C.O.W. - #054: Sand Hunter - Voting!

**redehlert** · July 28th, 2006, 07:52 PM

woo hoo! got a vote! thanks gk!
and thanks for the crits - nice dino doodle, moai!
cheers and have a good weekend (if yer not into it already).
d

**ab4185** · July 28th, 2006, 08:01 PM

AztcFireFlower was so close to being my vote even from an early stage but the sand in the foreground just killed it for me a little, just semmed like it was thrown in there as an after thought and the colour scheme as well.

in the end rawwad you get my vote because of the dynamic moment and feeling of your image for me the whole motion of the creature itself sturring up sand really floated my boat so to speak. plus the rendering while simple allso rocked. awsome work man

**Moai** · July 28th, 2006, 08:19 PM

Thanks, redehlert!

I voted for rawwad. For obvious reasons.

**Artifex33** · July 28th, 2006, 08:47 PM

Voted for Jakkas, not for once due to his usual high quality renders, but because I really like the whole nasal air gun concept. Funny, and almost plausible.

**Michael Jaecks** · July 28th, 2006, 09:53 PM

I voted for Simonl. Camel toes or not, the render is out of control, and that mouth... that mouth...

Originally Posted by Simonl

Michael Jaecks - THere's a whole lot of really nice stuff going on in this picture, but I think the centaur body gets in the way. THe head is really nice, as is the tail and the patterns on the body, but the humanoid torso kinda makes it all look glued together.

Thanks for the nice crit. I love centaurs of all types, but I think perhaps your idea is right. Maybe I love centaurs too much to see it when I was working on it.... So I decided to take your advice and I did this quick revision. Now, bear in mind everyone: this is not my entry. This is a paintover in response to Simon's critique.

The neck's crazy long, but I think it makes him interesting. It could use a little more tightening. I'll probably work on it some more. Thanks for seeing what I couldn't.

**KuJo** · July 28th, 2006, 10:15 PM

I voted for Pose - I just love the color and feel of it

And Moai, thank you for the imput

I really appreciate the opinion of peers - it helps more and more each time

**hwango** · July 29th, 2006, 12:44 AM

First, a special mention for depleteD - What the hell? You didn't get enough abuse for voting for yourself in Nuclear Planet Devourer? You want more?

Comments on selected entries:

Hwango - Your "art" is an insult to the concept of art, and shames both you and all of your ancestors. The good: I like that you thought to put in something for size reference this time. The bad: Those sandblasts are confusing to the eye. Go slam your hand in a door.

KuJo - I love the idea for its camoflage.

Michael Jaecks - I like the render on the quadroped half, but the figure as a whole looks kind of stilted and awkward. Probably not the best choice of pose.

Helzon - Crazy looking critter is nifty, but it seems like it should have some sand pouring off of it if it just burst up from underground.

AztcFireFlower - Nifty critter. Teeters on the edge of what I'd call "hunting," though. Filter-feeding doesn't really strike me as "hunting."

Dr Midnight - Such cute eyes for such a horrible thing! This picture seems weirdly bright...maybe I just expect to see a critter that strange in gloomier lighting, though. I'm hesistant to make any criticism of lighting since I can't light or shade things properly at all, but something struck me as weird.

Simonl - the head on that thing is an awesome render. Kinda makes it look like the rest of the piece is unfinished, though. My other criticism is that it doesn't particularly strike me as a Sand Hunter. With no writeup to tell me why it's special or adapted to a desert environment, it's just another monster that you could drop into any climate.

SprayNation - There's something about the coloring or shading in this that makes me think of movie posters for old monster movies. My brain is subconciously adding overdramatic lettering to the top that says "Attack of the Mammoth Neuroptera!!! Your will be HORRIFIED!!!" So glad you dropped the thought balloon from the second camel. Cool piece.

Reality Forge - It's Sand Hunter, not Sand Tracker! If you're going to pick out the critter in your piece as a specific individual (and I think it's already been said that you shouldn't), don't undermine the importance of that character by giving all of the action to something else we don't even see. Complaints about the description aside, a very cool piece.

