CC on character concept

#1

Hi guys! I started working on this character a little while ago and It changed a LOT from the initial sketch (can post it if anyone’s interrested). Here’s where it’s at now.

As you can see, I want her to be some type of futuristic necromancer cyborg. She will wield a syringe spear with the arm that she’s pointing.

So, i’d like some critiques comments on it! I’m a bit unsure about my colors (i keep changing them) and I feel that some parts of the rib cage don’t entirely make sense in 3D space.

Also note that the big glove with needles that she has will have the same color scheme that the rest has, I just didn’t change it yet as it is on another layer.

Thanks!
cyborg necromancer

#2

Worked on the top part and the face a little, here’s where it’s at now

#3

Almost done with the concept itself, just need to design a needle spear in her hand and a few more adjustments and I can truly begin refining it all.

#4

It’s a pretty cool design and the color palette matches the high-tech necromancer cyborg identify really well.

Is that baggy pants she’s wearing? Why such a design? How will she squat over dead bodies?

Tubes and fragile pieces that stick out are in general not very smart design. They break off and get cut way too easily. Placing them on the inside but having transparent shells for those areas (if visual assessment of whether they are empty and need to be refilled is important), will still convey that they exist, but look more logical.

#5

This is a good progress. I’d say without your (con)text input, I couldnt’ guess she is a necromancer. It could use a little more staging. Maybe seek real necromancer reference from the real world, or research about them in a pertinent book/ net article?

#6

Thank you guys for the advice and comments! I’m glad the colors work, I spent a while trying different palettes.

As for her not looking like a necromancer, I don’t see her as a necromancer in the ‘mage who ressurects the dead’ sense but more like the result of futuristic necromancy or whatever. I honestly don’t have a precise direction and i’m mostly exploring with this piece. When I started it I had a specific idea in mind but I kept scrapping stuff and redoing entire parts ultil it became what it is now. I do know that i’m going for the cool factor rather than practicality, hence the baggies and tubes.
Your comments make me think I should probably be more precise and strict with my objectives and deadlines when I start a piece. My art always takes forever to finish cause I keep redoing stuff until I lose motivation. What do you think?

#7

I think the best way is to build up on character & personality… that way you’ll know what kind of a person she is… followed by costume design based on culture & environments…

A mood board will definitely help you out. From there, you can pick out different elements from the lot to help mould her into something dark and mysterious.

Have you tried “Alchemy?”

http://al.chemy.org/

Do check it out … It’s really cool!

http://al.chemy.org/gallery/

The transparent shapes will give you great ideas. You can then use photoshop to block key elements and proceed with shading and effects.

#8

Yes. What you are experiencing sounds like definitively like a case that would be solved with a mood board, take your time to do your research, it’ll be much faster in the end and honestly, I love researching for my concepts, I always learn so much interesting stuff and you will be surprised about how a lot of times reality surpasses fiction in the interesting factor!
Pick a documentary on youtube about necromancy, read an old arcane book about it, if you are so brave and get inspired, then support your inspiration with reference.
Don’t rely on just reference and not on just imagination, complement them both.

But there is stuff that you are doing right, and if you don’t want to do your research don’t, because experimenting with a character without a clear idea of what you want is great, great stuff comes out of experimenting, ence thumbnail sketching is great too… but if you have a clear goal, like a necromancer character from the future, which sounds very specific, then I’d recommend research. If it’s something more psychedelic, you may get away without doing it.

P.S. - One example of great research work is the Deus Ex game, made a long time ago and a lot of the futuristic prosthesis and augmentations are coming true today!

#9

Thank you a lot for the advice mindscape, it clarifies things. I’ll try both and explore different ways to approach my creation process.

Thanks nwiz for the link, Alchemy does look awesome, i’ll be sure to check it out when I get back (im picking cherries in british columbia right now so my digital art is on hold)

#10

Just finished it and posted it on artstation! Here’s the link. https://www.artstation.com/artwork/PqYgZ

#11

If you have prominent line art throughout the entire image, then it’s best to be consistent about it and make sure everything in the image is contained in line-art, such as the long spike and pink tubes.

If you aren’t keeping your line-art on a separate layer, make sure to do that from now on–it’s much more flexible.

Also, when doing line-art, consider the following points:

Use thicker lines for larger objects, thinner lines for smaller objects.

Thicker lines for closer objects, thinner lines for further objects.

Thicker lines for sparse detail, thinner lines for intricate detail.

Thicker lines for heavier objects, thinner for lighter objects.

Make line thicker when concave, thinner when convex.

Use thicker lines on shadow side, and thinner lines on lit side, to convey the illusion of lighting direction.

#12

Thanks a lot this is extremely helpful! The only question I have about all that is which rule has priority over which one? So for instance, If there’s a small but heavy object, which rule apply?

#13

When you have a conflict, prioritize visual clarity and overall sense of balance/coherence first and foremost.

#14

Alright, so it’s the kind of stuff that comes with practice and feeling. Cool mate thanks a lot!

#15

Another thick thin rule that applies to skin. Thick for the muscular/fleshy area. Close to the bone,thin.