Character design help

[gauthamk]

Hi


These are some characters i am working on for a personal project of mine. These are essentially guardians of an ancient temple ruins. They not only protect the temple from trespassers but also the land where the ancient civilization was located. They answer only to the death god Yama whom i am working on now. I would love some input whether it is about the design aspect or the rendering. I just cant seem to finish this. One character here is a tank, the middle one is a mage and the guy with the red scarfed head mask is an assassin class type. This was done mainly to work on the design itself rather than depicting a scene. Although i do see that it is very static. If you guys have any views on how to make it more interesting, do feel free to say so.

Looking forward to your inputs
Thank You

[JonHop]

I don't want to seem like a dick or overly harsh or critical here so dont feel like im attacking your piece as that's not my intention but I want to try and give you as in depth a crit as I can to try and be of help to you. So here it goes;

I think the main issue is that all your character types are looking very similar at the moment there armour consist of something around the neck area and a kilt like thing around the mid region, but I think you're trying to create a sense of they all belong in the same place, but I feel like you could keep this basic thing they have in common but build upon the design of what they are wearing..

Issues with the designs - Your tank seems to have less actual protective armour on than your assasin and your assasin has a huge sword, which would make sneaking around and stealth kills much harder. Assassin also has a bright coloured armour - he is gonna be sneaking around in shadows so he would want something that would not cacth light or be cumbersome and noisey. Because of this he is not reading as an assassin.
All three heads are basically just skulls, It doesnt create an interesting focal point for the eye as they are all samey. Also being that their heads are skulls why are the rest of their bodies fleshed out with muscle mass? It kinda feels like you should either make them human or skeletons, or push a half half sort of design where they have a thin layer of skin over decayed muscle mass.

So those are the main issues I think could be dealt with to improve the piece, hope that was of some help to you :).

[Elmst]

I really like your rendering and it is obvious you have given the pieces some thought. But like Jonhop says you can really push the designs, try making the tank shorter and broader with heavy armor, make the assassin look dark and ethereal, perhapes all you see of the face is glimpses of bone. As
Far as the Mage goes try making the magic a bit more obvious, try color, does he need any artifacts to help him focus his energy. Ask yourself what makes them who they are and how did they become what they are today.

Would like to see your up dates and the God character you are working on.

[gauthamk]

I don't want to seem like a dick or overly harsh or critical here so dont feel like im attacking your piece as that's not my intention but I want to try and give you as in depth a crit as I can to try and be of help to you. So here it goes;

I think the main issue is that all your character types are looking very similar at the moment there armour consist of something around the neck area and a kilt like thing around the mid region, but I think you're trying to create a sense of they all belong in the same place, but I feel like you could keep this basic thing they have in common but build upon the design of what they are wearing..

Issues with the designs - Your tank seems to have less actual protective armour on than your assasin and your assasin has a huge sword, which would make sneaking around and stealth kills much harder. Assassin also has a bright coloured armour - he is gonna be sneaking around in shadows so he would want something that would not cacth light or be cumbersome and noisey. Because of this he is not reading as an assassin.
All three heads are basically just skulls, It doesnt create an interesting focal point for the eye as they are all samey. Also being that their heads are skulls why are the rest of their bodies fleshed out with muscle mass? It kinda feels like you should either make them human or skeletons, or push a half half sort of design where they have a thin layer of skin over decayed muscle mass.

So those are the main issues I think could be dealt with to improve the piece, hope that was of some help to you :).

Hi Jon

Thank you for taking time to drop by and give a critique. And don't worry.... I have a thick skin.. i'm used to getting my insides torn out from CA. I have gone through your feedback and you are right on the dot...I was very happy with this piece because a couple of months ago, my rendering skills really shot up. This kinda was a big landmark for me...But honestly now i see it... Perhaps i was so engrossed int he rendering, i kinda skipped some extremely important points.... But i will correct them or at least try my best to make them read better.

Thank you once again.
Gauthaman Koyamparambath

---

I really like your rendering and it is obvious you have given the pieces some thought. But like Jonhop says you can really push the designs, try making the tank shorter and broader with heavy armor, make the assassin look dark and ethereal, perhapes all you see of the face is glimpses of bone. As
Far as the Mage goes try making the magic a bit more obvious, try color, does he need any artifacts to help him focus his energy. Ask yourself what makes them who they are and how did they become what they are today.

Would like to see your up dates and the God character you are working on.

Hi Elmst

Wow, i really am loving the crits. I missed out on so many important points while making this... Thanks to you guys, i see it in a whole new light... Actually..right on the dot... These characters really dont read well at all..now that i see it. Even Jon pretty much said the same thing... I will work on it and try to fix it... It will take some time though. I can only work on it after my full time job...So please do drop by from time to time to see if i am going in the right direction.....


Thank You and have a great day
Gauthaman.K

[Elmst]

You exemplify the type of artist that will be successful, extremely talented and a willingness to take honest crits. I sometimes get into the rendering stage and forget all about the story, I get to the end of the painting and have to make major changes AAAArRrgggg! Ahh well, your piece is so good now image what it will be like the next run, thinking that way has been the most powerful tool for me.

Look forward to more.

[gauthamk]

You exemplify the type of artist that will be successful, extremely talented and a willingness to take honest crits. I sometimes get into the rendering stage and forget all about the story, I get to the end of the painting and have to make major changes AAAArRrgggg! Ahh well, your piece is so good now image what it will be like the next run, thinking that way has been the most powerful tool for me.

Look forward to more.

Haha..Why thank You Elmst. I really do appreciate the compliment though i dont think i deserve it... :)

The same thing happens to me too... i love rendering...And most of the time i lose sight on what it is i am doing... More than anything i believe it happens to me because my fundamentals are very bad....Lighting, anatomy, composition...color...I pretty much suck at them all... But hopefully my work will get better with time and effort... Thats all i can really hope for.. Hmmmm..Dot and hope seems to be my favorite words.... interesting...I digress and for that i apologize...anyways..back to work... See ya on the forums...