Cyborg/Cyberpunk Assassin (WIP)

johnicus · May 2012

I am learning how to use my new Intuos4 and at the same time trying to break away from relying on lines in my art. The drawing is still in early stages, but I am starting to get to a point where I am ready for some feedback, so please comment! I am struggling with the hair at the moment....

The character is one that I made up and have been drawing for a long time.

assassin3%20copy.jpg

johnicus · May 2012

Am I posting in the wrong place? No replies

Please give feedback if you happen to take a look at this thread.

I'm still struggling with the hair, but it's starting to get where I want it. Almost ready to finish up details on the neck and chest

specsowl · May 2012

dat hair detail. I really like this and can't wait to see how this turns out

Darkleopard · May 2012

I would make a thread in the digital sketchbooks for this type of thing, Your sure to get more responses there!

Keep practicing!

johnicus · May 2012

Thanks for the comments!

Sorry there wasn't a post yesterday/ I'm trying to push this as far as I can in terms of quality so keep the feedback coming. You can tell I have moved some things to try to get better proportions. Also putting in more and more detail as I become more satisfied with the shading. Doing my best to avoid use of the Smudge tool because I don't like how it muddies the image..

michaelmilette · May 2012

This is pretty cool I am digging it :P I would add some very small but sharp white (or light colour) highlights to the machinery around it's eyes to make it pop dimensionally.

I like the idea of scars to break up the blank slated face but I would play around with them I think it would add a lot more character if they where larger. Just to imply he or she has fought and survived against fierce beats! like a boss :P

johnicus · May 2012

michaelmilette wrote: »

This is pretty cool I am digging it :P I would add some very small but sharp white (or light colour) highlights to the machinery around it's eyes to make it pop dimensionally.

I like the idea of scars to break up the blank slated face but I would play around with them I think it would add a lot more character if they where larger. Just to imply he or she has fought and survived against fierce beats! like a boss :P

Thanks! I am definitely gonna take that advice. I was planning to add some scrapes and things to the mask and tighten up the details of the mechanical eyes once I get the rest of it tightened up. I'm wrestling with the shirt. sort of unsure how to get it to look more realistic

Moosey_G · May 2012

I don't know if you are looking for any anatomy suggestion, but I thought I'd add that the sternocleidomastoid is a bit odd direction-ally, it feels like it's coming at such a distorted angle that the start of the muscle is not coming from under the ear, but somewhere halfway on the jaw. That, and the trapezius is really flying down at an acute angle to the sterno's instead of sloping downwards under the clavicle making a clean beeline for the top of the deltoid. I agree with Michael, the damage should tell a specific story about what the helmet has endured.

I love the hair and the clean design on the gear; I feel that sometimes now a days characters can get lost in the clutter of their accessories. Please excuse the paint over, I'm no artist, myself. I'm interested in seeing where you take this

johnicus · May 2012

Moosey_G wrote: »

I don't know if you are looking for any anatomy suggestion, but I thought I'd add that the sternocleidomastoid is a bit odd direction-ally, it feels like it's coming at such a distorted angle that the start of the muscle is not coming from under the ear, but somewhere halfway on the jaw. That, and the trapezius is really flying down at an acute angle to the sterno's instead of sloping downwards under the clavicle making a clean beeline for the top of the deltoid. I agree with Michael, the damage should tell a specific story about what the helmet has endured.

I love the hair and the clean design on the gear; I feel that sometimes now a days characters can get lost in the clutter of their accessories. Please excuse the paint over, I'm no artist, myself. I'm interested in seeing where you take this

Not a problem! I'm really glad to get this kind of feed back! I think this is something I was struggling to grasp at and what caused me to make some adjustments previously. This is what I really need to hear and it really helps a lot.

I will probably snag this jpeg and attempt to incorporate your comments into the design. You may claim you aren't an artist but you seem to know a great deal more about the specifics of anatomy and that's important to create a believable character!

