AuthorTopic: Stalling out on character design  (Read 4123 times)

Offline Tourist

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Stalling out on character design

on: August 28, 2010, 12:57:48 am
My creativity is stalling out on a character design.  Suggestions are welcome.



This is potentially for a game.  The setting is a forest world, where the character will be climbing giant trees and gliding around on the parachute/flying squirrel wings.  The wings attach at forearm, lower leg, and down the spine.

The image is a bit of a quick sketch at this point, much of the figure is incomplete.  Pixels on top of a 3d rendered figure, with much of it reworked or added in post-render.  The pose is dull because I wanted to work on the outfit.

I've been looking at this since yesterday and the figure just bores the hell out of me.  Add in a pocket or pouch at the waist.  It's still boring.  Adjust the colors once I get a sample mockup of the background.  Zzzzz.  I'm just not sure how to come up with interesting details.

Would you find this character appealing to drive around in an adventure with light platforming elements?
Does it need a third color scheme?  A better hairstyle?
Suggestions on improving the character's design, or general character design tips?

Tourist

Offline NaCl

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Re: Stalling out on character design

Reply #1 on: August 28, 2010, 02:24:32 am
I think the character is fairly cool. I wouldn't suggest adding on a bunch of knick-knacks onto the character to try and make it more interesting, I'd just realize what you already have better. Get rid of that pose and render the character better and I think you'll like it too. Right now it just feels stiff and lifeless and a little bland because the details you have included are not yet realized, and the pose gives the character no life.

Offline Mathias

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Re: Stalling out on character design

Reply #2 on: August 28, 2010, 03:10:46 am
Very odd where you chose to put dark outlines, then not elsewhere.

That a cape?

Appealing you ask? Sure, she's decent, but more of a supportive NPC than the protagonist char. Needs more originality.

3rd color scheme? You mean 3rd ramp in it's palette? I for one am not a huge fan of the color scheme atm.

My video game women need to have cool hairstyles. Not a Natalie Portman fan here. Flowy hair to go with the flowy cape.
« Last Edit: August 28, 2010, 09:02:36 pm by Mathias »

Offline CharlesGabriel

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Re: Stalling out on character design

Reply #3 on: September 01, 2010, 12:19:51 am
I was thinking giving her more a touch of nature... say, having her have leaf wings and some branches around her legs or something... a lot of ideas you can get from the Legend of Zelda games, the 3D ones in which there are a lot of those elfish characters that live in the woods / etc. How is the design going on so far? I wanna see your latest update, and I will do an edit or something to improve the design if you haven't completed it.

Offline Tourist

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Re: Stalling out on character design

Reply #4 on: September 01, 2010, 01:34:34 am
Working on it now.  New pose.  Reworking the colors to add increase saturation a bit.  

Update:
Trying to work quickly, I didn't get as far as I had hoped.  New pose, increased saturation on the skin tones, both of which really help.  I really didn't get to try any variations of costume or hair.  Nor a chance to experiment with the outfit colors.  More work for tomorrow I guess.



The head is a copy-paste from the original, everything else is new.  The body is a little smaller than original, I'm not sure if that's better or worse, or even noticeable.  It's still rough pixels, I want to get happy with the design before doing anything more.

1 and 2) New pose with and without the wings.  The legs and feet are unfinished.  The hair is... a 5 minute job, it's junk.  She will definitely need an excuse for the wings to disappear or shrink when they are not being used.  Which also should make the animations easier.  And it does look too much like a cape at the moment.
3) No wings, no hair, no armbands, using the lighter colors for the leg bands.  I don't like it.
4) Harness over the torso.  Looks too much like a corset.
5) No skirt, just removed the skirt layer, raw pixels underneath.  This hips need to be a pixel or two wider, but the skirt covers that.  Looks too much like a Star Trek (TNG) jumpsuit.

Antifarea: Edit away.  The game setting is sci-fi rather than fantasy, but please don't let that stop you.

NaCl: Thanks for the response, I agree that accessories are not the way to go.  I think she needs one small pouch on the belt to break up the large skirt area, but no more.  I just realized I forgot to put that in (ugh).

All: I think this new version has gotten me over being bored with it, so thanks for the encouragement.  I don't think it's good yet, but I'm eager to improve it.  Rats, I'm out of time today.

Tourist
« Last Edit: September 01, 2010, 06:28:17 am by Tourist »

Offline Tourist

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Re: Stalling out on character design

Reply #5 on: September 03, 2010, 05:12:34 am
Another update.



I dithered the shirt and skirt to add texture.  I like the results, but it took a silly number of colors (7).  Does anyone know if dithering works when combined with animation or does it just read like noise?

Also trying out a few hairstyles.  I like the style in the second image the most so far, but it could just be that this was the one I spent the most time on.  I don't think the shaggy loose cut works at all for this character.  None of these are quite right.

More work to be done, suggestions or crits on the design are welcome.

Tourist

Offline kriss

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Re: Stalling out on character design

Reply #6 on: September 03, 2010, 05:24:44 am
If I can suggest : use more contrast and for hair, maybe use at least 4 colors. Test with a very lighted color in some part of the hair