ART WAR | 2D | Falcon | Malcom - Art Challenges / ART WAR 2D - Forums

malcom · Dec '16

Warning post might be a little long...So its been 8 days and some may be wondering what I've been doing . Hopefully not laying around an being lazy. Well I wasn't and I have a lot of content to show you guys. At this point I'm looking for feedback on all of the designs you are about to see so I can hopefully start the illustration part. If you like 1 or more ideas from 1 sketch that you believe can work well with another let me know. If you feel like something doesn't work, don't hesitate to point it out. I will point out my favs but if you like something else, let me know. Just want as much feedback as possible.

Lets start with old bunch with letters this time to make things easier to point out.

So from all of these, I love most if not all of them...lol

For the characters as I said before I see them in a game like Overwatch but not in Overwatch because that would be "fanart" and that's not allowed for the contest. So I tried to cover a good range an changed things up after I made these mechs variations. Like Sketch 3 is a snake mech and sketch 4 is an muliti arm mech guy. forgot to give him his guns. The 3 different style of female characters.
Just to talk about the mechs, they are bug inspired to give it a more alien look. I was also inspired by Shin Godzilla, Evangelion and Gundam.

In my personal opinion this set here might be my favorite of them all. The characters Seem and feel like that have more impact. It also follows my personal brief of a sleek character with an companion bot. After watching Starwars I remembered I could use cloth and fuse that with synthetic armor and scifi shapes like a circle. The idea is to have good contrast in materials with plastics, metals and cloth. Hair styles...I don't know, maybe I should do some more. I like them.

Anyway because I have so many character sketches, i have a lot to work with now when it comes to the illustration phase. I hope to get to some black an white comps soon so I can get some feedback on them as well.

Factors I want you guys to think of are:
Is the character bad ass?
Do I see them doing something epic?
Is is Sci-fi?
Do they look like a fun character to play in a game or see in a film?

My small brief was( didn't use all of these per character)
DPS ish character basically has to be a star/main character type.
Agile
Sleek
Badass
Quick
Can have weapons or be a brawler
Boosters(glide boots)

Thanks a lot in advance and I look forward to everyone feedback.

andrewnimble · Jan '17

Hi Malcom!
First of all, you are doing such a great job so far! Seeing you put this amount of effort into it really motivates me to use my every spare minute to work on it myself even though I have hard times with finding them ^^
I personally like the last concept sheet the most + armor design from number 7 of the previous sheet. Would love to see that combined with number 2 of the last sheet. The first sheet has some nice ideas as well, which of I would consider the ability to fly the most attractive. It seems that she lost that in further designs and I kinda feel it's a pitty maybe adding a little backpack providing that kind of ability could be cool, but that's up to you ofc

Anyway I am looking forward to your illustration ideas mate! Have a Happy New Year

Fris · Jan '17

So as far as all the designs go they are looking pretty rad, but imo i feel like the newer character sheet offers way to many designs that it honestly feels like multiple character in one sheet and loses the feel of one character all together. So what i would suggest is that in your next post you should take a break from the designs and stick to one and fix it up at you go along.
And to answer your question (honest opinion):
1. The early Concepts do, the newer ones not so much
2. The early designs seem like they would be fighting huge mech's or aliens, the newer designs seem like they do recon and assassinations missions (which could be epic in its own right :D)
3. Very sci-fi
4. I do see these character very much fun to play in a game but it looks like the character mood kinda changes as the concepts go down

Also if i had to pick as design:
B or K
O
And 3
Hope this feedback helps, hope to see the finished sheet as great as you wanted to be and cant wait for the illustration

malcom · Jan '17

It's kinda funny how I arranged all these designs with the flying ones(not really flying but have hover boots) at the top so you do get this triangle effect of the design being stripped. They weren't even the first created but I'm glad you guys like them and the other designs.
@andrewnimble Thanks for always commenting an giving feedback. Good thing the armor design is in a back view already. I was thinking of maybe designing the little mech to be able to attach to the character opening up new abilities like flight for example. Always liked that kind of mechanic in games. Lastly, Happy New Years! If you drink, take one for me, if not just have fun an keep art'ing for 2017 lol

@Fris First, thanks for the feedback(it does help ) and your honest opinion. Really appreciate it. Reason I'm asking for feedback is so I can move on to the illustration part soon. I want to settle on something at this point(or in the coming future.) but if there is room to continue a little more then I can. So hopefully next post will be thumbnails for the composition for the illustration part. The mood changes because I'm trying many things. I wanted as many variations as possible.

GreyHound · Jan '17

Your second character's clearly insipred by shardbound
https://www.behance.net/gallery/43548963/Shardbound-Pre-Alpha-Concepts

malcom · Jan '17

You can say color wise with that first girl character. Never looked at shardbound. But they sure do have some badass designs. My colors came from studying Moonlight orange and Marc Brunet work. I just don't really have a good saturated color besides the red for glowy bits. Thanks a lot for sharing. Love the mech ideas they show. More things to inspire from is never bad.

s-stark · Jan '17

Yess another sci-fi comrade! I've been mulling over this post for a bit, there's quite a lot to consider and several designs that I like quite a lot.

