C.O.W. - #081: Living Trap - Voting!

[Fozzybar]

ROUND #081 VOTING

Topic: Living Trap

Deadline for the voting: Friday, 06th April 2007

Posting thread (closed):
http://www.conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?t=93133


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OK - before voting/posting read this!!!

1. Please give c&c or a reason why you voted for the image!

2. Feel free to comment on any or all entries, the artists will appreciate it!

3. No voting for your own entry!!! If a participants votes for his own entry, every member has the right to call him a stupid lame moron in this thread! And i will delete his/her vote anyway...

[Fozzybar]

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artist: Dave Nielsen
concept:
Juicy watermelon or carnivore? This creature originated when a wizard's experiments with fruit backfired. He was only trying to conjure up a mystically delicious smoothie, but this living trap was the result. It has since reproduced (asexually) and run amuck in the countryside where the creatures plague farmers and melon lovers. Many unwitting souls end up at the none too tender mercies of this predator's teeth and tentacles.
http://i87.photobucket.com/albums/k130/Notions2Motion/melontrap.jpg

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artist: masque
concept:
After more than a century of stories about "first contact," it's ironic that the actual event nearly led to the extinction of one of the most ancient entities in our galaxy, the life-forms we initially knew as the "Cloudfishers."
First appearing in our skies nearly twenty years ago, these creatures began predating on higher animals and humans, although it took nearly a decade to recognize the reason for the mysterious disappearances. The Cloudfishers would drift high in the stratosphere, virtually invisible and transparent to radar and other scanning technologies. When thunderstorms began to develop near them, they would move deep into the cumulonimbus cloud formations, gaining energy from the same static differential that causes lightning. They lowered a thin tendril of extremely long-chain polymerized proteins, at the end of which was a net-like "trap" that was set to spring open and engulf prey, then retract to the floating creature for absorption. The traps were very hard to detect in the driving rainstorms during which the Cloudfishers always hunted.
After their discovery and our realization of their predatory nature, an eight-year campaign to exterminate these hunters of men was very nearly successful, and was only halted following the realization that they are sentient creatures, not mindless killers. It was learned that they did not consider humans sentient any more than did we consider them; because of our nearly total mutual alienness, we could not see each other for what we really are.
The amazing story of seven-year-old Miriam Orolian's psychic connection to the Cloudfishers is well-known and recounted elsewhere; as a result of her sacrifice, we now know that the Cloudfisher is only the reproductive form of a being that has been traveling through interstellar space for thousands of millennia. More energy than matter, the Stardrifter Colony survives almost exclusively through absortion of ambient radiation in space. It is only when their reproductive cycle is activated that increased energy demands drive them to seek a planetary environment, taking on the form of Cloudfishers. They utilize the biological substances harvested by "fishing" to fabricate new physical vessels for members of the ever-expanding colony.
Miriam taught us that the humans taken by Cloudfishers did not "die" except in a limited physical sense, and were accepted into the Colony as new members, their consciousness becoming virtually immortal, with a future of traveling among the stars. She is also honored in the Colony as a savior and as a teacher, the first to comprehend and communicate between the minds of both humans and Stardrifters.
http://img259.imageshack.us/img259/5086/cloudfisherrev01ig3.jpg

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artist: JLAlfaro
concept:
The dragon eater is the definition of a living trap. Its chameleon like skin doesn't only allow it to change colors, but change its structure to match its surrounding living area. A massive creature which requires as much as two to three dragons a year to sustain its needs. Once it settles it lays still for months, carefully slowing its breathing, heartbeat and metabolism down to an incredibly low rate.
Unfortunately for its sake, the camouflage worked too good and it soon found it self without prey. As it mostly ate the female dragons which often looked for a safe cave to lay their eggs. Soon all females were gone, and by eating the remaining males one by one; it sealed its fate and the fate of the dragons. Thus making its main source of food extinct; it made itself extinct.
http://img402.imageshack.us/img402/3931/livingtrapcow81zc4.jpg

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artist: SirJohanna
concept:
The living trap isn't a very mobile creature, it prefers to lie beneath the ground with its back sticking up, which is often mistaken to be nothing more than a rock covered in moss and plants. These creatures wait until potential prey comes close enough, perhaps it even starts nibbling on the trap's back, to become its next meal. They use their sharp, powerful claws to capture its prey. They pretty much only move around when looking for a mate or need to find better hunting grounds. They sometimes also move to find a sip of water, but manages to stay alive for months by absorbing liquid through its skin.
http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i209/SirJohanna/livingtrapbyjohannasaarenp.jpg

