My entry for this week's ChoW at ConceptArt.org. As usual with my entries over there, I am waaaayy out of my league. But that which does not kill us makes us stronger.... (Or possibly demoralizes us into a state of catatonia.)

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Nick Avallone
AngryFungus Art Blog | Sketchbook

Nice (I did reply in your WIP thread too - been offline for much of the weekend). Good flow and movement in this pic. I watched the latest Pirates Of The Carribean on Friday night, and this reminds me of it.

Nice Character Smolin, Your composition has a nice flow to it.

Great design and characterisation.

I feel as though I hoped she'd pass by without seeing me, but at the last minute she's spotted my presence, and is now turning for the kill.

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Nice work. I really like the positioning of the figure and especially the tentacle hair. It really feels like she's floating in water.

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Mark Hammermeister
http://www.markdraws.com
http://markdraws.blogspot.com
http://www.twitter.com/markdraws

Thanks for the encouragement, folks! It helps abate somewhat the crushing disappointment of having received only a single vote for this piece, and the fact that I finally opened up the latest IFX (Issue 81 -- I'm slow) to discover a very similar character design, only done with infinitely more skill and finesse. [:'(]

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Nick Avallone
AngryFungus Art Blog | Sketchbook

I know where you are coming from Smolin. There has been a couple times where I have done a piece, and later saw a similar piece by someone else. It is very humbling, but

great fuel to keep at it. I still think your character looks great.

Personally I prefer yours smolin. The techniques in your picture could be refined a little (the teeth look quite 2D for example), but what it lacks in technique it makes up for with feel. I think em hit the nail on the head:

em...:

I feel as though I hoped she'd pass by without seeing me, but at the last minute she's spotted my presence, and is now turning for the kill.

Exactly how I feel looking at it.

Smolin I think yours looks more fun than the IFX piece! 

 

Thanks guys! It's always about taking your lumps, dusting off, and getting right back to work, I guess.

In any case, I'd like to go in and give her some more polish, aocdb, but it's intimidating. I have a tendency to render the life out of things, so lately I've been making a conscious effort to stop myself from getting too picky, but then often don't polish up quite enough. Still working that out!

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Nick Avallone
AngryFungus Art Blog | Sketchbook

Smolin:

I have a tendency to render the life out of things, so lately I've been making a conscious effort to stop myself from getting too picky, but then often don't polish up quite enough. Still working that out!

 I can sympathise completely - hard to know when to stop eh!?