Oh! 
Nice work everyone! I couldn’t tell how the vote would go - there were some really nice pieces even though participation wasn’t high.
Thanks! I’m not sure it was exciting for me - more like a blind panic! There were missing elements I had to paint in the space of a few minutes, so took it right to the limit. 
I’ll need to have a think about the next theme - hopefully I can inspire a higher turnout (without involving cats! 
).
Okay - here’s my proposal for June’s challenge theme. What do you think? - Does it sound reasonable, and does it make sense? 
Monthly Art Challenge - June 2023 - Topic: Chimera
The short brief: Design your own imaginary creature using elements from at least three real-world creatures.
I hope plenty of people will be inspired by this topic - even if you don’t normally do concept art/illustration. I’m sure our many skilled nature painters would fare well!
More detail:
The Chimera is a creature from Greek mythology, commonly depicted as having the body of a lion, a goat’s head at its midsection, and a snake for a tail: Chimera (mythology) - Wikipedia
This is the inspiration for the topic, but not what I want you to paint; The task is to create your own original Chimera-style creature from three or more existing creatures.
Try to ensure the chosen elements are identifiable. It doesn’t need to have the creature’s heads like the Greek original, but should be more than just a skin texture for example.
You can use any kind of creature e.g. Mammal, reptile, bird, fish, insect.
You don’t have to consider the environment it lives in, but doing so might lead to a more interesting design.
That could also make for a more interesting image if you choose to go all in with your illustration and include an environment.
You can draw/paint in any style, but try to make good use of references!
Optional extra challenge: Produce a turnaround of your creature i.e. a diagram showing the creature from different angles - commonly used as a reference for modelling.
Happy art-making! 
That’s a great topic, @Mythmaker. It’s now posted.
When you get a chance, please create a new post in the finished artwork category so we can feature it.
Also, you now have a badge that you can add to your public username if you wish: Monthly Art Contest Winner
Thanks. I hope it’s not confusing - I’ll see if I can do a visual example to explain more clearly. 
Yeah - I already have it on my profile from the previous one, but I didn’t pin it - I think it displays higher ranked badges by default.
Ooooooooooooooooooooh, interesting!
Congrats @Mythmaker ! Interesting piece in a beautiful painterly style. I like the topic you chose for June… it gets me out of my comfort zone and pushes my wimpy imagination! Again… great job and thanks for participating. 
Thanks! I really liked yours too!
I look forward to seeing what you come up with this month! 