Some characters to Criticize

[Mage]

ok.. this is supposed to be the main character :

he's a space pirate ( some of you may recognize him as the main character of mad jack the pirate cartoon on which i heavilly based him )

sooo... he looks like a pirate but not so much a space pirate.. any ideas how to add him some futuristic space look ?

[Mr Jake]

Space pirate ^_^/

Maybe give him more of a modern pirate look?

[Penguinx]

I did a quick redraw. I think the buttons and collars are what dates the character. You can get away with using the band in the hair and ponyail. That seals the deal as far as a pirate theme is concerned. I gave him a badge, some collar buttons, and futuristic, vertically-striped pants! Woo!

[MrColossal]

sorry to butt in without and crit, i just want to say that barely anyone around me knows about Mad Jack the pirate and even less people know about The Snoockums and Meat Comedy Show... i loved those cartoons so much when i was a kid

as far as what penguin did to him, i agree but i wish there was another colour besides red, it just screams "tired old star trek rehash"

[Penguinx]

Mr. Colossal, you hit the nail on the head. I was making the Trek connection, as well; when I did the edit I tried to stick to the spirit of the original as much as possible.

I would think of using colors more in a greenish brown spectrum. Something that looks like it has stood up to a few of the rigors that space has to offer and is worse for the wear. However, Mage's art is much more bright and cartoony than my efforts usually are.

[Darth Mandarb]

When I think of pirates (be they of space or the carribean) I'm thinking of ratty thrown together clothing.  This fellow looks like he's wearing a uniform.  Like he's part of a 'federation'.  Which is why it screams Star Trek (to me).

Here's something I tried:

- added some shoulder bags/straps
- added a 'gun' to the belt
- added a vest
- darkened the lapels and cuffs

This, to me, just feels more like a pirate.  I didn't touch the face, 'cause it's perfect (in my opinion).

Sort of on-topic ... anybody remember the movie The Ice Pirates from 1984?  Man I used to love that movie!!

~ d

[Mage]

Some modifications :

Somehow those black straps look kinnda weird

and here's how the whole thing gets together (note that this is a test background )


another one :

replaced the collar with something more like a hood. added something like an light chest armour + pads on his arms and knees.

and the second one on another test-purpose background ( with a piece of the gui i'm working on )

[Mage]

oops.. the edit didn't bring the post to the top ( and that will get me more attention ) see post above

[Darth Mandarb]

This looks good!  I like your edit of the pirate character!

The backgrounds look great!

Nice style.

Keep it up!

[MrColossal]

i love the sand background and to comment on the backgrounds next to each other

the inside of the space ship has outlines around everything while the sand background doesn't have any outlines, i say get rid of the outlines in the spaceship background and you'll be set

meanwhile the biggest awkward thing i can think of is his right hand, what in the world is it doing?

[TheYak]

I'm pretty sure Mr. Pirate is trying to sling a web, spidey-style.

Beautiful backgrounds, btw, agree about the outlining consistency thing.  Still wish that the garish red would go the way of the dodo (the extinct one, not the cloned bio-mechanical 6-million-dollar dodo they recently made).  For that matter, I think your backgrounds in general would look a touch better with some lower-saturation colors.  Take the purple poiny bits, for one.  Based upon their position and the environment they're in, I would expect them to be at least partially obscured by atmosphere.  Because of the sandy environment (unless it's a sand & Elmer's glue environment), they might be a more neutral tone as they gather a bit of all the dust being blown about.    

Love your style, it's got a unique look that'll be pleasant and easy to remember after we've played a game using it.  I recognized Mad Jack at once..  great stuff.

[sergiocornaga]

Wow.