C.O.W. #251, 6 legged albino speedster . WIPs

[Calireayn]

Well, it's not that a six legged beastie can't be fast - it's that you can't make them run faster than a four legged beastie of the same size and weight, because putting some of your running power into another set of limbs doesn't make you any faster, and arguably slows you down because of aerodynamics and other factors. It's a matter of what's the most efficient conversion of biological strength into forward motion. And any adaptation that this hypothetical six legged beastie could have that offsets the disadvantages of extra limbs can be evolved by its predators as well and used to better effect.

I can't get past that. Just a personal flaw, I guess. I can't make myself think that way. It's probably because I have a degree in earth science - I've studied evolution at a greater depth than most people, and knowing what I know about it, I can't design a creature that's supposed to be functional and non-magical without it being influenced by that. This is just me though. More power to you if you can do it.

I think Edward has the right idea. If straight-line speed doesn't make sense, then put the creature into another environment entirely. Another possibility would be, say, having the creature move through the treetops, where having two extra limbs does translate into better forward motion and easier navigation of the terrain.

I've actually got the Art of Avatar book, and it's interesting to see how they handled the hexapod designs - essentially, they couldn't make the six-legged gait work, so they hacked it into a pseudo-four legged gait by having the front two pairs of limbs working as one. Yeah, the Avatar beasties are fast, but they're essentially four-legged beasties with one set of limbs duplicated.

So I guess it's the difference between designing something that could exist but doesn't, or something that just plain shouldn't exist at all.

[Calireayn]

{edit - just realized this is a double post, sorry}

[GregorKari]

aburnier: thank you a lot for the feedback, I already changed the legs in the final one. What do you think? Now I got much more ideas, how to make it look more interesting, but I think I have not got the time...

Rob Powell: I agree with aburnier. I think, the insectoids shape is much more dynamic -it looks, like it could really exist somewhere...

[sevira]

just to give you something to think about Cali: what if the planet our creatures live on is of a much smaller size than earth?
because of this, gravity is much lower and the planets atmosphere is thinner which leads to the problem of the sun burning the life forms which are predominantly living under the surface.
on the other side, lower gravity means, that six legs might be faster due to grip and a better transmission of strength
as it got already pointed out in this thread: if we change the scale of our creatures or the environment they live in there are plenty of things that become plausible (insects and birds for example: you pointed out that birds are the most effective with two wings while insects are in fact more effective with more than two)

so take a look at my creature, it is an insect that lost parts of its exoskeleton to gain speed and mobility
this way it became one of the few predators that can hunt at daylight while it is in fact even more vulnerable to the sun than any other lifeform on the planet
because of the low gravity of my planet its six legged body is not only effective but also about the size of a greyhound


if you ask me, it is not reality that is limiting your creativity right now, it is you.



also, small update, changed the head
and thx @aburnier seems as if my walk-cycle studies payed off :> the "how does it move" part was indeed my biggest concern

[iamdio]

i thought i was post a WIP in here.. but where is the post?
(edited)

ah very well, I am new here.. so basically I want to create a 6 legged rabbit. A normal rabbit can run from 30 mph up to 45 mph. But this rabbit got a strong muscles on its legs, which can push it forward far away in one kick, so it can move further than normally rabbit does. and also its 4 arms helps it to run faster.

[zy.]

I started the head on this creature while drawing with a friend, and only after seeing the challenge did I figure out what I wanted to do with the body. I'm not sure I'm skilled enough to create an action shot, but I wanted to share the profile view. I think this weeks challenge is a nice idea. Thanks for the concept any cc most welcomed

[NickyBeats]

awesome stuff guys! heres my quick sketch.

[ToddBushman]

Here's an update. It's a tree dweller that uses it's 6 legs for stability and quick maneuverability through thick, knotted and twisted branches. It can jump off of high limbs and use it's tail for steering to nearby limbs.

Rob I have to agree with some others on here, your first sketch was the most interesting for me.

Edward B always amazing work. It looks like he can crawl pretty fast sideways!

zy. awesome sketch. I'd love to see that get rendered out. I have a very hard time with "action" shots too, but I'm just doing what I can do and hopefully learn something to get me that much closer. Go for it.

Love the diversity I'm starting to see in this round.

[Eclectix]

I wasn't planning on joining this COW because I've got so much on my plate, but the discussion on here prompted me to jump in. This is a very quick thumbnail I just made to show how I think a 6-legged runner could be faster than a 4 legged runner. Actually the idea for this type of runner occurred to me a couple of months ago while thinking of how cheetahs run; they have a huge, muscular tail. When they run, the tail bobs back and forth/up and down. When they turn corners, it angles sharply. The purpose of this of course is to maintain balance and stability. The raptor types of dinosaurs had similar muscular tails for the same reason. It occurred to me that a pair of tails might be very advantageous over just one, although evolutionarily improbable since it would require the spine to split. However, a creature which evolved from 6 legged ancestors could have specialized hind legs which act as dual tails, giving a great deal of balance and stability.

