Cretacerus Art

Cretacerus · Feb 13, 2015

Hi everyone, welcome to my art thread!

I started with digital arts in February this year (2015), and created this thread mostly to get some practice and feedback, in order to improve over time.

For my images, I use the program Paint.net, which is basically an upgraded version of the well known MS Paint. It keeps most of the familiar functions and layout, while additionally providing different layers and transparency to work with. And most importantly, it's completely free of charge! ;)

Update (April 2017): Now using the program Corel Painter Essentials with a medium Wacom tablet (both came in a bundle). Very intuitive to use, but sadly doesn't support advanced digital functions such as brush stabilization, transparency and clipping masks.

Update (April 2018): Switched to the program Clips Studio Paint, which provides the above mentioned functions and many more. This one is a program I'm extremely satisfied with!

So, that's it for my introduction, hope you guys enjoy the art!

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Art Compilation

Creation Series

Fakemon

Cranidos Style Variations

Miscellaneous

Logos

Digital Paintings

3D Art (done with Blender)

Requests & Commissions

Avatars and general Art

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Commissions

Site Contributions

CAP Gallery

The Smog / Smogon's Flying Press

Smogon Facebook Page

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Community Projects

Cretacerus · Feb 13, 2015

So, what better place to start off my art thread with than the beginning of the universe itself!

"In the beginning, there was only
a churning turmoil of chaos.
At the heart of chaos, where all
things became one, appeared an Egg.
Having tumbled from the vortex, the
Egg gave rise to the Original One."

The mentioned "Original One" then proceeded to create space and time, followed by the human spirit. This is how the Sinnoh myths portray the origin of our universe.
But are they really just that: myths?

There are modern scientists who believe the ancient egg in the myth to actually be a portal from another universe that came before ours. According to this theory, part of the essence from that other world leaked through that portal, forming an entirely new universe, which would later become the universe of space and time (and arguably several hidden, wound-up dimensions) that we know today.

Origin

Cretacerus · Feb 15, 2015

To continue with the creation theme, here is an image of the early creation trio in harmony. This is before Giratina's banishment, so it's displaying a more vivid colour scheme to complement its counterparts.
According to the string theory, all dimensions were unified in the early universe, forming a 10-dimensional hyperspace. However, this did not last for very long...

Creation Trio

|| Sketch

I tried out a colored line-art and hard shading with this one, in order to give the trio a simple and idealistic look. Giratina was quite fun to sketch with its flowing body and "tentacles", but drawing out those spikes on its upper body in the right angles was a lot more challenging then expected.

Cretacerus · Feb 16, 2015

Yeah, so the harmony didn't last forever. Nobody knows why, but at some point during the expansion of the universe the hyperspace became increasingly instable, and finally 6 of its dimensions collapsed into a tiny loop while the 4 others were dramatically inflated into the space-time continuum.

This marks the disappearance of Giratina from our perceivable universe into its own realm, the distortion world.

Banishment

|| Sketch

This is my second attempt at Giratina, and I think it shows at least some improvement on those front spikes (though they are still far from perfect). The line art is white in order to set Giratina apart from the dark background, and to make its transformation appear more dynamic. The transformation itself is symbolized by the loss of its shiny golden armour, becoming the standard dull grey as seen in the official artworks.

Cretacerus · Feb 18, 2015

In the distortion world, Giratina is said to look upon the projection of out own world, though nothing has ever crossed to the other side, as the gap is way to small for any matter to pass. The only thing said to pass the barrier is the gravity field, disappearing into the distortion world and hence becoming a lot weaker than the other fundamental forces of nature.
The distortion world has to be a really silent and lonely place to be in, with Giratina as the only lifeform to exist within it.

Distortion World

|| Sketch

Brighter colours this time to show the emptiness and quietness of the place. Giratina's alternate form looks a lot more peaceful and humble in general, though I only notice now how it is a bit weird for it to be in a picture about the distortion world :/ I just wanted to have it somewhere..
I tried utilizing different thickness in the outlines this time, not as easy as it sounds as it has to be done manually on Paint.net, but I do think it makes a subtle difference in a positive way.

This also concludes my little run on the creation theme. If you guys haven't noticed, it was heavily inspired by the M-theory about our 10-dimensional universe existing in an 11-dimensional cosmos.
So what do you guys say? Anything to improve on, anything you enjoyed? Would love to hear your thoughts!

