[choo]

Ancient Icons
Deadline: July 9th, 2011, 12:00 am EST

We're asking you to create an image true to the spirit of an ancient art style/method.
We're all inspired, in one way or another, by the art of ancient civilizations. Select a method of working that is true to your ancient inspirations, using study and research to create an image that is true to the culture you are trying to represent.


You are limited by the style you select, but please feel free to create your own special characters, gods, creatures, etc. As long as it seems like it belongs to the culture/style, you're on the right track!
Here are a few examples of what you may use as your inspiration:

-Chinese/Japanese/Tibetan silk paintings, woodblock prints, or lacquer paintings
-Aztec/Mayan/Incan temple walls and masonry
-Roman murals and paintings
-Egyptian hieroglyphs- carved, painted, or on papyrus
-Middle Ages illuminated manuscripts and books
-Petroglyphs- Aboriginal, Native American, etc.

You are tasked to create your image with believability in mind. Half of your work is focused on creating a believable ground for your image, and half is making your depicted subject fit well with your classical inspiration.

It may help picturing yourself doing this for, say, National Geographic- who has tasked you with painting an image that recreates a discovered artifact in all its glory.

[kittensoft]

Definitely an interesting idea, and a good opportunity for trying new styles Hope I have time to enter this one...about when will the due date be?

[choo]

Knew I forgot something, thanks kittensoft )

[Peter_Coene]

Would it be ok to take it the other way? To take inspiration from a very stylized image in some cultures wall carvingn or other imagery, and come up with a realistic, anatomically correct creature that could have inspired such imagery? In this idea, the anatomy would need to corespond to an animal that would be suited to survive in the terrain where the culture existed. (for example, dextrous animals able to climb trees and navigate dense forests would be out of place in the Egyptian desert, while a plodding clumsy creature built with flat feet to avoid sinking in sand and reserve water supplies would be great in said desert but have trouble in jungles or on mountainous areas with sharp rocks and difficult footholds.)

From an anatomical point of view I think this would be more advantagious than trying to match one's drawing to a cultural art style that may not be the most anatomically correct.

[choo]

I do think that such a thing could be done within the confines of this challenge- if handled correctly. It's honestly at your discretion- I would just ask that the creature/image you present is immediately identifiable in terms of where it came from/what inspired it.

[Peter_Coene]

Well, figure I'll start puting some images up. Heres a bit of a take on Mayan style sculpture, as well as some doodles for the creature that might have inspired such an image. I think I'm going to make an ecorche anatomical sculpture of this guy.

[Peter_Coene]

Um, well, I guess what I got in will have to suffice. The ecorsche is taking a bit longer than expected and I have been a bit too bust with my jobhunt.

[JohnSilva]

Peter_Coene, unfortunately what you got in is not enough to make into the final, I know you were the only one to post but its a sketch only, i'm going to close this thread and hopefully see you on the next one

Anatomicae #14 - Fantasy Anatomy