Fashion- Alexander McQueen

http://www.thelovelyroom.com/2010/03/alexander-mcqueens-fallwinter-2010-lees-final-collectionmasterpiece/

Alexander McQueen's Fall/ Winter collection 2010:

I really like the two above, due to the shapes that the clothing forms on the figure. I like the left due to the cape as well as the silhouette, it is quite large, yet due to the lack of cover on the legs, it remains quite feminine. The one on the right reminds me of something Japanese, perhaps even Kurenai from the game Red Ninja, who can be seen below.

I like the design on the left here because of the pattern in the fabric combined with the plain red. The colours as well are royal colours, so there is some sense of royalty conveyed. The pleats in the fabric also aid in making it look princessly in a way due to the way it balloons out at the bottom. There is something that is perhaps military about it as well due to the shoulder pleats which reminds me of epaulettes. Additionally the thigh high boots remind me of a knightly costume, adding to this military look.

The design on the right is particularly eye catching due to the silhouette created as well as how the pattern leads the eye and compliments the shape of the costume. The colours and the design are also elegant and almost dainty due to the fabric pleats. 

Fashion inspired by artwork

http://en.rocketnews24.com/2015/12/11/wearable-waves-russian-designer-creates-garments-inspired-by-hokusai-woodblock-prints/

Russian designer, Alena Akhmadulina created garments inspired by Hokusai's woodblock prints. These designs were featured as a part of her sea-themed Spring/ Summer 2016 collection and they were initially inspired by the Russian folktale of Sadko, who received wealth and love from the Sea King. Akhmadulina also incorporated designs based on famous Japanese ukiyo-e prints from Katsuhika Hokusai, specifically Under the Wave off Kanagawa, aka The Great Wave, which were created in the early 1830s, and can be seen below.

The waves were printed on silk and chiffon, which makes the garment appear as if it's floating on the upper half of the body. 

I really like these designs due to the way the design of the wave actually looks like it's on the skin, it does not look like clothing in the traditional sense. I like the way it flows around the body as well, which is almost like a tattoo.

Research into different types of martial arts- Kalaripayattu

Kalaripayattu is an ancient martial art from Kerala, India. It draws its inspiration from the raw power, majestic strength and instinctive fighting techniques of a myriad of animals such as the lion, tiger, elephant and wild boar. These animal postures come from watching the crouching attack positions of various animals.

There are 8 animal postures which are:

Varaha- wild boar
Gaja- elephant
Marjara- cat
Simham- lion
Sarpam- snake
Kukkuda- cock
Mayura- peacock
Haya- horse

Kalaripayattu "contains a method for understanding the body and spirit and pulling from them their full potential. It bears similarities to yoga and has a strong Hindu component. Kalaripayattu practitioners have a whole-body flexibility and strength rarely seen in other fighting arts." "It is one of the most acrobatic martial arts in the world."

Bare-handed combat video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FUUNgyH_47Y

Introductory video with postures: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ypOl_IvH-sU

Kung-fu Kingdom documentary:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0aevd3Vqylk

Some reference images:

I am considering making my Kalaripayattu fighter female, as the costume may be more interesting. The men seem to wear trousers or shorts and be shirtless often, which does not leave too much room for interesting clothing. 

Apparently Zafina from the Tekken series has a fighting style that may be based off of Kalaripayattu, but the moves don't quite resemble any existing style. She is from Middle East and this is reflected somewhat in her hair colour and clothing style. The loose cropped trousers and the jewellery, as well as the belt pattern.

Voldo also apparently uses Kalaripayattu, however his style looks quite different due to it's fluid movements.  

Fighting Games

I planned to do some character designs for a fighting game, as I thought this would be a good place to start, as there aren't typically any complicated costume designs. Then I would work my way up, designing characters for First Person Shooters and RPGs or MOBAs. What I have found is that most of the fighting games that I know and am familiar with are Japanese, and because of this, the character design reflects the origin. For example, many of the characters are Asian in origin, wearing traditional clothing, be it Chinese or Japanese, however a few are American or European. This is interesting as there is quite a decent mix of character design, however they are sometimes quite stereotypical. I will illustrate this point by using the Dead or Alive series as an example of stereotypical character design.