Pose - Wow, that thing is huge. Lack of fiddly details helps give this an even more monolithic feel. Good stuff.

brokk - nice textures. Seems like the feet are angled wrong, and should be sitting flatter on the ground.

Blue_Tiger - I like the sketch on the right much more than your colored one on the left. Other minor complaint is that they don't seem to match. Picture on the right has triangular shark-like teeth, critter on the left looks like it has longer, pointier teeth that are placed closer together. Critter on the right also doesn't seem to have the sunken eyes and prominant eye ridges, and seems shaggier (though maybe that's just because it's in motion).

Tom Garden - 1260 pixels tall? I had to scroll too much to enjoy your piece, which is a shame, since I like the bottom half.

Fozzybar - Lower jaw too weirdly mismatched to upper jaw for my tastes. Sand looks to be streaming off the critter after stealthily emerging, not bursting out suddenly like the description suggests. If it's coming up and forward suddenly in a circular arc, shouldn't the sand trails be at an angle? Sand coming off the tail better matches the description.

In the end, vote goes to Dr Midnight. I like the interesting design and the believable way it makes its own tiny dune to hide under. The eyes on stalks are a good match to this hunting style, too. Nice work.

**hwango** · July 29th, 2006, 12:51 AM

Thanks very much Moai and Simonl for your comments. Simonl, I'm not sure I understand your comment, though - I thought "Fly-swatted" meant that the pose was contrived to show limbs not overlapping or hidden. If anything, I thought mine overlapped too much and made the piece confusing. Do you just mean that mine is poorly shaded to show depth and looks flat, or do you actually mean that I should have obstructed the view of some of the legs in the back more?

**pose** · July 29th, 2006, 05:48 AM

ok i had to choose between : Tom Garden , Simonl , Supervlieg , Mr Blonde , Rawwad ,Jackkas and fozzybar
and well i voted Supervlieg - because it has a fine rendering , nice colours , interesting situation - and most off all the concept itself - it really says - sand hunter - it looks like one and the way he illustrate it says it belongs in the desert and only there. Nice job man .. goodluck

fozzybar -

The reptile will shoot up by pulling itself with its arm holding the "rock" and grabbing his little snack, salty and hot, just as snacks has to be.
This trick works for each stage of the creatures growing phase, small "rocks" drop smaller shadows brings smaller prey, when being juvenile and bigger "rock", bigger shadow, bigger prey when grown up.

now that is something man

loved how u described it and the way it was thought - liked the way u finish it - very accurate and detailed - the only "BUT" is the jaw - i pitty the fool who's "rock" doesn't grow much

Tom Garden - i loved the sketch the colours the feeling the composition really really nice But i dont know - dragons - in this case sand dragons - it doesnt says they really are sand hunters just because u placed them into a desert enviroment but i say it again - i like it

Simonl man why didn't u finished it - the cameltouuuuus man - u sayd u'll render them - very cool rendering - u where just a palm away from gettin my vote

Jakkas - i had to say its a different way of thinkin' and designing very interseting and well ... "cute"

, u have a cool technique and explicit details ... but it has an ordinary cute-ness - and another problem being the same with tom's : i could of picture it anywhere in any enviroment not just in sand - i cant say its a sand hunter -

Mr. Blonde -man u have a wicked ideea - its the best

but why didn't u finished it , and by that i say COLOURED it - the hunter its perfect - and if it was a movie about it - i must say - it could make me shit in my pants (thats how wicked and horror your hunter is)...

