Any Artists Out There?

[Glyph Seeker]

A forum poster here, GameDevGoro, is a pretty great digital artist and aspiring 3D modeller and game developer...

 

http://baneofart.blogspot.com/

 

And it got me wondering if there were more doodlers in the woodwork here who might have something to share!

 

For myself, I'm a very amateur sketcher trying to figure a way into digital stuff so I can at least be a useful concept artist and texture artist, without being discouraged. I'm kind of hoping to get a bit more into some Thief-esque pictures to help people visualise their levels a bit better in TDM. To kick off I thought I'd add a very quick sketch of a Crayman I doodled before nodding off to bed last night.

 

 

So - please, if there's anyone out there who has some things to show off or who might be shy - come and post or set up your own topics to advertise or to offer your ideas!

[Shadowhide]

nice crayman

It looks differnt than T1 one,so this sketch could be used for creating TDM crayman's analog model

[GameDevGoro]

That is damn nice, Glyph Seeker. Love the gesture. D:

 

And yeah it's cool you started this thread haha. xD Awesome!

[Springheel]

And it got me wondering if there were more doodlers in the woodwork here who might have something to share!

 

Most of my artistic energy goes into TDM these days, but my old illustrations are here:

[Glyph Seeker]

nice crayman

It looks differnt than T1 one,so this sketch could be used for creating TDM crayman's analog model

 

Thank you very much! Yes – I was trying to figure out how to make it different enough that it would viable --- the problem with the Thief monsters is that they are quite iconic and unique in FPS games I think. For example, the Burricks have to be renamed Belchers in TDM, and even Haunts are rebranded as "Revenants", a more generic English word for the undead.

 

I love the Craymen, but I wanted to draw them looking a bit more like the Dreurgh in the Elder Scrolls, more obviously crab like.

 

That is damn nice, Glyph Seeker. Love the gesture. D:

 

And yeah it's cool you started this thread haha. xD Awesome!

 

Thank you very much, GDG! Hopefully we'll get some doodlers – I don't necessarily mean people who style themselves as artists – I'd love it if we could get more in game maps for example, and you don't need to pick up a pencil to draw one of them on a computer nowadays. =-P

 

Most of my artistic energy goes into TDM these days, but my old illustrations are here:

 

Oh for sure – love your work, SH, you've done a massive amount of work to get the DM aesthetic in shape and we appreciate it. =3

 

I just cleaned this up and scanned it, was the second pic I started last night - trying to get an idea for a Crayman's markings and crustacean spines on his shoulders / joints.

 

[Shadowhide]

what about TDM version of Trickster (Woodsie Lord) ?

 

 

[Springheel]

I meant the link from my sig. Couldn't tell if you knew that's what I meant or thought I was referring to the TDM site.

[Glyph Seeker]

I meant the link from my sig. Couldn't tell if you knew that's what I meant or thought I was referring to the TDM site.

 

Oh for sure, I meant the Mindplaces site, I think I already explored it years ago when the Dark Mod was first starting. Particularly dig your splash page scorpion dude - very Planescape - I rather love unusual humanoids!

 

@Shadowhide:

 

Damn, I don't know, it's definitely something I could try but I find it poses several challenges for me, especially as Pagans and pagan culture and symbolism has barely been touched in any FM yet. The symbol of the Pagans in the original Thief is the third eye...

 

1) Should I try for body tattoos or symbolism deliberately avoiding this to make it unique to TDM?

2) Is the Trickster still a goat / devil archetype? Or should he be more like the horrific Tree Monsters from T2 (Which for my money were the most frightening monster in all of Thief, lol!)

3)How human or how bestial should he appear? I'm trying to draw snide / cunning faces but in all honesty I found that the Trickster was best only half glimpsed in shadow - seeing the in game version of him at the end of Thief made him seem... silly to me.

 

I guess an entire topic could be devoted to the character design problems of such a thing - what do you think?

[Shadowhide]

1) Should I try for body tattoos or symbolism deliberately avoiding this to make it unique to TDM?

 

probably yes

 

remember how Constantine look like when he was turning to Trickster ?

 

 

2) Is the Trickster still a goat / devil archetype? Or should he be more like the horrific Tree Monsters from T2 (Which for my money were the most frightening monster in all of Thief, lol!)

 

I'd prefer goat than tree beast

 

3)How human or how bestial should he appear? I'm trying to draw snide / cunning faces but in all honesty I found that the Trickster was best only half glimpsed in shadow - seeing the in game version of him at the end of Thief made him seem... silly to me

 

In game Trickster is silly ? why ? I found him very cool and scary creature

 

As the god of the woods and the liar Trickster could be in any form...human or bestial....

 

from T1 cutscenes :

 

 

 

Maybe if TDM team wants to implement creature like Trickster in future versions of TDM,they will probably reply better how he should looks like

 

 

 

 

 

[Glyph Seeker]

@SH:

 

Ah, forgive me, I didn't make a distinction as to what I meant.

 

The trickster as you have shown is wonderful. Beautifully directed and voice acted - a true manipulator, toying with his prey even within his own lair:

 

"I don't mean to sound ungrateful, but this eye is completely blind..."

 

He even looks like a "horny old goat" in human form, plump and old, and yet still very dangerous. I love that the liver spots he has on his head are really just horns, lurking to burst out of the skin.

 

What I meant by not liking him was his in-game model, that is, how he appears in the Maw, the final level. I mean a big scary enemy like that is always better to fight indirectly rather than have to face in a game I feel.

 

But you are right, his portrayal in the cut scenes is absolutely wonderful.