Carrying on, I will now post individual images without any particular theme, unless there is something special you would like to see.

Bice · Feb 19, 2015

Your art is super underrated! It's amazing!
Do you do things other than Pokemon? If so, could you do a Dark Pit avatar for me?

Cretacerus · Feb 19, 2015

Togie: I don't actually draw humans often, so hopefully the proportions are somewhat right. Research said that Dark Pit is a good archer, so here you are! Might not be have enough contrast for an avatar, but I discovered a new way of shading while doing this and wanted to play around with it a bit :P. Hope you don't mind!

|| Sketch

Bice · Feb 20, 2015

Cretacerus said:
Togie: I don't actually draw humans often, so hopefully the proportions are somewhat right. Research said that Dark Pit is a good archer, so here you are! Might not be have enough contrast for an avatar, but I discovered a new way of shading while doing this and wanted to play around with it a bit :P. Hope you don't mind!

~~ITS NOT A HUMAN ITS AN ANGEL DAMMIT~~
This... is amazing. I can finally stop using my desktop background as my avatar! Thanks so much!

Ash Star · Feb 22, 2015

OMG your art is awesome! Could you draw Chespin riding on Gliscor for me please?

Cretacerus · Feb 22, 2015

Sure, I'll see what I can do! Though I will be writing some of my exams next week, so it might take a bit longer :P
Also, thank you guys for all the kind comments!

Ash Star · Feb 23, 2015

Cretacerus said:
Sure, I'll see what I can do! Though I will be writing some of my exams next week, so it might take a bit longer :P
Also, thank you guys for all the kind comments!

no problem :)

Cretacerus · Feb 23, 2015

Ash Star: Well, Chespin's not quite riding on Gliscor, but at least he manages to hold on for the moment :) Staying on top of the back is by far not as simple as he had expected!

|| Sketch

DKFirelord · Feb 23, 2015

Sorry to comment here do you do are request or know a place that does again sorry :[

Cretacerus · Feb 23, 2015

Well, that depends on what kind of request you are looking at. Most artists are willing to help out with simple requests, so you can ask them in their respective art threads if interested. Alternatively, there is a collective thread for art requests regarding articles and such :)
Unfortunately, my schedule is quite packed right now, so I won't be able to work on any requests in the next few days. However, I'd be happy to help out once I have the free time, so feel free to leave your request here if you don't mind waiting ;)

DKFirelord · Feb 23, 2015

Cretacerus said:
Well, that depends on what kind of request you are looking at. Most artists are willing to help out with simple requests, so you can ask them in their respective art threads if interested. Alternatively, there is a collective thread for art requests regarding articles and such :)
Unfortunately, my schedule is quite packed right now, so I won't be able to work on any requests in the next few days. However, I'd be happy to help out once I have the free time, so feel free to leave your request here if you don't mind waiting ;)

Kk Can I get a Tyraintrum and Salamence Drawing with like Crobat Florger and Aromatisse Dead under thier Feet while both hve Red eyes

Edit: and somE random UU PokEs alsO under thier feet

Cretacerus · Feb 24, 2015

Noted! Might simplify the concept a bit depending on how much time I have^^

DKFirelord · Feb 24, 2015

Cretacerus said:
Noted! Might simplify the concept a bit depending on how much time I have^^

Kk can't wait the main reason I want you to do opt is because I love are style of art

Taliheim · Feb 24, 2015

Okay, so I kind of need a new forum avatar, since this one is kind of ripping someone from Deviantart off.
Could you draw a M-Gallade in a sort of battle stance, while staring down the viewer in a way that would make you go "this guy isn't joking around, and he can fuck me up if he wants to" if you were standing there IRL.

when you're done with Terion's request, of course. I'm not pressed for time.

Cretacerus · Feb 24, 2015

Alright, the sketches are done, rest to come!

DKFirelord · Feb 24, 2015

Cretacerus said:
Alright, the sketches are done, rest to come!

Omg yaaaas I love it .now you just hve to give it color ?

