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Need an opinion on this character design

Tidus53Tidus53 Registered User regular
Hey everybody I am need of some character design opinion or critique on this character.

HhuMG.jpg?1

This is a character for a comic book idea I've been working on. The main premise of the character is that the mask is the source of his powers, or at least the ooze that came from it, that's why is skin is black (or at least some type of swampy aqua color, a more biological color I guess). The thing with the mask is that it also, near as we can tell, is permanently bonded to the main characters face, meaning he no longer has a mouth, , eyes, or eyebrows to express his emotions with. The solution to that to was the sockets which could be interpreted in one of two ways: A) Have his eyes be visible through the sockets in his mask, but that would sort of create some sense of a tragic hero, not my idea for him; or B) have the sockets function on a cartoon level of expression. I chose B) because A would make the character come off as serious.

Okay main point, I'm having trouble deciding on how his eye "sockets" should look , I know the definite shape and how it functions but not what goes in it. I've narrowed it down to three options: A) Have the sockets empty and just be pure black B) have the sockets jut out like bug eyes and be colored a sort of opal color; or C) Have black sockets that go in but opal irises, ( I like this one but the only issue I have is the size and shape of the iris in context to the negative space of the eye, or basically the white area of a human eye).

So any comments or suggestions?

Posts

  • NakedZerglingNakedZergling A more apocalyptic post apocalypse Portland OregonRegistered User regular
    I like your ambition, but you don't even have symmetrical eyes going on here. This is a really really really rough sketch here. If you're asking opinions for you IDEA, well thats kind of your decision. You could draw us some versions and we could give you feedback on what works better, but right here you have a very very basic (generic) idea. What would the rest of his costume look like? Does he even HAVE a costume?
    You got some work ahead of you. Get to drawing and post them up here.

  • IrukaIruka Registered User, Moderator mod
    Character aside, you have some holes in your fundamentals that should probably be addressed first.

    Blog on how life drawing gets applied to cartoons:
    http://stulivingston.blogspot.com/2012/10/life-drawing-for-animation-demoz.html

    Super important to consider the structure of your characters and start understanding things in 3d space. No matter how cartoony, your characters need an under-structure.
    tumblr_m7gev04cBs1rbp2x9o1_500.jpg
    like so.
    Keep simpler characters in line with cylanders, spheres, cones, and cubes
    tumblr_md74a9BVtt1r4ejcfo9_1280.jpg

    It sounds dumb, but drawing a bunch of spheres, cubes and cylinders will help you. Get a bunch of simple objects and light them and try your hardest to get them accurately.

  • Tidus53Tidus53 Registered User regular
    I like your ambition, but you don't even have symmetrical eyes going on here. This is a really really really rough sketch here. If you're asking opinions for you IDEA, well thats kind of your decision. You could draw us some versions and we could give you feedback on what works better, but right here you have a very very basic (generic) idea. What would the rest of his costume look like? Does he even HAVE a costume?
    You got some work ahead of you. Get to drawing and post them up here.

    I'm a lot better than this, trust me. That sketch took me like 3 minutes, I wanted to get the question out and not really worry about the picture.

    As for costume, no. At most its a white beater and a pair of basketball shorts. Ever since he started fighting bad guys most of the majority of his wardrobe had scorch marks, bullet holes, tears, cuts, blood stains, dirt stains all running up a lot of money. The main idea is that this is a REAL person with super power, someone who is just as likely to help someone in need as they are to chuck semis half way across a football field because he can. Anyway, the character actually got a deal from a local distributor, they wear their brand he gets a literal crate of clothes (namely basket ball shorts and white-beaters). All he has in terms of a logo is an almost super-deformed version of his mask which he uses as a sticker tag on his bad guys (knock 'em all out, places a sticker on their head). Also another key point, just he is now no longer able to be human, he never stopped living his public life. He got talked to his grandpa about this, who was in the Civil Rights movement (family is black, he's adopted). Anything else, and do NOT question my art on something that is clearly a rush job. It offends me.

  • IrukaIruka Registered User, Moderator mod
    Getting offended in a forum that is mostly a visual art critique forum is not a super great Idea.

    If you don't want crits based on extremely loose sketches, dont post them, or post them along side of better sketches. I have a sense that these rough sketches are still an indicator of where you are at. Telling someone too get to the basics is not an insult, Its advice that everyone will get at multiple stages of their careers.

