10-22-2012, 07:46 AM
Hello, all! This will be the thread for my first mentoring class- focusing on character development for a portfolio. we will be doing 4 characters in total over the course of the next 2 months, each taken from the arthurian archetypes and basic heroes journey format, but they will include a major twist so as to keep them interesting. these will include-
The hero- the arthur archetype. A noble warrior with connections to the otherworld.
The magical advisor- the Merlin archetype- an otherworldly aid to the hero.
The temptress- the Morgane archetype. also magical, but an antagonist to the hero.
The villain- The Mordred archetype. an evil flip of the hero.
We will discuss these character types as we move forward, and in the order presented above. the twist here to keep things interesting is that while we will be working off the basic Myth of Arthur, we will not be doing anything related to medieval europe. for anyone following along with this class, i encourage you not to use europe either. challenge yourself to translate this well established story into another culture.
I am assigning the following!
Thomas- you will be doing the arthur cycle in feudal Japan. I want emphasis on their mythology via the magical characters and a lot of research on their culture and costume to be reflected in the designs! how would a man becoming a king look at that time? what gods or deities can influence your design on merlin? how would excalibur look in this setting, and why? push this as far as you can!
Malan- In your entry post i saw some really awesome pen designs of faces. these had a lot of originality and character. I want you to use this approach for this class! these are a strongpoint for you, and will make your folio much more interesting if you expand on them. with that in mind im placing your characters in ancient Arabia. try to imagine Arthur as the adventurer who would become a king, Merlin as the archetype of the genie, and all the possibilities the middle east has for a sorceress like morgane. have fun with this and use that awesome style i saw!
Tadas- you get a tough one, but one i think you can do really great things with. your setting is Ancient Egypt. big emphasis on research here to look at the wildly different kinds of armor and style the ancient egyptians had from the medieval europeans. it is up to you how you interpret their really rich mythology and artistic sensibilities into this, so have fun, and do a lot of research!
some final notes!
NO FINISHED CHARACTERS ON WHITE. either Vignette and background in or set them on a dark or toned background. add cast shadows below them to ground them in tandem with your lightsource.
you have 2 weeks per character! the first week i expect to see sketches, research, and some work on a final design. after a long crit and some suggestions, you will have a second week to finish. when it is done, there will be a second crit, some paintover, and review before the next assignment is handed out. post your progress in this thread as you do it. keep this natural, progressive, and fun.
ANYONE FOLLOWING THE CLASS, FEEL FREE TO POST YOUR WORK HERE. if i see anything that really strikes the mark, i will present it on the stream and offer feedback.
Thanks all! have fun and ill see you in a week!
The hero- the arthur archetype. A noble warrior with connections to the otherworld.
The magical advisor- the Merlin archetype- an otherworldly aid to the hero.
The temptress- the Morgane archetype. also magical, but an antagonist to the hero.
The villain- The Mordred archetype. an evil flip of the hero.
We will discuss these character types as we move forward, and in the order presented above. the twist here to keep things interesting is that while we will be working off the basic Myth of Arthur, we will not be doing anything related to medieval europe. for anyone following along with this class, i encourage you not to use europe either. challenge yourself to translate this well established story into another culture.
I am assigning the following!
Thomas- you will be doing the arthur cycle in feudal Japan. I want emphasis on their mythology via the magical characters and a lot of research on their culture and costume to be reflected in the designs! how would a man becoming a king look at that time? what gods or deities can influence your design on merlin? how would excalibur look in this setting, and why? push this as far as you can!
Malan- In your entry post i saw some really awesome pen designs of faces. these had a lot of originality and character. I want you to use this approach for this class! these are a strongpoint for you, and will make your folio much more interesting if you expand on them. with that in mind im placing your characters in ancient Arabia. try to imagine Arthur as the adventurer who would become a king, Merlin as the archetype of the genie, and all the possibilities the middle east has for a sorceress like morgane. have fun with this and use that awesome style i saw!
Tadas- you get a tough one, but one i think you can do really great things with. your setting is Ancient Egypt. big emphasis on research here to look at the wildly different kinds of armor and style the ancient egyptians had from the medieval europeans. it is up to you how you interpret their really rich mythology and artistic sensibilities into this, so have fun, and do a lot of research!
some final notes!
NO FINISHED CHARACTERS ON WHITE. either Vignette and background in or set them on a dark or toned background. add cast shadows below them to ground them in tandem with your lightsource.
you have 2 weeks per character! the first week i expect to see sketches, research, and some work on a final design. after a long crit and some suggestions, you will have a second week to finish. when it is done, there will be a second crit, some paintover, and review before the next assignment is handed out. post your progress in this thread as you do it. keep this natural, progressive, and fun.
ANYONE FOLLOWING THE CLASS, FEEL FREE TO POST YOUR WORK HERE. if i see anything that really strikes the mark, i will present it on the stream and offer feedback.
Thanks all! have fun and ill see you in a week!