I’m almost afraid to say this but…the concept graphic is finished. I know I’ll tinker at the fine details, but the ideas floating around in my head since 2004 have finally coalesced into something ‘real’. For the first time in 15 years, I can say ‘this is what the iVokh look like’.
Sorry to make the image so big, but I wanted you to be able to see the details. More importantly, I want you to be able to tell me where I’ve missed something, or got the perspective wrong or the lighting or the biology or any one of a million things that I literally can’t see any more.
In short, I’m asking you all to be my beta testers. Not my kind, caring fan club but my critics, because I need fresh eyes, and you’re it. 🙂
-hugs-
Meeks
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NANO 2012
July 27th, 2019 at 9:00 pm
[…] https://acflory.wordpress.com/2019/07/21/may-i-introduce-kaati/ “I’m almost afraid to say this but…the concept graphic is finished. I know I’ll tinker at […]
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July 23rd, 2019 at 4:37 pm
Very cool indeed! And excellent artwork – I can really get a sense of the iVokh. Just one query: are the feet intentionally that large?
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July 24th, 2019 at 6:01 pm
Hi Matthew. 🙂 Funny you should ask about the feet – a couple of other commenters mentioned that they appear oversized. So I’ve tweaked the concept based on all the feedback. I’ll be posting a before and after post after dinner. Btw thanks so much for commenting!
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July 23rd, 2019 at 1:59 am
Oooh, so cool! The eyes especially!
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July 24th, 2019 at 6:04 pm
Hi Elizabeth, and thank you. 😀
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July 22nd, 2019 at 8:02 am
Reblogged this on Where Genres Collide Traci Kenworth YA Author & Book Blogger.
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July 22nd, 2019 at 9:33 am
Thanks, Traci!
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July 24th, 2019 at 10:51 am
You’re welcome, Meeka!
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July 24th, 2019 at 5:58 pm
😀
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July 22nd, 2019 at 7:54 am
I agree that the chest and shoulders need to be more broad. Maybe the front toe on the left foot is too big. However, these are minor quibbles, because you have created one seriously disturbing species. I love the eyes and the lack of face. Are you now ready for the animated version of your book?!
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July 22nd, 2019 at 9:35 am
-dance- ‘disturbing species’ is exactly what I was after: like enough to be relatable, but oh so different just past the surface. Thank you! And yes, I’m definitely going to tweak the feet & shoulders. 🙂
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July 22nd, 2019 at 6:20 am
Very iVokhative! 😀
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July 22nd, 2019 at 9:36 am
LMAO!!!!! oh very nice Ms Widds. 🙂
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July 22nd, 2019 at 6:25 pm
😀
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July 23rd, 2019 at 6:11 am
A very twisty thought just occurred to me. If you haven’t already you might want to check if Apple has trademarked that lower case ‘i’ (for their iPhones) … they probably haven’t but you can never tell in today’s insane world of these sorts of things.
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July 24th, 2019 at 6:04 pm
-shudder- the thought of anyone being able to trademark a lowercase letter is mind boggling. That said, our local ABC has called their freeview offering ‘iView’ so fingers crossed they did their own due diligence! Thanks for bringing it up coz it never even occurred to me until you mentioned it. Being an Indie is a minefield. lol
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July 25th, 2019 at 9:00 am
Especially when the idiots are running the asylum.
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July 25th, 2019 at 9:42 am
Yup. Sometimes it feels as if the world has lost all common sense.
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July 22nd, 2019 at 5:45 am
I can’t see it well, ’cause it’s all black. And no face. ?
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July 22nd, 2019 at 9:41 am
Yes and yes. 🙂 The iVokh are all black, but their masters, the Vokh, come in all sorts of colours which change as they ‘mature’. Only the most powerful Vokh [The Nine] is mature enough to be black. It’s complicated. 😀
The face was deliberate as I haven’t yet set all the facial features ‘in stone’. The eyes and teeth I know. I also know that they have an echo chamber for echo location, but I’ve yet to clearly see what it looks like. In dolphins that echo chamber thingy is very pronounced, but in smaller animals like bats and birds it works very differently. So…still thinking. Plus a bit of mystery never hurts. 😀
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July 22nd, 2019 at 5:44 am
OOoooooh. So intriguing. The “lack of face” makes me want more. It starts off as humanoid with mesmerizig eyes. Then the hands – well not quite as human as I thought. Then the feet. Wow. I don’t know what these are supposed to look like, so can’t help you there, but the image is definitely compelling. Nice work, Andrea.
