Campaign art - The Rise of Wesnoth

[JAP]

I should probably stay away from this, because heraldry is so much fun that you probably want to do it yourself.
But.. just for the odd chance that you doesn't feel inspired right now, i have thrown together an idea for how the Clearwater coat of arms may look like.

Edit: I should probably mention that i literary meant thrown together. The two hauriant are among the first you see of you do a google picture search, and the crown is a part of the Norwegian heraldic crown.
This is just to show the concept with the anchor, fishes and the crown.

[Atz]

Eventhough I do reckon proportions and some lines can be improved, the hand was modelled after mine so I'm pretty certain the thumb is in the right spot

Man, we must have really different hands. I was looking at mine, too. Just now I resorted to tracing around my hand on the screen and super-imposing it to check, and my thumb joint is definitely in a different spot. I guess everyone really is different...

In unrelated news, I am liking the elven lords. Not entirely sure about the sideways glance on Aryad, though. Might look odd in dialogue?

[Guidrion]

I really love what you did with Aethyr but it's hard to choose between the tabard and the no-tabard. It would be nice to see the heraldry but it's sad to hide that sweet armor.

As for the elves, I like what you did but I have the same feeling you have about theim: they would do great Quenoth elves. Something that bugs me is that at the moment, the patterns looks like torn cloth but that must be because it's only a sketch.
I don't really have much more to say: you're really doing a great job.

[xtifr]

A minor point that I wouldn't even mention if it didn't happen again and again in your art, LordBob: if the scabbard is on the same side as the sword arm, it is almost impossible to draw (and involves humorous and somewhat painful contortions if you try). Scabbards go on the opposite side, and are drawn across the body, in a motion that is smooth, easy and convenient. Same-side draw is limited to blades that are no more than about half the length of your arm (beyond that, impossible twisting of the wrist is required to counter the straightening of the elbow). The cross-draw works with blades as long as the full length of your arm plus the width of your body. A little bit of experimentation with a mop handle or something similar should make all the above self-explanatory.

I admit that this is not something most people would notice, so I certainly don't expect any modification of existing art, but I think there may be enough geeky sticklers-for-accuracy in the Wesnoth audience besides me to justify trying to avoid this mistake in future. It is indeed a minor point, but it makes me grit my teeth every time, and I hate gritting my teeth at what is otherwise fabulous art.

[Sapient]

A minor point that I wouldn't even mention if it didn't happen again and again in your art, LordBob: if the scabbard is on the same side as the sword arm, it is almost impossible to draw (and involves humorous and somewhat painful contortions if you try). Scabbards go on the opposite side, and are drawn across the body, in a motion that is smooth, easy and convenient. Same-side draw is limited to blades that are no more than about half the length of your arm (beyond that, impossible twisting of the wrist is required to counter the straightening of the elbow). The cross-draw works with blades as long as the full length of your arm plus the width of your body. A little bit of experimentation with a mop handle or something similar should make all the above self-explanatory.

I admit that this is not something most people would notice, so I certainly don't expect any modification of existing art, but I think there may be enough geeky sticklers-for-accuracy in the Wesnoth audience besides me to justify trying to avoid this mistake in future. It is indeed a minor point, but it makes me grit my teeth every time, and I hate gritting my teeth at what is otherwise fabulous art.

I thought everyone in Wesnoth was ambidextrous?

Back on topic, I agree it would be nice to work in a Clearwater coat of arms. I don't have any particular comment other than that, other than to say I really enjoy looking at the nice artwork in here.

[LordBob]

Meh, you're right it does happen a lot. It's even been pointed before, so it's a mistake I should be aware of and yet I keep doing it.
My guess : with nearly every portrayed character facing the right, the sword hand is always positionned closer to us. Add to this that once I position the scabbard, I have this tendency to place it where it can be seen (and drawn), oblivious of any logic...And there's how I end with the sword and scabbard on the same side of he character.

Anyway, I've (mostly) done the lines for minister Edmond and he doesn't have a sword so I'm at ease.
I'll have to do somethingabout the belt, which is crappy at the moment, other than that he's good for shading.

Last but not least an alternate for Burin who will now be able to express his grumpiness without a wide grin

[Dixie]

About the scabbard thing: I think it is an issue for Aethyr, but not necessarily for Haldric. If Haldric is left-handed, he would likely use his left hand to gesture as he speaks, and rest his right arm on the sword in the meantime. Doesn't mean that he wouldn't wield his sword with his left hand when fighting: indeed, mad Haldric takes his sword with his left hand, and the scabbard is unseen (although this might change when you flip the portrait)

Other than that: looking good

[LordBob]

Final lines for mad Haldric and revised hand for neutral Haldric. Notice the scabbard has now been repositionned for every alternate.
I considered that the key feature would be to have the scabbard and sword on opposite sides of the body ; I knowingly close my eyes on matters of left/right-handed, as they are subject to variation whenever the picture is mirrored in dialog. I try to make the default generic portrait right-handed since it's the one players see the most, but it's more a rule than a guideline.

[xbriannova]

Is it just me, or is his crotch region a bit too over-emphasized?

What's with the crotchguard? Hmm... How about trying to extend his toga (My vocab is a bit limited in the facet of cultural costumes) to cover his lower body a bit? Not sure what's best...

[SFault]

I think it's a codpiece.

Looking good. I didn't see anything to whine about.

[LordBob]

It is indeed. I was looking for a garment that would allow the display of Haldric's trademark striped trousers while retaining a historical looks.
However, after doing some additionnal research, it turns out the codpiece is a 16th century thing, whereas this portrait aims for an older timeset. So I might go for breeches instead.

[Darker_Dreams]

...codpiece...

I know a couple ladies who would smile at the simple idea that you were going to include a codpiece, and be disappointed that you'd let a little thing like reality remove it. Never let it be said that fanservice for women is not alive and well.

[LordBob]

Shading for Lady Outlaw.
Note that the use of a mostly green colour scheme is meant to reflect the sprite. It does make her a little different from Kitty's generic outlaw portraits, but I think it's an acceptable difference.
Note also the use of bright colours for some of her clothes : I'm aware this is not in character for outlaws, but even on the run she's still a princess none the less.

If any of the two points above is a problem, giving her dull clothes is a 2-minute fix.

[Valkier]

The hands don't match any specific direction to which the staff is going. The top hand makes it look like the bottom should be sticking out towards us, while the bottom make the top look like it should be sticking out. Judging by the top of the staff, I'd say it's just the bottom hand that needs tweaking.

[kitty]

Nice!
I really like how the blue stripes accentuate her facial expression!

She's very cool already, just some tiny details (apart form Valkier's valid hand point): The fold indicating her nose is positioned too low and the design of the staff is very bland.


And for Haldric: The facial expressions are much improved! And I'm also much in favor of keeping the codpiece, too much historical accuracy won't do us any good and it's an interesting piece of costume and the ladies (that's me) will like it