Steampunk Myths and Legends Entry: Andre Kieschnik

[AK86]

http://assets.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/22/16365/16365_1226752203_medium.jpg (http://assets.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/22/16365/16365_1226752203_large.jpg)

Helle to everyone,

I'm new to the community. The intersting challange made me registering here. :) Good luck and much fun to everyone.

I've chosen the horsemen of the apocalypse. I want to try to find a modern interpretation for each of the horseman. Here is my first sketch of the first horseman (or rather of his horse). Instead of a bow (a long range weapon) he will have loud speakers - so his weapon is the propagandistic word (also a long range weapon).

[AK86]

http://assets.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/22/16365/16365_1226752372_medium.jpg (http://assets.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/22/16365/16365_1226752372_large.jpg)

Here is the first sketch of the second horseman. He represents the war.

[AK86]

http://assets.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/22/16365/16365_1226752506_medium.jpg (http://assets.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/22/16365/16365_1226752506_large.jpg)

Here ist the sketch of the third horseman. He represents hunger and inflation.

[AK86]

http://assets.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/22/16365/16365_1226752644_medium.jpg (http://assets.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/22/16365/16365_1226752644_large.jpg)

..and finally the first sketch of the fourth horseman. He represents death and plague.

[andrewpyott]

Nice idea man! Nice concept drawings too, especially like the 4th horseman. Good luck with the proyect.

[AK86]

http://assets.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/22/16365/16365_1226780387_medium.jpg (http://assets.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/22/16365/16365_1226780387_large.jpg)

a new version of the first horseman.

Thank you for the comment, Andrew. Good luck to you, too.

[Canche]

Awesome designs and i like the last one a lot. It reminds me of a 1940's illustration. I can't wait to see it more developed. good job.

[scho81]

Looking forward to this thread as well. I'm loving the illustrations thus far. Best of luck in the challenge

[musi]

Wow, that's a very interesting concept!
Looking forward for development of it.
Best of luck!

[VictorSantos]

Woah! nice concept, I'll keep an eye on this one for sure! :thumbsup:

[mim-Armand]

Hey Andre, just 3 words! I love em!
love the vision sofar
love the sketches
love the first one more even! :)
.

[SteevieWoo]

Great concepts, I like the old school style and the social comment, the tank horse works really well, but my favorite is the bosch-ish design of plague.

Keep the good work!:thumbsup:

[editablepauly]

agreed, the plague horse is very interesting :)

[AK86]

http://assets.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/22/16365/16365_1226835721_medium.jpg (http://assets.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/22/16365/16365_1226835721_large.jpg)

The next sketch for the second horseman. As you can see I have changed a few things, because the first version wasn't aggressive enough.

And thanks for all the comments. :)

[AJ]

Brilliant idea - and wonderful concepts...

Can't wait to see it progress :D

[RicoD]

Hello Andre! Absolutely loving the horseman of the Apocalypse! I was thinking of doing a 'death' themed thing myself actually. Best of luck to you!

[ivanisavich]

OH wow. I love you. Ever since I played Metal Slug as a kid, I fell in love with outrageous WW2 steampunk-style gadgets/vehicles...and your entry is right up that alley. :D :D Gogogogo!

[M477]

Hi Andre, I really like your concept sketches. I'm designing a steampunk horse too, although from a slightly different angle, it's really interesting to see what you're doing with them. I like the latest version with the tank tracks for the rear legs and how the head is a telescope, very clever stuff!

[Selina42]

Lovely looking stuff! Cant wait for more!

[Matellis]

Wicked design! I want that horse ski-doo tank!

[GonzaloGolpe]

Hi there and welcome to the forum ;) It´s a cool idea so I wish you good luck with the challenge =)

[balfs21]

Interesting...I like it!

[OZ]

cool design...also the idea looks great.

[Ataulfo]

Amazing sketches. Funny and terrorific at the same time.

