C.O.W. - #105: Metamorphosis "Ugly To Beauty" - Voting!

[Fozzybar]

ROUND #105 VOTING

Topic: Metamorphosis "Ugly To Beauty"

Deadline for the voting: Wednesday, 16th January 2008

Posting thread (closed):
http://www.conceptart.org/forums/sho...d.php?t=114650


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OK - before voting/posting read this!!!

1. Please give c&c or a reason why you voted for the image!

2. Feel free to comment on any or all entries, the artists will appreciate it!

3. No voting for your own entry!!! If a participants votes for his own entry, every member has the right to call him a stupid lame moron in this thread! And i will delete his/her vote anyway...

4. The poll is public. Your vote will be seen.

[mattbyng]

Artist: mattbyng

Concept: Fangfeng
The Fangfeng is a divine creature which undergoes an amazing change. For the years before sexual maturity, the Fangfeng is considered rather ugly, sloth-like and sluggish. Its pinkish/purplish skin aids it in camouflage on it's home planet Fong-Pai; far outside our universe. When reaching sexual maturity, the Fangfeng will transform it's body into something of a more sleek and 'sexy' design. Males usually have much longer fangs - used to attract females and fight opposing males. They should not be mistaken as felines - you wouldn't want to pet this one!

[SOUTHERN]

Artist: SOUTHERN

Concept: Xickit Runner

The Xicit Runner is a small (chicken sized) creature that starts life in the shallow waters that feed into the wide estuaries in the HungXang province. The life cycle begins with a heavily pregnant Xictit Female depositing 300-400 Eggs into the brackish waters edge. The eggs have a sticky coating that allows them to adhere to submerged roots and deadwood in the shallows. After 10-15 days the eggs hatch to the pre-larval stage and sink to the bottom of the river and bury themselves in the mud. After another 3-4 days of living on there own body nutrient the now 3cm larva begins to look for food. They have to eat and store enough nutrients to last them through their pupation to adulthood and beyond.

These fast little nymphs swarm in the early spring month and fall prey to many of the local birds and fish who see Xicet hatches as an easy meal. After three months of surviving in these conditions 93% of the hatch has either been eaten or swept out to the estuary. The remaining 3% (now around 10cm in length) make their way up onto the bank and bury themselves high up on the muddy slopes. As they dry out they form a cocoon which hardens to a protective shell allowing them to pupate. They remain in this state through the Winter months and emerge in the early spring as fully fledged adult Xicits.

The colorful males sport beautiful yellow and purple Crests that they wave proudly in the hope of attracting a fertile female. Males battle up and down the river banks hoping to prove their virility to nearby Females. Their adult life is little over a year and they spend that entire year looking for and mating with other Xicit. When a Pregnant Female is ready she returns to the waters edge and the cycle begins all over again. They have no mouth in their adult form and rely solely on nutrients taken in as a larvae.

[SpaceRogue]

Artist: Spacerogue /Aiko

Concept: Sawaty


Sawaty live in swaps, their name are a combination of 'swamp' and 'tiger', but even though they look like tigers, or atleast a big catlike creature, this is in fact an eglaying creature that comes close to amfibians.

Sientist do not know much about the Sawaty, in their culture it brings bad luck to see, and especially to harm a Saw tadpole. While seeing a grown up Sawaty is said to bring good luck, perhaps becouse they are only beeing seen so rarely. Adult Sawaty on the other hand, don't mind eating a human trespasser at all.

(I don't think the Saw tadpole is ugly , but I wanted to participate )

[cw]

Artist: Apocalypse_Rex

Concept: The Fisher Cat
The wrinkled loose skinned young of this felid are ugly, smelly and unappetising to the many fierce and tenacious carnivorous fish species in the deep and unexplored jungles. Their loose skin and foul smell give them a chance of escape should they venture too close to the water's edge, as they may be rejected as a meal because of the stench, or be able to use their 2 pairs of strong back legs to bound away from danger. After nearly a year of growth the creature is safe from most of the hungry fish species and is buried in the mud in a safe place by its mother and undergoes a metamorphosis to its adult form. The unique webbed forelegs and mesmerising pattern couple with light fur to camouflage against the sky and intrigue the once predator fish species to come closer whereupon a swift revenge is taken.

