The DC characters REDESIGN thread - Part 1

[spider_rob]

Wow, how classy. You're definitely a legit judge of creativity seeing that you're taking designs from someone else instead of, well... coming up with some of your own. You must be dripping with talent.

And the Batman design is flat (the brown color is nice) and cluttered with seams for the sake of filling the space. (The intricate linework worked for the Dark Knight because it was layered armor. Lee Bermejo draws it the same way and it looks great, again because he layers the armor.) The mouth also looks silly. If he's wearing a full mask, just cover the mouth. Each line and seam you add on a costume should serve a purpose, whether or not the audience knows it.

The Wonder Woman costume is simply unimpressive as a concept. It looks llike something you could get at a Macy's, not something an Amazonian would wear. (Her original costume is just as bad, so this one breaks even). The best WW costumes I've seen were here on these boards where the artist gave her a Roman armor inspired design. It looked royal and powerful without making her look like a model in a designer outfit.

Superman's jacket is filled with too many lines. It looks like a motorcycle jacket mmore than an alien outfit. His original costume isn't great, but it knew what was important (the "S") and didn't impede on it with extra layers that didn't serve a purpose and didn't reinforce his image as a powerful alien humanoid.

I talked to the artist. He said he could sit and explain all his artistic decisions, but that would be a waste of time because most of the people on these boards are small-minded fanboys.

Regarding other artists, he prefers for them to "put their money where their mouth is".

Anyways, he's up for an art duel- are you? Maybe a redesign of an iconic character? Voting can take place within these forums.

 

[spider_rob]

Wow, how classy. You're definitely a legit judge of creativity seeing that you're taking designs from someone else instead of, well... coming up with some of your own. You must be dripping with talent.

And the Batman design is flat (the brown color is nice) and cluttered with seams for the sake of filling the space. (The intricate linework worked for the Dark Knight because it was layered armor. Lee Bermejo draws it the same way and it looks great, again because he layers the armor.) The mouth also looks silly. If he's wearing a full mask, just cover the mouth. Each line and seam you add on a costume should serve a purpose, whether or not the audience knows it.

Oh really? So, if the lines on my bro's Superman outfit are Kryptonian symbols, that would give them a purpose, right? Or..they can only serve a purpose if they bind the materials, or protect against the elements? So, that means we shouldn't have designs on our clothing... like flowers, skulls, sports team symbols, etc... Because they don't serve a purpose, other than making things look pretty, right?

The Wonder Woman costume is simply unimpressive as a concept. It looks llike something you could get at a Macy's, not something an Amazonian would wear. (Her original costume is just as bad, so this one breaks even). The best WW costumes I've seen were here on these boards where the artist gave her a Roman armor inspired design. It looked royal and powerful without making her look like a model in a designer outfit.

People don't like WW because she's an Amazon. Most normies I've heard from don't even know about her Amazon origins. She's just a symbol of female power to most people. A lady that kicks ass and looks good doing it. So, my bro built off that aspect.

Superman's jacket is filled with too many lines. It looks like a motorcycle jacket mmore than an alien outfit. His original costume isn't great, but it knew what was important (the "S") and didn't impede on it with extra layers that didn't serve a purpose and didn't reinforce his image as a powerful alien humanoid.

Yeah, like giant red undies reinforce that image... Oh geez, do fanboys actually comprehend what they spew?

BTW, I'm the artist's brother so I'll vouch for him since he's away.

The Batman design was made to be more organic and demonic looking. The black eyes are actually a new nightvision tech. The covered mouth is a thin material, allowing him to move his mouth and breath normally, but giving the illusion that his mouth opens into blackness. The group pic is unfinished, the artist still hasn't added the texture, giving the whole suit the appearance of leathery skin.

The artist felt that Batman should actually appear as something more than human, instead of man-in-batsuit. Other than that, he didn't really change much. Let it be known that my bro is still changing things up, and agrees the monochromatic look is a bit flat. He's still deciding if he wants to add gloves and boots as separate items.

