So I've started building this game around a pixie character. So far she's looked like this: (http://www.vanwijst.com/games/flutterby/side_holder.png) :)
But I've found myself in need of a) a good idea of her final size for room layouts and b) in need of reassurance that the character will look compelling and believable.
So recently I've been trying to design her final form. A lot rides on this: players will be staring at this character for the whole game, and her look and feel will be the primary factor in whether or not players find the world believable. She is a secret agent with Pixie Intelligence, an organization usually just referred to as π. So she's got to look clever, and she's got to look tough. But she's also a pixie, so she needs some unnatural beauty and a whimsical feel. This is what I've got so far (I just added the back arm and leg for show, the rest will be her side standing posture):
(http://www.vanwijst.com/games/flutterby/character_mock_up.png)
I'm of course interested in any ideas and improvements, although I'm mostly satisfied with the drawing style and appearance. What's really bugging me is her outfit -it just doesn't feel "right" yet. It has to be relatively tight and revealing (it's like a pixie dress-code thing), and it has to be pretty simple for animation purposes, but outside of that I'm keen on some fresh ideas. Here's a blank template if you find it easier to use for paintovers:
(http://www.vanwijst.com/games/flutterby/character_blank_clothes.png)
Many thanks in advance for your input!
Does she need to have a profile or can her face be in like 3/4 pose (I mean just the face, not the body), I always find that a a 3/4 view looks better than a side profile, just has more dimension and details.
Also, hmm the agent thing kind of throws a curve ball, but my first thought was "Needs more skin", pixies usually wear little to no clothes, so I'd go for a black bikini or a really tight little black dress. Or maybe add a comment in the game that they usually wear like leaf bikinis and then call the character a perv for thinking that.
In which ever case, add a bit of "dazzle" to the wings, maybe some swirll lines and a few sparkling dots, that'll contrast the simplicity if the dress is just pure black, liek a woman might wear jewels with a simple dress...and I'm over analyzing pixies now. :tongue:
As is the face needs a bit more ratio adjustment, her hair goes a bit too far back on the fore head and the whole eyes+nose+lips should move a bit down and the back of her jaw should be a more rounded, just to make her look more feminine: It's up to you though, I know you have your own style (and I like it), but if it's just a suggestion.
I'd draw what I mean, but I'm just on a laptop now, so don't have anything installed atm.
Do you intend for your pixie heroine to be pretty? I'm not saying she has to look good, and this is all rather subjective anyways, but if she is supposed to be aesthetically appealing, there are some rather simple rules to take into account in terms of proportions.
Your character has relatively small eyes, a distinctively protruding chin and virtually no forehead.
Here's a quick sketch-over to suggest how you can make her face more proportionally harmonic:
[imgzoom]http://www.esseb.com/andail/graphics/pixiepaintover.png[/imgzoom]
Of course, this also makes her less idiosyncratic, and maybe more generic.
She needs a magic wand with a star on top. And also sparkling :)
Quote from: Anian on Thu 02/08/2012 10:22:08
Does she need to have a profile or can her face be in like 3/4 pose (I mean just the face, not the body), I always find that a a 3/4 view looks better than a side profile, just has more dimension and details.
Sorry, I should have mentioned that I intend an 8 loop walkcycle. So there will be quarter turns, but I want to finalize the design before I draw them, so that I can avoid
redrawing them if at all possible.
Quote
Also, hmm the agent thing kind of throws a curve ball, but my first thought was "Needs more skin", pixies usually wear little to no clothes, so I'd go for a black bikini or a really tight little black dress. Or maybe add a comment in the game that they usually wear like leaf bikinis and then call the character a perv for thinking that.
In which ever case, add a bit of "dazzle" to the wings, maybe some swirll lines and a few sparkling dots, that'll contrast the simplicity if the dress is just pure black, liek a woman might wear jewels with a simple dress...and I'm over analyzing pixies now. :tongue:
I'm getting simple garment with a bit of "dazzle"..... I'll give it a shot.
Quote
As is the face needs a bit more ratio adjustment, her hair goes a bit too far back on the fore head and the whole eyes+nose+lips should move a bit down and the back of her jaw should be a more rounded, just to make her look more feminine: It's up to you though, I know you have your own style (and I like it), but if it's just a suggestion.