Keep it up and good luck

[AK86]

http://assets.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/22/16365/16365_1227052025_medium.jpg (http://assets.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/22/16365/16365_1227052025_large.jpg)

I've played a bit with the posture and the propotions of the horse. I wanted it to look a bit more like a sick horse.


And thanks again for all your nice words. I really appreciate them.

[arLutiK]

very nice approach :)

[AK86]

http://assets.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/22/16365/16365_1227200212_medium.jpg (http://assets.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/22/16365/16365_1227200212_large.jpg)

a new, more defined version of the 3rd horseman.

[maxspider3000]

wow ... your sketches are brilliant so so far, can't even tell you how much I liked them ...

you are keep developing them in a right way, the last one toke my aye, so stylized ...

dude, can't wait to see the updates here .......................................... still waiting :D

- Yusuf

[IdeasWithBadBreath]

WOW! Real cool.

[AdamTSC]

Your sketches are blowing my mind. Sweet design, appropriately dark. I will stay tuned.

[Marcjan]

really good sense of subject, like it

[LORDvesalius]

Hi man welcome, great concept, and great drawings.
Keep working, I bet this will be awesome.

[oneandonlyDiscoStu]

hey andre

wirklich sehr schöne skizzen die du gepostet hast.
dein strich verrät das du ganz genau weisst was du machst!

i really like the last concept you posted apart from loving all the others too.
the mix between skeleton mechanics and a human a very promising!

keep up the great work and dont stop! ill be watching u sir are bookmarked !:D

[crazezard]

i really like your idea, mixing animal and mechanical skeleton. goodluck

[MichaelZHsee]

thats a great idea mate,i initially thought of doing this but since you've got this nailed,i'll go for something else then:D
keep it coming,im watching this and good luck!

[Confuzzled]

oh great idea! Your sketches are looking real interesting. You read Neil Gaiman's and Terry Pratchetts book on the end of the world? Good Omens... hehehe... the four horsemen were there in some very modern ways. Awesome giggly book.

Anyway, this looks real promising. :D

[Sandz]

Cool design! Really love the way the skeletal horse (?) looks, with the tubes and all.

[AK86]

http://assets.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/22/16365/16365_1227872108_medium.jpg (http://assets.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/22/16365/16365_1227872108_large.jpg)

I've started making some really rough scribbles to get an idea of the final image. I think the setting will be a city of the fifties oder sixties with a melancholic athmosphere, maybe like Edward Hopper often showed cities in his paintings.

And thanks for all the comments :)

[AK86]

http://assets.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/22/16365/16365_1227966309_medium.jpg (http://assets.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/22/16365/16365_1227966309_large.jpg)

A rough composition sketch.

[AK86]

http://assets.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/22/16365/16365_1229855371_medium.jpg (http://assets.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/22/16365/16365_1229855371_large.jpg)

The last two weeks were e bit stressful and I had to do a lot of other things but now it can go on with this project.

a short recapitulation:
In the first, older composition sketch I put the focus on the city and so the horsemen are shown a bit small, but finally I did the character concepts because I wanted to show the horsemen and not a whole scenario and so I decided to do some new, rough composition-thumbnails.

I started to try to order the horsemen in an interesting, but simple way using the shapes of the concept drawings. I used a diagonal for three horsemen crossing the diagonal of the city's skyline. The 4th horseman, as a personification of (black) death, what makes him play the most important role is shown as the most dominant character.

In the next steps I will try to make the composition looking a bit more naturally, maybe using overlappings and things like that.

[FBiege]

hi andre,

really nice development, i hope you finish this in time!

i prefer the first, wide format.
the war-rider might be a little bit too small,
maybe you can integrate his shape into the skyline in the background ?
i really like the one in the foreground and that he is so big in the
image, because he is my favorit one. :)
propaganda ahead and death in the middle makes a lot of sense as well,..
(i hope i am right with the assignment :D )

gogogo !

