TSI gets back into it: Drake Enforcer & Warden

[StDrake]

i got a feeling you left out the hidden wing part below the frontal wingarm without shading or is that just a uniform shadow?

[thespaceinvader]

No, it's an intentionally uniform shadow on that part - it's background, I don't want it to draw attention.

[StDrake]

in that case - purr..fect
anxiously awaiting the arbiter designs now

[thespaceinvader]

You might have a bit of a wait I'm afraid. I'm not totally happy with the previous attempt, it'll either need a major armour redesign or more likely, a complete rework from first principles.

[Ellisae]

It's great! Especially the foreshortening, since that is so difficult to achieve. I do have two things I'm wonderting about, though both are minor and don't bother me very much:


First, I'm not sure what these are - belt straps? If they are, then I suppose it isn't too farfetched to make them the same colour, and it might even be better compositionwise as they don't attract attention then - but it looks a bit like they were forgotten during shading. There's a shadow, yes, but the strap itself is the exact same colour, which makes it look slightly painted on? I'm not sure. A slight variation in shade or hue might help, but I don't think it should be very noticeable. But again, it doesn't detract from the entire image, so it's not that bad.

Also, the knees are level with each other despite being in very different positions and being seen from different angles. It's not impossible and doesn't look that weird, but I think (our) left knee might be better if it were a little lower.

[LordBob]

The wings and horns are a ton better, but you've overlooked about everything else that was pointed to you.

The loincloth, especially, really works against the rest of the picture. Whatever it's supposedly meant to look like, it simply doesn't work : it doesn't translate very well the dynamism of your drake's position, it adds a lot of confusion in the reading of shadows, the highlights are...Well, they don't look like any material I can think of. The folds aren't convincing either. Really, it deserves the kind of love you just gave the horns.

If I may suggest, you should try drawing a quick side view of your drake and then, have a second look at where your lightsource is and which shadows it should cast. It will really help a lot in obtaining a picture that consistent in every aspect.

[thespaceinvader]

I'll have another pop at the loincloth.

Ellisae: the things you've arrowed are joints in the armour - making plates of metal large enough to cover that sort of area would probably have been a challenge, so the wing armour is riveted together from smaller parts. I'll take another look at the knees, too. And go over everything else.

[thespaceinvader]

Update: reworked the loincloth and changed the shadows. Also lengthened the nearside thigh a little.

Should be finished.

[StDrake]

umm..where did that come from..though now i see it was there earlier too (fortunately its completely irrelevant for the small version)

[thespaceinvader]

Oh, bleth. Cleanup needed, it's overrun from the chainmail. I'll clean that up, but I won't bother posting a cleaned version unless any other changes are needed.

[doofus-01]

Nice job on the horns! The metal looks a bit cartoony though, I think it may be the lines... How does it look if they are lighter coloured (as in lock their alpha and wave a big brush over them - quick test)? More line-width variation might also be good, but that would take longer to test.

[Reepurr]

I'm no saurischian expert, but is his left knee-whatever supposed to be completely and utterly flat? I googled frogs, which have the same two fused thigh bones I used in my dragon's hind legs, and they definitely don't have a flat bit there.

[Lord-Knightmare]

The Drake Enforcer is awesome! I really love the pose.

Off Topic

Will the thrasher have this portrait as well? If yes then the trident has to be changed to a spear and his helmet needs changes too.

[thespaceinvader]

Yes. And no, it doesn't, any more than any of the other level 3 units' gear has been.

Reepurr: eh, it'll serve. It's not completely flat, but it's pretty foreshortened. I'm happy with it.

[thespaceinvader]

Beginning a rework of the Warden now that the Enforcer is (IMO) done (Bob and/or kitty, could you comment please).

I wasn't happy with the shoulder armour on the visible shoulder, with the knee-coverings, or the wings. So far, I've reworked one, leading me to reposition the halberd, and am moving on to the others.

I'm shooting for hulking, now. I was initially planning on tall, straight-backed and noble, but it turned out o be to difficult to make that jib with the drakes' digitigrade legs and big forward-pointing head. Even in the original version it didn't work, but that was feeling a touch too weedy, as much as anything.