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artist: TomCardin
concept:
The Rugose Cave Worm is a rare denizen of several caves in the Southern Andes. It mimics a stalactite while laying in wait for an unwary victim to pass beneath. Sitting motionless for most of its life it can survive many months between meals. When prey does pass beneath it will emerge from its tube like a shot and quickly yank it up into the air where its struggles are quite futile. Not much is known yet about the mating habits or den building of the Rugose Cave Worms but a film crew is currently documenting a year long study of the mysterious habits of these living traps.
http://i144.photobucket.com/albums/r182/tomcardin/livingtrap04.jpg

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artist: njoo
concept:
The creature's bizarre anatomy give it perhaps one of the strangest prey trapping technique. The unique curvature of the creature's spine, twisting to the underside of the body, gives the creature a the ability allows it to traps its prey in a whiplash like motion. As it burrows under its surrounding, the creature extends its long appendages, which are connected by strong stretchable membranes acting as trapping mechanism. The vibrant red color on top of the spine is used as bait, as its prey is lured into the trap, the creature stands up and the membrane contracts to trap the unsuspecting creature. As the leg locks in place, smaller prey often suffocates, the trap as muscle contracts, while more resistant prey are neutralize with the paralyzing sting of the tail.
http://www.weewung.com/poo/cow81_ahou.jpg

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artist: yoitisi
concept: Petalhead Chameleon
Recently discovered in the Brazil Rainforests, this creature belongs to the family of chameleons, although it has some features that are not commonly found in other chameleons.
For one, its hunting technique is quite different, if one may even call it 'hunting'. For this chameleon basically sits still on a branch all day, waiting for an insect to mistake its head for a flower and lands on its tongue. The tongue is designed to look like the stem of a flower, and while the insect may think it has just found a meal, all it found is death.The tongue has a built-in reflex, as soon as something touches it it rolls up into the mouth.
This way, this chameleon does not have to walk around looking for prey, the prey actually comes to the chameleon. It is a very energy efficient way of catching food, especially since early investigation seems to indicate that while inactive and waiting, the chameleon goes into a hibernation sort of state, with a very slow heartbeat and metabolism. Only when its 'trap' is activated (when something touches its tongue) it will start to move about and come alive.
It also has the ability to change it's color to that of the environment, so that it isn't restricted to one sort of flower. It can change the color of the petals independantly from the rest of the body, so that its main mass can dissappear in the background while the 'flower' stands out.
http://i163.photobucket.com/albums/t291/yoitisi/Livingtrap2small.jpg

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artist: Wasker
concept: Beak-snouted giant weevil
The weevil lives in forests and swamp of all sorts. The Beak-snouted weevils are characterized by it's extraordinary size and cluminess. Being large it cannot catch prey by normal means, therefore the species survives on a cunning camoflauge. When the colorful back shield is open it resembles a giant flower. The weevil also produces a faint odeur of what can only be described as 'rotten fruit'. While this smell isn't fancied by humans, birds and insect love it. When a bird or swarm of insects lands on the back of the weevil the trap is sprung, capturing the prey within 4 solid shields of exoskeleton. The weevil then returns to its' nest. By flexing the back upward the prey is gently crushed and can be digested.
http://www.wasker.com/cow_livingtrap.jpg

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artist: VegasMike
concept:
The Living Trap is a vine like plant that wraps itself around a tree and uses its arms to mimic branches. It chooses a tree with a food source for the forest animals and waits motionless until the prey is in range. It uses a unique see through impenatrable chamber in its digestive track to lure and confuse the creatures even further...The animals are drawn to the movement within the trap of previous victims. When in range the Living Trap descends from the tree slowly, it opens its mouth and readies its "arms" to strike...if the extendable tongue misses the arms with sticky leaf "hands" usually find the mark.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v52/Vegasmike/Trapdonecopy.jpg

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artist: cannibalcandy
concept:
The Mana Prison is not so much a creature, but more of a construct. At best it can be described as a very powerful magical flying frog. It is one of many different types of homunculi that are created by the dark order of sorcerers called the Alizarin Sons. The method and ingredients in constructing/summoning this creature are closely guarded by the Sons, but it's dangerous purpose is widely feared. The inverse bowl shaped Mana Prison attacks a wizard by swooping in from above, and enveloping the entire head of the victim. As soon as it is settled on the now cocked back head, the mind of the victim is instantly thrown into a torpor filled with dreams of consuming bliss. The Prison serves many purposes to it's master, firstly as it feeds on the latent magical energy of it's victim, it's waste becomes siphoned mana directly into the body of it's creator. Secondly, the Prison acts as a magical remote control, where the dreaming mage acts as a powerful minion of the Alizarin Son. Fortunately for us, it is very obvious when a wizard is under the control of a Mana Prison (as you can see), and he cannot be used in any discreet manner, as his spell casting and movement is jerky and awkward at best. Part of the real horror of the homunculus is that, though it is under command from it's creator, it is heavily influenced by the strong passions and desires of it's prey. So an infected wizard will often destroy or kill everything and everyone he loves. If he has the misfortune of surviving his possession, he will 'awake' to a nightmare reality of his own creation.
The Mana Prison is used commonly in folklore to rebuke children in age old wives tales, and parables.
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y101/cannibalcandy/livingprint.jpg