[AK86]

http://assets.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/22/16365/16365_1229878210_medium.jpg (http://assets.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/22/16365/16365_1229878210_large.jpg)

Hey, thanks Florian for the comment. It really helped me. So I've chosen now the wide format and started to define it a bit more.
I decided that third horseman of the apocalypse should be slowly trotting. So I changed his pose as you can see in picture 2.
The basic idea is, that the horsemen are getting faster from left to right.
(blue reference lines - the spaces between the horseman are getting wider)

The horseman of (black) death (first horseman from left hand side) is standing and watching (lurking).

The horseman of inflation and hunger (second horseman from the left hand side) is slowly trotting. He don't have to be in hurry.

The horseman of war (third horseman from the left hand side) can move and attack fast with the tank tracks.

The horseman of progaganda (fourth horseman from the left hand side) is flying and so he is the fastest horseman. He is like a accredit and scout and so he has to be fast.

[AK86]

http://assets.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/22/16365/16365_1230312740_medium.jpg (http://assets.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/22/16365/16365_1230312740_large.jpg)

Finally I found a composition that I like. I changed the overlapping of the two horsemen on the left-hand-side, so that is more definite and clear.
There are still some details that aren't so ideal, but I will change this problems while painting the final image.
So I started to paint some quick colour thumbnails to get an idea of the atmosphere and mood of the scene. I don't want it to look too dramatic and don't too "normal", it should look a bit melancholic and mystical.

I also defined the city on the right-hand-sinde a bit more.
As a tribute to one of my favourite artists, Edward Hopper, there a two of his artworks "hidden" in the picture.
First one is "Summmertime" > the women on the right-hand-side.
Second one is "Nighthawks". It's the bar behind the horseman of war.

[RogerNobs]

Andre, I really like your drawings. Reminds me of Ralph Steadman, but also Richard Williams' quirky 60's stuff. Great colour studies. Love the lighting and your thoughtful approach to the composition.

Good luck with this.

[Brownie3703]

Those colors are beautiful. I really love the whole image.

[FBiege]

nice colors.
at this moment i think the bar from hopper is stealing too much attention from the riders..
its so famous and wellknown.... it will be hard to keep it in the background.
the progaganda horse could be some kind of more connected to the other riders.
maybe the war is destroying a building in the back and gets more in the background
to the flying horse ?
another problem might be the legs of the two foreground horses. they are both very thin
and it looks a bit confusing.. maybe more clothes to the one with the beak ?

go on, this will be great ! :)

[mouhannad-qsemi]

I like the concept.
man ...u r great

[Hideyoshi]

wow, really sweet! The color palette is working very well and you have some intruiging design!

[AK86]

http://assets.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/22/16365/16365_1230403554_medium.jpg (http://assets.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/22/16365/16365_1230403554_large.jpg)

Thanks for all the comments.
And a special thanks to Florian for the helpful suggestions.

So the horseman of (black) death has got some clothes or some kind of old skin around his legs, so that there is a formal contrast to the thin legs of the horseman of inflation/hunger.

I also changed the direction of the horseman of war, so that he is moving towards the propaganda horseman (so that the progaganda horseman is more connected to the other horseman)
The horseman of war is hunting some civilians in front of the bar now. I think it is a nice contrast - the running people outside and the people sitting in the bar not realizing what happens. The bar is still too dominant, but I will try to change this in the following steps.

[authentic]

great ambiance

[Slav]

awesome image. keep up the great work. ill be keepin an eye on this thread.

[naito]

hey Andre,

great atmosphere so far. Keep it up ike this.

viel glück :)

[nellement]

wow really cool design,also the mood is awesome,I like the new composition ,this is my favorite entry so far keep rocking :thumbsup: !

[Brownie3703]

I love how you used "nighthawk" in the background! great idea. Did the form of that building remind you o the painting or did you plan that all along?

[FBiege]

great progress ! :)
maybe a foreground layer to achieve some more depth ?

[iatriki]

wow! great interpretation and execution. the zeppelin with apocalypse now it's a brilliant idea! This is TOP stuff

[AK86]

Thanks for the comments.

