@egon well, in my opinion, it's not about someone's immatureness or adulthood qualities. The way you phrased your questions *might* have offended someone, they sounded rude. Maybe it's because I'm not a native speaker and other people may react differently, I don't know. Anyway, let us indeed stop this argument.
Eh, dude. How about being able to hold a conversation like an adult? All I did was say that I thought he looked like a very famous character and asked if you based the portrait on someone else's picture?
"Isandir, did you make this yourself (if so, why model a rogue on Major Sharpe?) or did you take it from someone else's webpage?"
Your words. That's not asking if I "based the portrait on someone else's picture." That's implying I just lifted it. Neither I nor the others here seem to have taken it in any other way, so perhaps you should reconsider the way that you write--particularly considering you seem to be having many of these conflicts on the forum.
The fact that you got all defensive and started acting all rude and immature however, suggests that you're ashamed that someone found out that you haven't done all of the work yourself. Otherwise you would be able to take a compliment without feeling the need to defend yourself. My apologies if I hurt your feelings and made you sad but in my experience adult people can hold a civil conversation without acting like children.
My feelings are not hurt, and nothing you had written in that first post was a compliment. I'm simply incredulous that someone would post something so inane without looking at any of the evidence to the contrary, all of which I posted and you ignored.
Not that I should even bother, but...
Apologies to everyone else for dragging it out for one more post. I don't see the point of responding any further to someone who can neither back down nor apologize. My next post will be be a portrait, not a pointless exercise in futility. [/spoiler]
Allright, now we're definitely getting of track here... I don't want another thread closed either so I'm begging you all to just stop this argument now.
In an attempt to brings us all back on track, I was wondering if you @Isandir have any plans whatsoever to perhaps create your own versions of the BG NPC-characters? I think that would be beyond awesome as I'm having difficulties finding ones that match my Charname's style (basically all of my charnames portraits are made by you right now).
What a treat to get to see Kerick’s Portrait in development. Fascinating. It is amazing to me that you can take a picture like that, and end up with what you did Isandir.
I've been dabbling with more half-orcs since making the Dorn portrait, and as @Kamigoroshi pointed out, that one leaned a bit more toward the human side. This time I wanted to create one that was more orcish, though I'm still not quite there yet. I tried a different skin tone as well. The FR wiki describes them as having a grayish color, which I don't really like, so I aimed somewhere between the green and a normal human tone. It may look a bit dark, but the bitmaps actually seem a tad light in the game.
I still have to smooth over a few small details, but it's finished for the most part.
@Ravenslight: I've gotten into the habit of saving stages along the way whenever I make a new portrait. Seems to come in useful for more reasons than one...
@JosefineS: I've thought about it and picked out models in a few cases (and @vierrae had asked me to remake Xan), but at this point I don't feel ready to tackle it. I tried making Xan, and I just wasn't satisfied with the result. Despite their flaws, I still think of the default portraits as representing them, and I want to be sure I can do them justice before I remake any of them.
@JosefineS: I've thought about it and picked out models in a few cases (and @vierrae had asked me to remake Xan), but at this point I don't feel ready to tackle it. I tried making Xan, and I just wasn't satisfied with the result. Despite their flaws, I still think of the default portraits as representing them, and I want to be sure I can do them justice before I remake any of them.
@Isandir I've actually thought about making the same request (not Xan, but BG characters in general), but I know what a monumentally massive job that would be and didn't wanna overload you.
But if ur main concern is that u don't feel ready, then I respectfully disagree. I love your portraits and it would be a dream to see a comprehensive gallery of Islandir portraits to replace all the NPC portraits in Baldur's Gate. Something like this...
I think you maybe worry too much about making them look similar to the originals. But as an artist, I think you got the freedom to create your own take/interpretation of the characters, and as long as you capture the personality of the characters depicted, then that's all that matters. For example @Nixxi's pictures don't look much like their original characters, but they still scream out Aerie, Imoen and Jaheira to me, and I prefer them to their original pictures.
@Isandir ...so, no Xan portrait for us then? I am sure, that your try would be wonderful and undoubtfully better than the vanilla portrait of this character. Maybe you're just hard on yourself in some sort of arty perfectionist's spree.