My thumbnail sketch shows both a running posture using the hind legs for stabilizers (they do not contact the ground during running) and a sitting posture where the creature rests on 4 hind legs and may use the front 2 legs for grooming, defense, or whatever.

[Flame_Unquenchable]

Here's my first WIP. Velociraptor had the longest sustained high speed of any land animal, and T-rex could move at a good clip too. I figured flightless birds and dinos were a good place to start. A little fuzzy right now but I plan to tighten up the edges next. Ah, nvm, re-read the brief, I guess all six legs have to be for locomotive purposes, not just a creature having six legs...

[GregorKari]

I think there are many ways to solve the 6 leg problem, but I htought about dividing the walkcycle in hindleg-middleleg and middleleg-foreleg. so it isnt a problem anymore. I know, it is not very exactly drawn, but you might understand the idea... and maybe this can help...

[GregorKari]

I think there are many ways to solve the 6 leg problem, but I htought about dividing the walkcycle in hindleg-middleleg and middleleg-foreleg. so it isnt a problem anymore. I know, it is not very exactly drawn, but you might understand the idea... and maybe this can help...

[Pixeltuner]

update.

[Mhugo]

Nice topic and awesome creatures so far=)

Pixeltuner, i like what you did so far, love the colors.

[warburton]

impressive stuff guys, some awesome stuff going on this week!

[Eclectix]

I am getting the main body plan down here; I have not yet given much thought to the creature's head or habits or environment or anything much else. I think this pose demonstrates the way that the hind legs are used as aerofoils/stabilizers. Small adjustments to their positions can create balance/counterbalance, drag, lift, or negative lift as needed.

[Tchuk]

Went through a few ideas here, I wanted to choose a lizard for it's ability to slink around, I figured it's extra arms would help navigate other areas faster. After some experimentation though I ended up working on this, was more interested in the idea of an agile sprinter with 6 legs.

Still not sure on the feet yet though, hence little detail. Anyway here it is so far.

[Rob Powell]

this topic is attracting quite the crowd, nice work pixeltuner and mhugo, among many others!!

Decided I wasn't really happy with both of the other designs (though a few parts of each I liked) and of course the best thing to do in that case is to wonder off in a different direction. So far I'm liking the progress and the design. Will need to make some adjustments with the composition though, and poses, and maybe a foreground element on the bottom right?
I also find it a little difficult to render white creatures in darker places so that will be a bit of a challenge.

[MightCrawler]

Yoo, a quick update of my cow, I will try to finish it. I enjoy working on it so its all fine. A lot of good work here, I'm looking forward to seeing them all finished.

Take care

[sevira]

nice progress everyone

@ Rob
lovely scene
maybe try to widen your canvas to give one of them more space/put the focus on one of them
@Mhugo
sweet sketches
nothing I haven't seen before but very clean and solid ideas


just sucks... I was so happy with the chitinous parts and the overall anatomy and then hit a brick wall when I started to work on the legs
additionally I just realized, that it is hardly an albino but more of a naked "normal" insectoid now
and atop of all that I really should have started with a composition instead of just fleshing out my sketch
shouldn't have made such a long pause I think
meh...

[aburnier]

@ Sevira: I don't think what you mentioned is a problem. I might suggest making the armor bleached, since albino simply implies a lack of pigment, I think a white-ish chitin with traces of darker pigment on the edges (for contrast) could work well. It might even make more evolutionary sense since the creature could camouflage more completely with its surroundings. Just a thought. I agree that the creature needs to be part of a composition rather than stand-alone. Now that you have a profile view for reference, try giving it a more dynamic pose with environmental references that tell us how large the creature is.

As a side note I thought I would mention that while your creature is an insect, it moves like a mammal (galloping or running rather than scuttling like a bug). I'm not sure this is entirely bad, and it certainly makes your design more interesting, but as far as your story goes, it might be worth thinking about. Visually at least, the musculature of the legs looks strange next to the chitin on the neck and head.


Will try and give more advice to other people as new pictures come in.

[ToddBushman]

I'm not going to have time to finish this as I hoped. Here's my final and my personal critique:

No "speed" shown (I have a lot to learn about action scenes). I had a hard time with the albino look. Background not very good although I do like how the tree was turning out. Creature looks flat. I do like the fact that this creature seems like it could actually function, something I've had trouble with. The creature needs a lot more rendering.

This took me about 5 hours from sketch to this point. And this is only my 5th ever creature I've created. so overall I'm happy with the creature, just wish I had more time to really do it justice.

For everyone else, looking really good still.

Sevira, I love how the render is looking. The albino "colors" are looking really good.

Mhugo, my favorite is the 3rd down, but they all look great.

Pixeltuner, that is looking awesome. my first idea/sketch had twin "spoiler" too, I just couldn't get it to look right. The head is great.

Rob, great scene and interesting looking creature. I like the composite you made of your sketches. I can see how that would be hard to render an albino in shadow. I'm sure it'll turn out great.

[hekatoncheir]

hot shit going on in this thread cowwies! Big favourite of mhugo's 3rd and 4th baby and zy's. Wish I could think of creepy creepers like that.


Basic thumbs, but it was the composition that I wanted to work on. So I don't know which one to choose from.. I like the first one.

Argghh it's been so long since I've entered a cow... need to get back in the groove! (also I realize the piece is a little dark. O.o my eyes are getting old and sensitive... lol jk.)

As always, keep it up cowwies!

[Rob Powell]

Just gonna do a few crits, like one or two...

GragorKari: I noticed you've already submitted an entry into the finals, if you feel you need to work on it some more you have until wednesday night before the poll is up. Take advantage of the time given to you, if you feel you need it. Also the colours look more like it's skin is naturally pigmented with white as opposed to being albino.

MightCrawler: It's coming along, it's a little hard to tell how it can roll, like you say it can, perhaps some supplementary images to demonstrate this.

striddiggio: Very neat critter, with a bit of a comical look to it as well, especially with tongue hanging out. Try to push some of the values a bit to show it's form a little better, and a stronger cast shadow underneath to help ground it a bit better.

scorge: very cool scene so far. I like the angle as well, looking forward to some progress on this one.

Junco: A very sleek and mean looking design. waiting for some progress before I can give any real input.

Calireayn: Just remember this is all about pushing yourself out of your comfort zone. There is a reason they call it science fiction. As for your sketch the design seems a little familiar. Try to experiment with silhouettes, don't try to draw anything specific just scribble randomly and look for shapes until you see something that may turn into something interesting, don't think about functionality, plausiblity or anything. Remember this looks like a smiley face, because that's what our brain is telling us.

Firith: Interesting start though the design could use a bit of a boost.

sevira: Pretty much what aburnier told you, remember that chitinous shells have a pigmentation as well, and I believe some nice blotched patches of colouron the shell (and skin as well) may look fairly good.

TobbBushman: Add some lighting to the tree, the values are way too dark atm. And a bit of a nitpick, the spines on the tail fins should really be facing the other way (unless your creature runs backwards)

Forrest I: Quite the interesting critter. At this point it's legs are looking a little awkward, almost like he's sidehopping rather than running

Edward B: REally like that head design. One thing I've noticed in your work are the hands of your creatures, almost always they look the same with these long digits. Try looking up some references to see if you can put some variation in your designs. Also perhaps some less humanoid anatomy on this creature as well. Otherwise, it's looking great, can't wait to see some progress.

Pixeltuner: All you need now it some spinning rims and neon lighting. This creature looks like a badass though, really neat start so far. Looking forward to seeing this guy finished.

iamdio: scary looking bunny. I'd consider changing a few things with the design, such as it's body length, a critter with six legs will need some room to move those legs, especially if it's going to be a fast runner.

zy: very cool. at this point it reads more like an aquatic creature, mainly becasue of the cephalopd-like shape. We'll se what you do once you add colours.

NickyBeats: Don't see you round here too often, the design needs a bit of a nudge, it looks like a six-legged greyhound.

Eclectix: nice design, however I've seen this in your work before, when you designed those theropod like arthropods on dA, I guess since it is based on your own designs it is ok, but originality it better achieved with less repetition in designs. See if you can add some stuff to your creature to add a little more uniqueness.

Flame_Unquenchable: Not much I can add other than what you've stated already. Will see with the next update.

Mhugo: Really like these thumbs, I like the 3rd and 4th the best, what would happen if you combined the two together?

the artist formerly known as logistic puppet: Nice start so far,design needs a push but other than that this could turn into a pretty neat image.

Tchuk: Nice start although like a few others your leaning a bit towards a generic lizard-like design. Experiment to see how you can improve this.

Hekatochier: Looks promising at the moment I'm liking the bottom right composition the best. Of course make sure it is albino.

oops...got carried away there....

[ToddBushman]

Rob nice catch. I actually noticed the fins were backwards late last night but didn't have time to change it. I have no idea why I drew them in this direction. Thanks for the feedback.

[GregorKari]

Rob Powell, I think you are right, but I guess I wont have the time to do some more work on it this week.

Ive seen a lot of inspiring stuff in here, so I am looking forward to use this inspiration for the next round!

[NickyBeats]

thanks rob you are definately right! shite. ill work on it, but in the mean time here is a quick sketch of a possible final. but im gonna try and make some legit changes to his design.

[Pixeltuner]

Very nice movement in this latest one Nicky. Me Gusta.

[GEB]

Calireayn: Dude when your client gives you a brief, you don't say 'but technically you realise this doesn't make sense' You just smile and say 'wow that's a great idea' and go away to make them a nice pretty picture and get paid

[stridiggio]

hehe, nice updates there...good work!
my dumb side...don't take it seriously. I'm sleeping still around the PC.

Failed project