Below is Kasumi, who is perhaps the face of the Dead or Alive series. The two pictures are from DoA 2 and 5, showing her original costume design, which is a modernised take on a female ninja costume. Ninja's back in the day used to perhaps wear typical clothing, so as not to attract attention to themselves. For example, they would the clothing of a house maid or something of the sort. Males would sometimes dress as monks as well.

Here are costumes for Kasumi and Ayane which are influenced more by typical ninja depictions.

 

This is Ayane's original costume, which seems to feature the Japanese Obi with a large bow, keeping it rooted in Japanese origins.

Below is the Chinese character Lei Fang who is typically seen wearing a Chinese dress known as a cheongsam. 

Helena is of French origin and she is an opera singer which is why her costumes are a little more theatrical or somewhat elegant, and seem to take some inspiration from French couture as well as opera costumes. Her hair and eye colour also reflect that she is not of Asian origin. 

Below is Bass who is an American wrestler, apparently based off of Hulk Hogan. His build is very different from the other males in the series, being a lot bigger and muscular than them. His clothing is also reflective of who he is, as he wears many wrestling themed outfits and also almost biker-esque costumes as well.

I chose to look at the Dead or Alive series to see how they approached character design in general, as well as how they went about portraying different characters from around  the world, as many game series' do, however I feel that DoA does it a little more explicitly, playing on stereotypes to make sure their nationality is communicated, as well as making them stand out from each other and other game characters. I hope I can take this as an example that just because a game is developed in a certain country it does not mean that it cannot depict characters from all over the world. I hope to be able to take this and create a variety of characters exhibiting different personalities as well as costumes that suggest where they are from. 

Bioshock Elizabeth character design development

According to the Wikipedia article on Elizabeth found here: http://images.google.de/imgres?imgurl=https%3A%2F%2Fupload.wikimedia.org%2Fwikipedia%2Fen%2F2%2F26%2FElizabeth_concept_art.png&imgrefurl=https%3A%2F%2Fen.wikipedia.org%2Fwiki%2FElizabeth_(BioShock)&h=494&w=300&tbnid=iOdF3uFI1jf7RM%3A&docid=2YqtE3q7NMs76M&ei=J85pVv2VIsWpsAH4np2oBw&tbm=isch&iact=rc&uact=3&dur=216&page=1&start=0&ndsp=45&ved=0ahUKEwi9xayv_9HJAhXFFCwKHXhPB3UQrQMIgQEwHw

Bigger picture of the concept art: 

This again goes to show how important body language along with clothing is in conveying a sense of character. 

Kayle WIP

Here is a work in progress of a study that I did of Kayle from League of Legends.

This piece below is by Enijoi

After realising that I drew the wings entirely wrong from the start due to lack of concentration and self-analysis of my own work, I had to figure out how the wings should look. I experimented with editing the perspective, brightness and the size and angle of the left wing before finally deciding it would be best to just redraw parts of it and rotate some of the wings. I am much happier with the final image (directly above), however I still feel that the whole image could have been better if I had got the wings right in the first place. 

After trying to add a suitable background, I realised that this is one of my weaknesses. The character looked very detached from the background no matter what I tried. I need to improve this and learn how to draw an entirely cohesive piece that has an overall focus on the character, yet features a simple background to make it look like a complete image. I would love to perfect this piece, however I have already spent so much time on it and am at a place where I am adequately happy. I will hopefully come back to it at a later date to improve it. 

I used Stanley "Artgerm" Lau's artwork to inform the way I painted the fair and face. I tried to use his techniques to map out shading on the face and neck, and also to make the hair flow. I also used reference photographs from Google to aid in my understanding of the way the body looks and how shading would appear on the muscles and curves of the body. I think this has improved my technique, as the final result looks a lot better than earlier works in progress of this artwork. 

What Makes a Good Video Game Hero? (TechnoBuffalo article)

http://www.technobuffalo.com/2012/08/11/what-makes-a-great-video-game-hero/

Joey Davidson: 

"The best heroes are silent or brief with wit... Master Chief keeps his exposition exceptionally short and... you'll never see Solid Snake run on a four hour diatribe of conviction before taking on a Metal Gear."

