C.O.W. #266: Front-line Assault Beast-VOTING!

[VegasMike]

Round 265 - Voting!

Topic: Front-line Assault Beast

Deadline for voting: July 18th, 2012

Round Requirements (read BEFORE voting!):

- The creature must clearly show some natural offensive and defensive ability that it uses on the enemy troops.

- Bonus Points if you can show the creature in a battle scene using these abilities.

[PhilipO]

Artist: PhilipO

Concept: The Faceplanter

The Faceplanter uses his tusks and his huge body to ”send the enemy forces to the other side”. His strongest ability is to curl him self into a ball and roll over his enemies.
The Faceplanter is a easily frightened creature though, but thanks to his huge size and his big shell, this is no disadvantage. When things are starting to heat up on the battle field, The Faceplanter just turns around and let his big butt falls to the ground facing his allies, and therefore protecting both him self and the troupes behind the big shell.

[Vyse]

There be my entry, behold!!

[MacTire]

Here's mine:

Artist: MacTire

Concept: Leviathan Crab

This giant crustacean combines artillery piece and siege engine into one. Whether clearing ramparts with an acidic torrent from its bombarier beetle-like abdominal jet, providing cover beneath its armoured carapace or simply tearing down defenses with massie crushing claws the leviathan crab is a devastating addition to an assault force.

[njoo]

Artist: nJoo

Concept: Spineback Trampler

Million of years ago when the world was near extinction, insect parasite attached to living animals for survival and as the day passes, both the insect and the creature needed each other for survival. The magic of evolution has fused the two together into one and caused the giant mutation of the creature resulting in the current form. The spineback trampler are tamed and now used as the great siege weapon of war, it's massive size and tough shell like armor provides it with both superior offensive and defensive abilities.

[Bahkana]

Artist: Bahkana

Concept: Shielded Antlioncrab

He scuttles about on four legs pushing swaths through the ranks with his arms that have abnormal bone growths. These shield arms are multipurpose: blunt object to sweep away large amounts of soldiers, huge shield to intercept incoming projectiles, and able to be stacked to create a wall when extreme defense is required. The design of the shield arms allows him to become a plow of sorts to quickly push through the ranks if need be. He also has piercers that grow out of his back that allow him to skewer any immediate threat over his shield arms.

[Obstfelder]

Artist: Obstfelder

Concept: Hammernose


The hammernose is the favorite warbeast of the Brakesian empire. The size of a whale and extremely ill-tempered, even one of these beasts can trample an army to pulp. In combat the monster is controlled by it's side mounted rider, who urges the beast on with the barbs of a hooked lance.

[TTmambo]

Artist: TTmambo

Concept: Whiteshell Crab

There were once a great tribe that lived by the sea, they worship the great whiteshell crab that they believe to be god of ocean. In times of danger, the "god" crab that they worship raise above the ocean and fight along side the tribesman.

[Antono]

Artist: Antono

Concept: Hellspitter

The creature were born from the magma of the volcano, how it survives the extreme temperature is unknown. Rumor has it that the blood of lava flows through the creature. The monster is controlled using the dark magic in which he is used to fight in great battles, trampling through enemies and burning village with his lava spit. Its name comes from the terror it brings as if hell as unleashed on earth.

[Caio Chagas]

Artist: Caio Chagas

Concept: Season Screamer


Used as a war machine for many years, this bearish creature developed great shells to defend itself from aerial attacks, as it was the only possible way to harm the beast. It uses a war cry that blows everything in the way, and uses giant claws as a weapon, but also to climb mountains, specially for war strategies.

[Varguy]

Artist: Varguy

Concept: Hornhead Charger


Fierce war machine that is used both in the open field and as siege weapon to ram through the strongest gates and walls. The huge bone structure that extends to the creature's back acts as a stabilizer to its neck, which allows it to take even the strongest hits in full charge without slowing down.

[Edward B]

Artist: EdwardB

Concept: The Castlecracker
At the forefront, the great beast forces its way through the doors with its two scythe like hands, the army can cover under the scaled tail of the creature to avoid arrows when rushing the gate.

[scorge]

Artist: scorge

Concept: Berzerker Giants
Berzerker Giants, the newest weapon of the goblin hordes in their war against men. BG's as they're called, are not related to common giants, and have a much more aggressive nature and are considered to be one of the most destructive beasts on earth alongside dragons and war scorpions. Usually raised in pairs for maximum destruction and terrorizing effect, the goblin generals have stolen these massive creatures as babes from the frozen wastes of Tashfarr, where BG's war with one another for territory and mating rights. When first introduced on the battlefield, it is said that a pair of Berzerker Giants annihilated an entire regiment of men in less than five minutes. Terrible and unyielding, the goblins have found their new champions in their cause for the downfall of man.