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artist: Cloister
concept:
The Capperwock is a lethal creature that lives in any area where the ground is soft and the temperature allows for plants to spire. Its mouth, a flowerlike thing in the centre of its body, attracts all kinds of creatures (and beings). Not only does this lure look attractive but also gives off an irresistible scent that draws most mammals to it from miles. The Capperwock moves by forming itself into a ball and rolls fourth at some speed. The only eye keeps track of its movement but is useless once the C-wock finds a place to rest. Then it digs down into the ground and lays down stretched out just beneath the surface. It can lie so for several months if need be, since its “flower” attracts all kinds of little insects that holds the Capperwock satisfied until larger prey comes along. When that happens the trap closes and the unlucky victim is killed by the claws. The C-wock then holds the trap closed until the prey is decayed enough to consume - a process which is helped by the secretion of special fluids (from the pink glands) that breaks down flesh and bones in a matter of days. The species is truly old…and more common then you’d suspect.
http://www.brandow.se//Page/bilder/Postas/livingtrap.jpg

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artist: dimezanime88
concept: The Harleen
What a remarkable creature of the sea. It's a distant relative of the Chameleon. This unique creature is able to camaflauge (due to the one of a kind texture of the skin) itself in it's surroundings and lay await while the creatures of the sea swim blindly into it's metal fanged mouth, strangely located at the mid-section of the body. Able to hide it's smell and appearance, the victim is unable to detect any signs of another creature nearby, only when it's grabbed by the long and stretchable tentacles of the Harleen is when it starts to panic. The Harleen usually attacks sharks as how to them they are the right size for digestion and to keep them in shape (lol), also for energy and strength as well. The more powerful the victim is, the more stronger the ability of the Harleen to camaflouge grows. The metal spikings (that act as teeths for the Harleen) located at the exterior of the mouth helps grabs the victims in a tight (circular) hold around the body so that one cannot escape. It also helps in breaking down the victim in pieces before digestion. The only sign that's possible, but most likely never occurs, is if the victim is able to notice the metal spikings, as how the reflection of light in the sea could give hints. Also, in hiding mode, it's able to turn off the little lights on it's body.
http://img127.imageshack.us/img127/4021/creature2ly4.jpg

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[Fozzybar]

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artist: gnahz
concept: Sithle
Always hanging be the tree branches with its tail extending to the floor.
The tail has multiple ends with spikes extending out. This spikes act as a trigger for the creature. It will wait for any randon creature which happen to be unlucky to trigger the spikes. Once trigger, the creature will move at lighting speed and jab it with its sharp teeth.
Sithle is a blood sucking living trap, after sucking the victim dry, it will either stay at the same spot or move to another favourable spot.
http://img171.imageshack.us/img171/6134/livingtrapfinalsmallcopzr0.jpg

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artist: darkartist3
concept:
kelp kraken, this creature "is" its environment. its disguised as a kelp forest, waiting at the center, much like a spider in a web. It waits and any contact with those kelp-like extensions,which are also heat sensitive, cause them to wrap around the prey, then the arm with the triggered extension slowly moves towards the mouth. the first row of teeth inject a paralizing fluid into the struggling animal. also the bigger the animal the more extensions it uses to restrain it.
This creature is great at evading detection from people because from the outside it looks like a kelp forest and at the end of its tentacles it has a pearls that it froms from whatever it consumes. people that touch the pearls suffer the same fate as if they had touched its kelp. It remains undiscoverd because you must see the head in order to tell its a creature, and you'd first have to get past everysingle kelp arm without contact.
at the head its sporting a nice big arse hat, that shoots fumes of ink, much like an octopus, to either escape or to confuse multiple or large prey.
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b103/DarkArtist3/kelpkracken02.png

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artist: Antne
concept:
The Venus Five Trap lurks the alleys of your city. She waits for local business men to approach and tempts them with the glowing mystical moneys. It hypnotizes the prey and brings them within range of the long skewer like teeth. The digestive track of the Venus Five Trap not only makes use of the proteins of the flesh but also the money in the wallet to add to the hypnotic qualities of the bait.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v305/Antne/venusfivetrapfinal.jpg

