://img151.imageshack.us/img151/1451/wingedhealerinprogress5sm7.jpg

The Oho

Northern tribes have always feared the Oho. Not really because it's a threat, but because legend says the creature is supposed to bring horrible luck to anyone who look it in its eyes. Naturally, this is a myth, probably caused by the Oho's frightful appearance. In fact, even though people who've encountered the Oho probably don't realize it themselves, its stare is able to soothe ones spirit and mind. The victims may still believe they've been cursed after the meeting, but they're more likely to live a longer and better life because of it.

[jfwalls]

Nice Einen. Very cool style you got going there.

[jfwalls]

Butterbird

The flightless Butterbirds are an extremely rare magical creature concocted by the wizard Brimlorg. Occasionally they can be found in the market at Quilgmoore, but most likely one would have to travel to Brimlorg's castle to get one. Capable of incredible healing abilities (some say one dose is stronger than 10 healing potions), they inject the wounded with a powerful serum created in the glands at the base of their beaks. Ironically, people carrying the birds are often killed by thieves for the value they fetch at market.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v730/jfwalls/Winged_Healer_FW.jpg

[JakkaS]

hurricane - man, nice entry and... beautiful colors! :)
cannibalcandy - I dig all ur sketches and this color work too...great piece.
longshao - ur sketch looks promising
masque - nice to see u posting. I haven't see u for long time :)

this ..will be another strong round :)

Cheers
Kuba

Ps. MikeC....are u going to enter? I know u can't resist ...this topic is just made for u :evilmustache:

[laok]

dam it i have no tallent at this but here it is complted the Phoenhmen i never been good at hands

http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d55/laok/gtde.jpg

Phoenhmen a reation to the griffon, dragon, and a flamingo. they read a lot medical books and very good doctors when it comes down to it, pepole mosty what it for its voce wich can wake pepole from comas so they hide in old abandon teamples with lots off books

[Cloister]

Vyse, Hurricane, Teknoholic: Thanks!

Tekno: Thanks for the crits! I know about making special brushes, but rarely enjoy painting with them. I know also many of my entries must look like I'm totally ignorant of simplification/generalisation/abstraction etc. I think its because I mostly do abstract work... and thus like to render every little detail, when I paint the fantasy-stuff. In this case I think the "every hair"-hair makes a good contrast to all the mostly smooth surfaces in my picture, but you have a good point none the less. I will probably smoothen things out a bit in the fur, to avoid the eye to get stuck in the "chaos". Thanks!

Kasen Kato: That is a very amusing idea! The blurry background looks kind of sloppy in comparison with the rest, I think. The mouth could use some extra attention imo, and perhaps the big white cloud competes a bit with the white of the creature...

Bohemian Chaos: I think the combination of the elegance in the wings and pose with the sturdy body is kind of interesting. Waiting for the paint..

Tommoy: You have made sure to get some sense of depth by fading and diminishing the legs. However, the way you use the same size "feather-brush" on the wings kind of kills the depth in that area at the moment.

Azathoth: Fozzy (Mr. Admin) is not too keen on robotic parts... I get a mechanical feel from your image. Organical is the word of the day, I guess.

Grendel: You know I like it.

[Einen]

Thanks jfwalls. Felt like taking a somewhat different approach.

[blobs]

Winged Healer
http://img296.imageshack.us/img296/9905/cow80wingedhealerblobsmq0.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

This creature has only recently been named 'Winged Healer', before having just been known as 'Glowballs'. It was first discovered in the caves of the Southern lands, this creature was prized for it's glowing genitalia, which were a great aid in exploring the caves and caverns. The one downside to using these creatures was the mess that they made. Often, explorers would slip on the dripping goo that continuously leaks from the Winged Healers dangly bits.
Quite by accident, an explorer named Hannibal Bigsizepacket discovered that the goo had amazing healing properties... apparently, according to his story he 'slipped' while climbing out of one of the many pools in the caves and landed on the Winged Healer's Dangly bits... his story, not mine.
Bigsizepacket, removed himself and realised that his lifelong suffering of piles had miraculously been cured! Bigsizepacket then farmed and bred the Winged Healer (and re-named it), he now travels the lands selling this 'exotic' creature to the wealthy, sick, and nightwatchmen!

So there's mine for a laugh! Great pics so far guys, good luck to everyone :)

[Wasker]

Hahaha, Blobs that's great! Ripping good laugh :D


I've been noticed that jakkas is lurking around here, when will you post your creature? :) we're waiting!

[JAG.]

hahaha thats awesome Blobs!. nice design, very creative.. gave me a good laugh. well done ;) - JAG

[BohemianChaos]

Grendel Grack - love your wip, can't wait to see where it goes!! :) It kinda reminds me of those big lumbering Mystics from that movie The Dark Crystal... except yours has wings :tihi:

cannibalcandy - also awesome!! <3 you said it was quick? How long did it take?

Blobs, Einen, and Cloister lookin good too :) (eehehehehehe... dangly bits!!) :tihi:

This is going to be a really awesome round... I can't wait to see who else joins.

[yoitisi]

blobs: :D is al I can say. Big smile here.

Azathoth: I agree with Cloisters comment, although I suppose you ment it as insectoid (?). Still, the outer lines are quite fuzzy, I think it would help if you sharpened some of them. It blends in with the background a bit too much right now.

Laok:What happened to the lineart?? Your sketch looked pretty decent but the lines on your final are very thick. Also, spending a bit more time on rendering details such as fur might be worthwhile. The front legs bend a bit awkward too, but hippogryphs (or whatever these beasties are called) are a bitch in that area :P

JFwalls: Yay for traditional media :D although pencils are a bit time consuming. Hope you manage to finish it in time.

Einen: weird but cool at the same time :) it seems a bit too rushed to me (the background mostly), but then its only a wip.

Grendel Grack: Nice. Very nice. Not so sure about the background colors though, but if you treat em like the creature that shouldn't be a problem.

Bohemianchaos: Not much to comment on. The idea might not be that new (i've seen a couple more that eat dead flesh and stuff) but sometimes thats a positive thing.

Masque: Pretty solid concept, would like to see the finished drawing :)

Cloister: Something to show the scale would be usefull here I think, right now I am not sure what it's real size is. The problem with the hairs I think is not that you rendered them all separatelly but more that they are rather thick.

Pluizje: Looks ok, but the wings on the back (not the front set but the ones at the back that is) seem to be set too much to the left. They shouldn't be right behind the front ones but should follow the rules of perspective; more towards the right.

My 2 cents of crits, I should save em untill the poll I guess but I was bored...

[ikuru]

Blobs! well done! allways nice to see someone step out of the obvious box and in to Genetalialand.

[cannibalcandy]

cannibalcandy - also awesome!! <3 you said it was quick? How long did it take?

I did it in an evening. I started sketching at burgerking, then went home and finished up the paint around midnight... so three or four hours. It has some pretty sloppy parts. hahaha

[jfwalls]

Very cool Blobs. I think that's the best use of genitalia I've seen recently in the activities section.

[Einen]

Thanks for the comments guys. yoitisi, yeah, it's still a pretty wippy wip. Don't worry. :)

Blobs, that's the most terrifying thing I've seen in a while. And I mean that in a good way!

[Moai]

Here's the preliminaries for my entry, which is a flying monkey type creature. As you can see from the sketches, it took a little while to find this guy. The colors are based on the Asian Blue Quail (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asian_Blue_Quail). All you creature designers: do a little research on the birds in the chicken/pheasant family. Some really cool animals to be found there.:wink:

http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b320/metalukesurfer/doodle-1.jpg
http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b320/metalukesurfer/doodle-2.jpg

Einen- I like it! The simplicity of the design is reminiscent of some Pokemon, if you don't mind the comparison, and you captured the "Northern Tribe" feel in the image very well.
Grendel Grack- Looks like a wise old hybrid of a manticore and an opossum. I like.:rendered:

Update 4- I changed the composition according to one of Cloister's paintovers. I'm not satisfied with the level of finish on this one, but I want to get it in before the thread closes. Forgive my bad Spanish and latin/Greek.

