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Local Authors => Brandon Sanderson => Topic started by: Nightfire107 on September 11, 2010, 10:07:43 PM

Title: Official WoK Fan Art (Here there be spoilers)
Post by: Nightfire107 on September 11, 2010, 10:07:43 PM
So as a person of no artistic talent i was hoping someone might create a couple scenes from WoK that i found cool. The first is the scene when Kaladin jumps the bridge as it is being pushed across the gap that leads to dalinar. The second scene is the one in which kaladin kills the shardbearer in the flashback.
Title: Re: WoK Fan Art (Here there be spoilers)
Post by: ryos on September 12, 2010, 12:15:36 AM
So as a person of no artistic talent i was hoping someone might create a couple scenes from WoK that i found cool. The first is the scene when Kaladin jumps the bridge as it is being pushed across the gap that leads to dalinar. The second scene is the one in which kaladin kills the shardbearer in the flashback.

Scene 1:
(http://ryanballantyne.name/forumstuff/kaladin-sticks.jpg)

That what you had in mind? :P
Title: Re: WoK Fan Art (Here there be spoilers)
Post by: Nightfire107 on September 12, 2010, 08:40:45 AM
okay i stand corrected. You have taught me a valuble and hilarious lesson concerning art. I had hoped in the vein of the drawing depicting the end of HoA but this is good too.
Title: Re: WoK Fan Art (Here there be spoilers)
Post by: Castleguard on September 12, 2010, 08:49:33 AM
Nicely done. I like the pic. I would say since its not been long since the Way of Kings has been officially released you wont get any really cool pics for a while. Takes time to make good art. Any way I look forward to seeing what people come up with. I am certain that there will be a good amount sooner or latter.
Title: Re: WoK Fan Art (Here there be spoilers)
Post by: Peter Ahlstrom on September 12, 2010, 08:57:30 AM
Hilarious.
Title: Re: WoK Fan Art (Here there be spoilers)
Post by: Nightfire107 on September 12, 2010, 09:01:22 AM
It captures the specifics of the scene quite well actually. Thank you very much Ryos you just made my day. This is now the background for my labtop.
Title: Re: WoK Fan Art (Here there be spoilers)
Post by: Miyabi on September 12, 2010, 11:48:52 PM

Ryos, my love for you has jsut grown at least ten fold.
Title: Re: WoK Fan Art (Here there be spoilers)
Post by: Inkthinker on September 13, 2010, 03:05:16 AM
A while back I started a rough painting of Kaladin's leap... funny enough, the composition looks a lot like that. Great minds think alike, obviously.

(http://inkthinker.cryhavok.org/Post/kings/Bridgeleap_001.jpg)

I stopped working on it because A) stuff came up and, more importantly, 2) I realized that it's a really spoilery scene if you were to see that illustration, and then read the novel... you'd be constantly waiting for a spearman (and it wouldn't take long to realize that it's Kaladin either) to leap a chasm into an opposing army and suck up stormlight, and the moment in which that happens is so much more powerful if you don't see it coming.

So it's down in the stacks now. I've got a couple other images from the book I think I'd like to address before I ever get back to this one (for instance, Dalinar's duel at the Tower, or even just the battle that leads up to that).
Title: Re: WoK Fan Art (Here there be spoilers)
Post by: SnagglezMaw on September 15, 2010, 01:13:25 AM
A while back I started a rough painting of Kaladin's leap... funny enough, the composition looks a lot like that. Great minds think alike, obviously.

(http://inkthinker.cryhavok.org/Post/kings/Bridgeleap_001.jpg)

I stopped working on it because A) stuff came up and, more importantly, 2) I realized that it's a really spoilery scene if you were to see that illustration, and then read the novel... you'd be constantly waiting for a spearman (and it wouldn't take long to realize that it's Kaladin either) to leap a chasm into an opposing army and suck up stormlight, and the moment in which that happens is so much more powerful if you don't see it coming.

So it's down in the stacks now. I've got a couple other images from the book I think I'd like to address before I ever get back to this one (for instance, Dalinar's duel at the Tower, or even just the battle that leads up to that).
While not up to par with Ryos', I'd love to see the finished product.
Title: Re: WoK Fan Art (Here there be spoilers)
Post by: Erunion on September 15, 2010, 08:20:38 PM
Very nice Inkthinker,  :o  I'd love to see the finished work!

Do keep in mind though that the Parshendi use axes, swords maces and the like, but I've never heard of them using longspears or pikes. Those types of weapons don't suit the Parshendi's two-man teams and warrior ethos, but are effective in the Alethi's more disciplined supportive armies. (Not sure if the Parshendi use shortspears, either)
Title: Re: WoK Fan Art (Here there be spoilers)
Post by: atlas689 on September 19, 2010, 03:30:45 AM
I did a small little pixel art of Kaladin in some Shardplate. I know that he doesnt have any Plate yet, but its bound to happen!  :P

(http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a189/atlasshrugged689/my%20microes/transparent/KaladinStormblessed_atl.png)
Title: Re: WoK Fan Art (Here there be spoilers)
Post by: Inkthinker on September 19, 2010, 04:24:45 AM
So CUTE! Can we see a bigger version?

One of the design mandates on Shardplate is that it completely cover the body, so if there's a cloth component it must be covering a plate beneath. At the joints where normal armor requires you to go to leather or chain or something like that, Shardplate just has finer plates that slide or overlap along each other in various clever ways.

Very nice Inkthinker,  :o  I'd love to see the finished work!

Do keep in mind though that the Parshendi use axes, swords maces and the like, but I've never heard of them using longspears or pikes. Those types of weapons don't suit the Parshendi's two-man teams and warrior ethos, but are effective in the Alethi's more disciplined supportive armies. (Not sure if the Parshendi use shortspears, either)

Yeah, that's another reason I dropped it... I liked the visual of Kaladin leaping onto a pike wall, but it doesn't match the text and that makes it wrong, wrong, wrong. I make up stuff all the time, but I try to never directly contradict the text just because I think it'll make a cool picture... that way lies chaos (and bad designs).
Title: Re: WoK Fan Art (Here there be spoilers)
Post by: rjl on September 19, 2010, 09:47:27 PM
I did a small little pixel art of Kaladin in some Shardplate. I know that he doesnt have any Plate yet, but its bound to happen!  :P

[img]http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a189/atlasshrugged689/my%20microes/transparent/KaladinStormblessed_atl.png[img]
Nice, but not that precise, as in should be plates all over, and a helmet as opposed to a cloth hat.
Title: Re: WoK Fan Art (Here there be spoilers)
Post by: neverearth on September 20, 2010, 04:55:19 AM
I made this of Kaladin jumping the chasm in my sketchbook last week.

(http://i277.photobucket.com/albums/kk78/NeverEarth/kaladinchasm.jpg)

I need to have a weapon or something sticking out on the Parshendi side, so it doesn't look like Kaladin's jumping in to join a happy gathering.  My stormlight needs work too.
Title: Re: WoK Fan Art (Here there be spoilers)
Post by: Erunion on September 20, 2010, 07:22:02 AM
So CUTE! Can we see a bigger version?

One of the design mandates on Shardplate is that it completely cover the body, so if there's a cloth component it must be covering a plate beneath. At the joints where normal armor requires you to go to leather or chain or something like that, Shardplate just has finer plates that slide or overlap along each other in various clever ways.

Very nice Inkthinker,  :o  I'd love to see the finished work!

Do keep in mind though that the Parshendi use axes, swords maces and the like, but I've never heard of them using longspears or pikes. Those types of weapons don't suit the Parshendi's two-man teams and warrior ethos, but are effective in the Alethi's more disciplined supportive armies. (Not sure if the Parshendi use shortspears, either)

Yeah, that's another reason I dropped it... I liked the visual of Kaladin leaping onto a pike wall, but it doesn't match the text and that makes it wrong, wrong, wrong. I make up stuff all the time, but I try to never directly contradict the text just because I think it'll make a cool picture... that way lies chaos (and bad designs).

Hmmm, I really like the feel of the picture, and I'd like to see you complete it (or something much like it.)
Perhaps you could lower Kaladin slightly, and have him just cresting an axe-swing? That would be both epic and accurate!  8)
Title: Re: WoK Fan Art (Here there be spoilers)
Post by: rjl on September 21, 2010, 12:05:49 AM
I made this of Kaladin jumping the chasm in my sketchbook last week.

[img]http://i277.photobucket.com/albums/kk78/NeverEarth/kaladinchasm.jpg[ img]

I need to have a weapon or something sticking out on the Parshendi side, so it doesn't look like Kaladin's jumping in to join a happy gathering.  My stormlight needs work too.
I like it, I like it a lot, but I agree on the stormlight needing work, and I think it would be better if slightly mroe was shown, i.e. a bit more of what he's jumped from and a bit more of what he's jumping to.
Title: Re: WoK Fan Art (Here there be spoilers)
Post by: ehyde on September 22, 2010, 03:57:45 AM
2) I realized that it's a really spoilery scene if you were to see that illustration, and then read the novel... you'd be constantly waiting for a spearman (and it wouldn't take long to realize that it's Kaladin either) to leap a chasm into an opposing army and suck up stormlight, and the moment in which that happens is so much more powerful if you don't see it coming.

