Yeah the tartan needs to be tiled more. The pattern is too large. Also probably need to be de-saturated a lot so it doesn't detract from the character.
@jocz, completely agree, I'll try different color combinations tonight. I thought this purple/bluish pattern could work cause these colors look good in the concept but I agree they don't look good in the model.
@Fomori, indeed I'll desaturate it a bit so it doesn't steal the focal point from the character but tiling it more wouldn't make the pattern even noisier? My first thought was to actually tile it a bit less.
Nice concept and lovely forms.
If you are going to use a pattern with lines on the cloak, try and make them follow the cloth deformations so they work with each other rather than confusing each other. I would also consider changing the topology to flow with the sculpt as well to better maintain the silhouette at quarter angles. Shame teh cloak isnt double sided, as I think the pattern might work on the inside surface, and i'd keep the outside simple in color to boarder the character.
@jaffajuice, thanks, means a lot! I agree with what you said, but I'm still experimenting with the cloth. I made the topology with quads cause I wanna try out the simulated cloth in Unity but I'm not even sure that will work out. Once I get the texture going I'll do a quick rig and a simple run animation and see how it behaves, maybe I find it's not worth the hassle and I'll end up redoing the cape folloing the folds. I do like the idea of making it two sided though, would help stand out from the kilt too, I just have to see if it's worth the extra cost, but it is a nice idea!
This is looking awesome Felipe. I know it's still wip but the first thing I notice is a very even warmth to the skin, granted wip, but I think doing a 5 o'clock shadow with some nice blues and grays on his chin and jaw would add a lot of visual interest to the face. Also I'm not sure if I agree with the tartan being too saturated, just that it is very evenly saturated. The frayed bottom could definitely be less saturated and faded and areas of a lot of wear could use some touches and that would probably break it up enough to not feel even.
@Fomori, indeed I'll desaturate it a bit so it doesn't steal the focal point from the character but tiling it more wouldn't make the pattern even noisier? My first thought was to actually tile it a bit less.
Well I would say that the main check pattern is just too big. Have a look at Scottish tartans and you'll see what I mean:
The actual checker pattern is much smaller with traditional Scottish tartans.
Also your pattern stretches and gets larger at the bottom rather than staying uniform (so it's not flowing with the mesh as someone mentioned).
to reduce the noise you could also just lower the contrast inbetween the parts, but i agree right now the pattern is way too huge - OR he is just a very small character
Thanks for the feedback guys, I'll start working on it right now, hope to get something better to show in a few hours.
@Vorge, that's a neat idea. I actually mocked up a subtle 5 o' clock shadow in polypaint during the sculpting stage but never really developed it further. I'll try adding it for sure. Gradual saturation on the cape also makes sense.
@Fomori, you're totally right, I'll try tiling it a bit more, thanks for the heads up.
@Neox, indeed, you're right. I'll try some different combinations tonight. I have a grayscale tartan pattern that I'm coloring with gradient maps so it's easy to iterate and have different color schemes.
@Nerf Bat Ninja, thanks man! I'll be honest, I'm digging the earthly tones more too,. To be honest I wish I could answer all those questions regarding the character background but truth is I'm kinda designing it on the fly with little background information or even an art direction for the game itself. We're working on this game prototype ir our spare time but we haven't developed the art much - or anything else, really - it's supposed to be played in isometric perspective and the characters would be seen at a distance - camerawise it's similar to Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light - that lead me to a strong saturated color and a larger tartan pattern, but then again I'd need stronger art direction to make something that actually fits in a game so I'll think I'll drop these worries for now and just make it look good up close, I can always change things up if this prototype ever takes shape. This character will mostly be used as a pipeline and art direction study I suppose, that will help shape the art direction for the rest of the characters and the environments.
Hah, thanks Taylor, that is definitely a good thing! Also reminds me I still haven't watched this movie, damn.
I'm working on it as I type but thought I'd post some color scheme ideas for thoughts? I'm tending more towards the darker palletes cause they contrast well with the skin tones and give more space to his face but I'm also liking the red variations.
Just wanted to pop in and say nice style and really dig those facial features. Seems like a lot of people are leaning towards 2. I agree that it goes well with his flesh tones.
Wow, thanks a lot for the feedback guys, lots of great artists replying, it's so inspirational. :}
I didn't have the time to work on your feedback though, but I'll work on those you guys liked the most as soon as I can, current pallette is temporary. Only thing I got done was adding a bit of wear to the kilt and adding some dirt/desaturation to the cape/kilt.
I'm having the hardest time working with hair planes as Max has all kinds of problems when sorting transparent objects.
Spatz, you're referring to the skin as a whole or the red spots? I agree I've gone a bit overboard with the red areas and Xoliul Shader's shaded hue feature was making it more intense, even at a low setting. I'll erase some of the red later but for now, without the shaded hue thing, can you feel any difference?
