Animal redesign project

[aten skinner]

The original thumbnail views are nice but you've lost something in transition to the larger pic. The main thing that jumps out at me is some of the barnacle things are not attached in the right place (basically the perpective is off on those). I think you could also make more of the creature's head, at the moment I'm just finding my eye drawn to those barnacles!

One thing that might help you is to make a small model of this thing either in 3d or plasticene whatever you have available - it would really help you get the shell and the barnacles looking a lot tighter.

[Oberyn]

Thanks! =D I was actually thinking that some seemed a little off before I posted and thought about tweaking them some, but I had to leave and figured posting it crooked would just validate it. So thanks for confirming. hehe
I pushed them around a little, and nudged the head as well. This seem better to you?
I would love to model it if I could, but my time budget won't really allow it. :(

Edit: Another thing you mentioned that seems to be a reoccurring hurdle:
Maintaining the life/energy/feel of your loose concept sketches when you go towards finalizing them. Always seems to be tough. That's also where you find out that your ortho concept sketches don't really hold up as well in perspective, whether it's because of your translation, or because the silhouette itself isn't as strong. Maybe this falls at least partially into category #2, but I'm stuck with it now. :D
I always have trouble with #1, though.

[Oberyn]

Just wanted to throw this up here to see if I can bait anyone into looking (and critiquing). :D
I know there is currently no definitive light source, and that the overall value is somewhat flat, but I'm almost to the point in my typical workflow where I go through and correct that.
Thoughts?

[matsman]

ehm...

couple f things stand out to me. the lines on the shell are not flowing that naturally... the top is fine, the front seems at an unnatural angle.

Second I would thicken the curve in the neck (bottom left) the contour is not as strong as it could be.

Finally the perspective on the smallest part of the shell as well as the forshortened seapok (what is it called in english?) in the same area could use a little improvement.

other than that still looking very promising and looking forward to colour! :thumbsup:

[CybrGfx]

Matsman is spot on about the lines on the shell. Each line is a shell rim. Therefore, each line MUST match the rim in some manner, because it was once the rim, itself...Your angled lines do not work.

The barnacles all could use some tweaking, not just the innermost one, BUT,since this is an evolutionary character, they, too could be evolved into their current forms...

The creature is looking good. I like the fine touches, like the hairs on the back of the neck. The narrowing of the neck near the head does not bother me, it looks like an earthworm stretching.

You might consider using a pale, "watercolor" vignette background of the "marsh" environment behind this, like the old Audibon watercolors. That would let the creature be the true "star" of the image.

Nice work.
~C

[Oberyn]

Each line is a shell rim. Therefore, each line MUST match the rim in some manner, because it was once the rim, itself...Your angled lines do not work.

Hey, I didn't know that! Like tree rings. Well then. I guess maybe next time I should research why something is the way it is instead of thinking "Err.. arbitrary rings!" :D
Thanks guys.

Ring tweak (http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_84IwYIUBYFU/STNuhC8ymlI/AAAAAAAAAGA/_T16Gk03pM0/s1600-h/conc_fin04.jpg)

[Oberyn]

Latest version (http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_84IwYIUBYFU/STUzICHka4I/AAAAAAAAAGI/5L18HioRmSs/s1600-h/conc_fin04+copy.jpg)
S'where it's at for now.
I'm having a tough time committing to a light source yet, because the instructor is urging us to make the bioluminescence(which is tough to do realistically, btw =P) the primary light source. I've got a day to "finish" this, so I guess I better figure that out, huh? hehe

[CybrGfx]

Either make the entire snail body glow, or make the shell itself bioluminescent, effectively lighting the creature as if he is wearing a giant nightlight. Or make the tentacles behind him glow...but that would not help the creature attract food or defend itself...I like the shell, personally...you could have some nice patterning and accentuate the stripes...Maybe even make the shell like nacre, or mother of pearl...

~C

[Oberyn]

Current lighting (http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_84IwYIUBYFU/STVmsOBwJQI/AAAAAAAAAGQ/kmaDS5FgmbA/s1600-h/conc_fin05.jpg). Still have some things I need to do to it before it's "done"...
Really need to kill (or at the very least dampen) that underlighting. Didn't stand out quite so much before the background was thrown in.
Will also probably spread and blur the shadow more, since it's so many different light sources. The environment isn't so important in this image anyway, and the shadow is just to ground it. The instructor specifically wants us to avoid trying to tell a narrative. It's purely concept.
Other glaring problems?

[CybrGfx]

Which is your character, the snail thing, or the barnacle things on the shell? They ARE two different creatures. I thought the snail thing was your animal.

~C

[Oberyn]

The snail guy is the "main" character. The barnacles are like a symbiosis relationship sorta thing. The assignment requires that they be bioluminescent, and capable of flight when necessary, and the barnacles fulfill those roles (explaining functionality isn't really required)
I could even go so far as to say to the instructor "Those aren't really barnacles. Those are actually appendages on the snail, that just so happen to shoot out from stuff that LOOK kinda like barnacles..." and that's good enough for him.
The class is supposed to approximate the stage in conceptualization where you're just coming up with the ideas, and once you sell the idea, you let other people figure out all of those inconvenient things like reality. :)

[Oberyn]

The "finished" version; what I ended up submitting to the class.

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_84IwYIUBYFU/STllVTIXYhI/AAAAAAAAAG8/daljnWq410w/s1600/conc_fin05.jpg

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