MangaRaiders

Manga Artists => Manga Art Gallery => Topic started by: L.K. [Taikichi] on July 22, 2013, 02:43:57 AM


------------------------------------------

If you have Login Problems Use the Login in Top Menu Bar


------------------------------------------
If you have a problem registering here, Leave a msg at our FB Page >> Here.

Plz Don't use Hotmail to Register. You might not receive Activation mail. Use Other free mail provider like Gmail or Yahoo.






Title: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: L.K. [Taikichi] on July 22, 2013, 02:43:57 AM
I've been here for a long time and most of the old links are broken. I think some people would still like to see how I've progressed so I'll repost the images. If a link breaks again (facebook links tend to expire) just tell me.

2010
The oldest image I can find on my hard drives.
Darlynne
(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/412062160823386122/481917800471068682/316551_208209859240088_5918947_n.jpg?width=506&height=676)
2011
Esashi
(https://scontent-dft4-3.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/226296_164985180229223_8185111_n.jpg?oh=ee0a528c331bd0310006b19d4c47b64a&oe=5AE4B574)
Josue
(https://scontent-dft4-3.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/227916_164991966895211_2019138_n.jpg?oh=921b5adae68feb4f48496ddf85806a99&oe=5AE6A37C)
Kesashi
(https://scontent-dft4-3.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/303908_231814393546301_581585571_n.jpg?oh=f3980890625497704154d68bb28929fe&oe=5B124894)
Esashi (a sprite made for animation)
(https://scontent-dft4-3.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/253647_169521243108950_2062503_n.jpg?oh=66126291291050e7601e0be68ace4a74&oe=5B24082E)
Ikaki (sketch)
(https://scontent-dft4-3.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/222710_164985476895860_8096602_n.jpg?oh=4f09f720d219112a168a92f1286c31b6&oe=5ADD8C39)
Ikaki (Vector)
(https://scontent-dft4-3.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/229310_167276200000121_1236211_n.jpg?oh=308c150a9e5b252e76942d50a6ef5cba&oe=5ADF51D4)
RPG Warrior
(https://scontent-dft4-3.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/301410_208209899240084_2237181_n.jpg?oh=1c4b542b2b57cde54d0476e42a6cf7ac&oe=5B239084)
Love
(https://scontent-dft4-3.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t31.0-8/330424_208243045903436_5856045_o.jpg?oh=981ffc1286d8ec84d27a5f2f8e92a9b7&oe=5B261667)
RPG Class
(https://scontent-dft4-3.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/316982_208209799240094_2751490_n.jpg?oh=d4ff6612c4c9208e941fa5c9059f95a9&oe=5B19591C)
Edgy Sketch
(https://scontent-dft4-3.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/317398_217611434966597_1830129176_n.jpg?oh=38f15385a7f1aeda8745ba51efdd52f7&oe=5ADA32BC)
Edgy Vector
(https://scontent-dft4-3.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/293541_217611488299925_249114423_n.jpg?oh=d844a5e3a7078f78555f902497b5efae&oe=5B1C612A)
Robot Parts
(https://scontent-dft4-3.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/300906_232292553498485_602560030_n.jpg?oh=a96598307e31f11ec509516af12a7e48&oe=5B1DD1E5)
2012
Much of my vector art was traced on top of a proffesional artist's piece at this time.
Traced
(https://scontent-dft4-3.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/429797_294789880582085_1388185054_n.jpg?oh=29f623205962eefe6f74e5729d639b14&oe=5ADF9AA4)
Traced
(https://scontent-dft4-3.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t31.0-8/s960x960/336886_273962445998162_177796327_o.jpg?oh=5c8cc7e8feaa2aaa50925a47f69f1d4b&oe=5B1726FD)
Traced
(https://scontent-dft4-3.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t31.0-8/s960x960/336780_274092712651802_1540408417_o.jpg?oh=43f548e6dad76a4ad1e492a1f89a3cbc&oe=5ADB4E82)
Traced
(https://scontent-dft4-3.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t31.0-8/s960x960/323301_273528986041508_1147125861_o.jpg?oh=df5e553c52703d7de547b9ffe254ff15&oe=5B10A970)
Traced
(https://scontent-dft4-3.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/407242_271643576230049_1401263129_n.jpg?oh=327215647848b5c95cc3548480f86cba&oe=5B181041)
Traced
(https://scontent-dft4-3.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/388239_270387103022363_112566483_n.jpg?oh=effc652af60358b13ecf9d689be668f1&oe=5B23C080)
Taikichi
(https://scontent-dft4-3.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/422321_394594717268267_2108955220_n.jpg?oh=7df3026b7a693261c640de989dbb8440&oe=5B21FD3C)
Comic Book Sketch (When you see it)
(https://scontent-dft4-3.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/580879_395515510509521_411730112_n.jpg?oh=161f8f65b9959ab3ffca5585126f4357&oe=5AE57B6A)
Comic Book Sketch 2
(https://scontent-dft4-3.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/185814_395515097176229_936824260_n.jpg?oh=ff20232cd20b318bb4a62f4368469b30&oe=5ADE7BFF)
Comic Book Vector
(https://scontent-dft4-3.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t31.0-8/256487_395712853823120_243315076_o.jpg?oh=5d988c9d8a3c02fbacac555c9f492ff3&oe=5B1275E1)
Fiesta Online Fan Art
(https://scontent-dft4-3.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/205380_374140215980384_1870502783_n.jpg?oh=58ec1d600016382f65508afd1c19dffb&oe=5AE363C1)
Moline Sketch
(https://scontent-dft4-3.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/524554_394594620601610_1073706048_n.jpg?oh=f2ac232a61a734089c95fc642edddff3&oe=5AD95082)
Moline Vector
(https://scontent-dft4-3.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/524459_394594527268286_1863249854_n.jpg?oh=f8f161da71ea68d96df8a868c511f6d5&oe=5ADB5361)
Shundai
(https://scontent-dft4-3.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/422265_396260180435054_2030292558_n.jpg?oh=5879836997eac3706da0e69dec1f596b&oe=5B13F708)
It's for the church
(https://scontent-dft4-3.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/555759_396494250411647_338670919_n.jpg?oh=70ef4c650421922d15b0edf1966e8f8b&oe=5B170B67)
Demica
(https://scontent-dft4-3.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/36622_427488097312262_1140946522_n.jpg?oh=825ef06dd798b650d57a797f152cf609&oe=5B25C5AC)
2013 (When I Joined MR)
A Map
(https://scontent-dft4-3.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t31.0-8/1078567_550988074962263_1500908262_o.jpg?oh=39d2ae1c6c98b3c06564bf5cc2152988&oe=5B15AD01)
Nameless
(https://scontent-dft4-3.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/1186757_556256457768758_60097728_n.jpg?oh=f64316cc74de218d4d79895a4aa482ae&oe=5AE674F8)
My first colored pencil portrait
(https://scontent-dft4-3.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/1075829_545365355524535_597971573_n.jpg?oh=2aa01985126b2a116efa41b5849bddf0&oe=5B1DD940)
King
(https://scontent-dft4-3.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/555363_564297793631291_675828776_n.jpg?oh=7d445290c7a232461316089621183273&oe=5AE394EE)
Ella Mental
(https://scontent-dft4-3.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t31.0-8/1267672_575116259216111_1052002614_o.jpg?oh=ae7e2fe9490515dba766745df5d13b06&oe=5B1E9294)
The Lords
(https://scontent-dft4-3.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/1157744_556553967739007_1964001891_n.jpg?oh=d0bc7d8d7c90b1a9a2866f710fb06462&oe=5B204DCA)
Improvement Checkpoint
(https://scontent-dft4-3.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/1491605_619260251468378_339883137_n.jpg?oh=6708d7ed9946a65a36d666d91bf214cd&oe=5AE27FF3)
Tera
(https://scontent-dft4-3.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/734518_615092215218515_1503761105_n.jpg?oh=23eee4a5c5eab2b781fcd84a4aed8ed4&oe=5AD9EBE0)
Julian
(https://scontent-dft4-3.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/1458485_592421147485622_1200956766_n.jpg?oh=d6c08e7752f1340576e7131f2ee33143&oe=5B1C0444)
The Teacher
(https://scontent-dft4-3.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/1383341_577753112285759_929900938_n.jpg?oh=8b835d50c34a654ed7a2b181e97842a1&oe=5B17B1C9)
Face in profile
(https://scontent-dft4-3.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/1075886_542683085792762_1462205155_n.jpg?oh=695a1962be345bb515486309465a6098&oe=5B19307D)
First Drawing at MR
(https://scontent-dft4-3.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/1005211_542683082459429_420418843_n.jpg?oh=73ceb999a4448bf06bb94bb2d7ae4f1a&oe=5AE68688)
Comic Book in Colored Pencil
(https://scontent-dft4-3.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/945783_549942111733526_1463813641_n.jpg?oh=8883763c26bb4b22471c42c232251b8e&oe=5ADA7261)
Comic Book in Colored Pencil 2
(https://scontent-dft4-3.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/998066_549942035066867_1900935789_n.jpg?oh=1684d41df0149d45d58069e35ee72ce1&oe=5B1B94F7)
Comic Book in Colored Pencil 3
(https://scontent-dft4-3.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/988283_549942041733533_2135912614_n.jpg?oh=8924e18965f7caee0f44f2f9279fadc7&oe=5B1F90E6)
Fight Scene
(https://scontent-dft4-3.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/305798_503667446360993_1283143595_n.jpg?oh=f6919e341c774bc20114ed6f13b4319d&oe=5AE41C19)
Esashi as a girl
(https://scontent-dft4-3.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/1016326_545247458869658_1702166713_n.jpg?oh=c20014af344d7564468a8556543b4a38&oe=5AE7D9B5)
Spoiler
(https://scontent-dft4-3.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t31.0-8/966357_511808565546881_1279194556_o.jpg?oh=707a307498bd2791372c27ee0fefa47e&oe=5B218E85)
2014
Not actually sisters
(https://scontent-dft4-3.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/10690301_755244011203334_2071217199674274742_n.jpg?oh=2ed3dbf98afbaf15a70efdf0029c3317&oe=5AE38DB1)
Colored Pencil Comic Book
(http://memberfiles.freewebs.com/26/20/44652026/photos/undefined/Comicstrip1.jpg)
Colored Pencil Comic Book 2
(http://memberfiles.freewebs.com/26/20/44652026/photos/undefined/Comicstrip2.jpg)
Colored Pencil Comic Book 3
(http://memberfiles.freewebs.com/26/20/44652026/photos/undefined/Comicstrip3.jpg)
Colored Pencil Comic Book 4
(http://memberfiles.freewebs.com/26/20/44652026/photos/undefined/Comicstrip4.jpg)
Daniela
(http://memberfiles.freewebs.com/26/20/44652026/photos/undefined/Daniela_0001.jpg)
Figure Drawing
(https://scontent-dft4-3.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/10494838_715151678545901_3724695041210856318_n.jpg?oh=a45176fa824c5d7ca4ccae0f0ff000be&oe=5ADF6752)
Fight Scene
(https://scontent-dft4-3.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/10405649_705700836157652_8233706881662591119_n.jpg?oh=b5161cc1666d9be9aafba07e6030880a&oe=5B1FA1F5)
Esashi embracing her heritage
(https://scontent-dft4-3.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/10653717_741680909226311_1718644034915497850_n.jpg?oh=85bc76f4bdd72fb63e91b2a2e73ef07e&oe=5AE106C7)
New costume for Esashi
(https://scontent-dft4-3.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/10570329_724121410982261_7280346328428507214_n.jpg?oh=1047d3662350285c41adeb46d1d8b295&oe=5AD8CEED)
Colored Pencil Portrait of Esashi
(https://scontent-dft4-3.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t31.0-8/10575349_727089754018760_9159669966310463020_o.jpg?oh=451a13132dbdfa69fbe18d8fd7f4742e&oe=5B13E511)
Chibi Esashi
(https://scontent-dft4-3.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/10440264_701709109890158_6547821521404346029_n.jpg?oh=a46b8ff237875b0c118193e40b9438f9&oe=5AE6A2E5)
Gemstones
(https://scontent-dft4-3.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t31.0-8/10348929_795848860476182_1913709017345138967_o.jpg?oh=8dc57c7c619a601b8cafc4bdf0ccdf28&oe=5B266DDD)
Esashi
(https://scontent-dft4-3.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/10897113_804324442961957_8877863299791379321_n.jpg?oh=6f06816adfad09e85baea4a089b322d8&oe=5B18C2CB)
Jesus
(https://scontent-dft4-3.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t31.0-8/10604701_774498762611192_4423574456293978952_o.jpg?oh=4a49ddc4f7e5865bba2344380f300b98&oe=5AE50AFB)
2015
Reina
(http://memberfiles.freewebs.com/26/20/44652026/photos/undefined/Lunatic%20Image.png)
Colored Pencil Art
(http://memberfiles.freewebs.com/26/20/44652026/photos/undefined/IMG_0005.jpg)
The Virgin Mary
(http://memberfiles.freewebs.com/26/20/44652026/photos/IMG_20151213_023229.jpg)
Edgy Heart
(https://scontent-dft4-3.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/10343011_811204295607305_8039730231444888506_n.jpg?oh=c9189a8dae9d56baf6f42c69f70116a2&oe=5ADF8B0B)
Spoiler
(https://scontent-dft4-3.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/10933846_816673645060370_2045211216603308537_n.jpg?oh=b7692ce797e14a89593d5c062afb96a6&oe=5B1EDEA4)
Spoiler
(https://scontent-dft4-3.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/10384353_817302638330804_4155007273641705460_n.jpg?oh=7ea8eb8f757113753da43726838a16f1&oe=5B171E8F)
A Self Portrait
Both Characters are a portrait of me.
(https://scontent-dft4-3.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/10407829_841475595913508_5698632613556853099_n.jpg?oh=06f07d8608d4447e5ab7050908e3d748&oe=5ADD3325)
Spoiler
(https://scontent-dft4-3.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/11010289_871833419544392_4928200916474215920_n.jpg?oh=6779bcfd0ef0b9e42dd1ece2eefc4acf&oe=5B19CFAB)
2016
Gemstones
(http://memberfiles.freewebs.com/26/20/44652026/photos/undefined/IMG_20160104_201959.jpg)
Esashi Again
(http://memberfiles.freewebs.com/26/20/44652026/photos/undefined/IMG_0028.jpg)
Tara
(http://memberfiles.freewebs.com/26/20/44652026/photos/undefined/Tarabera.jpg)
Tara
(http://memberfiles.freewebs.com/26/20/44652026/photos/undefined/TaraDesuChan.jpg)
Colored Pencil Portrait (Taikichi)
(http://memberfiles.freewebs.com/26/20/44652026/photos/undefined/IMG%202.jpg)
Colored Pencil Portrait (Tara)
(http://memberfiles.freewebs.com/26/20/44652026/photos/undefined/IMG%203.jpg)
Caroline
(http://memberfiles.freewebs.com/26/20/44652026/photos/undefined/IMG_0030_2.jpg)
Comic Book
(http://memberfiles.freewebs.com/26/20/44652026/photos/undefined/StoryBoard.jpg)
2017
New Media
(https://scontent-dft4-3.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t31.0-8/21055855_1501790093215385_7445182419932238125_o.jpg?oh=8855e2703e755567b90dabcda0e3c5b3&oe=5B1E715D)
New Art Style
(https://scontent-dft4-3.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/22788930_1552994128094981_7532586035086423896_n.jpg?oh=ac4c41c6030b86afca33aaa485ca05dd&oe=5ADD1006)
Portrait of a friend drawn from life
(https://scontent-dft4-3.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/18921891_1423355621058833_1325774360061656094_n.jpg?oh=fcb5656cf0ccb5a831179335b79f47b7&oe=5B10B67B)
Jeremy
(https://scontent-dft4-2.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t31.0-8/19221518_1433291123398616_1927450605558160071_o.jpg?oh=0c48c89b65b8b67e17ca4f9af72a6572&oe=5B16E7CC)
Spoiler
(https://scontent-dft4-3.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/16142963_1288800727847657_4616804474486115203_n.jpg?oh=6f7707f47e76ec5dcde75cf2566db74f&oe=5B15B53D)
The Vision
(https://scontent-dft4-3.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t31.0-8/18880068_1420777871316608_6249356652709127365_o.jpg?oh=bf72581cbf17d61bb1f21276dd777a0e&oe=5B110307)
The Game
(https://scontent-dft4-3.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t31.0-8/18880201_1419668408094221_7063202281529502410_o.jpg?oh=e1fe15ea162f0ad6c5fea110133b9b92&oe=5B1F087C)
2018
Spoiler
(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/298646084853694464/409304205040549900/Oblivia.png?width=800&height=686)
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: Maihime on July 22, 2013, 02:45:08 PM
Hmm i'm no proffesh, but one thing I can say throughout your veeeerry many pics is.. Anatomy!
Keep working on it! You're doing good ;) ::)  :frown:
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: L.K. [Taikichi] on July 22, 2013, 02:59:34 PM
I did notice that so i've recently started mapping out my character and their anatomy before i draw. The stick figure and circles stuff. I'd normally draw head down or foot up which i guess explains the extreme inconsistency of my work in comic sketches
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: Echo_River on July 22, 2013, 03:00:59 PM
Yeah, what Mai said. Anatomy overall. You've got the idea. It's was great in the light and shadow digital pic (my favourite out of all).

Have you learned off any books?
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: L.K. [Taikichi] on July 22, 2013, 03:19:10 PM
Yeah, what Mai said. Anatomy overall. You've got the idea. It's was great in the light and shadow digital pic (my favourite out of all).

Have you learned off any books?

Thank you, i haven't ready any books for drawing, but i have watched a few videos
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: Maihime on July 22, 2013, 03:21:26 PM
Ah i see
Quote from: lordkesashi link=topic=8240.msg148643#msg148643 date=137451 ::)9574
I did notice that so i've recently started mapping out my character and their anatomy before i draw. The stick figure and circles stuff. I'd normally draw head down or foot up which i guess explains the extreme inconsistency of my work in comic sketches
Mmm I began doing the same,although i hate it,it does help..well just keep practising
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: L.K. [Taikichi] on July 22, 2013, 06:25:22 PM
Ah i see
Quote from: lordkesashi link=topic=8240.msg148643#msg148643 date=137451 ::)9574
I did notice that so i've recently started mapping out my character and their anatomy before i draw. The stick figure and circles stuff. I'd normally draw head down or foot up which i guess explains the extreme inconsistency of my work in comic sketches
Mmm I began doing the same,although i hate it,it does help..well just keep practising

Yeah it does help but it normally seems so useless and makes drawing such a hassle I would end up with a sketchbook full of pictures I'll never finish. Its really great for when I'm trying to draw the same character constantly with correct proportions to show off multiple costume designs. But I've never really used it to its full potential I've mostly used it to help understand how to draw a certain pose i want to draw.
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: lasthope2300 on July 22, 2013, 09:52:47 PM
Aughhhhh!!!!! That profile pic is the same one I use for a music site! Wow...never thought I'd see someone else with it. I agree with Maihime. Anatomy all the way man. :biggrin: :thumbsup:
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: Zealapeal on July 22, 2013, 10:21:48 PM
Yeah it does help but it normally seems so useless and makes drawing such a hassle I would end up with a sketchbook full of pictures I'll never finish. Its really great for when I'm trying to draw the same character constantly with correct proportions to show off multiple costume designs. But I've never really used it to its full potential I've mostly used it to help understand how to draw a certain pose i want to draw.

Huhu~, I see this once again.

Guidelines are necessary. You need them. They are very far from useless, and I want to start to drill that into your head a little bit.

I was exactly where you were - I thought they were useless as well. I never saw the point of them. But now, I can't stop using them; I need them! Without them, my figures would look close, but not perfect. The human brain is very powerful in picking up these subtleties of what is good and what is not; what looks right and what looks wrong.

Is it a hassle at first? Sure. But you'll soon learn that it becomes far from a hassle, and rather a time saver, when you start putting your characters in very difficult poses. Those little preliminary sketches made of guidelines, sticks, and basic shapes will save you a load of frustration.

Perhaps you do not understand their use now. But you will, given time. Especially once you start delving into anatomy, proportions, figure drawing, etc.

Good luck, young warrior. Keep drawing.
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: L.K. [Taikichi] on July 23, 2013, 03:02:48 PM
Yeah it does help but it normally seems so useless and makes drawing such a hassle I would end up with a sketchbook full of pictures I'll never finish. Its really great for when I'm trying to draw the same character constantly with correct proportions to show off multiple costume designs. But I've never really used it to its full potential I've mostly used it to help understand how to draw a certain pose i want to draw.

Huhu~, I see this once again.

Guidelines are necessary. You need them. They are very far from useless, and I want to start to drill that into your head a little bit.

I was exactly where you were - I thought they were useless as well. I never saw the point of them. But now, I can't stop using them; I need them! Without them, my figures would look close, but not perfect. The human brain is very powerful in picking up these subtleties of what is good and what is not; what looks right and what looks wrong.

Is it a hassle at first? Sure. But you'll soon learn that it becomes far from a hassle, and rather a time saver, when you start putting your characters in very difficult poses. Those little preliminary sketches made of guidelines, sticks, and basic shapes will save you a load of frustration.

Perhaps you do not understand their use now. But you will, given time. Especially once you start delving into anatomy, proportions, figure drawing, etc.

Good luck, young warrior. Keep drawing.

I'll take your word for it. I hope it'll also help to start drawing a wire frame for my backgrounds.
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: L.K. [Taikichi] on July 25, 2013, 06:43:49 AM
My new anatomy frame

(https://fbcdn-sphotos-a-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/q71/s720x720/999076_544877458906658_1986997789_n.jpg)
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: L.K. [Taikichi] on July 25, 2013, 07:50:46 AM
Complete Version:

(https://fbcdn-sphotos-d-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-frc1/q71/s720x720/1000295_544894008905003_440315722_n.jpg)
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: David2302 on July 25, 2013, 08:15:59 AM
Your drawings are very good! :thumbsup:  if you will look at the first drawings you posted,
the top of the head is too big...

this last drawing is the best! it will be better if you add shadows, it will be perfect  :D
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: L.K. [Taikichi] on July 25, 2013, 04:12:55 PM
I haven't critiqued anyone in a while, so here's a critique;

The first thing i immediately noticed is this. You have a natural "lean" towards the left side. What this essentially means is, that you're drawings are crooked/leaning. A good way to fix this however, is that whenever you start your figure drawing, you should establish a line of gravity using a ruler.

Second is, anatomy. Now, i realise that you're drawing in a stylised mannor, so what i say may not apply 100%.
When drawing a figure, it is best to construct a basic skeleton to work from. This will allos you to create a more, anatomically correct figure without it looking flat, and will help you understand how to fully draw poses out. The box technique is good, however i opt for a different way.
Also - The arm is drawn wrong. The left hand would not be able to hold the axe properly at that angle.
(http://i1146.photobucket.com/albums/o521/jamieboy3/crit1.jpg?t=1374777703)


https://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/q72/s720x720/1075886_542683085792762_1462205155_n.jpg
This was done very quickly, so the drawing quality isn't the best. The main point i'm trying to show is construction, not the finished product. :)

This face has allot of errors. I feel it may be beneficial for me to critique this too.
The first and most evident problem with the face here, is that i don't think you've used any construction lines to create it, and instead you suffered from symbol drawing. When creating any face, we begin with the oval, and then, with this particular view, we place a smaller oval/circle in the middle.
We then, cut our initial oval in half, creating our x and y axis.
The X axis that we have drawn becomes our brow line.
Next, we draw the base of our face. I usually start this where teh X axis hits the big circle/oval. (Marked in pink)
After this, we then begin to illustrate where our jaw is, i usually do this using the Y axis, where the line hits the lowest oval. (marked in gren.)
Spoiler
(http://i1146.photobucket.com/albums/o521/jamieboy3/part1.jpg?t=1374692259)(http://i1146.photobucket.com/albums/o521/jamieboy3/part2.jpg?t=1374692281)

Great, now we have the base of our head! Now we can add details.
I'll start with the nose and ear. The ear is pretty self explanatory, and is placed in our mini circle! :P
The nose is easy in this view. To start off with placement, we draw a triangle. This allows us to see the rough shape and size of the nose, and can be drawn lightly, multiple times inorder to see what size looks best. (I usually guestimate. :P)
Eye is explained in picture. The eye is usually drawn smaller in realism.
Now for lips. The lips must be drawn where the jaw-line meets the skull, and in realism, it's height is half the distance between the eyes and nose.
Spoiler
(http://i1146.photobucket.com/albums/o521/jamieboy3/part3.jpg?t=1374779818)
We're almost finished!
Now, all we have to do, is establish are chin and jaw line properly. This isn't difficult, and like lips, can be drawn in many ways.
Practice makes perfect.
Spoiler
(http://i1146.photobucket.com/albums/o521/jamieboy3/part4-2.jpg?t=1374780512)

So, after all this, we can then commence to clean up, add hair and other fun details
Hope this was helpful, and here's to see the difference =
Spoiler
(http://i1146.photobucket.com/albums/o521/jamieboy3/fin-1.jpg?t=1374781245)

Note - I messed up part of the nose. (The nostril.) It's not usualyl that wide, but it's not an important part of the lesson, so i'm too lazy to change it.

Thanks, but for a few critiques on the first image (the school girl with the axe) I was attempting to show the angle and perspective of her arm because the handle of the axe is slanted forward in the Z axis. But i did fix a lot of things in the digital version. I tried to remove that slant but after a while anime studio starts to lag because it renders things ahead of time so i started to get lazy. I'll try to move her hand to the left because now i really see how exaggerated the perspective is.

And thank you so much for the help on the realistic face design. I knew there were a lot of problems on that one because i did it without an actual picture of a person. Part of the lean you see is that i scan the pictures without taking them out of the sketchbook which makes it difficult to align it correctly.

(https://sphotos-b-dfw.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn1/q71/s720x720/1016351_545109112216826_987638546_n.jpg)
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: L.K. [Taikichi] on July 25, 2013, 04:37:34 PM
A few things are still off because i haven't done any measurements but i'll probably work on that later

-Fixed the position of her arm

-Tilted the image gently to counteract the tilt of image traced over.

wasn't sure what to do with the thumb though Since i flipped her hand when i moved it to the other side i needed to keep the thumb on the same side.

(https://sphotos-b-dfw.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-frc1/q71/s720x720/1003333_545117878882616_2093521015_n.jpg)
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: L.K. [Taikichi] on July 25, 2013, 08:51:41 PM
-I attempted to center the head
-worked on the position of her eyes and parts of her face.


(https://fbcdn-sphotos-b-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/q71/s720x720/1016326_545247458869658_1702166713_n.jpg)
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: L.K. [Taikichi] on July 26, 2013, 03:20:20 AM
Here's my actual first attempt at a realistic face.

This image i did without any guidelines or anything if i remember correctly. I believe i just started out with a head shape and worked up from there. Its based off a random image of a girl i found on google images. The angle and positioning is loyal to that image except for her clothes, eye color, and hair color.

I know already, the eyes are too big, the nose is too small, the angle and perspective might not be properly expressed. Shading is a bit challenged, and i was just experimenting with the gleam in her hair, you can see what i learned from it in the image of the blonde girl, its much more well done.

(https://sphotos-a-dfw.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn2/q83/s720x720/1075829_545365355524535_597971573_n.jpg)
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: WatcherOfSky on July 26, 2013, 05:31:33 AM
Looks yummy.

No seriously, she does.
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: David2302 on July 30, 2013, 10:12:50 AM
That is ALLOT better then the others!!
Very good!  :thumbsup:   :D
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: everlastin01 on July 30, 2013, 06:16:56 PM
You go Kesashi!

not trying to be mean or anything, but why is the nose flat and not at a slight angle with the mouth? it may be why the nose looks a bit small
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: L.K. [Taikichi] on August 03, 2013, 04:58:29 AM
You go Kesashi!

not trying to be mean or anything, but why is the nose flat and not at a slight angle with the mouth? it may be why the nose looks a bit small

There's some slight shading on the nose that the scanner didn't pick up. My brother had advised me to make the nose look less flat but after a certain point i no longer wanted to touch the picture.
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: L.K. [Taikichi] on August 03, 2013, 05:50:48 AM
Since i haven't drawn anything recently i'll keep you all entertained with an old manga i drew. There are about 10 pages. This is pretty old and i know there are about a million things horribly wrong with it.

I apologize that although the pictures are read left to right the dialog boxes might be a little mixed up because of the position I had the characters drawn in.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Page 1

(https://fbcdn-sphotos-b-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/q80/s720x720/945783_549942111733526_1463813641_n.jpg)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Page 2

(https://sphotos-a-dfw.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/q81/s720x720/998066_549942035066867_1900935789_n.jpg)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Page 3

(https://sphotos-b-dfw.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn2/q77/s720x720/988283_549942041733533_2135912614_n.jpg)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Page 4

(https://sphotos-a-dfw.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-frc1/q79/s720x720/1003497_549942038400200_1196812697_n.jpg)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Page 5

(https://sphotos-a-dfw.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-frc3/q77/s720x720/988274_549948641732873_2097970460_n.jpg)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Page 6

(https://fbcdn-sphotos-c-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/q81/s720x720/523408_549947595066311_1268739193_n.jpg)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Page 7 (* That should say "He's standing on my sister Ella" *)

(https://sphotos-a-dfw.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/q77/s720x720/564191_549947591732978_451670023_n.jpg)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Page 8

(https://sphotos-b-dfw.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/q84/s720x720/1003185_549954241732313_876985805_n.jpg)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Page 9

(https://fbcdn-sphotos-f-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn1/q81/s720x720/1012251_549954235065647_2086603033_n.jpg)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Page 10 (* Temporarily *)

(https://fbcdn-sphotos-g-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/q80/s720x720/9097_549954218398982_1627471334_n.jpg)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Page 11

(https://sphotos-b-dfw.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/q71/s720x720/998595_549955071732230_294674198_n.jpg)


Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: L.K. [Taikichi] on August 03, 2013, 06:23:33 PM
I should add that most of my early artwork originated from comic books that i had drawn. As a result the characters were never too extraordinary such as the main villain Curse is just a guy with white hair, white eyes and black skin. Hes not wearing any extraordinary clothes or anything. The characters were designed as simple as possible  because i knew i'd have to draw them over and over again so only recently have i started designing special outfits like their school uniforms and such.

Here's an even older comic that was meant to bring the viewer deeper into the adventurer lifestyle in Sentieria. The curses do some random thing to cause chaos, the adventurers who were usually Esashi's group come and stop them. Of course when this comic was drawn the character Esashi was a boy. I changed him to a girl last year so his character wouldn't be so simple as the average cocky male warrior.

I'm going to be honest comic books where how i learned about my own characters. Because i usually came up with things on the spot, just drawing whatever came to my mind without any kind of outline or prewriting.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Page 1

(https://sphotos-b-dfw.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-frc3/q77/s720x720/971213_550177658376638_942714661_n.jpg)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Page 2

(https://fbcdn-sphotos-h-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/q77/s720x720/9075_550177581709979_1127271186_n.jpg)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Page 3 (* they're *)

(https://fbcdn-sphotos-a-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-frc1/q74/s720x720/1004643_550177591709978_247886887_n.jpg)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Page 4

(https://fbcdn-sphotos-g-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-frc1/q79/s720x720/581697_550177598376644_712673643_n.jpg)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Page 5

(https://sphotos-b-dfw.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/q75/s720x720/994532_550179075043163_1761081750_n.jpg)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Page 6

(https://fbcdn-sphotos-b-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn2/q72/s720x720/970302_550179071709830_976769349_n.jpg)


Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: L.K. [Taikichi] on August 08, 2013, 02:10:44 AM
(https://sphotos-a-dfw.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn2/q71/s720x720/1149069_552029238191480_943346450_n.jpg)

Finished the picture of Lord kesashi  ;D
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: Callesthe on August 08, 2013, 05:08:41 AM
Your drawing looks very nice! I really like the character design. Take notice that his right shoulder (our left) is a tad broader than his other shoulder. Also, don't be afraid to use more shadows, and maybe even some highlights if you think bigger shadows make your drawing too dark. I hope this helped, it's a very sweet drawing c:
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: L.K. [Taikichi] on August 08, 2013, 02:37:59 PM
Your drawing looks very nice! I really like the character design. Take notice that his right shoulder (our left) is a tad broader than his other shoulder. Also, don't be afraid to use more shadows, and maybe even some highlights if you think bigger shadows make your drawing too dark. I hope this helped, it's a very sweet drawing c:

Thank you  :hmm: I'll see what i can do to fix that. With anime studio it might be easier to just add more shading.
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: L.K. [Taikichi] on August 08, 2013, 05:30:59 PM
Update:

(https://sphotos-a-dfw.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/q71/s720x720/537173_552324348161969_353610157_n.jpg)

Forgot to change the shading on a few parts...
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: L.K. [Taikichi] on August 09, 2013, 03:32:01 AM
World map for Sentieria

(http://sentieria-legends-online.webs.com/photos/Sentieria/World%20Map.jpg)

Highest resolution version
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: L.K. [Taikichi] on August 09, 2013, 03:33:59 AM
(https://fbcdn-sphotos-f-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn2/q71/s720x720/971785_550988074962263_1500908262_n.jpg)

Facebook resolution
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: KagePen on August 09, 2013, 05:36:16 AM
Man, maps make me so excited!  :biggrin: Nice work! :thumbsup:
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: L.K. [Taikichi] on August 10, 2013, 02:18:04 PM
Man, maps make me so excited!  :biggrin: Nice work! :thumbsup:

thanks man  ;D I just love making maps.

Just as so you guys know the continents are meant to spell out the name of the world with their first letter(Sentieria).

Sentera
Enceedra
Nypheria
Thynaria
Iseria
Era
Rashia
Ierleria
Arashnia

These names aren't based off any kind of word or anything I usually just tried to see what syllables i could put together in my head to make up a name. I know Iseria and Ierleria don't really count as continents since they're just big islands but i'm gonna call them continents anyway.
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: L.K. [Taikichi] on August 12, 2013, 05:02:36 AM
Just to show off the distribution of powers for anybody interested in the actual series of Sentieria

(http://memberfiles.freewebs.com/26/20/44652026/photos/undefined/Distribution%20of%20Powers.jpg)
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: L.K. [Taikichi] on August 17, 2013, 12:08:59 AM
I'm working on a new realistic portrait. It's based on a picture of Jodelle Ferland, but it's meant to be one of my  characters.

(http://memberfiles.freewebs.com/26/20/44652026/photos/Taikichi_0001.jpg)
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: L.K. [Taikichi] on August 17, 2013, 02:22:04 AM
Some more anime studio work:

(this is what Curses look like)
(https://sphotos-a-dfw.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/s720x720/309923_511827068878364_210367105_n.jpg)

Lord King
(https://fbcdn-sphotos-d-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn2/q71/s720x720/1187276_556282031099534_1632720707_n.jpg)
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: L.K. [Taikichi] on August 17, 2013, 05:37:51 PM
Concept art for Lord King and Lord Kesashi

(https://sphotos-a-dfw.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn2/q73/s720x720/1157744_556553967739007_1964001891_n.jpg)
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: L.K. [Taikichi] on August 24, 2013, 07:07:27 PM
The Firstborn daughter of Curse: Ella Mental

(https://fbcdn-sphotos-a-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-frc1/q77/s720x720/1001267_559642940763443_2132284544_n.jpg)

She's summoning the indestructible diamond dragon.

Yeah I can't imagine naming my daughter a play the word "elemental"
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: TiNoSa on August 24, 2013, 07:32:22 PM
I've never seen a person who enjoys drawing maps, haha, this is the first time. Interesting.

It seems you improved, but keep studying anatomy and proportions to improve even more  ;)
I don't know if you like something more "chibi-like", but I noticed that your characters seem a little skinny, too. For example, sometimes the head surpasses some parts of the body in lenght. So never stop improving your proportions and anatomy  (and I know it's hard, I have some problems regarding this matter, too).
As for your coloring, it's nice, but as Callesthe have already pointed, don't be afraid to use more shadows sometimes ;D

That's it, I hope seeing more of your works ^^
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: L.K. [Taikichi] on August 24, 2013, 11:13:55 PM
Stop hiding your damn hands.

Head seems disproportionate to body, why are they so skinny/is the width of the body so small? Is this a stylistic choice?

xD if you really want me to i can start drawing them in poses that show off the hands more. Hands aren't really an issue for me so i normally don't hide them just to avoid drawing them.

I did notice her head was too big after i was finished and I planned to fix that in anime studio, so normally i do get lazy with certain things because I don't think much of my work before it's been traced over. Their thin body structures are my style. People have suggested i draw over-weight or largely muscular people but it's just not my preference.

I've never seen a person who enjoys drawing maps, haha, this is the first time. Interesting.

