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16Shards — Shard Redesign (Temporary Ref)
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#shard #characterdesign #dragon #redesign
Published: 2015-02-19 03:48:59 +0000 UTC; Views: 1913; Favourites: 63; Downloads: 16
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Description
EDIT-This is the old version, for reference.... Shardeh Testing 2
So...I think I've finally zoned in a final. ;A; Not much has changed from the last image, except for a couple new details (and the removal of some) and a slightly different color palette. I know I kept going on and on about how much I disliked how simple the design was, but I was very careful about not making it too complicated. Shard in the future will be someone I'll be drawing quite a lot, and not just for simple digital work.
That's why I didn't take in consideration everything that was supplied in the comments (but I did use some of it, they were very helpful indeed! ;A; I can't thank you enough of the support! >W< ). It was..quite the balancing act between simple and complex. I'm a bit ashamed to say this took me at least half the day today to get it to where it is now. I don't know why I was having so much trouble with it, it's just...I didn't seem to be happy with anything. But I do believe I'm happy with this. ^w^ Right now, this is a temporary ref. I'll try to get a clearer ref out soon. This is good enough for the time, but definitely can do better than a sketch! XD If your using this in the time between now and when the new ref is created, select colors from the palette provided. There is some opacity issues in the drawings themselves.
Also, bonus headshots!
(same as above, don't select these colors, these are actually incorrect! XD was too lazy to correct)Like I said, thank you for all the support! ;A; I will reply to your comments tomorrow. I've been pulling some long nights recently, and it's getting close to midnight!
So talk to you soon! Have a great day/night!
Well...hrm.
First of all, I must give a huge, HUGE thanks to everyone who commented on my last journal!
(and the one person in sta.sh! ^w^ ) Some of your comments really helped me push past my mental block and actually get something productive done! I will try to respond to some of them, but if I can't...just a heart-felt thank you to everyone! I'm sorry you have to deal with me in cases like this sometimes, I really should just start taking confidence in my work! Ughh....someday I'll get there...
BUUUT, either way....this might be Shard. ;w; I hope! I still might make a few changes, but I like what has happened so far. ^^ Primarily those wings. Not bragging, but that is likely my favorite thing that came about from my brainstorming! ;A; The love that new lighter swirl! >W< Since it was so...well, different for me, I tested it from a top view (because sometimes the addition of the second wing makes things look weird). That is here.
...it made me love them even more, so yeah, those are staying! XD
I know the main reason I was concerned with her design was in regard to her simple head details. And clearly...that hasn't changed much. Just the addition of new markings. Which...I think I'm fine with that now. I wasn't happy with it before because honestly...I see all these other wonderful dragon head designs from other artists, with so much more detail and creativity...and there is my main OC with nothing but a simple set of horns. It actually prevented me from buying a couple of commissions, I was...a little embarrassed giving her to others to draw.
But I didn't add anything new (other than the markings) because she simply does not work with anything else. She doesn't work with spikes, she doesn't work with fins, she doesn't work with hair... I would have given her a second horn MAYBE on her cheek/jawbone, but one of my other OC's already has that, so I wasn't going to do that! XD So if nothing else works...then this must be what she will look like. And I think I'm good with that now. ^w^ (ask me in about a year, we'll see if that changes! XD )But....opinions?
I think at most I will do some last final tweaking, if anything. I'll let you know if I will, or if I'll leave this as the final design. But I appreciate any new comments! I will still be doing some last redesigning to my other OC's, but it will be nothing like what I'm doing to Shard. You can already see what I did to Feather in sta.sh (linked in previously said journal), and Nyrei, Blade, and Eos are simple edits, if anything. ^w^ Hopefully I can get back to drawing these guys again soon, I haven't done true digital work for them in SO LONG! ;A; So thank you everyone for your patience!
Shard and Art (c) me
YOU MAY NOT USE THIS WITHOUT MY PERMISSION! YOU MAY NOT TAKE THIS CHARACTER AS YOUR OWN!
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Comments: 71
Ahh, thank you so much! 
JOIN THE CLUB!!
It is pretty, isn't it? :'3
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I SHUD MAYBE SOMEDAY HAHAAAAA
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ABSOLUETELY!