  • HalenHalen Registered User regular
    If you want a good example of someone that does really good expressions based on skull holes, try reading the archives of Corporate Skull.

    Draw an egg.
  • FANTOMASFANTOMAS Flan ArgentavisRegistered User regular
    what Iruka said, plus, draw some apples (any kind of still life works), but make sure it is from life itself, it works much better than copying from a picture or photograph.

    The design itself is too generic to call it a design, and to be honest the roughness of it is absorbing all the attention.

    I asume that if you are designing a character you probably have more sketches than this laying around, post them, we need context.

    Yes, with a quick verbal "boom." You take a man's peko, you deny him his dab, all that is left is to rise up and tear down the walls of Jericho with a ".....not!" -TexiKen
  • F87F87 So Say We All Registered User regular
    Tidus53 wrote: »
    The main idea is that this is a REAL person with super power, someone who is just as likely to help someone in need as they are to chuck semis half way across a football field because he can. Anyway, the character actually got a deal from a local distributor, they wear their brand he gets a literal crate of clothes (namely basket ball shorts and white-beaters). All he has in terms of a logo is an almost super-deformed version of his mask which he uses as a sticker tag on his bad guys (knock 'em all out, places a sticker on their head). Also another key point, just he is now no longer able to be human, he never stopped living his public life. He got talked to his grandpa about this, who was in the Civil Rights movement (family is black, he's adopted). Anything else, and do NOT question my art on something that is clearly a rush job. It offends me.

    This character seems like Hancock with a sponsor. Regardless of whether it was a rush job or not, why wouldn't you want feedback on how to help you get better?

  • GrifterGrifter BermudaModerator mod
    Reminds me of Ultraman.

  • JeedanJeedan Registered User regular
    Finish the work and then go back and see what worked and what didn't, maybe then show it to people so they can help. Dont just post an unfinished thing and ask other people to make your creative decisions for you.

  • Tidus53Tidus53 Registered User regular
    Grifter wrote: »
    Reminds me of Ultraman.

    I looked a lot at the Uktrman for this mask

  • MustangMustang Arbiter of Unpopular Opinions Registered User regular
    Even as a loose sketch I can tell that you need to develop your fundamentals.
    Don't worry though man, everybody has been at your level. Just remember, this is a place for getting feedback and help not for seeing who can piss the furthest.

  • Tidus53Tidus53 Registered User regular
    F87 wrote: »
    Tidus53 wrote: »
    The main idea is that this is a REAL person with super power, someone who is just as likely to help someone in need as they are to chuck semis half way across a football field because he can. Anyway, the character actually got a deal from a local distributor, they wear their brand he gets a literal crate of clothes (namely basket ball shorts and white-beaters). All he has in terms of a logo is an almost super-deformed version of his mask which he uses as a sticker tag on his bad guys (knock 'em all out, places a sticker on their head). Also another key point, just he is now no longer able to be human, he never stopped living his public life. He got talked to his grandpa about this, who was in the Civil Rights movement (family is black, he's adopted). Anything else, and do NOT question my art on something that is clearly a rush job. It offends me.

    This character seems like Hancock with a sponsor. Regardless of whether it was a rush job or not, why wouldn't you want feedback on how to help you get better?

    Sorry I really should not have snapped like that. I was in a bad place that day but that shouldn't be an excuse, I posted this and I should be open to criticism and opinion, and with that being told I need improvement. But please believe me when I say I can do better, the entire sketch took a minute maybe less, if given an entire half hour I could do better I just wanted to get an opinion quick and I didn't want to spend a horse load of hours on one picture, get it perfect, than add too many brush strokes and ruin it. I would love feedback I just acted like a total anus and I am sorry.

    I would love your feedback and any opinions you may have on the mask and if you have any questions about the character please ask me.

    Again I am sorry.



  • Tidus53Tidus53 Registered User regular
    I like your ambition, but you don't even have symmetrical eyes going on here. This is a really really really rough sketch here. If you're asking opinions for you IDEA, well thats kind of your decision. You could draw us some versions and we could give you feedback on what works better, but right here you have a very very basic (generic) idea. What would the rest of his costume look like? Does he even HAVE a costume?
    You got some work ahead of you. Get to drawing and post them up here.

