Character design project: Feedback appreciated!

RainbowRat

Hi guys,

I recently started with a personal character design project. Unfortunately I don´t really trust my docent´s feedback so I´m counting on you guys!

I´m working on 6 character concepts for a fictive, third person rpg. I want to simulate a "real" character design process which is why I need feedback on how to show each character so everybody who´s involved in the character process knows what to do etc. Right now it feels like I´m just randomly scribbling characters for no reason. This is my plan so far:

Study the subject
Abstract the subject
Shilouettes
Finished character base
Clothing
Assets/Objects
Character in movement (not yet listed)
Fully rendered character with all details


1. Sphinx Cat, Alchemist/Ranger, tosses bombs at enemies






I still have to add views from all sides and probably more text to explain details. Anything else? Does the character look interesting enough? Detailed enough? Is that even most important?
Feel free to drop Links of character sheets or tutorials! Or book titles! I want to apply for another internship around GamesCom next year so this has to rock! :P Regarding the style I´d like to go with something Wildstar-ish but I´m still praticing rendering and blending.

Next: Pidgeon based Beastmaster

RainbowRat

2. Pidgeon based Beastmaster. His flock of pidgeons is always near, ready to support him in battle.

 (need to pratice faces so much more D : )

 

Shilouettes





Assets/Objects (not yet listed)
Character in movement


Fully rendered character with all details (not yet listed)

Sketchbook tax

RainbowRat

3. Axolotl based White mage/healer, since they can regenerate cut off limbs etc. I thought they were suitable.
It´s not as advanced as the other two yet, still thinking about clothing and abilities...

RainbowRat

4. The tank. Either snail or armadillo based, not sure yet. The snail concept appears to be more unique but the armadillo is more fun...





Definitely needs to look more tanky, I´m on it : P

RainbowRat

5. Voodoo Squirrel monkey based ranger, his weapon is a blowgun instead of a bow. Still lots of work to do~

RainbowRat

6. Black mage based on an old vietnamese women. She curses enemies with symbols she paints on the ground, using black ink and her hands and feet.
I´m not very far with this one but I stick with the creepy old vietnamese women topic.

clinington

These are real nice! Characters are definitely interesting in my opinion. The first one is easily my favourite. Numbers 3, 4 and 5 look less complete but then you already said they weren't as advanced  

RainbowRat

Thanks for your feedback. The cat seems to be everybody´s favourite up to now Shows I have to improve all the others even more :'D

RainbowRat

Snail progress. Is the shape language ok like this? Soft body -> edgy shell? Too much contrast?








Does it look strong and tanky enough? I wondered if I should add something shell-based to its arms like the armadillo. To emphasize the impression it can break rocks with its bare hands, like punching gloves.

RainbowRat

Armadillo didn´t change much. Should I make his shell look more extravagant like the snail´s ?
If a 3D Artist had to model and animate either the snail or the armadillo, whouch would be rather realized?

lotet

love your designs and ideas! those last few images are awesome, so much personality and unique designs. keep it up!

RainbowRat

Thanks for your motivating words! : D

RainbowRat

Currently working on the ranged class. Hate how stiff those neutral standing poses look. Maybe I should make something little different instead, a small leap or so. Is it a rule to make them plain standing or anything? : P
Also want to add some details to his face, it looks kinda childish and plain. Anybody has a different view on this?

RainbowRat

The faces looked kinda stiff to me so I drew the cat again as a warming up pratice. Should all the characters have the same super expressive faces tho? Is less expressive sometimes the better expressive? It feels like everybody enjoys hyper-expressive faces way more...

killnpc

I think these studies are displaying a blossoming creativity in creature character design, color, and expression. I'm seeing a lot of good things in your work and just wanted to say, just stay on this steady course! Great breakthroughs are on the horizon.

RainbowRat

Oh wow, thanks! That´s some motivating feedback! Actually it´s always a little hard to believe such nice words because I continuously tell myself I´m doing everything wrong... especially if theres little feedback. But gaining an objective view towards your own artwork is just something you need to learn I guess...

Some snail progress:
Decided to try the snail as a mage because its body physiology reminds of a mage with a big cloak. That means I have to kick granny out though..

Some people wrote offensive stuff on its shell, in which he carries most of his equipment. He earns some coin as street mage while silently pickpocketing the spectactors with his real magic. He´s a rather depressive character but puts on a confident face when acting. I have to keep personalities in mind when doing poses, the concept doesn´t really express that >:[

RainbowRat

I was sick of doing only rough sketches so I did some colored versions and experimented a little with light and color.
Each day from now I´ll paint the characters one by one in typical poses or expressive situations and see where it leads to.
I also want to dig more into light and experimental color palettes. So if anybody has some secret tutorials on this, feel free to drop a link : >

Daew

Hey, really enjoying the effort behind the design and ideas in here

I kind of wanted to share something I just watched and I thought you might be interested in it. Its a design lecture. i think you might enjoy it.  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tr86CLOiSBA

And just a crit on the snail (please though be aware that im not a design expert or anything haha). Love the mage idea. Since he is a depressive character maybe you could play with how well maintained that cloth is. How and where it wraps on his shell. His patterns on his body could be toned down so he doesn't feel armoured and ready to take a fight. Though you might have already moved on from that piece.

