Captain Swings portrait work ... Undead

[Captain Swing]

Since nobody has objected yet to the new pose or proportions I've armored him up.

I think I'll try to color the fellow now unless someone jumps in quickly with suggestions, well not that quickly my skills being what they are coloring could take a long time...



I'm thinking this plate will mostly be rust pitted dark iron with greened bronze, and red copper detailing. Maybe the whole thing should be a shiny gold and silver, uncanny eldritch blue...

....Swing

[Darker_Dreams]

I really really like the armor and skull, but a couple things catch my eye as "off." First, both the shield and the axe seem like they're being displayed to the viewer-and it feels a little funny. I would (if I could sketch worth a damn, so take this with a grain of salt) rotate the shield slightly towards the facing of the character itself. This wouldn't hide the detail you've put into it (which is amazing to look at) but would make it feel a little more natural. It also seem a small, it really only needs a little bit of size, but that's a fairly minor thing. The other thing is that hanging the axe in mid-air seems a little uncomfortable. That's a bad word for it but it's the only one I can think of. I would imagine that the Draug probably doesn't feel such mundane things as discomfort, but it just doesn't seem like a natural position to be in- it's neither resting nor, really, ready. If the haft was longer, so it's resting on the ground it'd make more sense to me. I'd also go for a slightly larger (and thus more intimidating) version of the head. I love the shape and detail, I'd just like more of it- this is a level 3 unit.

Anyway, that's $.02 from the peanut gallery, so do with it what you wish.

[Cernunnos]

Hi,

The fact that you drew the armor as falling, it's to say not reposing on any flesh is an excellent idea and the result is great, even if i had to look for some times to understand it.
But i think the fact i took time to understand -omitting the fact that i'm dumb- relies mainly on the fact that this is not colored.
For the buckler, the drawing on the middle make it not totally facing the viewer imo, so with colors and shading it could be ok.
But for the axe, i must agree with Darker_Dreams, seems quite odd to me too, not in the design, which i found nice, but in something else that i'm not able to properly determine...

Well, as i said, with color and/or shades should go really well...

Good luck!

[i think i must apologies for "the fact" that my english is poor]

[thespaceinvader]

The head's perhaps a little large. But overall, it looks reasonable.

I think the issue with the axe is that it is very much 'in the block' - that is to say, it's flat against the plane of the image, which looks odd, because that's an uncomfortable position in which to hold it. I'd suggest turning the axe, and the arm holding it, towards camera a little more.

But I really like the armour that you've got going there. I'd definitely go for the idea of it being old and rusted, but generally in reasonable repair - the warrior itself wouldn't be caring for it consciously, but it seems likely that, this representing a fairly substantial effort on the necromancer's part, he'd probably want it protected as well as possible.

But that he's not...towering enough. Perhaps you could outfit him with a comb morion helm and make him the Revenant?

[Captain Swing]

But that he's not...towering enough. Perhaps you could outfit him with a comb morion helm and make him the Revenant?

I was wondering about a helm, I trying some versions with an open faced bucket helm, with horns or without, and even trying that towering Celtic number I put on the first fleshy version. They just looked odd. I think it's the armor, the ornate late 16th century plate armor looks wrong with anything but a slit visored jousting helm or a gothic kettle hat.

I wish I could make him look bigger - I mentioned earlier that skeletons are hard to make menacing (I learned this painting a heavy metal album cover long ago - my work was rejected as and a mummy/zombie guy used), but I was playing around with a couple of ideas - let me know what you all think. a) A banner pole of some kind - Maybe that feathered thing the Polish Hussars used? b)Big cape c)try to make the eye glow effect work.

The axe isn't actually in plane with the viewer - it's maybe 20 degrees off pointing towards the viewer - hence it slants up shading should clarify this, but maybe a squared handle would help.

Now an anyone tell me how to get a varied line thickness using pathing to ink? either thin on the edges and incrementally larger at the center or the opposite -- I can't figure it out, and lacking a tablet means I can't really hand brush with the pressure setting...Halp! please?

...Swing

[thespaceinvader]

Line weighting is basically down to where the light falls - the lines should generally be thicker where the shadows are, and thinner in areas of bright light.

As for vector inking using the mouse, that's not an area I have much expertise in, nor is it and area in which GIMP is the best tool i don't think. There's a tutorial somewhere in the create art section, though.

[turin]

The fact that you drew the armor as falling, it's to say not reposing on any flesh is an excellent idea and the result is great, even if i had to look for some times to understand it.
But i think the fact i took time to understand -omitting the fact that i'm dumb- relies mainly on the fact that this is not colored.

