Hello. Sajedene Tries To Make Concepts Here.
Hi everyone! I am a big fan of a lot of you and have been lurking here enjoying plenty of your work. I really want to learn art and I have been told that this forum is a great resource for this.
Here are some of my attempts at creating concepts. I was a bit intimidated seeing how good everyone else's concepts are (mine are very messy!) and almost didn't want to make this thread but I figured - do it... then hopefully get better, then laugh about my first post a year later kind of thing.
Anyway, I talk a lot. Here are two of my ideas so far.
Spectre in some fancy alien garb... not sure how I feel about the tassels yet. The yellow circles are supposed to be gem/orb like but I am still learning how to properly execute that. **Reserved**
Death Prophet as a puppet master/doll type with her ghosts being marionette doll things.
Version 3: Revamped her a little bit - and tried to clean up the drawing. I changed her top and skirt a tad.
Here are some of my attempts at creating concepts. I was a bit intimidated seeing how good everyone else's concepts are (mine are very messy!) and almost didn't want to make this thread but I figured - do it... then hopefully get better, then laugh about my first post a year later kind of thing.
Anyway, I talk a lot. Here are two of my ideas so far.
Spectre in some fancy alien garb... not sure how I feel about the tassels yet. The yellow circles are supposed to be gem/orb like but I am still learning how to properly execute that. **Reserved**
Death Prophet as a puppet master/doll type with her ghosts being marionette doll things.
Version 3: Revamped her a little bit - and tried to clean up the drawing. I changed her top and skirt a tad.
Replies
Based on what I've been seeing though, Valve seems to have a more ethereal look for spectre in mind when they accept sets. All the sets that are in so far don't make any reference to real materials. They're all made up of ethereal forms that are just bits of "spectre", except for some of her weapons.
That's just my own speculation of course, but if it's right then how the concept reads as cloth might need to be worked on.
The narrowing of DP's dress at the bottom is pretty cool too, interesting way to do the outwards flare, wonder how it'd look like in-game.
Whoever works on these, don't you dare use the default animation set for the ghosts!
With the DP set - I too wasn't sure how the scarf would work in regards to making it - I eventually could rework it to something for her back later but wanted to put that out there first to see if it was even at all possible because I don't know if it is or not. The skirt would be almost like a train... or it could move like spawn's cape from the comic books if it needs more movement.
Thank you Snowstorm and Andrew for the wonderful feedback! Very motivating
only problem i see is that the leg and torso are 2 different item slots, so they will have to be seperated in some way.
In regards to the DP torso and legs, I know if I just remove the veil and split her top and bottom with the belt it would fix this. So I might just do that.
Thank you all for the wonderful feedback. It's hard making concepts haha.
And thank you schnoodle - but I have to give Nateo all the credit. He made my 2nd grade drawing come to beautiful life.
I tried removing the shawl/sash thing for Death Prophet and split her clothes up a little more. I think this works okay too. I updated the original post with it as well. I think that is one of the things that I have learned to be challenging - is trying to put the idea to paper while keeping in mind slots, animations, polycount, etc. especially since I am still trying to understand all that too. But liking my lessons so far!
its pretty awesome and unique.
also slots are important but i'd recommend you to not give a fuck about animations and polycounts.
a good 3d artist will make it work for you.
thats what we are there for.
Oh no no no, this is terrible advice.
As concept artists our job is to make something that will look amazing and unique with the allowance we are given. It's part of the challenge! a 3d artist may make overly-ambition designs work but that is no guarantee they will be successful.
On another note, I'd say your spectre design is the strongest of the two. It offers a really unique choice of colour for the hero, and has lovely details (the tassles on the back!) that will translate well ingame
Oh yeah, sure, smart advice. *ps: don't listen to this guy.
A good concept artist knows what his modeler and animator are going to have to deal with once they start production. If you make overly elaborate concepts, your modeler is going to start sculpting away for hours (or days if it's a set/courier) only to realize there's no way they are going to be able to transfer all that detail into the poly budget provided.
You also have to take in to account how many bones are allowed, and what you're concepting would require to be animated.
My best advice for conceptual work, as a modeler, is this; the silhouette is where most of the poly budget is spent. The details inside of the silhouette can be achieved with normal maps, the silhouette usually can't. So make simple, clean, readable silhouette's and give some nice details inside of that to make things pretty.
and yes i must agree with Andrew and Artypi as well.
I am a concept artist myself who knows NOTHING about 3D or polygons, but there are LOTS of wonderful friendly 3D artists that are willing to teach you as long as you ask.
