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Portraits unearthed

I would like to show you early version portrait of Cernd, Anomen, Viconia and Mazzy.
I dug them out from BG2 Demo files.
The most interesting are Anomen and Cernd. Especially Cernd, he looks like an indian shaman. What a interesting concept! And what do you think about that?



DJKajurufujisanCalmarlolienlefreutAstafasKuronalroumenThacoBellSkandiiAerakarsemiticgoddessGallowglasslunarGrammarsaladPeccaCrevsDaakAstroBryGuyJuliusBorisovSkatanSharGuidesMyHandOtherguyGodMoradinButtercheese[Deleted User]rufus_hobart
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Comments

  • lolienlolien Member, Moderator, Translator (NDA) Posts: 3,108
    Nice find. Thanks for sharing.
    GallowglassCrevsDaakJuliusBorisovGod
  • KuronaKurona Member Posts: 881
    My thoughts:

    Cernd
    The old shaman theme is indeed interesting though his head looks really tiny. Admittedly it might be due to his clothes but illusion or not it does look weird. Ultimately I think Cernd is better with his current more youthful portrait, as while he tries to be wise and somewhat mentor-like he doesn't succeed as much as he'd like to believe.

    Anomen
    Somewhat similar to his actual portrait except his close cropped hair makes him look a bit like Keldorn. Could have denoted some sort of obsession on his senior, where he would try to emulate him to become his knightly ideal but for the final Anomen a more boyish look fits better.

    Viconia
    Her eyes are enormous and her cheekbones really sharp, making her look more like a Dunmer than a Drow. But because the portrait is less stylized than TES models or artworks she dives straight into the Uncanny Valley as far as I'm concerned.

    Mazzy
    She has elven eyes but aside from that she just looks wrong for reasons I'm not quite able to determine. I just know I feel disturbed by the portrait o_O

    Anyways nice find, it's interesting to see how the final characters' design changed from the first drafts.
    ThacoBelllolienGrammarsalad
  • GrumGrum Member, Mobile Tester Posts: 2,100
    I've got to say I really like that Anomen portrait. Anomen's dialogue about his military campaigns somehow feel better to me with that look.
    semiticgoddessnamarie
  • DJKajuruDJKajuru Member Posts: 3,300
    I really liked viconia's portrait. The others not so much, but they're still beautiful illustrations.
    Aerakar
  • lroumenlroumen Member Posts: 2,508
    Cernd seems to lack a lower jaw or something.

    Anomens eyes are too small for his head and too close to each other.

    Viconia has too big eyes but other than that she looks okay.

    Mazzy has her eyes slanted downward at the nose. If she had them a bit more regular she would have been fine.

    Are the portraits in the demo really with the text and without colour? That is just too bad.

    Kamigoroshi
  • MirandelMirandel Member Posts: 526
    I think (or better say I hope) someone talented should find time and make those portraits happen. They are amazing!
    Aerakar
  • lunarlunar Member Posts: 3,460
    edited January 2017
    Cernd-I don't like it. I dunno why. I portrait Cernd as younger trying to put on airs of maturity and wisdom, for he has his own failings. (family problems) This guy looks like a proper, elder shaman who is above the wordly affairs.

    The Radiant Heart emblem looks a bit weird and Anomen's eyes are far too small. And he looks a lot like Keldorn, yes. Maybe this was a Keldorn portrait?

    Viconia is nice, sultry and seductive and dangerous. I loved it the most. Then again, bg2 Viconia portrait is SO iconic.

    Mazzy-Gaah! Burn it, burn it with fire! Sorry, looks too alien and uncanny valleyish to me.


    Skatan
  • ParysParys Member Posts: 205
    lroumen said:

    Cernd seems to lack a lower jaw or something.
    Are the portraits in the demo really with the text and without colour? That is just too bad.

    Yes, they are without any colour and with the text, unfortunately :(

  • AstroBryGuyAstroBryGuy Member Posts: 3,437
    lunar said:

    Viconia is nice, sultry and seductive and dangerous. I loved it the most. Then again, bg2 Viconia portrait is SO iconic.

    This "in progress" Viconia portrait has the one of the same problems as the released BG2 Viconia portrait - she's wearing what appears to be leather lingerie instead of armor.

    However, it does make her appear to be elven, which is a plus. In BG2, Viconia is the only elf or half-elf whose portrait has distinctly human facial features (except for the Smurfette skin color).
  • GallowglassGallowglass Member Posts: 3,356

    ... she's wearing what appears to be leather lingerie instead of armor.

    If it's mundane leather lingerie, then indeed that's pretty useless.

    However, if magical leather lingerie somehow projects some sort of protective force-field around the wearer (and who's to say it doesn't - after all, it's magic!), then that properly counts as armour even if it doesn't look like mundane armour. Since Viconia is written as a sultry seductress, it seems to me quite in character that she might deliberately choose magical armour which looks more like lingerie.
  • AstroBryGuyAstroBryGuy Member Posts: 3,437

    ... she's wearing what appears to be leather lingerie instead of armor.

    If it's mundane leather lingerie, then indeed that's pretty useless.