Keep it up

RainbowRat

Thanks for the vid, I love listening to lectures like these while coloring : D
Anyway, I haven´t moved on with the snail yet but I´m going to make him smaller and fragile. There´s still too much tank left on him, hehe.
I´ll keep your cloth suggestion in mind ( I keep skipping details like these...) so thanks!

*edit* Just saw the lecture, it was really amazing and added so many things I´ll keep in mind when doing new concepts! Thank you!!

RainbowRat

Worked on the Axolotl yesterday and today it´s the snails turn. Current progress on a hopefully more depressed looking snailmage
My docent said the wizard-hat-shaped shell is too clichê and I should give it a normal shell. But I think I gonna edit its shape anyway, it´s kinda boring like this and sheesh, a magic snail can have a deformed house, right?




Wen´t back to basic shapes after I watched another tutorial and checked if they differ enough.

RainbowRat

Monkey for today. First concept is supposed to be his "final" pose. It should express the character and be fun to look at. I think I have to overwork his right arm though, it needs to be stretched and shortened. After I collected some feedback I´ll render it.
Not sure whether he should stick with the bone-blastpipe or the bambus one. Bone would make more logic within the character (skulls on belt) bambus is stereotype and better recognizeable as blast pipe I guess.


Last one is just me forcing to draw at 3AM. Good night. ZZzzzZZz

Daew

Really cool! especially the running ones. 

There was something that has been bothering me a bit and I think I know what it is now. This is more a suggestion as it can be a matter of taste. (i think, fine line between fundamentals and style)

There needs to be more "harshness" to your edges. Paying attention to straights and curves, how you taper chapes, etc. 

 A lot of your current forms are rounded and soft and they could use some punchiness to them. straight lines are straight to the point...hohoho...........but seriously lines are storytelling. Straight lines are concise sentences whereas round lines are flowery, detailed sentences. A balance of the two makes a good story.

And example of an animator who has fantastic straight curves. http://anitagaughan.tumblr.com/
Wish there was an easy way to clone artists skills haha. 

Here are some Glenn Keane notes on it. http://onanimation.com/2014/12/30/design-notes-by-glen-keane/

Paul richards design lectures (definitely worth the time checking all these out careful though lots of nfsw)
http://www.autodestruct.com/

RainbowRat

Oh god, I´m going to print all of these and scatter them everywhere in my room so I´ll never forget it : I


I´ll start praticing this right away, that was the best suggestion ever, thanks Daew! :]
*edit* first scribbles. It already feels different but I need to add more sharp edges. Lets continue : P



Hm, na, feels like drawing my other characters. Maybe I should draw them instead while obersving some Tangled Concept art and the artist you mentioned...

RainbowRat

My next task is to draw the characters with environment to show something of the world the story takes place. (next semester I´ll do world design but my docent wants to see it so I made this compromise with him...)

I´m trying to work on my composition skills using Blender Guru´s composition video and reading through Nathan Fowkes blog. Please note if you feel something looks odd, I´ll start coloring them when all 6 rough sketches are done.


First one is more like an elaborate composition test. The second one feels better but I think I should rearrange the roofs a little so it looks more like he´s jumping and landing instead of flying : P


More sketches of the axolotl healer because I felt like I didn´t know him enough yet. (decided to make its tail thinner, like real axolotl´s (as seen in the soap bubble concept))


I noticed I did face sketches of everybody except the snail, which is probably the most unusual to do. Her´re a few but I need to explore its face a lot more.


Since DAEWs tip I keep lines in mind and try to draw them less random while thinking about every single one´s purpose. It slowed me down but more practice will do the trick : D

RainbowRat

Some progress on the illustrations. If anybody could point out awkward composition decisions or add some cool ideas I´d be happy to
hear them!


I couldn´t show the armadillo soloing around, he´s a real team-guy. Not sure if I should add the Monkey and Pidgeon dude as well, they´d need to be placed in the background and I think it´d look unnecessary while not showing them might be strange. They could be strolling around elsewhere, simply.



Not sure what background I could add here. Up to now I thought of a dark, crowded, narrow alley. Buildings to the left and right and more less detailed people to fill the white space between the characters. (snail is robbing a leopard gecko, for anybody who doesn´t get the context). It only has amphibians as spectators because I think of them as superstitious and not being the brightest.

Sphinx cat has a bomb belt as some sort of last special attack, which blows all enemies but takes all HP. So this kinda shows its last moment before that.

A more vague thing for the magician axolotl. Is it communicating with its ancestors? Something like that. I try to make it ambigous and focus on a "magic" looking color pallette.

absorbentghost

Im feeling those snail characters, feels so tangible and believable .

RainbowRat

Glad to hear that!

RainbowRat

Currently stuck with this one. Still feels terribly incomplete, anybody has an idea how to make it more interesting? What to add?
The sketch felt better

lotet

I think my biggest crit on your illustration work is your camera angles.  its pretty much always a side view with a full figure crop. I would explore more interesting angles and comps before I start rendering things if I where you.

RainbowRat

Well of course I did pages of thumbnails beforehand and tried to get feedback but these are the ones which happened to be chosen. Should have looked and judged them as a whole later though, yes... the rough sketches were laying around for so long and nobody pointed anything out, so I thought I was good to go. I haven´t progressed that much on the remaining ones though, I´ll try to improve or change the perspective here and there, depending on how much time my docent gives me. He was perfectly fine with these, I knew I shouldn´t have trusted him ¬¬

RainbowRat

*image too big*
Will try to resize everything soon. Sorry!