Sahariel's Character Doodles

[Sahariel]

I decided to keep all my character doodles on a single thread. I've been absorbed in the concept for an RPG Maker VX Ace game. The summary is below:

Mana, the crystalized essence of magic, has become ingrained in the lives and economy of the Tia'draian world. Mankind relies on it, elfkind worship it, and the enigmatic beast men who once feared it are now enslaved by it. With the power to augment the body and bend primal and elemental forces to the userâEUTMs will, the crystal's detrimental effects are ignored, and all three races plunder their continents, mining the crystal, refining it, and becoming addicted to it.

The crystals are exhaustable but the demand is endless. The Ackad Confederacy, an ailing democracy united by war, and the Kingdom of Ghath, a puppet regime of the Lodia Dominion, are in a bitter war for the remaining scraps of mana scattered throughout the continent of Theranir. Thousands dies each day, elves are enslaved as status symbols, and the Great War of Mana rages on.

Romau, an amnesiac sentenced to death for killing an entire Confederate ambush party, is rescued by two members of the mercenary band âEUoeThe BrotherhoodâEU and recruited into their fold, but not before exposing his terrifying power during the prison break: the ability to summon and utilize mana without crystals.

After his initiation, Romau is assigned to the tutelage of the fame-seeking leader of the band, a former Knight of Lodia named Chesmarn. However, the Confederacy is on the hunt for Romau, the Empire and the Dominion closing in on the rumors of the mysterious âEUoeOldrait KeldradâEU prophesized by the EmperorâEUTMs seer, and a cult called the Order of Xanartias demands their prophet for the resurrection of their pagan gods. The Gods are watching them. Where will the Wheel of Fate stop?

Preparing some character bios for those interested. Here are their first names:

TOP FROM LEFT TO RIGHT:

Romau
Chesmarn
Arannir
Miaren
Varek

BOTTOM FROM LEFT TO RIGHT:
Aden
Myra
Ilene
Erissa
Lyetan

I'll be working out the full designs over a few days. Your impressions would be helpful. Hopefully, I'll be doing multiple versions of the character and you guys can provide input on what you like about each version, though my job searching and appointments throughout each week will be keeping me fairly busy...

[BeckyRawr]

Awesome sketches :D:D

I love The cat girl. She's cute :3

[CypressDahlia]

I remember your art from a long time ago--you were asking for help on how to refine a torso, I believe.

Do you have full-body sketches of these characters?

[Sahariel]

At 4/30/12 06:36 AM, CypressDahlia wrote: I remember your art from a long time ago--you were asking for help on how to refine a torso, I believe.

Do you have full-body sketches of these characters?

Actually working on them right now, specifically Romau.

[BeckyRawr]

At 4/30/12 06:42 AM, Sahariel wrote:

At 4/30/12 06:36 AM, CypressDahlia wrote: I remember your art from a long time ago--you were asking for help on how to refine a torso, I believe.

Do you have full-body sketches of these characters?

Actually working on them right now, specifically Romau.

Oooo~~ Can't wait to see them :D

[PatBest22]

At 4/30/12 07:08 AM, BeckyRawr wrote:

At 4/30/12 06:42 AM, Sahariel wrote:

At 4/30/12 06:36 AM, CypressDahlia wrote: I remember your art from a long time ago--you were asking for help on how to refine a torso, I believe.

Do you have full-body sketches of these characters?

Actually working on them right now, specifically Romau.

Oooo~~ Can't wait to see them :D

Myra's hat, is it supposed to be a pirate hat? If so, it bothers me. If not, then it looks fine.

[Sahariel]

At 4/30/12 08:00 AM, PatBest22 wrote:

At 4/30/12 07:08 AM, BeckyRawr wrote:

At 4/30/12 06:42 AM, Sahariel wrote:

At 4/30/12 06:36 AM, CypressDahlia wrote: I remember your art from a long time ago--you were asking for help on how to refine a torso, I believe.

Do you have full-body sketches of these characters?

Actually working on them right now, specifically Romau.

Oooo~~ Can't wait to see them :D

Myra's hat, is it supposed to be a pirate hat? If so, it bothers me. If not, then it looks fine.

Think more of a female musketeer type character for Myra. The original version was a pirate captain, but I felt someone who was part of some sort of special forces type organization or guild would fit better.