It seems you improved, but keep studying anatomy and proportions to improve even more  ;)
I don't know if you like something more "chibi-like", but I noticed that your characters seem a little skinny, too. For example, sometimes the head surpasses some parts of the body in lenght. So never stop improving your proportions and anatomy  (and I know it's hard, I have some problems regarding this matter, too).
As for your coloring, it's nice, but as Callesthe have already pointed, don't be afraid to use more shadows sometimes ;D

That's it, I hope seeing more of your works ^^

I'm still researching anatomy for proportions specifically for the head but as more a reflex I'd draw it too big because most of my characters are very young, and that's also the reason why they have such thin bodies. If I were drawing a much older personally a smaller head would probably be more natural when drawing. Real problem is I didn't draw too many guides for her head because I was more focused on a new eye-style i wanted to try and I really don't like it.

And thank you both for your responses :biggrin:

I'm going to start using Aion's "playing god" character creation before i draw my characters i need the practice.
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: Thy Obsessive Freak on August 25, 2013, 06:33:18 AM
Thought I'd respond.
Quite like the colour in your art or lord king is it? And quite the fashion, he just has to tell me where he does his clothes shopping. Plus your good at making your characters 3D, putting detail on them and clothes folds. Let alone perspectives, like look how you've got that dragon shaped around the girl like that. Looks as if he could spin around her all day like a rollarcooster rider.

Do have to give criticism though. For one, I'd have to back TiNoSa, I know you already agreed to her advice. But I feel it's a tad important you work on that if you don't mind me saying. To also note the way Lord King's arm is bent... to me it looks like he dislocated his arm from his shoulder... ouch. Sorry but I felt it was worth mentioning and could help doing it in that fashion :D . Also Lord King's hair looks as if he's hiding something under there (I wonder what?) He seems like the only one to have had this issue of having a stack of hair, so you probably intentionally did that, but if not, I'd recommended lowering the level of his hair next time. That's my advice anyways.
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: L.K. [Taikichi] on August 25, 2013, 07:16:27 AM
@Thy Obsessive Freak

Thank you xD I knew Lord King was bad, seeing as when i was unable to choose what his close would be there was a lot of erasing and changing of the body that the anatomy got really distorted and I just really forced myself to finish it. And thank you I am now noticing how big his hair is I will fix that when I redraw Lord King.

I have been trying to work on that problem of mine. My art will start to get really bad if I'm too lazy to draw something or if I'm more focused on drawing something else.

I am very grateful for the detailed advice  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: Thy Obsessive Freak on August 25, 2013, 07:30:48 AM
No probs, glad I could be of help.

EDIT: And the Lord King wasn't terrible, he just needs some work done, like the proportions and the hair.
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: L.K. [Taikichi] on August 25, 2013, 10:15:29 PM
Update. I'm going to trace this in anime studio later

(https://sphotos-a-dfw.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/q79/s720x720/1175414_560103930717344_1013860547_n.jpg)
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: Suuper-san on August 26, 2013, 03:17:57 PM
nice improvement, i like the hair more.
it will look awesome once digitalised :P
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: TiNoSa on August 26, 2013, 05:39:08 PM
I think it's better, too ^^
Waiting to see the digitalized version now  ;)
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: L.K. [Taikichi] on August 26, 2013, 07:28:29 PM
Okay this is going to be a little different because I'm going to be shading and setting the highlights manually. Normally I'd just let anime studio do the shading because its gradient style helps it look more organic but it can difficult to work with. I might use it on Ella's body and then make highlights manually but I'll just have to see how it looks first.

(https://sphotos-a-dfw.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/q80/s720x720/1208701_560480260679711_1571919765_n.jpg)
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: L.K. [Taikichi] on August 27, 2013, 12:06:32 AM
I'm really liking it  :hmm: ; can't wait to do the highlights

(http://memberfiles.freewebs.com/26/20/44652026/photos/Sentieria/Ella%20Mental%20Beginning2.png)
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: TiNoSa on August 27, 2013, 11:15:42 PM
Wow, looks nice!
Can't wait to see it finished o/
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: Suuper-san on August 28, 2013, 09:57:19 AM
nice so far, looks like a pain to draw around each scale :P
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: L.K. [Taikichi] on August 29, 2013, 05:50:12 PM
Decided to add both of the shading  :thumbsup:

(https://sphotos-b-atl.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/q71/s720x720/1002181_561749557219448_891589691_n.jpg)

Highest Quality

Spoiler
(http://memberfiles.freewebs.com/26/20/44652026/photos/undefined/Sragon%20with%20shading.jpg)
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: DBNext on August 29, 2013, 05:54:17 PM
His teeth need a little more shading, and that mustache thing creeps me out  :ohmy:
Overall a nice piece
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: Suuper-san on August 30, 2013, 10:57:35 AM
maybe make the moustache a bit more flowy like this (http://fc07.deviantart.net/fs71/i/2012/033/5/4/chinese_dragon_by_michobd-d4oei6p.jpg)
but good job so far, i agree with DB, the teeth could use a bit more shading.
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: L.K. [Taikichi] on September 04, 2013, 07:57:04 PM
maybe make the moustache a bit more flowy like this (http://fc07.deviantart.net/fs71/i/2012/033/5/4/chinese_dragon_by_michobd-d4oei6p.jpg)
but good job so far, i agree with DB, the teeth could use a bit more shading.

Thanks i'll try that mustache design instead xD, and i did use too bright of a grey to shade the teeth I'll see what I can do about that.

I did some work on Lord King in my spare time in school.

(https://fbcdn-sphotos-f-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/q72/s720x720/555363_564297793631291_675828776_n.jpg)

I didn't have a picture of male anatomy in front of me when i drew this so xD i'll be cleaning it up for a while.
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: Lumaria on September 04, 2013, 08:31:01 PM
You have dimension and form down but your proportions are not consistent. The character you just shown is pretty skinny by giving detail to his rib cage. But his muscles on his arm and his abs don't fit. Even if he was meant to be skinny, he's "too skinny". His shoulders are far too close to his neck, making his neck appear too long.

For hair, its far too back to his head. If you establish the hairline, you can see it goes far past his forhead. But at least you established thickness to it. So its not the most problematic part.

By the way, how old is Lord King? If he's around his late teens to adulthood, then you should aim to make their eyes slightly smaller and his face slightly longer by giving him more chin and less "cheeks". But even so, if he was meant to appear younger, his babyface doesn't appear to fit with his built body yet skinny figure.

His pants hide his entire form of his legs. And its hard to determine if he's wearing denim, khakis, or just cloth. The pants are just slim straight. You need to add some folds or creases. The smallest things give texture to your clothes.
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: L.K. [Taikichi] on September 04, 2013, 10:08:09 PM
Thank you Loren  :thumbsup: as thorough as always. With such a workload, I'll probably just redraw him again.
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: L.K. [Taikichi] on September 26, 2013, 02:01:15 AM
First render of the picture of Ella

(http://memberfiles.freewebs.com/26/20/44652026/photos/undefined/Ella%20Mental%20First%20Render.jpg)
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: jp89 on September 26, 2013, 04:12:29 AM
Looks good! :-)

A quick tip: white on white is a little hard to "read." Adding some sort of background—even if it's just a quick bit of color—can help define things a little and make the image easier to look at:

(http://fc00.deviantart.net/fs71/f/2013/269/3/0/anime1_by_jdp89-d6nxl6p.png)

Of course, doing that makes the white appear even brighter. Pure whites really don't occur in art (except for very reflective highlights), so it might be a good idea to darken them a little, and bring in a little of the surrounding color (ambient light). In this case it would probably look better to make the white suit and hair ever so slightly darker, with a hint of magenta/pink. Done right they would still appear white, but they wouldn't be unnaturally so.

I think I've rambled on enough.  :tongue:
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: L.K. [Taikichi] on September 26, 2013, 06:03:20 PM
Looks good! :-)

A quick tip: white on white is a little hard to "read." Adding some sort of background—even if it's just a quick bit of color—can help define things a little and make the image easier to look at:

(http://fc00.deviantart.net/fs71/f/2013/269/3/0/anime1_by_jdp89-d6nxl6p.png)

Of course, doing that makes the white appear even brighter. Pure whites really don't occur in art (except for very reflective highlights), so it might be a good idea to darken them a little, and bring in a little of the surrounding color (ambient light). In this case it would probably look better to make the white suit and hair ever so slightly darker, with a hint of magenta/pink. Done right they would still appear white, but they wouldn't be unnaturally so.

I think I've rambled on enough.  :tongue:

Wow, I hadn't noticed how right you are  ;D I'll try to darken the clothes and hair and make sure it's still the brightest color  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: L.K. [Taikichi] on September 28, 2013, 12:26:11 PM
Alright time for the second render  ;D

I Really hate facebook's quality.

(https://scontent-a-dfw.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-frc3/1377141_574366762624394_1859656646_n.jpg)
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: xristie on September 28, 2013, 12:44:59 PM
:thumbsup: nice job

it needs a little shade on the right side of the face and neck, same like you have on the throusers and cloak... 
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: L.K. [Taikichi] on September 29, 2013, 09:19:50 PM
:thumbsup: nice job

it needs a little shade on the right side of the face and neck, same like you have on the throusers and cloak...

Alright, third render time  ;D . Apparently its defies the laws of digital physics for anime studio to put a shading effect with a gradient effect  :hmm: (the head has a gradient for the illusion of shading) so instead i used the auto shading on layer shading. Only problem i had with that was the fact that the head and the neck were on the same layer, and the shading would stack. So i'd either have to separate them in order to keep the shading illusion under the head and... who cares third render...

(http://memberfiles.freewebs.com/26/20/44652026/photos/undefined/Ella%20Mental%20Third%20Render.jpg)


Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: Lumaria on September 29, 2013, 10:00:42 PM
arm is actually way to short. did u draw the clothes first? and again. please provide waist line
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: L.K. [Taikichi] on September 30, 2013, 06:07:40 PM
arm is actually way to short. did u draw the clothes first? and again. please provide waist line


I actually did draw the body first, if you mean hairline i'll see what I can do. I actually went and looked up waist line and it seemed pretty proportional.
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: Lumaria on September 30, 2013, 06:40:55 PM
then draw the body how it looks before drawing the clothes. look at the arm. if its extended like that, should it be that short?


her hands are tiny. like a baby. and where is the waist?
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: L.K. [Taikichi] on September 30, 2013, 07:36:03 PM
then draw the body how it looks before drawing the clothes. look at the arm. if its extended like that, should it be that short?


her hands are tiny. like a baby. and where is the waist?

The waist should be at the middle of her left arm, somewhere in that general region.

Spoiler
(http://www.bestylish.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/natural-waistline.jpg)
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: L.K. [Taikichi] on September 30, 2013, 10:57:47 PM
Random quick-sketch of Esashi

(http://memberfiles.freewebs.com/26/20/44652026/photos/undefined/Esashi%20Sketch.jpg)
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: Lumaria on October 01, 2013, 11:07:42 AM
draw bigger hands. didn't you just tell me you were going to aim for more older realistic style than the cutesy ones?
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: L.K. [Taikichi] on October 01, 2013, 11:50:22 AM
draw bigger hands. didn't you just tell me you were going to aim for more older realistic style than the cutesy ones?

I am going to, but I'm learning proportionality before i do that
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: Lumaria on October 01, 2013, 02:03:54 PM
try both at the same time. it's not like you need another set of arms to do what you need to do.
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: Suuper-san on October 01, 2013, 04:22:12 PM
yeah, while you can focus mainly on one, it cant hurt if you know already you are doing something wrong to try and do it better :P
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: L.K. [Taikichi] on October 06, 2013, 04:12:50 PM
Well I used my own hands for reference in this one so I hope they're big enough. However, this is probably as realistic as my style's going to get.

Telan Takahashi is one of the teachers in Sentieria Legends.

(https://scontent-a-ord.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn2/1383341_577753112285759_929900938_n.jpg)
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: Lumaria on October 06, 2013, 11:13:15 PM
but the body is too long. compare the legs to the length of the arms.


are you absolutely sure you sraw their bodies before drawing their clothes on?


it looks like they are either all anorexic or their secretly coat hangers underneath those clothes.
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: L.K. [Taikichi] on October 06, 2013, 11:38:46 PM
I am 100% certain I start with a stick figure and then I draw them step by step like this

(http://fc00.deviantart.net/fs10/i/2006/117/f/0/Female_Anatomy_Study_V2_by_jcevil.jpg)
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: Lumaria on October 07, 2013, 12:54:02 AM
i don't think you do. can u draw a character semi nude?

either you have no idea how to do proportions when it comes to legs. or you make their clothes over shadow their body features. or you make them soo kinny, we can't see body features.
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: L.K. [Taikichi] on October 07, 2013, 06:28:21 PM
Let me show you

It starts off like this
(http://memberfiles.freewebs.com/26/20/44652026/photos/undefined/Skeleton.jpg)

before I do the real anatomy it turns into this
(http://memberfiles.freewebs.com/26/20/44652026/photos/undefined/Body%20Structure.jpg)

There are still two more steps before I draw the clothes.

3: clean up step 2
4: draw the body

Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: Lumaria on October 07, 2013, 06:37:02 PM
step one is already wrong. you made it too long. if you look at step 2, you can also see how it doesn't matche up to your characters pose. some of it goes barely outside the clothes. and thats something that should be visible
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: L.K. [Taikichi] on October 07, 2013, 07:00:24 PM
step one is already wrong. you made it too long. if you look at step 2, you can also see how it doesn't matche up to your characters pose. some of it goes barely outside the clothes. and thats something that should be visible

Okay "too long" is kinda hard for me to reference especially since I can't see it completely on my own so i guess its time for some more anatomy training

I acutally don't see how it doesn't match up, although its not meant to match up perfectly, because its just a guideline to help me picture it. I 'm not sure how to depict that any more than I did with the clothes folding and wrapping around his body as they lightly flow in the wind, but maybe zerochan has the answer.
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: Lumaria on October 07, 2013, 07:55:19 PM
for one, to draw clothes you need to understand how clothes works.

the thicker the clothes, the wider folds and creases are, but also means less folds than something that thin.


but here, you have the clothes thin, but see no physical aspects. the waist is too small to even be visible. if that model you used isn't accurate, then its wrong.

compare the arm length of the right arm to the left. even with that model you used, it should still be obvious their not the same length.


look how long the abdomen is. WHy do you even do step 2 if the clothes makes all that hidden?
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: xristie9 on October 07, 2013, 08:01:34 PM
step one is already wrong. you made it too long. if you look at step 2, you can also see how it doesn't matche up to your characters pose. some of it goes barely outside the clothes. and thats something that should be visible

Okay "too long" is kinda hard for me to reference especially since I can't see it completely on my own so i guess its time for some more anatomy training

I acutally don't see how it doesn't match up, although its not meant to match up perfectly, because its just a guideline to help me picture it. I 'm not sure how to depict that any more than I did with the clothes folding and wrapping around his body as they lightly flow in the wind, but maybe zerochan has the answer.

How... now...
You did the exactly right thing, you thought about it and tried it!!!
You did nothing wrong in this process...

I agree you need to have a more realistic eye in sketching skeletons, but it takes a lot of time and trying to master it... so do not absolutely worry!!! You have to try for months... nobody expects you to improve in one week or so... you will master it...

I will try to help you understand... (the proper amount is sometime less than 0,5cm, so it takes only training and time to see it, I will tell you what went wrong in this picture, as for future you will come to understand it with time)

The first anatomy sketch with lines and circles as joints is quite right in the process... If you train your eye a little bit more, you will see that the spine is about 1cm too long, the pelvis joints should be about 0,5cm wider, and the arm which is bowed should be either about less than 0,5 cm higher or lower (differs from the perspective you wanted to draw, I assume a little bit higher and shorter would do the trick).

The second one is also the next right step, and also if you train a little bit more, you will come to understand that the pelvis part in that position should have a more like diamond or triangle shape.

I strongly recommend you to try re-sketching the poses that you posted in the previous post on October 06, 2013, 09:38:46 PM (the black picture) and then finish them as your characters… it will definitely help you understand… after that you can make experiments with the poses, or find more skeletons on the internet and try to draw your characters according to them…

Do not worry about clothes, they aren’t bad, if you improve in the anatomy part, the clothes will come esily…

 Try to think about what I pointed out and whether it would make a difference if you would draw the picture with the about 0,5 cm differences I pointed out in the first step... It is about training your eye and thinking how reality looks like on the paper... 

(Actually I quite like you sketches so I hope you will continue to draw! And I can understand that you cannot see the differences at first sight because I went through that phase and really know how invisible they can be!)

Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: P4 on October 08, 2013, 12:10:17 AM
user retired
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: L.K. [Taikichi] on October 08, 2013, 01:19:09 AM
I see i suppose I've just gotten used to drawing the clothes like a 2-Dimensional plane because it was easier.

Well good thing is I can use my own body for reference which will make it much easier.

I normally do use resources like these (http://sevencamels.blogspot.com/2011/03/resources-for-drawing-different-ages.html) but the majority of the time I spend drawing is when I can't reference these physically, so i'd just go by memory.
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: L.K. [Taikichi] on November 03, 2013, 11:03:15 PM
Alright, this one's my first practice with my new shading techniques(Normally I shade it as though I'm going to color it later, but this based on the shading of a black and white photo).

(https://scontent-b-sjc.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn2/1458485_592421147485622_1200956766_n.jpg)

I planned to draw three other characters in this picture, but I'll probably never get around to it.
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: everlastin01 on November 03, 2013, 11:05:52 PM
really good....uh I think is thumb is on the wrong side of his hand
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: L.K. [Taikichi] on November 04, 2013, 07:43:55 AM
Well indeed it is, how strange I didn't notice it.
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: DBNext on November 04, 2013, 02:26:07 PM
Other than the thumb, I see a couple errors:
1- His body is way too slim and long.
2- His foot is smaller than his hand.
3- Eyes look a little 2D-ish.
4- The jacket is incomplete. It needs the other side from the back:

(https://fbcdn-sphotos-a-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn2/1450814_175807179283346_1275707387_n.jpg)
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: L.K. [Taikichi] on November 05, 2013, 11:11:47 PM
@DBNext

1. I mean no disrespect, but as I told Lorenx1, That doesn't help me in any way, shape or form. I'm going to need you to pretend like I don't have a perfect version of this image to contrast. I need to know what makes it too long, what makes it too thin, how you can see that so much better than me. Because right now to me, aside from his hands being flipped the wrong way, the image looks perfect; I need you to explain to me why it is not. Too slim and too long is a big change to make, especially if I don't naturally like the way I'm imagining it fixed.

2. I'll have to remember that, don't know why I didn't think about it.

3. I see, that's just a problem with the way I shaped them, I'll have to work on that next time.

4. It's meant to disconnect at the back past the waist. That darkly shaded triangular shape between the legs is not the leg of the chair, its a part of the jacket to show I cut it off on purpose.
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: Lumaria on November 06, 2013, 12:04:30 AM
1. you can just make him thicker and slightly shorter. or find anatomy book and follow the proportions to it. or read more manga.

and i find the problem to be that you draw these characters like toothpicks, like bendy straws. look at the wrists, and the forarms. when i see your characters, i dont see these individual body parts, i see sstick figures with meat. and i'm sorry if that sounds off but.

i kept telling you, you make feet and hands too small, and when you make them small, the legs and arms appear longer. you're still stuck in that inconsistent chibi style.
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: Ryan on November 06, 2013, 12:49:44 AM
@DBNext

1. I mean no disrespect, but as I told Lorenx1, That doesn't help me in any way, shape or form. I'm going to need you to pretend like I don't have a perfect version of this image to contrast. I need to know what makes it too long, what makes it too thin, how you can see that so much better than me. Because right now to me, aside from his hands being flipped the wrong way, the image looks perfect; I need you to explain to me why it is not. Too slim and too long is a big change to make, especially if I don't naturally like the way I'm imagining it fixed.

2. I'll have to remember that, don't know why I didn't think about it.

3. I see, that's just a problem with the way I shaped them, I'll have to work on that next time.

4. It's meant to disconnect at the back past the waist. That darkly shaded triangular shape between the legs is not the leg of the chair, its a part of the jacket to show I cut it off on purpose.

You should be using reference of a man/boy sitting for a scene with a perspective like this. It will help with the anatomy that you need to know to draw the pose convincingly. And you should also be studying perspective, which will help your figures.

 You need to know perspective in order to maintain proportion in perspective-heavy scenes. It's not just transferring what you see in shapes. It's transferring what the proportions are in perspective, whether it's length or width. If it's length, you have to locate the correct side plane of a form and then transfer it down. I recommend perspective made easy by ernest norling.

Right now, your innate sense of proportion(and basic form) needs work. You need to study the proportion of the body, and take it to memory.

So to try and sum all of this up into something you can work with:

1. Start with Perspective Made Easy by Ernest Norling. Great book, it is. You can find it online. Read it through and practice what it teaches, but make sure you can draw boxes in 1-point and 2-point perspective using the perspective techniques like vanishing points and horizon lines. This can take however long, but I would recommend at least 5 pages of practice with perspective.

2. You might have already known formal perspective, but it's worth it to review it. Now that you have an idea of what convergence is, you can think about it in your own work and with this next study. Read The Vilppu Drawing Manual by Glen Vilppu. You can find it online. It teaches the drawing of the basic forms. Draw a lot of basic forms! And when you feel like you've gotten good with them, you should test it out with your own drawings by putting them into your process. You need to feel the forms and the space that you put them in. If you can do this, the legs you draw won't be flatly stuck to the chair.

3. Now you're ready to really study proportion. Go read Figure Drawing for All It's Worth by Andrew Loomis, or another figure-drawing book of your choice. Now you have the power and tools to put the understanding proportion will give you into your drawings. You should now always be asking yourself "In relation to such and such, am I drawing this part too big, small, wide, or long?" Drawing is a thinking process, whether you're thinking visually or in words. Do a lot of gesture drawings from http://artists.pixelovely.com/practice-tools/figure-drawing/ The Glenn Vilppu Drawing Manual also teaches gesture drawing, so you will have an idea of what that is as well. Eventually, some proportions will become much easier for you to maintain. You just have to do it right many, many time with conscious effort before it happens.

If you were to do these things, you would learn a lot. You will learn why that chair doesn't look that great. You will learn why the head you drew looks weird(the eyes are drawn as if the face is turned towards us, but the sides of the face indicate that he's looking straight forwards(not at us). But, focus on learning the material. Always. If you read it without focusing on learning, without believing that you are learning something from it, you won't learn anything.
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: DBNext on November 06, 2013, 04:04:42 AM
@DBNext

1. I mean no disrespect, but as I told Lorenx1, That doesn't help me in any way, shape or form. I'm going to need you to pretend like I don't have a perfect version of this image to contrast. I need to know what makes it too long, what makes it too thin, how you can see that so much better than me. Because right now to me, aside from his hands being flipped the wrong way, the image looks perfect; I need you to explain to me why it is not. Too slim and too long is a big change to make, especially if I don't naturally like the way I'm imagining it fixed.

Yes you do have a perfect image to contrast it with, and it comes from Google or real life. Have you ever drawn a person from reference? search "anatomy" on Google and just copy. Because you seem like you're drawing purely from your mind.
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: L.K. [Taikichi] on November 07, 2013, 01:33:36 AM
@DBNext,
I didn't come to this forum just to go back to google or anatomy books. I could have told me that, as I was trying to say, I need you to tell me something i don't know. The fact is that 15 years of observation, obviously, isn't enough to meet the standard.

And as I've said before, the majority of the time I spend drawing is when I can't access a source or image to reproduce. This image was all memory, and that's why I posted it, to see what's wrong with my memory.

@Lorenx1
Because I don't naturally like the way it looks I'll probably never begin drawing my characters wider unless it's meant to be photorealistic. I will however practice making them shorter, especially since I am about as thin as these characters without being just skin and bones. With this character being no older than 16, I won't discredit myself as a reference. My hands are that size as well, at least in reference to my head, with one hand being 50% the surface area of my face each.

@Ryan
Thank you Ryan, when I reproduce this image on a larger scale I'll try to put as much time into it as I can. Before I do that I will need to do some more straightforward anatomy training(with them just standing in a symmetrical pose). I'll post my practice work next time.



Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: Zealapeal on November 07, 2013, 03:34:43 AM
@DBNext,
I didn't come to this forum just to go back to google or anatomy books. I could have told me that, as I was trying to say, I need you to tell me something i don't know. The fact is that 15 years of observation, obviously, isn't enough to meet the standard.

And as I've said before, the majority of the time I spend drawing is when I can't access a source or image to reproduce. This image was all memory, and that's why I posted it, to see what's wrong with my memory.

DBN and I don't see eye to eye on a lot of things, but if there's one thing I agree with him on, it's this.

First of all, lemme enlighten you on a little bit.

1.) This forum will not answer all of your artistic quarrels. This is merely the tip of the iceberg into art.
2.) Manga and other forms of art are all derived from reality. Google and anatomy books are ways to break down reality into a simplification, making it easier to convert into other art forms, e.g. manga.
3.) You have fifteen years of seeing and looking around, not true observation. Observation and going through reality with your eyes are two different things. As an artist, you must learn to see more than what you see now.

If you're looking for error and faults in your memory, know that it is everywhere. Thus, using a reference, learning from reference, and comparing to a reference would help dramatically in everything. Never discount the power that is Google and books. There is a reason for their continued use and existence.
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: L.K. [Taikichi] on November 07, 2013, 06:34:34 PM
@Zealapeal

I wasn't trying to say there's anything's wrong with referencing, and I do, mostly with my own body. I was only suggesting that he elaborate on his suggestions so that i can put it into action.

I don't take any suggestions lightly, they do show up in time in my artwork.

Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: L.K. [Taikichi] on December 06, 2013, 06:29:42 PM
Knowing 1, 2, and 3 point perspective makes drawing this so much easier I must say. I don't know how I ever drew without it, anyway I had to make a cover for my novel, thought i'd post it since I don't have much else to show.

(https://scontent-a-ord.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-frc3/1471230_608692735858463_1867862775_n.jpg)

Haha, just noticed of all things to forget I forgot the glare in her eyes.
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: Echo_River on December 06, 2013, 08:10:53 PM
Ooh, nice perspective. *eyes the skirt*
For the eyes, at least you didn't forget the shading.
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: everlastin01 on December 07, 2013, 12:04:07 PM
is she wearing shorts under the skirt?
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: L.K. [Taikichi] on December 07, 2013, 03:00:45 PM
is she wearing shorts under the skirt?

Yeah, I just didn't want to draw panties is all. Hard to make her look like a boss with a panty shot right in the focus point.
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: everlastin01 on December 08, 2013, 03:28:49 PM
okay, that is understandable
Great perspective and drawing by the way! (sorry to mention this in first post)
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: Lumaria on December 08, 2013, 03:50:43 PM
@Lorenx1
Because I don't naturally like the way it looks I'll probably never begin drawing my characters wider unless it's meant to be photorealistic. I will however practice making them shorter, especially since I am about as thin as these characters without being just skin and bones. With this character being no older than 16, I won't discredit myself as a reference. My hands are that size as well, at least in reference to my head, with one hand being 50% the surface area of my face each.

Does a fat maga artist only draw fat ppl? It doesn't matter what's your weight. See, this is where you need to realize: "Should I draw characters just because I look like this?"

You can use yourself as a reference to proportionate length. But also work on how to make them distinct. None of your characters look "healthy". You can't use you as a reference for all characters that age.

This is a major flaw in yyour method of choosing proportions.
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: David2302 on December 09, 2013, 09:27:19 AM
waaaaaaaw this draw is awsome!
much better then the first ones that for sure!
you have really improved.
keep on drawing
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: L.K. [Taikichi] on December 20, 2013, 09:49:06 PM
Anther drawing in my freetime at school. Indeed now I respect any animator that has to draw and animate chains.

Spoiler
(https://scontent-b-ord.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-frc1/734518_615092215218515_1503761105_n.jpg)
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: Lumaria on December 20, 2013, 10:13:57 PM
same issues. dont have to repeat myself.
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: L.K. [Taikichi] on December 20, 2013, 10:16:50 PM
So, small hands, emaciated bodies and bad references right?
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: Lumaria on December 20, 2013, 10:18:33 PM
exactly. but i made a resonce to you a while back. its about time you improved, because at this point, its a choice now. you know what to do. and if you need me to repeat, i could. but it depends on how oblivious you are.
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: L.K. [Taikichi] on December 20, 2013, 10:35:41 PM
If you really think i'm psychologically holding myself back, Do you have the mathematical dimensions/proportions for the human body or know where or how I could get them?

I personally don't see how much bigger my hands need to get, but I can feel the emaciation in her lower body, and I know math solves all problems. So if you know where I can get such guidelines, improvement can come a little faster.

(http://www.exchange3d.com/images/uploads/aff2861/Male%20Body/Male_Body_01.jpg)
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: Zealapeal on December 20, 2013, 10:51:41 PM
The human body does a wonderful job following the golden ratio, and can be divided as such if you require mathematics.

There are also proportions which can be in ratio in accordance with the human head, which are shown below the golden ratio photo. Loomis, dude.

Spoiler
(http://files.myopera.com/reizvih/albums/1201241/golden-ratio-human-body.gif)
(http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-JaI0xS0zO-o/TgEFAdsULII/AAAAAAAAABE/v2B_skUdW_E/s1600/Loomis%2527+Proportions.png)
(http://www.foundation3d.com/uploads/instruction/2008/10/17-10-622362.jpg)
(http://www.webcomicalliance.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/prop_female.gif)
(http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m6ge3uxy8m1qkqjvho4_1280.png)
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: L.K. [Taikichi] on December 20, 2013, 11:02:20 PM
Zealapeal you are an amazing human being, just saying. You are amazing.
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: legomaestro on December 20, 2013, 11:59:49 PM
Loomis... mein gott.
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: Lumaria on December 21, 2013, 01:18:47 AM
the hand is "slightly" wider than the wrist. the point of placing joints in your outline isn't only to know proper distance, but know when to make certain parts of the body wider or thinner.

For example: Look at the forearm, the biceps, and the hands separately. then connect them, you should notice that they dont just blend in completely. the hand looks like a separate entity from the arm. you have to look at each section individually, and then look at them together (and i'm not talking about when you're drawing, just observing the right one).

IN the past you've admitted to making your characters too skinny because its based on your proportions. Even for the average teenager, you also have to consider making your characters more built.

i'm not saying you should ignore accurate proportions, but in general, it's not needed. you see that model? all you have to do is make it look like that, but thinner (not skinnier) if you can figure that out. you'll see a lot more.

I would rather you draw your characters nude or wearing skin tightclothes, as you also have issues with drawing clothes. it seems all of the clothes are the same texture.

Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: L.K. [Taikichi] on December 23, 2013, 07:01:56 PM
Okay, Loren and Zealapeal, you two are amazing, i jest felt compelled to share that. Anyway time to fix that picture

Loren-sama's request:
(http://memberfiles.freewebs.com/26/20/44652026/photos/undefined/Touch%20Up.jpg)
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: Lumaria on December 23, 2013, 07:10:27 PM
Can you see how off the mody is? The legs arent consistent.

Her shoulders are a bit out of place and so is the neck.

Look at the waist, it shows that bottom half is devouring the top half, rather than the two being one.


This proves how much clothes influence your proportions.
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: L.K. [Taikichi] on December 23, 2013, 07:38:31 PM
Yeah that picture(the old one) was just drawn with mostly action lines. I was pretty anxious to see it done.
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: L.K. [Taikichi] on December 23, 2013, 10:14:32 PM
Spoiler
(http://memberfiles.freewebs.com/26/20/44652026/photos/undefined/Body.jpg)

Sorry, didn't expect it to actually upload at full size for once.

Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: L.K. [Taikichi] on December 29, 2013, 11:09:45 PM
I also decided to work on this one, i like to have an up to date portrait of Kesashi

Spoiler
(https://scontent-a-ord.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn2/1504525_618960048165065_435625058_n.jpg)
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: L.K. [Taikichi] on December 30, 2013, 01:03:33 AM
Much Better

(https://fbcdn-sphotos-g-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn1/1528716_618986684829068_1443389951_n.jpg)
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: L.K. [Taikichi] on December 30, 2013, 02:50:35 PM
(https://scontent-a-ord.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-frc3/q71/s720x720/1491605_619260251468378_339883137_n.jpg)

References:
Shoes
(http://i01.i.aliimg.com/wsphoto/v0/839481685/Male-child-leather-font-b-shoes-b-font-tuxedo-uniforms-child-formal-font-b-dress-b.jpg)

How to draw moe characters
https://yande.re/pool/show/1376

Male Proportions Chart
(http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-H-nFf7Wtm88/TX5SRnpLUPI/AAAAAAAADiQ/xdSewOYdUVM/s1600/MaleProportionsPeck.jpg)

Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: Echo_River on December 31, 2013, 06:58:38 PM
Ooh, character re-draw? It's nice!
I would point out the torso. The rest of the body is on an angle but the torso still seems to be facing forward.
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: David2302 on January 01, 2014, 02:22:06 PM
HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!
(http://i1294.photobucket.com/albums/b617/davidm2302/Sketch13155959_zps98b6cc3e.png)
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: L.K. [Taikichi] on January 02, 2014, 01:43:42 PM
Haha Feliz Nuevos Años David

Spoiler
(http://memberfiles.freewebs.com/26/20/44652026/photos/undefined/Kesashi%20Revamp%20(2).jpg)
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: David2302 on January 03, 2014, 01:02:52 PM
Feliz Nuevos what?
what is that meens?
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: legomaestro on January 03, 2014, 01:20:58 PM
Sounds sort of like Fortune and New.

I think it's happy new year >...>
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: L.K. [Taikichi] on January 03, 2014, 03:32:08 PM
It's spanish for "Happy New Year"
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: Zealapeal on January 03, 2014, 07:42:14 PM
It's spanish for "Happy New Year"

No, it's Spanish for, "Merry Christmas" or "Happy Christmas." Good try, though.
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: L.K. [Taikichi] on January 04, 2014, 12:08:17 AM
You're thinking of feliz navidad Zeal haha

Feliz = happy

Nuevo(a) = new

Año = year
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: Zealapeal on January 04, 2014, 04:07:31 AM
Oh! Haha! I totally misread that. My bad.  :blush:
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: David2302 on January 05, 2014, 12:18:04 AM
Feliz nuevo ano to you to...    ye...   :hmm:
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: L.K. [Taikichi] on January 21, 2014, 09:09:14 PM
New Political World Map:

Small
(http://killerrotationlegends.webs.com/photos/undefined/Wold%20Map.jpg)

Highest Resolution
(http://fc09.deviantart.net/fs70/f/2014/021/1/b/wold_map_by_lord_kesashi-d736uh3.jpg)
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: Lumaria on January 21, 2014, 10:01:47 PM
again....getting ahead of yourself...not that this isn't bad, but you're too focused on adding details, rather than adding concepts with a focus.
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: L.K. [Taikichi] on January 21, 2014, 11:16:01 PM
Indeed I am getting ahead of myself, but I also have a focus.
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: Lumaria on January 22, 2014, 12:07:28 AM
i know you do....but not on adding proper flow in your story.
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: L.K. [Taikichi] on January 22, 2014, 11:27:48 AM
Well i know I wont get far just talking big with you, in due time i will post the first chapter of sentieria, but for now more drawing.
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: Lumaria on January 22, 2014, 11:31:00 AM
you have too many landmarks.....whats the point of making so many cities, and temples....you can't possibly use them all consistently.
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: L.K. [Taikichi] on January 22, 2014, 02:41:41 PM
You forget Sentieria is a story of world war, and a very long story at that, don't worry, these places are based on the elapse of the story, not the other way around.  ;D
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: Lumaria on January 22, 2014, 03:18:43 PM
no...im not. forgetting that.... you just forget CONSTANTLY you need to aim for simplicity. and war as a major factor was never brought up. i do know that even if ypu used all these places, it wouldnt be important to use.

either way...cnt help you. so please dont PM me any more of your story ideas.

all i can do is help you with art at this point. but thats it.
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: L.K. [Taikichi] on January 22, 2014, 10:34:56 PM
As you wish madam Loren, it pains me that you assume after endlessly brainwashing me to invoke simplicity, I would not give it the slightest thought now? Ye of little faith, do not let your heart be hardened so soon. You are looking at the map as a whole without knowing the method behind it.

Quantity is not synonymous with complexity, and of course I don't need to give each place an extensive background stories for every detail of each place for them to be important. My brain may only be little over halfway through its development at this age, but I am not so foolish as to ignore your constructive criticism.
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: Lumaria on January 22, 2014, 11:13:37 PM
you wouldn't ever need a map EVER even if you show this place twice. i'm not confusing complexity, i know its complex if you think you will need a map to tell your story.

Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: L.K. [Taikichi] on January 22, 2014, 11:19:28 PM
Oh no i don't 'need' a map, i just enjoy making them  ;D, as I said before, the map was designed after the story's concepts, not the other way around. Only thing i'll need a map for is if Sentieria successfully takes off as a MMORPG.
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: Lumaria on January 22, 2014, 11:35:38 PM
MMORPGs are cute ideas that everyone wants to do, but in a time when MMORPGs are popular, its like trying to make something everyone else already made..
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: L.K. [Taikichi] on January 23, 2014, 12:01:25 AM
What's the difference in Manga, Books, Console games? MMORPGs hardly compare in numbers.