You're right Inkthinker, that's just what happened ... could we get a spoiler warning put in this thread title? (yes, I should have realized that there might be spoilers present, but I was looking for Mistborn fanart and not thinking about WoK).

But I have now finished WoK and would *love* to see a finished picture of that scene!

edited to say, no harm done and no hard feelings, it just seems like a spoiler warning might be helpful to others. Sorry if any of this sounded like an accusation because I really didn't mean it that way.
Title: Re: WoK Fan Art (Here there be spoilers)
Post by: Inkthinker on September 22, 2010, 09:08:57 AM
AAUGH!!

See? Like that! That's what I'm talking about.

I'm awful sorry about that ehyde, I figured the boards are so incredibly spoilery right now that nobody would be browsing these threads who was spoiler-sensitive. I hope it didn't wreck the book too much... I still enjoy reading a book even when I know something is coming, because I like seeing how it plays out (sort of how a scene in a trailer might spoil you a bit, but it's not the same as watching the movie), but I do hate when it happens just the same, and I have some friends who get downright furious about 'em.

I don't know that a spoiler tag would help, unless there's a way to hide the image?
Title: Re: WoK Fan Art (Here there be spoilers)
Post by: Wolfstar on September 22, 2010, 02:41:55 PM
Perhaps lifting the moratorium on creating new fan-art threads would be a possibility?  If each recent release got its own thread until the next release, we could cut down on spoil'd stuff for people.  Then I imagine the threads could be integrated into the main art thread after it is no longer "current".
Title: Re: WoK Fan Art (Here there be spoilers)
Post by: ehyde on September 22, 2010, 03:49:41 PM
AAUGH!!

See? Like that! That's what I'm talking about.

I'm awful sorry about that ehyde, I figured the boards are so incredibly spoilery right now that nobody would be browsing these threads who was spoiler-sensitive. I hope it didn't wreck the book too much... I still enjoy reading a book even when I know something is coming, because I like seeing how it plays out (sort of how a scene in a trailer might spoil you a bit, but it's not the same as watching the movie), but I do hate when it happens just the same, and I have some friends who get downright furious about 'em.

I don't know that a spoiler tag would help, unless there's a way to hide the image?

Don't worry about it, it's my fault really. And I think,  even without knowing about that scene specifically, I'd have been able to guess that something awesome was about to happen.
Title: Re: WoK Fan Art (Here there be spoilers)
Post by: Brenna on September 22, 2010, 08:43:30 PM
I'd be happy to split off all the WoK artwork into a separate thread for a while, then merge it back with this one, if that's what people would like. How long do you think it's reasonable to keep them separate, though? A month or two?

Or I can just put "Spoilers" in the title for a while, and take that off after a while.


Either way, I don't have time to do that until later this evening (kids are just waking up from their naps). So let me know what you'd like, and I'll get to it tonight.

Edit: Topics split! Enjoy. :)
Title: Re: WoK Fan Art (Here there be spoilers)
Post by: ehyde on September 23, 2010, 06:06:51 AM
I like the idea of a separate thread for WoK fanart. It's not really an issue for me anymore as I've now read WoK, but I can imagine there might be others who haven't yet but would still want to look at old fanart. Although as inkthinker said, the whole forum is kind of dangerous right now for anyone who hasn't read the book.
Title: Re: Official WoK Fan Art (Here there be spoilers)
Post by: Erunion on September 23, 2010, 05:29:23 PM
Good idea on the separation.

Also, back to our earlier discussion Inkthinker, I've just been rereading WOK's, and it turns out that the Parshendi do use spears, and at least once the used a spearwall. When Dalinar charged out to save Sadeas, a group of Parshendi stopped and braced spears into the ground to prevent his charge. He commented on how this was a brand new tactic from them, that they were finally learning how to face cavalry charges.
So yeah, while pikes are a bit of a stretch, a spearwall is actually accurate!
Title: Re: Official WoK Fan Art (Here there be spoilers)
Post by: Wolfstar on September 23, 2010, 06:34:14 PM
Swift!  Glad I could help out, not that it couldn't have been thought of by someone else.
Title: Re: Official WoK Fan Art (Here there be spoilers)
Post by: Miyabi on September 25, 2010, 03:14:38 AM

Ink, I think there is a spoiler tag of some sort that just hides unless you quote you can see the text, but I'm not sure.
Title: Re: WoK Fan Art (Here there be spoilers)
Post by: Never on September 27, 2010, 05:14:05 PM
That what you had in mind? :P

I see you remembered that only half of them have beards.
Title: Re: Official WoK Fan Art (Here there be spoilers)
Post by: atlas689 on September 28, 2010, 06:07:46 AM
I'm in the process of working on a Szeth piece. It is highly based off of Inkthinker's drawing of him (though I took a few liberties with the coloring and the sword).   ;D

(http://img529.imageshack.us/img529/6066/szethwip2.png) (http://img529.imageshack.us/i/szethwip2.png/)
Title: Re: Official WoK Fan Art (Here there be spoilers)
Post by: Inkthinker on September 28, 2010, 07:46:10 AM
Bear in mind though that he is The Assassin in White. I felt I was already cheating by making his belt a dark color. I think that "white" can encompass off-white tones (and should), which ranges toward yellow or tan in some fabrics (linen), but I'd stop before taking it too far into the khaki range.

Normally I think color is free for interpretation, but in this case the text makes a specific point of stating that he wore all white clothing. Although I guess you could say this is a version of Szeth from after the assassination of Gavilar? In which case heck, take it further into some darker colors.

The convergence of cloth around the thigh has a tangent that's throwing off the form between his knees, but I am SO glad you smoothed out the arc of the strip that flaps out from his waist. In mine it's got a stupid kink that makes it look as if it's caught on something, and I can't for my life figure out how I didn't notice it until about two months ago.

This would make a nice avatar icon!
Title: Re: Official WoK Fan Art (Here there be spoilers)
Post by: schmiddynick on September 30, 2010, 02:23:36 PM
so i was wondering if there was anyone with some artistic abilities (unlike myself) who could do a sketch of what the parshendi look like? the description of them having red and black skin and the carapace armor. it just sounded so awesome!
Title: Re: Official WoK Fan Art (Here there be spoilers)
Post by: atlas689 on October 02, 2010, 05:30:32 AM
Thanks for the CC Ink. Here is the progress on the piece:

(http://img188.imageshack.us/img188/7893/szethwip3.png) (http://img188.imageshack.us/i/szethwip3.png/)

I can't tell from the coloring if you made the face as skin or as his mask. Pray tell?
Title: Re: Official WoK Fan Art (Here there be spoilers)
Post by: Inkthinker on October 02, 2010, 07:39:12 AM
I wasn't aware Szeth wore a mask... at any rate, I did not draw him with one. I do think of his skin as being pale, but I can't remember what the book says about that.
Title: Re: Official WoK Fan Art (Here there be spoilers)
Post by: ehyde on October 02, 2010, 09:05:18 AM
I think you're right about that, it does say that the Shin are more pale than the Alethi, at the top of page 306.
Title: Re: Official WoK Fan Art (Here there be spoilers)
Post by: atlas689 on October 03, 2010, 03:20:54 AM
Finished:

(http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a189/atlasshrugged689/my%20microes/transparent/Szethson-son-Vallano_atl.png)

Now Ink has to draw Dalinar and Wit ^.^
Title: Re: Official WoK Fan Art (Here there be spoilers)
Post by: Nightfire107 on October 05, 2010, 07:52:40 AM
the stick man pic was seen by a guy in my dorm on 4chan. he saw the stickman pic on my labtop and wanted to know how i got it. lol
Title: Re: Official WoK Fan Art (Here there be spoilers)
Post by: Zlurpo on October 05, 2010, 02:35:09 PM
So as a person of no artistic talent i was hoping someone might create a couple scenes from WoK that i found cool. The first is the scene when Kaladin jumps the bridge as it is being pushed across the gap that leads to dalinar. The second scene is the one in which kaladin kills the shardbearer in the flashback.

I started working on that second scene a while ago.  I liked what I did of Kaladin, but hated my drawing of the shardplate armor.  I didn't take enough time on it and it looked terrible.  So I'll probly finish Kaladin and post that part, then start over with the whole thing to make it look better.  But I really want to do that scene!
Title: Re: Official WoK Fan Art (Here there be spoilers)
Post by: ryos on October 05, 2010, 06:43:43 PM
the stick man pic was seen by a guy in my dorm on 4chan. he saw the stickman pic on my labtop and wanted to know how i got it. lol

Wait. My silly stick figure drawing is on 4chan?? What's the smily for "pure mortification"?  Something like all of these mixed together: :-[  :-\  :(  >:(  :-X
Title: Re: Official WoK Fan Art (Here there be spoilers)
Post by: Zlurpo on October 05, 2010, 07:16:16 PM
Finished:

(http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a189/atlasshrugged689/my%20microes/transparent/Szethson-son-Vallano_atl.png)

Now Ink has to draw Dalinar and Wit ^.^

I like it, although 2 thing come to mind:
If this is Szeth in the beginning chapter, 1. he's wearing all white, 2. with a simple rope tied as a belt.  If it's just him another time, then I have no qualms and I think it's awesome.