[Sahariel]

Here's an anatomical sketch and character bio for Romau. Wanted your critiques on the anatomy before I continue with the clothes. For those who saw my previous thread, his outfit will be different to hopefully give him a more characteristic flair. The rest of his scars will by added when I apply the outfit to him.

Obviously when I first sketched him, the anatomy was terrible.So I consulted and studied my anatomy books for a bit to refresh my memory and learn new things. The books I mainly study from are "Atlas of Human Anatomy for the Artist" by Stephen Rogers Peck and "Artistic Anatomy" by Dr.Paul Richer. Along with Andrew Loomis books (legally free in PDF format), I've been learning a considerable amount.

If your interested in seeing the first sketch, let me know.

And before I forget, the bio.

âEU¢Character Name / Nicknames / Aliases: Romau

âEU¢Birth Date: Unknown

âEU¢Place of Birth: Unknown

âEU¢Residence: Unknown

âEU¢Height: 5âEUTM 11âEU (180.3 cm)

âEU¢Weight: 190 lbs

âEU¢Measurements: 109 cm bust, 91 cm waist

âEU¢Clothing Sizes / Styles: Large /

âEU¢Hair Color: Brown

âEU¢Hair Length: Short

âEU¢Eye Color: Brown

âEU¢Handedness : Right

âEU¢Jewelry: None

âEU¢Tattoos: Scars all over his body

âEU¢General Appearance: Looks like his body is stitched together

âEU¢Relationship with Family: Unknown

âEU¢Key Family / Relatives: Unknown

âEU¢Relationship with Friends: Depending on the playerâEUTMs choices

âEU¢Key Friends: Chesmarn, Varek

âEU¢Key Enemies: Depending on the playerâEUTMs choices

âEU¢Educational History: Unknown

âEU¢Work History: Unknown

âEU¢Skills: Skilled swordsman and magi. Can utilize and manipulate magic without mana crystals.

âEU¢Phobias / Fears: Never being able to learn of his identity.

âEU¢Bad Habits / Vices: Picky eater, shaped by the player.

âEU¢Quirks: Shaped by the player

âEU¢Best Qualities: Shaped by the player

âEU¢Worst Qualities: Shaped by the player

âEU¢Key Childhood Experiences: Unknown

âEU¢Key Teenage Experiences: Unknown

âEU¢Key Adult Experiences: Waking up in a frozen wasteland with no memory of his life. Destroying a Confederate scouting party with an uncontrolled mana burst.

âEU¢Sexual Background: Unknown

âEU¢Favorites (food, clothing, art, music, TV show, movie, book, etc.): Anything that is meat. Dislikes fruits and vegetables.

âEU¢Personal Goals: Discover his past

âEU¢Professional Goals: Be a valued member of The Brotherhood.

âEU¢Morality / Ethics: Shaped by the player.

âEU¢Style of Speech: Shaped by the player

âEU¢Commonly Used Words / Slang / Jargon: None

âEU¢Lies / Misinformation: Believes he was an ordinary human being.

âEU¢Other Important Details: Romau is actually a powerful demon who obtained sentience and, due to a mental mechanism by the Demon Lord Rakurn to disallow any sort of individualistic thought amongst the demonic ranks, lost his memory and was abandoned to die. He was attacked by the village guard on patrol and killed them out of self-defense as his memory was slipping away. To save himself, he took the form of the nearest human he killed. This person happened to be the real Romau

[PatBest22]

At 4/30/12 08:12 AM, Sahariel wrote:

Think more of a female musketeer type character for Myra. The original version was a pirate captain, but I felt someone who was part of some sort of special forces type organization or guild would fit better.

It's not the hat itself that's wrong, but the position it has on the head. It seems to be sitting much too lightly on her forehead.

Then again, maybe I just don't know what a musketeer type hat is supposed to look like.

[Sahariel]

At 4/30/12 01:08 PM, PatBest22 wrote:

At 4/30/12 08:12 AM, Sahariel wrote:

Think more of a female musketeer type character for Myra. The original version was a pirate captain, but I felt someone who was part of some sort of special forces type organization or guild would fit better.

It's not the hat itself that's wrong, but the position it has on the head. It seems to be sitting much too lightly on her forehead.

Then again, maybe I just don't know what a musketeer type hat is supposed to look like.

Perhaps musketeer was the wrong term for it. I was thinking of some sort of French special forces type unit back in the late middle ages that used a very early version of the handgun called an arquebus or something. Something the had a history special on. Forgot the name of the unit entirely.