Quote from: Andail on Thu 02/08/2012 11:04:17
Your character has relatively small eyes, a distinctively protruding chin and virtually no forehead.
Here's a quick sketch-over to suggest how you can make her face more proportionally harmonic:
[imgzoom]http://www.esseb.com/andail/graphics/pixiepaintover.png[/imgzoom]
I've got a neanderthal-foreheaded, beady-eyed lady-friend who will have a whole lot less self-esteem if she ever reads this thread..... :(
Quote from: selmiak on Thu 02/08/2012 16:15:46
She needs a magic wand with a star on top. And also sparkling :)
Wands are like weapons, so they're only drawn as a last resort ;)
Any more suggestions on the clothing?
A bit more skin is okay for a small fairy ...
like this, but made better of course
[imgzoom]http://img580.imageshack.us/img580/884/characterblankclothesta.png[/imgzoom]
... and changing the colours of clothes and hairband to white
it looks more fresh and innocent. Well, I'd like it.
(made the white version, too, but lost it in a crash, sorry)
Well, here's some ideas implemented:
(http://www.vanwijst.com/games/flutterby/character_mock_up.png)(http://www.vanwijst.com/games/flutterby/character_white.png)(http://www.vanwijst.com/games/flutterby/character_sparkly.png)(http://www.vanwijst.com/games/flutterby/character_blue_bikini.png)(http://www.vanwijst.com/games/flutterby/character_white_bikini.png)(http://www.vanwijst.com/games/flutterby/character_dark.png)(http://www.vanwijst.com/games/flutterby/character_black.png)
Sorry, I wasn't able to implement Frito Master's idea: too many prying eyes. Also I'm not really sold on the face re-do, but thanks for the suggestion.
As for garments, the original one had both the earth tones one would expect of a being close to nature and the military feel of some banana republic, but it lacks a degree of exotic sophistication one would expect of a spy. I think the white makes her look a little too pale, and she'd stand out too much in white to be a secret agent (even in the context of the exotically garbed magical creatures she is blending in with). I like the texture the sparkles give, but man I don't think I could animate that level of detail with any degree of realism. The bikinis are a little too sporty for a secret agent. So I've experimented with going dark, but the first reads as a little drab and the last one looks like a little black dress for a dance bar. So.... basically I'm not satisfied yet. Anyone else have any good ideas?
I still prefer the “less clothesâ€-look :grin:
To get the color near the secret agents-style and nature:
How about two kinds of green? Real camouflage-style would be great, but terrible to animate. But with two different greens it would be similar and also more near to nature without making her looking pale (btw. - you could also darken the skin a bit and use a not so strong white).
I'd like to see a bit “life†on the wings. Like adders on a leave â€" at least some, or will the wings become a slightly transparent color? In that case, just some (about three?) little dots would do.
Edit:
played around with it a bit and hope you don't mind:
comic coloured (http://img543.imageshack.us/img543/8170/charactergreenbikinitab.png) more camouflage-like(http://img703.imageshack.us/img703/2429/charactercamgreenbikini.png) and the innocent, fresh white(http://img39.imageshack.us/img39/707/characterdarkwhitebikin.png)
Quote from: Baron on Fri 03/08/2012 03:40:53I've got a neanderthal-foreheaded, beady-eyed lady-friend who will have a whole lot less self-esteem if she ever reads this thread..... :(
:confused: The hair band thing doesn't help with the forehead looking long (in the sprite I mean). You're drawing simplified human beings, almost caricatures, so when you do that, features get omitted that change the perception of a face.
onT: still think there might be some room fr wing decor.
To be honest I think the only problem is the back of the jaw, it would probably be a good idea to connect it in front of the ear. Right now it looks like the jaw is very broad as it goes behind the ear.
(http://www.danielthomas.se/upload/pics/character_mock_up.png)
Or you could of course move the ear back if you want to keep the triangle shape of the face.
If you tweak that I think the forehead looks OK as you don't get a triangle shape of the face. You could probably round it a little, as little as two pixels could probably do it.
At least that's what I would suggest
Quote from: Andail on Thu 02/08/2012 11:04:17
Your character has... virtually no forehead.