Concept: The Pterosimian
Peque&#241;o Verde (Spanish for "Little Green") is a small, moist world roughly five sixths of Earth's size, with correspondingly lower gravity. It's atmosphere is thicker and heavier than Earth's, with higher levels of oxygen and carbon dioxide. These conditions allow organisms to exist that would never be able to survive on Earth. The lifeforms of Peque&#241;o Verde's equitorial forests exemplify this dramatically. Here, &#225;rbolisimo trees grow half again as tall as earthly Sequoias, and twice as thick in the trunk. They tower hundreds of feet above the smaller trees of the jungle, and support unique ecosystems unlike any others in all the cataloged worlds. Many tree-dwellers spend their entire lives in a single tree, which can be separated from the nearest arbolisimo by several miles. Distinct subspecies of certain arthropods are often endemic to single trees. The trees' thick barks also support a fascinating ecosystem of bark-borers and burrowers, and their predators.
Of course, in addition to species that never leave their trees, several species have evolved that travel between trees, often never coming in contact with the ground during the course of their travels. The best known of these, most likely, are the half-dozen or so species of pterosimians (literally, "winged monkeys"). Primate-like mammals, pterosimians have adapted to both a climbing and flying lifestyle. The first three fingers of their forelimbs have evolved into grasping structures, complete with opposable thumbs, while the two outermost fingers of each hand have fused and grown as long as the creature's head and torso. These support a membrane that runs from the tips of the outer fingers to the hips, not unlike the reptilian pterodactyls of Earth's distant past. Pterosimians have long, finned tails that serve to stabilize and steer during flight. Many species, such as the large White-Kneed Pterosimian pictured here (Pterosimius robustus), have brightly-colored coats that serve to differentiate between members of different species. At ten pounds, the White-Kneed Pterosimian is the second heaviest species, preferring to fly only when absolutely necessary. Smaller species, such as the Golden Dove-Tail (Pterosimius gracilis) and the Green Mariposa (Dermodactylus mariposa), are much more agile flyers.
The ape-like Aborigens of the forest floor, which are believed to be distantly related to the Pterosimians, call the Pterosimians "Winged Healers" or "Healers of the Air." At first human linguists dismissed the literal truth behind these names; the gentle and supposedly simple Aborigens had similarly nice, positive names for most forest creatures, even the deadly fan-tigers ("Evening Singers" to the Aborigens, alluding to the predators' sunset mating roars). However, scientific research of the giant trees and the Pterosimians changed these thoughts. The trees' leaves, which are far out of reach for ground dwellers such as Aborigens, contain a variety of unusual compounds and minerals that, when processed by a Pterosimian digestive system, form a product remarkably similar to penicillin. For perhaps thousands of years the Aborigens have been using Pterosimian droppings to cure illnesses and infections. This, along with the discovery of advanced ruins and artifacts in the deep forests, have caused researches to reassess the intelligence of the Aborigen race.

http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b320/metalukesurfer/final-1.jpg

[Delmar]

Man!!! Nice entries

@cannibalcandy.....i really admire your work, can´t wait to see the next two.
@hurricane.....love the lightning, great!
@masque.....best idea ever :)

Well, this is my first entry in cow, hope you like it.

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b279/Delmar18/gliding_healer-color_entry-1.jpg

Nobody actually can tell, where "Somiel- the winged healer" comes from. Only touched by human eyes when he is appearing, out of nowhere, on fields where the dust clouds of finished battles and wars are slightly clearing, and burned land is emerging. While Somiel is stoically wandering about the wasteland, the whole sorrounding gets sucked into an unnatural silence. The giant creature makes no sounds at all, though you can feel his pain without even being close to him....But with every quiet step Somiel makes, new natural life is growing out of the swale of his footprints, gradually healing the field of devastation.

People claim, that those poor souls who looked directly into the eyes of the winged healer, grasped his suffering all at once, and has lived a life in solitude and sorrow ever since.

[dragon4lunch]

Moai your sketches are money man, money I say! Look at the monkey at about the center of the his page! Excellent pose! Digging the top right black silhouette of the long-legged maniac creature! Delish, I say, delish! Once you master the painting aspect, you'll friggin' dominate COW!

[Steempunk]

Moai, it's brilliant, you make me cry =(

[masque]

updated mine, see above

[Verithin]

Howdy folks... new to the COW family and was wondering... do you have to frame / title your work? I couldn't see the specs for entries on the info link.

Any info would be appreciated... happy to be joining the group, some amazing talent and imagery here!

[Thayne]

Great work everyone...here is my entry so far. Any crits and comments would be greatly appreciated as i am really hoping to step up the quality of my digital work and i am extremely impressed with everyone here at CA....both the high level of work and the willingness to help others learn and grow.

Final
http://www.finleysartshoppe.com/thayne/Cow80.jpg

Description: The winged healer, as it has come to be called by the very few and lucky that have witnessed its magical touch, is a true wonder of nature. It has been captured on film searching the breeding grounds of fish and other wildlife looking for injured young and damaged eggs. It's mere touch causes the injured to be miraculously healed and seemingly can return even the dead back to life. Unfortunately, many have sought to capture these creatures in an attempt to learn it's secret healing powers and to cheat death itself in a vain attempt to obtain immortality. As far as the world knows the creatures healing touch has no affect on humans...yet this hasn't prevented their near extinction and endless hunting.

Thayne

-------

[Cloister]

I desaturated mine a little, to bring some sense to it. The rather dorky 19th century germanic romanticism-mood is still there enough, I think. :)

masque: Those tubes in the bg look really great..

grendel: I think you can push your entry furhter. Imo the background still robs attention from the creature due to heavy saturation. Play around with the colours a little, and perhaps the composition can benefit from a little more canvas to the left... perhaps...

Thayne: Your image might work better if the background came down somewhat in contrast and saturation. Try to bring focus to the happy fish.

Delmar: Looks nice. But I can't see what it is...?*

Moai: Good too see you in.

blobs: That's not fair... Now I'm in love! ;)

laok: Looks as if you made all those strong highlights with the dodge-tool. Try painting the hightlights with brighter colours, and if necessary, touch the brightest parts very gently with the dodge...

einen: Your creature is giving me nightmares... the lowest trees could be a bit larger than the ones further off.

[ikuru]

delmar, nice

[Delmar]

thanks ikuru

....updated mine. story is following. :)

[gnahz]

http://img113.imageshack.us/img113/3267/finalsmallcopyiw9.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Winged Healer Megalogoldina
A larva of a Megalogold beetle. Tribal people believed it to have great healing powers which they say cure any form of illness and discomfort. They usually catch and eat the maggot whole. People who have eaten them have said to live for at least 100 years old!
However the larva only surface on the full moon. Due to its magical healing powers, they have become rare and closing to extinction.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
hope i did better this time round haha.. the topic was pretty hard:[ not many ideas for me..
there are still many flaws in the work.. but my attention span have failed me ... haha
Critics pls!!

[Thayne]

Thanks for the advice cloister, i see what you mean, the whole piece (and i think alot of my work) tends to have the same value and saturation...i will mess around with that and see what i get.

I love your piece so far....one suggestion, that was already mentioned by hurricane, is the front hoof....at first glance it reads as one overly large front hoof. When i looked closer i realized that the leg behind is blending with the front leg....and it comes off as one large hoof instead of two seperate. maybe change the values around them to seperate them or perhaps reposition the back leg. Otherwise its a great piece

-------
Thayne

[Einen]

Slight update above.

Moai, thanks! No, I don't mind at all. I can see your point, even though I didn't have a Pok&#233;mon in mind when I made it.

Cloister, good point. Trying to fix it.

[Verithin]

Howdy folks... new to the COW family and was wondering... do you have to frame / title your work? I couldn't see the specs for entries on the info link.

Any info would be appreciated... happy to be joining the group, some amazing talent and imagery here!

I'm assuming by some of the more recent entries that my question about needing a frame is... YES.

Thanks for the help...

