So yes… we haven’t come out with any new Timeslingers content in quite a while… but this counts, right?

Some more whiteboard art so I can be lazy after the greater-than-average complexity of the narwhal.

Let’s just start with this disclaimer: I’m sorry, but 95% of you are going to have absolutely no clue what this is even supposed to be.

That being said, it’s a Hurogok, colloquially known as an Engineer, from the Halo universe. Think of them basically as floating snake-turtles. With tentacles.

Anyway, I’ve entered my creation in an annual Halo pumpkin carving contest, and would much appreciate any votes you just happen to have lying around. (You can actually vote for up to five of your favorites, so you don’t even have to ignore the ones that are better than this!)

The Process

Also, for those of you who care, here’s a quick tour of the creation process.

1. I started with a specially-drawn, inverted, two-tone illustration for the pattern. (The black areas will actually be the lightest, as they represent complete cut-throughs.)
2. For the “darker, but still lit” areas, I just cut the skin off. The light will make it through just fine, and it doesn’t compromise the structural integrity of the pumpkin.
3. Then on the second pass, I can cut all the way through to create the highlights.
4. And finally the magic of a Maglite allows for a glowification test run.

Anyway, go vote!

Above: The original bit of concept art for this year’s Arachniturkey story.
Below: We were making apple-and-candy turkeys at the office, so of course I had to try…

So here’s the final installment, featuring the appropriate lighting.

This also means that yes, it’s time to go vote! Just head over to the 343 Guilt O’ Lantern site. You get to vote for your favorite five pumpkins, which is good, since there are a bunch that are better than this one.

So here’s my first attempt at doing that whole “artsy” pumpkin carving procedure involving cutting at different depths to get different brightness levels when the thing is illuminated from the inside. (Cutting shallower also lets you get thinner lines without compromising structural integrity, which is nice.)

As you can probably tell, this is based off one of my previous “flood infection form” sketches. Therefore, being Halo-related and all, I decided to enter it in the annual Halo pumpkin carving contest.

Part 2 will show you what it looks like all lit up and pretty, and by then the contest’s voting should be open, so you can go support your favorite artist with a website that has albino and kraken in its name.