Your gruesome tone almost sounds as though you speak from experience.
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: Lumaria on January 23, 2014, 12:21:37 AM
the difference is clear.....if you cant see it, then youll have
to figure it out. theres a reason why there are few of them.
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: L.K. [Taikichi] on January 23, 2014, 12:30:36 AM
I know why there are few, it's naturally a bad investment. A bad investment because it's extraordinarily difficult, time consuming and yields the failure rate of North Korea's nuclear technology. However, with a steady manga/anime series, various console games, and a mass of worshipers calling themselves a 'fandom' Sentieria will have no trouble becoming an MMORPG, but an MMORPG is out of the question until I make every other dream come true.
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: Lumaria on January 23, 2014, 01:22:44 AM
oh yeah...its so easy reaching all of those things....in fact, if i dont see you get there by next week, i'll be surprised and might even protest...

no, but seriously, you constantly spearhead, no one and i mean NO ONE can help you in this story. you don't want to break your idea down, the moment you tackle one aspect of your story, you think its solved and you spear head.

Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: L.K. [Taikichi] on January 23, 2014, 04:27:53 AM
You're so encouraging, i'm old enough to know life's not easy. What comes in one day is easily gone the next. I'm prepared to work for my dreams, however difficult they may be; in fact, their difficulty will only make them that much better in the end. I'm sorry I'm a very positive person, because that kind of negativity will get me nowhere.

Ah but that's where you're wrong, Loren-sama, and you've told me this many times before. So I have broken down the story and it's quite simple. At least, now it is. I admit I am no spartan, if I spearheaded it was by ignorance not by choice. "NO ONE can help me" that's a complete lie. That is the ultimate manifestation of a lie. A pure bred lie of royal blood.

For instance, do you have so little faith in yourself that you believe you have done nothing to help me? Perhaps you can't make me perfect over night, your criticism, though true and helpful in all ways, it was not absolute. You yourself, tackle one (or two) aspect(s) and then leave me to work alone. I bet when you looked at the picture of Kesashi next to the first picture of him i posted and saw no difference. It's not so much no one can help me, it's just not very many people want to help me (though you're the first and last i've asked). I know you just don't have the time and patience to help me.

You treat me like I already know everything there is to writing a story and just made a few little mistakes here and there. I know more than the average 15 year old, but I also only know what you've told me. I love making Sentieria, I love the characters, I love the world, I love it all too much, even if it takes a thousand revisions just to get anywhere I'll do it. I'll sooner die than give up that's for sure. And if no one will help me, then I'll help myself.
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: L.K. [Taikichi] on February 10, 2014, 02:42:42 AM
Most recent concept art of felicia. Considering she transforms into the living bones of a dragon i was curious about part of her body being visible while transformed.

Spoiler
(http://memberfiles.freewebs.com/26/20/44652026/photos/undefined/Skeleton%20of%20the%20Diamond%20Dragon%20Sketch.jpg)
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: KagePen on March 17, 2014, 10:06:45 AM
The lines are pretty scratchy but considering that it is concept art it can be ignored. Overall it looks pretty cool, is it concept art for your story?
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: L.K. [Taikichi] on March 28, 2014, 06:53:27 PM
Indeed it is  ;D here's a few recent sketches to console for my absence

Drawn out of Boredom
(https://scontent-b-dfw.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn2/t31.0-8/q71/s720x720/1909389_663624990365237_438874698_o.jpg)

More concept art of Felicia
(https://scontent-b-dfw.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn1/t31.0-8/q72/s720x720/1614476_663624963698573_664558034_o.jpg)

Concept art if Taikichi
(https://scontent-b-dfw.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-frc3/t31.0-8/q77/s720x720/10001261_663624977031905_686522161_o.jpg)


Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: Wolfenn on March 29, 2014, 12:50:34 AM
Hi Kesashi, I can see you have a lot of work but one piece of advice is that you should try going back to the basics and practicing more in depth things, for example a lot of your characters all have the same sort of fae without any expression and it would be useful to invest some of your time into doing some studies on expression and emotion and what happens to the eyebrows or eyes or mouth when a person is happy, angry, etc. :)
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: L.K. [Taikichi] on March 29, 2014, 10:40:18 PM
I'll take your word for it
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: L.K. [Taikichi] on April 28, 2014, 06:48:29 PM
Well I was playing around with different hairstyles on my protagonist... still feeling indecisive on that.

(https://scontent-a-iad.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-frc3/t1.0-9/10157355_677791555615247_6304442355022296069_n.jpg)

Also I recently invested a considerably.. large sum of money into some physical art supplies so my season of improvement begins now.
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: Lumaria on April 28, 2014, 06:58:50 PM
the elvel of detail on the face and eyes don't fit the proportions. for big eyes, having them that detailed looks a bit off. at least your characters are starting to look alittle older...but as for the hair.do you have anything such as .05 lead pencils?
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: L.K. [Taikichi] on April 28, 2014, 08:05:56 PM
Indeed I use a 0.5 pencil at all times and mostly use wooden for shading.
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: Lumaria on April 28, 2014, 09:28:42 PM
.05 cm lead pencil. .5 is pretty thick. either way, i owuld like to see without the shading, or try shading with just the .05 just so you can see.

don't worry about using realistic shading. hatching works fine too
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: Coryn on April 28, 2014, 09:41:27 PM
Well I think Kesashi was referring to standard .5 lead. which at least around here lead is measure in mm. which 0.5mm = 0.05cm. So I'm pretty sure you're both talking about the same lead size.

half a centimeter doesn't even count as a pencil anymore. that's just graphite chalk.
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: L.K. [Taikichi] on April 28, 2014, 09:53:10 PM
oh cm, sorry my lead was measured in millimeters, i thought 0.05mm would be pretty... microscopic for shading, but I will try it.
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: KagePen on June 07, 2014, 04:43:57 AM
Wow Kesashi, your stuff has improved a lot, well done :) Keep it up!
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: L.K. [Taikichi] on June 12, 2014, 02:50:00 PM
No malice Loren, but you're going to hate how appealing I find the Chibi style.

(https://scontent-b-iad.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xpf1/t1.0-9/10440264_701709109890158_6547821521404346029_n.jpg)

This is the closest I'm going to get to fan art, similar wardrobe to a character from Pixiv Fantasia, i'll change it up later cause I'm not loving it right now.
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: everlastin01 on June 13, 2014, 11:17:01 PM
It looks good though
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: legomaestro on June 13, 2014, 11:27:22 PM
That one does look nice. What did you use for colour?

Also, it looks different from your usual style.
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: L.K. [Taikichi] on June 20, 2014, 02:45:01 AM
Thanks; I used color pencil for that one. I've been trying to practice my technique with color pencil, since I bought a guide book for color pencil art, it has become my new favorite medium.

Here's some other unfinished practice pictures

Spoiler
(https://scontent-a-ord.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xpf1/t1.0-9/10393982_705700849490984_6263457116023427007_n.jpg)

Spoiler
(https://fbcdn-sphotos-f-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xfp1/t1.0-9/q77/s720x720/10405649_705700836157652_8233706881662591119_n.jpg)
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: Lumaria on June 20, 2014, 03:14:34 AM
No malice Loren, but you're going to hate how appealing I find the Chibi style.

This is the closest I'm going to get to fan art, similar wardrobe to a character from Pixiv Fantasia, i'll change it up later cause I'm not loving it right now.

There is nothing wrong with Chibi style. I enjoy Chibi style. but in your previous works you attempted to push chibi influences into works that just didn't work. you had tiny round faces, big eyes, with thin and long bodies.

this isn't trying to be multiple styles. although i will say there are too many folds for clothes for chibi style.
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: L.K. [Taikichi] on June 20, 2014, 10:19:19 AM
The real problem was I had never learned the head proportions for drawing people, most guides just tell you to draw it, but I'm a math man. I wouldn't call any of that stylized, they were all doomed to hideousness anyway because my entire foundation was wrong. I still haven't found any proportions for chin and jawline, guides want to pretend like this stuff is common knowledge.

And I say it's not enough folds, it's a high definition Chibi.
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: NO1SY on June 20, 2014, 10:35:21 AM
I have seen way worse attempts at character drawing (namely mine :P). There are definite chibi aspects to your characters, I don't think it's bad that they are there, but from what you say it wasn't your original intention?

There are absolutely tons of places to learn this kinda thing if you truly want to learn and change the way your characters look if you are unhappy with them. Youtube for one. And I got Mark Crilley's intsructional book 2 years ago for my birthday and that's pretty good. Even here on MR! I don't think many artists look at it from a mathematical perspective though...
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: L.K. [Taikichi] on June 20, 2014, 09:00:40 PM
I do have mark crilley's book and thankfully he goes in depth with measuring each part of the body in relation to the head. I also have Shojo Fashion Manga Art Studio by Irene Flores. It's nice they both have information the other's missing. Most of Mark Crilley's guides don't really show off much to his foundation. It's kind of like "Step one: Draw and Circle" "Step 2: Draw the face, hair, shading and highlights." One book my friend let me borrow showed me the proportions for every single part of the face (even the neck) except the hairline. I have to fill in those blanks for all of his guides.
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: Lumaria on June 20, 2014, 09:14:03 PM
I always suggest avoiding mark crilley. for one, none of his published work shows that he even follows his own advice. and another, his success as a teacher rides to much on the fact he has a japanese family, and he got something published (similar to manga university).

but generally, look at the proportions in just general anatomy. it doesn't have to be perfectly to a real body, but it has to look close enough and consistent enough. most anime and manga don't make it exactly to a human, and if they did, it wouldn't look like anime or manga style.
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: desirulz123 on June 20, 2014, 10:53:09 PM
If you would like a book with learning to draw the human body you can buy a book (or download it google is your friend) called Figure Drawing: Design and Invention by Michael Hampton it goes in depth with seeing/feeling the movement of your subject or "Gesture" is the art term.

It is easier to see lines bringing going together and making "Forms". This book helped me the most for sketching out the body much quicker.

Even if you want to do Chibi Style I would just go to the basics of drawing the human body than and do studies with pictures i would suggest going here:  http://artists.pixelovely.com/practice-tools/figure-drawing/ For different poses you can just for them to be naked or clothed

and here: http://www.posemaniacs.com/ for muscles studies

and for references you can sign up for this website it is free http://www.corbisimages.com/?cid=welcome:US

Hope it helps keep up the good work :)
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: NO1SY on June 21, 2014, 05:29:29 AM
I always suggest avoiding mark crilley. for one, none of his published work shows that he even follows his own advice. and another, his success as a teacher rides to much on the fact he has a japanese family, and he got something published (similar to manga university).

I did wonder why his comic books looked nothing like his tutorials :P I dunno, I like his style, but I can see why people would struggle learning anatomy from him as nowhere does he actually show actual human anatomy in great detail - as Kekashi said, most of his tutorials are in relation to the head.
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: Lumaria on June 21, 2014, 05:51:30 AM
He really is overrated, and a little smug. he even goes far to making a book called mastering manga. bold words. i took a look, but really just hitting the basics of any comic making.


@Kesashi. i don't 100% buy that it was a foundation issue. i'm sure you recognized that different styles require different foundations. and you've admitted in the past (to me) that you had chibi influences in your style and really wanted to use this young, look.

so just look at your work, and see what needs to change. or look at another work and compare it to yours. a work that accomplishes where you are having difficulty.
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: NO1SY on June 21, 2014, 06:02:29 AM
^^ good advice :)
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: L.K. [Taikichi] on June 25, 2014, 01:02:47 PM
He really is overrated, and a little smug. he even goes far to making a book called mastering manga. bold words. i took a look, but really just hitting the basics of any comic making.


@Kesashi. i don't 100% buy that it was a foundation issue. i'm sure you recognized that different styles require different foundations. and you've admitted in the past (to me) that you had chibi influences in your style and really wanted to use this young, look.

so just look at your work, and see what needs to change. or look at another work and compare it to yours. a work that accomplishes where you are having difficulty.

What was the primary fault of my work? Anatomy; from the beginning that was the priority to fix. Except I couldn't do it because I didn't know the proportions. I've had influence of Moe, but I never really liked chibi. I studied moe because I didn't know a better way to draw young/cute characters.


Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: L.K. [Taikichi] on June 25, 2014, 01:06:49 PM
Google Sketchup weapon design
Spoiler
(https://scontent-a-iad.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xpa1/v/t1.0-9/q71/s720x720/10487291_708353885892347_769879214243630343_n.jpg?oh=f822a88c4219fcacffbe38d4837b2f6c&oe=5422D789)
Spoiler
(https://scontent-b-iad.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xfp1/t1.0-9/q71/s720x720/10473771_708353902559012_3950040676239856876_n.jpg)
Spoiler
(https://fbcdn-sphotos-d-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xfp1/t1.0-9/q71/s720x720/10428709_708353909225678_3884825450515892791_n.jpg)
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: L.K. [Taikichi] on July 07, 2014, 05:01:08 AM
@narutogod

I started a thing with a model from that site and replaced the outfit with something based on a suit from Aion. I didn't do any hardcore measurements so i'm not stressing about it looking exactly alike right now. I'm going to touch it up and color it now.

(http://memberfiles.freewebs.com/26/20/44652026/photos/undefined/Model%20Art%20(Without%20Color).jpg)

Edit: I also wasn't too into the fact that she was on her phone.. or communicator or something... Artistic License and all that. Made it look like she's gesturing to show she can't properly hear something, or someone since that is what I thought she was doing at first.
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: L.K. [Taikichi] on July 07, 2014, 05:02:45 PM
My compliments to crayola, for being the only company to make a soft black color pencil that never shatters. Next time i'll definitely use more than 4 colors on the face.

(https://fbcdn-sphotos-c-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xpa1/t1.0-9/q71/s720x720/10494838_715151678545901_3724695041210856318_n.jpg)
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: WhiteCrow on July 10, 2014, 04:46:54 AM
I think your artwork is pretty awesome, not to mention the fact that you can actually see the improvement as time has gone on. I thought your first attempt at realistic faces was on point, lastly, your shading is really good and your scythe designs... AWESOME.
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: L.K. [Taikichi] on July 10, 2014, 04:58:29 AM
Like what I did there with the blood? At the bottom of the blade?  :clapping: Yeah I know it's the most hideous picture i've ever seen in my life. Drawing realism on a small scale is killer, didn't wanna waste my bigger sketchbooks though since it was just practice.

It only looks bad, because I can see exactly how it could have been made better. I am glad to be practicing with real models now because I couldn't perceive that as well in my previous works. So i'm gonna make it up to you all for posting such a hideous picture by clothing this beauty.

Edit: Thanks WhiteCrow, it's really nice being able to learn from your mistakes so I try not to dwell on mistakes unless i'm doing something professional (the only pro drawing i've done would be my book cover) mistakes can make great teachers.

I'm sorry loren that I haven't shown you any practice with shading with a 0.5mm mechanical pencil. I have a lot of practice backed up and I should really be practicing perspective but... coloring is more fun.
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: L.K. [Taikichi] on July 12, 2014, 01:20:04 AM
Bloody good day everyone, mighty hard to crack a joke about your own dog dying, but tomorrow she will be put to sleep. So, i've decided to take on another project of immortilization, you could say. This will be the most mathematically accurate and the largest picture I've ever drawn. Problem is this will be made on a 18 by 24 inch (45.7 x 61 cm) sketchbook, so I wont be able to scan it. I will take a picture with a camera; sorry you might not be able to see it at best quality.

Spoiler
(http://memberfiles.freewebs.com/26/20/44652026/photos/undefined/Duchess%20measurements.jpg)

Neighbors nearly abandoned her, we took her in, not knowing that along with obesity, she had a skin infection stemming from an ear infection and possibly benign breast cancer. Treatment remains too expensive and age is taking its toll.
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: L.K. [Taikichi] on July 22, 2014, 05:49:36 AM
Okay, new concept of Esashi, done completely in 0.5 mm mechanical pencil... except the sheath was done in number 2.

New Esashi
(https://fbcdn-sphotos-f-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xap1/t1.0-9/q81/s720x720/10525590_722803544447381_1962335034420818606_n.jpg)
I see next time I will have to check the position of the feet to make sure it looks like her body is opposing gravity.

2013 Esashi
(https://fbcdn-sphotos-b-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/q71/s720x720/1016326_545247458869658_1702166713_n.jpg)
As Loren would say, this is the difference between personal preferences and consistancy.

...And also the difference between math and eyeballing
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: Lumaria on July 22, 2014, 08:08:16 AM
when u draw those short lines near her waist? Do you randomly put them in? you see, those lines is what separates the legs from the abdomen. and they look pretty close to where their suppose to be, but the way they are drawn. rather than curving with the body, they appear straight. as if they were tattoos.

Her arm, it seems a little too thin while at the same time trying to show off specific muscular features.

http://media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/236x/94/73/72/947372b3ac2731037d9e63347cd38c20.jpg

^^here's an image of a nude couple posing. the main feature are the arms.

I meant to say to use .05mm. Still....i'm not seeing a strong change. the idea to use lead thats thinner is so that you won't make the lines as thick.
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: FreezingCicada on July 22, 2014, 08:47:28 AM
^
I dont think the arm is to thin. I think its suppose to show off the triceps, just that it looks like he added defined line for biceps instead.
I think its mostly lines that separate the abs from the oblique muscles.

You could pretty thin lines even with 0.5 mechanical pencils. The key is to do it lightly and confidently.
It also helps to have a moderate spacing on the paper.
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: L.K. [Taikichi] on July 22, 2014, 05:25:06 PM
And I just noticed the hand is backwards... you think you'd be past these mistakes by now

I do draw the lines to represent the legs and I just based them off the position of the belly button in that picture. Not an extreme level of thought went in I admit.

If it's just a line width issue I could easily just fix that in Anime Studio or with a larger sketchbook.
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: Lumaria on July 22, 2014, 05:35:23 PM
And I just noticed the hand is backwards... you think you'd be past these mistakes by now

I do draw the lines to represent the legs and I just based them off the position of the belly button in that picture. Not an extreme level of thought went in I admit.

If it's just a line width issue I could easily just fix that in Anime Studio or with a larger sketchbook.

you're missing the point. try drawing thinner. bigger paper wont change anything, neither will drawing digitally. the change is how you draw.
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: legomaestro on July 22, 2014, 10:17:59 PM
The Esashi pencil one is pretty cool. Mechanical pencils are fun right? I wish I could get other leads. Liked the crayola pencil one before those too. Nice indication of light. Well it seems you know where you have to improve so just keep on working that up.
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: L.K. [Taikichi] on July 23, 2014, 12:46:19 AM
And I just noticed the hand is backwards... you think you'd be past these mistakes by now

I do draw the lines to represent the legs and I just based them off the position of the belly button in that picture. Not an extreme level of thought went in I admit.

If it's just a line width issue I could easily just fix that in Anime Studio or with a larger sketchbook.

you're missing the point. try drawing thinner. bigger paper wont change anything, neither will drawing digitally. the change is how you draw.

Madness, but as always I'll try it.

And thank you Lego, I'd say Crayola is worth the cost, never know what kind of problems you'll have with cheaper brands till it's too late.
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: L.K. [Taikichi] on July 24, 2014, 09:41:25 PM
@Freezing Cola, i never noticed how uncofident my strokes were until i tried to draw small lines.

It did force me to draw a lot slower, that's for certain. Usually pictures that take me 5 hours to draw have color... keeping the lines less than 0.6mm wide I can't use additional strokes to cover up mistakes.

Esashi
(http://memberfiles.freewebs.com/26/20/44652026/photos/undefined/Esashi_0004.jpg)

I'm not exaggerating about the 5 hour thing...
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: legomaestro on July 24, 2014, 09:52:17 PM
No pain no gain... Or something like that. Nice one!
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: L.K. [Taikichi] on July 30, 2014, 12:13:51 AM
I'd been meaning to draw Esashi in some japanese clothes and ended up with this.

Spoiler
(https://fbcdn-sphotos-b-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xap1/t1.0-9/10509710_727089754018760_9159669966310463020_n.jpg)
Remember when drawing or wearing Kimonos the overlap over the breasts is left over right.
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: L.K. [Taikichi] on July 31, 2014, 12:15:53 AM
I actually planned to use that picture to practice a new technique I learned in anime studio. I say "new" except I've known about it I just assumed it would only be possible with photoshop or manga studio or something. Anime studio happens to be the best medium I know of for drawing with a mouse rather than a drawing pad so I'd rather use it if I can, just for the fact that it's insanely easy to edit points as opposed to strokes.

That's why it's not my best work with color pencil if that was up for questioning, I only colored it to guide myself.

Spoiler
(http://memberfiles.freewebs.com/26/20/44652026/photos/undefined/Dark%20Lineage%20First%20Render.png)

(http://memberfiles.freewebs.com/26/20/44652026/photos/undefined/Rendercomparison.jpg)

(I do suggest photoshop when it comes to coloring/shading)
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: legomaestro on August 05, 2014, 11:56:25 AM
Nice, that could prove to be useful later. I'm still stuck with GIMP but I'll get Photoshop again eventually. Are you going to finish this drawing digitally?
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: L.K. [Taikichi] on August 20, 2014, 09:59:43 PM
Lol, sorry lego, forgot my reply didn't post because while I was on a different computer the timer on my login ran out while typing.

I noticed I never posted my arsenol of sketchbooks. It reminds me exactly how many pictures i've drawn...

(https://fbcdn-sphotos-f-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xpf1/t1.0-9/10153788_677222299005506_4888175589474978771_n.jpg)

This is only as many as I could find. There's also those guide books I use, one was borrowed from a friend. Mark Crilley's, Shojo Fashion: Manga Art School, and Color Pencil Step by Step.

(I also use a pdf of Making Comics by Scott McCloud and a pdf of a perspective guide book).
But I literally do just go to the store and buy sketchbooks for no reason.
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: WhiteCrow on August 20, 2014, 10:21:49 PM
Wait... are those reference books or actual books that you've drawn in?

If it's the latter... holy crap that's quite an amount of books!
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: L.K. [Taikichi] on August 23, 2014, 12:07:30 PM
Wait... are those reference books or actual books that you've drawn in?

If it's the latter... holy crap that's quite an amount of books!

Both  ;D Sketchbooks and 'how-to's.
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: L.K. [Taikichi] on August 23, 2014, 12:23:22 PM
(I live in Texas), algebra teacher is still in turkey and he hasn't sent the sub any lesson plans so I end up with this.

(http://memberfiles.freewebs.com/26/20/44652026/photos/undefined/Daniela_0001.jpg)
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: legomaestro on August 23, 2014, 05:13:18 PM
The sub?

In any case nice piece there. She summons a skeletal hand huh. Always found that power cool. Nce character design and shading
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: L.K. [Taikichi] on August 24, 2014, 01:28:18 AM
The sub?

In any case nice piece there. She summons a skeletal hand huh. Always found that power cool. Nce character design and shading

Yeah, substitute teacher just tells us to do whatever without being obnoxious. It's one of the oldest and one of my favorite character designs that I've made. Late 2011 design was that she had the power to control a dragon, but not strong enough to control its entire body, so she just controls the bones.
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: Lumaria on August 24, 2014, 01:41:33 AM

Madness, but as always I'll try it.

And thank you Lego, I'd say Crayola is worth the cost, never know what kind of problems you'll have with cheaper brands till it's too late.
i'm not seeing it....i still see the same line depth, the same shading. the same everything.
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: DBNext on August 24, 2014, 04:10:03 AM
I think the skeleton hand is facing the wrong way. Thumb should be on the other side.
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: NO1SY on August 24, 2014, 04:20:06 AM
I really like the colour shading on the bones :)
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: L.K. [Taikichi] on August 24, 2014, 07:43:05 PM
I think the skeleton hand is facing the wrong way. Thumb should be on the other side.

You are absolutely correct.

I got a feeling in the near future psychology is going to discover a mental disorder affecting artists like me, who are completely unconscious of the which way ahand faces in the process of drawing it.


Madness, but as always I'll try it.

And thank you Lego, I'd say Crayola is worth the cost, never know what kind of problems you'll have with cheaper brands till it's too late.
i'm not seeing it....i still see the same line depth, the same shading. the same everything.

This picture was drawn in less than 5 hours, not applying the technique of thin lines. However, I did try the technique right after you suggested it. Looking at that hand there are much bigger problems in that picture...

@Freezing Cola, i never noticed how uncofident my strokes were until i tried to draw small lines.

It did force me to draw a lot slower, that's for certain. Usually pictures that take me 5 hours to draw have color... keeping the lines less than 0.6mm wide I can't use additional strokes to cover up mistakes.

Esashi
(http://memberfiles.freewebs.com/26/20/44652026/photos/undefined/Esashi_0004.jpg)

I'm not exaggerating about the 5 hour thing...

At least that one has the fingers in the right places.
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: L.K. [Taikichi] on August 28, 2014, 10:43:48 PM
Doing some more practice and experimentation with the lovely Esashi. Needed to deal with some personal uncertainties before I started working on any projects.

(https://fbcdn-sphotos-g-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xfa1/t31.0-8/s960x960/10553931_741680909226311_1718644034915497850_o.jpg)

It's a work in progress obviously and I did most of it during school.
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: WhiteCrow on August 28, 2014, 10:55:20 PM
I think the concept behind the character is definitely cool and I can see the potential in it. As for the picture itself, I believe her legs look a little too long. That's good shading on the sword and hair with what I would presume were crayons (lol). Might I suggest maybe having the sash (the rope portion) be wider and longer, possibly have it hanging down towards her legs.

Overall i think the picture is well done, especially for a WIP.
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: legomaestro on August 29, 2014, 03:57:39 AM
It is looking good, but I feel the robe is a bit on the short side, or maybe her legs are a bit long.
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: L.K. [Taikichi] on August 30, 2014, 05:12:20 PM
Yeah the kimono is just short. A few inches shorter than a real-life short-kimono, but regardless this picture is not communicating properly so i will start over.
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: Lumaria on August 30, 2014, 05:21:28 PM
yeah, it doesn't look natural. did you draw the character's body first before drawing the kimono?
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: L.K. [Taikichi] on August 30, 2014, 08:56:04 PM
It's nice, but the entire picture is damaged. For starters I drew it at school so though I may have had a steady hand I did not have a steady desk. As always I do draw the body before I draw the clothes, since I got substantial suggestions to fix my knowledge of human anatomy, and that is also a reason why it's not a good picture. I didn't realize how un-flattering a kimono was when I drew the body, so I gave her a subtle pose.

I planned to give her a short kimono in the first place, but it still wasn't going to show up, so I shortened the kimono. Halfway through drawing that I finally became conscious of how hideous mark crilley's proportions were. Without having redraw the entire picture, I conformed the majority of her to what my eyes saw fit which compromised the pose.

On top of all that the sword is too wide, the sash is too thin, and the kimono is too tight.
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: Lumaria on August 30, 2014, 10:17:40 PM
get the anatomy first before drawing the kimono. if you want the clothes to compliment the body.
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: L.K. [Taikichi] on September 01, 2014, 05:16:33 PM
Might as well update.

(https://fbcdn-sphotos-f-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xfp1/t31.0-8/s960x960/10603845_743352682392467_8048003268130276323_o.jpg)

Don't worry I already tried: It's too late to undo any currently colored mistakes. All I can do is color over them.
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: Robin Rain on September 01, 2014, 05:19:48 PM
I love her eyes.
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: Vio on September 01, 2014, 05:20:20 PM
Looks great! Slow but steady. ^^
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: legomaestro on September 01, 2014, 05:22:19 PM
Nice one there.

Colouring by pencils seems so scary to do.
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: L.K. [Taikichi] on September 01, 2014, 06:17:50 PM
Color pencil's not that bad, now paint, that's a medium for madmen. It's just there's a limit to how much color pencil you can erase without destroying the paper.
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: L.K. [Taikichi] on September 02, 2014, 07:01:53 PM
Yeah, so might not finish this one, probably best I save my color pencils for something with more ambitious hair-shading.

(https://fbcdn-sphotos-d-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xpf1/t31.0-8/q81/s960x960/10688278_743857625675306_5211310315828848583_o.jpg)
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: legomaestro on September 04, 2014, 06:31:35 PM
That turned out pretty great. You sure know how to use dem colour pencils. Props.
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: L.K. [Taikichi] on September 07, 2014, 07:17:54 PM
That turned out pretty great. You sure know how to use dem colour pencils. Props.

It's funny you mention that:

I started a scaled portrait of a relative in color pencil. Since i'm doing it the 18 x 24 in. sketchbook i won't beable to just scan it. I decided since I'd have to take a picture of it with a camera i might as well take the opportunity to record the process of drawing it. I'd been meaning to record myself drawing for a while now.

Also: this is actually part 2 of the recordings since i didn't know the camera had a function to help it focus on the picture, so I uploaded this one first.

Image
(http://memberfiles.freewebs.com/26/20/44652026/photos/undefined/Video%20scrsht.png)

Video
http://youtu.be/0kilVllyZZc
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: Lumaria on September 07, 2014, 10:01:08 PM
You have a tendency to give your characters "stuffed cheeks"
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: L.K. [Taikichi] on September 07, 2014, 10:12:44 PM
You have a tendency to give your characters "stuffed cheeks"

Yeah, with the pictures of Esashi I had been trying to exaggerate some ethnic features she'd have besides heavy eyelids.
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: Lumaria on September 07, 2014, 10:21:01 PM
perhaps look at other asian pictures before stereotyping.
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: L.K. [Taikichi] on September 07, 2014, 10:49:25 PM
perhaps look at other asian pictures before stereotyping.

No, I actually stared numerous eastern females, specifically Japanese, in the face for several hours, alongside non-scholarly research, to draw that last picture. Their features really aren't as diverse as us Americans, who'd have thought. Since I intended to have multiple cultures in my own manga i have study to ethnic features.

To give an idea this is one graphic guide i use to help me develop ethnic identity in my characters' pictures
Based on the "average" facial features
(http://d3u5xmnnxiuz0w.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/averageface-954x863.jpg)
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: Lumaria on September 08, 2014, 02:48:47 AM
Ok...here's the thing....when you're drawing ethnicities...very rarely are you going to be concentrating on specific details.  The more detailed you are, the more the specific details of each race are needed.

http://www.kanpai-japan.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/japanese-woman-23-670x445.jpg

http://inserbia.info/today/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/Japanese_woman_with_eyeglasses.jpg

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/02/01/article-2271585-17476AB7000005DC-128_634x627.jpg

http://odontologiamx.files.wordpress.com/2011/10/100311_1420_lamodajapon6.jpg?w=584

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/02/01/article-2271585-17475B9C000005DC-581_634x513.jpg

http://www.virtuallifestyle.net/images/image.php/91_1_20100620170300.jpg?width=695&height=510&image=/images/page_images/super/91_1_20100620170300.jpg

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y222/gaming_bum/asian/korean/hyegyo.jpg

Here are some images to help better grasp what faces in general look like. The problem is this is an issue with more than just your regular characters, you have a tendency to "bulge" out their cheeks. Giving them that "child" look. But it also looks unnatural.
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: L.K. [Taikichi] on September 08, 2014, 05:47:26 PM
I am starting to see it and that is entirely unintentional. Just a habit from mimicking the anime style, i think.  I will try to attribute that to my current picture.
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: Lumaria on September 08, 2014, 06:03:02 PM
The problem is that the cheecks are usually more "lifted".
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: L.K. [Taikichi] on September 15, 2014, 12:49:10 AM
Oy anatomy.

(https://fbcdn-sphotos-b-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xpa1/v/t1.0-9/10649907_372458982904145_4346715840188736743_n.jpg?oh=7464588b2be497416d57ddd7e5c95378&oe=5489E624&__gda__=1418453916_69e6849a72e7e47634adba8315a285a5)
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: L.K. [Taikichi] on September 18, 2014, 09:54:53 PM
So what I learned in school today...

(https://fbcdn-sphotos-h-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xpa1/v/t1.0-9/s720x720/1618401_373578969458813_2061942291406578012_n.jpg?oh=d7e7a857af6e22a36f16f3ea133405fe&oe=54CE6852&__gda__=1418528645_1ad6d4662d0fa08cde32f8836d443ada)

Didn't have skin color pencils with me so i just shaded with graphite.
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: legomaestro on September 19, 2014, 11:19:08 AM
Whoa how did you do the katanaka? Nice!

Also Kesashi, I was wondering what colour pencils you use? Wanted to really try them out.

http://www.crunchyroll.com/anime-news/2014/06/24/hunter-x-hunter-animator-hyped-for-chimera-ant-finale

This totally inspired me to try my hand out at them ...
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: CeruleanSpirit on September 19, 2014, 08:45:21 PM
The last piece with the girl's portrait is your best work so far. And yes, she look japanese to me. Some people have kind of halfway complained about stuffed cheek, but I am not picky at all at this point. Amazing job on the hairs, good realism on the face.
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: L.K. [Taikichi] on September 20, 2014, 10:57:19 PM
Whoa how did you do the katanaka? Nice!

Also Kesashi, I was wondering what colour pencils you use? Wanted to really try them out.

http://www.crunchyroll.com/anime-news/2014/06/24/hunter-x-hunter-animator-hyped-for-chimera-ant-finale

This totally inspired me to try my hand out at them ...


Thanks  :thumbsup: I did the kanji in gel pen. I just use crayola, since they're very good quality and very cheap. Anything cheaper I've noticed shatters when sharpening and has a pretty bad hue. Cra Z art  :thumbsdown:
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: L.K. [Taikichi] on September 22, 2014, 10:52:40 PM
That beautiful hand... It's all going into anime studio so it's not a problem.

(https://fbcdn-sphotos-b-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xfp1/v/t1.0-9/10615397_753823988012003_5342168158525691841_n.jpg?oh=4b5abe8ac5dc0001460d5610121026b6&oe=54CFBAA2&__gda__=1418945835_24dcda39dd915b1ab4199630da84f604)

I'm making a set of promotional comics for Sentieria. I'm interested in seeing the boundaries of Manga action for myself.
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: L.K. [Taikichi] on September 25, 2014, 07:58:12 PM
Don't worry guys, it's time to work on some different cultures. Hard to find examples of Russian anime characters, so I'll just wait till Anime Studio so I can do some experimenting. Now, Introducing Svetlana. Interesting feature: google translate will convert the alphabet if you type a name in English.

(https://fbcdn-sphotos-h-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xap1/v/t1.0-9/s720x720/10690301_755244011203334_2071217199674274742_n.jpg?oh=87094d97b792b82b6511e3851a1a034e&oe=54B9BED3&__gda__=1418253453_4cbf19b2a0ca7ea0af07640b31f992a8)
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: bossx5 on September 26, 2014, 05:30:26 PM
I know this is weird but if you had the time could you show me how to draw a katana
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: L.K. [Taikichi] on October 27, 2014, 01:07:28 AM
Life is good.

I don't know if you're still interested in a guide to drawing katanas, bossx5, but I will tell you when it comes to drawing something, it's more important to study the object than the techniques.

(This is not Esashi from Project Sentieria)
(https://fbcdn-sphotos-e-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xap1/v/t1.0-9/10372057_771435546250847_3824532023540623362_n.jpg?oh=bf6061bc9b8b2a3752b7fbbaac81f1b3&oe=54ACAE05&__gda__=1424145625_73db019be9fe2a1dae7200e16956df9c)

Anyway, just for fun I got myself interested in drawing a web-comic series based on a game I waste my time playing, right now I'm just trying to put the characters on paper.
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: Vio on October 27, 2014, 01:21:05 AM
Looks lovely and an interesting comparison~ :clapping: :thumbsup:
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: L.K. [Taikichi] on December 14, 2014, 04:13:46 PM
Colored Pencils are forever

(https://fbcdn-sphotos-f-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xpa1/v/t1.0-9/s720x720/10850294_795848860476182_1913709017345138967_n.jpg?oh=065503748336629ccbaebfb724d04ae8&oe=54FB0302&__gda__=1426791396_d631a3795ebde6064625009b822b765e)

Yeah I just love crystals and diamonds for whatever reason, but I recently figured out how to illustrate them properly so I wanted to practice it before I did it on my big sketchbook.
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: MahluaandMilk on December 14, 2014, 10:33:37 PM
Between this recent sketch and the others I've admittedly only skimmed through, I see a lot of progress with the use of your coloured pencils. Job well done on the detail work and blending on the eye!
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: L.K. [Taikichi] on December 17, 2014, 12:41:42 PM
Thank you, that means a lot to me. I spend a lot of time just watching other artists draw on youtube.
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: L.K. [Taikichi] on December 28, 2014, 07:30:33 PM
Still doing concept art of Esashi, feel like I'm getting close to a design I can stick with.

(https://fbcdn-sphotos-a-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xpa1/v/t1.0-9/10897113_804324442961957_8877863299791379321_n.jpg?oh=249173c876483b15700c25f4f2cc43a7&oe=5539D4CB&__gda__=1429119091_d26a27570c81ddfeebf611343b5b5356)
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: Echo_River on December 30, 2014, 01:22:33 PM
Nice design and colouring Kesashi!
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: L.K. [Taikichi] on December 30, 2014, 09:21:01 PM
Thanks, I was stepping out of my comfort zone trying to draw an Anime styled picture without outlines but the size of the picture altogether really killed me. (She's only 9 inches tall in that picture)

It's that time of the year when I draw maps again. Interesting to see just how my perception of the world has changed over the years.