Oh, that's what's going on there... this portrait just got a bunch cooler. And I'm sure once it's colored and shaded that fact will be much more obvious to the viewer. Good job!

I agree that a helmet of some sort is probably a good idea; your choice as to what kind... I'd go for something that leaves the face exposed but completely covers the rest of the head.

[Darker_Dreams]

My thing with the axe isn't that it's "in the flat" (or whatever). I did think it was at first, but looking at it I eventually realized it wasn't really, it's just close enough that my thing makes it look like it is. My thing is that he's not holding it like it's his, it's more like; "I found this, now what do we do with it?" It's not a natural pose to hold something that's yours. Slinging it over the shoulder, resting it on the hip (or, with a longer haft, on the ground)- something that makes it a part of him, not something to be hauled around and examined at arm's length.

I do want to say again I love the armor.

[Captain Swing]

So that's a thought about colors - that inking process is murder on a complicated drawing like this - hats off to all you folks that are actually good at it!

Armor is obviously going to get a nice treatment of a bit of pitting etc, if I can pull it off.

Oh as to the pose looking odd - he's holding his axe up, he's showing it off, either to make other dead guys feel better or to let the player know he's gonna get a six foot bed.

...Swing

[Darker_Dreams]

Oh as to the pose looking odd - he's holding his axe up, he's showing it off, either to make other dead guys feel better or to let the player know he's gonna get a six foot bed.

Well, that'd explain the feeling.
The coloring certainly reduces the feeling that it's flat to the viewer, but it does feel a bit weird to me that every statement the draug will ever make will be punctuated with the overt commentary of "and this is my axe." Not necessarily bad, just psychically jarring. Perhaps, much as the addition of color makes it feel less flat to the viewer progress at shading will reduce the feeling more- but I just thought I'd throw that out.

I do particularly like the red for the shield's (and armor's) highlights. I think I just expected the shield highlights to be metallic, and I was surprised to open the thread and see that- but it's cool.

Anyway, I'll shut up now on the note; awesome job.

[Cuyo Quiz]

Damn. Nice. I like what was done in the shield, gets the same feeling as those hell portals in Doom.

I'm afraid by now it may be too late, but i always wondered: Wouldn't armoured undead wear padding too, for ease of wearing or just plain custom?.

Granted, res is -20% for balance. I just thought a heavy fighter would look more imposing that way, and one could get away with it in a portrait. disregard if you may.

[turin]

I really like this portrait, but like some other people I have some problems with the axe.... it seems like an awkward position, but more importantly, isn't it too small? It looks like it's only three feet long; almost more a hatchet than a huge war-axe.

[Captain Swing]

I really like this portrait, but like some other people I have some problems with the axe.... it seems like an awkward position, but more importantly, isn't it too small? It looks like it's only three feet long; almost more a hatchet than a huge war-axe.

The axe is about as big as it can get I think before it starts looking !CONAN! - I will think about the positioning after I figure out how to ink this armor to a point where it's acceptable - ack ack ack. Look at it's size when compared with his hand - thing is close to 4ft long and the head must weigh about 20lbs. I was worried it might be too big already honestly, given Kitty and the other developer's desires for realism.

I noticed I mentioned a new pose image earlier but seem to have forgotten to post it - Here's out Druag without his clothes on (dirty I know) - I think it will help explain why things are where they are and maybe help people stop things that are off and I've missed



...Swing

[Turuk]

Look at it's size when compared with his hand - thing is close to 4ft long and the head must weigh about 20lbs. I was worried it might be too big already honestly, given Kitty and the other developer's desires for realism.

Actually, that is a common misconception based on the axes that most people are familiar with today. Axes used today are for chopping, cutting and splitting, and so they have the larger weighted heads to satisfy the need to make repeated blows. Axes used for war were lighter as the blades were thinner and sharper in order to cut limbs instead of trees. A 4-5 foot tall battle axe would only weigh 6-8 pounds.

Just so you know that you can make it a bit bigger without delving into the FF7 huge weapon realm.

[Captain Swing]

I am doing something wrong. Yes I am, what though?



Working on armor and it's just coming out .. off
I tried following the tutorial, and it was rather helpful with the use of multiply and screen especially, but what's getting messed up?

1. Do I need to just glaze the whole of it so it gets a tad darker or browner?
2. Have I been treating the plates too individually and I should just redo it focusing on more general shading?

Thoughts please, anyone? I am frustrated...

...Swing