Chow 157 :: The ENDLESS

[fersteger]

I have a feeling this will be another amazing round.
Here's my idea for Delerium, gotta work on making sure she looks young, but I don't know if it'll be cool to still show her bum then ya know...
Not sure where it's going but we'll see..

Pretty much inspired by dos santos's demo girl with the rainbow.

[DragonicFlames]

Posh:
In the Wikipedia it stands like this:
"Morpheus usually appears as a tall, thin man with bone-white skin, black hair, and two distant stars looking out from the shadows where his eyes should be." So, what do you mean by not designing him as in the comics? I mean if he has black hair, and he is thin and tall, then it's already too close?

I say this because I feel that designing Death as an Emo girl instead of a Goth one is not big of a change. Or for example Arthur 'Two Sheds' 's interpretation has stars in the eyes, is that also too much like the comic? So, did you mean changing the original design that much only, and not changing Death for example to an old woman or something? Sorry for the stupid questions, but I would really like to understand what you mean in the description, and still can't seem to grasp it.

Not to be disagreeable, but did you read the entire thing on Dream? His appearance changes between whom is seeing him: Bast sees him as a triple headed cat (I believe that's correct), in Japan - He's a monk, to a fox spirit - He's a fox, to African Americans he's black. I assume that he stays male throughout the whole transformation and it did mention that he kept his 'star' eyes throughout each of the transformations. So what Dream would look like depends on where the hell Dream is.

While I do agree with you that the change from GOTH to EMO is rather unoriginal (Sorry, sorry I'm a newb and I don't have any respect for elders on forums, I know), the character design looks somewhat different to me. EMO from what I've see around my college town includes bright and beautiful colors with patterns that blind the retinas, which meh, is something quite different from the average goth. So if she goes that route it would be a very different picture

What I believe the 'be original' aspect is to take things like their sigils (DREAM'S is the Skull and the spine of an enemy God to wear as armor I believe is what Wiki said) and a basic understanding of what each stands for and run off with it. For me, I'm sketching (but probably not going to submit because I can't stand in the running due to lack of skill and lack of time with exams) dream in his battle armor and I had intended on throwing some mirrors around him to put emphasis on the difference of his appearance (Hopefully I didn't give my idea awayyyy!). But the main part of my character would be the basic 'black hair, thin, eyes like stars.' Does that make me unoriginal because I'm using a the basic things to build off of? No.

:/

[Aly Fell]

Posh:
In the Wikipedia it stands like this:
"Morpheus usually appears as a tall, thin man with bone-white skin, black hair, and two distant stars looking out from the shadows where his eyes should be." So, what do you mean by not designing him as in the comics? I mean if he has black hair, and he is thin and tall, then it's already too close?

I say this because I feel that designing Death as an Emo girl instead of a Goth one is not big of a change. Or for example Arthur 'Two Sheds' 's interpretation has stars in the eyes, is that also too much like the comic? So, did you mean changing the original design that much only, and not changing Death for example to an old woman or something? Sorry for the stupid questions, but I would really like to understand what you mean in the description, and still can't seem to grasp it.

Change their appearance is kind of what we're getting at. Sure give him a white face and black hair, but he's depicted very specifically in the comic books as a tall lanky Goth, pretty much. Probably harking back to Gaiman's influences. Interpret them as you will, what we don't want to see is a reproduction of them as they appear in the comic, because it just becomes an exercise in fan-art, and we are saying you can essentially do what you want here. All the info you need is in the brief, it is as usual up to you what to do with that. If someone says redesign classic comic book characters surely that's an amazing opportunity!

Personally I'm just exploring ideas right now. Doing Death as Emo is kind of meant to be light-hearted, as Emo seems to be modern Goth in many ways., and Death as a character is a perky Goth in the comic! I imagined Death as always keeping up with current fashion trends!

[Vatsel]

As you see I've picked Destiny

2 quick designs to get a sense of the char

[KayOnim]

Well, hello everyone!

