January 2021 - Hatchery - Final entries

I'm really struggling to get back into this one so I'm calling it done too.

As usual I had all these ideas about how the Hatchery was a parasitic infestation of some kind of barely self aware species that they used as shock troops to infiltrate behind enemy lines and release the eggs to feed on the opposing army, how the eggs took on different purposes depending on where they attached to their host like some would become optical senses and some would control the brain but I just cant seem to visualise it in any successful way.

My thought process once again outstrips my skill set.

Oh well heres the final:

Wip 1

Weird side track (aka Wip 2)

Wip 3

I've run my battery down trying to fix this so it can't be fixed any more.

Three Range Eggs



And now I need a charge.

Atto: You did some excellent anatomy work on all your Wips and that shows through on the final image. The pose has a great balance and purpose to it, showing the creature striding forwards in a believably dynamic way, and the colour scheme works well to define the edges and the depth of that figure.
Also it showed wonderful imagination to interpret the brief as a character concept. The instant I saw that I immediately wished I'd had an idea like that.

Charlotte: Your pic also makes me wish I'd had better ideas, not to mention the edge-making skills too. I love the solidity you've brought to that egg with the soft shading at the bottom, and the dark growth at the top is an interesting design that contrasts against all the other vibrant colours. I also like that reflected sheen you got on the glass. I wanted my big baby eggs to have that kind of texture and didn't quite achieve it. The other thing I'd like to have in my pic is something like that crisp pattern on the ground plane. It's subtle enough that it's not intrusive but still gives the sense of something sci-fi and high tech.

For my vote I think I'm gonna go for Charlotte. Atto's shows terrific imagination and skill, and knowing the story behind it is fascinating, but I'd rather see some more of that suggested in the background rather than reading about it. Also a touch of shadow at the feet would help to ground the character and suggest the space and world it lives in.
Charlotte's pic is much more self-explanatory and it does successfully achieve a lot of things that I tried and failed to do in my pic. It would work well as a concept piece and even as a book cover too with that nice symmetrical design. And if I did see a book with that cover I would happily pick it up with a good idea of what the story would be about.

Firstly, thank you Val. After coming up with what seemed to me a very strong concept I was really frustrated that I was unable to flesh it out in any successful way, you're critique as usual is spot on, I just wish I could have done the idea justice.

Right onto my C&C.

I love the crispness of your image Charlotte and its simple but effective design. The detailing on the fauna within the tank is great and I really dig the patterning on the egg and its little tufty top. The green neon like glow from the right gives the design a nice solidity that I think would be missing without it and the way it picks out the edges of the pipe work is really well done.

Val, your entry has the kind of 'wholeness' that I wanted to capture in mine but failed to do. It's a completed concept with great details and the sense of light is wonderful. I really like the way all the machinery is oversized compared to the figures, echoing the scale of those foetus' (foeti?). The simple colour palette is very effective though I do think you could have pushed the centres of those red lights further toward white to make them pop a little more. That main foetus (singular this time thank god) also reminds me of the final part of 2001, it's strangely alien yet recognisable at the same time.

So my vote this month is for Val.

Sorry i have not been around for a while been quite ill in hospital. I have not been painting and not following what is happening but Val gats my vote today.

Well, I hope you're starting to feel better now.