I've read the comic, prohass. I've been watching gibs for a long time, hes one of my favorite artist and a huge influence on me when it comes to what to take into consideration in world making. I never said he doesnt develop characters, he obviously does. To me it feels secondary, thats all.
Its really more of a suggestion than a critique, anyway. I may have told him this before, too.
Personally I say keep the ears long and pointy. Mainly because the imagery they allowed you to create in Locust was completely awesome. The badass duro siloette in the mental fogy memory flashes in Gab's mind really wouldn't be nearly as alien and impressive if he didn't have the ears. Rounding out the ears make them a lot more human, which is bad considering you want to create a sort of other between the Phionix and the Duro. And it would reamove the really cool idea that was the pierce the ears and tuck them back idea you had.
As an aside. Considering that he's designing the world as a backdrop to a large series of stand alone short stories, the characters ARE going to be secondary because they aren't the main focus of the work. The work is on how the characters are shaped by the events of the setting, not how the setting is shaped by the actions of the characters as opposed to conventional sci-fi that's driven by a central cast. The character development will occur in each story, but the emphasis should not be on detailing everything about Gab possible, since he has to write about Anton, Rachel, timmy, bobbysue and 7 thousand others.
This difference for example is why it doesn't matter that we already know how the story 'ends'. The focus is on "whoa look at what's happening here!" and we get to see all the little ants scamper around in response to all these events.
Just my take on what I've seen. Great stuff here, I can't wait to see more of it.
I am completely surprised no one has mentioned that the tribal warriors look like the characters from Jak and Daxter. I support the short ears for that very reason but you should also vary the design based on the tribe in particular. Some tribes should crop their ears or wear different earrings to distinguish their appearance kind of like how you've got a variety of hair styles there.
I don't want to start beating on the "Templar is a specific word" horse but unless this takes place in an alternate earth or within real earth's timeline then the Templar name will appear really gimmicky to most knowledgable readers which can hurt with marketing. I also think the auxiliary's coats are pretty useless (why would conscripted expendable grunts get such a nice jacket?).
Other than those nitpicks, you have a real eye for good design overall. The characters themselves are interesting and distinct from each other and the style, while not exactly "cartoony", is detailed but doesn't have that stiff uninteresting look that most sci-fi/fantasy character designs have.
I also think the auxiliary's coats are pretty useless (why would conscripted expendable grunts get such a nice jacket?).
I think Gibbs already said that the celestials are quite pompous and flashy, so I would imagine that's why they have the coats. Also I like the longer rounded ears as well gibbs. Still differentiates the Durus in my opinion and it's something you don't see in other sci-fi stuff. Can't wait to read the new stories!
Doodle for issue 1 character.
"last man on earth" stuck inside a mars-exploration suit for ten years.
McGibs on
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MustangArbiter of Unpopular OpinionsRegistered Userregular
edited May 2008
"last man on earth" stuck inside a mars-exploration suit for ten years.
Why would he be in a mars exploration suit if he was on EARTH?
And how does he eat.........and more to the point, shit? Is that why the suit is so bulky? Oh dear god, it is isn't it!
"I been living in this damn soda-can for ten stinkin’ years. Never even taken it off to take a duke. It’s got some kind of hyper-efficient crap recycler or whatever. It’s been a while since I read the manual.
Some space corporation made it for some Mars expedition that never happened. “Fully independent hazardous environment exploration suit”. Supposed to keep space-jockeys alive indefinitely as long as they have a hydrogen pump and a handful of protein tabs. I haven’t croaked yet, so I guess it works."
McGibs on
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MustangArbiter of Unpopular OpinionsRegistered Userregular
edited May 2008
Well it seems you've got everything wrapped up in a neat little package.........I'll get you yet McGibs.....and your little dog too.
I have an idea for the ears: change the shape of the top into a isosceles near-triangle, but keep the area the same as in humans.
The top of the human ear is either a semicircle or parabola. The height of a triangle with a base equal to the diameter of a semicircle is pi/2 times the radius. The height of a triangle with a base equal to the base of a parabola is 4/3 times the radius.
As pi/2 is greater than 4/3, I recommend assuming the top of the ear is a semicircle.
I know I've asked you this before, but I think you missed it. How do you get that texture on your digital work? If it's just the sharpen filter, could you be more specific? When I sharpen mine, it looks terrible.
It looks pretty painty even without the filters on. Stuff in photoshop is always inheritly a bit blurry, so its always a good idea to sharpen it a bit for some crispness.
Heres the poor bugger himself.
JESUS IN SPPPPAAAAAAACCCEE!!
and his economy sedan turned into a snow mobile... thing. (yes, that is a bicycle on the back)
IMO, his hair should be much much longer, and his beard more thick and curly. I have a friend who hasn't shaved or gotten a hair cut in about 7 years. I know about these things. :P
Otherwise, fantastic as usual. I really love the snowmobile.
