IDW # 160 : Ferryboat of the River Styx -VOTING!

[Pixie Trick]

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IDW # 148 Topic: Ferryboat of the River Styx
Deadline for voting: Wednesday, March 30

No voting for your own entries! I repeat, no voting for your own entries

Give critiques and comments, we're all here to learn from each other!

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Original thread: http://conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?t=214543

[Maledict]

IDW #160:: Ferryboat of the River Styx


The passage of time has been arduous for Charon, the famed Ferryman of the Styx.

As the ages have past by, the living world has abandoned the old traditions - many more souls are buried without the proper rites and ceremonies being performed - but more importantly, with out coins to pay the boatman.

As a result, instead of ferrying one person at a time, as is customary, Charon has taken it upon himself to ferry multiple persons at once, as well as those whom were buried without payment necessary for their crossing.

The boat itself is timeless - as is Charon himself. Whilst the waking world has progressed with rapid expansion, the Old Worlds of mythology have been as archaic as they have always been. The Old Deities, resilient in their ways, maintain a brittle balance on the way things are.

Nevertheless, Charon will always remain loyal and steadfast to his duties.

[Si_Swe]

Take a wild ride down the river... of DEATH!

[Naxfish]

row row row your boat...


/didnt had time to finish it, so this will have to do

[Hamsta]

More than just the souls of men drift down to the gates of Hades. All manner of lost and forgotten things drift down the River Styx.
When Charon spotted this derelict steamboat, and it's history as an institution of vice, he could not resist but appropriate it as his own.

[Eclectix]

Over the centuries the ferryman of the river Styx has seen a lot of souls. As the population of the Earth has grown exponentially, so have the numbers of people needing passage to Hades. To complicate the issue, most of these souls no longer bring proper fare for passage. To solve both of these issues, he has created an entire flotilla of oar ships to ferry souls across to the underworld, allowing a number of souls to work off the cost of passage by literally becoming part of the craft themselves. These souls are both the materials from which the ferries are made, and the force by which they are powered. Once a soul has worked off the price of passage, they are set free on the shores of Hades, and a new soul is permitted to take their place on the vessel. It is of no concern to Charon that these souls degrade over their term of service to the point where they are little more than bones and sinew by the time that they are set free.

(Full resolution can be seen here.)

[Rambozo]

Had a slow day at work so I'm happy I actually got to work on this one Alright, the story :

I reckoned it would be cool if the souls that couldn't pay their way would simply be thrown into the river. There they serve Charon, moving his boat across the river Styx, condemned to spend eternity under the surface of her waters. And so Charon needs no paddle, no punt, no other tool than the bell which he rings to call the helping hands of the dead. In this way the boat moves in complete silence, only the bell's toll can be heard from across the mists.

[Gorgonbunny]

A serene ride through purgatory.

[Velocity Kendall]

Wow cool work!

lovely colours by Hamsta, Gorgonbunny nailed the traditional look and I like the razorsharp prow, Naxfish, loads of mileage in the idea of a bone boat..
Rabbi, slightly tricky to read the image, but I think its a good design, nicely integrated forms
And Si-swes made me lol out loud, fuck you oars, Charon's upgraded to a massive V8. rminds me of the Munstermobile!
http://lh6.ggpht.com/_mTS1TBdvuD4/Rl...ermobile01.jpg
I think Eclectix' thinking behind his concept is spot on, but my favourite actual boat design is Rambozo; rather than being built from planks or other components, it really looks like a solid twisted mass of magic, which gives it a really otherworldly look. nice

[dragon4lunch]

Eclectix: Very cool, looks great. I could have just flipped a coin, because I would have voted for you and Rambozo, if I had two votes. Ultimately I clicked Rambozo, because there is something about the large shapes and art-deco-reminiscent design I thought was a very creative choice.

[Majenkus]

@Rabbi Satan - Honestly, I don't think there is a lot that is clear in this. There's a lot of "noise" in the water around the boat, but you didn't "flesh" out part of the boat or people on the boat. I think you were going for rushing water? The texture overlay on the boat and the water really obscure the boat. OK, buddy, now you gotta come back next round and smash it! You can do it!

@Si_Swe - Love the character! I think with the cartoony style it is easy to overlook the really excellent job you did with lighting it. It brings back really great memories.

@Naxfish - Classic design! It really embodies the first thing I thought of when I read the topic. I still like the BW better though, and I'm still not sure why.

@Hamsta - Great mood, but it's hard to tell what makes this a boat a ferryboat for the dead.

@Eclectix - There's a lot of room on that boat . . . I like that you did that, and with the fleet gives the impression they are about to pick up an unfortunate army. I mean, is a 6 passenger boat really a good design for the shitloads of people dying? It definitely looks like it belongs on the Styx. The details are really nice too. Just good execution all around!

@Rambozo - I like that you went subtle with this. More than the others, I really had to read it, though after thoroughly inspecting it, I've concluded that it definitely is worthy of the River Styx.

@Gorgonbunny - I couldn't figure out what I was looking at at first, but once I did I was impressed.

[Sivonja]

My vote goesto Electix ...good job man