Bill, you make an interesting point. I might pursue that when I start sketching out the layout.
Speaking about layouts, I completely changed the shape of the back panels because I was getting annoyed with the break in the slope that the center panel was causing and didn’t want to make it irregularly shaped in comparison to the other panels. And since I was doing that already, I figured I’d rearrange the colors since symmetry. I also played around with the diamond arrangement of Jason’s panel because Bill hadn’t suggested his idea yet.
Thanks Bill. I totally dig a lot of those helmets, so they’re getting saved into the reference pile (how I didn’t already had a lot of techy helmets, I’ll never know).
So, more Ghost Girl stuff. First, a small confession. I hate this picture. The anatomy is all off (That right arm haunts me to no end. Puns.) but I wanted to put together something quickly to show an idea I had so you’re getting twenty-ish minutes sketching to get a reasonable facsimile of what I’m hoping to have as the final result of GG’s pose in the overall picture.
Things I like: The overall look really sells GG’s outlook simply: the modern world is amazing and she wants to experience all of it. The little bits of color that don’t fit the rest of the overall color palette totally draws the viewer’s eyes to her face.
Things I don’t like: The smoke texture didn’t turn out anywhere as good as I’d hoped. I’ve got a couple of things to try out, but I think that I’m just going to need to draw out the smoke so that it doesn’t draw the attention away from the rest of the picture. I’ll try not to continue to harp on about the anatomy. I’m not 100% sold on the green eyes. Green has meant spooky, ectoplasmic things ever since I watched Ghostbusters as a child, but I don’t know if it fits the rest of the image. The brooch is totally generic and it shows. Maybe I’ll replace it with a cameo? I totally don’t want to go with a skull brooch. Seems too easy and on the nose. I really need to finalize the rest of GG’s outfit.
Small side story. You know you have the right friends when you’re just off-hand explaining what you’re working on and they pipe in with “Oh, you already have reference of that. Take my cosplay pictures from and scour those.” Sadly, she wasn’t cosplaying as a modern-day-loving ghost but it still had enough details of that teenage hipster aesthetic that I was looking for. The pose and the glasses are complete inspired by one of those pictures.
Agree about the smoke / steam (just to get that out of the way) but as much for the transition as anything else; it needs to be an intact dress (I can’t imagine Charlotte going about in something in tatters) with the mist coming from beneath, or else the dress itself needs to be solidifying from the mist.
I know that we’re talking coffee shop here, but I was surprised when it was a to-go cup in her hand. Charlotte seems to me to be a “yes, this is for here, yes, ceramic, please” lady, perhaps with pinky extended. I could be wrong here, though.
The steam itself turning into a ghost is cute but both distracts and becomes a weird sort of recursion.
I agree about going with a cameo rather than a bright green broach. I’m okay with the green eyes.
That said, I love the rest of this – the gestures, the sense of wonderment, a bit of apprehension, interest in things around her, the color palette, everything. Very cool beans, so to speak.
[Note: I am speaking for solely myself, not for the character’s player. I’ll give her a noodge to take a look at this.]
Agree about the smoke / steam (just to get that out of the way) but as much for the transition as anything else; it needs to be an intact dress (I can’t imagine Charlotte going about in something in tatters) with the mist coming from beneath, or else the dress itself needs to be solidifying from the mist.
I feel like this was part of my original idea and it’s gotten away from me. I think I’m going to give this another pass when I get minute.
I know that we’re talking coffee shop here, but I was surprised when it was a to-go cup in her hand. Charlotte seems to me to be a “yes, this is for here, yes, ceramic, please” lady, perhaps with pinky extended. I could be wrong here, though.
Oh yeah, I imagine that’d be the case 90% of the time, but I figure this is Charlotte out and about and that requires a cardboard cup.
The steam itself turning into a ghost is cute but both distracts and becomes a weird sort of recursion.
I don’t think recursion is that bad. I do agree that my quick sketch does have it in a fairly distracting manner, but I think when I actually draw it out I can make it a lot more subtle.
I agree about going with a cameo rather than a bright green broach. I’m okay with the green eyes.
I’m going to need to play around with some designs. If you or Margie have any ideas, I’m all ears. Otherwise it’s delving into some 19th Century America history sites for ideas.
First - I love the work you have done. The way you describe things from an artists point of view is cool. The bit of color on the anachronistic piece is great.
I agree with Dave on the skirt of the dress. Having the skirt made of smoke, tapering off, will give a smoother more refined look.
I’m fine with the to-go cup, especially since it is in a neutral color. Almost like drinking coffee is something that she is bringing forward into her current incarnation. (I’m not sure if coffee drinking was common at that time in the South and if women would have consumed it. Maybe it was a hidden vice of hers at the time.) And I think the ghost is a cute addition - sort of like girls dotting their i’s with hearts.
Cameos would be very common, but may have been reserved for married women. Gold filigree or pearls might fit better.
I also like the mirror image of mortal PP and a ghostly friend. If you are looking for symmetry, I would pick Marie Selika Williams (1849 - 1937: American coloratura soprano, she was the first Black artist to perform in the White House in 1878) from my dead friends post.
It sounds like coffee was a Northern staple, so Charlotte drinking it at the time might have been iffy or suspicious. If so, that’s certainly a reason to love it now: either you can flaunt your secret taste openly at last, or you finally have easy access to the forbidden fruit.
So, I suddenly remembered that I have a character too (actually, I just felt like drawing my own stuff :P).
So on the left we have our Concord. Made some subtle changes to my last design based on the image of Sablestar (nothing major, just little bits to make the comparisons more apt). I also remembered that Kirby Krackle was a thing and added a bit into the scarf. Really fits the “sparking” description better now.
On the right, we have what I imagine a fully vested agent of the Concordance might look like. I don’t think their arms would always been on fire, but I just wanted to visually expand the gulf of power between Adam and another “Concord.” The head, however, totally is always on fire like that. I just love the idea of calling them “Match Heads” or something. The lack of the face… yeah, that doesn’t look right (just like it should).
I like to think of the different bands between the two reflecting rank or something like that. As for the difference in the skin… well, I liked the idea of the Concordance telling a novice Concord something like “Look and see you reflect the stars. In time, you will be the stars.” Really just taking that Carl Sagan quote to its most absurd–kind of how the Secret World did, just… different cosmic horror implications really.
The head, however, totally is always on fire like that. I just love the idea of calling them “Match Heads” or something. The lack of the face… yeah, that doesn’t look right (just like it should).
I like to think of the different bands between the two reflecting rank or something like that.
Actually the first thing I thought when I saw the triangular shape on the head was “they have no face, all you see is a symbol denoting their rank and function”. The idea being that these people literally are their office, not individuals. That probably came from listening to your comments (and stuff Adam has said) about being a “pet”, plus Sablestar’s intimations that the Concordance might show up, not to help police worlds, but to organize and run them more efficiently.
Random guesses for Pneuma’s temporary shell. These sit in the window between “boxy soulless robot” and “just WHAT did Dr. Chin build this gynoid for…?”
See, Jason was thinking much more randomly/functionally … more like, “what robots do we have in the warehouse that actually have the RAM and processing power to support Pneuma, regardless of what they look like?” He’s not thinking of anything permanent, just more getting her out of the awful sitch she’s in right now.