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artist: Stephan_R
concept:
These mystical bush birds are fantastic living traps. They rest in wait, standing on their legs while prey below takes comfort in the shade they provide. Normally they feed on sheep and deer, but every so often they find a big catch or a small herd unaware that their beautiful colors hang in deceit. With rich fall colors favoring their bodies, these massive animals fill their bellies up north before migrating to greener pastures.
http://www.steveroyer.com/sketching/living_trap.jpg

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[Fozzybar]

not accepted entries:

All WIPs/sketches/not finished yet/placeholder/yaddayaddayadda images...AND if not mentioned beneath the entries which didn't pass the quality check

Waho
You know why ;)



close to rejection:

Dave Nielsen, gnahz
On the edge guys :) Next time you could be on the other side of the poll :perv: ;)

Antne
Usually i would have rejected you, because i can see only the head of the creature...as it is your first entry (as far as i remember) and the creature may look like a Critter from the movies "Critters" like a sphere shaped being i will let it go. Next time be sure to show more of the anatomy...




special note:

none

[Fozzybar]

I didn't have time again to read the concepts...so bear (haha) with me, if i didn't spot an evil topic-breaker ;)

[Fozzybar]

new round is on, with a very nice topic imo:
http://www.conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?t=93869

[ikuru]

voted vegas, (nice collors, well executed etc) props to cannibal.

[Einen]

I'm pretty sure Donovan V IS on the other side of the poll, because I can't seem to find him anywhere.

Anyhoo, cannibalcandy got my vote this week. VegasMike was a close second, but I think I liked his setting more than his creature.

[Supervlieg]

Voted Cannibalcandy. Great entry and great execution. It was very hard not choosing Vegas mike, because his tree like creature rocked really hard and both had excellent choice of colors. But I in the end I really enjoyed the creature design of Cannibal's entry a bit more. Stephans entry was a close third!

[Waho]

great that there really isn't my work. even it didn't break ONE SINGLE RULE.




Waho
You know why ;)


Because you didn't like it? Well there are lots of crap works in this poll that
I don't like. But they are still there. I hope that next time there is some
extra lines in rules which say "no mechanical or futuristic looking". And btw,
even the C.O.W. -cow breaks some the rules. It has accesories and weapons.
It's also not any kind of original work. It's just cow who stands with it's back
legs...

[retter]

my vote goes to cannibalcandy as he took the theme and went a different direction with it. also the presentation is very pleasing to the eyes.

[m o я p h o]

canibalcandy got mine! nice creature and description!
congrats! hope u win!

[Spitch]

Voted CannibalCandy, great work and original approach of the topic. At his tail VegasMike. Extra distinction to Stephan-R, nice style and I love your "Happy Tree Friend" sick humour.

Is it possible to create a "whining, contesting, apart-tearing thread" so that it could be possible to just see Art and C&C in here...
... Just askin'

:yayca:

[Delmar]

Damn it! I need to make better time management on the cows and chows:( ....

Anyway

Cannibalcandy, VegasMike, CLoister njoo, and Stephan R were my fav this round and my vote goes to Stephan R , i don´t know what it is exactly but i love this picture.....:)

[Danjaw]

First time poster here, but I've been enjoying this activity imensely. I'm voting for Masque, as I think his entry has the best combination of artwork and concept. I assume the idea came from net-traps (as seen in the movies!).

gnahz, I really like your idea and think it is the most "trap-like". It's only the artwork that lets you down, although I realise it was a last-minute entry.

I also like Cannibalcandy's entry - good artwork and a nice concept, the "mind-trap" taking the theme away from the obvious.

There were a lot of other entries that looked great, but I felt were essentially just camouflaged creatures (or the "angler fish" syndrome mentioned in the thread). It would have been nice to see some more booby-trap style mechanisms in animal form. It was a tough topic though so well done to everyone. I hope to join you in the next one :)

P.S. I'm sure it's been mentioned before, but I encourage everyone to steer clear of imageshack. I can't see images there and I know I'm not the only one (no it's not blocked by the network or anything like that). I went to the trouble of using a proxy server to look at all the entries here... this time :P

edit: forgot Njoo! another good combination of creativity and meeting the brief.

[Johanna Saarenpää]

cannibalcandy's entry is the one I like the most. But the rest of you did good too. :)

[Verithin]

Nice work everyone...

My vote went to Cannibalcandy as I think he pushed the topic more than anyone and I love his creature, beautifully painted. VegasMike was close, but it did feel more like a creature hiding behind a tree than a self contained living trap. Still, it was beautifully rendered...

