AuthorTopic: [CC]Zeratul  (Read 2743 times)

Offline ZerotuL

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[CC]Zeratul

on: August 14, 2020, 10:57:08 am

Greetings. Few months pixling here :)
Seeking for help to improve it specifically and my technique in general.
Took me at least 50 hours,my biggest piece so far(120x180 canvas) a lot of experimenting and tons of tiny mechanics were learnt. Still have a lot to master. Will appreciate any feedback to boost improvements.
Department i still struggle in: Cloak and mask wrinkles, muscle elevations, properly angle some gear pieces, ray tracing(gem light spreading on nearest surfaces)
Alternative link:https://lospec.com/i/ngib
Deviant art profile link https://www.deviantart.com/zer0tul
« Last Edit: August 16, 2020, 10:19:30 pm by ZerotuL »

Offline BeWellAdjusted

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Re: [CC]Zeratul

Reply #1 on: August 20, 2020, 09:08:33 pm


i always do the cape last because i fill in the folds with a Checkered pattern for dramatic effect 

Offline SeDiceBisonte

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Re: [CC]Zeratul

Reply #2 on: August 26, 2020, 10:24:53 am
Is there a particular reference you're using? As someone who's not very familiar with Starcraft, it'd be helpful to see if you're working from something.

From a quick image search, it looks like the general silhouette is good. The arms, particularly the forearms, should probably be larger though.

You also have a lot of colours in there (I make it 71), many of which are very similar to each other. One of them is only used for a single pixel. You could strip a lot of those out (you could definitely more than halve the colour count) without any noticeable difference to the overall image. I also think you could boost the contrast a bit because it's looking a little flat. Zeratul looks to be quite muscular so you could really give some definition to the limbs. On that point, the brown bandages/rags wrapped around the limbs and torso should also be shaded according to the forms underneath. On the left hand side of the image, they're currently getting lighter when the thigh underneath is getting darker. You can absolutely still shade them so they have their own volume, but they should be contributing to the sense of the overall volume of the body as well.

As a final point, I think you could go bolder with the ridges on the head. They look quite pronounced on Google but it's another area where you're lacking contrast so they aren't standing out very well.

I hope that doesn't sound too negative. I think you've got a really good start here and it should be quite easy to refine it.  :)

Offline ZerotuL

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Re: [CC]Zeratul

Reply #3 on: August 31, 2020, 10:38:42 pm
Is there a particular reference you're using? As someone who's not very familiar with Starcraft, it'd be helpful to see if you're working from something.

From a quick image search, it looks like the general silhouette is good. The arms, particularly the forearms, should probably be larger though.

You also have a lot of colours in there (I make it 71), many of which are very similar to each other. One of them is only used for a single pixel. You could strip a lot of those out (you could definitely more than halve the colour count) without any noticeable difference to the overall image. I also think you could boost the contrast a bit because it's looking a little flat. Zeratul looks to be quite muscular so you could really give some definition to the limbs. On that point, the brown bandages/rags wrapped around the limbs and torso should also be shaded according to the forms underneath. On the left hand side of the image, they're currently getting lighter when the thigh underneath is getting darker. You can absolutely still shade them so they have their own volume, but they should be contributing to the sense of the overall volume of the body as well.

As a final point, I think you could go bolder with the ridges on the head. They look quite pronounced on Google but it's another area where you're lacking contrast so they aren't standing out very well.

I hope that doesn't sound too negative. I think you've got a really good start here and it should be quite easy to refine it.  :)
Wow, that's even more than i expected, at least from one person.The colour count is huge, i know(shrinked it to 71 from initial 200+ colors. I kept that much to save that detailed gem look)
Muscles, as i mentioned in my first post, is a struggle. Can't find a proper approach to them.
Even now as i look at it myself i notice where i can get improvements and i think i will revisit it sometimes later. Now i am busy with other SC char-Kerrigan

Much appreciated for feedback, it inspires me to continue.
« Last Edit: August 31, 2020, 10:40:20 pm by ZerotuL »