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balaa β Cheetah Warrior Concept
Published: 2006-02-01 03:37:36 +0000 UTC; Views: 4395; Favourites: 89; Downloads: 623
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I've been trying to get back into more real media painting and also teach myself to be more patient and take more time to develop my concepts before just lunging into painting. Some paintings work out just the same but I think larger scale ideas should be researched a bit more before I start painting them. I suppose we will see how this works out
.The warrior is based loosely on the maasai of Tanzania and Kenya. I have been doing a good deal of research on tribes of Africa and hope to continue to do so as I never want to insult the people of Africa, but rather pay my homage and appreciation for the beatuy, depth and richness of their cultures. One thing I read that I found interesting was a native Maasai warrior's remark on how western photographers never give the subjects of their photo's names. They treat native peoples as animals without recognizing that each man, woman and child has a name. The same of course applies to animals themselves. I hope to give each subject of my paintings a name, not just 'a cheetah' or 'a maasai warrior'..
for the moment this fella has no name, a little more research will change that
.color/mood for this painting has already been plotted out..for the most part ^__^
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Comments: 42
awesome!!!!! like the charater in the book im writing!!!
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This came out nicely
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I agree with chenderson about the spear and the empty space. But other than that, it looks great. I can't wait to see more!
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Okay, I have to say here that I don't care for the composition much. The spear pointing straight out of the frame makes my eye shoot right out of the picture rather than examining the details. I also don't like the large area of dead space in the upper right.
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point well taken. Honestly the composition wasn't sitting well with me BUT I wasn't entirely sure what it was. Thank you for bringing your ideas before me, I will certainly tinker with changing the composition..I think perhaps extending the background arm, angling the spear further to the left and moving the moon to the top right of the picture would help balance it out.
Thanks again
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Looks beautiful! I can't wait to see what you do with it.
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Very nice, I cannot wait to see the finished version, also keep up the research. I'm also sure you'll come up for brillant names for your subjects. ^^
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Hmm... his nose needs to be a bit bigger, and his tail should be longer. Cheetahs have big nostrils so that they can take in lots of air while running, and their long tails act as rudders during chase. Other than that, I love the design. Can't wait to see the finished product!
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I love all of the detail in the fur and the rocks!
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Beautiful pose. I like it a lot. Somehow, maybe a more dominant or aggressive expression might have been more fitting...
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I see cheetah's as quiet and graceful, like the maasai. They are lank but muscular..powerful but not in a domineering/aggressive manner..thus my choice of a very relaxed, simple, almost contemplating pose
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ooh I'm loving this concept. I am a sucker for african landscape-with-critter scenes 
Can't wait to see this one finished. I also really love the idea of actually giving name and personality to the character you're drawing. I don't name all of my critters, but often, along the progress of drawing/painting it, automatically I figure out it's personality and in which situation it's in, what it might be thinking.. I don't always do it but .. mostly :3 I have a tendence to want to turn everything I draw into characters of mine.. but if I would do that I would have tons of characters xD Anyway as I said tis is just GORGEOUS.
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hehehehe I actually started a sketch of a wild dog because I want to do a painting. Some of Dark Natasha's sketches of wild dogs inspired me to explore more of the animals inhabiting Africa in general. I'm not sure what I want to do yet but your piece is another helpful push in the right direction. I rather like the way you incorporated the anthromorphic features with the canine.
Thank you for your comment, they are always welcome and thoroughly enjoyed
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I saw the WIP in your LJ, and it was just looking gorgeous. <3
Thank you, and you're welcome. xD
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This is so cool! I can't wait to see the finished version
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i love your drawings...cheetahs are one of the most wonderful cat species in Africa....as a feline conservationist fanatic, this is just awesome. if ya ever decide to sell the sketch, i might be willing to buy it from u.
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love it. you did a little research on African native people, didn't you.
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Your brilliance leaves me in "ah" You are wonderful at anthro works and this is no less than amazing. I love the anatomy of the cheetah and the moon looks great with this. I need to start drawing more anthro stuff.
