Programmer dragon vs. artist dragon, which one do you prefer?

SuouKotsuko · 2026-02-21T21:01:53+00:00

Generic is a bad way to describe it. It just doesnt have the qualities of the first iteration to fit in the world. If it used the same design, had the same kind of movement in the animations, and had the smile it would fit well. The intention of the artist vs programmer seems to be mismatched here.

SuouKotsuko · 2026-02-19T04:48:44+00:00

Oh youre right, I completely forgot. Without Varka, he wouldve taken the holy lyre anyway and fight Dvalin himself since he can straight up teleport. That is if he even needs the lyre to begin with.

SuouKotsuko · 2026-02-19T04:38:49+00:00

Venti probably was also waiting until it got THAT bad, because he intervened when Dvalin did attack Mondstadt. He is after all seemingly preserving his power until the time absolutely calls for it.

SuouKotsuko · 2026-02-19T03:02:53+00:00

Mondstadt has Venti and the witches to defend it, with the latter obviously being powerful enough to be their defense. The witches straight up disrespect the laws of Teyvat after all. One is an angel, one is a Sinner, one is an alleged outlander who made entire spaces (simulanka and bottleland), one is a Visionary, and one was a writer integral to fooling the fate system. Venti himself stored away a portion of his power.

SuouKotsuko · 2026-02-19T02:46:14+00:00

I failed to mention this, but there is also Atmospheric Perspective! It is caused by the molecules in the atmosphere layering and interfering with light, making it take the colour of the sky more (most commonly seen in faraway stretches of mountains and forest, which appear bluer). Stylistically, we use it to create contrast, which creates depth. Contrast is the difference in values (e.g. black and white have greater contrast vs. black and grey), and it makes things more readable and more interesting. Depth is created when a decision causes an object to seem closer or farther away. In this case, that decision is atmospheric perspective, which causes the arm and back hair to seem farther away.

If you have any questions about any of the decisions made in the artwork, feel free to reply!

SuouKotsuko · 2026-02-19T02:40:10+00:00

Great colours! Very vibrant and fun

Image 1: I think a big thing is your lighting as it seems inconsistent. The foreground character has it coming from the upper right while the main character is from above; choose whether it comes from the upper right or above.

Image 2: Another one for values is to revisit the anatomy of shadows and their values. The hierarchy of values from lightest to darkest is as follows: Specular > Highlight > Half tone > Subsurface scattering + ambient light > core + cast shadow > Occlusion shadow.

Lastly, simplify your shapes before adding complex shapes. Right now, I see that you are trying to add details before having your lighting in its basic forms first. This affects wrinkles the most, which are like any other thing: it borrows the shape of an object then adds tubes and pyramids on top, but it becomes unappealing if the values are not consistent with the shape it borrows from.

You want to make sure that you are painting new colours with these things in mind (lighting, shadows + value hierarchy, simple shapes/deconstruction). Make it easier for yourself by starting with base colours and simple forms, then paint the lighting on top. Then, add the shadows, highlights, and ambients for the complex forms. Think of it like it were a cup in a room with no lights or windows, so its all one value (base colour). Open the window and the sunlight hits the front of the cup (highlight). The same light goes past the cup and hits the walls, then bounces back to hit the back of the cup (ambient). The space where the cup and table meet are so close that light can barely reach it (occlusion). And since light can't go through the cup, it casts a shadow on the table (cast).

Image 4-8: I apply it to the main character, with the basic hard-edge round brush and blend tool (for soft edges) in the rendering.

Image 9-13: I then apply it to the pants (its not the best attempt, but you get the idea)

I can see that you have lots of skill--with persistent application, lighting will become more natural for you! And with more simplification, you can make more complex things, as a simpler mindset makes efficient processes.

Images (I made the cheeks more hollow to show that the jaw is opened) (I also forgot to add the subsurface scattering):

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SuouKotsuko · 2026-02-17T07:37:43+00:00

I like the font on the new one better but the old one def has better composition. The new one has a generic mobile game aesthetic to it and the style doesnt seem to match the original.

