Sijun Forums :: View topic - Homage to the Scrolling Shoot-em-ups

Highfive · Posted: Wed Mar 20, 2002 4:42 pm

Galaga, Slapfight, 1942, R-type, Xenon 2, Raiden Fighters - These are a smidgen of the 2D scrolling shoot-em-ups games that I wasted a good part of my life playing, whether it be wearing down the poor spring under the space bar on the home IBM Compatible or pouring coin after coin into the machines at the local deli.

What was the aim? Basically to frantically dodge the hail of shots from the enemies while returning the favour with a retentless spray of simultanious autocannon, laser, rocket, heat-seeking missile and god-knows-what-else fire, pumped out through feverishly beating on the fire button. And these games had REAL end-of-level bosses - ones that actually provided a challenge to beat.

Our development team were even playing an old Space Invaders arcade-deck at work for monthes before it finally died from abuse, without a single team member resisting to give it a try. Even that game has a surprising amount of depth in its gameplay.

So basically what I wanted to get across in this pic is the physically impossible agility and inexhaustable firepower of the fighters you control in the games.

The girl? Well, I suppose I wanted to paint a babe in hot pants. Some of these games let your choose plane pilot as well as your fighter, and there was always some doe-eyed anime valkyrie amongst the choice, so why not?

This image took a little over 2 months of regular work to complete. It's original resolution is 2111 by 1713. C&C appreciated, as I'm looking to print it out to A3 size.

Detail Shot 1
Detail shot 2
Detail shot 3

ValarianROOT · Posted: Wed Mar 20, 2002 6:01 pm

Awesome!!! Great idea and exicution. the texture of the tarmac is great i love the SD-look of the A-10 and a babe to boot.
Only one comment towards something that bothers me: the landing gear closest to the girl seems to float in the pic a bit. the contrast on them may be a bit too high. Well just my observation, It looks great and maybe i'm just a crazy nitpick. WOW!!! it is darn cool though...
JN

FelixL · Posted: Wed Mar 20, 2002 10:01 pm

Cool painting!

For your next pic, you could try to paint the boss that look like an intestinal thing that you shoot when the multiple eyeballs open... (you know what I mean)

P'tit Ben · Posted: Thu Mar 21, 2002 12:52 am

Impressive! Amazing work!

I agree on the remark that the landing gear near the girl is wrongly placed. It should be moved further to the left. But hey! this is a minor detail... The whole work is perfect!

I still ask myself how you obtain such a fine rendering, so precise.... Mistery of art

Highfive · Posted: Thu Mar 21, 2002 6:58 am

ValarianROOT - Wow, you even noticed the concrete! I'm pretty pleased with the way it turned out as it's the first time i've attempted to render it like that. It's just different colours of grey brushed over each other in the direction of the perspective lines. Thanks!
Everyone has noticed that floating landing gear. It needs more shadow added around where the metal feet contact with the floor. That'll be the first thing to fix.

FelixL - Cheers. I'm not sure which boss you're talking about, but damn it sounds so familiar! It's in R-type, isn't it? I confess I've never actually played R-type but it's definitely up there with the greats.

lostpapers - (takes the wierdest username award I reckon

) Thanks, dude. I can see what you mean there. The right leg looks like it's directly under that... blobby thing on the wing, while the left appears to be more under the missile rack. Definitely will be fixed up.

How did I get such a precise rendering? Well when I started this, I didn't pay much attention to accuracy at all. It wasn't obvious in the sketch but once I started painting, it stuck out like a sore thumb. The more I painted, the more flaws became apparent. No references were used to begin with, either. It almost looked like a bubble plane, so I grabbed some images from www.A-10.org (frikkin awesome photo collection) and pretty much had to paint over the whole thing AGAIN to add the new details.

Overall, I must've painted over this three times while fixing errors.

I strongly recommend if you try something like this to either go overboard with the perspective lines, because you'll never be able to draw it properly by eye, or even model the basic shape using a 3D program (you can choose a good perspective that way, too). Don't do what I did and paint over a sketch done on the public train LOL!!

Like Spoogedemon says, it's vital the initial sketch is exactly what you want.

[ March 21, 2002: Message edited by: Highfive ]

Germ01 · Posted: Thu Mar 21, 2002 7:03 am

Great theme and beautifully illustrated! My only crit is the girls face and hair, she looks more like a guy, she needs to be alot cuter.

