CGAN May 2018 - Mermayds

Mermayds

Brief: Just like there's an inktober there's apparently a mermay, which has become a thing without my previously noticing. So in honor of mermay and my ignorance, we'll do some mermayds of our own. Only we do not need to do one each day of the month. One is enough (more is allowed). Any kind of merfolk

Deadline: [strike]May 31st at midnight GMT[/strike] Voting closes at midnight on the 8th of June (Friday night)

This is where you post yourfinal entries. Works in progress should be posted in the thread over here: cgartnexus.com/index.php/forums/challeng...an-may-2018-mermayds

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.

I'm the first to post and I even messed up a bg for the pic... I hope the rest of you will follow suit before deadline though. I wonder why one (I) always think the next pic will be awesome and then it.... isn't...

WIP 1 (new start)
cgartnexus.com/index.php/forums/challeng...mayds?start=10#21231
WIP 2 (something fishy-ish)
cgartnexus.com/index.php/forums/challeng...mayds?start=20#21245
WIP 3 (new face)
cgartnexus.com/index.php/forums/challeng...mayds?start=20#21257
WIP 4 (some color)
cgartnexus.com/index.php/forums/challeng...mayds?start=20#21261

Stumbles in second.

1: Fishing Lines.
2: Fish Fingers. (Yes, that was Banj's joke.)

And a final. (Looks a bit drab next to Charlotte's but...)


(And I know the eyes shouldn't have specular highlights underwater but it looked really odd without. )


PS. Hurry up Banj and get yourself in here!

WIP 1: cgartnexus.com/index.php/forums/challeng...mayds?start=20#21258
WIP 2: cgartnexus.com/index.php/forums/challeng...mayds?start=20#21260
WIP 3: cgartnexus.com/index.php/forums/challeng...mayds?start=30#21264
WIP 4: cgartnexus.com/index.php/forums/challeng...mayds?start=30#21266
WIP 5: cgartnexus.com/index.php/forums/challeng...mayds?start=30#21269

Fin

Voting poll is open and closes on Friday 8th at midnight (note: there is possibly something wrong with the poll timer on the forum at the moment and the poll may not automatically close, so we will shut off voting manually).

I'm gonna dive straight into the voting this month and my vote goes to....
Charlotte!
I think this is the standout pic of the selection with its amazing, eye-catching colours and the imaginative character design that manages to take inspiration from nature and then reshapes it into something new and fresh.
I also really like the background too. The bold shapes are effecively suggestive of an underwater scene without detracting from the details of the main figure. It has so much depth to it too, especially when combined with the slightly faded tones of the tail. And I love those unlit silhouettes that frame the background! Wish I'd put something like that in mine.

Banj.
I always like to see linework developing like that, even though I can never manage to learn from it. Nice to see a scary mermaid too. So much better than those predictable, pretty-faced fish-women cliches.
The "dotty" half-tone shading (that's another thing I can't do!) separates the tentacles very well into understandable 3D forms and that bold, stark black is awesome, making it a powerful, arresting image.

Atto.
There aren't enough hours in the day to finish all the things you want to do. It was interesting to see a more narrative approach to the brief and this would have been a good one.

Kodabble.
Mermaid in a goldfish bowl?
Genius!
I would have posted that straight in the finals thread where it belongs rather than putting it with ropey wips like mine.

I haven't decided whom to vote for yet, but here's ome feedback...

Atto - would have loved to see this in the finals, and like Val said it's got a very nice narrative element to it!
Kodabble, likewise would be nice to see it develop. A crit would be the strong lines from the hip down which sort of makes it look like she's got her bum beneath her tummy and legs rather than a tail... It's a bit confusing to the eye.

Valence, I really like this "nice and quiet" little mermaid even if she may be unoriginal. She makes up for that in the way she looks at the viewer and all that personality in her face, in my opinion. I do have a few crits... For managing one of those "T&A" poses, it seems you didn't actually work much on either boobs or bum... Her tail could use a better defined anatomy/structure and I think her boobs are a bit on the indistinct blurry side (come on, mermaids are the perfect excuse to paint boobs!) I also think her hair should be a bit more "bouyant" with at least strands striving towards the water surface (it could also be a bit softer and blurrier as hair often seems to look very soft in water).
However, I do love her face, her hands (yes!) and the highlights from the water crests above, on her skin. She's the kind of mermaid you'd LIKE to meet.

Which brings me to Banj's mermaid. This I would NOT like to meet... Not quite as elegant as some, this skinny, teethy thing is... scary. I think the nearest boob might be placed sligfhtly too close to the armpit, but.... maybe that's how these things look? The black and white makes for a very stark image and I like the halftone pattern. And for some reason I especially like the choice to make a larger white bubble for a black signature, rather than just doing a white signature on black...

I think I will have to decide which one to vote for, during the weekend...

Back from a three week hiatus - well I did have a few days off but I've been working away nearly every day for 21 days. I'm sorry that I couldn't finish mine but thanks for all the words of encouragement.
On to business.
Banj - Black and white can be so effective when handled well and you handled it like a master here. I did think of going down the scary mermaid route but as I'm so pathetic at finishing anything these days I'm glad someone else did it! My only crit would be with regard to that far shoulder that seems to sit a little high but thats really just splitting hairs.

Val - See you can do hands!! That refracted light on her body is just brilliant and the sense of depth beneath the water is great. The break between above and below the waterline is really well handled and the reef has a lovely organic feel to it. I am slightly disturbed though - it's the first time I've ever been attracted to a fishes bum!

Charlotte - For me this is the most effective mermaid of the lot. I think you've reimagined the typical mermaid amazingly well and have just the right mix of fish to woman to push the design just far enough that it is still recognisable. I'm loving the colours and markings on her and all the little details like her webbed fingers, her waist fins and little feely protrusions on her chin. The only drawback for me is the background (says he, King of the underworked bg). I would have liked some more detail there. I also have that 'this is going to be a masterpiece' feeling at the start of every one of my pics but have never really accomplished what is in my minds eye. (my elemental is going to be amazing though!)

My vote this month is going to.........
Charlotte! - for the awesome character design.

I was very torn. When Charlotte posted her entry I thought this is easy I just vote for Charlotte. Then I came in to post mine and valence had posted and I thought what the... damn you valence now you made me have to think about it with my brain.

So after thinking about it with my brain I voted for Charlotte. In the end it both are well painted so it came down to creative design. Perhaps a bit more could have been done on the background (you know, like the masses of detail I skilfully put into my background ), and there could have been a little clearer separation where the tail curls back behind her body so it doesn't blend in so much at first glance.

Valence, it's all done very nicely, including the hands. There is something about it that makes her look massive. Possibly the fact that she is close to the surface, but the background fades into darkness so suddenly it suggests she is much deeper. Then again you might have intended her to be gigantic in which case it isn't a huge problem... er (though the fish would be a different scale then... , puns, stop...).

*bump*
voting closes at midnight tonight! (UK time)