Santharian Development

Here she is finally, Gouran (Avath'cao).  A few notes about this picture.  I realize most Injeren elves are blonde, However I depicted Gouran with black hair due to her transformation into Gouran.  " When she came out from the depth of Tak’dinal there was a dark beauty about her. All of the light and tenderness had been sucked out, only to be replaced by the cold perfection of a statue."  

I also realize there may not have been Warg-Wolf Beasts at this time in history.  Again I took some artistic licence.  Considering Gouran used an army that partially was spawned by the dark evil of Tak'dinal I imagine Wolf Beasts could be included.  Eckra the Cruel had Warg Beasts after all.

Finally I depicted two Orcs loosely based off of the Rhom-Oc Orcs and the Osther-Oc Orcs.  Again the fact that this setting is quite a long time ago, I don't expect the Orcs would have appeared exactly as they do today.

Let me know what you think.  I will be out of town this weekend so I will get to any changes as soon as I can next week.

P.S. I am looking forward to drawing the Forsaken Blade for my next project.  A little less complex of an undertaking.

Impressive, as usual... Now I'm going to have to read this entry ^.^

Another point on the Warg.  Garret points out that it may be too small and not red enough to be a Hellhound (Warg Beast)  Let me know what you think.  I can certainly make it redder and bigger very easily or we could classify it as a different type of Warg  altogether.  Matters not to me.

If its not too much of a change, I feel the Hellhound would be the best fit. In my view they are meant to have been actual creatures durin' the War of the Chosen and have more of a mythical aspect now as they disappeared after the War. Would also work with lack of saddle. I haven't really set out the apperance for this creature, but the height is already decided on in the Rast entry, makin' it the largest. I picture it havin' thicker legs, a taller torso, fur that is a somewhat faded flame red color, with blood red or yellowish orange eyes. (Thar thoughts?)

As for the current warg, one thing that sticks out is the neck. Kinda like the head's bent too far up for the angle. Anyways, don't have alot of time in the mornin' and gotta get ready for school.

*pulls out Thesaurus*  hmmm... I've used wonderfu... great.... terrific... awesome....I'm running out of superlatives here Seeker... :)


oh... Stupendous job Seeker.  Love it  :buck:

:clap2: :clap2: Bravo, Seeker. You have surely made an old Orc (and several others) entirely happy with this single picture!

Now then, some comments.....

I shall let Garrett deal with the Warg/Hellhound, as she has more firm ideas than I about this beast.

The foreground Orc is undoubtedly an Oster-oc female. The overall slenderness of her frame and head preclude her being male, as they are generally much thicker-set/muscular.
Her garb and shield are very suggestive of her being some kind of Elite Guard, although they wear all-black when on guerilla operations, so this is obviously some other battle. I like her war-paint as well. Simple but effective. Although they tend to have these designs on their legs as well. Her sword and armour are obviously not Orcen, looking instead suspiciously Elven in design. We must assume that they are the spoils of war, not uncommon throughout the tribes.

The Rochock (Wargrider) is probably not Osther, as they tend to ride Boardrak. However, this is a fairly recent development, and without knowing when the depicted event took place I can't be certain. For those who are interested, Alysse and I decided that Choan would have considered the amount of meat needed to feed a large contingent of Wargs better utilised in feeding her troops, therefore she decided to seek a cheaper alternative. The Wargs' tendency to attack it's rider also played a part in this decision.
I think you may be right, Seeker. The Rochok is probably Rhom-oc, as they have always had an almost telepathic connection with Wargs, and perhaps this extended to Hellhounds as well? The 'no saddle' and 'mane gripping' style is also suggestive of them.

Once again Seeker, you astound me with the rapidity and accuracy of your artwork.

Have a good weekend, whatever you get up to.

This is amazing Seeker, as per usual!

Would you be interested in drawing up a portrait for Drakus Vokynus (A Santharianised Dracula), one of the entries I'm working on at the moment?

I'll find the link to the in progress entry for you!

