Some fanart

[Jarl]

The Greenhilt:

First, some old pics.
http://www.geocities.com/bearded_jarl/greenhilt.txt
http://www.geocities.com/bearded_jarl/greenhilt2.txt
http://www.geocities.com/bearded_jarl/greenhilt3.txt
As you can see, not very good.
I remade it recently (http://home.comcast.net/~jarl_the_radical/greenhilt.jpg), but it still doesn't feel very good. It doesn't help that I'm not 100% on what it's supposed to look like.


Xykon:

http://www.geocities.com/bearded_jarl/xykon.txt
http://www.geocities.com/bearded_jarl/xykon2.txt
I really like how this turned out. I like that skull model and have used it for other things as well (http://home.comcast.net/~jarl_the_radical/samedi.jpg).


Banjo:

http://www.geocities.com/bearded_jarl/banjo.txt
lol banjo.


The Monster in the Dark

http://www.geocities.com/bearded_jarl/mitd.txt
The solid shadow was fun to do.


Zz'dtri:

http://home.comcast.net/~jarl_the_radical/drow.jpg
Just a quick sketch from a while back, not very good, forgot I even had it.

-Maybe someday I'll get a scanner and upload some of my real sketches.

[Bryn]

Nice work, I very much like Xykon's skull, not so keen on the clothes.

Banjo looks a little plastic - perhaps try rejiggering the material settings, making them more cloth-like. Softening some edges might help too.

MITD is fantastic. I love the umbrella, the eyes, everything.

Good work indeed.

[Jarl]

Belkar!
http://home.comcast.net/~jarl_the_radical/belkar.jpg
Yeah, that's supposed to be him fighting Miko in Azure City. Yeah, it wasn't raining. Yeah. Sue me.

Anyhow, I drew the figre on the left first, looked at it, and said to myself... "nah... that's not Belkar." So then I drew him snarling, with stubble, a torn cloak, and daggers at the ready and was all "okay, there he is."
And now I've got a scanner. Heh heh heh...

-You're gonna be getting a lot more of these.

[danielf]

i like the creature in the dark hehehe

[Mythic]

very nice...

[Brickwall]

Messiness aside, that is indisputably the best Belkar non-stick I have ever seen.

I'm not so keen on the CG stuff ('cept for MitD). I almost never like anything using that 3D program thing that makes things look 3D but horribly bubbly or oddly textured. Maybe it's an Uncanny Valley thing?

[Closet_Skeleton]

Messiness aside, that is indisputably the best Belkar non-stick I have ever seen.

I'm not so keen on the CG stuff ('cept for MitD). I almost never like anything using that 3D program thing that makes things look 3D but horribly bubbly or oddly textured. Maybe it's an Uncanny Valley thing?

Well, uncanny valley only comes in when it looks realistic. Usually the problem with 3D is the artist's lack of experiance or the simple fact that computer graphics don't do matt very well.

[Jarl]

I was recently thinking of re-doing the Greenhilt (again) but I'd need to be able to distress the hilt to get the right feel across. Unfortunately, I'm crap at texturing. Oh well.

-I'm thinking I'll draw Roy next. Actually, I'm *always* thinking this, but I never feel good enough about it to take it very far.

[Bryn]

What software do you use for the 3D?

If you use Blender, I could give you advice for texturing.

[Jarl]

Nah. Wings3d, Cinema 4d for rendering. I know C4D texturing, it's just that they put those darn "demo" watermarks on your texes. Plus, I'm just not good at texturing in general.

-I recently drew Elan and Nale facing off, and am debating with myself as to whether or not I should post it.

[Brickwall]

You're good with traditional media. Stick with it, and go ahead and post Elan/Nale.

Unless it's porn. In that case, there are other sites for you to post it on. Not here.

[Jarl]

Heh heh heh...

-maybe no. It's not very good. I like the idea behind it, but it's the first pic I've ever done of Elan and I want to get it right.

[Brickwall]

You wimp! How will you ever improve if you can't get a proper critique?

I may hate most of the stuff I do, but I post it all the time on DeviantArt just so I can have people criticize it. Unfortunately, people who have me on their watch list never leave comments. I dislike that greatly.

Back on topic- post your art. It's good for you.

[Tussy the Druid]

I like all the work. The greenhilt sword is nice, although the hilt looks like it's emerald, but you said your texture is off.... to me it looked like more of a longsword than a greatsword. M'just saying.