2012
(https://fbcdn-sphotos-f-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xpa1/v/t1.0-9/s720x720/971785_550988074962263_1500908262_n.jpg?oh=f9d8d4a42d780d347f15a944f884ccf2&oe=552A02D3&__gda__=1430769745_14712e417d1a0e516bc17b69fedc5dda)
This was actually designed for the game version of Sentieria

2013
(https://fbcdn-sphotos-e-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xpf1/v/t1.0-9/q85/s720x720/10896865_805395459521522_8482823318272781635_n.jpg?oh=ab97648c5a4639c8f46c4a7a618b5425&oe=552F4620&__gda__=1429676342_600f84c0a7f38136523f495a9bf3777d)
All I really did here was take Loren's advice that the last one was too colorful and I had deleted a lot of story arcs

2014
(https://scontent-a-sjc.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xpa1/v/t1.0-9/10700_805395429521525_8637746427873226270_n.jpg?oh=e5c6d8568cdb6f03e6e2a57dea046adb&oe=5531429D)
Finally I decided the entire story would be just fine on one continent.

Above Nypheria it says Frozen Land
Above Kora it says Kora
Above Dark Continent it says Dark Land
Above Offluriki it says Silent kingdom
Above Salutia it says prison.
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: L.K. [Taikichi] on January 06, 2015, 09:55:21 PM
Heartbreak, in every sense of the word.

(https://fbcdn-sphotos-h-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xpa1/v/t1.0-9/10343011_811204295607305_8039730231444888506_n.jpg?oh=36af2932593c1402449799c88d29fb9e&oe=55282A0B&__gda__=1428415667_46d91f3f61167cc7f17b612b59d93a5e)

Certainly could have done more with the liquid to give the impression of the flat faces but.... no there's not actually any excuse not to have done it, but I'm moving on to other pictures now.

this is the reference image
(http://images.diamondenvy.com/media/catalog/product/cache/1/image/9df78eab33525d08d6e5fb8d27136e95/1/3/13046_1.jpg)
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: Nekonomicon on January 07, 2015, 02:45:20 PM
Honestly, I prefer yours. The colours are brighter
Awesome work!
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: L.K. [Taikichi] on January 18, 2015, 12:00:37 AM
I do love gemstones

So I was bored... and had a ruler:

(https://scontent-b-lga.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xpf1/v/t1.0-9/s720x720/10933846_816673645060370_2045211216603308537_n.jpg?oh=ab4046b4d7ef27ccdf4193f8a32cc746&oe=555E47C6)

Didn't know the date so I was just like whatever
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: MK on January 18, 2015, 04:35:39 AM
The right eye (left on paper) looks a little crooked.  I took my hand an hid that part and it looked perfect.  I tried hiding the other eye but it still looked crooked.  But your pencil shading looks amazing as always...
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: L.K. [Taikichi] on January 19, 2015, 10:31:52 AM
The right eye (left on paper) looks a little crooked.  I took my hand an hid that part and it looked perfect.  I tried hiding the other eye but it still looked crooked.  But your pencil shading looks amazing as always...

Thank you  :D, I didn't notice that about the eyes before, but I'm just hopeless with free-hand symmetry, I'll have to take more measurements on the eyes next time.

Just more practicing faces here, I don't really know any proportions for seeing the face at different angles, I know there are some, but I don't remember them.

(https://fbcdn-sphotos-d-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xfp1/v/t1.0-9/s720x720/10384353_817302638330804_4155007273641705460_n.jpg?oh=2f9fba5bcab42cd35cc4966cb94fa470&oe=553208ED&__gda__=1432231645_a4020bbbe2c4126ea6d94847c81c9d19)

Trying to resist the urge to mix mediums between colored pencil and graphite.
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: MK on January 20, 2015, 12:13:16 AM
The ear looks a little too low and too small.  In manga proportions the ear is lined up with the top of the eye and is a little bigger...  Real life proportions the ear goes from the eyebrow down to the bottom of the nose (in manga the eyes are enlarged so it is different)
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: April.Showers on January 20, 2015, 09:44:25 AM
Usually the eye closer to us (the one seen in full) is farther away from the nose, and the one on the other side would be a bit more compact width wise. Also the ear, but that was previously mentioned, other than those two things it's a really good drawing.
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: L.K. [Taikichi] on April 12, 2015, 03:00:34 AM
I noticed my images have been going away, I guess facebook's changing the urls, and I don't feel like re-posting them.

It's been a while and it's time for more pictures.

This one was for my school's art show, whenever that'll be.

(https://igcdn-photos-e-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xaf1/t51.2885-15/11024094_1565154347098676_157112826_n.jpg)

This is just concept art for a new manga idea I plan to work on

Spoiler
(https://scontent-atl.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xfa1/v/t1.0-9/10407829_841475595913508_5698632613556853099_n.jpg?oh=06abe27137c50d9de66b60d5981b629e&oe=559C7925)
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: L.K. [Taikichi] on April 28, 2015, 09:03:57 PM
Got a new computer, but I can't use my scanner until I feel like connecting it to my computer, but instagram will suffice. Testing out anime in colored pencil again, probably wasn't wise to use white clothes to practice not using outlines.

Spoiler
(https://fbcdn-sphotos-c-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xpa1/v/t1.0-9/11138488_871836182877449_6268435251145390655_n.jpg?oh=a6ca1e09ed298bef672005abd5818614&oe=55E3A331&__gda__=1440472457_c88256d3c563548c91958d99ac715a05)

(https://scontent-atl.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xpf1/v/t1.0-9/11010289_871833419544392_4928200916474215920_n.jpg?oh=ee1f3245ec00c0686ff664b10499fc66&oe=55D915AB)
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: L.K. [Taikichi] on May 04, 2015, 12:43:38 AM
I've updated my first post (http://forums.mangaraiders.com/index.php/topic,8240.msg148587.html#msg148587). Now most of my images are restored in you'd like to see them I'll try to restore more later.
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: legomaestro on May 04, 2015, 01:12:58 AM
I really like the look coloured pencils can achieve, especially after seeing the Hunter x Hunter concept art they posted one. That gallery exhibition one looks great, and I like the latest character.

Yeah fb tends to break off image links like that.

Anyways good stuff
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: L.K. [Taikichi] on May 05, 2015, 12:19:06 AM
I really like the look coloured pencils can achieve, especially after seeing the Hunter x Hunter concept art they posted one. That gallery exhibition one looks great, and I like the latest character.

Yeah fb tends to break off image links like that.

Anyways good stuff

Especially from a distance, I love colored pencils, they just feel so unexpectedly lifelike every time I work with them.  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: L.K. [Taikichi] on July 22, 2015, 01:34:10 AM
I'm really liking the effects I can get with Anime studio. It's very colorful and appealing, a lot better than my older works with Anime Studio.

(http://memberfiles.freewebs.com/26/20/44652026/photos/undefined/Lunatic%20Image.png)
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: MK on July 23, 2015, 03:25:14 AM
Wow, I looked through your old art and I have to say that you have improved quite a bit since you started.  Pretty inspiring stuff there :D
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: L.K. [Taikichi] on August 15, 2015, 01:36:39 AM
More Anime Studio. Just a sneak peak really of another story I've written as I ready it for its manga adaptation. Since I'm already satisfied with the story I'll post this one once I'm done illustrating it. Here I've hastily drawn one of the main characters.

(https://scontent-dfw1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xtf1/v/t1.0-9/11836891_926728800721520_3434285370578528221_n.jpg?oh=35830622a23b34dceb0a445b559ee285&oe=5639A69F)

Spoiler
(https://scontent-dfw1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xpf1/v/t1.0-9/11885064_926731624054571_7237751590820268295_n.jpg?oh=7a2bbf1217532ee70579418ad7b1eb7c&oe=567535A7)
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: Nomena :) on August 15, 2015, 11:11:17 AM
nice work ... though I think I prefer the coloured pencil look  ;D
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: Suuper-san on August 15, 2015, 11:14:43 AM
switching to digital can be hard to color as good as you can traditionally at first. just as it is hard at first to use a tablet.

@kesashi it looks like you are using gradient-fills for some parts. that can make those areas have a lack of depth if you aren't careful with the settings. like around the knees which have a shadow on the kneecaps as well, not just to the side of the leg all the way down.
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: L.K. [Taikichi] on August 15, 2015, 01:51:01 PM
Oh yes, my studio when it comes to drawing on digital work you could say is pretty nontraditional of digital drawing studios. With this program I work with vectors and points. I like it because it means I don't need a tablet and I can draw with a mouse and it makes things infinitely maluable. Of course it needs to be easily edited because Anime Studio is actually an animation software. I've been working with anime studio pretty much as long as I've been drawing, but it just has its own set of strengths and weaknesses. Colored pencil can take hours or days as opposed to anime studio which can take about 30 minutes. With the difference of effort I'm actually glad that the colored pencil works do look better.

I actually do use the automated shader anime studio has, but I decrease the offset and increase the range so it gives it that gradient effect instead of just solid colors. I can see it definitely makes their bodies look pretty flat when I let it work its own. On top of that I draw on some shaded regions using a similar transparent gray tone.

Spoiler
(http://memberfiles.freewebs.com/26/20/44652026/photos/undefined/Anime%20Studio.png)

Here's some older work with anime studio showing how I would transfer traditional lineart into digital work. I used to use the shader as my sole source of shading, and it's incredibly difficult to work with because its so mathematical.

2012 Lineart
(https://scontent-dfw1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-frc3/v/t1.0-9/222710_164985476895860_8096602_n.jpg?oh=0d327053b8da01b0c3ad3660f09e6824&oe=563B0639)
2012 Anime Studio
(https://scontent-dfw1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xfa1/v/t1.0-9/229310_167276200000121_1236211_n.jpg?oh=6e50a2560ee3441d6c5167372431be4a&oe=563CCBD4)
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: Nomena :) on August 16, 2015, 04:51:08 AM
how long does it take you to go from a traditional lineart to the anime studio product?

I think it would be much more convenient and time saving to work with a tablet...isn't it too much work to use the mouse?
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: L.K. [Taikichi] on November 09, 2015, 10:26:13 PM
The transfer can be very time consuming if I allow it to be. It could take hours in most situations. The problem is Anime Studio wasn't designed to be used with a tablet. Anime studio uses too much math in drawing to utilize it properly, something like photoshop or manga studio would be optimal in that respect. Anime studio, however, was designed for animation, so artwork needs to be infinitely malleable.

When it comes to animation, Anime Studio is bae.

Incidently, I haven't been drawing much lately, that is, most of my time is spent storyboarding now.

Spoiler
(http://memberfiles.freewebs.com/26/20/44652026/photos/undefined/IMG_0005.jpg)
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: L.K. [Taikichi] on June 17, 2016, 10:23:57 PM
Looks like I'm back again. Working on a new rendition of Sentieria. Here's some more artwork of my favorite girl.

(http://memberfiles.freewebs.com/26/20/44652026/photos/undefined/IMG_0028.jpg)
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: L.K. [Taikichi] on June 17, 2016, 10:24:10 PM
Looks like I'm back again. Working on a new rendition of Sentieria. Here's some more artwork of my favorite girl.

(http://memberfiles.freewebs.com/26/20/44652026/photos/undefined/IMG_0028.jpg)
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: MahluaandMilk on June 17, 2016, 10:35:50 PM
Hmmm...something about her arms strikes me as just a little off, but I love the shading you have going on with her hair. (Sorry, I haven't posted on your thread before. I really admire your colored pencil work, btw!)
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: L.K. [Taikichi] on June 18, 2016, 02:21:31 AM
Looks like a double post, it was a bit laggy when I tried to post it, may be why.

Yes this last picture is touching on every skill I don't have. I'm more comfortable with pencils and this picture is all ink using a gel pen that rarely seems to do what I want it to. On top of that my last ruler broke so I wasn't able to take any measurements. The best I could do was make her approximately 6 heads tall.

Her arm is also in perspective which would change how long it appears, and perspective is truly a weakness of mine. Any of those weaknesses may be messing up the arms for you. Also I've noticed her legs aren't quite in a comfortable position to compliment her upper body's movements.
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: MahluaandMilk on June 18, 2016, 02:35:54 AM
Another thing could just be that the sword is too long for the pose you were trying to pull off? :noidea:

For someone doing something to expand on weaknesses, though, I think it turned out pretty well. This is definitely a good learning experience, I think, to see what worked here and what you don't like about it as the artist.

Art is one big fustercluck of trial and error, after all.
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: L.K. [Taikichi] on June 18, 2016, 01:10:56 PM
Here's some new and unfinished colored pencil work.

(http://memberfiles.freewebs.com/26/20/44652026/photos/undefined/IMG%203.jpg)

(http://memberfiles.freewebs.com/26/20/44652026/photos/undefined/IMG%202.jpg)
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: MahluaandMilk on June 18, 2016, 01:18:27 PM
(Sighs) I love how you're able to get such bold colors. Sadly, I have to be careful with my colored pencils because I only have one set at the moment and I'm already running low on a lot of the skin tones.

Another wonderful thing is the smoothness of it. You get the colors to blend really well.
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: L.K. [Taikichi] on June 19, 2016, 01:04:41 AM
I understand completely. I buy a large pack of colored pencils almost monthly. All those ugly greens and white pencils I never use pile up, I don't have enough pencil cases to put them all in. My black pencils are the worst, because I need them for everything, but I can't just use any black colored pencil, it has to be crayola. The prismacolor black wasn't really dark enough for me and cheaper brands always break when I sharpen them.
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: Killer B !!SAMA!! on June 19, 2016, 02:08:58 AM
impressive coloring there men  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: MaidenManga on June 19, 2016, 05:14:00 AM
Here's some new and unfinished colored pencil work.

(http://memberfiles.freewebs.com/26/20/44652026/photos/undefined/IMG%203.jpg)

(http://memberfiles.freewebs.com/26/20/44652026/photos/undefined/IMG%202.jpg)

Love this stuff, I'm so impatient at blending and from your early posts you've had knack for it a long with toning/lighting for the hair - a good strength of yours, you draw accurately too, traditionally.

Keep it up very good stuff. I do head neck/n' shoulders close ups too so I'll be watching your stuff as well for inspiration. Don't stop!
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: Suuper-san on June 20, 2016, 03:59:50 PM
wow incredibly good shading and shinyness on the blue haired one, cant wait to see it finished :P
i think i just learnt how to make hair look good :P
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: L.K. [Taikichi] on June 17, 2017, 08:46:14 PM
I don't draw much these days. The College of Visual Arts will do that to you.

(https://scontent-atl3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/19148977_1433291123398616_1927450605558160071_n.jpg?oh=efb0b4dc7db0335f293487a0660df10a&oe=59DA5DB8)
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: Gabryel on June 18, 2017, 12:46:05 PM
Wow, really nice pencilwork! It's been ages since I did anything with coloured pencils ... and I was never as good as that. Although I feel the violet haired beauty is bending her neck very unnaturally... maybe it looks better when it's finished.
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: MahluaandMilk on June 21, 2017, 04:58:58 PM
Little thin on the limbs in that latest sketch, but I 110% feel you on having like no time to draw. It's excruciating.
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: L.K. [Taikichi] on January 04, 2018, 12:58:30 AM
And now drawing is practically what I do for a living, being in the college of visual arts and all the indie projects I work on.

I'm going to post some of the stylized concept art I've been working on for the game. I'm also taking these characters and modeling them in 3D, and then animating them. Then it's just seeing what style of shader works best for them in UE4.

Spoiler
(https://scontent-atl3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/26169730_1619094878151572_1360038078078763818_n.jpg?oh=3ba5827e2ccce4cb2fdc7823dde78a3f&oe=5AF6577B)

Spoiler
(https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/292204052148912137/374405110983426050/Katherine_and_Pallette.png)

Spoiler
(https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/292204052148912137/392198216394997760/2017-12-18.png)

Spoiler
(https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/292204052148912137/397904097912553482/KathyInGame.png)
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: devola on January 04, 2018, 01:23:43 AM
That's really cool that you're gonna be modelling, rigging and animating all these characters! Can't wait to see them in action.
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: MahluaandMilk on January 04, 2018, 01:53:23 AM
Yeah, I thought that was you! I'm looking forward to seeing what you do with your ideas, too. They all seemed really fun from what I read a long while back. Haven't touched that place in ages, though, so I'm sure you've got a few surprises in store.
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: L.K. [Taikichi] on January 12, 2018, 01:28:25 AM
More colored pencil stuff.

(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/292204052148912137/401250928663199754/20180110_192300.jpg?width=266&height=472)

working on a portrait of a friend.
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: KeanFox on January 12, 2018, 10:41:29 AM
Nice traditional drawing :thumbsup:
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: legomaestro on January 14, 2018, 04:14:28 PM
The shading looks so soft. I almost miss doing portraiture. Nice work Kesashi, and welcome back from your haitus? Haha
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: L.K. [Taikichi] on February 04, 2018, 01:02:09 AM
Finished.

(https://i.pinimg.com/564x/4b/0e/73/4b0e737884d7ae7c24d96e71e544581e.jpg)

Also more vector art.

(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/298646084853694464/409304205040549900/Oblivia.png?width=789&height=677)
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: L.K. [Taikichi] on February 05, 2018, 02:01:56 PM
I updated the first post and fixed the links to my older works.
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: L.K. [Taikichi] on February 09, 2018, 09:45:24 PM
Tiny Update

(Little video showing katherine looping an animation)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uFRUw-fDy88
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: Echo_River on February 10, 2018, 12:05:21 PM
That animation looks smooth O:

On your pencil coloured drawing I like how you did the shine on the hair. ^^ Neat work. Keep it up!
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: L.K. [Taikichi] on February 10, 2018, 03:06:00 PM
That animation looks smooth O:

On your pencil coloured drawing I like how you did the shine on the hair. ^^ Neat work. Keep it up!

I made a bunch more animations after that. That was a very successful test. I tried making a walking animation a long time ago and it was so bad it made me give up for weeks.

My mistake was animating it frame by frame, but in that idle animation I only made 3 key frames, then I just spread them out, so the 3D software does most of the animating work for me.

Habits from 2D animation I just had to get past  :hmm:

I know the shining on the hair my not be the most representational choice, but it's so fun to do. Just stroke stroke stroke, a thousand times to capture as many hairs as possible.
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: L.K. [Taikichi] on February 12, 2018, 03:49:04 PM
More vectors.

(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/292204052148912137/412556830913331201/Lucius_Image.png?width=451&height=676)
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: L.K. [Taikichi] on February 17, 2018, 03:14:12 PM
More Vector stuff

(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/412062160823386122/414513454125154318/Uriel_Image_2.png?width=451&height=676)
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: Echo_River on February 18, 2018, 05:51:10 PM
Pretty wings O: Nice!
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: Austadophilus on February 18, 2018, 08:06:46 PM
Heavenly and peaceful <3
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: L.K. [Taikichi] on February 22, 2018, 11:18:03 PM
I'm glad ya'll liked that one. (Yes I'm from Texas)

This is concept art for a Patreon/Kickstarter support reward. Katherine's Golden Skin (Swimsuit). The swords are meant to rotate around her slowly. I'm also playing with the art style. The same shading technique, but I'm just using line more. I developed the previous art style before I could get outlines in game.

(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/298646084853694464/416452993504772096/Katherine_Gold_4.png?width=451&height=676)
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: L.K. [Taikichi] on March 03, 2018, 05:30:17 PM
(https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/298646084853694464/419622142389256192/All_Characters_Image_22.png)

More characters!
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: Echo_River on March 05, 2018, 05:30:26 PM
Coool (: I like the look of the purple-haired character at the front.
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: a on March 06, 2018, 10:29:24 AM
looks cool, is this for a comic?
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: L.K. [Taikichi] on April 06, 2018, 01:07:37 PM
There is a comic series I'm working on as well as a video game.

Here's some long awaited artwork of a few more characters.
(https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/411000145824579589/431858329711804418/Mother_and_Daughter.png)
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: Walter B on April 14, 2018, 10:54:08 AM
That is one interesting mix of characters
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: MahluaandMilk on May 11, 2018, 09:31:29 PM
Ack. The color saturation on the blues and purples hurts my eyes a little bit. It's good to have a little contrast from time to time.

Still, nice to see you're still up and working on those projects! You pour a lot of passion into all of it.
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: L.K. [Taikichi] on May 20, 2018, 11:21:44 PM
Yes I noticed even unreal engine had some trouble with that picture. It gave the whole thing green tint and I can't fix it. The most powerful game engine in the world can't handle a PNG with low contrast.

But here's some more art stuff for the game.

(https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/411000145824579589/427628351885410304/Full_Deck.png)

(https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/411000145824579589/447963015959019530/All_Characters_25.png)
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: MahluaandMilk on May 21, 2018, 12:10:17 AM
That's quite a cast. I'm internally lolling at the name U.V. Ray, though. Like, is his full name Ulysses Victor Ray?
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: Walter B on May 25, 2018, 05:52:07 PM
Seems like a great game!
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: L.K. [Taikichi] on July 05, 2018, 09:27:39 AM
His name is actually Uriah Virgil Ray. Gotta have a little meme'ry here and there.

So I kinda want to talk about the style I've been developing for Blade Regalia. I invented this style around the time I first began to get the characters in a 3D game to look like a 2D anime character, that is: cel shading. At the time I didn't know how to get the characters to have outlines. Below is a picture of what it looked like in the beginning. Even though their details are gone when rendering them this way, they still stand out from each other. So I really liked it.

Spoiler
(https://scontent-dfw5-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t31.0-8/18814985_1419671214760607_9078800951643718607_o.jpg?_nc_cat=0&oh=0d35011bebaac18628927c6a4874514c&oe=5BA7AF6C)

The first time I ever used this style was for a commission. (The commissioner actually asked me to put my signature in it so I had to go back and add it. The reason why this happened is because I was asked to make a piece to be printed which natually digital art is advantageous here. Since I wasn't able to draw something photorealistic in digital media, I had to try something minimalistic. That also marks the only time I've ever used my Wacom drawing pad because I had to use it to get my signature on there. 

Spoiler
(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/411000145824579589/464408356350853120/Portrait_1100x1600_1.png?width=465&height=677)

When I implemented this into Blade Regalia it created some design challenges where simplistic designs were more acceptable in a detailed style, they really were disappointing in a minimalistic style. It makes you look at the individual as a whole. One of the things I personally love to work with as an artist is color. And this style really allowed me to make the character's pop with both personality and color.

Spoiler
(https://scontent-dfw5-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/22788930_1552994128094981_7532586035086423896_n.jpg?_nc_cat=0&oh=f9d5a970aebed39fe1c1704fe627ec9f&oe=5BA2D106)
Spoiler
(https://scontent-dfw5-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/22853320_1553852194675841_7342326480506146890_n.jpg?_nc_cat=0&oh=07462642fa1c6f4f966a0683d4f5f90a&oe=5BEC5D2E)

Now the characters look like this below (a video of Katherine). The cel shading includes outlines, contour lines, and no longer conflicts with the background. But still I want to continue with this style. A similar style appeared in the Multiplayer Online Battle Arena: Gigantic, which I really enjoyed their stylistic choice. (Probably not the best idea to take inspiration from a market failure). I'm always looking to study other artists who work with this style. (If you know anyone please tell me).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1iIKxuf9xrQ

One of the things that I'm not sure about personally is how to make the most out of outlines, gradients, glows effects etc. Where they become distracting or helpful. These two pieces sort of take their own individual approach, yet if I find them both to be successful in their own way where other pieces weren't as successful.

Spoiler
(https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/411000145824579589/464418642348474369/Iron_Maiden.png)
Spoiler
(https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/411000145824579589/464419360837074974/Karina.png)

It's a journey.
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: Coach Fro on July 05, 2018, 07:53:26 PM
Indeed it is, but nice progress nonetheless. Those swords hovering around Katherine look pretty sick!
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: legomaestro on July 06, 2018, 07:38:36 AM
Holy crap you're really working at this Kesashi! What software did you use for that video? I just really love their designs. The cel shading reminds me of Suda's games in general. Love that style. It's tricky to work with I can imagine.
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: Walter B on July 06, 2018, 12:54:27 PM
That girl with the mace looks dangerous!
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: L.K. [Taikichi] on July 07, 2018, 03:51:37 AM
It was actually done using just 3DS Max and Unreal Engine. It was recorded from within Unreal Engine.
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: Suuper-san on July 10, 2018, 09:07:03 AM
interesting style and animation!
I can't say its one that I would personally go for, but its really bright and simplistic so it has an appeal about it :)
the detail in the eyes contrasts the simpler clothing so it pops more :P
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: L.K. [Taikichi] on July 20, 2018, 05:37:28 PM
I bought a drawing tablet monitor. So I can pretend to be a traditional artist while I make digital art.

(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/411000145824579589/469980692038811650/first_time.jpg?width=901&height=676)

This was just me making sure it worked.
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: Suuper-san on July 22, 2018, 03:49:15 PM
So I can pretend to be a traditional artist while I make digital art.
thats exactly why you buy one!
glad it works, can you feel a difference to a normal tablet?
do you think it will help to improve your art?
and of course, which one did you buy?
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: L.K. [Taikichi] on July 23, 2018, 07:54:28 AM
It feels much better than a tablet. I would honestly rather draw with a mouse than a drawing pad.

I'm hoping that it will allow me to do more detailed digital work so I can work on things like backgrounds and landscapes that were extremely challenging in the past with vector art

I bought the Ugee 1560 so pressure sensitive pen with a monitor that you connect to your computer. Also works as a second screen which is nice. But it's very much not portable at all.
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: Suuper-san on July 23, 2018, 01:19:06 PM
Ah I see cool. Not too familiar with that particular brand, but I've seen them around, and they can get some nice youtube reviews as well. Especially in comparison to the much more expensive Wacoms.

Looking forward to brilliant background art soon haha :P
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: L.K. [Taikichi] on August 09, 2018, 12:33:35 PM
Old habits die hard right? No, I wanted to do some more experimentation with the vector style while I'm getting used to this machine. Not to mention I still have about 100 characters to illustrate.

(https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/411000145824579589/477152200972304387/Ji.png)

Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: VOYA on August 09, 2018, 02:40:58 PM
Old habits die hard right? No, I wanted to do some more experimentation with the vector style while I'm getting used to this machine. Not to mention I still have about 100 characters to illustrate.

(https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/411000145824579589/477152200972304387/Ji.png)

I always get curious over vector work, never done it myself before. Like what you've got going on ere x
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: Suuper-san on August 10, 2018, 03:51:03 AM
Not to mention I still have about 100 characters to illustrate.
I've got about 300 that I want to finish lol. I have a massive backlog that I didn't know I had until I released how to actually finish my sketches :P

I have a love hate relationship with vector art, partly because I cant use it and partly because using Microsoft Word shape art is easier for me *sweats profusely*
I think you did good to get the detail where it's needed, such as the hands and the eyes, but also to use the vectors to the full with the larger gradients and blockier shapes. looks good.
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: Walter B on August 10, 2018, 04:12:40 PM
Nice work. Good luck with all that work!!!
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: L.K. [Taikichi] on August 14, 2018, 09:26:13 PM
Not to mention I still have about 100 characters to illustrate.
I've got about 300 that I want to finish lol. I have a massive backlog that I didn't know I had until I released how to actually finish my sketches :P

I have a love hate relationship with vector art, partly because I cant use it and partly because using Microsoft Word shape art is easier for me *sweats profusely*
I think you did good to get the detail where it's needed, such as the hands and the eyes, but also to use the vectors to the full with the larger gradients and blockier shapes. looks good.

300 sounds like a nightmare. 150 is killing me right now.

I get lots of complaints about the quantity of female characters and I refuse to apologize for it. But that being said, I finished the design for another male now. I think the detailed contours with more gradient fills is adding a nicer illusion of depth that other pieces didn't achieve.

(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/413491416560566272/479040048298328065/Prince.png?width=451&height=676)
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: legomaestro on August 15, 2018, 11:30:26 PM
Never apologize for drawing female characters. Females are biyootifooo

Also your colouring is pretty nice. Reminds me of aero's stuff. Love vectorwork.
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: Suuper-san on August 16, 2018, 01:44:02 PM
well over half of my sketches are just doodles that could turn out well if I finished them. There aren't too many that look like proper sketches or WIPs :P
pretty cool last one. I love the shine on the sword. and that coolio red armour thing.
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: Walter B on August 18, 2018, 05:43:09 AM
Armor on the legs looks cool!
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: L.K. [Taikichi] on August 18, 2018, 10:40:37 PM
Speaking of armored legs

(https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/281945382739640333/480563289047171082/Megan.png)

This character is supposed to wield 2 large shields, so that's the reason why she's not so concerned about wearing so much armor into battle.
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: KeanFox on August 19, 2018, 02:44:15 AM
Love that Moai bag.
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: L.K. [Taikichi] on August 19, 2018, 02:41:38 PM
Love that Moai bag.

It's gucci

I'm probably going to get some sleep after this one. But then again, I might not.

(https://pre00.deviantart.net/0be5/th/pre/i/2018/231/8/2/madeline_by_tai_ki_chi-dckkre1.png)
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: Coryn on August 19, 2018, 03:45:42 PM

I'm probably going to get some sleep after this one. But then again, I might not.



Spoken like a true creature of the internet.

Loving the designs! That is a really good sword design!
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: Suuper-san on August 20, 2018, 03:02:49 AM
Quote
This character is supposed to wield 2 large shields, so that's the reason why she's not so concerned about wearing so much armor into battle.
At least you justified it unlike everyone else :P
we need more multicultural themed art. i draw way too many white people now that I mention it :/

Quote
I'm probably going to get some sleep after this one. But then again, I might not.
Amen brother :clapping:

nice purpley glowing sword and belt. How did you get that effect?
lovely face on that one, maybe a bit of shade around the leg where it meets the front of the dress would look good I think, it looks more flat than everything else. But I can't shade so don't take my word for it :P
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: devola on August 20, 2018, 08:36:00 PM
Great designs, the art style is unique and there's good variety!
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: legomaestro on August 21, 2018, 06:39:30 AM
That's a nifty looking blade there. Like her design Kesashi, and black and purple really work.
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: L.K. [Taikichi] on August 21, 2018, 02:59:32 PM
Those effects are a mixture of a couple of texturing effects built into the program that I use.

Quote
At least you justified it unlike everyone else :P
I do plan to add a chainmail bikini some day. Just need to figure out how.

Quote
lovely face on that one, maybe a bit of shade around the leg where it meets the front of the dress would look good I think, it looks more flat than everything else. But I can't shade so don't take my word for it :P

Trust me I've made some of the craziest mistakes here. I noticed yesterday one of my character's concept art had her feet completely backwards for like 2 months. It's completely valid, trust me.

(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/411000145824579589/481527135560007691/DaFix.png)(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/411000145824579589/481527137291993100/DaFeet.png)

I've also been re-drawing a lot of the characters that I drew in 2017 to keep them up to the standard that the 2018 pieces are setting.

Taikichi
(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/473105325000753155/481530326317793300/Taikichi_Image_1.png?width=373&height=559)
Ella
(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/473105325000753155/481528995402350592/Ella_Image_01.png?width=373&height=559)

(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/473105325000753155/481528811528257557/Taikichi.png?width=373&height=559)(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/473105325000753155/481529998214299649/Ella_Image_01.png?width=373&height=559)


Here are some more scrapped designs/poses/color schemes
Old
(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/481530939562917889/481531023306391552/Jeremy_Image_1.png?width=373&height=559)(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/481530939562917889/481531162292912139/Amyrie_Shielded.png?width=373&height=559)(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/481530939562917889/481531183503638548/Kekiyumi_Image_2.png?width=451&height=676)(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/481530939562917889/481531563817959426/Caroline_Image_3.png?width=451&height=676)(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/481530939562917889/481531965338550272/Elizabeth_Image_1.png?width=451&height=676)
current
(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/481530939562917889/481532296869183488/Elizabeth_Image_2.png?width=451&height=676)(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/412062160823386122/481535689289105408/Jeremy_Image_2.png?width=451&height=676)(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/412062160823386122/481535686072205323/Caroline_Image_4.png?width=451&height=676)
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: Suuper-san on August 22, 2018, 02:26:52 PM
Quote
Those effects are a mixture of a couple of texturing effects built into the program that I use.
Curses!!!!! So I can't copy it!!!!!

Quote
I do plan to add a chainmail bikini some day. Just need to figure out how.
As long as it's justified :P

Quote
Trust me I've made some of the craziest mistakes here. I noticed yesterday one of my character's concept art had her feet completely backwards for like 2 months. It's completely valid, trust me.
Thanks for sharing that, so even experienced artists can make that sort of mistake, and you're actually human and not just advanced robots churning out perfect pieces :P I feel better about life now haha

lovely character designs, especially the frilly dress one, love the dress, and the way you added the shading to the hair was pretty clever for vector art.

I'm trying to do hair like the way you did Taikichi's, wavy and lots of contrast.

how do you start your drawing? in "normal" art you can sketch guidelines etc using a tablet on layers, but since you work with vectors how does that work, I'm curious to know.

PS none of your images on the first post in this thread work. You might want to try using imgur or something else maybe. and thanks for the idea to have the first post as a comparison thread, I will totally do that myself at some time. In fact, we should all do it and have it like a portfolio!
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: L.K. [Taikichi] on August 22, 2018, 04:11:50 PM
Quote
how do you start your drawing? in "normal" art you can sketch guidelines etc using a tablet on layers, but since you work with vectors how does that work, I'm curious to know.

It's really different for each character.  You can do that with vector, you could make guide lines but what I normally do is trace over another picture. Nowadays I've gotten to the point that I can draw without references with vector so it usually doesn't look anything like the reference photo anymore.

This is some artwork from 2016 of the character Sabrina. It was sketched in pencil and then scanned on a printer. So it's basically just digitizing a sketch. Now I kinda do that same thing with my drawing pad.

(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/412062160823386122/481916454984351784/16107158_1286795084714888_559840431252732559_o.jpg?width=507&height=677)
(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/412062160823386122/481916453721997339/16142963_1288800727847657_4616804474486115203_n.jpg)

Quote
PS none of your images on the first post in this thread work. You might want to try using imgur or something else maybe. and thanks for the idea to have the first post as a comparison thread, I will totally do that myself at some time. In fact, we should all do it and have it like a portfolio!

I posted the pictures through facebook and facebook likes to break the link after a while so I've started using Discord to share links here because those links won't break. So maybe some day I'll go back and re-upload those photos.

For context this is the oldest photo I have a picture of. Somewhere around 8-10 years old.

Spoiler
(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/412062160823386122/481917800471068682/316551_208209859240088_5918947_n.jpg?width=506&height=676)

And here's another character. Don't worry it's a magical revolver. We're still fantasy themed.
(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/412062160823386122/481912641074233344/Sophia.png?width=451&height=676)

You can see why I had to go back and find that picture of Sabrina
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: Walter B on August 22, 2018, 04:56:43 PM
Very nice texture and strong color on that purple sword.
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: legomaestro on August 22, 2018, 05:56:33 PM
Yeaup, really digging magic revolver gal. Great outfit, colour and hair. *Wolf-whistles*
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: Echo_River on August 22, 2018, 09:59:06 PM
You've really come aways Keashi! O: Such colourful characters in your gallery.
Really like the revolver girl's design - especially the gun - actually, just give me the gun... XP
Nice stuff - keep it up!
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: Suuper-san on August 23, 2018, 08:23:51 AM
ahhh I see, so tracing and guidelines are still a thing with vectors. I suppose its a lot easier to edit a character with a wonky leg if its vector rather than canvas so guidelines don't have to be as perfect.
love the messy hair on that last one, and is that a labcoat there? even better!
and great improvement from 10 years ago!!
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: L.K. [Taikichi] on August 31, 2018, 12:32:09 AM
Here's an edgy pair. Doctor and Patient. You know you're corrupted when it starts to change your hair color.

(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/411000145824579589/484943964752052246/Alecia.png?width=451&height=676)(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/413491416560566272/484941290296049664/Delia.png?width=451&height=676)
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: devola on September 01, 2018, 04:09:54 AM
Good stuff man, your artwork is definitely visually unique. How long does it usually take to make one of these?
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: L.K. [Taikichi] on September 01, 2018, 11:11:10 PM
Good stuff man, your artwork is definitely visually unique. How long does it usually take to make one of these?

Drawing the points and coloring shapes is extremely quick. That's what I love about it. It helps with the natural flow of creativity to be able to produce the concept quickly. What usually takes me days is designing the outfit and the overall composition. Massive amount of reference photos go into it as well as finished drawings that I didn't like and decided to redesign some things.

