AuthorTopic: Sephiroth Advent Children  (Read 16625 times)

Offline Billeh

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Re: Sephiroth Advent Children

Reply #30 on: May 24, 2006, 09:52:13 pm
Yes what Adarias says is very valid (as is most of the other stuff he says). In this particular piece, to me it looks like the style is being used as a crutch.

Offline big brother

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Re: Sephiroth Advent Children

Reply #31 on: May 25, 2006, 03:03:18 pm
Think of every portfolio piece as a solution to an artistic problem. You're bringing flair to a subject while showcasing technique. Things like ninjas, robots, and fan art from x anime, all tend to be very easy solutions. Unless you can show a very different angle to them, they shouldn't be the backbone of your portfolio. Focus on original pieces and unusual designs,  because these will show you as an artist, not an imitator. Bringing life to mundane subjects is the skill of a good artist. In any portfolio, a cloud can tell me more about the artist than Cloud can.

sonic_reaper

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Re: Sephiroth Advent Children

Reply #32 on: May 25, 2006, 08:58:42 pm
I was going to edit it some to show that his right knee is still logically broken.  However after having loaded it into PSP and zooming in, I'm not touching that with a ten foot pole.

Offline Dhaos

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Re: Sephiroth Advent Children

Reply #33 on: May 26, 2006, 12:04:16 am
Hmm I've been following this thread and I want to see if I can piece together the crits that have been given:

[GENERAL CRITS]
-selout is too strong (possibly remove it)
-his proportions are bit too exaggerated
-pose is awkward (legs should be straighter?)
-hair flows unusually (similiar to that of tentacles/tendrills)
-sword was too long compared to offical art

[OTHER CRITS]
-sepiroth is a poor piece to be used for portfolio purposes
-squenix/final fantasy uses poor/exaggerate proportions/designs
-aethetics should overrule style/design

It would seem the primary purpose for his fighter sprite, of Sepiroth, was for a contest about Sepiroth (of which I am also participainting in). Almost all of the critiques in this thread appear to be geared toward porfolio bulding which was only the secondary purpose for this piece.

Coldmage initally set this thread up so he could get advice on how to improve his sprite *of* Sepiroth for the said contest. He has recieved about 4 general types of comments, each of which were repeated several times, regarding this (posted above).

He has recieved twice that in comments regarding 'sepiroth has a poor design, final fantasy 7 had a horrible art direction/proportoins etc.' and numerous comments regarding his porfolio. It would seem he could care less what other artists think of his porfolio... he just wants ideas on improving his sprite.

Many people enjoy the psudo-anime look while just as many others enjoy more normal traditional looks. I don't think it benefits anyone to criticize the proportions so long as they match the given style the artist was aiming for.

Here are some more comments on the sprite magey, I hope these actually help you:
-Since the sprite is set to match pixeltendo's background, the bg should have remained a solid dark color (removal of the transparent bg is reccomended.)
-Sepiroth's left foot should be further back to provide greater balance in his stance.
(however it is possible to stand like that, more or less a 'squat' position)
-Sepiroth's left tripcept appears disconnected from the body (as if it doesnt reach the lats)
(remedy by adding a few pixels on the left side of the tricept so it connects closer to the torso)
-Adding a few shines to his sword would make it appear more dynamic
-Consider removing 1px of the bottom edge of each shoe (it would make them more roundish)
-The shouldpads seem to be shaded somewhat oddly/messy. It is hard to dicern their exact shape in their current state of shading.
« Last Edit: May 26, 2006, 12:29:33 am by Dhaos »

sonic_reaper

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Re: Sephiroth Advent Children

Reply #34 on: May 26, 2006, 03:54:51 am
The stance just looks awkward to me.  Not that it's bad but it doesn't seem interesting in any sort of way.  There's no movement towards a constant.  What I mean by that is one focal area of the image where all momentum/energy is drawn towards.  For example in an image of a man running we would get a sense of momentum in the legs and arms, but at the same time, the body would also be moving forward -- all these key areas would be heading towards a specific constant.

Here Sephiroth has his hair moving in one direction.  His coat seems to blow blissfully in another.  His legs are moving apart and his arms are also moving in separate directions.  Aesthetically the stance is just not pleasing.

However I think with the amount of work you've already obviously put into this piece; that's quite a bold statement.  So I will say that you did a great job with the color selection and the shading is top notch too.

The stance is just not to my liking.

Offline The Cold Mage

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Re: Sephiroth Advent Children

Reply #35 on: May 26, 2006, 04:24:31 am
you know to be honest, i really didn't give the pose much thought. i just kinda threw some sketchy lines down and started shading everything in. i could have gone with the standard sephiroth pose where he stands up straight and holds the sword with both hands near his face, but even i felt like i could change it up a bit.