Another great half-orc there Isandir. Half-orc portraits are in short supply too, so extra yay!
No Xan huh? That's okay... Make Faldorn then perhaps :P While the original Faldorn portrait isn't technically bad, it's... it's not very "young druid" (which she's described to be) but more "old witch".
No Xan huh? That's okay... Make Faldorn then perhaps :P While the original Faldorn portrait isn't technically bad, it's... it's not very "young druid" (which she's described to be) but more "old witch".
Yeah, and let's not mention Coran, Ajantis etc. I'd replace them all, to be honest.
Baldurs Gate portraits needs not replacing. The baldurs gate 2 ones though...
I sort of agree. None of them -needs- replacing, they're not bad. Not even Faldorn's which I personally dislike is actually bad... but several of them could benefit from tweaks or replacements nonetheless, as long as the tweaks aren't actually major changes and the replacements are similar.
The BGII portraits bug me a bit as well though not because I dislike the art style. I think they're simply too different from the first game's portraits which are (thankfully) still around and they clash badly when you have a party with both styles represented.
I think art is a very subjective thing. For a newcomer to this franchise, I have no sentimental attachment to the original portraits for BG 1, and generally prefer BG 2 portraits. I much prefer the likes of Keldorn, Anomen and Aerie than Khalid, Xzar and Imoen.
Thus I am really happy to see artists produce all sorts of portraits for BG characters, whether in Isandir's style, or Nixxi, or Coutelier or artastrophe or the more faithful minor edits like those by Plasmocat.
I think art is a very subjective thing. For a newcomer to this franchise, I have no sentimental attachment to the original portraits for BG 1, and generally prefer BG 2 portraits. I much prefer the likes of Keldorn, Anomen and Aerie than Khalid, Xzar and Imoen.
Thus I am really happy to see artists produce all sorts of portraits for BG characters, whether in Isandir's style, or Nixxi, or Coutelier or artastrophe or the more faithful minor edits like those by Plasmocat.
Oh yes, apart from outright cartoony or entirely 3D, I like and use a wide variety of portraits. Generally not as replacements for the companions though, I stick to tweaked portraits there, with a few exceptions. One example is Viconia whose BG1 portrait goes from humanish pink skin to drow black and from smurfish blue to, once again, drow black in BG2. The one I use for Jaheira in BG2 is quite a bit different though as it uses hair and armour similar to what she has in her BG1 portrait, but retains the elven face of her BG2 one.
@Silverstar summed up my position well. Even though I don't necessarily feel that each portrait in BG1 suits the character descriptions, I don't think any of them are poorly made. Part of my reluctance to tackle the project is that, and part of it is finding suitable models. There are a whopping 25 NPCs (28 with the EE additions) for BG1 alone...
Finally, there's the time issue. I'll be starting my (awesome) new job very soon, and my work can often be quite demanding. My posting will be scaled back as it is, so adding in NPC replacements to the mix would just be too much.
If I do remake any of them, @vierrae, Xan is on the top of the list, and I haven't quite given up on it yet. I'll keep trying. Faldorn would be a close second, followed by Quayle and Tiax.
I think a project I might be more willing to tackle (though again, perhaps not yet) would be aligning the BG2 NPCs to the BG1 style. If I were to leave the NPCs that carry over alone, that would leave 11 or 12 to make, depending on whether or not I included Sarevok and Hexxat.
I don't know if it is Baldurizable, whether it's too dark or too small, but if anyone could Baldurize this picture of David Garrett I would be most appreciative:
I don't know if it is Baldurizable, whether it's too dark or too small, but if anyone could Baldurize this picture of David Garrett I would be most appreciative:
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Heres a better version, even though even this might be to small. Looks like he could be a decent bard.
@silverstar - Have ever seen the film Six-String Samurai? Post-apocalyptic kung fu action in which a Buddy Holly lookalike must fight Slash to become the next King of Las Vegas?
Well, realistically, why would you have seen it? It's a bit rubbish but does have a katana duct-taped to a 60's guitar as our hero's main weapon.
Silverstar - Have ever seen the film Six-String Samurai? Post-apocalyptic kung fu action in which a Buddy Holly lookalike must fight Slash to become the next King of Las Vegas?