Normally it takes me 2 days to finish after I get started.
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: Vikings1428 on September 01, 2018, 11:14:56 PM
i really like the way you do the color and shapes of the hair. awesome work man!  :thumbsup: :shotgun:
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: L.K. [Taikichi] on September 02, 2018, 08:00:20 PM
Alright I'm going to be honest. I saw somebody doing something I thought was cool so I did it too. What I mean is photo-realistic vector art. But for a number of reasons I decided it was better for my sanity to go for a less photorealistic finish.

(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/411000145824579589/485911153957011456/Mint.png?width=676&height=676)

Spoiler
(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/411000145824579589/485913980166995969/Mint_2.png?width=676&height=676)
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: L.K. [Taikichi] on September 08, 2018, 07:39:11 PM
We've got more. I thought it was worth giving a tribute to masculinity for this character.

(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/413491416560566272/488128737532051456/Manohar.png?width=451&height=676)
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: Vikings1428 on September 08, 2018, 08:28:25 PM
awesome armored pants and nice gauntlets
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: Miska on September 09, 2018, 09:51:43 AM
Very cool character design! :)
Is he part of a manga/story or just a drawing?
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: L.K. [Taikichi] on September 11, 2018, 12:14:14 AM
Very cool character design! :)
Is he part of a manga/story or just a drawing?

Thanks!

This character is designed for a game
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: KeanFox on September 11, 2018, 12:47:05 AM
How is the game coming along? I remember seeing a video of it
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: L.K. [Taikichi] on September 11, 2018, 11:05:41 PM
How is the game coming along? I remember seeing a video of it

We're still making progress, I've been doing a lot of drawing recently just because I've really been enjoying it. I'll show below all the characters that I've illustrated so far. But I also have been working on some environments so I decided to show off a few. And then there's some general work I've done with animation and 3D modeling and I don't really record it all anymore.

(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/411000145824579589/489268839507296256/Characters.png)

(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/411000145824579589/489269292521750528/2018-09-03.png?width=1251&height=676)
(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/411000145824579589/489269298406359060/2018-09-03_1.png?width=1248&height=677)
(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/411000145824579589/489269386851516446/2018-03-12_4.png?width=1319&height=676)

(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/467118539036426240/488440462152302592/2018-09-09_1.png?width=884&height=676)
Female child base body finally finished
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: KeanFox on September 12, 2018, 12:18:40 AM
Neat! You made all that or have people working with you?
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: L.K. [Taikichi] on September 12, 2018, 02:01:23 PM
Most of it is collaborative, but I work in each field: programming, 3d modelling, level design, and 2d illustration. So some of them are actually collaborative which is very fun.
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: Echo_River on September 21, 2018, 10:10:55 PM
Oooh, big roster of characters O:
I didn't know you did environments - impressive work!
Certainly does look fun to wok on ^^
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: VOYA on September 23, 2018, 05:39:40 PM
Alright I'm going to be honest. I saw somebody doing something I thought was cool so I did it too. What I mean is photo-realistic vector art. But for a number of reasons I decided it was better for my sanity to go for a less photorealistic finish.

(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/411000145824579589/485911153957011456/Mint.png?width=676&height=676)

Spoiler
(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/411000145824579589/485913980166995969/Mint_2.png?width=676&height=676)

Man, I'm seeing more andmore vector style art and it's tempting me to give it a try even if just for the sake of learning, I like this piece, how long did it take?
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: L.K. [Taikichi] on September 23, 2018, 08:05:49 PM
Man, I'm seeing more andmore vector style art and it's tempting me to give it a try even if just for the sake of learning, I like this piece, how long did it take?

Probably around 5-6 hours. I'll probably get faster in the future but it was a huge learning experience the whole way through, practically had to start over twice. I had spend some time studying how other artists approached certain problems like facial features. The most photorealistic work typically just maps out every single value. Imagine having a contour line project where you need to distinguish between 50 different value grades. So I went the easy route using gradients to create facial features.

I haven't been drawing much recently, but I have been working in 3D. Working on a 3D model for a character named Caroline.

(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/413491416560566272/493300965047402526/2018-09-23_1.png?width=1250&height=677)
(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/413491416560566272/493301200553246731/Caroline_Image_4.png?width=451&height=676)
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: VOYA on September 25, 2018, 11:27:34 AM
Man, I'm seeing more andmore vector style art and it's tempting me to give it a try even if just for the sake of learning, I like this piece, how long did it take?

Probably around 5-6 hours. I'll probably get faster in the future but it was a huge learning experience the whole way through, practically had to start over twice. I had spend some time studying how other artists approached certain problems like facial features. The most photorealistic work typically just maps out every single value. Imagine having a contour line project where you need to distinguish between 50 different value grades. So I went the easy route using gradients to create facial features.

I haven't been drawing much recently, but I have been working in 3D. Working on a 3D model for a character named Caroline.

(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/413491416560566272/493300965047402526/2018-09-23_1.png?width=1250&height=677)
(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/413491416560566272/493301200553246731/Caroline_Image_4.png?width=451&height=676)

Jesus, didn't know it could get that heavy for vector work, mapping out that many values? I can see why you went for an alternative.

Haha you're attacking 3d now eh, I guess it's good to broaden the horizons and gain experience across the field to see where you want to specialize in.
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: L.K. [Taikichi] on September 27, 2018, 04:06:41 PM
I've got a bunch of concept art in the works, and I've finally gotten around to playing For Honor. A lot of people suggested to me that it might be similar to the genre of games I'm working in. I never heard anything good about Ubisoft in the past so I didn't give it a chance, but they've actually gone in and fixed a lot of the issues people had with it.

For Honor is not actually anything like Blade Regalia, the most similar game would be Gigantic, but there are a lot of things I like about it. One of the things is the realistic and practical armor, of course not that realistic because unless you had a dagger or a blunt weapon, you weren't going to hurt a knight in plate armor. It was so good they didn't need shields. But I thought I'd give it a go and on top of that I've actually had some requests for a fully armored female character.

But this is Blade Regalia, and here the clothing or "Regalia" is not only their source of supernatural power, but also is meant to be fashionable since you could just make a binkini give you the power to go invincible, there's no punishment for impracticality except that maybe smaller amounts would be easier to destroy. I decided to make this armor out of 24 Karat yellow gold which in real life would be the equivalent of wearing aluminum foil to battle, but in Blade Regalia we have magic.

(https://cdnb.artstation.com/p/assets/images/images/013/111/931/large/taylon-salter-evie.jpg?1538099299)

Maybe that gives you an idea of what goes into the design of each character
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: legomaestro on September 28, 2018, 08:59:48 PM
Wait wouldn't such armour be heavy as heck more than innefective? And is gold really that soft against attack?

Like the high heels haha, even though I suspect she'd get stuck in the ground many times because of that.

Also magic makes the world go round. Your ability to make so many characters is impressive. Keep at it Kesashi!

Alright I'm going to be honest. I saw somebody doing something I thought was cool so I did it too. What I mean is photo-realistic vector art. But for a number of reasons I decided it was better for my sanity to go for a less photorealistic finish.

(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/411000145824579589/485911153957011456/Mint.png?width=676&height=676)

Spoiler
(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/411000145824579589/485913980166995969/Mint_2.png?width=676&height=676)

Yikes I know this technique. It is insane to make something look really good, but a great  piece here methinks!
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: L.K. [Taikichi] on September 29, 2018, 12:30:14 AM
Wait wouldn't such armour be heavy as heck more than innefective? And is gold really that soft against attack?

Like the high heels haha, even though I suspect she'd get stuck in the ground many times because of that.

Also magic makes the world go round. Your ability to make so many characters is impressive. Keep at it Kesashi!

I'm not sure how heavy gold is compared to steel or iron, but the knights armor was lighter than what U.S. soldiers carry on their back. A lot of story writers and game designers really underestimate the efficiency of ancient armor (if it was forged properly). Chainmail will almost protect you from any glancing slash, but not against direct thrusts. Nowadays they're making chainmail gloves to protect your hands from kitchen knives.

But yeah, those heels definitely aren't practical. But there were some pretty simple anti-armor techniques and weapons. Like the Japanese Kanabo.

(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/413491416560566272/495447987401523210/Jun.png?width=451&height=676)
Speaking of the Kanabo
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: Suuper-san on September 29, 2018, 01:48:23 PM
that vector character in 3D feel is straaaange :P
wow, photorealistic vectors? I dont think I could stand that haha. I like your counter method of using gradients to simplify the contour process, but still keeping the same feel.
cool gold armour, great work on the 3D stuff, and I like that latest character as well. I think maybe the weapon should be a little lower, it doesn't feel like it's properly sitting on her shoulder, but it's hard to tell regardless. I suppose one great thing about vectors is that if needed you can make alterations like that a lot easier than canvas art.
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: L.K. [Taikichi] on October 11, 2018, 10:38:46 PM
So it turns out that gold is 3 times heavier (denser) than Iron. Interesting.
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: Coryn on October 12, 2018, 07:44:51 AM
That is certainly a true statement you've made there.
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: L.K. [Taikichi] on October 13, 2018, 03:07:24 AM
If you thought gold armor was the height of ironic impracticality, allow me to introduce the extra long Odachi. I wanted to create a healer character who heals by attacking her allies, so the interesting thing about this concept is that her sword should be long enough that she could theoretically line up an ally to attack and an enemy right in front of them to hit them both at the same time hurting the enemy and healing the ally.

(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/411000145824579589/500564316966354946/Tori.png?width=624&height=468)

Obviously this weapon would break under its own weight unless it was made out of an extremely springy steel, or of course, enhanced by the wearing of a Regalia.
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: KeanFox on October 13, 2018, 06:01:17 AM
Thats sounds like an interesting game mechanic.
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: Suuper-san on October 25, 2018, 06:57:24 AM
Quote
Thats sounds like an interesting game mechanic.
I second that. Would totally love to see that in action.

bizzarely I think giving the character underwear makes it more sexy than if she hadn't for some reason. Like she's missing the bottom half of her outfit kinda feeling lol. maybe if the top was just a bit longer to obscure the groin it would look better. I can't say I've seen chinese style clothing that short, even in manga or anime :P
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: L.K. [Taikichi] on October 27, 2018, 10:18:39 PM
That character may get an outfit change in the near future. And a few others also in the aim of modesty. I guess you could say that this one is an example.

(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/413491416560566272/502161659809234954/Elizabeth.png?width=451&height=676)

previous version
(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/412062160823386122/481535687842070548/Elizabeth_Image_2.png?width=451&height=676)

Also I wanted to show you guys this just because I know I've been posting just vector art, but I have been working with my drawing pad, and it's become one of my best tools for animation. Right now I'm working on a big 6 frames per second animation. And here I'm using it to map out gestural movements. The frame rate won't increase, but the quality will.

(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/249024902747652097/505920568420335627/Anim_Test.gif)
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: Suuper-san on October 28, 2018, 12:13:19 PM
love the improvement to the armor, as well as the improved modesty considering it's armour :P

and great beginnings to that animation. I've not done much but I know how much of a pain and effort it can be to do just something simple. I'm surprised you didn't do a vector animation though as that would probably have suited you better?
I thought they were blushes at first glance, but they are bruises? poor girl!!! Just wait 'till I get my hands on whoever did that to her!!!

dang it now I want to do animation......
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: MahluaandMilk on October 30, 2018, 04:57:42 PM
There's so much that's happened here, I don't even know where to begin commenting.

I guess I'll start with a big congratulations. This is a huge step up from where you were before. The vectors and the rendering look so much more together now (although the realistic backgrounds and the cel-shaded characters is a little jarring to me personally). It looks like everything is really coming along, and the animation there is really nice. 6 fps is still a lot and can help master those keyframes. You're definitely correct in that the gradient fills are helping with the depth, which is what I think might have been lacking before. All your time and effort is really paying off now.
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: L.K. [Taikichi] on November 04, 2018, 03:12:25 PM
I thought they were blushes at first glance, but they are bruises? poor girl!!! Just wait 'till I get my hands on whoever did that to her!!!

Don't worry, they're going to get it.

There's so much that's happened here, I don't even know where to begin commenting.

I guess I'll start with a big congratulations. This is a huge step up from where you were before. The vectors and the rendering look so much more together now (although the realistic backgrounds and the cel-shaded characters is a little jarring to me personally). It looks like everything is really coming along, and the animation there is really nice. 6 fps is still a lot and can help master those keyframes. You're definitely correct in that the gradient fills are helping with the depth, which is what I think might have been lacking before. All your time and effort is really paying off now.


Hey, it's always great to get some insight on this style. I've been going where it wants to take me. Not a lot of role models for me in this business so I have to figure out how to be one.

Yeah 6 is defnitely a lot. This animation will have about 1440 frames total as it will be exactly 4:00 minutes long.

Aside from that, working more with that same girl and doing some light-hearted promotional art, I've been working on this with the pad recently. And it'll lean more towards realistic anime. For this one I'm not trying to match the style I've developed. I'll do some stylized posters later.

(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/412062160823386122/508542694247628801/Ruth_and_Keith_1.jpg?width=1014&height=676)

These are the two characters here.
(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/412062160823386122/508546859602804747/Untitled_-_Frame_0.png)

Aside from this being my first big art piece that I'll make with the drawing pad I'm just having some innocent fun with the concepts in this image. I'm planning on doing a big art series on affection. But I've also been playing around with love interests between characters from Blade Regalia which is fairly arbitrary as far as the game is concerned. As I've been matching up characters at complete random I've been looking closely at the most interesting matchups.

This is definitely one that I'm going to keep.
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: MahluaandMilk on November 05, 2018, 01:54:18 PM
Awh, it looks so sweet. I love innocent affection and cuddles. They're so overlooked. In your piece here, you really capture that softness.
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: L.K. [Taikichi] on November 08, 2018, 06:11:33 PM
Some more character art

(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/411000145824579589/510229175429365763/Daiichi_5.png?width=789&height=592)

(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/413491416560566272/510226309213847553/Goddess.png?width=395&height=592)

The first one is just a redesign of this character.
Spoiler
(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/412062160823386122/510229534478696458/Daiichi_3.png?width=395&height=592)

The second one is a support hero who is supposed to strengthen her allies by whipping them.
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: Gabryel on November 13, 2018, 02:34:13 PM
unusual to see so much vector art, and big respect to that. I do some from time to time but never anything close to characters like this. Isn't it a crazy amount of work? And what program du you use?
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: Walter B on November 17, 2018, 10:05:26 AM
Really dig that asian warrior type.
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: L.K. [Taikichi] on November 22, 2018, 01:27:59 AM
unusual to see so much vector art, and big respect to that. I do some from time to time but never anything close to characters like this. Isn't it a crazy amount of work? And what program du you use?

I actually use Anime Studio (Moho). It's probably better to use Adobe Illustrator here, and I do know how to use it, but I just enjoyed the way Anime studio works more. But Anime Studio was designed for the sake of animation so that is where it's strongest.

Here's some more characters.

(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/411000145824579589/515049420731973632/Heather.png?width=451&height=676)

(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/413491416560566272/512348738673442816/Kya.png?width=451&height=676)

(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/413491416560566272/510743863300849664/Murielle.png?width=451&height=676)
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: Suuper-san on November 26, 2018, 03:15:35 PM
great wedding dress one. the veil is nicely done with layers. A lot of artists when drawing a transparent material forget that when it folds, it becomes less transparent (because of doubling/tripling up), but you've got it perfect. although it's not too visible, I like how you've done the hair and the shine as well.
she barely looks like she's holding the sword though.

and on the other two, with all the metallic parts you totally got the shine right, it looks really real. so much so, it sort of looks out of place with the simpler style in the rest of the piece haha.
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: Walter B on December 02, 2018, 03:10:08 AM
The dress one the last one is quite interesting.
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: legomaestro on December 04, 2018, 01:52:00 PM
I like the round one. I really wish I could do outfits like this. Your characters have a heck of a lot of variety man
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: L.K. [Taikichi] on December 04, 2018, 02:34:30 PM
Well it helps to have more than one designer. I'm hoping to get a third designer sometime soon so things will get really interesting.

These are some characters by my other character designer that I've made the art for based on his designs.

(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/413491416560566272/519342635090051073/Arcturus_Full.png?width=676&height=676)

(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/411000145824579589/519595902655266839/Dillon_1.png?width=451&height=676)

(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/411000145824579589/519596045580107777/Willo_Image_01.png?width=451&height=676)

(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/411000145824579589/519596046792523796/Zach.png?width=451&height=676)

(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/411000145824579589/519596048939876359/Niko_Image_01.png?width=451&height=676)
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: legomaestro on December 04, 2018, 03:19:17 PM
I liked the dude in the white coat so made something.

(https://i.imgur.com/17Vtj2T.png)

Your designers are dope
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: L.K. [Taikichi] on December 04, 2018, 04:43:41 PM
I liked the dude in the white coat so made something.

(https://i.imgur.com/17Vtj2T.png)

Your designers are dope

Hey that's some sexy stuff you got there. I'm sure he'll be really happy to hear that you like it.

I don't know his exact abilities yet, but they're based on teleportation. The spear is supposed to pierce a hole in space that he can teleport things through including himself.
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: devola on December 04, 2018, 05:53:16 PM
Wild designs man, I love the variety. These were supposed to be for a game right? What kind of game is it going to be?
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: L.K. [Taikichi] on December 04, 2018, 10:57:34 PM
It's going to be a type of action-oriented MOBA game. Similar to games such as Giganitc, Paladins, Overwatch, For Honor, Smite, or Team Fortress 2. It's directly inspired by the failed indie title, Gigantic.
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: Suuper-san on December 08, 2018, 08:31:02 AM
wow great characters and lovely details
I love the lantern one and the white suit
amazing how you can pull this of with vectors and gradients. I must try and apply some of this to my own shading.

@Lego great fan art!
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: Echo_River on December 09, 2018, 09:52:11 PM
They all look great! My favourite is the purple wizard looking one.
Nice that you have someone else you're working with.
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: L.K. [Taikichi] on December 11, 2018, 10:31:22 PM
This is another one of his characters, Kana. Turns sand into glass and shoots glass shrapnel at you. She's a literal glass cannon.

(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/413491416560566272/521948719067955221/Kana_Full.png?width=901&height=676)

This other one is going to be an experiment for me. The cursed sword is supposed to take control of your character based on how much you use it, so there are supposed to be periods of partial control where at certain cues the sword will use your abilities without your consent.

The problem isn't really the concept, it's figuring out how to do that in a predictable and consistent way. I need for you as a player to be able to use this to your advantage while your enemies will be able to use this to your disadvantage. For example you could use some kind of damage reflect ability where a player would think to just stop attacking.

(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/413491416560566272/516340777304064010/Tara.png?width=451&height=676)

Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: Suuper-san on December 12, 2018, 03:17:06 PM
hmmmm actually creating a cursed weapon game mechanic. I am extremely interesting in knowing what you eventually decide on.
perhaps like the weapon builds up a skill bar that automatically uses the skill when full (as opposed to the player normally choosing when to use it)

lovely image of the cursed weapon and character though, all the swirly glowy stuff is awesome.

and sand into glass shards? awesome!
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: Echo_River on December 15, 2018, 08:35:42 PM
Glass Canon O: What a frightening opponent.
I like the design for the cursed sword character. That eye there XD Always found the concept of a sentient weapon interesting. And then cruse part would be a neat mechanic to pull off.
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: Walter B on December 16, 2018, 12:22:52 PM
That cursed sword looks creepy!
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: L.K. [Taikichi] on December 18, 2018, 08:10:47 PM
If you're still curious how I'm approaching the cursed sword character. You lose control over abilities 1 by 1 until you reach 80%. Also at 80% you lose control over your ability to walk around and jump. It goes down by 2% per second so if you hit 100%, it will take 10 seconds to get below 80%. The only way to force control early is to use your ultimate which will give you 100% corruption but with full control. It only goes up when you try to use abilities without the resource necessary

(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/411000145824579589/524750628233412610/Corruption.png)

Here are some new characters
Arianna
(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/413491416560566272/522940194131935253/Arianna.png?width=451&height=676)

Pamelia
(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/413491416560566272/523904504962351119/Pamelia.png?width=451&height=676)

Melanie
(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/413491416560566272/524434584520097792/Melanie.png?width=451&height=676)

Some character Redesigns. I've got a lot more of these I'm working on right now.

Amyrie
(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/413491416560566272/524749687799021568/Amyrie.png?width=451&height=676)

original
(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/412062160823386122/524750353007116291/Amyrie_Shielded_3.png?width=451&height=676)

Oblivia
(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/412062160823386122/524749834394271754/Oblivia.png?width=451&height=676)

original
(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/412062160823386122/524750165110816769/Oblivia_2.png?width=451&height=676)
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: Walter B on December 24, 2018, 01:22:09 AM
Very nice! Melanie looks cute. Also Olivia.
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: L.K. [Taikichi] on December 27, 2018, 03:10:48 PM
Even more characters and redesigns.
(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/413491416560566272/527940007240007722/Ongo.png?width=451&height=676)

(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/413491416560566272/527931083807784970/Arcana.png?width=451&height=676)

(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/413491416560566272/527931090648956929/Misery.png?width=451&height=676)

(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/413491416560566272/526278939677818880/Mika_Full.png?width=676&height=676)

(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/413491416560566272/526243012943282197/Moline.png?width=451&height=676)

(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/413491416560566272/526217651299680256/Talisha_Full.png?width=901&height=676)

(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/412062160823386122/527940919232692235/Nypheria.png?width=451&height=676)
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: Walter B on December 28, 2018, 10:16:54 AM
Awesome weapons! That drill sword seems quite creative.
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: Echo_River on January 01, 2019, 11:03:27 AM
Neat designs! Man, the size of those weapons. My favourite out of these is the lady with the scythe.
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: L.K. [Taikichi] on January 02, 2019, 08:18:25 PM
Neat designs! Man, the size of those weapons. My favourite out of these is the lady with the scythe.

To my surprise, a lot of people seem to like the girl in black especially.

Also I decided to do one of these things, but instead of just going back through 2018, I thought I might go back as far as possible.

(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/411000145824579589/530189247341264916/my_whole_life.png?width=1014&height=676)
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: L.K. [Taikichi] on January 10, 2019, 02:05:54 AM
I don't have much art recently because I've been in Unreal Engine working on Caroline. These past few weeks I've made some crazy levels of progress.

I've only got a few more of Caroline's abilities left to program. The next step is to start a video series on each hero's ability breakdown and strategy. I've only done a few other sketches I can show right now.

(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/413491416560566272/530895160838586369/2019-01-04.png?width=842&height=450)

(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/455097003177934863/532504267395956756/1547029299342.jpg?width=599&height=450)

(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/411000145824579589/532817116563374090/beheld.png?width=272&height=449)

(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/411000145824579589/532817114315096079/arcana2.png?width=281&height=449)

(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/411000145824579589/532817111534534666/1546421667152.png?width=269&height=449)
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: L.K. [Taikichi] on January 15, 2019, 02:32:23 PM
Another redesign. The original artwork is all the way from 2017.

Her sword causes explosions whenever it cuts when she uses a particular fighting stance. The explosions are in such close range that they hurt her too, so you would have manage how you use that stance in the game.
 
(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/413491416560566272/534557653628747786/Dana_Comparison.png?width=946&height=676)
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: Suuper-san on January 15, 2019, 06:10:44 PM
nice to see your progress over the years and the different styles you've had.
i like both versions actually, but the recent one has more sensible armour and a cool cape. amazing you can get that with vectors. i preferred the kneecaps on the older one. the newer one has a more realistic face.
and great that you're making progress with your project. sometimes there can be slow days but it's nice to have some jumps forward every now and then XD
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: Walter B on January 17, 2019, 06:05:12 AM
Nice armor!
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: legomaestro on January 17, 2019, 05:50:43 PM
I'm really digging that armour. You'd  think such bright colours wouldn't work but they're all the better for them! Good stuff Kesashi!
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: Gabryel on January 27, 2019, 06:16:44 AM
Well talk abuot progress! It's so neat to see the improvement over the years. I'm too much of a coward to even look for my old stuff haha

You also create an astonishing amount of characters, good job!
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: L.K. [Taikichi] on February 01, 2019, 10:35:10 PM
I've gotten a little bit behind on updating this topic, but my artstation will always stay up to date if you're ever actually curious. Right now I'm working on a painting of a character in the game named Daniela. This painting is for an assignment where the goal is to "make an ordinary object extraordinary". The assignment itself doesn't necessarily have any media requirements but I do need to have some paintings for my portfolio review. The first picture is the basic underdrawing that I used before I laid down the first layer of paint.

(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/534747761287888918/541084954281508894/1549050261118.jpg?width=225&height=338)

(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/534747761287888918/541085021637705768/20190201_180010.jpg?width=508&height=676)

For those that don't know, the medium I'm using is Oil Paint, and unlike Acrylic or Water Color, oil paint stays wet for weeks. You can actually control the drying time based on how much Oil Paint Medium (e.g. Galkyd). Looking at her dress, I first applied a layer of purple paint, in the general area. I then went in and applied pure white paint on top to create highlights and pure black paint to create shadows.

The white paint mixed with the purple paint as I applied it and ended up in between as a brighter purple color. This is one of the main advantages of oil paint as it allows you to create gradients and soft transitions much easier. With acrylic paint, you could technically do this, but you would only have about 30 seconds to pull it off as apposed to the weeks you can get with oil. It's also typically more lustrous and saturated than Acrylic paint. However most of the chemicals involved in oil paint are extremely dangerous and toxic. Acrylic paint is much safer.

You can even save oil paint that you didn't use for later. I've had acrylic pain globs dry on the pallete before I had a chance to put them on the canvas. Aside from that there's also some interesting things happening in the game. After I finished Caroline I started working on the character that I just redesigned. I actually redesigned her because I wanted to work on her.

(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/413491416560566272/536752508597567509/2019-01-20_7.png?width=766&height=416)

(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/413491416560566272/536752607398592512/2019-01-20_1.png?width=766&height=415)

(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/413491416560566272/536752658011389952/2019-01-20_2.png?width=766&height=416)
(She isn't actually doing 4 million damage that was an error in the UI)
(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/413491416560566272/537085453040484352/2019-01-21_3.png?width=766&height=407)

This character also has some interesting mechanics. Her attacks create explosions when she's using "explosive stance". This involves a completely new set of animations where her attacks are heavier, but slower. The explosions occur in such close range that they damage her too, so I had to create two separate attacking modes so you wouldn't always have to hurt yourself. It feels incredibly satisfying to disregard your own health to blow up groups of people and do massive damage.

Also when using abilities that consume mana points, if she doesn't have enough, she can drain her own health for the mana costs. It's really fun being able to bypass your limitations. Because of this I had to add a feature where characters won't get points towards their ultimate ability for healing self-inflicted damage. That way you couldn't just abuse self-damage to build your ultimate quickly.

These characters have been nothing more than a Microsoft Word Document page for the past few years, but there's no way to tell exactly how things will be until you're actually playing them. I had to make a lot of little changes when I thought things were perfectly balanced. I had to reduce her damage and increase her attack rate to make things feel nicer.

These are also some other concepts I've made and at the end we can look at the whole hero roster based on all the concept art that's been drawn.

Stephanie
(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/413491416560566272/537375529452699649/Stephanie.png?width=451&height=676)

Rachel
(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/413491416560566272/538576677639421972/Rachel.png?width=451&height=676)

Veronica
(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/534747761287888918/541095351525048330/Veronica.png?width=451&height=676)

Bridgette
(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/413491416560566272/539873407412731919/Bridgette.png?width=451&height=676)

(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/413491416560566272/539950431363923978/Hero_Pool_1.29.2019.png?width=581&height=677)
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: Coryn on February 02, 2019, 08:43:59 AM
Great update! It's cool to actually see some footage from the game!
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: Echo_River on February 04, 2019, 11:23:55 PM
Neat update! That roster is loaded OAO So cool to see all of them.
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: Suuper-san on February 06, 2019, 04:11:02 PM
thats a huge amount of characters. I've only got like 10 of my own that I've given names to, and that's not including any descriptions at all XD
for Veronica, the chain links seem a little unnatural at the angles they are at, being square links. I imagine they would all tilt and connect from corner to corner, not edge to edge.
cool weapon for Bridgette.

I've not done painting hardly ever but good to see some traditional work mixed in.
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: L.K. [Taikichi] on February 11, 2019, 02:11:49 PM
for Veronica, the chain links seem a little unnatural at the angles they are at, being square links. I imagine they would all tilt and connect from corner to corner, not edge to edge.

I actually did not consider the actual physics of chains when I drew it. I really just wanted to give the impression of chains because I did not want to draw them at all.

And here is as finished as this painting is going to get. Her hand was sacrificed as an offering to the gods so that I could meet the deadline. She's supposed to be holding a mirror that shows her reflection in black and white.

"La Hija del Inquisidor"
(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/411000145824579589/544595856356147232/20190210_195949.jpg?width=508&height=676)
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: L.K. [Taikichi] on February 20, 2019, 02:04:21 PM
More oil paint. This time using only thinner. The goal is to get the layers to dry on a similar time frame. So more thinner on the bottom layer and more medium on the top layer.

(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/411000145824579589/547852519007846421/20190219_165810.jpg?width=488&height=677)
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: devola on February 21, 2019, 01:25:32 AM
Nice! I have really little understanding of how actual paints on canvas work so I can't comment much other than that I'm genuinely impressed with your versatility. Your game art and your physical art both have a very distinct look to them and they both look very well practiced.
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: Suuper-san on February 21, 2019, 05:42:00 PM
Quote
Her hand was sacrificed as an offering to the gods so that I could meet the deadline.
XD
well done on the finished piece and yeah often you've got to make that hard decision when you're facing deadlines. it looks great all the same and the shine on the dress is lovely.

nice realistically painted face too. I like it with the white and other paint around and the pencil underneath as an "unfinished" style
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: legomaestro on February 22, 2019, 04:32:41 AM
I like that painting. Those gods are cruel though.

And damn that is a roster of characters. Also explosion martial art sounds amazing haha.
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: L.K. [Taikichi] on February 24, 2019, 12:06:01 AM
(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/411000145824579589/549085042551422976/1550888166653.jpg?width=508&height=676)

I'm getting prepared to do an art series on children. I need to prepare a few more works of art for my portfolio review.
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: L.K. [Taikichi] on March 01, 2019, 06:11:44 PM
(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/411000145824579589/550870925659340841/20190228_163917.jpg?width=332&height=469)

Continuing that painting. I also did a project on the skeleton. The interesting thing about this assignment, is how trying to draw the skeleton in the body of a person you've drawn will really highlight any proportion issues in your work. And I can see that I didn't really handle the foreshortening of that leg properly.

(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/411000145824579589/551179222408757248/Charcoal_3.jpg?width=833&height=469)


Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: KeanFox on March 01, 2019, 07:48:29 PM
That painting looking nice so far. She looks like the character in your game.
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: Suuper-san on March 02, 2019, 07:50:43 AM
children are cute to draw, kinda like chibis I guess :)
Interesting idea on drawing a previously done pose in skeleton mode. and great skeleton!
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: VOYA on March 02, 2019, 01:52:25 PM
If you're still curious how I'm approaching the cursed sword character. You lose control over abilities 1 by 1 until you reach 80%. Also at 80% you lose control over your ability to walk around and jump. It goes down by 2% per second so if you hit 100%, it will take 10 seconds to get below 80%. The only way to force control early is to use your ultimate which will give you 100% corruption but with full control. It only goes up when you try to use abilities without the resource necessary

(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/411000145824579589/524750628233412610/Corruption.png)

Here are some new characters
Arianna
(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/413491416560566272/522940194131935253/Arianna.png?width=451&height=676)

Pamelia
(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/413491416560566272/523904504962351119/Pamelia.png?width=451&height=676)

Melanie
(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/413491416560566272/524434584520097792/Melanie.png?width=451&height=676)

Some character Redesigns. I've got a lot more of these I'm working on right now.

Amyrie
(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/413491416560566272/524749687799021568/Amyrie.png?width=451&height=676)

original
(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/412062160823386122/524750353007116291/Amyrie_Shielded_3.png?width=451&height=676)

Oblivia
(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/412062160823386122/524749834394271754/Oblivia.png?width=451&height=676)

original
(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/412062160823386122/524750165110816769/Oblivia_2.png?width=451&height=676)

Love Arianna's design *crushing*
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: L.K. [Taikichi] on March 07, 2019, 02:13:25 PM
It's been a long time since I've done anime-styled work, but I'm working on a new game project, that I would really like to be able to use for class. So I'm gunning for a demo before May.

It's a horror game called "Izabel". It's designed to turn a story I wrote as a child into an interactive narrative that should feel similar to side scrolling mystery/horror games like Inside and Little Nightmares.

(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/411000145824579589/551847105828880404/1551610719332.png?width=468&height=468)

(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/411000145824579589/553288022406463528/1551849722681.png?width=468&height=468)
(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/411000145824579589/553288499009290245/2019-03-04_1.png?width=864&height=468)

(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/411000145824579589/553288496148643840/2019-03-05.png?width=914&height=457)

(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/411000145824579589/553288713803923466/2019-03-06.png?width=862&height=468)

In other art news, the painting is finished. And I also have an assignment to replicate a master artist's work. My professor suggested that my stylistic choices are similar to Da Vinci's work. Which is pretty surreal because for a long time I forgot how Da Vinci inspired the way I draw when I read about him in highschool and how Italian renaissance artists used a technique called "sfumato" which helped separate their art from ancient greek art. Sfumato basically just means soft transitions, and Da Vinci likes to work almost completely without an edge and E.H. Gombrich in his book "The Story of Art" talks about how this, unlike with the ancient greek art, makes it feel like the person has been frozen in time in the image.

That's why I started to love colored pencils because over time you could create the same effect very easily. It's much more difficult in wet media, unless of course, you're using Oil Paint. I'm not finished and I need to work on the eyes, but it's rough because Da Vinci doesn't draw the same way I do, and in order to replicate it, I have to draw it the way he did.

(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/534747761287888918/553291945070559256/20190224_182233.jpg?width=263&height=468)

(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/534747761287888918/553291943090847744/tumblr_ovtexwv5aF1w1tn09o1_540.jpeg?width=404&height=468)

(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/534747761287888918/553292037563219973/20190306_222531.jpg?width=263&height=468)
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: legomaestro on March 08, 2019, 03:50:59 AM
Man it's such a subjective statement I know but traditional work like this really sells me. I just love the idea of it being real and there in your workspace after working on it. Great tones there too. And that does look Da Vinci esque, especially with that yellow tone to the canvas.

Like Izabel and 'Mother'. Strong ink tones there.
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: Suuper-san on March 08, 2019, 11:01:40 AM
Quote
I also have an assignment to replicate a master artist's work.
That's called forgery a cool idea. And yeah we can easily forget the things that inspired us so it's great to be reminded of the past like that.
It looks like you've made a good start already but I know exactly what you mean when you say you need to draw the same way to properly capture the art. Almost like you have to think the same way and mimic their whole creation process.
Also great finished portrait, and cool game stuff. I really need to get back into game design, it feels like I'm getting further and further away lol
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: devola on March 08, 2019, 05:21:51 PM
I love Izabel's design, very simple cute and creepy at all once. I'm curious about the game's story already just from the character designs! Great work with the assignment, you definitely captured Da Vinci really well imo.
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: MahluaandMilk on March 08, 2019, 08:27:03 PM
Unorganized commentary:

That artwork years in review only shows that you've always had a knack for coloring, especially in color blending, as early as your colored pencil.

So many characters...so many...ugh, you're like me. All the OCs. Just about every stereotype and trope will get covered eventually if people like us aren't stopped.

The grind is real man.

This passion project of yours is really coming along now, isn't it? Baby steps lead to big strides or somesuch wisdom.
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: L.K. [Taikichi] on March 16, 2019, 12:14:31 AM
Man it's such a subjective statement I know but traditional work like this really sells me. I just love the idea of it being real and there in your workspace after working on it.

Until you have to find a place to put it, But seriously, you take it for granted when you do a lot of traditional work. I can tell I have a very different relationship with my own digital art. I wasn't even sure if I should include it in my own portfolio when applying to have the university review it.


So many characters...so many...ugh, you're like me. All the OCs. Just about every stereotype and trope will get covered eventually if people like us aren't stopped.

Yeah and I've been trying to go back and flesh out some of the characters I worked on a long time ago. Most of the characters of Izabel have already existed, like Izabel herself, but with different identities. That was originally the goal with Blade Regalia, but then I ran out and had to create brand new ones.

That's called forgery a cool idea.

Not exactly incorrect. Contemporary artwork can have copyrights. I recently found out buildings can be copyrighted. Architecture and interior designs require permission to photograph if it's recognizable.

The more I draw this piece, the more I come to hate Da Vinci for putting me through it.

I love Izabel's design, very simple cute and creepy at all once. I'm curious about the game's story already just from the character designs! Great work with the assignment, you definitely captured Da Vinci really well imo.

During some play testing I've successfully been able to terrify family members without using jump-scares or any audio. Huge win for me since it is my first time working with horror. And it's a bit challenging as I'm trying to avoid gore.

