Here are my thoughts so far for my blender world cup entry. My idea focuses around an explorer on a strange jungle world coming across a weird and potentially dangerous life form.
Some sketches:
Great concepts, and the colors are really good. It would be interesting to see some hints at the underlying story in the image. Are they surprised/scared to be meeting, or reaching some sort of interspecies agreement as equals?
I’ll keep an ‘eye’ on your wip!
I’m still toying with the story behind the image. It’s certainly a surprise to the explorer to be faced with the alien lifeform though.
A start on some plants for the Jungle:
Are the textures for the leaves painted or photos? Either way, very well done. 
They’re modified photos, for each material there’s a diffuse, alpha and normal map, as well as a translucency map on the variegated leaves.
Started work on the scene. Here’s a very WIP shot:
this is turning out great im gonna be visiting this one
Very nice work. Did you sculpt the “island” in the lake?
Yup, the island is sculpted in two parts, one for the rocks and then the main body of it, and most of the textures so far (apart from the plants) are done with projection painting. Here is a GLSL screenshot of the central island showing a bit more detail.
Some more progress on the scenery:, started experimenting with some compositing too.
Looks superb so far!
A few of the textures appear slightly low res, though I will refrain from critiqueing until I see a more complete product.
Some more additions to the plants library, including some nice looking grass:
Currently rethinking the look of the main scene itself. I think I want to make the weird insect the mount for a race of amazon/fairy type thingies, and maybe construct some sort of village for them too, just thoughts at this point though. However I am part way through modelling an amazon type character I may use:
Wire:
And possibly her mount (though I dont know if I like it yet…):
Interedting idea. I like the concept art. I think the image might be better with just the alien creature. Having something so human would draw away from the other-worldliness.
Are you going to try making some alien plantlife?
@Asano: I think you have something of a point there. I have some ideas on how to make here more alien though. I’ll be making some more alien plantlife too.
Here’s some work on the main human character. Steered away from the hazmat suit idea a little, as I couldn’t figure out why he’d be there in the middle of the jungle in a hazmat suit. Now he’s more of a crashed starfighter pilot on a strange planet, maybe looking for his crashed ship!
Edit: Double post, sorry.
Wow,nice design!More awesomeness,please!(now you just need to texture it)
No textures yet. Just basic blocking out of colours:
Nice work, this is one of my favs thus far but some of those textures are actually hurting the piece as a whole the look a little too low res
looking cool, that animal chariot thing is an entertaining idea…
just a small thing, the lights you’ve put on the helmet would cast a shadow directly in front of his face because of the air filter on the mask…