Decipher

Great job once again, Seeker! :thumbup: Good to see so many fresh drawings being done, especially in a time where Judy, our buys Bard with the paintbrush, is a bit on hiatus. :D

I also see you do your research, and the interpretation with the dark hair is absolutely fine in my book. Again parts of this picture could surely also be cropped and used elsewhere, I always like that. Just listen to our dog/wolf expert (Garret) and our orc guys (like Tharoc) for fixing details here and there, but it's another piece that is straight to the point.

Oh, and a balde next can't be all that wrong - definitely a simpler task than this one methinks, yet also something we'll eagerly integrate!

Another Aura +1 from here, Seeker!

What a dramatic picture!  Very stunning composition and characters, Seeker!  I really like it.  :thumbup:

There are two small technical details that I noticed--the upper arm on the mounted orc seems disproportionately short, especially in comparison to the long forearms.  And Gouran's extended arm seems to be longer than the other one--it's not immediately obvious because the other is partially wrapped in the cloak, but it does look longer.  I only noticed these things the second time I looked at the picture.

I really like the elven woman's face--she's beautiful, but scary beautiful, like your black unicorn.  Reminds me of Lara Flynn Boyle as "Serleena" in Men In Black II   :)

Anyway,  congrats on another great artwork!

Alysse

Hard, chisled, cold, cruel. Perfect image for the elf :) The creepy, bestial, yet almost alien look really works for the warg and orcs, its a great picture all around :)
I'll bet you could also take the warg-rider out, and finish the pose, give the orc entry another great standalone picture.

Thanks for the comments so far.  I can take care of all these comments rather easily.  I will work with Garrett to get the Hell Hound in proper order.  I will be able to provide the Warg, the warg and its rider, and the "female" Orc all in there own pics alone.  They are on separate layers.  Keep the suggestions coming.

Tharoc I didn't even realize I was drawing a female Orc. Did I at least make her good looking?  I can't tell. *Seeker mumbles* Stunted green barbarians.

All right here is the deal.  After doing more research I see that the Hellhound is supposed to be about 2 peds tall.  That is as tall as Gouran herself.  So that combination won't work for this picture.  The options are:

1) Separate the Hellhound and its rider into a separate picture and make it the proper size and color.
2)  Keep the Warg in this picture as is and call it a Rast Warg instead. 

Any votes?

Rast Warg

The Rast is completely different and in the Southern continent. Goin' with one of the current Orc mounts is a better choice. If thats meant to be close to a Rhom-oc I can work up some details on that one or Thar can. Though the no saddle might be an issue. Somethin' to discuss with Tharoc.

However, my vision of the Rhom-oc Warg isn't much different, though with more refined features, but for a older, rougher depiction, it looks good in my opinion aside from a few minor things. Though Tharoc might have a different idea.

I don't mind adding a saddle if it helps. 

@ Seeker: 'Good looking' is'nt a term I've seen applied to an Orcess before now. But as far as it goes, I suppose she is handsome enough, in a 'rough' kind of way.  ;)

As far as the Warg issue goes, if we agree that this is meant to be a Rhom-oc warg, then I'm perfectly happy for it to remain saddle-less. The Rhom-oc have an almost telepathic understanding with their mounts and I would suggest that this allows them to ride 'bare-back' as they would automatically know what the warg was going to do next. Saddle-less and rein-less is the more natural way for them to ride, methinks.
As for size, I'll have a word with Garrett and get back to you asap.

@ Seeker:  Perhaps if you had the warg lying down beside Gouran, then it could still be a Hellhound sized one.  They'd have to lie down in order for their riders to mount anyway.  Just a thought.

Re: good-looking orcesses: Tharoc, what about Choan?  While not necessarily next in line for Playorc's  "Playmate of the Year" Award, she's pretty "good-looking", don't you think? 

@ Tharoc:  Watch it!  *tosses her hair*  :grin:

Sorry, Grun.

*Picks up her hair, blows his nose on it then tosses it back*

Lets make this one a Rhom-Oc Warg.  Garret and Tharoc just let me know what I need to do in order to make it look like one.

As far as the Hell Hound goes.  I think a creature of its magnitute deserves to be the focal point of its own picture.  Making it secondary to to another(even Gouran) does not do it justice.  Once the HellHound has its own entry with all the details I will request to take on the task to draw the Hellhound properly.