Also, tried joevansickle's model viewer thing. No eyes, no alpha, no spec, buggy normals and lossy textures but still, could be interesting to someone. I'll look into a good Unity model viewer once I'm done with it.
Dammit, I'm having the hardest time with the hair and the feathers! Kinda managed to handle the alpha sorting problem but I can't get it to look good. I'm actually wondering if its needed at all?
What do you guys think, should I even bother with alpha planes? If not, how can I make the feather thing around his neck? I'm thinking of sculpting some feathers on the silhouette and retopoing again. The hair could also work without the planes I suppose.
Anyway, be harsh on the crits guys, I think this could either make or break this character.
I really like the way you´re making his hair, and I honestly think that you could keep going on that way. Just try to blend the '' root '' of his hair with his scalp and I guess you´re done. Some simple hair refs I found in my hd
ja i mean only the red spots...the (cavity) red on the body and the red color on the legs ... but nice work so far ... i´m really looking forward for the animations
Replies
@jocz, completely agree, I'll try different color combinations tonight. I thought this purple/bluish pattern could work cause these colors look good in the concept but I agree they don't look good in the model.
@Fomori, indeed I'll desaturate it a bit so it doesn't steal the focal point from the character but tiling it more wouldn't make the pattern even noisier? My first thought was to actually tile it a bit less.
If you are going to use a pattern with lines on the cloak, try and make them follow the cloth deformations so they work with each other rather than confusing each other. I would also consider changing the topology to flow with the sculpt as well to better maintain the silhouette at quarter angles. Shame teh cloak isnt double sided, as I think the pattern might work on the inside surface, and i'd keep the outside simple in color to boarder the character.
Nice stuff and smooth topology on the face
Looking great man.
Well I would say that the main check pattern is just too big. Have a look at Scottish tartans and you'll see what I mean:
The actual checker pattern is much smaller with traditional Scottish tartans.
Also your pattern stretches and gets larger at the bottom rather than staying uniform (so it's not flowing with the mesh as someone mentioned).
@Vorge, that's a neat idea. I actually mocked up a subtle 5 o' clock shadow in polypaint during the sculpting stage but never really developed it further. I'll try adding it for sure. Gradual saturation on the cape also makes sense.
@Fomori, you're totally right, I'll try tiling it a bit more, thanks for the heads up.
@Neox, indeed, you're right. I'll try some different combinations tonight. I have a grayscale tartan pattern that I'm coloring with gradient maps so it's easy to iterate and have different color schemes.
@Nerf Bat Ninja, thanks man! I'll be honest, I'm digging the earthly tones more too,. To be honest I wish I could answer all those questions regarding the character background but truth is I'm kinda designing it on the fly with little background information or even an art direction for the game itself. We're working on this game prototype ir our spare time but we haven't developed the art much - or anything else, really - it's supposed to be played in isometric perspective and the characters would be seen at a distance - camerawise it's similar to Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light - that lead me to a strong saturated color and a larger tartan pattern, but then again I'd need stronger art direction to make something that actually fits in a game so I'll think I'll drop these worries for now and just make it look good up close, I can always change things up if this prototype ever takes shape. This character will mostly be used as a pipeline and art direction study I suppose, that will help shape the art direction for the rest of the characters and the environments.
Yes do fix the scottish thingy, it is too bright for a badass character like this
T.
I'm working on it as I type but thought I'd post some color scheme ideas for thoughts? I'm tending more towards the darker palletes cause they contrast well with the skin tones and give more space to his face but I'm also liking the red variations.
I didn't have the time to work on your feedback though, but I'll work on those you guys liked the most as soon as I can, current pallette is temporary. Only thing I got done was adding a bit of wear to the kilt and adding some dirt/desaturation to the cape/kilt.
I'm having the hardest time working with hair planes as Max has all kinds of problems when sorting transparent objects.
Spatz, you're referring to the skin as a whole or the red spots? I agree I've gone a bit overboard with the red areas and Xoliul Shader's shaded hue feature was making it more intense, even at a low setting. I'll erase some of the red later but for now, without the shaded hue thing, can you feel any difference?
Also, tried joevansickle's model viewer thing. No eyes, no alpha, no spec, buggy normals and lossy textures but still, could be interesting to someone. I'll look into a good Unity model viewer once I'm done with it.
What do you guys think, should I even bother with alpha planes? If not, how can I make the feather thing around his neck? I'm thinking of sculpting some feathers on the silhouette and retopoing again. The hair could also work without the planes I suppose.
Anyway, be harsh on the crits guys, I think this could either make or break this character.
http://benregimbal.com/harry_wip_nevarwire.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/q0LrF.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/maytv.jpg