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[Okay first of all, as I upload this, I'm going to try and replace it with a more legible sized version. I know this one is too small to see what's up. Just wait a minute and then F5 to see.] [DONE, sorry for the large upload, the scale for the character is bulkier. He takes up more space with the drum stuff and so on.]
Here's my initial thinking on the drummer dog. As far as character design goes, he's pretty simple. I see him as very physical, not necessarily athletic (but maybe!), but the kind of nature boy who doesn't care about clothes or image. He likes being comfortable, drumming is hard work, and he'd perform behind the drumkit naked if he could without freaking out the rest of the band. So I'm putting him in short shorts and that's about it. I see him as an uncluttered, attention challenged hedonist.
Kit has had lots of experience in the local rock music scene growing up and she told me when I first described the character that he should be scrawny, because she'd never met a drummer who wasn't. I dunno how true that is as a generalization, but I used to date a drummer and he was a frickin' string bean. So I dunno; it does make sense! However, this is also fiction and furry, and so "skinny" can be relative - a skinny St. Bernard is going to still be a hefty critter.
Also, because dogs are like a whole can of worms in terms of species, I'm just gonna make the decision now that this guy is a mutt. And so mostly the design isn't so much about superficial attributes like clothing, but the mix and match of dog breed traits. So please keep that in mind if you want to give feedback. The final design can totally be a shaggy corgi dane afghan.
Okay well maybe not corgi, but you get the idea. Shaggy and tubby could just as easily be shaggy and scrawy. One smart ear (pointed) and one stupid ear (flopped), etc.
In the narrative, the dog is the second to join the band. Which is to say, the first to make the band, and a true believer . He's supposed to be goofy, a little dim, but loyal. Lost and confused on his own, easily taken advantage of, he chooses to go along with the donkey not because he cares about music or success, but because banging on the drums is fun - and a stray will follow any kind hand, binding as a disciple for life over the simplest of kindnesses. His motives are completely just that transparent.
Now, having said all the above, in the course of design, I also thought about him being a less frenetic version of the same. Still doggish in all the salient ways, but some kind of droopy hound dog, slow and sleepy until time to play. I'm not sure about this, because Miah is already designed with wrinkles and such, so a wrinkly dog might be too much. But dunno - a laconic, chill, unfazed drummer has a kind of charm too.
SPECIFIC FEEDBACK PLZ KTHNX
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[Okay first of all, as I upload this, I'm going to try and replace it with a more legible sized version. I know this one is too small to see what's up. Just wait a minute and then F5 to see.] [DONE, sorry for the large upload, the scale for the character is bulkier. He takes up more space with the drum stuff and so on.]
Here's my initial thinking on the drummer dog. As far as character design goes, he's pretty simple. I see him as very physical, not necessarily athletic (but maybe!), but the kind of nature boy who doesn't care about clothes or image. He likes being comfortable, drumming is hard work, and he'd perform behind the drumkit naked if he could without freaking out the rest of the band. So I'm putting him in short shorts and that's about it. I see him as an uncluttered, attention challenged hedonist.
Kit has had lots of experience in the local rock music scene growing up and she told me when I first described the character that he should be scrawny, because she'd never met a drummer who wasn't. I dunno how true that is as a generalization, but I used to date a drummer and he was a frickin' string bean. So I dunno; it does make sense! However, this is also fiction and furry, and so "skinny" can be relative - a skinny St. Bernard is going to still be a hefty critter.
Also, because dogs are like a whole can of worms in terms of species, I'm just gonna make the decision now that this guy is a mutt. And so mostly the design isn't so much about superficial attributes like clothing, but the mix and match of dog breed traits. So please keep that in mind if you want to give feedback. The final design can totally be a shaggy corgi dane afghan.
Okay well maybe not corgi, but you get the idea. Shaggy and tubby could just as easily be shaggy and scrawy. One smart ear (pointed) and one stupid ear (flopped), etc.
In the narrative, the dog is the second to join the band. Which is to say, the first to make the band, and a true believer . He's supposed to be goofy, a little dim, but loyal. Lost and confused on his own, easily taken advantage of, he chooses to go along with the donkey not because he cares about music or success, but because banging on the drums is fun - and a stray will follow any kind hand, binding as a disciple for life over the simplest of kindnesses. His motives are completely just that transparent.
Now, having said all the above, in the course of design, I also thought about him being a less frenetic version of the same. Still doggish in all the salient ways, but some kind of droopy hound dog, slow and sleepy until time to play. I'm not sure about this, because Miah is already designed with wrinkles and such, so a wrinkly dog might be too much. But dunno - a laconic, chill, unfazed drummer has a kind of charm too.
