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richten — Allyanna portrait
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#armour #blonde #elf #fighter #blueeyes #curlyhair #dungeonsanddragons #elffemale #medievalfantasy #messybun
Published: 2018-09-14 23:53:38 +0000 UTC; Views: 1267; Favourites: 57; Downloads: 38
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Description
Last time I drew her alone was this one but it's been a while since I drew her armour and I think I have never done it in colour. I had to fix that.
The problem when you design a cool armour is having to make it look the same again 
What do you think?
I do Commissions send me a note if you are interested.
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Comments: 11
Since you have asked for input on this pic, I do have to say that I like the nude version better. Of course, this wouldn't be much of a critique if I just left it at that, but it did take me awhile to pin down the reason.
At first, I thought that it might have been something about the design of the armour itself that changed the composition - but the armour is actually very good. I especially love that you went with a functional design that looks like it would properly deflect a blow, and doesn't have silly chest-lumps to channel a blade toward the sternum. The embossing around the trim also adds some good visual appeal. As for the shape, it doesn't detract from the artistic flow at all, but there was something about it...
Finally, I realized: it's the shading. All that silver space on the armour "flattens" the image, and reduces the overall visual impact. I've been in this conundrum myself - not wanting to hide my hard-drawn detail with deep shadows, but a highly polished suit like that ought to have some nearly black (or very dark green) areas around the armpit and on the lower curve of the breastplate. This would afford a much greater feeling of depth to the piece, and direct the viewer back up to those vibrant blue eyes, which are really the selling point in both images.
That said, I want to emphasize that I don't dislike this pic; I simply like the other one better at present. Again, great design; and your detail-work is enviable! Overall, very impressive!
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Thanks for the thoughtful critique, I really appreciate it.
I'm actually not against drawing armours with decorations, like the chest-lumps. Yes, it detracts from the functionality, but armours were not only functional. Often they would also show the status of the wearer, since very few people could afford a full armour. That is why there are many actual armours with impractical elements.
That said, in this case I did went with something practical, functional and yet looked good on her. I have also though about how it's built, how she puts it on and those things, to make it believable. So I'm glad that is working
I did have trouble thinking how the armour should be shaded. I have made a lot of experiments on colouring skin, which is why I think more often than not I get a decent result (and I think that is the reason the nude works better). A highly reflective surface in colour I have a lot less experience, and it's not easy to find references, so I had to use my imagination and my knowledge of light behaviour. Basically I tried to think how a mirror would reflect light in that scene at different angles. But yes, maybe I should have been more bold with the contrasts.
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I know just what you mean! Over the last few years, I've had to try and depict a few characters with highly polished armour - specifically one that was futuristic chrome-polished and one that was made of living mercury. It was a task worthy of MC Escher... and I'm not MC Escher.
Anyway, I had an enjoyable evening checking out your images. Thanks for posting!
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I drew a character like that a long time ago, but I just cheated on that one, so it goes without saying, the result was not good.
I will probably give a try at this character in the near future, just wish I could get an armour made and have a pretty girl pose for me so I can get the reflections right
It's nice to know you checked my gallery, a lot of people fav and move on.
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I think we could all use a few willing, attractive models in our lives - and skilled armourers too, for that matter. If I could find a cute girl who forged Medieval arms and implements as a hobby, that'd be clutch.
In all honesty, I actually came by way of the link in the nude version at Hentai Foundry - but I was intrigued by your work there and wanted to see what else you had put out. I'm glad I took a peek. I'll definitely be poking in again from time to time.
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I would be happy if she just modelled it, and I could find someone else to make them for us
As you can see, I have a lot more stuff here. Hentai Foundry gets a few exclusives (a few more will come soon), although I worry I don't make enough of them.
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Yes; I'm glad I found the dA link. It shows the value of cross-pollination on one's posts. Though I did enjoy the content of your HF gallery as well. I think you have enough to make for a good showing, but not enough to overwhelm the viewer.
For my part, I view dA and HF as their own "market," so to speak. While I do post some of my fun, cheesecakey shots here, dA does not host explicit material. Likewise, HF users are probably not there for more PG- or G-rated pieces. I've found that it's a good way to find homes for all my various work - though the nudes do see some overlap.
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Yes, cross-pollination is really good. I can do it from HF to dA but unfortunately I can't do it from dA to HF. I know some people do it, but I think they don't allow links to porn sites. So I leave hints and if people ask I can note them a link.
Definitely they should be treated differently. I know people in HF don't care much for PG stuff, so I leave a link just in case but I will probably not upload them there. Here I can't upload the more explicit stuff, but like I say I can't link back there. But I'm lazy, so I like being able to reuse drawings, that is part of the reason I do multiple versions of drawings, so if possible I will edit or crop explicit stuff.
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All very true. I'm fortunate, in that my username is the same at both sites, so I can tell people to "Check me out at Hentai Foundry" and it's not much effort to do so. However, you're right: dA does misidentify messages containing HF links as spam. I don't know if they view HF as a competitor (I've heard rumours that HF was made specifically because dA does not host explicit materials), but it is what it is.
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I don't know if dA feels it's a competitor. I think they want to avoid people linking directly to porn, so they use some sort of system and if it detects certain words on a link (like hentai) they flag it automatically.
Why HF was made I know nothing, but Fur Affinity I know was made because of dA.
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Yes; I suspect that plays a large part as well.
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