:shrug:

[Avalanche]

http://lucas.slominski.net/images/cow_80_grayscale.jpg

So I need to learn what the heck I'm doing in photoshop.

http://lucas.slominski.net/images/cow_80_final.jpg

Recently discovered in the rainforests of Bolivia, the Cuelodar is a winged mammal that stands about two and a half feet tall at shoulder height. Scientists have found that the Cuelodar's harmonic mating call eases mental anguish and agitation in the human psyche like no other sound on Earth. Their large lungs, coupled with the expansive resonating chamber that is the Cuelodar sinus, allows for the production of simultaneous multitonal sounds with the ability to treat mental stress and confusion.

A sample number of Cuelodar have since been brought into captivity to generate a controlled population of these animals, which can be used as a prescriptive treatment to disorders ranging from depression to migrane. The American media outlets have taken to calling this curious species "Winged Healers." Trite.

Additional Information:

The Cuelodar lives in the giant trees of the rainforest, and while it cannot actually fly, it uses it's wings much like a flying squirrel, to glide from one tree to the next. In many ways, the Cuelodar's wings are more of a handicap than a benefit, as it's lack of standard mammalian arms prohibit the ability to run with any real speed. On ground, it tends to hop, alternating it's weight from front knuckles to back legs, but will occasionally move short distances bipedally, in a waddling fashion. Ascent into the trees is accomplished by grappling into the bark with the Cuelodar's two dew claws, and supporting the next grapple by the strength of the back feet. The Cuelodar's dew claws are also used to find food. By scraping the insides of knotholes and rotten logs, the animal can nourish itself with a wide supply of insect fauna.

The evolution of it's sinus cavity into a harmonious acoustic chamber has left the Cuelodar without the sense of scent. This is why the animal's mating call is such a broadly-developed courting experience, and is also the reason these mammals sing throughout the day. Rather than emit pheromones when ovulating, female Cuelodar only sing. Next follows an arduous game of 'marco-polo' as the male and female counterparts broadcast their closing locations acoustically. First male to make it to the female wins.

[Thayne]

Verithin- actually a border isnt required but alot of people do put something around the image and add the COW number and name to give it a finished look. Just take a look the voting posts for the last few COW's and you can see a bunch of finished pieces and how people present them.

-------
Thayne

[njoo]

Heya, had this idea for the Winged Healer when I saw the topic but didn't really know how to execute the idea and wasn't sure if I had time. Anyways, took some time today to give it a shot, wish I would work on it more, but gotta get back to work~

I'll be back to comment later ^^

Winged Healer

http://www.weewung.com/poo/cow80_ahou.jpg

The brave men died to defend the land, while the war, that lasted many years, was lost and the body of the brave men now lay beneath the wasteland. The soldiers' restless souls continue to live on, hoping to bring life back to the land that they once called home...

nJoo

[masque]

nice story, njoo, complex and interesting but succint. all that soul-glow on the far right really pulls my eye, though, makes it harder to see the creature as a whole imo.

[Verithin]

Verithin- actually a border isnt required but alot of people do put something around the image and add the COW number and name to give it a finished look. Just take a look the voting posts for the last few COW's and you can see a bunch of finished pieces and how people present them.

-------
Thayne

Thanks!

[GreenTopaz]

arg it's been so long since I did one of these D:

Here's mine, though it is pretty boring...and an equally boring description will come later:

http://suprfile.com/src/1/6cs88be/flyinghealer.GenaroBeast.jpg

great stuff so far guys :)

[Moai]

Yay! Green Topaz! Great design and painting style. I have no crits except that it looks rather similar to previous creatures of yours; the neutral body color and blank white eyes are reminiscent of your "Scary But Harmless" and "Harbinger of Death" (or whatever that round was called). Excellent stuff nevertheless.
dragon4lunch- You're always too nice to me.:rendered: Thank you. I'm woikin' on dat paintin' bizness, I'm woikin' onnit.:wink:
steempunk- Don't cry! Just learn all that you can about animals, both modern and prehistoric. And constantly absorb ideas and influences from other artists. That's all there is to it.:rendered:
Cloister- Glad to see you too, man, glad to see you too.

[Verithin]

njoo: Really cool concept... I wish you had more time to work on it because I'm sure you'd make it sing. I love the idea...

GreenTopaz: Great creature but I'm getting conflicting scale messages... the clouds would seem to indicate that this beast is frickin' huge but the foilage on the cliff face would make me think it's about the size of a cougar. Love the saliva!

Great work everyone!

[Moai]

I updated my earlier post with a colored thumbnail.

[masque]

more progress in above update.

[Einen]

Really like that thumbnail Moai. It's got a great feel about it. Awfully cute critters.

[Moai]

Thanks, Einen! There's another update for your perusal above.

[cannibalcandy]

Njoo and Sapphire ... fantastic entries! Beautifully rendered!

Here's my second go, everyone. I wanted to challenge myself with a more fantasy/realism style, instead of my usual 'hyper-real' way.
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y101/cannibalcandy/bug4web.jpg
The Winged Healer is what the natives of the Pri-uan Plateau call this rare and extremely gentle floating giant. It is so difficult to find (despite it's mass) that many believe the stories to be just legends and myths. It is a gas filled cloud grazer. Moving high into the atmosphere it slowly drifts through the sky using massive modified scales as intricate sails. The beast is neutrally buoyant in the atmosphere and requires very little effort to stay afloat, and it can stay aloft in the clouds for weeks at a time on a single full breath. The Native people call it a healer because the animal emits a low barely audible thrum. It purrs in such a frequency that though we can't hear it we can definitely feel it. The sensation is often described as glowing. The vibrations flowing through the human body have an effect of improving overall health, vigor, and vim.

There are some stories of people becoming addicted to the feeling that the animal gives them, and these addicts called "Vapors" follow the beast forgetting to eat, forgetting to drink, and eventually dying in pure bliss. If they lose the giant the Vapors will spend their entire lives mourning in misery, and on the hunt for another glimpse of the graceful animal.

[mattbyng]

Cannibal, like it, loved the bird better ;)
One crit with ur last piece, the "spirals" u have drawn on the dark purple "wings", they stick out like a sore thumb. I dont feel they blend well with the rest of the image.

[Cloister]

Moai: A very charming picture you've got going there. The composition is a bit strange, but sort of builds up intrigue. I like the landscape... it gives a compelling mood of an old dreamy past, to me. I don't know why, but I come to think of dinosaurian woods and japanese peach-gardens simultaneously.

Avalanche: I'm not very fond of the colours, but the pose is different, and makes me return to it.

njoo: Great mood, and a skillfully composed helter-skelter of well drawn little figures. There has been a creature completely made up of bodies in COW in the past, if I remember correctly. But it was very different to yours, as I recall it. I love the little garden-like "forest" btw.

Green Topaz: Weird creature in a strange pose... but sort of interesting, I think. The plant on the mountainside confuses the scale for me. The bumps in the clouds suddenly become very small, and the peaks, (mountainsides) between which it flies, very close to each other

cannibalcandy: A very likable picture! And a very attractive mood! I particularly enjoy the purples and fleshy yellows with the touch of blue at on the abdomen. But the grey line above the head brings it down, I think, and I agree with mattbyng about the spirals. I like the pattern in it self, but it hovers above the surface of all the rest (at least the closest one) imo. The shadow on the ground seems unrefined compared to the rest, and I would like to see it "rotated" somewhat anti-clockwise, to follow the creature more. I know I'm sort of shooting here, but your first entry was really flawlessly executed, and since I like this image a lot too, I couldn't help but bringing out what I deem as weak spots. And since I know you have some skill, I know you're alright with it... alright?
(and perhaps there should be a litte more space/canvas to the left.) ;)

thayne: Thanks! I guessed that was what hurricane was reffering to... but then he, as well as you, spoke of the front hoof. For me the front legs end in a more paw-like structure, and that made me wonder what leg he was actually speaking of.... since one of the hooves also was a tad too large initially. Anyway, the problem is there, and you clarified things now, so I will definitely see to it. Thanks!

[Avalanche]

Thanks for the feedback, Cloister. I'm not too fond of the colors myself... Problem area for me. :) Hopefully something I can work on.