DarkNostalgia · Feb 24, 2015

Hey there, just wanna pop in and say your art is absolutely beautiful, wish I had your skills n_n
Would it be alright if you draw me an Azelf flying around a Mega Absol for my avatar? Two of my favourite Pokemon seems pretty nice, it's alright if your schedule is really busy, I'm in no hurry :)

MiniArchitect · Feb 25, 2015

This Creation Series of yours is really neat; I'm surprised I haven't encountered something quite like this before! The second of them is definitely my favorite; I like how saturated and colorful Dialga, Palkia and Giratina are, and the way the shadows and highlights flow along their swirling bodies is just really satisfying to track with the eye (if that makes sense, haha). Plus, it's a clever idea to make Giratina's armor be golden before his banishment; that's a unique take that I haven't seen before, and really makes the "banishment" scene feel more impactful. Other high points of this series include the heavenly-esque lighting in the third image, and Gira's sad puppy expression in the final; the poor guy looks so sad! :<

The only image that I feel doesn't work as well in the series is the first one. Even though the concept is of Arceus arising from "nothing," having the majority of the composition empty and black makes it feel lacking. You could add some subtle details to the background to make the image more visually appealing (though not so much as to be distracting), as well as position Arceus closer to the viewer than he is now.

On another note, I absolutely love those hand-drawn sketches you recently posted. All those pokes look very dynamic and interesting, and I can see a some personality come through in each of them. I still can't quite achieve that as well as I'd like to, so if you're willing to share them, I'd love to see more of those sketches in addition to the final digital images!

Overall, you've got some really interesting work. Keep it up! :)

DKFirelord · Feb 25, 2015

Is it to late to add Hydragon With the two or are you finished

Cretacerus · Feb 25, 2015

DKFirelord said:
Omg yaaaas I love it .now you just hve to give it color ?

Haha not quite! Sketching is in fact the easiest and fastest part, so you will still have to wait a while more for the lineart, colouring, shading and background to be done :P
Won't be adding the Hydreigon anymore as I have started with the image already, and adding a third character would noticeably alter the composition. Besides, I prefer to keep my request art simple as to be able to work on multiple pieces, hope you understand.^^

By the way, is your request based on an UU team by any chance? Just asking cause I'm an avid Tyrantrum user myself and always enjoy seeing it get some respect in the higher tiers!

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Recreant said:
Hello! I came to stalk this thread because of a friend and I couldn't help but notice how good the art is. You should honestly try in some way to contribute more to Smogon, I'm sure you could easily get an art badge. :]

Could you please draw me a Mega Houndoom and a Mega Pidgeot for a forum avatar? People have been bugging me to choose one or the other as my favorite, since I change my avatar too much, but now I don't have to choose! I'd like them to have their mega stones as necklaces if possible, somewhat like Absol has in the anime. I don't mind what they're doing, as long as they're together. I don't know if that will all be able to fit into a small space like an avatar, so if you can't manage it please let me know. Take my request last, or don't take it at all if you don't want to, I'm sure you have a lot on your plate. Thank you a bunch :]

Also, do you do gifs? I'm just curious.

Hey Recreant! I'm quite flattered to hear this, though I use this art thread mainly to improve on my drawing skills as of now. I'll start contributing once I reach a standard deemed high enough for on-site art that represents the community^^
As for your request I'm afraid it's too complex for avatar size in its current form. If you really want both Mega Pokemon in the picture together, I would have to draw them really simplified, for example as silhouettes, while directing the focus on the mega-evolution theme to give it some structure :/
Also, I haven't experimented with .gifs yet, heard it's really complicated!

---------------------------------------------

DarkNostalgia said:
Hey there, just wanna pop in and say your art is absolutely beautiful, wish I had your skills n_n

Would it be alright if you draw me an Azelf flying around a Mega Absol for my avatar? Two of my favourite Pokemon seems pretty nice, it's alright if your schedule is really busy, I'm in no hurry :)

Hi DarkNostalgia, glad you like my art! It could take a while (a long while!) until I get to your request, as there are currently three other guys in the queue^^
Though if you're in no hurry that shouldn't be a problem!

---------------------------------------------

MiniArchitect said:
This Creation Series of yours is really neat; I'm surprised I haven't encountered something quite like this before! The second of them is definitely my favorite; I like how saturated and colorful Dialga, Palkia and Giratina are, and the way the shadows and highlights flow along their swirling bodies is just really satisfying to track with the eye (if that makes sense, haha). Plus, it's a clever idea to make Giratina's armor be golden before his banishment; that's a unique take that I haven't seen before, and really makes the "banishment" scene feel more impactful. Other high points of this series include the heavenly-esque lighting in the third image, and Gira's sad puppy expression in the final; the poor guy looks so sad! :<

The only image that I feel doesn't work as well in the series is the first one. Even though the concept is of Arceus arising from "nothing," having the majority of the composition empty and black makes it feel lacking. You could add some subtle details to the background to make the image more visually appealing (though not so much as to be distracting), as well as position Arceus closer to the viewer than he is now.