At first I just draw the things i love, without considering too much. as a 3D artist, they can refine your concepts yes, but their job is more like to make your concept to become 3d/real, it's not totally their job to refine your "whatever drawing" concept into 3D, and if you draw whatever you like without considering, the 3d will come out badly, it's like a printing machine, you put the wrong copy in it, then it comes out bad too no matter u are making its black and white or colour print.
and another note I realize is that, when you draw your concept in more fine details, your brain tent to "think" more in /how that will form, will that works? does it show in 3d? is it visible?/ stuffs like that, however, when you draw so roughly, those thought tent to fly away.
for example, imagine your DP set is now considering "finish" concept, if a 3d modeler come and pick that idea up, do they really only draw those yellow flowers around the edge of the cloth? is that even visible? or maybe something golden metal will be better?
we should consider these things in our concepts, we dont have to make our concept look that pretty in 2D art, but it has to communicate the idea and make the idea works before it has given to the 3d artist.
and about the amount of polygons to use, as I said early, there are so many people willing to help you! just ask and dont be afraid, there are ways to "cut corners" to make amazing designs without using much polygons, while there are designs that are not looking good while over done, you have to try your best not to make the design too hard for the 3d designers. i mean, those designers are working with you, that means that are kind of your friend, and we should look after friends, right? ;p
it will takes time, but you will understand later on, cause before, i draw super rough concepts too, and it doesn't end up in a good way in 3d
But really, I appreciate everything. I have been going over other threads and just looking at the process and progress of others so that is motivating. Sometimes, I get discouraged and just "rage quit" drawing but I don't feel like that right now so that's great and you all seem very supportive. I want and will get better at this I hope.
Going to look over the gold stuff for the DP set and just the overall thing again since I know how I want her to look in my head - just have to concept it better for the next step which I didn't really do for this one - but I can refine it.
I must admit, still trying to understand the whole number of polycounts and what not. So bear with me there! And what do you mean by number of bones?
Bones, if you don't know, are a lot like our bones, except they aren't visible. They tell which group of polygons can move where and when. For instance, in the real world if I move my hand, the skin surrounding the bone and muscle moves with it. Same thing happens in game, the skin attached to a bone will move with the bone.
well you know your 3d modeler should know better then that.
i was just saying you shouldn´t limit your creativity by always pondering about if this is going to work in budget etc.
the idea comes first, there is almost always a way to make it work somehow.
ofcourse giving death prophet 20 arms is not possible but i think you already know that.
What you could do is start downloading some of the models, dive into the deep end and play around with a 3D package like Maya. All you need to learn how to do is Open a model, rotate zoom, select objects, move objects, hide objects.
Then, you can get a bit more advanced and figure out how to add materials to an object.
Also you can try the http://www.dotahattery.com/ to preview the 3D models without all that mess.
Though you will learn more with actually getting dirty with a 3D program a bit.
In the end, just enjoy the process, the learning , the frustration and your art.
Its nothing too drastic, but i think that i looks better and creates better contrast, but, again its just my personal opinion, and I'm really new to this forum as well, so take it with a like a mountain of salt.
The colors I like but the thing is I think I just tend to over saturate things when I draw -- but alas pink is my favorite color so I have to keep it
i think the colour does suit her, it creates a really nice contrast with her "skin" colour, hope you can settle on a definite design i really like the overall idea, i reminds me of, sort of this "Japanese possessed doll" legend that i can't quite remember where i heard about :P; also hope that i didn't came up as rude by kind of messing with your job.
Regarding the colors actually i think they work, and i also think they don't oversaturate, maybe the opposite...i wouldn't mind to see a bit more gradients that goes to a vivid purple or red/pink to a more desaturated and darker version of them....some Hue shifting also makes things more interesting.
I really like the whole dress style by the way!
(Basemeshes)
Weapon:
Clothing:
Retopo time!
Here is a "revamped" Death Prophet concept - taking the feedback into consideration and changed her top half a bit and made her skirt more flowey and tattered and I really like the idea of yellow on her so there it is. I also updated the first post to match this one just so it's not so confusing.
Here is a Lifestealer idea I had that I forgot I had lying around so I thought I'd post it here - or if I already posted it here I don't remember :x
And lastly, the one I made where I was truly starving (still am as I type this) -- I call it Mongolian BBQ because I am hungry. That's supposed to be a pig/boar for his weapon but I clearly don't draw pigs well. haah T_T
Any thoughts and feedback would be greatly appreciated as sometimes being hungry can make you blind. Now I have to go find food. Thank you.
About LS concept, I think his sleeve looks kinda clean compared to other parts. How about making it look a bit more tattered? The shirt really makes LS looks like a zombie, I really like it. Add some blood stains on the shirt and LS will have the perfect zombie look