Rawwad- cool textured rendered coloured man

nice presentation - but it looks to much from a dynosaur book

Hwango - interesting thing - and yes that is a well thinked ideea - and it kinda influenced me aswell
Bryno- yours its very demonic - it may be the most evil of this week - its something about it very evil
Smoscar- tx for the vote man

- u say u liked my brushes - well besides the different textures - all the brushes are in that link i postet in the 1st page of this week's cow thread ... i think u had a good start of form in your illustration - i can tell that i didn't liked the use of yellow on the background - u could save it wit some more black accents on the creature and dont be affraid of loosing details - and u could not make any backgound at all but then again : where is the fun then

? hope to see ya next cow week

keep it up
Fughi -man nice form and action sequence - i mean u started well - the problem was u lefted that way - u could done more to it -
Kujo- nice way of camuflagin' and ripping the sucker in 2 parts

- thank you much for the vote

Helzon - thanks for the comment

your monster its specatcullar , the movement and Yes the fools in the sky hehe nice - lets see what u come up on the next COW
Michael -the only thing that i didn't liked and i feel i must say this - is the yellow - to much yellow

- loved the way u rendered the head - and its really an interesting creature
Kawaii- hehehe a hunter who got balls - wicked
AztcFireFlower - well rendered man

dont really see it as a hunter - but it makes the desert look nice coloured

right ?
Tyde - now that is something i never could thought of - thanks for sharing your animal wit us - next time i walk in the desert i will watch my step
Spraynation - strong illustration man - nice stuff - i pitty the camels
alayna - iep ... i love the presentation - i saw once a documentary on discovery and did u knew that rocks(big one) in the desert actually move around the terrain

and now i know why

Whitewolf - its so cuuuuute

- never underestimate the little pucke spittin' fellow
Blue-tiger - loved the monkey's gesture

its killer
Redehlert - it looks calm - and funny - and well gentle and kind - now thats something because his food(victims) comes to play wit him and they become pals buddyes friends lovers and then he kinda eats them

please tell me what ar those in the sand in the lower right ?
okelvin- thats very funny - liked the situation

hehehe

well - thats all - hope i didn't made an ass outta myself - my first cow - i loved it - thanks again to for the comments and the votes guyz - 4 is enought for me

- (and as a newcome i must say that i love the voting here at concept art - its really fairplay and i will participate every time i can )

**Erilaz** · July 29th, 2006, 06:46 AM

Originally Posted by Fozzybar

Erilaz, NukleoN
same here, no creature design.

That's kinda why I asked, but since I didn't get a response about the presentation until it was too late, I left it the way it was. Still, rules are rules and i won't complain.

**Mr-Joe** · July 29th, 2006, 06:24 PM

I voted for FOzzy,
Best things about it, first, the flying camel, great flying camel!.... next, the predator, and then next, the "salty and hot, just as snacks has to be." Not that I like salty and hot snacks, but the line was pretty funny and made me smile. And I also like your idea about being in the middle of the desert, ppl will go for the shade, then the monster has a snack. Good illustration with a funny kick to it.

Too much good stuff here,
Reality Forge I really liked your illustration,
Blue Tiger I really liked your second picture the sketch one, I would have liked to see that colored, reminds me of star wars,
Jakkas, great illustration as always,
0kelvin, this is freekin halarious, great concept.
Tom Garden I like the epic gladiator feel in this, nice illustration.
Supervlieg Great textures.

Sorry for not doing a comment for everyone, everybody had nice stuff, great concepts!

**redehlert** · July 29th, 2006, 06:30 PM

hey foz! yer kickin' my ass! good job buddy.

**SprayNation** · July 29th, 2006, 06:38 PM

Supervlieg, Morpho, Dug, Art2, Helzon, Hwango, Moai, Simonl, and Pose. Thanks for the comments! I will fix the spiky hairs on the tentacles as well. Good tip. I appreciate the votes guys. I was hoping for a maximum of 1 vote, haha, judging by who I am up against. Hopefully, you'll all be involved in the next one. Lata's. Spray

**KaWaii** · July 29th, 2006, 06:44 PM

Moai and pose, thx for reminding me I'm wicked lol... XD
And Supervlieg, thanks for the C's at the other thread.

I'll keep practicing ^^

**Helzon** · July 29th, 2006, 07:06 PM

SprayNation, Morpho, Simonl, Moai, Pose, hwango: just wanted to say thanks for all the kind words and the crits. If the t-dome doesn't fire up in the next few days I will try and get something done for the next cow. Cheers all!

