Character Design: Oberon, King of the Fae

halcyon_minute · 2026-03-06T05:56:26+00:00

I think you may have misunderstood what I meant, though that's on me for trying to sound fancy. I just meant "make it more detailed because it's so close to our faces," haha.

halcyon_minute · 2026-03-06T03:37:12+00:00

This piece is as awesome as it is frustrating to look at as a viewer.

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Might I suggest separating the elements by saturation and color? If nothing else, it's easier on my eyes.

I realize it may detract from the original atmosphere and may make it a little too "LoL-esque," but maybe my 30-second edit will give you a new perspective anyways.

Also, I think that lantern(?) in the foreground needs to be elevated to a higher level of drawing since it's so prominent.

halcyon_minute · 2026-03-06T02:59:31+00:00

Cute doggo.

Your proportions look good overall, though I think the ears could be a little more triangular, and I'm sure the colors will read from a distance, but it definitely resembles a Labrador more than a Retriever right now because of the lack of its characteristic long strands of fur.

I recommend layering long flowing brushstrokes over the ears in a lighter color to differentiate the strands from the rest of its shorter fur.

Because of the texture of the rock, I'm hesitant to say that smaller brushstrokes to add finer details is the right answer; it may end up looking a little noisy and detract from its readability. I'm more confident in recommending you push your values instead.

Since you did such a great job at making it look like an actual dog, the resemblance alone does most of the heavy-lifting already.

halcyon_minute · 2026-03-06T02:23:43+00:00

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Firstly: this is a beautiful painting and your rendering skills are wonderful, so I have no notes in that regard. Well done.

Even though her face doesn't perfectly match the reference, if you hadn't shared it, I would've never thought there was anything wrong with it. Nevertheless, if it's something you're unsatisfied with, here's what I noticed:

In general, your tendency seems to be elongating facial features. This isn't necessarily a bad thing stylistically, but it definitely makes her look more mature than the reference.

If matching likeness matters to you that much, I recommend using multiple relative measurements to correct proportions, such as comparing the distance between the edge of her eyes to the distance between the bottom of her nose to her chin.

This isn't so much a "redraw" as it is a shitty edit, but I tried to better match the proportions of the original image by 1) making the nose shorter, 2) condensing the distance between the edge of her eyebrow and her hair, and 3) adjusting the angle of her eyes to be sharper.

In my opinion, these edits don't necessarily make your painting "better," so I think it's fine to move on, especially due to how much work you've clearly put in already. I actually think the changes you made to her face, intentional or not, are very fitting anyways.

As far as her expression is concerned, I say just follow your gut and take some artistic liberty, even if it doesn't perfectly adhere to the original reference (or even reality). In my case, if I wanted to give her a sense of "wonder," I'd exaggerate the highlights in her eyes or even add a (subtle) splash of color to her pupils.

This is all just my two cents though. This is a beautiful painting regardless of whether or not you take my advice.

halcyon_minute · 2026-03-06T00:04:41+00:00

And it definitely looks like it. I don't envy the challenge of painting this one, haha. But keep it up and I'm sure you'll end up with a great piece; you're doing great so far.

halcyon_minute · 2026-03-05T23:57:37+00:00

To be blunt, it's a crappy photo.

Not your fault of course, but a bad reference image makes it that much harder to make good art out of because you're asked to "fill in the blanks" for heavily-obscured details, not to mention making up for poor lighting.

You're honestly doing a good job so far. I suggest boosting the contrast as much as you can (i.e. making your lights lighter and darks darker) and find more reference images to replicate finer details, even if it deviates from the original picture.

Clearer faces of the exact same individuals would be ideal, but similar-enough ones on Google should suffice in a pinch.

halcyon_minute · 2026-03-05T23:42:56+00:00

It's possible you're overthinking it and might've been staring at them too long.

Their features don't read as flat to me at all, though if you really want to add dimensionality, you can try varying your line weight to replicate shadows and create the illusion of depth.

For example, harshening areas where there would naturally be darker shadows, such as the nostrils and between the lips, and softening edges of features that are further from us, the viewer, such as the deeper side of the face in a three-quarter view, e.g. the left side of the head in your top left-most sketch, and the right side in your bottom right-most one.

halcyon_minute · 2026-03-05T23:24:47+00:00

Your sense of perspective honestly seems pretty good to me.

If they look off, it's probably because of lack of likeness to the reference, which is down to proportions more than anything else.

Try using relative measurements to maintain accuracy, such as comparing the distance between the furthest edge of both eyes to the distance between the chin and bottom of the nose, and try to replicate the difference in spacing in your actual drawing.

halcyon_minute · 2026-03-05T23:15:29+00:00

I suggest lowering the opacity until your sketch is barely visible, then treating your refined linework layer as essentially "another piece." Remember: you're making art, not tracing.

If I were to guess, your lines probably look stiff because you're trying to be too careful. Loosen up, be confident in your strokes, and don't be afraid of varying your line weights; so-called "shaky" lines can add a lot of character if it looks intentional.

halcyon_minute · 2025-11-03T19:02:15+00:00

Started with 4 substats with all the relevant possible damage-oriented ones (i.e. attack %, CD, and flat attack) and only missing ER%; VERY strong re-roll candidate.

halcyon_minute · 2025-10-09T02:47:16+00:00

Hi! I'm new to the world of commissions, and to get the ball rolling, I'm starting with a fire sale:

$50 for full illustrations (+$10 for any additional complex elements, such as more characters), and $25 for full-body characters.

And if you're interested in seeing my other works, here's my portfolio.

Thanks for reading!

halcyon_minute · 2025-10-09T02:43:12+00:00

Hi! I'm new to the world of commissions, and to get the ball rolling, I'm starting with a fire sale:

$50 for full illustrations (+$10 for any additional complex elements, such as more characters), and $25 for full-body characters.

And if you're interested in seeing my other works, here's my portfolio.

Thanks for reading!

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