UNDEAD PROJECT

[kiladecus]

Yeah, details, details...

I know that elves don't use crossbows.... but I am trying to use tips, skills and ANYTHING else I can steal... I mean, ahem... GAIN INSPIRATION from here on the forum.

I have come a long way since I first introduced the world to SKELETRONS and PSI-BORGS. I can see the difference in just my skeletons over anything else I have done.
Ok, thank you for your attention.

BTW, as you can see, the "CONCEPTUAL ARTWORK" is staying pretty much true to form in the final pieces.

I am working on the TEMPLE GUARD right now, and it my be some of my best work to date.

Thanks for hanging out at the bottom of the Forum. Keep checking back for updates.

[Parduz]

Jan 13, 2011 3:59:08 GMT -9 kiladecus said:

Makes me wonder if anyone reads any of this stuff, or just skims looking for pictures

I confess that after the third sentence with pauses (the "..." ), thoughs, pauses, jokes, pauses and some convoluted phrase construction my mind start to slip away.... but is not your fault
One day I will be able to read a full novel in english.... one day.

[kiladecus]

Ok... I will edit that HUGE, boring post...

Try it now!

[Parduz]

Jan 13, 2011 12:28:52 GMT -9 kiladecus said:

Ok... I will edit that HUGE, boring post...

Try it now!

Man, you're taking me too seriously!

Really, it was unnecessary.

[kiladecus]

Nah... I got bored reading it myself, and I wrote it!

SUM UP: Certain people here have inspired me in various ways...

That just eliminated 6 paragraphs...

I have learned to use thicker out-lines and keep the swords and arms near the body to keep the figures easy to cut out.

That's about it...

[cowboyleland]

Don't know if it will help but: my highschool art teacher always told us that your open hand covers your whole face. I submit a fist covers from your chin to your nose. Since most people start drawing the head you should be able to keep your hands in proportion.

Cheers

[kiladecus]

WHOO-HOO! (Hey, Nik, thanks for the help)! Works GREAT!

Ok, here is the next in the set for the BURIAL MOUND project.

I offer you the TEMPLE GUARD #1.

This figure will have various weapon options and each of these will have a shield version as well. I could EASILY fill a page with JUST Temple Guards, and if I were as brilliant as Dave Graffam of Sir Rob, then I could do layered PDF's, but I can't...

So, without further delay.. TEMPLE GUARD #1

Attachments:

[kiladecus]

Well, good news! ;D

This project is coming back from the dead... so to speak. At least getting some new life breathed into it.

I have downloaded GIMP and am taking a crash course in it... teaching myself as we go. So far I am not 100% satisfied with my work at this point, but I am sure it will improve.

I hope to have some better results soon, and will begin posting some pics as I have something worthy of posting.

Fear not, Bb! We shall soon see our vision made flesh... well, BONE!

[kiladecus]

Well, after nearly a year of my life being turned upside-down and being distracted by shiny objects, I was able to devote a little time to this today.

Much of my work was lost due to moving and having a computer crash... (I had a few images on my phone which kept this Undead project alive) and whatnot. I was pretty discouraged by trying to learn software and compared my work to others. I am NO Tommygun, Okumarts nor Jim Hartman. I am, however, Kiladecus, and I was downloading some Horde figures the other day, and I saw my figures there. I realized I am not among the best artists out there, but my art was among the best figures in existence!

So, I saw things in a whole new light.

So, basically, this project is nearly done, I hope, and maybe this will be available to you soon.

Thank you for your attention and encouragement.

David!

[kiladecus]

Ok. After nearly a year, I finally got my test build done. The skeleton lizardman was a chore, but it looks so good I can overlook that.

I am VERY happy that the alignment was perfect... well, mostly-perfect. better than my normal stuff, I can say that.

I would like to have a couple people do a test build and give me feedback. I plan on doing the coloring within the next day or three, and calling this project "done."

Now before a bunch of people ask me for these, keep in mind they are going to be part of a commercial release... with an actual company! So, I might make them available to a couple people, but there will be restrictions. You can't share them, and junk... but most importantly, if you get them, you HAVE to make them (all of them) and let me know EVERYTHING wrong with them (as far as needing thicker borders, alignment issues, problems with quality, and so forth).

So, if you want to try them drop me a PM, please. I am only willing to send these out to a couple people, so it will be first come/first serve... if no one replies, then I won't worry about it.

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[kiladecus]

... and NO! SHUFFLER was NOT used to make these!

(Ok, I thought it was funny).

[revgunn]

They look really light and pencil-sketchy in the pic.
I don't know if that is a bad thing though. They make me think of OD&D type stuff. (NO! The art isn't THAT bad.)

Its like the same style but you can actually tell what its supposed to be.

A couple in the back rank are actually pretty spooky looking.

Other than the hands/forearms maybe being a bit small, they're really cool. In a way, the hands, at least on these particular figures, might even ADD to the overall Old School style.

I'm impressed. If I needed some Fantasy Skellys, I'd be all over em.
Now, if they were wearing Conquistador Armor... yeah, we'd be in business.

You're just as much an artist as anyone who posts here man. Don't forget that. Humbleness is awesome, but don't sell yourself short.

Are you positive you NEED Shuffler to make those models? You can obviously visualize your end result. Awesome job

[kiladecus]

Thanks Rev! That means a lot to me.