[Quint_]

Artist: Quint_

Concept: The Warisell

A demonic bull like creature, the Warisell is a powerful, fast-paced assault weapon for any army lucky enough to tame one. It's large, horned head is used as both a battering ram and a shield to protect close by troops from ranged fire, while cruel spikes of bone erupt from its skin to impale any enemies in it's way. As they run at such speed they take in a lot of air, and part of it they convert to a poisonous gas which they expel from vents on their necks once they are behind enemy lines. A natural saddle sits atop it's back, but few can tame these aggressive beasts well enough to ride one.

[VegasMike]

Artist: Vegasmike

Concept: The Legion Breaker


The Red Army couldn't have asked for a better war machine. The Legion Breaker is bred for war as a front-line assault beast. It's outer shell provides defense for the army who gather underneath the creature as it pushes forward. The Legion Breaker's uses it's huge pincer claw to wipe away large enemy units at a time. This allows the advancing troops to fill in the wiped out area killing any stragglers left over. The claw can push mounds of enemy corpses into a wall of dead troops providing further cover for the army. The beast also carries archers and supplies on top of it's massive shell.

[Rob Powell]

Artist: Rob Powell

Concept: Gate Smasher

It smashes gates!

[Si_Swe]

Hey folks. Sorry for the delay (yet again) this week. The poll is now up for this incredible round.

I would like to give a MASSIVE thank you to Adam for hosting this round. You managed to bring out the best of COW and produced quite the round. It was an honor to have you host such an awesome couple of weeks. We are going to have to have seasoned COW vets guest-host more often (hint to all of you seasoned COW vets).

Cuts this week:

Bahkana - reason - Primarily: Less than 3/4 of the creature's design is visible.


As for my vote: it was super tough. I love the work that [b]scorge[/]b busted out this week (both pieces), TTmambo's work was super strong and it humbles be to have njoo's work grace the poll almost every time. That said, I'm giving this one to our host VegasMike for his badass hulk.

[Rob Powell]

What an awesome round this turned out to be! Fav's were as follows;
njoo: Very cool creature design, I really admire how your style has progressed over the years. You pretty much had my vote as soon as I saw your piece in the wips folder! Awesome work as always!!

TTmambo: Very solid start, I can see some really awesome work coming in the future!

scorge: Always a pleasure seeing your work! I like the funny expressions on all of those goblins. I think there is a bit of an awkwardness with the creature's horns however, in fact until you threw in the colours I thought the creature head looked quite different than what it is. I think maybe adding a secondary lightsource on the creature's face can make it read a bit better.

VegasMike: You are such a badass! It seems any army that has one of those on their side is likely to win the battle. Easy second placer for me! And also a thank you for the awesome topic! Wish I was able to contribute more than just my crappy little sketch, haha.

[Obstfelder]

Really hard to cast a vote among all this greatness, but had to say njoo in the end. Incredibly cool monster, and without relying on dramatic lighting to hide stuff. Impressive.

Others who I almost voted for (hope you don't mind that i comment):

VegasMike: Such an awsome monster. The only drawback for me is that it's more like a fortress beast with the size and all those spikes, rather than assault.

Scorge: Love the dynamic composition, but I miss some light that lets us see the main part of the body better.

Edward B: Really sweet queen alien like design and incredible illustration, seems a little more like a night terror than a battle creature to me though, otherwise I might have voted for it.

Vyse: awsome enviroment, and the creature looks fantastic in that lighting, but it's a bit hard to read what's going on with the limbs/tails.

Thanks for a great round! I'll certainly be coming back, even if it's just to get my ass handed to me again

[Swiezy]

Good job guys! so much very good concepts!
I hope for sometime I will play with you in cow.
regards

[njoo]

Awesome round guys, it's been a while since I took part in COW and it was a lotta fun! Thanks for the comment everyone. This round I gotta give it to VegasMike for not just the design but his effort as well for totally scrapping an almost finished piece and redoing an even stronger piece!

VegasMike: A much stronger piece from the first attempt, I think instead of a frontline warbeast, he's like godly beast vs the whole world haha. Only crit I'd give is the design seems a tad broken into chunks from the big unique shapes in different place. But you got my vote still for the badass beast!

PhilipO: Funny description on the part he turns when he's scared and blocks with the shield The eyes look a tad mechanical for a creature with the blue light coming out

Vyse: Awesome perspective, I can really imagine like a scene from a movie or a game!