[TheSilverKnight]

Maybe to help the sword you could distinguish that the hilt of a sword is not the whole handle. The hilt would be the part that contains the hand guard the handle in between on a great sword usually has two parts a bare metal part for your main hand and a wrapped leather part for your off -hand or the whole thing is wrapped and the the pommel or but being the bottom is usually the same color as the hilt or hand guard. The reason the whole thing is green in the comic is because it is just one shape so Rich can't go into detail with out changing his style.

I saw these when you first posted them and they are very good at least I think so because I can't do 3d I have tried the the best thing I created was an orange.

[Jarl]

You wimp! How will you ever improve if you can't get a proper critique?


I'd vastly prefer to have a product I can be produ of and have an emotional investment in get torn apart by you guys than just some doodle I scanned and colored.

And as for greatswords, I'm working on that. I'm going to re(rerere)make it, this time basing it off an old german Zweihänder.

-I've finished the new hilt (it's got emerald decorations on it, very swank, very ancestral looking) and am now working on a blade. I'm considering making two blades, one steel/plus whatever one based on the original design, one +5 Starmetal version.

[Brickwall]

Remember how very little starmetal is in a starmetal blade. Green tinge, or maybe green glow around regular steel. No full green like that first one. Eugh.

[Jarl]

Most of the difference is in the modelling. As the Starmetal blade (let's call it "G2") is made by a Japane-an Azuran blacksmith, I altered the blade slightly. G1 has details on the blade reminescent of German Zweihänders, but G2 has an overall design more similar to Odachis, with a slight curve to the blade and an area for Kanji Etching on the base of the blade.

-Probably something like... "tai-ao-to" or something. I dunno, I was never good with Kanji.

[Wayril]

The skull's very nice, but volume lighting in the eyes? (assuming that's what you did) I think that really takes away from the picture. Also the neck thing looks too wooden.

But anyway the skull is awesome. Pull the jaw and upper mouth up a bit more though. the mouth is too far from the nose. I don't know if you were looking for the small criticism. The pics are very good though.

I guess it would help to know what program you're using too. I only know how to use 3ds max and Maya.

[Jarl]

The glowing eyes is in both the comic *and* the SRD. Plus, that's a stock skull.
The neck thing was because I couldn't quite puzzle out what it was he was wearing, so I just winged it.
Speaking of which, I use Wings3d to model, Cinema 4d to texture and render.

-Say... here's an open question... when you envision Roy in your head, what kind of armor/etc is he wearing? It doesn't say in the comic, from what I've seen, and I've tried many variations, but nothing looks right.

[Brickwall]

I just make custom armor when I'm armoring characters unless it says otherwise. Elan, Haley, and Durkon (and Sabine) have specifics, but all other armor is free game. Just make it medium/heavy and use dark blue in prominent parts.

[Jarl]

Eh, screw it.
Elan and Nale: ROUND 3 GO!
http://home.comcast.net/~jarl_the_radical/elan-and-nale.jpg
Not my best work.

-I've also given up on that other Roy pic. The armor was ridiculous.

[Brickwall]

I think Nale was supposed to be dressed up. Like in a suit or something. And Elan's clothes have no reason to be torn. It's not that dashing, it's just scruffy.

[Jarl]

That's odd. I saw the pics, and I saw black turtleneck and scruffy lookin nerfherder.

-Different strokes, eh?

[Brickwall]

Scruffy is not suave. Those were fine adventuring clothes he was given, not messy raiments.

Although it's hard to tell what Nale was wearing, so I think you have quite a bit of room for artistic license on that one.

[Jarl]

"Given" is a nice way to say it. It's the costume for a "famous treasure hunter", which sounds roguish to me, though I'm unfamiliar with Final Fantasy, so I wouldn't know.
I thought the Turtleneck was an odd choice on Nale's part, though. Plus, since I messed around with his stance (at first he was "at the ready", then I altered it to mirror Elan's stance), it came out looking Gayer than I had planned.

-Oh well... you know, with a shapeshifter girlfriend, it's not like the never tried...

[Jarl]

Elan Versus Nale: Round One GO!
http://home.comcast.net/~jarl_the_radical/Elan.jpg
Hmmm. I hate that mouth.

-And I need to start actually coloring these instead of just using blending modes.

[Jarl]

New pic!
56k beware.
http://home.comcast.net/~jarl_the_radical/Roy_Greenhilt.jpg

-Based off the rather epic opening frame of #430

[ocato]

The scruffy clothes one is from Nale v Elan after Elan flies in the window, gang. Hence the town up clothes and Nale in black/no goatee. The torn clothes are sort of a personal touch but it's all good.

Pretty good work I'd say. Roy's armor came out pretty good, I'd probably downplay the blue a little.

[Idless]

Nevah - you cannot downplay the Blue Warrior

...Idless