See y'all in the next one...

[Wasker]

My vote goes to Cannibalcandy as well for a very well done picture. Vegasmike was a close 2nd.

Cloister: your creature is really well rendered. Good job!

[masque]

in-depth C&C now that the "finalists" are established. this isn't meant to be a trashing, just some observations about what i see are strengths and weaknesses:

Dave Nielsen: cute, but rather unoriginal, just an ordinary object turned predator by the addition of canivorous mammal's teeth and mobile vines. the concept seems to depend on the incongruity factor rather than any depth of concept. it doesn't seem to have much of a trap aspect. if camouflage or mimicry is a "trap", then any predator having these characteristics to one degree or another would qualify,and i don't think the scope of the concept was intended to be so broad. or maybe it's just too broad to give usable limits to the concepts.

JLAlfaro: as mentioned the idea of a metapmorphic camouflage (where the entire form changes) is a fairly original turn on the "successful mimic" idea, and that the creature knows its prey well enough to appeal to its driving instincts (safety for eggs) is a good point. i think the unchanged form could have been more original, lots of dino and dragon influence, and in the main image it's too hard to see where the creature stops and the true landscape begins -- yeah, it's a very successful mimic, but sometimes you can fudge things for clarity :teeth: the prey seems to have gotten more rendering attention than the creature.

SirJohanna: another well-camouflaged predator concept, well depicted, but with little sense of a trap (unless broadly interpreted). the cragginess of the head and face in contrast with the overgrowth on the body is a good touch, but i think the massive scale could have been amplified a lot by some more modeling of the form of the creature, and some atmospheric perspective. it seems lit very evenly, flattening the picture depth.

TomCardin: good rendering and deft use of value and hue changes to lend picture depth. glad you took it away from the earlier "piercer" approach, and made the creature much more visible. this is yet another "successful mimic" predator, could use a more definitive "trap" aspect imo.

njoo: the first of the lot i'm C&Cing that i think actually incorporates an indentifiable trap aspect, in its unusual arrangement of skeleton and skin, and in the way it responds to prey stimulus. one "practical" crit is how the thing reaches its prey after killing it -- not sure there's enough length & flexibility in the neck for the head to reach inside its trap, but that's maybe expecting too much "realism." i think the non-trap part of the creature is too dragon-like, and perhaps could have been thought out better in terms of the way the trap works, it lessens the orginality somewhat. beautiful rendering.

yoitsi: this is the first of what i think of as the "angler fish" approach, which is, as Fozzybar mentioned, basically just a lure and a mouth. it's also one of the less original concepts, again an existing creature with a few decorations added, and although beautifully rendered, seems unimaginative to me.

Wasker: a good, solid trapping mechanism, well-thought out and well-described. the point about having to use this method because it's slow and clumsy is a very good one -- life adapts! from a "practical" standpoint, the trap as shown may be a bit too large -- quite a burden for the bug -- but that's a minor point, and depends on the details of the "petals."

VegasMike: another beautifully-rendered but to my eyes unoriginal concept. there's very little difference between this creature and AudreyII from The Little Shop of Horrors or the monsters from The Day of the Triffids and other incarnations of the "highly mutated Venus Fly Trap" idea. while i don't think this is in any way a copy of something existing, i don't think it brings anything new or interesting to the idea. but it is a gorgeous rendering.

cannibalcandy: you got my vote, dude, both for the original and gutsy interpretation of the "trap" concept and the best rendering of the bunch. your pic makes me want to know what's going on with this bizarrely cute critter -- it doesn't really look all that offensive, but something about it says "Watch out!" a tricky edge to maneuver on, you've done it very well. the exposition of the "mind-trap" without being explicit is also a good approach, it respects the intelligence of the viewer. big kudos.

Cloister: -- easy-to-see trap idea, i like that you've implied its "waiting for prey" position with the impressions in the turf. the eye seems a little out of place for this beasty, though, since it would be down in the dirt when the creature is spread out, and might get a bit gritty while rolling about. just bein' picky, though. good rendering.

dimezanime88: another predator that depends on camouflage, no apparent trap other than that, not even any apparent lure. hopefully this thing needs little in the way of nourishment, since waiting for something to "stumble" into its mouth seems a bit inefficient. interesting design to the form of the creature.

gnahz: this one is quite obviously a trap, sort of a living punji stake on a muscular spring, which also makes it a bit less original than it might be with some more thought into developing the concept beyond just the trap. i think some parts of the rendering could use some more attention.

darkartist3: another "uber-camo" approach, but with a more identifiable trap aspect because of the reaction to prey by its faux-kelp strands. the mock pearls are a pretty good touch also, though it sort of implies an intent to attract a certain kind of prey; pretty intelligent, i guess. the rendering could use little more "undersea atmospheric perspective" to help increase picture depth and sell the scale of the critter.

