http://abiogenesis.cgsociety.org/gallery/ abiogenesis's gallery of images en-us 120 http://abiogenesis.cgsociety.org/gallery/511707

Life forms evolved for a microgravity world.

Two sentients shepherd a trio of flying life forms, who have angled their bodies towards the 'sun' for warmth. Large black packs are bound to their bodies, filled with water which can be hard to come by.

In the far distance the forms of vast structures fill the sky.

No sentient living here has yet discovered their true nature.

Painted in Photoshop over about a week, it was a lot of fun.

Enjoy.]]> Wed, 27 Jun 2007 10:10:57 +0000 http://abiogenesis.cgsociety.org/gallery/489107

Two of Earths' most successful lineages meet in the cold waters off Japan: Homo sapiens, and the giant squid Architeuthis dux.

Painted in photoshop over a few days. As a kid these were my favorite animals so I wanted to do an encounter piece.

Enjoy ]]> Tue, 24 Apr 2007 10:02:24 +0000 http://abiogenesis.cgsociety.org/gallery/483079

I have done an alternative version of the Bushwhacker but with a little more going on, as per the requests of forum members here.

Here is the alternative version:

http://forums.cgsociety.org/showthread.php?t=481372

The tropical forest in the background is very different from those of Earth: Here, almost all the forest floor is covered with a grayish, mold-like organism. The large coral shapes on top of it are formed by the fungus and move slowly like waves across the ground, engulfing dead animals and vegetation for digestion. Large red capped fruiting bodies dot the forest, and are serviced by jungle creatures who then travel to others, and so fertilize far distant fungal colonies.

The Bushwhacker, seen here in strike position, is a predator of the mid levels of this forest. Only about a foot or so long, it moves slowly through the vines snapping at unsuspecting creatures which pass nearby. Its pointed teeth grip prey while venom injected by the proboscis paralyzes it, making it easier to handle. If the creature loses its footing, it is slow on the ground and likely to be eaten by animals living under the fan fungus ledges.

The first xenobiologist to study this alien was stung, but the toxins never evolved to attack earthlife and so apart from significant pain they were unharmed. It was named the Bushwhacker because of its propensity for ambush, like the rural guerrillas of the American civil war.

Thanks to the people who helped me out in the crits section. It is not perfect but I learned a lot painting this.
]]> Sat, 07 Apr 2007 04:31:51 +0000 http://abiogenesis.cgsociety.org/gallery/481372

An aggressive predatory forest dweller, the Bushwhacker makes up for its small size through patience and lightning fast reflexes.

Moving slowly along vines and creepers, the alien sneaks up on prey, and then stabs deep inside using its proboscis. This injects a dose of venom and is then retracted, so that the rows of cheek teeth can grip prey while the small mouth consumes the victim.

The Bushwhacker has also been observed to hang in dense foliage and attack land living creatures in a similar fashion as they pass underneath.

This was done first as a pencil sketch before being painted in Photoshop. Used standard brushes.

Hope you enjoy ]]> Mon, 02 Apr 2007 16:10:10 +0000 http://abiogenesis.cgsociety.org/gallery/463915

Living in the oceans of a dense metal rich planet, the Swordswallower moves through the sea on a single undulating ventral fin. As it moves, its jaw sweeps planktonic life into its small mouth at the back of the 'net', where it is filtered and any food swallowed. The membrane it uses to hunt may look delicate, but is make from silk-like secretions and is easily repaired by glands in the egg shaped 'mouth'.

To alter its depth, a gas bladder fills much of its insides and can change volume at will, letting the Swordswallower feed using minimum energy.

Under the shadow of this specimen, a school of smaller fish-size relations of the Swordswallower seek shelter under its shadow. If I predator attacks, the feeding mouth of the large creature can be retracted, and the fish size creatures will hide inside. In return for this shelter, the fish like animals keep the Swallower free from parasites.

Trailing from the rear of this specimen are two long pale strings of gametes, releasing hundreds of reproductive cells into the sea as it swims, to mix in the water with the eggs and sperm of others swimming nearby.

To see the internal anatomy of this critter, I posted it in my folio here.

It was painted using standard fuzzy brushes set to between zero and 70% hardness, with hard brushes used for fine details.]]> Thu, 15 Feb 2007 06:15:29 +0000 http://abiogenesis.cgsociety.org/gallery/461145

This is one of my first illustrations of a human character, and also the first line art I have done for quite a while. Hope you enjoy it!

This alien species is called the Emesii [contraction: MSI], and a group of them wish to set up a joint colony with humans. To determine how well they are likely to get along human and MSI scientists are conducting experiments on members of their respective species to build up a massive database of interactions to help develop social systems for their joint colony. Here two babies are linked to complex computers which both record and modify their thoughts and behaviors to discover more about socializing at early stages of development.]]> Thu, 08 Feb 2007 01:06:38 +0000 http://abiogenesis.cgsociety.org/gallery/423938

A large Earth-based company intends to use this gas giant in a nearby star system as a vast Helium 3 extraction and sales operation. However to do so the law requires an ecological damage survey to be conducted on the gas giant's moons, to be sure the operation will not damage any ecosystems on them. This large moon, only slightly smaller than earth, was found to have an advanced multicellular ecology.

The Sol Union Xenobiologist Makeba Sutphen was sent with the company when they left earth, to make sure the laws regarding alien ecosystems were followed. Here she is approached by possibly sentient natives of this large moon. Although she has a camera out now, if they get closer or show aggression she is well armed.

