Leona's CAS Compilation ~ Blades, Braids & Bobs

^That's where I learned it as well, so I'd definitely recommend giving it a look for anyone interested in learning a new trick or two. I'll add, also, that if you add a pattern to something and use the 'color all' option, removing the pattern will default the item's color to the original - and I believe changing the pattern later will bring the sheen on that item right back. So, be careful when playing around with it; I'd personally suggest copy-pasting the character to another slot before editing or writing the colors you want down on paper, so that you can restore them much easier. Whatever works best for you. :)

Thanks for the help, by the way, MistaKoo! I appreciate you getting that for me; I was asleep when Moka posted, so I wasn't able to reply. :)
 
Some walls of text in here, so in order to keep everything, well, neat and orderly, I'm giving each reply its own spoiled response. That way, I can keep track of my own comments a little easier, and people can find theirs without having to scroll through a wall of text... just a wall of spoilers... hmm. Feel free to let me know which format you prefer, if any! XD



Indeed, trial and error, while the most time-consuming and frustrating part of the creation process, is probably still the best way to go. I wish you the best of luck on your own creations – I'm sure it'll all be worth it in the end, even if you don't immediately think so yourself. Trust me on that one. ;)



UPDATE! - 7/28/2012
New this update:
-Added four new characters to the roster
-Made minor changes to four existing characters; see below
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-Removed blue sheen from skirt, turned the bow around
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-Desaturated some colors, made minor edits to mask, changed glove pattern (still not happy XD)
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-Darkened skin and hair tone
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-Removed pauldron
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... and an extra one for Samaras. :3


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"Get these mother****ing snakes off my mother****ing arms!"
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The results of some experimentation with extra equipment and metal mixing! I wanted to try and incorperate some pieces I hadn't used before, which eventually lead to a bit of a snake theme. I like how well the Kitty Sash works with the Embroidered Drawers, and the wrapped / coiled effect works nicely for the snake motif, I think. I really wanted to use that motif in something that didn't immediately read as selfish or evil, as snake themes often do.

And with that, the aPat CaS are completed! My overall goal is to create at least two characters for each fighting style, one male and one female. One down... twenty-one to go.

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"You know, I'm not even sure I can lift this...."
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You know those occasions where a design just comes to you as you go along? Shirin's an example of that. It started as a pattern test on the sash, and it all kind of went from there. I'd been wanting to take advantage of a dark blue / white color scheme for a while, and I think it worked rather well for Shirin. She sort of combines a couple different concepts that I usually keep separate; the glowing tattoos and lack of modesty one character might have, coupled with the cloak and strong stature one would expect from another. I kind of like how the two worked together in the end, though.

This update is somewhat out-of-order; between Rajni and Shirin are two other ladies, but I'm too busy fussing over colors and hues to include them just yet... in the meantime, though, I offer their cards as teasers!

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Comments and criticisms welcomed, as always!



Your latest designs look incredibly well done (even though some of 'em were incomplete). Color them all well, and they'll look awesome!

Of the two that were completed so far, I personally like Rajni's overall look - but I also like Shirin due to the fact that she uses Astaroth's moveset (one of my favored fighting styles in the game!). :)

Keep up the good work! And also, thank you for your kind words, for they gave me courage.... m(_ _)m
 
I have a question towards your pyrrah design, how dis you filled with blue the plant decoration in her skirt?

UPDATE! 7/8/2012
New this update:
- pale-skinned, white-haired Asians, because my muse fails to recognize "accurate ethnic characteristics" as a viable option
- MORE WINGS


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Because 'arctic albino samurai' is, apparently, a thing.
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Although Edyis came close, Aki's the first female character I've done to officially use the 'built' body style, and the second after Almasd to be use the forth height setting. I wanted to give sort of a mother-wolf feel to her; a tough leader, but a loyal guardian. Also, albino. Because reasons.


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Because WINGS.
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A play on the Black Swan, I wanted Odile to have a seductive, dance-like style - and so once again, Tira was the obvious choice. I mostly based the outfit around the use of the Soothseer's Dress, and the Valkyrie armor proved well-suited to the concept. I'm not too keen on the faces, though, so I tried to make them resemble the gem in her mask... and now they look like even weirder faces.


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Because... erm... boobs?
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A lot of experimentation went into this one. I'd wanted to put the Orian Kimono to good use for a while now, and I finally decided to go ahead with it. But how to do so and still make it seem cohesive proved harder than I thought – I'd originally paired it with the Hip Skirt, but the inability to put stickers on it proved difficult. I eventually decided to use the Paero, but then had to ensure the gap it left between the pieces would be covered. Then, of course, there was the fan as an impromptu weapon (an idea largely stolen from rdmunhoz), and the testing of several fighting styles to see what worked with it. All in all, though, I rather like the result. Viola's idle stance twirls the fan nicely, and I like how the red, white, black, and gold color scheme comes together.

