Example Art by Jakub Kasper *Jakkas
From back in the conceptart.org days
CHOW #59 Wicked Witch Winner
LEGE1
SNOW GOLEM TAMER: This challenge we will be focusing on the character of course which is the Snow Golem Tamer, but by all means feel free to add in the creature element of the Snow Golem / Golems they summon as well, along with any type of implied back ground. Your Tamer and Golems can be any age, gender, or nationality. Additional details below......
Core Concept:
Master of Ice and Snow: This class specializes in summoning, controlling, and enhancing snow golems. They are not just summoners; they are tacticians who manipulate the battlefield with their icy creations.
Key Features:
Golem Summoning:
*Can summon various types of snow golems with unique abilities:
Guardian Golem: Large and sturdy, excels at absorbing damage and protecting allies.
Hunter Golem: Agile and swift, focuses on ranged attacks and crowd control.
Berserker Golem: Powerful but unstable, deals massive damage but can be difficult to control.
*Can enhance summoned golems with spells, increasing their damage, defense, and granting them new abilities.
Ice Magic:
Proficient in ice-based spells:
Ice Blast: A powerful ranged attack that freezes enemies.
Ice Wall: Creates an impassable wall of ice for defense or to block enemy movement.
Frost Nova: An area-of-effect spell that slows enemies and inflicts frost damage.
Golem Tactics:
*Focuses on strategic positioning and coordination of their golems.
Can command golems to perform specific actions:
Attack: Target specific enemies.
Guard: Protect a designated ally.
Taunt: Aggravate enemy.
Formations: Arrange golems in specific formations for offensive or defensive purposes.
Possible Illustrative Scenarios:
Defensive: Focus on summoning Guardian Golems to protect allies and using ice spells to create a strong defensive line.
Offensive: Summon Hunter Golems and Berserker Golems to overwhelm enemies with ranged attacks and powerful melee strikes.
Control: Use ice spells to slow and immobilize enemies, while golems disrupt enemy formations and create openings for allies.
Unique Mechanics:
Golem Synergy: Some golem combinations might have unique synergies, such as a Guardian Golem buffing a Berserker Golem's damage.
Overload: Overloading a golem with too much power can cause it to become unstable and potentially explode, dealing damage to nearby enemies (and potentially allies).
Ice Forging: The Snow Golem Tamer can use ice magic to "forge" new golems from existing snow and ice in the environment.
Guidelines:
No photograph paint overs, must be 100% original work. (See next rule for exception)
3D is permitted and renders MAY be used as whole or in part of a painting, as long as YOU created the work. Pre-made and/or purchased, online, assets are forbidden.
AI may be used in the ideation process, but the final image must be 100% hand-drawn.
Studies are recommended, but not required.
There is no restriction on image formats (horizontal, vertical, square).
Environment backgrounds are optional.
Keep in mind you are not required to stick to what is in the passage. It is more of a guide in terms of mood.
Rules:
You must post at least one WIP in the WIP thread to be accepted into the final poll.
Finals must be posted in the finals thread before the deadline.
At least 3/4 of the character must be visible (minimum from the knees up).
Only ONE submission per person in the finals thread.
No fanart. We want to see your original, unique interpretations!
Voting will be held for 5 days after the deadline.
In an event of a tiebreaker, a winner will be chosen through a randomized name picker.
-=WIP THREAD=-
Deadline is Monday, February 10, 2025 @ UTC: 23:59 *You have 3 entire weeks to get something together! LETS GO!!!*
LEGEND'S SKETCHBOOK_001
To all artists struggling to create and are intimidated by A.I. (anti-imagination) "Everything has been done, but not by you"
I think since this prompt is so specific and I could see this being a class in a lot of different games, I will actually focus on design rather than illustrating. So I'm just starting by trying some basic sihlouettes, focusing on what this person could wear, trying different areas to be chunkier or thinner. I imagine they work outside in the snow with their golems, so doing a lingerie type of look with bare skin is not really the vibe for me.
JosephCow Really great start and any of those three will work. I definitely what you mean about zeroing in on the character, and that is what this is all truly about. I had to go off the rails with the illustrative wips cause I just couldn't help myself, lol. Time to really focus on what matters though, and the only way a Golem Tamer is going to be out in the sub zero temperatures in lingerie is if they are a mutant of some sort, or hoe, lol. Great work and looking forward to your developments.
