AuthorTopic: Qaz- Reborn  (Read 9116 times)

Offline Souly

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Qaz- Reborn

on: March 13, 2010, 09:58:05 pm

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3 years old to be speculating quite the eh jump I must say.
Struggling on the mask for some reason.
« Last Edit: March 13, 2010, 10:05:01 pm by Souly »

Offline Chris2balls

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Re: Qaz- Reborn

Reply #1 on: March 13, 2010, 10:14:52 pm
I think it's lost the old one's quirkiness: the pose is too natural, the high contrast is lost as well as the blockiness. The 3/4 view is quite boring, try and sketch a few other views on the character. Why have you changed the cloth/skin of the old one into soft (in shape) muscle? The new hand isn't very interesting make it do something.
That being said I like the new palette, and even if the muscles aren't supposed to be in the right place, I still think you should give a bit of logic (not perfect anatomy but suggest nevertheless the impression that the body can operate), especially on the arm.
I'll make an edit to see what I can do. I like the old piece, I just hope the redux will be better!
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Offline Souly

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Re: Qaz- Reborn

Reply #2 on: March 13, 2010, 10:46:42 pm

To be honest I'm more struggling with the mask, my mind is in the subject of 3/4 view mask... So I want to get the 3/4 done properly rather then avoid doing it.

I hated the blockyness, I also disliked the spread eagle pose, he had no hips.
Now I imagine him to be a black demon underneath a shape shifting scarf.

A straight jacket scarf if you may, it is not a hand, it is the scarf.
I don't really want it to for too much anatomy, the legs I went with muscles, not sure why but it happens, I haven't slept in two days.
Let me get back to you after I sleep.
« Last Edit: March 13, 2010, 10:48:24 pm by Souly »

Offline 7321551

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Re: Qaz- Reborn

Reply #3 on: March 14, 2010, 06:39:30 am
I really like it. Vast improvement over the previous version. I really like this sort-of work.

The mask is alright - it didn't jump out at me as flawed. Just a little wonky, I think?
Half-assed edit:

Offline Chris2balls

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Re: Qaz- Reborn

Reply #4 on: March 14, 2010, 11:15:20 am

The mask is grey because of the poor readability of my edit. I hope it helps.
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Offline Souly

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Re: Qaz- Reborn

Reply #5 on: March 14, 2010, 12:07:16 pm
Eh.. Chris, your edit is good and all, but you have made this character into a brute now and that's not what I really wanted.
You have also tried going with muscle texture and I dont like that either for the character, as it's supposed to be a cloth/straight jacket type deal, not just some skin tight material.
Also the goggles on your mask might help, right now Im drawing with a mouse still, have not gotten my tablet working recently.

I'm trying to avoid abandoning all style choices.
I also dont want the arm to show too much anatomy, I want it to still remain obviously a scarf.
Yours looks like an actual arm attached at the shoulder, and it makes me feel like the other arm is now missing because of it.



Your edit also loses a lot of the composition I had going on.
Your composition leads you to the top right and above his head, and then back down his arm.

In my piece you read it from left to right, following the scarf down to the hand, and then back into the leg and up into the body.
Making a circular composition going on.
« Last Edit: March 14, 2010, 12:26:25 pm by Souly »

Offline Conzeit

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Re: Qaz- Reborn

Reply #6 on: March 14, 2010, 02:24:16 pm
Souly, I too think you have lost the emotion the original version had, and I think it's much more important after reading your last post.  he should be anexpression of inadequacy and inmobility and you've sort of just made him cool with your new edit.

first thing I'd do is take your purple higlight a lot lower, it's contrasting too much and textures it like a wet surface such as exposed muscle and that's obviously not what you want. You also tweaked his pose balance to something reasembling a fighter stance and that REALLY doesnt help him, if you're gonna take him out of his old pose put him out of balance and perhaps even  deform him by making one limb bigger than the other. The bigest quarrel with his body and posture for me is that the new hand looks like out of a graffity and the gesture even makes it look like he might go "yo" on ya....while the old one was almost pulling him upwards, choking....if I were to tweak that old scarf, I'd make it look MORE like it's pulling up, like he's about to lose touch of the ground, and defintively give that hand a gesture far more involuntary gesture.


The new face is the one most noticeably inadequate because it looks just a synthetic and particularly inexpressive gasmask, while the original FEELS like a particularly telling face. The old mask had two eyes at different heights and with different heights, and several other features neither simetrical or functional that make it FEEL like a face even though it's obviously synthetic. One of the big features of the original is how both eyes are ponting FORWARD, like human eyes...the fact his eyes are more like bird eyes now makes it feel more like a mask. if I was you I'd focus my next edit in bringing the old one's qualities into these new requirements that you feel are closer to your original intentions.

I feel like you have a need to use real refferences for this gasmask, so I'm giving you this one cause it feels adequate for taking the simmetry out and make into an actual face

http://site.bestsafetyapparel.com/Images/HydraStorm-Gas-Masks-GMAK.jpg it's a REAL mask by the way, not sci-fi

Offline Souly

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Re: Qaz- Reborn

Reply #7 on: March 14, 2010, 03:28:18 pm
You make good points, but I dont get it.
Let me get this straight.  ???

You are telling me to re-make one of his limbs, longer. (An obvious mistake on my 3 year old self)
The old legs, were horrible in my opinion they showed no sense of balance.
And the pose was just a repeat of a pose I used a million times.