I've been lurking here for some time and admiring all your awesome work. Thought I might finally chime in, maybe this way I can bring myself to finish something as I have already tried my hands a few times at a CHOW but never actually finished nor posted anything. Feels kinda relieving and intimidating at the same time to be here.

So, here's my concept sketch. I imagined Death as a little girl and worked the classic Reaper into it. Not sure yet what facial expression I should give her. Tried a kinda sad face at first which is still faintly visible but I didn't really like it. Have to rework the shadow at the wall/floor intersection, that looks iffy but apart from that I'm pretty happy, so I'm gonna start coloring and detailing soon.

What do you think about it?

[hungryan]

Okay, so thanks Posh and DragonicFlames, I think I understand now, it's just so hard to go away from the original stuff, because I'm too influenced by the comics, and I think I'm not the only one. So this is what I have with Dream, the first version I've tried had a pale skin, but that was a bit too close and then thought, why not make it pitchblack. And have a robe with stars on and a glowing belt. The sperm in his hand will be the mask later.

[scottmcd]

Posh: Great topic! I could see this being the kind of thing that Neil would drop in on and maybe even post a link to from his blog. Would that be a good thing or a bad thing? (I was thinking of sending in the link via his feedback page, but thought I'd check first.)

---

The story that I most hope to hear someday of the Endless is what happened to turn Delight into Delirium. It's rumored to relate to her wedding that almost happened. So I've chosen to do Delight sitting for her wedding portrait, perhaps aware of what's coming but refusing to acknowledge it yet. The dress is based on a Thai wedding dress. If time, I'll also include Destruction since the two of them are close. I'm also going for a style I don't normally try. Anyway, here's the linework.

[dirkvandulmen]

some thumbnail sketches for Destruction...
interesting round, lots of choices for characters, lots of different interpretations...
enjoy.

[JessiBean]

SO in.
Some very cool things so far...

Hungryman - I like the brushstrokes and exploration you are going for, but I'm not getting a ton of character from him yet. Maybe think more on how much you can sell the "dream" concept visually instead of just calling him Dream...? Don't be afraid to be outlandish.

KayOnim - this is a neat spin, making her a child... I do think some ref will help you get child anatomy solved here, and the shadow is curving against the edge where the sidewalk meets the wall while rather than making a sharp turn for such a sharp edge. I also think you should put more of the death character on the girl than the shadow - it implies she is leading a double life or has a dual purpose of some kind, where as in the comics she is always death personified.

brewin - the first thing that jumps out at me is that the anatomy makes this character look female (the sort of breast area bulge and tiny waist) and from what I gather Destiny is always male and the brief says to stick to genders. If you want to bend some, try Desire, he/she flip flops genders. The other thing is that the faces/heads seem to be small, and the arms rather long - exaggeration of anatomy works sometimes, but I think a ref will help you solve this in a more believable manner. Otherwise, keep plugging away, and see if you can push yourself even more as far as the design goes.

fersteger - I love the characterization already, and the color I feel is very appropriate. To really sell who she is I might include a few more things that allude to her character in the comics (maybe her dog? or the sun dial?), also I think the nudity is cool since you made her look older overall. I can't want to see how this turns out, I hope you retain some of the loose manic quality as it gets rendered (maybe even make it more so)...

dream sear - I like the idea of klimt as an inspiration (it could be very cool in the rendering to pull in his colors and shapes) but I think some anatomy reference will help you out a bunch - the arm on the left is very small and scrawny for the rest of the figure, and the hand is looking a little more like a claw, the right hand also feels awkward. Also, Desire strikes me as something of a ruthless character, I think you can push more character and personality out of his expression/demeanor/design. A very good beginning.

Ghostbrush - I really like this sketch, it is very inventive in terms of the design. I do wonder if you can get more of Delerium's manic nature into this - she looks so calm, almost static, right now. I notice a couple anatomy things too, like the face being a little squashed down toward the chin and one foot (the one behind)seems very much longer than the other - some exaggeration works but because this is the only thing on her that is distorted, and it doesn't seem to relate any kind of narrative about her character, it kind of sticks out. Maybe consider distortions that would make her seem crazy, or try to keep the proportions more even.

