What did you have in mind when making your CaS and what was your inspiration?

[HydroJames]

If a mod feels this thread should be merged with another thread, then so be it.,,

But for now, I want to discuss how do we design our creations and what inspired us to make them.

Phoenix

Some of you have seen design before...

This was posted in the thread, CaS Mirror Match.

@Norik looked at it and said that the design was good, but needed better colors.

Since then, I did revise the colors...

An insignia was even added to the helmet's forehead...

What I had in mind was an outfit that gave its wearer a solid mix between protection and mobility. As you can see, her armor consist of a helmet, breastplate, shoulder pads, armlets, and shin-guards. Judging from the skimpy nature of the outfit, you can tell that she prefers to go light on armor.

People have complimented the armor, saying how it gives off some Amazon/Valkyrie vibes.

This armor-set has been given to nearly every female sword and shield user I've made.

 

[Pallomine]

To start with, I usually think of a theme or a basic concept of a character's most notable feature, which can be a role they play, a feeling or idea they represent, a setting they live in, etc. Depending on the theme, I either start picking pieces off the bat or I mull it over a bit more and ask more questions about who my character is. I use the color all option to get a main color, off of which i build some kind of color scheme. What happens from there is largely character dependent.

Do you vary the light armor for each character, or is it kind of a uniform in its own right?

 

[HydroJames]

To start with, I usually think of a theme or a basic concept of a character's most notable feature, which can be a role they play, a feeling or idea they represent, a setting they live in, etc. Depending on the theme, I either start picking pieces off the bat or I mull it over a bit more and ask more questions about who my character is. I color use the color all option to get a main color, off of which i build some kind of color scheme. What happens from there is largely character dependent.

Do you vary the light armor for each character, or is it kind of a uniform in its own right?

A mix of both. It's a uniform outfit that varies in color, neck-pieces, and sometimes armlets.

 

[brucege]

@HydroJamesAqua: Very nice thread idea, James. I think the red/grey color scheme is quite gallant. that said, the panties and leggies really couldn't be counted as light armor in my books. You're off to a good start tho!

@Pallomine: I'd like to hear about your design process for Joshiin and Amato if you have time. Looks like they have stories to tell

 

[Lazy Garou]

For starters, I usually try to build designs I find interesting in CAS. I like the Blood el f aesthetic so I try to find stuff that matches the general look of the race's wardrobe, same for the other ones, Mixing and matching parts and trying to get a cohesive look that fits is always my main priority. some characters of mine are just "born" out of mixing and matching parts until something looks similar to what I've seen before.

 

[VILARCANE]

Intriguing topic, ok, i'll give it a shot because i got other things i need to post for my contest...
but, here is a quick one :

What i had in mind when i did those two ?

Vespula

Well, easy...

STRIKE FEAR IN LE BELLO's FEEBLE MIND MUHAHAHAHAHA !

Just kidding, i was thinking : hey, that alien mask would be a good starting point for insect anthros, provided i have enough ExEq to mimic (great movie with insects) the bulbous eyes and antennas...and it worked ! Then i had to learn all of Voldo silly moves to make a good (bite) impression :P

 

[Mishka]

Interesting topic.

I put a great deal of thought in to all my characters and often never spare an inch of their body and outfit in detail. I could go on all day about them, but some of the basics:

Mousy, originally called, "Mishka" which means "mousy" in Russian (hence my username) is a copy of my character in a different game as is Chucky Cheese. She gets Chucky from Child's play, not the restaurant. Mousy is themed around munching on cookies while trying to stay off of cat's menu. I use to play with someone who would challenge her with Nightmare with a cat's head. So picture the match starting with, "THE NIGHTMARE WILL DEVOUR YOUR SOUL!!" "NOOOO!!! MEEE NOOOT YUMMY!! DON EAT ME!!" And picture Chucky Cheese, "You tink me yummy cat? You wanna piece of me?"

Bugblefly and Fuzz-Bee are nic names I gave to some friends. I made these cutesy characters in their honor.

