Read on Twitter
This is a perfect example of design philosophy when it comes to texture art for character models. the "vendor" image is a prototype, the retail is the final. They both look great, but what does your eye go to first on vendor?
Thats right, the legs.
Thats right, the legs.
Just like in film, your characters appearance needs to be iconic. Something that can be read quickly, and puts the eyes where they need to be. The highlight has been moved from the arm-band to the tie on the chest, and the suit has been made an overall dusty rose/slate blue.
Even if your setting is real-life (or semi-real life) you need to make the look of your character lift out of the world they're standing in. It doesn't mean their outfit has to be impossible to exist in reality. But you want it to look conspicuous, while also being casual.
Note how in the image above, the guy on the left doesn't look bad. He looks like he could be a hero-type character, but there's literally nothing remarkable or standout about his look. All you'd need is a dirty bandanna around his neck and yellow sunglasses would be plenty.
Color isn't the only thing. Think about textures, and layers. Especially as the wardrobe moves closer towards the head. If youre going to go overkill, do it in the top 1/3rd of the body. keep the viewers eyes going toward the face/breastbone area of the character.
If your game has a third person view, make the back of your charcter interesting. The audience is going to be seeing it A LOT! Buckles, backpacks, a jacket with a faded graphic, a few pieces of sturdy armor plating. Asymmetry. Be careful with lights/bright colors tho
think about the way we depict ghosts. where is most of the visibility of a ghost? up toward the shoulders and head. The monkeybrain part of your brain has been genetically trained to pay attention to this area of the body and it wants the interesting parts to be up there
And that's about it. I hope this helps you with character designs going forward. Its easy to fall into the pit of overdesign, i'm sure you'll end up there, we all do, but at least now you'll know where best to place your focus, and maybe give you some new ways to experiment :)
