Copborg
polycounter lvl 7
This is another project for my portfolio. This is a cyborg police officer in the futuristic Mariner City. He was working a dangerous case inside a building with a gas leak, leading to an explosion. The explosion cost him his left arm and most of the left side of his face.
He received a new cybernetic weapon for an arm that hooks up to his brain, as well as a built in jet pack. Now he doesn't even need a car to patrol the city.
The overall body is made as well as all of his robotic parts. He is going to have clothes, and I will add details on where the metal pieces meet his flesh.
For now, any feedback you can give me would be awesome. Especially any anatomical feedback. Keep in mind though that he will be wearing jeans and a vest.
(Posting images through IMG)
He received a new cybernetic weapon for an arm that hooks up to his brain, as well as a built in jet pack. Now he doesn't even need a car to patrol the city.
The overall body is made as well as all of his robotic parts. He is going to have clothes, and I will add details on where the metal pieces meet his flesh.
For now, any feedback you can give me would be awesome. Especially any anatomical feedback. Keep in mind though that he will be wearing jeans and a vest.
(Posting images through IMG)
Replies
You may technically learn more from creating this character, but really bad design cannot save any character, even if it's been sculpted, modeled, and textured to a T. Good concepts drive good characters models, not the other way around.
I really encourage you to find something similar to your original idea, but that's been done by another artist so you have a really awesome looking character in the end.
Not to put words in Brian's mouth, but I think he's suggesting you do someone else's good, finished design and concept and try to match it as best you can. Right now, your design sense is really lacking (sorry to be blunt). You should be focusing on how to accurately sculpt anatomy before you try to create and finish your own concepts.
In the meantime though, is there anything I can do with the model?
Put the current model into storage if you're going to move-on. If you need to get stuff from it again, extract as necessary.
Skyline5gtr: Of course, I thought the body was overall done and I'm ready to add any extra details.
Maxilator: That's a good illustration. Can you name any specific anatomical parts that need fixing?
Thank you Gungriffon Giona. I'm glad you like this piece. I know the concept drawing isn't the best but I hope to make this a fun piece.
If pants was your intention, flare out the bottom half of the pant legs. If it was tights, keep it as is.
Anyways, it's a decent start for someone getting their feet wet with this! But I really encourage you to find a stronger concept and work from there.
If you want to get your concept abilities critiqued and improved by the community, you can totally share it with us in these threads and we can provide feedback about what's working and what's not.
The key point is for 'personal usage'. Not distributional purposes. Distribution is considered as 'making available to others' (doesn't need to be commercial!). So in fact its not unproblematical to use someone elses concept if you share the results on the internet. But that is the by 'the book truth'. In 99% of the cases it is not an issue because most artist are willing to share their concepts and there is no commercial component involved that would harm or benift anyone. Also - like with any legal case - if the right owner doesn't know about the infringement he can't/won't sue. There is also the point of lacking the financial reasoning of persuing the claim based on the place of jurisdiction, risks involved,...
The point is: In most cases you can use the concept from someone else (especially if mentioning & linking towards the original artist) without a clear consent, and if its for personal usage only. The save (and respectful) way is yet to ask the artist involved (I thank Brian Ching to this day for his consent that allowed me to use his concept for a tattoo I got).
Keep in mind this may vary based on what jurisdiction and law is to be applied in each individual case (though this should be the case for most western countries). And even if I have a degree for this stuff I am not taking any liability for this information
Regarding the C&C:
My biggest issue is that the whole character lacks a certain style dircetion to which you are heading - as others said, the concept isn't strong enough to communicate what your goal is. Are you trying to do a very stylized character? Or are you trying to go towards realism? In any way there is a lot that could (should) be done, but its hard to say, as there is no clear goal that you set yourself. Right now it reminds me too much of this -> http://vignette2.wikia.nocookie.net/community-sitcom/images/4/4c/5X7_Abed_sprays_Hickey%27s_desk.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20140301205324
I agree with previous comments - back to basics getting the proportions straight and finding the style that you want to achieve. With all due respect - you drawing doesn't cut the needs for a strong 3D result. Its not a weakness to look for someone elses concept or if you are really not willing then spend more time on the concept itself to bring it to a level that will actually benefit your project.
Biomag, no way. Come on it doesn't look nearly as bad as the character in that image. I guess I was going for a little bit of both: stylized and realistic. And I've redone the concept drawing but I feel like this time I have to work backwards.
