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February 25, 2012
7.4 MB
4500×3300
Sta.sh
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:iconkatepfeilschiefter:
The Black Tongue is an alien omnivore that navigates through scent, sound and heat. It's prehensile tongue is a deadly sense and eating organ, used for slurping up insects, plucking fruit from tall trees, and uprooting shrubs. The nostrils on the chest of the animal are used for air intake, while those on the head are for smelling.

I really love Wayne Barlowe, and I was definitely influenced by him.

Any critique is welcome.
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:iconichogo:
~Ichogo May 20, 2013  Student Writer
You nailed Barlowe's design and feel. NAiled it PERFECTLY!
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:iconsledgeviper:
YES. Wayne Barlow is awesome! (I thought I saw some of his style in yours ;D)

I love the colors, their balance of contrast... The sky... And the design of the animal is Splendid.
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:iconraptor-177:
~Raptor-177 Apr 12, 2013  Hobbyist Digital Artist
Yes, I like Wayne Barlowe too. His aliens are so... alien. No eyes or obvious mouth, those are too "earthly" features. Yours is no different, but there's the added bonus that it's drawn and colored very nicely :)
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:iconkatepfeilschiefter:
*KatePfeilschiefter Apr 12, 2013  Professional Digital Artist
Yeah. I don't consider eyes or mouths a hallmark of earth. As navigating your environment and ingesting things is always going to be necessary. And sight is so incredibly useful, but excluding or altering their shape beyond recognition is a very quick way to get that alien vibe.
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:iconraptor-177:
~Raptor-177 Apr 12, 2013  Hobbyist Digital Artist
Of course. But mouths and eyes on the head is a bit cliche these days...
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:iconkatepfeilschiefter:
*KatePfeilschiefter Apr 12, 2013  Professional Digital Artist
Perhaps, but they appear that way in nature because it works well. The best alien designs I think are the ones that land in that sweet spot between abnormal and functional.
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:iconraptor-177:
~Raptor-177 Apr 15, 2013  Hobbyist Digital Artist
True, true, it's all due to parallel evolution, especially the eyes. But of course eyes have to do with whatever the creature's biology is, and its evolutionary history. It, say, might have special sensory organs that detect electromagnetic fields, or maybe as in the opposite of Earth, where all of them have such organs, but some specialized and developed eyes. Also, the mouths can be completely alien, as how Barlowe has done. One has to think, as being alien lifeforms, nothing is to be expected, and they can have completely bizarre biologies, as for instance no mouth whatsoever (implying that they absorb nutrients through the air). But as with here, any carnivore/omnivore MUST have some sort of mouth to extract nutrients from other creatures.

P.S. Did you get any inspiration from that "no mouth thing"?
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:iconkatepfeilschiefter:
*KatePfeilschiefter Apr 16, 2013  Professional Digital Artist
Do you mean, was I inspired by the creatures of Barlowe seemingly lacking a mouth? Not sure, as this was done about a year ago. But this guy does have a mouth, albeit a weird one.
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:iconraptor-177:
~Raptor-177 Apr 17, 2013  Hobbyist Digital Artist
Exactly.
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