I'LL MAKE YOU X3
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I HAVE TOO MANY OCS DOE ;o;
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YOU HAVE ROOM FOR A DRAGON
...Okay, no but serisouly, I completely understand having too many OC's! XD I have enough trouble keeping track of 5... ;W;
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OKAY I FOUND INSPIRATION I WILL CREATE ONE SOON HAHAHAHAHAAAAaaa
ikr really have like 5 real ones, and then like 10 roleplay characters xD I grow attatched to them and wonder if I should add more substance to their design and not just for the sake of having a character to rp with xD
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YESH!
GOOD LUCK!!!
Haha! XD I have the main 5 that you see here on dA, and then like...10+ other story-important characters and 5+ other random characters! X3 And that's not counting all the other older characters from my younger years that I haven't used in so long!
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SERIOUSLy DOE. hoarding ocs is a thing xD
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Absolutely, won't deny that! XD
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Wow WOW I think this looks preatty great! I love the light yellow markings there, great work 
the headshot pictures are also so well done <3 awesome expressions and all ;u;
Shard looks really pretty now and the design ain't too complicated either *u*
Really well done, Shard is awesome nao!
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Oh wow, ahhhh! ;A; Thank you so much! >W<
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I really like this design more than the previous one yas ;v;
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Ahh, thank you, I'm so glad you think that! ;A;
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So gorgeous! The lighter marking on her face really work for her!
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Ahh thank you!
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you're welcome! <3 it just works!
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i honestly never thought of this sort of color scheme but it's SO GOOD OMG i wanna make fan art of her so badly now ok ;a;
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Omg, thank you so much! ;A;
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you're welcome!! ^v^
ahhh nooo your character is amazing ok she looks really fun to draw ;u;
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Absolutely loving the lighter yellows on her and those browns. I've always adored the color combinations you use on her and it's sweet to see you sorta experimenting with them here.
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I LOVE IT, SHE HAVE ALWAYS BEEN A LOVELY OC AAAAAA
pls help dat sketch is beatiful
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What comes to my mind immediately is how grown up she looks (especially on the fullbody drawing). When I take a look at older paintings of her, she has a much more chiby look, maybe due to her muzzle and head being softer, rounder and shorter and her eyes bigger. I must admit I love the change, it looks more... Mature, and graceful at the same time 
The second thing is about the color choice. Yellow dragons are unusual, that's a given. But I think she's lacking dynamism in her coloration... I'm not speaking of strong contrast (I even find that the purple stripes stand out too much), but the brown seems dull. Maybe trying to draw your inspiration from all the shades metals can take (like gold, copper, or bronze) could give a more vivid color range!
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Hehe, yeah...you can blame my ever changing style for that!
I understand what your saying, the brown is dull, at least in comparison to the yellow. But Shard has never been a flashy dragon either way, and I don't think brighter browns would fit that.
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You're welcome!
And I saw you added some markings! Well... I can't help but think to a coal miner
ANyway, it's a nice job you did here. Keep up the great work!
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I love how you made Shard so far!! Looks great so far!
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The wing gradient is a really nice touch. However, i was thinking, maybe you could play with her muzzle a little. Maybe add some little spikes, so her head doesn't look so plain. You could also draw some markings on the head. Like war paints in skyrim, and make them a little bit more transparent, only making them fully appear when she uses her element. The "ring" markings on her legs seem too simple to me as well. But i'm no good with designs myself 
Gosh, coming up with design ideas for a light dragon is hard *a* My Naty was a light dragoness, but i have no idea how such an element works, so far i've never drawn her using her element, so i thought about making her elementless... It goes with her character, because she's not as great as other dragons, and she hates herself, thinking she's just a waste of space
Well, good luck with your characters ;0;
Hm... What about a gradient for the body? Textured markings like freckles... Or maybe more of those light colored transparent markings for her body as well (belly, chest, tail, shoulders, neck).
I'm full of shit arent't i?
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Ahh, thank you! ;A; And I agree with you on the head markings. I was trying to do that actually with the version I posted before this one, but nothing was working out too well! XD
Ahh, it is! ;A; I was kind of battling the color palette I had chosen for her, it's...not used that often! Plus I find it difficult to design lighter or brighter colored dragons, it's not as easy to add contrasting details and such. ;w; I've also noticed with a lot of light dragons that they tend to be..a bit swirly with their design, if that makes any sense. Like a lot of swirly markings, swirly horns, and such. Which that is not something I wanted for Shard, she is not a "swirly" character! XD Nor does she work well with stripes in terms of character, so finding a balance between the two was quite interesting indeed!