MacTire: I think the design is very solid, if it's polished a little bit more I think it'll be a much stronger piece!

Bahkana: Too bad I can't see the whole design, a good attempt on a dynamic scene tho!

Obstfelder: I love the colors in this piece, it has a very strong natural media look to it. The creature design is simple but very believable.

TTmambo: Made a CA account just to join COW Wow, the design is very unique and cool looking, I think if the shell and the body shows more connection it'll make the design more believable, a little mech like right now.

Antono: Everyone, it's my friend's first time attempting to pain in photoshop and his first complete piece, so props to him! I think the lava spilling part is a really unique cool offensive design!

Caio Chagas: I think the design can be develop to something really badass looking! I love these arctic type designs. Some form/anatomy fix will make this piece a lot stronger!

Varguy: The great lighting makes this a strong piece. The little highlights of the weapon from the soldiers,etc are awesome touches.

EdwardB: Cool colorscheme, I think the highlights and glow gives this piece a cool mystical mood. The single long leg sticking out from the back looks tad awkward for me tho

Scorge: Great composition and lighting! The only thing that bugs me is the hand from the creature in the back haha. Otherwise an awesome piece!

Quint: A very unique take on the topic, while everyone's going for a tanky beefy design, you went with a very offensive looking creature. If the bone on the back is longer and more dynamic I think it'll make the design even stronger!

Rob Powell: I think tis creature has so much potential and ppl might not realize how awesome it is because of the side view pose. I really love the the head design and the overall silhouette of the creature!

Again, awesome work everyone!!

(btw Si_Swe, I think I forgot to reply to one of your email a while back, so sorry about that, I think I was busy getting ready for my wedding or something >.< U use any IM?)

[Quint_]

Awesome work everyone! Only my third C.O.W but certainly the most competitive one I have been involved in. The coolest thing about this one was to have some newbies (like myself) being able to compete alongside some stunningly talented veterans - it just pushes me to work that much harder. So thanks everyone who took part, and thanks to VM for the great topic!

Anyway, wipe my saliva from your ass cheeks so I can move on to my comments.

PhilipO: Funny idea and design. Maybe start using a harder edged brush to get a sharper looking image and try to pull back on the use of black to get a less muddy result.

MacTire: I like the design in this one. Perhaps spending more time on the render - maybe adding some textures would have made this a real standout.

Vyse: Very cool shot! I love the lighting and the drama going on. My only crit is the creature itself - it's hard to make out his design due to the shadows. Still a lovely looking image though.

nJoo: What can I say? Awesome design and rendering. You got my vote as it seems so well balanced. I love that it looks agile enough to produce lightening fast assaults but still has enough defensive qualities about it to protect troops - nailed the brief!

Bahkana: Shame it got cut (for a valid reason), but it's a nice idea and I look forward to seeing more from you.

Obstfelder: One of my favorites. I love the painterly style of the render and the scale of the beast itself. Had the piece been a little tighter I might have voted your way.

TTmambo: Very cool looking creature, and I like the look you gave its outer shell - it looks like something that could belong in a Final Fantasy game.

Antono: First time in photoshop then that is really impressive. Cool design and a unique take on the creature's weapon.

Caio Chagas: It certainly looks like a beast! Love the atmosphere you've got here. As nJoo said, a bit more attention to anatomy and it will be killer!

Varguy: Epic scale to this one! I really like the head and the flecks of spittle its spraying - I can almost feel that roar!

EdwardB: Very cool idea - totally outside the box from everyone else. I do kind of wish you stuck with the original head design from your sketches, but I can see why you changed it.

Scorge: Really happy you changed designs - I think this is a much stronger piece. They don't need an army, these fellas' will wipe out everything! My only issue is the main one's face - every time I look at it I can't decide if it looks a little skewed, but that is maybe due to the shadow from the horns. Still an awesome looking piece, but I expect nothing less!

Vegas Mike: Another change for the better! This is so cool and that front claw looks devastating. I think you could have gone a little tighter round the head but that's about it. This thing looks hard as nails!

Rob Powell: It's a shame you didn't get long enough to fully realize your design because I really like your previous works in C.O.W. (I'm a long time lurker). I think this beast has a lot of potential, and if you had time to create a more dynamic pose for it I know you would have produced something stunning.

Thanks again to you all, really had fun with it!

[Si_Swe]

Haha, no problem, njoo, I don't even remember what it was about at this point... it might have been about guest hosting a round? Anyway, Skype is about the only IM tool I use at the moment. You can find my Skype profile linked to my ConceptArt profile (should be just below my post count/number of thanks/location etc. on any post I make).

