I posted the old "painting craft foam" and "duct tape body cast" in my blog so that it's still available if anyone wants to use it (I took the dwayna blog down a while ago):
Konig - how about making a wordpress and posting on there?
I'll probably just post it to the GW2Wiki.
I'll do so when I get chapter 2 done though, the first chapter's too bland to put up alone. May have to re-write it (then again, the first chapters always tend to be the most bland compared to the rest since its the introduction).
Well it's official. I got my idea together for the most part:
Name: Ravenhawk Art Form: Illustration Idea: Mad King Party (temporary title) Progress Gallery:http://roguemina.deviantart.com/gallery/32588572 Real Life Prizes: [_] Official Contest: [X] Workshop Awards: [X]
@Aero Hah, my friends and I are absolutely addicted to that game o___o Something about the music and the speed, its too fun. The idea came into my head while I was playing it and the workshop at the same time.
If it doesn't turn out though, I'm going to have to think of something else :x Im just afraid that they're too different to work well togethor.
Hmm I'm not sure what to make this year... I've been doing some back to the basics lately so my head is all filled with that. I suppose I should read up on the "lore" a bit for inspiration.
What tips do you have for inspiration when ideas aren't just popping up on their own?
@ Thistle Xandra: I dunno how the prices (including shipping) are to the states, but I really love this ebay shop for dress fabrics with lovely drape. I'm sure you'll find some gorgeous sparklies there, just search for colour and look around. At least compared to fabric prices in my country this supplier is very reasonable.
What tips do you have for inspiration when ideas aren't just popping up on their own?
Though this is in terms of writing...
For GW specifically, I do what you suggested to yourself - I go and re-read-up on the lore until I find something interesting.
In general, I like to find a quiet place and just churn ideas around in my noodle. Sometimes I go on long walks and just listen to music, paying close attention to lyrics - never know when a simple phrase will inspire a story out of you.
For instance, I was listening to the song "Winternight" by Crystal Eyes (a lovely, lovely song) and afterwords I wrote a flash fiction about a man surviving a blizzard (which got me an A on the assignment it was for simply because a snowstorm struck when my teacher was reading it ).
Vogue Fabrics is my favorite place to shop for fabric. It's a Chicago-area chain, and the one I usually go to, the one near downtown, is massive. Like, we're talking nearly a full city-block long. You can find almost anything there, and for much better prices than the larger chains.
Hi folks. I haven't posted much here on GWGuru (though I'm a regular over on GW2Guru under a different username -- I made this particular account a long time ago, back when I thought that naming myself after an ulcer gel was a good idea. ), but I'd like to join in on this workshop.
Name: bonjela (is there a way to change my username?) Art Form: Digital Art Idea: Destiny's Edge carve some pumpkins. Progress Gallery:http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v1...oweenWorkshop/ Real Life Prizes: [_] Official Contest: [x] Workshop Awards: [x]
What tips do you have for inspiration when ideas aren't just popping up on their own?
Music ^^ I just have the tendency to get scenes playing in my head when I listen to certain songs. Last year's Halloween Entry actually occured to me while listening to a song
And some progress..could've done more but I have been flipping between doing a comic page and this..I finally decided to just focus on one and got something a bit more concrete. I have the composition thumbnail layer but I disabled it because it looks too messy with the already semi-refined figures.
The idea for this piece actually came from right after Halloween last year. No songs involved in the conceptualization. I was just inspired by the dynamics of the characters in our (RP) guild over the years.
It's simply a costume party featuring some members of our guild in the presence of Mad King Thorn. No sinister stuff this time..maybe..>_>
Last edited by Ravenhawk; Sep 13, 2011 at 03:39 AM // 03:39..
What tips do you have for inspiration when ideas aren't just popping up on their own?
