Valkiers portraits: It's like I can touch you!

[thespaceinvader]

First thing: the lines should be darker, not lighter, than the areas they surround. Second thing: they should vary in weight - thickest where the shadows are deepest, thinnest where the highlights are brightest.

[kitty]

C'mon, that looks exactly like I-didn't-want-to-do-it-so-here-you-get-some-crap. I know that you can do much better

[Jetrel]

Generally, I'd avoid anything too outlandish like bone fingertips for arrowheads on the level one. Canonically, the boneshooter, as the name suggests, uses bone arrows, so you could use them there. But it's difficult to make such things look realistic and threatening. Carved bone might be a good bet, though.

I'll leave final judgement on activeness of skeleton portraits for kitty, but for my money, making them too active would be a bad idea - just cos they're not used often doesn't change the technical spec...

The higher-level skeleton archers (e.g. L2 and L3) use arrows made of human bone, but they're carved enough that it's not immediately, visibly recognizable. It's not gonna be something campy like a visibly recognizable femur or something with an arrow-tip on it.

What would happen though is that it's sort of a time-delayed bit of demoralization, when the living enemies pick the bones out of their comrades, and on close inspection, realize they're not wood.

[Valkier]

C'mon, that looks exactly like I-didn't-want-to-do-it-so-here-you-get-some-crap. I know that you can do much better

I figured I could either spend hours working on it with very little direction, or spend a little time laying in something that can be easily changed. Just like applying detail, I'm adding it slowly so when it's wrong, I don't have as much wasted time.

Working on a more refined version as per TSI's crits. Do remember this is my first time doing this. If I get it wrong, it's because I still need to learn what you guys want. I learn this sort of thing by doing, so until I do it right and you say so, I know it's wrong.

[Ardent]

I know the glowy eyes were dropped but inspired by Terry Pratchetts 'Hogfather' I guess a simple spark in the eyeholes gives an 'inteligent' look to the skeleton (which he isn't, so no use for it anyway ).

[thespaceinvader]

That sort of glow I could probably get on board with for some of the higher-level, more intelligent skellies, but probably not for the basic ones. I like the look, though - simple and not overstated.

[Valkier]

Eh, I never really intended glowy eyes to ever be part of my portraits. I figured maybe a mouse holding an eyeball in a socket, or leather straps covering the eye region with metal plates with symbols over them. Glowing eyes are just somewhat cliche to me anymore.

I don't know about the archers design and the campiness you guys are seeing with it. I think filing down bones to make the arrows, and still having them easily recognisable as bones is an important part to what I'd design. Making it recognizable as bone is as easy as including a "joint" area and varying the shape a tiny bit. In the end it's just going to be a test of my ability. If I have proven one thing with this portrait, it's that I'm not overly afraid to do research to improve an area. The archer line won't be any different.

Anyhow, I refined the line work to hopefully suit the cause better. Again, just let me know. If anything is amiss.

[kitty]

Eh, I never really intended glowy eyes to ever be part of my portraits. I figured maybe a mouse holding an eyeball in a socket, or leather straps covering the eye region with metal plates with symbols over them. Glowing eyes are just somewhat cliche to me anymore.

Phew, glad to hear that! No glowing eyes for the skeleton lines are good news.

I don't know about the archers design and the campiness you guys are seeing with it. I think filing down bones to make the arrows, and still having them easily recognisable as bones is an important part to what I'd design. Making it recognizable as bone is as easy as including a "joint" area and varying the shape a tiny bit. In the end it's just going to be a test of my ability. If I have proven one thing with this portrait, it's that I'm not overly afraid to do research to improve an area. The archer line won't be any different.

Did you read Jetrel's post? The L1 archer does not use bone arrows - that is reserved for the higher level units. And even those are not immediately recognizable. What Jet says on those kind of design issues is final word. Subtle bone arrows for the higher levels only.

Anyhow, I refined the line work to hopefully suit the cause better. Again, just let me know. If anything is amiss.

Much better! Nice and smooth! You seem to have done an outline for the whole sillhouette mostly, so now just some lines on the inside are missing.

[Valkier]

Did you read Jetrel's post? The L1 archer does not use bone arrows - that is reserved for the higher level units. And even those are not immediately recognizable. What Jet says on those kind of design issues is final word. Subtle bone arrows for the higher levels only.

I was speaking more in general terms and wasn't pirticularly referencing either a L1 or L2 in my last post. Whether it's for one or the other, I still need to design the things. If he doesn't want it for the L1, then it just means I'll do it later rather than sooner.

Much better! Nice and smooth! You seem to have done an outline for the whole sillhouette mostly, so now just some lines on the inside are missing.

Well glad to hear I got somewhere with it! I'll outline some inside details and hopefully my next post will be the final one on this skeleton!

[thespaceinvader]

A minor thing that strikes me: some white highlights on the axe blade would make it seem a lot sharper.

[Valkier]

A minor thing that strikes me: some white highlights on the axe blade would make it seem a lot sharper.

I added in some small highlights for ya. Looks slightly better. Good call.

Anyhow, the final (I think/hope) submission. Gonna start working on the Deathblade next I believe. Gonna be checking for things to be cleaned up on them, so I may replace them soonly.

[kitty]

Yep! That looks great! He is fine to get in the game - thanks a lot!

[thespaceinvader]

The detail seems to have gotten washed out int he shrinking on the bottom jaw of the 205x version - could you tweak that area a little to put a bit of it back in afterwards? Otherwise, I think this is basically there. Check your private messages, I'll be needing some info from you =)

[Valkier]

The detail seems to have gotten washed out int he shrinking on the bottom jaw of the 205x version - could you tweak that area a little to put a bit of it back in afterwards? Otherwise, I think this is basically there. Check your private messages, I'll be needing some info from you =)

New version is edited in. Should solve the problem.

[thespaceinvader]

Does indeed. Thanks very much.