CHoW Discussions - Comments, Kudos, Gripes & Crits

[Verehin]

When will we see Team Chow IV? =D

[cricketts801]

how do I go about Joining Chow?

[Rob Powell]

Just join, follow the brief for this week's topic create a piece for that work then submit when the finals thread comes up....remember to read the rules and guidelines though.

[Sean McMurchy]

I dont know if this is the place to vent but it feels right. Why is it that every entry has to be combine with isomeric turn-arounds? Chow wasn't this way in the past. I dont know why it was implemented. To me it just seems like a lot of extra fluff that isn't necessary and its prohibiting time crunched people from participating.

I would suggest going back to the way it used to be where you just do the one image with more than 3/4 of the character is showing. This is a fun community activity lets not clog it up with chores.

I would be interested to know what others thoughts are on this. Maybe everyone else loves it and I'm out to lunch.

[NickyBeats]

Sean McMurchy - well to be honest, i dont mind doing the character sheet. it doesnt have to look like an illustration, just a quick turnaround in order to show that you have fully thought out your character. it should be the first thing you do before laying out your final image. i mean it is called a character of the week, so the emphasis should be on just that. there is an illustration of the week now though, which is basically like the old chow set up. but if your expecting to do this sort of thing for a living, its a good idea to get used to drawing orthographic views of your character designs.

[Havok Reed]

There is something I would like to bring up to everyone regarding character design. A lot of people are taking the full illustration route with their characters, which is fine, but not required. Just, do not let the attraction of a nice illustration deter you from the actual challenge of a well thought out character design.

I was reading through some previous posts on here and didn't have to go far to find something that I think is very important to bring up.

I dont know if this is the place to vent but it feels right. Why is it that every entry has to be combine with isomeric turn-arounds? Chow wasn't this way in the past. I dont know why it was implemented. To me it just seems like a lot of extra fluff that isn't necessary and its prohibiting time crunched people from participating.

I would suggest going back to the way it used to be where you just do the one image with more than 3/4 of the character is showing. This is a fun community activity lets not clog it up with chores.

I would be interested to know what others thoughts are on this. Maybe everyone else loves it and I'm out to lunch.

And a response as follows

Sean McMurchy - well to be honest, i dont mind doing the character sheet. it doesnt have to look like an illustration, just a quick turnaround in order to show that you have fully thought out your character. it should be the first thing you do before laying out your final image. i mean it is called a character of the week, so the emphasis should be on just that. there is an illustration of the week now though, which is basically like the old chow set up. but if your expecting to do this sort of thing for a living, its a good idea to get used to drawing orthographic views of your character designs.

What am I getting at and how is this relevant? This rule was instated because people were losing the idea of this being a character design challenge, not an illustration challenge. We took it out because we did feel it was too much work and it prevented people from finishing on time. But, we still want to see is a fully developed character, that follows the brief provided. A character sheet is no longer a rule, BUT, the idea of it should be part of your process, or at least thumbnails mapping out your design ideas. Some people have already been doing this and make very successful designs.

We still want to see the character rendered out nicely, but just remember what the focus is.