A couple things...

The light "pencilly" artwork... couldn't describe it petter myself. That is from drawing a figure that is 6" tall, scanning it, trying to shrink it down in GIMP. Then once the scale is set, converting it to PAINT.

The outlines are done with a Sharpie marker (at 6") and when it scans the black turns to really dark grey. Once it "pinballs" through the course of programs, it seems to get lighter and lighter.

In short, I have no idea what I am doing. That is why I asked for test builders. I had what I thought was a good figure when I made my first model (the JUGGERNAUGHT POWER ARMOR) and when Tommygun did my colors, he "fixed" my settings and the thing came back as Mecha.

So, I did this on my computer, and the are roughly 28mm from toe to eye. I am just afraid someone will get these and they'll be 15mm, or 6" tall. You never can tell with me.

Seriously, thanks for those encouraging words. A conquistador, huh? I have a couple slots left open...

Btw, my two favorites are the Lich King and the floating torsoed (if that is a word) Spectre! Very sweet!

[kiladecus]

Onemonkeybeau suggested the skeletal lizardman. He looks AWESOME! I was so excited when I built him and the parts lined up. He's thin... like Olsen Twin thin. And to see the back and the bones... that is all you see. I think I am most proud of him.

Although I did remember teasing Reivaj about his antenna on his Thri-Kreen being small, well I ate my words today on that one.

[kiladecus]

Were you thinking something like this?

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[revgunn]

I can't see that one really well. He's on the back, far right.. yes? I like the skulls on the 2 armored ones in back.

I understand about outside input. I've had BAD scaling issues. My process is different, so yeah, different results.

I just admire that you're producing stuff... good stuff to boot.

Yes! Exactly like that. Just the thing to scare some treasure hunting Cowboys! I like everything about that!

[Vermin King]

Heck, yeah! You should do at least 3 of them. The action pose, a guard pose and a lying on the ground pose. The thing about skeletons is that you happen upon them and you don't know if they are going to animate. If the unlucky scavengers try to loot the body, you switch out with the active pose. I can visualize this encounter WAY too easily.

[kiladecus]

I may consider that... at least put it on my list of things I plan to complete one day!

Well, I do have some good news regarding this product. I just sent off the final colored images for approval. Now it is out of my hands for the release date!

The good news is I think the figures look great... the bad news is the Skeletal Lizardmen didn't fit in the needs of the pack, so they will not be in this set.

The other good news is I submitted them to the September Hoard as uncolored miniatures. If they are accepted, then they will be available for a free download. If time allows, I will try to color them and clean them up.

We shall see about the rest of it... time will tell.

[kiladecus]

Whoo-hoo!

All art was approved! I have only one small item that needs to be done. Once these last few fragments are in place, this project will see the light of day (finally)!
;D

[gilius]

Congratulations, Kiladecus!

[okumarts]

Awesome!

[Vermin King]

Where are these going to be released?

Oh, and nice job

[kiladecus]

Not really sure. In case you didn't know, they will be part of the fourth and final set of collaborations Inked Adventures is doing with artists from here.

Billiam Babble has to do the layout, and finish some other wrap-up type stuff (and also has other projects in the works as well as personal life and blah, blah, blah...), so in short, I have NO idea!

It is basically out of my hands at this point.

The good thing is, as it gets ready to be released, I am sure he will post it in the News and Releases Forum.

After it comes out, I may have to update my signature from "Fear the Spectre" to "Fear the Lich King." Or maybe you fear the Spectre and serve the Lich King... either way, they will both be there so you can decide then!

Ok, I will keep you updated as I hear anything.

[Reivaj]

Congratulations, great work kiladecus!!

[kiladecus]

Thank you. I will try to post some colored shots of the figures.

[kiladecus]

Here is a sampler of one of my figures colored. Think of this aas a teaser. There are MUCH better figures in this set... and the map is INCREDIBLE!!

This set is going to be awesome.

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[Adam Souza]

I've kept up with your Shuffler related progress, but I entirely missed out on the progress you've made with the undead.

You've got a cool old school vibe going with these. Like someone else mentioned, reminds me of the early D&D days nostalgia. They look great, and I love the colored sample. Highlights and shading and harder to do with magic markers than digital editing.

About your graying out issue with scanning. You might want to check if you scanner has a black and white or text setting. I scan my images in black and white, it eliminates noise and darkens the pencil work. Then I cut and paste the image into a new color image, and edit it from there. GIMP is very versatile once you figure out how to get the effects you want out of it.

Anyways, keep up the good work !!

[kiladecus]

Thanks Adam!

Since my fading problems have surfaced, I found out that I can open the image in GiMP and raise the contrast to like 87%. This makes the black look black. I also have to do an auto-fill because my white looks blue.

I am using an HP all-in-one scanner... a very nice piece of equipment, but it is nearly 10 years old, so I am not sure about the black and white setting.

I think it DOES give you the option of scanning a picture or a document... maybe I need to scan my drawings that are uncolored as documents. I may need to give that a whirl!

Thanks for the pointer!

I LOVE this site! I love a community where people can help others improve their work, and become better artists. I first came here for free figures... Now I am here for other reasons! ;D

[kiladecus]

This is DONE, and is NOW available!!

rpg.drivethrustuff.com/product_info.php?&products_id=97111