Character of the Week 176: CHOW Carnivale

Character of the Week is a weekly contest held on conceptart.org, and this week marked my first completed entry!
First is this week's brief:

Chow Carnivalé

Masquerade! This week we're taking a leaf from Venice and 17th/18th century europe, and holding a masquerade ball! You are all invited, but remember, you must come in costume, complete with mask! The rules this week are simple. This is a self-portrait round, where you will be portraying yourself in costume for the event. Masks are a requirement, but that does not mean you have to wear them - you can be holding them, have them off to the side if you want to show the face as well, etc. Your costume must somehow reflect you, but how it does this is entirely your choice! Maybe it's your favourite colour, or incorporates design elements from your favourite season, or animal, or maybe you're dressing to match your favourite historical period. The (hypothetical) ball itself is modern day, but with a historical twist, just like most modern-day masques. We look forward to seeing you there!

CHOW also has a few general rules and guidelines, which are the following:

• Follow the Character Brief to the best of your ability.

What this means: The Brief is where you find the details of the character for the given week. Often times there will be tidbits of vital information included in the Brief that you will not find by going just by the thread header.
Why: As CHOW is in part designed to give you some real world experience in character design, you are encouraged to read the brief and do some research on the character that week when necessary. Briefs vary greatly from assignment to assignment or client to client in a job situation, and so to here in CHOW.

• Art created *only* for this activity will be accepted.

What this means: This means that CHOW requires you to create original artwork for the given week. Paint overs of other people's work is strictly forbidden.
Why: CHOW is about pushing your limits as much as possible. You do not benefit in any way, shape or form by copping out and submitting work that has been created previously for something else (either a personal project or for a client).
Furthermore, paint overs (of artwork or photographs) are viewed very, very dimly by the hosts, and are considered cheating.

• One Entry Only.

What this means: One entry per entrant.
Why: While we encourage prolific illustration, it would rapidly get well out of hand for orchestrating the poll, therefore for our sanity, and yours; One entry only.

• Minimum 3/4 character must be visible. No busts or head shots.

What this means: A three quarters view of a humanoid character is required. Head shots, or busts, are greatly admired and some of the best artwork every done has been done in this style, and they can convey a great deal about the character being illustrated. However, in CHOW, character expression is expressed through so much more than just the face. The stance, position of arms, hands, accouterments, costuming design all help convey who the individual is that you are illustrating.
Why: Mostly because we want to see you can do. How well can you illustrate the human form, or any other form for that matter? Further to this is how well can you express an emotion through that form?

• Background imagery NOT NECESSARY unless indicated by the brief.
  Otherwise feel free to include it.

What this means: Include a background image or not. It's up to you. Unless the brief says otherwise.
Why: Backgrounds are not the focus of CHOW.

• Color or Black and White.

What this means: You can work in color or black and white.
Why: Both color and black and white can be very powerful tools of illustration, and each artist uses them differently.

• Any medium is accepted, except photography.

What this means: You can submit work that is created digitally, or traditionally. However, photography is not accepted.
Why: CHOW is about illustration, be it on a computer or canvas. Photography is not illustration therefore not accepted.

However, sculpture is accepted because it is done by hand.

• No sketches for finals - we want finished work, just like the rest of the Weeklies.

What this means: Finished work is a fairly relative term. Review some of Wes Burt's or Marko's work (or John Singer Sargent for that matter) to see drawings that technically are sketches, but would be accepted in CHOW.
Why: For our purposes here, a sketch is a unfinished thought. A drawing (including artistically unfinished ones) are a complete thought - either completed by the artist, or by the viewer.

• Remember: Focus your illustration. Pay attention to anatomy, shape, form, lighting, etc. USE REFERENCE.

What this means: Too often beginners try to do everything. Don't. Slow down and THINK about what you are attempting to convey - what you want to say. Look critically at what you are doing, and why you are doing it. Don't just throw everything into the picture including the kitchen sink just because it's within arms' reach. On the same note, don't use a every color on the pallet just because it's there. Color conveys emotion. Fewer colors will have a stronger impact in the illustration.
Why: You illustration will have more impact, and therefore stand a greater chance of going to poll, and getting votes if you know what you are doing. If you're not sure what you're doing, or how to do something, ask someone or experiment first before just throwing everything into your final.

On using reference: Reference is considered to be typically the use of an object, person, animal or location in photographic form to study so that you understand how to illustrate said object, person, animal or location. In regards to CHOW direct copying is strongly discouraged, along with paint overs (taking a photograph into photoshop or painter or other program and using a layer on top to either smudge or trace the photograph in part or in whole, regardless of whether you own the rights to the photograph or not). In fact, using someone else's photograph for your own artwork, or elements there of, is considered plagiarism and is forbidden in CHOW.

• Please include accurate copyright information when submitting your entry.

What this means: It means that we'll need you to tell us how you are filling out the copyright form when you upload to the CA attachment manager. This means name (usually if we're not sure, we put it under the username, but you may specify another), image catagory, sub catagory, genre and media.
Why: Because of the new attachment system, we need accurate copyright information in case your image is posted anywhere else with regards to chow. (For example, the winner's thread.) We can usually guess, but it is much easier (and accurate) if you simply provide the information along with your final burning entry, and we will be requesting this from now on.

Fine print aside, here's my submission for this week!



And here's a bunch of in-progress shots
















Also for your viewing pleasure (or displeasure, as it now is for me) is the original concept I had in mind, before I decided it looked way the hell too stiff and boring



Until next time, I must draw.
-E. Wible