C.O.W. - #033: Firework Spewer - VOTING!!!

[Fozzybar]

ROUND #033 VOTING

Topic: Firework Spewer

Deadline for the voting: Sunday, 15th January 2006

Posting thread (closed):
http://www.conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?t=58326









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silentkitty:
concept: Fire Bird
Widely considered one of nature's biggest mistakes, this small, normally flightless bird had only one measure of defense against predators. When startled, the terrified bird would become so hot that it would rocket straight up into the air, eventually exploding into a small, yet colorful, puff of smoke. While this technique was excellent at deterring predators, it was obviously a bit detrimental to the bird's health; unsurprisingly this species no longer exists.

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Snarfevs:
concept: Lesser Whizzbang of Wobic Dejado:
Running wild across most of Wobic Dejado's night side, the Lesser Whizzbangs (as well as the Greater, Mammoth and Colossal Whizzbangs) have developed pyrotechnics as a form of long range communication and extravagant display. The unique metabolism of the Whizbang processes and bioaccumulates large quantities of sodium, barium, copper and strontium salts, as well as a considerable volume of hydroquinone and hydrogen peroxide, which it can combine into a reactive mixture analogous to that of the bombardier beetle. The Whizzbang deposits a egglike fireworks pod which spontaneously deflagrates in air, sending it skyward where it detonates at great height. Each pod colour corresponds to particular information on the current situation of a whizzbang.
As gregarious animals, concerted displays are easily and breathtakingly visible from some distance away from the planet.

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Chuck,mate.:
concept: (Lab Specimen)
"Ogero Umero Canyo Hum"
O.U.C.H is one of the weirdest creatures residing on the darker side of planet Otlipz-23/4. for 200 years this creature (also known as "fireworks spewer" also known as "hot launcher" also known as "yor ma-ma") was thought
to be extinct. only recently it was rediscoverd after a firey encounter with mankind. the o.u.c.h. being an omnivore feeds on whatever crosses its path, storing and building energy for its mating season. than, in a spectacular display of colorful fireworks, he begins its 3 hours courtship, showing off for the ladies.
(accidentally the o.u.c.h. magnificent ability is used
by the local population in the one and only holiday
they celebrate. the holy "o.u.c.h eyt-urts" which means in
the native tounge -"Ogero Umero Canyo Hum shall prosper".)

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young_paddy1:
concept: The 'Cracker Back' lives on Yungpung a planet with a highly sulphurous atmosphere and large maize like trees, which this creature has to deal with by having external lungs made of activated charcoal on an organic lattice. The unfortnate 'Cracker Back' excretes both urine and faeces from the top of its forehead the potassium nitrate crystalises from the mixture on the sulphur covered, carbon breathing fins on the creatures back. Every couple of years the creatures fore lung is so coated in gunk that it is disgarded and replaced by the fin from behind. This process can result in quite a dense layer of explosive powder in the regularly foraged areas of woodland on the planet, when the innevitable forest fire occurs these slow moving bipeds obviously are in definite trouble, and will get rid of any burning body parts at extreme speed, breathing fins flying through the air are quite common.

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grey:
concept: Phlegm Balls of Uranus
these creatures actually inhabit the subsurface oceans on Europa, but the name, coined by deep system miners (and the punchline to one of the most popular bar jokes of the 22nd Century), stuck. They crawl across the lightless ocean floors using their biolumenescent spittle to attract prey. When startled or threatened by predators, the phospor-based mucous is released in a concentrated burst that detonates in a brilliant searing flash upon impact. This has proven to be a very effective survival technique, and in groups the display can be quite awe inspiring.

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kree8tiv:
concept: Incendia Makker
This creature uses its tremenous plasma spew as method of attracting mates during the breeding season. Unfortunately for the Incendia Makker, the energy required to produce the single burst exhausts the animal to such an extent that intercourse and fertilization efforts afterwards usually result in the death of the animal.

