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Published: 2008-07-19 23:06:30 +0000 UTC; Views: 2312; Favourites: 47; Downloads: 0
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Redesigning Simon for his Captain N RESET debut was a tricky concept. After all, he's notorious for having almost absolutely no definite design; he's gone through several hair colors and suits of armor and leather fashionings that, well, make it hard for me to get a basis as to how he should look in RESET.So I finally thought, "Why not just take all the things I liked about all his costumes and sew them together?" It just got harder from there.
So I kept his red hair--mostly because redheads in videogames are sorely underrepresented--and his red coat. I changed his collar from "crow feather boa" to actual bear fur, gave him some different gloves, and, finally, the best part, PANTS. Simon is well-known for never wearing anything that's lower than his knees, so I wanted to break that.
For his eyes and face and hair design, it got trickier. I wanted to part his hair in a way that didn't seem too cookie-cutter. I mean, spikey do's are all the rage in anime and videogames, so I wanted something slightly different. Kevin's hair's a mess of spikes, Megaman's hair is a mess of spikes, Pit's hair is a mess of spikes... so the hair was the first challenge.
Eventually, I discovered just giving him three "prongs" that cover his forehead was a good look for him, not too fancy or girlish; and giving his hair a parting on the right angle of his head helped make his hair seem curlier.
His eyes were what I was really focusing on before any other part of his design. His eyes were always so cold in Ayame Kojima's art, but they were also too effiminate. So I modeled his eyes more after Gintoki Sabata (Or was it Sakata?) from Gin Tama: his eyes seem less focused and more dead; like the eyes of someone who has seen and survived many supernatural, horrifying things.
The deep shadow around his eyes make him seem creepier, which is what I was aiming for. Simon's actually supposedly kind of a scary guy, so I tried all I could to make him seem very "Strike Fear Into Evil", kind of like Batman or Hajime Saito.
As for his face, I tried to shy away from using an effeminate shape, but ended up using the traditional "upside-down bean" instead of making his jaw seem bigger and rougher. For some reason, it makes him seem more contemplative and intelligent instead of feminine... must be the eyes. Or maybe it's the way his nose is bent.
I actually considered giving him facial hair at one point, and even drew him with a goatee... but I hated the way it came out. Beards almost never work for my characters (Or for my art), so it's usually stubble whenever they DO appear. As for Simon, he's a very well-shaven young man.
I'm thinking of adding a few other little details to the design, but I think it might make it look too complicated. What do you think?
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Comments: 22
RyuTheWeredragon [2010-05-27 05:13:16 +0000 UTC]
Honestly... the deep shadows under his eyes made him look like an Emo Goth.
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CBFox [2009-11-12 21:31:20 +0000 UTC]
I see him that way because he was raised that way because his family beats dracula all the time and it would balloon anyones ego this guy looks a bit emo he should have some sun on him because he works out (or at least chops wood) the armor looks great add a sword and hes a hit (always depicted with one but never uses it)
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megasxlrfan [2009-02-02 02:48:53 +0000 UTC]
Hey I love how you redesigned Simon into a brooding Vampire hunter rater than a egotisitlcal arrogant jackass. I would just suggest that you redesign the eyes to give him that deterred survivor look to give him a more rather than making him look drowsy and a addition of a cross couldn't hurt but other wise the designs look great
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ElCidDeMaestro [2008-08-31 18:22:57 +0000 UTC]
This is a great design for Simon, especially with all the details you put into it. The eyes were something I was confused about at first, but I saw your explanation for it and I thought, "Hey, that is pretty logical to me". Perhaps this is one of the best looks for Simon I have ever seen, since it takes a bit of all of Simon's looks from the games and puts in into one.
As for the face, it's way better than I could ever do with a human, since I always mess up on human faces. I would say something about a cross on his shirt (or whatever you call what he's wearing), but you covered that too. Perhaps you should be the new character designer for Castlevania, since your style blends together nicely a little bit of just about every style in Castlevania. Even though I usually don't like human characters a lot anymore, I do like Castlevania a lot and this is definately worth a fave. If Simon is ever in a Super Smash Bros. game, perhaps this should be his primary look (his alternate probably having the cape). One of the best, if not the best, Simon Belmont renditions ever!
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AlanBates [2008-07-25 02:30:29 +0000 UTC]
Nice design. I can really see some of the various elements from the other designs present, especially the CV2 artwork.
The first headshot pic gives him a bit too much of an emo look, maybe it's the expression on his face though. He just looks like a sad guying wearing eyeliner. The others are fine though, so maybe it's just a fluke there.
You talked about adding other details to him. You might want to cosider a small scar somewhere on the face to give him a bit moe of a battle worn look. A fur cape he could sometimes wear would work well for the character too. Not something he'd always use, but maybe just to help stay warm on those cold dark Castlevania nights. Plus I just really liked the CV3 opening.
Last little thing, he really seems like he needs a cross somewhere on him. A necklace or molded into part of his armor or something.
Anyway, overall great work.
