[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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Topic #06 :: March 12th 2010
Topic: Polyfemus - Gas Giant Polyfemus is a planet, a gas giant the size of Saturn that the moon Pandora from "Avatar" orbits around. Your (Gas Giant - creature) lives on Polyfemus.
The planet is called Polyfemus and in the video it's referred to as a gas giant the size of Saturn.
The creature is also called a Gas Giant and is supposed to live on Polyfemus.

Category: Existing Franchise
Explanation of category: This is an existing franchise you're going to build upon. Do a little research on the existing universe to which your creature will exist within, in this case we know nothing about Polyfemus other than it being a gas giant. So research will be taken from Pandora, which is the closest research possible. There may be other creatures, plants, characters, habitats and worlds involved within the universe you're designing this creature for, so make it feel like it belongs.

Deadline: Thursday March. 25th 2010 - 11p.m. [EST]
Topic Guidelines + Rules: Based on the image of Polyfemus and the notion that it is a gas giant, design a creature that lives within this world's implied gaseous atmosphere. You may want to research other planets which are referred to as gas giants ie; Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune. Note: Your creature does NOT need to be "made of" Gas, but it can be if you want it to.

Relevant links & info: Research: Watch "PANDORA DISCOVERED". The creatures of Pandora will give you a small glimpse into what the world Polyfemus could potentially contain. Remember it is said to be a gas giant, but that is all we know.

PANDORA DISCOVERED

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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.

[Scribblehead]

No rest for the wicked, eh mike? :P

Sweet topic though, dunno if i'll have time to participate, but its hard sooo hard to resist...

[Steve_Somers]

Nice one! Polyphemus is also the Giant Cyclops that Odysseus stabbed in the eye in the Odyssey. Must be a reference to the big swirling eye....

here's more on the avatar universe: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fiction...erse_of_Avatar

and here's a link to the guy who deserves at least some credit for inspiring the whole look of that movie (though none was given):
http://www.rogerdean.com/

[Scribblehead]

Great find Steve

Here's a few pages i came across while looking for reference and ideas.
http://www.daviddarling.info/encyclo...bble_life.html
http://www.daviddarling.info/encyclo...piterlife.html

[MikeCorriero]

Just a quick idea, this would be a gentle giant much like a whale. There is a small scale diagram with what would be a Navi. The creature would float in the atmosphere (with a body structure containing similarities to birds, shrimp and jellyfish)...and I'm thinking the frail limbs could somehow be used to grab and perch onto floating mountains that could be possible similar to Pandora's Hallelujah mountains.

[Steve99]

Whoa, nice challenge. Work permit I will try to participate! ^___^

PS: I love CGHUB!!!

[Grumbleputty]

Just joined this fantastic site, and thought I'd dive into the deep end with an entry. This is a WIP, which I'll try to expand on over the next few days.

I envision it as a sort of "angry umbrella"- a wind-borne pack predator which latches onto its' prey (large gas-bladder creatures I'd imagine) and stab with their forearm daggers, using the backwards-curving spikes on the bottom of their lower jaws to hold on.

I'd imagine some sort of bioluminescent spots are needed to help it relate to the existing Avatar universe.

Your thoughts and opinions are welcome, and feel free to be brutal- I'm used to criticism!

[acb]

im kinda confused, the gas giant refers to the planet or to the creature? and if its for the creature we are supposed to make a gas giant creature on a gas giant planet?

[MikeCorriero]

Originally Posted by acb

im kinda confused, the gas giant refers to the planet or to the creature? and if its for the creature we are supposed to make a gas giant creature on a gas giant planet?

The planet is called Polyfemus and in the video it's referred to as a gas giant the size of Saturn.
The creature is also called a Gas Giant and is supposed to live on Polyfemus.

[Grumbleputty]

Originally Posted by MikeCorriero

The planet is called Polyfemus and in the video it's referred to as a gas giant the size of Saturn.
The creature is also called a Gas Giant and is supposed to live on Polyfemus.

guess I should have read that more carefully... looks like it's back to the drawing tablet!

[dman3d]

well here is my start, see if I can make it through this one

update

[Steve99]

dman3d your creature have a nice shapes and design! -_^

[Brynn_Metheney]

Awesome sketches so far everyone! Great starts!

I think sea-life will be a big inspiration here. I was definitely looking through some of Blue Planet and deep sea pictures for ideas.

Hope I can find time to do this challenge. I'm visiting family next week.

[dman3d]

thanks Steve99

Not sure I will bother any further but its fun getting into these for practice. I have not seen avatar yet but guessing at the theme of an exisiting franchise. Looks like from the clips camaron took everything from his deep sea experiences with titanic and what not, makes sense. I keep this notion of the gas giant, well, being gaseous so fluid shapes come to mind. The shapes came originally from those seed pods from pine trees that helicopter down to the ground but the shapes around the head ended up being sort of lion fish-ish. I did another before this but tossed the idea due to really crappy execution, but might combine the two, this one feels too familiar now, too fish like so might just toss it too.

Brynn - Not a bad idea referencing deep sea critters, all sort of weird stuff down there. Liquid and gaseous dense environments seem to be cousins in my mind.

Ok update, splicing first and second together. Cant remember the name but its jellyfish looking things that link together in long chains. Sort of like that.
Soft airy body that can move through the differing layer of density in the gasses. Even has barbs to "pull" itself through/between denser pockets. Sort of
slinking throught the cracks. It inhales/ingests the light gases for sustenance/materials to live and create more pods. Any section that breaks off will
grow its own "head" and become a new individual, technically a colony.

Another update, too much fail going on here too, may have to ditch again

[Steve_Somers]

Howdy folks! I see there's already some cool sketches for this which will no doubt become killer finished pieces.

So, on mine I don't think I'm really treading too much unique territory that you guys haven't already touched upon (sort of a fish / insect / thing that could float in dense gas)... So I may try some different approaches based on research into Jupiter and Saturn. I think once I can picture the environment better in my mind, that will suggest some different creature designs. What I've read so far talks about Metallic Hydrogen and Helium, and the rocky / metallic core of the planet that's still many times bigger than earth -- so maybe different ecosystems exist at different altitudes? Maybe some live right on the core? Who knows?

Anyway, still early stages for me. Here's a couple drawings and a color comp to start.

This guy would live on the core and shoot gas into the atmosphere:


and this guy basically grazes on gas the way whales graze on plankton:

and with some quick colors and gas clouds thrown in: