I seek CAS improvement!!!

[Da_Fonz]

After creeping around the CAS forums for about a year, (o_O) I decided to give it the good 'ol college try and post some CAS. I am looking for any advice I can get to help make me and my Cas better.

What is on this thread
- Mostly CAS from SCV. I might post some from SCIV but then again maybe not......
- Cliche color combination. If done right even these color schemes look pretty good. (I'm not going to pretend that I think I can do it right hence the thread.)
- Purple and Red. While not my favorite color per say, they are some of my favorite to use on Cas
-Lots of Women. ( What can I say? I am what I am.)


What is NOT in this thread
- Characters from other series. There are plenty of more talented people than me who can do that. Personally, I find recreations rather restricting.

- Minimal effort to make things "nationality/culture-based". The game has werewolves, vampires, a soul devouring sword, and individuals who spout justice every other sentence. My view is if it happens it happens.

Now that I have defended myself, I am now open to your criticism. (At least for now....... Bwah ha ha... you get the picture.)

One more thing, If you see something you like just ask for it. If you want to steal it and try to recreate it then go for it. I only request you send me a picture so I can look at it. So I can be secretly jealous of your improvements and maybe steal it back. But don't be shy I don't bite often.

 

[Da_Fonz]

To start things off:
On second thought Bios arent posted for any of them yet I will add them as soon as I can.





EDIT: Larissa,Amelia, Merak, and Phaedra's bios are up. Phaedra's Bio is oddly enough split among the first two spoilers. I only used one spoiler oddly enough. Any help on that matter would be appreciated. Now to find the rest of them in the mountain that is my desk.... (I won't pretend to be an awesome writer just a heads up =D )
Edits have been moved to the front page.



Orriana

Bio

Spoiler

Coming soon once I find them..... (sheepish grin)

Spoiler

Amelia

Bio

Spoiler

Soul Edge had been destroyed but many of its minions remained. With the people living in fear many “heroes” ventured forth to smite these malfested. The greatest of these sinners was Graf Dumas and his purges. These purges had claimed countless lives including those of her brothers in arms; the men who had taken her in and raised her, all slain by Dumas’s dogs. Despite her superiors misgivings, she left Wolfkrone. She would find that “holy warrior” and….

“Wait up!!!” Snapped her back to reality. “ Hurry up Larissa, it will be nightfall before we get to town at this rate." "Why is she my only bloody lead?” she thought, as they continued down the path.

Spoiler

Ayumi

Bio

Spoiler

Once again coming soon

Spoiler

Meifeng

Bio

Spoiler

I think by now the point has been made =P

Spoiler

1p

2P

Larissa

Bio

Spoiler

“I should have kept my mouth shut” She mumbled quietly. “You say something?” Amelia asked her. “Umm no.” Larissa replied. “Why is she so interested in that holy warrior?” she wondered. “All he does is hunt malfested. He even helped me with those bandits. Granted he isn’t the nicest person in the world, but what could she want with him?”

Born into a wealthy merchants family, Larissa was raised in the utmost luxury. However, through her trips out into the world she has exposed herself the world’s harshness and cruelty. She refused to sit around while all this was happening and left home to take up her share of the burden. While traveling She was accosted by bandits and was helped by a wandering holy warrior. He promptly left mentioning something about Graf Dumas. At an Inn she met Amelia and mentioned the holy warrior. And so, their travels together began.

Spoiler

1P

2P

Phaedra
Remade to avoid subtle remarks about one's originality.....

Bio

Spoiler

"Master what is your wish?" "You are your only master. I would hope after so many lessons you would have learned something by now." His tone was gruff but he almost seemed to be smiling.

Spoiler

She had become tainted by that vile blade. Her mind had succumbed to it's influence and too many were the lives she had taken. He had found her, taught her how to surpass these emotions and now only that arm remained. Her constant reminder of her sins. She had no purpose in life but to accompany him and aide him in his mission to watch and to gather those tainted by the eternal battle and give them some semblance of the humanity they had left.

Spoiler

Merak

Bio

Spoiler

Since that sword had existed, he had watched, tainted by it's power. He had watched the birth of it's twin. The swords had clashed through the ages and still he watched. He had found those under it's spell and liberated them. He trained them and sent them away to live as they pleased. They all left but one. She remained with him he did not show it but he welcomed her. She reminded him of something long lost....

Spoiler

Well that's all folks as I "finish" more I will submit them for your criticing pleasure.

 

[Wandrian]

Uh...I'll reserve judgment on the characters which have had their pictures deleted >.>

Larissa 1P: It feels like the stickers don't belong, especially on the sleeves. Other than that she looks nice.

Larissa 2P: She looks lovely to me. The pauldrons feel like they don't belong and the yellow part of the belt looks a bit peculiar to me. I especially like the color scheme.

 

[Da_Fonz]

The pics are broken :/

I fixed the images they should display correctly sorry about that.

snip

Hmm I see what you mean about her 2P's belt her 1P does look a little cluttered with all the stickers on her thanks for your feedback.

 

[Norik]

These are nice. You've got a great eye for color, but the fact that you're only making generic kawaii girls detracts from this thread.

 

[Da_Fonz]

These are nice. You've got a great eye for color, but the fact that you're only making generic kawaii girls detracts from this thread.

I will admit I had to look up kawaii girls and it wasn't my intention to do that. Any advice perhaps?

 

[HolyCarp]

I find it's often helpful to think up a unique personality or backstory while you're creating your character. Maybe it's not for everyone, but I find doing this helps you tell a story with the appearance alone, which is something the best CaS artists are able to do. Instead of simply piecing together a couple of things that look kinda nice, you want each item and colour to contribute to the overall image you're going for.

This may be pretty vague advice, but at least, this is how I try to avoid creating generic CaS.
Good luck!

 

[Da_Fonz]

snip

Interesting indeed. Once I find those Bios I misplaced I'll use them to help my edits. Thank you for your advice.

 

[TsunamiBye]

When you see Pyrrha, you see a poor helpless girl who needs help. When you see Mitsurugi, you see a badass samurai. Start with a stereotype to cookie cut an idea. You'd want people to know what you're character is about. The fashion tells a story. Other than that, you got potential. Keep on sharing.

 

[Da_Fonz]

Other than that, you got potential. Keep on sharing.

Thank you that means quite a bit coming from you. In essence your saying it's the way you manipulate the stereotype enough that it looks original but not so far as to prevent people from being able to tell what you are going for. I think?

 

[TsunamiBye]

Correct. Trust me, many peeps rip ideas from each other. Even certain fighting games rip ideas from one another. So when in doubt, try to imitate an existing character and stereotype and bend it to your own standards.

 

[WindupSkeleton]

ORIANNA:

So first of all, props to the magic wand. It's a shame that it doesn't sit nicely in the Orianna's hand, though that's hardly your fault.
I have to ask if she's some sort of, magical police department character? The colour scheme and the PVC/Leather corset makes me think of law enforcement, and the emblem furthers supports that. If I'm wrong, then it might be worth overhauling the colour scheme perhaps?
As it is, the purple on the wand looks somewhat out of place, and the mixture of modern textures and fantasy-ish elements sort of clashes.
However I do like that you've used the extra-equips (calling them Ex-Eq from now until forever because it's droll to type) well to create something interesting and immediate. I also like the simple patterning on the hood.

AMELIA:

I think the only 'problem', so to speak, is that the purple is a bit too bright. It doesn't work especially well with the muted browns and overall military-look the design seems to be focusing on. I'd suggest saturising it a bit.
I do like the simplicity though. She's here, she has some sort of job to do, and she doesn't seem the type to mess about. Very soldier-esque, but still embracing her femininity. I like it a lot.

AYUMI:

Nothing much to say here. The colours are nicely balanced, the patterns are tastefully done, and the design is eye-catchingly simple. Striking.

TATIANNA:

1P:
I'm not so keen on this one. She's nice, but she lacks character. There's nothing to really make her stand out, not pop. The skirt is beautifully done, but the rest of it looks a little uninspired. The sleeves seem overly decorated compared to the rest of it, and the large splodge of colour on her right breast draws attention, but looks awkward.
The sad thing is, I can't really think of what I'd alter to give the design more presence. A tertiary colour for sure, but that's it. I'm sorry.

2P:
This one is MUCH nicer. Once again it's simple, but it uses a slightly unusual colour scheme (Red/Brown), and makes it work. She has more character than the 1P. Maybe it's the colour balance?

LARISSA:

1P:
I have to agree, the stickers on the sleeves don't really work, they just make things look angular and awkward.
The black under-layer and chestplate also don't work in favour of the design. With their placement and the Wonder Jacket, it sort of gives off a "maid" vibe. Which is a shame, actually, because the equipment choices are rather nice.

2P:
Yumf!
I sort of agree Wandrian on the pauldrons, though I think it's because brown is an odd choice for a metallic item. I'm tempted to to suggest to make them more bronzish, and then make the metal plates on the feet match that. Possibly the belt too. Or even just grey/silver - That way they'll bring out the white a bit more.
That aside though, everything else is perfect.