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cognition.sb:
concept: The Fireworks Spewer, or Happytime Winged Beast, is a truely cursed species. Originating in the dark labs of Agniskus (also known as Button Mash), it was intended to be a labouring creature for use in conjunction with Dwarven mining. Alchemists bred a skyward golem with powerful wings and internal storage capacity to transport volcanic ore to cities from mines.
Theoretically, the plan would be a huge success, but once the first specimen reached a healthy size it became increasingly apparent that noone knew how to train it. After being directed to a volcanic deposit the creature took an instant liking to this rare delight, and consequently, instead of storing ore the creature devoured it. Prone to over-indulgence, it was gradually consuming all on-sight ore, turning the rare volcanic resources into a colourful bi-product of the golem's digestive tract (or lack thereof). As a result it also posed a huge threat to nearby life. It was like napalm rain when old Happytime got the rumbles, and countless dwarves stopped, dropped and rolled to no avail.
Desparate to undo their wrong, the Agniskans held a conference to decide upon the creature's fate. Many ideas were proposed but none as bold as that of Duke Railin. "It's beyond saving!" Railin proclaimed. "But fear not, I have devised a way to beat this colossal stone golem!.. Last night I was playing a game with young Iphney when it dawned upon me. Paper beats rock!.."

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Bennett:

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Sonnenkind:
concept: The Firework Spewer is a very rare creature. It's very peaceful, slow and easygoing. Most of the time they just sleep or eat. It's only defense are the small craters on it's back that shoot an exploding substance in all directions when the FS get's aggravated. Most enemies flee the spectacle.
The Reason why there's so few of these is not the number of natural enemies, it's the number of unfortunate accidents that happen during mating that led to their dramatic decline.

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Panagos:
concept: Believed by the natives to be the result of an unholy union between The Great Dragon and The Terrible Lizard, the Firework Spewers are both respected and feared. Though they are herbivores, their nasty dispositions and fierce territorialism make them one of the chief threats to humans on the peninsula.

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MIKECORRIERO:
concept: This active plant uses a defense mechanism in which it emits sparks from bulbous organs at the tip of it's body. It's hard to define them as a plant because they actually migrate in search of fertile land and follow the rain storms. When one is spooked or in fear of being eaten they will burst in a spectacle of flames and colors scaring off any predators. In herds when migrating they light up the ground with their sparks resembling a moving forest fire which will scare off most predators and make for a safe migration.

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noche:
concept: Boor ([said: "baw-awr"] firework spewer
The sweet and big fruits from a native plant from the Pale Plains, are like ambrosia for these huge and slow herbibores, but they give an interesting side effect - belches. and the amount of gas these creatures can hold in their stomachs, is pure and enough in amount to be lit. wich is exactly what the semi-tribal group known as the Eei's (the guys language misses some vowels) achieved, by a rather simple mechanism: a lit torchlike thing tied to a metallic arm, fixed to the head of the anmimal, wich can be bent upwards a piacere, to stop the fire. when the gas goes out it turns into a toxic burst of fire.
Thus becoming, even when its a passive animal, one of the main offensive units in the Eeiia army.

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DRAM:
concept: The Giant Land Agate Tortoise
aka the "Fireback Tortoise"
A native creature of the planet DM-085, the Giant Land Agate Tortoise, or "fireback" as it is more commonly known, is a docile creature that many entertainment companies have taken an interest in. Very similar to Earth's own tortoise, the main difference lies in the fireback's ability to shoot "fireworks" out of it's shell.
Although quite a beautiful spectacle, the "fireworks" are actually the product of the fireback's diet. On DM-085, the fireback's main source of food is the native shrubs - these shrubs, when combined with the chemicals within the tortoise's stomach, create a volatile reaction, and thus must be ejected as to avoid serious injury. Depending on the type of shrub, different colors of reactions are produced.

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br0ken_spirit:
concept: Firecracker Cetaceans
Distant relatives to cetaceans, these creatures can shoot a chemical compound from their breathing hole that travels through the sky and explodes like fireworks. It is still unclear why they do this, though most theories suggest mating reasons. It happens on clear sky nights, and is quite a phenomenon to watch, from the coast or from ferry boats.

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JakkaS:
concept: The Great Animal Encyclopedia of Planet Gobb
Volume 17, Chapter 21 Reptiles
Faaeria
...these huge sea animals are loners. But when females are in 5th month of pregnancy gather in shallow water to stand there until birth. Because of they are slow in this state, such behavior increases their chances to survive. Offspring come out from reproductive organs (situated on the tail) in an air cocoon, that cracks just below the water surface. The moment of freeing looks like a firework burst. Because of females accumulation it's highly probable that a lot of them deliver children at the same time. Real fireworks performance.