LEGEND'S SKETCHBOOK_001
To all artists struggling to create and are intimidated by A.I. (anti-imagination) "Everything has been done, but not by you"
Really great starts guys. Touching on the subject of illustrating these CHOW's versus true Character designing i totally agree with you both...however i also totally disagree :-) but for selfish reasons only. I (like may folks here) dont get much time these days to create my art and have always selfishly used these CHOWs as way to force me into creating a piece of art from start to finish..is that in the spirit of a true CHOW?...no...but i also think that's ok too. And im sure all who have joined in on these CHOW's over the years would probably agree with that sentiment. I would say just create something you think fits the brief and have some fun while you do it. I Think if i was able to be more prolific in my personal illustrating i would certainly dedicate this thread for more true character design challenge...but until that day, we gonna have some fun when we can. So rock out dude!
Lege I Like all your character concepts but I do like your first thumb the best, i think the wide angle provides a fresh aspect ratio to really have some cool stuff happening and behind the tamer, and the contrast in FG/mid/BG is classic here and would make for an easy to read scene, especially if we lighten up the BG just a touch. But if you decide to go in the character design direction i think 3 is the most compelling by having the most potential for cool little details in the outfit and head areas. looking forward to seeing your progress dude.
Joseph, as much as i would prefer the more lingerie style :-) i agree and like your approaches with the warm winter coat/outfit. It will be interesting what you can add to this to really sell the Golem tamer concept. Looking forward to what you do with this.
Oh for sure, I mean one time I submitted this for a CHOW, or I think it was? not even sure now. But yeah completely just not a character design, I just wanted to paint it. So I be out here just doing random shit lol. But I do kind of just want to actually try doing design because I'm not super strong at it, but I'll give it a try.
@Legel: I like #3, the techy vibe is kind of different. The goggles on the other two are actually a really good idea as well. It's hard to see him as a spellcaster though, so maybe 1 or 2 read better in that regard.
Ha! Yes you certainly did and it was a wonderful illustration. If I recall I’m pretty sure you beat out my Apple Watch wearing sewer rat! :) and you deserved it!
CBinnsIllustration and JosephCow thank you for the input indeed and I will try to use the remaining time left to appease you both.
In regards to what CBinnsIllustration mentions about using the CHOW for Character Design or Illustration, I think that at this point with where the forum is at and where the world is at, that we should merge the two together as one no doubt, but of course put strong focus on the characters design. As long as the illustration still holds solid character design then why not; and if an artist on here wants to just keep it classic and stick to just the character design then why not?
None of us are getting paid for any of this and we do need to have our fun especially in times where time is limited more than ever due to the cost of living and all the things we must do to survive throughout our days. For many of us like myself, this is one of the only great joys in my life. Life moves fast, too fast, and I could say that from starting getting into concept art back in 2007 at 27 years old, that the time has just jumped in leaps and bounds to where I wake up at 43 all the time like wtf?
It is what it is, and the time is only going to continue to go from here. So let it be known that when it comes to any of my briefs on here you are absolutely allowed to take either a strict character approach, or go the illustration route. Just again, make sure that a good amount of the character and design emphasis are thrown into the mix when it comes to the illustration aspect of things which can be challenging considering 3/4 of the character must be visible. If our comic book comrades can find ways to make it all happen in their skinny, vertical, rectangular compositions, then so can we considering we are not constrained to comic cover measures.
Keep rocking guys!
LEGEND'S SKETCHBOOK_001
To all artists struggling to create and are intimidated by A.I. (anti-imagination) "Everything has been done, but not by you"
Updated WIP. Still pretty rough, I am working on designing a weapon that's kind of like a trident/cattle prod kind of thing, which I think makes a lot of sense for her.
Looking really good guys. Not sure I can get a fully finished piece, but I’m hoping between now and Monday I can get something decent enough to submit. Got time for a few thumbnails, I really want to go more anthropomorphic this round to get some fresh textures. Will see how it goes.
"Everything has been done, but not by you" 
"Everything has been done, but not by you" 
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