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umassdillustrationclub · 5 years

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Illustration Article 11: Video Game Concept Art -- Characters (Various Artists)

When I typed “video game concept art” into Google, a lot of it was high-quality drawings. However, these drawings were almost exclusively photorealistic, for video games with extremely well-rendered graphics. Some of these drawings, while proportionally realistic, were not particularly polished; I’m pretty sure others were paint-overs of photographs. Now, these methods aren’t bad at all, but I wanted to examine concept art with more imaginative, fantasy-inspired, or cartoony/iconic styles. So I dug a little, and found some concept art that fit my preferable criteria. Some are from older video games I used to play, while others are more recent games that I hadn’t yet heard of.

Dev Madan was the art director and character designer for one of my favorite video game series as a child, Sly Cooper. This concept art is a lineup of antagonists from the first game. The variety of animal characters allowed for great differences in each character’s shape, color, and motion. Each member of this group is extremely identifiable in relation to each other, even if these images were just silhouettes. Even their standing pose is indicative of their actions. Panda King stands solidly on the ground, hands bared aggressively. Clockwerk ‘stands’ on its wings with an almost unnatural sense of balance. Raleigh squats (froglike of course), but also supports himself with a staff, like a ruler. Mz. Ruby sits on her tail, since she uses psychic/aura powers rather than physical ones. To contrast with her, Muggshot walks with his hands to show his physical prowess. Simple actions like sitting, standing, and walking can be very indicative of a character’s… character.

This next example is a character lineup sheet of Daxter from the Jak and Daxter series. This particular sheet was drawn by Bob Rafel. It’s interesting to note that while video games like these employ 3D models, most, if not all, ideas require two-dimensional sketches and drawings to plan out. Drawings can be produced considerably faster than 3D models; this allows for multiple drawing of different poses and emotions. Many of Daxter’s’ poses have a clear line of action, which is emphasized by the posing of his tail. Drawing a character with energy and sharpness involves identifying key shapes of the body, and filling in details later. The goggles are the most detailed part of Daxter, but his character shines through more from these lively drawings.

This third example is a character/outfit lineup by Janice Chu (I couldn’t find out whether this is from an actual video game or just a demonstration). The character is identified through the different outfits by basic shapes (round head, rectangular body) as well as smaller details (one eye, tree/branch antennae). This character demonstrates more of a customizable avatar than an individual with personality. In this case, it is the outfits that define the nature of the character, as well as their abilities and powers. The color schemes between the outfits are not considerably large (save for the demonic one in the lower-right corner), but they are rendered with enticing patterns and solid contrast.

This last example was drawn by Rinehart Applah, who designed concept art for the video game Total War Warhammer. Rather than multiple outfits like the previous example, this character sheet goes into excruciating detail for this one particular medieval/gladiatorial outfit. This includes drawing out the separate elements of the armor, cape, and ornamentation/pattern elements. I don’t know for certain, but this character looks like it’s going to become a 3D model. Drawing from every angle and featuring outfit elements separately imply that these designs will be seen from any direction. The extreme detail of this character will likely be implemented into a model composed of several intricate elements. This art could be used for simpler reproductions, such as pixel art; the 2D art itself could also be used in a character selection screen.

#dev madan #sly cooper #concept art #video game concept art #bob rafel #jak and daxter #Janice chu #Rinehart applah #video games #umassdillustrationclub #illustration #illustrator #character design

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raphaels-prism-crew · 6 years

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Prism Characters - Full List

Patricia Sanders (Pat, Trish, Trisha) - 19 at beginning of series. Aspiring Pangaean bard. College student. Long, red hair, blue eyes. Full of hope until a certain asshole (Vlad, see below) shows up and by a certain series of events permanently damages her left hand. After a while she realizes he’s cool (most of the time) but there’s still issues.

Leland Sanders (Lee) - Pat’s older brother (26 y/o). One of 3 people who call her “Trish/Trisha”. She would call him an asshole. She wouldn’t be wrong. Matching hair and eyes, easy to tell they’re related. Has a dragon brand on his left arm, a bond to the Golden Crown. In a complicated relationship with Lindsey.

Lindsey Praett (Liz) - Faerie con artist, wanted by a lot of people - not least of all the Golden Crown. Brunette hair worn in a bob, blue eyes. Because of faerie biology she ages twice as fast as a human, so she’s 14 with the body and mind of a 28-year-old (feel free to ask me about the Seelie! I’d love to talk about my worldbuilding!). In a complicated relationship with Leland.

Eva Renfield-Blake (Eva Blake, Eva Stockton) - Helsing (vampire hunter) bloodline, raised by vampires, mostly Todd. Married to Ren Blake, mother of triplet boys with a fourth on the way. 25 at beginning of the series, at the University with the intention of becoming a social services equivalent (that bit of worldbuilding is still under construction). Blonde hair worn in a wedge, green eyes, outgoing and headstrong. Friendly personality. Pat’s roommate at college.

Ren Blake (Renfield) - Eva’s husband, one of the few Renfields to have actually escaped from Dracula. (for more Renfield information feel free to ask me, it’s a bit of building I’m really happy with). Brown hair, brown eyes, quiet demeanor. Stays at home with the triplets while Eva finishes school; plans to be a stay-at-home dad when she’s finished, even though they haven’t quite decided yet.

