Scared Silly Entry By Cori Bucklin

[ravioli_rancher]

My speed scribbles:

NightOwlNorton201.jpg

This was my first concept: A Family of Super Halloweeners (adoping the moniker 'The Night Owls') on their way home from Trick 'r Treating, take a wrong turn, and end up in the Halls of the Great Pumpkin Slugs.

NightOwlsConceptSculpt001.jpg

However, after doing a quick 3d concept in ZBrush 3.1 it became obvious that the number of 3D slugs would probably be too overwhelming, and the stylized form of Night Owls wouldn't read so well. Unless I slapped them the into center of the composition:

NightOwlsConceptPose01.jpg

But, then the slugs would shrivel away, and loose their impact. Plus, ZBrush started Autozooming everytime I tried to lineup a ground plane as a subtool, and scarred the sillies out of me. Plus, I'm sure, in the history of super heroes, somebody's already copywrited the term "Night Owls,' and the term 'The Great Pumpkin' is about as heavily guarded and defended a concept as is humanly possibly. I swore in protest of legal constraints. :mad:

So, I scribbled again:

BackBroomEvaluator01.jpg

This concept suggests a young witch failing miserably at her first Broom Flying test. A Bat has smacked her in her face, her toad has jumped out of her pocket, and she's probably going to fly into a tombstone.

The problems here (apart from a barely readable sketch) are that:

a) This concept is older than Halloween, so not particularly clever, so boring.

b) Bat wings, furry black cats, and starry night skies are a bugger to do well in any medium, let alone the ruthless realms of 3d.

But, if I keep scribbling new concepts, I'll be here until next halloween. So, I'll sleep on it, and probably shoot for the second scribble, with some major composition adjustments. Or, rather, change nothing, just start modeling, and throw everything together at the end, and see what happens. :)


I'll try to use ZBrush and Photoshop for everything, but will probably end up using Lightwave, Messiah, and Blender, for modeling, rendering, and UVMapping.

Phew. Thanks for looking. Hopefully I can finish something for a change. :)


EDIT: 10.02:

StudentHag001.jpg (http://javascript%3Cb%3E%3C/b%3E:zb_insimg%28%2770843%27,%27StudentHag001.jpg%27,1,0%29)

So, I refuse to model slugs afterall, and am already behind on the 3D portion. Thus, I chose to cut corners, nab some of CTRL-Z's brilliant suggestions, and jump face first into the swamp waters of my own making. :D Hopefully, my scribbles will become a bit more readable as 3D blobs. Though, I haven't a clue on how do model an airplane. Bah. How hard could it be? :confused: :mad: Somebody get a noose. :rolleyes:


Edit: 10.04:

The Pumpkin Breed Doodles:

PumpkinBreed01.jpg (http://javascript%3Cb%3E%3C/b%3E:zb_insimg%28%2770979%27,%27PumpkinBreed01.jpg%27,1,0%29)

The plan is to build 5 characters, rising up from the pumpkin patch, at the summoning of the mad-gardener / Genetic Engineer. His nimrod assistiant, Herbert, and his other genetically enhanced frankenpets won't be pleased. Or, if time becomes meddlesome, I'll have him summon one FrankenPumpkin, and it's Bride. Either way.

Thanks for looking.


Edit 10.15

This is the concept. I swear :rolleyes:

BeakrTreat01.jpg

I'm interested in achieving a stylized feather look for the vulture, and a dry, concrete looking cemetary ground.

Hopefully the dramatically reduced time-frame (and recently released Zapplink V3) will help my focus and nudge me to complete this entirely in ZBrush and Photoshop and on time (with nanoseconds to spare, no doubt) . :mad: :rolleyes:

[dustbin1_uk]

You've put alot of thought into this! That first concept looked good, but you may be wise to back off the naming of super hero's.

Looking forward to seeing what you come up with! :tu: :D :tu:

Good luck!

[Ctrl-Z]

I think a big yellow "student driver" sign on the back of her broom will make the intent far more obvious and give you the freedom to explore other dynamics within the same idea.

I'd put the camera behind them -- make the instructor terrified, the student out of control, and they're heading straight into the engine intake of a modern jet plane.

But that's me. ;)

[ravioli_rancher]

dustbin1_UK,

Thank you for commenting and the encouragement. But, after glancing through the early posts of the other entries, I think I better rethink my lousy concepts one more time. And I agree about naming superheroes, though, a hero without a name is just a puny weirdo :lol:



Ctrl-Z,

Your ideas are much much better. So I'm going to kill the witches and the superweeners, and try for something more presentable. Thank you for the inspiration.

[Ctrl-Z]

Ctrl-Z,

Your ideas are much much better. So I'm going to kill the witches and the superweeners, and try for something more presentable. Thank you for the inspiration.Bah. I'm just riffing off of your ideas -- y'all are are the inspiration.

(My own ideas haven't been worth mentioning yet.)

[threetails]

i like where your going, i hope your style of illistration translates into the 3d work, you've got a great personallity to your drawings.

[kzerza]

I really like the second idea you put to paper, especially if you were to add some of ctrl-z's suggested tweaks (student driver sign especially). Now I have to think of a better idea than what I have, so that I can compete :D

[dustbin1_uk]

I like the second idea too! I get the feeling of a terry pratchett book cover. Heh!

Go for it, it's a good'n!:tu: :D :tu:

[ravioli_rancher]

I've updated to a new scribble at the bottom of the first post. But, in case nobody want's to endure the first post again:

StudentHag001.jpg (http://javascript%3Cb%3E%3C/b%3E:zb_insimg%28%2770844%27,%27StudentHag001.jpg%27,1,0%29)

I also considered makeing The Craniumless Cowman, and The Headless Horseman enters a kissing contest. Maybe if this idea starts to annoy me too much I'll switch.