Thanks and keep it coming, I'll try to post something by tomorrow!

johnicus · May 2012

Update! Incorporating anatomy advice and starting to shade the clothing and try to even it out as best I can. The detail across the chest and neck will come back once I've gotten some more feedback and I am satisfied with the anatomy.

I am really pleased with how well incorporating the feedback I have gotten so far is panning out. Thanks folks! Please keep posting critique and I'll continue updating.

Moosey_G · May 2012

Awesome work, the upper torso is looking a lot more full and tough now. What kind of landmarks are you thinking about adding to the helmet, if any? I say throw around some silhouettes and see where your imagination takes you.

johnicus · May 2012

Sorry for the lack of updates on this! I've been moving so it has been a bit hard to work and I think I was also just stuck on how to proceed. Today I have an update with some battle damage! Do you think I went too far, or not far enough? I used a combination of a texture image overlay and painting by hand.

Moosey_G · May 2012

I really love the way the light hits and reflects general wear and tear like a nice specular map, especially in the discoloration.
...
But for the more prominent cracks and clear damage, I think that damage (that is excessive but does not appear to be at least somewhat mended) can come across as either a recent event has transpired or the character does not care about the damage. But in the case of not caring it might leave the impression of some character flaw. Because in the case of an assassin they have to look their absolute best; and have to be very meticulous which generally carries over in their personality.

Things like that differentiate the immediate presumption/intuition of the viewer between a professional kill for hire or a just a serial killer.

I don't want to jump in and say you didn't already know this, I don't know what the back story is myself; it's just something I would keep in mind for sharpening view reception of the piece. (Like I don't even know if it's just a mask or incorporated onto the surface of the robo-face?)

Anyway, your cleanups are always nicely rendered, keep us updated

johnicus · May 2012

Moosey_G wrote: »

I really love the way the light hits and reflects general wear and tear like a nice specular map, especially in the discoloration.
...
But for the more prominent cracks and clear damage, I think that damage (that is excessive but does not appear to be at least somewhat mended) can come across as either a recent event has transpired or the character does not care about the damage. But in the case of not caring it might leave the impression of some character flaw. Because in the case of an assassin they have to look their absolute best; and have to be very meticulous which generally carries over in their personality.

Things like that differentiate the immediate presumption/intuition of the viewer between a professional kill for hire or a just a serial killer.

I don't want to jump in and say you didn't already know this, I don't know what the back story is myself; it's just something I would keep in mind for sharpening view reception of the piece. (Like I don't even know if it's just a mask or incorporated onto the surface of the robo-face?)

Anyway, your cleanups are always nicely rendered, keep us updated

Thanks again for continuing to give really great feedback.

I guess the term assassin actually applies loosely with this character, and the caste that he comes from would also perform scouting, ambush, and counter-intelligence. Their society is one that is built on the ruins of a greater civilization so part of their culture involves salvaging from these ruins. The mask is removable but connects directly to implants, and their caste has a philosophy of being ready for combat at all times, so it would be rare to see one without the mask. (Not a bad idea to explore what the face underneath would look like, though!)

As far as repair goes they would save their resources for essential parts and not worry about cosmetic damage unless it hindered their fighting ability, and there is a degree of pride taken in battle scars. That's why there is a lot of scarring around the eyes but the lenses and metal parts of the eye sockets look almost new. I tried to convey the scars in varying degrees of newness. The one on the forehead is supposed to be the most recent, from a laser blast or some burning debris.

It's a really good sign, I think, that you can look at the drawing and start to think about what the back story might be. I think that means I'm on the right track.

There are a couple of things I still feel like I'm missing. I'll post an update when I get a chance to. In the meantime please keep the comments going, let me know if you feel like something needs improvement, and toss ideas around if you have any.

johnicus · May 2012

Some more work I did last night. Bringing out the details on the eyes and clothing now. Added a texture to the background for depth.

johnicus · May 2012

I think it's safe to put this in my portfolio now!

Thank you again for your help folks!

Edit: of course still open to critique I can apply to my next piece!

Cyborg/Cyberpunk Assassin (WIP)

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