Another round of “Monsters that gave me fits in rendering”. This time focusing on Elementals. Everybody runs into them eventually. And they can be a real pain to get looking good.

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Elementals – Air

Air Elementals are highly dependent upon art style, context and such. Sometimes I can get away with a simple “angry whirlwind”, and other times I have to get far more descriptive. And they can really easily cross the line into looking more like ghosts than elementals.

“wispy amorphous whirlwinds,transparent,foggy suggestions of arms,dark impressions of eyes and mouth”

For another look, taking after my water elementals:

“vaguely anthropomorphic whirlwinds,barely visible,wispy,translucent,faint suggestion of face,whipping tendrils”

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Elementals – Fire

Fire elementals are another difficult one. The AI desperately wants to turn them into burning ghosts or demons rather than living flames.

For a more humanoid look, try this:

“large living fires with flaming offshoots reaching out,vague suggestions of eyes and mouth”

For a less anthropomorphic look, try this:

“vaguely anthropomorphic bonfires,burning brightly,hazy heat aura,faint suggestion of face,fiery tendrils reaching out”

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Elementals – Earth

I find Earth Elementals by far the easiest of the set. They are naturally solid humanoid-ish shapes that the AI largely knows how to deal with.

large vaguely bipedal accumulations rocks and dirt,vague suggestions of eyes and mouth,punching and smashing”

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Elementals – Water

I found these to be by far the most difficult to get right… but also by far the most satisfying when it works. Something like this one just screams “water elemental” to me. And the watery effect is exactly what I wanted.

“vaguely anthropomorphic wave-like shapes made of clear water,reflective,translucent,faint dark suggestion of face,sloshing out to smash

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