253 replies to this topic

[Silicate]

Think happy, happy things. Like cake. Everybody likes... cake.

Randomizer, you should know quite well that when dealing with all matters insidious that the cake is a lie! ... It tempts with it's delicious, moist flavour and glistening icing. Besides, we adherents to Robotnik's tenets of logic and obediance know that we cannot have our cake and eat it too - for all cake goes to Julian. His size is a testament to this.

Of course, joking aside, I believe that is the shortest, most daft (silly) comment I have seen you make, Randomizer. In earnest curiosity, is that a good sign? I'm afraid I don't quite know how to interpret it.... It would appear to almost be a quote or paraphrase from somewhere. Somehow, the happy Happyists of Earthbound come to mind. Mayhap I am mistaken? (In addition, it would seem you've also not commented on the art, for once. Mayhap I've struck a wrong chord?)

[randomizer]

What I said was simply a random comment that came to me at the time in response to your previous post about sitting in the corner, and time is something I'm short on today so I haven't had a chance to comment on the art just yet. You need not read any deeper into my post than that.

[Silicate]

Ah, of course, Randomizer.... I simply thought I would be sure. Although responses can easily be simple, they are also standing remnants, and often cause for nested meanings and quirky translations, especially where humor is involved.

As ever, any comment or conjecture on my skteches - or whatever is of concern - is welcome. As you've said you've been busy or short of time lately, I wish you well in your efforts. Good luck.

[randomizer]

Right, now let's see if I have anything to add over what Marama has already said (and she's made quite alot of observations already).

I have never really thought about how small the books would have to be for most Mobians, or how large they would have to be for Julian, whichever way you want to look at it. Of course, I'm not a reader so I don't think about books as a rule anyway

Probably the thing that I noticed first was that he appears so much younger here. Your usual style includes skin creases above the brow, whereas here, whether intentionally or not, they are missing. Perhaps it is because of the calm situation he is in, allowing him to relax more. It's amazing what a few small lines can do to a person's appearance.

My view on his clothing mirrors Marama's closely so there isn't a great deal I can say about it without pointless repetition. Once again it adds to the more relaxed feeling compared to many of the other sketches you've done (at least in my opinion). The stiff uniform is replaced by a more flexible, albeit tight-fitting, attire. The hat hanging on the chair finishes off the setting. I can almost imagine him sitting next to an open fire on a cold night enjoying some "light" reading ("Light reading" is of course subjective. I don't think I could sit at a desk with so many books piled up )

On an unrelated note: That chair is making me jealous. The thing I'm sitting on has lost all of its cushioning, and it's rather painful.

[Silicate]

Greetings, all.

It is late to the point of being early, so I will comment later as to this.

For now, this is a character of my own formulation, largely known as the Archivist. He is one of the first characters to interact strongly with Julian, and one of the first to fall under Julian's sway. Although they differ in their perspective and histories, they are alike in their presence among knowledge and their desire to know the world.

A basic sketch, fair time spent tinkering, though in a highly distracted manner. Basic mechanical pencil, 6B graphite, and Canson sketchpad paper.

[acstrife]

Wow, thats the perfect species for a race of information gatherers.

Best part is they would more than likely easily fall to Julian's endevours for planetary domination of Mobius. After all for if knowledge is power, then a God am I. (i know bad joke)

An off comment, I wonder if Julians Robotization process is somewhat like the 40k warhammer universe similar to the imeperials way of drones. (reminded me of star treks borg but a tad different)

Anyway, I love the sketch. And keep up the good work

[Silicate]

Hello, ACStrife.

Although the longevity of the tortoise species is somewhat reduced in the instance of the Mobians, about 130 years in this individual's case (that being the equivalent of about 90 years of age), he remains a powerful and reliable bastion for the organization of information in service the royalty of the Palace (and the legion of scholars and civil agents) during the timeframe of Julian's arrival.

Due to their nature and the surrounding tumult on many areas of Mobius, the homeland of the native tribes of the tortoises had come under some disruption, causing scatter and dispersal, if not outright forced adoption into other groups of Mobians for the sake of their services: their meticulous and diligent nature, as well as profound memories, make up for their slow movement and reactions, as well as relatively poor senses.

Conceivably, as they've nearly the greatest potential lifespans of all of the creatures of Mobius, their very capacity to see the trends to history could be seen as somewhat of a threat to Julian's efforts and impressions on Mobotropolis and Mobius as a whole...

As for Roboticization, in my concept, there are at least three distinct kinds, each with varying effects and purposes. But, I will let matters of that rest for now.

I have ideas abound, but as for my ability to reliably place them to the paper, that is debatable. Thanks again, ACStrife!

[Silicate]

(Hmm... These new dark boards cause my characteristic blue text to become visual torture.)

I've finished Territory, Authority, Rights: From Medieval to Global Assemblages, and it's left me with a fair array of new insights and thoughts as to this project as a whole.

Primary among them are thoughts of Mobian organizational tendencies and the flow of influence among the Acorn Kingdom and it's systems of sustainence. Although Mobotropolis, as of the coup time-period, is largely utopian, the factors which brought about that age of peace are bound to be quite complex. The evolution of business, the place of competition and cooperation, the levels of innovation and effects of technology on Mobian unity... There are many factors which could easily enliven the material as a whole.

