I'm making three characters for a project that revolve around the feel of cyberpunk and neo-tribalism.
The idea was a few travelers on a slow pilgrimage to a place. Though it was in the future, the choose to keep the attire almost in rejection of the current society.
I'm echewing the tribal aspect for now due to the complications it's causing.
Where I'm at pics:
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TL;DR:
Any tips crits on the concepts. Need to be cyberpunk-esque and not tacky.
I've woken out of my sleep to the thoughts my project is going to end up looking tacky as hell.
Mood board.
Gathered quite a few images as refs and threw together this mood board.
Saw it had almost no Cyberpunk feel to it and decided to get more applicable refs.
Problem is I was a little all over the place and decided to think up a narrative to help solidify the idea in my head. But that narrative almost totally disregards the Neotribalism, turning the pilgramage into a semi metaphorical journey. Soooo yeah, I'm all over the place.
Now I'm basically just making 3 cyberpunk like characters. An older official (male), a cop/special field agent (Female), and an android in normal clothes for the times (Male).
Did a bunch of concepts and these are a few that i almost like but am not sure on.
The scans were pretty bad, but the lines weren't that tight to begin with, learnt my lesson. Either tight lines or an inking when scanning.
So yeah.
Older Male
Female
Randoms:
Created my male masemesh. I'm going to alter it for my female since I'm going to retopologise anyway I'm not to hung up on making it some super basemesh.
try making the head a little bit smaller, and your torso to waist feels alittle bit boxy,
so try bringing in the waist a little to bring back the upside down triangular male shape.
of course though everyone has varying levels of body fat and muscle and im no expert,
but your guy feels quite slim/fit for all that around his waist.
Also have started my Female character. Need to start working on my older male though.
I have a couple more concepts though I'm a little meh. I've spend a little too much time doing, and redoing the females body. A little stupid considering it's not something that will be seen in the end. Will upload my female concepts another time.
I still feel a little confused about it all.
I'm going to spend tomorrow doing concepts. I'm having a lot of trouble concepting. I think it's because I usually go with form following function, but atm i'm too concerned with aesthetics only with no indication as to the whys. Just drawing with no goal
I'm dreading the android, I was happy for a low profile android, who only had slight things that indicated his being, things like slightly glowing eyes and plate seams in the face and exposed limbs. He was going to be wearing Hi Tops.
But someone I know expects ANDROID, wires and blades. I think it doesn't make sense, but I love subtlety myself.
My new aim is to get the concept for the girl done over Wednesday (like that will happen) and have her partially done by Thursday night for my presentation on Friday. After that I'll start with the android.
Also ignore the small hands. I relaxed the lowest subdivision in 3dsmax forgetting to exclude the hands making them shrink in size. I'll probably cut the hands off my male character and attach them onto the female.
Did the concepts I said I'd do. Came out better than I thought they would. Though they aren't exactly want I want. They're almost there. Just something a little more.
I kind of had this image of a special type of agent who wore short robes but only one arm was long and flowing. This concealed their weapon or whatever. But Meh.
As usual from the left 1 - 2 - 3 - 4
Also I want Tech boots. Like large mechanised cool ass shock lower leg things like this. Not exactly like this, but you get the idea.
Also, side question. Do you think the image below is bad art? I personally like it, but a guy in class said it was bad art. I think it's preference, but i'd be interested in what anyone else had to say,
So bad everyone loves it.
There is no bad art. There is however, art that a lot of people like, and art that less people like.
There's art that leaves you thinking, and art that's like candy.
There's art that makes you angry, and art that makes you happy.
Bad and good are meaningless as a form of judgement for success when it comes to art and art things. If anyone doesn't understand that then they're probably still bewildered when something they don't like is extremely popular.
The first and major thing was the hands. They were shrunk in the process of changing the basemesh from my male character into a female. It was due to the relaxing.
Next I changed the face in small ways. The nose, jawline, and some other small things have been altered.
I also changed the body overall.
With this character I've added a hood and I've been working on the face, though I'm not sure how to feel on how it's looking. His face is becoming more sinister, which I guess is a little interesting.
So I've updated stuff but I can't at this very moment remember all the changes and progression so I'll just post what I do remember. Also these are all w.i.p. Things are still up for changing and nothing here is permanent.
I've done some new concepts due to feeling that the ones I had were a little weak. The colour choices would be strange due to the weird jacket (probably,) and the hood was weird.
I just didn't like where it could be going so I decided to pull back and do some other designs. I think trying to push ideas I don't like is slowly my down more than getting an idea I do like.
I've heard that the Vest is a little hard to differentiate from the body. And instead make the body look weird. But I feel it's readable. I was going for something a little like the stuff batmans suit is made from, maybe not. I need to research the type of material it is.
I also did some jacket colour variations. Nothing concrete seeing as i'm still in the sculpting stage.
I also prefer the head with the facial hair but when I tried it on the red jacket he looks like santa.
Personally I like 1, 2, and 5. But i'll wait to here what people have to say if anything.
From the left 1 - 2 - 3 - 4
From the left 5 - 6 - 7 - 8
I also tried something new with the face. I started to feel I didn't like the way the characters faces were quite soft in the appearance. Both look a little more kind in face than I would like. But I think it might serve the old man better. The woman I'm still on the fence about.
These were just playing around with seeing how I could make him look sinister, but he just looked more like a caricature of a sinister man.
update, then two sinisters. Looking at my character, I guess he looks a little like Jim Carrey lol.
What I'm thinking about at the moment, and what caused my to make these changes, was a discussion I had about sexy and cool. Basically I was debating that a woman can be cool without being overtly sexy or at all, it's just about admiration or reverence or something like that. It's why guys can like men who are ugly but look badass. I think Kazuya is cool because he is a battle scarred fighter.
The other person stating that unless women are seen as sexy, they won't be cool in peoples eyes, that their coolness is derived from being sexy. And I have to say I see where they are coming from though I don't want to agree.I guess most people do just look at the chicks and if the sexy qouta isn't met, but it could just be preference and they do the same for guys they think are uncool. I skip over tons of character designs that are boring to me.
I'm a little weird though so maybe other guys are different from me. I think glory is cool, and she is not sexy. But I grew up fancying the girls with braces and glasses lol. Wabi Sabi and all that.
I guess it's a weird thing. Differentiating what's cool, and what's sexually appealing. I don't think the two are exclusive to each other but would I like kazuya if he was a hideous man.
I like glory for the same reason I like Kazuya. Battle hardened and scarred warriors/fighters who are a little ruthless in their action.
If you check out Glory make sure it's the Joe Keating and Ross Campbell run. Not the Rob "I don't know what I'm doing here" Liefeld. No offence to Liefeld, he has created some iconic characters, just some of his work is a little cringe worthy.
I mention all this since it's interesting to me and makes me wonder how i'm making these characters.
I don't think the old guy was looking cool in his weird robes. I want the characters to, on a quick glance look interesting. Anyway, take from this what you will. I'm just pontificating.
List of changes:
Body more lean.
Face changed to try and get a naturally worried/caring look.
Vest and Belt added
Concepts
Quick Face Alterations
Made eyeballs smaller
Altered face
The cheeks are your male character a very rough, very blobby. Refine this structure more by studying facial anatomy more. Keep going.
~t