[Art] Cheerleader Ziggy

[Jairus]

"King Bradley" (I wonder if anyone knows where this name comes from.. )

Gee, could it be Führer President King Bradley from FMA?

In all seriousness, another great character, and another great costume. From her backstory, Raiden probably isn't going to be happy with her if he ever finds her again.

How long does it take you to draw/color these things? And what do you color them with?

[Zedd]

Sad shame no Thunderfists anymore

[Ren Gaulen]

"King Bradley" (I wonder if anyone knows where this name comes from.. )

Gee, could it be Führer President King Bradley from FMA?

Aaaaaaand we've got the winrar! I don't know what to give you for it, though - I didn't really think it through.

In all seriousness, another great character, and another great costume. From her backstory, Raiden probably isn't going to be happy with her if he ever finds her again.

No, he isn't - that you have got right. However, he will have to go through Reiji to get to Sylvia.

How long does it take you to draw/color these things? And what do you color them with?

It took me about thirty minutes to draw her, another fifteen minutes to digitally clean up the picture, and fifteen minutes more to colour it. For colouring I use a program called "GIMP".

Sad shame no Thunderfists anymore

Raiden 2.0 will restore them!! *gets jumped by the FSB, beaten up and dragged away for revealing state secrets*

[Jairus]

Aaaaaaand we've got the winrar! I don't know what to give you for it, though - I didn't really think it through.

How about some art tips when I post some of my character designs?

In all seriousness, another great character, and another great costume. From her backstory, Raiden probably isn't going to be happy with her if he ever finds her again.

No, he isn't - that you have got right. However, he will have to go through Reiji to get to Sylvia.

Ah, so she is still alive, I assume? Actually, does 2.0 know about her, and if he does what are his feelings towards her?

[Ren Gaulen]

Aaaaaaand we've got the winrar! I don't know what to give you for it, though - I didn't really think it through.

How about some art tips when I post some of my character designs?

Well, I can try to give you some advice, but I am not good with the explanations.

Ah, so she is still alive, I assume? Actually, does 2.0 know about her, and if he does what are his feelings towards her?

She is, but she is stuck with Reiji and the "Insaints" (against her will), which cannot be very good.. Have you read manga "Hellsing" or watched "Hellsing Ultimate"? If yes, then just think of the "Millenium"..
As for Raiden 2.0, when he got the information about "his" past, he learned about Sylvia, but he did not discover any hidden feelings about her. However, he decided that he must find her.

[Zedd]

Hope Core doesn't pull her good cop bad cop routine on you

[WhiteFox]

(Note: This was written before the Sylvia pic was drawn.)

Gaulen, do you do life drawing? I find that if I can't draw something (LIke, say, fabric) I have to do some life studies to get it down. Failing that, even looking at a real world example before you draw can help.

As for the pic... I'm assuming you're drawing most of these off the same template. Therefore, comments about the pose, the chin being tucked in, etc, still apply. I don't really need to repeat myself there. Though I still think you should be messing around with shadows.

I quite like the armor design, and the gold detailing on the outfit. It doesn't obscure the figure. I like the off center split to the tunic, too. (Chances are that's a double breasted coat rather then a tunic. But I'm probably babbling now.) The armor itself

(Definitely babbling now) I read through the weapon descriptions. "Needle like ammunition" are typically called a fléchettes. ("Fle-shets", for those who are not french) Dunno if you know that or not. Fun fact: they're especially nasty if you use barbed fiberglass rounds, cause they don't show up on X-rays (Finding em all is HARD. Especially since a shotgun round can carry 30 flechettes in a shell, and they leave really small holes) and you can do more damage taking them out then putting them in. They're less effective against flack armor, and probably even less against plate. If they exploded embedded in flesh a flack vest, I could see it being quite hazardous. if they exploded on contact with rigid armor, I can't see them doing much damage. Something you might want to consider if they're going to be used against other armored targets.

(On to the pic of Sylvia)

Skipping over the usual, cloth, shadows, nice facial expression, yadda yadda.

I think the motif on the cuff should be the same (but smaller) as the one on the lower panel of the tunic.  The motif is very strongly right angled, so the one on the cuff should be too. You can get away with it on the bicep, but the one on the wrist is kind of off-putting.