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Jelter:
concept: The Anterion Firework Spewer is from another dimension called the Guture. While humans have no idea what else exists in this little understood dimension, the firework spewer phases in and out of existance providing illegal firework displays for all who are lucky enough to see one. Their existance has never been proven, and they have never harmed any human beings, but many people tell stories of seeing them in the wild.

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romance:
concept: The Black-Bellied Flint-Tounged Toad
This nocturnal amphibian can be found around bog pools in the Brazilian rainforests. With a diet consisting solely on fireflies and gloworms, the Black-Bellied Flint-Tounged Toad is able spit (or spew) a 'firework display' at any possible predators. The toad can spit distances up to a few meters and can temporarily blind attackers.

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Standing:
concept: Magenoid, or 'Firework Spewer'
Magnesium deposits in the creatures lungs ignite from the friction of the rough fibrous channels in the lung cavities, triggered by a sudden and massive inhalation of breath - the Magenoid's phlegm, rich in alcohol, ignites; mingling with the magnesium rich embers and are flung out of the beasts mouth with massive force, culmiating in a violent and brightly colourful flash as a warning to predators and rivals that the Magenoid is not to be trifled with.

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Fozzybar:
concept: The Broghulian Ant Eater
On the planet Broghul this anteater is a favorite pet for the rich people...it eats different ant species, each of them containing different chemicals, which they use for defense...
The Broghulian Ant Eater gathers each chemical in a different organ, which are placed on its back. It produces little explosives with light and color effects by mixing them with the bodys own substances and fires them through the trunk up in the air...
Scientists on earth would reason that the Broghulian Ant Eater does this for mating or territorial purposes...but on Broghul lifeforms do things mostly because of fun, so does the Broghulian Ant Eater with its firework...
In the high socitey circle of Broghul calling a Broghulian Ant Eater your own is highly in and a nice gadget for their exclusive parties...

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[Fozzybar]

OK - before voting/posting read this!!!

1. Please give c&c or a reason why you voted for the image!

2. Feel free to comment on any or all entries, the artists will appreciate it!






not accepted entries:

none


close to rejection:

Bennett
nothing wrong, it's just that the text said it's a WIP, but i think you updated your image and it looked finished...just tried to avoid any confusion as it happend last round with cgfuller64

noche
as you already noticed and mentioned yourself your creature is more a fire spewer than a firework spewer...but it's your first entry, so i am taking it easy

[pr0ph3t]

wo first vote I guess and so much pressure. ALL of the pieces here are amazing. I had to go with snarfevs. Such an amazing concept as well as a stunning piece of artwork. You have alot of talent friend. I will try and make time to come back and comment on everyones.

[Fozzybar]

new round is on:

http://www.conceptart.org/forums/sho...d.php?p=701960

[silentkitty]

Tough choice between a few of them this round, but I went with snarfevs in the end, great concept and I love the colors. : )

A couple of my other favorites were jakkas, standing, and fozzy's (it's so cute, I'd want it as a pet too, lol).

[madplanet]

I voted for Panagos on this one. I almost didn't because I think that the creature should be shown spewing some fireworks. But, I looked past this because it was rendered very well and I can just picture the light and feel the heat from the fireworks building up pressure in its neck. It doesn't seem like much, but that did it for me.

My runners-up:
Standing - This one was rendered nicely too and I thought that the pencils for this were good, too. The creature's presence is felt.
MIKECORRIERO - Who can resist thos protoplasmic looking fireworks? They almost seem like creatures themselves. Great colors, too.
Silentkitty - I like this scene and can almost feel the electricity in the air as it crackles off of the creature. Exploding to extinction. I liked the clouds as well.

[Fozzybar]

JakkaS
I updated the winner gallery with the xmas-round, but somethings not working with the file uplaoding system on the ca.org server, so i couldn't upload your image in the gallery, but i will do it, when it works again! And i updated your COW-stars, you have now 3 of them!!! Matt Dixon still is Mr.COW with 4 stars...btw MAT WHERE ARE YOU MAAAAAAAAAN!!!!

romance
You deleted your star when editing your title...i fixed it, same with Matt Dixon...am i your nanny???