[Ignominious]

Artist: Ignominious

Concept: Red-crowned Tebis and the Jaikiry
The jaikiry (meaning “walking-sun”) starts life in a form so different; it was classified as a whole separate species known as the red-crowned tebis. The red-crowned tebis (so named because of its red head and the ring of external nasal sensors on its head) begins life by hatching out of eggs embedded near the roots of kau-coa trees. Instinctively, they climb upwards and feed on the leaves of the tree which are rich with nutrients. Multiple eyes allow the tebis to see in all directions in case a predator should come around. If so, it latches onto the tree, and lets its hardened skin flaps on its back serve as a shield. Before long, the tebis is ready to mature into an adult. It begins a strange eating cycle, eating everything that will fit into its mouth. However, the food is not digested. It passes directly through the body, separating into the “good” waste and “bad”. The two wastes are put to good uses. Using the bad waste, the tebis takes it, combines it with saliva, and begins to build the shell of its cocoon. The shell is much larger than the tebis itself. Once finished, the tebis begins filling the empty cocoon with the jelly-like “good” waste, storing up for its metamorphosis. When the shell is full, the tebis enters, seals the top of the shell, and becomes dormant. While it sleeps, its body is able to absorb the pure nutrients of the good wastes surrounding it. During this time, the tebis undergoes its metamorphosis. After a month or so, the tebis emerges. During the metamorphosis, the tebis has gained bright new colors, earning it the name jaikiry, the “walking-sun”. For now, the jaikiry is only twice the size that it once was. However, it will again double its size before it is fully grown. The jaikiry now only uses a single digestive tract, the other one simply shut down. Of the multiple eyes of the tebis, the jaikiry only has two pairs of dominate eyes, while the rest moved up the head to help sense aerial predators. The middle pair of legs shriveled and fell off. Twice as much energy is put into the remaining back legs, making them strong legs that allow the jaikiry to bound like an oversized rabbit. The skin flaps that once protected the tebis now serve as a sexual display tool, helping males attract females. The flaps and the shoulders flush with vibrant yellow and reds. The once gangly, ugly, tebis has become a thing of beauty.

[Miasmamann]

Artist: Miasmamann

Concept: Soap-Bubble-Ballooner

When a Soap-Bubble-Ballooner becomes sexually mature it will release one bubble from its back in every full moon night. That bubble floats to the ground where a the Larva form of the Soap-Bubble-Ballooner grows. It does not eat but filters hydrogen out of the ground und pumps it to the Bubble. When the Bubble is big enough (after ca. 3 month) the Soap-Bubble-Ballooner-Larva changes its appearance to its end-form in only three hours and gigs up the ground to start flying.

When the Soap-Bubble-Ballooner comes to close to open fire it will explode because of the hydrogen. Some people belive the sound of that explosion was the inspiration to the famous song "Soap-Bubble-Ballooner a Wop Bam Boom"

[Nightblue]

Artist: Nightblue

Concept: Pine Drake

Moment after hatching, the pine drake hooks itself onto the branches of a pine tree with the strong claw on its tail. The hatchling is virtually defenseless and immobile, and relies on blending in with its surroundings to survive. It lures insects with its scented colorful tongue and captures them with the tongue's sticky tip. The hatchling typically sheds 7 times over the course of two years. The last shedding yields a fully-developed adult with functional wings and smooth skin.

The Pine Drake is not actually a type of dragon. It got its common name from its appearance.

[Jull]

Artist: Jull

Concept: Buliblu

Since Buliblu's predators are only active at day, Buliblu developed transparent tails and bioluminescent pigment control, so it can have a disgusting looking at day and a nice one at night when it does its active life.

[JellevdVegt]

Artist: Teh Gosu

Concept: snailarve

snailarve is a small larve with huge mouth capacity, capable of eating creatures bigger then himself. Once a big pray (like a rat) is captured, it will slowly diggest it, simultaneous turning into a cocoon. When it hatches, it will rebirth into a big snail-like creature. His beautifull shell will protect him and lure pray.

[tsoren]

Artist: Tsoren

Concept: Flying-Toad

The flying toad crawls on the ground in its "ugly" stage of life. It is similar to a reptile or frog except that it will take on larger prey since it has claws and teeth.

During the late summer at its maturity the skin dries and hardens. A month later the skin splits to reveal that the arms have transformed into wings and the single hind leg/tail sprouts a vaned tail to match the wings. It flies off to mate and restart the cycle for the next generation.

You wouldn't eat the ground stage animals but the flying ones can be grilled for a tasty flavor similar to that of grilled swordfish. Leave the skin on for extra tenderness.

[rmygona]

Artist: rmygona

Concept: City Love Bug~urbanus amor creatura
Urban folklore has many explanations for the shoes that mysteriously hang high above our city power lines. One in particular describes the ritual of young males tossing them in celebration of their first sexual conquest. Thus, the City Love Bug’s life begins inside one of these shoes as a tiny egg. Upon hatching, the larvae feeds on the rotting shoe material and works its way towards the shoelace where it will spin it’s cocoon. After a 24-hour gestation period, it breaks out and spreads its wings to fly.

