Malazan Empire: Cotillion WIP - Looking for insights/critiques/suggestions - Malazan Empire

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Cotillion WIP - Looking for insights/critiques/suggestions

#1 User is offline   renegaade 

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Posted 27 August 2015 - 02:00 PM

Posted Image

Please take a look at the below link first! :D

MY COTILLION ARTWORK WIP.

Hi there! I am BRAND new to the Malazan Empire, and am about half way through Gardens of the Moon. My favourite character so far, is definitely Cotillion, and as I looked up art online, I found it did not match the image that I had in my head for the character. And so, I've decided to manifest my interpretation on paper.
I've been recieving insights on reddit in these two posts:

Reddit Post 1
Reddit Post 2 after taking suggestions

And it's been really helpful! I've gotten to a point where I believe he is at the age he would be in the book. But I feel like I am not quite done yet, so as I discovered this forum, I thought it would be a great place to garner even more understanding of the Cotillion character. If you can illuminate any characteristics that may be missing from my artwork's tentative final sketch, that would be greatly appreciated.

Any passages in the book that pertain to his appearance would be helpful, but be mindful that I am only halfway through GotM, so only appearance spoilers please! Nothing pertaining to his journey/story, etc.

Any suggestions or theories as to what you believe him to look like would help me shape my final work as well. Thanks in advance, guys!

This post has been edited by renegaade: 27 August 2015 - 02:08 PM

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#2 User is offline   Andorion 

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Posted 27 August 2015 - 02:25 PM

I believe I saw this on Reddit yesterday. Its a different take but I love it
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#3 User is offline   renegaade 

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Posted 27 August 2015 - 02:31 PM

View PostAndorion, on 27 August 2015 - 02:25 PM, said:

I believe I saw this on Reddit yesterday. Its a different take but I love it


Hello fellow Redditor! Thanks.
The more I stare at it now, I think his ear is quite messed up. Must fix.
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#4 User is offline   Andorion 

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Posted 27 August 2015 - 02:51 PM

View Postrenegaade, on 27 August 2015 - 02:31 PM, said:

View PostAndorion, on 27 August 2015 - 02:25 PM, said:

I believe I saw this on Reddit yesterday. Its a different take but I love it


Hello fellow Redditor! Thanks.
The more I stare at it now, I think his ear is quite messed up. Must fix.


You may want to make it a bit wider maybe? But don't take my word for it, I know very little about art.
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#5 User is offline   Gorefest 

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Posted 27 August 2015 - 03:01 PM

Well, it's definitely a valid and very artistic interpretation. Can't think of much more to add to his feature descriptions than what you already have, apart from him usually wearing his hood up. He is described in various places as being quite tall, dark haired (at one point it is described as being short and bristly, but no clue if it is short or long at the time of GotM), with even features apart from the scarring under his right eye that you already captured. He looks a tad young, but then again age is a fickle thing in the Malazan universe and I don't want to go into spoiler territory. He is a great character, have fun in your journey to learn more about him and the Malazan world!

This post has been edited by Gorefest: 27 August 2015 - 03:03 PM

Yesterday, upon the stair, I saw a man who wasn't there. He wasn't there again today. Oh, how I wish he'd go away.
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#6 User is offline   renegaade 

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Posted 27 August 2015 - 03:40 PM

View PostAndorion, on 27 August 2015 - 02:51 PM, said:

View Postrenegaade, on 27 August 2015 - 02:31 PM, said:

View PostAndorion, on 27 August 2015 - 02:25 PM, said:

I believe I saw this on Reddit yesterday. Its a different take but I love it


Hello fellow Redditor! Thanks.
The more I stare at it now, I think his ear is quite messed up. Must fix.


You may want to make it a bit wider maybe? But don't take my word for it, I know very little about art.