As a small note, the hand looks kind of half relaxed. If a hand is limp, the fingers curl a bit. Also, even in that pose, the middle finger is longer then the first... pointer... whatever finger that is. Next to the thumb. If she has her right hand planted on her hip, that pose looks very uncomfortable for hte wrist. If her hand was a fist, tho, it'd make sense (though it'd probably be far back enough that we couldn't see it from this angle). If she has her right thumb tucked in her belt, then her hand and fingers would be pointing mostly downward. (That's more nit picking then anything else, and probably more than a bit subjective. Still, some poses are comfortable and some are not.)

[EDIT:] Jairus, just say what you think when you see it. Whatever pops out of your mind. You don't have to be too complicated, or use technical art terms. Feed back is feed back. Heck, even something as subjective as "His hair looks funny"(for example) is useful to an artist. In my experience, it helps if you mention the thing you like most and the thing that bugs you the most about the work. Most people get tired of comments like "OMG Your work is teh awesomexxorz!". Saying that you like something is nice. Saying *what* you like is useful.

[EDIT the Second] Dammit, would people stoop posting comments before I can finish writing this post?  I wish my thread was this active.

[Ren Gaulen]

*Wall of text*

Wow. That's a lot. But a part where you started talking about the armour seems to have gotten lost (eaten by the GRU?). Either way, thanks.

(Definitely babbling now) I read through the weapon descriptions. "Needle like ammunition" are typically called a fléchettes. ("Fle-shets", for those who are not french) Dunno if you know that or not. Fun fact: they're especially nasty if you use barbed fiberglass rounds, cause they don't show up on X-rays (Finding em all is HARD. Especially since a shotgun round can carry 30 flechettes in a shell, and they leave really small holes) and you can do more damage taking them out then putting them in. They're less effective against flack armor, and probably even less against plate. If they exploded embedded in flesh a flack vest, I could see it being quite hazardous. if they exploded on contact with rigid armor, I can't see them doing much damage. Something you might want to consider if they're going to be used against other armored targets.

That "needlegun" fires a compound nanobullet. While it is thinner than a regular bullet, it is much more complex. It has a microchip inside it that makes a nanobomb inside the bullet detonate several microseconds after the impact, so it may pierce the armour and explode inside the target. If the target is not armoured, the effect will still be the same. But while these flechettes can just tear apart a kevlar vest, they are not good against heavier armour. For it Raiden have some bigger guns - from assault rifles and machine guns to railguns ("nailguns" ) and particle accelerators.

[WhiteFox]

Nah... that was my own stupidity. I think I was about to say something about the armor when I took a second look at it, decided otherwise, and got back to writing without deleting the fragment. Geh.

[EDIT:] Also, I think it's long cause I spent way too much time babbling about flechettes and hands.

Also: Mmmm... railguns.

[EDIT2:] I just noticed your new avatar... is that influenced by Zebra Girl, by any chance?

[Ren Gaulen]

Also: Mmmm... railguns.

One of my favourite sci-fi weapons ever. I'm in love with them since I encountered them in "Heavy Gear".

I just noticed your new avatar... is that influenced by Zebra Girl, by any chance?

No. It is mostly influenced by "Chrono Crusade" and biomechanical daemons from there. Here's the full picture, by the way. But I admit, three eyes and black-and-white colouring kinda resemble "Zebra Girl".

[Tapewolf]

So, is Sylvia also Enkidu, or something else?  As a race, are they particularly widespread?

[Ren Gaulen]

So, is Sylvia also Enkidu, or something else?  As a race, are they particularly widespread?

Yes, Sylvia is of the same race as Raiden. Thechnically, their race is called Gerions, from their homeworld Gerio-Goran (like humans are called Terrans or Lanteans by other races). Enkidu is a general term used in my setting for furres. They are moderately spread on the territory of the Federation, and there are several planets inhabited mostly by them and belonging to them. Still, there are more humans than enkidu.

[Zedd]

Very interesting concept you have there Ren, Hopefully I could do a favor for you sometime

[Ren Gaulen]

Time for more characters for the "Thunderbolt's Chronicles". This time it is Raiden's operator, Cassandra Nigel.

Cassandra Nigel.