Antne: this is essentially an angler fish (or alligator snapping turtle if you really want to get zoological), just a lure and a mouth, fairly well-rendered. the concept depends on the slim humor of the nature of the lure, and the horrible (and thus funny) pun in the creature's name :teeth:

StephanR: another camo-critter, though i find it hard to see how it would succeed very well, since its business end isn't very well-concealed in what i assume is meant to be faux-foliage. any kids seeing something like that bloody head and body hanging out of a tree (even if it better resembled an actual tree) would likely run like hell. animals might be easier to fool, though. it's also hard to see how the creature acquires its prey -- does it spring out & grab them (and thus give away its true nature to any future prey that might be near), or somehow snag them when they climb in it (if they actually can). the rendering of most details of the creature's structure seems particularly indistinct, though the colors are luscious.

I don't see Donovan V's submission at this time, so sorry if it was put up while i was writing, i'll see if i can get back to it.

pretty good work, all, some of it outstanding, with a brief made difficult, i think, by the possible interpretations of "trap" being too broad to keep the concepts more focused or more original.

[cannibalcandy]

Tom got my precious vote. I think given your original concept, and it's overlap into the D&D universe, you've made some very thoughtful changes. Cool monsters to be sure, and the overall image is very solid in terms of showing threat. You've managed to paint one giant maw, with many intelligent prehensile teeth. A scary place to trespass for certain. I like it because of the disguise approach, but all the remains, and the stench of death in there would likely deter people from wanting to go in. Maybe if you included in the story, some myth or story that gold or treasure be hidden in that thar cave. Yarrr!

Nice round guys, I don't know about you all, but I really wanna go fishing now. Who's up for a day of brews and catchin some trout? Sweeeet.

[Michael Jaecks]

I voted for TomCardin. I think there are a lot of nice entries as far as rendering, but his entry portrayed the idea of victims walking into a trap the best. I immediately was struck with the notion of the lurking or hidden menace inherent in a well laid trap. Additionally, I think the choice of cool foreground with very warm and saturated background can't be easy to pull off. I think its done very well here and to really great effect. The exterior of the cave is sunny and inviting and seemingly benign. The cold beaks or jaws inside deliver the death blow. Really effective and I'm surprised I'm the first to vote for it.

edit: Never mind the last comment. I see cannibalcandy was voting as I wrote this up. ;)

[yoitisi]

Voted for Cannibalcandy, basically because of his original approach of the subject.


yoitsi: this is the first of what i think of as the "angler fish" approach, which is, as Fozzybar mentioned, basically just a lure and a mouth. it's also one of the less original concepts, again an existing creature with a few decorations added, and although beautifully rendered, seems unimaginative to me.

Although I agree with you in a way, I think you put it a bit too simple. In my opinion the 'being unimaginative' could also apply to people who draw what is done in countless fantasy books, D&D etc (and I'm not pointing at anyone, just ment in general. Seriously). I'm trying to find my own way in this area, but it needs more effort I guess.

As for the angler-fish thing and the 'basically just lure and a mouth', by taking them out Fozzy made this one quite hard to crack. Don't all of the creatures here have this in one way or another?

That said, I think I needed your critique in the way that I'm having some difficulty getting ideas for COW. Ask me to do environments or Industrial Design things and I easily come up with hundreds of ideas, but for this I need to reset my brain or something. I came to this concept the long way and not just went with my first idea, but it became more and more a chameleon. Also, I was way too happy with how the rendering turned out that I sort of overlooked the idea itself :)

Ye gods, I'm talking way too much about my own entry :( I think I just want to forget this COW and go to the next one...some more constructive comments might follow later.

[Vyse]

Why has cannibalcandy so many votes...?
I think something like a face-hugger isn´t really a new idea.... but anyway, it´s well done. I will vote for Masque, his idea is great! The cloudfisher is something never thought of (so i guess), and it makes you become really afraid of going out in the rain.... fantastic!

[masque]

i agree, yoitsi, it's hard to not be derivative to some degree when there's so much imaginative work out there, we get exposed to it & it influences us no matter how hard we try to be completely "original." i guess my main criterion in this regard would be, does the concept or image bring anything new to the imaginary universe? or, as it often said hereabouts on CA, is the creature taken to the "next level" compared to earlier influences or sources for inspiration, something beyond the relatively obvious? for me, that's always a tough nut to crack when working up any concept, creature or not.

Foz, what's up with Donovan V's submission? he's missing some voting time.


