[feebsaint]

Here are some Paladins I'm working on for my latest job for Dragon Magazine... Feedback would be much appreciated



....more 2 come...

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~-Mike May-~

mikespencil.com

"I Draw Stuff"

[This message has been edited by feebsaint (edited March 02, 2001).]

[Jason]

Very nice Mike. I especialy like the expresion you have given to the palidines face. He has depth. Point out that I like the detail in the elfs feet. Dig the attention you gave to the wrappings and how it goes between her toas. ITs easy to rush through those parts we some times dont think are all that important. Infact its details like that can make the picture.
jason

[Bilbo]

damn, these are good.. i love the background on the first one, very nicely rendered. i also dig the detail in the legs, truely fascinating stuff going on there. might be me, but i feel that the pose is a bit stiff and isn't as dynamic as intended to be..
the expression on the face of the second one is great, you captured the intensity of the moment spot on.

[black_fish]

Nothing to say except that it is really ggod, and that I really like it. Especially the first one. Very good job!



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http://www.jmringuet.com

[burn0ut]

all very dope, i love the pose on the 3rd one

[pior]

Wow !! Damn cool !
What for pens and paper did you used ?
Are these "wacom" drawings ?

Pior
[email protected] www.multimania.com/pior

[Visigoth]

Nice work man...Great stuff -- The chick with the kilt looks more like a ranger than a paladin though... Just my two cents. -- Question though... What reference do you use for clothing/etc? I have never been able to spontaneously "outfit" any characters I draw... I end up pouring over mounds of photos of people dressed the same way and mixing/matching... Any pointers? I'm sure other people struggle with this too...

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Your car is a fiberglass penis extension.

[feebsaint]

Wow..!! Lotta response! Woo Hoo!

Point of interest: This is my 99th post... 100 is nearly here! (the fact that I'm editing my mistakes might mean this is the 100th post)

Jason: I not only agree about the feet, but they are just about my most favorite element to that piece.

Bilbo: True... a bit stiff. You should see my first draft... :P ...however, this one, the A.D. for Dragon Mag really loved, and considering I'm already past the deadline, I can't fix it... but thanks!! (I struggled w/this one, but will focus on fluidity more... I agree it should have been more so)

SoMK: Yep! Not only is the 3rd unfinished, but so is the 2nd... even the first will be undergoing some 'touch-ups.'

The format is predetermined. When I first got the project, I was told that the final image will be 6" tall x 3.5 wide. I haven't had any bargaining power with layouts yet.

black_fish:

brunOut:

Pior: Yep... I used a wacom on these. The program: Painter 6. The brush: Dirty Marker (I changed the brush parameters to a round tip)... I set the color to red/orange... and at the left base of the color triangle; just a bit up from black *against edge* <== If that's (color) any help. *shrugs* Thanks!

Visigoth: I agree... she's not quite Paladin material yet... I'm going to give her an alliance symbol (Pelor), and maybe adjust her clothing a bit, to better represent her mission in life.

As for clothing reference, I didn't use any on these figures... but I know that the years of paying attention to clothing helps a great deal. I've learned/taught myself, a few tricks in clothing... patterns, folds, etc... but alot of it was with trial and error. I credit my biggest leap over the clothing hurdle, to the patient basic explanations explained by Alan Tew. <--- That fella can draw! Alan recommended Hogarth's "Dynamic Wrinkles (folds?)" for direct understanding. Hogarth is too cartoony for my taste, but his knowlege is vast, in all areas art... and I'd join Alan in recommending the book (though I don't own it myself... or do I?)

This brings up something I should mention about Alan's site. He wants feedback as to whether he should provide a 'how to' section to his site. Writing him concerning drawing wrinkles, might just give you some of the best available instruction on the matter.

Also... you could just go here for a great online tutorial! (highly recommended)

Thanks for the comments Visigoth... and everyone else, for that matter! I'll keep checking back for others! ... and I'll keep you posted on this projects progress!



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~-Mike May-~

mikespencil.com

"I Draw Stuff"

[This message has been edited by feebsaint (edited March 02, 2001).]

[SoMK]

I really dig the light in your drawings... feels like sunset.
the third one is unfinished right ?
My fav would me number 2 with the "klingonish" one :p I love the opposition between dark up and clear down on this pict.. did they give you a predefined format or is it your decision ? *asks the one always looking for even more vertical formats :p*

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SoMK
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In The Beginning there was nothing, which exploded.

[Joachim]

looks very good mike ! No bad crits.
Maube, when you clean them up, if you going to, it could be nice if you made some harder lines here and there, ...uhm, and maybe not Do you sketch characters with tablet, I can't understand how you can enjoy doing that.

*btw, I dropped a message in your guest book



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www.JoachimArt.com

[Rhomb]

Can't think of anything to crit for now. Really good looking characters. I especially like the big guy, very intensive feeling in that pic. Looking forward to see the finished versions.

-Ville

[Metz]

awesome line
enuff said

~Metz http://metz.xrs.net

[absinthe]

i think the top left one needs more cranium to match all that face.

other than that, they look great. the sepia tones really add to the effect.

[Ian_Milham]

Very nice, Mike!

There's a weird tangent in the first one, though. The woman's left arm and shoulder are working with her chin in a confusing way. The tangent line of the arm looks "off" just touching her chin.

I'd advise moving that left arm to be clearer.

[Lomi]

very nice, im a big fan of dragon magazine, although for paladins they look a little mean

[feebsaint]

Man, I can't say enough about how helpful posting here has been. All of your comments are ridiculously helpful.

NOTE: I've been unable to ftp my server for updates. I've been having horrible connections to my site all weekend, even in normal browsers. Other sites have worked fine, and people have been connecting to my site with no problem. I hope this problem is fixed soon, but I'll explain the changes I've made, and post them in the "Finished Art" section, once Wednesday or Thursday rolls around.

Joachim: I never thought about adding harder lines. I'll have to experiment. I love that you commented here. Yes, I actually enjoy tablet drawing... I actually enjoy it a great deal Quite often, I prefer it to pencil/paper... go figure

Rhomb: Thanks!

Metz: enuff said

absinthe: Like I mentioned above, the updates aren't yet available. I took your advice, and enlarged the cranium. It looks much better with more noggin.

Ian_Micham: I took your advice, as well. I moved the arm down a bit, and the tangent conflict is pretty much (in my opinion) resolved. Thanks for bringing it to my attention.

Lomi: I was so intent on making the Paladins determined looking, in their respective quests, that I overlooked the possibility that they might look a tad ill-tempered.. 'for paladins.' Thanks to this comment of yours, I've altered the expression of the "Radiant Servant of Pelor" (female human) Paladin, and may be altering the distemperment of the elf woman in the trees. The male half-elf, however, is exactly how I want him, and the A.D. of dragon said this one is "perfect," so I better not go there (+ I don't want to )

You all rock. I'll post here, when I get ftp access again, and will start 2 relevant threads when that happens. One for a new (improved) chat/draw applet I'll be adding to my site, along with the finished versions of these paladins. Thanks all, and keep the comments comin

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~-Mike May-~

mikespencil.com

"I Draw Stuff"

[Vortx]

These are great! What a cool style...=)

No crits from me....

-feng