Semester 2....

So what is next?

-The next stage is to produce final, detailed designs and orthographic images of each of the 3 characters. May do some small adjustments on character 1, but overall I'm pretty happy with what I have.

-After some more finalized drawings, I will put together a focus group to get qualitative feedback on the designs. Changes to the designs will be made if necessarily 

-The torsos will be sculpted to fit the character's builds for use as reference.

-Low poly base model for each character will be made.

-High poly model for baking will be made.

-Characters will be mapped and textured.

-Possibility of Rigging if there is enough time.

Finished Torso

I don't know why this isn't in here yet....

Im finishing up the male torso sculpt and cleaning it up so that it looks like there is skin on top. It was done rather hastily, but it will be a good reference none the less.
I now have a complete male and female torso which I can then proceed to shape into the desired builds for my character designs. I want to make incredibly skinny builds of both torso to model on top of for reference.

I have also been working on some facial modelling as I have not done many realistic faces before and has been something I have been meaning to improve on. I plan on having exposed faces on at least one of my characters so it is important that it looks right. Here is my attempt at a facial model of Patrick Stewart....

Concept Development

CRITICAL DESCRIPTION

A brief summary of the stages and thoughts of my concept development...

-Following the concept development timeline, silhouettes were initially drawn up. These initial silhouettes proved quite powerful.  

-Through studying read hierarchy withing TF2 characters, additional silhouettes were drawn up. 

-Working from the initial silhouettes, which seemed more visually appealing, different thumbnails were drawn up. 

-The thumbnails for the first character proved successful as it managed to maintain the tall elegant look of the original silhouette.

-The second set of thumbnails for the third character were not as successful, showing that the characters look out of place and not very functional. 

-The thumbnail for the middle "flight" character remained strong and little was changed to the design. The overall aesthetic remained appealing and fitted in well with the planned game environment. 

-Additional thumbnail sketches were drawn up for additional roles, including one of an officer, heavy and assault class. 

-These, although suitable for their roles, look fairly generic which is why I did not pursue these designs. 

-Colour tests were done and compared with designs to make sure they work well together.The Paulette used, although dull and muted, it fitted in well, though they were pretty common and forgettable. 

-Weapons and accessories were drawn up for the characters, ensuring that they were suitable for the role of the character. 

-I believe the weapon design was successful as they are fairly unusual for weapons in a shooter. 

-These tests and sketches built up to more detailed final drawings for the 3 proposed characters. However, during the process, a lot of the original appeal was lost for a more generic look with characters 1 & 3. 

-I decided to go through one last iteration for character 3 in the hope to make it more memorable and break the norms. 

-I looked at POWs in WW2 for inspiration which led to an increasingly fragile, ill looking character design. 

-This design proved more successful as it was the complete opposite of what is seen in protagonists of shooters where a strong male lead was common.

-At the end of semester 1, I have 2 unique designs that I am happy with which both show the harsh environment of the game. 

-The first design still needs some work, but overall I am quite happy with it, even if it seems a little generic. 

-The next stage I aim for with the design are more final artwork pieces that show the designs in detail, as well as orthographic images for reference when 3D modelling. 

Some cool artwork.

I was playing about with the curves layer in Photoshop and came out with this. It doesn't exactly progress my concept development but it makes cool artwork none the less. Thought I would post this up anyway. 

Character 3 Final Design

"Amputee Soldier Design"

Here is a design I'm finally happy with. I've taken the previous design and applied it to a much skinnier and fragile body. I removed the helmet completely to reveal a thin, shaggy, bearded and bandaged face. I've removed the mechanical arm but kept mechanical elements on his shoulder, and removed his shirt completely, with only a pistol holster and rags covering his upper torso. This is to show the extreme skinniness of the man underneath, which reflects the situation he is in. Being in isolation, he just barely survives. This character is most likely encountered in a very rural area due to his disregard for his looks as nobody would be there to witness him. 

The lower half remains mostly unchanged. I've decided to add bandages on his one remaining human leg to add to the injured look. I think this character looks a lot more memorable now. An important note for me to make is that the pose also adds a lot to the personality of the character. I will be sure to draw my characters in poses suitable to their personality.

I will have to draw this design in more detail, and will look for feedback before going ahead with modelling...

Character 3 Redesign

"Amputee Soldier"

I've decided to take the focus off the mechanics from character 3 and more on the human form. What proved successful about the silhouette was that is showed the harsh climate of the environment, which I didn't get from the previous iteration. I've decided to look at POWs to influence my character design. 

I aim to grasp the hunger and suffering of these individuals.

The sight of these individuals alone are shocking enough for someone to remember, and I hope this translates into the characters design. 

WW2 Prisoners of war

Sketches of WW2 prisoners of war

Character 2 Design

"Air Unit"

Role : This unit was designed specifically for their role as a face paced recalcitrance/support unit. Little of what was human remains, through both personality, and through this individuals extensive mechanical modification. Almost bird like features, this character is more of an asset, than an individual. He acts as one of the high-tier units of the military. 

I've decided to keep the wings on the character as it makes him feel a lot more balanced. The team seems to also feel more memorable with a character that takes on a very specialist role.

I have not changed the design much since the first iteration as I thought the initial design was very strong. However, the style of helmet seemed inconsistent with the other 2 characters. I like the design of the helmet, but I will work on the back of it more to make it fit with the others. I have the main elements painted out, but will have to go into more detail before 3D modelling.

I have also noticed that there are many aesthetic similarities to the character "Raging Raven" from Konami's MGS4. Maybe I'm doing this subconsciously due to my love for Metal Gear games....

Character 1 Design

Finished design for Character 2. 

I feel the same with character 3. The painting has lost a lot of its initial appeal as the silhouette is completely different. The pose itself does not convey the elegance that I am looking for. I may make more changes, but here's hoping it is just the painting. Will redraw it again, using a skinnier body as reference....

Character 1 Colour

Working on a colour painting of character 1 with the new helmet design.

The front on view should show more about the design than when it was silhouetted from the side...

Uniform

I decided to experiment with how a character wears their uniform a bit further. Hairstyle and head-wear are often great ways for an individual to express themselves. A bald head often implies toughness, a Mohawk implies rebellion, and scraggy hair implies a wild or untidy nature. I thought I would experiment  with different hair silhouettes. 

I also decided to experiment with some civilian type clothing as well as how they wear it. The first design has a character wearing his torn coat around his neck and draped over his back like a cape and his rife behind him. The second has a casual shirt over his jumpsuit with a pistol holster over it. Maybe even a bandanna and goggles. His trousers are also loose which suggests that he does not care much about his appearance. The third fashions a rebellious Mohawk and wears nothing but a sweatshirt on his upper torso.

Though now that I'm finished, I can't stop seeing Robin Hood, Nathan Drake, and Vas from Far Cry 3.