Ellie is my masterpiece. I made her out of Mousy (my very first character. She is actually or at least originally meant to be Ellie from SC4. But she's evolved over time to be a stand-alone, one of a kind character. I enjoy throwing tantrums with her, so I make her look like someone who could add humor to that. Beyond that, she's just my evolution character. While I have a more or less permanent version of her, I am almost always experimenting with copies. I took the "Lord of the Rings" approach with her and focused on giving her a bunch of features the game was never designed for, but I make them so casual and believable that you never really notice. Ellie is someone you have to try replicating to truly appreciate. And that's the beauty of the masterpiece.

Shortcake is the bridge character between Mousy, Ellie and the flower series. There was obviously a Strawberry as well, but she didn't turn out as good and I deleted her to make room.

Flower series is my latest of 3 art series (Cutesy, Super Hero and now flower girls. They're basically all female characters dressed very fluffy and flowery. Allot of reasons for it, including but not limited to lack of macho, a focus on beauty (or cuteness, depending on the character), individual stories to work off of and above all, a convenient platform for combining my previous 2 series as well as all the techniques I've developed. I don't think even half of them are pictured below. Some inspired by movie characters, some inspired by people I've known, some inspired by life events.

Rambo Brite is a joke character and another full of funny but easy to miss themes, most notably her dress's chocolate chip camo pattern in girly colors.

MOMO is one of the very few characters from another game I've made for someone by request that didn't look like someone in a cheap Halloween costume. Look up pictures of MOMO (MOMO mouse cheeks as I like to call her) in Xenosaga 3 and you'll see that she's a near perfect copy, which is why I kept her (she also fit's in well with the Flower series.

VF-84 was a high school pen pal who was flying with the VF-84 fighter squadron during the time they were featured in the movie, "The Final Countdown. His F14 nearly crashed in a low altitude stall during the making of the movie. They kept it in the movie too. You can see it in this clip (somewhere between 2/3 and 3/4 the way through. You'll know it when you see it.

The Russian Spetsnaz is a personal friend of mine which is why her name is censored in the big picture. She's a Ukrainian woman who is pretty and sweet but will saw your head off with her fingernails if you cross her and has actually beat up two men that I know of. I think her cowboy boots are made of real cowboys. LOL

God is inspired by a well known scene in the movie, "Pulp Fiction (the only scene in the entire movie I care for. I sometimes refer to him as the god of great vengeance and furious anger. Upon close inspection you'll see that he's got a "god of War" like outfit but in the white and blue colors of the Jews as well as a Jewish cap on his head. My friends and I are often quoting "fire and brimstone" bible verses while using him.

Incredible Pope is another joke character who is self-explanatory. If you ever face him in the game, you better "say your prayers."

Freddy Ruger is based on a friend who was a cop named Fred. His Nic name is Freddy Ruger (Ruger is a gun brand, like Colt, Winchester etc. Some of my characters are covered in funny themes that can be missed if you don't pay close attention and Freddy Ruger is one of them. He's basically a Police theme version of Fredy Kruger, with his state trooper hat, black and white (in stead of black and red) jail shirt, shooting glove etc.

Val Killmore is a joke character and self-explanatory.

There are others I may share a little later but these are the most interesting ones IMO.

http://s24.postimg.org/85y25aakk/SOUL_CALIBUR_5_characters.jpg

 

[HydroJames]

@HydroJamesAqua: Very nice thread idea, James. I think the red/grey color scheme is quite gallant. that said, the panties and leggies really couldn't be counted as light armor in my books. You're off to a good start tho!

Hmm.., I see what you mean. Her thighs and groin are not protected... Well, at least, she has a shield...

I would like to see how you and/or someone else would design a CaS with light armor.

Anyway, here is another design I want to share what thoughts I put into it.

Reiko the Ninja Huntress

The core design of this outfit is a ninja who hunts dangerous wildlife. To accommodate the intended design, she has hunter-like daggers and an animal motif of a tiger, a dangerous predator.

As you can see, she uses Natsu's style. I noticed how she uses her forearms to block instead of her weapons. Her 1P has arm-guards so she could block attacks (not that she needs them game-play wise, nor does she have holsters or belts for her weapons' scabbards). For nearly every Natsu CaS I've made, I have ensured that they have arm-guards for blocking weapons.