The City Love Bug then hunts for a young human male to inject its amorous chemical using its needle-nose beak. During the injection, there is a minute transference of human blood into the City Love Bug that triggers a hormonal change; it becomes fertile. It must now search for a suitable shoe to lay a single egg. No sooner is the egg laid does the City Love Bug succumb to death and vanishes within our cities’ debris.

[banhatin]

Artist: banhatin

Concept: NAYI
TIKACOIN living in a kind of insect on the planet, scientists recently discovered species,
live in tropical jungles similar areas, the larva of the hard shoulder during keratinocyte armor,
1-year-old adult (male) In order to display their own turn into beautiful NAYI,Note: This insect is aggressive and toxic ordinary jungle animals unable to capture and implement food

[Michael Jaecks]

Artist:Michael Jaecks

Concept: Stamengrell
A stamengrell begins its life as a crustacean, like a mobile chrysalis. When the stamengrell's shell becomes too hard and brittle, it cracks open like a nut and hatches a radiant, salmon colored beauty that floats away on the slightest of breezes.

[mukor]

Artist:mukor

Concept: BLUFFO
the BLUFFO creature: this ugly creature was found by a magician who was lost in the radhamaheio forest.
bluffo, tired of been big,ugly, and slow asked the magician to make him smaller,beatiful and faster.
the magician casted a spell and also gave him 2 colorfull wings so bluffo can bring him to his town again flying.
now you can see both of them flying together if you look at the radhamaheio sky

[PutridusCor]

Artist: PutridusCor

Concept: Rugur

Predator, Insectivore and poisonous dweller of the swamps. The Rugurato grows beyond the staid waters of the swamps, lives on insects and eggs of other animals, they are inoffensive for the humans except for its tail, which has a poisonous tip. Human children have been seen with Rugurato as pets, and it tastes good with patatoes, pepper and salad. When it's two years old the Rugurato makes a cacoon and grows on it for three months, then it will free itself like a Rugura, a bird-like predator, dangerous and ready for survival for the rest of its life.
PD: The Rugura can be used for wonderful sausages, and barbecues

[Lander]

Artist: Lander

Concept: Testibloom
The Testibloom has a naughty defense with a "eat all you can" kind of meaning of life. Once it has eaten enough it will shape shift by pulling it's head into it's body. This will force it's wings to unfold. Tilting it's defensive needles in and at the same time pushing the fluid holding them to the sacks on the wings inside.
As the head is pulled in and the wings open it's digestive system opens up like a flower to supply the bowels with oxygen. This will work as a camouflage during this part of it's life cycle.
After this it will reproduce and eventually die.

[SPipes]

Artist: BitterBusiness

Concept: Flitfish


The Flitfish is a small, speedy freshwater predator, roughly the length of a human forearm. Its gleaming hide and humble origins have engendered its consideration as an omen of good luck.

Flitfish larvae are born on land, though they tend to stay in damp areas near sources of water. The larvae's primary means of transportation is to drag iself along a trail of it's own slime, protected by colourful warning markings and a putrid taste. It feeds primarily on scums and mosses, the only quarry slow enough for it to catch.

Eventually, the larvae will find a spot to suspend itself above a body of water, coating itself in a special slime that hardens into a protective cocoon. Once the slime is hardened the cocoon snaps off and falls into the water, settling to the bottom to wait out the transformation. The adult Flitfish emerges some six seeks later, feeding primarily on plankton and small aquatic insects. It has until the end of summer, when the rivers freeze, to mate and lay its own eggs on the shoreline.

[Arbu]

Artist: Arbu

Concept: Rasteja/Bonitos
When bonitos was seen for the first time, cientists wondered how such beauty could be born. They could never have figured it out if they didn't actualy see where it comes from. Bonitos is a secondary stage of an ugly and disgusting animal parent of the comon snail.. they live near rivers and lakes and they are born from the bonito's eggs! that's right! It seems like an impossible thing, but it ain't! The ugly snaily "rasteja" starts a metamorphosis phase when it reaches two years old and one week later you just get to see one of the most beautiful animals in the planet coming out of the baggy thing of the snail's remains.

[redehlert]

Artist: redehlert

Concept: hoo-haa to ooh-ahh
so...there's this ugly, lumpy, asymmetrical beastie named a hoo-haa that does something quite interesting, at least i think so.
on its 8th day of life it implodes. literally. it implodes. and then it's an aah-ooh beauty, you see!? symmetrical, all aglow, ethereal and whatnot.