On another note, I absolutely love those hand-drawn sketches you recently posted. All those pokes look very dynamic and interesting, and I can see a some personality come through in each of them. I still can't quite achieve that as well as I'd like to, so if you're willing to share them, I'd love to see more of those sketches in addition to the final digital images!

Overall, you've got some really interesting work. Keep it up! :)

Thanks a lot, really appreciate the feedback! Good to know that someone else finds the topic interesting :D I'm glad you noticed the little details in the pictures!

The points you brought up about the first picture make a lot of sense aesthetically, and I can agree that it is somewhat bland right now. Although I did actually put a lot of thought into its composition, it doesn't really portray the motive as clearly as I would have liked it to :(

For those interested, here's what exactly its supposed to depict: The bright figure in the center is supposed to be the portal to the other world, out of which Arceus' light shines into our own, empty universe. Arceus itself is shown as a distant silhouette in order to emphasize its status as an abstract and inaccessible being from the other side of the portal, while the three shadows are the only real content of the foreground. They are the most tangible element in the picture and hint at the emergence of the familiar creation trio later on.
I have actually experimented with adding visual effects to the background, though that took away from the famous tunnel-vision I wanted to reference, meaning I had to keep it minimalist.

Also, following your suggestion I have now attached the original sketches to my posts, in case anyone would like to see them^^

DKFirelord · Feb 25, 2015

Cretacerus said:
Haha not quite! Sketching is in fact the easiest and fastest part, so you will still have to wait a while more for the lineart, colouring, shading and background to be done :P
Won't be adding the Hydreigon anymore as I have started with the image already, and adding a third character would noticeably alter the composition. Besides, I prefer to keep my request art simple as to be able to work on multiple pieces, hope you understand.^^

By the way, is your request based on an UU team by any chance? Just asking cause I'm an avid Tyrantrum user myself and always enjoy seeing it get some respect in the higher tiers!

---------------------------------------------

Hey Recreant! I'm quite flattered to hear this, though I use this art thread mainly to improve on my drawing skills as of now. I'll start contributing once I reach a standard deemed high enough for on-site art that represents the community^^
As for your request I'm afraid it's too complex for avatar size in its current form. If you really want both Mega Pokemon in the picture together, I would have to draw them really simplified, for example as silhouettes, while directing the focus on the mega-evolution theme to give it some structure :/
Also, I haven't experimented with .gifs yet, heard it's really complicated!

---------------------------------------------

Hi DarkNostalgia, glad you like my art! It could take a while (a long while!) until I get to your request, as there are currently three other guys in the queue^^
Though if you're in no hurry that shouldn't be a problem!

---------------------------------------------

Thanks a lot, really appreciate the feedback! Good to know that someone else finds the topic interesting :D I'm glad you noticed the little details in the pictures!

The points you brought up about the first picture make a lot of sense aesthetically, and I can agree that it is somewhat bland right now. Although I did actually put a lot of thought into its composition, it doesn't really portray the motive as clearly as I would have liked it to :(

For those interested, here's what exactly its supposed to depict: The bright figure in the center is supposed to be the portal to the other world, out of which Arceus' light shines into our own, empty universe. Arceus itself is shown as a distant silhouette in order to emphasize its status as an abstract and inaccessible being from the other side of the portal, while the three shadows are the only real content of the foreground. They are the most tangible element in the picture and hint at the emergence of the familiar creation trio later on.
I have actually experimented with adding visual effects to the background, though that took away from the famous tunnel-vision I wanted to reference, meaning I had to keep it minimalist.

Also, following your suggestion I have now attached the original sketches to my posts, in case anyone would like to see them^^

Yep it's for an RMT I will be doing so you're art will be mentioned and I'll also be hong you credit and yes tyraintrum is soooo fun to use my team is based around Duel Dragon Core

Cretacerus Art

Survivor

Survivor

Survivor

Survivor

Survivor

Feast On My Flesh

Survivor

Feast On My Flesh

Survivor

Survivor

Back this time I swear!

Survivor

Back this time I swear!

Survivor

Back this time I swear!

Survivor

Back this time I swear!

Fading in, fading out, on the edge of paradise

Detail Disoriented

Back this time I swear!

Survivor

Back this time I swear!