SPECIFIC FEEDBACK PLZ KTHNX
<<< PREV | FIRST | NEXT >>>
Category Artwork (Digital) / General Furry Art
Species Unspecified / Any
Size 240 x 70px
File Size 333 kB
That was a totally non-specific crit!
Anyhoo, I got the vibe from the hound dog silhouette based on your initial description of not caring about image and clothing. Sounds laid back, which is the sense I got from the motion of the hound. Also, his more laid back body language seems a nice contrast to Miah and Gerik, who seem a lot more bombastic and high energy!
Anyhoo, I got the vibe from the hound dog silhouette based on your initial description of not caring about image and clothing. Sounds laid back, which is the sense I got from the motion of the hound. Also, his more laid back body language seems a nice contrast to Miah and Gerik, who seem a lot more bombastic and high energy!
I don't know...my first thought was to have a normally sized dog with upright ears, and definitely not the hound dog. Something German shepherdy. I would like to see him with a little belly, but nothing Shaggy Dog-esque. Something less lowkey and with a bit more energy than the others, but slow when they need him to be slow. Don't know if that helps, but there you go.
Im probably the only one who likes the one in the middle but.....
I think maybe a mix of the one in the middle and the one on the right it would be cool...
Like maybe the body and tail of the hound, and the face and feet of the one in the middle. I think it would be cool to have a character without shoes since the cat and rooster both have shoes...I dunno. Random randomness, my head isnt in the right place for a super well written critic, but i though id give my 2 cents..
I think maybe a mix of the one in the middle and the one on the right it would be cool...
Like maybe the body and tail of the hound, and the face and feet of the one in the middle. I think it would be cool to have a character without shoes since the cat and rooster both have shoes...I dunno. Random randomness, my head isnt in the right place for a super well written critic, but i though id give my 2 cents..
Ok, I read your info, but didn't read any other comments. Sorry if I rehash/repeat, but I thought I'd give you my own thoughts without outside influence.
I like the hound design best so far. It fits the laid back look very well. I will tell you from personal experience that hounds can and DO get fired up with the proper motivation. Mix him up with a retriever of some sort and you could easily get rid of some wrinkles, add some shag, change his proportions a little. This is all under the assumption that you're letting breed define personality to a high degree (or vice versa).
You can, of course, alter the paradigm however you damn well please. He's your mutt!
I like the hound design best so far. It fits the laid back look very well. I will tell you from personal experience that hounds can and DO get fired up with the proper motivation. Mix him up with a retriever of some sort and you could easily get rid of some wrinkles, add some shag, change his proportions a little. This is all under the assumption that you're letting breed define personality to a high degree (or vice versa).
You can, of course, alter the paradigm however you damn well please. He's your mutt!
Of those present, the third.
For several reasons, not excluding the skinny drummer bit. Drumming is an aerobic activity. Not a lot of strength, but lots of speed and endurance.
Also, the characters have farm backgrounds, the beagle-esque figure is beaten out by the iconic sheepdog and the bloodhound figures.
Finally, the brementown musicians are outcasts, ill suited to their intended role in society.
What about a mix of those incongruous breeds, too small and lanky to herd sheep, and too much of a sight dog to hunt, with patches of fluff on the ears, chest, and underarms, but otherwise fairly smooth. like this dog. I believe that picture is of a spaniel, though.
Besides, if any character has unruly hair, it aught to be the bassist. Like so.
For several reasons, not excluding the skinny drummer bit. Drumming is an aerobic activity. Not a lot of strength, but lots of speed and endurance.
Also, the characters have farm backgrounds, the beagle-esque figure is beaten out by the iconic sheepdog and the bloodhound figures.
Finally, the brementown musicians are outcasts, ill suited to their intended role in society.
What about a mix of those incongruous breeds, too small and lanky to herd sheep, and too much of a sight dog to hunt, with patches of fluff on the ears, chest, and underarms, but otherwise fairly smooth. like this dog. I believe that picture is of a spaniel, though.
Besides, if any character has unruly hair, it aught to be the bassist. Like so.
I love that fact that you used laconic in a sentence. That is the first time I've ever seen that from someone other than myself. More to the point I'd love to see a more languid drummer. It's pretty common to see them as a whirlwind of excitement and vigour but to see one who's a little bit more into playing the drums than thrashing at them (even if he isn't exactly gentle) would be a refreshing reprieve. And of course if you were looking for someone a bit hedonistic it would be an interesting way to go about it. Using the archetype of sloth rather than lust or gluttony. Would make him very fond of groupies and the like who might bring him gifts and favours after a show (if the band even gathers any in their orbit)
First one. Shaggy hair looks fun flying around- jowls flying around looks freakish.