Quote from: Anian on Sun 05/08/2012 08:40:51
The hair band thing doesn't help with the forehead looking long
See, I'm getting mixed messages here. For some the forehead is non-existent, for others it is too long.... What would Lincoln do? I am aware that a great variety of feminine foreheads exist IRL, most of which are perfectly functional and at least moderately attractive (in so far as a feature noted for its space more than its substance can be assessed in terms of beauty). I admit that the hairband look does push the hair back unnaturally, but I was going for a retro 1960s look that was still business like enough to be taken seriously. Finally, my model has [roughly] these facial proportions and seems to get by in everyday life.... The practical (not to mention the politic) thing to do would be to keep her on, just in case I need to draw the head from different angles or with different expressions, etc.
Quote from: Daniel Thomas on Sun 05/08/2012 15:31:01
To be honest I think the only problem is the back of the yaw....
What's a yaw? Nevermind, I like what you did there. Good eye!
As for the wings, you are all perfectly insightful art critics. I had planned a bit of transparency, but some sort of pattern would really make them complete. Back in a bit with some redraws....
Sorry about that, JAW of course. :)
Sorry, but she does look sort of deformed. When you look at the average head in profile, the foremost point of the forehead is roughly vertically aligned with the chin. It varies a bit with the pose and the individual, but that's what tends to look most harmonious.
(http://i.imgur.com/X7pJC.jpg)
Another problem is that by extending the lower part of her face that much forward, her eyes end up much more than halfway up her face where they should be, which contributes to the sense of "neanderthal head".
Quote from: Baron on Mon 06/08/2012 02:24:24
Quote from: Andail on Thu 02/08/2012 11:04:17
Your character has... virtually no forehead.
Quote from: Anian on Sun 05/08/2012 08:40:51
The hair band thing doesn't help with the forehead looking long
See, I'm getting mixed messages here. For some the forehead is non-existent, for others it is too long....
The only reason the signals are mixed is because the head is so anatomically deviant it's hard to name the parts properly. When it comes to crux of the matter - that your pixie looks neanderthalish - I think the signals are pretty clear.
Maybe my former paint-over was a bit too realistic or something, so I made this very quick and rough sketch to illustrate the typical exaggerated "cute" ratio used in cartoons:
[imgzoom]http://www.esseb.com/andail/cartoonpixie.png[/imgzoom]
This one isn't anatomically correct - it's basically a big ball with eyes on - but it conveys positive things like friendliness and a childlike cuteness, often found in pixies, I'd guess.
Now, I do feel a bit guilty for nagging about things like beauty, as if every character has to be cute, and furthermore you seem pretty hellbent on keeping your character the way she is, or you wouldn't be all focused on which colour her top should be.
I don't think the way she looks is a *problem* per se. It just depends on what kind of character she is.
If she is supposed to be whimsical and cutesy then you have a problem but if she is a little more brash then its not so much of an issue. As people have mentioned, her features make her look trollish and neanderthal due to the sloping forehead and huge jaw.
if you made the jaw less square she could pass as one of the elves from Morrowind:
(http://www.gamebanshee.com/morrowind/races/woodelffemale.jpg)
There's been some question (and confusion) about combining proper anatomy with a pleasing visual aesthetic so I made a little tutorial to help you and others out. I'll go through and explain each of the steps in detail and you're encouraged to follow along. The idea is that, while anatomy is important, you can and sometimes must take liberties at times when dealing with very small images to get a visually pleasing result.
1. First we start with a sphere. It doesn't need to be perfect but it should be reasonably so because we're going to divide it into pieces to locate the proper placement for the eyes and the nose.
2. Now that we have a sphere, draw a horizontal line through the center. The eyes will be centered at or about this line while the tops of a *normal ear will just reach this line (*I'm drawing an elf in this example so the ear is pointed).
3. For drawing a face in profile, one easy way to create the shape of a skull is by adding a slightly rounded triangle with the tip serving as the chin to the bottom of the sphere as shown.
4. Now we can clearly see that the mouth line is roughly at the bottom of the original sphere. A basic jawline and ear have been added.
5. Some basic curves are applied, mainly the brow and the recess for the eye as well as the sellion. The lips are beginning to get definition and the chin and jaw are refined to have more of a natural curve. One important detail is that, while the lips reach out to the distance of the forehead, the chin does not. As the facial details are better refined you will see how this is important to maintaining a feminine appearance.