Ooh, that's actually been the funnest part about Shard! I clearly haven't drawn anything yet, but it's been fun to imagine how her element would work! I've seen a lot of other light dragons that at most they can just shine a light. Shard...will be a bit more "pointier" than that, hehe... ^w^ And versatile, she'll be able to do a lot of things with her element, just need to get to drawing them...
I think that would actually be a very interesting combination, where a dragon with a great element doesn't like themselves. Some interesting contrast there. But either direction is great, both sound like a really nice character either way! ^w^
Well, your shit is helping me, so thank you so much! XD This helped me a lot when making her final design! 
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Coming up with designs is hard ;ú;
I can't wait to see what you'll do with Shard! When i was smaller, i used to spend my time in my "fantasy world". I imagined dragons flying around a walking around, and when i got angry, i imagined i turned into my dragon, she had laser beams coming from her eyes, and light beams from her mouth, those were so strong they could burn anything to ashes and smoke... OP much?
I'm still not sure if i should give her an element, or make her elementless... i think it would be more interesting, becouse it brings out the helplessness she feels.
Glad i could be of help
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Indeed! 
Haha! XD We've all have/had characters like that! Actually, some of the things you were just saying are things I was thinking of doing with Shard. ;w; fortunately I have a limit on her where she can only use her element if a light source is present, haha. XD
Whatever you do, it's up to you. ^w^ Like I said, both sound like really interesting routes to take. You could either have the contrast between the two extremes, or just all out hopelessness like you are saying. As long as it's not both overpowered and with a perfect personality/backstory/life, because that's just not really interesting at all! XD
Ahh, thank you! ;A; I'm glad that's the case, that's what I was aiming for! ^3^
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Same here
When i finally realised how OP Naty was, i gave her that crystal, as an energy source. She was strong durning the day, when sunlight converted to energy in that crystal, and weak durning night. She was able to store her energy in that crystal, and use it when she needed. Of course she had limited reserves, and the hotter and bigger her light beams were, the more power was needed to preform the attack 
I am not worried about her personality. What i have problems with is her backstory. I don't have a world to set her into. I don't want her to be in the Spyro world, nor in the Skyrim world. I feel like i should create my own world, but for me, that is beyond complicated I already established i want her to live somewhere in the moutains, preferably mountains with snowy peeks, green meadows, and forrests nerby. Maybe i could create a medival world, or a world without humans because of stupid technalogy, satellites and scientists.. But i have no idea about tge other things like religion, fauna, flora, history, etc.
You're welcome 
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Haha! XD Same here. I used to have quite a few other OC's back in the olden days, but a lot of them never became any more than a name (sadly, that's as far as I went with some of them but at the same time, I'm grateful because most were just dragons with elements, no background, no backstory, not much else! XD ) The only ones that have survived from that time is the group (aka the five derps that have been posted here) and a select couple of others.
The crystal was a good idea.
....I understand that, that will lead to some "fun" actually really terrifying events when Shard is first using her element....
And I understand drawing crystals as well. ;A; how to draw, askghaslkdn....
Ugh, if the only thing I needed to do was world building, I would be so happy. ;w; But alas, that is not how the world works... I really dislike trying to write descriptions and backstories and stories in general, just...ugghhhh ;w;
But it definitely can be hard, especially when you don't quite know where to start. The only reason why I have a general idea of my own world is because it was built off of years and years of other ideas before it!
Coming up with the details and trying to get them all to work together is quite hard, so my best advice is to just keep working at it! ^w^
;A;
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I used to just draw a dragon and call it an "OC", even tho it had no name, personality, backstory or relationships 
Ooh i'm glad you like the crystal idea
Oooh i smell someone getting burned
I was thinking about a medival fantasy world, kinda similiar to the witcher, or TES worlds, but instead of humans, there's anthro animals
This is gonna be the end of me :'DDD Thanks for the advices ;AAA; i'll find some helpful tips and questions on the internet, there's lots of helpful stuff ;w;
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Ugh, being indecisive can be so annoying! ;A; Same happens with me! >W< That's part of the reason why so many of my characters designs are so simple. I just...don't know what to do with them. ;A;
Don't get me started on names.
