Project CBRunway 5: Challenge 3 Voting Thread

[mattbib]

Welcome to the runway!

PLEASE VOTE for the entry you feel best completes the challenge. Voting should be based on the design and whether or not it meets the challenge requirements, not art ability. The designer(s) with the least amount of votes may be eliminated.

NOTE: Only registered CBR members with a posting history may vote. Participants may vote for themselves. However any votes from posters sharing any IP addresses will be discounted, no exceptions. Any fraudulent voting will result in disqualification and a possible permanent forum ban.

CHALLENGE 3: PERENNIAL FAVORITE

For your third challenge you must create an original comic book character based on the name, likeness and characteristics of...a flower.

You will be judged on originality and creativity and how well your character reflects the name, likeness and characteristics of your flower. Your outfit may consist of natural or synthetic materials.

All submissions should include a three-sentence description of the costume explaining, to the best of your ability, material, functionality, and design inspiration. You may also include a three-sentence biography explaining who your character is.

Unfortunately neither red-handed nor Spidey submitted a design for this challenge which means they are both automatically eliminated from Project CBRunway.

Please vote using the poll, then feel free to make comments or ask questions about this challenge or these designs within this thread. Now let's start the show...

[mattbib]

Oriental Poppy (aka Prince of Orange)
Papaver (his name is inspired by the Latin word for poppy) is a lost hero... literally. For years he has been searching central Asia for his family, who disappeared one night while he was sleeping. Taking off with a lot of anger but no plan, he can no longer locate his home village, nor his family; however, his travels have been an adventure, and he has rescued several random people, always hoping to find a clue.

Papaver wears a heavy black silk robe, with orange trim and specs of blessed silver thread woven throughout; there are three Oriental Poppies sewn onto the robe in representation of his wife and their twin daughters, for whom he searches. The color scheme is carried to his leather forearm guards, and his fighting staff. He wears a ring on every finger, each one filled with concentrated poppy poison to use on enemies.

[mattbib]

Polemonium Carneum (aka Royal Jacob's Ladder)
In the land of cloud fairies lives a peculiar sort of creature who falls out of grace with his kindred. The elfen king of Cloud Fairy Land grants his loony nephew Jacob the ability to generate magical solid energy forms to visit other dimensions with, in the hopes that this new toy will help keep him from causing trouble for his court. Coming down to the mountain tops of the West Coast, three feet tall Jacob takes his inspiration from the Royal Jacob's Ladder he finds growing there (one of his very first impressions of Earth's beauty), and becomes a sort of mischeivious presence who shows up at random times to pester innocent campers and hikers.

Jacob is wearing a medievalesque ensemble which includes a satin half-cloak, vest, tights and pantaloons embroidered with piping that accentuates the leaf shaped pleats. His vest and arm guards feature a ladder shaped enclosure, and his belt likewise takes inspiration from the form he uses to get from Cloud Fairy Land to California and Washington state. To demonstrate his nobility, he wears a small crown fashioned after his favorite flower with an old-fashioned royal ruffled collar, common to his people; the buckle of his belt is a stylized painted pewter version of the flower which is repeated as embroidery work on the border of his cloak.

[mattbib]

Geum Chiloense (aka Blazing Sunset)
In the lawless town of LaRosa, New Mexico, Jim Pritchard found his wife murdered, lying in a bed of her favorite flowers - "Blazing Sunsets." What no one realized was that Jim had been a Confederate saboteur during the Civil War. Wearing a small bouquet in memory of his wife, Jim systematically burnt the town to the ground by sunset, earning a vigilante reputation, and a name - "Sunset Jim."

The first flower-based hero I could think of was "The Scarlet Pimpernel," so I wanted to do something in that vein without making just another swashbuckler. I also didn't feel like drawing another female character this round, and decided to turn the Geum 'Blazing Sunset' flower into manly cowboy. His coat, chaps, and boots are cowhide, and his mask, kerchief, and coat lining features a "Blazing Sunset" pattern, to complement the dried flowers on his hat and lapel.

[mattbib]

Rudbeckia Fulgida (aka Goldsturm)
When Nature strikes back they use their Naga-troopers, relentless killers that have no love for humans.

I tried to think outside of the box, as far away from flowing gowns and half-plan-half-human hybrids as I could take it. There had to be a link with my flower, so I made a few choices that are a bit out there. For instance, the outfit is standardized, except that Operative Goldsturm has yellow-gold petals painted onto her armor, with her neck and head sticking out, which is reminiscent of the flower she's based on. She's got a militaristic slant to her design since the Rudbeckia fulgida is one that spreads quite aggresively.

The Naga part isn't just plain fun, because the seeds of the flower are eaten by finches, finches are birds, and snakes and birds don't really mix all that well...