6. Initial details are applied and the eyes are drawn, which are triangular from the side. The lips are defined, an eyebrow added, and the ear given more shape. The chin is given a small divot below the lips to give the lips a fuller appearance.
7. In this stage the remainder of the details are applied, hair added and the nose better defined. Base colors are applied to get a better idea of how the face is going to look.
8. The linework is gone over with shades and color and final adjustments are made to the image.
[imgzoom]http://i485.photobucket.com/albums/rr218/ProgZmax/facetut.gif[/imgzoom]
I think one of the biggest challenges with drawing faces when you have a limited space is getting the nose/sellion/lip curvature just right. It can be a real hassle especially if you are dealing with a really small image, so in cases like that I will often go for what is most pleasing visually over 100% anatomical accuracy. In the example above, I played around with the nose line and the lips quite a bit before I was anywhere near satisfied with the result and I still think it could be improved, but the important thing is that this tutorial follows natural female features and uses them as a guide to create a feminine face rather than a hard and fast rule. Beauty is, as others have said, a rather subjective issue but if you at least follow some basic guidelines for the placement of features (like keeping the chin from jutting out) you should have no problem producing a good result.
Also, I cannot stress the value of good shading. I intentionally included step 7 to show you the drastic difference between how the face looks with just linework and after some shading is applied.
I hope this helps.
I don't understand why you guys got so worked out over the face, the original looks good and has personality. I also like zyndikate's subtle modification - definitely makes her prettier - but I think I still prefer the original.
As for the dress code, for me 60s remain the true spy era, and you already stated you took some inspiration from that period, so why not go even more in that direction with the dress? Give it some funky pattern and more colors. Perhaps you could try some boots on her too (would make her uniform a bit less girly). If you're determined to have her garments very business like, then I don't have any good ideas - none of the iterations so far feel business like to me.
I want to preface this post with my thanks for all the constructive feedback. Although I may take issue with certain aesthetic stances expressed in this thread, I appreciate that all of you have taken time out of your busy days to try to help me out. Having said that....
Quote from: Calin Leafshade on Tue 07/08/2012 08:25:28
If she is supposed to be whimsical and cutesy then you have a problem but if she is a little more brash then its not so much of an issue.
I would not say that cutesy and whimsical are necessarily in the same basket, but I think you hit the nail on the head that in graphical adventures we (rightly or wrongly) judge character based on appearance. So my agent has to be tough, and she has to be proud, so she's going to carry her head high, whereas the more demure feminine ideal is to kind of look downward.
Quote from: Andail on Mon 06/08/2012 08:54:49
Maybe my former paint-over was a bit too realistic or something, so I made this very quick and rough sketch to illustrate the typical exaggerated "cute" ratio used in cartoons:
[imgzoom]http://www.esseb.com/andail/cartoonpixie.png[/imgzoom]
This one isn't anatomically correct - it's basically a big ball with eyes on - but it conveys positive things like friendliness and a childlike cuteness, often found in pixies, I'd guess.
OK, so she's got cutesy proportions. But she looks kind of shy and sullen to be breaking up intermagestical espionage rings. As Cailin said, she's got to look the part.
Quote from: Shane 'ProgZmax' Stevens on Tue 07/08/2012 08:36:30
There's been some question (and confusion) about combining proper anatomy with a pleasing visual aesthetic so I made a little tutorial to help you and others out. I'll go through and explain each of the steps in detail and you're encouraged to follow along. The idea is that, while anatomy is important, you can and sometimes must take liberties at times when dealing with very small images to get a visually pleasing result.
OK, I get this. And theoretically it is a very well proportioned face, although somewhat old and masculine looking for my purposes. Love what the shading does to bring out the features, btw, but I can't be spending that kind of time on individual frames if I'm going to finish this project in my lifetime. So stylistically I'm sticking to the line art (it works well with vectors anyway).
Quote from: Andail on Mon 06/08/2012 08:54:49
The only reason the signals are mixed is because the head is so anatomically deviant it's hard to name the parts properly. When it comes to crux of the matter - that your pixie looks neanderthalish - I think the signals are pretty clear.
So... I'm really having a hard time with the "anatomically deviant" label, especially given that this sketch was offered as an improvement.