And so concludes my per-finished roster! Aside from a handful of default character recolors, all my completed designs are now up and posted. I may make edits here and there as new pieces are released or errors are pointed out and suggestions made, of course, but from here on out updates will be made as new things are done. Which will probably be pretty soon, actually, if there's a character equipment DLC released this coming Tuesday. ;)


I have a question, how did you got the fan in the character with viola's fighting style and her clothes i dont have them, is there a dlc or what???

PLZ ANSWER ME
I WAN THAT EQUIPMENT!!

...............
 
I have a question towards your pyrrah design, how dis you filled with blue the plant decoration in her skirt?

You mean Elande, the one with goat legs? I used that large, circular patch sticker, motif 61, and then placed the laurel sticker, motif 21, over top.

I have a question, how did you got the fan in the character with viola's fighting style and her clothes i dont have them, is there a dlc or what???

The fan is a combination of the Centurion's Plume and Helmet Ornament: Iris extra equipment, with the Oriental 4 pattern on the plume to replicate a fan's folds. The only real DLC item she's wearing is the Orian Kimono, which is part of the Beast Pack, and I believe everything else is available via just ordinary unlocking means. She's wearing the Capris in the undergarment slot, the Pareo in the hip slot, the Armlets & Bandages in the arm slot, and the Geta on her feet.

EDIT: And now I'm off to bed, so any future questions one might have will be responded to in the morning. Along with an update, hopefully; I've got a handful of new designs waiting in the wings, so I really ought to get things moving again. Hah, and feel free to poke me from time to time if I should take a too long getting one out. ;)
 
Thank you so much im sorry for my impatience, please accept my apology.
My god, you are awsome! You're extremely talented! I envy you. :P

Not at all! I'm happy to answer questions and help out whenever I can, so if you're ever wondering about something you see here, feel free to ask. The more we learn, the more we share... the more we improve. I just ask you give me time enough to respond, is all. ;)

UPDATE! - 8/11/2012
New this update:
-added four new characters to the roster
-a lesson learned as to why posting teasers for not-quite-perfect designs is a bad thing, and the decision to post 'em anyway

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More snakes! Aleta turned out a bit more monochromatic than I'd intended, but I'm overall rather fond of her design. I'd been wanting to put that Hip Skirt to good use for a while, and the idea of combining it with the Chiton worked out pretty well - since it's a belt item, also, it tipped the top in a bit at the waist for a more feminine look, on top of it. I'm not completely sold on her footwear, though I like that it carries the bronze theme to her feet as well.

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A classic example of the overall outfit working fabulously, but the details not completely coming together. I like how the leather pattern works on the Bong-Seong coat's panels and how well the Honor boots go with it, though the pattern on the camisole and decorative portions of the boots has been giving me no end of frustration. I just can't quite seem to find something that adds that final touch.

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Lamont is no longer the only man on the roster! The start of what hopefully becomes a trend if I have any hope of achieving my 'one for every style' goal, we have... a lion-themed ancient warrior with claws. I experimented a bit with Baas with some hair and metal toning, but tried to keep his overall look fairly simple. As silly as it is, I think perhaps my favorite part of his design is actually that little scar on his side - I've always been poking fun at the usefulness of midriff-bearing armor, and that was kinda my own way of adding a fun little touch to the design.It actually fits him surprisingly well!

Apologies for if the creation notes this time around are a little less than coherent! I've had a terrible time of expressing my thoughts of late, which was part of the reason this update came a bit late. I may go back and rewrite some things or respond fully to the lovely comments you all've left me, but for the time being, I'm afraid this'll have to do.

Next update coming soon!... providing I didn't just jinx myself by saying so. :P
 
UPDATE! - 8/17/2012
New this update:
-added two new characters to the roster, both with a bit of a flag thing going on

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"Aha! Take up your sword and accept your fate, damned cameraman!"
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A part of the resistance spearheaded by Meiling. I wanted something just a touch crazy in order to suit Yoshi's style, and I really liked how it came across with Xifeng. The skunk stripe, the myriad of waist items and dangling things, the bags under the eyes, and the sanity-be-damned headgear come together really well for a quirky, capable, but still less-than-sane ensemble, I think. I'm concerned that the part combinations, particularly the Elegant Vest paired with the Ninja Hakama, might be a little overdone, but all in all I like how it all works together.

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"Is this pose dramatic enough? I've got my sash waving and everything."
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I wanted to use that Oathbearer's armor for a design where the dominant color was not blue, and darn it, I was determined to do so. Rather than trying to mix similar shades and hues to blend the armor in, I instead chose contrasting colors like orange, red, gold, and a little bit of green, along with the repeating shades of leather to help tie everything together a little more. I like how the flag incorporates a swath of blue-grey in it, as well.