Great submissions so far, everybody.

[Charlie_2.0]

Placeholder :P
http://i129.photobucket.com/albums/p203/Charlie_20/wingedhealercopy_01.jpg
Super sweet stuff guys, may the best man win, or be it lady:)

Cheers
~Charlie~

[Spitch]

http://i169.photobucket.com/albums/u226/spitch1/COW80-Winged-Healer-spitch.jpg

Hoggn'Glaatu the flying leeche :
Commonly used by thirteenth level alchemists. The flying leeche feeds on the soiled blood of infected creatures, or people. This small beast (approx. one inch high) helps healing by purifying their blood. The creature, originally white, progressively grows black as it absorbs the impurities.

C&C welcome.

[dragon4lunch]

The creature, originally white, progressively grows black as it absorbs the impurities.

That is a great idea Spitch! It would probably be even cooler to see an older version of your healer, where the creature has visibly become... more vulture-like and repulsive. What do you think? I don't know if the current feet would be a good choice from a logical stand point. If you only have two feet, they better be able to hold on to something. Rhino feet aren't a first choice there, if you asked me :)

Nice style, your painting. Neck looks a little structure-less though. The penis might be a little much too. It draws so much attention to it, because of the pose, I guess.

[Wolfbane]

Great idea indeed, but you should try to post a larger pic though :)

[Helsvon]

WIP:
http://img102.imageshack.us/img102/3176/wingedhealerworkingcj8.jpg

[Helsvon]

The penis might be a little much too. It draws so much attention to it, because of the pose, I guess.

i think its a bellybutton, not a penis :P lol

[xgabo]

http://www.gabo.ca/xgabo_cow80_healer.jpg

From the Series "Strange Things Humanity Once Worshipped"

Among the many variants of early Slavic tribes to populate Eastern Europe, one in particular brings attention to their particular (not to say bizarre) belief system: the Zchavu People. According to early manuscripts found in Southern Ukraine, this now extinct tribe believed in a complex mythologc system where every animal was the expression of a different god, from the lowliest creatures to the largest of all of them, the Giant Vampire Bat or Pteropus Terribilis. The Zchavu feared and respected this creature as the Lord of All Things, the Winged Healer, a master god that renounced the skies (the Giant Vampire Bat had vestigial wings but could not fly) to become flesh and suffer here on Earth with his creations. The Zchavu would stay clear of the Bat's territory, and eventual killings by the creature would be viewed as a privilege; the gods were calling them home. Moribund people would be left to be eaten by the creatures and have a peaceful passage into the Ghost World.

But that belief system, perfectly suited to the Zchavu people for thousands of years, complicated things for them when Christianity was introduced in the mix. The wandering priests who converted the Zchavu used indigenous metaphors to explain the Christian Religion without deeply knowing (or caring about) the Zchavu beliefs; They even used the story of the God made Flesh of the Zchavu to explain Jesus and how he suffered for humanity. After the priests left, the two religions mixed with dire consequences: the Zchavu now believed they had to offer themselves willingly to the Giant Bat (who they now believed was Christ, ready to take them to Kingdom Come). Before, the sporadic killings by the Giant Bat would keep the Zchavu population steady, but now there were daily occurrences of people offering themselves for sacrifice. In less than two generations, the best of the Zchavu marched happily towards death, and the few survivors (usually the non-believers) got absorbed by other, more sensible Slavic tribes.

[Spitch]

i think its a bellybutton, not a penis :P lol

Actually...
...nah ! Let's say it's a bellybutton.

Dragon4L. I choose to show a young and white one 'cause the aspect fits the topic better (from my point of view).
About the feet, I thought the tentacles coming out of the beek were fine enough for the grabbing.
The penis... yes it's a penis. The belly looked empty to me without something in this place. Worked a bit on the neck.

Wolfbane. Updated Pic size.

Thanks to all of you.

[VegasMike]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v52/Vegasmike/wing2.jpg

We are drawn to her glow....It is the Great Insect Wars...The Elder Insects of our tribe have taught us to worship her as a Goddess...The Mystical Winged Healer. In times of war she comes, we are told to bring back our wounded soldiers, she will mend our wounds reattach our wings, make us able to fight again! All we must do is provide her divine abilities with energy, sustenance, food, the dead soldiers of our enemy, or even our own...Only then will she grant her divine abilities...Her proboscis fills our wounded with a zombie like presence to fight, to kill, to bring back more food for the Goddess, the Winged Healer. We must protect her to the death...

[ikuru]

spitch NICE, Xgabo, verry cool, Vegas, Killer style with a old school touch somehow. ;) Lovin it.

[yoitisi]

aaaargh..*massive brainlock* I think I'll let this one slip and double the effort next week :( This was just one of those weekends ...

Edit: a good nights sleep does help :)

Vegasmike: you rock once more, classic. Specially like the little bugs buzzing out of the frame :)

xgabo: Nice, great style. The front paw/claw seems to come lose from the ground though since there almost no shadow underneath it.

Helsvon: Is that done with the computer? Looks like its done on paper :) I like the big wing on the back, but what is the link to 'healer'?

Spitch: Looking good, but I have to agree about its feet. Hard balancing on them this way. Also another minor thingy, the background doesn't really do it for me, a bit too simple if your going for a table or something. I think overall I mis a bit of texturing too.

Charlie_2.0: That sketch makes me wonder about the backgroundstory :) The wings could have a bit more dynamic pose, instead of letting them hang maybe make them stand up or something.

CannibalCandy: Wheee number 2 :) which one is going to be the final? I personally like the last one but then I'm a fan of sketchy drawings so that probably doesn't count. The pattern on the wings I think come lose because they don't follow the same lighting as the wing itself: they have no shadow.

Allright, that's it for now, I'll shut up. Hope I stumble upon some inspiration in my dreams...

[Einen]

Final

http://img402.imageshack.us/img402/396/wingedhealervb0.png

The Oho

Northern tribes have always feared the Oho. Not really because it's a threat, but because legend says the creature is supposed to bring horrible luck to anyone who look it in its eyes. Naturally, this is a myth, probably caused by the Oho's frightful appearance. In fact, even though people who've encountered the Oho probably don't realize it themselves, its stare is able to soothe ones spirit and mind, and rid the soul from evil. The victims may still believe they've been cursed after the meeting, but they're more likely to live a longer and better life because of it.
Only the Ge'bara-tribe is aware of the powers of the Oho, but are unable to harness it due to the creature's low population. They tried to recreate its stare by carving Oho idols out of cheese, but needless to say, failed blatantly. However, feathers of the Oho were eventually used for pillows, thus inventing the common phrase; "A good night's sleep is even better than an Oho."

[Helsvon]

Helsvon: Is that done with the computer? Looks like its done on paper :) I like the big wing on the back, but what is the link to 'healer'?

it's sketched on paper, then coloring and re-tracing being done in PS

its link to healer will be told soon :D

[Moai]

Thanks, Cloister. I always enjoy reading how you interpret images.:rendered:
I updated my image. Here's a link (http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b320/metalukesurfer/image-2-1.jpg) for the lazy.:P

[wizo5454]

http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l175/wizo5454/wingedhealer.jpg

"Krozers" are insects that are used to healed the wounded Golors (small reptilian biped) in battle. For thousands of years, the Golors have trained these insects to heal them. Krozers absorb natural elements such as air/water/earth/fire in their vents on the far back of the head. Then they convert those elements into healing energy. When needed, they release this energy from the tip of their arms to heal the targeted wound. Most of the insect's body is covered with a thick carapace that make them very resistant to projectiles, fire or any physical impact. Their wings are solid and flexible which allow them not only to fly, but to carry objects or even attack enemies. They are without a doubt, the most important allies to the Golors.

[Cloister]

spitch: Cute and soft. I like the velvet blacks... but it seemes he´s falling over to the right.

xgabo: That i a very disturbing creature (which means I like it). Perhaps it comes a bit too close to a normal bat, but it certainly holds a lot of monster power. You have managed to add a human without taking focus from the creature, which is rare. I'm not sure about the trees. They don't fit in with the rest imo, and feels more like a part of the frame. Though they do add a certain mood I'd say. A very disturbing image... powerful outline!