Drawing Wit comes with a certain level of responsibility-  Keep in mind that Wit/Hoid appears all over Sanderson's works!
Title: Re: Official WoK Fan Art (Here there be spoilers)
Post by: Peter Ahlstrom on October 06, 2010, 07:04:10 AM
Yeah, I also have to wonder what it's doing on 4chan.
Title: Re: Official WoK Fan Art (Here there be spoilers)
Post by: Miyabi on October 09, 2010, 04:54:03 PM

<=== Doesn't spend multiple hours a week on 4chan. *feigns innocence.
Title: Re: Official WoK Fan Art (Here there be spoilers)
Post by: ryos on October 10, 2010, 06:27:14 AM
*acusing glare at Miyabi*
Title: Re: Official WoK Fan Art (Here there be spoilers)
Post by: Zlurpo on October 11, 2010, 08:08:08 AM
My first Way of Kings art:
(http://fc00.deviantart.net/fs70/i/2010/284/e/9/the_way_of_kings_____spoilers_____by_zlurpo-d30itkl.jpg)

I'm not perfectly happy with it, but close enough!
Shardplate is a beast to draw, and I can't say I think I'm really that great at it, since I rarely if ever draw plate armor.

There are a couple other things I'm not thrilled with either, but I think I got it pretty much how I wanted.  So there it is!
Title: Re: Official WoK Fan Art (Here there be spoilers)
Post by: CabbyHat on October 13, 2010, 12:15:48 AM
The shardplate looks fantastic. That's almost exactly how I pictured it - the intricate arrangement of small plates covering areas that are usually covered by chain. My only complaint is that the poses are a little stiff, and the overall composition feels kind of static, but the armor looks so great that I'm not inclined to complain too much. :)
Title: Re: Official WoK Fan Art (Here there be spoilers)
Post by: Zlurpo on October 13, 2010, 04:54:39 AM
The shardplate looks fantastic. That's almost exactly how I pictured it - the intricate arrangement of small plates covering areas that are usually covered by chain. My only complaint is that the poses are a little stiff, and the overall composition feels kind of static, but the armor looks so great that I'm not inclined to complain too much. :)

"There are a couple other things I'm not thrilled with..."  you nailed the main one!  I need to work on adding motion.  I don't really have more ideas, I tried to make them as move-y as I could, but I've struggled for years with that. 

Does anyone have any good advice on how to add more motion into my work?  On all of it?
Title: Re: Official WoK Fan Art (Here there be spoilers)
Post by: ryos on October 13, 2010, 05:12:48 AM
The shardplate looks fantastic. That's almost exactly how I pictured it - the intricate arrangement of small plates covering areas that are usually covered by chain. My only complaint is that the poses are a little stiff, and the overall composition feels kind of static, but the armor looks so great that I'm not inclined to complain too much. :)

"There are a couple other things I'm not thrilled with..."  you nailed the main one!  I need to work on adding motion.  I don't really have more ideas, I tried to make them as move-y as I could, but I've struggled for years with that. 

Does anyone have any good advice on how to add more motion into my work?  On all of it?

Rather than me try and give you advice on art (you can see the extent of my artistic skills at the start of this thread), I figured I'd just link you to some examples from a comic I recently started reading (Gunnerkrigg Court) which I consider excellent depictions of action/motion:

http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/archive_page.php?comicID=636
http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/archive_page.php?comicID=692
http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/archive_page.php?comicID=781

It must be hard to do, because not very many comics I've seen do it well. I don't know what it is about these examples that evokes motion so well, but I link them in the hopes that analyzing them helps.

(BTW, it's a great comic in general. Highly recommended. :))
Title: Re: Official WoK Fan Art (Here there be spoilers)
Post by: Inkthinker on October 13, 2010, 09:46:36 AM
Part of it involves moving towards the idea of examining the actions that a character is performing and imagining it fully in your mind, then translating that onto the page or canvas in a series of steps. There's a plethora of techniques for illustrating a sense of movement or impact or general force (most of them involve hatch work. Japanese techniques are, I think, generally accepted as the most effective, but it's a lot more complicated than "speed lines").

You'll need to understand not just where the action is in the moment that you choose to illustrate, but also where it came from and possibly where it means to go. That way you can add secondary movement and choose where to direct the focus of the composition.

Good motion, like most things in illustration, come along with practice, and the techniques are easier to practice when you've got strong underlying structure to base them on. Perspective practice will help you set your characters in a physical environment, and in doing so you'll get a stronger sense of how the character has/is/will move around.  Composition practice will help you frame the action most effectively.

I hope some of that made sense, anyway...  ;D
Title: Re: Official WoK Fan Art (Here there be spoilers)
Post by: CabbyHat on October 16, 2010, 06:23:16 AM
One simple thing you can do is not just line them up next to each other. This way shows off the details really well, but it looks like they posed like that for the cameras. Showing a shot from behind the shardbearer or at an angle would really help to enhance the sense of Kaladin bearing down on him. (This is a personal choice, but I would probably have shown it from a bird's-eye view behind Kaladin, which would give a great view of them both and enhance the sense of him taking on a much stronger enemy.) That's just my inexperienced and unprofessional take, though - take my advice with a grain of salt.
Title: Re: Official WoK Fan Art (Here there be spoilers)
Post by: pkmnstr on January 02, 2011, 05:44:11 PM
As someone who's compiling a sketchbook of concept art for WoK, because I'm crazy and I am just that dorky. What are your ideas/input on what these different cultures resemble? I couldn't quite grasp the architecture of Alethkar, besides the fact that everything is made of stone...practically. While reading Mistborn I could get massive visuals of the city but with WoK I was finding it harder. Kharbranth was easy to visualize but others were not.

Just a general random question. Comment on anything. Like the style of Dalinar's hair, for example. -shrug-

...-poke-
Title: Re: Official WoK Fan Art (Here there be spoilers)
Post by: Tilinka on January 10, 2011, 04:42:57 PM
Fan-Knitting!
(http://lh3.ggpht.com/_SPAnsgzAWqs/TSsnDlc5AUI/AAAAAAAAB2I/yOOUROSUrw4/s400/Stormilight_Scarf.JPG)

This was my first go at charting my own pattern. I'm going to do it slightly differently the next time. (No matter how much I love cables, they aren't always the best option for making curving lines.) Yarn is a handspun merino/yak blend which is very soft and warm.

I think I'm going to play with socks next! (By next, I mean after I finish my current pair. And the octo-scarf. And the mossy cardigan. So maybe in a couple months.)
Title: Re: Official WoK Fan Art (Here there be spoilers)
Post by: CabbyHat on January 10, 2011, 06:22:11 PM
Oh wow, that is EPIC. :D
Title: Re: Official WoK Fan Art (Here there be spoilers)
Post by: Sprouts on January 24, 2011, 01:59:04 AM
^Agreed, that is one of the coolest things I've seen.
Title: Re: Official WoK Fan Art (Here there be spoilers)
Post by: Melriken on January 25, 2011, 12:03:54 AM
"There are a couple other things I'm not thrilled with..."  you nailed the main one!  I need to work on adding motion.  I don't really have more ideas, I tried to make them as move-y as I could, but I've struggled for years with that. 

Does anyone have any good advice on how to add more motion into my work?  On all of it?
With the shardbearer holding his sword behind his head and Kaladin just standing there with his knife there isn't much action to show.

Not sure how 'true to source' it is, but when I picture that scene I see the Shardbearer swinging is sword low (and in a slight crouch in order to do so) with Kaldadin jumping over the blade and thrusting is knife forward into the Shardbearer's eye.  Also I picture the knife in Kaldadin's left hand as he was holding a spear in his right, but again I don't know how true to source that is.  I would sketch something up for you, but (A) I am horrible with computer art and (B) my camera is on the fritz.  Also I don't partiuclarly like the idea of sharing my art with the whole world as I don't feel I am as good at it as most of my friends seem to think I am (though some of them are very good at it).
Title: Re: Official WoK Fan Art (Here there be spoilers)
Post by: Inkthinker on January 25, 2011, 06:57:26 AM
The trick to drawing motion in general is to understand "line of action". This is sort of an invisible line that follows the arc of a movement, and that line determines the position and action of other elements that follow it, such as clothing or hair or even bodies themselves. You can learn more about line of action by studying animation and animation instructionals, the best of which is probably Richard Williams's book The Animator's Survival Kit. Although heck, even a Google search for the phrase can probably turn up some good advice.

