Thalestris (WIP)

[tegehel]

Hi all,

Comments would be appreciated. Is it too busy, can you read it fine, what works, what doesn't, etc...thanks.

To be on the safe side, since I drew this while I was at Turbine, I should probably say that the original pencil sketch is ©turbine entertainement software.

This is my personal version, inked and all.

C.

http://www.tegehel.org/graphics/newfolio/web/thalestris.jpg

[Carnifex]

wo-o-o-o-ow!!!
this is awesome!
big fan of your work,have i said that already?;)
BUT:you should make her some kinda shoes that support the akward feet position,it must be horrible to stand like that all the time.
no crits otherwise.:)

[behemot5]

wow she is great....i'm falling in love.... perhaps the arm with the one she carries her arc....the front-armlever(?) too big???
or is it due to black part of it????
anyway....she is marvellous.....
perhaps her right thigh ???? a little bit too big??

[foster]

hey cyril, sorry i did not get back to you today. it was a long day mixed with work and house cleaning.

the arm holding the bow is too big, big like a bubble! i like her big legs but wish that her face caried something of that character in it. it is too hard and generic.

nice piece, cool design but tweak it more.

jon

[bbwolf]

Nice bw work. Reminds me of some old Chris Achilleos pieces.

Okay, here we go:

The helm top is confusing. Is it solid? If so it´s apt to be too heavy for her. Is it feathers or horsetail? then it needs some rendering.
Maybe the horns are too much due to the biiiig thing on top. Too, I can´t tell the horns from another. Maybe add a white line seperating the two.

I don´t think the arm holding the bow is too big. But I think the armour covering the inner side of the arm should be closed, ah... showing a sleek, smooth ongoing surface. Because the string of the bow will swisch over the arm. Bowmen (and women) have protecters.
Right now the string could get caught at the buckles. Know what I mean?

And if the arrow just left the bow, the string should show some movement or slight vibes. Maybe a slight arch to the right.

I, too would favor some boots on this, though I think the toes are adorable and I looooove barefeeted women. But on the other hand I also loooove realistic armor concepts.

And last but not least, the boobies should be a bit further down on the chest. But only if you´re going fer a realistic look, not fer a superhero look.

Overall, great composition of bw and grayscales. I love it !!!

Wow, that was quiet a lot info. But hey, you´ve asked fer it. Hope I could help.


Wolf

[tegehel]

To all: sorry for the late answer. Life, you know.

By the way: Thalestris was a queen of the Amazons who went with 300 women to meat Alexander the Great, in the hope of raising a race of Alexanders.

carnifex: thanks man. I'll just say that she doesn't stand like that all the time, just while she shoots, or just afterwards. Otherwise, just just stands normally.

behemot5: Thank you. As you see, the new version fixed those issues, and probably added many more new issues, now.

foster: Thanks. what do you think of this version? I went for more pen and ink feel, with much more details, I think adequat for the Amazon-type. I dropped the background idea. It was cool at first, but was distracting I think. Am I wrong?

bbwolf: thanks for the cool crit. I love a lot of info, and thanks for the Achilleos reference :) it's always neat to be associated with cool pinup artists. I like his stuff. Okay, here we go:
- Helm is horsetail, I hope it's a bit more obvious now.
- Horns are better separated now.
- The inside armor is already closed where it need be, i.e. the forearm. The string will never touch the upper arm, and if it does, you're doing something quite wrong :)
-The arrow left the bow quite a while ago. I took the Kyudo, Japanese Archery, philosophy where you take your time and stay in the position for a short while (there's much more to it, obviously, but I'm not gonna explain it here).
- boots: logically, yes. I agree, however, there's nothing realistic about this armor. Think about it :) It doesn't cover the necessary parts, it's bulky, cumbersome and too heavy. It's just nice looking, but totally useless...hehe.
- You are absolutely right about the breasts, and I should have noticed it. I will use your 2nd argument as an excuse: superhero look :)

Please let me know what you think of this new version.

Cheers,

C.

http://www.tegehel.org/graphics/newfolio/bw/thalestris_v2.jpg

[Ian Mack]

Wow, excellent pic. The only thing that really confuses me right now is the forward part of the bow. It's completely white and I'm not sure if there is anything there, of if it's an extra wire, etc..

[William b. Hand]

Great character!
Love her helmet, sword, armour... etc.

My only crits/suggestions:
I think you should lose the tattoo work. It's too reflective of late 20th century trendy design, it distracts or obliterates pleasing qualities of her face/belly/neck/legs, and it ruins the nice contrast between skin and armour.

Give her some toe nails. The eye is naturally drawn down to her feet, but they lack the detail such a focal point warrants. (Also... it really is pretty silly that she's not wearing some footgear.:rolleyes: )

I'm not sure about the left arm guards (OUR left)... While they look great on the right arm, something gets lost in the translation to the left, and it also looks like her elbow's missing. I think it looks that way because the wrist cuff obscures where the arm would curve back, but it's a little confusing. Going with a more form-fitting band, the likes of which you have on the right arm, might tidy that up.

I love the subtle blurring of the string, by the way. Nice touch. You could probably push that effect even further.

[tegehel]

Otherside: Thank you. The front of the bow is actually consolidated wood, to help strengthen the bow. Now I've added bolts, which may or may not make it more readable (?)

William B. Hand. Likewise, thank you. I've pretty much fixed all you've noticed, which I agreed with. Basically, a lot went back to the original one.

I want to add 2 things: I agree the tattoes were distracting though I disagree that those are 20th trendy design since they've been used for centuries by other civilizations and I don't have a problem showing them again if necessary. I do understand what you mean though. I guess it's just a matter of taste vs cheesyness. I like cheese, so...

NO FOOTGEAR :) I know it's controversial - a lot of posts seem to point that out, but it's the artist's prerogative, right?

I've fixed the toenails. Funny you didn't say anything about the fingernails, though, for they were missing too. The missing nails were a stylization choice but adding them doesn't make me feel one way or another, so here they are.

Alright, I've added a bit of background, and unless someone has something else to say, I'm ready to call this one's done for now. I'll wait a few days for remarks and comments, and then I'll put it on the finished section.

C.

http://www.tegehel.org/graphics/newfolio/bw/thalestris_v3.jpg

[William b. Hand]

That looks like a McDonald's "M". :D

Love the changes. Love the nails. ;) I'm wondering if maybe you would see that little hollow at the front base of the neck... the area where the muscles join the clavicle? It seems to me that you might wanna put a hint of it there.

[Groover McNab]

This looks so good! I really like how she's "thicker" than the average fantasy chick. Also, I agreed with William b. Hand's comments about the tattoos. Definitely looks better in the lastest version.

The background is really well rendered, although it bothered me in the previous version since it was black and white and didn't have the same gray tones the figure has. Even though that is still the case, it doesn't bother me as much with the added details that you've added. Great work!