For WW, my bro said that her outfit never really made sense for either culture. Why would an Amazon wear a bikini with the colors and symbols of America on it? Why would a person in the US wear a bikini to fight crime? Instead, my bro imagined Diana adopting a sportier, modern look. Something an athlete would wear, with Amazon motifs on it. She wouldn't have just one outfit, but a wardrobe. Women look up to WW, so it makes since to make her fashionable, aware of modern styles and changing with the trends.

And here's where my bro explained his Superman suit:

http://forums.superherohype.com/showpost.php?p=19479698&postcount=65

Anyways, that's that. Let me know if you wanna have that duel with my bro. He's looking forward to it.

 

[keith_v]

BTW, I'm the artist's brother so I'll vouch for him since he's away.

The Batman design was made to be more organic and demonic looking. The black eyes are actually a new nightvision tech. The covered mouth is a thin material, allowing him to move his mouth and breath normally, but giving the illusion that his mouth opens into blackness. The group pic is unfinished, the artist still hasn't added the texture, giving the whole suit the appearance of leathery skin.

The artist felt that Batman should actually appear as something more than human, instead of man-in-batsuit. Other than that, he didn't really change much. Let it be known that my bro is still changing things up, and agrees the monochromatic look is a bit flat. He's still deciding if he wants to add gloves and boots as separate items.

For WW, my bro said that her outfit never really made sense for either culture. Why would an Amazon wear a bikini with the colors and symbols of America on it? Why would a person in the US wear a bikini to fight crime? Instead, my bro imagined Diana adopting a sportier, modern look. Something an athlete would wear, with Amazon motifs on it. She wouldn't have just one outfit, but a wardrobe. Women look up to WW, so it makes since to make her fashionable, aware of modern styles and changing with the trends.

And here's where my bro explained his Superman suit:

http://forums.superherohype.com/showpost.php?p=19479698&postcount=65

Anyways, that's that. Let me know if you wanna have that duel with my bro. He's looking forward to it.

Sure, we can do a redesign of a classic character. I have 3 stipulations, though:

1. the due-date isn't going to be for at least a month (I have deadlines I have to meet before I can do a painting for leisure. The only non-work paintings I've done recently were those environment pics in my thread, cause I can bang those out in 2 or 3 hours)

2. The character won't be a female or unknown character. Keep it a famous male character (most female superheroes bore me to death, and all the good ones have been redesigned and manipped to death already[I'm looking at you, Catwoman])

3. (This is the fun one) You have to enter as well. No excuses about not being able to draw or paint. Most clothing designers aren't that great at drawing, but they can still make incredible designs. I'm not that interested in your brother's work (his colors look too airbrushed, but he seems very good at line-art), I'm interested in your work and what you can do when you push yourself creatively.

If you agree to those 3 things than I'll be up for a contest, given that nothing in my schedule pops up and forces me to withdraw. In the event that something does come up, I'll try and finish what I have and enter it. If you and you're brother agree to these, we can discuss the actual guidelines of the image. ie. mediums, styles etc

 

[Saint]

Costuming is tough because there are different elements on these characters that speak to different people. The Wonder Woman design is a great example; the post-Flashpoint design kept the red and blue but lost the gold, while the redesign on the previous page does the opposite: losing the red and blue while keeping the gold. Surprisingly, I found that the gold is more important to my personal image of Wonder Woman than the red and blue is. I'm sure a lot of other people are going to have the exact opposite reaction.

Much like the post-Flashpoint design, she doesn't feel much like a warrior, and I immediately miss that element. Still, for what it is, it works. For a radical reinterpretation (which may be what the character needs, but then maybe not), I'd buy it. The white could be a real problem depending on the artist and colourist, though; not everyone would render the suit with the minutia necessary to give that outfit visual depth.