In all cases I urge artists to never think in terms of "pose", but rather to think in terms of "performance" or "action". Think about what the character you draw is doing, and then work out how that affects their body language, their clothing, and the world they're inhabiting. Even standing still is an action of a sort.
Title: Re: Official WoK Fan Art (Here there be spoilers)
Post by: CabbyHat on January 25, 2011, 10:41:43 AM
In all cases I urge artists to never think in terms of "pose", but rather to think in terms of "performance" or "action". Think about what the character you draw is doing, and then work out how that affects their body language, their clothing, and the world they're inhabiting. Even standing still is an action of a sort.

That's some really good advice, thanks. (I know you're not talking to me but I'm going to go ahead and take it anyway. :P )
Title: Re: Official WoK Fan Art (Here there be spoilers)
Post by: andygal on January 25, 2011, 10:53:06 AM
I couldn't draw anything beyond kindergarten stick figures if my life depended on it myself, I bow before the awesome of those who can.
Title: Re: Official WoK Fan Art (Here there be spoilers)
Post by: Inkthinker on January 25, 2011, 10:01:33 PM
In all cases I urge artists to never think in terms of "pose", but rather to think in terms of "performance" or "action". Think about what the character you draw is doing, and then work out how that affects their body language, their clothing, and the world they're inhabiting. Even standing still is an action of a sort.

That's some really good advice, thanks. (I know you're not talking to me but I'm going to go ahead and take it anyway. :P )

It's not a particularly directed statement. Advice is cheap, people are welcome to make what they can make of it.  ;D

I couldn't draw anything beyond kindergarten stick figures if my life depended on it myself, I bow before the awesome of those who can.

Illustration is a craft, like building furniture. The basics are well-defined and can be learned, it's not magic.

I start most drawings with what is basically a stick figure. The trick is in knowing what to do next, but it's a trick anyone can learn.

Title: Re: Official WoK Fan Art (Here there be spoilers)
Post by: Zlurpo on February 05, 2011, 03:54:28 AM
With the shardbearer holding his sword behind his head and Kaladin just standing there with his knife there isn't much action to show.

Not sure how 'true to source' it is, but when I picture that scene I see the Shardbearer swinging is sword low (and in a slight crouch in order to do so) with Kaldadin jumping over the blade and thrusting is knife forward into the Shardbearer's eye.  Also I picture the knife in Kaldadin's left hand as he was holding a spear in his right, but again I don't know how true to source that is.  I would sketch something up for you, but (A) I am horrible with computer art and (B) my camera is on the fritz.  Also I don't partiuclarly like the idea of sharing my art with the whole world as I don't feel I am as good at it as most of my friends seem to think I am (though some of them are very good at it).

I read the scene about a dozen times, trying to figure out how to make it look.  I'm pretty sure that, in a technical sense, my drawing is completely accurate, except that Kaladin should have a helmet on.  However, just because everything I did is right, doesn't mean it couldn't be *more* right another way. 
"The Shardbearer brought his weapon around as Kaladin skidded to a stop and flung his arm to the side,slamming the spearhead right in the Shardbearer‘s visor slit." 
If he skidded to a stop, I'm assuming his feet are planted as he attacks.  The shardbearer hasn't yet swung, and is about to as he takes the spear point to the eye.  I don't remember any specifications of which hand he should be holding it with, I was just thinking that if he threw the knife right handed (may or may not be true) he would have had at least his right hand free to snag the falling spearhead.
However, although I'm happy with the technical details and perhaps the accuracy of the drawing, there's a lot I'd like to be better :/
Title: Re: Official WoK Fan Art (Here there be spoilers)
Post by: MattL on March 01, 2011, 06:24:57 PM
I have been visiting this site for a long time, and this is my first post. Im terrible at drawing action scenes unless I have something to kinda reference from. So here is my rendition of Dalinar in his unadorned Shardplate and Oathbringer just standing there. Let me know what you guys think. I tried to get it as accurate as I could and as close to what I had pictured it. Im working on a similar drawing of a parshendi warrior, I may post it soon. (https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/_OjUs4qi5NSE/TW0puKKmcgI/AAAAAAAAABs/Nnx30l8Dm8c/s512/Dalinar%20%282%29.jpg)

Matt
Title: Re: Official WoK Fan Art (Here there be spoilers)
Post by: CabbyHat on March 01, 2011, 07:18:57 PM
Very cool! It's interesting to see how different artists have different takes on shardplate. I love this version; I have a weakness for bulky, elaborate armor designs even if I personally picture shardplate as being a little sleeker.
Title: Re: Official WoK Fan Art (Here there be spoilers)
Post by: Argent on March 03, 2011, 03:47:49 PM
The emblem on his shoulder looks a little copy-pasted and it seems to me that it doesn't follow the curves of the spaulder, but other than that it does look pretty solid. Nice job on the Blade dripping water :)
Title: Re: Official WoK Fan Art (Here there be spoilers)
Post by: MattL on March 03, 2011, 05:33:07 PM
I agree with you about the glyph on shoulder,  I will see if I can make some changes on it. It has been a few years since I have drawn anything. Thanks for the comments.
Title: Re: Official WoK Fan Art (Here there be spoilers)
Post by: MattL on March 03, 2011, 06:35:24 PM
Im not too sure if I like how this one turned out, and I dont have much experience with color. Anyway, here is my idea of what the parshendi would look like. 

(https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/_OjUs4qi5NSE/TW_QU3TLroI/AAAAAAAAAB8/Yt-5na3Qv30/s512/Parshendi.jpg)

Matt
Title: Re: Official WoK Fan Art (Here there be spoilers)
Post by: Miyabi on March 03, 2011, 11:25:49 PM

That looks amazing!   Though I think the black on the skin should be darker?  Though that may be hard to do and still show detail.

I really like the way you did the armor, it looks almost exactly as I pictured it.
Title: Re: Official WoK Fan Art (Here there be spoilers)
Post by: Argent on March 04, 2011, 06:58:19 AM
Yea, armor is very nice! I thought it's more fully - the breast piece looking KIND OF like a turtle shell, but this looks better, regardless of whether it's more realistic :)
Title: Re: Official WoK Fan Art (Here there be spoilers)
Post by: Zlurpo on March 04, 2011, 08:10:55 AM
Nice!  Good to see some parshendi art!
Title: Re: Official WoK Fan Art (Here there be spoilers)
Post by: CabbyHat on March 04, 2011, 08:07:38 PM
I'm jealous, I haven't been able to come close to making the Parshendi look that good. :) Only thing, though, didn't the book say they had carapace helmets too?
Title: Re: Official WoK Fan Art (Here there be spoilers)
Post by: Inkthinker on March 04, 2011, 10:56:59 PM
Very nice! I like that you worked the dreds of the beard in such a way that they kinda resemble tentacles, got a little zoidberg face going on... I think that's perfect.

Though I was also going to call you on the lack of a skullcap, and I think the skin marbling might be a bit too Kratos. The armor looks properly shell/carapace-like, though. Good job!
Title: Re: Official WoK Fan Art (Here there be spoilers)
Post by: MattL on March 05, 2011, 03:14:01 AM
I didnt know if anyone would call me out on the non helmet issue, I never found the part in the book in said they had the helmet. Figured they didnt have one. Im currently rereading the book to my wife and we came across a passage where it says they have helms like the day after I posted the pic. Duh moment. I also think its funny someone mentioned the breastplate to be turtleish. TMNTs were actually in my mind when I thought about doing the armor. Used to draw Leonardo daily when I was younger. Thanks for the comments. I may try to do it again with a few changes.
Title: Re: Official WoK Fan Art (Here there be spoilers)
Post by: Inkthinker on March 05, 2011, 07:13:15 AM
Haha, yeah if there's one thing you can be certain of, it's that fans will call you out if you miss something.

The helmets are described as skullcaps (literally, I guess), so I imagine they'd contour pretty closely. Remember that the design mandate for most anything related to nature on Roshar is going to be arthropods, crustaceans and coral. If you take that into account as you go, it's easier to stay on track. But the best thing to do is make note of descriptors in the text (much easier in a searchable e-book) and draw directly from that. I think the best place to look is during the chasm scavenging scenes with Bridge Four... there's a good description of their armor and how it grows out when Kaladin tries to strip one the first time. There's descriptors of their clothing and weapons as well.

It's also worth remembering that while the parshendi look primitive, their weapons are very finely made... I wouldn't necessarily make them look too rough. They carry short bows rather than long bows, and I think a smaller hand-axe might be more suitable than a long-hafted battle-axe. Maybe look into Mongolian weapon design and extrapolate from there.
Title: Re: Official WoK Fan Art (Here there be spoilers)
Post by: Zlurpo on March 08, 2011, 08:06:44 AM

It's also worth remembering that while the parshendi look primitive, their weapons are very finely made.

I can't wait to find out the reasons behind all that sort of thing...  The history of the parshendi/parshmen.  I'm almost finished with  my second time through the book, it's great to see what I notice this time around.
Title: Re: Official WoK Fan Art (Here there be spoilers)
Post by: Zlurpo on March 11, 2011, 05:46:44 PM
  Also I picture the knife in Kaldadin's left hand as he was holding a spear in his right, but again I don't know how true to source that is. 