I like to take a simple concept related to the topic (say, costumes or horror) and try to find a joke in it. I may not find a decent joke, but it'll get the creative juices flowing, since it forces me to combine the concept with GW in an unusual way or take it to its logical conclusion.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ravenhawk
The idea for this piece actually came from right after Halloween last year. No songs involved in the conceptualization. I was just inspired by the dynamics of the characters in our (RP) guild over the years.
It's simply a costume party featuring some members of our guild in the presence of Mad King Thorn. No sinister stuff this time..maybe..>_>
That's pretty. I love how solid Thorn's body looks, though his head seems a bit flat. It looks like you might have tried to add the ridges before you got the shading of the sphere itself right, especially in the bottom right corner, which looks like it's been squashed to make room for his shoulder. Also, I don't know if this was intentional or not, but the woman's hand is in sort of an unfortunate location. XD
great stuff everyone, I'm loving those early peeks! And wow, Tzu, crazy donation!! Would say more but that'll have to wait as I'm a bit busy right now :/ Good luck everyone!!
That's pretty. I love how solid Thorn's body looks, though his head seems a bit flat. It looks like you might have tried to add the ridges before you got the shading of the sphere itself right, especially in the bottom right corner, which looks like it's been squashed to make room for his shoulder. Also, I don't know if this was intentional or not, but the woman's hand is in sort of an unfortunate location. XD
Thanks. And you're right about the shape of Mad King's head and I also realized that I forgot the leaves on the top of his head. About the mesmer's hand, it wasn't intentional haha but the final version will practically cover his entire lower body and I probably have to move him down a bit anyway (or make him bigger depending on how the rest of the figures are going to be positioned) so yeah that will be fixed lol. Oi, I am not really going for Pure Evil award this time (but hey I wont refuse haha)
I am doing the same workflow as I did with my latest drawing where I blocked the silhouettes first as opposed to sketching. I find it very helpful so far in taking down the basic shapes (and making the figures more solid as Bonjela has commented) and seeing the composition in entirety. Thought I'd mention this in case someone might find it helpful.
Last edited by Ravenhawk; Sep 13, 2011 at 10:54 AM // 10:54..
I am doing the same workflow as I did with my latest drawing where I blocked the silhouettes first as opposed to sketching. I find it very helpful so far in taking down the basic shapes (and making the figures more solid as Bonjela has commented) and seeing the composition in entirety. Thought I'd mention this in case someone might find it helpful.
This is a technique I've been considering trying out in my backgrounds, but I'm the sort of person who can't see the forest for the trees, so I end up putting too much love into a single small area and leaving the rest of it as a flat blob.
Here's the background of my piece so far; it's based off a screenshot of the entrance to Lion's Arch in GW2, and you can see that I've done exactly as described in the previous paragraph.
Part of the problem, I think, is that the light source is behind this giant, intricately detailed structure, so hardly anything will be illuminated. I've been trying to throw as much light onto it as I can, but it looks wrong and too blue. Maybe I need to assume that the front will be weakly illuminated by reflected light off the ground, and just block shapes in using navy blue before I add the directly illuminated bits.
This is a technique I've been considering trying out in my backgrounds, but I'm the sort of person who can't see the forest for the trees, so I end up putting too much love into a single small area and leaving the rest of it as a flat blob.
I hear you! I am the same. It's a complete change of mindset. I saw this technique in the Digital Drawing book that I have on the subject of Speed Painting. I chose to ignore this approach for a LONG time because, like you, I find it hard not to dwell on the little details on the initial stages of the drawing. I just gave it a shot when I wanted to try speed painting.
I am not completely used to it yet but I find that it is much faster and I was pleasantly surprised at how easily I was able to draw a somewhat decent full body pic of Mad King within an hour (or maybe two. I dunno exactly since I have been chatting and browsing while drawing ...bad habit lol)
The trick is to start small (zoom out your painting and block the basic shapes/tones) then zoom in as you get to the details. Also the difference between us is that I've usde this technique on figures so far...not so much, if at all, with environment/backgrounds yet but I imagine it works the same way.
