CGAN March 2016 - The Last Stand - WIPs

The Last Stand

Brief: This months challenge was taken from the suggestions thread and was posted by Rorke. This is an open brief, interpret the title as you want.

Deadline: Thursday 31st of March, by midnight GMT.

This is where you post your WIPs. Final entries should be posted over here: cgartnexus.com/index.php/forums/current-...nd-final-entry#13445

Challenge rules and guidelines:
cgartnexus.com/index.php/forums/challeng...s/39-challenge-rules

Rules in brief:

• All challenge entries must be your own work.
• You should post at least two WIP images that are clearly different from your final entry and each other.
• Your final entry should contain your image (inserted so it shows up full size) and at least two links to your WIP posts on the forum.
• No chatter in the finals thread – if you have questions, post them in the WIP thread or PM an admin.
• Feedback is allowed & encouraged together with the voting and in the WIP thread.
• Deadline is given in UK time (midnight GMT) with a grace period of 5 minutes for getting the post sorted.
• Each member may cast one vote
• No cheating! Admins may decide to disqualify an entry that does not adhere to the above rules.

Good reminder. I wanted to read the same-named book by Steven King long ago.

I remember watching that on tv 23 yrs ago, although the ending was disappointing

I've been using opacity brushes like mad, and trying to avoid the watercolor look, so decided to take my initial idea, and put it through a photoshop filter to get the sharp solid edges, please forgive me, i'm going to paint over it, just using it as a guideline

Micro: Nice start there. People usually use filters at the end of a picture so it's interesting to see someone use it at the start.

Being a Walking Dead fanboy this brief just made me think of one (terribly unoriginal) thing: the last living human facing off against the horde of zombies! And after seeing other people do it so well in recent challenges, I thought I'd have a go at one of those tilted compositions. (Unoriginal again!)







I surprised myself at how much progress I made today but I'm sure there will be plenty of problems just around the corner.

Micro: I'm intrigued to see where you take this. A lovely sense of scale already and your hinting at a way of life that is completely alien to us - good stuff.

Val: Wow tats progress with a capital 'P'! The beta version of H1Z1 had a similar connection screen (not played it for a while so I don't know if they still use it). Can already hear the moans of all those zombies.

Here's my initial sketch: A scene from one of David Gemmels books depicting the last stand of Jaim Grymauch as he stands over the form of Maev Ring who has been sentenced to death.

Atto: Sadly the last "proper" game I played (ie not mobile) was Half Life 2 so perhaps I was inspired by the scary Ravenholm chapter, but I should have made it a crowbar instead of an axe.
I've just had a search for that H1Z1 image and I see what you mean. (Unoriginal to the end, am I.) But that will be just perfect for my hand reference. (That was one of the dreaded problems I was thinking of.)

Another great pose in your pic, by the way. You sketch them out in a very convincing way. And that shadow cast over the other figure looks very dramatic and symbolic.

I mentioned the H1Z1 image as a source of inspiration Val, un original it may perhaps be but it works! It wasn't supposed to be a dig at your idea

I'm glad you noticed that shadow and its symbolic undertone, I was concerned it may not have read correctly. I have now extended the canvas to the left so I can add in the mob of guards descending on Jaim, just their heads and spears, swords and spiky sticks.
Oh and Cherry, please don't judge the book by that half assed mini series Micro mentioned, it is, to me, Steven Kings greatest work.

And good inspiration it will be! You've saved me the effort of trawling through Google images for correctly angled hands. My wooden hand mannikin can only do so much.
But I do despair at my own generic and familiar "ideas." I'm always happy to moan about it myself even when others don't.

I kinda liked the first part of The Stand when it was focussed on the virus and epidemic but I tend to lose interest in Stephen King when he goes all apocalyptic and OTT. I still prefer Misery. (In every sense of the phrase )
However I'm completely unfamiliar with David Gemmell's books. I had to look it up to see who that character was.

I don't know what it is, I seem to be rushing through this challenge too Val, I usually run into problems early on so I think some how skipped over those but like you said sure there will be tons later

I don't think your stuff is familiar or generic (but you do have a signature style that all artists have), maybe you think that because you need a change of scenery, go on a trip or read a new epic set of novels to refresh your inspiration, although your zombie pic is looking awesome so far They all look different, with appropriate freaky looks, lots of character. I hope seeing an axe dripping with blood gets other people excited too!

Atto, i'm loving the action poses you have going on so far, especially the guy clutching the wall. So much drama you definitely picked a unique idea, and also you forced me to do research so I can enjoy it more.

Wow Micro I love this! I have absolutely no idea what is going on but I love it.

I'm glad both you and Val took the time to look up David Gemmell. They're a series of books that very special to me as both my father and I read every single one, swapping as we finished (we did a similar thing with John Normans Gor series but I never really got into them as much). It's something we will always share and we were both inspired by Gemmells sense of heroics and humanity.

I've done some more to mine but its taking an age, I have redrawn his face many times (that's what I've been doing for the last 5 hours) but am still not happy with it.

Any tips would be gratefully received.