Okay, first off, I’ve got a bit of a value study blockin that I started over one of my previous thumbs. If I read the rules correctly, this is the actual max size that the final illustration can be. I guess here I’m really just focusing on the composition and depth, as well as placement of the character and how the armor/bow will look. Still struggling with the bow size and the composition. Even though the face on this value study i still pretty rough (couldn’t get it to look right and wasn’t going to fall into that trap right now) I think the face is an important factor in “getting” a character, so I bumped up her size so that the face would be bigger and less pixellated. However, that puts more of the bow off the image plane and this might be a problem. In another rev I’m going to try turning the bow so that it comes toward the picture plane much like my first thumbnail pose, but still try to keep Sigrun in the same pose as she is now in the value study. And now, the initial stage of my value study:
And since I was posting this, I figure I’d post some of the other design elements I’m tackling. You may notice in the above image that the shoulder pads are different from the older concepts. I tryed moving away from the spikes for this paint just to see how something else might look. I don’t hate the old spikes, but I feel like they may be a little cliche… so I’m trying out some different things for the shoulder pads. Below is a wing idea I’m working on, it still needs some loving to make it look good, but maybe you guys could give me an early crit on it? Also some different hair and headdress ideas. I didn’t want to go too crazy with the head gear because I know for a fact I want the hair to be flowing and free, showing the motion of Sigrun in the final image. I think if I go with the wing design elements, I’ll probably integrate that into the bow somehow.
And now to catch up on the replies:
SoggyClog: Thanks for commenting back on my thread here. I agree that I can accentuate her hips a bit more, I’ll save that for the final modeling sheet and concept board for now. As far as the shoulder pads being a different style, I think they fit. If anything is out of place its the ultra-angular wrist guard which I’m going to tackle after I decide on the new shoulder pads. About the ultra-huge gear, I understand what you are saying, but I am a huge fan of Final Fantasy stuff, and the whole WoW look is definately an undeniable force right now, so its tough for me to shy away from extreme contrasts in size like this. I really want to push the design. Sometimes looking at a design that seems impossible makes it just that much more epic and fun. Also, for people who need explanations for things like this, her bow and maybe even the wings if I keep them are going to have more of a magical ethereal look, so the size/weight shouldn’t be that much of an issue.
vikramvr: I agree about the second value set, but I also really like the white one too. I’m kind of torn right now over this.
live2contage: I hear you loud and clear. I definately will keep an eye on my balance, but like I mentioned above, I really want to try to have fun pushing the design on this character. We’ll see what pans out here. Thanks for the feedback on the thumbnails.
ktfFang: We’ve spoke some more since this post I think. The mechanics of the bow is next on my list.
jccal: Good call on putting things in the hair. I started it a little bit in the current design below the value study, but I’m going to add more. Maybe not snails or flowers, but definately some ties and trinkets for sure.
Yone: I’m glad you like the bow idea, I like it a lot too, lol. (Am I allowed to say such a thing about my own creation?) As for riding on the bow, that might be a little too hip and too sci-fi for what I’m going for here, but its definately a cool idea. And yeah, I’m seriously contemplating having the string and/or firing mechanism on the bow be more magical based so that she can turn the bow and have it coming out at the picture plane.
fluxen: Glad you like the sils. I had fun with them. You are dead on with the dynamic perspective being a good thing here. I’m going to incorporate that idea with the current study to get more of the bow into the picture without shrinking the girl. Thanks for commenting back. Also, if you see Kenji at work, tell him Raz said “hi”, heheh. He should get a kick out of that.
So, to wrap up this ultra lengthy post, I will reiterate my questions…
How do you guys feel about the composition so far, like the bg enviroment, the bow going off the page, should she be smaller/bigger, etc. ?
How do you guys feel about the wing idea, as well as the current size of them in relation to the armor?
Thanks, sorry for making you read so much!
But thats enough about me… on to my character.