Eric Frederiksen: 

"The most interesting [heroes]... end up making a lot of poor decisions along the line. Max Payne struggles with addiction and depression while trying to protect the people he's paid to watch." This is due to the narrative of the character, the actions they are written to carry out. Evidence of character narrative creating more interesting characters." 

"If things are too easy and straightforward, it's hard to believe what's going on. The hero simply becomes an archetype instead of a human being. If the hero is just an avatar for the player to interact with the world as in Skyrim, even saving the world can somehow be less moving than simply surviving." 

Ron Duwell:

 

"As the idea of an immersive video game experience takes off more and more, the presence of a characterless lead becomes more and more important. To totally inhabit a world, the main character of a video game must be our avatar to explore with, not dictate what we are to believe."

"Chrono Trigger, Suikoden II, and Alundra; all of these wonderful games work so well because their protagonists keep their mouths shut and let the plot take centerstage."

"Nowadays, RPG's offer so much customization to characters that giving them a personality is nearly impossible. Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, Dragon's Dogma, Dark Souls, and Mass Effect all put the burden on gamers to fill in the gaps, an art that embodies what imagination is all about."

Literary research: An Examination of Violence and Gender Role Portrayals in Video Games: Implications for Gender Socialization and Aggressive Behavior

An Examination of Violence and Gender Role Portrayals in Video Games: Implications for Gender Socialization and Aggressive Behavior. By Tracy L. Dietz, 1998


"This project illustrate s that the portrayal of female characters in popular video game s is overwhelmingly stereotypical when they are presented at all. Furthermore, the females portrayed in these games, even when they occupy the role of a hero, are often depicted as subordinate to male characters or are presented in terms of their sexuality. It may be argue d that even though these female characters are depicted as primary characters, they represent negative role mode ls of women at the same time, teaching that the contributions of women are somehow subordinate to, or less important than, those of men." It gives "the idea that women are to be viewed as weak, as victims, and as sex objects."

This piece by Dietz also touches upon the portrayal of women as victims or damsels in distress, which reminded me of a video I found on YouTube:

https://youtu.be/X6p5AZp7r_Q

Costume Design by Deborah Nadoolman Landis

Jenny Beavan: "My process begins with breaking down the script on sheets of paper. Then I go through the script until I know it by heart and have lived and breathed each of the characters. The film I am designing now is contemporary with a crowd scene at the Savoy Hotel, so I hang around the Savoy and watch who goes in and out of the lobby. I am a people watcher. For Alexander (2004), I looked at vases in the British Museum; for Sherlock Holmes (2009), it was a mixture of old photographs and artists like Leslie Ward and Gustave Doré."

Leslie Ward (1851-1922) was a British portrait and caricaturist. Some of his work is below and you can see the influence that it has lent to Sherlock Holmes (1887):

  

As for French artist, illustrator, sculptor and printmaker, Gustave Doré (seen below), his "seamy, slimy side of London... etchings also seemed appropriate for [Sherlock Holmes]."

   

Beavan puts "together a notebook to remind [herself] of the different clothes that might be suitable for each character."She states "costumes should support the actor's performance. Costume design has far more to do with storytelling than to do with clothes."

Yvonne Blake: "if it's a period film, I may be inspired by paintings; for The Three Musketeers (1973) it was the paintings of Van Dyke and Rubens."

Self portrait of Van Dyke above, and of Rubens, below.

"Whether the film is contemporary or a period piece, as a designer I show the fashion of the time in which the film is set. Fashion is what people wear in any given time. The design reveals the social standing of the person I'm dressing; this is a statement of that time and in sociological terms. I think it's very important that costumes look like they're lived in, they mustn't look like they're fancy dress costumes."

Mark Bridges: "with a contemporary screenplay, I try to figure out who the characters are and what style of garments they would wear, where they would shop, how they feel about themselves. Their shoes, the way they wear their pants, will speak volumes to the audience." "If I'm designing a look that's