So I just finished re-reading the book, and... I'm still not sure.  I don't know if he was still holding the broken/cut spear or not.  But I did realize that, A, this whole thing would took totally wicked in slow motion in a movie and would be impossible to follow at regular speeds, and B, it would be really hard to grab the spearhead like that right handed.  But if he grabbed it left handed it would be really hard to go all eye-stabbing the way he did.  So maybe I'm just picturing something wrong.
Title: Re: Official WoK Fan Art (Here there be spoilers)
Post by: aronsamma on March 22, 2011, 01:26:04 AM
(http://i104.photobucket.com/albums/m188/aronphoto/szeth.png)

i drew something. i don't like it much
Title: Re: Official WoK Fan Art (Here there be spoilers)
Post by: Juan Dolor on March 22, 2011, 03:14:08 PM
I think it's awesome.  His head is like an egg.
Title: Re: Official WoK Fan Art (Here there be spoilers)
Post by: Miyabi on March 22, 2011, 11:42:14 PM

I like it.  The black/white is fun.
Title: Re: Official WoK Fan Art (Here there be spoilers)
Post by: aronsamma on March 23, 2011, 12:41:29 AM
thanks guys. i had plans for drawing it nicely with shadows and whatnot, but as it turns out i'm absolutely awful with a wacom tablet, so i went the cartoony route. the perspective was all i really wanted to get across with it anyway
Title: Re: Official WoK Fan Art (Here there be spoilers)
Post by: andygal on March 23, 2011, 12:50:54 AM
the perspective is great!
Title: Re: Official WoK Fan Art (Here there be spoilers)
Post by: CabbyHat on March 23, 2011, 03:49:32 AM
Agreed, I think it really captures the feel of his fight scenes.
Title: Re: Official WoK Fan Art (Here there be spoilers)
Post by: Inkthinker on March 23, 2011, 04:41:57 AM
I really like that angle, excellent concept! It captures well the description of Szeth's power and its use in combat.

If you're working with a wacom, my strongest advice is to sketch things out on separate Layers, and don't hesitate to be as messy as you need to be. If it doesn't look right, set up a new Layer and try again! One of the absolute greatest things about digital drawing is that it allows you to experiment without the consequences inherent in physical media... being messy doesn't have to ruin a page or take up space and deplete supplies anymore. Your only limitation is your ability to use the tools and your mastery of drawing skills.

I sketch a LOT when I compose anything now, and I believe my work is much better for it. It allows me to draw through shapes and work out anatomy and perspective challenges for as long as it takes to get it right, and only then do I need to commit to the lines.
Title: Re: Official WoK Fan Art (Here there be spoilers)
Post by: SirZelig on March 23, 2011, 08:50:57 AM
Well I don't have much of a artistic talent, but I do like to draw. This isn't finish yet, I might finish it someday. Anyways this is kinda what I picture in my head. What shardplate looks like. I am probably not even close.

(http://i949.photobucket.com/albums/ad332/Armertank1/IMG_20110323_004524.jpg)
Title: Re: Official WoK Fan Art (Here there be spoilers)
Post by: CabbyHat on March 26, 2011, 05:52:36 PM
Hey, looks fantastic to me. :) One of my favourite things about this thread is how many different takes on Shardplate everyone has. And the best thing is, who's to say you're not all right?
Title: Re: Official WoK Fan Art (Here there be spoilers)
Post by: Inkthinker on March 27, 2011, 08:19:48 AM
The book is pretty clear on the subject, every suit of Shardplate is unique and no two look alike. The only rules are that it A)looks like plate armor and 2)is constructed ONLY of plates, no chain or leather or anything like that. At the joints the armor is made of smaller and smaller segments that interweave, passing around or across each other as joints flex and move. 

I like to start with a basis in historical types of plate armor (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plate_armor) (I like 14-16th century stuff, especially the Italian and German designs, 'cause that was about as good as it got before it started to fade out of fashion), and then I extrapolate from there into new ideas that are free of pesky concerns like weight or practical manufacturing. Figuring out the joints is the tricky part, but check out lamellar armor (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lamellar_armour), laminar armor (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laminar_armour) and  scale armor (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scale_armour) to see some ways in which plates can interact. Then imagine the plates can be as small as you like, and you don't need to explain how they hold together, and let your imagination start to fill in the spaces.

Because of its organic nature (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reptile_scales), I imagine most of the inner joints in Shardplate being comprised of scales surrounded by banded plates that merge into solid plates in the traditional places.
Title: Re: Official WoK Fan Art (Here there be spoilers)
Post by: DomainWalker on March 29, 2011, 04:41:20 PM
Hello all,

This is my first post…. And I must say I have seen some amazing art work on here. I would like to post a scene I am currently working on of the shattered plains. I would like to get some feedback and also make sure I am being true to the book. After I finish the terrain I plan on adding bridges, rock buds, chulls and hopefully a shard bearer.
I do have a question for the group, is the shattered plains flat or does it have some peaks and such within it. The book cover depicts variations in the height but from my understanding from the book the area is flat and shattered. Any help or guidance would be much appreciated.
Thanks
DomainWalker
(http://i1201.photobucket.com/albums/bb349/domainwalker/shatteredplains.jpg)
Title: Re: Official WoK Fan Art (Here there be spoilers)
Post by: Inkthinker on March 29, 2011, 05:19:05 PM
That photo is pretty close to how I imagined it (though remember that there's an issue of scale here, the chasms of the Plains are usually about 15-20 feet wide, not 50-100 feet as those in the photo appear to be), but I know there must be some height variation in the plateaus because Brandon describes them pushing the bridges across from higher to lower rims, and of course at some point we have the Tower.

I would say it's not quite as jagged and tilted as Whelan's cover, but not as flat as that photo reference... split the difference, and remember that they are the "shattered" "plains"... both words are operative descriptors, so while it's broad and flat(tish) the land is cracked and split...  Brandon's original vision was of a broken dinner plate, if I recall correctly.

I would think that the breaks are more jagged, not so much the smooth and rounded curves that they are in natural formations carved by water.  The Highstorms create flashfloods that do carve out the chasms somewhat more, but they do so violently rather than slowly over millenia. So again, somewhere split between smoothly carved canyons and jagged, shattered crockery.
Title: Re: Official WoK Fan Art (Here there be spoilers)
Post by: Juan Dolor on March 29, 2011, 05:28:28 PM
Where is that a photo of?
Title: Re: Official WoK Fan Art (Here there be spoilers)
Post by: DomainWalker on March 29, 2011, 07:30:21 PM
thanks for the detailed reply, i am going back to the drawing board so to speak. i may start over and try a different design. what about the colors of the landscape do they look right?
Title: Re: Official WoK Fan Art (Here there be spoilers)
Post by: DomainWalker on March 29, 2011, 07:32:43 PM
i created the photo in VUE and will move it over to Maya when i get the terrain right. i will also be using mudbox for the texturing of some of the items that i will place in the scene
Title: Re: Official WoK Fan Art (Here there be spoilers)
Post by: Argent on March 29, 2011, 10:15:54 PM
Ink's response was very much what I was going to mention as well. My only addition is that the plateaus seem a little too much like a grid - little variance in size and shape. This may be an illusion created by the fact that the two plateaus that are the focus of the entire image look to be about the same size though.

Just something to think about :)

P.S. Toss a Highstorm somewhere in the background, for additional badass :)
Title: Re: Official WoK Fan Art (Here there be spoilers)
Post by: Inkthinker on March 29, 2011, 10:25:04 PM
3D then, very neat!

Well you're on the right track. Less of a perfectly flat, even plane along the top, give each plateau a bit of slant or some variation to the terrain. Throw a few hillocks or some rock bluffs in there.

Not sure about the color... maybe a bit lighter? And would it be possible to make the chasms a little closer together then? I presume this is procedurally generated, but I don't know what levels of control you have over the handles.

Title: Re: Official WoK Fan Art (Here there be spoilers)
Post by: DomainWalker on March 29, 2011, 10:37:21 PM
i am currently trying to take a shattered glass image and sculpt that in mudbox for the terrain. trying to find that balance as mentioned above :)
i do plan on adding a highstorm if i can just get this terrain right
Title: Re: Official WoK Fan Art (Here there be spoilers)
Post by: DomainWalker on March 30, 2011, 03:17:55 PM
here is a base mesh for my shattered plains. it is not textured but i think i have the details correct. the chasms are on average 20 units across and anywhere from 15 to 30 units deep.

i think i am on the right path now, just need to decide on color and texture
comments and suggestions are very much welcomed

(http://i1201.photobucket.com/albums/bb349/domainwalker/WIP/shattered_plains_rev2.jpg)
Title: Re: Official WoK Fan Art (Here there be spoilers)
Post by: Inkthinker on March 30, 2011, 08:39:15 PM
Would you mind if I did a drawover on this render? It'd be easier than trying to explain where I think you should make changes.

Off hand though, I wouldn't have every plateau sink in the center with the raised lip... it's more about them being flat along the top (but not smoothly flat) and having some elevation variances above the base level that allow some bluffs to be higher than the ones on the opposite side.

