Cyfa's art challenges and other bits & bobs
- Thread starter Cyfa
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Nothing a bit of Photoshop can't do to get it to at least A3 or A2 while still looking nice!
and
- Your wish is my command!
(I've gone and posted it in the challenge thread, too)
- I hope so
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I'm not really feeling this month's art challenge - I've got too many other things in my head, I think.
I came up with a starship sketch not long after choosing the theme, but I've not really gone anywhere with it. My thinking behind this design is that by the time of the TNG era, warp drive is rather old hat (having been around for about 300 years on Earth alone), and Starfleet has moved on to something new based on all those problems solved by technobabbling the deflector dish in new and inventive ways. So, this starship has a spherical deflector-like central hull (kind of like the Odyssey's from Ulysses 31) that enables some sort of space-folding near instantaneous travel, a surrounding ring/halo hull which contains all the science labs/cargo bays/crew quarters & amenities etc, and a pair of deployable warp nacelles for when only warp will do. Pylons and struts and connecting dorsals (!?) are a thing of the past, each part of the ship is separate - like the ships in Jupiter Ascending.
But then I accidentally took a photo of it upside down and realised that it looks too 23rd century (rather Excelsior-like) when viewed the other way up:
So, instead of working on it, or trying to come up with something else, I went down to the beach for a swim - and did some Vulcan calligraphy with a belemnite and a crab leg while I was there:
I came up with a starship sketch not long after choosing the theme, but I've not really gone anywhere with it. My thinking behind this design is that by the time of the TNG era, warp drive is rather old hat (having been around for about 300 years on Earth alone), and Starfleet has moved on to something new based on all those problems solved by technobabbling the deflector dish in new and inventive ways. So, this starship has a spherical deflector-like central hull (kind of like the Odyssey's from Ulysses 31) that enables some sort of space-folding near instantaneous travel, a surrounding ring/halo hull which contains all the science labs/cargo bays/crew quarters & amenities etc, and a pair of deployable warp nacelles for when only warp will do. Pylons and struts and connecting dorsals (!?) are a thing of the past, each part of the ship is separate - like the ships in Jupiter Ascending.
But then I accidentally took a photo of it upside down and realised that it looks too 23rd century (rather Excelsior-like) when viewed the other way up:
So, instead of working on it, or trying to come up with something else, I went down to the beach for a swim - and did some Vulcan calligraphy with a belemnite and a crab leg while I was there:
I’d like to see how folks react to that.I'm not really feeling this month's art challenge - I've got too many other things in my head, I think.
I came up with a starship sketch not long after choosing the theme, but I've not really gone anywhere with it. My thinking behind this design is that by the time of the TNG era, warp drive is rather old hat (having been around for about 300 years on Earth alone), and Starfleet has moved on to something new based on all those problems solved by technobabbling the deflector dish in new and inventive ways. So, this starship has a spherical deflector-like central hull (kind of like the Odyssey's from Ulysses 31) that enables some sort of space-folding near instantaneous travel, a surrounding ring/halo hull which contains all the science labs/cargo bays/crew quarters & amenities etc, and a pair of deployable warp nacelles for when only warp will do. Pylons and struts and connecting dorsals (!?) are a thing of the past, each part of the ship is separate - like the ships in Jupiter Ascending.
But then I accidentally took a photo of it upside down and realised that it looks too 23rd century (rather Excelsior-like) when viewed the other way up:
So, instead of working on it, or trying to come up with something else, I went down to the beach for a swim - and did some Vulcan calligraphy with a belemnite and a crab leg while I was there:
Fascinating concept! I've been mulling about redesigning the Enterprise as well, but I don't think I would have ever come up with something that wild and interesting. I'm curious where you'll be going with this.
You're obviously going in a completely different direction with this, but when I first saw your sketches, I was thinking of the Federation ships from The Phantom Menace …
Ooh, you might be disappointed, Finn, as there can't be a reaction to something that (probably) won't exist - I'm still not in the zone regarding this design. Or the entire challenge, really. Sorry.
Well, enough to get by. I don't want to embarrass myself at the Vulcan swim club I attend...
Really though, I know what it looks like, but not what it means. At best it's gibberish - At worst, I've probably irrevocably harmed Earth-Vulcan interplanetary relations
But that's part of the fun - can you finish before the sea washes it all away?!
Oh, I'd forgotten about them! I've always thought the Star Wars ships were pretty cool, but they never really spoke to me like Star Trek ships do.
As I mentioned to Finn, I'm not sure that I will be going anywhere with that design. I like it, but every time I sit down to work on it nothing happens. I'm trying to get my brain to engage with something else (I've got a vague idea for a bridge concept, and something even vaguer uniform-wise), but that's not really working either.
Have you got any ideas for your Enterprise concept yet, Michael?
I've been using Derwent pencils for over two decades - I bought a pencil and colouring set when I was in school or college, and I'm still using some of them now! (They haven't had continuous use, obviously, as there'd be nothing left by now
- although, most of the softer lead pencils are down to mere nubbins) I like the colouring pencils as the pigment is good and they're quite precise. I've also got sets of Derwent watercolour and metallic pencils, but I barely ever use them. My favourite colour pencils are an equally old set of Berol Karismacolor as the colour goes down thickly and is very blendable (but they're quite soft, so wear down quickly and are no good for small, detailed work).
You misunderstood. I was talking about the beach pictures. I’d bet there are stupid bigoted people who would freak at those.Ooh, you might be disappointed, Finn, as there can't be a reaction to something that (probably) won't exist - I'm still not in the zone regarding this design. Or the entire challenge, really. Sorry.