[redehlert]

Romance got my vote this week with this humble, yet incredibly well executed entry. Sometimes a creature just doesn't have to be that far from what we see everyday. A nice twist on this idea.
MikeC was my runner up.
Great job all - this wasn't an easy one.
Cheers,
D

[brokk]

I voted for Snarfevs, runners up were MIKECORRIERO and romance.

Well I really don't like my entry this round... still, I'll try to comment on the entries:

silentkitty: fun description and I love the bird's expression. The only crit is that maybe by showing the birds legs, it would be more instantly recognizable as a bird. Right now it looks more like a cross between a bird and a fish, mainly because of the form of the mouth and the body. This is not necessarily something negative by any means, just that if you were going for a more bird-ish appearance the mouth could be more beak-like and show the bird's legs. Great entry.

Snarfevs: I still don't like the toenails too much, something about them being too circular and metalic-looking I think makes it harder to relate to the toes of an organic being. But thats just a personal whim, I think its a great creature design and very original. I love the different firework ideas and their representation. I liked the original version better with the more brownish background than the blue one right now, but again, just personal whim

Chuck,mate.: I think the simplicity of the design is great. I also like the color choices and little bubble details. I'm not terribly found of the background color though, especially since the description says it dwells on the darker side of the planet. I know the background is not the focus of this activity, but maybe if the creature was at a night scene, with a more rough ground instead of a shiny one you could hint a little of the planet where it lives. I liked the little animation you made as well, maybe you could have included a still frame of that with the creatre shooting fireworks, as a little side graph. Cheers, I think this creature could work really well for moddeling : )

young_paddy1: I like the overall shape and design of the creature. I think that what its lacking is more details. Maybe if you made the creature just a bit larger and have it occupy more of the space on the image you would also have more space for areas of details. Perhaps stripe patterns, warts, veins, scales, different color patterns, etc. The background is a bit monotonous as well, you could break that up a little varying the hues slightly.

grey: cool entry, I like the design, with the several mouths. The mouths are done really well by the way. The only crit is that the colors are somewhat monotonous, I would have liked to see more cyans perhaps on the creature, and the background varied just a little. Cheers.

kree8tiv: it looks cool, unfortunately it also looks a bit too dark, I can't see much : ( The creatures darker tones are very similar to the background tones. I think this is good but for some areas, especially areas where the figure gets lost in the surrounding shadows. But, I really would have liked to see more areas with a different tonal choice, that way the creature would pop out more and read more easily from the background.

cognition.sb: I like the idea, very original. I can't think of much to crit really... only that it's left hand (right side of the picture) was a bit hard to read at first, and that maybe there could be some more hue variations. Otherwise, nice entry!

Bennett: The biggest crit is that I would have liked to see a description Other than that, I think the design could be pushed a little further beyond an ordinary turtle (except for the fact that it spews fireworks, of course). Maybe a creatre that resembles a turtle but to which you can also add other features and try and shape all of that into something that could exist.

Sonnenkind: I like the craters on its back. Crit is that I would have liked to see more hue variation, to break up the overall green a bit. Also the back area and perhaps the face could have more areas of detail, cracks, bumps, warts, plates, or whatever you like, just to have something to hold the eye there for a while.

Panagos: cool, I like it. Though for a herbivore the body structure looks too much like a t-rex and visually that sets up the idea of a carnivorous predator. Not that it means anything really, because of course it can be a herbivore. Just that different visual elements can relate to different ideas. Maybe a longer, thiner neck and smaller head and larger front legs to suggest something more like a sauropod could reinforce the herbivore idea more. Other than that, I really like the entry.

MIKECORRIERO: I like how one version is spewing the fireworks and the other one is in a sort of "rest" position. The only crit is that maybe they would look more related to each other if some of the reddish color of the one on the right was also present in the one on the left, and vice-versa. Great entry, very original and very well depicted.

noche: It looks rather scribbly at some parts, and the creature occupies a relatively small space on the image. I understand its necessary for showing the other creature and the fire, but maybe by making the main creature bigger you could at the same time focus more attention on its design. The other creature could be made a lot smaller, showing it at a distance, and that accent more the hierarchy of importance of the picture's elements.