I think the widths of the chasms are good, but the depths could be deeper. The plateaus themselves could be larger as well.
Title: Re: Official WoK Fan Art (Here there be spoilers)
Post by: DomainWalker on March 30, 2011, 08:44:37 PM
no i wouldn't mind at all, i have changed it since then so maybe i can send a new update in a little while. i did notice the sunken area's and i have been working on adding variations to it
Title: Re: Official WoK Fan Art (Here there be spoilers)
Post by: DomainWalker on March 30, 2011, 09:39:52 PM
ok i have finished working on this for today "i think" i have looked at it to long. in the image below you will notice i have changed the landscape and added in a few stand ins. the cylinders are 6 units high and the backshift bridge is 20X16 units. i do appreciate any feedback on this.

please feel free to mark it up if you like :)

thanks
DomainWalker
(http://i1201.photobucket.com/albums/bb349/domainwalker/WIP/shattered_plains_rev3.png)
Title: Re: Official WoK Fan Art (Here there be spoilers)
Post by: Juan Dolor on March 30, 2011, 11:03:13 PM
Man, does that look like a chocolatey dessert to anyone else?
Title: Re: Official WoK Fan Art (Here there be spoilers)
Post by: Argent on March 31, 2011, 12:45:17 AM
This looks better, I think. You still need to make the different plateaus have different heights though :)

On a side note, it's nice to see somebody actually working and making progress on a piece of fan art.
Title: Re: Official WoK Fan Art (Here there be spoilers)
Post by: Miyabi on March 31, 2011, 12:50:00 AM

The chasms need to be much deeper I think. >>'  I could be wrong though.  At the current scale probably 60-75 unites deep on average.
Title: Re: Official WoK Fan Art (Here there be spoilers)
Post by: DomainWalker on March 31, 2011, 04:41:50 AM
OK i have attempted to make the suggested changes....... i am at 1.7 million polys right now for this terrain so i am about as far as i can go for now. i also zoomed in on this image to hopefully show a better perspective.

(http://i1201.photobucket.com/albums/bb349/domainwalker/WIP/shattered_plains_rev4.png)
Title: Re: Official WoK Fan Art (Here there be spoilers)
Post by: CabbyHat on March 31, 2011, 09:31:55 AM
I'd say that looks just about right. It's not quite what I'd pictured but I can't find any fault with it compared to the descriptions in the book. :)
Title: Re: Official WoK Fan Art (Here there be spoilers)
Post by: Inkthinker on March 31, 2011, 03:21:15 PM
It's very rounded at the edges, more so that it probably should be. Shattered edges, not worn (at least not a the top).

If you're at 1.7M polys, I think you should stop modeling for a bit, and start optimizing. For a barren, cracked landscape that is WAY high. Flatten it out some and use maps to regain the subtle variations in terrain.
Title: Re: Official WoK Fan Art (Here there be spoilers)
Post by: Juan Dolor on March 31, 2011, 03:46:27 PM
It looks even more delicious now. ..

http://www.hulu.com/watch/33844/the-simpsons-the-land-of-chocolate
Title: Re: Official WoK Fan Art (Here there be spoilers)
Post by: DomainWalker on March 31, 2011, 04:17:21 PM
thanks for the replies, i agree in this pic it looks kinda soft and chewy :) but once i get some textures on it and add some other details and get into Maya to render i think it will look much differently. i am going to move on for awhile and model some bridges, plants and a shard bearer for a hero shot.

shard bearer or radiance? what details should be used on the armor? what colors... i am open to suggestions
Title: Re: Official WoK Fan Art (Here there be spoilers)
Post by: Zlurpo on March 31, 2011, 07:28:23 PM
I don't know if it's accurate or not, but my vision has always been that the walls of the chasms would go straight down, or possibly even undercut the top by a bit.  So that the bottom of the chasm is wider than the top, due to the flood of dirt and rock rivers that run through them during storms.  So less of a sloping valley "U" shape, and more "|_|" shape... if that makes sense.
Title: Re: Official WoK Fan Art (Here there be spoilers)
Post by: Miyabi on March 31, 2011, 09:56:59 PM
I don't know if it's accurate or not, but my vision has always been that the walls of the chasms would go straight down, or possibly even undercut the top by a bit.  So that the bottom of the chasm is wider than the top, due to the flood of dirt and rock rivers that run through them during storms.  So less of a sloping valley "U" shape, and more "|_|" shape... if that makes sense.

I agree with this.
Title: Re: Official WoK Fan Art (Here there be spoilers)
Post by: DomainWalker on April 01, 2011, 05:29:48 AM
OK I could not live with the last picture or the process i was taken. i went back to the drawing boad and tried my best to take everyones comments into consideration. below is my latest render and i hope it looks okay :) but please let me know if something still doesn't look right. or if it does that would be nice to know also

(http://i1201.photobucket.com/albums/bb349/domainwalker/WIP/shatteredplains_rev4.jpg)
Title: Re: Official WoK Fan Art (Here there be spoilers)
Post by: dhalagirl on April 01, 2011, 07:46:37 AM
I like it!  That's pretty freaking close to what I imagined.  Awesome job!
Title: Re: Official WoK Fan Art (Here there be spoilers)
Post by: Miyabi on April 01, 2011, 02:04:52 PM

It looks freaking amazing!  The bottoms of the chasms still need to be a bit wider.

It could just be me, but I always imagined it to be more red colored.  Then again I guess red wouldn't make much sense considering all of the deposits from the storms.  So I'm probably wrong.
Title: Re: Official WoK Fan Art (Here there be spoilers)
Post by: DomainWalker on April 01, 2011, 03:52:14 PM
thanks for the replies!! the color and texture on here is just a way for be to see the details a little better. i am open to changing the colors later on.

when i get this into Maya i do plan on opening the bottoms up more and not leaving it just straight down. VUE doesn't have the best tools for that kind of modeling.
Title: Re: Official WoK Fan Art (Here there be spoilers)
Post by: CabbyHat on April 01, 2011, 07:04:04 PM
Can I just say that I really admire how you keep working on this thing despite someone having something to add almost every time?  ;D Not a lot of people on the internet would be mature enough to cope with that. Latest version looks fantastic, by the way, I'd hardly change a thing about the basic structure.
Title: Re: Official WoK Fan Art (Here there be spoilers)
Post by: DomainWalker on April 01, 2011, 10:18:22 PM
Thank you for the comments CabbyHat, I agree that you may not find a mature audience on the internet these days but this group has been very helpful for me and I greatly appreciate it.
I have only been learning 3D in my spare time now for about 6 months now. I came across Brandon’s work when he finished the book for Wheel of Time and then I moved onto Mist borne. Originally I wanted to create an environment based on the Wheel of Time series but found out they may be making a movie for it. Then after reading Mist borne I came across WoK and loved it. I knew that this would be the series I would create my environment for.
I actually decided to give it a try for a contest being hosted by digital tutors for great scapes. So I thought what a better scene to work on than the shattered plains. While listening to the book I thought of another hero type shot I wanted to create “link below” with someone wearing shard plate with the shattered plains in the background. I wanted it to be a looping movie file to put on a 30” display and the scene would change as the storm came through.
Anyway sorry for the long reply, but the bottom line is I have a personal interest in making this as close to the book as I possibly can  
Digital Tutors link
http://www.digitaltutors.com
Link to animation shot
http://vimeo.com/14852250
Title: Re: Official WoK Fan Art (Here there be spoilers)
Post by: Miyabi on April 02, 2011, 12:43:28 AM

You know what would be REALLY cool that I would be interested in seeing (if you find time after doing this project) would be a view of Elantris from atop one of the walls looking in.  (You should pick up that book if you haven't read it.)
Title: Re: Official WoK Fan Art (Here there be spoilers)
Post by: Zlurpo on April 02, 2011, 04:18:45 AM

You know what would be REALLY cool that I would be interested in seeing (if you find time after doing this project) would be a view of Elantris from atop one of the walls looking in.  (You should pick up that book if you haven't read it.)


Oooh... I want more Elantris fanart now...  I've never been much good at cityscapes, personally, but I think that book is (or would be, rather) so visually glorious.
That's one of the reasons it has my highest vote of "Sanderson book to be made into a movie."  Which is probably a discussion for a different thread.
Title: Re: Official WoK Fan Art (Here there be spoilers)
Post by: Zlurpo on April 02, 2011, 04:21:57 AM
And I think that the rendering is looking better every time.  I still think perhaps the chasms either need to be closer together, or deeper.  I realize that this is a computer rendering, so you want everything to be visible to us, the viewers.  And I appreciate it!  But I always felt like when looking down into the chasms, you would just barely be able to see the bottoms, if at all, due to the lack of light at the bottom and the distance down.
When Kaladin jumped from the bridge, didn't it say it was around 70 feet?  I'd have to look that up.
Title: Re: Official WoK Fan Art (Here there be spoilers)
Post by: Argent on April 02, 2011, 07:21:32 AM
Miyabi, I thought they'd be more red/brown too. I guess that's what I imagine when I think "barren rocky plateaus."