[Springheel]

Maybe if TDM team wants to implement creature like Trickster in future versions of TDM

 

There is no real "Trickster" in TDM. TDM Pagans are more based on historical pagans than Thief.

 

[Glyph Seeker]

There is no real "Trickster" in TDM. TDM Pagans are more historically-based than Thief.

 

Ah - yes I'm sure. But there's still an element of Pan - worship or the fear of such a "Green Man" entity in history which I would feel would fit into the TDM mythos. I just read a wonderful LTC Rolt story called "The Shouting" which describes an encounter with a hideous nature entity reminiscient of Arthur Machen's implied fairy / nature spirits and it inspired me.

 

 

Sorry Shadowhide, this is the best I can do off the top of my head - those are my ideas for Trickster symbols - trying to suggest fertility and growth and a very subtle chakra / third eye without it being obvious. I'm very happy with how he came out there, actually.

[stumpy]

traditional pagans in britain used to be naked and paint their bodies blue when they went into battle.

used to worship the moon and lakes, with human sacrifice to a specific tree and lakes at different times of the lunar year, and have ritualistic cannibalism also depending on lunar phase and position, solstice and equinox's festivals and such.

 

trouble with feared gods such as pan and the green man and Cernunnos is they are in reality not feared gods. Pan is counted as a god shepards and their flocks. The green man doesn't go back far enough to enter pagan religion except looking like they're based on freyr or woden. And Cernunnos is a horned god, but may have something to do with hunting or fertility.

 

I've had a look for pagan monsters here's some (I had to look at celtic demons as pagan demon search took me to the wrong religion)

 

Dearg Due - the red blood sucker, a female demon that seduces men and sucks their blood.

Dullahan - a dark man figure with no head.

Banshee - a wailing female spirit.

Balor - a one eyed man with one leg bigger than the other.

Caorthannach - fire spitting snake.

Leanan Sidhe - female fairy vampire.

The questing beast - head of a snake, body of a leopard, a lions tail, hooves of a deer.

 

 

[Springheel]

Ah - yes I'm sure. But there's still an element of Pan - worship or the fear of such a "Green Man" entity in history

 

Oh sure. There are all kinds of pagan gods and goddesses, and several of the "horned man" types would look Trickster-ish.

 

This is a sketch I did waaaaay back in the very beginning, when we didn't even have our own setting yet, for a Trickster-type pagan creature. I might even get around to modeling it some day.

[Glyph Seeker]

This is a sketch I did waaaaay back in the very beginning, when we didn't even have our own setting yet, for a Trickster-type pagan creature. I might even get around to modeling it some day.

 

Ooh, flayed skin just like the Hag in TDS, I like the idea a lot!

[grayman]

Well, I did this, but it's irrelevant to TDM ...

 

 

[Springheel]

Is that coloured pencil? Very, very nice grayman.

[grayman]

Is that coloured pencil? Very, very nice grayman.

 

Yes. Thanks.

[Glyph Seeker]

Ooh! I do like seeing doggies - nice work on the gums - I find the sad droop of jowls of a dog super hard to draw!

[Springheel]

I love working in coloured pencil. Here are a couple of pieces I did a while ago:

 

 

 

[jdude]

Wow really nice work! How long do those take you?

[Shadowhide]

Ah - yes I'm sure. But there's still an element of Pan - worship or the fear of such a "Green Man" entity in history which I would feel would fit into the TDM mythos. I just read a wonderful LTC Rolt story called "The Shouting" which describes an encounter with a hideous nature entity reminiscient of Arthur Machen's implied fairy / nature spirits and it inspired me.

 

 

Sorry Shadowhide, this is the best I can do off the top of my head - those are my ideas for Trickster symbols - trying to suggest fertility and growth and a very subtle chakra / third eye without it being obvious. I'm very happy with how he came out there, actually.

 

very nice,he looks different than T1 one,but still familiar

 

 

 

[Glyph Seeker]

@ShadowHide

 

Thanks! I do like doodling with an idea in mind. I might try stealing Springheel's "flayed skin" beast and doodling something in that line, as well.

 

@Springheel

 

Ooh, now I'm hankering after a colouring pencil set. x-D

 

I could never get into using coloured pencils, just reminds me of frustrated attempts to colour over ambitious pictures at school, heh. I'm thinking of digging up some watercolours or buying a larger Copic set so I can have some really deep colours to work with.

[fllood]

Very cool sketches Glyth

 

I would like to see the Pagan - and any other upcoming - lore and beasts in TDM different and original instead adding things with a different name and look from Thief. Thief stage it's world and lore so really well. Alas TDM should feel familiar but at the same time distinguish in offering some fresh and new elements to the world, fractions, beastary and religions.

Regarding pagans, Pict, Celtic, Saxon, North etc. mythology has ton to offer that all can be spiced with supernatural elements, for example. yeah, not that Thiefs' pagans hadn't be inspired from some of these as well

[Glyph Seeker]

Very cool sketches Glyth

 

I would like to see the Pagan - and any other upcoming - lore and beasts in TDM different and original instead adding things with a different name and look from Thief. Thief stage it's world and lore so really well. Alas TDM should feel familiar but at the same time distinguish in offering some fresh and new elements to the world, fractions, beastary and religions.

Regarding pagans, Pict, Celtic, Saxon, North etc. mythology has ton to offer that all can be spiced with supernatural elements, for example. yeah, not that Thiefs' pagans hadn't be inspired from some of these as well

 

 

Thanks! I enjoy brain storming ideas in sketch form - maybe I'll post a separate thread if people want to ask me to draw things. And yes, I know we can't be too indebted - but style of the beastmen and elementals / undead from the original games is a big inspiration to me still. =3