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caesar120 — 'Tactical Error'
Published: 2014-01-22 22:43:27 +0000 UTC; Views: 1793; Favourites: 29; Downloads: 17
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Description
This is a commission piece for a dedicated player of the Traveller roleplaying game. His character is a female Aslan named Najmeh Yerlyaruwio...an engineer on a space vessel. A group of pirates has boarded the ship, and in this scene, Nejmeh is about to ambush an unfortunate intruder who has discovered her hibernation pod in the cargo bay. Can you say 'Yeeeeouch'?Related content
Comments: 20
Hi! Tenchi here! Wow! This looks really cool! After browsing around for awhile, I stumbled upon your page, and was blown away by the Transformer sculpture. I had to look at the rest of your work. I happen to be fascinated with science fiction/fantasy as well. And of course a big fan of Star Wars. ^^
I happen to have this gift for interpretation, in which I can read art like a driver can read a stop sign. XD It's a fun challenge and provides a way for me to actually experience art in a unique way. Well here goes...
"Tactical Error" really captured my attention, and I had to imaginably trek into this world to find out why. The female Aslan, Najmeh, is a very unique and interesting character. The very atmosphere of this image, seems to speak to me the word "veteran of the galaxy". Her expression is that of a no nonsense creature that will not tolerate any force of opposition that threatens her established domain. The pirate's expression, really conveys a sense of assumption. Seeing him lean over, I get a sense of a slow realization that visually crossed his mind. He has that "Wait a minute. Something is not right." kind of expression, which helped me to connect the word veteran of the galaxy now. Because he looks like one who has done this sort of occupation plenty of times, only this time he may have underestimated this crew member. I look now to the alien serpent, and get a sense that this creature may have alerted Najmeh of the pirates. The way it's positioned just behind the Aslan, and looking directly at the pirate, was what gave me the impression. Also the opened mouth which may suggest it will assist her in the attack. Focusing back on Najmeh again, she is stealth like in her approach, and it seems that she is either comfortable in the natural, or perhaps, she never had time to put on her space uniform, as I can only imagine, anyone waking from slumber only has enough time to tackle the most immediate danger.
The floating cable, was another element that also visually suggested the workings of this pirate, as though he sabotaged any equiptment that could possibly provided surveillance security. Which also helped me to understand that this pirate was an expert at what he did, up until he met his match with Najmeh.
Overall, it is a very interesting visual story here. And shows that the pirate she was ambushing was no mere victim, but a methodical formidable enemy.
That concludes my interpretation. Hope you enjoyed the read. ^^
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Well, Joey...I must say...THAT is the kind of comment that any artist would be thrilled to recieve. Very interesting that a WRITER commissioned me to create this image from a story he wrote....and you, as a writer, studied the illustration to interpret the story within...and write the story you see. Awesome!! It's very gratifying for me to have someone search for all the details and pull together the story from what they find. The measure of success for any illustration is how well it inspires the viewer to grasp the story quickly and crave more information.
'Tactical Error' is the initial upload of an image that I then revised to meet the wishes of the writer. "Ambush" is the finished piece, and can be found in my Prime Cuts: Black n' White folder. It has a little more storyline in the description. Joe...your interpretation is pretty damn close to the actual story. *smile* The sentient feather-snake character appears in the story...but not in the scene as-written. I decided to add it into the scene for two reasons: 1. It adds an interesting compositional element; 2. This is a one-shot illo. So I want to grab the viewer and pull them in. Such a cool character helps me do exactly that!
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That's so cool! Interpretation is allot of fun for me. This was certainly an experience for me, and I imaginably allowed myself to be at the scene of the event. Art is a very powerful and visual language of communication. Most people merely looking at art have no idea what they're actually missing out. It's the same with reading a book. I gotta check out that other pic you mentioned now.
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Hahaha I like the creature with her 3 sets of breasts. the pirate is in a very bad situation.
I just finished reading the book "Framed Ink" and now I can appreciate a lot more your composition work, How you placed the pirate on a suffocating and lower position surrounded by the creature arms and wit the dark background. I`m sure that there is a lot of work behind the great iluustrations.
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I'm pleased that you have gained an appreciation for the effort I put into the composing of the elements within the frame. I do believe that effective composition is important to the overall success of an image. I see the Artist as the Lord over his/her domain (the blank page...canvass...empty screen). The Artist is all-powerful and it's their world to create in. Why not use that power to full effect? I want the viewer to be held within the image long enough for their imagination to be stirred! I want my vision to make an impact. If I fail to do that, Yoi...then why bother creating it in the first place?
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Yeah, Lace. That pirate has made a lethal mistake here. Never get between a kitty and her toys!
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As I understand it, Damian...like the rest of the crew, she was in stasis (in her hibernation chamber) when the ship was boarded by the pirates. The feather-snake was the only sentient onboard who was awake at the time, so it initiated the 'rewake sequence'. Nejmeh was the first to regain full consciousness in time to exit her berth...but not enough time to get dressed. Besides...she looks far more menacing without clothing.
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Oooooo....yeah. I'm going to assume he is the kind of scum who wouldn't hesitate to execute anyone who stands to jeopardize his profit margin. Those Aslan dewclaws are going to do some nasty work!
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To feel better about this pirate being disemboweled by those alien claws, I have offer a list of horrible things that he does.
He chews his gum loudly and loves to make popping noises. He swears in front of children. Doesn’t cover his mouth when he coughs or sneezes.
Has loud cell conversations. Stands uncomfortably close when talking to you. (It’s so unsettling!)
Has a massive sound system on his hover-car and he victimizes everyone in his neighborhood with the pounding base.
Blocks the entire aisle with his hover-cart when shopping. Shuffles around in sticky flip-flops that make a little spanking noise as he walks.
Wears low-cut skinny jeans and every time he bends over you can see his trap stamp. He is a blood thirsty space pirate that will invade your spaceship and try to kill you in your sleep.
Yeah, He deserves to die.
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I checked into it. The guy does ALL those things. Can you say 'human scratching post'?
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Thanks, Julie! The feather snake wasn't in the scene as originally written...but it was such an interesting character that I couldn't resist working it into the image. It also adds a strong compositional element.
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very nice - and again, the creature in the background is pretty inspiring - i immediatly think of a related mask i could do. wish i had the time.
You know what? If I create a mask inspired by your work one day, I'll send it to you as a "thank you" for the inspiration
(by the way, the style reminds me of the "gespenster geschichten" comics i used to read. )
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That would be awesome, Rash! *smile* See how contagious inspiration can be? I was inspired to create this image by a short written piece describing these characters and the scene. You in turn feel inspired by this illustration to create a mask. It's a great thing!
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Absolutely right, it's awesome!
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