Nuara (A Drawing For A Friend)

[Xinlo]

Well I actually did this a fair while ago - it may even have been during the downtime. All I know is that I've yet to post it anywhere. It was basically a drawing I did for a friend of mine, Takal (of my own accord, he didn't ask for it) of his main character Nuara. She's basically a really screwed-up Toa with as many mental issues as you can think of, and I think her only purpose in his stories is to be tortured.

...aaaaaanyway, first here's a comparison pic so you can try to see where I drew inspiration from. Ignore the not-self-MOCed self MOC me in the left, there. ^^Click for full pic^^Anyway yeah, I think it turnout out really well. And "colouring" with the smudger was something I'd never done before. I should point out that she is meant to be wearing a tan jumpsuit overlayed with various armour - that is not, in fact her skin. Just so nobody gets the wrong idea. ;)Anyway, thanks for looking, and please drop a comment if you've got the time.

Edited January 24, 2012 by The Xin That Should Not Be

[Dragonfly the Luminescent]

She's actually pretty nice. I liked her blade and the fact that you added Bionicle elements in it (mainly the long handle). You got the proportions pretty well overall, although her arms seem just a bit short. I know how hard it can be to draw arms and get the proportions right, especially to the body. Normally, the tip of the fingers will rest a hand-length right above the top of the knee cap, but obviously this will vary depending on the character (especially characters that aren't human ).The mask looks very well done as does the shading.

[Voxumo]

wow that looks really great. i like the weapon you chose. when i first looked at it reminded me of a stars set. i really like it.

[Xinlo]

Thanks, guys!@TMP: Yeah, it's not actually the arms... it's the legs. they're too long. I struggle with this constantly - every drawing I do has long legs. I guess that happens because I despise short legs, so i try to make them not short, and yeah...

Funnily enough, the mask is my least favourite bit, aside from the feet.@Reaper: Thanks. I didn't choose the weapon - it's not my character. I based it off of Takal's Nuara MOC. And I dunno' if it being a stars set is good or bad... they weren't great sets.

[Takal]

Uh... This is here? I didn't know that. Again, nice job, if the legs are a little too long. And she has ghost-feet. And her armour is considerably less than protective.That aside, she does look great. I still don't see why you prefer the older haliberd over the new one, but it came out well, so I'm not complaining. Thanks for the effort you put into it.Edit: Just read top paragraph, and while I would normally glare witheringly, I can't deny your accuracy.

Edited February 18, 2012 by Takal

[Hidron Nuva]

I think it's the hands more than the legs. With bigger hands, it would look much better.Anyway, it looks great. It reminds me of Gali from MNOG, or some of Toa Tiome's drawings. Love the weapon Good job ^^

[Xinlo]

Thanks, guys!@Takal: In History, people have not always worn the most protective of armour. Actually, considering the stuff some races used, this is like bulletproof lol. And it's only a stylization of my interpretation of the MOC. I prefer the old Halberd to the new one because the new one is just awkward and flimsy looking. The old one had a design I'd never seen before and looked really sturdy. So what if it can't stab?@Hidron: No, the legs are definitely too longt. But I agree the hands are also too small, on another look. One of these days I'll get it perfect.

I don't remember what Tiome's stuff looked like, unfortunately... been a long while since I saw any.

[hey it's felix]

Oo, nice one Xin. I think you got the shaping almost perfect. Those arm-blades are dang cool 8-)One thing I'd suggest is perhaps giving her eyes. It's kinda weird staring at a blank grey helmet (please forgive me if she already has eyes... I'm colourblind ). Really neat drawing, man!-FtC

[Jean Valjean]

The Kaukau is awesome (coming from me, that goes without saying). Seeing how you adapted the armor to fit a human body is also interesting, although overall...Oh boy, just seeing the form of that body kind of makes me want to shudder. Although the proportions are fairly good, with the exception of the hands (but hey, most people have trouble with those). It's just the way the armor contributes to the feminity is a little conspicuous. At least, for me it is. Maybe it's just because it gives me a superhero in spandex feel, with some armor slapped on. But yeah, the body is rather smooth underneath.Your Honor,Tyrannosaurus Kraggh

[Maganar]

I especially like the continuity of the armor. The Pohatu Nuva claw leg armor, arm-blades, and weapon all have a similar feel. That makes the character feel very real. The shading nicely emphasized the armor and such and (even if inadvertant) the lack of attention to the landscape places a focus on the character, who we actually want to see. As I said, I don't know if you did that intentionally or just went "I don't want to bother with drawing detail on the mountains!" but it worked well.Only real complaint is the aforementioned proportion issues, but it's really nice overall.

[Jean Valjean]

See, I have a different feeling about backgrounds. If the background isn't realistic, then the character generally doesn't feel real, and that's because I think that what in part defines a person as being "real" is the reality they live. In which case, I felt that going into further detail with the mountains and adding a lot of contrasting shades would have contributed to the sense of character for the figure. Either way, I obviously would have seen the character, since she's in the center of the picture. But with more background detail, I think it would be better.Your Honor,Tyrannosaurus Kraggh

[Brickeens]

I find the exact human female shape under that armor to be pretty weird, considering she's a BIONICLE character. I understand that she's wearing a jumpsuit, but I'd expect there to be more mechanical shapes coming through, as the current form seems very organic. The only mechanical looking parts at the moment are the feet.That aside though, great work. The shading's good, and her armor's all very well formed. And nice weapon.

[Xinlo]

@Felix: thanks. I don't usually draw kaukaus with eyes, as I see them more as visors like sunglasses (which can't be seen through). also I can't decide what the eyes would look like...@Kraagh: that sort of was the complete idea lol. Not exactly to "emphasize" the femininity (if you know what I mean) but to at least make it evident. And really, I didn't do anything fanservicey with the armour - I simply took what I saw on the MOC and made it plausible. You're completely correct - she is wearing a jumpsuit with armour.@Maganar: I did want the character to stand out, but I also was too lazy to do a proper background... so yeah, guilty on both accounts, haha. But glad you like it.@Kraagh again: I have to mostly agree with you here; the backgrounds can add quite a lot in terms of realism. However, I can't do them realistically enough, so I'm caught somewhere in between bad ones and not drawing them at all.@Brickeens: When I was working with Iro in his story Fractures, we came up with some concepts, one of which is that the beings were fully organic. Thus this continues that style, and isn't a true BIONICLE character - but rather, a human character in bionicle-inspired armour. In my opinion the feet are the worst part of this piece. :PThanks for the rest, though. Except there is no shading lol - I simply coloured with graphite.

[Takal]

I don't usually draw kaukaus with eyes, as I see them more as visors like sunglasses (which can't be seen through). also I can't decide what the eyes would look like...

And really, I didn't do anything fanservicey with the armour

Yeah, I'd seen them as tinted too. Again with the similarities...I have fans now?

[Soaring Strawberry]

Neat! I like the axe, though something feels a little off about the chest armor. Also, are those things on the arm removable? If so they would make cool secondary weapons. I wish I could see her eyes... Overall good job.