If the chubby is a problem, get rid of it. Going from shaggy to a thin, long-haired dog would still work well. Contemplate making him a Komondor.
Shaggy conveys the personality you describe a lot better than droopy- droopy suggests lethargy and sadness, whereas covering over eyes with hair is a great way to signify that someone's not defined by their mind (or, at least, shuts it off regularly). It also just seems like a more interesting design to me, especially in the light of the other characters.
If the chubby is a problem, get rid of it. Going from shaggy to a thin, long-haired dog would still work well. Contemplate making him a Komondor.
Shaggy conveys the personality you describe a lot better than droopy- droopy suggests lethargy and sadness, whereas covering over eyes with hair is a great way to signify that someone's not defined by their mind (or, at least, shuts it off regularly). It also just seems like a more interesting design to me, especially in the light of the other characters.
I like the first one since it's more of a contrast with the cat. It seems a little like the characters should be dynamic yet cohesive and there are too many notes of similarity with the hound for that reason, wrinkly skin, "good ole boy", chill but when rocking.
I also really like the shaggy, muttly, Wild, Animal (the muppet) energy that's in the first example and for some reason it pings more of the tail wagging true believer rocker frenetic energy.
The middle one seems too well kept for some reason, maybe because the profile reminds me of any number of military/police/working dogs so there's this baggage there.
I also really like the shaggy, muttly, Wild, Animal (the muppet) energy that's in the first example and for some reason it pings more of the tail wagging true believer rocker frenetic energy.
The middle one seems too well kept for some reason, maybe because the profile reminds me of any number of military/police/working dogs so there's this baggage there.
I like the shaggy bulky one on the left. The hair communicates the motion the best in that one, and the long-haired shaggy look goes with the laid-back, uncaring attitude. At least, for me. I think Miah carries all the subverted expectations here, so someone who "plays to type," so to speak could help bring that out more. I have to say, though, ever since the preliminary sketches, I've pictured this dog as a stick-chewer, so maybe some sort of adorable combination could be involved. :)
Someone mentioned Great Dane, what about Wolf Hound? They have a kinda scruffy but not too scruffy thing going on. at least more where the body is concerned. I think if you put too much fuzz on the face it gives the appearance of being old. like a shaggy beardy face dog are usually old men. Slight body fluff makes me think of RUGGED NATURE MAN.
Hmmm. I'd say... the middle dog, since he looks closest to what a mutt from a line of mutts would be; dogs tend back towards wolfishness when you take specialized breeding out of the equation.
Though, I do think it would be neat to give him the drumstick-chewing and sneakers (no socks!) from the righthand dog :3
Though, I do think it would be neat to give him the drumstick-chewing and sneakers (no socks!) from the righthand dog :3
I like the hound silhouette, but I'm liking the shaggy, chubby bodytype more as far as an interesting character concept. That silhouette, with the collar/tambourine from the middle one, and the sneakers from the hound, would look nice. The stick chewing could also work well with it in place of the slobberiness, lol.
Personally, I lean towards the aesthetic/feel of the first design from the left the most, though perhaps with a curly tail instead of a shaggy one. Also, barefoot! And something different with the ears... maybe the one 'smart' one 'stupid' ear idea would work the best for visual interest's sake.
I like the idea of him being a laid back type whose only passion is music. I personally prefer the shagginess, since you went with the wrinkled skin on Miah-- will you still have that chunk of fur/hair over most of his face like you did in the earlier sketches? Because I think that would be a good design bit to keep (if only to emphasize how he 'rocks out' when he's banging on those drums-- more motion with the hair falling all over the place and so on).
If he's a shaggy dog, I kind of like the idea of him doing something to keep the fur of his forearms in order somehow so it doesn't get in the way of him playing-- I dunno, bandages or armwarmers or such? I keep thinking of him as the cute and fluffy, totally inoffensive member of the group.
I like the idea of him being a laid back type whose only passion is music. I personally prefer the shagginess, since you went with the wrinkled skin on Miah-- will you still have that chunk of fur/hair over most of his face like you did in the earlier sketches? Because I think that would be a good design bit to keep (if only to emphasize how he 'rocks out' when he's banging on those drums-- more motion with the hair falling all over the place and so on).
If he's a shaggy dog, I kind of like the idea of him doing something to keep the fur of his forearms in order somehow so it doesn't get in the way of him playing-- I dunno, bandages or armwarmers or such? I keep thinking of him as the cute and fluffy, totally inoffensive member of the group.
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