Quote:
Here's the background of my piece so far; it's based off a screenshot of the entrance to Lion's Arch in GW2, and you can see that I've done exactly as described in the previous paragraph.
Part of the problem, I think, is that the light source is behind this giant, intricately detailed structure, so hardly anything will be illuminated. I've been trying to throw as much light onto it as I can, but it looks wrong and too blue. Maybe I need to assume that the front will be weakly illuminated by reflected light off the ground, and just block shapes in using navy blue before I add the directly illuminated bits.
Progress looks good and I can see what you mean about the backlight. You're right, a reflected light or a secondary lightsource from the front should help you picture the shapes even better. Which brings me to the realization that I havent even decided on my light source yet in my own work..probably around the front somewhere doh.
This is a technique I've been considering trying out in my backgrounds, but I'm the sort of person who can't see the forest for the trees, so I end up putting too much love into a single small area and leaving the rest of it as a flat blob.
Here's the background of my piece so far; it's based off a screenshot of the entrance to Lion's Arch in GW2, and you can see that I've done exactly as described in the previous paragraph.
Part of the problem, I think, is that the light source is behind this giant, intricately detailed structure, so hardly anything will be illuminated. I've been trying to throw as much light onto it as I can, but it looks wrong and too blue. Maybe I need to assume that the front will be weakly illuminated by reflected light off the ground, and just block shapes in using navy blue before I add the directly illuminated bits.
Looks good so far, and I say - simply create a secondary light source in the front! Candles or lanterns or something. That'd cast a soft yellow light, which would both illuminate things so that you can create visible details as well as balance out the heavy blues.
Looks good so far, and I say - simply create a secondary light source in the front! Candles or lanterns or something. That'd cast a soft yellow light, which would both illuminate things so that you can create visible details as well as balance out the heavy blues.
Thanks. I considered lanterns, but the object in the background is really huge -- for example, that large thing at the top that I've partially painted blue is actually a ship -- so small light sources on the ground won't do much to illuminate the structure as a whole. I might cover the structure itself in pumpkins and candles, and there will be windows which I can light up with a spooky glow, but those are all details.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ravenhawk
I hear you! I am the same. It's a complete change of mindset. I saw this technique in the Digital Drawing book that I have on the subject of Speed Painting. I chose to ignore this approach for a LONG time because, like you, I find it hard not to dwell on the little details on the initial stages of the drawing. I just gave it a shot when I wanted to try speed painting.
I am not completely used to it yet but I find that it is much faster and I was pleasantly surprised at how easily I was able to draw a somewhat decent full body pic of Mad King within an hour (or maybe two. I dunno exactly since I have been chatting and browsing while drawing ...bad habit lol)
The trick is to start small (zoom out your painting and block the basic shapes/tones) then zoom in as you get to the details. Also the difference between us is that I've usde this technique on figures so far...not so much, if at all, with environment/backgrounds yet but I imagine it works the same way.
Hehe, yeah, it's the zooming that always gets me. I can work with huge brushes, or tiny little ones, but the middle ground, gradually-getting-smaller brushes end up trapping me into starting on the details too soon. I think I just need more discipline.
The technique definitely worked for your Mad King; when I first saw him I actually assumed you'd traced a screenshot.
-----------------------
Edit: It worked! I need to fix the contrast, but it already looks a lot more solid and less cartoony:
Last edited by bonjela; Sep 13, 2011 at 08:01 PM // 20:01..
Figured I'd post my first chapter (still requires going through some editing, so if you spot an error or have an opinion, bring it up!), second and third should be done before the week is up, but fourth and fifth I'm having issues on getting the specifics planned out (excluding those two, in which I know what will happen but not how, I've outlined the entire thing and come up with a whopping 11 chapters).
The streets bustled around like a swarm of bees. The many high granite walls of Fahranur surrounded everything of the city, and at times even prevented the wind from entering. The only wind that enters the city comes from the west, which is opened for the cliff’s edge. The city was built like a maze to ward off invaders in the early days of the kingdom. But there never were such invaders. Now, the winding and encircling passageways act as ways to confuse travelers and give guides a large profit.
