A Detective

[BrutalSlakt]

Hi everyone! I'm new at the pixel art-thingie and my drawing skills are not that good unfortunately. But I gave it a go.


Here's my detective






I'm ok with the clothes but the head, oh the head..  :'(
My "model" for him is Elliot Stabler from Law&Order SVU (http://www.pollsb.com/photos/o/39318-christopher_meloni_nbsp_det_elliot_stabler.jpg) but you could never tell.
I want him to have one of those whatyacallit shadow beard? Stubbly beard?
Just want him to look a bit more "manly".  :
Do you think it possible without it looking like his jaw is seperated from the rest of the head? (that's the look I accomplished when I tried)


I would also like to add a gun that's showing a bit under the jacket on his left side, do you have any suggestion how to accomplish that or know of a tutorial or something for small guns?


It's my first time posting, I've read the rules but is it ok to write as much as I've done and ask for suggestions? Or is there another place for that?


And here he is after the changes



Sideview. Put the head back a bit, looks better not quite there yet though. 




And here are the Captain and the Coroner. It's not the Captains real desk.






I made her chin smaller, much better!


And here's a really small version of the detective

[Anian]

It's kind of late, so I don't really wanna draw now, but about the other design issues:
- Meloni is ok and the character is drawn out well, he's got anger issues, family is falling apart and yet he cares about victims

- ok, now comparison time, you might notice that in a lot of police shows, detectives are wearing suits and ties, usually either totally normal or a bit more
    "extreme" suits (but still with style), if that's what you're going for, then go with that, this is not yet a Meloni type cop (or NYPD or Dragnet etc.) - as
    NP Harris says "suit up"

- gun bulge, I think it's not needed, resolution is too small and it'll just mess up the style, plus it's rarely seen, cause it's pretty tight with the body and
    almost under the arms, he's a detective, players will get it that he probably has a gun, besides, they interact with people in general, often shocked and
    vunerable, so you might not wanna give the first impression of a violent person

- "more manly" issuse
  - well basically the rule is "more lines = older" so be careful, you might wanna change the color of the lips, not only is it too red (too saturated red) and
    bright, on a basic level it just doesn't fit in with the rest of the colors in the palette
  - the beard, I think your looking for this http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stubble  - so google "5 o'clock shadow" and find pics, choose the style you would like
    to use and try it on the character, I suggest using the color you used for the hair, only more towards the black/gray than to brown and make it just a
    tad darker than the color of the skin (don't go too dark, just so it's noticable)

Hope that helps a bit.

[joelphilippage]

If manly is what your looking for, here are a few things.

He sort of has a pencil neck. with a big head. If you widen out the neck, it will look a bit more natural. Maybe you could make his jaw more angular His body is sort of square shaped. You could make his shoulders wider and his waist thinner which will give him more personality. Heavy eyebrows would help with deeper eyes.

Here is a quick sketch I did of my ideas.


Always remember that the eyes should go directly in the middle of the head.

[homerus]

I hope this help...

His right hand now is fixed...

[Khris]

Unless you want to comically exaggerate his manliness (think Family Guy's Quagmire), the head's anatomy is the biggest issue.

Went a bit overboard here:



The head is still to big btw; typically, a head is 1/8 to 1/7 of the total body height.

[BrutalSlakt]

What's the rule about your suggestions? I love Khris head but there's nothing I can or want to change with it, can I use it anyway?



Anian: I should have linked this image instead http://cdn.thefrisky.com/images/uploads/elliot_stabler_law_and_order_103009_m.jpg that's the clothes I was going for.
I've always had a hard time picking colours for mouths. I guess I haven't gotten rid of that "a mouth is red" which you learn when you start drawing as a kid.  :


joelphilippage: That's the jaw I had in my head, don't know why it came out so round and I don't know what I was thinking with the neck. A broad neck is just one of the like top five classic "manly" thing.  :


homerus: I love the hands! I like the legs too. I'm going to try to animate my legs for when he's walking towards the viewer but I'm gonna keep your legs in mind when I want that pose. I've tried it before but never succeded.


Khris:  :o I love the head sooo much! Is it ok if I use it? I think the size is perfect! Now I have a good reference for the other characters too.




I've done some changes and I will update my first post with the picture later.
(I haven't bothered to learn how to upload it to the site I'm using so my fiance does it for me, guess it's time to learn huh.)

He has a name now. Rick Hudson. I like the first name, the last name not so much. Think I'm going to do some googling for that one.

[Anian]

Khris is showing off again.    

Anian: I should have linked this image instead http://cdn.thefrisky.com/images/uploads/elliot_stabler_law_and_order_103009_m.jpg that's the clothes I was going for.

Hmm, well, I don't know if he actually wears such stuff on duty (although real detectives might). I'm pretty sure that's his off duty/undercover/surveilance clothes. If you search for pics, you'll find that 90% Stabler is in a suit.
Still, with your style and even in Khris's, to me he now looks like a mafia enforcer. It's totally your call though.

[Khris]

You can use the paintover however you please; technically my edit is still your IP, iirc.

Yep, it says so in the rules:

When editing a picture for somebody, remember that the picture still belongs to the original artist, the modifications included. You cannot demand that somebody removes your modifications afterwards, even if they wish to sell the picture for money.

So go ahead, that's what my edit was there for anyway

To upload a picture yourself, either go to imageshack.us (quick way to upload single pics) or get a free account at photobucket.com. There you can upload all your stuff, sort it into albums and even edit it.
Basically you select the image on the hard drive, then get the direct link after the upload.

[BrutalSlakt]

Khris: I went and read the rules again and there it was, it's interesting how the eyes often skip the line you're interested in!

[Sughly]

I think it's starting to look quite good. I would suggest that his collar in your edited picture is beginning to look like a scarf or part of a sweater collar rather than a stiff shirt collar in the way it curls around his neck, particularly in lower res when the details are more obscured...

[joelphilippage]

could you make the Coroner's chin a bit smaller? that would help her look a bit more womanly. She would look better with a heart shaped face. I think you're improving on the body shape. Keep it up.

[BrutalSlakt]

could you make the Coroner's chin a bit smaller? that would help her look a bit more womanly.

I did it and what a difference! A whole new person. 

[Alun]

I think the main problem with the side view is that it looks like he's sticking his neck out for no reason.  Compare the center of the head with the center of the body -- the head is too far forward.  The head should be more or less centered over the body.