Why has cannibalcandy so many votes...?could be that a solid, off-the-beaten-track "trap" concept and excellent rendering skills have a lot to do with it. and thanks for the vote!

[Stephan_R]

Yeah Cannibalcandy has a great submission and if we could vote twice I'd put one down for both, but ultimately Masque had a unique visual style and idea that I thought was interesting. I was imagining the scene coming to life and it was kinda creepy! Great round, thanks for the votes.

Regretfully, my creatures are never elaborate but I needed an "exercise" from work. Cheers, now onto some blood in the snow!

[Mr. Perfect]

I guess I should have coloured mine. :P
Ah well, there's always a next time. I just hope I can pull off colouring something without making it look like garbage. If I was allowed to vote I'd definately go for masque, but for some reason the computer isn't letting me. Idk what happened there. Anyways, good work boys, keep it up.

P.S. Vegasmike was a close runner up in my books. Great, great, work.

EDIT: Nevermind, it let me. :P

[Antne]

not accepted entries:



[B]Antne
Usually i would have rejected you, because i can see only the head of the creature...as it is your first entry (as far as i remember) and the creature may look like a Critter from the movies "Critters" like a sphere shaped being i will let it go. Next time be sure to show more of the anatomy...




special note:

none

Full body next time thanks, but you were right it is pretty much a sphere like creature which in and of itself is probably not that creative. I'm just happy to be in it. Thanks Foz.

[Cloister]

God damn it! I happened to vote for myself by mistake! Alright, I can take it. Bring out the heavy artillery and call me a total ass for several months. I'm ready...

Please, Fozz, the vote was intended for TomCardin. First of all see Micheal Jaecks's explanation for the vote, but also: I think his creature has a mechanical trap-feel/look... Just staying patiently in one place until someone steps in the wrong spot. The trapped figure adds a good vibe of eerie horror, and again, the light is positively different. The only thing I'm not a hundred percent happy about is the skeleton and the water, which I think has a flat silly look in comparison with the rest. Good work Tom! (It's just a worm, but some little detail in the structure and movement made me swallow this bait...)

[Michael Jaecks]

Cloister, I hereby declare you a:

NUCLEAR PLANET EATING ORANGE SEA MORONE!

But we love you anyway, Cloister.

[ikuru]

..I happened to vote for myself by mistake!

it's what people say when they go to the proctologist ;)

[Johanna Saarenpää]

It's really nice you take time to give feedback to the pieces masque, I especially agree with you when it comes to my colouring, I need to focus more on contrast and making my pictures look less flat. Thanks mate, I really appreciate your input, I find it helpful. :) I really wish I could be just as helpful, but I honestly can't find anything about your contribution that bugs me, after all I'm not that experienced. I really admire how well thought out the anatomy on the inside of your critter is.

[ZebraHDH]

I was kinda on the fence between njoo and Vegasmike... i ended up giving it to vegas for the extras in the composition.

Here bunny bunny bunny....

[Dark Musashi]

Hi there, I happened to cross several creatures under the C.O.W label on DA and find myself very interested in this art concept; I would have participed this one C.O.W but my entry was started a few days before aknowledging this week's topic and was not finished when votes started (yes, I'm slow, heavy university work stuff, you know.).

After this out of topic comment..

I voted for njoo because his creature fits the most the idea I had of a beast that was a trap itself; I love the angler-fish-creatures, but alas, they have been somewhat overdone for me. By the concept of a living trap, I thought, indeed, of a creature whose body structure allowed a trap-like acting. That, and of course, it's well done.

Close behind is the canibalcandy; uber drawing, nice concept. If it weren't for the fact that I consider more your creature as a golem sticking on a wizard's face than as a trap, I'd have voted for you.

masque has an awesome concept, maybe more than those I voted for, I admit; but something in the art bothered me a little, but I don't know what exactly. Maybe the fact I hardly see what size a Cloudfisher could be.

That's it. I hope I'm not as bad as I expected when it comes to commenting.

[dragon4lunch]

Sirjohanna I just had to giggle quite a bit - that thinking bubble you made where the creature is thinking "food?" is so funny and cute. Hehehe.

JLAlfaro: I kinda wanted to vote for you. You just needed that little extra polish to get my vote though.

njoo: I might have to vote for you. Just so purdy, once again.
canibalcandy: What is with the hand coming out of the right butt cheek of the wizard? It's bothering me. So no vote for you! Next in line!
VegasMike: The squirrel and it's immediate surrounding is GREAT, but I just don't like the vagina mouth of the monster and its goofy hands. Sorry man, it's a great piece though.