Dont try to salvage it. Right now your base T-pose, which is not a T or A pose, isn't being hidden by new clothing designs. Lack of butt, a head that is scrunched backwards and not leaning out like it would in real life, a facial expresison that is not neutral and rig friendly, a silhouette that can be much stronger, a unified shape language, bigger feet, etc.
Reconcept it out on paper, and remake this from the ground up. Or just choose someone else's design. Have a better foundation, better face anatomy, a much better gesture. New clothes or weapons or more greebles will not save this. Really awesome looking textures will not save this.
Silhouette and a good foundation will:
http://www.ctrlpaint.com/videos/thumbnail-iteration
Is this what you recommend though, starting from scratch instead of salvaging it?
Gather several reference sheet's up - google ideas of clothing, mechanical pieces, anatomy etc.
Then start slow - get the basic full anatomy down because if this looks good then the rest of your work will improve.
The classic western concept
https://www.google.com/search?q=Robocop&rlz=1C1GIWA_enUS570US570&espv=2&biw=1786&bih=974&site=webhp&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=j0QxVeiOLY72oASgl4C4Cg&ved=0CAYQ_AUoAQ#tbm=isch&q=Robocop+concept+art
https://www.google.com/search?q=Deus+Ex+Human+Revolution+Concept+Art&rlz=1C1GIWA_enUS570US570&espv=2&biw=1920&bih=911&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=jKcxVYXNDY-4ogTGhYHYDw&ved=0CAYQ_AUoAQ#tbm=isch&q=deus+ex+human+revolution+character+concept+art&revid=1086000493
Check out Grassetti anatomy video. there very great for getting this stuff down.
https://gumroad.com/grassetti
Thanks for those pointers N-Gon. I'll work on those too.
Just look at life drawing pictures online and maybe try to sculpt from them as best you can.
I think others have given you strong advice on the concept, etc.
Here is the character I have been looking at. This is perfect too because the concept art is all right there. I'm a little worried about that arm but we get there when we get there.
I want to make sure this is well and good on paper before it goes into the 3D space again.
As far as I can tell, you're drawing's only real siginificant difference is that it's a bald male with a Dragonball-esque Scouter eye attachment, and his right arm is natural-looking. I think you can keep the head design (minus the smiling since that doesn't work well for a neutral T-pose and rigging later) and the arm, but you've got better proportions and designed concepts in the Murray concept art.
The eye piece is actually based on RoboCop (ironically). And I thought about having the same person in this new suit.
How you make that guy a cop is based less on what you wrote on the paper, and is more based on what you visually communicate. What you drew, it does not read police man, it reads cyborg. What makes a police man a police man varies. Could be a weird hat, a checkered strip on a hat as some British constables have, or perhaps a badge that many American police men carry on television shows.
Visually communicate this, don't just think it. We're not writers, we're visual artists. Our words are colors. If we fail to visually communicate, than we need to step up our visual design game. There's a reason why video games are often obtuse about faction designs. In real life, if army 2 had red emblazoned across it's shoulder like cherry pie, they'd be destroyed in firefights.
This is good visual design that separates every other possible chaaracter role from this police one. Cornered hats, yellow vests. Notice I am not mentioning here any words they have written on their bodies.
Below is bad visual design for police. They read less like peacekeepers, more like a military force. Literally the only thing that says they're police is that "Police" sticker slapped on top of their bulletproof vest. The rest of the character design says "military."
If you going to have the same person in the suit, reference the actual actor.
https://www.google.com/search?q=peter+weller&rlz=1C1GIWA_enUS570US570&espv=2&biw=1920&bih=955&stick=H4sIAAAAAAAAAGOovnz8BQMDQy4HsxCnfq6-gZGlZUaxEphpUmJpZqkllJ1spZ-WmZMLJqySE4tLHjHacQu8_HFPWMp00pqT1xj1ubAoEpLkYnPNK8ksqRTi5-KVQhiuwcDDFPlj7jYTPY2P0kfUTJxuTLh4YIE5ACd6egeKAAAA&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=ASw4VbymFYbmoATzsYEQ&ved=0CAYQ_AUoAQ
I encourage you, once again, to just remake the Adam Jensen character, swap out the head and add your head equipment, and call it Deus Ex fan art. You'll learn a lot, especially regarding nailing existing concept art, and you'll be better prepared for other creative endeavors later. You've got good taste, which is awesome! Adam Jensen's design is slick, but doesn't hurt to emulate that for portfolio work.
I used Samuel L. Jackson for reference on the last one. Do you have any suggestions for an actor resembling Adam Jensen?
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1340118/