Cyfa's art challenges and other bits & bobs

[Cyfa]

Thanks, @gazomg

Here's something from this morning's babysitting endeavours. My niece (almost 3), vom Smallhausen (not her real name, but an accurate description), described an alien for me to draw that she'd seen on kids TV show, Justin's House. As the alien looked somewhat lonely, I added a clawed (??) Bolian, then an Orion with a melted face (unintentional). Once vom Smallhausen had wandered off, I went to town and took a bit more time with the Sulamid and the Trill (a concept inspired by/misremembered from nattherat's redesigns). Only a tiny bit more time, though...

 

[publiusr]

I love that trill.

 

[Cyfa]

Thanks, @publiusr. As well as nattherat's redesign, there's another eel-like Trill redesign floating around, which I quite like, and a couple of more alien-looking humanoid Trill, However, I furnished vom Smallhausen's picture with the eel-Trill because I already had three humanoid aliens

 

[Cyfa]

I've made a start on my treasure map for this month's Art Challenge:

I'm not exactly sure what the finished article will be like, but I have some ideas involving pin-pricks and space-lanes and telepaths. Also, being so early in the month, this might just end up as a trial run, with something else as my finished piece.
Has anyone else got any ideas for their own entry yet?

 

[Cyfa]

I haven't spent much time on my treasure map since last week. Well, I tell a lie, I've spent a lot of time procrastinating in the name of research: Searching Memory Alpha for star charts and telepaths, plus trying to work out where certain stars and planets might be located (including getting caught up in the ST Generations stellar cartography scene screenshots at TrekCore), as well as trying out fonts etc. To that end, I haven't got much to show.

This is the physical map as it looks now:

And in these two images, I'm just trying out fonts/labelling:

[fonts: Pristina (script) and High Tide Sans. I don't know who created them - they came with my PC]

[fonts: Neverwinter (script) and Betazed - both by Pixel Saga/Neale Davidson]

I don't think I'm going to use any of these fonts on the map itself. Rather, I'm going to hand-label it with fancy(ish) writing, and maybe use the Betazed font in an overlay. But not now, as I've got to go and walk around the gardens of a stately home with my sister and nephew. And when I get back, I shall be digging the vegetable patch (and putting a greenhouse together if my brother-in-law hasn't already done it)

 

[Michael]

[fonts: Neverwinter (script) and Betazed - both by Pixel Saga/Neale Davidson]

I love the look of this! The Betazed font makes it look adequately alien. Well done!

 

[Cyfa]

Thanks, @Michael

It's a week later and I haven't got anything new to show. But I do at least know what the treasure is now, and have a backstory for my treasure map:
Long ago, before it became known as Betazed, Cyndriel used to be a ringed planet, but a stray comet disrupted the rings orbit and they coalesced into the three moons of Avandar, Merandar, and Keylandar. However, some of the rings' exotic particles fell to Cyndriel and were fashioned into three circlets by smiths of the Fifth House. During the Terabian conflict, the circlets were split up and hidden offworld for fear of their rare power being perverted, but over time, their locations were lost.
Nearly 200 years later, an ancient map came to light which guided a determined Daughter of the Fifth House across the stars in a "commandeered" Federation starship to seek out the treasured Holy Rings of Betazed.
This story has given me some focus, and I hope to get my map finished in the next couple of days. Fingers crossed for no distractions...

 

[Cyfa]

Crossing my fingers didn't work - there were distractions aplenty today. However, the weather hasn't been that great (good old British Bank Holiday rain!), so in between entertaining sisters and their kids, I managed to do some more work on my treasure map, and try out some finishes:

 

[SCE2Aux]

I see I'm not the only one who is taking advantage of a rainy bank holiday in order to work on some creative projects!

Great work on that map, I love the patina on it.

 

[Cyfa]

Thanks @gazomg and @SCE2Aux I must admit that I was kind of hoping for miserable weather this weekend just so I'd have to stay indoors (and work on this map). The patina is all down to FotoSketcher - I can't claim credit for it (although, I did fiddle-fart around with the slider controls to get it just so).

 

[Finn]

Cool

 

[Cyfa]

Thank you, @Finn

I finally finished the physical map by adding various space "monsters", and pricking it full of holes! Now I've just got to work out how to make it look like its displayed on bridge monitors of the "commandeered" starship, USS Sword of Omens. Here are three ideas:

This is an old photographic image from the archives of the Fifth House:

This is a cleaned-up version courtesy of the Sword of Omens' astrocartographer (and the ship's computer):

And this is an enhanced, partially translated version, complete with a projected course to the planets where the Holy Rings of Betazed are thought to be hidden:

As this is a Betazoid map, I've labelled it in an historic Betazoid language (which I've totally made up), with the computer overlay in the current main language (again, made up) and its Federation Standard translation.
(Cyndriel and Visalayan [the Medusan homeworld] are from Lora Johnson's Worlds of the Federation, and Dhei [Delta] is from @Christopher's Watching the Clock)

 

[Cyfa]

I think is going to be it (because the sun's come out, so I can't put off doing the garden any longer!) - a fully translated Betazoid treasure map showing the locations of the three Holy Rings of Betazed:

 

[SCE2Aux]

I think it looks gorgeous, and I love the idea of tying the map into a piece of star trek canon . It makes me wish I made the time for this month's art contest.

 

[Finn]

damn

 

[Cyfa]

Thanks both of you
And @SCE2Aux, there're still a few hours left before the deadline so, depending on your commitments, you've still got time to put something together...

 

[publiusr]

I wish I were as talented.

 

[fireproof78]

I think is going to be it (because the sun's come out, so I can't put off doing the garden any longer!) - a fully translated Betazoid treasure map showing the locations of the three Holy Rings of Betazed:

Just...wow!

 

[Cyfa]

Thank you, @publiusr Although, I don't know that I'd call it talent - More like mucking around with various things until something sticks (oh, and a lot of research/procrastination!). I bet you have talents in other areas that I, and many others, could only wish we had.
Thanks to you too, @fireproof78!

Here's a couple of ideas for this month's LGBTQ themed art challenge:
A rainbow of Trek races. As this is much larger than actual size which shows just how hopeless the likenesses are, from left to right: Caitian (not a teddy bear), Tholian (not Munch's The Scream), Aurelian, Gorn, Andorian, Betelgeusian, and a poor boggle-eyed Saurian.

As it's the 35th anniversary of the release of ST III: The Search For Spock, this is an IDIC/LGBTQ/TSFS mash-up. The red ship is the Ralph McQuarrie Enterprise seen in Spacedock when the actual Enterprise comes home (I was going to do an orbital shuttle, but it just looked like a blob as this is only 9cm across).

Other ideas at the moment include a Drag Klingon, and a Vulcan couple (both male) doing the finger greeting/foreplay thingy.

 

[fireproof78]

A rainbow of Trek races. As this is much larger than actual size which shows just how hopeless the likenesses are, from left to right: Caitian (not a teddy bear), Tholian (not Munch's The Scream), Aurelian, Gorn, Andorian, Betelgeusian, and a poor boggle-eyed Saurian.

I understand the theme, but my first thought was of the Green Lantern core.