    However, if magical leather lingerie somehow projects some sort of protective force-field around the wearer (and who's to say it doesn't - after all, it's magic!), then that properly counts as armour even if it doesn't look like mundane armour. Since Viconia is written as a sultry seductress, it seems to me quite in character that she might deliberately choose magical armour which looks more like lingerie.
    Yeah, calling bullcrap on that. You don't see Anomen or Valygar walking around in a Mithril Codpiece +5. Funny that only female armor gets the "it's magic, so it can protect and reveal skin" argument. Unless the character is a "barbarian", male armor is usually full coverage.
    ThacoBellsemiticgoddessCrevsDaak
  • GallowglassGallowglass Member Posts: 3,356

    Yeah, calling bullcrap on that. You don't see Anomen or Valygar walking around in a Mithril Codpiece +5. Funny that only female armor gets the "it's magic, so it can protect and reveal skin" argument. Unless the character is a "barbarian", male armor is usually full coverage.

    And I call bullcrap on that.

    I can't see half-naked as being in character for either Anomen or Valygar; they're not written as showy seducers, for example. On the other hand, I reckon it'd be quite in character for Coran or Eldoth to be portrayed half-naked (with a "Mithral Codpiece +5" or whatever). That's not how the devs chose to portray them, but I'd have been fine with it if they had done this.

    However, at least one of the officially-supplied male protagonist portraits has a largely-naked torso, and there are plenty of half-naked males in various widely-available portrait packs. You specifically want that if you're rolling a Kensai, since they can't wear armour, and it's likewise suitable for a Monk, but also some of the widespread male portraits seem to be intended as more orthodox warriors (because they're part-armoured, so not Kensai or Monk) and yet also substantially uncovered, so presumably these latter must be relying on "it's magic, so it can protect and reveal skin" just as Viconia credibly might.

    So no, it's not only female characters to whom this applies. "Methinks the gentleman doth protest too much." I think it's a long time since it was only ever female characters who were portrayed half-covered, if this was ever actually true at all.
    semiticgoddessKamigoroshiCrevsDaakPapa_Lou
  • WarChiefZekeWarChiefZeke Member Posts: 2,651
    KILL THEM! KILL THEM WITH FIRE!

    *ahem*...i mean, nice find.
    KamigoroshiCrevsDaak
  • ThacoBellThacoBell Member Posts: 12,235
    There is a difference between, "a little revealing" and "practically lingerie". Regardless of the gender, I find the latter to be incredibly annoying.
    CrevsDaakNimran
  • ParysParys Member Posts: 205
    wow, what a great restoration of the portrait! I am amazed.
    CrevsDaakAerakar
  • lroumenlroumen Member Posts: 2,508
    Hmmm. In this portrait viconia seems to be wearing metal armor with leather straps. It just also happens to show some cleavage.
  • Sam_Sam_ Member Posts: 172
    edited January 2017
    @Pecca and @lolien
    Both very good work!
    Personally, I would love to see that Viconia portrait fully restored.
    lolienCrevsDaak
  • PeccaPecca Member Posts: 2,174
    edited January 2017
    Ha, nice. In case I get to make another one, I'll let know here beforehand. :)
    lolien
  • lefreutlefreut Member Posts: 1,462
    edited November 2019
    ***
    Post edited by lefreut on
    lolien
  • smeagolheartsmeagolheart Member Posts: 7,963
    lolien said:

    Unfortunately, i picked the same portrait to practice on as @Pecca

    image

    That chin tat kind of looks like it might work as a goatee
  • SharGuidesMyHandSharGuidesMyHand Member Posts: 2,579
    Parys said:



    Wow! Can't wait to see the finished product for this one!
  • scriverscriver Member Posts: 2,072
    Anomen look even more like a douche in this picture. Like a 90's dudebro douche. Like a 90's dudebro douche at some larp looking to kick the asses of some NEEEEEEEEEEEEERRRRDSSS.

    Viconia looks like an amateur drawer's first attempt at elves, before they are able to get the proportions of the common elvish traits right.

    Mazzy is just fucking wrong. It looks like an alien, or how a grey alien who have never seen a human would think people looked if described to him by a giraffe. The eye placement, the nose shape, the ratios... It's just way into the uncanny valley.

    Cernd is the most okay. Doesn't look at all like the character Cernd to me, but of course there is the familiarity clause to think of. Something is up with the jaw/chin though. He looks like he simultaneously has a very wide jaw yet no jaw at all (and not in the sense some people have turtle chins either). It doesn't look unhuman or wrong, and i kinda like how it's not Mr Strongjaw Manlypants that so many fantasy images does, but there is something up with it.
    KamigoroshiGallowglassThacoBell
  • KamigoroshiKamigoroshi Member Posts: 5,870
    edited January 2017
    This Anomen looks younger than I expected him to be.
    lolienJuliusBorisovCrevsDaak
  • NimranNimran Member Posts: 4,875
    Looks like that creepy uncle no one invites to reunions. He always shows up anyway just so he can show you his rock collection for the umpteenth time.

    "Look Uncle Lenny, I get it, you like big, hard things, and no I will not show you mine."
    lolienAerakarCalmarSkatan
  • BillyYankBillyYank Member Posts: 2,768
    Cernd looks like those old 1800's photos of Indians. I went and checked photos of Geronimo and Sitting Bull to see if the artists had borrowed their facial features (they didn't).
    lolienAerakarsmeagolheart
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