Now I know what characters I want to do I'm exploring what art style I want, a good style really makes the characters stand out. The stylisation can affect the character's personality in how exaggerated you can make their posture, mannerisms, and facial expressions.
Julien Desroy
What works well:
Strong shapes
Great silhouettes
Strong facial features
Harmonious colour schemes
Good detail density, but not crowded
Strong designs
Hair and fur done cleanly, but effectively
Outfits and accessories make for convincing characters
The small environment and lighting really brings the character together/sells it
The interaction between the character, her mount/pet, and her weapon
Strong, confident, and competent stance
Natalie Dombois
What works well:
Whimsical use of colour
Simulated paper texture, with watercolour washes
Imaginative pieces with nice flow to them
Strong character designs
Detail and markings on characters
Complimentary colours
Consistent style
Illustrations have atmosphere/mood, and tell a story
Scene-setting
Environments are harmonious with characters
Detail density
I love the colours and gradients used
Muse by Danny Mac
Concept by Jessica Madorran
What works well:
Detail in the hair, but still clean
Hair voluminous and curly, but not lumpy
Strong complimentary colours
Warmth of lighting works with theme
Clean background shows off model well
Lovely silhouette
Winding horn design
Steve James
What works well:
Strong shapes
Fun stylisation choices
Pops of colour
Range of facial expressions
Stylised hair in larger, more defined chunks
Fur material looks great on coat
Simple but effective style
Ilya Kushinov
What works well:
Mood of the pieces
I like the cool/aloof feeling they have
Fun pops of colours and gradients
I like the strong hair shapes/angles
Mix of tones in the skin
Strong art style
Interesting lighting
Nymph Bust by Stephen Anderson
Concept by Martin Abel
What works well:
I really like this character
The pastel purple hair works well with the browns and mauve of her skin and outfit
Purple gradients
Nice use of a more analogous colour scheme
Chunky braids done really well, I like the shapes and level of detail they decided to do, but it still reads well
Nice skin patterning
Horns look really organic
Muted colours are earthy and look nice
Shane Ludwig
What works well:
Skin textures
Undertones and flush
Expressive eyes
Nice hair flow
Cute facial proportion
Goddess-like atmosphere
Mystical lighting
Oliver Couston
What works well:
Strong silhouettes
Strong primitive shapes
Great lighting on final pieces
Facial expressions are expressive
Fun colour schemes
Strong poses
Unique characters
Great texturing
Model harmonious in design and staying true to the character
Personality
Hair sculpted well
Xinhang C
What works well:
Great level of detail
Not over-detailed
Strong detail stroked
Great silhouettes
Looks good even without textures
Hand-painting really well done
Gradients look great
Models are very readable
Nice texture/material definition
Cute but bad-ass
Great use of layers
Saad R. Butt
What works well:
Fur modelled really well
Lovely silhouette
Lovely use of complementary colours
Prop
Textures are great
Strong facial planes
Great expressions
Range of materials
Fur patterns really nice
Good facial topology
Hookwang Lee
What works well:
Awesome use of organic matter
Love the strong silhouette
Dark and imposing
Great gradients
Strong use of value
One colour but still super details and readable
Demonic
Strong tones in characters
Character's outfit works with their roles
Gold detailing
Stances
Prop use
Great designs
Loish's 1001 Knights Fan Art by Matthew Gilchrist
What works well:
Strong stance
PBR
Hair movement
Striking eyes
Weapon
Good lighting with plain background draws eye to character
Material definition
Armour layers
Thea Turner
What works well:
Beautiful value work
Story-telling sketches
Great sense of mood
Material definition
Great silhouettes
Personality
Contrast of red and blue
Line art great
Strong designs even at the sketching stage
Readable
Harmonious environment
Gorgeous rendering
Phobs
What works well:
Beautiful colours
Range of not often used skin tones
Detailing
Skin marking
Headdresses and clothing beautiful
Strong sense of character
Skin tones and undertones
Great silhouettes
Characters work together
Consistent
Looking at what's works well with these pieces, what do I need to apply to my characters?
Strong shapes/silhouette
Harmonious colour schemes
Interesting gradients
Good detail density
Strong designs
Clean hair and fur
Accessories/weapons
Small environment/diorama
Well lit
Defined stance
Great textures
Consistent
Tell a story through the character
Facial expressions (stretch goal)
Attention to skin tones and hues
Strong art style
Expressive eyes
Unique/memorable characters
Personality
Looks good even without textures
Readable, clean model
Use of clothing layering to add depth
Use of organic matter
Strong value work
Bibliography
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