Crimson CHOW #62 THE WANDERER

[Lege1]

-=THE WANDERER=-

Appearance:

• A lone, weathered figure with a stern expression and a determined gaze.
  
• Adorned with mismatched scavenged armor crafted from repurposed metal and tattered leather.
  
• Long, unkempt grey hair and a wild, untamed appearance.
  
• Layered clothing composed of rags and salvaged fabrics, highlighting their resourcefulness in a harsh, post-apocalyptic world.
  
• Carries a crude yet functional weapon, perhaps a handcrafted spear with a jagged blade.
  

Story:
The Wanderer is a survivor of a cataclysmic event that has ravaged the land, leaving it a desolate wasteland. They roam the barren landscape, searching for remnants of the past and struggling to survive in a harsh and unforgiving environment. Their journey is one of solitude and resilience, as they navigate the dangers of the post-apocalyptic world and face the challenges of a harsh and unforgiving environment.

They are a solitary figure, haunted by the memories of a lost civilization and driven by a deep sense of loss and despair. Their journey is one of survival, but also one of self-discovery and redemption. As they travel through the desolate landscape, they encounter other survivors, some friendly, some hostile. They must learn to trust and rely on others, while also maintaining their independence and self-reliance.

The Wanderer is a complex and compelling character, embodying the resilience and determination of the human spirit in the face of adversity. Their story is one of hope and despair, loss and redemption, and the enduring power of the human spirit.

[*]The Wanderer could be a former soldier, a scientist, or a member of any other profession. Their past experience could inform their skills and abilities, as well as their motivations for traveling the wasteland.

[*]The Wanderer could be searching for something specific, such as a lost loved one, a cure for a deadly disease, or a way to rebuild civilization. Their quest could provide a sense of purpose and direction to their journey.

[*]The Wanderer could be a mentor or a guide to other survivors, sharing their knowledge and experience to help them survive in the harsh post-apocalyptic world. Their wisdom and compassion could make them a valuable asset to any community they encounter.

Previous Challenge Win by Lege1

• 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, May 8th, 2025 @ UTC: 23:59

[CBinnsIllustration]

nice piece on the last brief Lege! Apologies for having you go solo bro, I have been having a bit of an art block for a few months and I need to get back at it. Im Gonna give this one a go and see what sparks I can ignite.  Looking forward to getting back into it with a brief that resonates with my love of all things post-apocalyptic 

[darktiste]

Damn CB you didn't have to go so hard!

[Lege1]

CBinnsIllustration: Thank you so much and I'm glad you liked my recent final. No worries and I'm happy to see the forum still up and thriving. I have been trying to reach out to other creatives to see if they are interested in joining and maybe we see some new participants. I've never had artist block, but suffer from the opposite, for me it's too many ideas, and just being infinitely over creative. I'm glad this was a topic that interested you. Absolutely incredible work on your 4 thumbs, I really like the top right, for some reason that one stands out to me most, maybe it's the dynamic pose. Crazy how you just banged those out so fast man; for someone that has been out of the loop, you jumped back in like you never left!

[CBinnsIllustration]

HA cheers Darktiste, yeah im a bit out of practice on staying disciplined on not doing too much on thumbs and got caught up on a few of these.

Thanks Lege! yeah it wasnt really a art block from a creative standpoint and more on the motivational side. I would find myself thinking of all these ideas for new pieces and when it came time to pick up a pencil or ipad i just found myself de-motivating myself thinking of all the time I need to dedicate to finishing it. I found guilt creeping in that I was selfishly taking too much time from my kids. Since i work full time as a software engineer my freetime is becoming more fleeting as the kids get older. (both kids having soccer, golf, dance, girlscouts etc...) Then one day my daughter asked me why i havent shown her any art I have done in a while and it cut deep....time to get going again i think! gonna have to just try balance things better.

I agree with top right, i do like more dynamic poses and something with more of a story behind it. but i may take some of the other elements and put them together. I like the bottom right hair and sidekick, the bottom left lighting and top right pose. just need to put it all together now !

[darktiste]

CBinnsIllustration
Here how i see It about balance it about showing them that dad also as need is personal time is need to express certain thing in other way than word. You can always draw with the kid nothing stop you but maybe it not the kind of subject matter or not there cup of tea so sometime you need to be an adult you know. They are getting older they probably understand better what it is to want to be alone sometime or simply that sometime concentration require that alone time.

