Lara Croft
Sup. I'm working on a high res Lara in ZBrush based off the Underworld concept and some fan art I saw. I'm prolly gonna just do the high res version in ZBRUSH and call it quits. I'm working on polishing the model and will start polypainting soon. Anyone have any feedback? Thanks
Replies
Her eyes are too open too. They are feeking me out @_@
Good overall, though.
Now...where did I put that pic...
To me, the appeal of Lara as a character was always those magnificent - the, uh, larger-than-life characterization. Toby Gard designed her as almost a mythical character, sort of like Ulysses or even Batman; a legend in her own time, somebody who exists in a realistic world but is so exceptional that she's out in the gray zone past realism and just before caricature. There's an essential aspect of idealization to her. She's capable of things physically and mentally that few others can do, goes toe to toe with monsters, gods, and the supernatural, and doesn't blink.
And to sell that kind of character, she has to look the part, the same way Batman or Ulysses couldn't be a 90 pound weakling with a weak jaw. Thus, shades of amazon or even valkyrie - the hips, that chest, the thick lips, and those legs that go for a mile. Her face has also always been very, very feminine, with the features kept very soft. No pronounced folds in the cheeks or around the mouth, a very simple profile for her nose, and a strong but not jutting chin.
Once Eidos (and later Crystal Dynamics) started trying to push her towards being a completely realistic character, all those idealized visual traits in the design got cranked way down. We ended up with a design that looks more like a college coed bikini model or a twenty-something actress you might meet at a club in a big city, instead of the image you have in your mind of this nearly-mythical globetrotting, treasure-hunting, T-rex killing super-woman you've only read about and heard incredible stories about. The larger-than-life appeal faded away as she got more real.
I suppose what I'm getting at is that the recent games (Legend and Underworld) have headed off with their own, more realistic and kind of humbled version of the character (probably with a nudge in that direction from the films) which is a departure from what she looked like for most of the series. And if you want to go with that interpretation of the character, not only are you free to do so, those pics show you're more than capable of making it look damn good.
For your design, I would suggest maybe making her chin a little less sharp and softening some of the folds in her face to make her look younger; she looks a little early-30's-ish.
I guess I just miss Lara's original design. I'd love to see it make a comeback, with the impossibly awesome, idealized appearance to match the original nearly-superhuman characterization.
...I'll stop rambling now.
EDIT: Ok, I just caught the part where you mentioned you were using the Underworld design. So basically, ignore me. :poly142:
Everything's good, but 'er face.
Seriously, it's awesome, but her facial expression is f**king scary.
which isn't bad because Tomb Raider can be interpreted many ways but right now she does have that freakish Rape face goin on
I suppose that's the polite way to put it. :poly114: My apologies, man, I suppose I came off as kind of an ass... "Yeah, it looks fine, but I wish you did something completely different because I'd like that better." Me and my big mouth...
Oh HELL yeah!
Give her the original wispy tendril bangs, the segmented ponytail down to the small of her back, make her calf and thigh muscles a little more pronounced, and that is IT. I can go with the v-neck halter top instead of the old half-leotard.
Oh man, you gotta. That concept would look freakin' awesome!
You gotta work on her face by the way...she looks old..as if shez almost about to retire..O.O I dont know just the way I see it.
Also her forehead is a bit shorter if you compare your model to the game model or the ref image.
Good luck!!
I think a huge part is that the kin doesnt really look like skin at the moment, its more metallic, and the tones around the face dont really seem correct (As well as a lack of faked SSS).
The model overall is better than the real thing at this stage so great job!
She's got a scary smile going on at the mouth corners, but the nasolabial folds aren't emphasised enough to carry that pose off. The eyes are staring and not smiling, so adding those together gives it the slightly manic jokeresque smile.
Also, try to pull the corners of the lower lips under the upper lip and then pull the lip corners back inside the mouth a little. This will prevent the mouth from looking stuck on.
You and me both!
But back to the thread: As others have pointed out, the head proportions are a little off. The relative position of eyes, ears and mouth are so important and it feels weird when they are even slightly off. I think the ear and the ends of the jaw line are too high. The back of the skull seems a little squashed too, but that could be just the hair shape throwing me off. Maybe allow the hair to droop a little and stick out more in the back?
I would definitely reduce the smile to a more relaxed mouth. I think the eyebrows need more emphasis too. Both Jolie and Wilde have strong eyebrow shapes you could emulate.
The clothes and gear are looking good. Maybe give the back pack an asymmetrical design or have something hanging off one side.
This is more subjective, but I would widen the hips a bit. Since you are going with a realistic style, the broad shoulders and large breasts seem unbalanced with such narrow hips. Even the drawing shows a more prominent hip bone. I think it would improve the silhouette too.