C.O.W. - #032: Xmas Creature

[Fozzybar]

Round #032

Topic:
Xmas Creature

Choose one of the sub topics for your entry:

1. It Came From The Chimney

2. Stocking Surprise

3. Santa Hunter

4. Santa Claws - stay away from a Santa with claws!!! Do a creature related to xmas with claws...

5. Santa's Sledge Pulling Creature - please no reindeer


Deadline:
Tuesday, 27th December 2005




- for any questions or help go here:
http://www.conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?t=37512

note: The deadline won't be EXACTLY after a week...it can last up to 24 hours more, i am human and have to work also, you know

Post your creature for this week!

[Fozzybar]

There were many good topics in the suggestion thread and i thought it would be nice to have a broad spectrum of topics to choose from, so everyone can choose one which appeals to him most...

Still there will be only 1 winner for this round...so here are the topics once again:

Choose on eof this topics for your xmas-creature:

1. It Came From The Chimney

2. Stocking Surprise

3. Santa Hunter

4. Santa Claws - stay away from a Santa with claws!!! Do a creature related to xmas with claws...

5. Santa's Sledge Pulling Creature - please no reindeer


If not obvious add the topic when posting your entry...

And i think it's a good idea not to make a mutated Santa or something like that, try to create a creature which could be added to the christmas scenery but doesn't have similarities to reindeers, Santa, elves or the Grinch...

[JakkaS]

At last....
I thing, I make ...Santa Claws

[redehlert]

Yehaw! It's On!

[silentkitty]

Fun. I think I'm gonna go with "Stocking Surprise".

[possessed]

Santa Hunter is just too cool.

[cgfuller64]

Wip, sled to come....any helpful comments welcome..
Thanx,
Chad

[pr0ph3t]

can we do more than one? as in one for each subtopic?

[Thoras]

Hey ya’ll, just dropped by to wish happy holidays to ya’ll; hope you see all yer families and that stuff, and that santa brings everything you asked for. See ya when I see ya.

[silentkitty]

..I think I had a little too much free time on my hands today. I'll probably be tweaking it as the week goes along, description will be coming soon.

I went with "Stocking Surprise", if it's not obvious. ;p


This critter is known as the "candy worm" by people indigenous to the area that it dwells in, because of its somewhat festive coloring. It makes its home in any dry, warm place that it can find, often migrating from spot to spot under the cover of night. During the christmas season, one of its favorite habitats, of course, is nestled within stockings hung above a nice warm fireplace, where it settles in until disturbed by a greedy hand reaching for the toys it has made into its nest.

[Zeitwolf]

silentkitty
the teddy is scary *fear*

[Fozzybar]

can we do more than one? as in one for each subtopic?

you can do as many as you want but only one entry will go to the poll, so if you do more than one add a note which one is the entry for this round...

[pr0ph3t]

gotcha

nice one silentkitty

hope i don't get one of those in my stocking

I guess santa has a plan this year, why keep giving coal to all the naughty children, when he can just kill them off?


merry christmas to everyone

[Fozzybar]

I will be gone for 1 week...heading off tomorrow, so i don't know if i will visit the site until then...i will be back next week, i guess right in time to close this thread and set up the new one...maybe a topic related to the turn of the year...

Don't make a mess while i am away

So merry xmas, hanuka and whatever you are celebrating for the next days!

See you then!

[silentkitty]

Later Fozzy, have a good holiday.

[JakkaS]

Merry Xmas Fozzy.
(There is no emoticon for Xmas... only that )

[romance]

Have a great one Fozzy. Watch out for reindeer droppings.

[masque]

The Christmas Stalkling subsists almost entirely on goodies unwittingly stuffed down its throat during the holiday season, and occasionally the fingers of over-indulgent wassailers.

____________________________________
Best wishes to all for a very happy holiday!

[Sundance]

very cute masque!

[pr0ph3t]

masque thats awesome!!! merry xmas fozz have a great one,,, that goes for all of the rest fo you too

[Bennett]

Bahahahaha "over-indulgent wassailers"...

I walways wondered the meaning of that song...

http://www.woodlands-junior.kent.sch...as/wassail.htm

Merry xmas and shit

[redehlert]

oooh....aphex twin for 'bennett'....nice holiday choice.
here's a little wip i whipped up last night. happy ho y'all!
i'm not going to get a chance to finish this freak, so fozzy....take or don't take to voting....no harm no foul. holiday magic and work has gotten the best of me...............

cheers!
d

[Eric Lofgren]

[Edit] updated with color. And thanks for the feedback, Mike


A wip of a Chimney Tube Worm. This is it's pupal stage. It's very similar to dragonlfy larvae (I think), that encase themselves in little twigs and pebbles that stick to it's body with a secretion. In this case, the Chimney Worm egg finds purchase in an existing tube structure, such as a chimeny. It subsists on a diet of carbonized ash and wood and the occasional soot covered chimeny sweep. Given it's unique living accommodations it's body is pliable enough to allow it to create a flue that runs through it's entire body allowing chimney smoke to pass through. This can also act as camofluage as well. It's a very rare creature, though, as it's pupal stage lasts for a single year and to develop into a mature adult it requires a large meal of protein enriched red polyester and black vinyl. Once consumed, it enters into it's final stage as a winged adult and flys away. Otherwise it dries up and becomes nothing more than the ash and wood bits that it lives within.

