Chow 200 :: The MONARCH of CHOW

[ArtByManon]

So here's what I have so far. I know it has problems (like her boob looks smooshed at the moment) but I'm gonna fix those. The main issue I have is with her head. Something looks off to me...like it's too big or something. I'm trying to make it look slightly angled up, which is why her forehead is kinda short but it's not really working out...Suggestions?

Oh, btw, great work everyone! I'm loving just watching this chow.

Monkey - I'd just go and check out some old classic photos of stars from the 30's/40's to get the right angle for the head - there are heaps on the net, it will help with the positioning rather than trying to guess the proportions. Nothing wrong with using ref!
I like the attitude - definitely regal!

[SaintLConcept]

but i think im gonna finish this one anyway, WIP, still tryin to get the atmosfer

[Angel Intheuk]

Sorry. Just found this on a google search had to put it up hehe

[Aly Fell]

Aly - I LOVE the way you sketch... I wish I could sit on your shoulder and watch you for an hour.
What sort of brush are you using for this, by the way - this kind of graphite looking one?

Thank you Jessi... that one really was a doodle. I seem to always use the same brush to sketch with, it's essentially the Conte Crayon in PS with size jitter right down set to 'pen pressure' so you get the nice 'thick and thins'. The brush texture is Burlap.

[George Abraham]

Google image search Jack Black. LOL!!!

That dude has a crazy life.

[Jason Rainville]

Harp is what seems to be happening.
Lots of greats here.

Jerome, that's awesome, plus I also see something happenning there that if you're not going with it, I might try to with a possible second entry, and that's;

Harp wings. Fuck. Yeah.

[JeromeFoster]

Jerome, that's awesome, plus I also see something happenning there that if you're not going with it, I might try to with a possible second entry, and that's;

Harp wings. Fuck. Yeah.

Yea no problemo...go for it...That sounds like a good idear...I like your current piece, nice painterly feel....I was going for a harp throne combo...kind of like one of those toothpicks that doubles as floss...
As for a reply on what brushes I use...for the most part, and im trying to break out of it, I just use a pallet knife and push and pull...Layers in general are a learning thing for me...I find myself flattening a piece all the time...but I pretty much just use a flat pallet knife and a hard diamond shaped brush <> sorta like that...basically a squished square...works well for large areas and still good for tight spaces...hope this helps...

[scottmcd]

Jason Rainville: One thing I hope you keep about yours is the light, halo effect around the head and shoulders. The colors work for me too. The violin's perspective seems wonky around the bridge, but it's a rough.

Here's an update from me. I actually am a little concerned about the 3/4 rule on it. I do plan to extend it downward a bit and have a fade out at around mid-thigh. Will that work?

[B u r l]

hey thanks to everyone for their feedback and help certainly food for thought.
i'm not sure which one to go with so i'm going to develop them both i think. might do some more thumbnails later.

[JeromeFoster]

wipwip wwwww
goth - typeOnegative queen ^ ^

need some help with hair, and i really dont know how do the robe look like trasparenc

RIP Peter Steele...
with hair i find it helps if i dont get to picky and move fast...long strokes for long hair...start light and move to dark...this works for me...i like to have two windows open for the same piece...one small one for overall composition...in Photoshop-Window-Arrange-New Window for "_"
As for transparencies...I suggest doing the figure and under lying form first...then as a seperate layer apply the see through clothing...and tweak the opacity...this works for me...

[Ironbyte]

Update with some colour. Figuring out which style of clothing to go with, or whether to crop it down to 3/4s?

[aBenson]

Thank you theGrayslayer I will keep the cello bow in mind when I get back to that stage I definitely do not want anything like that. I am going for an enduring image of love.

Small update, trying to design the harp chair properly in scale with the image. Its been a long time since I have done anything this detailed I hope it pays off.

[Tommoy]

Progress on my take of the 80's hard rock keeping in mind it's not a rockstar but a monarch.

[Sorknes]

Ok, this is the sketch I like the most so far, traditional/folk turning into rock.. heh, literally... Haha.

The two things she's holding I think I'll turn into a traditional harding fiddle (a lil more elaborate and twice the amount of strings than a normal) and the other an electrical guitar or base/bass (?).

However... Aly or Daestwen... am I killing myself on the 3/4th rule here, or is it enough of her showing into the rock? If I am, I'll change it, better to know earlier than later!

[cptcrandall]

I hope this fits the bill for the 3/4ths rule? I know that the one before didn't. Anyway. continuing to roll on. Vibe Tribe fueling tonight's ongoing session.

[Ian Barker]

omigoodness! I have been away from CA for a week and forgot about this! Amazing theme choice, I really hope I can get a few entries done! I'm a big fan of indie-psych-experimental stuff so that's what I'm gonna be working on. Oh and I'll try to post crits later tonight

[zimfin]

Hmm, well I finally have time to get started. Going for Tribal monarch for now. He will be sitting in some kind of throne, probably wood and I reckon the light source will be fire.

A lot of really cool entries for this.
*edit* I see my pose is very similar to Sholly's! Hope that is not a problem for anyone, I never saw Sholly's post until now.