DRAM: I like the head and legs, I'm not too found of the shell. Maybe because it doesn't have much color and no mid tone areas, leaving only highlights which are very disperesed. Perhaps limiting the strongest hightlights to only a few areas, instead of having so much of them on so many different places. The fireworks could be somewhat stronger / more interesting.

JakkaS: I think the description is really interesting and original. The image looks really good too. The crit is that I think the story and image could be connected more, I would have really liked to see that moment with the fireworks burst.

Jelter: I like the idea and how it looks, I would have liked to see this at a larger size! It also feels very cropped, I would have liked to see more of the fireworks as well. It looks scribbly at some parts, but other than that, cool.

romance: Oh man.. what a wonderful rendering you have. The creature looks absolutely great, I love how it looks. The only crits are that while the appearence is really nice, the design could be pushed more beyond a frog. That is, only if you would have liked to go for something less realistic and more fantastic, if not, then I think it is great as it is. The other crit is that the fireworks could look just a bit more interesting, not as much as to compete with the frog, but just a tad more. Maybe slightly varying the hues on them? I dunno. Great entry.

Standing: really cool and interesting design. The only crit is that I wish the image was just a little less cropped, especially at the top. The creature could maybe use some highlights at some areas.

Fozzybar: Very original idea. I especially love the part that it says that the life forms on that planet do things just for fun. Absolutely freaking cool. I really don't like the white spots on the background, it makes the image look very busy. I like the creature design though, crit on that (or nit pick) are the toes which look kinda crooked. They also look kinda fragile, for supporting the creatures body. Maybe if it had just a bit more forefoot on the feet.

Allright guys, good job everyone on their entries. Take these crits with the thickest grain of salt possible. See you in round #34!

Cheers.

[Bennett]

Foz: I had login issues over the last few days and wasn't able to post my description, thanks for bringing me to voting.

Broken: Thanks for the detailed crits, I agree with and apreciate your opinion.

I voted for Standing's creation. the illustration was my fav, and the description was quite creative, w/ the magnesium and what not.

Jakkas was my second choice

[silentkitty]

Broken; Thanks so much for the crits, you're right, I probably should have put feet on it since pretty much everyone who's seen it has called it a flying fish, haha. Ah well, live and learn. Thanks.

[romance]

I went with Mr. Corriero's entry. A dazzling display of pyrotechnics, creativity, and craftsmanship.

Fozzy - Thanks for fixing my star! Glad someones looking out for me.

Thanks for the vote Dave (Redehlert) - How come I didn't see an entry from you?

Broken Spirit - Thanks, glad you like the rendering. It is just merely a toad, but a glowing, juicy one at that.

Thanks yall, who have voted so far!

-Rob

[redehlert]

too much work on my end, rob. putting up my wip for cow 34 in a few minutes. peace!
d

[redehlert]

too much work on my end, rob. posting a wip for cow 34 in a few though.
peace!
d

[Icey]

cognition.sb- you have my vote - very nice ideea - the presentation could have been better, but this one is very ok with me!

noche - i think you had a very very good ideea, but the presentation was bad - but doesn't matter that the cow ended! - you can still get a good thing out of it

JakkaS - that was the oposite of noche! - you had good randering, but ... can't see no fire! i can see only water! and no ideea of any fire eruption on that creature .. sorry.... later edit : - hehe - i did well... it was hard to guess...

br0ken_spirit - you were my second choice... :|

[JakkaS]

JakkaS - that was the oposite of noche! - you had good randering, but ... can't see no fire! i can see only water! and no ideea of any fire eruption on that creature .. sorry....

Hehe, no problem man, but just read the text below!

[gassnake]

yeah Snarfevs got my vote. i couldnt help it. the mixing idea was just cool. the only thing that bothered me was that the creature looked too metalic all over.
runner up goes to JakkaS. the idea was ubercreative and took a different aproach. i like it.

[DRAM]

mike got my vote, with runners up being snarfevs and standing. the mettalic legs on snarfevs just threw me off too much.