To tell the truth, Cass does not have a back-story as detailed and complex as Raiden's or Sylbia's. However, her story has some dark moments, too. When Cass was seventeen, she was kidnapped by the "Shadow Walkers" criminal syndicates. They kidnapped young men and women to brainwash them and convert them into combat cyborgs. Cass was to suffer the same fate, and she was already brainwashed when the base of "SW" that she was taken to was raided by the anti-terrorist task force. Cass was saved, but she lost most of her memories, and was partially turned into a cyborg. However, she knew very well who did it to her, and she wanted to have her revenge. She joined the recently formed "Crisis" and underwent full conversion, becoming a military-grade cyborg (technically she is similar to Raiden 2.0 now, but weaker). Seven years later Raiden 2.0 was created, and Cass was designated as his operator.
Cass is generally cheerful and nice, but she also enjoys "torturing" Raiden and treats him as a pet and a houseworker (Raiden lives at Cass's place). The inane collar that Raiden wears was her idea, and at first she abused her ability to control Raiden's actions. However, eventually Cass started to really care for Raiden, and stopped thinking of him just as of the property of AAI corporation. She even helped Raiden learn the truth about his past.

[Jairus]

Good lord a human being. Interesting backstory: um, aside from being "weaker" than 2.0, what kind of abilities does she have? And what exactly does the position of Operator entail (I have some guesses, but I kind of want to hear the details)?

Artwise, on my first viewing I missed that she was wearing a shirt since it's so close to her skin color. Still, good drawing.

[Ren Gaulen]

Good lord a human being. Interesting backstory: um, aside from being "weaker" than 2.0, what kind of abilities does she have? And what exactly does the position of Operator entail (I have some guesses, but I kind of want to hear the details)?

Well, she has an array of equipment identical to Raiden's (Arsenal, Nova, guns, such stuff). She is a martial arts expert and a great marksman, but lately she stays away from the action. As an Operator, she is basically the persons who stays in the command centre and tells Raiden where is his mission objective and how to get to it (like those countless operators from computer games - only they don't kick your rear if you do something wrong when you finish the mission ). Also, Raiden and Cass have a cyber-link, which allows Cass give Raiden orders that he cannot disobey (at least he is not supposed to be able to do that), or just communicate with him through it.

[Zedd]

Very interesting

[Ren Gaulen]

As I am leaving again today, I decided to draw something completely different from my other posts of this week. And so, behold! Chibi-Keaton!

Chibi-Keaton

Just another chibified picture of Keaton. I have drawn one before, but this one is definitely better. Just beware of the cuteness overdose!

[Sunblink]

Oh no. I has the diabeetus.

But seriously, it was extremely generous of you to draw Keaton again. Thank you so much! <3 She looks fantastic; I still love her outfit, and just how you draw her in general. So adorable.

Also, I noticed you used the same background as the one you used in the infamous lollipop-panel in Revenge of the Fridge, which makes the picture even more adorable to me. For some reason that background really cracks me up, because the little Keaton-heads in the background look so mischievous.

~Keaton the Black Jackal

[Cogidubnus]

Need....insulin....

[Ren Gaulen]

That's weapon-grade cute, people! I warned you about the possibility of an overdose.

[Tapewolf]

Very nice... cute, yet not sickeningly so.  And the eyes are normal instead of creepy and soulless.
I think you've got the perfect Chibi design here.

[Zedd]

MY GOD SHE'S RIGHT BEHIND ME 

[llearch n'n'daCorna]

OH MY GOD IT'S COMING RIGHT FOR ME!


;-]

[Jairus]

Gods, do not let Chibi-Keaton and Jyrras and Deebs meet in one space... the whole world would simultaneously contract diabetes.

[Brunhidden]

That so needs to be a videogame character

[Sunblink]

That so needs to be a videogame character

You rang?

~Keaton the Black Jackal

[Zedd]

That so needs to be a videogame character

You rang?

~Keaton the Black Jackal

Have fun with Nightmare

[Brunhidden]

That so needs to be a videogame character

You rang?

~Keaton the Black Jackal

i was thinking more like ratchet and klank style- cute little fuzzbal that lays waste to all with explosions

[Ren Gaulen]

I have just one question: who's next?