CTRL-Z,

I dig your riffs. Hopefully I can get a chance to say something useful on your initial sketches. :)


threetails,

Thanks for the compliment! I'll try to make the transition from 2D chicken scratch to 3D chicken wire. :lol: Though, I really wish, someday, Wacom would start giving away Cintiques in an all out global scribble fest, where quantity outranks quality. :D


kzerza,

Thank you for the recommendation. If you were thinking of doing something like this then by all means, have at it. In the end, there will be so many entries, overlap is inevitable. Plus, this is a really old joke. So, naturally, anything else you think of, can only be superior. :D


dustbin1_uk,

If Terry Pratchett heard that he might rip off your typin' fingers and eat them. :evil: But, I thank you for daring such a blastphemous suggestion, no matter how tenuous.

[Blaine91555]

Some interesting idea's :tu: I finally put a few down and drove everyone around me nuts making them give opinions.

[Rory_L]

I'd stick with the first idea! It has a succinctness that appeals. The workload looks feasible and if the title were a part of the characters' blurb it might all work well. "You did say turn left at the slime trail?" or "Drat! Dinner got out of the fridge again!"

The slugs are a breeze: you only have to make one and then copy paste it to te canvas after transposing it into new poses.

Good luck!

R

[ravioli_rancher]

Blaine91555 and Rory_L,

Thanks for your comments. Any suggestions are helpful. This challenge is proving to be a lot more complicated than I had anticipated.

In fact, after attemping to construct an airplane, and a bat, and a broomstick, I realized what a load of garbage I was working on. And I was having absolutely no fun, whatsoever.

So, the first two concepts are in the Demonic Drawer of Toxic Enzymes, being messily devoured.

I started doodling 3D heads, and decided to make the Pumpkin Breed:
PumpkinBreed01.jpg (http://javascript%3Cb%3E%3C/b%3E:zb_insimg%28%2770978%27,%27PumpkinBreed01.jpg%27,1,0%29)

The plan, then, is to make serveral characters, rising up from the pumpkin patch, at the summoning of the mad-gardener / Genetic Engineer. His pet frankenrabbit won't be pleased.

I hope to have enough time for 5 Pumpkin Breeds, the Mad Gardener, and a few of his genetically enhanced lab critters.

Anyway, I feel better about this concept, as the initial doodles were MUCH more amusing to sculpt than airplane turbines and tail fins and membranes.

So, back at it tomorrow.

Thanks for looking.

[Marsyas]

I like how you're throwing ideas around. It took me a long time to land on something too.

The pumpkin breed guys idea is really creative. I really like your first sketch with the Super Halloweeners too.

[threetails]

your stuff is coming along nicely, i like the slug pic the best so far. play play play.

[ravioli_rancher]

So, after a computer hiccup, I lost interest in sculpting any of the other concepts, and scribbled some more:

BeakrTreat01.jpg

I'm interested in achieving a stylized feather look for the vulture, and a dry, concrete looking cemetary ground.

Hopefully the dramatically reduced time-frame (and recently released Zapplink V3) will help my focus and nudge me to complete this entirely in ZBrush and Photoshop and on time (with nanoseconds to spare, no doubt) . :mad:

[Marsyas]

Hehe, another cool sketch. :tu: You better get crackin' though!

[dustbin1_uk]

That's the best one so far, half way through though! Tick tock! ;)

[dustbin1_uk]

You gonna make it for the submission? This was one I was interested in seening!

[ravioli_rancher]

dustbin1_uk,

:cool: :rolleyes: :mad:


My energy and motivation to complete this challenge took a massive drop when I tried to produce 3d feathers -- basically when I had to get serious, I couldn't get out of the silly mindset.

The scribbling phase is so much fun, then when I needed to be concered about readable forms and textures, I jellified like a witch in bubble bath.

Also, my time management skills are as dismal as my knowledge of how to get what I want out of ZBrush. Most of my time was spent trying to figure out basics like transposing fingers and fighting with the cursed autozoom.

I'm envious of you and all the contests who managed to stick with it and produce a finished entry. Hopefully, Pixologic will be pleased enough with this innagural contest to present us all with a Christmas theme for December. The prizes needn't be as elaborate as a $2500 Wacom either. Maybe something like covering the costs of a 3D print or limited edition vinyl toy to the best sculpt.

Anyway, thankyou for your comments. You're entry truly captures the essence of the theme, and hopefully places you in the top three. (You're commitment and energy to comment on so many other entries also deserves recognition. You really put a ton into making this contest fun).

If Pixologic offers a Christmas contest, I'll see you there. Until then, wherever you go, first, always lift the sit up and poke around with a plunger, just to be sure.
:D

[dustbin1_uk]

Sure thing I get like this. Too many ideas swimming around, by the time you start your dragged off to other things. Oh well, maybe next time. I know it'll be a good'n!

[Marsyas]

Sorry to hear you never got around to finishing. I'm feeling the opposite right now--I'll probably skip the next contest; this one wore me out. ;)

[ravioli_rancher]

dustbin1_Uk, Marsyas,

Thanks for the continued motivation. 3D demands so much more time than 2D work, hopefully the next challenge will be at least 45 days long. One month for a whole 3d scene is way too much pressure. Only maniacally determined artists such as yourselves are able to succeed under such ruthless conditions. Deadlines need to be more considerate of the chronically lazy and distracted. :D

And Marsyas, eventhough your exhausted now, I bet when the next challenge arrives, and Pixologic starts offering new quad core systems, you won't even remember saying anything about being worn out.

Thanks to both of you for your hard work and making this challenge at the very least fun to watch. :cool: :)

[Marsyas]

Lol, quad core system... yeah, that could be enticing. ;)