Art for Tales of the Setting Sun

[doofus-01]

I would reinforce the shadows in the middle of the image.

Like his right arm? That is too bright, I messed up there. If you meant something else, I don't really follow.

I would put black where it is darker around the eyes (why red?).

It is a recurring theme, it should make sense in context of the campaign(s).

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I didn't get this finished, but I didn't have a reference and had enough errors that I might as well post it. I think I got the really bad flaws ironed out, but perspective is a tricky thing.

[doofus-01]

It progresses, maybe enough to move on from. The seashell women were supposed to be "pretty", this one is supposed to look "hard" (but not troll-ugly).

[francophone]

For a finished drawing (is it ?), the skin lacks contrast, especially shadows.

[homunculus]

@francophone: shouldn't the contrast be in midtones, and shadows be more flat?

i have some doubts about the shading of the outer side of the arm (green arrow) and the shading above the elbow suggests that the metal band constricts the upper arm and it smells bit like pillow (blue arrow).
i think the correction could look something like what is on the left.

[doofus-01]

Thanks, homunculus, I think you are right.

francophone: I didn't want the skin to look shiny. I'm fine with dull and waxy. Also, diffuse light, not klieg lights, seems more general purpose for campaign use.

[homunculus]

well, actually the way i see things in the mirror, your version of the arm looks more close to anatomically correct than mine.
it just felt a bit fishy, and that it needed a more contrasting shadow to indicate the outer side of the arm, but it depends on the light direction which you know way better.

the upper arm is probably the attention point?
well, you might consider interpreting it a bit like the bone at the back of the shoulder is visible, as right now the upper arm looks bit long to me.

[doofus-01]

The arm needs more work, but I got more work done on the face. I think I got rid of that generic thing I drift toward.

aria-primeval2.png (81.84 KiB) Viewed 3547 times

On deck is Hermes, a messenger from, and stand-in for, all of the members of the Greek Pantheon I don't feel like drawing (which is most of them).

Hermes.png (114.43 KiB) Viewed 3547 times

I think Apollo and Artemis are the only others in the series. Then I can go about changing names, since I'm not following the myths very closely.

[doofus-01]

And a mostly shaded version.

[william150]

good, but where are the legs?

[doofus-01]

They will probably be cropped off. I have to adjust the cropping to get the images to work "in game". Wesnoth's scaling algorithm is non-existent, so large images get screwed up for reasonable resolutions.

[francophone]

Now it lacks the top of the wing on the helmet? It's a shame.
The neck muscles (sternocleidomastoideus) are not symmetrical. The left (our right) seems thicker than the other.
I do not understand the shape of the wings. The top is it flattened?

The lower of face and the neck have more contrast than the arms (is-it the finish shading ?).
The spear shaft looks bent to me. I checked: it is straight. Does it look bent to others?

[Crow_T]

Don't be afraid to use some contrasting colors in your tones, try adding a new layer and do some "glazing" using 20-30% opacity in the shadows. I just tried it a quick n dirty attempt, maybe it's an improvement, maybe not

[doofus-01]

Now it lacks the top of the wing on the helmet? It's a shame.
The neck muscles (sternocleidomastoideus) are not symmetrical. The left (our right) seems thicker than the other.
I do not understand the shape of the wings. The top is it flattened?

The lower of face and the neck have more contrast than the arms (is-it the finish shading ?).
The spear shaft looks bent to me. I checked: it is straight. Does it look bent to others?

The neck muscles were supposed to be unequal in "tension" - the thin one is standing out more than the wide one. But the shading was very minimal, so there is no way anyone could know that. I will revise it, thanks. The spear does look crooked, and I'm sure there is a good reason for it, but it was unintentional, and should be fixed.

Don't be afraid to use some contrasting colors in your tones, try adding a new layer and do some "glazing" using 20-30% opacity in the shadows. I just tried it a quick n dirty attempt, maybe it's an improvement, maybe not

Thanks, Crow_T. I'm not moving on to details like that until the foundation is right. No sense in fussing with the details if the figure is warped and goofy. (Which it often is, and I want to avoid turd-polishing.) But fresh eyes can help catch basic flaws that I've grown accustomed to, from looking at the image too long. That's why I post here.

Speaking of which, I've got another. No, she doesn't have the bow, but I think she still fits the general idea, within the context of her faction/race.

[francophone]

Head feels very small (more than your other portraits)

[doofus-01]

I lowered her shoulder and re-drew the neck, I think it makes her look less bulky and might help make her head less "too small". She is supposed to be tall, so head a little bit small is OK.