The species itself evolved from large aquatic creatures which resembled less broad versions of Earth stingrays. As they began to move on to land small feeding appendages on their underside grew into thicker organs to propel them, and the large side fins retracted and darkened to protect against solar radiation. Sensory appendages which stuck from the sides of the head and helped find food underwater become very useful for judging distance above water, with the eyes set so far apart.

Males, who had to compete for mating rites, developed these eye-stalks further into horns, and used them to scare off other males. They also developed a more upright stance to better compete for mates until the species was standing almost vertical. With a head now so far from the ground, the large mouth migrated to the bottom of the body, leaving the brain, eyes and breathing tube on the upper head, so as to spot danger and eat at the same time. Waste products are ejected explosively from the body from a pore on the back, to prevent contamination to the mouth.

Now able to walk upright and survive on land, the species spread across its world to become the dominant creature on the planet.]]> Tue, 31 Oct 2006 21:09:29 +0000 http://abiogenesis.cgsociety.org/gallery/413049

My [somewhat liberal] interpretation of an Aboriginal creator spirit from central Australia. The Wandjina, according to myth, came down from the milky way and created the world and its people.

This is a casual piece, so I only spent a limited time on it. I used a squashed cloud brush to paint in the bulk of the character and background, and made a scattered custom brush of a hand for the handprints.

So... Enjoy!]]> Wed, 04 Oct 2006 17:18:39 +0000 http://abiogenesis.cgsociety.org/gallery/411394

This alien mother is taking her young child on a food gathering trip to the edge of her clan's territory. It is the end of the growing season and the tough dryland plants are sending out their large, robust seeds as the last of the rains leave the plains for months.

The plants stock their underground tubers with water and starches for their long hibernation, and it is these the alien mother is trying to find. However her child seems more intent on catching a large floating seed as it drifts past on the dry afternoon breeze.]]> Sat, 30 Sep 2006 11:08:12 +0000 http://abiogenesis.cgsociety.org/gallery/404382

[This is a real creature]

The Stoplight Loosejaw, [Malacosteus niger], is a deep ocean predatory fish. Although the creature itself is small, its massive needle-toothed jaws can handle prey much larger than itself, and its skinless lower jaw can snap out to snare prey with little water resistance.

Another adaptation are the photophores beneath its large eyes: They emit red light, a colour which would not usually be found at such extreme depths. Because of this colours' scarcity, few deep ocean creatures have evolved to perceive it and so the Loosejaw has its own 'night vision' system, which its prey cannot perceive.]]> Wed, 13 Sep 2006 09:41:16 +0000 http://abiogenesis.cgsociety.org/gallery/401828

Two members of a race of sentient starships prepare to leave the atmosphere of a stormy world. A flock of robust, leathery flying predators, soaring in the thin upper atmosphere on long narrow wings, swoop in to investigate.

This piece took over a week to complete, after much reworking and through following the advice of felow artists regarding composition. Enjoy the results!]]> Wed, 06 Sep 2006 14:50:24 +0000 http://abiogenesis.cgsociety.org/gallery/386313

This female of the MSI species is a tracker, using her advanced skills and highly evolved senses to track prey animals for days across empty salt pans and sandy plains. Apart from their tool making ability and high intelligence, this species has numerous physical adaptations to help it survive here: The skin is partly reflective, acting like a mirror to deflect solar radiation. The ears, held high above the head, can detect the faintest sound, and numerous sense organs hang beneath the mouth out of the sun, able to detect tiny concentrations of scent molocules. Her eyes, placed around the mouth, evolved originally in deep forest, so many desert MSI become sunblind in at least their top eyes. The spear she carries is largely ceremonial: the kill itself will be made by a much larger male, who in this image has gone off to collect some drinking water from a nearby salt spring evaporative filter the harem set up years ago in the area.]]> Thu, 27 Jul 2006 09:11:04 +0000 http://abiogenesis.cgsociety.org/gallery/366213

A piece done to test out rendering techniques for vegetaion, something I seldom do. In the past I would often simply draw the creature or machine I was designing, and leave it at that. Only recently have I begun to work in the entire scene.

The plants the creatures are living beneath are fast growing Meta-Arums, loaded with toxic chemicals. Instead of competing for light by getting taller, these plants, due to the lack of a woody stem, compete by growing outwards. They develop in ever widening circles, which will eventually bud off new plants and so spread further.

Narrow waterways course between the plants, and have eroded several metres down into the peaty soil. Strange swimming lifeforms travel through these tunnels and feed on the roots of the Meta-Arums, and others creatures that wander to close.

All this fantastic growth is possible because of the planet's thick, oxygen rich atmosphere which powers a biosphere far more vibrant than any on earth.]]> Mon, 05 Jun 2006 08:02:43 +0000 http://abiogenesis.cgsociety.org/gallery/353261

It chases fleet footed prey, and when close swings its whip-like forearms around to trip it. Travelling at such speeds, it doesn't take much to send something off ballance, and so the whips can be quite thin. If damaged they can regrow.

It has two sets of eyes: The upper, larger set are unable to resolve high detail bet see basic shapes to help the Whiprunner evade the large flying predators that shadow it whenever it hunts in open country. Its smaller forward eyes give it stereoscopic vision to home in on prey.

This is a male Whiprunner, as evidenced by his mating crest of red fur.]]> Wed, 03 May 2006 15:50:07 +0000