**Simonl** · July 30th, 2006, 04:57 AM

Michael - I liked the six limbed version, I just thought that the torso needed to be less human. The beast has an avian head with a mammalian rear, so the torso needed to have avian and mammalian characteristics to meld the two ends. By putting in a humanoid torso, you added a third animal type, instead of a transition between the types already present.

Hwango - I just meant that the there needed to be more depth in the piece. I didn't know about the 'limbs' definition of fly swatting - we learn something new every day! Got to say again that your skin texture was really well done!

Pose - I just ran out of time for the toes

Ah well, I'll fix it for my folio.

**brokk** · July 30th, 2006, 06:24 AM

Great round guys! I voted for Reality Forge.

Thank you for the crits and comments hwango, Moai, and Helzon.

Helzon man sorry for the late thank you on the happy birthday wish you told me, I hadn't checked my profile for months and just saw it the other day

But better late than ever, thank you very much!

**Fozzybar** · July 31st, 2006, 07:16 AM

redehlert
kicking your ass needs more bro! We are talking about stars and we are talking about a mission which will last years

Mr Joe
hey thanks, man! Yes the camel flies, but it's a freak of a camel, i screwed the back legs, didn't watch it when doing the sketch...but then again, the creature throw them so strongly into the air that it broke the camels back legs...yes...that's it...

Erilaz
you're right...but i didn't have time to check every comment in the thread, so if there is something anyone needs to know badly, pm me, i will read it for sure!

pose
thanx!

**m o я p h o** · July 31st, 2006, 07:34 AM

i'm not a lier

LoL

**Fozzybar** · July 31st, 2006, 08:12 AM

oh yes...sorry....forgot to mention...

OFFICIAL STATEMENT:
morpho is not a liar!

...but his nick sucks nevertheless...

**magma** · July 31st, 2006, 10:57 AM

I voted for hwango because I not only thought it was a nice painting, it also was an original and cool concept and design. Nice work!

My second place was to Simonl. He didn't get my first place vote because there was no description to add depth and history to the creature. But the painting is AWESOME!!

**redehlert** · July 31st, 2006, 11:09 AM

wurd....foz....wurd.

**brokk** · July 31st, 2006, 03:46 PM

Originally Posted by Fozzybar

oh yes...sorry....forgot to mention...

OFFICIAL STATEMENT:
morpho is not a liar!

...but his nick sucks nevertheless...

Pfff, his nick is cool

**JakkaS** · July 31st, 2006, 04:07 PM

I don’t have much time so…

In this round there was many interesting and cool looking creatures, but finally I had to chose between Tom’s and 0kelvin’s entries, and at the end I went with Tom.
His painting and creature was superb and I thought he deserved it. Good work Tom.
However I am still surprised that 0kelvin has only one vote. This was most original idea in my opinion. All of the creatures (including mine) were living in the desert or desert-like environments. Only his wasn’t. I would never thought abut creature living in the SAND on the golf field. Great idea!

Ps. I forget to write my comments to the last two rounds. In the last round I have voted on Michael Jaecks (your idea and painting were realy interesting. Btw, rawwad – congratulations!) and in the Leviathan’s topic I went with the Tyranx (I didn’t like the design of the creature very much but…this painting was just tooooo damn good, so I had to vote on Tyranx! Congratulations!).

Cheers
kuba

**AztcFireFlower** · July 31st, 2006, 09:46 PM

Moai - Thank you so much. Yes, the color part is still new for me. Stripes should have been more thought out. Was going for camouflage effect, but ran outta time for proper environment to go with it.
ab4185 -Sorry I blew it, but flattered you liked my creature enough to consider a vote for it. Thank you. And yer right, tried to give it a flurry kinda feel around the beast, but it looked rather a coverup for lack of environment. Ya got me : )
Hwango, Pose - Yeah, kinda like the whale shark, looks imposing, but really not a big threat. S'okay, my definition for sand hunter didn't really run to the tear 'em up type beast, Critters hunted were instead small, like krill. Definately appreciate the points of view. Makes me think about reason for my creation a little more which IS always good, and the definition for the word "hunt".