[Sahariel]

Drew the fox girl huntress Lyetan. Changed the hairstyle. Working on Romau but I just wanted to draw this character in this pose for some reason. Once I sketch out the outfits I'll add her bow and arrows. Some help on the anatomy would be great.

[CypressDahlia]

She seems a little off balance to the left, like she might fall forward. The elbow on our left is jutting out a little far and the lower leg is too symmetrical. The outside of the lower leg is usually one subtle curve and the inside you see the calf muscle defined a little more prominently near the top of the shin and taper off toward the ankle. In other words, the contours on either side of the shin are usually just slightly different.

Have you tried flipping the picture horizontally in an image editor? I'm gotten used to doing that to check if images are unbalanced.

[Sahariel]

At 5/1/12 05:08 AM, CypressDahlia wrote: She seems a little off balance to the left, like she might fall forward. The elbow on our left is jutting out a little far and the lower leg is too symmetrical. The outside of the lower leg is usually one subtle curve and the inside you see the calf muscle defined a little more prominently near the top of the shin and taper off toward the ankle. In other words, the contours on either side of the shin are usually just slightly different.

Have you tried flipping the picture horizontally in an image editor? I'm gotten used to doing that to check if images are unbalanced.

Fixed the imbalance issue and the lower legs and calves. Let me know if anything else needs fixing. It's been a while since I've drawn the female form.

[CypressDahlia]

That's looking excellent now, dude. The only thing left to fix would be that elbow. The tip of the elbow is too far out.

[EnactJudo]

At 5/1/12 05:32 AM, Sahariel wrote: Fixed the imbalance issue and the lower legs and calves. Let me know if anything else needs fixing. It's been a while since I've drawn the female form.

Right arm seems off- no perspective, too flat. Personally I'd also avoid anthro like the plague

[CypressDahlia]

At 5/1/12 07:52 AM, EnactJudo wrote:
Personally I'd also avoid anthro like the plague

If he can write a good character, what difference would it make?

[Sahariel]

At 5/1/12 07:52 AM, EnactJudo wrote:

At 5/1/12 05:32 AM, Sahariel wrote: Fixed the imbalance issue and the lower legs and calves. Let me know if anything else needs fixing. It's been a while since I've drawn the female form.

Right arm seems off- no perspective, too flat. Personally I'd also avoid anthro like the plague

Anthro is when animal and human are blurred together. She merely has the ears and tail, thus I don't think she is exactly furry by any means.

[Sahariel]

Hey, sorry I haven't posted anything in a while. Been busy with life and Skyrim. I am working on two new sketches, figuring it would help to draw the characters first then design the outfits once the world is fleshed out more.

This is my work in progress for Chesmarn...

[Sahariel]

And here's Miaren. Keep in mind, these are very rough sketches mainly to get the poses down. I know Chesmarn's arm with the shield looks off. It's already fixed.

[Sahariel]

Damn, arms are toolong on Miaren. Fixed them in the document. Going to focus on Miaren now then do Chesmarn later tonight.

[Sahariel]

Holy balls, a somewhat completed design!?

I decided to draw Miaren in her travelling outfit. Noticed I changed the hair style. Let me know what you think. Yes, I'm going to add more detail to the outfit and give it a better feel. Just trying to figure out what typesof patterns would work for this outfit.

[CypressDahlia]

As far as Chesmarn goes, I think the pecs end a little high on his chest. I mean it could be a style thing considering I also draw high pecs, but since you seem very focused on realism, I would recommend bringing the pecs to around a third of the way down the bicep. And his neck is a little far forward.

As for the girl, her left shoulder (our right), seems to stick out a little far. It makes the head look kinda off-center. And the toes on her far foot are really long.

[Sahariel]

At 5/5/12 01:30 AM, CypressDahlia wrote: As far as Chesmarn goes, I think the pecs end a little high on his chest. I mean it could be a style thing considering I also draw high pecs, but since you seem very focused on realism, I would recommend bringing the pecs to around a third of the way down the bicep. And his neck is a little far forward.

As for the girl, her left shoulder (our right), seems to stick out a little far. It makes the head look kinda off-center. And the toes on her far foot are really long.

Went for some fixes on Miaren. Will work on Chesmarn later today. Any critiques on the design? Also, thinking of going with a primary red color for her outfit with a lot of earthly hues in contrast to her gray-brown skin and complementing her red eyes. She's the equivalent of a dark elf by the way.