IMO, his hair should be much much longer, and his beard more thick and curly. I have a friend who hasn't shaved or gotten a hair cut in about 7 years. I know about these things. :P
That was my initial reaction as well for having been stuck in a suit for 10 years, and then I remember that one of the first things your body does when it's in starvation mode is greatly reduce the energy diverted toward hair and fingernail growth, among other non-vital systems. I imagine subsisting on distilled water and supplement pills for that long would leave you pretty malnourished.
Scosglen on
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MustangArbiter of Unpopular OpinionsRegistered Userregular
edited May 2008
Indeed and living in such a confined and stale environment ones hair would tend to break off.
My only real complaints are on the designs of S.I.K.A. Stage I and Stage II.
They just seem a little...boring? Maybe it's just because they are standing around with nothing in their hands.
Maybe with a belt with grenades attached and a pistol, with a rifle in hand and a backpack on or something they won't look quite so bland.
I can't help but feel that Stage IIs armor could use some color though, maybe give the mask and pauldrons some sort of color as a form of unit or rank designation or something? Also, as someone else said, having the power supply as a collar around their neck seems like a bad idea. Keep the armor around the neck for protection, it looks nice, but maybe add some kind of power supply backpack or something?
personally I feel you should go back and add some fine detailing like scrapes, chinks, or dents in the armor; and perhaps some texture as well. Right now everything sort of has a very bland look as though they are thumbnails prepped for something far greater that you are capable of. Aesthetic purposes aside, there needs to be something that would allow me to look at your sika and judge what material its constructed from and determine a sense of weight amongts other things. Right now I may assume that sika white armor is just a cheap plastic overcoat when you intended it to be thickened steel, or I may assume the robes of a templar are thick leather drooping down when in fact you wanted to portray a more finely woven silk that would flow almost freely in the wind.
I'm not saying you should go nuts with a million texture brushes like I usually do, but you do need to add some indicators that would tell me what it is I'm exactly looking at.
Mykonos on
[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
"I was born; six gun in my hand; behind the gun; I make my final stand"~Bad Company
for clerification, the SIKA images are just to show off the armor. They arnt images of actual soldiers.
Auxiliaries wear stage I, and templars(rename pending) wear stage II.
Oh, I see, thumbs up then, good stuff.
I don't see the need to rename your templars by the way.
Yes, templar means a specific thing in OUR world. Therefore you have no obligation to have templar mean the same thing in the world you are creating, unless the world you are creating is ours in the future or something.
personally I feel you should go back and add some fine detailing like scrapes, chinks, or dents in the armor; and perhaps some texture as well. Right now everything sort of has a very bland look as though they are thumbnails prepped for something far greater that you are capable of. Aesthetic purposes aside, there needs to be something that would allow me to look at your sika and judge what material its constructed from and determine a sense of weight amongts other things. Right now I may assume that sika white armor is just a cheap plastic overcoat when you intended it to be thickened steel, or I may assume the robes of a templar are thick leather drooping down when in fact you wanted to portray a more finely woven silk that would flow almost freely in the wind.
I'm not saying you should go nuts with a million texture brushes like I usually do, but you do need to add some indicators that would tell me what it is I'm exactly looking at.
uh, if it is showing off the armor itself, there really isn't a need for damage, especially how he describes the dudes that own them
I love that drawing to death, but that hairline is just a little too low for me.
Also the white paint on the ear really pulls it out from the rest, kinda emphasizing them in a way im not quite ready for, having been a fan of the old ears. Maybe if the top of the ear were the darker color, the ear wouldn't pop out so much.
I'm also thinking that given the sharpness of her features, we would not be able to see the eyelid on the other side of her head.
It read a little boyish to me before I read the post. Contextually, it reads a little tomboyish, which is reasonable considering she's a gunner. But totally grand.
Also, that gloved hand is amazing. You have a gift for registering the texture and pushing its form. .
Dev: yeah, its an LMG. Durus use pretty much anything. The flecchetes I was reffereing to in the last Locust issue are used in storm-guns (assualt shotguns) and are basicly just big armour peircing shotgun shells. They shoot out a bunch of ballistic spikes, rather then pellets.
Tam: probobly. A: shes got a long face, B: shes leaning on her hand, pulling her jaw forward, and C: the whole thing is pretty stylized. so whatever. artistic licence.
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Its really more of a suggestion than a critique, anyway. I may have told him this before, too.
Personally I say keep the ears long and pointy. Mainly because the imagery they allowed you to create in Locust was completely awesome. The badass duro siloette in the mental fogy memory flashes in Gab's mind really wouldn't be nearly as alien and impressive if he didn't have the ears. Rounding out the ears make them a lot more human, which is bad considering you want to create a sort of other between the Phionix and the Duro. And it would reamove the really cool idea that was the pierce the ears and tuck them back idea you had.