Though I am proud of this design and consider it as one of my best, I've felt that this is more fitting of a Kung Fu Master. What I mean to say is that outfit looks more Chinese than Japanese to me. Give her either a pair of nunchuku, a staff, or a Chinese Sword and maybe it would fit the design better.

 

[brucege]

Interesting topic.

I put a great deal of thought in to all my characters and often never spare an inch of their body and outfit in detail. I could go on all day about them, but some of the basics:

Mousy, originally called, "Mishka" which means "mousy" in Russian (hence my username) is a copy of my character in a different game as is Chucky Cheese. She gets Chucky from Child's play, not the restaurant. Mousy is themed around munching on cookies while trying to stay off of cat's menu. I use to play with someone who would challenge her with Nightmare with a cat's head. So picture the match starting with, "THE NIGHTMARE WILL DEVOUR YOUR SOUL!!" "NOOOO!!! MEEE NOOOT YUMMY!! DON EAT ME!!" And picture Chucky Cheese, "You tink me yummy cat? You wanna piece of me?"

Bugblefly and Fuzz-Bee are nic names I gave to some friends. I made these cutesy characters in their honor.

Ellie is my masterpiece. I made her out of Mousy (my very first character. She is actually or at least originally meant to be Ellie from SC4. But she's evolved over time to be a stand-alone, one of a kind character. I enjoy throwing tantrums with her, so I make her look like someone who could add humor to that. Beyond that, she's just my evolution character. While I have a more or less permanent version of her, I am almost always experimenting with copies. I took the "Lord of the Rings" approach with her and focused on giving her a bunch of features the game was never designed for, but I make them so casual and believable that you never really notice. Ellie is someone you have to try replicating to truly appreciate. And that's the beauty of the masterpiece.

Shortcake is the bridge character between Mousy, Ellie and the flower series. There was obviously a Strawberry as well, but she didn't turn out as good and I deleted her to make room.

Flower series is my latest of 3 art series (Cutesy, Super Hero and now flower girls. They're basically all female characters dressed very fluffy and flowery. Allot of reasons for it, including but not limited to lack of macho, a focus on beauty (or cuteness, depending on the character), individual stories to work off of and above all, a convenient platform for combining my previous 2 series as well as all the techniques I've developed. I don't think even half of them are pictured below.

Rambo Brite is a joke character and another full of funny but easy to miss themes, most notably her dress's chocolate chip camo pattern in girly colors.

MOMO is one of the very few characters from another game I've made for someone by request that didn't look like someone in a cheap Halloween costume. Look up pictures of MOMO (MOMO mouse cheeks as I like to call her) in Xenosaga 3 and you'll see that she's a near perfect copy, which is why I kept her (she also fit's in well with the Flower series.

VF-84 was a high school pen pal who was flying with the VF-84 fighter squadron during the time they were featured in the movie, "The Final Countdown. His F14 nearly crashed in a low altitude stall during the making of the movie.

The Russian Spetsnaz is a personal friend of mine which is why her name is censored in the big picture. She's a Ukrainian woman who is pretty and sweet but will saw your head off with her fingernails if you cross her.

God is inspired by a well known scene in the movie, "Pulp Fiction (the only scene in the entire movie I care for. I sometimes refer to him as the god of great vengeance and furious anger. Upon close inspection you'll see that he's got a "god of War" like outfit but in the white and blue colors of the Jews as well as a Jewish cap on his head. My friends and I are often quoting "fire and brimstone" bible verses while using him.

Incredible Pope is another joke character who is self-explanatory. If you ever face him in the game, you better "say your prayers."

Freddy Ruger is based on a friend who was a cop named Fred. His Nic name is Freddy Ruger (Ruger is a gun brand, like Colt, Winchester etc. Some of my characters are covered in funny themes that can be missed if you don't pay close attention and Freddy Ruger is one of them. He's basically a Police theme version of Fredy Kruger, with his state trooper hat, black and white (in stead of black and red) jail shirt, shooting glove etc.