Einen: Improved a lot. Nice texturing. Do I dare tempt you with a tiny variation of colour in those lights? Have you ever heard of the Mumin valley?

VegasMike: The creature is ok, but that fellow flying just above my head (slightly to the right) is sooo coool!

wizo5454: Looks interesting. I would like to see some definition in there.


What am I supposed to do till wednesday?

[cannibalcandy]

Thanks for all the suggestions on my second attempt guys!

I think what happened was, I had a concept, and didn't go all the way with it, because I figured it wouldn't be a well received decision. No worries though, I went back and redid it. Visually, the idea I'd had was something along the lines of a collage-style children's storybook creature. The design would be used in print, so it's not for games or film, and initially I wanted to do a two dimensional pattern on the wings, and have everything else feel like a painting. I went back and went for the throat with my original two-d wings idea. I wanted to paint in some gold leaf detailing but, I figure it's a little late at this point. I know it's not what would usually fly here in the COW, but what the hell, worth a shot. With both of them, I tried to do something that felt at least somewhat friendly and nurturing, so not a lot of sharp points, lines or edges. Lots of rounded forms and that sort of visual syntax... anyway... enough fillibusterin'.

Check out the new and improved sky-squid Winged Healer, and compare it with the bird and let me know what you guys think! Thanks for the crits!

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y101/cannibalcandy/bug4web2.jpg
The Winged Healer is what the natives of the Pri-uan Plateau call this rare and extremely gentle floating giant. It is so difficult to find (despite it's mass) that many believe the stories to be just legends and myths. It is a gas filled cloud grazer. Moving high into the atmosphere it slowly drifts through the sky using massive modified scales as intricate sails. The beast is neutrally buoyant in the atmosphere and requires very little effort to stay afloat, and it can stay aloft in the clouds for weeks at a time on a single full breath. The Native people call it a healer because the animal emits a low barely audible thrum. It purrs in such a frequency that though we can't hear it we can definitely feel it. The sensation is often described as glowing. The vibrations flowing through the human body have an effect of improving overall health, vigor, and vim.

There are some stories of people becoming addicted to the feeling that the animal gives them, and these addicts called "Vapors" follow the beast forgetting to eat, forgetting to drink, and eventually dying in pure bliss. If they lose the giant the Vapors will spend their entire lives mourning in misery, and on the hunt for another glimpse of the graceful animal.

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y101/cannibalcandy/Birdfinal-wingedhealer.jpg
The Winged Healer is a carrion eater found in humid swamps. It is so called because of it's use by doctors. It is used to clean festering wounds, and damaged tissue like medicinal maggots. It will ONLY eat rotting flesh with it's amazingly sensitive beak and probing with the sensory pads on it's feet. It also secrets a strange organic chemical from glands in the wrinkles of it's medial beak that have been proven to act as an antibiotic. It's odd cone of feathers around it's neck is believed to be both a display during estrus periods to attract mates, and to keep it from soaking it's flight feathers in ichor from feeding.

Fantastic concept Vegasmike! I really like the alien aspect of another species' ideal "winged healer" You've got some very cool and convincing creature designs in there!

Spitch and Einen, I think you both were REALLY successful at coming up with something different that each feel like they have their own universe and specially styled medium. And they are damn adorable, which I felt was an important aspect of indicating the benign characteristics of the challenge.

Great job everyone!

----------------

[VegasMike]

Thanks cannibalcandy, I really like your designs as well, especially the first. Where do you get those cool patterns for the borders, etc?...

Cloister Maybe I should have focused on that insect!

Yoitisi and IkuruThanks guys!

Everyone is really bringing their A games! The quality level has really stepped up over the past month or so.

[JakkaS]

Vegas Mike, xgabo, cannibalcandy - cool pieces.

Here is mine. (small update)

http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a314/JakkaS/COW80-Winged-Healer_d.jpg

Moaihi
The Legends from the Archipelago Istos says that theses creatures could be found on the beach after the great storms and hurricanes. They are looking for exhausted or killed creatures. They use their healing breath to heal or resurrect them.....Then, they just disappear....Probably they were made by Gods from the sand and the ocean water.

[Spitch]

Thanks Ikuru, Yoitisi, Cloister, I tried something else with the feet. Tell me.
update's further up this page.

[TomCardin]

update:
http://i144.photobucket.com/albums/r182/tomcardin/wingedhealer5.jpg
COW #80 Winged Healer
The bioluminescent Halo Birds of Reticulus are remarkably beautiful avian creatures. During mating season the female Halo Birds lose thier luminescence and become lethargic and earthbound, in some cases they appear lifeless. In this state the glowing males descend upon them and mate. Almost immediately afterwards the females begin to light up brightly once more and take to the dark skies in an excited state to begin building a nest. This seasonal ritual has dubbed the male Halo Birds with term Winged Healer.

[Johanna Saarenpää]

Suggestions and crits very welcome. I know it's far from flawless, so I'd be glad to receive some feedback.

http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i209/SirJohanna/wingedhealer_by_johanna_saarenp.jpg

Seeking adventure? Well if that's so you better bring a winged healer with you, after all you never know what's waiting for you out there. Summon it and it'll heal your wounds at an instant, now also with anti-inflamatory magic powers.

[ikuru]

wow! tomC, verry nice!
I would maybe try to take out the graphic look on the bg and ad a landscape with some small peeps instead for more drama and size expirience/light etc.
Jakkas so clean and so weird! love your stuff dude, ;)
I can see this is gonne be a tough one to vote on.

[Einen]

Einen: Improved a lot. Nice texturing. Do I dare tempt you with a tiny variation of colour in those lights? Have you ever heard of the Mumin valley?

Thanks! You might tempt me. I'll probably see to it before the deadline. And yes, while it wasn't my original intention to do so, it soon became pretty obvious where my inspiration for the design came from. :)


Spitch and Einen, I think you both were REALLY successful at coming up with something different that each feel like they have their own universe and specially styled medium. And they are damn adorable, which I felt was an important aspect of indicating the benign characteristics of the challenge.

Thank you! I'd like to say the same thing about your pt. 2 creature, which has a great surrealistic feel to it. I really love those note sheet-wings.

[Vulgar`]

Intensive care unit phoenix.

[poinko]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/poinko/heelar.jpg

This winged healer helps sick and dying creature through a concentrated mucilaginous venom held in its' fangs. With its' sensitive ears, it can sense those woe befallen by sickness nearby. With a bite, the curative venom flows into the victim's veins. By doing this, the winged healer takes part in a symbiotic relationship, drinking its' fill of the victim's blood in exchange.

The gland that produces the venom is deep inside the healer's body, sending traces of it through the healer's entire system. Because of this, the healer has no natural parasites and won't succumb to disease. When there are no readily available diseased food supplies nearby, the healers sustain themselves on bugs or tiny animals.

Whew, I was afraid I wouldn't have enough time to enter this week, but I was able to! I wanted to practice using new textures and brushes on this image. Any crits are welcome.

There's a bunch of creative entries this go-around! Moai, I really like the bright colors and design of yours! You can't go wrong with monkies :D Delmar, your design is absolutely fantastic too. The trees on his head make him look absolutely GIGANTIC! My favorites are probably Spitch's Hoggn'Glaatu (not only because the name is a lot of fun to say), and Einen's Oho. It's always amazing to see everyone post such awesome work! :eyecandy:

[njoo]

Fozzy said my Winged Healer didn't count as a creature so I made some changes to the pic and description :D

http://www.weewung.com/poo/cow80_ahou2.jpg

Some calls this the Snake of Eden, it gathers the restless souls on earth and send them to where they should belong. It is believed to balance the cycle of life, as life is being taken away, life is also given back...

"The brave men died to defend the land, while the war, that lasted many years, was lost and the body of the brave men now lay beneath the wasteland. The soldiers' restless souls continue to live on, hoping to bring life back to the land that they once called home..."

