Sunday, September 21, 2008

Soul Calibur + Bruce W. Timm (part 4)

This week's challenge concluded:


Last, but not least, The Heart and Soul Girl; Seong Mi-na!


Mi-na was the first character I chose when I played Soul Blade years ago. She has the same combination of liveliness and a strong will that attracts me to characters like Kitty Pryde and her ilk.

This design pieces together different aspects of her various incarnations. She always has a vibrant, spring-like palette, but I whittled it down to the colors I saw used most consistently.

As the final design in the series, I tried to perfect my Timm style with Mi-na. I'm not 100% satisfied, but I do think I came a long way from Taki!

Look for the next challenge to be announced soon!

Wednesday, September 17, 2008

Soul Calibur + Bruce W. Timm (part 3)

This week's challenge continued...


The Greek hero, Sophitia!


Sophitia was always one of my favorites in the series. She starts off as a baker's daughter, until one day she receives a calling from Hephaestus to destroy the evil sword, Soul Edge. I think this simpler, pared down design nicely reflects on her humble beginnings. I went with the leather boots instead of sandals because they look a little more like something a superhero would wear to me (and I tend to associate Timm with superheroes).

I feel like overall this is a much more successful design than Taki, in terms of the simplification and adhering to Timm's drawing style. More still to come!

Tuesday, September 16, 2008

Soul Calibur + Bruce W. Timm (part 2)

This week's challenge continued...


Let's start with deadly ninja, Taki!


The thing that really strikes me about Timm's work is his beautiful line quality. I really tried to bring his fluid line variation into play here.

I think Taki as a design works best when she's clean. Not a lot of armor or netting or detail. I'm not sure I streamlined the body enough to pass for Timm, but I'm pleased with the face. More to come!

Friday, September 12, 2008

Soul Calibur + Bruce W. Timm

This week's challenge:

Let's keep this blog moving!!

This week I had a really hard time coming up with a combination. I finally decided (after much help from my very patient twin, Lauren) that I wanted to do something in the style of Bruce Timm. Timm is a master at simplifying designs and making them sleek and animation-ready. So I wanted to take some characters that have slightly more complicated designs and see if I could channel Timm's magic.

I've been a fan of the Soul Calibur games since Soul Blade came out on Playstation. As the series evolved, technological advances have allowed for more intricate character designs. Even the more scantily clad fighters have lots of little details on whatever clothing they manage.

I am going to try to strip these characters down to the bare essence while still mainting an interesting and individual look!