Quote[imgzoom]http://www.esseb.com/andail/cartoonpixie.png[/imgzoom]
Why must the attractive female have a bulbous forehead and ridiculously oversized eyes? Why must their infantile faces be squished into the bottom-most quadrant of their heads? Why must they look downward, or at least tilt their heads down demurely? And why the small mouth, no-jaw aesthetic? These features may be considered to be beautiful by some, but the characteristics they evoke are insecurity, vulnerability and weakness. Some men may find this attractive in women, but this character needs to be stronger than that.
Quote from: Snarky on Mon 06/08/2012 06:58:19
Sorry, but she does look sort of deformed. When you look at the average head in profile, the foremost point of the forehead is roughly vertically aligned with the chin.
But what if she is holding her head up proudly, like a soldier. Here is a simplified version of my process with some random feminine profiles procured from the internet for the purposes of demonstration. Models were selected on the basis of a) having a full-profile picture and b) holding their heads up proudly. It so happens that I think all three are reasonably attractive human females, but we are all entitled to our opinions.
(http://www.vanwijst.com/games/flutterby/female_profiles.jpg)
What I have done is trace my model's face and main features in a simplistic fashion: eyes are just circles with a brow line and a white dash highlight. The ear must be oversized to make it obvious that she is a pixie, and the eyes need to expanded or they will only read as dots at my game's resolution. Expanding the eyes downward makes the nose appear to be too high and making the characters look dumb, so my only option is upwards. This is a 200% zoom.
(http://www.vanwijst.com/games/flutterby/profile_experiments_2x.png)
I must then play with the features a bit, due to the way that vectors are compressed. An eye can easily bleed into a forehead, etc. so features must be separated sufficiently so as not to look awkward at 100%. Here is the result:
(http://www.vanwijst.com/games/flutterby/profile_experiments.png)
In conclusion, I don't think the "anatomically deviant" label can really stand up to evidence. This is in fact how human females do look, admittedly with crazy hairstyles and certain feature accentuations required by my game characterizations and resolution. I think this style suits the "feel" of my game, and makes my characters appear both human enough to be beautiful but also exotic enough to be believable as a magical species. I think comments like Daniel Thomas's are fair and constructive, as such feedback can improve the art without compromising the style. But I take issue with the relentless assault on my drawing style and aesthetic beauty of my pixie. I challenge anyone who thinks I'm that far off the mark to make their own pixie-game. With blackjack. And hookers. On second thought, forget about the blackjack....
Oh really.
Well, you said you wanted her to look clever, and at least a handful members have pointed out that she looks kind of neanderthalish, so, this being the critics' lounge and all, maybe we felt that was worth pointing out.
I admit it was irrelevant for me to go on about cute looks, but maybe I was distracted by how you said she needed to be beautiful (an "unnatural beauty", even). And for some reason you chose to have really gorgeous supermodels as references, so good looks must really matter to you after all.
And it's all fine that you take a stand for what actual human females look like, except of course real women who break up espionage rings probably don't strut around in tiny bikinis looking whimsical.
Giving mixed signals, anyone?
For the record, I think the three other models you've drawn are really good. But the fourth needs some work, that's all.
QuoteBut I take issue with the relentless assault on my drawing style and aesthetic beauty of my pixie.
This is an unacceptable statement considering that many people in this thread,
including myself, have offered useful feedback without attacking your work or being disrespectful. Once you post your work here for assistance you no longer have reasonable control over
what people want to provide assistance and critique on, so bear that in mind in the future.
Nobody likes being asked to provide feedback and then being told off because it wasn't what you wanted to hear.
As far as the dress goes, I have to say in all honesty it's pretty generic. I would recommend looking at some clips from the various pixie outfit designs in the Tinkerbell Disney movies. There's a good range of colorful clothing styles for each character to set them apart and also make their particular 'talent' recognizable:
[imgzoom]http://images.morris.com/images/lubbock/mdControlled/cms/2008/03/02/252890418.jpg[/imgzoom]
Just one question: aren't pixies supposed to be young... like teenagers?
But Mrs. Spock in a skirt? I don't know :P
/me adds fuel to the fire
edit: oh, and to make it at least a bit helpful: Your latest heads don't look bad, but somehow aged. Of course if it's 30something pixie you're heading after, I'd say you're there.
Maybe this helps with the head design.
