Centurion WIP (upd. new img.)

[Prometheus|ANJ]

This is a design I've been working on for years. Well, actually I just do one remake of it per year. I haven't managed to get the 'mental image' down on paper yet.

The concept/design is defined as follows,
The centurions have about 100 lesser deamonic creatures under their command. Most creatures are 'assimilated' humanoids or animals that has been adapted with various mutations and gear.
The centurions are pretty much like the Borg, ie. they have pale white skin and wear black armour.
The armour has merged with their body giving it a slight organic look. It's rusted and bloody, with some bones, skulls and ornaments scattered around. The scythes on the back symbolize wings or something.

First I drew a pencil sketch on an A4 paper, then I scanned and colored in PS.
This time the armour got too brown. The reason for this is because I used the brown palette from a picture by Paul Bonner. I don't like using reference at all, because when doing soo I tend to automate the painting process and not think. I also dislike using anatomical or posture reference. Paintings often end up looking undynamical when doing so, just compare Boris Vallejo's sketches and inks with his painings (he uses models for those) and you see what i mean.
Anyhow, I prefer learning to be able to paint and draw without reference, it seems more honest somehow. Using reference for studies is great for learning though.

Ow, I'm ranting.

Even tho I used reference for the colors I ended up curving, hueshifting and colorbalancing it a lot. I also painted in some blue ambient light and greyed some of the surfaces near the edges (cuz of the white BG). I overdid the highlighting as always. This is probably why I never manage to get the black armour right. I might render the sword or some detail in some spiffy saturated color to give the image an interesting splash of color, which will be needed since the armour is (supposed to be) black and the face is white.

Anyhow, it's not finished. I might not finish it, unless I'll attempt to curve and hueshift it to a more neutral dark color. I should merge the arm socket better into the shoulder, it looks 'stuck on'.

http://home.swipnet.se/zebes/temp/centurion2002c.jpg

Old centurion (98 I presume)
http://www.itchstudios.com/psg/dgate/oldcenturion.jpg

[stephen]

damn, thats quite awesome prom, good job!

[Sketch]

Gad domn your stuff is sweet. As usual. Maybe some tattoos on his face might give u a touch of colour, plus add to his character?

[Smeagol71]

Thanks for posting this WIP Prom, it's much appreciated. It's only through posts like this will others learn about the process one needs to go through in order to produce a superior product! It's looking great though and I'm excited to see the finished piece!

[killing.people]

i see your thoughts yo!, muhahaha.
(your thinking prosses is evedently aparent from my observance)
i had just realized a flaw in my skills, i dont flatten also, i add details and highlights too early.
prometheus, i love your web site - your tutorials are very helpful, they will help with my monster concepts wonderfully! muha!

n-e ways thanks for sharing,
-killing.fan

[Android]

the image looks awesome, and I really like the concept behind it, but I dont see alot of your ideas being reflected in drawing, It look like a gut in a cool armour suit, I dont get the feeling that the suit and his are fused, more bones nad muscle tendons and hints of old flesh would be cool, I really like the pose and especialy the silouete of the figure, you color palet is off to a nice start but it could use some more diversity, I am often add highlights and things too early, its so tempting, but what I do now is after I add the intital highlights I will later give the image a wash of color then ad the final highlights on the wash. great work prometheus. keep posting here.


Android

[JoshuaTheJames]

aw man ...i love the sketch qualities and then the painted details !!!!

-Joshua

[daarken]

i love your painting technique you use on all your pieces. the armor really feels like its metal and you can touch it and know what its going to feel like. i agree with andrew though, i did not know that the armor was supposed to be more organic until i read your description. the scythe wings are sweet.

[Prometheus|ANJ]

Thank you for taking time to write some feedback. I've assimilated the information. The black armour is really hard to get right. It's easier to render it in greyscale first, and thus not having to bother about the color dimension. What Android wrote about washing it with colors to add some hues and 'diversity' also seems like a good idea. I want the armour to be dark and have a color that shifts in various shades, like rust, mystical green, blood, bone etc.

Below, New image @ 100 ppi. I've skipped the color this time and concentrated more on the design of the armour, which ended up better I think.

http://www.itchstudios.com/psg/dgate/centurion2002-4.jpg

The armour is actually not organic, it's just partly merged with the flesh, just like borg armour. The reason why I made it this way is not because I'm ripping of the Borg design, but because it comes natural to give undead scary knights black armour and pale heads. The reason why the armour has organic properties is that it's hard to draw all the joints and stuff realisticly, plus it looks kinda cool.

I just realized that due to the diversity of this design I can't describe it with one image alone. I should do several images. Each centurion is different, but has the following details in common:

Collar whith pale head sticking up.
Scythes on the back and other places.
Cloth hanging from the waist.
Gearbags, satchels, heads and spooky stuff in a belt.
Large black, rusted, partly organic looking armour.

