Hero Teaser: Ellonia

[[TECH]Gorb]

Gorb; Yes, I do have a problem with his tight-fitting armor. If I didn't I wouldn't have pointed it out. If you don't care about believability in fantasy art that's your thing and you're entitled to your opinion. But I most certainly do and I'm tired of seeing visually incredibly ill-designed characters in games. Just because it's fantasy doesn't mean people are magically able to move around in metal armor that is touching every inch of their skin, everywhere without any indication of moveable joints. I wish people were a little less easy to please in that regard so we would at least have something of good visual quality to look at and play with.

This is actually quite an interesting subject (despite being subjective) as it's somewhat related (okay, probably significantly related) to the suspension of disbelief.

I mean, there's the whole discussion of "what counts as fantasy?". Then there's "what is your acceptable limit for abilities/appearances/behavioural patterns?" (which will vary dependent on your upbringing - as a graphical artist I'm sure the main reason behind your issue(s) with said artwork is down to your schooling. I could, of course, be wrong).

I'm not even touching on the other points (well, probably just one point ) raised in my post, as this alone is worth debate. I mean, why do you believe that your subjective view on the art (which you've stated is subjective by way of our opinion) is superior to someone elses'? What kind of fantasy do you prefer; what art do you draw inspiration from (I saw your Fallen Valk sketches, remember - they were impressively done and I loved how 'Dark Elf' they were as in Warhammer Fantasy, nerd alert)?

For me, concept art doesn't bother me that much (despite having an okay grounding in art, nowhere near someone like yourself though) - I have a technical mind, for one. Secondly (and perhaps more importantly) is that I generally view art (all forms of art: 2D, 3D, music, you name it) as something to be respected. I say "generally" because I'm only human and there are some outliers (mostly facets of modern art) that simply irritate the heck outta me.

[TeitanBlood]

I like her cold look, she looks gorgeus. Character reminds me of that evil Queen from Snow White. Which was my favourite antagonist in my known childhood fairy tales.

[Juicenewton]

"Frigid field grants clear vision where it is cast"

I guess monarch taught us nothing

[Lhune]

As a graphical artist I'm sure the main reason behind your issue(s) with said artwork is down to your schooling. I could, of course, be wrong).

I'm afraid yes, you are wrong. I'm pretty much entirely self-taught, the issues I have with the artwork are based on my knowledge of art and the many rules it entails, keeping in mind that even my knowledge isn't complete. I'm not going into the discussion of whether or not art "should have" rules; it has them, and those who were great in the past and those who are great today are mostly so because they are very well aware of these rules, follow them for the most part or break them where they know they can.

I mean, why do you believe that your subjective view on the art (which you've stated is subjective by way of our opinion) is superior to someone elses'? What kind of fantasy do you prefer; what art do you draw inspiration from (I saw your Fallen Valk sketches, remember - they were impressively done and I loved how 'Dark Elf' they were as in Warhammer Fantasy, nerd alert)?

I'm not sure how to answer this without treading on many toes, but I'll just go ahead. I have spent years upon years studying art as you probably know. First as my hobby, later as my job, and now as both my education and my job. I have talked to hundreds of artists of all skill levels, spent years collecting all sorts of art-related material be it for reference or inspiration, visited many art-related sites (both amateur and professional) and own and have read dozens of art-related books (and by books I don't mean "How to draw manga step-by-step", but books of the caliber of James Gurney's "Color and Light"). Based on everything I have seen, heard and read, I've come to the conclusion that I'm sharing with you now. While I'm aware this is an assumption, I'm going to guess that it's right; I think I know more about art and what makes it work (or not) than you do and most others that visit these boards. In that sense I guess you could say that yes, in comparison to the majority here I do view my opinion as superior. In the same way that if I'm discussing cars with my boyfriend, I deem my opinion inferior to his because cars are his main interest and he is very knowledgable on the subject. It has nothing to do with arrogance or modesty; it is simply the acknowledgement that sometimes, people know more or less about a certain subject than you do.

About the inspiration bit, I don't actually know much about Warhammer. That might be my bad. As for my "taste" in fantasy art: http://fc04.deviantart.net/fs71/f/20...di-d33w0e4.jpg http://fc00.deviantart.net/fs70/f/20...er-d4xenlj.jpg http://fc09.deviantart.net/fs71/f/20...ey-d3nwe28.jpg http://www.scribbletonic.com/wp-cont...en-smaller.jpg http://artnectar.com/wp-content/uplo..._excursion.png , to give you a rough idea, and pretty much all of these; http://www.guildwars2.com/en/media/concept-art/ . It's not just functional design, or just realism. What matters the most and what truly takes skill, is to make the picture as a whole work. To give the viewer, even if the content is high-fantasy, the idea that the character they're looking at or the world behind that frame could be real. That you make them truly experience your imagination rather than flatly presenting it to them. I see very similar developments in modern day music. A lot of art nowadays, no matter what direction, is flat. Shallow. Soulless. It seems to lack a certain amount of passion for the craft and because the majority of the modern audience is so easily satisfied, most artists aren't exactly motivated to push their creations up to that next level either. This I find incredibly regrettable.

For me, concept art doesn't bother me that much (despite having an okay grounding in art, nowhere near someone like yourself though) - I have a technical mind, for one. Secondly (and perhaps more importantly) is that I generally view art (all forms of art: 2D, 3D, music, you name it) as something to be respected. I say "generally" because I'm only human and there are some outliers (mostly facets of modern art) that simply irritate the heck outta me.

And that is exactly what I'm having issues with, as pointed out above. You have to understand that nowadays, compared to say 50 years ago, it is so incredibly easy to find the time, the material and the resources to create art. To put it bluntly, any idiot with a pencil can draw from a tutorial, of which there are thousands online nowadays, and end up having "created" something at least half-decent. What bothers me is that despite that fact (that it is so simple), that same idiot can call themselves an artist and gain "respect" from anyone who is either too ignorant, too lazy or simply not interested enough to understand what creating good art really entails. Which is fine on it's own, I can't blame someone for being uninterested. But so many of such people then pretend regardless that they know perfectly well what they're talking about. That "art" is completely subjective. That there is no good or bad art. Let me tell you, there soddin' well is and anyone who still doesn't think so is either not an artist themselves or one who doesn't care about their improvement (enough). I'm not saying YOU are one of these people, but your point of view on art as I interpret it is definitely part of the problem.

Long post is LONG. Sorry 'bout that.