That Superman redesign is probably the only significant redesign of the character that I've actually enjoyed--but I would still tweak it a little.

The colour separation between the pants and top is a good idea and certainly needs to be there, but the specific colours don't work for me. Both blues have a little too much green in them, but I would argue the lighter blue is a little too light and that the gap between them shouldn't be so significant.

Additionally, perhaps the lines on the shirt are meant to be the same darker shade as the pants, but they look like a third, different shade--and I don't think that works. Also, though the look great when thin, the broader lines (such as on the arms) bother me--and the difference I think clutters things. The same basic layout with subtler lines (either the same colour as the shirt or a less drastic shift) would work well.

Finally, the collar. I have mixed feelings on this. Usually the collar makes Superman to imperial, but here it actually looks quite casual and fitting--however, it looks a little awkward to my eye, the way it swoops in from the sides of the shield. Additionally, the collar of the undershirt could stand to be simplified. Maybe streamline the whole set up there a little, but I don't know... there's a nice concept there, and that dash of darker blue on the chest is great balance; it would be terrible to lose that.

Still, I think something needs to change in that area, though the artist is certainly better equipped to solve that problem than I am.

Batman would make for an interesting change, though I'm of the opinion that the cape and cowl shouldn't be tampered with. I also miss the colour contrast of the classic suit and wouldn't want to see armour in the comics. All things considered, I wouldn't take it over Batman's classic look, but it's interesting, nonetheless. Drop the mouth cover and I'd absolutely take it for a movie.

Aquaman is solid.

Green Lantern is the only one that I don't think works at all. Unless the character and the tone of the book was re-imagined from the ground up (which appears to be the intention with the redesign), it's a no-go for me. As with everything, it's a matter of preference, but nothing on that design speaks to what appeals to me personally about Green Lantern.

 

[spider_rob]

Thanks, Saint. Your post was very insightful, and full of good points. Unlike Kevin's, which read like a college student reciting what he learned in class that week.

Anyways, I spoke with my bro, he's not interested in the duel anymore. Feels it's a waste of his time. I would participate, but I can barely draw a stick figure. Peace.

 

[keith_v]

Thanks, Saint. Your post was very insightful, and full of good points. Unlike Kevin's, which read like a college student reciting what he learned in class that week.

Anyways, I spoke with my bro, he's not interested in the duel anymore. Feels it's a waste of his time. I would participate, but I can barely draw a stick figure. Peace.

I'm so shocked that the both of you backed out after being the ones that suggested it.

 

[spider_rob]

Yeah, it woulda' been fun and added some much needed spark in this dead section of the Hype!, but you're right, it would take valuable time away from other things...

 

[Duker Jay]

I love how it went from being art that you found on DeviantArt to your brother...but I really think it's you...

Didn't you use to call yourself Darth something...you did the Squirrel Girl redesign from way back, right?

 

[spider_rob]

I love how it went from being art that you found on DeviantArt to your brother...but I really think it's you...

Didn't you use to call yourself Darth something...you did the Squirrel Girl redesign from way back, right?

My bro did, yes. He's currently in a halfway house. They block certain sites on their network and Hype! happens to be one of them.

 

[Duker Jay]

Coolius! That's what it was. I always liked his drawings...

 

[Syncos]

Oh man. I'm disappointed at how much of a childish pissing contest this thread turned into. Critiquing work is fine, but there's a point where you just gotta leave opinions be and move past it. Whether they want to accept the criticism or not is their own choice. And this goes both ways. There's no need to fight tooth and nail over a concept, whether yours or your brothers.

Can we get back to art here?
Here, i'll start
Quick redesign of Jesse Quick I did in like 10 minutes, inspired by her previous costumes, a little bit of her father, and a little bit of Jay Garrick in there, as well.
Cheers.

 

[spider_rob]

Oh man. I'm disappointed at how much of a childish pissing contest this thread turned into. Critiquing work is fine, but there's a point where you just gotta leave opinions be and move past it. Whether they want to accept the criticism or not is their own choice. And this goes both ways. There's no need to fight tooth and nail over a concept, whether yours or your brothers.

