Assets, assets, and more assets
This past month I have learned a ton about image size, style, and consistency. Though I must admit that ‘consistency’ is yet to be added to my lexicon of words in any meaningful capacity.
I began working on the project, and it was all going well up till the point where I needed to start doing more creative things. I mean, give me boobs and nether regions any day of the week, just don’t make me do fabric! Yet, fabric it is that I must now tackle with full force.
Art Project: Rimworld Assets
My time with Rimworld art began with doing some re-modeling of an existing body model. Due to the nature of the model being someone else’s ip, I will not be showing the whole thing. So bare with me, as you stare at the above knockers. I will spare you the insanity that is the female sex organ.
Why did I start with the nude model? Well, my friends, for some reason people still think that there is something terrible about the charm of the human body, especially the female one. Isn’t it odd that evident beauty has been all but cut off from the current games? There is a reason why some of the most iconic females in gaming wear either flowy or tight clothing with some skin showing, why they have curves in the critical spots… And no, it is not because of sexism. Even I, as a woman, can appreciate the beauty of Lara Croft, Cortana, and the various Tekken fighters. My favorites were Alisa the robot and Zafina. Woo, boy, did she know how to scorpion kick!
I’m tired of all these females in the current games being made into second-grade males. Come now, Karlach from BG3 is basically a dude with some feminine traits. And the up-coming witcher… Why would you do that to Ciri? Hell, give me Zero from Drakengard. She is a badass, but at least she doesn’t pose as a guy in all her feminine luster.
Rimworld Style
Thankfully, the Rimworld style is among the easiest to get into as a noob artist, I’d say. It is all about relatively thick outlines, simple designs, and a cartoony, extremely simplistic world all and all. If you look it up, you’ll see that the humanoid models don’t even sport arms or legs! And neither do the animals, much.
It has been quite the fortunate event that my husband chose to make this particular game his first project in a while. Had it been something more complicated, or heaven forbid 3D, I may have been too intimidated to take the initial steps to begin.
Learning by Touching Up
One great way to practise drawing is to copy. But I didn’t really feel like re-drawing all the things just for the sake of making something nice for my husband. So I began touching-up and enhancing the existing sprites. I had made the new body too, so the clothes were… let’s say ‘ill-fitting’ at best.
As I went through some of the basic items in the game, I got more confident about the line thickness and shading. I also got back into the groove with Krita, which has been my freeware of choice since we got the drawing tablet. If you want to learn about a certain style, I find that this touch-up training of mine with the actual game assets was a great success.
Drawing Clothing
Let me be honest, clothes make me nervous. They can be flowy, tight, latex, metal, decorated to the extreme, or even transparent. And I’m sure that doesn’t even begin to describe the realm of them properly.
The above image is from my portfolio of traditional art I have scribbled in my free time during the years. I am rather proud of it, as she was the first real attempt at understanding clothing I ever gave an art piece. While I have yet to study hands (and conveniently hid them under a random rag), I love this piece for what it is: a research on fabric.
That, of course, was a lifetime ago. I’ve since lost all connection with all the things I learned, more or less. Because of that, I am doubting my ability to design proper outfits even with the help of references. But, I shall give it my best shot! Last time I checked, I have about 13 outfits to do, 10 of which are my own designs (Maid, Housewife, and Gift being some of the names I’ve given said outfits). The other 3 are variations of existing items.
Valentine’s abomination
Valentine’s came and went, and I just couldn’t leave it without something small. So I made the above monstrosity. Can you tell I put little to no effort in it? No? Wow, you must be blind as a bat.
All jokes aside, despite the lackluster attempt, I learned some useful things by making it. One said things was to use Aseprite’s handy glow effect tool to make vignettes. I had never used it before and was rather pleased at the gradient effect it gives. No more meticulous color adjustments one width rings at a time!
I also found a way to put my mark on the works, even the smaller resolution ones. You may not instantly spot it, the ‘MV’, which is the point of the tag at its core. Not that anyone would try to run away with this gruesome portrayal of ‘not giving a rat’s ass’ – but for the future, pieces this will surely be a handy addition.
So, what’s next?
I will try to finish this Rimworld project as soon as possible so I can get back to work with Rialar, the writing project I have in my back pocket. That means that in the next log, hopefully, I will have at least some original pieces to showcase besides boobs and a cropped shirt!
In the future, if it seems like something I’d like to tackle, I may take on hairstyles for Rimworld. Now that is another element of drawing that I dread with passion!
Until then, check out my Instagram for the art I’ve already brought to life, and don’t forget to stop by the News and DevLog for more current happenings!