    Listen, I owe you an apology for how poorly I reacted to this comment. There is not a thing I can say that justifies what I said, I asked for an opinion--for feedback-- and I handled it very poorly. It's not from a "I am Da Vinci incarnate and may art is flawless" mentality, but a " I was a lot worse and I don't want to feel like I'm going back to the level I was at". Being told I had a long way to go makes me feel like the progress I made was barely even foot note, but I need to see it as not that. I'm sorry for how poorly I reacted, I'm sorry for snapping at you, and I'm sorry that I cannot truly justify my actions or how truly sorry I am.

    Please, if you have any critique for me, please give it to me and I will not react to it like a flaming jerk wagon.

  • Tidus53Tidus53 Registered User regular
    FANTOMAS wrote: »
    what Iruka said, plus, draw some apples (any kind of still life works), but make sure it is from life itself, it works much better than copying from a picture or photograph.

    The design itself is too generic to call it a design, and to be honest the roughness of it is absorbing all the attention.

    I asume that if you are designing a character you probably have more sketches than this laying around, post them, we need context.


    I've got one full body sketch in pencil, but this was a really alpha build of the character, I'll need to scan it though But if you want to see it I'll scan it and put it on here later today.

  • MangoesMangoes Registered User regular
    It would probably help your case to post a further refined version of this character that you feel is representative of your current skill level. If you really feel that this one is weaker than your typical work, maybe try to improve upon it and then ask for criticism. It's hard to fairly critique a drawing that was made in "like 3 minutes".

    Judging from the profile view, you have some understanding of human anatomy, at least in terms of the silhouette of the back of someone's head. That's good. However, the front of a head is a much more complex thing. The simple mask obscures all of his features--which makes sense for a superhero--but could easily be a crutch for a lack of anatomical understanding. And that's why I think it would help to post some of your old work. Not so we can tear it apart, but so we have a better understanding of what you need to work on.

  • NakedZerglingNakedZergling A more apocalyptic post apocalypse Portland OregonRegistered User regular
    Dude..what you presented sucks. Time to show us more to crit. And your character is so cliche and unoriginal. no no here's REAL..ok, (Luke Cage, Hancock, Batman, cast of Heroes, spiderman, venom, punisher, any character.before they get a power. Ah but your character gets an mystic relic (eye of agamotto, a ring of power, a mystical book, a lantern, a tattoo) in this case a mask (The Mask), which gives him symbiotic powers (venom, carnage, spawn) and he can never be human again (spawn, any vampire EVER, wolfman, monster girl) and he doesn't have a costume. (hancock, every WWE character now, wolverine half the time)

    LOVE IT.

    May i see more art please? If you're confident to tell me "not to worry about my art" and we're in an art forum, i'm interested to see. And if you're only posting quick sketches, why did you start a whole new thread. We actually have a dread for doodles.

  • IrukaIruka Registered User, Moderator mod
    @nakedzergling, he was already reprimanded and he apologised and said he was going to post more. Lighten up on the snark and hostility.

  • brokecrackerbrokecracker Registered User regular
    I am less interested in the story and more interested in the artwork. You got off to a rocky start here but, I have to say, it was very mature to come back and apologize like that. I can't really add anything other than "I would like to see more before giving any kind of honest critique" at this point. I would like to see the full figured sketch and other examples, even ones not pertaining to your character.

    People here will give you honest and knowledgeable feedback for free which is a rare thing, and it is the most valuable resource on earth for an artist. We all know that posting for the first time here can be nerve racking, and hearing feedback is not always a confidence boost, but the people who participate in a meaningful fashion around here improve. Period.

    Hope you post again. I'll give whatever advice I can.

  • HalenHalen Registered User regular
    I really hope he comes back with some more pictures after all this!

    Draw an egg.
  • NakedZerglingNakedZergling A more apocalyptic post apocalypse Portland OregonRegistered User regular
    Didn't see the apology..my bad. I'll apologize too. I am sorry. I honestly don't want to just knock people down, it just rubs me the wrong way when people come in for crits, then ignore everything they're told. Trust me, if you listen to the people in here youwill go far.
    I still would like to see more stuff. Its virtually impossible for us to give you feedback on what you have, If you want more feed back on the story, you might want to take that to the writers thread.

    Im curious as to what the black area around the mask will look like. Is it flat, like spiderman? Inky/organic like venom? fleshy organic like muscle? and how far does it does it extend? i'm left with the impression that it stops around the collar bone?

    We do want to see more stuff, or we wouldn't ask!

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