(http://www.abload.de/img/dawn642012-07-2419-083vu8c.jpg)
Quote from: abstauber on Wed 08/08/2012 11:01:11
But Mrs. Spock in a skirt? I don't know :P
/me adds fuel to the fire
Didn't you know that Mrs. Spock was based on the same pixie image you posted? No one remembers why, but for some reason Vulcan ladies are also supposed to be busty teenagers.
(http://www.beertripper.com/startrek_images/bp-ENT-TPol_Jolene_Blalock_Star_Trek_Enterprise.jpg)
OK now we're getting some where -Mrs. Spock really looks the part! Do you have her in profile?
Quote from: Shane 'ProgZmax' Stevens on Wed 08/08/2012 09:51:21
Nobody likes being asked to provide feedback and then being told off because it wasn't what you wanted to hear.
Alright, I concede maybe I got a bit frustrated with all the "she's a freak!" comments when I was already pretty satisfied with her appearance. I appreciate that many people have offered constructive advice and drawn some decent looking pixie faces to illustrate their ideas, however most have been pretty radical stylistic departures from what I'm doing. Realistically I'm not going to ditch my entire art style, and will have to put down any abnormalities to the fact that the character isn't really human anyway. I regret the confusion caused by stipulating certain characteristics be revealed in her appearance, but I wanted this to inform people in critiquing the character's clothing (which, much like the face, reveals a lot about character). I do apologize if you felt you were being told off. The situation is doubly regrettable, since if I was to be the cause of bad-feelings anyway I could have really let-loose and had more fun with it. ;)
Quote from: abstauber on Wed 08/08/2012 11:01:11
oh, and to make it at least a bit helpful: Your latest heads don't look bad, but somehow aged. Of course if it's 30something pixie you're heading after, I'd say you're there.
It's the eyes, I think. My character has to be around 150 pixels to fit comfortably in a 640x400 screen, making the head about 30 pixels max. At that scale proportional eyes would read only as dots. To give more expression the eyes have to be enlarged, but the only direction to do that in is up, otherwise the character looks dumb. But higher eyes lengthen the face, which is a characteristic of older people. Fortunately I think I can live with 30-something looks -it adds to the sense that the character is experienced and knows her business.
Quote from: Andail on Wed 08/08/2012 08:26:40
And it's all fine that you take a stand for what actual human females look like, except of course real women who break up espionage rings probably don't strut around in tiny bikinis looking whimsical.
Precisely! I was against the bikini look from the start, but many posters thought she should show more skin, and so I duly experimented. I think more professional garb is in order, but the real trick would be to preserve a bit of the whimsy that one associates with pixies. I agree this is a lot to ask (indeed, were it easy there's every chance I'd have found a solution without critical support), but what I'm looking for is almost a marriage between the professional (business/military, dark colours, clean cut) and the fanciful (gawdy/experimental, intense colour, more revealing).
Quote from: Shane 'ProgZmax' Stevens on Wed 08/08/2012 09:51:21
I would recommend looking at some clips from the various pixie outfit designs in the Tinkerbell Disney movies. There's a good range of colorful clothing styles for each character to set them apart and also make their particular 'talent' recognizable:
Yeah, I've looked into the Disney stuff. I like how there is a lot of source material from many different angles, but it all falls way to far on the fanciful end of the clothing spectrum. Who would take "Agent Tinkerbell" seriously in that green sparkly number, let alone some of the frillier outfits. Back to the drawing board, I guess....
Two things that might be throwing people off about the forehead:
1. The headband. I know the look you're going for, like a Cate Archer from the first NOLF sort of thing. But I think most here are reading the pixie's hairline as starting at the back of the headband, and not the front, giving them the idea that the forehead is elongated (or Neandertalish). Maybe if you slid the headband back and gave just a hint of bangs or something, it would negate that effect.
2. The concave curve where the nose meets the forehead, which I believe is called a sellion, usually goes in a bit more than your tracings of the models do, and this usually corresponds with where the eye goes. Look at the photos you've provided, and see how the brow makes a little shelf over the eyes. Yours slope back a bit too much.
The two together make for the baffling paradox you cited earlier -- too much forehead, and not enough forehead!
I am complete and utter garbage at pixel art, but you can see I've just shifted a few pixels around here to show what I'm getting at:
(http://i.imgur.com/KfiUS.png)
As for the fashion, I say go all-out secret agent, and have her wear a catsuit. But then again, I have a special place in my heart for Emma Peel, so you should take my opinion on catsuits with a grain of salt.
