[MikeCorriero]

Welcome to the Creature Planets weekly activity! As you can see, there are 12 spots (12 weeks) on the banner to showcase a thumbnail for the first 12 winners. There will be a winners gallery showcase thread as well to accompany the first 12 weeks at their full scale and the many weekly winners to come there after. After a certain amount of weeks (to be determined) the activity banner winner's will reset to showcase a new set of 12 winner's. Perhaps at the start of the new year or sooner.
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Week #01 :: Jan. 9th 2010
Topic: Flight of the Dying Swiftwings open to interpretation.
Category: Multiple Angles/Poses - a Flock (4 or more creatures of the same species)
Explanation of category: Show the design of your creature from multiple angles, varying poses and or depths. The point of this is to help the believability of your design in showing the same species from varying points of view so we get a sense of a living, breathing creature in action. It's going to help you to explore the movement of your design, how the anatomy works and how the creature may look from a few different perspectives or specific motions (In this case, in varying motions of Flight as you'll explore creating a Flock of flying creatures fitting the topic). Granted producing a whole flock of creatures is time consuming, so a minimum of 4 creatures is acceptable and if you should choose to put 1 or two in silhouette that's perfectly fine. Though it would be more to your benefit to produce at least 3 varied poses of flight/movement.

Extended Deadline: MONDAY Jan. 18th 2010 - 11p.m. [EST]
This will be flexible for the first week or two.
Topic Guidelines + Rules: Try to vary the angle of your design so there are at least 4 noticeable differences from one to the next concerning the movement of flight. Whether you choose to produce a flying creature with wings or not, at least show varying (movements) of flight if there are no wings. Wings don't need to be conventional or practical. If you'd like to add a character or another living element for scale, go ahead, but the main focus should be on the creature. Harnesses, cloth, straps etc. are all fine if you should choose to incorporate such elements in your design. Whether you choose to incorporate a background/environment is up to you, though it isn't necessary for this topic.

Relevant links: None for this Topic.
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General Activity Info: Only need to read this once.
Creature Planets is a Weekly Activity on CGHUB, covering creature design, creature illustration and creature creation of all related genres and entertainment industry venues. Though there are no obligations of any kind, I'd like to encourage participants to post thumbnails, sketches, work in progress images and final images as they move along with their entries. Please don't keep everything secret, working on your image in private only to post it at the very last hour as a surprise. The point of sharing sketches and work in progress material is so everyone can learn from each other, receive crits, compliments and improve their skills in a classroom/workshop like environment. There are no teachers and no students per say, but try to offer help to others when possible. Please be open to receiving crits, and paint-overs or mock ups of your work, as we are all here to participate, have fun, learn, grow and enjoy what each week has to offer.
Although there will ultimately be a winner at the end of the week, this isn't about competition, who's better, popularity or anything of the kind. The real reward here should be your own improvement and your own goals. Let this be more about sharing, learning, improving and building your knowledge and portfolio in the area of creature design with those who share the same interest. This activity is open to everyone, including new and old members, amateurs and working professionals alike.

Posting Info: Final Images + Voting Info Only need to read this once.
Please post all images using CGHUB's attachment manager, and keep images at a reasonable size IE; 1000-1200 pixels in width or height. Images posted smaller or slightly larger are fine, just don't get out of control. If you need help posting using the attachment manager, send me a PM or ask someone else in this thread publicly and you'll be helped. Feel free to provide a name for your creature and a bit of background information. It's not necessary, but the option to explain things further in text form is available, just don't write a book on it. A New thread for all Final images will be created. ONLY 1 image can be presented as your Final. The main reason for using CGHUB to host the image is so there are no dead links, especially when images are posted in the Finals thread for voting.

[Toastage]

This looks wicked! I will try and participate, thanks Mike

[SCWatson]

Very cool. Looking forward to seeing what everyone comes up with!

~S

[naetronic]

Looking forward to this Activity - Quick question: on the Final image should we post a multiple pose (model type sheet) or are we supposed to concentrate on one finished illustration?

[SuperJMan]

i have to say i am excited

[acb]

cool! tho i didnt get it ~_~ ...we need to creat 3 creatures(from the same kind? or different ones?) and display each of them in 4 different angles @_@ ?

[pegahoul]

groan.. so many good contests this month...
and I just happen to have a flying creature that needs turnaround.
I got to finish that Greek Myth one quick...

[Luca]

Thank Mike, it's going to be cool and challenging at the same time. Will do my best this week.

All the best

[Thujon]

Mike, this is stunning and really awesome!

Thank you for your great effort to pull such a big thing!

Ill of course try to participate!

