Unfinished portraits

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The_Gnat
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Re: Unfinished portraits

Post by The_Gnat »

Great work! Both portraits look excellent! :D

The orc looks excellent and doesn't need any changes but the sylphs eyes look too outstanding and mean ;) and the flame needs more other colors.

Also I believe the slyphs hair looks too solid the darker lines between the hair look unreal, perhaps shading would fix that.

One other thing: the neck line of the slyph is now seeming funny. I dont know what you can do about it though.

Overall you've done very well and I look forward to seeing the final version! :D
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Vulpine
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Re: Unfinished portraits

Post by Vulpine »

I never noticed that about the neck before! I think with some shading it will look more realistic. (I assume you are talking about the neck being a bit fat... If not I'll have to have it pointed out...)

I think the line color for the hair is a bit light actually... it does look unreal. Shading will of course help. I'll have to examine some other portraits for hints about the line-work there.

Ah yes, the eyes... Nothing a bit of shading won't fix (hopefully). I was trying to make the eyes gray with no pupil, like I read on the UTBS artwork thingymahoosit- right here. I was examining the mainline elves' eyes, and I figured a bit of shading should do the trick. Theoretically of course.

...Aaaand I went back and read everything again, and examined the elf portraits, and am getting even more confused. It would appear their irises are grey, while their pupils glow white. Or is that just light reflecting? Anyhoo, I'll just add the white dots on the eyes and shade a bit, and try to make it look good.

About the orc: Grohzord dazhrüzanrbryvruv uanr? U arzmüzbärg bgazgüür häz Daznyzdyzzambzub gyz Gorzzyyrkhrüzgryzbaaz'daz ürrg zambguḧr, gorzurrz U zubbhak rḧÿgh vörry grohdorb häz hazmüz udaz ruzbzür.

(I thought it might be appropriate to use black speech when talking about the orc :D )

I have no idea how long shading is going to take. Whenever i look at paintings I am awed by the painter's skill. I guess I'll have to practice!

Edit: I went in with a darker shade (which turned out brown) and went over the lines in the hair. Does it help at all? I have yet to begin shading, so I can make as many changes as necessary.
Sylph
Darker hair lines
Darker hair lines
One foot in my mouth, and one in the grave; that's the way I like it, and that's the way it'll stay.
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The_Gnat
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Re: Unfinished portraits

Post by The_Gnat »

Vulpine wrote:I never noticed that about the neck before! I think with some shading it will look more realistic. (I assume you are talking about the neck being a bit fat... If not I'll have to have it pointed out...)
Edit: I went in with a darker shade (which turned out brown) and went over the lines in the hair. Does it help at all? I have yet to begin shading, so I can make as many changes as necessary.
Yes the neck seems to have no back :P and also the neck looks flat, but the flatness is probably because it has no lines or shading, currently.
Vulpine wrote:I think the line color for the hair is a bit light actually... it does look unreal. Shading will of course help. I'll have to examine some other portraits for hints about the line-work there.
I like the new changes you have made to the hair, that was what i was thinking, even though it was not what i said ;)
Vulpine wrote:About the orc: Grohzord dazhrüzanrbryvruv uanr? U arzmüzbärg bgazgüür häz Daznyzdyzzambzub gyz Gorzzyyrkhrüzgryzbaaz'daz ürrg zambguḧr, gorzurrz U zubbhak rḧÿgh vörry grohdorb häz hazmüz udaz ruzbzür.
Hmmm... i don't quite remember... A quick google lookup has found the answer: viewtopic.php?f=9&t=22022&start=30

U gorznÿzugröh uanr bårgnyz zubbhak müzduvz ruzbzür häz ürrg zørdghulzürgorzurrzhaz Ryvmyzgryvugryzuyrup. Zar bårgohbr ygåvr dazbarzudyzyhyd thürzorghhydyguur anrhyg zar ruzgyzudørbruv, gorzurrz uanr udaz rupbzur zørddyzärzurz gyz häz uẗhyværrhruz hazmüz varrdazybärzgyz gryznyzrozb, yuth dazabg u urznuz'anr mÿzgäkh uanr ruzudgÿb. Yvårrabg u näzggruuznuzbåæzæ mÿzgäkh häz bæäzmuz abgruz anrbzyv hazmüz udaz öthnörv hẅogarz (zubgÿz øẗhzahr nyzzuv dazdÿz) gorzyurz-ybärz!
Spoiler:
Vulpine wrote:I have no idea how long shading is going to take. Whenever i look at paintings I am awed by the painter's skill. I guess I'll have to practice!
I too am awed by the skill of some of the artist that have contributed to wesnoth. Most notably Kitty and Lord Bob, who have contributed vast amounts of wesnoth's portraits and story art! But it doesn't really matter how long you take to finish these portraits, if they completed anytime i will appreciate it! :D

EDIT: one other thing - after thinking about it i think the orc would look better without the ring by his ear.
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Vulpine
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Re: Unfinished portraits

Post by Vulpine »

The work around the base of the ear where I removed the ring is still rough; I didn't notice your edit until just now. It seems something is just slightly off still.