I need to consult with Garret about the Rhom-oc Warg, Seeker. She's tasked with developing it.
She's/he's a little busy at the moment, so it may take a few days.

She/he'll be jumping for joy when she/he finds out about the Hell Hound picture!

Well I made the minor suggested changes to Gouran and the she-Orc.  As you can see I took out the Warg for now.  Garret is working on some details for the Rhom-Oc Warg.  I will finish that part of the picture once those are ready.  For now I'll take any more suggestions for the rest of the picture presented here.

That is another great picture, Seeker. I love the way you put her on that hill. I have to copy this at some point ;)

I miss the second orc. Though the composition is now better, because she has more room to the left, which was a bit taken away from the warg, this one female orc is not enough. I miss the one on the other side. Now the orc is her (only?) companion, when the two were in the picture, I had the impression, a whole tribe stands behind her.

Some minor observations:

- Ear - isn't it sitting a bit low? Could be a bit bigger as well.
- The left arm looks a bit awkward, as if she has an additional joint. Why is she hiding it? (Oh, I haven't read the entry) --> edit: She is holding her cape! That is probably the most difficult part of the pic.

 - The bow, is it transparent? it looks, as if the dress is shining through.

- I have some problems with your light /shading. I think at some points there is light where shade should be, but that is difficult to repair, so just leave it this time.

- In my opinion, the female orc needs some  sharper features, not everywhere, but maybe the face and front, as you have done it with the woman. I like very much the effect of Gouran's coat melting with the night, but her face and arm is sharp, the orc misses that, yet.

I like that pattern on her dress, a nice little feature which adds a lot.

The background looks a little bit unfinished as well, maybe try a sharp line somewhere.

I'll work up some warg stuff this weekend, run it by Tharoc, then send it to you. Sorry, but this last week before spring break has been kinda long.

Made the updates that I think/hope Talia was referring to.    Art as I mentioned before it is up to you if you want to use any of this for the current update.    You may want to wait until the Warg portion is complete. Then again, I may also get some more suggestions for improvement.

I'll take the seperate pic of the orcress for now as an additional picture for the Osther-Oc as it was suggested :) The whole picture and its various parts will then be added in the next update at the appropriate entries!

Hey guys,

I would like to finish up this picture of Gouran including the warg and both Orcs.

I have been waiting for Garret to provide a description of a new Rhom Warg because we determined it would be the best fit.  However, Garret , bless her heart, seems to be swamped with school finals and then she will be gone for the summer.  *Seeker gives a nod of approval to Garret for having priorities straight*

Do you guys feel comfortable opening this pic back up for comments and then I can make final changes as is.  I would like to get this finished and posted.  If Garrett provides the Rhom Warg update soon I will make changes.  Otherwise I can always make the changes later and have it reposted.  Then there is no pressure on her.

Ok, so I see that the initial warg will end up at one point as an own picture representing the hell hound, right? Cause the beast definitely is pretty cool, so I'd love to see that one done. And I'm sure Garret being the canine developing person that she is will enjoy writing an entry for that one, eh? :D Well, let's also hope she can provide the basic details to complete the warg that should go into this pic before she disappears in the holidays...

So, anyway, back to this picture - what could still be done? Only thing I can think of is to add a bit more drama to the background, be it the sky or the fog below which looks a bit regular right now. Maybe some transparent fog could be salvaged from the old version of the Kroax picture, and make the scene more eerie (yeah, I admit it, I'm a fog person!). Something in that direction perhaps?

This is a bit confusing so let me clarify.

Garrett is working on two Warg entries.

1) Rhom-Oc Warg- Which is what the warg in this picture will be. I will provide it in the pic as part of Gouran and will provide it standalone as well.  since it is on a separate layer.  This is the one I would like to finish up now even though the description is not complete. 

2) Hellhound- I offered to create that pic as a standalone pic once the entry is created.  I have not worked on that pic yet.