Well, enough to get by. I don't want to embarrass myself at the Vulcan swim club I attend...
Really though, I know what it looks like, but not what it means. At best it's gibberish - At worst, I've probably irrevocably harmed Earth-Vulcan interplanetary relations
But that's part of the fun - can you finish before the sea washes it all away?!
Oh, I'd forgotten about them! I've always thought the Star Wars ships were pretty cool, but they never really spoke to me like Star Trek ships do.
As I mentioned to Finn, I'm not sure that I will be going anywhere with that design. I like it, but every time I sit down to work on it nothing happens. I'm trying to get my brain to engage with something else (I've got a vague idea for a bridge concept, and something even vaguer uniform-wise), but that's not really working either.
Have you got any ideas for your Enterprise concept yet, Michael?
I've been using Derwent pencils for over two decades - I bought a pencil and colouring set when I was in school or college, and I'm still using some of them now! (They haven't had continuous use, obviously, as there'd be nothing left by now
My favourite colour pencils are an equally old set of Berol Karismacolor as the colour goes down thickly and is very blendable (but they're quite soft, so wear down quickly and are no good for small, detailed work).
Oh, sorry @Finn The beach near my home is pretty quiet - especially the bit that I go to for a swim - but as I was leaving, a man was walking the other way, and I did turn to see if he'd take any notice of my "scribbles". While he didn't stop walking or seem to take any notice of them, he did avoid them, so that was something
The beach near my home is pretty quiet - especially the bit that I go to for a swim - but as I was leaving, a man was walking the other way, and I did turn to see if he'd take any notice of my "scribbles". While he didn't stop walking or seem to take any notice of them, he did avoid them, so that was something
Here is a rough sketch of New Look Next Gen (for this month's art challenge) Picard, Enterprise-D, Rai क and Troi.
I very much doubt I'll get this anywhere near presentable by midnight (only 7 hours hours away here in the UK), so I may not even submit it.
Faces and likenesses are not my strong suit, hence the bored-looking Picard, squashed-head Rai क, and punched-in-the-lip Troi...
I very much doubt I'll get this anywhere near presentable by midnight (only 7 hours hours away here in the UK), so I may not even submit it.
Faces and likenesses are not my strong suit, hence the bored-looking Picard, squashed-head Rai क, and punched-in-the-lip Troi...
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^ Very cool concept! Would be a shame if you didn't submit it, I think, even as the sketch it is now. I'd say the characters are recognizable enough.
I'm intrigued by Rai क. Is that a Hindu version of Riker?
As for my own entry – because you asked earlier – I'm still working on something which I hope to finish later today. I'm brushing off an old idea of mine that really fits the theme nicely. I hope you'll like it.
I'm intrigued by Rai क. Is that a Hindu version of Riker?
As for my own entry – because you asked earlier – I'm still working on something which I hope to finish later today. I'm brushing off an old idea of mine that really fits the theme nicely. I hope you'll like it.
Oh, dear... Perhaps the characters were recognisable enough as sketches, but now I've coloured them in! Poor Troi is not having a good day: First, she was putting her make-up on when the ship got caught in an anomaly and was nearly shaken apart at the seams; Then, during the photoshoot, Rai क dropped one and Troi's nose caught the leading edge of the wave just as the photo was taken!
This is just a work-in-progress, not the finished article (although, I've just finished the physical piece - I just need to add the title in MSPaint)
I'm intrigued about your entry now. I hope you get to finish it, too!
This is just a work-in-progress, not the finished article (although, I've just finished the physical piece - I just need to add the title in MSPaint)
And, yes (almost), to add a little diversity, Riker is now Rai (from Assam rather than Alaska). If I've got this right, the क (Devanagari "ka") is also used as the number 1 in Āryabhaṭa numeration
I'm intrigued about your entry now. I hope you get to finish it, too!
Maybe it's because personally I don't worry all that much about recognizable likenesses in art, but this looks very good to me. Getting everything right on a character's face in a drawing isn't necessarily what makes a piece interesting, I think. Picard's head could be a tad smaller, but other than that these are really good, honestly.
And those uniform designs are just awesome!
Very nice!
And those uniform designs are just awesome!
If I've got this right, the क (Devanagari "ka") is also used as the number 1 in Āryabhaṭa numeration
Very nice!
Thanks, @Michael. I like to think that if I wasn't so hasty (and had sharpened my pencils) I might have managed slightly better expressions, but the likenesses still would have eluded me. (Oh, yes, Picard's head is somewhat on the swollen side - perhaps he has Denobulan ancestry and has puffed his face up? )
The uniforms are based on the Starfleet/Romulan design I came up with for the Feb 2018 art challenge, mainly because I ran out of time to design something new.
)The uniforms are based on the Starfleet/Romulan design I came up with for the Feb 2018 art challenge, mainly because I ran out of time to design something new.
Ah, yes, I remember them now. I did spot the Romulan influence and pattern, but wasn't sure if that was just coincidental.
This turned out really well, I should say! @Cyfa, your ideas and concepts are always so intriguing! Thanks for being a part of the community and share your art with us.
Thank you @Michael and @Santaman
Sorry it's taken a while to acknowledge/thank you - it's been a bit of a fraught afternoon/evening (I had the voting thread all ready while I waited to see if Borgman had found time for an entry, so just clicked "post" in the middle of it all). Things are looking better now - although I'm exhausted!
Sorry it's taken a while to acknowledge/thank you - it's been a bit of a fraught afternoon/evening (I had the voting thread all ready while I waited to see if Borgman had found time for an entry, so just clicked "post" in the middle of it all). Things are looking better now - although I'm exhausted!
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