******

Obviously my opinions are merely that, so feel free to dismiss whatever part of them you like.
Generally a good batch. The equipment choices are good, and aside from Orianna, work quite nicely together, even if there's a bit of an overuse of the Beong Seong Boots.
I think colours are you main obstacle, if you want to go from "pretty impressive" to "woah, holy crusades Batman!". Some are too bright, and other times there's no real synergy. I know you said you liked unusual colour schemes, and that's fantastic, but sometimes a bit of toning down will really help brighten up a design.
My advice to you would be to branch out a bit. It's clear the kind of girl you like, but there's something a bit samey in the designs. They're good, but they're rough.

You clearly know how to use the ExEq items, so I'd like to see a bit more experimentation with that. Perhaps you could make a unique hat, or some sort of weapon or other prop?

All in all, I'll be watching this thread closely. It's nice to see new artists, and when they have a strong start, it's more fun to watch them grow and shine.

Best of luck, consider me eagerly awaiting more~!

 

[Ramus]

Tatiana and Larissa 2P looks better than the first one, in Larissa in particular seems a little out of place..
Other than that both of them have nice 2P concepts, I would like to see more, by the way I see you are trying to make girls warriors, remember while the stereotype is skirts...try use light armor if you don't feel like a full armored one, or try make them wearing things that would be comfortable to use in battle.

 

[Da_Fonz]

So when in doubt, try to imitate an existing character and stereotype and bend it to your own standards.

A most interesting piece of advice I shall now go stare at other CaS threads. o_O (maybe stare was a weird word to use.)

 

[Da_Fonz]

snip

Quite a critique, Just skimming through it, and checking the pictures I see a lot of what your saying. As for Orri she was an experiment with dlc and well I would agree she needs work. As for Ex-Eq I'll give it a shot trying to use it in different ways. The samey bit is understandable. I seem to have issues working with the other faces and I'm dreadful with skintones. I can never get them quite right. Since I'm doing a bit if self defecating, My skill with the makeups is questionable as well.

Larissa in particular seems a little out of place..

Could you elaborate a little more on that?

 

[LordDraco3]

Wait.... what's happening with Amelia there? Am I wrong in seeing 4 special equipments? I see a quiver+3 arrows, but arrows only come single, and the quiver is a special item too...

 

[WindupSkeleton]

Quite a critique, Just skimming through it, and checking the pictures I see a lot of what your saying. As for Orri she was an experiment with dlc and well I would agree she needs work. As for Ex-Eq I'll give it a shot trying to use it in different ways. The samey bit is understandable. I seem to have issues working with the other faces and I'm dreadful with skintones. I can never get them quite right.

For the Ex-Eq, Gatsu, Matty and Chobek are exceptional at making jaw-dropping instant things, whereas Vilarcane use it to a more subtle, but still effective effect.

Skin tones, face-wise and even culture wise. As Koko and HolyCarp pointed out, starting with a stereotype, and then twisting it, is a great way to make a character. Especially because (essentially) half that character is already made for you, which makes the personalities stand out more. But that doesn't mean your stereotypes have to be generic choices. Try mixing two together too. Amazon Ninja? Sure. Samurai Maid? Maybe. Etc.

And of course, if making super-cute anime-esque girls is what you want to do, then by all means do that. As long as they have enough to differentiate them from each other, you're fine.

 

[Ramus]

Could you elaborate a little more on that?

Of course, Wonder Jacket is a hard item to use, but when you build a character around it you should stick to the theme of it, "Noble" the sleeves seem to add unnecessary volume to it, while the skirt is fine, the jacket itself is a little covering in that area, I understand what you were trying to do with the head detail but again it seems out of the theme.
But them again is just a opinion, and I am not even as well versed as Le-Bello and Yoshi.

 

[Da_Fonz]

Wait.... what's happening with Amelia there? Am I wrong in seeing 4 special equipments? I see a quiver+3 arrows, but arrows only come single, and the quiver is a special item too...

Those arrows came in the quiver. So it's only 1 Ex-Eq

snip

Yay!! More things to stare at o_O (Still kinda think it's a weird word to use.) More to the point, While "super-cute anime-esque girls" is fine and all,
I'm gonna try to branch out. I don't really see any other way to get better.

snip

Well actually she was a personal challenge to use the wonder jacket. (I couldn't stand it how it was just sitting there daring me to use it,) I kinda like the sleeves so I will edit it and then see what everyone's opinion's are.

 

[LordDraco3]

Hah, shows how long it's been since I looked through the game in-depth. Carry on then :)

Overall, you are above the level of a random average online creator. I think the "same-ness" has already been pointed out, but I see some good ideas in regards to stepping outside of the simplest of creation methods, so I'm sure you'll be making some awesome stuff in no time!