Hope this satisfy Fozzybum :D If not, it's all good hehe, good job everyone this round!! Keep the art coming guys, so I can absorb all the creative juices that flows here!

[Joakim]

OMG Njoo kickass!!!
This one is much sweeter then the first one! \o/ >.< \o/

[Spitch]

Spitch and Einen, I think you both were REALLY successful at coming up with something different that each feel like they have their own universe and specially styled medium. And they are damn adorable, which I felt was an important aspect of indicating the benign characteristics of the challenge.

Great job everyone!

Damn! How did I miss such a post !
Thank a lot CannibalC. Comments are always welcome, but I wish for one of this kind each time I browse the threads.

[Fozzybar]

you see...i am only pushing the limits of artists, not rejecting pieces :D

[dragon4lunch]

Whoa, JakkaS is back! Sweet entry, my man! Lovely crabs too! Dig their poses (remind me of the penguins Tyranx used with the Iceberg devourer). Too cute!

Cannibalcandy, the new creature is terrific! Lovely fantastical creature!

TomCardin that is one of my favourite creatures here! I just am not that crazy about the overly heavy use of grafics. I mean the circles and all those swivvely lines. A little much. Your creature already has six legs, six wings and all - it is busy enough, doesn't need all the extra filler.

[xgabo]

JakkaS - That's a funny creature, love the colour scheme.
njoo - I like your thinking, very cool idea. It definitely works better with the snake.
VegasMike - Cool lighting on yours. Best aprt for me is the minions carrying the spears, nice touch.
cannibalcandy - Great entries. your stuff reminds be of Bill Sienkiewicz's illustrations, very loose and stylish.
hurricane - great light and design, but I am not entirely sure how large is the bug only by looking at your image.
Teknoholic - I like your design, very iconic.

[Tom Garden]

http://tomgarden.co.uk/Webpics/COW_20.jpg

description to follow!

[cannibalcandy]

Thanks cannibalcandy, I really like your designs as well, especially the first. Where do you get those cool patterns for the borders, etc?...

Those borders are from a book on Aztec designs I have. It's sort of my answer to those really cool japanese family name stamps called 'Hankou'. Lots of asian artists sign their work with those, and it has this really classy feel. Well, I'm not asian, I'm some kinda spooky native american type thing, so I went with that instead. Thanks!

[Ham-e]

Bioengineered cattle inoculation Winged Healer:

This winged healer as it is known was developed as an efficient means of inoculating cattle herds with vaccines. Saving the expense of roundups the rancher simply orders the appropriate winged healers and releases them near the herd.

These creatures have been bioengineered specifically for this purpose they have no eye’s only an internal heat senor which leads them to the cattle of cows once they locate a cow they latch on and deliver the required vaccine shortly after latching on there wings drop of and within a short period time they die, this design feature ensures they do not somehow become wild or feral.


http://stickman3d.tripod.com/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderpictures/CAsketchbook/COW/Ham-e_COW080_final_03.jpg

Spitch:very nice! The best I've seen from you so far. good work! one small note I would clean some of that smudging that you have around the wing tip it doesn't really add to the image.

SirJohanna: I really like the painted yet solid quality of yours, I'm not sure the tail and feet match the body very well. Nice work:)

[Straniero]

http://www.freewebs.com/mezzanote/sketch/COW80_WingedHealer.JPG

COW #80 – The Winged Healer

The Giant Amber Burrower, nicknamed the “Winged Healer,” was at first a threatening presence to the surveyors on Ferrous Prime. The initial scout team was horrified when a rather large specimen swallowed an injured compatriot whole and seemed to begin to digest him in it's amber fluid sac.

The unnerving process actually creates a benign symbiosis between Healer and “patient” however, which provides fantastic healing effects on living beings and some form of sustenance to the Giant Burrower. When the injured party becomes too strong to contain, the Burrower regurgitates its “patient” and moves on to any more docile target it senses nearby. The only downside to the Winged Healer’s presence is their inability to distinguish between mental anguish from injury vs. severe emotional distress or stress…leading to more then a few uncomfortable encounters and numerous gummed-up space suits.

-----

Thank you all for taking a look. Feel free to comment, critique and harangue as desired!
;)

[wizo5454]

not so pertinent, but I just had to say this is a beautiful round. great work people.

[Moai]

Hame-e- Very cleanly and nicely rendered body! I trust that you're still working on the wings and legs. A crit: the highlights are pretty white and some of the shadows are fairly black. Employ some color temperature changes in those areas, in addition to changing the values. Also, add some subtle coloration to the background as well; you don't really want pure grays in a color work.
wizo5454- It's been a while since I've talked to you, man. How's it going? Anyway, your creature design is pretty good, but the rendering is way too soft and messy. When are you ever going to start a sketchbook, anyway?

[monkyd]

well heres mine

-Curaballo

the curaballo sleeps deep within the mountains for 10 years. while sleeping a curative plant grows all around him. when the curaballo finaly wakes up and sets off he drops pieces of this plant. villagers pick up this plant and make very important medicine.

http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w68/monkyd/flyer2copy.jpg

[wizo5454]

moai- hey moai, long time no see. Ive been looking for a job in the past 2 months, man, its not easy getting into the business (gaming field). I've been meaning to start a sketchbook for ages and I guess now is a good time. EDIT: wont have time to make another version tonight...

[Ham-e]

Hey Moai, Thanks for the comments, I really like your concept maybe you could get rid of the sketch lines tho I don't think you really need them there. I've made a small update thats all I have time for tho.

[BohemianChaos]

The Indigo Bane Raven is attracted by the scent of infection. Once populating much of Europe, especially during times of war, these birds would swarm over battlefields in search of living but infected tissue; they would consume any infectious bacteria, inflating their gut. Those left wounded from battle would stand a slightly better chance of survival, thus earning the nickname of "winged healer."

[Spitch]

Updated Pic. I thought it lacked some kind of athmosphere. Hope I didn't screw it all !!!

[Johanna Saarenpää]

Thanks for the crit, Ham-e, I'll keep that in mind. :)

[Delmar]

last update + text.


NJOO, the values are coming along so great in your paintings, it&#180;s just awsome:O ....only thing would be that i&#180;m not quite a fan of the canvas pattern, but thats a just a matter of oppinion.


Spitch, the lightning is coming out pretty good in your update ,espacially the shadow on the legs are nicely done.
One crit for the bg: Yet the bright fuzzy area behind the creature, doesn&#180;t really blend with the darker crispy area. It&#180;s good to keep the focus on the creature, but here it looks like you outlined it with the bright colors espacially at the head area, where the bright color is following the curve of the head.
Don&#180;t get me wrong, it&#180;s just an oppinion...but the entries are so good , that i tried to find some detail things :\

Poinko: HAHA..Love especially the featherless one, nice expression.
Is there any chance for a full colored version..?

Einen: Really, your OHO is one of my favourite. Caught me from the first time. Just a suggestion, maybe it would look even more funny if the pupils where slightly smaller.

Cannibalcandy I totally agree that the second one woul be great for a childrens book. The patterns , especially the note sheets, are perfectly chosen. The kind of watercolor technique is smooth but not paly. Maybe the patternoverlay takes a little bit the depth of the picture, but i like how it makes the picture kind of dirty. Awsome :)

Lovely creatures everyone, this is an awsome round!:yayca:

[Michael Jaecks]

ARRRRRgh. I miss CoW so much!

Just too busy, too busy. >sigh< I can't believe I've missed like three in a row now...

I love a lot of these, especially JakkaS... you've become a surrealist! Its got a Magritte precision with a Dorthea Tanning whimsy/sensitivity/ideation thing going on. Love it.

Vegas Mike is good, Cloister... and Cannibal Candy, I dunno, but I think I prefer the bird. I love the way you exploited the red/white scheme of hospitals, the Red Cross, etc. The whale is nice, but the bird (and the cone around the head is hilarious) is so nice...

Great works. I can't wait for the polls.