[Freha]

A new WIP. I'm wondering if she looks "regal" enough. At this stage I would feel better scraping her now rather than later. Opinions?

[cptcrandall]

bout to delve in and render away...Starting to see some really kick ass stuff on here! Can't wait to see what is here in a couple of weeks!!

[Dorkthrone]

Here's some more work on my prog version. Right now, I'm inspired by Porcupine Tree, Bison B.C., and Mastodon.

[dawnusllaw]

This is definitely a challenge I want to get in on!

[theUNKNOWNsketcher]

aBenson cant wait for more progress

[bangalore_monkey]

Thanks for the kudos everyone.

stinger88- i like the glowsticks in her hands, cool effect.
ianthegeek- very nice, already getting agreat sense of the genre and of her being a monarch
no87- nice work, but not a queen just yet.
angel intheuk-both are good concepts, i personally like the funk queen better, seems there's more there to work with.
reymus- i like it, they should all be in a jug band.
supervlieg- much more queenly, and nicely subtle rock themes.
jeromefoster- ooh, dark, i like it. however, besides the harp, i dont see much music going on.
gloombunny- a solid concept, but i don't get a strong connection to music with that theme or your sketch.maybe make the staff into an instrument.
randomstranger- looks pretty good so far, i;m interested how you will personify classical music.
janjager-interesting piece, makes me want to know what you're aiming for
jason rainville-nicely done! however, not getting much of a kingly feel. also, i find it odd that he's sort of glowing.
abenson- definitely one of the best, more original designs so far. really cool stuff you got going on here. i think going more of a mythical/god route will give you more freedom to dream up stuff too.
cptcrandall-still looking quite promising. it might be cool to somehow make those techno decorations on her body more symbolic of music, pulsing beats and all like a visualization of the music.
sakuranym- beautiful! really nice ceoncept and some strong rendering, should turn out nice.
ninjacat11- there's some interesting stuff going on. makes me want to see where you're going with all that stuff on his back. on the other one, looking equally intriguing, i want to see these finished.
goldilockz-looking good so far, got the music theme and the queen aspect down already. maybe go for a more dynamic pose.
astrobiology-very interesting. reminds me of i -robot.
sholly- i like the idea of the headphones crown.
kxunice,i would consider adding some design to the robe as well, just to add some more to the character.
monkeysills-you just need to show more of the underside of her chin to get that raised head look.cool concept btw, should be cool.
art4all- it could still work, just add some more kingly aspects and you're good.
scottmcd- i like it, and your description of the concept, but, and i feel like a broken record by now, you could still use something kingly.
dumpling- i'd definitely go with the second one, with the first one, it feels too similar to this (http://avalanchesoftware.blogspot.co...radicator.html)
tommoy- cool, but maybe a bit too much Eddie of iron maiden.
sorknes- nice idea, i was thinking of doing something with the evolution of music. i think it would be cool if the pattern on the dress reflected that transformation, bring it more into the character herself.
zimfincool, something original. i like the idea of the bonfire lighting too
freha- looking regal enough, i like the idea of the glowstick crown, i think they sell those at the dollar store i work at

whew...

anyways, here's some more work on the king of rock. since this has gone pretty quick, i might do a queen too.

[Pinback]

I fixed a few problems with my outline and started colours. I think I'm going to steam ahead and just finish this, then possibly start another version.

[Martheart]

Aly, are you also still having problems with the attachment editor to upload your pictures? My problem's getting even worse now, can't see the images of other people who used the attachment editor anymore... All broken jpgs icons in IE and Chrome... Anyone else having this problem??

Well, here's a few sketches for my 8bit monarch. I'm worried she's looking more like a princess than a queen. How to make her more queen-like without losing the 8bit atmosphere?

[Freha]

freha- looking regal enough, i like the idea of the glowstick crown, i think they sell those at the dollar store i work at

I had no idea glowstick crowns even existed,lol! I guess I learned something new today.

[Simbylee]

'sup with this noise??A lot of the images have the 'broken link' icon...
My picture's not here,as well...
Somthing wrong with the site??Should we link our pics from the outside???

[cptcrandall]

'sup with this noise??A lot of the images have the 'broken link' icon...
My picture's not here,as well...
Somthing wrong with the site??Should we link our pics from the outside???

all of the pictures show up just fine to me...

[Dorkthrone]

'sup with this noise??A lot of the images have the 'broken link' icon...
My picture's not here,as well...
Somthing wrong with the site??Should we link our pics from the outside???

Yeah, there is definitely something going on with the image attachments. I'm seeing the same thing going on with the C.O.W pieces, too.

I host my pictures from outside ConceptArt anyway, so I would recommend doing this as a temporary solution.

[ufofrk]

Well, I've been a long time stalker of the CHOW thread and I've finally sucked up enough courage to join in. There is some amazing talent here! Keep it up guys!

Here are my possibles, not quite sure which I'll choose. (And, if you can't tell where my problem is, its FEET. Yes. I hate feet. Ugh.) I wanted them all to sit in some nice chairs (thrones)
Right to Left is: 1920s Jazz/Flapper Queen, 1930s Lounge Singer Queen and the Rocker Queen.

Comments and critques are very welcome!