@Brownie
I didn't plan it all along, but when I started to define the city I had the idea to use this bar.

@Lucy
Not a bad idea. I will try it.

[Brownie3703]

soo cool! you have a good eye to pick that out and throw that funny little twist in there. I love it.

[AK86]

http://assets.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/22/16365/16365_1230596727_medium.jpg (http://assets.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/22/16365/16365_1230596727_large.jpg)

I just worked on different details since the last post, so the atmosphere got lost a little bit, but I will change this later.

I changed the direction of the smoke of the horseman of black death, so that it is moving towards the city. But I'm not sure if I like this version more than the first one.

In the backround at the left-hand-side I added a city that has been destroyed already. So I want to give the viewer an idea of that, what will happen with the city at the right-hand-side.

The woman has got a little dog now. As a contrast to the fleeing men the dog is trying to attack the horsemen.

I also changed the design of the propaganda zeppelin a little bit. The first version had banners hang-up vertical and horizontal, now there are just banners hang-up vertical, so the design is more consistent.

Finally I defined the mechanics of the horse skeleton and added some kind of a noxious mud to the ground and reflexions to the windows.

[AK86]

http://assets.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/22/16365/16365_1230732074_medium.jpg (http://assets.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/22/16365/16365_1230732074_large.jpg)

I tried to create a foreground-layer in this step. It's a scrapheap and still not that detailed, but there are or will be following things: a little crucifix, apples (as a reference to the Creation and sin), some books (holy bible...) and some cockroaches, as those that survive each catastrophe, even the apocalypse.
In the little thumbnail you can see the reference lines I used to arrange the elements of the image.

[RoGreg]

Your image has a really nice atmosphere. Nice pallette.
Just the woman with the dog to the right annoys me a little.
Imo she doesn't fit into the rest of the concept.

Ansonsten viel Glück! :D

[nellement]

Whoa that's great progress your composition is great ,I love that ellipse kinda focusing ,can you please tell me some good resources for learning about composition books,sites...thanks in advance!sorry for my english :)

[ra-gevz]

wow! you hit the spot! :)

i was trying to think of a way to portray those four horseman in steampunk style before when i was thinking of concepts for this challenge. i came up with a picture in mind that is near impossible for me to do for now... LOL... considering my skills divided by the time limit for the challenge!

but this pic of yours marked it all down! great job! i love those simple little scenes that's happening around!

some super minor suggestions though... i think you have way too many skyscrapers there considering the era of steampunk which is the industrial revolution... only very few buildings would reach those heights, very rare... also, i'm not sure if there are evident electrical/cable wire posts in the streets back then... considering that their main source of power is steam... well, it's just me though... i just feel like saying those... hope this helps in any way...

overall, outstanding piece of a very interesting tale! :)

[AK86]

http://assets.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/22/16365/16365_1231000447_medium.jpg (http://assets.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/22/16365/16365_1231000447_large.jpg)

I played with colours and lighting, as a result here is a more dramatic version of the image. But I think it's too dramatic and this in not what I wanted, so I will keep the older version and just optimize this one.


@RoGreg
Thank you very much. At least I will try to make the women a litte bit more unobstrusive.

@nellement
Hey, thanks. Hm, I'm not a specialist for composition and I haven't any books or things
like that I could recommend to you. But I often look for good photographers and the way they compose their photos.
I think it is a good way to learn something: just look for good pictures and study them.

@ra-gevz
Thank you for the comment. It's an interesting point. I will see what I can do with the buildings in the time that is left.

[AK86]

http://assets.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/22/16365/16365_1231457227_medium.jpg (http://assets.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/22/16365/16365_1231457227_large.jpg)

I added more details and changed the colours a bit.

[AK86]

http://assets.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/22/16365/16365_1231457375_medium.jpg (http://assets.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/22/16365/16365_1231457375_large.jpg)

a close up showing the banners of the propaganda zeppelin.

Sorry for the bad compression. I realize it just now.