Leanne Sterling (Ash, Detective Sterling) - 22-year-old police commander in the New Pangaean Capital. She’s clever, shrewd, and an excellent actress. One of the few people who can meet Erik Dracula head-on in a battle of wits. In “a simple relationship” with Doc. Hair is somewhere between ash-blonde and mousy brown, long but usually worn in an updo so it’s out of the way; fair complexion; delicate features; grey eyes. Can and will kick your ass. You will thank her when she’s done. Best in her field and up for promotion soon, likely to be chosen as Head of New Pangaean Intelligence after completing officer’s training at the University. Only competition is Luc.

Draeven Rafel Agon (Doc) - draconic veterinarian, laid-back personality. Loves his job. Dark hair, dark eyes. Been friends with Ash since childhood, now in “a simple relationship” with her.

Marcus Benipe - 21-year-old Bouda (like a hyena werewolf, but it’s completely voluntary, transformation is complete, and it can be “cured”) prince with an attitude. Dark hair, dark complexion, dark eyes. Excellent warrior, smart but comes off as a class clown. Can’t seem to take anything seriously, least of all himself. But is extremely loyal and a trusted friend of the Princes, especially Charles.

Lucian Bubioscandia (Luc) - 22-year-old military intelligence officer. Half-Fae. Calm, collected, serious. A double-agent (triple-agent?) against the Golden Crown. Very close to Prince Henry. Grey hair, green eyes. Big grey wings. Seems compliant most of the time but often out of loyalty to an individual rather than a cause. Can be stubborn. Is very smart. Has done his job so well that he is one of the top choices for Head of New Pangaean Intelligence, his only real competition being Ash.

Heather Titian - Faerie of an influential (and highly criminal) family trying to escape that life, unlike her adopted sister, Abathy. Fair complexion, hair colored light purple like her natural eye color. Really just wants a simple life but the way events are going it’s unlikely. Looks and acts 22-ish but is around 11 (like Lindsey and all faeries she ages twice as fast as humans).

Charles Werner - Second Prince of the New Pangaean Empire, and a complete dork. Dark brunet hair and hazel eyes. Is 20 at the beginning of the series but acts younger. Not exactly leader material, nor does he want to be. His brother is the heir, not him, he’s just a guy who happens to be a prince. Second of three people to call Pat “Trish/Trisha”.

Henry Werner - Crown Prince of the New Pangaean Empire, anticipated heir to the throne. Fair hair, brown eyes. Is 25 at the beginning of the series but acts older. Has most good leadership abilities and is very familiar with the cultures under the Empire’s banner and a few outside it. Well-educated, well-liked. A good kid really.

Ninko - daughter of Lord Tenko of the Kitsune. Four-tails, most likely heir of the nine-tails title (feel free to ask about kitsunes, another proud monument of worldbuilding). Another skilled warrior with proud heritage, but is also a talented healer and fast learner. Typically kitsune red hair and dark eyes.

Yako - two-tails, one of the few kitsune with black hair. He’s a bit of a self-made outcast, he prefers his own company or that of the Kappa outside the village to that of other Kitsune. He doesn’t know much about Southern culture but is more than willing to learn.

Todderick Howards (Todd, Howards, Millennium) - Unseelie who’s put himself into a neutral position, not an easy thing to do but considering he’s one of the oldest vampires alive (second only to the Golden Crowns) there aren’t many who are willing to mess with him. After the death of his maker, Sarge Garrett, he adopted Eva Stockton. He looks to be in his 20s - maybe early 30s - with black hair and green eyes. He’s also very tall, more than six feet.

Vlad Dracula (Drake) - Younger Golden Crown Brother and apparent villain until you get to know him. He’s the scary one: in your face, fangs bared, apparently a sadistic asshole. But in reality? He’s a big softie. He gets easily attached to people. He admires Ash Sterling and would consider himself friends with Pat (“Trish/Trisha”), though whether that feeling is mutual varies between points in the story. Also tall, dark hair and dark eyes that, like all Unseelies’, reflect red in the light.

Erik Dracula - Older Golden Crown Brother, and at first glance, the tame one. Seems introverted, quiet, polite. But he’s the manipulative one, the brains, the leader. He lacks empathy. His only loyalty lies with family: his brother, his wife, and his son.

Abathy Titian-Dracula (Abby) - Faerie changeling (human adopted by the Seelie and imbued with magic), adopted sister to Heather and wife of Erik. To put it crudely, a crazy bitch. She’s sadistic, strong, and smart, with a few glosses of charm if she needs them. She loves her husband, but the only person she would be willing to sacrifice herself completely for is her young son, Agravein. Seelie magic and proximity to Unseelie has made her aging a bit weird but biologically she’s in her early 30s.

Agravein Dracula (Aggie) - 1-year-old son of Erik and Abathy, making him half-Unseelie, half-human, with Seelie attributes. There isn’t much to say about him in Prism as he’s a baby through most of the main series but he’ll be the star player in the sequel series.

That’s it for now! It’s a lot but there are other characters who might be mentioned - they’re either minor or dead. Depends on the character.

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