Val Killmore is a joke character and self-explanatory.

I think your image file is broken, mate. Try again?

 

[Mishka]

I edited the post just now to add further details but I couldn't find anything wrong with the image. Works just fine for me, even in your quote.

 

[brucege]

Hmm.., I see what you mean. Her thighs and groin are not protected... Well, at least, she has a shield...

I would like to see how you and/or someone else would design a CaS with light armor.

Anyway, here is another design I want to share what thoughts I put into it.

Reiko the Ninja Huntress

View attachment 43629
View attachment 43630
The core design of this outfit is a ninja who hunts dangerous wildlife. To accommodate the intended design, she has hunter-like daggers and an animal motif of a tiger, a dangerous predator.

As you can see, she uses Natsu's style. I noticed how she uses her forearms to block instead of her weapons. Her 1P has arm-guards so she could block attacks (not that she needs them game-play wise, nor does she have holsters or belts for her weapons' scabbards). For nearly every Natsu CaS I've made, I have ensured that they have arm-guards for blocking weapons.

Though I am proud of this design and consider it as one of my best, I've felt that this is more fitting of a Kung Fu Master. What I mean to say is that outfit looks more Chinese than Japanese to me. Give her either a pair of nunchuku, a staff, or a Chinese Sword and maybe it would fit the design better.

Honestly speaking, she looks great as she is. She's a hunter/ninja with everything she needs and nothing more. The color matching/distribution is already good too. I tried to pimp her up, but it just came out looking too try-hard. Yeah, she's a bit on the plain side compared to what you see around here, but no one ever complained about Mario or Ryu's design.

 

[TsunamiBye]

@HydroJamesAqua. Let me help by letting you steal a bit. My mind for this CAS was on Dynasty Warriors and Samurai Warriors combined.

Yua Kogure. A graceful Japanese kunoichi(female ninja) that travels as a mercenary to help stop the bad guys in Asia. Any time a villain makes a declaration, she makes haste to assist in any way she can to the needy. Either up close and personal with her dual kodachis or long range with her bow and arrow. She isn't as discreet like most ninjas, because she holds true to being straightforward and swift. Despite her beauty, she doesn't mind combat or friendly sparring. She's strong-willed and diligent to get the job done like Xing Cai and Hilde. Her voice is serious for that reason.

Spoiler

Reiko is off to a great start. Just add and/or subtract stuff and study up on existing characters you like sometimes. Right now, I see Reiko as a cute Asian lass who happens to wear some tiger stuff. I love simplicity, but don't be afraid to take it up a notch. You can be simple yet cute with detail. Hope this helps.

 

[HydroJames]

Honestly speaking, she looks great as she is. She's a hunter/ninja with everything she needs and nothing more. The color matching/distribution is already good too. I tried to pimp her up, but it just came out looking too try-hard. Yeah, she's a bit on the plain side compared to what you see around here, but no one ever complained about Mario or Ryu's design.

I usually aim for simple yet appealing designs. I wish to experiment with more parts, weapons, patterns and stickers to see which ones go together the best. My creation skills need improvement.

There is a side in me that wants to see what you tried, though.

Yua Kogure. A graceful Japanese kunoichi(female ninja) that travels as a mercenary to help stop the bad guys in Asia. Any time a villain makes a declaration, she makes haste to assist in any way she can to the needy. Either up close and personal with her dual kodachis or long range with her bow and arrow. She isn't as discreet like most ninjas, because she holds true to being straightforward and swift. Despite her beauty, she doesn't mind combat or friendly sparring. She's strong-willed and diligent to get the job done like Xing Cai and Hilde. Her voice is serious for that reason.

Very good design, Pocky! Her purple clothing reminds me of Strider Hiryu and that with the armor pieces reminds me of Yoshimitsu. Seeing that he is your favorite Soul Calibur character, did he influence your design in anyway?

Reiko is off to a great start. Just add and/or subtract stuff and study up on existing characters you like sometimes. Right now, I see Reiko as a cute Asian lass who happens to wear some tiger stuff. I love simplicity, but don't be afraid to take it up a notch. You can be simple yet cute with detail. Hope this helps.