Mara644 - I like the symbolism you have included, I could guess it was Delirium without too much effort, but I think your figure looks kinda placid at the moment. The things around her speak volumes, but I would like to see more of the character in her. The smile also seems really confident and smug, where as from the wiki description, she is scatterbrained, constantly changing, and really very unsettled. Try to get more of that character in your character.

Mercuralis - I like this sketch alot, good motion and flow... something about the raised arm seems awkward, tho, maybe the upper arm is looking short? Maybe check the anatomy on that. He's looking alot like the comic description right now, tho, and since he can appear as almost anything, I wonder if you can push the costume or character design a little more, beyond what is already there.

AvisNocturna - I like the ambiguity of sex the character has, which is appropriate, and you have an interesting illustration coming together, though the rendering is kind of mushy - try to work in some edge contrast in areas, and your values are all pretty close, see about giving the lighting more focus so you can better show forms and direct the eye to a center of focus in your piece. The arm in the back seems very strangely short, about 1/2 as long as the other one... based on the pose you have, why isn't the wrist resting on the bent knee?

Arthur Two Sheds - WOW. That is awesome. Careful of your anatomy, tho, the hand in the back has a very odd angle to it, and the legs feel so static compared to the torso pose. I did a haxxorz paintover to show you what I mean... keep it dynamic as possible. And keep going, really push the dream elements...





Poshspice - lovely sketch (and lovely girls) as always... and I love the death bubbles. I wonder if emo is kinda close to goth, still, tho (but that all depends on how much you want to break away from the actual book versions, too)... I love it anyway, I want to see more.

--Gotta get back to work, more later, plus some sketches--

[Ghostbrush]

Lil WIP update

JessiBean: the "long foot" is actually a baggy sports sock, I think I put it in my last post, Its not a crazy exaggeration ha ha
Yeah I would like to put some more stuff in here, not to sure what yet tho, I just wanted her to look delirious and kind of spaced out i guess.
Thanks for the crit

erm just messing around with colours and such right now, not sure how i want the background yet, I want it to be colourful and mental but not clash with her, so i dunno how thats gonna happen yet

[~baxter]

Lot of sweet ideas going around!

Mercuralis: I really like the composition so far, cant wait to see some color slapped on that
dirkvandulmen: I like the overall design, particularly the crescent beard in the far right ones.
Arthur Two Sheds: Very interesting take, looking forward to more/other characters

A few wips. Torn on color here, whether to stick to the blue or go with a more natural pale for Despair. Also got a little jump start on Destruction. probably going to add a sheathed sword on the side so i don't leave the sigil out.

Edit: Continued with Destro. Straightened him out a bit. Going with a astral like environment, but more fiery with embers and whatnot.

[Cyberman]

Darknight – Destiny looking almost swamped by his throne is working really well. I enjoy Yoshitaka Amano’s Sandman too, very delicate drawings. If I had a suggestion with yours is watch the knees and legs, they almost look separate to the character right now.

Poshspice:Yeah I was just scribbling a bunch and I came up with it randomly, Im trying
to be more loose. I'll work on making the legs work better, probably a lighting issue. Yours is looking "awsome" as usual.

Baxter: I realy like destruction alot. my vote on despair is go blue, or maybe.

Gostbrush: wow I like the tatoos and the wild costume, what are you going to do with the bg?

dirkvandulmen: The one on the bottom right is my choice.

scottmcd: Im looking foward to the color,

hungryan: I was really debating for a while of dream and destiny, nice choice, looking foward to watching your image evolve.

KayOnim: that is definatly not how I imagined death to be, but I hope its true.

brewin: I dont know which one I like better its a tough choice, I like the way the one on the left looks but I prefer what the one on the right is doing.

fersteger: I'm still bumbed out you weren't able to finish your joan of arc, that would of had my vote for sure. look'n good so far on the delerium.

