Reference Sheet Feedback / Critique
By
ChristopherRobin,
Posted on: 2009-09-17 11:50 in Multi-Media Fan Creations
Not an artist, but the pictures of her there are of pretty poor quality and they're very small. It's hard to make out details of the character.
With the addition of power customization, an action shot or two is probably a good idea for color schemes.
Visuals are more important than backstory for an artist who's going to draw your character, so I'd make the info block a lot smaller. The turnarounds you're already using are good. They just need to be larger. As far as other shots go, I would favor detail close-ups over action poses, especially if you use costume pieces with more complicated patterns and textures.
Quote:
First off I love the signature bar! |
Originally Posted by Pyro_Nympho
Looking for some feedback and suggestions. I'm gonna create Reference Sheets for a few of my favorites...while I save up money for a commision or two. As an artist, what do you wanna see in a "ref sheet"? Close up poses? Action movement? Backstory? As much of everying, all in one spot?
Check out the Ref Sheet I did for Natrix. Please use the "N" button in my signature (speaking of...how do you like the signature bar?) Feedback / comments / suggestions are appreciated! xoxo Pyro |
the only thing I would suggest to make it better would be to add a rim around it about half the thinkness
as the rings (if you can squeeze it in) around the buttons so it's more consistent.
The buttons themselves look cool... are they hard to do?
On the reference sheet, as an artist what I would look for...
1: Ideally the image should be brightly lit and well contrasted so you can see little details
2: The pose should be neutral, I prefer to add the motion myself unless their is a specific pose
or animation you want to see in the finished piece.
3: There should be a close-up of the face.
4: Including the Bio is fine I have it mine too but I'm thinking yours for Natrix takes up way
too much space. The pictures are far more important than the text. (this is not a reference
I send out to people but you can see what i'm talking about ---> here.
I think the one you have for TKO is your best.
I also have different sheet depending on whether or not the artist plays (and /or is familiar with) CoH.
If they know the game like the back of their hand then it's all about showing the costume, no fancy
poses, no powers.
If they are unfamiliar with the game I will include a brief note saying what powers my hero has and
what they look like along with a few "action shots."
I just had this discussion with Ennvee a few days back on vent cuz she asked me to take some references
for her here is an example of what I gave her... note the facial closeup and the high contrast
(even though the suit is mostly black you can still make out everything). Granted the background isn't
the best but I had no villains on her server so we could only meet up in Pocket D or Ouro lol.
Alternatively you could just send them a slideshow (it can be paused, slowed down, and repeated as necessary too)
and let them look through and pick out what they like from that.
Also, if you ever have the intention of taking it in print to a con or whatnot, designing to 8.5 x 11 is a good thing.
Reference sheets need to have focus on the physical characteristics of the character, nothing more. When it comes to simply rendering the character, as an artist, I don't care about your bio at all. It has no bearing on my ability to render the look.
When you commission an artist, the bio may be added, as a way for an artist to understand the type of emotion that they should be showing within the situation commissioned. But that information should be communicated with the artist themselves, not included in the visual bible of your character itself. It simply wastes space there.
The references need to be clear, easily distinguishable and have a full turnaround so that every different part of the costume is visible. If you omit something that we can't see, then you deny us information we need to accurately draw your character. If that means having to take off the cape from your outfit top get a good shot of the underside, then so be it. If that means including alternate references for something that's not supported in-game, then so be it.
Clarity of sight is why I have such a hatred of all black outfits. They do not show up well, they have little to no contrast, thusly viewing the edges of the costume is near impossible. You can't tell where one part of the outfit starts and another part stops. With these outfits, it's up to you as the commissioner to make *extra* sure that your outfit is clear. That might mean finding a bright spot, or adjusting the image in a graphic editor later.
Then, based on the variance from commission to commission, you might need to submit examples of powers or abilities of your character. These screens would also need to be clear, if you want the artist to render them correctly. But that will be up to you and the artist and it is something that can vary greatly between commissions.
This is the minimum level of detail that I want as an artist:
http://www.arscoh.com/d/5984-1/MassacreCostume1.jpg
http://www.arscoh.com/d/5987-1/MassacreCostume2.jpg
A full body turn around and a close up turn around, both in relatively large size. I also adjusted these shots in Photoshop to tweak the contrast a bit, so it's easier to see.
(I need to update the refshots now that we have more tools to use in the tailor screen, but you get the idea.)
http://www.virtueverse.net/wiki/Massacre_Melanie -the original Fire/Dark Corruptor -
http://boards.cityofheroes.com/showthread.php?t=115217
The Guide to BURN
xoxo
Py