C.O.W. # 157 -- Wouldn't Wish It On My Wost Enemy-- VOTING!!

[Fuseboy]

For me it was a toss-up between Bralt and Dwinbotp. Bralt's definitely takes the cake on sheer viciousness, but my worst enemy would at least survive that painful encounter. Dwinbotp's would be a worse fate.

[Duman]

I had to vote for Bralt Hannicart. Just had to.
There were a lot of really great entries, and Dwinbotp came in an Oh so close second, but nothing, AND I MEAN NOTHING looks more painful than Bralts creature. The concept is fantastic, as is the rendering.
You know your piece is good when your viewers instinctively use their hands to shield their loins.
Nice job.

[evolvingeye]

Came down to dwinbotp and Bralt. Went with dwinbotp, being digested slowly is one of the worst things that could happen lol. The rendering was top notch as usual. There were many others that I loved this round, everyone did an awesome job.

[Steve Somers]

I had to do some side scrolling because I didn't see all of Death by Chris's entry. His CDC thing on the right is sweet - and I damn near missed it. Other favorites: Bralt's penis monster is very VERY well rendered - almost unnervingly so, what with the line texture on the tip and all -- but you know what? Some people love penis piercing. DwinbotP's monster is pretty fantastic and that is definitely a horrific way to die -- looking out that pink membrane as you dissolve -- ghastly. Vaghauk definitely stepped it up on this round, totally gross dude.

Lots of great work this round, it definitely pushed me to explore some new territory in my work and in the use of fish guts. Thanks to everyone who chimed in with suggestions.

[GoldenSerpent]

GoldenSerpent: It looks like you might have some skillz, it's just so hard to see when you make the creature that dark. Are your monitor settings out of whack perhaps. It looks like it must look much brighter to you than it does on other monitors. To me it's all very dark, dark, dark, making it difficult to distinguish any detail or anatomy.

Sorry about that Michael Jaecks, It's probably both me and my monitor to blame, it looked brighter than the original when I first tried to upload it here so I darkened it a bit and re-uploaded it (apparently a bad mistake...), although on my monitor it didn't look that much darker to me. Thank you for letting me know, I'll make sure my next COW looks okay on a couple different monitors next time.

[Michael Jaecks]

Sorry about that Michael Jaecks, It's probably both me and my monitor to blame, it looked brighter than the original when I first tried to upload it here so I darkened it a bit and re-uploaded it (apparently a bad mistake...), although on my monitor it didn't look that much darker to me. Thank you for letting me know, I'll make sure my next COW looks okay on a couple different monitors next time.

That's a good idea. I used to have simillar problems and tried to check my work on several monitors as often as possible. Even popping down to the local internet cafe' and checking it out on one of theirs (after uploading it to the web) can be helpful. Looking at the difference between PC and Mac is also instructive...

[Michael Jaecks]

I was extremely pleased to have such a difficult time picking a favorite this week. It was a really tough call this time. In the end, I had to go with Bralt's for it's, shall we say, bare naked cruelty. But, it could have easily swung dwinbotp's way as well. Many others impressed me as well. Well done, folks.

[Biomecha_wolf]

Really really difficult voting..

so many great pieces and horrors , with Bralt's bug (yikes! perfect job but still ..aaa...) or Rodimus25 lizard who actually can feel the fear and anchony of the poor explorer on the scene, or what about DaveNeales "SplinterBug" which thanks to him i feel kinda pain now only from the image of bug and the descpription.

Anyways, my vote went on Steve Somers creature , cause.. well.. i find it really torturing to be a doll-toy on some psycho-creature hands "enjoying" a slow and painfull death , wishing to pass out as fast as possible so you wont feel anything more..

[Ragnj]

"When someone works in this sort of cartoony style, it always throws me for a loop. It looks intentional and there's a lot of work out there in the world that uses this sort of style that I like very, very much. I'm just not sure it's the most appropriate way of working for a weekly activity about creature design. Moreover, your entry is technically breaking the 'no character' rule because you've shown your creature smoking a mouthful of cigarettes. While that's funnny, its the sort of thing that pushes a creature into the character category. A penguin is a creature. A penguin wearing a top hat and carrying a cane is a character."

Wasnt intentional at all, Im just shit doing stuff in ps hehe. I usually just work in graphite and then put some colours in with ps after ive scanned it, dont know if its working in my favour tho.

point taken about the ciggs too, Im pretty new to CoW so Im still learning and pushing limits, bare with me!

Voted for siiiiiiiiiiiiilon, that creature freaked me out, will probably have nightmares tonight, thanks

[NightHerald]

NightHerald: It looks like you're pretty new to this and still getting comfortable with digital painting. I would spend a lot of time on CA in the Critique Center. Make yourself a sketchbook on here if you haven't already. Spend a lot of time building your skills, working from photo reference, drawing from life and seeking the feedback of your fellow artists. (All the usual pieces of advice you find here, but it always is worth it to repeat it.)

That's pretty much true. Neither my skills or this particular entry is up to par with the general level of quality. I think I'll stay away from future COWs until I'm confident I can deliver a much better product. Thank you.

As for my vote, there are so many I'd readily vote for. Great work all around.
But thanks to good rendering, and my fear of genital pains, I'll have to go with Bralt. That thing just freaks me out. Well done.

lkjhgfdsa & dwinbotp come very close. Slow digestion, nuclear devastation.. Frightening stuff, and well rendered.