As an aside. Considering that he's designing the world as a backdrop to a large series of stand alone short stories, the characters ARE going to be secondary because they aren't the main focus of the work. The work is on how the characters are shaped by the events of the setting, not how the setting is shaped by the actions of the characters as opposed to conventional sci-fi that's driven by a central cast. The character development will occur in each story, but the emphasis should not be on detailing everything about Gab possible, since he has to write about Anton, Rachel, timmy, bobbysue and 7 thousand others.
This difference for example is why it doesn't matter that we already know how the story 'ends'. The focus is on "whoa look at what's happening here!" and we get to see all the little ants scamper around in response to all these events.
Just my take on what I've seen. Great stuff here, I can't wait to see more of it.
I don't want to start beating on the "Templar is a specific word" horse but unless this takes place in an alternate earth or within real earth's timeline then the Templar name will appear really gimmicky to most knowledgable readers which can hurt with marketing. I also think the auxiliary's coats are pretty useless (why would conscripted expendable grunts get such a nice jacket?).
Other than those nitpicks, you have a real eye for good design overall. The characters themselves are interesting and distinct from each other and the style, while not exactly "cartoony", is detailed but doesn't have that stiff uninteresting look that most sci-fi/fantasy character designs have.
I think Gibbs already said that the celestials are quite pompous and flashy, so I would imagine that's why they have the coats. Also I like the longer rounded ears as well gibbs. Still differentiates the Durus in my opinion and it's something you don't see in other sci-fi stuff. Can't wait to read the new stories!
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Doodle for issue 1 character.
"last man on earth" stuck inside a mars-exploration suit for ten years.
And how does he eat.........and more to the point, shit? Is that why the suit is so bulky? Oh dear god, it is isn't it!
Apart from that, the suit is exeptionally cool.
As for the pic, its quite cool looking.
The top of the human ear is either a semicircle or parabola. The height of a triangle with a base equal to the diameter of a semicircle is pi/2 times the radius. The height of a triangle with a base equal to the base of a parabola is 4/3 times the radius.
As pi/2 is greater than 4/3, I recommend assuming the top of the ear is a semicircle.
botp'd
...
........
ARTIST NO LIKE MATH!
*smashes stuff*
"I was born; six gun in my hand; behind the gun; I make my final stand"~Bad Company
I got more of a Bioshock vibe from it......but I can see where you're coming from.
I paint with a squareish brush through.
Heres the poor bugger himself.
JESUS IN SPPPPAAAAAAACCCEE!!
and his economy sedan turned into a snow mobile... thing. (yes, that is a bicycle on the back)
Otherwise, fantastic as usual. I really love the snowmobile.
That was my initial reaction as well for having been stuck in a suit for 10 years, and then I remember that one of the first things your body does when it's in starvation mode is greatly reduce the energy diverted toward hair and fingernail growth, among other non-vital systems. I imagine subsisting on distilled water and supplement pills for that long would leave you pretty malnourished.
My only real complaints are on the designs of S.I.K.A. Stage I and Stage II.
They just seem a little...boring? Maybe it's just because they are standing around with nothing in their hands.
Maybe with a belt with grenades attached and a pistol, with a rifle in hand and a backpack on or something they won't look quite so bland.
I can't help but feel that Stage IIs armor could use some color though, maybe give the mask and pauldrons some sort of color as a form of unit or rank designation or something? Also, as someone else said, having the power supply as a collar around their neck seems like a bad idea. Keep the armor around the neck for protection, it looks nice, but maybe add some kind of power supply backpack or something?
Auxiliaries wear stage I, and templars(rename pending) wear stage II.
I'm not saying you should go nuts with a million texture brushes like I usually do, but you do need to add some indicators that would tell me what it is I'm exactly looking at.
"I was born; six gun in my hand; behind the gun; I make my final stand"~Bad Company
Oh, I see, thumbs up then, good stuff.
I don't see the need to rename your templars by the way.
Yes, templar means a specific thing in OUR world. Therefore you have no obligation to have templar mean the same thing in the world you are creating, unless the world you are creating is ours in the future or something.
uh, if it is showing off the armor itself, there really isn't a need for damage, especially how he describes the dudes that own them
bored gunner and her gun. I like these new rounded ears better.
Also the white paint on the ear really pulls it out from the rest, kinda emphasizing them in a way im not quite ready for, having been a fan of the old ears. Maybe if the top of the ear were the darker color, the ear wouldn't pop out so much.
I'm also thinking that given the sharpness of her features, we would not be able to see the eyelid on the other side of her head.
Keep it up maeng.
Also, that gloved hand is amazing. You have a gift for registering the texture and pushing its form.
Durus ladies arn't exactly shineing examples of femininity.
tehcnical question:
is that a SAW-type weapon she's got? don't Durus use flechette rounds in the locust storyline?
lord, that's gotta be messy
p.s. love the ears, make her look unique without them being too overstated
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Tam: probobly. A: shes got a long face, B: shes leaning on her hand, pulling her jaw forward, and C: the whole thing is pretty stylized. so whatever. artistic licence.