[AK86]

http://assets.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/22/16365/16365_1231612697_medium.jpg (http://assets.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/22/16365/16365_1231612697_medium.jpg)

Software: Photoshop

"Apocalypse Now" is a free interpretation of the four horsemen of the apocalypse.

The first horseman originally stands for victory and fairness, so he is gleaming in white, but appearances are deceiving.
His real function (in this image) is propaganda. And so, although he is one of the four horseman, he does not look like the other horesman. He simulates being some kind of a prophet and/or saviour, but in fact he is the decoy.

The second horseman is the horseman of war. His craft is a formal combination of a rearing horse and some kind of a tank. Using his periscope he is searching and hunting his victims.

The third horseman stands for famine and inflation. His horse is a real horse skeleton that has been equiped with gold-coloured orthoses (as a symbol for social imbalance).

The fourth horseman stands for the black death. His exhausts are spitting smother and pathogens into the air.

In the backround at the left-hand-side, there where the horsemen came from, the burning debris of a city can be seen.
In the foreground at the rubbish heap, next to the symbols of belief that has been thrown away, the race that will survive the apocalypse is coming out of its hiding place: bugs and cockroaches.

For the city at the right-hand-side I used some artworks of Edward Hopper as a tribute at the one hand and as a link to his very special way of showing lifestyle in large cities (isolatedness, alienation, bleakness...) at the other hand.

[AK86]

It's done. :) It's not perfect, but it was a lot of fun and a good exercise.
Thanks again to everyone for the support and all the motivating comments. Good luck to everyone whose artworks aren't finished yet.

[FBiege]

hey, fett geworden ! glückwunsch ;) *schnellweitermal*

[Rivenis]

i can't believe i only just came across this. What an amazing piece of art you've created! I love the mood and the composition is excellent. This is also a really great interpretation of the old horseman, good work man, and good luck with the rest

[authentic]

Wow. As I already said, that's a really great illustration with fine details but also a real mood and atmosphere. That's a strong point I think. If I could, I would bet on you for one of the prize.

[Jakyll]

Very good style.
:bounce:

[greyother]

Really, really amazing work. I wholly approve of this image. Love everything about it.

[yakonusuke]

Hey Zappelkäfer, saubere Arbeit ist toll geworden! Wünsch dir viel Glück!

[musi]

Wow, you have done a great job bringing to life your concept!

Love-love-love! :love:

[MartinNielsen]

Wonderful character designs you show in this piece :thumbsup:

[AK86]

@Lucy
Danke dir. Ich hoffe, du wirst noch fertig (Sieht ja jetzt schon sehr gut aus)

@yakonusuke
Vielen Dank, und ich glaube das Glück werde ich brauchen ;)

@Rivenis
Thank you very much, I'm glad you like it.

@authentic
wow, thanks. It's a pity you're not a juror ;)

@Jakyll, greyother, musi
Thank you all.

@MartinNielsen
I'm glad to hear (read) that, because I spent the most time on designing them. Although I could still go on with designing and optimizing them...I just could get bogged down in details, but sometimes you have to hold back yourself and say it's enough. :D

[nellement]

Great final image,atmosphere is awesome,everything fits nicely,love those cockroaches detail you added:) 1 of my favorite entry!

[andrewpyott]

Just ran across your thread, and I remembered your excellent initial sketches for the characters, which I really liked. I'm glad to see they have remained much the same along the creative process.

Cool composition, and I especially like that you have achieved an "apocalyptic feel" to the piece. The colours transmit just that, and there is something very scary about the calmness of the horsemen. I wish you good luck with the competition. :)

[lioration]

I had my eyes set on this gem from the beginning. to me it's the one of most original piece in this challenge. Liked very much the twisted design of the riders, and the is atmosphere is so precise - you can actually feel the end of the world is just over the corner... creepy stuff.
loved the color choice and all the wonderful details around.
Good luck with the judges- this one deserve to be a finalist.
Lior

[AK86]

Hey, thanks for your comments. I'm glad you like it :)
And good luck to you too, lioration.

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