In the sunny day, there was only one cloaked individual in the city’s central plaza and bazaar. He stared up at the sky, the sun blocked by the walls laced with lines and upside-down pyramid designs. His hood fell off as he looked up, revealing his crimson red hair and his Orrian features.
The man sighed as he looked around. Those who were staring at him turned away. There were few Orrians in Istan, and all were viewed as nobles. Those who saw him will likely try to haggle him into buying unnecessary things.
He needed to leave.
“An Orrian traveler with blood-red hair? That’s pretty uncommon.” A quaking voice behind the traveler said. Turning around, he saw a small boy, perhaps around eleven or twelve, in rags with a huge childish grin on his face. “Can you really be him?”
“Don’t know what you’re talking about kid.” The man said, walking away.
“You’re him right? Right?” The man ignored the boy, who in turn simply repeated his question.
“I’m no one.”
“No one is no one because everyone is someone.” The boy said cheerfully. “I’m someone too!”
“Leave.”
“Answer my question please. You’re him aren’t you?”
“I am a guy, so I am a ‘him’ but I don’t see how that is of any importance.” The two have passed several bazaars. Faces turn towards and away almost instantly as they pass by. Neither were loud.
“No no, I didn’t mean that.”
The man wiped around, his cloak spitting in the air. “Look kid, I don’t have time for your childish games. So leave me be. I’d rather not kill a kid, but I will if it’ll shut you up.”
“You also have a temper. You must be him.” The boy said, keeping his wide grin.
“You have a death wish, don’t you.”
“Almost. I just want to be like you, Konig. You are Konig right?”
The man stared in silence at the kid, and the kid just continued grinning in response. A minute had passed before the man turned around and walked away again. “Don’t mention my name again.”
“I knew it!” The kid shouted excitedly as ran to catch up. “So will you teach me? Can you make me like you?”
“No.” Konig snapped.
Konig began walking at a faster pace, hoping to leave the kid behind, but the boy managed to keep up, and constantly asking questions. Without realizing, Konig had been going in circles in the halls surrounding the central plaza. Nearly an hour had passed without change.
“Why are you so stubborn?” The boy, no longer grinning, began to pout. When Konig didn’t answer, the boy ran up and kicked him in the back of the knee, knocking Konig down.
“Little brat…” Konig grumbled.
“There you are!” A woman’s shout sounded through the area. Donned in white armor, clearly a member of the Sunspear Guard, protectors of the continent, the woman strode up and grabbed the boy by the ear. “How many times do I have to go out looking for you? I’m taking you home immediately! And you, I’m sorry for any trouble this boy has caused you.”
Konig said nothing as he stood up and brushed the dirt off of his cloak. In doing so his hood once more fell off.
“You’re Orrian? My apologies, you must be one of the visiting nobles that the king has sent out for. I will gladly escor-“
“I’m not a noble. I’m merely a traveler, nothing more.”
“You are too something more!” The boy shouted, grinning once more. “You’re Ko-“
Konig quickly covered the boy’s mouth. “I would prefer if you didn’t announce my name to the world, kid.”
The woman pulled Konig away from the boy, her face now glaring with fury. “And why would that be? Do you have a bounty on your head?”
Konig stared at the woman, shocked by the sudden change in her personality. “No, I’m not that foolish.”
“Right, well if that’s the case, then I guess you won’t mind coming to my office to double check, would you? Or would you rather be dragged there for harming King Onrah’s son?”
“It’s okay, he’s not a criminal. He’s just famous.” The boy smiled. “And what he did was my fault anyways.”
“I don’t trust anyone who refuses to give their name to me.” The woman said before straightening up. “I’m First Spear Janah, Fahranur’s my territory. And I’ll be having my eye on you… the other on this kid.” She turned around and began to drag the boy as he protested.