No, you are absolutely right. It definitely needs to be wider, among other things.
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#7 User is offline   renegaade 

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Posted 27 August 2015 - 03:41 PM

View PostGorefest, on 27 August 2015 - 03:01 PM, said:

Well, it's definitely a valid and very artistic interpretation. Can't think of much more to add to his feature descriptions than what you already have, apart from him usually wearing his hood up. He is described in various places as being quite tall, dark haired (at one point it is described as being short and bristly, but no clue if it is short or long at the time of GotM), with even features apart from the scarring under his right eye that you already captured. He looks a tad young, but then again age is a fickle thing in the Malazan universe and I don't want to go into spoiler territory. He is a great character, have fun in your journey to learn more about him and the Malazan world!


Thanks! I am really excited to learn more, too!
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#8 User is offline   Itwæs Nom 

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Posted 27 August 2015 - 03:58 PM

It looks nice, but he still seems too young to me. Also the the ear looks weird, you know, ears arent rectangles.
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#9 User is offline   Esa1996 

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Posted 27 August 2015 - 05:42 PM

The ear has already been mentioned. A bit too square-ish, perhaps make it a bit wider and rounder. The other thing that I have, which I can't base on any text though, is that I always imagined him with hair somewhat similar to Aragorn's (In the movies). Perhaps a tad shorter, but overall pretty close. This hair style looks more like Ragnar (?) from Vikings to me, but like I said I don't remember whether it was ever said how Cotillion's hair looks like. Like someone mentioned you could try it with him wearing his hood up.
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#10 User is offline   Egwene 

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Posted 28 August 2015 - 10:26 AM

Well, rather than talking about what needs changing...

Do NOT change his expression! I love it.

I think you have managed to capture that juxtaposition between him being on one side a cold blooded assassin but on the other hand seemingly having a caring streak. Enigmatic, is the word.

And as I mentioned on reddit - look forward to seeing your work on the Wiki :p

If you are looking around the Wiki - be warned, at this early stage you'll find lots of spoilers. Here are links for spoilerfree fan art:


http://malazan.wikia...free_new_reader

http://malazan.wikia...ens_of_the_Moon (this one assumes you have read GotM!!!)


Enjoy the read. You'll find lots of characters worthy of a sketch or two.
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#11 User is offline   renegaade 

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Posted 28 August 2015 - 10:40 AM

View PostCharlie Nom, on 27 August 2015 - 03:58 PM, said:

It looks nice, but he still seems too young to me. Also the the ear looks weird, you know, ears arent rectangles.


Haha, I know, I noticed it earlier. I will fix his weird rectangle ear.
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#12 User is offline   renegaade 

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Posted 28 August 2015 - 10:41 AM

View PostEsa1996, on 27 August 2015 - 05:42 PM, said:

The ear has already been mentioned. A bit too square-ish, perhaps make it a bit wider and rounder. The other thing that I have, which I can't base on any text though, is that I always imagined him with hair somewhat similar to Aragorn's (In the movies). Perhaps a tad shorter, but overall pretty close. This hair style looks more like Ragnar (?) from Vikings to me, but like I said I don't remember whether it was ever said how Cotillion's hair looks like. Like someone mentioned you could try it with him wearing his hood up.


I wanted to draw him with his hood down so that I could fully grasp what he looked like.
I am definitely going to make the ear more round and wide! Thanks.
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#13 User is offline   renegaade 

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Posted 28 August 2015 - 10:43 AM

View PostEgwene, on 28 August 2015 - 10:26 AM, said:

Well, rather than talking about what needs changing...

Do NOT change his expression! I love it.

I think you have managed to capture that juxtaposition between him being on one side a cold blooded assassin but on the other hand seemingly having a caring streak. Enigmatic, is the word.

And as I mentioned on reddit - look forward to seeing your work on the Wiki :p

If you are looking around the Wiki - be warned, at this early stage you'll find lots of spoilers. Here are links for spoilerfree fan art:


http://malazan.wikia...free_new_reader

http://malazan.wikia...ens_of_the_Moon (this one assumes you have read GotM!!!)


Enjoy the read. You'll find lots of characters worthy of a sketch or two.