This is what I've accomplished so far;
Head & clothing
slayercopy~partially_shaded.png
slayercopy~partially_shaded.png (110.12 KiB) Viewed 4944 times
I screwed up on the head, but I think I managed to cover most of it up. (I should really use a few dozen more layers :annoyed: )

The eyebrows need some adjusting. I think I need a different approach to it; right now they are bordered by lines, but the mainline orcs have a sort of squiggly scratchy set of lines for their eyebrows. Or something. I've forgotten already. :hmm:

I'm still learning how to shade; I have read Kitty's tutorial, but I get the impression that's for people who have at least some experience with drawing, and need to know how they do mainline art. Still, it has been helpful.

My point is: I need to know if I am doing anything wrong, what exactly it is, and if possible, what I can do to correct it. I know more or less what needs to be done, but I'm still foggy as to how. Looking at mainline portraits helps, but I have difficulty putting into practice what I see.

All in all, my respect for artists has grown tenfold :lol: And that's not even counting the sketching!
One foot in my mouth, and one in the grave; that's the way I like it, and that's the way it'll stay.
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The_Gnat
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Re: Unfinished portraits

Post by The_Gnat »

Actually I would say you are not doing anything wrong! :D The eyes dont quite look orcish (but thats more the sketchers fault). Overall I think the head cloak looks very good.
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Vulpine
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Re: Unfinished portraits

Post by Vulpine »

Heh, I couldn't shake the feeling that I was pillow-shading the whole time!
The_Gnat wrote:The eyes dont quite look orcish (but thats more the sketchers fault).
Actually, I think it is my fault :whistle: When I messed with the lines I didn't know what I was doing, and didn't do the eyelids properly. I'm not entirely sure how to fix it, even if I "had to" start over. I can however give it my best shot. Mainline orcs seem to have small eyes, and I think Girgistian did give him small eyes, but the way I messed with the lines ruined all of the finer detail; the eyelids kind of turned into the eyes, giving him too-large eyes. Thanks for pointing that out! I had missed it entirely.
I think when I'm done with both it and the sylph, I'll give it another shot, doing the lines differently. (Or I may be feeling fed up with coloring entirely :lol: )
One foot in my mouth, and one in the grave; that's the way I like it, and that's the way it'll stay.
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Vulpine
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Re: Unfinished portraits

Post by Vulpine »

Progress on the orc.
Nÿz Hazmüz
Varrdazybärzgyz gyz bärg bzyv ryvdyzhaznyz
Varrdazybärzgyz gyz bärg bzyv ryvdyzhaznyz
slayercopy~partially_shaded2.png (114.65 KiB) Viewed 4849 times
I tweaked the eyes a bit (still needs work, but I need a fresh pair of eyes- er, figuratively speaking) and continued shading.

Despite my best efforts, I am still missing that realism look that the portrait artists capture perfectly. And the bottom part of the cloak probably shouldn't be quite so dark... perhaps I should also add a second light source?

I have not shaded the weapons yet, and the areas immediately surrounding the eyes.

Advice? Criticism? Either would be appreciated :)
One foot in my mouth, and one in the grave; that's the way I like it, and that's the way it'll stay.
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The_Gnat
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Re: Unfinished portraits

Post by The_Gnat »

Well two things come to mind when looking at it:

I think that the rest of the orcs clothing (besides the head cloak) don't have enough detail. But i assume you are still working on that.

Also i think that the orcs hair isn't dark enough, most of the mainline orcs seem to have almost black hair, or at least brown. Though that doesn't matter significantly, it would make it a bit better.

As you can see by these heads the eyes don't really matter:
heads.png
heads.png (67.75 KiB) Viewed 4841 times
Hmm... Another idea, maybe the face is not dark enough. When i look at the mainline orcs portraits they all have very dark lines. I think the lines on your orcs hood aren't dark enough. Similarly, maybe the skin is too light? It seems almost (when you put your portrait and another mainline portrait side-by-side) that your portrait is slightly faded out. It is not quite vibrant enough.

