FINAL | ARTWAR 2 | 2D | The Gatekeeper | Ranarh

ranarh 2018-01-21 18:07:08 UTC #1

The final. I made it!
The Gatekeeper, aligned with the Light, standing guard at the portal that must not fall to the Dark Forces. Impossible to sneak up on, and able to render nearly any power useless, and also to unlock the full potential of its allies.

Looking forward to seeing all the other amazing entries in their full glory.

Jennifer S. Lange
ranarh@jsl-art.de http://www.jsl-art.de
Facebook: @jsl.fans https://www.facebook.com/jsl.fans/
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ranarh 2018-01-21 18:08:57 UTC #2

I'm normally doing most of my initial design in my head so I don't do a bazillion thumbnails. I used good ol' Al.chemy to narrow it down a little. Next is costume.

evehartman 2018-01-21 20:27:37 UTC #3

I really like the alien/angel concept here, should be really interesting. Good luck!

ranarh 2018-01-22 12:30:27 UTC #4

Always the hardest part, isn't it - to decide which idea to pick from an infinite pool of interest. Thanks!

ranarh 2018-01-22 12:32:58 UTC #5

First ideas for the costume. For ease of sketching it's mirrored, but I'm thinking asymmetrical is cooler.
He'll need features to make him suited for the job. Those will be eyes. There are angels decribed as having hundreds or thousands of eyes, and I do love putting them on creatures. Also, keys, since he's the Keeper of the Gate.

eissa 2018-01-22 13:19:02 UTC #6

really like the concept ... the down rigth one looks cool!!

ranarh 2018-01-23 15:15:23 UTC #7

That's pretty much the only one I didn't continue using Thanks though!

ranarh 2018-01-23 15:16:06 UTC #8

Working on the costume, killing the symmetry. I consider giving him a sword with a key-like shape.

ranarh 2018-01-25 10:36:16 UTC #9

Turning my attention to a final illustration to help with minor design decisions, tackling pose first (characters with more limbs are always slightly more difficult to pose nicely). I'm aiming for an active but dignified pose, to underline his alignment with the Light. In some poses he holds the sword with both hands of one side - I like how that looks and think it might make it into the final.

ranarh 2018-01-25 20:08:55 UTC #10

Colour tryouts with the blue/gold/white scheme I imagined. Then I had to try red. Great. Now I'm undecided again.

ranarh 2018-01-27 12:10:16 UTC #11

Finalizing the front and back view, keeping it simple.

ranarh 2018-01-30 16:52:35 UTC #12

First WIP of the final illustration. I'm going for a colourful background, reminding of stained-glass windows, and of course the flames of hell (or at least that's what humans would call it) being defeated by the Gatekeeper's powers.

ranarh 2018-02-04 13:56:07 UTC #13

Finished! I didn't put up any more WIPs because it was mostly painting and polishing.

infintas 2018-02-04 14:26:22 UTC #14

It looks nice so far. I see you have said it is finished, are you going to add some VFX to his Keys or maybe the eyeballs

ranarh 2018-02-05 13:58:06 UTC #15

@infintas Thanks. I thought about it; it might have been nice to have keys made of light, but I also think the shield is enough glowy stuff to the design.

ranarh 2018-03-04 11:38:02 UTC #16

One last bump to make sure I'm not lost in the umpteenth sub-page...