Borka Kegslayer

[Pezz]

Painting of Borka Kegslayer from Privateer Press' Hordes game. Just finished it up but I wanted to drop it here to see what you all think about it. I feel like I'm improving by miles every time I paint. I could really use a hand with fur textures, I don't know why I'm struggling with it as much.

[Artfix]

Hey pez, good work. I really like it.

I did a little paintover for the fur and a lighting idea. Generally, just make the fur softer and you'll be fine. Then you can throw in some random straggly strands if it helps.

As for the lighting, I noticed how dark your image is. It looked already like he was backlit. The most common trick in concept art I think is using rim lights. People throw them on everything and guess what, it works. It makes it look better for some reason. So try tossing rim lights on just about everything. You can use different colors for added effect.

[Pezz]

Hey man sorry for the delay! Thanks for the crits, I also got some from a teacher. I think this is what I'm going for since it's due on Wednesday but I just wanted to post my update and thank you for the help

[Candra H]

I cant comment on the digital aspect because I'm no expert. But the fur. It's a pain in the arse whatever way you look at it. I tend to cheat and define the edges with fine lines and then show depth/solidity with light and shade to give an impression of it rather than trying to show every last detail. There's also lots of different kinds of fur. Matted and rough, smooth and fine like ermine, or soft and fluffy etc. I think it comes down to figuring out what type of fur you're using and then look at creating an impression of that.

Anyway, no idea if thats helpful at all. Good luck with the submission.

[Pavel Sokov]

Pezz, your rim lights did not work. The lack the bravado required to even be noticeable.

I would suggest going hard at it like Art fix did. I think he used a colour dodge layer, with a white brush to do the rim lights. Don't be afraid, its on a different layer anyway.

[wylielise]

Here's my paintover & input:


For painting fur:
I think of it as a mass of little spines on a curved surface (the shape of the body/garment underneath). On the peak of that shape closest to you, the spines will point directly at you, and foreshortening makes them look like little dots (if they're even visible). Move around the side a little and they become very short lines; even further and they become long lines the way you would typically think of them. I only bother defining the hairs in bright areas, where the light would catch them the most, and leave the rest shadowy to keep things from getting too busy and distracting. Reference photos of fur coats and furry animals are usually helpful.

Other changes I made:
I painted the teeth over as a series of large masses instead of individual teeth. I know he probably doesn't have fantastic dental hygiene, but it defines them a little more and makes them almost as noticeable as the eyes, which helps with the ferocious look.

I also thought the beer foam should be sloshing over to the side, and the beer should look like it's coming out around the edges of the foam rather than from the center, as well as being somewhat transparent instead of syrupy. I did a very sloppy adjustment, but hopefully it will give you an idea of what I mean.