Crimson CHOW #67 Barbaric Elephant King

[Lege1]

Barbaric Elephant King

Concept: A colossal, hulking elephant king, not of a civilized or traditional monarchy, but of a brutal, barbaric horde. This is a ruler who leads from the front, a warrior-king whose might is his scepter and whose conquests are his crown. He is a blend of natural majesty and savage, man-made adornment, a testament to his power over both his own kind and the creatures he has subjugated. Can be human, or more animal like!

Physicality:

Size: He is immense, even for an elephant. His tusks are massive, thick, and chipped from countless battles. He has a powerful, muscular build, with scars and old wounds criss crossing his thick, leathery hide. His ears are torn and notched.

Posture: He stands tall and proud, but with a slight forward lean, as if perpetually ready for a charge. His head is held high, but with an aggressive tilt. His trunk is often coiled, ready to strike or to trumpet a command.

Expression: His eyes are a key element. They should be intelligent but ruthless, with a fiery glint. A low brow and a permanent scowl complete his fearsome visage.

Attire & Adornments:

Crown: Instead of a delicate, jeweled crown, he wears a crude, heavy helmet fashioned from the skull of a rhinoceros or a similar formidable beast. It should be adorned with jagged teeth or horns from his fallen enemies.

Armor: He is not fully armored, but wears key pieces of brutal, heavy plate or mail. This could include a gorget or shoulder plates made from hammered bronze or dark iron, fastened with thick leather straps. The armor is not polished, but dented and stained.

Tusk Rings: His tusks are wrapped in thick metal bands, possibly engraved with runes or tribal symbols of conquest. These bands might have hooks or chains attached from which trophies dangle.

Trophies: He is festooned with the spoils of war. This could include skulls, bones, or even preserved heads of creatures or lesser kings he has defeated, woven into his hide or hanging from his armor. A necklace of human or orcish skulls would be a powerful visual.

Jewelry: He wears heavy, primitive necklaces and bracelets made of large, uncut stones, polished bone, or crudely hammered metal.

Weaponry:

A Massive Club or Mace: A huge, gnarled club or mace, possibly with a head made from a massive stone or a piece of forged iron. It should look unwieldy and incredibly heavy. He holds it not with his trunk, but with a specially designed grip attached to his leg or back, or perhaps wields it with a prehensile appendage created by his tribe.

War Scythe: A curved scythe-like blade could be affixed to one of his tusks, turning it into a devastating weapon.

Setting:

He is standing on a high cliff overlooking a desolate, conquered landscape.

He is seated on a throne made of the bones and rubble of a destroyed city.

He is leading his war horde—a mix of lesser elephants, mammoths, and other primitive creatures—into battle.

Mood & Atmosphere:

Mood: Grim, imposing, and aggressive.

Atmosphere: Heavy, dusty, and filled with a sense of raw, untamed power. The lighting should be dramatic, perhaps with the low sun casting long, intimidating shadows.

Keywords for the Artist: Brutal, Primal, Warlord, Conqueror, Colossal, Imposing, Scars, Trophies, Crude Metal, Bone, Skulls, Desolate, Raw Power.

Character Design References Challenge Rules

• 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 Wednesday, September 30th, 2025 @ UTC: 23:59

[Navaali]

Thank you for your feedback on the previous challenge! I agree, it was more of a colored sketch and not a polished piece.
I'm trying to keep that momentum so I'll try participating in this one as well.
I actually created an elephant anthro character a few years ago that is not too far away from this prompt, so I'm already familiar with some of the problems...
I'll go in a different direction. To be honest I didn't go with the most obvious answer in the last prompt and ended up losing a lot of time so here I'm just following the basic idea...
Here are my first sketches.



The difficult thing with elephants is that they have a big head compared to their body so you have to change that proportion to make the character look bulkier...
I'll try contrasting some big shapes with smaller ones like skulls. 

The example in your prompt has three legs... Ō.O

[Lege1]

Navaali

Great to see you taking interest in the forum and looks like you are off to a great start. All good on the previous challenge and I'm glad you understand. Keep in mind there is never anything wasted because everything you do makes you that much better, so the miles you put in the closer you'll get to where you want to be as an artist. It's great that you have already explored drawing elephants in the past and this should make things a bit easier and ultimately more enjoyable for this challenge.

Your first sketches are looking good. Exploring different poses should definitely be first thing on the agenda, and making sure that the characters silhouette reads well visually. From there the sky is the limit with how you want to further design and adorn your character. Very good observation on the elephant head being exceptionally larger, but also keep in mind a big part of that illusion is the over sized ears. If you look past the elephants ears and focus on just the head and body, you'll see the head is actually in relative proportion with the body. Typically, making a characters head smaller can make their body and overall figure look bulkier and menacing; Marvel Comics did this with their Kingpin and Hulk characters throughout the years. Definitely dare to experiment to see what deems you the best result and every king needs a third leg, lol. (Was a random image from online that is most likely AI.)

The front pose in your sketches is looking very nice. That might be something to push further.