So my thoughts:

Overall all characters have a sci-fi vibe (you had no problem there!). Characters that I feel are badass, fit sleek/agile/quick, and can picture them being epic in some way:

First sheet: D, J

Newer sheet (1-5) I feel definitely encompass sleek/agile/quick. For me personally, these have the most visual interest because of the combo of colours/materials/etc.
The badassery will likely have to come from how you illustrate her. Of those I prefer 2 and 3 because the chest/abdomen armor makes her look a little more badass.

I feel that the overwhelming majority of these characters would be fun to play in a game/see in a film.

I also really like the idea of bug inspired mechs, I don't have a definitive preference between 3 or 4, they both the the potential to be super awesome.

Looking forward to seeing more!

mdaven_art · Jan '17

Fun start so far, but I feel like you're definitely missing some concrete themes in your designs. Right now I don't see how this character is supposed to fight magic characters or what makes her special. Right now she looks like part of a unit or group with that task, rather than a single hero. Adding in personal culture, patterns, and super defined shapes might help your character stand out more.

For instance, right now she's just a mech pilot? (is this correct? please call me on anything I'm getting wrong.) A big point would be to not pull from other pop culture and pull from real world references for your themes. Is she from earth? Maybe it's a removed defense colony where all they eat is recycled plants and jam found on the backsides of space toads. Just keep in mind and really give it something fun.

I think this is cool, but I don't think your themes and design are quite there yet. Right now I feel like the design is a little forgettable and predictable. I'd say revisit your thumbnails and focus less on just costuming but more on shapes and find your fun. These are all just personal suggestions and stuff that I might try (not trying to tell you how to work).

yao-christopher · Jan '17

Nice, very cool idea. You are missing some stuff, right now the costumes, the theme doesn't feel very solid. Something to define this character, maybe shapes, tech.

You need to find a balance if her purpose is to heal and provide support or just do massive dps but little healing. If she is a pilot, look at some real world references of a pilot, the equipment, the gadgets, what do pilot carry with them. If she is quick, sleek look at references of athletes that wear sleek, tight clothing( like those winter Olympian speed skaters).

Her mech is also missing a coherent theme with her. Sometimes too massive of a object can overshadow something. Study a bit, learn at how things work in real life. There is no black or white answers, all of the above are pretty grey, but these are just my personal preference and suggestions.

malcom · Jan '17

@s-stark Thanks a lot for the feedback. Good to hear.
@mdaven_art First off thanks for the feedback. Well against a magic user I'm giving her a particle shield that is equipped to her. It can defend against all incoming elemental magic. Also none of these are pilots. The mech is a separate character design on its on. If you don't mind me asking what makes the design forgettable and predictable to you and can you give some examples of characters you feel aren't forgettable and predictable? It would really help. I'll take these into consideration and see if I can come up with something.
@yao-christopher Love the feedback. Any ideas on what other shapes I could add? Not sure what else I could add to the design. Maybe triangles? Also the mech is a separate character from the female ones. It's and alien made machine used to do battle. I would like to think my last set of characters fit that sleek build. No overly heavy materials on her. All that are light and won't hinder her movement in anyway.

Thanks a lot for all of the feedback guys. really helps.

mdaven_art · Jan '17

I didn't mean it as rude, but it seems like you're recycling some of Marc's design language in your own drawings. I really want you to think critically about the design; really give her a function. Sometimes simplicity is better, ya know? Don't get too caught up in the details.

malcom · Jan '17

no bro your not being rude at all I think I have some more ideas now. I'll update as soon as I can. My chair just exploded so now I gotta use this uncomfortable stool thing in my house.

malcom · Jan '17

So here is how the shield would work for my characters

Gonna work on a little more character designs so sketches coming soon.
New mood boards/reference

Gonna take the feedback and try something new. Possible new story and name for the character.

skullguzma · Jan '17

I know it can be kind of intimidating to see so many artists pouring a lot of detail into their work, but its also not a bad move to try to go for something simple and Immediately recognizable as well. Like @mdaven_art Explained, its easy to get caught up in details.

give some examples of characters you feel aren't forgettable and predictable

What helps me to try to think of a "Memorable" character is to think of a pretend franchise for them to exist in. I think, "Is this a character for children, teens, or adults?"
Consider:
A character intended for children should be easy to draw, and remember. They're cute and empathetic. (Example: the Character cast of steven universe. And even more memorable, Pikachu.)
A character made for teenagers should be relateable, more realistic but not jam-packed with details. They should also be teens themselves. (Avatar, Teen Titans, and most anime)
A character made for adults can be really hard to nail down in a few words, but they usually aren't afraid to be ugly. Most adult cartoons have really ugly characters, but that's a key thing to consider. You can remember an ugly face because they have unique features. (I hate to drag them like this, but Roadhog and Junkrat are pretty ugly but they are memorable. their ugliness is part of why a lot of people love them)

Lastly, find a theme to draw your character with. An example of a character with a theme would be Yugi from Yu-gi-oh. He's composed of primary colors, sharp angles, and Ancient Egyptian aesthetics. Its so hard to Forget yugi because of his hair! He's Iconic.