I guess I could play around with some pre-band hair, and full-body catsuits are awesome. In the meantime here's some more outfits:
(http://www.vanwijst.com/games/flutterby/new_metallic.png)(http://www.vanwijst.com/games/flutterby/new_camo.png)(http://www.vanwijst.com/games/flutterby/new_police.png)(http://www.vanwijst.com/games/flutterby/new_brown_military.png)
I've altered the back of the jaw as per Daniel Thomas, and experimented with some wing patterns as per... quite a few people. Remember the fills inside the wings will be semi-transparent, so the pattern will not read quite as boldly in game. The first suit is based on Elizabeth Hurley's outfit from the first Austin Powers movie (kind of a metallic futuristic number). The next is an example of the camouflage suggested by Tabata. The third uses the navy blue and golden colours based on those of police uniforms, using the generic dark tank top females tend to wear in action movies and a somewhat funkier skirt. Pursuing that idea, the fourth costume is the same but uses browns for a more earth-tone/banana republic military look. Comments or suggestions about the clothing direction?
Quote from: Baron on Thu 09/08/2012 03:08:30
OK now we're getting some where -Mrs. Spock really looks the part! Do you have her in profile?
The characters name is T'Pol (http://i1205.photobucket.com/albums/bb421/Mistrss_Euclid/ArcherTPol/Archer-T-Pol-star-trek-enterprise-6552437-302-427.jpg) from Star Trek: Enterprise (if you want to google for more pics of her).
(http://www.smileyvault.com/albums/userpics/12962/spock~0.gif)
edit:
found another one in profile (http://geekgirl.dk/startrek/pics/T_pol_and_Archer.png)
@Ascovel: I actually never noticed that before, but apparently my subconscious mind did. :)
Anyhow I did a quick paintover/liquify session:
(http://www.vanwijst.com/games/flutterby/new_metallic.png)(http://shatten.sonores.de/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/new_metallic_help.png)
(altered wings, forehead and the chin)
I've decided to go with the neanderthal look. She's a monster -a freaking murderess - so stay the hell out of her way! I've also roughed out her front views (still have to do a couple back ones, fix some details, etc.). I really like abstauber's wings, but I'm pushing my height limit as it is and fear I cannot risk having them stretch above the head. The jaw and forehead work he did also makes her cuter, I concede, but less like the BEAST that she is!!!!!
http://www.vanwijst.com/games/flutterby/turning_rough.swf
Her arms are doing weird stuff.
Quote from: Armageddon on Fri 10/08/2012 01:19:10
Her arms are doing weird stuff.
Yeah. I'm having a hard time with the profile. By rights the back arm should be thrown back with the front one, but it doesn't look right when she spins (the illusion of transposing the right & left arm appears and is also very weird looking). I think I've gone as far as I can without my live model doing some walk-cycles for me, after which I can rotoscope in some more natural poses. For anyone interested, I finished the whole rotation:
http://www.vanwijst.com/games/flutterby/full_turn_beta2.swf
(http://www.vanwijst.com/games/flutterby/rough_01.png)(http://www.vanwijst.com/games/flutterby/rough_02.png)(http://www.vanwijst.com/games/flutterby/rough_03.png)(http://www.vanwijst.com/games/flutterby/rough_04.png)(http://www.vanwijst.com/games/flutterby/rough_05.png)
The wings look a little funny, probably because they shouldn't be fully extended in profile, which makes it look like they are spinning faster in the back views. And there are arm problems -they don't look bad in the individual frames, but they don't look natural in the spin. I can fix both those issues with more modelling, but otherwise I'm pretty happy with how the face, body & clothes have turned out. Any improvements
on the current design are welcome.
Regarding the positions of arms and wings in the angled sprites:
(http://i.imgur.com/pOx9N.png)
Also, her hips are really narrow compared to the chest and shoulders.
Fascinating -I've never seen that technique before, but I can sure see its usefulness! Unfortunately I've just copy & pasted the same wing for the forward & side view, which would make the wing appear to be unnaturally long in a quarter turn. Realistically the wing probably needs to be shorter in profile, but I will play with it to see what looks best. Thanks for sharing!