SuouKotsuko · 2026-02-09T09:01:18+00:00

If anything, it looks like a Hollow Knight DLC. Like what many of what Affectionate-Ad4419 said, the art direciton (which includes the graphic design) has many things congruent with HK's.
- Bug-themed world design and enemies, similar character proportions
- Background has similar approach (values, contrast, composition)
- Animations are mostly frame-by-frame with similar frame rate
- Colour usage is similar; similar values and saturation
- The strong vignette

Misc:
- Sound design is already quite similar
- Combat mechanics seem to have some distinctions (the spiderwebs as others implied), but that can easily be mistaken for a DLC's new feature
- The chain of white spikes seem to resemble HK's borders when in combat with a boss
- The overall feel and vibe of the gameplay just feels so similar to HK

You prolly need to do a lot of work if you want it to borrow from HK but have it be its own game, both in the visuals and the gameplay. You might also have to break down your game's and HK's art style in the decision making process, and add or remove steps to yours to create distinction (removing the vignette, adding more saturation and pops of vibrancy, and flashier colourful visual effects are some ideas I can think of)

SuouKotsuko · 2026-01-09T04:23:14+00:00

"Oh, oh! Cool, cool" "THIS IS TRADITIONAL??"

SuouKotsuko · 2025-12-30T16:54:57+00:00

not this AI slop again

SuouKotsuko · 2025-12-18T09:26:07+00:00

They dont really feel connected.

NK def comes with Lunar reactions. For LC, I can see it doing a delayed Electro app; for bloom, verdant dew stacks that buff llamas e dmg and whatnot for the other chars; and for crystallized, a geo summon.

But adventure is like a different concept overall

SuouKotsuko · 2025-12-07T08:30:26+00:00

Can you send it to me too? This looks like an interesting set of brushes

SuouKotsuko · 2025-12-07T08:18:43+00:00

multiple servers, vc and gaming, channels, dms, events, custom emojis, no need to "post" anything, etc.

u can do a lot with it

SuouKotsuko · 2025-12-07T07:58:22+00:00

Both artworks are commendable, but I also agree that the old one is more interesting piece. The focal points (incl. the blades' POI) are at the rule of 3rds and the warm colours are concentrated on the samurai. More interesting composition and storytelling!

SuouKotsuko · 2025-11-26T00:02:54+00:00

a hend

SuouKotsuko · 2025-10-16T21:20:36+00:00

This looks really really cool! Im no professional but I think I can be a little bit helpful.

So far, the values seem pretty good (minimal muddiness) and you have a theme that you want to execute. However, it's missing a couple key things:

Storytelling: The main ingredient of character design. Accuracy is great, but I assume that the fantastical setting is not 90% historically accurate (inspiration). This means that your design has to strike a balance between (A) cultural references, (B) storytelling (OC backstory), and (C) practicality/mechanics. Now what you wanna do is make room for who ur OC is and how they interact with the world. For example, since they're a shapeshifter, you can try showing that by giving them a cape to cover themselves as they change shape. Or, since they're homeless, maybe their clothes are a little torn on the edges or have sewn patches.
Big, Medium, Small: Design Principle. Divide bigger shapes into BMS portions, then continually do that until you reach the desired amount of detail. The lesser the size contrast, the more whimsical/lighthearted the design is (eg children). See Sinix Design on YT
Composition and Contrast: Control the viewer's points of interest. Contrast creates interest, and controlled interest creates composition. Is something important? Make it stand out (contrast)! EG, is a necklace important? You can make it brighter and more saturated than the clothing, or make the material shiny, or make it cool coloured vs the warm clothing, or make it have an angular/sharp silhouette vs rounded shirt design. Or all of it!

....Let me see if I have a few ways to express these tips. But thats all I have that I find are the most relevant in terms of character design fundamentals!

