Further Research

Video Game Concept Art Analysis

Samwise Didier

WarCraft - Dwarven Scout

 This piece caught my eye simply because of the dwarfs face. I love the way that he is staring straight into your eyes, i think that it gives a strong sense of realism, almost as if he could jump straight out at you. I also think the lighting that Didier has added to the beard on this dwarf is amazing, it gives it a really shimmery look. Not only the lighting on the beard, but generally all the lighting on the dwarfs robes, gun and shoulder pads gives him a "shining" look. I think this i because he resembles part of the Alliance (Good Guys), so Didier has tryed to add some sparkle to him to show power and goodness, that he is there to help.

I Particular like the style used on this piece because not only has Didier managed to give the dwarf a "Holy" look, but at the same time, a rustic look, giving real detail to the leather and robes that it is wearing.

 WarCraft - Tuskarr

When i first saw this, i instantly loved it. This is because my style is Shading, and creating depth without the use of colour. When i use colour i think it gives it a "Tacky" look, but keeping it black and white keeps it looking proffesional and stunning. Much the same as the Dwarf in the first picture, this Tuskarr has amazing lighting effects on its facial hair. I think Didier decided to light this differently because he has not made it look "Holy", instead he has tryed to make it look "Neutral" to represent that the Tuskarr is neither on the Good or Bad side of the Warcraft story. My favourite part of this piece has to be the tusks. I think the detail Didier has gone into to give the effect of them being engraved is amazing, i also think the pattern he added to them is very distinctive and instantly catches your eye.

WarCraft - Furbolg

In this piece, your eye is instantly drawn to the green cloak that the Furbolg is wearing, i think that is very effective because it gives a tribal value, telling you that a Furbolg will generally be in a pack, not on its own. Not only does the luminous green cloak give that away, but even more so does the staff it is holding. Wrapped around it you can see various charms and beads, giving you a clue that this particular Furbolg could be something similar to a witchdoctor. I think the final clue that it is a tribal character is the tribal marking on its shoulder pad, i think that Didier has made it obvious that the symbol on its shoulderpad belongs to some sort of tribe or group. Aside all of this, my favourite part of the piece is the Furbolgs face, i love how he was given depth to it, and made the wrinkles on its face look very distinct. 

Verdict

Overall i think that Didier style is very similar to how i would like mine to be. I love to go into extreme detail, add lots of shading and depth, but at the same time keep the character slightly cartoony, so that the features can be exaggerated. The only thing that i think my style will differ from Didier's, is that i prefer not to use alot of vibrant colours, and choose to stick to black and white whenever possible, whereas Didier seems to use colour in almost everything, with the odd black and white image every now and then.

All images from : http://www.sonsofthestorm.com/gallery.php?artist=samwise