Character Sketch

I enjoy role playing enough to do it a couple of times a week during lunch breaks at work.

For the past couple of weeks, I've been working on a character sketch for a sailor character, and thought I'd share the final result:


The image was created in Inkscape, which is currently my favorite open source graphics editor.

The frizziness of the hair was created using a filter in Inscape which gave the shapes a 'crumpled paper' texture. The pattern of the shirt was created using another filter to give it the faded/bleeding/rumpled look. I also took and applied a couple of different gradients over the hair to give it the sun-bleached/darkened look.

I traced three individual images to get the final result: I started with a picture of some random dude on the internet who had the general musculature and posture I wanted, then took a picture of myself making the expression I wanted for the eyes, and then looked through a Google Image search for 'portrait' to find a nose that looked interesting. The 'final result' (as in, I may add more stuff to it at some point) is what you see.

Ideally he's supposed to have a bunch of tattoos, trinkets, charms, etc. because he's a superstitious character, but I haven't gotten around to blinging him out. But over all I think the sketch does a good job painting his as a wind-tossed, no-nonsense type of person who has a decent idea what he wants and how to get it.

Feeling Cross

I decided I wanted to design a Celtish (i.e. not quite Celtic, but similar look and feel) Cross. What I ended up with isn't exactly what I was shooting for, but I rather like it. The only problem is, I have to decide which form I like best, so I thought I'd let you, my three reader, help me decide. Here are the three versions I have elected (dictatored?) to post:

Version 1:

This version is just the base shape, the outline of the cross - if you will - overlayed with the original line design for highlight.

Version 2:

This version is just the 'holes', or the gaps between the original line design, without the base outline, and with the line overlayed for highlight.

Version 3:

This is a combination of the two above, with the base outline, the internal gaps, and then the line overlayed.

So what do you think? I'm toying with the idea of printing this out big enough to make a smallish poster.

PS Oh yeah, and in case you couldn't guess, this was made in Inkscape, whose praise I have sung before.

PPS Now that I'm looking at these in a smaller size, the combination looks a little better to me. I was looking at it in full-screen size, and it was a little overwhelming, but I still like it.

More more more!

Two more avatars:
Josh B.

and Samwise

More Avatars

Well, the orders keep rolling in, which means I should be charging for these. Too bad I'm such a nice guy.

First, allow me to introduce my sexy wife:


Second, another (ex)co-worker:


And finally, a co-worker's wife:


I've learned a couple of important things for making an avatar look like the person in question:
1) if it's a guy, facial hair is a duh, but if facial hair is sparse or completely lacking, tracing the bottom line of the lips helps.
2) if it's a girl (assuming facial hair is lacking) doing the lines around the eyes draws out the shape a little more.

Another one

Another avatar of a co-worker:

Vector Avatars

During some rare downtime this weekend, I made myself into a cartoon:


A co-worker liked it so much, I made one for him too: