Creature Design process 101

[Fozzybar]

oh just saw this thread....what an amazing amount of time and effort you put in Mike! Big respect from me as i know how even a weekly actvitiy is time consuming, but this is amazing and really, it is hard work and will stress you more when you're ill....relax buddy!

Put it aside as long as you want to...really RELAX!!! Most important thing is your health...forget this for a while...

[sve]

Yeah, Mike, do your best to get yourself in a good shape again. You are such a great guy! Rare combination of talent, brains and kindness. I wish a harmony for you and around you,
Sveta

[Mike Corriero]

Thanks for the kind words, well wishes and understanding guys. Again - im sorry

Emily G may be taking over - so keep an eye on the thread still

[emily g]

WhooHoo!
Yes, I talked to Mike and I will be taking over the activity for him.
You guys have such great stuff going on here, we have to keep things going!

We will be running the activity just as originally planned in the first post, so that means that the next deadline is Dec. 12.

Mike, you go get yourself better--everybody else, let's roll!

emily

[ngnorden]

cool emily!
though take me off the list, I'm now officially on vacation

[Craig D]

Emily G
Thanks for taking over
but the deadline on 12th for which step?
because the activity was cancelled on the 8th before the step deadline of the 9th for the 3 colour variations I'm confused.

[Mike Corriero]

To help out with the deadline and schedule.
Everyone completed step 1 ( 10 thumbnails)

Step2:
Avatar - completed and approved
Gloominati - completed and approved
Inkfish - completed and approved
PHATandy - completed and approved
MindCandyMan - completed and approved
Interceptor - Completed - not yet approved
Dcept - Completed - not yet approved
Evil Sloth - not yet completed
Floris Didden - not yet completed
ngnorden - not yet completed
profil - not yet completed
Craig D - not yet completed
Scumgrinder - not yet completed

Step 3:
Avatar - Completed - not yet approved

There was approx 27 hours left for step 2, when I stated I could no longer run this.

Updated Schedule based on my lack of ability to run this and time screw up.

Step 1: Due Dec. 6th : 10 thumbnail sketches
10 rough 1 x 2 inch thumbnail sketches presenting variations in overall concept design. They should be presented in b&w on an 8 x 12 sheet of paper and individually numbered one through ten. They can be digital or pencil sketches. Step 1 completed
Step 2: Due Dec. 12th : 3 rough color variations
Once a thumbnail design Is approved, design 3 variations based off of comments given by myself. These should be a little more detailed than the thumbnails and they should be presented in color. The color does not need to be detailed, just enough to get the general idea across. These should be numbered one through three.
Step 3: Due Dec. 15th : 1 honed drawing posed
Based on comments and the approved version of step 2 you should present a cleaned up detailed drawing of the creature design.
Step 4: Due Dec. 19th : Final color design
Based on comments given and the approved hone drawing, make any necessary changes and present the final detailed color version on a white background - Shadows and minimal texture or colored backgrounds are acceptable but should not take away from the creature design.

[emily g]

Yes, thank you Mike. We will just push the deadlines back a bit to make up for the confusion.

So everyone who has not yet completed step 2 (3 rough color variations) has until Dec. 12th to finish.

thanks,
emily

[Gloominati]

whooohoooo, that'S awesome!!
So lets get back to the drawing board, hehe!!!

[Profil]

Fuck, I really need to finish it then.
I went away for this weekend and got a shitload of schoolwork to do. But I will try to finish it.

Edit: fuck as in I stopped it when I heard about Mike and I went away for the weekend so it means I don't have much time. Not fuck that it was bad that it started again.

[emily g]

Interceptor: I liked all of your designs quite a bit. I liked the front flippers on number 2, plus I liked the subtle markings you put on his skin, but overall I felt the red color made him look too "dragony." I chose number 3 because I liked his horns the best and the great way you colored him really sold it to me.

A few changes:
stomach--I felt the green color was a little dull, so changed it to yellow. Note that I want the color of the stomach to make a smooth transition to the rest of the body.
horns--I made these brown because they highlight the antelope part of him. Also, I want you to show how the horns attach to the head.
eyes--I darkened the eye, added a highlight, and changed the rim around his eye to yellow. This high contrast will draws the viewer's eye and will make the creature seem more alive.
spots--I wanted just a little more yellow on the head, so I added a few spots.

Cute design. I'm looking forward to the finish. Go ahead and start on step 3.

emily

[dCepT]

Hey Emily! Cool to see you in here! I'm guessing the feedback to mine is coming soon... I'm all hyped to get to the next step!

peace

d-C

[Craig D]

Here's some colour choices and variations.
Craig

[emily g]

dCept--I chose number 3 out of the designs you produced. I felt this one had the clearest anatomy and I liked the colors. I also like number 1, but I really couldn't figure out how the fin attached to the back leg.

A few things I want you to watch out for:
legs--I think the anatomy can be a little clearer here. The front legs are unusual because the "elbow" joint is so much lower than horse-type animals usually have, so make sure this is worked out. Also, it would be good to define exactly how the feet work, too. I made some adjustments to the fins.
torso--I thickened the torso up and adjusted the shoulder.
head--I cleaned it up a bit around the ears, eyes, and horns.
color--I want the color to be a more aqua-blue rather than green-blue because it is more watery to me.

Good job, move ahead to step 3.

emily g

[Evil_Sloth]

heres my prelims.
sorry if they are late.

[Avatar]

Hi Emilly, I already posted step 3 days ago, can you tell me if its aproved? Or if its not, what you think should change? Because I want to finish it and I need to know if I can pass colors on it.

[Mike Corriero]

Glad you guys are keeping up on this, I hope everyone continues to participate, and I hope the rest of you meet step 2's deadline. The work is looking good.

[emily g]

Avatar, I just have a couple of minor comments on your piece. I am almost done with Craig D's, and then I will post yours.

thanks,
emily

Also, Profil, Scumgrinder, and Floris Didden are the people who still need to finish step 2. You have until the end of the day on December 12th. Just sometime before the end of the day.

[emily g]

Craig D--I liked your number 1 variation the best, but I want you to go back a little more to the thumbnail design that Mike drew up for you. I think it is a more regal looking creature. So I combined that original thumbnail with your number 1 drawing.

head--I have the horns going back more and I added the fin on the neck.
torso--I made the body a little thicker and made the neck shorter and thicker.
color--I think overall your coloring could be more subtle and sophisticated. I kept your major design, but blended things a little more.
tail--I made this more like the thumbnail design, shorter and flatter like a paddle.

This step is approved. You can move on to step 3.

emily

[S.C. Watson]

Wow. This is the first time I've had a chance to go through this thread. This is totallly aweseom stuff. This is a *huge* time commitment from Emily and Mike - serious props your way.

Everyone participating, - beautiful work! A lot of creativity going on here and you guys should be proud of what you're doing! Looking forward to seeing the final results!

cheers,
~Oreg.

[emily g]

Avatar--Your drawing is very beautiful! Great job, this is a wonderful drawing--very detailed and well thought out. I can see exactly how this design is going to work. My comments are rather minor.

legs--just make sure your anatomy is ok on this area of the front leg. I compared the straight leg with the bent one when looking at the anatomy. I want to know where the "elbow" joint is (marked with green arrows), and I want to know where the "inside elbow" joint is (marked with blue arrows).
The anatomy is not a big problem, in fact I don't think most people would notice it at all. Your design holds up just fine as it is. I just want you to be aware of this for your own information.
hoofs--also just a minor comment to make sure all the hooves look the same. The hoof marked number 2 should look more like number 1, etc. Again, this is just minor nitpick.

Again, very nice job. I am not going to require you to change your drawing--unless you want to, of course. This is approved and you can move on to the next step.

emily

[Craig D]

Thanks Emily
re colouring, you're right. unfortunately I 've never used photoshop or a tablet before a couple weeks ago and it's showing.
Might just have to pull out a canvas and oils for the final colouring
Craig

[Profil]

I have a shitload of schoolwork, so I finished them, but I rushed it, so some probaly suck ass:


Edit: I forgot the yellow ones saddle color. Anyway
Yellow one: 1
The tentacle one: 2
Pink one: 3

[Floris Didden]

EDIT: Made 3 different colour schemes while exploring the design further based on mikes comment. I took the thumb he approved as a starting point and produced 3 variations using the thumbs that got red marks.

[dCepT]

Floris Didden: Those are gorgeous! Can't wait to see what your final looks like!

Profil: Good to see you made it, man! I like the lower left the most. Colors fitted best together. And like I said in your SB-thread; don't beat yourself up too much!

peace

d-C

[Avatar]

Thanks a lot for your answer Emilly. I apologies for getting so rushed. Just got into a rythm and trying to keep it. Thank you for pointing out the anatomy issues, ofcourse they will be corected, there is plenty of time now. Again, thanks for your reply.

[MindCandyMan]

awesome floris...showin us how it's done

[emily g]

Evil_Sloth--I thought all of your ideas were very creative. I loved the yellow-orange color, but I picked the red/green one because I really liked the transitions from red to green on the tenticles.

legs--I changed the legs to look a little more like Mike's thumbnail. I took the "jewel" things off the legs, because I thought they were better just on the tenticles.
jewels--I really liked these, they add a lot of interest. I liked how the jewels on the blue creature vary from small to larger, and I would like to see that kind of variation on the number 3 design.
fin--I'm not sure exactly how you intended this fin to be, but I imagined it as a single fin running along the center of the stomach.
ears--I thought adding some red to the ears and flaps would tie things in to how the tenticles look and bring some more red up to the face.

On your next step, I want to draw the head from another angle so we can see how the design works from maybe a side vew. This is approved and you can move on to the next step.

emily

[emily g]

Profil--I really liked the blue/green creature. The little touches of purple on the front tenticles are great, and I love the goofy-sweet expression on his face.

horns--I modified the horns a little and made them purple to tie in with the purple on the tenticles.
saddle--I changed the saddle to a warm color in order to make it stand out from the body.

The creature is really cute, I hope you can keep the whimsical feeling as you move on to the next step. This is approved.

emily

[emily g]

Floris--these are gorgeous designs. I especially loved the number 3 design because of the wings/fins, the swirly designs and the colors. I also love how the horns fade off into the yellow color--they almost look glowing. The gold/turquoise combination is very beautiful.

A couple of things:
hoofs--I thought it might be nice to do the hooves similar to how you did the horns.
leg--make sure you get your anatomy right here. I don't know if it's because of the swirls, but the muscles of the leg look a little bumpy.

Also, be sure it is clear that there is enough space for a rider. (Would they sit behind the wings?) Great job, and you can move on to the next step.

emily