[mattbib]

Physalis Alkekengi (aka Chinese Lantern)
In the early 20th Century at the age of sixteen Ezekiel Bushfire discovered that he had been born on an alien planet and could run at super speed, jump over the family barn, lift about anything he could get his hands on and that any fertile human female in his presence became pregnant, a shock to both him and his adopted Midwestern family. Donning a uniform found in his ship he traveled the world, earning the name The Chinese Lantern while fighting with the Allies in the Pacific (a bawdy sailors joke about his codpiece). Those who know his origin and powers believe Ezekiel is the ancestor of every superhuman on the planet, whatever his purpose here he his roots have spread too far and wide to ever be eradicated.

The Chinese Lantern costume is a traditional Solanine battle uniform, it enhances Zeke’s natural abilities, protects him from harm, allows him to fly, and gives him control over his super- impregnating power. The shoulder pads, wrist and leg armor are flexible metal, the cape is fabric, the codpiece is crystal or glass (indestructible). The colors for the cape, codpiece and shoulder pads were sampled directly from a photo of the flower and shaded in Photoshop.

[mattbib]

Malva Sylvestris (aka Zebrina)
Zebrina's costume is light and loose-fitting, to facilitate a full range and freedom of movement. The color and design elements are based on the distinctive flower pattern of the Malva Sylvestris (aka Zebrina).

[mattbib]

Gypsophila Paniculata (aka Baby's Breath)
The afro isn't hair but dozens upon dozens tiny white flowers. The dress is shaped after a single flower of the Gipsophila.

[mattbib]

Aster Novae Angliae (aka September Ruby)
John Astor's first night as a drag queen was nearly fatal. Approached outside the club, John was beaten within an inch of his life before his latent mutant ability erupted in a chaotic surge of telekinetic might. Taken in by the X-Men, John trained and used his drag costume and drag name, September Ruby, to fight the persecution that she had felt firsthand.

The design applies the likeness of the aster novae angliae to a drag inspired outfit; the shoulder piece and skirt play off the ruby petals, the golden leotard behind the corset mimics the disc florets, and the cut-out pattern within the shoes and gloves mimic the shape of the petals. September Ruby's telekinesis allows for a less practical design, since she doesn't need to move as much to fight. For the character, as a whole, I wanted to create someone that would stand out as the flower does; the bright colors, the "in-your-face" design, and drag queen vibe do that.

[mattbib]

Scabiosa Columbaria (aka Butterfly Blue)
So, I've been playing a LOT of the Megaman X games, lately. As soon as I heard the name "Butterfly Blue" I instantly thought of a goofy, classic-themed video game boss. I tried to bring the cutesy/obscure look of those old Megaman games, and tried to make this guy look as theatrical as possible. I was really trying to combine both themes of name and actual aesthetics of the flower, here.

[mattbib]

Saponaria Ocymoides (Hellas Rose)
Hellas Rose has the ability to generate large masses of her namesake flower. It is a tenacious sprawling, ground cover. Rose has taken to use this ability to trap her enemies or to coax them into submission.

Rose wears dresses made of the actual Saponaria Ocymoides plant. She has ever changing designs, but mostly she makes elaborate and dramatic gowns.

[mattbib]

Salvia Lyrata (aka Purple Volcano)
Young boxing protege William "Purple Volcano" Smith was well on his way to a title match with the current world boxing champion, until a foolish decision to undergo an illegal, experimental procedure to extend his reach (considered one of his weak areas as a fighter) cost him is life. Brought back to life to a Frankenstein-ish existence, the Purple Volcano has come to terms with the price of his choice. He now patrols the streets of Harlem, where he grew up, to take down crime and to help others from making misguided judgements of their own.

I used the large, purple foilage as a basis for the sleeveless robe. The stems are represented by the cables attached to the skin, while the flower heads are represented by the bolts connected to the cables/skin. The boxer motif was influenced by the names of other variations of salvia lyrata out there (Purple Knockout and Burgandy Prince).

[mattbib]

Dianthus Barbatus (aka Sweet William)
Sweet William was a gallant lad, true and fair. When he chanced upon an innocent lass being chased by burly ruffians he fell in love on the spot and jumped to her defense, thrashing the scoundrels! Alas, his true love was a fiendish vampire who used him, remade him in her foul image, and left him to slowly go insane.

The Sweet William has long, green stems and clusters of red and white flowers. The bloodstains on Sweet William's shirt symbolize the flowers and the green pants and arm straps symbolize the stems. Sweet William is often used as the name of lovelorn British lads in ballads, hence his emo origin.

[atoningunifex]

First impression:

My favorites are Jaye's, DSquared's and AnkaleRa's. I'll probably vote for one of those three.

There are some very interesting ideas here. And I think pretty much everyone went outside of the box.

[escapegoat]

First impressions (Almost the same as Atoning's for top three):

Jaye's, DSquared's, and Zac's are my three favs. Great design and inspiration on Jaye and DSquared, and great outsidethebox thinking on Zac's.

I'm also really liking Pro's, AnkaleRa's, and Atoning's. Good backstory/inspiration/design on AnkaleRa's and Atoning's, and great design on Pro's as usual.