I have not. Generally I dislike kung-fu movies but this... this seems like it might be funny. Might download it over the weekend.
Comments
[spoiler] "Isandir, did you make this yourself (if so, why model a rogue on Major Sharpe?) or did you take it from someone else's webpage?"
Your words. That's not asking if I "based the portrait on someone else's picture." That's implying I just lifted it. Neither I nor the others here seem to have taken it in any other way, so perhaps you should reconsider the way that you write--particularly considering you seem to be having many of these conflicts on the forum. My feelings are not hurt, and nothing you had written in that first post was a compliment. I'm simply incredulous that someone would post something so inane without looking at any of the evidence to the contrary, all of which I posted and you ignored.
Not that I should even bother, but...
Apologies to everyone else for dragging it out for one more post. I don't see the point of responding any further to someone who can neither back down nor apologize. My next post will be be a portrait, not a pointless exercise in futility.
[/spoiler]
In an attempt to brings us all back on track, I was wondering if you @Isandir have any plans whatsoever to perhaps create your own versions of the BG NPC-characters?
I still have to smooth over a few small details, but it's finished for the most part.
@Ravenslight: I've gotten into the habit of saving stages along the way whenever I make a new portrait. Seems to come in useful for more reasons than one...
@JosefineS: I've thought about it and picked out models in a few cases (and @vierrae had asked me to remake Xan), but at this point I don't feel ready to tackle it. I tried making Xan, and I just wasn't satisfied with the result. Despite their flaws, I still think of the default portraits as representing them, and I want to be sure I can do them justice before I remake any of them.
I've actually thought about making the same request (not Xan, but BG characters in general), but I know what a monumentally massive job that would be and didn't wanna overload you.
But if ur main concern is that u don't feel ready, then I respectfully disagree. I love your portraits and it would be a dream to see a comprehensive gallery of Islandir portraits to replace all the NPC portraits in Baldur's Gate. Something like this...
http://www.shsforums.net/topic/55677-paintbg-introduction-and-samples/
... But in ur style of course.
I think you maybe worry too much about making them look similar to the originals. But as an artist, I think you got the freedom to create your own take/interpretation of the characters, and as long as you capture the personality of the characters depicted, then that's all that matters. For example @Nixxi's pictures don't look much like their original characters, but they still scream out Aerie, Imoen and Jaheira to me, and I prefer them to their original pictures.
No Xan huh? That's okay... Make Faldorn then perhaps :P While the original Faldorn portrait isn't technically bad, it's... it's not very "young druid" (which she's described to be) but more "old witch".
The BGII portraits bug me a bit as well though not because I dislike the art style. I think they're simply too different from the first game's portraits which are (thankfully) still around and they clash badly when you have a party with both styles represented.
I think art is a very subjective thing. For a newcomer to this franchise, I have no sentimental attachment to the original portraits for BG 1, and generally prefer BG 2 portraits. I much prefer the likes of Keldorn, Anomen and Aerie than Khalid, Xzar and Imoen.
Thus I am really happy to see artists produce all sorts of portraits for BG characters, whether in Isandir's style, or Nixxi, or Coutelier or artastrophe or the more faithful minor edits like those by Plasmocat.
Finally, there's the time issue. I'll be starting my (awesome) new job very soon, and my work can often be quite demanding. My posting will be scaled back as it is, so adding in NPC replacements to the mix would just be too much.
If I do remake any of them, @vierrae, Xan is on the top of the list, and I haven't quite given up on it yet. I'll keep trying. Faldorn would be a close second, followed by Quayle and Tiax.
I think a project I might be more willing to tackle (though again, perhaps not yet) would be aligning the BG2 NPCs to the BG1 style. If I were to leave the NPCs that carry over alone, that would leave 11 or 12 to make, depending on whether or not I included Sarevok and Hexxat.
Heres a better version, even though even this might be to small. Looks like he could be a decent bard.
As a side note, this dude appears to have the same hairstyle as I do. Although my hair is a tad longer than his. :P
Well, realistically, why would you have seen it? It's a bit rubbish but does have a katana duct-taped to a 60's guitar as our hero's main weapon.
They're always tryin' to shoehorn us into fighter/paladin types. Fight the power!