Edit: new WIP [link]

New edit: finished piece [link]



WIP - of =kilara's Avian contest entry
(I'll scrap this after I finish the actual piece.)

May 10th, 2009
Photoshop and Drawingtablet
Time spent so far: roughly 20-25 hours, and counting...


I don't usually post WIPs, but this is such a big project, that I felt like sharing it with you guys. That, and I don't think I'll be able to finish this before the contest's deadline, which is on the 15th, by the way. Consider this my way of begging for that extension I've been hearing so much about.


Anyway, about this picture. It pretty much breaks all the rules I had set for myself a few months earlier. Not only was I not going to enter any more contest for a while, I also wasn't going to do any more crazy projects either. And here I am now, doing both. XD

I don't know why I decided to do such a crazy pic either. Well, I DO know. The competition for this contest is so fierce that I figured I needed to come up with something totally crazy to stand a chance. Only now it's so over-the-top crazy that I may not be able to finish this monster before the deadline expires.

It contains all 20 Avians. That's why the composition may look a little jumbled. Heh. There are also some fish, a bunch of birds, a few avian-like contours in the background, a flying whale (don't ask) and I also threw in two OCs of mine, Uncia and Keena.
Hey, I've worked hard on this thing, so I figured I deserve something for it. XD Besides, they are both so tiny that I really doubt anyone would have noticed them.

I realize that the line art isn't perfect and that the perspective and the proportions are a mess. I guess that's what you get when you eye-ball them.


Current status: The line art is on 5 different layers. The base colors are all in place, and are distributed over 10 different layers. I've started applying flat colors, after which I'll be adding gradients, details and shading.
I already started applying some rough gradients to Pango's head (that's the brown Avian), because frankly he didn't look right without them.

To all Avian owners: This picture contains all 20 Avians for which ref sheets were provided. Some of them may look a little small though, so if you need help finding your character, feel free to ask me where your Avian is.


Avian species belongs to =kilara
Avian characters belong to their respective owners (finished piece will have a complete list)
Uncia and Keena belong to me

Art is by me - Please don't try to color this. Thank you. :3


PS. I realize that throwing all the Avians in one pic may seem a little random, not to mention anachronistic, but don't worry. There is some reason behind this madness. I do have a story to go with this picture.