(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/534747761287888918/556286810343473172/2019-03-11_1.png?width=1259&height=676)

You guys may recognize some of the older works of art in this room. While the game is going to be a reflection on me, the artwork in this room is actually made by the "Mother". The next "enemy" I'm working on is the maid who has been blinded. There will be more artwork that I will have to draw especially for the game because I want the paintings to be your main source of information about what's actually happening. There will be a lot of family portraits. Currently not sure if I want to use any dialogue, so it may be your only source. There's also a few new Blade Regalia characters

(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/534747761287888918/556287247255863317/1552190210242.png?width=676&height=676)

Natalie
(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/413491416560566272/556186161282940928/Natalie.png?width=451&height=676)

Regina
(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/413491416560566272/556286991281553423/Sachiko.png?width=451&height=676)
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: VOYA on March 18, 2019, 09:49:17 AM
Man it's such a subjective statement I know but traditional work like this really sells me. I just love the idea of it being real and there in your workspace after working on it.

Until you have to find a place to put it, But seriously, you take it for granted when you do a lot of traditional work. I can tell I have a very different relationship with my own digital art. I wasn't even sure if I should include it in my own portfolio when applying to have the university review it.


So many characters...so many...ugh, you're like me. All the OCs. Just about every stereotype and trope will get covered eventually if people like us aren't stopped.

Yeah and I've been trying to go back and flesh out some of the characters I worked on a long time ago. Most of the characters of Izabel have already existed, like Izabel herself, but with different identities. That was originally the goal with Blade Regalia, but then I ran out and had to create brand new ones.

That's called forgery a cool idea.

Not exactly incorrect. Contemporary artwork can have copyrights. I recently found out buildings can be copyrighted. Architecture and interior designs require permission to photograph if it's recognizable.

The more I draw this piece, the more I come to hate Da Vinci for putting me through it.

I love Izabel's design, very simple cute and creepy at all once. I'm curious about the game's story already just from the character designs! Great work with the assignment, you definitely captured Da Vinci really well imo.

During some play testing I've successfully been able to terrify family members without using jump-scares or any audio. Huge win for me since it is my first time working with horror. And it's a bit challenging as I'm trying to avoid gore.

(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/534747761287888918/556286810343473172/2019-03-11_1.png?width=1259&height=676)

You guys may recognize some of the older works of art in this room. While the game is going to be a reflection on me, the artwork in this room is actually made by the "Mother". The next "enemy" I'm working on is the maid who has been blinded. There will be more artwork that I will have to draw especially for the game because I want the paintings to be your main source of information about what's actually happening. There will be a lot of family portraits. Currently not sure if I want to use any dialogue, so it may be your only source. There's also a few new Blade Regalia characters

(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/534747761287888918/556287247255863317/1552190210242.png?width=676&height=676)

Natalie
(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/413491416560566272/556186161282940928/Natalie.png?width=451&height=676)

Regina
(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/413491416560566272/556286991281553423/Sachiko.png?width=451&height=676)

Regina<3
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: Suuper-san on March 23, 2019, 04:20:05 PM
wow I had no idea buildings could be copyrighted!!!

and that is some creepy room with the paintings. well done!
I try and avoid gore too, and well, anything extreme of any kind. it takes a higher level of story telling to grip the viewers and get their emotions involved but it's worth it I think.

nice zombie/stitched girl. only gripe is the eye patch looks a bit uncomfortable over the nose. Some eye patches that I have seen dont have the lower cord on one side to prevent that very issue I assume. the mixed clothing parts is a good idea too.

Love the layers on that white dress too. really adds details while keeping it simple.
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: Coryn on March 23, 2019, 09:22:00 PM
Oh yeah, architects and interior design people are VERY into how artistic there work is. Well, they can be at least. It's how you separate the ones who are good to work with from those that aren't. I'll leave it to your imagination which is which.
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: L.K. [Taikichi] on March 25, 2019, 01:50:50 AM
nice zombie/stitched girl. only gripe is the eye patch looks a bit uncomfortable over the nose. Some eye patches that I have seen dont have the lower cord on one side to prevent that very issue I assume.

Interesting idea. I probably should have researched eyepatch designs beforehand. I was just distracted by the way that it shows off the curvature of the nose
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: L.K. [Taikichi] on April 07, 2019, 12:46:47 AM
Some new Blade Regalia character art and some other updates. Earl uses an ancient aztec sword with blades made of obsidian. The blades could have unrivaled sharpness but would become dull very quickly. Also, were doing an assignment in figure drawing where we're drawing the figure in color for the first time. Using dry pastels. I'm also trying to figure out how to make realistic art with digital media, so I've been doing a lot of experimentation.

Demica
(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/411000145824579589/564306821540610053/Demica.png?width=433&height=649)

Earl
(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/413491416560566272/564302864470507520/Earl.png?width=650&height=650)

(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/411000145824579589/564307791037202432/20190403_192852.jpg?width=365&height=649)

(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/411000145824579589/564307777976008716/Realistic_Face.jpg?width=487&height=650)

(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/411000145824579589/564309287275462667/1554612118027.jpg?width=649&height=649)
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: Suuper-san on April 09, 2019, 01:59:02 PM
I love Earl, he looks very composed. the contrast between outfit and weapon is rather striking.

Great face tests, the eyes look really neat and detailed.
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: L.K. [Taikichi] on May 05, 2019, 12:21:16 AM
Some new characters and game art for Blade Regalia. I've added a girl who uses a gunsword, and I finally finished making icons for all of the factions.

I've also gotten to make at test build of Izabel, and on top of genuinely scaring people without obligatory jumpscares, its performance was pretty good on a lower-end PC so a lot of success stories. I've learned a lot about developing in UE4 thanks to Izabel, and strongly recommend working on a single player project for anyone with a multiplayer project idea, or at least build and optimize your multiplayer game around singleplayer mechanics and then add multiplayer in post.

(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/412062160823386122/574396244735295514/2019-05-04.png?width=730&height=449)

April
(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/411000145824579589/574395442704416768/April.png?width=299&height=448)

Rachelle
(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/411000145824579589/574395321396756481/Rachelle_2.png?width=299&height=448)

Nathaniel
(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/411000145824579589/574395490209366017/Nathaniel.png?width=299&height=448)

Stephanie
(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/411000145824579589/574395582777393152/Stephanie_and_Dragon.png?width=448&height=448)

(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/411000145824579589/574395622787121152/1555362972997.jpg?width=448&height=448)

(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/412062160823386122/574396300565544960/2019-04-03_13.png?width=796&height=448)
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: KeanFox on May 05, 2019, 01:29:15 AM
The last one look like a haunting ghost photo. Any story behind it or its just a test?
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: Walter B on May 05, 2019, 05:28:34 AM
Blade Regalia seems like an awesome game.
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: legomaestro on May 05, 2019, 08:53:17 AM
Man I just love those logos and all your character designs in general. Looks like the 3d rendering has improved somewhat too? It looks less toony in an exaggerated sense like the older eps of RWBY looked. Rachelle is my favourite, but April has quite the interesting weaponry there.
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: L.K. [Taikichi] on May 14, 2019, 09:16:55 PM
The last one look like a haunting ghost photo. Any story behind it or its just a test?

That scene is supposed to be what happens when you grab the key to unlock the first door.

Working on Izabel non-stop to make it presentable for class was very tiring so I've sense been working on Blade Regalia exclusively recently. But Izabel is really more of a an artwork than a game so there's not much sense in working on it without inspiration.

I've been working on a singleplayer "story mode" basically for Blade Regalia including RPG-like character growth elements. There was a version of game from a series called Valhalla Knights where you literally had a party of AI with you so you could still theoretically have team-based mechanics like a dedicated healer. This is generally the plan so I don't need to alter the programming or design of the heroes.
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: Suuper-san on May 17, 2019, 03:35:20 PM
cool faction logos. some are quite simple whereas others are quite complex. I personally feel that they should either all be complex or all be simple otherwise they feel strange next to each other. but they are all fine individually.

and nice dragon.

good advice for game making about doing single player first. you want all the players to have a good experience. I'll remember that if I ever do multiplayer stuff.
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: L.K. [Taikichi] on May 18, 2019, 09:53:59 PM
cool faction logos. some are quite simple whereas others are quite complex. I personally feel that they should either all be complex or all be simple otherwise they feel strange next to each other. but they are all fine individually.

Thanks, if you wouldn't mind, which icons in particular do you feel stand out most as too complex and too simple. Like specifically which ones would be an example of too simple and which ones would be an example of too complex. I would rather have them all be more balanced overall.

Kim
(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/413491416560566272/578766393617416192/Kim.png?width=441&height=661)

New Character who uses the hook swords. She is a member of the "Black Lotus" which is a division of the "Lotus" faction. I forgot to mention that I will release a playable build of Izabel if you really want to test it, but the room full of artwork is uncensored in the version that I used for class. The version that I distribute I would like to have only PG-13 artwork.

For context, below is one of the images in the game that I would like to remove. If you're not bothered by nudity I post all of my work on artstation (https://www.artstation.com/taikichi)

Nudity (Artistic Nude)
(https://cdnb.artstation.com/p/assets/images/images/017/518/587/large/taylon-salter-20190422-193723.jpg?1556295835)
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: L.K. [Taikichi] on May 20, 2019, 08:23:19 PM
Little update. For those curious about the story of Blade Regalia, I'm making progress on the first Manga/Graphic Novel.

(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/462352509126574080/579975205888458762/Helen_Render_2.jpg?width=550&height=660)

One thing I noticed as I was studying digital art was that digital paintings always seemed over-blended especially if it was amateur work. Professionals didn't have that problem, they're usually able to emulate real paint more.  And so did mine. The technical term for what's wrong is called "noise" specifically the fact that there is no noise. When you use the sharpen tool on Photoshop the tool doesn't actually find detail that isn't there, the tool just adds noise and this creates an optic illusion that there is more detail.

Noise is just a term for random variations in an area. Like in music the background "noise" that you would want to remove when you're recording. With traditional media, noise is almost impossible to avoid. The grain of the paper, the jitters of the pencil create noise and we traditional artists take it for granted.

So why is this a problem with digital art? Well if you use digital media the same way you use traditional. For instance, one method would be to put down general values with hard edges and blend them together to make them more natural. What happens in traditional is as you blend, the noise doesn't go away. But with digital the noise goes away, so your natural instincts with traditional will work against you unless Adobe can invent a tool that allows you to blend with noise.

Sorry that was my little epiphany. I've just been at war with digital media for so long. Anyway the solution was to get a brush that has noise in it, and to avoid blending. You can still get a lot of natural noise from your brush strokes with a basic brush tool, but blending will cause you to lose detail.

This is one of those older digital art studies I did where I was relying more on the blend tool. So you can kind of see how it feels over blended at some points. At some points it works well.

(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/482238816606879744/580184398016806923/Digital_Art_Study.jpg?width=440&height=660)
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: Suuper-san on May 21, 2019, 04:17:57 AM
Yeah some of my very first face studies were very smoothly blended. using a textured brush helps to keep some noise in there and stop it from looking plastic smooth. Making a digital piece look traditional is something that I eventually want to be able to do, although I don't know what sort of traditional feel I want haha. using a smudge brush with a texture is also a great way to get a painty feel. you could also apply an art filter over areas of a smooth painting to give it an automatic oil/watercolour etc feel.

hmmmm for the logos:
mostly too complex means the detailsa re too small or don't look natural as a logo

too simple:
-Lotus - This is a yin-yang, so it's naturally quite simple. it might be hard to change this one. maybe add another circle swirly border around it or something. also, it's the only 2 colour icon - a third colour is needed to contrast both black and white. every other icon can use a single colour on any other colour and it's visible. I mean a lotus is a flower, right, why not just use that?
-Inquisitor - very simple design. not sure if the black is a shield?
-Desert scorpions - difficult to see at a distance as it is a very thin design. if it's just three swords, you could style them more after daggers.
good level of detail:
-guardians of the North - not sure what the three white lines are, hair? the face details are a tad hard to see but its not too complex.
-Occultists - There a million styles of this pattern that you could use, and it will always look good. the tiny holes in the center circle are a little annoying though.
-sanctum - the cross is nicely shaped so is not too simple
-Formless - the spikey parts of this design don't feel unnatural as the overall design is quite wavy.
-Destruction children - maybe the black line separating the teeth could be a tad thicker but otherwise great.
too complex:
-Empire - the Omega letter has funny kinks and bumps in the main loop. try and use less nodes, make them smoother, or maybe use an actual font letter instead?
-Beautiful death - I've got nothing against skull and crossbones, but until I just looked forward, I thought those roses were actually rapiers. add a leaf maybe for a rose. but I think t's just too much detail to be seen at a distance. if you use just the rose head, you might be able to make it larger.
-Southern warriors - I love this design, but I think the white gaps are too thin
-Veil - the castle is fine, but the flag is too small a detail I think.
-Dulong kingdom - I think this overlaps with Veil too much, and the castle is just a bit too small overall.

I try and think how faction icons would look on a flag or a shield or something. Really a good design for a faction is recognizable at a distance. see how the worlds country flags are very simple, just stripes of colour often. even a simple pattern flag has plenty of variety from one to the next. It's better they they are all simple if possible, but depending on the design, they still need that extra level of detail. Also, try and avoid putting in small details when the rest of the design doesn't have small details. like the tags (what are they called again) in the letter "I" on Inquisitor, every other shape is a simple smooth lines, so the small sharp spikes seem unnatural. but that's a bit more my personal design style.

I really want to go off and design some logos now haha.
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: L.K. [Taikichi] on May 22, 2019, 01:10:55 AM
Thanks for the insights on the symbols.

The lotus is a complicated place because it's technically divided into 3 factions. I do have a symbol that I normally use for them you can see on their armor/clothing. There's the Red Lotus, the Black Lotus and the White Lotus, and because color is so central to their identity, I was conflicted over using the Lotus symbol because it would be black like the others. So my interpretation that the White Lotus and Red Lotus wouldn't choose to represent themselves with a black Lotus.

(https://cdna.artstation.com/p/assets/images/images/013/142/316/large/taylon-salter-lotus-factions-2.jpg?1538254924)

Not really relevant, but some of them are meant to be used in different ways. I'm not weighing this against your review, but if you're curious about the context of each symbol

Flag or Insignia of a Country
-Dulong Kingdom: Meaning "The Long Kingdom" is a Kingdom built on a series of large rocks floating in the sky.
-Lotus: A set of countries that are both unified and divided as I already described.
-Sanctum: A Holy City
-Empire: New Insignia following the takeover of a new Monarch
-Southern Warriors: Obscure tribe of warriors on an island south of the Mainland.
-Veil: A large citadel built on a small island where the people choose to isolate themselves from the rest of the world.
-Guardians of the North: A Matriarchal society in the north whose population is comprised of primarily non-human groups (Elves, Fairies, Giants). The symbol is half of a woman's head and half of a knight's helmet.
-Occultists: A society governed by a demonic theocracy.
-Desert Scorpions: A colony in desert often in conflict against Beautiful Death.

These Symbols are more like Warning Labels. Like saying "beautiful death ahead, do not enter". These factions aren't countries or kingdoms so they aren't meant to be used as flags or insignias.
-Destruction Children: A dangerous group of young "regaliers"
-Beautiful Death: A group of mercenaries. Most of whom defected from other countries. They live in the desert.
-Formless: The term "formless" is meant to be a euphemism for demons referring to the idea that they need to possess a body in order to have a "form".
-Inquisitors: This symbol is meant to be the badge that they would wear to make it obvious that they are an inquisitor. The context of an "inquisitor" here is different, than their historic context in reality.
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: Suuper-san on May 28, 2019, 04:28:56 PM
Well I suspected you did have your reasons for the design of each logo, so it's good to see how they relate to the factions identity or location.

The Lotus totally makes sense, I can understand why you avoided a black one.

For Guardians of the North, I find it quite hard to see it as a helmet. Maybe the design just isn't one I'm used to seeing, but maybe a bit more detail would make it look more helmet like. some more details along the outline might help as well, like bumps or sections more clearly shown. Google images for reference although I imagine you do do that.

Incidentally, have you researched insignia that are used or have been used by factions/people in real life? I can only think of the Tudor rose lol. I had a quick google and these might be good reading, if nothing else.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Escutcheon_(heraldry) (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Escutcheon_(heraldry))
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_coats_of_arms
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cap_badge
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heraldic_badge
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Armorial_of_Europe
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Armorial_of_sovereign_states
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lists_of_flags
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: L.K. [Taikichi] on July 23, 2019, 09:06:50 AM
Been a while since my last update. Been working most of the time, but I snuck in a little time to work on Izabel. I was trying to apply for the Unreal Dev Grant when I realized I didn't have any formal promotional art of the game. With Blade Regalia I have lots of art I can use that way,  but with Izabel it's just sketches and gameplay. Also working on cel shading the entire world for both Izabel and Blade Regalia

(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/413491416560566272/602810343911063563/Izabel_render_5.png?width=465&height=465)

(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/413491416560566272/601299376048177153/2019-07-18_1.png?width=862&height=466)

(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/413491416560566272/601299352069210112/2019-07-18_4.png?width=864&height=466)

(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/413491416560566272/601299186436014110/2019-07-18_7.png?width=861&height=466)
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: Vikings1428 on July 23, 2019, 01:03:14 PM
Been a while since my last update. Been working most of the time, but I snuck in a little time to work on Izabel. I was trying to apply for the Unreal Dev Grant when I realized I didn't have any formal promotional art of the game. With Blade Regalia I have lots of art I can use that way,  but with Izabel it's just sketches and gameplay. Also working on cel shading the entire world for both Izabel and Blade Regalia

(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/413491416560566272/602810343911063563/Izabel_render_5.png?width=465&height=465)

(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/413491416560566272/601299376048177153/2019-07-18_1.png?width=862&height=466)

(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/413491416560566272/601299352069210112/2019-07-18_4.png?width=864&height=466)

(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/413491416560566272/601299186436014110/2019-07-18_7.png?width=861&height=466)

ok that looks fantastic, it looks like a video game that has horror as well as suspense being main elements through it, it looks like one has to search for clues through this while being prepared for jump scares such as the one within the door.
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: Echo_River on July 23, 2019, 10:11:31 PM
Whooaa. That gave me the creeps just looking at the world there. Definitely has mystery vibes. Cool stuff c:
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: Walter B on July 25, 2019, 02:34:36 AM
Cool eerie vibe! Good work
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: Suuper-san on July 25, 2019, 07:28:17 AM
nice keep it up!
Do you have an idea of how complete your game is or how long it will take to complete?
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: L.K. [Taikichi] on July 30, 2019, 06:55:11 PM
Thanks for the feedback.

ok that looks fantastic, it looks like a video game that has horror as well as suspense being main elements through it, it looks like one has to search for clues through this while being prepared for jump scares such as the one within the door.

Whooaa. That gave me the creeps just looking at the world there. Definitely has mystery vibes. Cool stuff c:

Cool eerie vibe! Good work

I'm glad you guys like it, this is all actually very new to me, and I'm having a very fun experience creating it all.

nice keep it up!
Do you have an idea of how complete your game is or how long it will take to complete?

Right now there are some setbacks. My brother lives and breathes 3D animation and he had a look at the game and suggested I re-animate some things so long-story-short, the date is being pushed back. I don't really know a date. I know a date that I want to release it which is just a few months from now. But I also want everything to be done decently and in order and that could take 6 - 10 months realistically.
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: Vikings1428 on July 30, 2019, 10:32:35 PM
Thanks for the feedback.

ok that looks fantastic, it looks like a video game that has horror as well as suspense being main elements through it, it looks like one has to search for clues through this while being prepared for jump scares such as the one within the door.

Whooaa. That gave me the creeps just looking at the world there. Definitely has mystery vibes. Cool stuff c:

Cool eerie vibe! Good work

I'm glad you guys like it, this is all actually very new to me, and I'm having a very fun experience creating it all.

nice keep it up!
Do you have an idea of how complete your game is or how long it will take to complete?

Right now there are some setbacks. My brother lives and breathes 3D animation and he had a look at the game and suggested I re-animate some things so long-story-short, the date is being pushed back. I don't really know a date. I know a date that I want to release it which is just a few months from now. But I also want everything to be done decently and in order and that could take 6 - 10 months realistically.

really? I honestly don't see an issue with it tbh but I'm not the expert lol
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: Coryn on July 31, 2019, 10:59:28 PM
Well y'know, better to give a game a little extra time and a little extra polish, rather than dump it out all jankey like. But at the same time you can't fall into the trap of the perfectionist. You could work and tweak until the sun goes cold and still never be completely satisfied.

I look forward to playing it once it's out!
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: Suuper-san on August 01, 2019, 02:30:03 PM
projects will always have setbacks with a small crew, especially when it's not an actual paid job. but glad you're keeping moving forward, and don't worry too much about not meeting your own deadlines (Hofstadter's law applies as well haha). a deadline can only be accurately predicted if you know the exact amount of work that needs to go in, and it's very hard to tell what sort of problems will arise that will slow you down.

I agree, better that it's polished up but don't polish for too long :P
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: L.K. [Taikichi] on August 02, 2019, 11:17:56 PM
Well there are certain stages we need to get through.

Core Gameplay (Complete) (This was completed in 3 months)
This includes things like running, climbing, crouching. Making sure the game can be played and ultimately is fun to play. Normally I assume this would be how you prove to a publisher that this product could be worth investing in.

Core Design (Set Back) (would've been completed now after taking 3 months)
Core design was supposed to be complete when I replaced UE4 marketplace assets with a design more tailored to the game itself. This is basically converting the entire world from realistic to cel-shaded. But it also includes core animations like basic locomotion for the player character.

Optimization (Next)
This is supposed to be the part where I make it so a 30 minute Demo isn't 30 gigs in size. (It's actually 10.7 gigs right now but only uses maybe 2 gigs, the other 8 gigs is future content). So it involves clearing out old assets that aren't being used like other versions of the character models. Most of that can be controlled in the engine while exporting, but it also includes adding options to reduce the strain on the PC. like reducing detail, lighting complexity, and also using optimal practices like pre-built lighting and low-poly 3D models.

Testing (Demo)
This is just where I do non-stop testing to try to catch every glitch, oversight, or opportunity. Then at the end I'll be publishing the Demo. These milestones don't include core development like level design, scripting each sequence, and programming AI where I'm doing all that in between.
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: Suuper-san on August 03, 2019, 12:38:53 AM
Quote
programming AI
I love how you just nonchalantly mention that as an in-between thing :P
 
ugh all that work sounds horrible (0_0;)
I'm sure it'll go fine (^-^)
Prebuilt lighting is something I plan to use for whenever, it's when the main rendering is pre-computed beforehand, I think?
Finding glitches is probably the hardest part because one never knows how many there are or where they are :P
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: L.K. [Taikichi] on August 03, 2019, 05:57:08 AM


Quote
programming AI
I love how you just nonchalantly mention that as an in-between thing :P
 
ugh all that work sounds horrible (0_0;)
I'm sure it'll go fine (^-^)
Prebuilt lighting is something I plan to use for whenever, it's when the main rendering is pre-computed beforehand, I think?
Finding glitches is probably the hardest part because one never knows how many there are or where they are :P

Pre-built lighting is awesome because it means that your CPU can do other things, but it does consume a lot of hard drive space because it has to save all of that computing for later. Spoiler alert, but in Izabel you will be able to control the lights at almost all times, so I can't pre-build all of it. I can only partially build it. Plus I like having cast shadows on the characters.

Yeah AI really just requires a crazy amount of testing because you really don't know what's going to actually happen. Especially if you're using the behavior systems built into unreal engine. If I had built the game engine myself, I would probably have a better idea of exactly what will happen when using behavior scripts. But it's a lot easier when there are very specific and simple things you need the AI to do rather than needing them to be able to strategize against every possible situation which is more like what Blade Regalia's AI will be.

Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: Suuper-san on August 03, 2019, 09:55:36 AM
Yup cast shadows is nice where applicable :P
I like to code as much as possible from scratch personally, but that still doesn't mean I know whats going on XD
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: L.K. [Taikichi] on August 11, 2019, 04:34:54 PM
Aside from izabel, I'm getting ready to start doing freelance work full time so I've spent some time putting together some sample works for the exact services I'll be selling.

(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/411000145824579589/610206346259726337/Example_Sketch_3.png?width=1041&height=595)
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: Suuper-san on August 12, 2019, 09:03:09 AM
very nice, the styles look great!
I especially like the third one because it is the most "manga" of them :P
Be sure to let us know how the freelancing goes, like any problems you hit or things you learned, because we will all benefit from hearing your experience! Is it your first time freelancing? What sort of work are you looking for?
I need to start advertising for doing some paid commissions soon but my timetable is all over the place XD
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: Echo_River on August 14, 2019, 01:11:47 PM
Good luck Kesashi! Neat to see your different styles. I like the third one as well. The look of the fourth is cool as well, more realistic O:
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: L.K. [Taikichi] on August 15, 2019, 03:03:36 PM
More progress on that image. It's difficult to pick which styles to work with here. Now that I have the outlines, there's still a lot of unique things I could do with the shading. For the fourth one, I may attempt to copy the style of Ben Zhang who is a concept artist for Overwatch.

(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/411000145824579589/611635192486166541/Example_Sketch_4.png?width=1041&height=595)

Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: L.K. [Taikichi] on September 07, 2019, 04:26:12 PM
Well it's hard to move forward selling artwork when I keep getting job offers. First world problems.

While that's on hold I've still been working on Blade Regalia and Izabel. I'm introducing a new character I've been looking forward to for a while now, Jianna. She's supposed to be an exorcist, but outside of that not sure about where this character will take me. Also continuing on that drawing of Izabel as well as programming some new enemies. Unlike the arms which are stuck in the ground, the little hands can walk around and chase you.

(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/413491416560566272/619918453855354908/Jianna.png?width=499&height=499)

(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/551652036383342612/619991012244324363/Izabel_render_6.png?width=499&height=499)

(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/413491416560566272/610918413849591829/2019-08-13.png?width=927&height=500)
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: Coryn on September 07, 2019, 08:19:49 PM
DO. NOT. LIKE! *hits hand with a broom*

First world problems indeed! Glad things are going well for you though! Doing creative stuff while also having a full time job is certainly not easy, but it's a balance that can be struck.
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: Suuper-san on September 09, 2019, 01:51:29 PM
the creepiness is tangible XD

nice character and nice weapon and shininess.

Quote
Well it's hard to move forward selling artwork when I keep getting job offers.
That's.........problematic? lol
pretty much the reason I only work 2 days a week is because I've got better stuff to do lol

ahhhh programming new enemies, one of the few tasks that is somewhat enjoyable, "probably". keep it up :P
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: L.K. [Taikichi] on September 09, 2019, 03:54:41 PM
Well I had a pretty good deal with Amazon, but I left because I got tired of unskilled work. I'd really like to move to a point where I'm doing skilled work even if it isn't drawing. I'd also like to be doing something that's more financially expandable than working for hourly wages. But, the job I got right now is the dream, so I can't complain.

Granted my reasoning may not have been that profound the moment I resigned.

But I am making a big step to try to produce something everyday. Either artwork or updates on the games and I'm focusing on building my social media presence and operating on donations instead of commissions for the time being.
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: Suuper-san on September 09, 2019, 04:02:40 PM
unskilled work isn't my cup of tea either, although it can be relaxing if you are able to switch off/daydream, which I did when I was a cleaner.

so what job do you have now? you might have said already but I missed it :P

having a daily goal is a great idea. my schedule doesn't allow that now but I pretty much have a weekly/monthly one and it's great for productivity. letting things go more than a week means you start to get into the wrong routine haha.

lots of small steps result in a huge distance covered. keep it up!!!
all the best with the online presence boosting, for me it's something I'm dreading and I hope happens vaguely naturally XD
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: L.K. [Taikichi] on September 09, 2019, 10:42:25 PM
Right now I'm working with the University monitoring one of the studio spaces so other people can use it. Conveniently, I also use that space, so it's essentially like getting paid to do school work because aside from making sure no one sets themself on fire, I'm free to do whatever I want in the studio.
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: Suuper-san on September 10, 2019, 01:28:58 PM
awesome! I get a bit of free reign in my school as well to design things which is nice although probably not quite as free as you are :P
enjoy it and use your time effectively to work on other stuff :P
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: L.K. [Taikichi] on September 10, 2019, 10:56:06 PM
Today's drawing. This is an old blade regalia character in her childhood. This is also a re-draw of one of my first oil paintings.

(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/413491416560566272/620808446190682123/Hija_Del_inquisidor.png?width=507&height=676)

Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: Echo_River on September 12, 2019, 10:54:48 PM
Aww what a pretty character. I like how the different tones in the hair give it depth.
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: Daisetsu-bushido on September 15, 2019, 09:45:46 AM
Nice dress :). Adding folds on the material around the waist would make it look more realistic. Try to also experiment with adding backgrounds - they really can give a lot more depth to the whole picture :).
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: Suuper-san on September 15, 2019, 11:21:30 AM
nice to have two versions to compare the styles, it came out lovely as a vector as well!
I agree the hair looks fab :P
the white highlights on the dress seem a little out of place, I don't know why but it feels like there should either be more highlights, or none at all.
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: Coryn on September 15, 2019, 06:41:48 PM
It's good! Although the left hand seems a bit unnatural. It looks like she's trying to tuck it into a pocket, but what pocket is there in the dress to tuck into? Also: Is there the original around to compare to? If you've based it on an original, why not post that one as well?
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: L.K. [Taikichi] on September 16, 2019, 05:58:27 PM
Nice dress :). Adding folds on the material around the waist would make it look more realistic. Try to also experiment with adding backgrounds - they really can give a lot more depth to the whole picture :).

I did actually draw a background in this but I decided against it and it's very difficult to explain why. But the aesthetic just wasn't there and I would need a lot more time to make it work.

nice to have two versions to compare the styles, it came out lovely as a vector as well!
I agree the hair looks fab :P
the white highlights on the dress seem a little out of place, I don't know why but it feels like there should either be more highlights, or none at all.

I feel like you can see right through me because I'd say the highlights were one of the decisions I felt the least comfortable with.

It's good! Although the left hand seems a bit unnatural. It looks like she's trying to tuck it into a pocket, but what pocket is there in the dress to tuck into? Also: Is there the original around to compare to? If you've based it on an original, why not post that one as well?

That is a good idea. I think I did post the painting a long time ago, but I wasn't all that proud of it even when I made it. Both version are drawn from the same sketch. Also there is still a version I saved that has a bit of background.

Original Sketch
(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/551652036383342612/623273686148972584/1568073676871.png?width=333&height=499)

Original Painting
(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/551652036383342612/623273616468869140/La_Hija_Del_Inquisidor.jpg?width=332&height=500)

version with background
(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/551652036383342612/623273570054832128/Hija_Del_Inquisidor_Background.png?width=374&height=499)

New Character and Saturday's drawing. She's a support hero who uses water based abilities. Inspired by my Swedish friend who wanted to design a character.

(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/413491416560566272/623269836998311996/Jenny_Pre-Drawing.png?width=466&height=499)

Sunday's drawing.
(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/413491416560566272/623269875267272764/Jenny.png?width=333&height=499)
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: legomaestro on September 17, 2019, 03:31:11 AM
Oh man I love her design. Really sells that 'water elemental' thing. That thumbnailing process is also interesting to me. I should do more studies like this. Usually I make a character but I don't really explore their various emotions or how they act. I just churn out the concept and leave them there haha.
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: Suuper-san on September 17, 2019, 04:47:27 PM
drawing reflective/shiny material is a real pain to get right. I know, because I can't get it right XD
love the face and hair of the new character!
Also loving the sketches of how the water attack works.
I don't remember your previous characters having an outline for the hair though, so is that a bit of a style change? If not, they might be suited to being in an orange/lighter colour instead of being black/dark.
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: L.K. [Taikichi] on September 19, 2019, 09:42:09 PM
I don't remember your previous characters having an outline for the hair though, so is that a bit of a style change? If not, they might be suited to being in an orange/lighter colour instead of being black/dark.

This is something new I'm trying. I think it looks better overall for the style I'm going for. It's had to find the right color for outlines when black isn't good enough.

Another character, Dullahan. The armor is sentient and will be controlled by an AI in the game. The AI will prioritize low health enemies (kind of similar to the actual folk lore of the Dullahan). Her abilities are still up in the air, but right now the concept is that Dullahan is invincible in the armor and the armor is invincible by itself. The goal is to separate Dullahan from the armor where she will then be vulnerable.

Still a bit of a work in progress. I'd like to also draw her inside the armor.
(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/413491416560566272/624299949185564676/Dullahan.png?width=499&height=499)
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: L.K. [Taikichi] on October 01, 2019, 09:24:05 PM
More characters I'm working on. I'm planning on letting the playerbase vote on which heroes we'll be prioritizing.

(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/498616204521504788/628317707514806272/Crow_Pre-Drawing.png?width=508&height=676)

(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/498616204521504788/628317708139888657/Evelina_Pre-Drawing.png?width=508&height=676)

(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/498616204521504788/628317710308212748/Hellgate_Pre-Drawing.png?width=508&height=676)

(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/498616204521504788/628317714984992768/Audrey_Pre-Drawing.png?width=508&height=676)
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: Suuper-san on October 06, 2019, 04:27:11 AM
wow Character 3 has some......issues :P

nice transparency on the Dullahan character, and also nice armour.

Yeah the black outlines look fine for the hair, although it sort of makes the hair pop more than everything else. Have you tried to see what it looks like with a black outline for the whole character? For chosing a outline colour other than black, usually a darker version of the colour it borders works really well, so maybe brown lines for blonde hair, dark red lines for skin etc.
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: L.K. [Taikichi] on October 10, 2019, 04:22:58 PM
Won't be participating in inktober, but I am still trying to produce something every day. No updates on izabel yet, you could say I'm artist blocked regarding that project at the moment, so I've been exclusively working on Blade Regalia. I've designed an alternative skin for Katherine, and I illustrated one of the sketches.

I've also been working on rebuilding the 3D models so they won't look so creepy when you zoom in on their faces.

(https://cdna.artstation.com/p/assets/images/images/021/175/498/large/taylon-salter-katherine-2.jpg?1570664025)

(https://cdna.artstation.com/p/assets/images/images/021/175/526/large/taylon-salter-audrey.jpg?1570664128)
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: Suuper-san on October 11, 2019, 01:56:20 PM
Those gemstones look really great!
As long as you're productive I don't think it matters too much if you get involved in Inktober and suchlike.
Love the glowy chains too.
Looking forward to playing your game when you release it :P
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: L.K. [Taikichi] on October 11, 2019, 05:23:41 PM

Another sketch finished: Elise.

For some reason the way I drew this character really reminds me of your work, suuper. It's the strangest feeling.

(https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/411000145824579589/632326013409558551/Elise.png)
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: Suuper-san on October 15, 2019, 04:04:32 PM
probably the big cute eyes and the loli-style body proportions??? XD
she looks great :P
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: L.K. [Taikichi] on October 21, 2019, 06:22:34 PM
I could just be imposing that onto it. Like a self-fulfilling prophecy. Anyway, here's some paintings because I'm a full time student.

Repetition Assignment
(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/551650916839981069/635962381595574300/20191021_125655.jpg?width=901&height=676)

Painting without brushes
(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/551650916839981069/635961206229696582/20191017_184235.jpg?width=824&height=676)

Limited Palette (Zorn)
(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/551650916839981069/635961153662746634/20191002_111818.jpg?width=676&height=676)

Izabel painting
(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/551650916839981069/635962123050024983/20190924_193119.jpg?width=433&height=677)

Quick digital painting
(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/551650916839981069/635962160752623626/1570977752851.png?width=676&height=676)
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: L.K. [Taikichi] on October 31, 2019, 05:17:08 PM
Unironically halloween is inspiring me to work more on Izabel. Designed The Twins and The Prisoner. Which are friendly characters that appear in Levels 3 and 4. I've nearly finished the entire story. There's also some really crazy things I'm working on in the engine. Like those little hands that can move around. You'll be able to pick them up and throw them to solve puzzles. Also I've finally been able to introduce the maid into the game. She mostly appears in Chapter 2, but we've already seen her face on the big painting in the art room. Lots of other stuff I don't want to spoil because that's no fun.

(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/551650916839981069/639559094457466880/20191031_140756.jpg?width=508&height=676)
(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/551650916839981069/639559004925984789/20191031_151730.jpg?width=508&height=676)

Spoiler
(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/413491416560566272/639560314731495435/2019-10-31_4.png?width=1243&height=677)
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: Suuper-san on November 03, 2019, 02:31:41 AM
Unironic motivation is useful :P
nice sketches, I like the pen style, simple but plenty of detail. you could do quick portraits in that style :P
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: L.K. [Taikichi] on November 04, 2019, 07:52:27 PM
I actually had been wondering what the main art style of Izabel might be. I really do enjoy the style of the work I drew in pen. So I refined it a bit as a digital painting, and I think I'll go with this as the signature style for the game.

Also. Now that I know what the entire story of the game is, it's easier to move forward. I'm going to spend some time refining level 0 (introduction) and level 1 for the Demo. Before that I'm planning to release a "Proof of concept" version of the game which should allow people to fool around with some of the core mechanics of the game.