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PilgrimJohn In reply to AlanBates [2008-07-25 18:12:22 +0000 UTC]
There's a cross design on his back. I've also added smaller details since then, such as a cross on his belt buckle. Additionally, his shoulder pad has a cross on it (Don't know if you could make it out at the angle).
The cape idea is a good one. The other characters already have capes to wear when it rains, so it's only smart that Simon has one, too.
As for his first face shot there, I like how it turned out. Although, I probably should have given his mouth more of a scowling shape than an indifferent, "I don't care" shape. If only his mouth were changed, it would have turned out better.
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mozzaratti [2008-07-24 16:55:59 +0000 UTC]
Another excellent redesign (still digging those prismas) for the reasons that he has a look that suits him and most anyone into gaming should be able to recognize him despite the new look.
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axelgnt [2008-07-22 23:21:28 +0000 UTC]
woow excelent work the details of the outfit are amazing i like the cool cold expression and best of all he has pants lol
you should make the characters from castlevania 3 u know trevor belmont,alucard,Sypha Belnades and the pirate guy i forgott hes name
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PilgrimJohn In reply to axelgnt [2008-07-24 04:19:38 +0000 UTC]
The pirate guy is Grant DeNasty.
As for the Castlevania III characters, I don't think they'll be included in Captain N. :/ Well, except for Alucard. But then again, that's because he's immortal, and Trevor, Sypha, and Grant are not.
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lotsa-spaghetti [2008-07-22 02:46:07 +0000 UTC]
Though, the re-look is quite exquisite.
Though, I would like to see him goof off somewhere.
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PilgrimJohn In reply to lotsa-spaghetti [2008-07-22 17:37:20 +0000 UTC]
Oh, he does sometimes. He's a character from Castlevania, which is a dark and brooding place in itself, so I thought his character should reflect his birthplace. He eventually becomes more comfortable opening up with the other characters over time, and even cracks some goofy jokes here and there. (One scene has the N-Team fighting over the radio, for example. Simon puts the dial on Rush Goombaugh, his favorite radio talk show. It's actually one of my most favorite scenes, because here, they actually all act like they're family.)
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Realm-Of-The-Shadows [2008-07-21 05:15:42 +0000 UTC]
he was always wearing something odd wasnt he? XD
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PilgrimJohn In reply to Realm-Of-The-Shadows [2008-07-21 19:39:24 +0000 UTC]
Even though he kept changing outfits more often than Madonna, it was always something out of the ordinary.
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AlriikAltiim [2008-07-20 03:32:09 +0000 UTC]
... Nice work. Simon looks.... like how he really should. Now... he's gonna stray away from the Captain N personality a bit(Read: Total opposite), isn't he?
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PilgrimJohn In reply to AlriikAltiim [2008-07-21 00:19:44 +0000 UTC]
His personality here in RESET is much different from how he is portrayed in the original show. I understood the importance of having a comedy relief character, but I thought it just didn't fit Simon. So I relegated the role of the class clown to Pit (Who's funny because he actually tries to be, not because he's a dick)and had Simon take on the role he should have had from the beginning. Think Batman-styled seriousness. Simon is all business here, and although he has problems (To put it lightly; don't want to give anything anyway), he isn't very emo-ish. As a matter of fact, he keeps his personal life from everyone else around him and puts his mission (Or the current situation) first and foremost. He still has his fun-loving side, though, despite all this, and loves to give Kevin a hard time (An obvious nod to the friendly rivalry between Kevin and Simon in the original show).
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maxvision92 In reply to PilgrimJohn [2010-09-08 23:30:52 +0000 UTC]
Be careful, Batman can make anything funny.
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AlriikAltiim In reply to PilgrimJohn [2008-07-21 03:39:29 +0000 UTC]
Sounds perfect, man. I rally can't wait to see more.
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Littlink [2008-07-20 02:30:24 +0000 UTC]
Question: It looks like he's got a bag or a small satchel on the rear of his belt. Now when I read the last line "What do you think?" I immediately thought of all the holy items he carries with him, crosses, throwing knives, vials of holy water, etc, but then I noticed said satchel.
Confusing. 8(
So is that bag for the holy items or was it for something else?
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PilgrimJohn In reply to Littlink [2008-07-21 00:16:01 +0000 UTC]
Well, in the original Captain N TV show, Simon lugged around a seemingly bottomless backpack that he held all of his subweapons, plus many extras (Such as golf clubs and bazookas). It was a convenient explanation of the Sacred Cartoon Martial Art of Pulling Random Objects Out From Behind One's Back.
I decided that the backpack was still a great idea, especially since lots of travelling is involved in the story. However, here, he only holds his holy subweapons inside said pack, in addition to some eats.
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Littlink In reply to PilgrimJohn [2008-07-21 23:36:28 +0000 UTC]
Very good, you thought of everything and I can't see anything else really.
And thank you for making him cover his thighs for once.
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PilgrimJohn In reply to Littlink [2008-07-22 17:34:59 +0000 UTC]
Thanks. This design took me about a week to put together. :3
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