---

Older:

Acrylic centurion, A4, 2001. Turned out too green.
http://www.itchstudios.com/psg/dgate/centurion_now.jpg

Two inks from 2000.
http://www.itchstudios.com/psg/dgate/cent2.jpg
http://www.itchstudios.com/psg/dgate/cent3.jpg

[mcotie]

These are sweet. I love the little one on the bottom. I know your'e shooting for something darker, but that one rocks.

Mitch

[ScribbleHEAD]

dude...these are too sweet :D

Do you always color your sketches/drawings w. acrylics and photoshop??

My art teacher tells me to introduce more watercolors to my drawings, but i persists that these are not used by that many artists anymore.

I´m more into oils and acrylics, you peeps got any tips on how to persuade my watercolor loving teacher :D or should i just throw a brom book after her...

Cheers :chug:

[TJ Verhagen]

Whoa! thats amazing!
How on earth do you paint like that in PS?
I've tried to get a "paint" look on my work... but i never got it right:\

in any case.. this is inspiring! kudos to u!

*starts practicing again*

[texturez]

Ouch- you are good- please take a look at me new post first timer and give me some tips on creating a painting in PS damn you are good- great concept and pure delivery- Brad

[killing.people]

i notice that your arms look really chunky. they have this baby arm shape to them, only they are rip-like-tyson .. the wrist and elbows are overly muscular and i realize everything else is comicly exaggerated .. it looks awkward and i would say its unproportional but i have a freind named greg that has baby rip-like-tyson arms with a huge chest and little legs much like a baboon. so, i guess all i wanted to say was you draw arms funny. for the posted img .. although your concentration was the armor, which looks really good in this picture, the centurion's left eye isnt placed right and its bothering me.

i think it might help you to exaggerate the shines on the armor to give it more of the dominatrix leather, beatle shell look of the borg that you might be going for - how your sketch shows. although i like the rollerblade plastic, dulled highlights most the armor has now.

-killing.opinions

[Prometheus|ANJ]

Thanks for the feedback. To answer some questions:

Scribble> I color with PS, acrylics or watercolor, and sometime acrylics mixed with water ('water acrylics?' I think Shirow M. colors this way.).

Watercolors have nice qualities, such as saturation. Acrylics tend to grey when mixed. I think it's important to master all kinds of techniques. Watercolors are only $50 or so for a small professional set (WN or so).

Killing> the arm thing is probably a preference thing. The wrist and elbows should be thin though, as there are no muscles there. Normally I draw those part a little thinner but this guy has a buff armour, so I didn't
The beetle exoskeleton texture is exactly what I'm looking for here! thanks fo pointing that out, I'll dig up some pictures of beetles now and use as reference. :)

The eye is wrong and I should fix it (digitally). So is the shythe on the shoulderpad, it should be shortened, cuz it looks all skew now! There's always errors I don't se, cuz I work fast. To fix all errors would double the rendering time but only make the image a bit better. It's not worth the extra time for me. The face is important to get right though, so I should spend a bit more time on getting it right in the future.

[gekitsu]

i already knew the concept of the centurions from previous posts and the stuff on your website, so i just couldn't resist to have a peek in this topic.
in fact, i opened the wip forum just because i saw your nick in the "last post by..." info :D

i'd say the last sketches look great. the face of the first one looks a bit too comicky, for my taste and my thoughts about the concept. this has to be some badass warlord, hasn't it? a guy like this should grin in a way that tells you that you're inferior worthless scum and most likely dispatched over a few square meters if you don't get out of his way quick enough.
his grin, though has the air of: "hi, i'm redneck butcher bob and i'm drunk"

i am wondering how to show the armor and flesh being merged streamlined enough to understand it without description.
i guess making the hands like you do is a good way. one more solution i could think about is where the collar and neck meet. you could show some indications of flesh and armory being grown together there.

damn, i can't wait for more of your stuff :)

[texturez]

Please break down some times for me- how long did it take you to do the face- how long did it take you to do the front plate- at what resolution and how many pixels- did you use zoom or do you keep it about 50% 75% 100% etc. Thanks all information is regarded very highly, and I give my utmost thanks Brad

[Prometheus|ANJ]

Geki> Haha! You're right, the face on the top one is funny. I made a new one (in the other post).
The centurion is quite emotionless and has little ego, it just obeys its master, as it is created to do so. Perhaps I should write a story where a Centurion riots against his master by gathering a small army or something, but that would really be a one in a million event.

Tex> I usually scan at 300ppi (A4 size or less), and I mostly work at 50% of that, ie 150ppi. I spent 1-3 hrs on coloring the first one before giving up. I can't remember the exact times, sorry.