And that's all for now! As always, comments, criticisms, and questions are welcome. :)
 
I like how you tied the leather part with the chaps. I've seen the chaps tied with the blue thing but I guess it works both ways.
 
Wow, Leona. I love your creations! You've absolutely captivated me. I wish I would of found this thread much earlier on. I also love the colors you use. You're definitely one of my favorite creators. :)
 
I really like Aleta's design. The metal parts go surprisingly well with the robes. I don't think the monochromatic color scheme is a problem, here, since the chiton+hip skirt combination takes up a lot of the surface area of the design. However, what does concern me is the difference in sheen between the chiton and the hip skirt. Have you tried the pattern+color all trick on them?

Cho-Soon's parts work fine, for the most part. I'm not entirely sold on the Honor Boots, however. To me, they just don't blend in well enough with the rest of the Asian-themed outfit. As far as coloring goes, I don't think the colors really go well together. Use of the pattern on the Bong-Song Coat's Panels is a nice touch, however.

One look at Baas is all it takes to draw the conclusion that his fighting style is raw and feral. The simple and worn design draws out this impression. The scratches on his midsection are a nice accent. The red, gold, and brown color scheme also fits well.

Xifeng definitely looks like she would hang with Meiling. It's amazing how well the "Chinese" Leixia 2P top go well with the other "Japanese" parts. I also really like the detail you added on the backhand part of the Merveilleuse Gloves. It's too small for me to see what exactly's going on there, though. What sticker(s) did you use there?

I didn't notice it at first, but Bolivar's kind of got this "conquistador" thing going. I'd like to echo MistaKoo's remark on the pairing of the chaps with the waist part of the Oathbearer's Raiment. That was a good coloring decision that gave a bit of continuity to the design. I'd also like to bring to attention the use of the Centurion's Plumes on the wristguards. It's an interesting idea and I like the way it came out in this design.
 
I like how you tied the leather part with the chaps. I've seen the chaps tied with the blue thing but I guess it works both ways.
Ah, thanks! I'd actually tried matching the blue before, but couldn't get quite the right tone. Eventually I decided to try and match the leather underpinnings instead, which worked much better. I'm glad I was able to use that later, since the original CaS I'd experimented it with never made it to fruition. :)
Wow, Leona. I love your creations! You've absolutely captivated me. I wish I would of found this thread much earlier on. I also love the colors you use. You're definitely one of my favorite creators. :)
Thank you so much! I always love hearing that people enjoy my creations, especially when it comes to the colors and patterns I spend far too much time getting right. ;) I hope I may continue to captivate you with future updates!
Lamont and VALKYRIE look awesome!
Hehe, thanks! The valkyrie's name is actually Edyis, though I can see how that might be more noticable... I might have wanted to phrase that one better. XD
I really like Aleta's design. The metal parts go surprisingly well with the robes. I don't think the monochromatic color scheme is a problem, here, since the chiton+hip skirt combination takes up a lot of the surface area of the design. However, what does concern me is the difference in sheen between the chiton and the hip skirt. Have you tried the pattern+color all trick on them?

Cho-Soon's parts work fine, for the most part. I'm not entirely sold on the Honor Boots, however. To me, they just don't blend in well enough with the rest of the Asian-themed outfit. As far as coloring goes, I don't think the colors really go well together. Use of the pattern on the Bong-Song Coat's Panels is a nice touch, however.

One look at Baas is all it takes to draw the conclusion that his fighting style is raw and feral. The simple and worn design draws out this impression. The scratches on his midsection are a nice accent. The red, gold, and brown color scheme also fits well.

Xifeng definitely looks like she would hang with Meiling. It's amazing how well the "Chinese" Leixia 2P top go well with the other "Japanese" parts. I also really like the detail you added on the backhand part of the Merveilleuse Gloves. It's too small for me to see what exactly's going on there, though. What sticker(s) did you use there?

I didn't notice it at first, but Bolivar's kind of got this "conquistador" thing going. I'd like to echo MistaKoo's remark on the pairing of the chaps with the waist part of the Oathbearer's Raiment. That was a good coloring decision that gave a bit of continuity to the design. I'd also like to bring to attention the use of the Centurion's Plumes on the wristguards. It's an interesting idea and I like the way it came out in this design.

I'm not sure, honestly! I'm pretty sure I did try the color-all option, or else the Hip Skirt would still have a red shine to it. The two pieces just seem to have a different brightness level to them, so they don't quite match up correctly. I remember trying to brighten the skirt during her creation... maybe I ought to try dimming the Chiton?

Hmm, I actually like Cho-Soon's Honor Boots; they kind of suit the adventuring feel I was going for, although I can agree they don't feel particular ethnic, especially in comparison with the coat and hat. I'm glad you like the leather pattern on the panels, though! I think that's probably my favorite part of the costume, so I'll definitely want to keep that if/when I go back to edit her a bit.