Konig remained still, staring at the two. Minutes had passed after they were out of sight when he finally moved, bursting into laughter. Those nearby turned curiously at him.
“Reminds me of when I was young.” He said, remembering the time when he’d sneak out of his father’s estate just to be dragged back by the head guard, Afzal.
Last edited by Konig Des Todes; Sep 13, 2011 at 09:39 PM // 21:39..
Cool introductory chapter. You did a good job of establishing the personalities of the characters, as well as the populated feel of the city. I think you could improve on the description of the setting, however: what does Fahranur smell like? What does the ground feel like under Konig's feet? What are the other people doing? What are the merchants selling?
Some more fine-combed suggestions are under the spoiler. As a general rule (though I break it a couple of times), I've underlined grammar/spelling mistakes, and bolded stuff I personally think could be improved upon.
Quote:
The streets bustled around like a swarm of bees.
Bolded: "Around" is a redundant word to use next to "bustled", though I recommend removing them both in favour of "buzzed", since that would fit the analogy better. Alternatively, replace the bee analogy with a land insect that is more prone to bustling; scarabs might be a good, symbolic choice, given that this is the location of the scarab plague.
Quote:
The many high granite walls of Fahranur surrounded everything of the city, and at times even prevented the wind from entering. The only wind that enters the city comes from the west, which is opened for the cliff’s edge. The city was built like a maze to ward off invaders in the early days of the kingdom. But there never were such invaders. Now, the winding and encircling passageways act as ways to confuse travelers and give guides a large profit.
Bolded: Awkward word. Try changing it to "the entirety".
Underlined: Wrong tense. You switch tenses a few times in this chapter; I can see why you did it, but it's confusing and muddles the flow. Pick a tense and stick to it within each chapter.
Quote:
In the sunny day, there was only one cloaked individual in the city’s central plaza and bazaar. He stared up at the sky, the sun blocked by the walls laced with lines and upside-down pyramid designs. His hood fell off as he looked up, revealing his crimson red hair and his Orrian features.
Bolded: Nothing strictly wrong with it, but the words are too boring for such a long phrase. Try a single, powerful adjective, like "triangular" or "zig-zag". I know it doesn't describe the pattern you have in mind, but I quite like "labyrinthine", since it reflects the design of Fahranur itself and might help give a sense of atmosphere.
Underlined: Redundant. Remove them.
Quote:
The man sighed as he looked around. Those who were staring at him turned away. There were few Orrians in Istan, and all were viewed as nobles. Those who saw him will likely try to haggle him into buying unnecessary things.
Underlined: Wrong tense.
Quote:
He needed to leave.
“An Orrian traveler with blood-red hair? That’s pretty uncommon.” A quaking voice behind the traveler said. Turning around, he saw a small boy, perhaps around eleven or twelve, in rags with a huge childish grin on his face. “Can you really be him?”
“Don’t know what you’re talking about kid.” The man said, walking away.
Underlined: Should be a comma followed by a small letter. I also recommend sticking a comma before the word "kid".
Quote:
“You’re him right? Right?” The man ignored the boy, who in turn simply repeated his question.
Underlined: It's confusing to see the boy as the object of this sentence, given that he was the one speaking. Either add "the boy said", or add a line break after the dialogue.
Quote:
“I’m no one.”
“No one is no one because everyone is someone.” The boy said cheerfully. “I’m someone too!”
“Leave.”
“Answer my question please. You’re him aren’t you?”
“I am a guy, so I am a ‘him’ but I don’t see how that is of any importance.” The two have passed several bazaars. Faces turn towards and away almost instantly as they pass by. Neither were loud.
Bolded: I recommend a comma between these words.
Underlined: Wrong tense.
Quote:
“No no, I didn’t mean that.”
The man wiped around, his cloak spitting in the air. “Look kid, I don’t have time for your childish games. So leave me be. I’d rather not kill a kid, but I will if it’ll shut you up.”