[KleeWyck]

hungryan: i love your exploration in concepts. i really like the idea of his robes having stars.

~baxter: i love the greek idea. as for color, i'm leaning towards the blue. she looks more like a greek statue. and i kinda like that. destruction looks a little off-balance. but great idea nonetheless.

[Viridis]

As a huge Neil Gaiman and Sandman fan, I think I'm obligated to jump in on this one.

For those who are confused about the "not-like-the-comics" point, I think the important thing here is just keeping the specific traits (we never, ever see Destiny's face; Death always has that little spiral under her eye, Dream's eyes are usually drawn as stars or otherwise kind of strange, Delirium has two different colored eyes and really crazy hair, etc) and then playing with everything else.

Now. Off to finish my last final and then I can start on this one....

[scottmcd]

Here's this evening's progress. Will do comments on others in the morning. Any suggestions or crits?

[daestwen]

Did a sketch for Desire... dumdedum...

[RichLyons]

ahoy,

having a crack at Destruction, haven't read comic so please excuse any way off interpretations. I see him as an immortal that lived through the ages, he may have retired but now finds himself drawn to the bikie gang life style (big beard = bikie) where he still sees a little destruction and chaos. He's donning his favorite breast plate and sword... might add talking dog and motorbike.

[Jie Kageshinzo]

Oh man. I love The Sandman. This might actually be the first community activity I'll be joining in on.

[Pheike]

Such good works.
i need to practice character design so so i wll join to the challenge.
I pick the destiny, i didn´t found decent images for reference but since you are free to interpret the character doesn´t matter.

good luck for all

[Cyberman]

does any one have any good ideas for music to listen too for this? preferably
something without a lot of lyrics.

[Amber Alexander]

WIP update, I went with the idea of the moment that Death appears to someone, to guide them right after they die.

[MichaelNoel]

Omg, Despair here I come. :3

Great topic!

[feifeicreate]

To be honest, I haven't even heard of Sandman before this (sorry for my limited knowledge of American comic books...I'm more on the Japanese side). So all I know about the Endless is whatever i can find online (mostly wiki). I pick desire because his/her "gender issue"...so to speak. At first I thought about draw him as a somewhat feminine male. But the problem is, he'll probably end up like some gay guy or drag queen (nothing against these people, it's just not what I want for Desire)...so eventually, I went to the other side, draw him/her as a female with some masculine feature. I still want him to be hot, but very aggressive, very dominate and sexy.

So here're 2 sketches I did, I think I'll go with #2, not only the composition is stronger, but the pose is much more nature.

[Nightblue]

Not familiar with the comic but now I'm intrigued

Color sketch: delirium.

[NicHolS]

shaweet, count me in... im not gonna pretend to be too ambitious and do all characters but ive got sketch ideas for all of them and will pick the best one once ive doodled them up in photoshop tonight... i did always admire the sandman comics even though ive actualy read very few cover to cover...

some great ideas down already! some i thought of myself so ill be sure to steer clear altogether if i can... good luck to all!

[DIMAGYAN]

This is a nice topic. Good works so far!

I'm choosing the death character...
I didn't take an original aproach, i want to make her a more casual woman...sort to blend between the rest of the humans.
This first sketch is perhaps a bit to much fashion...maybe i need to take a more street look...will see.

Not to sure about the size of the head.



cheers

[Heliux]

does any one have any good ideas for music to listen too for this? preferably
something without a lot of lyrics.

Depends on what you like. I've been listening to Porcupine Tree-Insignificance



mea culpa for an unfinished sketch. I got caught somewhere between death and destiny. Problematic. I'm tired and have work in the morning. night-o'

[JaneM]

Yehaaaw! This looks to be one heck of a good round. I can't wait to get started with it! I think I'll have a go at Destruction.

[Vatsel]

More work on destiny (wasn't aware that he is necessarily a male, thanks Jessibean!).
And a quick Death for fun.

[hungryan]

This is what I have now. I think I will move to another Endless for now, and leave this to rest before I get too stuck or something. I might have already stuck.