Sorry I went on a big 'ol speech, but I feel like this advice might help gain a better understanding of what a "memorable" character is.
TLDR:
Make up a "Target audience"
Pick a few themes you like, think of a character based on the themes
Create that character with the intention that someone can describe them without actually naming that character. If someone likes your character, but doesn't know their name, they can go to google and type in "Bald kid with blue arrow on his head "

Anyway, i've had like, 0 sleep so if this is all in a foreign language I apologize.

Hope this helps!

Skogman · Jan '17

I can really see the Miyazaki strongly influencing your characters
Great work! Like the design themes alot <3

zyp · Jan '17

Damn this is active and i don't think i've even seen this thread, how'd that happen.

I like the progress you seem to have a handle on this, i like the wrist shielding.

Can't offer anything but praise and support, continue it's looking like a great contender.

malcom · Jan '17

@skullguzma possibly one of the best things I've read. Really cleared things up. Before this, the struggle was so real trying to figure things out and find a decent direction.
Now I have a better idea of what to do after talking with my brother and seeing a cool video which I'll link here as well as this video This meant a lot.
@Skogman Thank you. I love miyazaki colors and environments the most so if I can and if it makes sense, I inspire myself with his work for the illustration.
@zyp lol no problem. Glad you like what I have here. Hopefully the next character is my last and then I can move on. I'm confident in the next one.

malcom · Jan '17

So I thought I had that haha moment and everything would click but it seems I'm more stuck than ever now. A little long but more insight into my process.

My first batch of characters were, dps-ish cyborg soldiers that take the front lines of the battlefield. I would provide them with weapons and shields to help them and friends in battle.
Then I made some alien bug inspired mechs...Not a lot of comments on them so I don't know how much people really liked them.
2nd batch of characters fit the theme of recon more. Giving them a companion to help in battle I thought was cool.
But after reading feedback, I felt lost because of only a few comments.
So I tried to keep things simple and here's what I got...

They're cyborg martial artist inspired by people like bruce lee, jackie chan and jet li. Besides some others being the alien/meta human or the street brawler. But all(except the alien)are the same in that there cyborgs.
Which means they need to be quick, agile, average bodies, have something robotic, light clothing and to add to the coolness, cool hair that can be simple or crazy.
I thought of the key words being robot arms martial artist or alien martial artist and these should pop up. But looking at these I feel unsure.
Do I like them? kinda
Are they simple? I like to think so.
Iconic...I don't know.
Goku from DBZ can be consider a sci-fi character. Alien ape race of people that can fight. He is simple in design but what makes you remember him if you never see the show? Hair and maybe colors? You know he is a fighter based off clothes alone. But you don't know he is a alien of comes from another planet or he can shoot ki blast like a kamehameha from a concept sheet of front and back. These little things are the ones I struggle with the most.
So Now I try again with this new female character. Giving her some kind of iconic hair(real anime like and I love it.

) with street clothes to give her the brawler feel. Simple colors to know her by and the powers to control space or something like that. Just found out that Superhuman and biopunk (among others I didn't know of) are subgenres in scifi and I wanted to explore it as not a lot of others are. Was thinking of superheroes like the ones in xmen or something like that. People are doing either cyborgs, mechs, androids like I previously did. This isn't a bad thing at all but lets try a different angle.
Simple story is that she is biologically created and has the powers of telekinesis and power over space. As a concept I might need extra sketches of abilities(which is always nice and shows me thinking of these things) I had a lot of fun with this one. It was easy to do in a way that I just thought of my favorite anime's

From the feedback and my own opinions I think my other characters are cool. But hopefully what I have now is cool and fun as well. Its geared towards young adults. biggest concern now is, is she to simple? I want her to be:
Badass
Brawler
Quick
Agile
Cool
Theme being hiphop as you can see in the clothes. It's something I see/own myself(male versions of course) I was thinking or having her arms become see through and you can see the universe in her. (best if I show than write) She's a super natural being with the powers to destroy and create in a human body. Her code name: Cosmos
It was said I should have fun and find my own shapes and stuff and I feel like I did that with this. Can I always go back and make another character or do another variation? Yes
Can I modify the story more? Yes

Sorry for the long post. Felt like I need to post something. I will go back to my other characters and see how I can change them maybe unless people like the new direction.

C&C always welcomed.

independhans · Jan '17

Hey Cool Crew but I like the more finished characters more.

I feel you making a whole crew. isn't this contest about a single person illustration.
Make one character good with a maybe one antagonist and some environment.

I also get fewer feedback but I think it because there are way more threads. Really hard to keep up with that. And 2D are way more threads as in 3D.

malcom · Jan '17

I'm making multiple character concepts but I will only be bringing one to final. Right now i'm still exploring and getting feedback before committing to one character to push and then do an illustration. Also in the illustration you can have multiple characters(which will be side characters) but they can't overshadow the main one you made. Side characters can be anything as well.
When you say finished, which ones are you talking about? You can say the number or post the image in your reply.
And yes there are a lot of people in 2D.