Like I need an excuse to use red, brown and gold in a color scheme? :P I find Nightmare's style to be kind of hard to work with, actually, without making the result seem too... Nightmare-ish, for the lack of a better term. The sword suggests a warrior or a knight, but the arm and the stance imply a more wild demeanor... and in the end, I think I might've wound up mashing aspects of both together!

Xifeng uses the pocket sticker, Motif 60, on her gloves. I use Merveilleuse Gloves quite a bit (I like the length, particularly), so I wanted to try and differentiate it a little bit from all my other applications by trying to make it look like it had an armor pad on it. I might edit it a little bit to resemble the rest of her armor a little better, but I like how the idea came out.

Bolivar's concept was kind of a combination between conquistador and musketeer (hah, I really should mention these things in my notes, shouldn't I?), so I'm glad that came across. I wanted something that felt fairly grand, and I thought that a some smatterings of fur/plumes/scrub brushes helped that along. It also gave me the ability to customize the Oathbearer armor a bit more, which is kinda difficult to do.

Thanks muchly for the comment, by the way! I don't think I thank people enough for leaving walls of text for me. I love 'em. <3

UPDATE! – 9/5/2012

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"I'm lookin' for the partner who done put these holes in my hat. You seen 'im?"
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Wings, flowers, and... kitty mittens? Oh, my!
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Skimping on the notes again... I even had a little attempt at a backstory for Nebt-Het, too! School starting back up has taken a bit of a toll on my free time, but I'm hoping to keep updating fairly regularly regardless... and that probably won't happen given past experience, but with any luck I should continue creating for a while to come. ;)
 
Friggin' miles behind everything here at the moment.

I didn't even mention your wing enthusiast, Odile! Who even has a stumpy tail! She's an interesting armoured, demented sort of ballerina with a bird fixation and I like how Elysium's mask even has a bird-like shape to it. The black is a bit jarring, for me. I know some people don't mind it but sometimes trying a dark colour with really low saturation can be a bit more subtle than just solid pitch black. That's my only niggle and it's totally down to personal preference, so take it as you will.

I like how Aki looks all watery (ripples) and misty. The colour choice is brilliant, as is the pattern use. As a borderline trivial detail, I like how you matched the rope on the sword sheath to the string on her top. That's nice bit of consistency. She eye-catching in a subtle way, if that makes any form of sense.

Ah, Kitsune, she does indeed have boobs but she also has the patented rdmunhoz ninja-fan-a-majig! I don't know what he's called it. A really striking look, as most people have already said and the subtle patterns on her shorts look really nice. Very cool, bold colours. She's up there with Jolanna!

Pyrhha's skirt\coat combo: stolen. :D

I like Rajni's loose, baggy look and I did give a chuckle reading your notes on her, regarding the "at least 2 characters per moevset" thing. I had the exact same idea when I started...and I've got a bunch of Yoshi styles, a smattering of Viola styles and a handful of Mitsu styles...still not got a single Cervantes up. Ah, how naive I was at that time...oh right, good luck!

It might not hurt to buff Shirin up a little bit. She looks awfully skinny and might benefit from a fuller figure. The delicate, glowing skin tattoos and the calm palette are very noice.

I see with Baas you discovered the power of the exposed mid-riff. HA! You mocked my Scotsman for it and now everything has come around in a lovely, impractically dressed circle. Is it weird that Baas looks like Lion-O after his glory days? You know, where he's living in a skip? Anyway, I like the "wildness" of him and the claws are a nice touch, as is the theme of bandages running throughout. A tattoo here or there might help make him look more like a tribal warrior, if that's what you want.

Bolivar (I'm calling him Captain IrnBru, just FYI) has some interesting things going on. Good eye with the flag and using it as part of the design. Contrasting colours are hit and miss. I like them and use them but some people prefer harmonious colours like you've got in Aki. They help make characters a little bit quirky and this guy looks like he could be a chivalrous but inept musketeer-type dude with his ridiculous plumage monster of a hat. Also, there's no clear shot of the "pretty" side of the sash! From the sliver I can see it's orange, which is great and helps tie things together but I'm afraid it might be easily missed.

Yeah...gonna be needing some notes on Nebt-Het and they'd better not start with "Oh yeah this one time my friends and I were smoking weed and I thought....". She's really well made but looks a bit mad.

Lots of great characters, Leona. Hopefully there will be many more to come when you have the time.

P.S. As a fellow Captioneer (now a word), I approve of the humour in here!
 
Hm.... How long has it been since I last visited this website...? =/

... In any case, I see that you've improved quite tremendously while I was away, Leona. Your latest designs are downright impressive. :)

It's unfortunate that I have to limit my visits, though. Real life troubles and all that.... Later!
 
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