TSI gets back into it: Drake Enforcer & Warden

[thespaceinvader]

I thnk your screen contrast might be up a little higher than mine, because I don't see that issue with his knee. But i'll tone it down a bit nonetheless. Should have this up tomorrow.

[LordBob]

Surely there's something like that : this isn't the first time I have trouble reading the darks of a picture the way you do. I'll look further into my screen settings.
Anyway, here's a paintover which I hope will dispell the trouble whatever the screen contrast : I've simply added edges to some scales and a slightly brighter indirect light

[Atz]

Surely there's something like that : this isn't the first time I have trouble reading the darks of a picture the way you do. I'll look further into my screen settings.

It looks too dark on my screen, too. I just tried fiddling around with my settings and I can read the dark bit properly with the right settings... but the ones I'm currently using are the defaults, so it's still kind of problematic. And changing the settings around messes with the way everything else looks, of course.

[thespaceinvader]

I am currently SVN-upping so that I can add this version to trunk:

Thus finally putting this guy to bed so I can get on with the Warden.

EDIT: committed.

[LordBob]

Yup, this time you nailed it perfectly ! Congratulations for not letting go despite the many, many returns and nitpicks

[thespaceinvader]

After far, far too much time, I'm finally starting to make progress on rendering out the Warden. Early feedback on whether this looks roughly right would be much appreciated before I've gone too much further.

[StDrake]

very interesting things you do there, but are you sure the helmet should have those 'tooth-roundings' on its side surface? well even if, the top surace shading (and the arm too) suggests the light not spreading much, so probably it would not be able to make the stronger highlights on the side surface.
I can see it being part of your style and probably intentional, but for my eye the shading on the arm is very ununiform - the darkest and the lightest layers transform very smoothly, but the mid ones have very sharp transitions between the stripes, maybe a few more shades would be useful in that part?

[Reepurr]

The light shining on the helmet seems to be shining down its middle, whereas the horns are casting a shadow that suggests the light comes from the back right. At least that's what it looks like to me.

[Atz]

The lighting on the arm appears inconsistent with the direction of the shadows cast by the helmet. It seems like most of the arm would be in shadow to me, judging by the angle of the shadows from the horns, and going across the frill thing from the helmet itself.

[Boucman]

I have trouble reading the cape from a practical point of view...

the way it rests on the wing makes me think it has been put there to be out of the way, just like the way you hold a coat on your arm when it's too hot to wear it.

Assuming the cape was cut to fit a drake (i.e cut for someone with wings) this wouldn't be a very natural way to wear it. Either it has holes for the wings and should go on both sides, or it should go between the wings and not over them...

or is there something else I don't understand...

[thespaceinvader]

The cape's actually rivetted or buttoned on to the bottom of the wing-pauldron, as a decorative covering, then generally draped artfully. It may want some reworking, but I'll give it a once over on shading and see if that clarifies things first.

Regarding lighting etc: duly noted, and will attend to.

[LordBob]

The shading on the side of the helm is good and the rounded toothbase-like shapes are a nice touch. It's the shoulder and front of the helm that I'd focus on. And also the elbow guard, which could improve with a more complex lighting, not just the continuity of what you did on the arm. Whenever shading polished metal, in addition to lights & darks, you should think of it as a mirror and imagine what it's going to reflect depending on the shape and angle of the surface.

Also, you'll gain a ton of time if you drop rough overall shadows now. It's far easier to work the picture as a whole in that way, rather than focus on detailing each individual piece of armour and realize only then that they don't fit together. I'm pretty certain you've heard that a couple of times already :p

[thespaceinvader]

Ugh, it's been, once again, far too long. Here's rough shading for the armour as a whole. Don't know what I was doing with my workflow before.

I haet armour.

[Pewskeepski]

Is there something wrong with the way he's hold the top of the ax? It doesn't look right to me. Not sure why, but I think it's the fingers

[StDrake]

you probably expected to see all nonthumb fingers at the same angle, while he pointing one is positionned a little differently, it's a tad late for that comment xD
I think I preferred the more contrasting shading, at least the horns shadow, despite being in the wrong direction, didn't look blunt