Steampunk Myths and Legends Entry: Sean Counley

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Well Hi everyone!

After putting the question of naming a legendary character to a group of friends, Hercules came out a top scorer. After a little discussion a nice steampunk element came to the fore. It turns out that the first steam engine in the States was actually built here in my home town of Stourbridge in the UK, it was called the Stourbridge Lion. This little factoid got us to thinking that the Lion of Nemea was a perfect tale to tell with a generous dollop of home grown influences.

This is the very first sketch and at this point probably makes little sense, but I gotta post it to get me started... not quite as late in the day as the last challenge either.

Good Luck to you all, even though some of you look practically finished :O

Sean

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Ok I can finally get some time in on this now! here is my initial concept for the lion of nemea, just playing at the moment but i think its got pretty much all the basic shapes that i want.

Thanks for looking
Sean

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Ok I can finally get some time in on this now! here is my initial concept for the lion of nemea, just playing at the moment but i think its got pretty much all the basic shapes that i want.

Thanks for looking
Sean

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http://assets.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/22/17257/17257_1230055733_medium.jpg (http://assets.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/22/17257/17257_1230055733_large.jpg)

Just another quick visual fr the lion

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Update on composition now with my lion of Nemea design pretty much in place. There is (as ever) some serious perspective going on in this piece which is causing me some grief for getting details in along the length of the engine section!

Hope that it is starting to make some sense now as the pressure is on now to get this finished!

Redlines, comments of all kinds very welcome, thanks.

Sean

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Well folks here is an update. I have finally settled on the composition now and am pretty sure that the perspective issues are all resolved.

So have been playing around with the background trying to get some story elements in there. The other thing is a change to the pose of Hercules, I have placed a holder for this with a poser model. Big chunky males are not something I am familiar with painting hence leaving the star of the show to the last for painting!!

Well any comments etc are more than welcome.

Thanks for looking
Sean

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Hiya! The pressure is on now to get this finished and I have a long way to go yet with but a short time left... I am also feeling the strain of the extraordinarily high competition in the CG Challenge this time around!

Anything you guys see that needs a fix at this point would bring much happiness, otherwise thanks for looking :D

Sean

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This post is just to show where I am at with the rest of this weekend left to finish...:-S

Good luck everyone on reaching the finishing line and well done to all of those who got there already!

Thanks for looking
Sean

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4 hours of work and 2 hours of trying to get it to upload! Grrr!!

Have tidied up some of the final design elements of the engine section. Have lain down the course understructure of Hercs' anatomy.

I have to get this finished tomorrow so an early start will be needed - any opinions or guidance will be hungrily devoured :)

Thanks for looking
Sean

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More work on Hercules anatomy!
Sean

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More work on the background, the rear carriages and lots of steam.

Onto some foreground elements on the road surface and a bit more Hercules work now!

Enjoy
Sean

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What the hell is going on... I am trying to post an update and I keep getting the error message saying I have already posted in the last 90 seconds when I haven't at all! I am getting it even if I leave 30 minutes or so to pass.

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Software: Photoshop

Tha tale as it is told...

The first of Heracles' twelve labours, set by King Eurystheus (his cousin) was to slay the Nemean lion and bring back its skin.

Heracles wandered the areas until he came upon the town of Cleonae. There, he found a poor farm boy. This farm boy would sacrifice anything to get wealth. If Hercules slew the Nemean lion (who lived in a cave) and returned alive within 30 days of leaving, they would sacrifice a lion to Zeus, the god of all the ancient Greek gods. If he did not return within 30 days or he died, however, the boy would sacrifice himself to Zeus.

While he was looking for the lion, he made arrows to use against it, not knowing that it was impervious. When he found the lion, he started throwing arrows at the lion, but the lion wouldn't die. After some time Heracles made the lion return to his cave. The cave had two entrances, one of which Heracles blocked; he then entered the other. Because of the fact that the lion's skin was impenetrable, Hercules was forced to stun the beast with his club, before proceeding to strangle it. He then used the lion's own claws to cut off its pelt.

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Well there are some story elements I would have liked to pursue for this piece, alas time would not permit. My story unfolds in a smokey city, where stands that Natural History Museum with its current exhibit of Greek Mythology. The runaway train "The Lion of Nemea" races into the city, people are aghast... what will they do, but the long dormant son of a god, Hercules is woken by the roar of his ancient nemesis and once more brings the beast to the ground!

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The idea was concieved from a discussion with my friends in which it was learned that the first steam engine to be used commercially in the USA was called the Stourbridge Lion, it was built here in my home town of Stourbridge.

This has been a real challenge, a lot learned as always, dood luck one and all and thanks for looking.

Sean

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I think given the extra time I will reduce some of the motion blurring, I overdid it and lost a lot of what I had painted, if I get time too I will work a little more on Hercules.

Thanks for looking
Sean

[mrpeace]

Nice work...

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