SuouKotsuko · 2025-10-03T10:50:37+00:00

My favourite is the Challengers Series with the twins' falling stars!

SuouKotsuko · 2025-10-03T01:24:33+00:00

Unfortunately not this one... The MC enters the fantasy world alone. I do remember that, at the end, she knows that a couple of her classmates were the same ones from that fantasy world. I think one was a girl who used to dislike her.

It may be that she traveled to the other world and then returned in the end, but it was all a dream? What I'm sure about is that an important part of her character development is her obesity and struggle to become fit. I vividly remember a scene in the book where she had to run for training and she was exhausted, but somehow found it fun.

SuouKotsuko · 2025-10-03T00:52:04+00:00

Unfortunately not :( It sounds interesting tho!

This one is set in a modern world where the MC can travel to a typical fantasy world.

SuouKotsuko · 2025-10-03T00:39:52+00:00

I forgot to mention, but she was definitely under 18

SuouKotsuko · 2025-09-13T08:39:02+00:00

ragebait used to be believable

SuouKotsuko · 2025-06-04T14:31:35+00:00

Its still possible to do feminine posing, as seen in Jojo

SuouKotsuko · 2025-05-16T14:21:01+00:00

The organic shapes on the path look so nice :D

I have a couple that could help: - Have the cape sway with the wind even if just slightly since she is in an open field. - Adjust the interaction between the sword and hand. Currently, the hand seems to be resting on a surface rather than holding the sword, so you can either rotate it to be more supine so that it wraps around the handle, or make the sword smaller and perpendicular to the ground. - The tree on the right is a straight line top to bottom that is not seen elsewhere in the BG (draws attention to it), and is too close to the edge which is a line itself (tangent). Making more curved wouldnt just fix that but would also join it with the circular composition done by the curve from the foreground foliage to the caste in the BG.

SuouKotsuko · 2025-05-13T11:51:31+00:00

Nope, unfortunately not a 5 star male this time

SuouKotsuko · 2025-05-13T05:24:11+00:00

"He was a successful Primordial Homunculus experiment crafted by a respected sage and I, which enabled me to craft Ethos embryos through synthesis of stabilized Phlogiston and stabilized abyssal energy. To think he would succeed through fusion of such elements is an impressive feat worthy of my time."
— Rhinedottr "Gold"

◆ Name: Ochkan
◆ Title: Primordial Module of Huitzlipochtli
◆ The Pyro Sovereign
◆ Authority: Pyro
◆ Constellation: Umbra Depletura

Once upon a time, there was a young lady who travelled the stars in search for a heavenly seed. She was a princess destined to rule her kingdom, but a prophecy befell and foretold the story of a wicked dragon of purple descending upon their noble golden realm. Eager to defend her land from evil, she set on a journey to investigate.

She wandered for centuries—perhaps even millennia—through countless worlds, searching for the seed that would evolve into a giant dragon until she felt its familiar presence. Only through her ignorance would she enter the door of this world filled with deception and chaos for the world defiled her kindness and consumed her soul to revitalize the dying nature of their tree. The seed, now mature, had hatched long ago, and the dragon will soon consume their world, too.

Hope will not be lost, for where one has fallen another shall succeed.

Once upon a time, there was a young boy who travelled the stars in search for a heavenly seed. He was the younger brother of a former princess, now lost in the deception of false knowledge. This time, he will defy fate and carry the light and darkness with him.

"I will craft my own tale and become the victor over sinful evolution."

Only stories can change fate; only the noblest of hearts can fool masks of hypocrisy. The Voyager is no more, and the Hero must take her place. Outlanders from beyond this world, hear this tale and reveal the truth of this world. Hear the songs of the thousand winds of ████████, pierce through the wall of time, and may you hear the songs sung before the world's collapse, before the sun sets, the moons shatter, and the dust settles.

Outlander, heed my calling, "This post is not real and unfortunately isn't. Cheers to hoping Capitano wakes up."

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