I've got the Rhom Warg apperance section done and it looks like that is all I have time for before I leave. However, that is currently in Tharoc's hands as he's takin' a look at it and makin' a few comments before I post it (or at least he should be). So he's the one ya need to bug 'bout it.

The Hellhound is on my list to at least describe when I get back, but the first month I get back from my graduation trip will be hectic as my dad will be movin' while I'm gone this summer, so will be comin' back to a strange place. Gotta love the fact that I get to come back from exploring somewhere new to me, only to explore yet another new place. However, gettin' the Rhom Warg and Hellhound entries are on my list of things to do as soon as I get back.

Considered workin' on some Santh stuff from time to time over the summer when I'm movin' from place to place, but gotta keep my promise to myself and work on my book/longer story thats been in progress for the last two years.

Anyways, thats pretty much where I am with this project. The next month will be hectic cause of school stuff, I probably won't be too active the two months after that as I'll be traveling, and then the month after I get back I'll be settlin' in to a new home and lookin' for a job. So probably won't get too much done, but don't start auctionin' off my Kyranians, Aohu'o, and canines off to the highest bidder while I'm traveling. :D

Thanks Garret.  Good luck with all going on in your life.  I will bug Thar.  It appears from his recent posts that he has been spending his time watching Britains Got Talent.  *Seeker imagines a big green monster sitting on the couch with a remote control* hehe

with the cookies ... don't forget the cookies! :D

Alright, finally here is the complete Gouran Pic.  The biggest change is the Warg.  This is a Rhom Warg based on the description Garret provided in the Bestiary Forum a couple weeks ago.  The old Warg I have saved and will probably use at some point in the future.

Final comments welcome, but to be honest I am ready for this one to be done.   ;)

The picture looks great, just a couple quick comments on the warg :).

First off, it looks like a tooth is stickin' up from the bottom of the mouth. For the Rhom Warg, its most likely to be the top teeth that stick out. More likely to be seen than others even though they are usually concealed by the thick fur.

The fur around the muzzle would be a little longer and more bristly as that would be one of the most dangerous places to cut and its likely to be noticeably uneven. The fur along the body should be more noticeably uneven. Right now it looks kinda 'controlled' to me, especially around the head.

Finally, I see the Rhom warg bein' a little thicker. I generally thing Great Dane and St. Bernard in terms of size. The Rast would pretty much be the St. Bernard in bulk. The Rhom warg would be closer to the St. Bernard without bein' too extreme.

Does any of that make any sense? Sorry, testin' week and dead tired cause I was up early writin' an essay this mornin'. Anyways, just my thoughts on the picture. Amazin' work though.

Sorry for poorly worded and bad spellin' probably. Half asleep here. Just waitin' till 10pm so I can force my brother to go to sleep and I can get some sleep ... :)

I see Garret knows every piece of hair at a Rhom warg... :lol: Hope these changes aren't too dramatic to handle!

But this really is a breathtaking picture, Seeker! We have Gouran there, two orcs, plus a Rhom warg, which - aside from the mentioned small issues - looks also really convincing to me. And have a mentioned that I like that fog? Fog: Great! Yup, I like it really a lot in this picture, fantastically eerie! :grin: So this picture has multiple components and the whole group and foreground to me already make it a true masterpiece!

Small quibble: The background above the mountains still looks a tad boring to me. Especially as you have all the characters (and the fog - have I mentioned the fog?) drawn in great pose and detail, the background takes away a bit of atmosphere. If you feel that it's ok with you, don't worry my rambling, but maybe just a hint of a moon (half transparent) and some clouds in front of it on the top left could make it all perfect. Surely not to much, as that could draw attention from the focus of the pic, so that's just an idea. At any rate a wonderful picture that has so much in it - really great work, Seeker!  :cool:

How does this look?

Looks great. The top of the muzzle still looks a little clean cut, but thats me bein' nit-picky. Great job Seeker. :)

Yay! That's really cool now with the added moon, love it! :thumbup: Makes it all rounded up now, overall wonderfully atmospheric... Guess this one's ready for the next site update then, eh? :clap:

Yes it is ready, and thank you all, as always the comments pushed the picture to a higher level of coolness.   :D