[warburton]

Amazing round and gratz to everyone who participated! Only one vote left me in abit of a pickle 0_o

It was a tough choice but in the end i went for scorge. Also gratz to njoo, vegasmike, edward b, TTmambo and Vyse. Your entrys all were amazing.

[VegasMike]

I want to thank all of you again for participating! It's been a humbling experience watching all of you working on a topic I came up with...I can only imagine the total # of hours we all put in. It's amazing to see so many unique ideas and the passion to improve through competition. From beginner to veteran COWies, I hope you learned something new or progressed and had a good time in the process! On to some beasties!

PhilipO: I'm glad you decided to go with the army holding him rather than being tied to trees. I would love to see him in action!

MacTire: Really nice design with some strong shapes. Stronger rendering and more time would really make this pop

Vyse: Awesome image overall, very dramatic, cinematic. I would like to have seen the beast closer up with more details.

nJoo: Haha, good to see you back in the COW game old friend! I remember meeting you on line after that Iceberg Eater round...has it been that long?? Amazing creature design as always and the description really sells the concept. You get my vote and thanks for bringing some new talent into the arena!

Bahkana: The experience should have been worth it even though you got cut in the end. Hope you keep participating and growing!

Obstfelder: I love the overall mood of the art and with a little more time tightening things up you should have a portfolio piece!

TTmambo: Great idea and design! It has a very alien, almost mech like feel to it. Thanks for joining and can't wait to see more of your work in the future.

Antono: Great job for your first digital painting! I love the perspective and color scheme...Thanks for contributing and looking forward to watching you progress!

Caio Chagas: Nice Beasty! It has a Blizzard like look to it...nice choice in the arctic setting.

Varguy: Beautiful painting here! The lighting is interesting and draws attention to the head. Nice Scale.

EdwardB: Great idea and colors! I wish the head had a bit more detail.

Scorge: Switching directions was very motivational! Your extra work ended up with a killer piece and the first idea is still worthy of finishing. Looking forward to locking horns with you in the future, keep in touch!

Rob Powell: This beast is amazing even in profile. I would have loved to see this guy in a proper scene. Thanks for contributing!

[GuesssWho]

I love the eye color on the first one. And the Alien-esque look of EdB's.

[Caio Chagas]

Thanks for this great match guys. It was my second one, and first COW... It magically made me better. It's like, yesterday i would not
imagine to take part on this kind of things, and now i feel really motivated to keep pushing myself.

All this environment is really great. Thanks all of you.

And here goes my little review of this round, i'm not the best guy to judge problems,
as i'm in a begginer/intermediate level(hope you don't mind).


PhilipO - It was great that you decided to show the beast with other characters, stuffs,etc.
It helps a lot to scale.

Vyse - When i saw your WIP, i knew something great was going to come.
This Tension you did was great for the final piece.

MacTire - I loved the concept, it was also my first idea to do a tank-like crab.
And then i saw your wip and facepalmed, lol.

nJoo - One of the best to me. Concept and presentation both awesome. Nailed everything.

Bahkana - I like the overall scene, show more of of the beast would be great, as told by the others.

Obstfelder - I always like your posts, this one is really nice because you were able to capture a good piece just showing what is necessary (which is a challenge for me, at least).
Hope you continue to take part on these challenges.

TTmambo - Really nice concept. I just wanna see more of the beast, and i think some parts kinda blend together.

Antono - Composition is nice to me, playing a little bit more with atmosphere would make this even better.

Varguy - The scene is nice, but i think the creature looks a little bit out of balance, maybe because you pushed perspective too much,
or the head is a little too big, hard to figure. But hey, you did a great job on the texture and the lighting, it really feels a live being.


Edward B - The Creature looks nice but i think the single leg makes it a little out of balance. Anyways, great entry and i really liked the colors and composition.

scorge - Great creature. But for me, the strong shadows make some parts look a little odd, in general, really strong entry.

Quint_ - I think your design is very strong. the motion seems a little off for me. Maybe because of the mechanics of the motion itself or maybe because the values of the left front leg and the righ back leg seems equal.

VegasMike - My favorite. And man, you did it almost two times... good reasons to work in B&W...

Rob Powell - Dude, it is one of the best designs on this match for me, really. Hope you continue to do COWs.


That's it guys, thank you again.

[emerging]

sweet round! you guys are killing it
wish i had time to participate

[elephant´s stroke]

Hi all, i voted for Vegas because there is only one vote to spend.... but for me is a triple draw between njoo, Scorge and Vegas.
This was a very competitive round! congratulations everyone.

Cheers.