[Snarfevs]

Very tough one:

Um:

Silentkitty:

Definitely begging for feet to differentiate it from an odd fish, but I really love it. The feeling of movement is excellent, the forms feel bold and solid. The concept is a good one, perhaps it would benefit from some kind of description as to what purpose an exploding bird would serve in a social context, for instance one bird exploding for the sake of the rest of the flock.

Chuck, Mate:

Hmmm - I loved the animation, and your creature is solid enough but it just doesn't seem to match the very high standard you have accomplished with other pieces in terms of detail and completeness. Your background hints at an environmental context, which is unnerving and distracting from the actual creature because it's impossible to tell what it is. If I had to guess, it's sliding over ice or a salt flat. You do however get my vote for Thog the Mastadon Slayer - that's the breed of awesome I'm talking about

Young Paddy1:

'lungs made of activated charcoal' made me crack up Makes me think of poaching by holistic medicine stores and water filter makers. I like it but the shading seems oversaturated in some places and desperately low on contrast in others. Judicious application of some sharp shadows and highlights would probably lend a lot to this one.

grey:

I really like this one - it just looks so whacky. Your stylish tubes and tentacles are the stuff that eyes get lost in.

kree8tiv:

It's a good one, the self-reflection is nice. The shadow on the ground is really offputting, looks too procedural and doesn't appropriately relfect the light direction (from the glowing abdomen I guess) which would cast radial shadows from the legs.

cognition.sb:

Great lighting, solid creature, love the schematics cursed indeed! Begs for a larger image - the creature feels very boxed in.

Bennett:

Crazy! The expression is whacky, I like the subtle shading across the rocklike scales. But where is the concept? i.e. the description?

Sonnenkind:

Feels very WIPish. A little clean up around the edges and in reinforcing shading could have gone a long way. There seems to be a pretty big gradient in attention to detail between the excellent face and the rest of the body.

Panagos:

I share madplanet's sentiment on your fine rendering and sense of impending kaboom

MIKECORRIERO:

Awesome concept, awesome piece! Difficult to compose a meaningful critique. The moving forest fire illusion concept is very clever both from a conceptual and an evolutionary standpoint!

noche:

This one also feels like a work in progress, as well as being more flamethrower than fireworks. Still it has a wonderful ambience to it. the tiny details are great to find throughout the image.

DRAM:

The expression is cool, but the colouring is severe.

br0ken_spirit:

Just feels like it needs more work. It's a good concept and the curvy body is out of the ordinary but it just feels incomplete.

JakkaS:

As with all of the pieces I've seen of yours so far (especially the ho-ho-ho birdy), your attention to detail and ultra subtle lines are breathtaking. You've removed the idea of 'fireworks' from a pyrotechnic context to provide a highly satisfying incidental alternative. You get my vote.

Jelter:

Cool transdimensional animal idea, allows you to bend the normal rules and expectations of reality. Unfortunately feels a little light-on and work in progress-ish.

romance:

Beautiful rendering. I mean beautiful - the irridescence is palpable, the glowiness creates a wonderful ambience that renders a background unnecessary. I like the way you've taken a rather ordinary animal and made it fit the bill perfectly with sparkles and a good backstory.

standing:

Great looking beasty and the tilted background really makes the image hit hard. Unfortunately (and I remember you commented on this in the posting thread) the fireballs look a bit dodgy. Perhaps you could get a more concentrated look by shading all the way to white to get a better feeling of luminance.

Fozzybar:

It's cute as hell, the colours and gloss are great and and the background (w.r.t. the ground and the shadow casting) is quite solid and compelling. Nice to see someone else playing on chemical separation as well!

That's it from me. I'm really blown away by how many people have voted for me so far - totally unexpected! This has been a big confidence boost for me - thanks!

[Chuck,mate.]

great artwork all around people.
but i feel most of the designs just look like a known creature (dinosaurs, turtles, frogs, fishs, insects, cows etc`..) that happen to produce fireworks (for some weird reason..).
none is really believable or logical.
no vote here. sorry guys.