Looks can be deceiving, Pocky...

Maybe in the future, I will make an older, hotter, tougher, and more dangerous Reiko, and maybe change her animal motif from tigers to foxes. But, for now, just like @brucege, I am stumped on how to improve on the design.

 

[TsunamiBye]

Interesting how Yua makes you think of Strider Hiryu and Yoshimitsu. Not my intent at all, but as long as she exudes how cool and beautiful she can be. I was almost tempted to put some cute charm in her.

Reiko just needs to know who she is. She likes wearing tiger designs, but that's it. She like hunting animals? Maybe some fur scarf can help with the Leixia pants with fur. Keep in mind items that are beneficial, and items that are detrimental. Hence why say add/subtract the design to get desired look.

Another example is from an old X-box 360 with DLC CAS I left behind. You can also steal this idea too. My inspiration was Son Son from Marvel vs Capcom 2, Ingrid from Street Fighter Alpha 3(the metal things in her hair), and Infernape from Pokemon series(The fur on her legs and her facepaint with thief mask. I don't play Pokemon anymore more though).

Her name is "Sunny". She is a cute cheerful monkey girl with spunk. She was once a human...until she got cursed(check pics with her chest bandaged and red butterfly stickers to make it look like got curse marks) to have monkey qualities. Yellow enhances her cheerfulness along with how serious she looks. All the metal accessories enhance a slightly tough lass. Natsu style over Xiba style to give her more spunk and less goofiness from Xiba style.

Spoiler

In general, stereotype ideas together. Then, cut away the fat(things you want to make different). Sunny could of wielded a bo staff like most monkey king type characters, but I gave her twin daggers to be a slightly different monkey girl.

 

[HydroJames]

Interesting how Yua makes you think of Strider Hiryu and Yoshimitsu. Not my intent at all, but as long as she exudes how cool and beautiful she can be. I was almost tempted to put some cute charm in her.

Reiko just needs to know who she is. She likes wearing tiger designs, but that's it. She like hunting animals? Maybe some fur scarf can help with the Leixia pants with fur. Keep in mind items that are beneficial, and items that are detrimental. Hence why say add/subtract the design to get desired look.

Another example is from an old X-box 360 with DLC CAS I left behind. You can also steal this idea too. My inspiration was Son Son from Marvel vs Capcom 2, Ingrid from Street Fighter Alpha 3(the metal things in her hair), and Infernape from Pokemon series(The fur on her legs and her facepaint with thief mask. I don't play Pokemon anymore more though).

Her name is "Sunny". She is a cute cheerful monkey girl with spunk. She was once a human...until she got cursed(check pics with her chest bandaged and red butterfly stickers to make it look like got curse marks) to have monkey qualities. Yellow enhances her cheerfulness along with how serious she looks. All the metal accessories enhance a slightly tough lass. Natsu style over Xiba style to give her more spunk and less goofiness from Xiba style.

Spoiler

In general, stereotype ideas together. Then, cut away the fat(things you want to make different). Sunny could of wielded a bo staff like most monkey king type characters, but I gave her twin daggers to be a slightly different monkey girl.

More awesome work. I rarely use accessories, face paint, or patterns, but now I starting to consider it. I've got more creations on Xbox 360, but I am hesitant to show them knowing the picture quality would be... ass...

 

[TsunamiBye]

I kinda wish I had money atm, then I'd use it for DLC. To import some of my CAS with DLC to PS3...

 

[Marginal]

I tend to think, if you've got a cat suit, you're obligated to make Garfield.

I'd do an image, but the full story doesn't end with the exterior.

I've since plumped him up, but it makes the skeleton have fat ribs which is kinda silly.

 

[Alex.J]

I tend to think, if you've got a cat suit, you're obligated to make Garfield.

I'd do an image, but the full story doesn't end with the exterior.

I've since plumped him up, but it makes the skeleton have fat ribs which is kinda silly.

Needs to be fatter

 

[Marginal]

Thank for your feedback @Alex.J

 

[Alex.J]

Thank for your feedback @Alex.J

You are very welcome.