[Fozzybar]

Failed quality check (sloppy artwork and/or insufficient artistic quality)

JonathanS, Atostrophea, stumpy



not accepted entries:

edujante
Sorry man, but i really want that the artists draw the creature in a way you can see the shape and design of the creature

huhwhat
Your ugly creature was more like a rock than a creature, even if it is your concept, it is too less. Also the beauty was kinda minimalistic in details and the overall image looked kinda rushed. More patience and love the next time and you will be there

Paul Kang
Silhouettes are too less of a visual appearance for creatures, especially when it is about design and anatomy like in COW.



close to rejection:

mattbyng
Your creatures need more details and some diverse coloring...but i guess you know that

mukor
More detials for the next time please And just follow the guidelines on the first post next time, i don't want to clean up the threads all the time...



special note:

redehlert
I hate abstract shapes which are supposed to be creatures But as i really want to see you beat me in the race (as if it ever happens) and the fact that you aimed for symmetry and typical harmony elements counting as beautiful for the human eye, i see where you're coming from...and i also know where you go, if you know what i mean

[Fozzybar]

I didn't read the concepts, hadn't the time. I know there were some which actually doesn't fit to the meaning of metamorphosis as i was aiming for. But well, at least this way i can take JullS entry to the poll

Hey Jull, long time no see, where were you?

To the newcomers, let me introduce you the maker of the COW winner icon, which is under the title of each winner

[Fozzybar]

new round is on:
http://www.conceptart.org/forums/sho...d.php?t=115384

[Arbu]

Hey guys.

Lander got my vote =)

This has some entrys that don't quite actualy follow the metamorphosis concept wich is to literaly transforming into something different.

I guess i wont classify beautyness and uglyness but in my own opinion, Lander, NIgtblue, rmygona, apocalypse_rex and miasmamann were those who managed to make me feel that ugly-beauty metamorphosis.

Banhatin : I love the coloring of your creature and it IS a beautiful coloring, but its design conflicts with that. also your beauty creature is more like a grown up version of the ugly one right? I guess that's not metamorphosis but body changing as your creature grows up. in fact that's what we and all animals do, our bodys change as the time passes by. AWESOME painting disregarding that =)

Michael Jaecks : You did really a great work there. it's the painting i like the most in all entries! about the creatures, i already told you what i think =) as you said: "Or about the surrealists who used to say "beauty will be convulsive, or it will not be at all." Their idea is not how something beautiful fits within a context or harmonizes with it's environment, but rather how it might clash with it and cause a viewer or reader a bit of a shock."

your painting shocks me when i look at it

[redehlert]

hey foz....you crack me up. thanks for lettin' me in. lander and i were havin' some drawing fun last night and i felt like putting something in. symmetry and asymmetry was the first thing that came to mind. 1.5 hrs of brush fun.
love ya, man.

Originally Posted by Fozzybar

redehlert
I hate abstract shapes which are supposed to be creatures But as i really want to see you beat me in the race (as if it ever happens) and the fact that you aimed for symmetry and typical harmony elements counting as beautiful for the human eye, i see where you're coming from...and i also know where you go, if you know what i mean

[Miasmamann]

Since this time very much entries does not fit the topic (and i do not want to vote for one of them because it is unfair against those who made themself a hard time to fullfill the topic right) it was a very hard decision, but my vote will go to Lander. It seems a little bit "washed" und not 100% finished to me but from the ones who are in topic it is my fav.

Edit: SPipes: Gratz for voting yourself ... lol

[Atastrophea]

Originally Posted by Fozzybar

Failed quality check (sloppy artwork and/or insufficient artistic quality)

JonathanS, Atostrophea, stumpy

Fairy Nuff Fozzy - would love some CC though, advice, pointers?, the worst bits that I should work on? thanks

Oh and voted for RMY because I like the style, composition and the concept behind it, all the stages of the cycle are visually linked together nicely and I like the background too. : )

[JellevdVegt]

my vote goes to lander. i think designwise, it has a very good concept and the silhouettes have a nice contrast. ugly->pointy beauty->roundish. art wise (making the form turn and colors) it could be somewhat better.

looking back, i like my ugly design (wich was the most simple thing to do). creating beauty is very very difficult. you actually have to have find something that reminds people of something beautifull (like a flower - landers design). i thought a shell could be associated as something beautifull, but somehow didnt work. i think because a snail and larve just look to similar... its not really a metamorphose. well, i learned a lot, see you next time

[Jull]

Fozzybar!, I'm surprised you still remember me, you have healthy memory!
I've been busy as hell, but some days ago I had some time and came here to take a look, liked the theme of the COW and decided to participate

My apologies to everyone for not strictly following the theme! I thought it was a pity to narrow the concept to only metamorphosis.
I should have commented it on the thread

Somehow I think everyone knows more or less how well they did it, so I won't comment each entry, but let me say: Keep the COWing up!

[Leonnn]

My vote goes to Ignominious.

The concept was the best, and the artwork is also good.