Tough choice, I liked so many pieces, want to make so many comments for other artists' entries but don't want to force folks to read superlong post.....
so narrowed down to these pieces and final vote.

Rawwad -I liked the entire concept from showing the beast thundering after its meal to the setting and lighting in the early morning mist. Outstanding presentaion in this piece adds realism to this creatures presence.
JakkaS - This critter is really so well thought out.
Biological sand ammunition carriers. What a great idea! Not to mention the rendering.
Fozzybar - I really appreciate the mention on my design and giving me a good run with all you talented vets of this forum.
Your piece: Excellent and simple device for attracting prey> find a shady rock. Great concept. Integrating of creature with environment (something I have great difficulty doing) is one of the best qualities of this work, aside from creature design.
Simonl -Thank you much for your comment. As I pick up more skill, I hope to do as fine a finish as you did with your creatures head given the same amount of time. Awesome render.
Helzon -Thank you for the mention. Your piece was the first to really catch my attention! Still has a hold on it. I have to stop and study this piece every time I look at all the entries. Brute mad power with the roar of an enormous engine is how I animate it in my mind. Rendering is AWESOME, especially on the translucent area! Why can't there be two 1st places?!

My vote went to Supervlieg.

Supervlieg -Thank you for the comment, I will incorporate the suggestions on the final finish next entry.
Voted for your piece because of the simplicity of the entire concept of simple creature design to limited rendering and color. The texture chosen was perfect for the beasty, it needs nothing else. Works so well in giving a rough and prickly appearance in contrast to the razor beaks simple, but ominous shape, giving a sharp toughness of the beasty's overall design. Many do wonderful complex pieces that i admire for days wanting to do same, but, your piece....profficient and little waste in presenting the animal. Just a great design and render. Love it

**m o я p h o** · July 31st, 2006, 10:51 PM

Originally Posted by brokk

Pfff, his nick is cool

gracias hermano!

and kermit rox ! i never liked red muppets anyway ...

kidding! don't get angry

**ThrillzillA** · August 1st, 2006, 05:52 AM

Whoohooo got me internet back again!

Originally Posted by Fozzybar
ThrillzillA
your rendering skills are very good...but why wasting your effort with a poor design...actually it's an ordinary bat with no interesting differences...pity...

can't disagree with that. Will try and make something a bit more creatury and with a bit more creativity

. And the gradient in the background from my piece is a bit uhhh ugly to say the least ,for the next one I will spend some more time on a consistent decoration or background.

Ow and my vote went to Jakkas. Liked the concept and the consistency in design and rendering and it incorparted the topic the best.

Close but no vote:
Bryno loved the style you got there!
Reality Forge liked the creature!

ps Kawaii nice to see you so active in the activities

!

**Fozzybar** · August 1st, 2006, 08:40 AM

Originally Posted by ThrillzillA

And the gradient in the background from my piece is a bit uhhh ugly to say the least ,for the next one I will spend some more time on a consistent decoration or background.

Don't get stuck with the background...in my eyes creature design, rendering and concept are much more important, i mean - hey - it's CREATURE of the week

But i know it's ok if you've done the other stuff well, you don't want to lower the quality of artwork by neglecting the background...particularly if many members vote because of visual beauty...still there are many COW-winners with no background at all (plain area), because they convinced via design and concept...

**Fozzybar** · August 1st, 2006, 09:38 AM

I can't see Dr Midnights image for days now...but i know how it looked when posting and my vote goes to him, because i think it is/was a very unique and different creature design...

MORE NEW DESIGNS THAN OLD ALREADY KNOWN SHAPES!!!! and yes, that includes me as well...

**Tom Garden** · August 2nd, 2006, 05:30 PM

hello all thanks for the kind words

I'm on tenterhooks as to who will win!! AAAK!!! never been this close haha.....thanks for everyone who has voted and enjoyed what i brought this time! Lets hope i repeat it with next weeks one!!

Supervlieg, i see you are new to the boards, and you have some stonking good work so far

keep it up!