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July 22nd, 2019 at 9:49 am
-hugs- Thanks, Diana! I wanted to create an alien species that wasn’t just a human dressed up to look different. By the same token, I needed my aliens to be close enough to humanoid, in both appearance and ‘personality’ to strike a chord within /us/. So familiarity with dissonance. Striking that balance has been hard, esp. visually.
I really appreciate the honest feedback everyone has given. As a writer I suspect you know how valuable that feedback is. 🙂
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July 22nd, 2019 at 1:27 am
I like the eyes, but agree with the shoulders being larger. I like the way the wings like a cloak with talons on the end, it is more bird than lizard (I don’t see lizard at all but that’s just me – nicely done misses.
– Esme Cloud shaking her hand as she works on her own illustrations nodding along with how long they bloody take
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July 22nd, 2019 at 10:02 am
Hi Esme-‘pon-Cloud! I’m so chuffed you like the wings. They have gone through so many transformations I’ve lost count. I’m thrilled that I’ve finally got them right. -hugs-
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July 22nd, 2019 at 1:13 am
Seriously scary! I like the odd proportions. They add to the mysterious nature and the discomfort I feel.
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July 22nd, 2019 at 10:04 am
Mwahahaha!!! Oh I love you guys! Discomfort is perfect. 🙂 I will tweak the proportions a little though. Kaati is meant to be a strong flyer despite the fact that it’s not one of the Flyer clan.
-hums happily as she opens up Corel-
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July 21st, 2019 at 4:44 pm
Sent you an email *hugs*
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July 21st, 2019 at 9:14 pm
Thanks, Chris!
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July 21st, 2019 at 3:33 pm
Okay, you asked for it.
The feet are too big for the hips, so if the hips/knee joints are made bigger, and the shoulders balanced out, it should be easier for the iVokh to move, and fast. this type of leg has a strange knee action, so the hips need to accommodate that flexion with muscle and size.
The eyes – is there a reason they’re not round? Or similar to a lizard’s eye shape? It just seems strange to see the almond shape on a creature with scales.
Sorry, but you did ask.
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July 21st, 2019 at 9:24 pm
-grin- No, thank you! This is exactly the kind of feedback I was hoping for. Although the Vokh and iVokh are predominantly flyers, they do use their feet for hunting and fighting so I think I subconsciously made them too big. Will reduce the size of the feet and make the primary shoulders wider. Should have thought of that myself as they need powerful chest muscles for flight.
I am a bit confused though. Scales? They don’t have scales, although I suppose those legs might look scaled. I was trying to mimic the skin on bird legs. Maybe if I tone down the shine a bit?
The eyes were always meant to be ‘feline’, but thanks for drawing my attention to them; just noticed that the angle of the left eyes is wrong. 😦
I really appreciate the feedback as I’ve been working on this concept for so long, I’m blinkered. -hugs-
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July 22nd, 2019 at 2:59 am
I don’t think the legs look scaled. Maybe it’s because I’ve read from where you’ve got the inspiration, but they look bird-like to me. I rechecked after reading this comment and they still look bird-like.
The right one, though, should be a bit darker. The rest of the picture shows that the light comes from the left, and slightly from the behind, but the right foot seems more “fair” coloured to me 🤔
Other than that, though, you did an amazing job, so, do not forget to congratulate yourself, whether there are some imperfections, or not. Congratulations! 👏👏😘
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July 22nd, 2019 at 9:51 am
-huge hugs- You’re right. The left foot/wing folds would create a strong shadow over the right foot. I see it now. -facepalm- Literally gold my friend! Thank you. 🙂
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