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So critique is encouraged... Hmm. Not shure if someone like me is allowed to criticize you.
But hmm.. nja.
Otherwise itΒ΄s better to give cirtics to a sketch than to the finished pic.
You wrote that you want to go back to more realistic animals so for that I think the head is still a bit to big. Cheetahs have very small heads compared to the rest of the body.
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HAHA!! thats the exxaaaaccctttt thing I noticed myself..I kept staring at it and feeling something was off and came to the conclusion it was the size of the head...BUT I wanted to see if aanyone else picked up on what I was seeing too without saying so myself
and..yes better critic in the concept stages rather than a finished painting that doesnt have so much room for correction...^__^.
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*piuh*
Yeah, passed the test.
IΒ΄m really excited to see the finished pic. And he has no name yet? I would call him Kiza. Sounds african somehow.
With what media do you want to work it out?
And I have problems with the headsize too, even with humans. My professor is very good when it comes to anatomy (he can draw every muscle on a human without any reference) and he always tells me with every pic: "The head is too big!" That makes me going crazy.
I always search for good people redlining my scetches but they a, have no time or b, arenΒ΄t sensitive enough for that. ItΒ΄s hard to explain cause I always miss the words... no native speaker.
And I love the stones! One of my real problems are backgrounds... I canΒ΄t do stones.
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Squee!^^Dag.You should make tutorals.(Have you?)
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Squee!^^Dag.You should make tutorals.(Have you?)
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dun like the feet - the rest of the body would look better with plantigrade feet (human style feet)
but the rest is good
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Beautiful! I love it 
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Excellent! Everything looks great... I get such a vivid feeling of the warriors of Africa when looking at this piece!
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Lookin good! One thing though, cheetah's always have a white tail-tip
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hmm in the photos I have they seem to be black..I recall drawing them white myself before but wonder why in the majority of photos I have collected of cheetahs they have black tailtips O_o.
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Many African savanna animals have a tail tip that is white on one side and black on the other. They use it for signaling to others. But that's generally pack animals (lions, wild dogs), so I'm not sure if it would apply to cheetahs. The things you learn in a Tropical Ecology class!
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It could be that it's just a little white in the photos you have, and therefore not very noticable, like in this one- [link]
But yeah, if you look at these, you can see the white tail tip on all of them-
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[link] (you have to look closely on this one)
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Otherwise, I'm not sure why they're black o_O
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Yes, theyβre right. Most cheetahs normally have a little white tuff at the end of their tails. It looks lovely so far, though do you think the hand/paws need to be just a little bigger? I feel the wrist joints, especially on the one holding the spear, aren't quite right; you seem to be missing the bony protrusions of the wrists in both.
The legs though look fantastic, very elegant and powerful.
Canβt wait to see it coloured.
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Balaa, Balaa, Balaa...
How I wish you would quit doing such stupendous anthro projects... you're just trying to get me to beg you to do something special for me...
No, not really. I would never ever stand the idea that somehow I made you stop doing any of your marvelous work. The feeling and detail of this... a concept sketch of all things... just strikes my soul and makes it sing! You are a wonderous Goddess to your creations you know? Many times I have seen the idea put forth that we are the God-creators of our own worlds in picture and print. And if such is truth, then you must surely be revered as pure beauty by your world ethos as I must surely be reviled for despair by mine.
And to me you remain a wonderful Goddess of creativity. I never tire of your creations as such... seeing that which you bring to life stirs the soul. (But I said it again didn't I? Keep this up and words will fail me.)
k
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Your words stir the quiet crackling embers of my soul. As always I am left humbled and thankful that a being such as yourself takes the time to view my work and leave such soulful comments.
*hugs you tight*
(I am trying to get my mind and hands around anthros..I feel I still have quite some room to grow and a good deal of practice before I feel competent and confident in the quality of my anthro work.)
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i can not comment on the image itself, but i do strongly suggest you track down a movie called Duma.
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Wow, this is incredible! I love how he looks so wise. Cannot wait to see this one finished.
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This is exceptionally wonderful! 
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