Challengers! Hereth lie the rules for this round's challenge! Make sure to read them entirely!
"A Madman's Ramblings (Introduction)"
I have a weak spot for storytelling. I believe that every artist has a natural voice, capable of telling unimaginable stories through their artwork. I hold this belief close to me and constantly remind myself of it when I'm painting or sketching.
Therefore, on this Anatomicae challenge, wel will do some further exploration into the art of storytelling through strong design. Participants will be tasked to design and paint the shield of a Sentinel, with a special focus in the shield's emblem or crest. As some of you know, I usually undertake the Anatomica Challenges in a series of themes: Human Anatomy, Art Basics, Animal Anatomy and Fantasy Anatomy. The latter will explore more storytelling than the rest, in an effort to keep the challenges interesting and have a wide variety of themes to pull people with different profiles into participating.
Anyway, for this challenge we will have a lot of storytelling to do, what does your shield represent, does it belong to a devout paladin, a fallen templar? What does the crest on the shield tell us about your story? Keep close attention to details like textures, colors and symbols used in designing your shield and amaze us!
Onward!
Objectives
Challengers will be tasked to design and paint a shield. The shield must be able to tell a story about it's owner (If there is one) and the battles it has been through. Strong design and details such as textures and colors will be part of the artists arsenal to tell a believable and appealing story about the object, giving it its unique personality.
Rules and Requirements
- Challengers are required to show their WIP and Reference Materials. These challenges are an opportunity for all of us to make contact with other artists and be a part of a growing community and it would be unfair for the artists who are making an effort to share their work and ideas if you are allowed to enter the finals without participating in the WIP thread.
- Challengers are to paint a shield with a crest or emblem. The shield should be able to tell a story without depending on other elements. A simple background is acceptable, but the Shield must be the main focus on the final entry, ocuppying at least 80% of the image.
Some Tips to get you on your way...
- When you start sketching, think about the following:
* Silhouette: The silhouette of your shield should be as unique as possible, explore different shapes and be bold in doing so!
* Always ask why: When coming up with a new idea to add into your design, always ask yourself the purpose of it being there. Did you add the dragon crest because the shield belongs to an order of dragon slaying warriors? If not, ask yourself if it should really be there and what part of the story is being missed by not leaving it there.
- This is a great opportunity to explore textures. Is the shield really battered up or spanking shiny new? Make sure it all adds up to tell your story!
- Here are a couple reference images and some links of interest:
http://schoolism.com/interview.php?id=78
In this interview with Antony Jones from Schoolism, he talks a lot about his tool presets when painting creatures. What's really awesome about this link is that you can access his tool presets, some of which include some really sweet textures and brushes to simulate the glow of metallic objects. I hope it helps!
http://www.oshel.com/symbols.htm
Have fun, guys, and welcome to round #30!