I made a video showing the new level select screen which has each level summarized in a tiny room. You can scroll through to select the level. So it's more cinematic. The last room is empty because I'm just getting started on that level so I don't actually know what to put in there yet.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=REAUmEpHsKA

(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/551650916839981069/641075037402693634/Ellie_and_Olivia_4.png?width=722&height=676)
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: Suuper-san on November 13, 2019, 12:43:55 AM
nice style. It gives off a bit of a mixed media vibe. The sharp lines go well with the softer hair rendering.
And lovely level select screen, you're certainly putting a lot of effort into the game and it's being rewarded with all these bits coming together.
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: L.K. [Taikichi] on November 19, 2019, 04:14:30 PM
A bunch more BR characters in between Izabel updates. Also a redesign on one of the OG characters.

(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/411000145824579589/646457158614908961/Evelina.png?width=676&height=676)

(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/411000145824579589/646457120031506462/Niko.png?width=451&height=676)

(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/411000145824579589/646457045356249098/Vickie.png?width=451&height=676)

(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/411000145824579589/646457015308124161/Alexander.png?width=451&height=676)
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: Suuper-san on November 20, 2019, 12:25:01 PM
I'm liking the cartoony hair style on the first one.
the white and gold boots look great on the last one.
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: legomaestro on November 21, 2019, 06:45:31 AM
Yeah the last one is my favourite for sure. Such a standard knight-like outfit but it looks real good. Those are some great boots too.

Love your style, Kesashi
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: L.K. [Taikichi] on November 21, 2019, 03:24:30 PM
Might be slightly inspired by Carmen Sandiego on netflix, but I am still interested in some experimental approaches to hair in vector. Probably every character will have their hair rendered differently before I find a perfect system.

Recently I joined an illustrator club and attended a wonderful seminar on drawing backgrounds. So anyway, I think we're ready to see more of these characters. So I will be working on making some graphic novels to explore the story next since the actual game won't be ready until after Izabel is published.
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: Suuper-san on November 22, 2019, 06:41:47 AM
Quote
I joined an illustrator club and attended a wonderful seminar on drawing backgrounds. So anyway, I think we're ready to see more of these characters.
Awesome, and awesome!

It's good to experiment with different styles, definitely. and depending on the type of hair you might find that even in the final version you use several styles to meet your needs.
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: L.K. [Taikichi] on November 23, 2019, 01:18:01 PM
We have achieved backgrounds. I've got a few more scenes I'm working on after this. I think there's always room to improve my color-picking for atmospheric perspective, but I'm ready to move on.

(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/413491416560566272/647859695595290624/Destruction_Children_3.png?width=1014&height=676)

(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/412062160823386122/647860712366014494/Destruction_Children.png?width=913&height=677)
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: Suuper-san on November 24, 2019, 08:24:32 AM
nice simple background. That's given me an idea for mine now :)
I think it might look a bit better with some more detail to match the characters level of detail, such as shading on the trees or ground, unless you're going for a super basic background.
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: Echo_River on November 24, 2019, 09:30:31 PM
I really like the suggestion of frills on the dress of the girl in front. You can see they're there without every fold and curve having to be drawn in. Also props for her big sword!
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: L.K. [Taikichi] on December 23, 2019, 07:45:59 PM
Lots of little updates. Haven't been working in backgrounds again yet, but I will be soon. I will be developing an expansion to the game to allow you to play any character as male or female. I've also been making a lot of progress in the singleplayer game. Current goal is to finish a few more characters and make the AI more intelligent. The way the characters are built now makes character customization very intuitive. I've been thinking about implementing it for the heck of it. And a couple new characters. I've been behind on art for the Lotus factions for a while, so I'm working to catch up on them now primarily.

(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/413491416560566272/657077124221370408/Katherine_2.png?width=676&height=676)

(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/413491416560566272/652736154688290826/2019-12-06_5.png?width=1259&height=676)

Aiko
(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/413491416560566272/656625328042672130/Aiko.png?width=451&height=676)

Phaelyn
(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/413491416560566272/657756064208650256/Phaelyn.png?width=451&height=676)

Aurora
(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/413491416560566272/649571119409528832/Aurora.png?width=451&height=676)

Vakram "The Dirty Scarab"
(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/413491416560566272/649571522842984459/Vakram.png?width=451&height=676)
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: Suuper-san on December 24, 2019, 05:04:11 AM
Quote
make the AI more intelligent
That's probably not as easy as it sounds :P

Love Aiko, looks totally traditional Japanese!

So is the top one meant to be male and female versions of the same character then? they totally look similar and very cool how you've kept the colour scheme for the outfits.

The occasionaly black outlines are a nice touch, although it's a heavy contrast with the areas that don't have black outlines. I liked it where the black lines fade out rather than just stopping sharp.

Your style seems to be changing little by little :P
It's a worry for me if I ever make art for my game as I'm all over the place for styles XD
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: L.K. [Taikichi] on December 29, 2019, 02:43:45 PM
Quote
make the AI more intelligent
That's probably not as easy as it sounds :P

Well it gets complicated because I want their intelligence to be fluid. So you could have archers with better aim than other archers. I'll cover this stuff when I do a "State of the game" update. But you will have at least 3 AI teammates against 4 AI enemies, and so you'll be able to control your AI, like setting their priorities to survival or healing or attacking, and you'll be able to level up their intelligence.

The major problem I have is there aren't really any games out there like Blade Regalia, I know that sounds arrogant because it could easily fit into the Hero Shooter realm and I'm sure that if it got popular, the first thing news outlets and youtubers would do is call it an overwatch clone.

If I were creating overwatch then it would be easier to understand how the AI should act, but blade regalia has a central emphasis on melee combat and just a handful of characters who shoot or fight at range. This means it's most similar to failed hero shooter, Gigantic, in fact that game was the inspiration for the current combat system because they solved a lot of problems I was having with team-based melee combat.

However, Gigantic's gameplay and metagame involved multiple objectives which revolve around dealing damage, like a classical moba where you have 3 lanes to attack and multiple structures to destroy.

So as a result I have been working towards public testing so hopefully I can use actual human beings to give me some insights into how AI should act.
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: Suuper-san on December 30, 2019, 11:58:20 AM
Ahhhhh I see. Fluid huh.
Yeah copying other players habits is probably the best way to do it. Like do they keep their distance, how do they move and so on.
I remember I must have been about 14 when I first tried to make an AI for an RTS I was making. Neither the RTS nor the AI got finished in the slightest XD, but it got me really thinking how does an AI work, especially when there are multiple characters working together, like troops in a castle or something. is it one AI that controls the whole lot, or individual AIs that all function individually. Fun stuff.

I'm always up to be a beta tester if you want :)
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: L.K. [Taikichi] on December 31, 2019, 02:54:43 PM
I will definitely keep you in mind.

My Ai actually follows a single invisible entity called the "Team Actor". The team actor can walk towards the objective and the AI can choose to follow it, go on flank routes or take the high ground individually. The team actor allows them to make decisions as a team and as an individual.
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: Suuper-san on December 31, 2019, 05:14:52 PM
Ahhhh super cool. even the name sounds cool haha

whats great about being able to control the difficulty of AI is you can then have difficulty levels for the entire game, beginner,expert and so on. Which means the game has replayability value even for people that have cleared it.
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: L.K. [Taikichi] on January 19, 2020, 01:42:08 PM
Well I'm back in class for my last year, and now I have 3 open-ended painting classes. I decided to buy a gigantic canvas. 40 x 60 inches (1m x 1.5m). I'm interested in doing scenes with multiple figures, so naturally I thought that may be easier with a larger canvas.

(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/498616204521504788/668156445635903488/20200117_183720.jpg?width=624&height=468)

In Blade Regalia, I'm still gradually build up characters. There are some characters that haven't been fully designed yet, but may be better fit for the prototype. For instance, I'm avoiding characters who use pets or have any transformation ability because that could double the workload regarding modeling and animating multiple bodies for a single character. A lot of characters are getting long awaited updates to their design.

Svetlana
(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/498616204521504788/668523544069537831/Svetlana.png?width=702&height=468)

Sabrina
(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/498616204521504788/668523546510622736/Sabrina.png?width=585&height=468)

Moline
(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/498616204521504788/668524614346997760/Molines.png?width=468&height=468)

(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/498616204521504788/668524763932655640/Moline.png?width=468&height=468)

Samantha
(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/413491416560566272/667084101819301918/Samantha.png?width=312&height=468)

Behemoth
(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/413491416560566272/667084086166421509/Behimoth.png?width=312&height=468)
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: Coryn on January 19, 2020, 08:55:09 PM
Looking good Kesashi! Can't wait to see what you do with that huge canvas! Be sure to keep us updated!
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: legomaestro on January 20, 2020, 04:18:12 AM
Man that canvas is giving me some big thoughts. I love blank paper/ canvases haha, but I've never painted before. Must be a cool thing!

Samantha and Svetlana (left) are my favourite. You have pretty cool design Kesashi. I love how recognizeable your style is.

Also, getting the feeling I should probably watch RWBY again
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: Suuper-san on January 24, 2020, 03:43:11 PM
man that's a huge canvas.
especially for me since I always work on A4 or digital.

yes special cases of characters which involve extra work or code are an absolute nightmare haha.
My WIP processing method is useless at special cases haha.

Awesome characters and very big changes you've made to their designs. I sort of like all of them, although it's clear you've improved in skill and accuracy from the older ones.
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: VOYA on January 25, 2020, 04:18:50 PM
Well I'm back in class for my last year, and now I have 3 open-ended painting classes. I decided to buy a gigantic canvas. 40 x 60 inches (1m x 1.5m). I'm interested in doing scenes with multiple figures, so naturally I thought that may be easier with a larger canvas.

(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/498616204521504788/668156445635903488/20200117_183720.jpg?width=624&height=468)

In Blade Regalia, I'm still gradually build up characters. There are some characters that haven't been fully designed yet, but may be better fit for the prototype. For instance, I'm avoiding characters who use pets or have any transformation ability because that could double the workload regarding modeling and animating multiple bodies for a single character. A lot of characters are getting long awaited updates to their design.

Svetlana
(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/498616204521504788/668523544069537831/Svetlana.png?width=702&height=468)

Sabrina
(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/498616204521504788/668523546510622736/Sabrina.png?width=585&height=468)

Moline
(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/498616204521504788/668524614346997760/Molines.png?width=468&height=468)

(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/498616204521504788/668524763932655640/Moline.png?width=468&height=468)

Samantha
(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/413491416560566272/667084101819301918/Samantha.png?width=312&height=468)

Behemoth
(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/413491416560566272/667084086166421509/Behimoth.png?width=312&height=468)

Kekashi! Good to know you're still working too, welcome back to class lol
your Molina annual progress update was theraputic to look at, your cel shading has improved too. Your Svetlana has a look that captures me for some reason, maybe it's just the platinum hair and green eye combo. Fave pic is Svet on the left though, on the dress particularly - no hue shift, but subtle value shift and harder value shift on the layers creates such a nice look. Taking notes!

I noticed you're even subtler with hue variation on skin, daring to push only when we get ambient occlusion in some places like under her chin. Is it an intentional thing stylistically, I can see you're prioritising design over render in your ...designs  :D but if not then maybe it's worth some value studies, I think with your style you'd really benefit from them.

MORE SVETLANA, PLS.
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: L.K. [Taikichi] on February 04, 2020, 05:34:09 PM
I'm going to be making some radical changes to Blade Regalia. I want to focus on what makes Blade Regalia special and emphasize what most people probably imagined when they first learned about it. The idea of weaponized clothing is what I believed made Blade Regalia what it is, but I may have abandoned that for the more "safe" state that it's in now. Right now it's just fancy clothing with medieval fantasy combat, which could be interesting if I pushed my skills with fashion design further, but raw fashion design has never been my goal.

Essentially I want the vision for the project to focus on the idea of clothing as a weapon. For example: rather than having a dress and a sword, the dress is the sword. It's not ideal to make changes like this 3 years into the project, but I know if I don't make this change now I'll regret it in the future. For the most part this is a visual/lore change and not a game design change. The game is already built to make replacing assets easy, so it isn't much of a setback in terms of the prototype.

(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/411000145824579589/672227608666308628/Danielas_Mirror_2.png?width=1159&height=677)

This vector drawing was done for a class. (No prompt). I didn't end up showing it, I showed a different piece. This is a picture of a character named Daniela (in blade regalia). I've drawn her a few times. She deals with a lot of self-loathing which may seem ironic because she uses a mirror was a weapon.

Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: L.K. [Taikichi] on February 09, 2020, 03:07:27 AM
Big news, a demo/prototype build of Izabel is available to download and play for free on the official website. This is just for testing purposes. Feel free to let me know if you find crazy bugs in it, or also how you feel about the game and its potential.

https://www.playizabel.com/download.html

(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/462350692355538944/675448781373964338/Izabel_Release.png?width=1332&height=676)
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: Suuper-san on February 09, 2020, 03:53:50 AM
naturally I instantly download.
stay tuned for a report :)

report: I cant play it.
-i click on IsabelRelease.exe
-screen goes black
-the title music starts playing (not every time though)
-screen goes back to normal but my mouse control is wacky (not every time though)
-I get these messages
some of the time:
(https://i.imgur.com/r2CGYw0.png)
every time:
(https://i.imgur.com/GYl4XT1.png)
-The program closes and my mouse returns to normal control.

(I have a decent PC but no dedicated graphics card)
(OS Win 7 64 Professional)

Based on the message, I assume it's trying to access a file that isn't bundled in the .rar?

This is one of the annoying things of programming - "It works fine on my PC but not on anyone else's"
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: L.K. [Taikichi] on February 09, 2020, 05:21:15 PM
naturally I instantly download.
stay tuned for a report :)

report: I cant play it.
-i click on IsabelRelease.exe
-screen goes black
-the title music starts playing (not every time though)
-screen goes back to normal but my mouse control is wacky (not every time though)
-I get these messages
some of the time:
(https://i.imgur.com/r2CGYw0.png)
every time:
(https://i.imgur.com/GYl4XT1.png)
-The program closes and my mouse returns to normal control.

(I have a decent PC but no dedicated graphics card)
(OS Win 7 64 Professional)

Based on the message, I assume it's trying to access a file that isn't bundled in the .rar?

This is one of the annoying things of programming - "It works fine on my PC but not on anyone else's"

This is actually really awesome to know. I'm sure a lot of people are having this issue and haven't told me. Some quick research I've found this error message can come up with PCs that have a graphics card but it is a graphics-card-related issue with the engine that I may be able to fix by distributing the game differently.

It's going to be hard for me to test personally because all my PCs have graphics cards. First world problems right. So I'm going to create a new build that isn't expecting you to have Directx11 or Directx12. It looks like there is an installer inside the download for the runtime files that you may be missing (I actually didn't realize that was there). It's kind of hidden in Izabel/Engine/Extras/Redist/en-us
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: Suuper-san on February 10, 2020, 02:19:34 AM
Awesome can't wait!
Yeah I'm not a big gamer at all so a graphics card wasnt a big need for me. It's good to make a build for a large a market as possible but it usually does involve building for all sorts of PCs and problems, like making websites that work on browsers without JavaScript enabled, for example :)
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: L.K. [Taikichi] on February 10, 2020, 04:04:10 PM
Yeah I build my PCs for developing games which means I usually have to go above the specs for gaming in terms of RAM and CPU. The first PC I used Unreal Engine on would freeze and crash a lot just due to the ram being too low.

This version doesn't have a lot of the basic things we take for granted in games like being able to change the controls because I just really wanted to have something tangible for the public. So for the next release I will be adding the compatibility options that are missing. So I'll release it much later.
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: L.K. [Taikichi] on February 22, 2020, 05:15:48 PM
New Character, Hana of the Black Lotus. This is sort of the beginnings of the new design direction for Blade Regalia. I've gotten requests from a few friends to turn them into characters I'll be working on next and that's always a very interesting starting point especially when you know the person for such a long time that you can break down their personality and likeness into simple elements.

I'm definitely interested in working with backgrounds and environments more to bring the character designs home.

(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/413491416560566272/680874206745198820/Hana.png?width=431&height=431)
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: legomaestro on February 27, 2020, 05:28:19 AM
Super interested in how he looks in the end. Amazing how much mood there is in the picture haha. Love your character designs Kesashi.

Also yeah, environments do a lot for character.
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: Suuper-san on February 28, 2020, 04:07:37 AM
I love glowy stuff in dark backgrounds so its already a win in my books haha.
Looks very nice and mysterious.
And yes using people as reference is an interesting one. You almost have too much information to deal with haha. Simplification can be hard if you can't decide what details to cut out haha.
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: L.K. [Taikichi] on March 09, 2020, 10:34:11 PM
Working on this new design for Katherine's Blade Regalia in Blade Regalia has gotten me a little conflicted. This was originally going to be the replacement design for the original design, but now I'm working on introducing some character customization which will allow you to mix and match abilities and clothing because the abilities are tied to the clothing.

So this means Katherine needs a few more regalia to work with, and right now this design functions well as a Tier 3 regalia for Katherine to have.


(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/411000145824579589/686762270990008324/Katherine_3.png?width=677&height=677)
Tier 3

(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/411000145824579589/686738792199094398/Katherine_2.png?width=451&height=677)
Tier 2

(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/411000145824579589/686738784418791433/Katherine_1.png?width=451&height=677)
Tier 1
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: Suuper-san on March 11, 2020, 06:40:37 AM
I love Tier 3 definitely. The pose and the costume.
it feels strange to go to trousers for tier 2 and then back to a dress for tier 3 though, just my thoughts.
But the design of all of them is lovely.
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: legomaestro on March 11, 2020, 09:22:40 AM
Man oh man these outfits are amazing! Beautiful work!
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: L.K. [Taikichi] on April 17, 2020, 11:31:38 AM
Well it's been a while with all the stuff happening I'm working on getting back into the groove of making Blade Regalia. I've reached some important milestones in AI development in the game. Currently the AI can play 5 different characters effectively. Right now their difficulty can be controlled by manipulating the AI's "reaction time", "ranged weapon accuracy", and "movement accuracy". So Blade Regalia will start releasing playable builds just like Izabel.

I recorded some gameplay, I'm hoping to get some time to do some commentary, maybe even discussion the metagame with my character designer. And it's strange, but I'm starting to run out of characters to design. This would make 103 out of 150. Here are some new characters: Camilla, Katelyn, and a redesign of a character named Behemoth.

If you're curious about the lore of some of these

Camilla is a servant of the royal family of a kingdom called "Dulong Kingdom", or "The Long Kingdom". Camilla would be the second-highest ranking servant, Jianna being the first (picture below). So she would be called a "Right Hand Fleur" and Jianna would just be a "Right Hand". The interesting thing about the Dulong Kingom is that it's a country floating in the sky inhabited by black people who speak french. It's one of the strangest things I've created, not counting Izabel. It's actually a late-game place where Blade Regalia ends.

Katelyn is an Inquisitor whose job is to make sure "Regalia" is under control. Regalia being the clothing that provides each character with their unique, supernatural powers. Regalia has a negative effect on the environment, along with just being a deadly weapon, so inquisitors judge countries and their use of it. Themselves having the most powerful Regalia (not including dulong kingdom which would take ages to explain).

Behemoth is a "Formless Spirit" (e.g. demon) who was defeated and lost almost all of her power. Originally she was a gigantic monster, now she's a small girl because that's the best "form" she can produce. She has an uncontrollable desire to kill or hurt people, so the leader of the Formless forces her to wear the mitts and keep her mouth covered to make her more harmless. She was actually sealed into the "Accursed Sword" (picture below) which is used by a character named Tara. The Accursed Sword is notorious for influencing the wielder's mind and compelling them to kill people. When she is released from the sword is when we get access to her as a character. She also has an extremely deep, masculine voice.

If you're curious about their gameplay.
Camilla is a highly mobile ranged support hero. She has the ability to operate "between dimensions" which allows her to enter an intangible state to avoid damage as well as fly and move around more quickly.

Katelyn's abilities are still being decided. Her abilities are time themed, and it's likely it will function similar to the time abilities in the game "Blades of Time" since stopping, slowing, and speeding up time has already been used in another character. The only thing left is turning time backwards. May also play with the concept of a Time Limit such as abilities that need to be used within a specific time frame or at a specific time, like waiting for one half of the hourglass to empty.

Behemoth is a support hero who provides stamina and damage boosts to teammates. She's supposed to have the ability to take the form of another player's character.

Camilla
(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/654793606262947872/700720803481911396/Camilla.png?width=452&height=679)

Katelyn
(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/654793606262947872/700720805000118293/Katelyn.png?width=452&height=679)

Behemoth
(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/654793606262947872/700720806891749486/Behimoth.png?width=452&height=679)

Jianna
(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/411000145824579589/700729159281803294/Jianna_Full.png?width=679&height=679)
Old Behemoth Design
(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/413491416560566272/667084086166421509/Behimoth.png?width=452&height=679)
Tara and the Accursed Sword
(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/411000145824579589/700728387550838804/Tara.png?width=452&height=679)
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: legomaestro on April 17, 2020, 07:45:57 PM
I'm stuck between Camilla and Tara. Love their designs. A third would be Katelyn because that hour-glass hammer is genius.

You have a knack for designing outfits Kesashi. If you could give a number how much percent would you say you're done with making Blade Regalia?
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: L.K. [Taikichi] on April 18, 2020, 12:24:59 AM
Actually I do have a tracker for BR progress on characters. It's not fully up to date, but it can give some insight. I might be slightly inspired by you and suuper. This file shows a general look at where characters are and it adds up to about 25% done on the prototype and 8% done for the kickstarter campaign. Here's also a character select screen I've put together based which characters have 3D models and I imagine will be playable for the prototype. And right now there are 9 out of 24 characters you can actually play. 5/9 the AI can play, and 4/9 have all of their abilities fully programmed.

(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/411000145824579589/700919372595724399/2020-04-17_1.png?width=1253&height=679)

(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/411000145824579589/700919463519715389/2020-04-17.png?width=1240&height=679)

I should mention this is actually 1 of 2 projects with Blade Regalia. There is a singleplayer project and a multiplayer project. So this is the singleplayer story campaign of Blade Regalia. It was originally called "The First Inquisition". Because the the multiplayer game where these characters come from takes place during "The Second Inquisition". This was supposed to give some background to what happens in the past. But I thought it would be nice to also play as the main cast, so this project will actually go through the full story starting with the present day (The Second Inquisition). The Singleplayer project happens to be easier to develop.

I forgot to mention the footage I took where I show the AI interacting with each other. It's in a map made out of basic shapes so I can work on the AI pathfinding. I will want the AI to be able to identify flank routes, high-ground positions, and to use mobility skills to cross large distances.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DFWeSepglK8
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: legomaestro on April 20, 2020, 11:10:01 AM
Whohoahoa dude that's comprehensive as heck! And haha it's suuper who's legendary at tracking progress more than anything. Programming AI was so exciting to me until I realized I couldn't even make Super Mario AI react well enough to how I intended. Props on you for that.

Must take a lot of effort to do all of this. Respect Kesashi, and keep at it!
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: Suuper-san on April 30, 2020, 05:45:34 PM
when it comes to game making, you definitely need to have a strong method for tracking and evaluating progress, and it looks like you've totally got a solid chart there.
I can't help noticing that each character has their movements sorted separately, does this mean that you have to do extra work to do different walking animations/coding for each character, rather than copying and pasting, or just handling every character with the same code? Because I hope that you can reuse or recycle something otherwise that's a lot of work that is going to be very similar and tedious.

ha.
AI is a pain in the neck, no exceptions. Especially if you're writing one from scratch, and especially when it's more than just a card game AI, controlling movement and deciding how aggressive to make the movements, and control accuracy and so on can be really hard to get balanced.

I watched the video and I loved it.
can't wait to play it :D
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: L.K. [Taikichi] on May 05, 2020, 05:52:59 PM
I can't help noticing that each character has their movements sorted separately, does this mean that you have to do extra work to do different walking animations/coding for each character, rather than copying and pasting, or just handling every character with the same code? Because I hope that you can reuse or recycle something otherwise that's a lot of work that is going to be very similar and tedious.

AI is a pain in the neck, no exceptions. Especially if you're writing one from scratch, and especially when it's more than just a card game AI, controlling movement and deciding how aggressive to make the movements, and control accuracy and so on can be really hard to get balanced.

So yes by design each character is meant to have very unique animations and in the past I had to make those animations before I could even test them and it slowed me down tremendously. So now each character can share every single animation, so I have been skipping making animations like walking and allowing each character to share a "base walk" animation as well as for jumping. Some characters do have specific animations to match the type of weapon they're using. Just trying to prevent things from looking too strange.

(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/298646084853694464/707300019593674862/2020-05-05.png)

(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/411000145824579589/707347619508387880/2020-05-05_2.png?width=1256&height=676)

Right now i'm working on introducing a settings menu to increase frame rates for other computers. The performance cost previously was a bit obsurd considering the way characters are textured with the simple flat colors and cel shading it didn't really make much sense for the system requirements to be the same as a realistic game on Ultra.

Lowering the settings here reduced the Graphics Card usage by 75% and you can see the image isn't really too different from its Ultra settings. You can see the maximum settings in the next image. I've also added two more options regarding Damage Numbers and "particle clutter". Damage Numbers I found can really get in the way when there are a lot of them on the screen. They're not a big deal when you're playing a melee character and fighting in close range, but for long ranged heroes like a sniper it can be hard to see targets when the damage numbers are in the way.

Particle Clutter is just a setting that replaces every opaque particle effect with a transparent alternative. It helps for the same reason as disabling damage numbers. Big opaque particles can block information on the screen. It's fine in casual play, but in high stakes situations it becomes a big disadvantage that the AI obviously don't share. Since a lot of things can be happening very quickly it's best if I let you see as much information as possible. If I have an ability like a smoke cloud that's specifically designed to block information, then that will only be affected by this if a teammate uses it, and the AI also won't be able to see through it.

(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/411000145824579589/707343709569810492/BR_Gameplay.png?width=1442&height=547)

Kor
(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/413491416560566272/701422447806775316/Kor.png?width=451&height=677)

And lastly one new bit of art. I've got a few more characters to design who may be relevant to the early game in terms of the story.
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: Coryn on May 05, 2020, 07:36:57 PM
OH snap! Screenshots! Nice to see progress on the game as always! Kor is giving some real boss battle energies off...
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: Suuper-san on May 14, 2020, 01:51:05 AM
I imagine working from a base walking animation you can just tweak it a bit and it would work quite well for making the animation suit each character (he says, having no idea on even how to create a walking animation XD). certainly better than creating it from scratch each time. Sounds like a solid plan you've got.

And nice screenshots!
Players won't always have a decent gaming setup (like me lol) so you've always got to plan for the worst case scenario, even if it looks lowish quality someone would rather have a setting where they can actually play the game instead of it crashing or lagging. and it certainly looks pretty much the same with the optimizations, so good job there. Remember to have an explanation for what the settings so otherwise people wont know what it means!

nice character, the cracks on the ground are a great touch, he does indeed give off a menacing vibe :P
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: L.K. [Taikichi] on May 25, 2020, 02:26:29 AM
Now progress in the game demands more artwork. New faces are needed for the story mode. New character added to the game as well. Now the AI can control melee characters pretty well, but I'll need to introduce some new systems in order for them to use ranged heroes effectively.

The Oracle "Uriel" Magnolia
(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/413491416560566272/712866910018207774/Uriel_2.png?width=451&height=677)

The Mother of the Desert, Laura
(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/551650916839981069/714362706584403998/Laura.png?width=451&height=677)

(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/298646084853694464/710651253289386055/2020-05-14_10.png?width=1252&height=677)

(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/298646084853694464/710651277901824031/2020-05-14.png?width=1250&height=677)
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: Suuper-san on May 31, 2020, 10:58:37 AM
great stuff Kesashi!
Just a random thought - it might be nice if the buttons, text and bars had their own backdrop, otherwise it might be hard to read the text and so on against the game background. I don't know what popular with UI these days but that's my initial thought.
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: L.K. [Taikichi] on July 07, 2020, 10:38:58 PM
That's a great idea Suuper.

So you may remember that the people in this world get their power from their clothes. These abilities are defined by the shape, design, color and intricacies of the clothing. So I thought it would be interesting to break down some of the specifics and how things in Blade Regalia end up a little backwards compared to combat gear in reality.

So Color is also relevant to the type of magic they'll be using. And these mechanics aren't necessarily relevant to the game now, but they will be useful for my long term plans to introduce character creation in a later version. So there is a complex engineering aspect to the design and structure of the clothing as well as the layers of clothing that may not be seen on the outside.

Spoiler
(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/411000145824579589/730249145171837030/2020-07-07_1.png?width=1161&height=677)

(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/551650916839981069/730057605946408970/Evie_Breakdown_B.png?width=677&height=677)

(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/551650916839981069/730057610572595230/Aurora_Breakdown_B.png?width=677&height=677)

(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/551650916839981069/730250039301242910/Moline_Breakdown_B.png?width=677&height=677)
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: Suuper-san on July 15, 2020, 12:06:25 PM
wow, really cool concept there.
I love the justifications for high heels and large dresses :P
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: Coryn on July 15, 2020, 01:30:38 PM
My only question here is that the two seem a bit contradictory? If Mana can be quantified volumetrically (as seen with the dress), wouldn't it make more sense to have more contract with the ground by having a flat soled boot? You'd get a lot more surface area that way (not to mention it would be more practical at the same time). The rules should at least be self consistent, otherwise this is just a blatant excuse to draw women in high heels  :hmm:
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: Suuper-san on July 15, 2020, 03:43:41 PM
I must admit I thought that too haha
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: L.K. [Taikichi] on July 18, 2020, 04:49:33 AM
My only question here is that the two seem a bit contradictory? If Mana can be quantified volumetrically (as seen with the dress), wouldn't it make more sense to have more contract with the ground by having a flat soled boot? You'd get a lot more surface area that way (not to mention it would be more practical at the same time). The rules should at least be self consistent, otherwise this is just a blatant excuse to draw women in high heels  :hmm:

Great observation. This is all tricky since in some places the effect is obvious and in others the effect is arbitrary like the relationship between color and elements. And each function is designed to promote strategy since we'll get to customize these features in the game in the future. So a dress is not superior to pants, it just offers different tools. Between shoes it is arbitrary which one allows you to draw mana faster and which one protects you from being knocked off your feet. I feel like an argument could be made to swap each relationship.

(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/411000145824579589/733955606062432276/2020-07-18_1.png)

And Heels would not be superior to boots or armored shoes, but a large shoe would offer a similar effect you're describing, it would be a shoe that would make you immovable in a sense. I would say I big oversight I'm noticing here is that the functionally effective clothing probably wouldn't be good looking at all. You probably would see more shoes like that for that reason assuming culturally the designer would put function over fashion.

But between dresses and heels we're talking about two different speed metrics. One is the speed of movement, the other is the speed of mana collection, and the third which is not mentioned here is the speed of activating abilities (which is improved by wearing pants). Which altogether deals with the "flow of Mana". Maintaining a proper circulation is important. Having a dress is likened to having all the blood rush to your legs, so wearing pants improves the circulation because abilities are in a sense the result of the flow of mana.

----------

At least that's the theory I'm working with. I wanted to spend some more time before I posted this but this is the general rundown of the Mana based on their colors. An important feature here is any color can be achieved by mixing primary colors RYB since some colors do not appear naturally like indigo or the complementary color sets. White and Colorless being the exception. Technically there are endless combinations, some obvious ones are not even listed here, like yellow-orange (which is why there are 11 colors instead of 12) but theoretically that would be some kind of super-defensive mana and it's not listed because there is no character who uses it.

Spoiler
(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/411000145824579589/733961209581142047/2020-07-18_2.png?width=792&height=677)
Spoiler
(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/411000145824579589/733961207580590150/2020-07-18_3.png?width=816&height=677)
Spoiler
(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/411000145824579589/733961206057926687/2020-07-18_4.png?width=668&height=677)

There is an imbalance here, you may notice, white mana and colorless mana seem objectively overpowered. This is handled by their density and rarity in the world. The ability to throw the whole world into the sun is technically something White Mana is capable of, but would not be possible due to there simply not being enough white mana available to perform such an ability. Conversely setting the whole world on fire (for a similar result) would be possible due to the density and abundance of red mana.

(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/413491416560566272/733562006388605019/2020-07-15.png?width=1260&height=677)
(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/413491416560566272/733562246885802014/2020-07-17_2.png?width=1255&height=677)

Recently I've been working on the rendering styles in the game. Previously it was a more cold and stale approach with harsh cel shading. Here we have a more saturated, high contrast approach with stronger glow effects and also a simultaneous use of natural shading and cel shading. Below is an older picture with the previous rendering styles. It's a difficult choice, but it will all depend on the art direction in the end. Which means it's my job to pretend like I know the answer.

(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/413491416560566272/722112465889918977/2020-06-14.png?width=1252&height=677)
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: Coryn on July 19, 2020, 11:00:57 PM
Well you're concept for how this thing works is definitely deeper than my understanding of it, I'll give you that. But there's got to be something said for functional clothing. Various levels of mana this or that is all well and good, but the moment your stilleto heel snaps off in a sword fight, that all goes down the drain.

Basically: Style is important, but don't let function follow form if you don't have to. You wouldn't be the first person lambasted for questionable fashion choices for female characters, even if there is a detailed reasoning behind why said female characters are dressed as they are (See: Quiet from Metal Gear 5).
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: L.K. [Taikichi] on July 26, 2020, 11:58:40 AM
Well you're concept for how this thing works is definitely deeper than my understanding of it, I'll give you that. But there's got to be something said for functional clothing. Various levels of mana this or that is all well and good, but the moment your stilleto heel snaps off in a sword fight, that all goes down the drain.

Basically: Style is important, but don't let function follow form if you don't have to. You wouldn't be the first person lambasted for questionable fashion choices for female characters, even if there is a detailed reasoning behind why said female characters are dressed as they are (See: Quiet from Metal Gear 5).

In Blade Regalia there is the idea that most of these people did not get to choose the clothes that they're wearing. Some of these clothes weren't actually meant for combat or war (they use them like that now because they give you super powers anyway). This is true for a couple of dresses that we see. Most of these were artifacts that were recovered. And there is an appreciation for functional clothing more when the characters are allowed to create their own Regalia.

When the protagonist gets the opportunity to design her own clothes she chooses to make pants as opposed to originally wearing a dress because she doesn't like dresses. This also adds to the culture, our protagonist spends years learning how to fight in high heels in anticipation for when she gets the opportunity to wear a Regalia. So characters do make it apparent that impractical clothing is not ideal. But there is a reason why they wear it and usually it's not specifically to be attractive to a man and that's what I like about it.

Funny story I imagined there would be like a form of illegal chicken fighting where people would emulate Regalia combat by having two women wear normal (powerless) dresses and fight and you would have things like stepping on the dress to ruin their balance, pulling hair or, like you mentioned, breaking a heel.
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: Suuper-san on July 31, 2020, 12:50:05 AM
great justifications I think, and good to see some more details about the mechanics, and nice game graphics!
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: L.K. [Taikichi] on August 13, 2020, 02:57:50 PM
I'm getting very close to a final art style for Izabel and I'd like to discuss it. The whole project has an interesting relationship with the art world as a whole, so this is leading me towards a more traditional approach. Originally I started with an anime approach and there is a good reason for that. And that has to do with what Izabel is as a whole.

The image below is the latest drawing of Izabel and these will be the facial features I stick to for her from now on. This image comes from collectible items in the game which are pages from Mother's Sketchbook. Izabel's mother is a wealthy painter, and she actually feels compelled to draw things that occur in the mansion. She essentially has no choice but to make art, and that's a weakness you'll get to exploit eventually. With each one of these pages you'll also get to read a journal entry where her mother talks about the subject in the drawing.

I'm sure many artists feel the same way. They have to draw things they sometimes wish they didn't. I think it would be awesome for me if I loved to draw the things people love to see. Like if I drew more fan art or more sexy women, instead I draw things like cannibalism and people without eyes, even as a child my art was hardcore and I couldn't say "hey granny put this on the fridge", but sometimes I wish I could've.

Izabel
(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/462609767114866688/742917688124244164/Izabel_Text_1.png?width=812&height=677)

Izabel is based on my natural tendencies when making art. You've probably noticed at this point that I draw a lot of conservative-looking women. There's actually a very specific woman with very specific features I've been trying to draw. As far as I know this woman doesn't exist. But if she did exist, I'm not saying I don't have any ideas of who she might be, I do have a few individuals in mind, I'm not that crazy. It's also possible that she represents my interpretation of ultimate beauty which could be my subconscious idolizing positive relationships in the past with people who have similar features. Izabel is meant to be that woman or at least she looks like her.

What I mean to say is this is the woman my subconscious wants to draw. If I were given the opportunity to draw anything with no real guidelines, I would naturally end up producing an image of this person. Again, I couldn't say exactly why. I could just be weirdo, or there could be things going on in my subconscious that would be obvious to any therapist.