[ March 21, 2002: Message edited by: Germ01 ]

P'tit Ben · Posted: Thu Mar 21, 2002 7:09 am

Hehehe ! Yes Lostpapers is a strange name for a forum, but I did not thought about that when I signed! Now I'm stuck with this name, that I use often for loggings. Moreover it is my website name, and I've used it now for like 4 years.. So....

But you can call me Ben

Anyway, I completely understand your problem. I once started a Battlemech drawing, and got completely stuck in the colorization process when I realized the whole sketch was flawed. I never succeeded in continuing this Mech in the last 4 years (check My old Battlemech if you want to see)

SpoodgeDemon is completely right ( How could he be wrong ?

) The sketch is definitely what will drive your drawing.

BTW, do you have a website. I really love your art style... Really!

[ March 21, 2002: Message edited by: lostpapers ]

Hyptosis · member Member # Joined: 24 Jan 2002 Posts: 507

wow, all the little cracks and such are great. I don't see anything wrong enough to bother commenting on, but it is real nice.

Highfive · Posted: Thu Mar 21, 2002 5:28 pm

Germ01 - Ta very much! Yeah, she looks okay in the large pic, but in the detail shot, she's almost... 666[Flattish]. I think the jaw needs to be smoothed out a lot more. A reference of Willow from Buffy was used to get her face.

lostpapers "Now I'm stuck with this name, that I use often for loggings"

So you're a lumberjack as well as an artist?

Sorry, had to add that, Ben! Looking at your sketch it seems that whatever perspective errors it has could be solved by selecting the different limb parts and just shifting and scaling them a bit. It's coming along fine.
No I don't have a web-site, but there will be one sometime this year, or at least maybe an epilogue gallery.

Here's my initial sketch with modifications made during painting

Hyptosis - Cheers! I'm surprised you haven't found anything wrong, but I appreciate your input that this is complete.

Does anyone think the girl is still too large to fit in the cockpit?

[ March 21, 2002: Message edited by: Highfive ]

Gil Agud�n · member Member # Joined: 14 Feb 2002 Posts: 103

MASTER!!!!!!!!!

Highfive · Posted: Thu Mar 21, 2002 6:18 pm

Not me, surely?

rubbersharkman · Posted: Thu Mar 21, 2002 6:40 pm

I'm sick of video game bimbos, please no more...

nice rendering though. Very thight and lots of control apparent. The left landing gear looks a little 'floaty' the shadows are wierd or there is an akward tangency with the chain gun or something. It took me a little while to figure out the depth of it.

like the plane though, nice texture

Malachi Maloney · Posted: Thu Mar 21, 2002 11:48 pm

Hey Highfive.

You did an awesome job on this bro.
I think this may be the best thing I've seen you paint. I love the plane, tarmac, etc......
The girl has a few small issues that could use some attention, mainly in the area of her face and hair.
Overall, I think this is a great piece. You've out done yourself.

Take it easy,
M

P'tit Ben · Posted: Fri Mar 22, 2002 2:45 pm

Gosh! you got me! Me a lumberjack? I thought a long time about this when I realized I spoke about loggings! A really good one

You got me!

Anyway, I must say your initial sketch was quite precise and your result is really near to what you wanted first! Impressive!

The richness of the result in comparison to the sketch is still amazing for me! Marvelous! I love to look at your final picture

I'll check often for your works here now

About the girl? What? To large? Noooooooooo! She's fine!.... She's damn fine

About the battlemech, it is a really old project! I don't feel like working again on it! I think I'll do a new one, a better one, with a nice sketch for start

You prooved here it works !

[ March 25, 2002: Message edited by: lostpapers ]

Highfive · Posted: Sat Mar 23, 2002 12:00 am

rubbersharkman - oh there will always be paintings of video game bimbos! The SF2 pin-up thread is only the beginning. Thanks for the crits. Check on the left landing gear and the angle of the avenger cannon. Didn't notice that second problem so I'm glad you pointed that out!

Malachi Maloney - cheers, man! It was a doozey, but it's coming out looking how I wanted it and it's great to hear that you think it's my best. I know you'd have some problems with the girl, though, Mr Pin-up!

Not my strongest feature, I guess. Ah well, s'all good!

[ March 22, 2002: Message edited by: Highfive ]