[noche]

vote goes to mikecordeiro, for pushing the envelope
(wich jakkas also did, and would be my 2d vote if existant)

[grey]

my vote would have gone to chuck,mate if he'd been able to include the animation in his entry (but those are the rules and so be it) - that little loop illustrated tons of creature personality but on it's own the piece just doesn't carry as much punch

my vote goes to romance for presenting the best all around piece, a well rendered creature with humor & character

standing and jakkas were two other top choices, both great pics

thanks snarfevs and brokenspirit for the comments, and juicy fruit for the vote

[Standing]

madplanet - thanks a lot
broken_spirit - thanks for the crit - I'll take your advice into consideration the next time that I'm cropping something so tightly - perhaps it lost something in the execution
Bennet - thanks for the vote, dude! I think that the science of my design is well dodgy - I came up with the whole magnisium idea late in teh game.
snarfevs - thanks for the crit - yes the fireworks sucked. Badly.
My computer won't tell me who voted for who, but thanks to all who voted for me, I apprecite it!

silentkitty - yours is very funny - I love the description; it could come from 'world's most unfortunate animals' or, as you say 'nature's greatest mistakes'. Hey there's an idea!
As for the painting itself - it's nicely made - the orange bird contrasts well with the blue sky. There's a lack of depth in teh sky which gives it an almost children's book type of quality. This may well be intentional, and if so, then bravo. If not, get some good cloud refs - they are in the background but could be a bit less 'squiggly' in places.

snarfevs - this design is really original. I like the metallic look of the beast, but the dripping nozzle looks wierdly inorganic compared to the rest of the creature, despite the metallic sheen. If that's intentional, I would have factored it into the description so that it made more 'sense' (although making sense isn't really the point!!) Cool design though and I like your use of long words - deflagrates - dope.

chuck_mate - very original. The animation was really nice too. Someone else in another oftheweek made a comment that your work seems to be hitting new heights at the mo and I agree, it really is. This is a simple idea, well executed but not quite as 'finished' as the other stellar pieces you've been putting out. If anyone wants to see what I'm talking about check out chuck_mate's entry for chow: battle angel - it is superb.

young_paddy - I love the description - it has some top ideas, particularly the periodic 'sloughing' of the stuff on the beast's back. The execution is pretty simple, but I seem to remember you saying that was intentional in teh thread. It's the green background that I'd ditch if it was my pic, it doesn't compliment the foreground very much - he seems a bit lost in all this greeness

grey - cool idea. Did you get the idea for Europa from the eow thread? The rendering is nice, particularly of the mouths on the sides of the 'bulb'. It's too bad that there isn't more depth to the picture - a painted background always wprks better than a gradient or airbrush (IMO) and some junk floating in the water etc. might sell the image a bit more. The fireworks seem to have been bought from the same shop as mine too A bit more attention to the luminescense would be good.

kree8tiv - another of nature's mistakes? It doesn't sound like we'll see too many of these creatures if they croak every time they have a shag.
Cool legs and body - the highlights on the body and neck could be a bit sharper/more carefully placed to give the creature more form - right now they look more like they are painted around the 'edges' of the creature.

cognition.sb - great bit of painting. Nice luminescnce in the mouth and body. The fireworks seem a bit wimpy compared to the luminescence of teh beast and the movement in it's body.
The diagram on the left is class.

bennet - my original design for this one was just too similar to yours and so I ditched it. It seems to be missing a description, but no bother.
The overall picture is a bit flat, I think partly because you picked such a bright floor to sit him on. What's he on, lava? Would it light him from below? It would make the picture much more dramatic! Take a look at some photos of smoke too - it would really set off his head if the smoke was a bit more convincing.

sonnenkind - what's with all these firework spewers dying out?
I think that we need to involve the WWF.
My second idea looked a lot like yours too - I love the craters and the look of innocence on his face.
I'd do something with that white background, it's a bit stark. Also, the insides of the craters look a little light to me. Some of the markmaking that you use is really good and then some of your brush strokes seem a bit less considered. If you're working in PS, go nuts with the custom brush pallete and try for different ways to apply the 'paint'.

