Here I am creating characters again ... Hellgate this time! Just a quick post today, because I'm buried in work, and also these characters do not yet have the Mel Keegan stamp of approval. I'm just giving them a "work in progress" airing, because I think Mel is very likely to approve these characters, and because I really like these shots:
Everything is carrying ten layers of textures, and literally all the fabric textures were switched out for my own textures, which gives the costumes a very "new" kind of look. Also what's interesting about this is, the artist has to invent "26th Century Chic." The clothes are still recognisably jackets, jeans, pants -- and I doubt that a leather jacket and a pair of jeans will change much! But Curtis Marin, especially, was always described as very up-market and fashionable, so ...The jacket is a Chinese brocade. The pants are cut like business slacks, but they're black leather! The shoes are cut like jogging shoes, athletic shoes, but they're gray leather. My guess is that leather, being a natural material, will be cloned in their century. You do not have to kill Bambi to get deerskin, or murder a horse to get the horsehide of which the best shoes are made today (bet you didn't know you were wearing horsehide on your feet), and you don't need to kill Miss Piggy to get a pair of gloves. You just clone the skin industrially, the same way we're about to start cloning transplant organs in our own century, and maybe whole replacement limbs in another 50 years or so. SF comes true. (Wonder if they can clone pork chops and bacon, so I don't have to feel guilty about BBQ...?)
I do suspect that I'm going to have to create some character-specific skinmaps for both these guys, because Neil and Curtis are actually described as being quite "fair," since they're in space most of the time (aboard the carriers, the salvage vessels, whatnot). I need to conflab with MK about this, and won't get that before the weekend. Work. Gak. These skinmaps are exactly what we want to see, except for the fact they're a few shades too dark. So --
Work in progress, guys. But nice, you have to admit! Neil Travers and Curtis Marin...
Incidentally, I've just seen the first half of the new Hellgate book (It's HUGE -- just half of it is the size of any ordinary Keegan book, and twice the size of any usual modern ebook), and I know the rest isn't far behind, so just hang on a while longer.
CG art-wise, I have Vaurien, Jazinsky, Travers, Marin, van Donne and Ramon designed. Next come Mark (now, he's the major challenge) and his two kids and their partners, and Harrison Shapiro and his new romantic interest, and Tonio and Rusch. With these done, I can start the art for a big "adventure playground" for folks who love Hellgate as much as they love NARC. Remember the project, "The World of Hellgate" ...? We're still going there!
Oh yes, and this is Post 450. You wouldn't believe it, but the big five-oh-oh is coming up before the end of March! And I need to think of something absolutely out of this world to do for that one. Good golly, Post 500, who'd've thunk it, when this blog started up in late 2009?! Can't believe it myself.
Jade, 6 January