That sounds great!
;A;
Heheh, yep...something is getting burned. ...And sliced, and blown to bits, and in other words just overall decimated.
...that feeling when you feel guilty putting your characters through traumatic scenarios, ugh, so sorry Shard! ;W;
Those sound like really good ideas! You're right, you'll want to find some way to be able incorporate other creatures effectively, without them seeming...out of place. That's the problem I'm having a little bit with mine, it's just...all dragons. ;w; Need to find my own way to fit other species in there, if anything my own species! XD
Alright! ^w^ *kicks you to your computer* But no, lol, I completely understand! XD With my own head world, it took so long to get to where I am now, and it is still very, VERY rough. I just...don't have the motivation to write you know? ;a; And then my feelings would shift between two extremes, one being this is going to be the best thing ever, the other this is the worst idea and you're better off not doing it. And this led to me not working on it for months at a time. Sometimes that happens a little as well now...but it's gotten better.
...But it's still so slow! ;A; Writing and reading just...aren't my absolute favorite things to do. I want to do it, sometimes, but...I just can't force myself to do it! >W< So I completely understand what your saying!
Ayy, honestly the best way I found to work on your typing skills is social media! <:'D I completely understand what you're talking about, I was such a slow typer for the majority of my life so far. I just never clicked with me, I would have to search for the keys! XD But ever since getting dA a little over a year ago...I've gotten so much faster. ;A; I'm still not the greatest...but I do believe that this has helped!
Hahah! XD It's no problem, glad I could help!
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I think your designs are pretty
Names haha!
My dragon would propably use her weight to her advantage, she's not really agile, nor fast, so she attacks from above, and hits with all her strength. I imagine her living a solitary life, observing nature and hunting. She also has huge wings, for carrying her prey around in the mountains, so she could kill by taking off with her enemy, and then dropping it to the ground.... I have yet to think about it, but she's propably not in touch with any other dragons
Own spicies.... everyone is making those lately, i'm not talented with designs, i think i'll pass
Same here ;www; writing is just not my thing.... speaking of writing, i have an essay due tomorrow, i should propably start brainstorming
My problem with typing in school is, that the keyboards there are a little bit different then my laptop's keyboard, and that confuses me *A* Also, when we're typing a test, i get stressed, i skip rows, my hands are shaking, i forget where i was, i get lost in the text and than i have a totall blackout, where i just stare at the monitor and try to calm myself down 
wow i really overuse the XD emoticon .____.
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Ahh, thank you! ;A; And I'm glad that's becoming the case! I'm still developing their anatomy, but I'm so happy that it's already starting to show their personalities! >W<
That's a good idea with trying to come up with names!
I like that! ^^ I makes a lot of sense as well, considering what she is doing. It's also quite a difference from a lot of other dragons on this site, many people seem to just try to make everything as fast and agile as they can! XD (is guilty of this *glances over at Shard*.... >W<)
Hopefully you did get that done, lol! XD because, you know, this is such a late reply! ^^'
Different in what way, if I may ask? Is it the layout of the keys? Or are the buttons themselves weirder? (Here in the US, there's a quite a difference between PC and Mac keyboards. The general layout is the same, but the size of the keys tend to be different, at least with the old keyboards. Old PC keyboards have really tall buttons, which can be weird getting used to pushing them down far enough)
I completely understand what you're saying. I'm usually not this open about these things...but it was only a couple days ago that I had a stress attack in one of my classes.
Fffff, don't worry about that, I do the same thing with emotes in general! XD
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You're welcome >w>
Lately, i've been thinking about scrapping Naty. I don't draw her anymore, she's hard for me to draw, and i still don't like her design ;-; I wanted to design a humanoid character, but i still have no style :I Meeeh
It's because the buttons are wierder... and bigger i think.. and some of the keys are placed and shaped differently ;n; For me, typing on the old, tall keyboards is actually more comfortable
I hate school ;a; It feels like i'm constantly pushed into a corner, but i'm defenceless
Sorry for the late replyyyy ;aaaaa;
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