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[rmunn]

So I just embarked on a site with a volcano and a brook, which means free obsidian right from Year One. (Well, as soon as I can build a decent pipe system, at least). It's also got some rather steep sides, practically cliffs. My plan: Mount Dwarfmore. The face of Urist McBroker of Planetouched, whose selfless sacrifice (or suicidal lunacy, depending on which storyteller is telling tonight's tale) has become legend among dwarves, shall eternally gaze out over the plains. The cliff's irregularities shall be carved out until it is vertical, and it shall then be covered with a layer of smoothed obsidian. In front of that layer shall be constructed the wooden scaffolding which shall be used in carrying the obsidian blocks to their proper place, and out of those obsidian blocks shall be carved the face of Urist McBroker.

The obsidian face shall stand many Z-levels tall, menacing with spikes of beard. Within its eyes shall lie pools of magma, visible behind a clear glass window in each eye, as a warning to unwelcome visitors that their trespassing shall not be tolerated. Its mouth shall be the opening to the fortress proper, and the drawbridge (made of red, magma-safe stone) shall serve as its tongue. Visiting merchants and vile goblins shall approach the fortress along the path leading up to the mouth, and there shall they be examined. If they be welcome guests, they shall be allowed entrance. But if they be vile goblins or other such unwholesome folk, from the mouth of Urist McBroker shall gush forth magma to obliterate them utterly.

Furthermore, the chambers wherein magma and water are allowed to mix shall lie just inside the nose of the carven obsidian face, so that when the lever is pulled to create a new batch of obsidian, steam can be seen issuing forth from Urist McBroker's nostrils. Finally, should a river of magma not be enough to discourage certain visitors, another lever can be pulled, which will cause magma to pour forth in a mighty stream from Urist's left nostril while at the same time, water pours forth from his right nostril. When they both meet on the ground, they shall simultaneously create more obsidian for use in the fortress, and also obliterate the annoyingly persistent visitors.

Truly, this is a project worthy of Urist McBroker's memory. Yet there is but a single fly in the ointment in all of this, a single tower-cap tree plugging the magma pipe: I cannot draw. Whenever I try, I create nothing better than doodles.

Therefore, I'm asking you for help. Help me draw this project. I need a dwarf face on a cliffside, some 40-50 Z-levels high, in front and side views. Its nose needs to protrude far enough that it can dump liquid onto the path leading up to the fortress, and the mouth needs to be wide enough to allow for a truly impressive flood of magma. If I can just get a blueprint to start from, I feel sure I can create a masterpiece... but I need your help to create said blueprint, since I'm incapable of producing one to match the image in my head.

P.S. I almost forgot. You know how I mentioned that the scaffolding was to be wooden? That's so that I can set fire to it when the project is complete. (By releasing magma onto it, of course, how else?) Merely disassembling it would be... less than truly dwarfy.

[quinnr]

Watching...sorry for fail lack of advice.

[The Yellow Peril]

Be careful with setting fire to wooden things. I'm not sure if this still applies to DF2010, but in 40d I had logs burn and smoke for several years when submerged in magma before they finally disappeared.

[leftycook]

single tiles of 7/7 magma held behind a wall of glass for his eyes. Giant dwarven face eyes need to burn with the blood of the mountains.
And no bad thing if you can make him vomit magma as well. Two things dwarves love, vomit, and magma.
For bonus, booze stockpile in his helmet

[Cyntrox]

P.S. I almost forgot. You know how I mentioned that the scaffolding was to be wooden? That's so that I can set fire to it when the project is complete. (By releasing magma onto it, of course, how else?) Merely disassembling it would be... less than truly dwarfy.

I'm afraid that won't work...

    *  Constructions (Wall, Floor, Ramp, and Stairs) of any material can never melt or burn - there is nothing wrong with a wooden  magma reservoir. Natural (but not constructed) ice  walls/floors/ramps/stairs may melt however.

[Urist Imiknorris]

single tiles of 7/7 magma held behind a wall of clear glass window for his eyes. Giant dwarven face eyes need to burn with the blood of the mountains.

[rmunn]

P.S. I almost forgot. You know how I mentioned that the scaffolding was to be wooden? That's so that I can set fire to it when the project is complete. (By releasing magma onto it, of course, how else?) Merely disassembling it would be... less than truly dwarfy.

I'm afraid that won't work...

    *  Constructions (Wall, Floor, Ramp, and Stairs) of any material can never melt or burn - there is nothing wrong with a wooden  magma reservoir. Natural (but not constructed) ice  walls/floors/ramps/stairs may melt however.

Ah. Thanks. Disassembling the scaffolding will have to do, then.

And thanks to everyone who made suggestions, but I have plenty of ideas for *what* to build. That's not my problem. My problem is that I cannot draw worth beans, so I need someone to draw a dwarven face, about 40-50 Z-levels tall, for me to copy.

[Washcloth]

Well..simply asking..How Anatomicaly correct do you want this face?  You could achive similar (However much less stunning results)
By making his head a big square and having diffrent colored stones to outline the face onto it...
But, if you want a 3D head than just simply study faces.

For instance, a human head is always broader at the top, and tapers down to the chin, which can also bulge out abit..To represent this in DF is tough, seeing how we must factor in that *soft* lines are hard to achive when building in squares..

But just follow this general idea x= block (of corse)

 xxxx-bottom of chin..
xxxxx- next layer of chin, this rests ontop of the lowest level of chin
and so on.. and so on.. the Thickness you want for these walls that make the head is not a problem
 xxxx
 xxxx
 xxxx (3 wallks deep, this is the bottem of the chin

xxxxxx(three walls deep..and ect.)
xxxxxx
xxxxxx
But really im sure you know that much about it already..my only advice is to really get a good look at a human head from all angles, and try to envision it made up of squares.. i know that sounds rediculous but really try it and you shall see! on how to build it should than come naturally

****Oh, i just wanted to edit cause i was struck by an idea!

Try getting a picture of a face from yahoo or the like, then draw a grid on it, the smaller the grid boxes, the more detail and theres your plan!..however this dosent really help the x axis and y axis of the construct, just the z axis..for the other two you might need a bit of mental imagry

[Terisuke]

If I were designing this project, I'd try for actually carving the top of the volcano tube itself into the head.  Fill out the sides so it looks like the head, and obsidianize the interior a bit to give you some working room, but then you would have a naturally refilling hollow magma chamber inside the head. 

[nbonaparte]

I would go into a 3d modeling program like Blender, make a ton of cubes, import a human face from somewhere, and place the cubes on the surface.

[DeathToGamer]

Take the base picture for dwarves from the game itself... find out pixelation for them...

you could also include the beard... I think it would be cool if the beard was underground with a HUGE pit infront of it with the tongue extending out over it.

I feel like you can easily figure that out on your own from there. doesnt take any skill in drawing to take square pixels and make them 50x bigger.