And, DomainWalker, my good man, you still refuse to change the plateaus elevation levels :P I am not sure why that's the first thing I notice every time, but you can feel free to tell me to storm off now :)
Title: Re: Official WoK Fan Art (Here there be spoilers)
Post by: Inkthinker on April 03, 2011, 07:10:26 AM
NOW you're getting there. Maybe deeper chasms? I like the edges much more now.

A few rockbuds, maybe some twisted spine... remember, the surface isn't entirely barren, and down in the chasms there's an ecosytem that thrives in the old crem-water, clinging to the rock and hiding in the crevices.

I like the shapes and surfaces, this is close to what I imagine with the tilt and edges. Nice!!
Title: Re: Official WoK Fan Art (Here there be spoilers)
Post by: DomainWalker on April 03, 2011, 02:57:31 PM
I have not been able to focus much on the scene this weekend. I have been working on installing a new server for rendering. I have also been adding more detail into the displacement map I used to create the image I posted. After I refine it a bit more I will be able to bring it into my main app “MAYA” and get back to work on it. Once in MAYA I will break out the UV’s and then take it into Mudbox for final sculpting and texturing.
Vacation is over and I will be heading back to work this week so I may not be able to get to much done but I will post what I do for review
@argent, the plateaus are indeed higher elevations that what appears in the image. I guess it's the perspective view that really doesn’t show it.
@Inkthinker, I agree It will look much better when the ecosystem goes in. also I may be wrong but the plains also have rock formations that they hid behind correct?
Title: Re: Official WoK Fan Art (Here there be spoilers)
Post by: Inkthinker on April 03, 2011, 11:18:54 PM
There's moments where Kaladin and Bridge Four take shelter from the battles behind outcroppings or shelves of rock, and multiple mentions of rockbuds. I don't know if grass grows every where on the plateaus, but I think it might be reasonable that a few hardy patches could survive here and there (especially anywhere that might reasonably shelter from the wind, like the leeward side of a rock formation). I imagine that dead ends in the canyons might be very ecologically active, since a lot of matter would end up washed there after every storm.
Title: Re: Official WoK Fan Art (Here there be spoilers)
Post by: Argent on April 04, 2011, 06:02:09 AM
I don't know about the grass. Roshar is a very different world from ours, and life there seems to be able to thrive on much less than our own flora and fauna. Unless there is a detailed description (which is possible) of the plateaus, we might as well assume they are all covered with short and sturdy grass. Of the kind that pulls back and away from animals stepping on top of it.
Title: Re: Official WoK Fan Art (Here there be spoilers)
Post by: Inkthinker on April 04, 2011, 04:00:01 PM
That's the only kind of grass, unless you go to Shinovar.
Title: Re: Official WoK Fan Art (Here there be spoilers)
Post by: Peter Ahlstrom on April 04, 2011, 06:17:02 PM
Hum, I didn't think the plateaus had grass. Rockbuds yes, but I don't remember grass being mentioned.
Title: Re: Official WoK Fan Art (Here there be spoilers)
Post by: Inkthinker on April 05, 2011, 12:43:11 AM
Yeah, I can't remember any specifics either way. The stuff is kinda ubiquitous, but the Shattered Plains get scoured pretty hard.

I'd think  it was mostly barren up top, with patches of hardy vegetation in places that provide any hint of shelter (also 'cause visually I'd want to break up the endless rock here and there with a little life). Think Badlands territory. Once you get down into the chasms, I think it's more lively, though after storms it probably takes a few days to recover.

Peter, did Brandon ever come up with a biology for how the grass anchors itself without a soil medium? Does it dig in or does it only flourish in crem patches (I'd imagine the latter, with grass seeds accumulating in puddles that quickly dry into spots of crem, the leaves forcing their way out but able to withdraw as usual), or is there something else?
Title: Re: Official WoK Fan Art (Here there be spoilers)
Post by: dhalagirl on April 06, 2011, 06:56:51 AM
I thought the grass was only in the unclaimed hills.  At least that's the only place I remember it being mentioned.
Title: Re: Official WoK Fan Art (Here there be spoilers)
Post by: DomainWalker on April 06, 2011, 08:28:02 PM
I wanted to give everyone an update on my progress; i am still working on getting the plains mesh completed and have it successful into maya now with a low poly count. Once i have the UV's laid out i can then start texturing and shaping it.

Questions for the group
1. What colors are the plains? I have seen some red mentioned along with others.
2. What would be considered an average amount of rock formations? Is it rare to see them or does every plateau have one or two
3. Where did the rock formations come from? Shattered during the breaking? Already there and the others feel into the chasms?
4. What colors are the plants there? I was actually thinking about adding vivid colors since they come out after a high storm, maybe they have been infused in some way?
5. High Storm…. Is it low to the ground or does it span from ground level to a very high altitude?

Sorry for the questions but I am working on ideas for upcoming items in the scene and want it as close as possible to the book. I just don’t recall all of the fine details from the book. I really need to listen to it again  :)
Title: Re: Official WoK Fan Art (Here there be spoilers)
Post by: Argent on April 06, 2011, 09:43:03 PM
Tor had an article about a real storm photograph that supposedly looks like a Highstorm - here is the link (http://cubeme.com/blog/wpcontent/uploads/2010/11/National_Geographic_Photography_Contest_2010_1.jpg). It looks very similar to the Way of Kings cover art (http://www.medievalmayhem.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/WayOfKings_REV_lo.png).

Actually, looking at the cover art again, I think it may be a picture of the Shattered Plains :)
Title: Re: Official WoK Fan Art (Here there be spoilers)
Post by: Miyabi on April 06, 2011, 10:34:55 PM

1 - I actually think it's more of a slate gray color.  Kind of like slip. (http://www.russellfinex.com/_images/_Images/__contentlandscape/clay%20slip.jpg)

2 - I don't think they would be on a lot of the plateaus.  Probably 2 in 7?  Maybe?

3 - The formations would probably look like they had been formed in the Shattering and then I would assume they were smoothed out by the winds over time.   Chasms would be wider on the bottom than on the top.

4 - I always imagined the plants being colors like goldenrod (http://www.homeplateheroes.com/Goldenrod%20Suede.jpg) and puce (http://clamhead.typepad.com/.a/6a00d8341c5e1753ef013486abe73a970c-200pi).  The goldenrod because they most likely wouldn't be green, so that appeared to me like a color of a plant that didn't get a lot of sun, and the puce because there are a lot of plants that are a darker red and I assumed that's what they would look like if they had less water.

5 - What Argent said.
Title: Re: Official WoK Fan Art (Here there be spoilers)
Post by: CabbyHat on April 06, 2011, 11:12:43 PM
I imagine the top of the plains being a very dull, unrelieved dark reddish-brown, with only the occasional rockbud or pile of rocks to break things up. (In my mind the rock formations are just piles of stones and boulders that were brought in and broken up by the highstorms, and cemented together by crem or just jumbled together loosely to be swept away by the next storm.) Down in the chasms would be a completely different story; cool, dark crevasses with water dripping and flowing everywhere, feeding patches of lush, vibrant greenery highlighted by lifespren.
Title: Re: Official WoK Fan Art (Here there be spoilers)
Post by: dhalagirl on April 07, 2011, 03:14:31 AM
I imagined the colors to be shades of red and tan, similar to the red rock found in Southern Utah.  As for plant life I'd take cues from desert plants.  Muted shades of green with hearty exteriors, after a storm flowers in shades of pink, purple, yellow and white.
Title: Re: Official WoK Fan Art (Here there be spoilers)
Post by: ccstat on April 13, 2011, 07:49:07 PM
While a different kind of art, I thought I'd post this poem here. If it belongs on a different thread, please point me in the right direction.
I've been participating in the poem-a-day challenge for National Poetry Month over at my blog (mythoughtorchard.blogspot.com (http://mythoughtorchard.blogspot.com)), and today's offering was inspired by the WoK. It's not a ketek, but it takes a similar form (reverso rather than palindromic). Thoughts?