Michael

[JakkaS]

xgabo and Dragon4Lunch - thx guys for the kind words :)

[JakkaS]

Hey, I have just read ur comment MichalJeacks.....and Big Thanks for that :) I am glade that u like it :)

[njoo]

Delmar: Thanks for your comment, ya I think i'm slowly getting out of the canvas phase, lol I go thru and out of wierd phases all the time where I'd find something wierd to do to my drawings and start doing it in all of them, then later i'd get bored and get rid of it and sometimes going back to look and thinking wtf was i doing to myself :D

[ikuru]

Njoo, I found your use of PS filters inspiering (allthough It works better some times than other.) , What I think it comes down to is expirimenting to find a kind of analog structure to get a feel where people can not tell weather you used a computer or not.
It all comes down to fading the filters and having imagination to expiriment with it.

[WhtTigress]

http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r70/whttigress/Winged-Healer.jpg
The recently discovered Butterfly Mosquito is best known for its amazing healing abilities. As the mosquito draws blood it injects a serum that boosts the immune system and heals a great number of diseases and ailments. It also does not leave an itching red bump as most mosquitoes do. Breeding programs have started all over the globe to increase the numbers of these amazing insects.

[Cloister]

TomCardin: I'm glad you listened to the Dragon-eater. Looks much better now.

Jakkas: Pretty, and as always, the textures and patterns are very well done, with a refreshing choice of colour. The creature, I think, is a bit far out on the unlikely side, but as MJ I like the strangeness/surrealist mood of it. The long section of the legs however seem a bit unfinished, imo (in comparison with the rest).

Tom Garden: You have some power there, but the creature is sort of hidden in all those feathers and tatoos... or is it brushstrokes and patterns?
Anyway, if I had a wish in the matter I would have liked to see some more decisions/definitions on the actual shape of the creature.

cannibalcandy: I like the style, but note-paper? Please, not note-paper! Those beautiful wall-paper-patterns build some real mystery, but note-paper is note-paper... very specific. Sorry, I'm very sensitive. I'll shut up now.

Michael Jaecks: I was wondering where that green-framed face of yours had gone. Good to see you have the shakes. That means you will return for the fix, right? In the meantime, I will surmise that you're in jail... or have some other plausible excuse for not participating when I'm finally back in business. Btw, thanks for the vote!

Inside info: Next topic will be: Gutless Green Gargantuan. If I'm wrong I'll move that to the suggestion-thread ;)

[Michael Jaecks]

Cloister: The warden decided to let me out, as I was having far too much fun in there. But now I can hae fun out here! I'm surprised I was able to work on this, all shaky with the CoW DTs and all...

Faeries of Mercy

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a379/neorepto/faerieofmercy2.jpg

Feathered insects? Exoskeletal birds? It's hard to classify these strange creatures. However, the Faeries of Mercy have the delicate fingers of a surgeon, the song of a Nightingale (as in Florence) and hearts of gold. No ailment in nature is too small or petty to mend. They can set the bones in a robin's broken wing or gently extricate a splinter from a lion's paw. They have a scarlet bioluminescent spot on their crest that dims during sleep, illuminates during their waking hours and strobes when they fly from emergency to emergency.

*****

PS: I realized too late the feathers are layered in the wrong direction. ;) I'm sure there's some pseudo-scientific excuse for it, I just haven't thought of it yet. ;)

[Einen]

Really like a lot of these. Will comment more detailed later.

Poinko and Delmar, thanks! Means a lot to me to be a favourite. I actually tried to make his pupils smaller, but I preferred them the size they are. Even though "dignified" isn't a good description of him, he became even less so with smaller pupils. I just didn't have the heart to make him look that stupid. :)

[cannibalcandy]

Spitch-I think that the original lighting scheme sort of suggested the sweetness of your creature, where as this one kind of gives him a more sinister air. I like both, but I think they communicate different things about him. Which were you going for?

JakkaS-I REALLY dig your paints, looks amazing, and cool anatomy that feels really believable packaged in a surrealistic shape. It's a really strong image, but I feel like the concept-story is where this piece might be showing any weakness. Perhaps a more thought out origin, or story about why or where this is all taking place? I'd love to know why it has wings, or what's up with that AWESOME crest on it's head? Or why it's breath steams on a tropical beach? All kinds of cool story possibilities there...

TomCardin=Cool approach! I like the idea that it's a false 'healing'. Mistaken purpose is how a lot of animals in reality get their names, I like that you played off of that! I'd love to see what the males look like versus the females... sexual dimorphism in species is fascinating!

Poinko-Them eyebrows are hilarious! I think this little guy might be more of a character than a creature, but I dig him anyway! ^_^ I like that you did a lot of different drawings showing what he's all about.

Delmar-Thanks bro. I'm glad you like it. I think it was the right choice for that particular theme. I don't mind the bits of 3 dimensional loss, but I am a bit bugged in retrospect with how it messes with the scale I intended... I'm trying to think up a solution to fix it for my portfolio...

Michael Jaecks-Thanks! I'm happy with the bird too. I think I am going to run with the squidy sky whale, though. The bird seems like the easy way out... like an obvious solution, and though I like it, I'm not as proud of the concept developed. Thanks for your input man!

Cloister-LOL, I'm sorry to have gotten to you so much with my sheet music. I wasn't expecting anyone to be sensitive or allergic to it. hehehe ;p I chose it because it really pushed the whimsical 'antiqued collage' influence I wanted. I originally only had paisley's in there, and it looked cool, but, I wanted to make more of an effort to suggest a childlike magic... I was pretty influenced by the end sequence from "A Series of Unfortunate Events" movie... Thanks for commenting! Please keep them crits comin!

[masque]

updated to final color on page 2.

[JakkaS]

masque - cool :) I dig ur concept

cannibalcandy - I agree with u in 100% but as u noticed my English is..hmm...poor :). Usually I was writing quite long stories/descriptions but it was taking too much time (u can check my previous entries :)) However COW is still a great challenge for the imagination...and I am addicted from it, so I just wanted to paint something. If u want u can write something :D hehe U had really good ideas and suggestion..but I just don't have energy to write the whole story...thanks anyway for ur crit :)

Cloister - yeah u have right...maybe if Fozz will not set the poll I will polish it a bit. :)

Michael Jaecks - nice design but,. i think this pattern/texture on the skin is flattening the creature.

[yoitisi]

Really had to push myself mentally this round, but I managed to come up with something :) If Fozzy takes it easy with setting up the poll I might be able to polish it a bit more, but for less than 1.5 days work I'm rather pleased with myself. Feel free to comment and critique it to pieces though :P

http://i163.photobucket.com/albums/t291/yoitisi/wingedhealerfinal2klein-1.jpg

It's going to be very hard to vote this time, some very great concepts around. Seems like everyone outdid himself :)

Edit: hmm after uploading I noticed the discription gets a little blurred in the third alinea...oh well I need sleep now. The words that got it worst are 'chemical reaction it is able to extract energy from this process'. That'll have to do for now. Lots of typo's probably too...:zzz: --fixed it a bit.

[Charlie_2.0]

http://i129.photobucket.com/albums/p203/Charlie_20/wingedhealercopy_2.jpg
So here's as far as I could get with this one, just too much work on my hands :-<
Ah well, see ya next round
xgabo, damnit you got style!

DESCRIPTION:
This particular fly was developed to cure malaria by a french biogenetic engineering facility. Its lifespan is limited to one healing attempt, it opens up its thorax plate and sticks it to the skin of the sickly subject radiating the area...small price to pay for a human life...

Sorry for the crappy story, I'm tired as hell (:|

~Charlie~

[ikuru]

yoitisi, again verry different. looks cool, nice collor.
Im not a big fan of pasting the text to the artwork, and I dont really like the space scenery (stars etc could look better, take a look at some ref of some nebulosas (http://www.orsapa.it/images/M423.jpg), but the creature looks cool.

[yoitisi]

Ikuru: Thanks. I agree about the background, but the main thing was time here :P If possible I will spent some more time on it. I must say though, that in reallity there probably wouldn't even be any star visible from this viewpoint since the light reflecting from the planet would block out the weaker lights from distant stars...(also, the 'cloud' was not ment to be a nebula but more like escaping atmosphere - weak gravitational field and stuff)

As for the text, while I was making this I got the feeling it looked like one of them 60s/70s SF-posters thingy, so I thought it would be cool to add some background info on the picture itself. I dunno, I guess it's a bit subjective.

