again with the orcs! :-)

[Atomick]

Here's more orc grist for the mill...did this in a day of slow "regular" work, 100% digital in Photoshop and Illustrator.

Not sure to progress with this one or not. I'm never sure anything I do is ever truly "finished," so C+C are definitely welcome!

http://www.atomick.net/conceptArtForum/orc1.jpg

Thanks much,
Atomick

[R_M]

Hi Atomick, I like your style a lot.and I have a couple of comments. one bad one good :)
You say you are not sure if it done or not, right? well I think the grey bg could use a bit of work. it feels a bit to flat (very illustrator), a bit of texturing maybee, like on the left arm thingy.

Now for the good one: the shadow the sword casts on the face is a very nice detail, love it. adds tons of drama, and is at the same time sublte so that it doesn't scream "look at me!"

[ChadTHX1138]

Best one yet atomick!! It has real character and movement in him which is important, he is alive...

try moving the banner back from him a little he is too close to that wall, he would be banging his elbows on it.

if you are not sure if you are done take it as far as you possibly can, with the texture, contrast and shadows etc. dont be affraid to screw things up sometimes because thats where you learn when to stop.

Keep it up with those dynamic poses.

[redehlert]

Atomick-
I like this! The flag is slick and actually something I could envision an orc regime using as their shield.
The facial marking is sweet and I like the pose.
My only concern is that left sword hand (foreground hand).
I'm currently doing some research for a hand anatomy atlas and one of my findings was about hand/wrist strength at various positions. Huh? What I'm getting at is that the position of the wrist in flexion creates a weaker grip on the sword handle compared to having the wrist in slight extension and a slight pinky side deviation. Do the actual pose your self and flex that wrist and you'll see what I mean. Now try it with the wrist in slight extension and feel the force. It all has to do with the extrinsic muscles of the forearm and how they interact with the wrist and hand.
Hope that helps out!

Cheers,
D

[Atomick]

It's finally finished! No it's not! Yes it is!

Thanks for the feedback, guys! Here's the result of a couple more hours on it. An improvement..?

http://www.atomick.net/conceptArtForum/orc2.jpg

http://www.atomick.net/conceptArtForum/orc2_face.jpg

Redehlert, good observation on the hand. The pose was intended to be a bit more ceremonial than combat-ready, hence the wrist position. Not sure if I have the energy to revisit the arm at the moment.. . :-D

Thanks, all!
-Atomick

[keyth]

an improvement for sure. more dramatic...puts the character in a scene....almost like he's ready to defend his flag and castle. good job:chug:

[Tanika]

Breathtaking. I wish I was more attuned to -knowing- what colors to use in an art piece. Yours are very soft and flowing.

[keyth]

actually i have just 2 cents to throw in upon further inspection.
don't get me wrong i like it a lot. however i can see how eliminating the linework within the muscle structure may push this a bit more. it may kick it up a notch. maybe....?:p

[Atomick]

Originally posted by Tanika
I wish I was more attuned to -knowing- what colors to use in an art piece.

There ain't much straight-up knowin'...it's just working it out those decisions on (virtual) paper.

Here's how the colors came together. I made an underpainting in a layer beneath the original sketch (VERY loose) just to block out what kind of skin tones seemed appropriate. I then sampled the colors of the underpainting to start on the final coloring, deviating as needed.

http://www.atomick.net/conceptArtForum/orc_study.jpg

After that, I just decided his red facepaint (chosen to contrast against the green skin tones) would be an emblem of his society, or clan, or whatever, and that informed the creation of the flag.

------------

Thanks again to everyone for their input...it's been extremely helpful! And yeah, Keyth, next time 'round I think I will ditch the linework; time for something new!

Best,
-Atomick

[R_M]

:D
mucho better
like the sword! now I get picky: banner could use some holes and tears (it is in mint condition!) same goes for the leather armor.

[azjohnl]

I agree orc banners should look like they have seen their share of blood splattering!
Very nice character design... He looks like more than the standard orc, more skill than brute force.

[soupface]

atomick, very nice. i like the sun-jaw logo, but for orcs it feels little too clean. dirty and rip the banner some, make the logo look painted on rather than screened on?

it's a great piece, very dramatic.