Regards

[the_seeker]

Thanks for the cool activity. Hope I'm posting this in the right place, if not... sorry. Here's an initial rough sketch of what I thought my swiftwing might look like...

[MikeCorriero]

Originally Posted by naetronic

Looking forward to this Activity - Quick question: on the Final image should we post a multiple pose (model type sheet) or are we supposed to concentrate on one finished illustration?

It shouldn't be a model sheet. I suppose it should be more of an illustration, though you don't need to include a background/environment if you don't want to, or if you don't have time to. You're not looking to create an ortho or turn around for this. It's more like seeing a flock of birds (same species), and how they may all have varied angles, seen from different points of view, wings in different poses and they are all seen performing different actions of movement. You "Do Not" have to give your creature wings, though the topic swift(wings) may suggest it, they don't have to be conventional or practical wings. Hope that answers the question.

This image is Crowded as Hell but this should show you what I'm getting at concerning how birds are in different poses, angles, actions of movement in flight.
http://www.ineedhits.com/free-tools/...rds-782524.jpg

Originally Posted by acb

cool! tho i didn't get it ~_~ ...we need to creat 3 creatures(from the same kind? or different ones?) and display each of them in 4 different angles @_@ ?

The same species of creature, they don't all have to be from different angles. For example: If your creature has wings, show one with its wings up high, and another creature with the wings flapping down (that would show two different actions of movement). It would be as if you designed a seagull and drew 4 of them in flight in different poses. See my above answer to naetronic, which also answers more in depth.

[Kitterfly]

Wow the_seeker, I love it!!!

I've been sketching out a couple of rough ideas... I was trying to avoid the overly bird-like, as i'd just be tempted to draw one of my previous designs, so i'd like to try a new creature really...

At the moment i've taken the title of the challenge pretty loosely... I haven't done anything art-related in FAR too long, so I just wanted to get sketching!



1. Not so much winged... More of an air floater...

2. Weird silhouette of a butterfly/bat type thing.

3. Initial idea of number 4

4. I think so far this one is my favourite...

5 & 6. My namesake, Kitterfly As much as I love them and have actually stolen them from my work-in-progress art book hehe, I don't in all honesty think that they lend themselves particularly well to too much flight imagery.

7. No idea what this one is, but I kinda like it I appear to have left the wings off it though haha... in my pencil sketch it's got tiny feeble wings. Again, not much good really for a flock of them in flight.

I'd love to know everyones' thoughts so far!

B x

[SCWatson]

This may, or may not, be helpful in getting some ideas for unusual flying animals. These guys are insane, but it's a cool flight reference video




Here's another on bird flocks. The interesting thing about flocks of birds, and schools of fish, is that they function on the same principal as cell reaction - while collectively they appear to be working in concert, they're not precisely. Individuals react to the individual next to them or some external stimulus, which in turn is reacted to by the larger group and creates some of the breath taking collective dynamics we see in flight.



And a school of fish for comparison.



We may only be illustrating four individuals, but I think it helps to know what type of environmental factors a "flocking" animal would deal with - how they operate within their group in this case.

Anyway, hope this helps

Best,
~S

[Luca]

Here are two thumbnails, and ideas I have in mind. I was thinking to take on the first one. Mike, please let me know if the compositions are wrong.



All the best everyone.

[BMJ]

Great challenge, had to abandon the greek myths to jump on this 1!

Gonna run with my 1st concept as its only a week () turn around...

...thought I would sketch some anatomy elements and elaborate in the final peice development

all the best

[Kitterfly]

Luca, I really like the 2nd one!

and BMJ, that is an AWESOME creature!



x

[Vancross]

I just thought I would have a go and jotted down the first thing that popped into my head.

[MichaelJanzen]

Luca, I like your concepts and the sketches have a lot of good information. The only critique I have is about your first composition. Each creature is spread out evenly across the illustration. To make it look more organic I suggest re-arranging the creatures. Make some further or closer to each other. Lots of energy and movement in both! Nice stuff!

[naetronic]

Oregano - How about the Comp Winner gets One of those insane Flight Suits!
Seeker - Nice stuff, is it hairy or feathered?
Kitterfly - Im digging 4 but I think 7 has potential as well.
Luca - Looks a bit too much like dragons, what makes them unique?
BMJ - Good Start Friend!
Vancross - Cool Concept!
Here's a few ideas I'm playing with at the moment; feed back is more than welcome!

[SCWatson]

Originally Posted by naetronic

Oregano - How about the Comp Winner gets One of those insane Flight Suits!

HAHAH *riiiiiiight*

I'll let ya take that up with Mike ;P