(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/482238816606879744/742918625412907038/2016_Aug.jpg?width=381&height=677)

This image above is from 2016 and it's possibly the first time I attempted to draw this imaginary person. And this got me interested in drawing people who don't exist as if they do. You may notice some similarities in their features. The wavy hair, the smooth face. You'll probably see it more in an earlier drawing of Izabel. This next image below is sort of like the mission statement of the project which makes it extremely important to me. The emotions evoked in this image should be echoed throughout the entire game.

I'm not sure exactly at what point black hands came into the design. I found them to be a very effective way of displaying emotions. Months after I started this I learned those emotions are related to Social Anxiety Disorder. In many ways I feel like this could be a meme template that says "this is what social anxiety feels like". As a child I didn't know that I had Social Anxiety Disorder, and now that my mother is a Special Ed Teacher, she can pretty easily identify some of the core signs. Because I didn't know about it, I had to live my life as if I didn't have it. Always living up to the expectations of people who don't have social anxiety and hating myself for not being able to do it. So in this picture we actually see Izabel looking at these monsters as though they aren't a problem, and even holding hands with one of them.

(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/482238816606879744/742922373183045713/Izabel_render_6.png?width=677&height=677)

So looking back at the style again. Izabel started with an anime theme because anime art comes naturally to me. Anime art is how I got started so it will always have a place in my heart. It has a very important relationship with my childhood. But I found a traditional approach was much stronger. These are all digital paintings, but I do enjoy giving them the feel of traditional media, since that's what I'm known for. Especially my work with colored pencils.

This next image is the first drawing of Hilda, a blind maid who you're meant to face. Originally I considered the hands to be a representation of the way she interacts with the world by touch. Mother makes it apparent that her eyes were removed because she saw paintings that Mother wanted to keep hidden. These are actually some of the first paintings you see. Which means you end up on mother's bad side very early-on.

(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/482238816606879744/742930315219042404/1552190210242.png?width=677&height=677)

(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/462609767114866688/742917691194474677/Hilda_4.png?width=1185&height=677)

This is another page from Mother's Sketchbook. One of the reasons why I like this style is because it adds character to Izabel's mother as an artist. We're meant to believe that her mother made every drawing in the mansion. The drama of the monochromatic drawings is something I really liked about the original anime works that I've been using in the current style. By using a such a traditional style, I think, shows how prideful she is. Interestingly enough, Izabel's mother actually deals with same issues as Izabel, which is why she mentions being hungry.

Izabel and the Cage (in progress)
(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/551650916839981069/742935053172080752/Izabel_and_Cage_Render_2.png?width=677&height=677)

The entire project was originally called "The Cannibal". Which comes from a book I wrote while I was in elementary school also called "The Cannibal" about a little girl who is born with a disorder that requires her to exclusively eat people in order to survive. So you could consider it similar to Tokyo Ghoul. I actually don't have any copies of the original text although it's not very interesting to read because it was written by a child. Looking back there were some core themes that I found very interesting or at least unusual for a child to write about.

The story starts off with the little girl's parents arguing about how they're going to euthanize her because providing her food is completely unrealistic. In that moment the little girl had already been starving for weeks and when she approaches them after hearing them argue, and a combination of her predatory instincts taking over, a feeling of anger at her parents, and a supernatural voice urging her to eat, she decides to eat and kill both of her parents with some kind of supernatural strength. She also much later on uses their skulls (and spirits in theory) as magical weapons which insinuate that they still love her and she still loves them. So there is a theme of being betrayed by her parents, forgiveness, feeling broken, and the need to destroy others in order to sustain yourself.

(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/482238816606879744/743537294660730961/2020-08-07_1.png?width=1252&height=677)

(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/482238816606879744/743537349803245678/2020-08-07_3.png?width=1253&height=677)

One thing that makes Izabel complicated is that there are two different art styles that have to work together. There's the actual art inside the mansion and then there is the way the game engine renders the mansion which is also heavily stylized. Which is different in Blade Regalia where the rendering in the game is meant to mirror the art style. Rendering in Izabel is meant to highlight the importance of light and shadow regarding game mechanics. Light itself is actually a very core element of the game.

Some comments I've had were that the flat, cel-shaded objects provide an interesting sense of artificiality and an unnatural mood when adjacent to naturally rendered objects. Some people have told me it was more interesting to have the house naturally shaded with the hands cel shaded because it made the monsters feel more otherworldly.

This is the same effect I hope to maintain with the natural paintings in an unnatural world. Some of the drawings in the mansion are actually real oil paintings that were photographed. However, my favorite drawings would be like the one below which indicate mother's painting compulsion in real time, and that she already knows you've been sneaking around and had time to paint, frame, and hang it up on the wall for you to see. These paintings are done by using a projector to project he game onto a canvas and trace each color.

In some ways this relates to the incredible difference in power between parents and children. I'm sure many of us as children can recall being outsmarted by our parents or by other adults. It's very humbling.

(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/482238816606879744/743541017244074024/20200303_212234.jpg?width=508&height=677)

(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/482238816606879744/743542175828017263/2019-07-18_4.png?width=1325&height=677)
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: L.K. [Taikichi] on September 18, 2020, 09:55:52 AM
More Blade Regalia Art. Mainly focusing on improving preexisting character designs. In the game I've been working on AI so mostly nothing visual to show unless you like visual scripting and I can talk about that too.

Programming
For programming savvy readers, I've done a lot of work to change the AI systems from using variables to choose their actions to using arrays and the purpose of doing that is to make it so the AI can "weigh" multiple options against each other and choose the best one.

Previously AI would always chase and attack the nearest enemy, now the AI weighs all visible enemies against each other with a simple mathematical equation that divides their "impact" by their distance and health ratio. What this does is mimic a natural player's target selection, so as distance goes down "weight" goes up and as their HP goes down their weight also goes up. So the AI will prefer targets with less health, it will also prefer targets who are closer, and above all, it will prefer targets who have the highest "impact". Players would prefer to target the most likely kill, someone who has little health left, is very close, or is being too impactful should be the first target.

Impact is a variable that goes up each time the target damages the AI or each time the AI's target gets healed. So this means the AI will focus healers even if they're farther away, but they'll only focus healers that are actually healing the target the AI is trying to kill. This all goes away after a "persistence" variable goes down. Which goes down every second that the AI can't see you. So the AI can still track you behind walls for a few seconds. So it's similar to an Aggro system in an MMORPG, except you can't manipulate it by "taunting" the enemy.

Art
There are 6 characters in a faction known as the "Destruction Children". One important thing for these characters is to hide their identity and so I'll be introducing "Destruction Child" outfits for each of them along with some improved art. Many of these characters were last drawn in 2017 (not including story illustrations). These are Early-game Super-Villians and I'm working on them because they are relevant to the upcoming release. Ruth of course, being the adorable bundle of anger that she is has her regalia more themed around her fire-based abilities. And Jeremy's "unblockable" sword now appears more like you would imagine a sword that magically can't be blocked. Yes, this means in the game you can't block his attacks and you can only dodge them.

Some other characters in the upcoming release are being redesigned and some new characters are being intorduced.

Ruth
(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/413491416560566272/753347931553267943/Ruth.png?width=677&height=677)

(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/413491416560566272/753347932379676702/Ruth_2.png?width=677&height=677)

Jeremy
(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/413491416560566272/755386114789081168/Jeremy.png?width=677&height=677)

(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/413491416560566272/755577426825707551/Jeremy_2.png?width=677&height=677)

Elizabeth
(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/413491416560566272/746149536291880960/Elizabeth.png?width=451&height=677)

Sachiko "The Red Fox"
(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/413491416560566272/746149411465330748/Sachiko.png?width=451&height=677)

Kassandra
(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/413491416560566272/729069170570035340/Kassandra.png?width=677&height=677)

General Enemy Soldiers
(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/413491416560566272/729789688713576518/Pulvia_Soldier_Class.png?width=677&height=677)

Eleanor "The Shy Swordbreaker"
(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/413491416560566272/728711185184194630/Eleanor.png?width=451&height=677)

Luciana "The Poison Master"
(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/413491416560566272/728711185825792050/Luciana.png?width=451&height=677)
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: Echo_River on September 28, 2020, 05:29:39 PM
Great work on the designs as usual, Kesashi! I'm really liking the Destruction Child outfits, especially the mask and how their appearances change. Looking forward to seeing the others c:

Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: Suuper-san on September 30, 2020, 03:58:03 PM
Quote
For programming savvy readers
Aha! hmmm yes that's me XD
I did once try and create an AI like you described for an RTS game, but I was too inexperienced to get even close. Sounds like a fantastic improvement to the AI. You could give each AI a slightly different "personality", which puts an extra random weight on different types of Impacts so they lean towards different actions like cautious or aggressive.

And fantastic art. I love Ruth, the dress is so gorgeous!
A good bunch of varied designs all round.
Keep it up!
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: L.K. [Taikichi] on October 24, 2020, 09:01:14 AM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KBCEfq_dxd8

I've done some work on Level 4 of Izabel called "the prisoner" where you're going to get introduced to a new character who I've drawn before. This video is something I showed for a class.

In even bigger news I'm days away from releasing the first public demo of Blade Regalia.

And @Suuper, I spent a lot of time looking into the error you got for Izabel. One thing I found was setting that indicated that the engine was designed to render using a DirectX 12 which is exclusive to windows 10, and your system was windows 7 meaning it needs to use DirectX 11 or lower for starters, so I've enabled multiple hardware rendering options. But of course it's a strange error and there aren't many definitive answers for it (you know it's bad when the top answer is *update your drivers*). I don't think I've ever had a computer issue where updating the drivers actually solved it, typically things are always up to date by force anyway.

The second issue I looked into was performance. I got reports of very low frames so the game will now launch on minimum or at least close to minimum graphics. So people with $1,000 PCs will have to upgrade the settings when the game launches, first world problems. Immediately, you'll be able to change the settings on the main menu and also at any time during gameplay. Still no option to change the controls yet and the other languages will (ideally) be available in the next version which I'll probably release a few weeks after this one. I'm actually waiting for my translator to be able to play before we finish the translations.
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: Suuper-san on October 25, 2020, 05:14:39 AM
That's a really cool video, super creepy vibes.
I think it would be great with a bit more fog to show less of the white characters in the distance
My only criticism is that the chains (are they chains?) holding the white characters sort of wobble madly when at max tension. (in the video 0:36 on the right for example)

And aha yeah I'm not on a new computer that's for sure. I always tell myself I'll upgrade but there never seems to be a good enough reason :P
I'm looking forward to playing it!!

As a suggestion, you could always do a quick first run performance test at different settings to see what the resulting fps is and then for high performance PCs you can automatically set the graphics higher.
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: L.K. [Taikichi] on October 25, 2020, 11:23:50 PM
I think it would be great with a bit more fog to show less of the white characters in the distance
My only criticism is that the chains (are they chains?) holding the white characters sort of wobble madly when at max tension. (in the video 0:36 on the right for example)

I was hoping no one would notice that. No I'm joking, I wasn't able to find the solution until recently to get the chains to be more stable and I found out the issue was that the chains were colliding with the statues that they were coming out of. So for the time being I just turned off the statue's collision and in the future I'll make it so specifically the statues and the chains' collisions ignore each other.

That is also the exact reaction the chains would have if they're stretched too far which is why it was so confusing to fix. I've also made it now so they won't shake so much and should look much heavier.
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: Suuper-san on October 26, 2020, 12:48:49 AM
haha you can't sneak code issues past me XD
one other possible fix is to change their physics behaviour once they are fully extended, or use an actual higher quality precomputed animation sequence for the chains rather than on the fly calculation. Alternatively write a chain physics engine to handle that specific interaction really well. You could also model the chain as a rope/elastic instead and then fit the chain objects to the rope path rather than having the chains individually interact with physics.
I've never worked with physics engines partly for the complexity, but also for this exact reason that they are somewhat not quite realistic in random unexpected ways
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: L.K. [Taikichi] on November 27, 2020, 12:26:09 AM
I'm going to be making sure there are regular updates about the game on the website here (https://bladeregalia.weebly.com/news/first-release-and-new-changes-coming) so you can always read about what's happening even though I won't always have much to show. My team and I are interested in making the story telling in the game more interactive in a sense. The state of the world changes based on what you do in the story, and to unlock certain characters requires you to follow a certain "path". This means getting antagonists on your team won't necessarily be canon, but you can get them if you decide to follow a different path.

This is mostly handled mathematically and I don't intend for it to be like a branching path game where you get a few options to branch away, because that would require me to introduce a lot more assets and story telling for possible paths. It's difficult to describe exactly how I want this to work, so I'd like to wait until I can introduce the system to the game to explain it further.

Jianna
(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/413491416560566272/763557427177193512/Jianna_3.png?width=677&height=677)

(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/413491416560566272/765800449495400458/Jianna_Story_1.png?width=508&height=677)

Redesign for Reina.
(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/413491416560566272/780999874903670834/Reina_2.png?width=677&height=677)

Harper
(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/413491416560566272/781425289610919936/Harper.png?width=677&height=677)
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: NO1SY on November 27, 2020, 12:47:32 PM
I must apologise for not commenting here sooner... I've been aware of your really diligent work here for a while but never hopped in on the discussion for some reason... Anyways, I checked out your website for Blade Regalia and I found it to be pretty inderesting read :) As an avid gamer I have some feedback also if you would hear me out.

First off, I'm a sucker for stylised, cell-shaded graphics. More games are adpoting them now, following the popularity of "The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild", but I think that there is still lots that can be done in this space. Anyways, I find your character art to be very unique, and it seems to translate well into 3D, in game models. I have two pieces of feedback on the art front really. 1) Consider adding at least an option for a comicbook outline reshade. This is my preference for games with cell-shaded graphics, as it really helps to make objects pop, helps with visual clarity and definition, and aesthetically captures the manga/anime feel well (if this is an aim of yours). Some fat linework, and maybe a cross-hatched shading layer on top of the cell shading, could go a long way here. 2) The style of the world assets should match the character art style more closely. It's possible that this is just currently placeholder, but some of the screenshots show scenes where the world asset textures (and weapon textures) are hugely different to the character textures. I promise that a consistent aesthetic always trumps a stark contrast here (Code Vein and the Fire Emblem: Three Houses came closest to skirting this line in my mind).

I think that re-design for Reina is really well realised by the way. Design-wise I think it's always important that the aesthetics of a character play a role in their kit in the moment to moment action.


Lengthy game design discussion where I make assumptions and take liberties...

Systems-wise, I have not played a lot of party based brawlers personally. I hear that Genshin Impact is doing really well (unsurprisingly, as it is a mobile/PC gacha game...), and seems to be slightly comparable in that you are collecting characters to add to your team, and then controlling one team member at a time in brawler action combat. Maybe overall your game is more closely aligned with Mass Effect or the new Final Fantasy games though. I think that modern party based action games need that level of party control now, whereby you can give the rest of the party orders to carry out with the tap of a button, whilst you still brawling with your currently controlled character.

On top of this, your combat needs to be really well refined, responsive and just plain fun. It should be these things to the extent that anyone would actively want to play it with just stick figures in a white box room - without any of your pretty character art. Ideally, brawlers want to include spectacle, responsiveness, fluidity and power-fantasy on the side of the player with engaging encounter design and AI on the side of the enemies. To be frank, I have played lots of action-RPGs, and almost all that are worth the money pretty much nail the player side of things. However, few, if any ever manage to balance this properly with world and encounter design. Monster Hunter is the pinnacle of encounter design really, because of how the monster AI, interacting with the environment, imparts such circumstantial and reactive experiences for the player. But it is not really a brawler or aRPG. I don't know exactly how you can really recreate this in a more horde based scenario... but having well telegraphed enemy attacks, AI strategy, and enemy variety that encourages changing tactics seems really important. A lot of horde based games just throw tons of enemies charging at you, but in my experience, curated groups of enemies in an area, where the AI knows how to interact properly with the environment and one another, always make for better encounters. Throwing less enemies at a player doesn't mean that the game pace has to slow down either, if the encounters are programmed to always challenge the player and keep them moving and reacting.

From what I've read, your general combat mechanics seem solid to me, although it's hard to tell how it all comes together to feel without playing.

The RPG elements of the game are interesting. It looks like you have characters with base ability sets, and then you can unlock different regalia outfits for each that alter the abilities. There are a few pitfalls to watch out for here. Firstly, I don't think you want to completely change up a character's role, nor lose what a player like about them, with the change in outfit, but you also want to avoid bland and minor changes that make it feel not even worth changing the regalia outside of min-maxing numbers. Personally, my approach to designing this system would be to have each outfit for a character focus on augmenting one of their abilities, with maybe minor tweaks to the others but mostly just a total character and ability reskin, and possibly intoduce a trade-off so that it may be worth using the base outfit in some scenarios also. They may also focus on different status ailments or something, and perhaps each outfit could imbue a unique ultimate. You have to be aware that there will always be a "best" option that players will gravitate towards, and with this many characters, it could be a nightmare to balance.

A big thing for me, which is why I stopped playing games like Warframe and Diablo III, is the requirement for constant narrative hook. If your game is going to be singleplayer/coop then player impact on the shape of the game world is just a necessity. Pushing time-trials and leaderboards and challenge tiers in a static world can interest a few people, but overall is just not really a compelling reason to play the game. A good gameplay loop and fun combat can keep someone playing much longer than they would otherwise - Warframe is a good example of this, with currently only about 8 hours of narrative hook but keeping me playing for ~800hours until reaching the point where it felt like the empty, static husk that it is - but once a player reaches a certain level of power where they are comfortable in taking on any challenge the game can throw at them, the lack of dynamics in the world and narrative (which PvP can offer to a certain extent) really starts to show. I actually think that the old Dynasty warriors games (5 in particular) did a farily good job of narrative, drawing me back in to replay the same battles over and over from different character's perspectives with unique narrative each time.

I believe that content in the game should always be unlocked by playing the game, and that drive to play should always be tied to narrative progression to give you a reason to play the content. What little narrative and worlbuilding Warframe actually had outside of the main story missions was bolstered greatly when they used to do unique questlines for suits and collectible lore entries, but when a new item that came out with an aquisition method that was a story-less grind then I couldn't care less about getting it. Therefore I recommend that the extra character outfits be unlocked through character specific questlines, and the outfits themselves should have established lore that fleshes out your world. On the topic of your world, it seems massive! I wonder if you've considered doing something like the "Empires" entries in the Dynasty Warriors series? That sort of management, choose your own progression through the world to a specific goal (in that case it is conquering all of China), adds to replayability by offering unique, emergent narratives each time. However, regardless of what type of grand narrative progression you choose, I would not skimp on the moment to moment storytelling on a character level. From what I've seen of Genshin Impact, even that gacha game has a lot of story for collectable characters. I think that even a game like League of Legends is a better game for the lore and character interactions that the champions have, even if you do not see it play out in most 5vs5 games (aside from a few of the characters that specifically interact in pre-programmed ways).

I think that 150 characters is an insane number, especially if you want this to be a narrative focused experience... not to mention you then want 3 outfits and kit re-designs per character... I would rather have a coice of 8 well developed heroes for each role, making sure that they are all established in the world and story, and have solid character to character interactions written out, well made individual questlines, with individual motives and goals to push player desicion making, AND well designed character kits and outfits etc. Be careful not to stretch yourself too thin, because if the characters and the world lack depth, then the depth of the player's investment will be shallow too.



Anyways, I wish you and your team every success, and I look forward to downloading and trying out the game at some point  :biggrin:
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: L.K. [Taikichi] on November 30, 2020, 05:40:30 PM
I must apologize for not commenting here sooner... I've been aware of your really diligent work here for a while but never hopped in on the discussion for some reason... Anyways, I checked out your website for Blade Regalia and I found it to be pretty interesting read :) As an avid gamer I have some feedback also if you would hear me out.

Thanks for the feedback, and if I'm honest, this is the kind of feedback I would pay money for.

Consider adding at least an option for a comicbook outline reshade.

So on the topic of design I spent a lot of time considering how the characters should be rendered. I did actually try using outlines in the past, but I felt like it was better if it matched the 2D art style in the end. But I'm personally neutral on outlines or not, and so that's why i think you're idea is an absolutely great idea. Philosophy-wise, I'm a big supporter of players being able to choose the most fun way to play. It's something that I wish other game developers would do more. It would be fairly easy for me to add those kinds of options to the settings menu even having hatching and manga-style shading.

And yes virtually every background element is a placeholder, I've spent more time figuring out how the background should be rendered than anything else, and honestly I do think Breath of the Wild figured it out for me. We'll probably go for some kind of flattened, colorful, environments, but not actually cel shaded. I avoided cel shading the background because it ends up having very little depth.

I hear that Genshin Impact is doing really well.

So Genshin Impact has been an interesting topic of discussion because at first glance it seems like complete degenerate game design by the fact that it duplicates Zelda Breath of the Wild in almost every possible game mechanic, and then adds on awful mobile game mechanics and gambling. But the problem with writing it off is the fact that it is making millions of dollars very quickly, so that says to me that gamers like the things Genshin Impact is doing.

One thing I would say is very important to consider with the success of genshin impact is a theoretical topic that many failed games don't address. When you're working for a charity or non-profit trying to collect donations and you ask someone for $1, you don't know if they could afford to give you $100. So a lot of people collecting donations will start high, and then that person might say, "all I can afford to give is $10", or they'll say "give as much as you want."

You will only get as much as you ask for. So you should ask for more than what you need. Based on statistics most Genshin impact characters are worth about $20 each, and some characters (5 star characters) are worth up to $300 each. Imagine a game having a $300 DLC that just adds one character, it's no wonder games don't do that. Genshin Impact gets away with it because they turn spending money into a game. During the death of a game called Gigantic there were many fans who wanted to support the game financially, but the developers didn't have any avenues available to them. There were few micro-transactions in the game and the game itself was free to play which resulted in the development team working for months with no pay.

What sets apart Genshin Impact from other gambling games and even Zelda are many key factors just base on my assessment of it. 1) The developers are very passionate about the game, and people can echo that sense of passion. They work pretty hard on it and it shows. 2) They copied a good game, sometimes we take that for granted when games do copy other games. 3) The anime aesthetic. This is a big one, people want anime games. A lot of people would only play Dark Souls if it looked like Code Vein which is why Code Vein was successful. If Hyperdimension Neptunia released another game I'd buy it for no reason.

Genshin impact will suffer for a few reasons. It has some awful mobile game mechanics even though it's essentially a single player game. It has an energy system meaning you can only do a certain amount of actions per day (even if you pay money for more energy there's still a limit). If a game clones genshin impact and removes the energy system, it would absolutely decimate Genshin Impact. You should always put the customer first, and the player is the customer, and the customer does not like it when the game tells him to stop playing. This is exactly what Jeff Bezos would say is the most important factor of the success of Amazon is its dedication to customer satisfaction before anything else. The second issue is genshin impact punishes you for playing multiplayer. Much of the game is locked into single-player and it completely disenfranchises players from playing together. Blizzard Games makes basically all of their money off the idea that people like multiplayer gaming.

On top of this, your combat needs to be really well refined, responsive and just plain fun.

Combat mechanics are very important to all of us and the main thing I'm a fan of is responsiveness and control. This is the reason why I would never introduce an ability like "confusion" that changes your controls because it's mostly just frustrating. So I fully support animation cancelling, obviously some abilities can't be cancelled. Sometimes you have to commit like with an ultimate ability. In real life, if you wanted to do something you would just do it, you wouldn't do some crazy step-back, punch, crouch, combo to do a special attack like they do in fighting games. It should be pretty close to just as responsive as your own mind in my opinion.

The RPG elements of the game are interesting. It looks like you have characters with base ability sets, and then you can unlock different regalia outfits for each that alter the abilities. There are a few pitfalls to watch out for here. Firstly, I don't think you want to completely change up a character's role, nor lose what a player likes about them

Initially we were conflicted over how to handle Regalia in the game vs the canon of the story. I personally think with all its strengths and weaknesses it will be something that helps blade regalia stand out. A core part of blade regalia is the idea that their fashion choices are meaningful with respect to combat. In other games cosmetic options are always purely cosmetic, but in blade regalia this will be different. So currently, the way it's being handled is that getting a new regalia is like basically getting a new character. We also plan on introducing a regalia sharing system where heroes with matching features can share regalia. This makes it reasonable to bring down the workload from 450 regalia (3 each for 150 characters) to somewhat fewer since there will be so much overlap . The main reason why the workload is so high is so we can continue to introduce new content over the next few years after its final release. So I would like for the game to feel complete even if it only has 20 characters, and every new character is just a welcomed bonus.

A big thing for me, which is why I stopped playing games like Warframe and Diablo III, is the requirement for constant narrative hook. If your game is going to be singleplayer/coop then player impact on the shape of the game world is just a necessity.

This is something we plan to cover when we start implementing narrative elements into the game. We definitely do have big plans for how the players will experience the story. Essentially I want for a player's personality to play a big role in how the game unfolds.

I believe that content in the game should always be unlocked by playing the game

I would definitely agree that it can be very un-fun when the game asks you to break from the regular gameplay to do something else. Looking at Genshin Impact again I find it hilarious how they try to set a precedent that your character is a 10,000 year old diety who battles dragons and then you're being asked to catch same random girl's pet cat. I understand that's a very MMORPG-thing to do. Since blade regalia is an action-adventure game, most of the conflicts are going to be solved through fighting and exploring. I can see how some developers think they need to mix things up and just end up making things worse.
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: L.K. [Taikichi] on December 05, 2020, 09:41:00 PM
I added a news update to the website (https://bladeregalia.weebly.com/news/command-wheel-soon-to-come) covering some upcomming changes. The Command Wheel will be an in-combat solution to controlling your AI's behavior. You'll be able to send direct commands to your entire team to help them out of danger or ensure you're all working together. You will be able to make extremely specific commands and put them on your command wheel as custom commands. A specific example is commanding a specific teammate to use a specific supportive ability on you.

This next update is one of the largest fundamental changes to Blade Regalia and its the change of the protagonist. The original protagonist, Katherine, escapes from a controversial experimentation in the antagonist faction and this new protagonist is the person who escapes with her. This person goes by the name Specimen 5 (codename: Keagan) because taking away your real name is a core part of the experiment. You will get the option to pick Specimen 5's gender and skin tone but obviously, the glasses are non negotiable. The gender is actually not just a cosmetic option because when regalia-sharing comes into play it will have a big influence on what regalia Specimen 5 can access. As you can see, their features are very different so they will match very different regalia.

(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/413491416560566272/784568940885835776/Keagan_-_Specimen_5.png?width=677&height=677)

(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/413491416560566272/784568986691829790/Specimen_5_1.png?width=677&height=677)
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: NO1SY on December 06, 2020, 08:53:00 AM
Ah a combat wheel for commands is a good idea! I think this will work really well for a game like yours.

So on the topic of player power tied to cosmetics, I think it's an interesting idea, but it also innately brings issues... So, obviously, everyone have their own tastes and preferences when it comes to style and aesthetics. So what happens when someone likes the look of a specific regalia on one of their characters, but they want to use the skillset/stats conferred by another regalia? My brother is a person like this, for instance when he was playing The Witcher 3 he hated the look of 90% of armour sets in the game, and stuck with wearing the 1 set he liked the look of despite the fact that other sets were more powerful; did not stop him complaining about the "lack of cool armour choices" though... Obviously he still loves that game, but I feel that in a game where the outfits are a large focus you might find that this problem gets amplified a bit. I'm not sure how I feel about Transmog as a fix for this either... as this significantly detracts from any narrative design that goes into making the different items meaningful... I'm not really sure what the most ideal option is here, and I hope that you successfully pull off your design philosophy here. Perhaps having regalia usable by lots of different characters will alleviate this issue entirely in practice - if players are always able to find a character that they like the look of the regalia on, as well as the skills that it brings.

In terms of options for approaching conflicts/challenges, I think that combat and exploration are great pillars to design an action-adventure game arround. But I also think that there are other ways to engage with the world to drive a narrative, and if you can only engage through fighting or looking then a game can become a bit one-note. The obvious suggestion, especially since yours is a party based game, could be puzzles that involve coordinating multiple team members (depending how much control over them you have) - can be as simple as standing a few characters on pressure plates to open a door, a la Divinity Original Sin II; or more linear or one-off mini-games/puzzles as seen in the newer Final Fantasy games maybe. Obviously puzzles play a huge role in the new, big adventure games such as Zelda, Fenyx Rising, and Genshin. In terms of exploration, I think that Guild Wars 2 and Grim Dawn both do a fantastic job with implementing secret dungeons and hidden areas. In GW2 they also have jumping puzzles which are actually quite fun. Grim Dawn is one of my favourite games at the moment, and they have whole areas that are completely "off map" that are really fun and rewarding to find. Grim Dawn also has materials that you pick up throughout your adventure, that you can invest in rebuilding bridges, excavate rubble from blocked paths, blow open locked chests, trade with a specific NPC for an item, or use to purify shrines etc, so fighting and collecting these materials through natural play can be used to directly impact your game-world outside of boring fetch quests - and it's even better because these materials each have multiple uses, so it becomes a decision on behalf of the player on where they are going to use these materials; balancing what they will gain against what they might miss out on. It seems in a lot of action-adventure games, players also seem to really appreciate moments where they can choose not to fight, either to take a different approach to solving a problem, or to make a choice to ally with an npc rather than fight to them. Again, this helps to break up monotony in action games and allow players a sense of freedom. Lastly, if you want to keep things very action orientated, then changing up the pace of that combat with challenges can lead to some very different feeling experiences. Grim Dawn has challenge shrines, Doom has the Rune Trials, Guild Wars 2 has Adventures. They essentially temporarily force the player to engage in specific styles of play, and if done well, can be utilized to break monotony and have players engage in all of the game's systems and mechanics. Mini-bosses and Raid-bosses with enrage timers or phases also can be used to engage players in this way.

Lastly, I don't play Genshin, but a Youtuber I watched for Warframe content now plays it, and he made a video on how to more efficiently spend your money in that game. I will say, it's nowhere near on the level of predation as some mobile games I've seen, but even optimising your spending (which not everyone will be aware of how to do, even if they do not fall prey to the predatory practices that are there) makes it so on average it costs $20-25 to get a character that you actually want... 1 character!? It's a shame, because I think that the game looks kinda fun, and I like character collections, but there is no way that I can justify that kind of monetary investment for a videogame... It reminds me very much of Warframe, which now that I am out of, I have no intention of getting back into if I have to pay money...
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: L.K. [Taikichi] on January 05, 2022, 05:32:00 AM
Little bit of interesting progress to talk about. I've stopped doing 3D modeling and animation myself and I've started delegating that work to other team members or freelancers so I've started to develop a comprehensive set of character outfits as 3D reference images. For these pictures to be proper guidelines, they aren't drawn in perspective and only consider 2 axes.

For some of these I'll do additional sets with transparent sections so the 3D artist can understand what's underneath. For the sake of optimization, the full body does not actually exist underneath the clothing and I give a general guideline of where the body could reasonably cut off underneath draping clothing. The body is done separately from the head because characters have the ability to swap outfits with other characters if they have the same body type.

The Crystal Edge Regalia
(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/927847891362545685/927847973923201045/Crystal_Edge.png?width=400&height=400) (https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/927847891362545685/928223636232478720/MCF_Blue_Front_2.png?width=400&height=400)

(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/927847891362545685/927847972971085844/Blade_Regalia.png?width=400&height=400)

The Blade Regalia
(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/927847891362545685/928223636924547103/Katherine_Back_1.png?width=400&height=400) (https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/927847891362545685/928223636668682291/Katherine_Back_2.png?width=400&height=400)

Misery
(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/927847891362545685/928223637696282624/Misery_Head_Front_1.png?width=200&height=200)(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/927847891362545685/928223637906014248/Misery_Head_Front_2.png?width=200&height=200)(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/927847891362545685/928223638107349012/Misery_Head_Right_1.png?width=200&height=200)(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/927847891362545685/928223638321246208/Misery_Head_Right_2.png?width=200&height=200)

The Weeping Queen's Regalia
(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/927847891362545685/928223777966399498/Misery_Front_1.png?width=400&height=400)(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/927847891362545685/928223778297745408/Misery_Front_2.png?width=400&height=400)
(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/927847891362545685/928226960805597234/Proportion_Reference_-_Misery.png?width=676&height=676)

(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/927847891362545685/927847975001153626/Flame_Brigadier.png?width=400&height=400) (https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/927847891362545685/927847975286374400/Full_Plate.png?width=400&height=400)

(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/927847891362545685/927847974367821874/Devastator_Regalia.png?width=400&height=400) (https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/927847891362545685/927848021515968622/Glowing_Venom.png?width=400&height=400)

(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/927847891362545685/928227684738273291/Temple_Knight.png?width=400&height=400) (https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/927847891362545685/927848024217104474/White_Sakura.png?width=400&height=400)
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: Suuper-san on January 07, 2022, 02:17:34 PM
Outsourcing work or adding members to your team to increase the overall man power is a sensible step, it's generally something I will avoid at all costs but when you're making a game there's a lot of work required I know.

I like the interesting simpler blueprint style for the newer designs, my favourites are the Devastator Regalia and the Temple Knight one.

Makes sense that the body would cut off when not visible, those polygons will add up before you know it :P
Nice to learn about the behind the scenes as always
Do you have an ETA or a % progress on the project so far? I know that's always a tricky one :P
Keep us posted!
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: Xseos on January 08, 2022, 03:52:13 PM
I like your art style its unique to my eyes and i see plenty of potential, not sure what you are working on nowadays but just keep it coming!
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: L.K. [Taikichi] on January 11, 2022, 05:05:36 PM
Do you have an ETA or a % progress on the project so far? I know that's always a tricky one :P

If things go on schedule then the next playable version of Blade Regalia would be public by the end of February this year.

Recently I've finished the systems that allow characters to be interchangeable in terms of their abilities. Because these outfits can be changed, and these outfits come with specific abilities, the characters have to have animations to reinterpret the abilities of the outfit. So in order to do this, characters were standardized as using specific weapons referred to as their "weapon mastery". So the weapon mastery defines the way that characters will animate and the outfit simply calls certain animations to happen and the weapon mastery gives its interpretation of that animation.

The weapons that characters used to have were almost completely unique to each character, for example, weapons like a Flail, Mace, and War Hammer were all just consolidated to a standardized "Hammer" and weapons like the greatsword, claymore, katana, were just consolidated to a longsword. An ability would call for the character to "Stab their weapon in the ground" for example to create some kind of magical field on the ground, and the weapon mastery would do whatever would be considered stabbing the weapon into the ground for that specific weapon.

There are a lot of core systems in that vein that I've finished recently. The biggest core system that hasn't been finished yet is the enemy AI, so there are no teamplay mechanics yet which are going to be central to the gameplay. I'm rebuilding the ai from scratch again, so the game won't be using the AI it was using before especially because the AI needs to be able to respond to the way that characters can be customized. So if there's gonna be another delay, it'll be over developing AI.
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: Suuper-san on January 12, 2022, 02:08:23 PM
Ah awesome, I like the consolidation step, that's very useful for saving time if you can group stuff together code-wise.

I imagine AI can be very hard to get a decent estimate on because it involves a lot of testing and tweaking and designing your own system to simulate intelligence. Would be awesome to actually implement learning AI and have them figure out stuff by having them battle each other But that's easier said than done :P
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: Coryn on January 13, 2022, 12:48:14 PM
You get that done Suuper, and then you'll have more than enough time to do art while lounging on your piles of money, lol.
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: Suuper-san on January 13, 2022, 12:58:23 PM
pfffffahahaha yeah right XD
I do intend to try my hand at making a learning AI when I eventually get round to my own game programming but that's a story for another year :P

On a slightly serious note my living expenses are as low as possible so I don't have to work full time, which does indeed give me more art time. I recommend it to those who can.
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: L.K. [Taikichi] on February 27, 2022, 02:00:15 AM
So yes delays as usual. I had a bit more trouble than I expected with AI navigation. The AI is now designed in a way that it can operate any character I attach to it. In the past I would've made a unique AI for each character, but with the new customization options, that system wouldn't quite work.

(https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/927847891362545685/947312964199911424/BR_AI_Test_3.gif)

And more character art

April
(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/462350692355538944/926273091406012426/April.png?width=450&height=676)

Delilah
(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/462609767114866688/941158755855376435/Delilah.png?width=450&height=676)
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: Echo_River on June 14, 2022, 12:23:47 PM
Woooow! That looks amazing!! I love the look of all the effects. It's so fascinating to see characters that you've drawn now moving about and fighting.
Title: Re: Kesashi's Gallery
Post by: Suuper-san on June 15, 2022, 08:39:45 AM
Oh I missed commenting for some reason :/

Again I totally agree with the AI being a one-size-fits-all for your enemies, no point in doubling up work for yourself. What you can do to make each enemy play slightly differently is just have some hard coded variables for each character like agressiveness, evasiveness etc, which dictate how likely the AI is to choose a particular action. But I'm sure you're way ahead of me on that already.

Very cool outfit for Delilah, I couldn't quite tell it was a snake at first glace because there aren't too many details, the eyes are small etc, but AFAIK that's just the concept art, seeing it on a 3d model will make it easier to see I think.

Keep it up and keep us posted!