Underlined: Typo? "Whipped" is probably the word you wanted here.
Quote:
“You also have a temper. You must be him.” The boy said, keeping his wide grin.
“You have a death wish, don’t you.”
Underlined: This should end in a question mark. At least, it should if you intended it to be a question. I can see Konig saying this as a statement, in which case the period is correct, but you might want to add a sentence beforehand to clarify.
Quote:
“Almost. I just want to be like you, Konig. You are Konig right?”
Underlined: Comma goes between these words.
Quote:
The man stared in silence at the kid, and the kid just continued grinning in response. A minute had passed before the man turned around and walked away again. “Don’t mention my name again.”
“I knew it!” The kid shouted excitedly as ran to catch up. “So will you teach me? Can you make me like you?”
“No.” Konig snapped.
Bolded: Awkward wording. I recommend removing either "continued" or "in response".
Underlined: Should be a comma instead of a period. Having said that, the period portrays Konig's resolve nicely, so maybe put the tag before the dialogue and change it to something like "Konig kept looking ahead."
Quote:
Konig began walking at a faster pace, hoping to leave the kid behind, but the boy managed to keep up, and constantly asking questions. Without realizing, Konig had been going in circles in the halls surrounding the central plaza. Nearly an hour had passed without change.
Underlined: Redundant.
Quote:
“Why are you so stubborn?” The boy, no longer grinning, began to pout. When Konig didn’t answer, the boy ran up and kicked him in the back of the knee, knocking Konig down.
Bolded: This paragraph would read less confusingly if you swapped these two sentences.
Quote:
“Little brat…” Konig grumbled.
“There you are!” A woman’s shout sounded through the area. Donned in white armor, clearly a member of the Sunspear Guard, protectors of the continent, the woman strode up and grabbed the boy by the ear. “How many times do I have to go out looking for you? I’m taking you home immediately! And you, I’m sorry for any trouble this boy has caused you.”
Konig said nothing as he stood up and brushed the dirt off of his cloak. In doing so his hood once more fell off.
“You’re Orrian? My apologies, you must be one of the visiting nobles that the king has sent out for. I will gladly escor-“
“I’m not a noble. I’m merely a traveler, nothing more.”
“You are too something more!” The boy shouted, grinning once more. “You’re Ko-“
Konig quickly covered the boy’s mouth. “I would prefer if you didn’t announce my name to the world, kid.”
The woman pulled Konig away from the boy, her face now glaring with fury. “And why would that be? Do you have a bounty on your head?”
Konig stared at the woman, shocked by the sudden change in her personality. “No, I’m not that foolish.”
“Right, well if that’s the case, then I guess you won’t mind coming to my office to double check, would you? Or would you rather be dragged there for harming King Onrah’s son?”
“It’s okay, he’s not a criminal. He’s just famous.” The boy smiled. “And what he did was my fault anyways.”
“I don’t trust anyone who refuses to give their name to me.” The woman said before straightening up. “I’m First Spear Janah, Fahranur’s my territory. And I’ll be having my eye on you… the other on this kid.” She turned around and began to drag the boy as he protested.
Underlined: Should be a comma followed by a small letter.
Quote:
Konig remained still, staring at the two. Minutes had passed after they were out of sight when he finally moved, bursting into laughter. Those nearby turned curiously at him.
Bolded: This is awkwardly worded. Try changing it to something simpler, like "He waited for them to be well out of hearing range before he allowed himself to laugh."
Quote:
“Reminds me of when I was young.” He said, remembering the time when he’d sneak out of his father’s estate just to be dragged back by the head guard, Afzal.
Bolded: The presence of the word "when" makes this phrase confusing. You either meant "the times he'd sneak" or "the time he snuck".
Underlined: Should be a comma followed by a small letter.
Last edited by bonjela; Sep 14, 2011 at 01:13 AM // 01:13..
Sep 12, 2011, 04:15 PM // 16:15
Great choice! :3
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