Portrait In-Game Backers (& other custom content backers). What do you think?

[Pidesco]

 

Ok here it is.

My portrait which will be patched into Pillars 1 and the Deadfire beta soon, and of course, the full Deadfire release in 2018.

 

 

 

The linear brushstrokes of the face along with the narrow tonal range and restricted palette result in a flat portrait that is completely overshadowed by the background. Wow! what is going on here? The artist has broadly stroked out the tiniest variations in texture and tone of the background, and clearly spent a great deal of time and attention here. The wider palette and complementary blues and golds create irresistible drama. This is a background with a powerful identity all of its own and serves not to ‘pop’ the subject out but in the end invite us to look around the head and pay attention to what is hidden.

So while on the one hand it’s a pandering, finely delineated illusion, fusing the backer with the game, on the other it suggests that this in itself isn’t exciting, it’s a little flat, and perhaps argues that to force the real into the fantasy will result in something boring obscuring something interesting, bullying it out of view.

Is it saying that the picture space is the artist’s time, and when the subject bought and paid for this they gained a portrait but something else was lost?, something potentially brilliant? In the end it is the work of an artist obscured by a money-exchange motivated work of a craftsman, as all backer portraits are. I delete them from every game they appear in.

P.S. what was the removed item?

 

 

Hahaha.

[Fluffle]

Ok here it is.

My portrait which will be patched into Pillars 1 and the Deadfire beta soon, and of course, the full Deadfire release in 2018.

 

 

 

WOW! It's gorgeous! I love it! Hats off to Llaney! Amazing work !

[PneumaticFire]

 

Ok here it is.

My portrait which will be patched into Pillars 1 and the Deadfire beta soon, and of course, the full Deadfire release in 2018.

 

 

 

The linear brushstrokes of the face along with the narrow tonal range and restricted palette result in a flat portrait that is completely overshadowed by the background. Wow! what is going on here? The artist has broadly stroked out the tiniest variations in texture and tone of the background, and clearly spent a great deal of time and attention here. The wider palette and complementary blues and golds create irresistible drama. This is a background with a powerful identity all of its own and serves not to ‘pop’ the subject out but in the end invite us to look around the head and pay attention to what is hidden.

So while on the one hand it’s a pandering, finely delineated illusion, fusing the backer with the game, on the other it suggests that this in itself isn’t exciting, it’s a little flat, and perhaps argues that to force the real into the fantasy will result in something boring obscuring something interesting, bullying it out of view.

Is it saying that the picture space is the artist’s time, and when the subject bought and paid for this they gained a portrait but something else was lost?, something potentially brilliant? In the end it is the work of an artist obscured by a money-exchange motivated work of a craftsman, as all backer portraits are. I delete them from every game they appear in.

P.S. what was the removed item?

 

 

I understand what you're saying in regards to a background emphasising the subject/foreground, however I also like how the aura/'energies', which is a key part of the character I would like to play, being both a focus and part of the foreground and background, showing that it is emanating from within and around as it is interconnected.  Perhaps the facial features could be a little sharper, but I am happy with the final result.

As for deleting backer portraits, personally I feel that is a little obsessive as most would just bypass them and choose the one they want, but to each their own.

 

The item removed was me holding a staff, which is not something Ill likely be using with my characters, and I wanted a picture that was not that specific.  I also asked for the green colour scheme to be replaced with the final blue/yellow.

 

Here is the original draft:

 

[PneumaticFire]

It's really nice looks like a paladin or a priest of some sort to me or maybe a fighter/mage. 

I wish I could have afforded to get one of these myself, ah well maybe next time. 

 

Yeah, I asked for a pladin/ciphere-esque look both with the armour/aura and the yes/mental intensity for a cipher.

 

Which class are you most likely to play as?

 

There's always the custom portrait option!

[dragubaba]

What's with the muddier image quality though? When compared to ones from the first game that is. These new portraits seems to have lost quite a lot of crispiness compared to the old ones.

 

Edit: Checked out the new companion portraits and they look just fine. Must be encoding issue.

Edited November 20, 2017 by dragubaba

[NegativeEdge]

 

I understand what you're saying in regards to a background emphasising the subject/foreground, however I also like how the aura/'energies', which is a key part of the character I would like to play, being both a focus and part of the foreground and background, showing that it is emanating from within and around as it is interconnected.  Perhaps the facial features could be a little sharper, but I am happy with the final result.

As for deleting backer portraits, personally I feel that is a little obsessive as most would just bypass them and choose the one they want, but to each their own.

 

The item removed was me holding a staff, which is not something Ill likely be using with my characters, and I wanted a picture that was not that specific.  I also asked for the green colour scheme to be replaced with the final blue/yellow.

 

Here is the original draft:

 

 

Cool thank's for sharing this. A staff, I like it, it's juxtaposed nicely with the character's otherworldliness. Can't get more earthy than a nice solid piece of honest wood. A shephard's or priest's weapon, he's grapsing it pretty tight; looking stoic, resolved, & determined, perhaps fortified by its reassuring solidity. It also frames you well, drawing our eyes upward; the staff and the person are in harmony, and the tiny glimpse of gold at its tip symbolises the character's aspiration to great heights of fortune and glory.

 

Overall it puts me in mind of the word meek though not in the common sense of cowed, or passive, but the biblical idea of quiet strength, inner fortitude, & conviction without zeal. I wonder if the golden tip of the spear in this context represents the character's vanity, which though well-hidden is neverthless still present. Please don't take offense when I say this would be very appropriate for a backer portrait!

 

Again thanks for shraing it with us.

[Mikeymoonshine]

 

It's really nice looks like a paladin or a priest of some sort to me or maybe a fighter/mage. 

I wish I could have afforded to get one of these myself, ah well maybe next time. 

 

Yeah, I asked for a pladin/ciphere-esque look both with the armour/aura and the yes/mental intensity for a cipher.

 

Which class are you most likely to play as?

 

There's always the custom portrait option!

 

 

I play as several classes lol but my main chars are a druid and a cipher. I'll be fine for portraits anyway, will probably just use the ones I did before. I just mean it's really cool to be part of the official game in this way. Maybe if I can afford it i'll get one in the campaign for the third pillars, assuming there will be one.