For now, it was my intent to work on some sketches or artwork relative to the matter learned or reflected from the book itself; this is for amusement as much as it is for recollection of the literature. Hopefully there will be something new to scan and show here soon.

Alas, for the time being "...Next!!" The new challenger: Being and Nothingness, by Jean-Paul Sartre. 800 pages.

[Silicate]

Let's see how this works under the new code....


http://lucratanexari...quiry-130561378

Simply, the image and source page link for now. (I wonder if this would be too glaring in purple?)

[Valerie Valens]

You seem to have trouble with the wolf guard, allow me to point a few things out that might help.

The first thing that jumps out to me is the fact that the ears seem to be sprout from on top of his head, while it is easy to leave it at that, the ears actually sprout from the sides of the head with the base mostly covered by the surrounding facial fur.

Another thing that pops out to me us the right side of his face. The cheek bone looks dininished and not as pronounced, and it looks as if the right side of his lower jaw is either missing or sunken into his face compared to the jawline visible on the left side of his face.

Aside from that, for a casual sketch done to kill time, it's really quite awesome. I like it.

[Silicate]

Thank you, Αρχή Χρύζ, that's the input I am looking for - it's often my worry that as I created the sketch myself, I don't necessarily have the perspective to accurately dissect it's elements.

Heh, with due amusement, I've been well-aware that the wolf looks awful. It hasn't been my intent (yet) to study the style or anatomy of the Mobians at this point, but I certainly know I need development in that respect. I'm sure the fact that the sketch is only about the size as seen on-screen, and that the mechanical pencil is rather uniform, does nothing to help with discerning areas of intent or detail.

As for the face, I'd actually been idly sketching in some basic details of his arm cuffs and body, before deciding to work on his face; as my primary (lack of) reason was that 'it's not a serious sketch, just go and see what happens,' I'd simply continued on working from the anchor marks - mostly for not wanting to have to reposition anything else. The whole image is rather akward in that sense, but as a whole, it's amusing enough. Mind you, his moustache has always given me trouble, both in it's proper/neutral angle, and at more expressive points - recall my utter ineptitude at drawing fur, hair, or feathers.

Thank you very much for the input however. Pointing out the flaws has been tremendously helpful, Αρχή Χρύζ.

[Valerie Valens]

No problem, always willing to help.

[Silicate]

I gather that my book list and post in the previous page of the thread are too mighty for the character-cap system. Anyhow, more books for the tower of power:

Archaeologists of the Future: The Desire Called Utopia and Other Science Fictions, Fredrick Jameson;
The Portable Jung, edited by Joseph Campbell;
The Wealth of Nations, Adam Smith;
Cruelty: Human Evil and the Human Brain, Kathleen Taylor;
A Theory of Justice, John Rawls;
Invented Knowledge: False History, Fake Science and Pseudo-religions, Ronald H. Fritze;
Pedagogy of the Oppressed, Paulo Freire;
The Basic Writings of Sigmund Freud, translation/editing by Dr. A. A. Brill;
Violence, Slavoj Zizek;
History of Madness, Michel Foucault.

Books equal the desire to rest and sketch ideas; sketching equals the need for more ideas and interests, usually reading. It's a consistent circle, and progresses the project as a whole. It's easily undertaken, started, or stopped during leisure time - thus, it's no trouble. I rather enjoy it. At least three sketches per book would appear sufficient to embody some of the concepts of the literature, if only vaguely or indirectly.

Ah, and a book on Cruelty. How useful.
As an additional joke: "Mah Brill!" (See third-last entry.)

[Silicate]

Greetings once more.

Here is another sketch of mine. This one is quite basic, simply background development for what is meant to be a larger/better-developed sketch.

The feline pictured left is the Minister of Public Affairs, and perhaps also a great patron of the arts. The canine on the right is a foreign diplomat and partial advisor to the king of Mobotropolis at that period in time, the point at which Julian first arrived in the city.

I haven't much to add to the material in comment, aside from to note the little bell hanging by the feline's tail, the loose medal hanging from the diplomat's shoulder, and the oddities of working on somewhat realistic considerations for digitigrade shoes/boots or other protection for the feet.

There are many points where I can see some definite mistakes, and it appears that my technique with the mechanical pencil does not lend well to rendering cloth... As always, comments and criticism is always welcome.

On a humorous note, look Randomizer, I'm edging closer to actually working on foxes.


http://lucratanexari...lomat-131319611

[Lord Exor]

I gather that my book list and post in the previous page of the thread are too mighty for the character-cap system. Anyhow, more books for the tower of power:

Archaeologists of the Future: The Desire Called Utopia and Other Science Fictions, Fredrick Jameson;
The Portable Jung, edited by Joseph Campbell;
The Wealth of Nations, Adam Smith;
Cruelty: Human Evil and the Human Brain, Kathleen Taylor;
A Theory of Justice, John Rawls;
Invented Knowledge: False History, Fake Science and Pseudo-religions, Ronald H. Fritze;
Pedagogy of the Oppressed, Paulo Freire;
The Basic Writings of Sigmund Freud, translation/editing by Dr. A. A. Brill;
Violence, Slavoj Zizek;
History of Madness, Michel Foucault.