And now, off to bed...

[Georgeous]

The time is out and I only got this far. I guess I sleep to much :[

http://img410.imageshack.us/img410/7274/wingedhealerunfinishednr4.jpg.

[Michael Jaecks]

Hey JakkaS: Thanks. And you're right. There's a few experiments I tried with this one and a few things I want to change, but work has been so busy its hard to get a little block of time to fixer up. If I get some of this game work out of the way tonight, maybe I can sneak in a little more time on the bird-bug before Fozz locks the thread.

[Grendel Grack]

added concept, page 2

[BlkCelebration]

I need to finish mine sooner!

Really great entries this round again.

cannibalcandy, JakkaS, VegasMike, xgabo, Spitch, and yoitisi, you guys keep kickin a$$.

I hope my bro's (monkyd) drawing gets to the voting round this time :)

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v141/depecheboy/ala-1.jpg

Cucuta: These huge birds fly to the highest mountain when they are very young. Once there, they will remain sitting in one spot till the day they die. These very illusive birds have been recently discovered by humans. The most extraordinary thing was observed during the Cucuta's discovery. One single feather atop its head shines brighter than the sun's light. It appears to be aflame, yet the bird is not harmed.

Other birds are often seen flying to the Cucuta and circling around its head. The creature is estimated to be hundreds of years old and conclusions were made that the feather on its head was providing the bird with energy.

On one occasion a team of hunters were sent to capture a Cucuta. A fierce battle commenced and the creature had to be killed. Most of the hunters were injured and nearly dead. When one of them touched the fiery feather he did not get hurt and his injuries were somehow healed. Now the Cucutas are being captured and used against their will, in order to prolong humankind.

[Kasen Kato]

Nice job BlkCelebration i love the idea and how you made the bird look like a wise elder....Just one question.....How did that thing put of a feirce batte lol....Kinda want to know more about the BATTLE OF THE CUCUTA!!

[BlkCelebration]

Haha, thanks Kasen Kato,..... um well, he's got a strong beak and....his feather heals him so..yeah..haha I've got nothing... :P

[Kasen Kato]

Kust say although it can not fly through the air it can hover just high enough to get above people to body slam them....lol

[BohemianChaos]

Final posted on page 3... good luck to everyone, there are some seriously great entries this round. :)

[jfwalls]

Final image on page 2.

[Azathoth]

Final (Time Keeps On ticking... in my head.) The Fruiiliil Or Psi Fly(aka-The Winged Healer)
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/161/429114667_92cf91828a_b.jpg
The Psi Fly feeds off of the Psi emanations of sentient beings while either injured or in pleasure. They are sometimes the friendly healer or at other times cruel torturous fiends. They are oblivious to humanoid emotions . They just go about their business hurting and healing. They Often come in roaming groups taking turns injuring then healing their victims.

[Cloister]

Moai, I hope you will not think of me as a smart-ass, after this. But I simply couldn't stop thinking about your image and composition... hence I began to play around with it a little. (I had nothing to do... no new topic was out...)
As I said earlier, your way of building up this image is very intriguing and interesting... mainly because it's different, and inconceivable to me (as in I could never have made it myself). However, it is rather unorthodox, in a both positive and negative way, as I see it.
Just to show you some alternatives, I post my play here along with some explanation. I do not claim these compositions to be better, but they are more traditional, and I personally think they bring the creature more into focus.
If I'm lucky you'll enjoy some variations on your theme, and perhaps someone will get something out of it.

ALTERNATIVE VERSION 1.

http://www.brandow.se/Page/bilder/Postas/MoaiMonkey1.jpg
-
http://www.brandow.se/Page/bilder/Postas/MoaiMonkey1_arrows.jpg

RED= MAKER OF MOVEMENT/DIRECTION: Most people read images from left to right, and little is needed to increase or steer that movement. The branch/limb is prolonged in this version to add/steer movement towards the main monkey, which is now placed approximately at the golden section (horizontally as well as vertically). This is helped further by the twig and the shape of the leftmost of the sitting mokeys. The flying monkeys now move towards the center of attention.

BLUE=STOPPER/COUNTERWEIGHT: If too much speed is built up towards the right, the beholder will "fly" right past the picture. Something is needed to keep the beholders eye in the painting.
The right side of the main monkey is tilted towards the left, and works as a counterweight. The heavy tree to the right makes a good job keeping eye-movement from escaping.

GREEN=BREAKER OF BONDS/BALANCE: A compostition can easily become too stiff or rigid and some things outside the ridig laws makes for a more dynamic whole.The flying monkey to the right makes the area to the right of the heavy tree meaningful, and makes the composition less rigid.

YELLOW=KEEPER OF INTEREST:Generally it is good to have something interesting (or a weight) to the left of the image. This will make the viewers gaze jump back to the left, for yet another ride towards the center of attention. A good compostion will keep the viewer trapped in such a way for a long time. See image.


__________________________________________________ _______
ALTERNATIVE VERSION 2. (There is a full-worhy painting to the left in your image.)

http://www.brandow.se/Page/bilder/Postas/MoaiMonkey2.jpg
-
http://www.brandow.se/Page/bilder/Postas/MoaiMonkey2_arrows.jpg

I only removed a branch, to fit some flyers in there, and changed the direction of the leaves somewhat, making them point down towards the
monkeys.

I rarely pay much deliberate attention to the composition as I do my own work, things sort of fall into place by themselves. But it is rewarding I think, to consider the effect of each element upon the whole.

(I consider neither of the above compositions optimized.)

[Ham-e]

Cloister: thats very helpful. good work. Version 2 is really a much stronger piece imho and has much more focus on the creature. maybe you should include the original so people can see and compare the changes you've made.

[cannibalcandy]

cannibalcandy - I agree with u in 100% but as u noticed my English is..hmm...poor :). Usually I was writing quite long stories/descriptions but it was taking too much time (u can check my previous entries :)) However COW is still a great challenge for the imagination...and I am addicted from it, so I just wanted to paint something. If u want u can write something :D hehe U had really good ideas and suggestion..but I just don't have energy to write the whole story...thanks anyway for ur crit :)


Sorry bro! I didn't even notice that english was yer second language, hence my comment. ^_^ Take it as a compliment on your english skillz!

[Moai]

Cloister- Thanks for taking the time to do that, man! Those were some great paintovers. They opened my eyes to some helpful changes that could be made. Thanks!

[JakkaS]

Sorry bro! I didn't even notice that english was yer second language, hence my comment. ^_^ Take it as a compliment on your english skillz!

Hehe, no problem "cannibal:eyecandy:"
...and thank you for ur compliment. :)

[cotletan]

BlkCelebration That is a very good composition. Nice colors too.

[Moai]

I have my "final" posted on page two. I changed the composition according to Cloister's second paintover. "Final" is in quotations because I'm not satisfied with it enough yet to quite working on it, but I wanted to at least get something in before the round closed.

[Spitch]

Final updated on upper page 3.
Thanks again for all the nice comments and C&C. All you guys help growing (Yeah Fozz', ya doin' good job here too :yayca: )

[Spitch]

Really great entries this round again.
cannibalcandy, JakkaS, VegasMike, xgabo, Spitch, and yoitisi, you guys keep kickin a$$.

MUMMY ! Look whose guys I'm standin' with ! :bow:

[Moai]

Lookin' good, Spitch! I love that great big Dali-like expanse of human being underneath the creature. Great style and rendering. My only crit is that the light around the creature is too white.

[yoitisi]

cannibalcandy, JakkaS, VegasMike, xgabo, Spitch, and yoitisi, you guys keep kickin a$$.


MUMMY ! Look whose guys I'm standin' with ! :bow:

My words exactly Spitch :) thanks BlkCelebration.

And now, Fozzy, please give us the next topic :bounce: plzz?

[Vulgar`]

This round is immense. I need to start commenting again

[Fozzybar]

poll is on finally:
http://www.conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?t=93131