So yes, njoo you got my vote! Your entry didn't offend me :) ;)

[Fozzybar]

Cloister
fixed your vote! ;)

masque
hmmm...i mixed things up...Donovan Ds entry was too sloppy to get to the poll....i fixed my reply :bashful: thanx for the hint.

Waho
come oooon...this is not about a money prize or whatever....accept my reasons and get on to the next one....i know you wanna draw an arctic undead badly now ;)

[TomCardin]

Wow! Thanks so much for the votes! I am glad to just be on the board with such amazing artists. I had a great time with my piece and was very happy with how the colors and the mood they created came out. I realize the creatures themselves are quite simple, I just got really hung up on the "trap" concept. Thanks a ton for the votes.

I am still undecided on my vote...VegasMike, cannibalcandy, njoo, masque, cloister, antne, JLAlfaro and Stephen_R all have done superlative jobs. There are not many entries this week but the quality of everyone's work is just awesome. Hats off to everyone here.

I think everyone had a great and distinctive idea of what a trap was, some made creatures in trap situations and some made creatures that mimicked traps and some made creatures that were actual traps...it all works in my book...great job interpretiing the topic, I don't think there IS only ONE right way to do it, and I am glad of that. I just wish the arguing in the thread could be kept to a minimum, it really is a wet blanket on a creative atmosphere.

cannibalcandy, my comment regarding the tail of your figure: I am sorry if it alarmed you...but I must say that when a character looks so perfectly human, a tail that is not instantly recognizable as a tail becomes visually confusing...In an image as well rendered as yours where we see perfect human anatomy it creates an unnatural valley to me. Nothing against tails or your decision to put a tail on your figure...despite my issues it is BEAUTIFULLY rendered and I don't mean to ding you on that at all.

[cannibalcandy]

No worries fellas, I just will try not to include things in there that aren't vital to the actual creature design in the future. They seem to REALLY throw people off of the point here. I've gotten more comments and questions about the tail, than the creature itself. Curiouser and curiouser.

Maybe you guys are too busy checkin out that guy's butt. *grin*

I do have to admit, it seems kinda odd to be judged on something unrelated to the creature design itself. I've not really experienced that before. Sort of like deciding to hate Disneyland because there were too many clouds in the air, or disliking the elderly because you hate ribbon candy... but there you are. Lesson learned. ^_^

[masque]

tail? what tail? i thought it was the creature's tongue (grasp the concept of that and get out yer barf bags!) :P

just kiddin' c-candy-man, i really never even paid much notice to it to tell the truth.

[The Crazy Dude SRD]

My vote went to Masque, his entry seem to take an interesting twist in the trap idea as well as a great story to back it up.

The others that were VERY close to the vote were CannableCandy, whoms idea was very origonal; Antne, his composition just read something was going to happen and builds suspence. TomCardin, an intriguing concept of a salagmite cammo; Njoo, Although dragon-like, it definately puts the idea of a beartrap mechanizm or Venus Fly Trap; and finally VegasMike's plant.

[Antne]

Yeah, i voted for myself. It was totally my first instinct being all excited to see my name on the ballot. This seems to be frowned upon. Not that it will sway the decision either way, canibalcandy should really get my vote. Nice work, man. If It's not too late Mr. Fozzy, sir, I would like to change my vote.

To everyone else any crits on my entry would be appreciated. Thanks yall. that's right... I said yall.

[BohemianChaos]

Voted for VegasMike... though it was hard to choose between him and CannibleCandy, Njoo and TomCardin... everyone did pretty well this round... I'm actually suprised there wasn't more of a turn out. But yeah, I liked VegasMike's ambiance in the piece... as well as the bunnies. :tihi: Most of you guys are like my heros anyhow, so yeah... I wish I could vote more than once. But I'll look forward to more, as always. :wink:

[Chuck,mate.]

canibalcandy = V
just an awesome creepy very well done piece. bravo, mate.
:)
vegasmike, njoo - close runner ups. excellent artwork all around.


P.

[Thalion]

Voted njoo, really great work and nice concept, orginal idea. I like this colors.

[JL.Alfaro]

hard one to vote on,
thanks for the crits Masque, very much appreciated as usual! -coming from you specially ;)

Trying to return the favor, but theres not much to critique on your piece. The only thing I see a bit off is the lighting on the person in the foreground- its seems to be a global lighting, but the dark street lit by neon and city lights seem to have no effect on him. awesome piece tho

-JL

[ChaoticKnight]

Voted for masque, with Antne very close behind. I almost couldn't decide between the two. masque's idea was awesome and the city was so well done. Antne, crazy creature man.
Everyone else was great too! The quality is staying tight lately!