Jax Designs Creatures and Characters
polycounter lvl 10
So I wanted to get better at drawing creatures and characters and I
found a book titled Designing Creatures and Characters by Marc Taro
Holmes. I am currently working on the second project in the book and
figured I would post my progress and see what constructive feedback I
can get.
This assignment is titled Big Game Trophy Heads. It asks the artist to create multiple sketches of creatures' heads based on a theme of the artist's choosing. It also asks the artist to create weapons designs and a hunter character design, but I am not there yet. So far I have done 36 creature head sketches based on a sci-fi, alien-insect exterminator theme.
This assignment is titled Big Game Trophy Heads. It asks the artist to create multiple sketches of creatures' heads based on a theme of the artist's choosing. It also asks the artist to create weapons designs and a hunter character design, but I am not there yet. So far I have done 36 creature head sketches based on a sci-fi, alien-insect exterminator theme.
Replies
Polished up some of the big game alien heads! C&C welcome.
Just some C&C regarding your rendering, I think the contrast is too high and color range is little bit limited? It feels like a rather plane 2-toned render than a multifaceted 3D shape. I think breaking your shapes into big 3d chunks (cubes, cylinders and etc) before you start painting in detail might help with the process... Great designs tho.
On top of what doodlok said, I would also look at when shading to vary your warm to cool range a bit more. It feels like when you go dark, you tend to add a lot of black in, which can contribute to the planar look. I think thats why number 15, with the addition of the blue light on the receding side, looks the most believable to me as a 3D shape.
So I am working on this piece and I decided I would go ahead and share it; I wanna see what kind of feedback I get before I continue painting. I really appreciate any constructive critiques you might have. So far this is just the initial sketch with some flat values. I plan to do an overpainting, eliminating the line art and adding some finishing touches.
other then that its a pretty cool piece, the overall composition looks great!
Id say something to consider when you go into colors and rendering is readability and make sure all the characters get the love they deserve!
I want to thank everyone who took the time to provide feedback on my Inglourious Vermin WIP. I have taken the suggestions and applied them to the artwork. I think the suggestions have made this a much stronger piece.
Here is what I changed:
- Elongated the otter’s neck and changed the shell logo to something better.
- Reshaped the squirrel’s hands, repositioned the tail and made the tail slightly smaller
- Slightly changed rabbit pose to feel less stiff
- Reshaped and better defined the wolf hand
There was also the suggestion of using a gradient to enhance layer separation. I haven’t included it yet but when I define the lighting I am going to add that to the piece.
-changed knife position so that it was less perpendicular
-redesigned the gauntlets so the hands were more visible
-adjusted the left calf and ankle to feel less bulky and redesigned shin guards.
-adjusted the fabric in the arms and scarf for better and more consistent fabric definition
In addition to the changes above, I have also added some textures and patterns and other small details to the piece. Some of these might not be visible in the web version but in the full resolution 18x24, they are. For the moment I am considering the value stage of this character complete, next will be the color stage. However, I want to get the rest of the characters caught up to this one first. So check back soon to see which character gets the value treatment next.
For your most recent piece, any criticisms I have are only nit-picking and personal preferences really. I think I would have given the squirrel a bit of a stronger jaw and kept the left eye a bit brighter, as it seems a little flat, for lack of a better term.
Honestly, it looks great though, very nice work with the textures and character design in general.
Got this guy far enough along that I thought I would go ahead and share my progress and see what you guys think. I still need to add a final pass adding textures and other small details.
You know somethin’, Utivich? I think this just might be my masterpiece.