Dalinar
He is weak,
a man who thinks
the world relies on him.
To be saved
he obeys
these words and teachings,
following
a forgotten king.
This man may become
our only hope, though
it is
so difficult to see.
Remember this truth:
Strength before weakness!
Remember this truth,
so difficult to see.
It is
our only hope (though
this man may become
a forgotten king)--
following
these words and teachings
he obeys.
To be saved,
the world relies on him:
a man who thinks
he is weak.
Title: Re: Official WoK Fan Art (Here there be spoilers)
Post by: Peter Ahlstrom on April 13, 2011, 09:19:16 PM
Ha ha ha ha, that is pretty awesome. It's not a ketek, but it's a chiasmus.
Title: Re: Official WoK Fan Art (Here there be spoilers)
Post by: Inkthinker on April 13, 2011, 10:24:21 PM
That's incredibly cool.
Title: Re: Official WoK Fan Art (Here there be spoilers)
Post by: andygal on April 13, 2011, 10:48:28 PM
I love it, it is awesome.
Title: Re: Official WoK Fan Art (Here there be spoilers)
Post by: dhalagirl on April 14, 2011, 02:38:49 AM
Ditto.  Way cool!
Title: Re: Official WoK Fan Art (Here there be spoilers)
Post by: happyman on April 14, 2011, 02:58:24 PM
OK, ccstat, that is officially cool.  I especially like the bit where you parallel the forgotten king with the potential future king.  Well done.  The best types of chiasmus are the ones where the form complements the content.
Title: Re: Official WoK Fan Art (Here there be spoilers)
Post by: ccstat on April 15, 2011, 06:48:54 PM
Thanks for the compliments! I'm glad you like it. I may try my hand at a ketek, but those are harder.
Title: Re: Official WoK Fan Art (Here there be spoilers)
Post by: DomainWalker on April 24, 2011, 12:39:51 AM
So i finally had a chance to rebuild the mesh and finish the UV's. Here are two renders with a basic terrain material added. I also did a quick sculpt of the terrain to give it some hills and test the mesh. I still have a long way to go with this. Currently my biggest issue is getting the perspective right. The chasms are at least 20 units wide or more but i can’t seem to convey that in the image. Clearly I need to practice and learn allot more when it comes to building terrains.
Still need to add rock formations, plants, bridges, storm and dirty it all up

(http://i1201.photobucket.com/albums/bb349/domainwalker/SP.jpg)


(http://i1201.photobucket.com/albums/bb349/domainwalker/SP_over.jpg)
Title: Re: Official WoK Fan Art (Here there be spoilers)
Post by: Argent on April 24, 2011, 08:28:57 PM
I am pretty happy with the second image. Only thing I am concerned about is the size of the actual plateaus - after all, small armies are supposed to be able to have an active battle going on most of them. I don't know how to fix it though; if you up the scale and make the plateaus bigger, the chasms would become too small...
Title: Re: Official WoK Fan Art (Here there be spoilers)
Post by: DomainWalker on April 25, 2011, 02:27:14 AM
@argent
I agree with your comments and maybe that is what keeps bugging me about the perspective of all this. I think that is indeed what keeps running through my head as I look at this. So I really don’t have time “for the contest I am in” to go back and create a new one. But I may in the future once I get this one complete. For my main camera shot I think it will be lower and only focusing on one small area. I would like to put one of the stationary bridges crossing the chasm.  I have read through most “not all’ of the thread pertaining to the mobile bridges. But what about the stationary ones? How big are they and if the bridge builders crafted detailed mobile bridges what kind of stationary ones did they build? Did they have sides to them? Where they built flat or did they have an arch to them.
As always I welcome feedback and appreciate everyone’s comments and suggestions
Title: Re: Official WoK Fan Art (Here there be spoilers)
Post by: Inkthinker on April 25, 2011, 05:17:00 AM
Doubtful that they're arched. Most of them would probably be flat and roughly buttressed along the bottom.

Chasms get thinner as you go out to the edges, wider as you go in towards the center. If you model a carry-bridge, remember that about half the length of it remains on the side it's pushed from, for balance.
Title: Re: Official WoK Fan Art (Here there be spoilers)
Post by: Zlurpo on April 28, 2011, 03:16:37 PM
I have a feeling that at some point we'll learn where the shattered plains came from (how they cam to exist, geologically speaking), since I doubt it will end up being that it just happened naturally.  So I suspect that when we learn what made them, our understanding of what they look like will improve somewhat.

For now though, in terms of sizing and spacing of the plateaus, the image in the book gives a pretty good idea I think.
(http://images.wikia.com/stormlightarchive/images/8/8e/ShatteredPlains.png)

I have a couple theories of my own about where they did come from... We'll see if I guessed right in the future!
Title: Re: Official WoK Fan Art (Here there be spoilers)
Post by: Shiael on May 06, 2011, 11:14:41 PM
Ok I am extremely new here and have no idea how to post a drawing. Help? I don't even know if I am posting this in the right place.
Title: Re: Official WoK Fan Art (Here there be spoilers)
Post by: andygal on May 07, 2011, 05:53:13 AM
just put the web address of the picture in img tags

Code: [Select]
[img]your image URL here[/img]
like so
Title: Re: Official WoK Fan Art (Here there be spoilers)
Post by: Argent on May 07, 2011, 08:01:11 AM
To add to this, you can use a number of website to host your art - http://imgur.com/ is my personal preference.
Title: Re: Official WoK Fan Art (Here there be spoilers)
Post by: Shiael on May 07, 2011, 04:32:21 PM
ok thanks ill attempt it :)
Title: Re: Official WoK Fan Art (Here there be spoilers)
Post by: Shiael on May 07, 2011, 04:34:44 PM
*sigh* as soon as i finish it AGAIN cuz i just totally messed up
Title: Re: Official WoK Fan Art (Here there be spoilers)
Post by: Shiael on May 12, 2011, 03:11:31 PM
hey do you guys think that a shardplate helm showed any of the face or no? I cant recall if it said in the text.
Title: Re: Official WoK Fan Art (Here there be spoilers)
Post by: Inkthinker on May 12, 2011, 09:16:48 PM
Shardplate helms have faceplates that can be lifted or removed. Brandon doesn't really clearly describe them other than contextually (paraphrasing "Dalinar slammed down his faceplate", "Andolin lifted his faceplate to breathe", etc) so you have a good bit of freedom in how you want to interpret it.

Especially when you get into the magical contexts, because I think that unlike a real plate where you have to look through a slot or pinholes, the face of the shardplate helm goes all smoky transparent when he brings it down. Ideally, this means the exterior of it can look like almost anything, since the issue of vision/protection is moot.
Title: Re: Official WoK Fan Art (Here there be spoilers)
Post by: andygal on May 12, 2011, 11:11:27 PM
it does have a small eye-slit (see the scene when Kaladin kills the dude by ramming a spear point into said eye slit). Dalinar says that while the helm goes translucent it's not quite enough to allow seeing clearly enough to fight without a slit.
Title: Re: Official WoK Fan Art (Here there be spoilers)
Post by: Inkthinker on May 13, 2011, 12:02:33 AM
You're right, I stand corrected.

Though every suit of shardplate is unique, so any suit may differ from another in various ways. But yeah, there should probably be something like a traditional eyeslit or holes or something in the faceplate, if for no other reason but that you'd like to be able to keep seeing if the gems crack and your suit goes dead.
Title: Re: Official WoK Fan Art (Here there be spoilers)
Post by: Shiael on May 15, 2011, 04:26:14 PM
Ok, thanks. Now that you mention it, I recall Dalinar describing the plate at one point.
Title: Re: Official WoK Fan Art (Here there be spoilers)
Post by: Shells124 on July 16, 2011, 11:45:17 PM
(http://http://fc01.deviantart.net/fs71/i/2011/197/0/4/kaladin_by_shells124-d3wnmmq.jpg)

Can anyone actually see this picture? It's a sketch I did of the scene where Kaladin jumps over the bridge.

If you can't actually see it, here's a link.

http://shells124.deviantart.com/art/Kaladin-236248658
Title: Re: Official WoK Fan Art (Here there be spoilers)
Post by: Shiael on August 04, 2011, 07:43:02 PM
i need to fix my scanner >:O
Title: Re: Official WoK Fan Art (Here there be spoilers)
Post by: Shiael on August 05, 2011, 02:58:52 AM
fixed the scanner but..... i tried to put something on deviant art but it had a little red bag next to it! How do i get out of the gallery?!?!?!?!?!?  :-[
Title: Re: Official WoK Fan Art (Here there be spoilers)
Post by: Inkthinker on August 06, 2011, 02:25:10 AM
So far as I know, you can't hyperlink an image from DA to a forum. You can post a link to your DA page, though.
Title: Re: Official WoK Fan Art (Here there be spoilers)
Post by: Shiael on August 06, 2011, 08:01:34 PM
I am not exactly the most computer-savvy person you'll ever meet.  :P   IM SO CONFUSED :D
Title: Re: Official WoK Fan Art (Here there be spoilers)
Post by: Inkthinker on August 06, 2011, 10:01:07 PM
It means you can copy and past the address link from the bar at the top of your browser into your post here, and that will allow us to check out the work you posted to DA... but I don't think you can have the image hosted on DA appear here in the forums.

You see, if they're hosting the image then they would pay for the bandwidth every time someone here looked at it. They would rather you go to the DA site to see the image, so they don't allow in-line posting.

If you want your work to appear in the post here, you'll need another hosting option (best case, your own corner of a server somewhere on the net. If you have your own website, then you can do that).

-Ben

Title: Re: Official WoK Fan Art (Here there be spoilers)
Post by: Shiael on August 06, 2011, 11:52:43 PM
I just wanted to know how to get the little bag of of my drawing in DA, lol. my other ones dont have it <:|
Title: Re: Official WoK Fan Art (Here there be spoilers)
Post by: Shiael on August 21, 2011, 01:39:21 AM
it makes sense now that i think about it.... thanks haha