Can we get back to art here?
Here, i'll start
Quick redesign of Jesse Quick I did in like 10 minutes, inspired by her previous costumes, a little bit of her father, and a little bit of Jay Garrick in there, as well.
Cheers.

Calm down, it's nothing to nag about. We were just having some fun. Nice pic, BTW.

 

[camp Blood]

I like that it's a retro redesign , I am sick of modernizing heroes that's why I did a medieval flash and working on a new medieval superman and GL

 

[Syncos]

Calm down, it's nothing to nag about. We were just having some fun. Nice pic, BTW.

I'm prefectly calm, I just wanted to see the thread back on track. Which is why I felt the need to draw and post something, instead of sounding like a hypocrite saying "post some artwork" without doing so myself.

Also thanks. It was a quick little thing. Glad you like it.

I like that it's a retro redesign , I am sick of modernizing heroes that's why I did a medieval flash and working on a new medieval superman and GL

Yeah, I'm really focused on making a costume that works and makes sense with the character. Adding texture and streamlining should come later. I'm glad you like it.

 

[Mario_Galaxy]

I love that WW redesign on the last page

 

[keith_v]

I like that it's a retro redesign , I am sick of modernizing heroes that's why I did a medieval flash and working on a new medieval superman and GL

I wish more superhero movies would take place in the past. Maybe not as far as medieval ltimes, but I'd love to see a Batman movie set in the 1930's, a Superman movie set in the 50's (think of all the nuttiness with him being an alien during the Cold War) and a Spiderman set in the 60's or 70's, before NYC cleaned up a lot of the iconic areas that were borderline red-light districts.

I think it would allow for some of the more retro, even campy costumes without it looking silly or laughable. I'm eager to se how X-Men: First Class pulled it off, I still haven't seen it yet.

 

[camp Blood]

first class was really good, I go as far as saying it's the best xmen movie so far IMO

 

[spider_rob]

The suits were a nice compromise between realism and the classic designs.

 

[camp Blood]

yes, indeed. the bright yellow was a big help

 

[UltimateJustin]

Well I'm no artist, as I'm afraid you can tell but here's a quick redesign of The Flast and Catwoman. I pretty much streamlined their costumes and edited them down.

I gave Catwoman a more pointy mask similar to a real cat and borrowed some inspiration from the movie design. Also gave her her first identifiable symbol. For the flash I exchanged the generic lighting logo thing with a more memorable alphabetic-style emblem and updated his look to make it more modern. I can't draw hands so sorry for the no hands.

 

[Darkstar]

And regarding his WW design, looks like he got rid of the unneeded American patriotism, and the weird bathing suit design (Is that how they all dress on Amazon Island???), and gave her something more practical and fashionable. But, to each his own...

This costume rocks the house, and even has elements of the white costume she wore during her 'depowered' phase of the early 70's, as well as looking a lot like the current costume in the new comic books. Me like.

 

[spider_rob]

This costume rocks the house, and even has elements of the white costume she wore during her 'depowered' phase of the early 70's, as well as looking a lot like the current costume in the new comic books. Me like.

Spoiler

 

[spider_rob]

Well I'm no artist, as I'm afraid you can tell but here's a quick redesign of The Flast and Catwoman. I pretty much streamlined their costumes and edited them down.

I gave Catwoman a more pointy mask similar to a real cat and borrowed some inspiration from the movie design. Also gave her her first identifiable symbol. For the flash I exchanged the generic lighting logo thing with a more memorable alphabetic-style emblem and updated his look to make it more modern. I can't draw hands so sorry for the no hands.

Nice use of Paint.

 

[spider_rob]

Here's my new Batman design:

 

[UltimateJustin]

Here's my new Batman design:

That would be awesome colored. I mean completely unsettling.