[Crustibian]

Some sick and scary stuff this time around! You guys freak me out. Some favorites are lkjhgfdsa’s Iamos, dwinbotp’s blood camels, DeathByChris’ Rectal Parasite, and Steve Somers’ crested purple mangler. Really cool work everyone.
I voted for Vaghauk’s Regurgitator. I liked the concept from it’s early stages and it just got grosser and grosser. Totally unique looking creature and great description.
I’m hoping to find some time for this week’s moon creature.

[Pochifux]

If there's a lesson to be learned here, it's that a piece's immediate impact is it's most important aspect. There are several creatures here which offer a far worse fate than Bralt's, but whichever way you slice it, his delivers the punch immediately, at first glance - there's no need for any verbal explanation, you just look at it and think "aagh, that would suck!".
Dwinbotp's is gorgeously rendered, and a fearsome concept.
I voted for Vaghauk because that would be the worst fate of all - the blood camels come close, but at least they keep you warm, and your bones intact, and you can breathe. The combination of crushed bones, suffocation, being slowly digested, and the fact that the creature itself looks like something worthy of pity, won me over.
Ragnj- I really like yours, it makes me smile.
NightHerald - why not continue to submit? It'd be fun to watch as you improve.

[OTTA]

I go my vote for Bralt. Such a painful creature , Good work man

Dwinbot your work is alway awesome. I love that

[Paolo13]

Voted Bralt...Why?...it made me feel bad for my worst enemy!!!! So I think it works. Ciao

[lkjhgfdsa]

All these critter I would happily introduce to my worst enemy- after all annihilation is what I'm after and slow, brutal and excrutiatingly painful is definitely the direction for the worst of them...

[frixon]

Lots of great entries, but Bralt, that's one nasty mf you got there.

[ATAnderson]

Great round folks, some gruesome entries! Nice work.

ATA

[Carnifex]

although at first i thought it was obviously gonna be bralt for me,in the end vaghauk got my vote. because bralt's i would wish upon my worst enemy and probably even enjoy him suffer,because in the end,he'd still live. but the regurgitator...i probably couldn't watch one second of it...and by the description it probably takes alot longer than that. plus the awful look of puke in the picture is just right...i can almost smell it. ugh.

[luvazquez]

For me it's not just about how much pain my worst enemy would suffer...this thing should not only cause pain, but humiliation, and maybe even be emasculating.

I voted for Bralt for pretty much those reasons. His image causes an immediate gut, physical reaction...I mean, I crossed my legs and cringed just seeing the sketch! It's also very nicely rendered and stands out. Only wish he'd kept the red markings on the creature's back.

Daveneale was a close second, because I've had a sharp implement jammed under my nail once...and it just brought back the horror for me.

[NightHerald]

NightHerald - why not continue to submit? It'd be fun to watch as you improve.

I suppose I might do that, if I come up with something good.

[TomCardin]

nice work everyone.

Having had kidney stones which required "going up there with things that don't belong" to remove, Bralts creature ain't so bad. However it is VERY well painted. Frankly my worst enemy needs a few of those on his parts.

My worst enemy needs something that is going to kill him, slowly and horribly. It is hard for me to imagine what would be so over-the-top I WOULDN'T wish it on him.

Lots of very imaginative ways to die slowly here. I suppose what I need is a creature that invades my enemy's very DNA leaving his body a crippled, useless husk of pain while his mind is still very much intact and aware screaming inside as he is left in an asylum with neglectful caregivers. I guess if this creature also made it so all his offspring down his genetic line were born as pale, multiclawed horrors which devoured their mothers from the inside and were quickly put to death with fire axes - that would be more than I would wish on my worst enemy.

ok ok...I am getting too into this one..hehe

[jrbarker]

I didn't have time to finish mine. But here's where I was going with it...
This little bug feeds on the keratin and other proteins found in fingernails, claws, hoofs, etc. He can rip them out with his tiny claws and munch away.

[evolvingeye]

@ jrbarker: Nice, too bad you didn't make it. Good concept tho.

[Lander]

Tom: so I guess your encounter with pain left you with some fresh idéas
Good thing you are feeling better.

[Carnifex]

jrbarker - ARRRRRRRRRRRRGHHHHH!
(as someone who's had ingrown toenails about 4/5 times that needed operating,this is especially horrible to look at)

[GoldenSerpent]

Bralt’s creature is pretty horrible, but I think it’d be just the right thing to inflict my worst enemy with, dwinbotp’s blood camels on the other hand…it’s such a horrific death I don't think I could wish that on someone. I especially like the shape of it's mouth and the little man screaming inside it's stomach. DeathByChris and Vaghauk are also some of my favorites.

[electric goat]

Well, I guess voting is closed but I would have gone with psantha's. The tea bagger just makes me laugh and the image is nicely crafted.

By the way, "graping" someone is equivalent to the "tea bag". Just so you know.

[DeathByChris]

Thanks for the votes everyone. Ive been AFK for the past week or so, the poll didn't open until after I left town so I didn't get to vote but if I did vote it would have been for Vaghauk theres something about the vomit that makes it so sick.
Thanks again

[Bralt Hannicart]

Thought I'd drop by and give my thanks to all the voters. I voted for Dwinbotp because that's a really sucky way to go. lkjhgfdsa was a very close second for it's weirdness and original forms.

Great work allround though from everyone.

[bluefooted]

This topic is being discussed here: http://io9.com/5391219/the-creatures...unter/gallery/