[NEED CRITIQUE AND ADVICE] ArtStation Concept for 3D Prop Category
polycounter lvl 5
So I am not a concept artist but I very much enjoy concepting my own original ideas and planning out my model. Well, I have come to a cross roads with my design and not sure where to take it.
The theme of the challenge is "The Shogunate: Feudal Japan". So I liked the idea of this wondering mercenary who kept to himself. Sort of an Edo Period hitman/assassin who was very inconspicuous. So I thought instead of carrying a whole arsenal around with him, he would have concealed weapons. So I came up with the concept below; an Arquebus (matchlock pistol), a Zatoichi sword (cane sword), and a medallion he wore around his neck that doubled as a looking glass. SO, all these pieces together created a long range rifle essentially.
This is where I am getting conflicting critiques from people. After I roughed out how I wanted the pieces to fit together and function, I started to detail out the Zatoichi sword. I started with this and really liked the direction I was going artistically, but I started getting concerned. 1) It started to get too intricate and flashy for someone who was an assassin and wanted to be inconspicuous. 2) I was afraid that it would make the overall 3-combination concept too busy and/or unbalanced.
Following my gut, I decided to make a toned-back version that followed the Zatoichi sword more closely and more akin to an elusive assassin. But this concept received criticism from others saying it wasn't detailed enough. I told them my idea for the person who would be carrying this weapon and they believed I should be wanting to just make an interesting piece that shows off my skills. But I hear that people like to see a story being told with the piece; "who held this weapon?" "What was it used for?" "What is the context?".
So I'm asking for additional input. Should I just throw my character out the window and just focus on making this over-the-top piece? Or should I keep it simple and subtle?
Please and thank you for any critiques! It would be a big help!
The theme of the challenge is "The Shogunate: Feudal Japan". So I liked the idea of this wondering mercenary who kept to himself. Sort of an Edo Period hitman/assassin who was very inconspicuous. So I thought instead of carrying a whole arsenal around with him, he would have concealed weapons. So I came up with the concept below; an Arquebus (matchlock pistol), a Zatoichi sword (cane sword), and a medallion he wore around his neck that doubled as a looking glass. SO, all these pieces together created a long range rifle essentially.
This is where I am getting conflicting critiques from people. After I roughed out how I wanted the pieces to fit together and function, I started to detail out the Zatoichi sword. I started with this and really liked the direction I was going artistically, but I started getting concerned. 1) It started to get too intricate and flashy for someone who was an assassin and wanted to be inconspicuous. 2) I was afraid that it would make the overall 3-combination concept too busy and/or unbalanced.
Following my gut, I decided to make a toned-back version that followed the Zatoichi sword more closely and more akin to an elusive assassin. But this concept received criticism from others saying it wasn't detailed enough. I told them my idea for the person who would be carrying this weapon and they believed I should be wanting to just make an interesting piece that shows off my skills. But I hear that people like to see a story being told with the piece; "who held this weapon?" "What was it used for?" "What is the context?".
So I'm asking for additional input. Should I just throw my character out the window and just focus on making this over-the-top piece? Or should I keep it simple and subtle?
Please and thank you for any critiques! It would be a big help!