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vixyl
vixyl
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vixyl polycounter lvl 5
Hi everyone, this is my first post here! I've been lurking for a while and I'm enjoying seeing everyone's work. This is pretty much my first concept art project and I feel like I have no idea what I'm doing. I'm going off of a few Youtube videos, and the works of Riot Games concept artists (although I am going to take a CGMA class for character design this summer). From what I've gathered, the concept art process is something like: idea --> initial exploration sketches --> refinement and variations --> turnarounds and final concept.

In my quest for bettering myself in this, I've created a project to create 7 demons/mythological girls to represent the seven sins. The first one I'm going to tackle is Lust. I decided she should be some kind of succubus. Here is the first stage of sketching:



Please let me know what you think is working out and what isn't, or which ones you like/dislike! It's honestly pretty difficult getting creative and making a bunch of different designs. What are some good ways to think outside of the box during this stage? Any helpful feedback and critique is welcome! Thanks!! 
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  • DmitryMorozov
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    DmitryMorozov polycounter lvl 7
    Hello!
    Not  bad start, but, it seems to me, the concept have some problems.

    Main issue:
    The character looks very neutral. As they say "it don't have a face". Is no different from thousands of other demons, who are already drawn. Because of this, the viewer is bored to look at such a concept.

    Solution:
    Show in the concept unique properties of the character, which will distinguish it from others.
    Ask yourself "What is this character about?","What is special about him?"
    Very useful lecture about this: https://www.artstation.com/artwork/YVJ6Y (Elements of design by Mike Franchina)


    This demoness must embody sinful lust, right? Something causing sexual desire, but fatal, destructive at the same time.
    Succubus can be defined as a demon (evil spirit that serves the devil) in a female guise.
    The demonic essence can manifest itself in "animal" elements - horns, claws, scales (reptile skin), thorns.
    Something between a lizard and a woman.

    Conclusion:
    1. More emphasis on the provocative sexuality. She should look like a lascivious, lecherous, prompting to sin.
    Besides emphasized femininity (wide hips, huge boobs, narrow waist) you can use stockings, corset, female harness to create the right associations.

    2. Combine the "lizard elements" with the figure of the girl more clearly ( to show her animal, devilish essence)
    Maybe it's better to remove the wings? This will allow you to better concentrate the viewer's attention on the aggressive sexuality of the demon's body.
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  • BoonS
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    BoonS polycounter lvl 8
    I'd be pretty interested with what you can do with the mix of animal elements in your concepts. The majority of your roster are of course a balance between danger and titillation, but Dmitry correctly notes that that's been kind of done to death. With that said, I think your concepts like D and H has the potential to stand out in the final render, because the animalism is fresh take on the succubus concept (at least to me.) It adds another layer/narrative between that balance; the playboy bunny accenting the titillation side while the mantis accents the dangerous side. I think C can also have a strong silhouette if the ear horns can look more like horns, although that might compromise the fox aesthetic; and B could also be interesting if it was like a dark Splatoon thing, although I'm not sure how an octopus aesthetic adds to the sexy/danger balance... maybe I don't want to imagine... Regardless, will be excited to see what you develop!
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  • Czepeku
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    Czepeku null
    To develop what the others have said above, you should emphasis the 'lust' aspect. I'd suggest looking at old pin-up posters for inspiration. Something you'll notice they do a lot is always having the shoulders/hips at an angle and never straight, similar to you 'G' image but more accentuated. You could also use the tail/wings/horns in a suggestive or playful way, similar to how the new Evelyn splash art on LoL uses her shadows to cover her nudity.
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  • vixyl
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    vixyl polycounter lvl 5
    @DmitryMorozov Thank you for the feedback! Along with the guide and pictures, I found it very useful. I will continue pushing the initial exploration with this in mind.
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  • vixyl
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    vixyl polycounter lvl 5
    @BoonS Thank you for your feedback! I do agree that the sexy succubus girl has been done to death. I'd like to focus on exploring the animalistic designs more, while still keeping some familiar succubus elements. I think the sexy/danger balance is a good thing for me to keep in mind as well. Thanks again, I'll keep at it until I'm satisfied with the design!
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  • vixyl
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    vixyl polycounter lvl 5
    @Czepeku Those are excellent suggestions, thank you! I have always thought my posing could use a little work, they end up looking a bit stiff and cookie cutter. Doing studies of pin ups is a great idea.
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  • Czepeku
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    Czepeku null
    Some extra thoughts I've had since posting: perhaps if you're going for an animalistic look you could attempt more unconventional animals (the praying mantis you did is great choice), bat imagery is common in demons but do we really perceive bats as lustful? Birds do a lot to attract mates, might be worth working something like that into your designs. Nature has a lot to copy from! Looking forward to seeing your reworks.
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  • vixyl
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    vixyl polycounter lvl 5
    Alright, I'm back with some more exploration sketches and ideas. I'm liking the direction of the animalistic designs.  They all need a lot of work, but I'm having a hard time deciding which one to build on. Which one embodies the concept of "Lust" the most? Do I need to explore different ideas even further, or start building on one? Let me know which one(s) stand out to you the most. 

    Also, I have a writer friend I'm collaborating with for this project. We decided that this lust demon should have the ability to change their sex at will. So an alternate male/masculine version will be part of this demon as well. They also have the ability to change into a human form. The idea is that they can change to whichever sex their target prey is sexually attracted to, seduce them, then consume their soul. This demonic form is their true form, so to speak.

    The general premise of the story is the demon girls, who each embody a sin, co-exist with each other in a supposedly haunted house on Earth. A human man wanders in and the demons have taken an unusual liking to him, so he moves in with them. The demons try to help this guy, who is depressed and down on his luck, with their own unique ways according to their sin. The tone is a dark comedy and we've entertained the idea of creating a visual novel as our project.

    My personal goal is to create a presentable portfolio for concept art. 


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  • vixyl
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    vixyl polycounter lvl 5
    Czepeku said:
    Some extra thoughts I've had since posting: perhaps if you're going for an animalistic look you could attempt more unconventional animals (the praying mantis you did is great choice), bat imagery is common in demons but do we really perceive bats as lustful? Birds do a lot to attract mates, might be worth working something like that into your designs. Nature has a lot to copy from! Looking forward to seeing your reworks.
    Oh! I'm liking the idea of a bird or harpy version. And it could be interesting for the male counterpart to have vivid and colorful "plumage", while the female version is more minimal.
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  • vixyl
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    vixyl polycounter lvl 5
    Some more concept sketching for this succubus. Decided to go with the angler fish theme and created a few variations on her outfit and hairstyles. Feedback and CC welcome! 

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  • Joopson
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    Joopson quad damage
    A, B, and D, are my favorites. I think D is the most unique, and reminiscent of a fish. The skirt reminds me of little fins/gills, in a way that makes me feel uneasy.

    For the heads, I like 4 and 5 the most, though 3 and 6 are close seconds.
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  • vixyl
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    vixyl polycounter lvl 5
    @Joopson Sweet, thanks so much for the input!
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  • DmitryMorozov
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    DmitryMorozov polycounter lvl 7
    Interesting idea to create an association with the sea devil-fish (if I understand the description of "angler fish" correctly)
    This is more original than the usual horns and hoofs of demons :)

    In general, I like the variant B. But you can try to refine it by using ideas from other versions.
    Of course, this is just my guess. Only you decide with which of the variants to work on. Anyway it's very curious to see the sequel!



    I would be very grateful if you comment on the concepts in my topic (if there is time and desire, of course :))
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