You are right, I don't use references ever.
And the mask definitely needs to be re-drawn.





The old mask was really just a cop-out of me wanting the piece to be done.
I did not like the squareness of it, same for the odd sized eyes.

I feel the new legs pose are made to feel like a fighter pose, because the scarf is shaped into a huge hand...
My intent was to make him seem fighting ready, like something that appears to be physically restricted but can still kill you.

He can control the scarf and take it off at any time, he isn't "restricted" it's simply the illusion of restriction.
It's just his source of power, I imagine the scarf to turn into things other than just a hand, I just chose a hand in this case.

I changed the highlight for you, like you had said it was too bright.
This is kind of what he looks like underneath the mask probably minus the goggles.

As for the design of the face underneath this character is my interpretation of my friends alter-ego QAZ.
So the face is designed the way he would have designed it, with a huge grin smile and big eyes.
« Last Edit: March 14, 2010, 03:58:53 pm by Souly »

Offline Chris2balls

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Re: Qaz- Reborn

Reply #8 on: March 14, 2010, 03:50:14 pm

I'm sorry if it's sloppy. I thought about what Conceit said and tried some things. I don't think that new face is good, it isn't as counter-expressive (and almost expressive) as the old gas mask. Make use of elements like pipes and canisters which are part of a gas mask and use them in an interesting way. I'm also missing the gritty feeling to the old piece. I know you want to create something new and different from this old piece, but you can't ignore some of its qualities which can be re-exploited.
Anyway, I'm looking forward to the way this piece takes!
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Offline Atnas

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Re: Qaz- Reborn

Reply #9 on: March 14, 2010, 03:55:20 pm
I think it's good that Souly is moving towards a cleaner look in both his execution and design! Most his older stuff is gritty to the point of messy. : D

Offline linx

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Re: Qaz- Reborn

Reply #10 on: March 14, 2010, 05:16:47 pm
Agreed Atnas, i actually like the emotion of the version in the first post better than the most recent one (By souly with the black mask). I'm loving the smoother look too!

Offline Jad

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Re: Qaz- Reborn

Reply #11 on: March 14, 2010, 05:22:38 pm
The fact that the older one is wonky, off-balance and looks completely kooky in the head adds to his appeal - and just cause you've used the pose until the point of being sick of it doesn't mean it doesn't help in that particular case.

BUT - the new one shows much more impressive dynamics and the scarf is awesome. Scarf fist is seriously one of the most awesome things I've seen in a while!
' _ '

Offline Souly

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Re: Qaz- Reborn

Reply #12 on: March 14, 2010, 09:17:27 pm
Thanks for the support guys.


Had the idea to perhaps make his legs and head a different color? Maybe not red, but perhaps a blue.

heh... still like the original, blue is meh the rest suck :P
« Last Edit: March 14, 2010, 10:07:49 pm by Souly »

Offline blumunkee

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Re: Qaz- Reborn

Reply #13 on: March 14, 2010, 09:30:00 pm
Had the idea to perhaps make his legs and head a different color? Maybe not red, but perhaps a blue.

That's the first thing I though when I saw this. I'd like to see some grays or whites thrown in. Maybe have the guy's flesh be purple and the straight jacket white/gray. Or give his flesh a dark fleshy color, or have sickly gray-green flesh. Orange is the complement of purple, maybe there's something there... But yeah, even with the hue shifts it's too monochromatic as it stands.

Offline infinitegames

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Re: Qaz- Reborn

Reply #14 on: March 14, 2010, 11:06:40 pm
Thanks for the support guys.


Had the idea to perhaps make his legs and head a different color? Maybe not red, but perhaps a blue.

heh... still like the original, blue is meh the rest suck :P

No, don't do it. I think the color is the best part about it.

Offline Photocopier

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Re: Qaz- Reborn

Reply #15 on: March 14, 2010, 11:09:35 pm
I'd do the jacket in a more creamy/clothy colour. That's what speaks straight jacket to me.

Offline CrazyMLC

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Re: Qaz- Reborn

Reply #16 on: March 14, 2010, 11:12:47 pm
I like the abstract feel of a purple jacket, personally. This is not a realistic piece, after all!
Just having purple made the character seem like a ghost, something that wasn't really there, something just tinted purple.
The one with the blue-er legs felt more real, more... tangible.
Depending on what you have in mind I think you should pick what you have now, or the one with the blue/grey flesh.

Offline Tuna Unleashed

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Re: Qaz- Reborn

Reply #17 on: March 15, 2010, 12:03:33 am
if you gave the red one a meatier feel it would look great imo

Offline Souly

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Re: Qaz- Reborn

Reply #18 on: March 15, 2010, 02:31:14 am

I liked the red to purple contrast.

Offline Conzeit

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Re: Qaz- Reborn

Reply #19 on: March 16, 2010, 12:18:46 am
you've got a new direction now but since you asked for clarification I made an edit

Offline 7321551

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Re: Qaz- Reborn

Reply #20 on: March 16, 2010, 12:44:16 am
The red lenses are nice. I preferred them when they were reflective, though (although the reflection could have probably been less symbolic).


Conceit's edit is a great mid-motion pose. Souly's is a great stationary pose.
My opinion sort-of depends on the intended result. What are you aiming for: a scene, a sprite, etc?
Right now you have a nice sprite going on.
« Last Edit: March 16, 2010, 12:49:39 am by 7321551 »