The most uniqe aspect of the Chimney Tube Worm is it's maw, which features four very plaible yet strong tentacles that are coverd in razor sharp teeth. When it has a meal in it's mouth the creature can rake it's teeth very quickly back and forth and up and down on its prey reducing it to pulp in seconds. The protein material quickly gets absorbed by the body of the worm and waste is expelled as a powdery like substance that mingles with the smoke and ash. It also has a single rudimentary eye housed near the center of each tenticle as well.

To capture it's prey, the worm wraps the two toes at the end of each tenticle around the lip at the top of the chimeny and qucikly pulls itself out of the chimney and right onto the prey. It quikly wraps it's tenticles around the victim and sucks it into it's mouth. Where it immediately begins to render it's meal into a puly mass. Once satisfied, the worm flattens its body and quickly slides it's back down into the chimeny and waits.



I was most of the way throguh this design when I realized the chimeny creature should probably have been designed to come out the fireplace and not the top. Whatever the case, here's my design so far. Any comments are encouraged

[nephilim]

very cool eric, neat design. Although is Santa reborn every year? that would be cool. cant wait to see it colored. The only crit i have is that the creature seems to end at the chimney top, perhaps if you hinted at its long abdomen(in the illustration itself) that might help.

its actually a caddisfly larvae your thinking of, the dragonfly larvae doesnt coat itself with stuff(although some species might i guess), it is a voracious predator though, some are known to even eat small minnows or tadpoles!!!


mike

[romance]

Here's my rather hasty entry. Decided to try a different approach in both presentation and technique. Enjoy.

Edit: Hey Fozzy, could you put the non-ad version of my entry up to the poll. Thx




The Dirt Sloth (also known a Santa Claws).

This creature can be found in temperate zones all over the Earth. It dwells within the ground, hunting earthworms, grubs, and the occasional mole. In the wild, they have been known only to surface during wet conditions.

Over recent years, the Dirt Sloth has been raised by breeders and have overcome their need to dwell underground and their low-tolerance to sunlight. Breeders are still trying to produce Dirt Sloth's that are less tempered.

Bred Dirt Sloth's are sold all year-round as multi-purpose utility 'pets', as their extremely sharp claws and handle-like horns make them wonderful cutting 'tools'. Their sales rise during the Christmas season as consumers use them for cutting Christmas trees, carving turkeys and hams, opening gift boxes, frightening naughty children, and making cranberry sauce (note: creature does not make cranberry sauce with its claws).

Ethical concerns have been raised about the use of this creature as a tool and product. Even protests have been held in front of petstores selling the creatures. Although, the protests don't last long, as petstore owners often threaten the protesters with angry Dirt Sloths.

[redehlert]

HAHAHAHAAHAAHAHAAHahaahhhahahaaaaa.....

hah!
nice one rob.
cheers!
d

[young paddy1]

The 'stocking filler' is the larval stage of the 'roof stalker', it is completely vegetarian at this stage of its life and survives best inside the christmas stockings of families where the parents haven't realised, fruit and nuts are not presents. The 'stockiing filler' is inserted into the christmas stocking a year before it matures, being the only item of clothing hardly anybody washes, the soft egg case will sit in a linen closet or airing cupboard keeping warm allowing the 'stockiing filler' to develop. Aroused by the placing of the stocking over a hot fire and after having eaten the fruity bounty and occasional stuffed animal put inside its temporary home, the 'stockiing filler' will eventually make its way outside and up onto the roof.

[romance]

Thanks Red,

Love the eyebrows on yours. They should actually be called eye beards.

Can't wait to see the final.


As for all the other entries so far - well done and a happy holidays.

[redehlert]

Thanks Rob! I think it might be considered too 'humanoid' so I might be doing another set of sketches, but wanted to put something up for fun for now.

Hey YoungPaddy1 - nice entry, although I find the background way too distracting from your creature. The background is very nicely handled, almost like a blurred photograph that doesn't exactly interact well with the more painterly remaining elements. also, lighting is a bit wonky - if light is coming from the upper right, then shouldn't the lamp and the creature cast respective shadows onto the wall and mantle? I'd also love to see if you could suggest a fuzzy stocking to differentiate your textures. Food for thought....and a good challenge.
[EDIT - ya know....the more I look at that wall pattern, the more it reminds me of some A. Mucha work. Ever look at his stuff - amazing artist. So....my question is this (I'm being direct) did you lift that or is it a study or is it coincidence?]
Just my two cents.

Cheers!
D

[redehlert]

Wip, sled to come....any helpful comments welcome..
Thanx,Chad

Hey Chad!
I didn't see anyone giving up any thoughts to you here. Hope you don't mind a few things that have come to my mind. I think I understand your creature's shape, but it may be worth while to step back from the beauty of your textures (fur looks like fur, feathers are looking like feathers) and work on the bone structure and gesture of your creature. It looks taut and ready to pull a sleigh (which is great), but adding more definition to the body to convey the musculature will greatly improve your creature. Also, wings need to look like they actually belong (e.g. attach and blend) to your creature's body. For the head, I dig a profile but find much more creative prowess is expressed when the artist delivers a 3/4 view or top down/oblique view, etc. Do you think you have that in you? Lastly, lighting: hopefully you won't have that huge white splash on the ground because it is getting the most attention right now. Maybe instead of a lantern (which could bop this poor critter in the face) the horn(s) glow (if you're playin' on the rudolph theme) or maybe ya just forego the lantern and just play with the light of the moon to create a more dramatic beast. Finally, the pose: like I said above, it looks ready to pull a sleigh and I would love to see a more dramatic head pose, but now I also think I'd love to see something other than the static 2D lateral pose. I hope this finds you well - never easy to go out on a limb and make suggestions.
All the best!
Dave