You don't have to force yourself to finish but i think that over time not finishing hurt motivation because you end up with the ''what the point of all this'' you direction and motivation because you have life distracting you. I am not sure those challenge really fit your current artistic time because of the need of consistency to achieve a end result.

Maybe you just need something more time flexible like a long term project you can come back to when you find the time or just quick creative burst of sketching that are low commitment low stress no string attach.

[Lege1]

CbinnsIllustration: I understand, it can be hard to be motivated to make the commitment to follow through with projects, especially leisure ones. Many of us in the times are stressed with feeling like we don't have enough time and money to manage and balance life, and it's certainly not easy times in the world. I'm pretty sure we all have unfinished folders, I know I certainly do and even shared some of it here.

It's a constant battle being a creative person and trying to balance real life and time for being creative, and the simple truth is creativity feeds on our greatest asset in life which is time. Darktiste makes some good points there no doubt. I feel like as long as we are trying to do our best and doing something that things will hopefully fall into place and balance out more while feeling better about how we are spending our time. It is important for creatives to take on personal projects and do stuff for self, so something to strongly consider always and is taking care of self best as possible cause if not, it becomes like a person drowning trying to save others from drowning when we stretch our time and selves too thin.

In regards to your concepts I think you are on the right track with mixing it all up for sure. You know the deal, and I know you def have a plan, it's just all about action and executing it which I'm sure you will figure out how to do in good time here. Keep up the great work and awesome wips again! Just out of curiosity, how long does it take you to whip up what you did there?

Folders and folders of unfinished person ideas and work from over the years. The numbers next to the File names are the dates I started the projects. Currently exploring silhouettes for this challenge and taking some time to really simmer in it as I feel that it is a huge help with the beginning stages of character design.

[CBinnsIllustration]

Thanks Darktiste and Lege you both gave some extremely helpful feedback back and it was very much appreciated. We are all artists here after all and I forget sometimes how much of a safe haven a forum like this can be for like minded people and that we all experience very similar trials and tribulations. Your words are motivating and encouraging. I will work on getting more me time and not get too focused on needing to polish every turd lol maybe just one or two :)

Lege in terms of how long my thumbs take, it can range from 10 minutes to 50 minutes depending on how fast I can generate the original idea. Normally takes me 4-5 minutes to get to a shape of values I find creates an interesting character or pose, depending on what I’m shooting for. Then at the 10 minute mark is normally where I could stop and move on but I rarely do. 10-20 more minutes in and I normally polish some details (usually faces are this entire time)…and again this is where I should stop, but I don’t, and I will take another 10-20 minutes polishing and working on details and backgrounds. The screenshots below are from the Timelapse on my iPad and show where I’m at roughly for each time portion. Sometimes I am certainly guilty of being captivated by a rough and over doing it a bit, but more often than not that’s the one I end up finishing anyways. 

[Lege1]

CBinnsIllustration absolutely and yes, the is a safe haven for someone like me for sure. I love our community here although there are not many of us left, but it is still great  regardless. Def take care of yourself especially with mental and physical health.

Thanks so much on the thumbnail info, I wasn't expecting all that; pure awesome and so helpful to understand. You know I normally sketch everything out linear, but I want to try using silhouettes and I'm very inspired to try your method. I'm going to post some wips soon. I have some really hard edge painted silhouettes that are very interesting and were inspired by Gary Laib (You can find him on IG and Youtube, he's an awesome artist and person.) I'd like to do another batch using your method and see how that goes. I like the idea of trying new things and foundational things are very important for time efficiency and overall quality. Thanks so much again bro!

***Please let me know which silhouette you might like most out of this batch for possibility of bringing to final. ***

[Lege1]

Alright so I found a new way I like to work volumetrically based on the combination of Gary Laib's thumbnail inspiration which was the above result, plus combining CBinnsIllustration method and then just going my own direction with things. This seems to be a pretty quick way to turn out something that looks decent. Typically I would work linear and create a rough sketch, then clean up the line work which can be time consuming. The conclusion is that I like both methods of working linear and volumetric, so depending on what I'm doing and how fast I want to do it I would take advantage of one, the other, or a combination of the both. I was able to get together in a little over an hour including the initial silhouette.