These are just ideas hopefully some are helpful. :D
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Vulpine
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Re: Unfinished portraits

Post by Vulpine »

Very good points!
I think that the rest of the orcs clothing (besides the head cloak) don't have enough detail. But i assume you are still working on that.
His clothes do need more detail. Whenever I'm not working on it, I have an idea as to how to add folds etc, but when I get down to it, well, I realize just how little I know :lol: More seriously though, I will try experimenting more with that.
Also i think that the orcs hair isn't dark enough, most of the mainline orcs seem to have almost black hair, or at least brown. Though that doesn't matter significantly, it would make it a bit better.
Technically not all the orcs' hair is almost black; there are like, one or two exceptions that have lighter hair :eng: but I admit I did pick a markedly ugly shade. Hair is also something I have almost no clue as to how to do. I know there are darker lines and lighter lines, but no idea as to how to implement them so as to complement each other and make it look like hair. I will do my best to try and unravel the mysteries of this aspect.
Another idea, maybe the face is not dark enough (etc...)
You are absolutely right again! The lines were not colored very well. I thought it would be alright at the time, but like with the sylph's hair, it does need darker lines. And the over-all colors indeed are not vibrant enough. I have been trying not to make surfaces too shiny, and therefore avoiding too-bright colors. I will have another pass at things with your comments in mind.
These are just ideas hopefully some are helpful. :D
Indeed they most certainly were! I thank you for your taking the time to look at what I've done and coaching me along. After I see my mistakes and know what I did wrong, I can learn from that, and try a different approach. I hope to actually do this portrait justice in the foreseeable future, and am glad that I can be doing something to actively contribute to your add-on!

I apologize for the long-winded post. When I get onto a topic that animates me I have a tendency to go on and on and on... :)
One foot in my mouth, and one in the grave; that's the way I like it, and that's the way it'll stay.
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The_Gnat
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Re: Unfinished portraits

Post by The_Gnat »

Hi, i am glad you found my suggestions helpful! As for coaching though you are doing all the real work, and i can honestly say i am very bad at drawing so i appreciate you colouring in these portraits! (Also longer posts are better so dont worry about posting often I enjoy seeing your progress)
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Vulpine
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Re: Unfinished portraits

Post by Vulpine »

Is this a bit better? In my humble opinion I did a rather decent job on the parts of the face that are showing (barring the eyebrows), worse on the head-covering and even worse on the mask.
Nÿz Hazmüz'daz blurdbrav öthblurd
slayercopy~shading1.png
slayercopy~shading1.png (17.37 KiB) Viewed 4795 times
I did not change the hair color yet, though I probably should before long. Hair is the last thing I want to do :lol:
If you think this is acceptable, I will try to do the rest of the orc in the same manner. I have been staring at this picture too long, so I don't trust my own judgment :D
What do you think? Is it too dark in places? Too bright? Is there not enough contrast? Should I make the shape of the face show through the mask more? (I don't know how I can do this, though I can try.)
One foot in my mouth, and one in the grave; that's the way I like it, and that's the way it'll stay.
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The_Gnat
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Re: Unfinished portraits

Post by The_Gnat »

That is really nice! I think the skin should be a tiny bit more brown, but you have done a great job with the shading and eyebrows and I think the hair is fine! You can choose if you want to make the skin more brown and either way it is turning into a excellent portrait!
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Re: Unfinished portraits

Post by Vulpine »

Progress is kind of slow due to not having as much time as I would like (though I would waste the time I did have anyway... :whistle: )
I shaded the back of the cloak and part of his shirt, experimenting with creating folds where there are none :)
Häz hazmüz muzgöhvothhaz'daz durggroh müzrḧyghhäzdaz
slayercopy~shading2.png
slayercopy~shading2.png (116.65 KiB) Viewed 4757 times
I decided to not make the skin more brown at this point. It may be a bad decision, but I can deal with it later if needed. The orcs' skin color has much freedom in variation, though I picked an ugly shade, just like his hair :oops:

I am currently worried that I have picked a bad shade of brown/green for the clothes. I think I need to change it. (While you're looking at it, what do you think of the folds? They can use more work, but It's a far cry from my previous try 8) )
One foot in my mouth, and one in the grave; that's the way I like it, and that's the way it'll stay.
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The_Gnat
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Re: Unfinished portraits

Post by The_Gnat »

I really like the folds you have created and the shading in the cloak is making a HUGE difference it. The shaded part is clearly better than the non-shaded, so i would say you are headed in the right direction! :D

As for the skin and hair, i agree it doesn't really need any change right now.

(also what are you doing to color this portrait? Are you using a computer program, hand-drawing, etc.)
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Vulpine
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Re: Unfinished portraits

Post by Vulpine »

(also what are you doing to color this portrait? Are you using a computer program, hand-drawing, etc.)
GIMP 8) ... and my trackpad :oops:

I literally just started experimenting with shading last month (I think it was March... Perhaps late Feb?), and had time to familiarize myself with a few of gimp's many tools. I personally prefer pixel-art :D I have frankensteined a couple of units, and made changes to others. I'm actually trying to figure out the sprites I'm going to use for my characters in the next installment of my campaign-series.

I am very glad to hear that my experimenting is producing results! I tried it with the mask, and just couldn't do it, so I reverted to tracing the existing lines like before.
One foot in my mouth, and one in the grave; that's the way I like it, and that's the way it'll stay.
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