Panagos - nice execution! Well painted and his neck 'pouch' looks hot! In terms of design, I'd stretch his tail out a bit, right now he looks like he'd topple over on his mug if he wasn't careful. If you look at two-legged animals, they are usually balanced pretty well, by stacking all of their weight on top of their legs or with a nifty tail (a la T-rex)

mikecorriero - my vote goes to you. Original, great idea and top execution. You're the man.

noche - nice idea for a practical use for this creature. The brush strokes that you have going on in teh flames could use some work and iun the sky too. It's good that you have different strokes on animal and background, but maybe in some places, try a bit of solid colour or a smooth transition, to change things up a bit.

dram - neat idea, especially the entertainment application for the turtle. There's a bit too much black in teh shell for me - my eye gets pulled there against it's will. Maybe more colour variation towards teh edges?

broken_spirit - I love the attention to detail of the criss-crossing patterns on his back. When I look at his silhouetter, he looks a bit like a dolphin with a head sticking out of the front - maybe there is some way to make the head look less vestigial and more essential the creature?

Jakkas - this is great and, like chuck_mate, I might add that you have been on fire of late - consistently top work. This is really well painted, it just doesn't seem finished and that makes me sad.

jelter - it's a neat idea and I like the overall pallete, but it does feel a bit like two giraffe's arses welded onto a gorilla. It looks a bit underpainted too, so maybe that's why.

romance - fabulous execution. I took some jovial critiscism a couple of weeks ago for posting a three-tailed cat. Yes, your toad looks a lot like a regular toad, but I think in this case it doesn't really diminish the idea. No crits from me, just really well made.

standing - total shite. Try harder you lazy git. Hang on a minute...

Fozz - I think that you painted luminescence better than almost everyone else and the creature is seriously cute, I just hate the floor! It looks so photoshoppy compared to the rest of the pic and the way it ends in a hard line looks weird.

Good round all.

[brokk]

Snarfevs and Standing, thank you guys for the crits and comments.

Snarfevs, I checked your site, I'm reading the aspirin/paracetamol and titration articles. Needless to say there's a lot that I don't understand, so I wont be trying it, but theres a lot of interesting stuff.

[JakkaS]

JakkaS
I updated the winner gallery with the xmas-round, but somethings not working with the file uplaoding system on the ca.org server, so i couldn't upload your image in the gallery, but i will do it, when it works again! And i updated your COW-stars, you have now 3 of them!!! Matt Dixon still is Mr.COW with 4 stars...btw MAT WHERE ARE YOU MAAAAAAAAAN!!!!

Hehehehe, Fozzy I could have 100 stars and Matt only 4, but he still by the KING and my just humble SERVANT. Hehe

Standing, MIKECORRIERO,Snarfevs and bRØk3n_sPiRiT thank you guys for the crits. You have right, this one was really speed painted. I usually spend more time on painting.

BTW thanks vor votes!

I voted for MIKECORRIERO, orginal concept and great painting.
Runners-up tanding, romance [great paintings] and Snarfevs, br0ken_spirit [great concept]

concept: Firecracker Cetaceans
Distant relatives to cetaceans, these creatures can shoot a chemical compound from their breathing hole that travels through the sky and explodes like fireworks. It is still unclear why they do this, though most theories suggest mating reasons. It happens on clear sky nights, and is quite a phenomenon to watch, from the coast or from ferry boats.

If they live on planet where are only oceans, maby they just want to find each other, or to communicate: "Yuhhhuuuu, I am really sexy female...maby....we just......" Hehehe.

[walnut]

Mike Corriero's entry was the best for me, i could get into the concept the most. Plus, he did cool sparklies. But i also liked Standing's and SilentKitty's alot, respectively for neat monster design and funniness. Excuse me for not commenting on everyone's entry but my would fry if i did. And i'm still fond of my brain, so sorry 'bout that.

[brokk]

heh Jakkas. A planet that is only ocean... thats a cool idea. I had thought about a planet that was only forest, or 90% forests once, what creature would live there, etc. I should start to consider more the enviornments these creatures live in. Thanks for the comments : )

[Sonnenkind]

broken, snarfevs and standing
thanks so much for the crits, guys.

appreciate it.
I know I need some color variation in there, and I know the body looks unfinished.
I just seem to have problems getting detailed on the body. I guess it all comes down to anatomy.
thanks again for the crits.

[romance]

Snarfevs, Grey, and Standing - Thanks you! Tis greatly apprecieted.

[silentkitty]

Thanks a ton for the comments guys, appreciate it.