Books equal the desire to rest and sketch ideas; sketching equals the need for more ideas and interests, usually reading. It's a consistent circle, and progresses the project as a whole. It's easily undertaken, started, or stopped during leisure time - thus, it's no trouble. I rather enjoy it. At least three sketches per book would appear sufficient to embody some of the concepts of the literature, if only vaguely or indirectly.

Ah, and a book on Cruelty. How useful.
As an additional joke: "Mah Brill!" (See third-last entry.)

Freire and Foucault, an intriguing pair.

[randomizer]

To be honest, the first thing that comes to mind when looking at the feline is a creepy old man with a hidden agenda. I suppose several factors would have lead me to that thought. The bent legs, the hands held in a calculating manner, the slightly devious facial expression and the hunch of the back would be at the top of the list. You could possibly add a cane in there to rest on without changing the appearance of the hands to make him look older

Now as for the canine, he's an improvement over your previous wolf sketch IMO, partly due to the added detail and the fact that we can see more of him. Clearly he's not one for being patient and understanding The lower part of his clothing (not the boots) almost seems Egyptian while I can't exactly put my finger on any time period or location for the upper section. Combined with the boots it is an interesting mix of fashion styles.

On your final point:

[An7imatt3r]

Awesome sketches. These actually remind me more of characters from the Redwall series by....Brian Jacques? I can't remember his name something like that. It was a popular series when I was younger, really good actually. Really like the tabard you put on the cat/feline character along with the way he looks like he his hiding something. And the wolf looks very cool as well, the armor with high collar in back was a nice touch.

[Silicate]

Freire and Foucault, an intriguing pair.

Hmm, so, Exor... You appear to have some intriguing regards of the two? Unfortunately I have virtually no familiarity with them, myself. My studies should relieve that, in time. For the moment, anything you have to express with regards to them would be quite welcome.

Ah, and Randomizer... Yes, the feline's clothing is in deliberate contrast to that of her compatriot. (One issute of mine was the general facial characteristics of maleness or femaleness, yet alone how that would vary between species or breeds. One factor that is acceptable about the Archie comics, yet that I've never liked, is that a vast majority of the faces and stylizations of the species follow the same damn formula. ) Ample space for ruffles, seaming, patterns, and general fluffiness - for lack of a better term. I'd actually wanted her to have a greater volume of fur around the fore and back of her neck, as well as her paws and tail; it's worked to some degree, but as you mentioned, that crafty sense behind her is certainly there. If not rather eerily so, in your case.

As for the diplomat, I wanted to keep that austere, impatient sense. As for the design of his clothing, there is no real basis aside from a sort of cold, near-military formality. Plausible Mobian fashions remain a trouble of mine, and something of which I will have to look into. Digitigrade footwear is proving somewhat of a conceptual pain, and being digitigrade would be common to a vast swathe of Mobians. At this point no species come to mind which wouldn't be, with the exception of bears, elephants, or other larger mammals. I find it amusing that Julian may be the only true plantigrade on the planet. Heh. (All can bow at his unique feet. )

Ah, An7imatt3r. Greetings.

Yes, I've been led to reflect on the Redwall series often myself, with regard to this sketching of mine. As I recall, the series was quite imaginitive and well-written, if not somewhat formulaic at some points - a factor easily compensated for by the strength of the material as a whole.

Originally the feline was meant to have more of a benevolent air, but I later decided that a sort of calculating, though affable, nature would be far more fitting of the Minister of Public Affairs. The contrast of clothing type was meant to be quite sharp: on one hand, robes entirely of flowing cloth and diverse fabric and pattern, and on the other, a stiff (though fittingly comfortable) suit embellished with marks of rank and standing. (As a minor note, there are actually metallic tips on the corners of the high collar.)

As mentioned in my previous post, the realm of diverse Mobian culture, society, and conventions of clothing will be something I will have to settle.

Thanks again, An7imatt3r. The comments are much appreciated. I am going to be working on a sketch/concept for the initial King of Acorn next. (Much to my dismay. )

[randomizer]

Ah so the feline is female? That didn't occur to me before (hence why I said "creepy old man"), but I suppose the clothing should have made that clear if I'd paid more attention to parts of it other than the sleeves. Looking at the face a little more it does appear more feminine but that's probably because I'm trying to make it look feminine in my mind. If it weren't for the clothing I think you could say the feline passes as either male or female.

[Silicate]

I admit that the element of femininity or masculinity is somewhat difficult to caputre in the anthropomorphic form (without gratuitous use of stylized or personified traits), but in this case, the sketch was basic enough that making a definite distinction wasn't my goal. Either way, it illuminates the fact that I have a tremendous amount of adaption to do, relative to the depiction of Mobians.

(At this late hour, a token of amusement to those who known the following paraphrase:) Our enemies are legion, and still I procrastinate... I should develop, or be relieved - that is no idle threat.