Thanks!!! I had hoped that I captured that.
I'm going to be digitally painting this as well. It's a rather new medium for me, so it'll probably take a while, as I am going to want it to be PERFECT, and not amateur looking in the least! But I will keep this forum, and reddit updated!

Thanks, yeah, I'm pretty good at avoiding spoilers, but that is helpful!
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#14 User is offline   Gorefest 

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Posted 28 August 2015 - 11:24 AM

On a side note, out of curiosity: why did Cotillion jump out for you? If I recall correctly, he only has a few appearances in GotM, definitely not one of the more prominent characters. What was it for you that singled him out from other characters such as Ganoes, Tool, Rake, Kruppe or Crokus, to name but a few? It's an intriguing choice.

This post has been edited by Gorefest: 28 August 2015 - 11:25 AM

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#15 User is offline   Dolmen 2.0 

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Posted 28 August 2015 - 11:50 AM

It looks good.

The expression conveys character and I'm a big fan of that.

I think all the points discussed above are credible. The jaw-line and ear need some attention and revision. I'd say drop the jaw and return it up before the ear.

The rest I appreciate as part of the tone and style you were aiming for. The issue of Cottilions hairstyle is always debated because Cottilion has been read in story to have both short and long hair.

I think it's cool you went for a middle-ground option.

look forward to seeing more WIP's posted up.
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#16 User is offline   renegaade 

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Posted 28 August 2015 - 03:14 PM

View PostGorefest, on 28 August 2015 - 11:24 AM, said:

On a side note, out of curiosity: why did Cotillion jump out for you? If I recall correctly, he only has a few appearances in GotM, definitely not one of the more prominent characters. What was it for you that singled him out from other characters such as Ganoes, Tool, Rake, Kruppe or Crokus, to name but a few? It's an intriguing choice.


Good question! It's hard to explain, and so far in GotM there isn't NEARLY enough of the guy. I just remember instantly being fascinated by his character in the prologue of the book. I like characters that are elusive/mysterious, and especially if they have an heir of sophistication, power, and intelligence to them. Just the way he interacted with both (I'm assuming Sorry), and Shadowthrone in that opening scene struck me. I knew he was going to be a character I was really interested in.

Ganoes is probably one of the more popular characters, and I'm sure he would also be if this series were made into a movie/series, but he is just too cookie cutter for me. Tool is adorable. I really like Rake as well. Kruppe is seriously one of the most interesting characters to read, and Crokus is pretty meh so far. Haha.
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#17 User is offline   Gorefest 

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Posted 28 August 2015 - 08:18 PM

Cool, makes sense. I won't comment further because anything might inadvertently come across as a spoiler. But enjoy your journey through all the books, you're in for a hell of a ride. Erikson has epic and sophisticated characters in droves.
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#18 User is offline   Itwæs Nom 

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Posted 28 August 2015 - 09:09 PM

Also Im happy we have a new Malazan artist (In case you will continue in series ofcourse. You definitely should, its great.). Not like the ones that are here now are bad, theyre really awesome, but there is never enough of Malazan artists.
Damn youre seriously good, do you have Deviantart account?
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#19 User is offline   renegaade 

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Posted 28 August 2015 - 09:31 PM

View PostDolmen 2.0, on 28 August 2015 - 11:50 AM, said:

It looks good.

The expression conveys character and I'm a big fan of that.

I think all the points discussed above are credible. The jaw-line and ear need some attention and revision. I'd say drop the jaw and return it up before the ear.

The rest I appreciate as part of the tone and style you were aiming for. The issue of Cottilions hairstyle is always debated because Cottilion has been read in story to have both short and long hair.

I think it's cool you went for a middle-ground option.

look forward to seeing more WIP's posted up.


Thanks!
I definitely understand what you mean by returning the jaw up before the ear (what was I even doing there. Haha)
But, what do you mean by dropping the jaw? Like it should be altogether lower?

Yeah, everywhere I researched about his hair had conflicting information so I thought I would just please everybody haha.
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#20 User is offline   renegaade 

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Posted 28 August 2015 - 09:34 PM

View PostCharlie Nom, on 28 August 2015 - 09:09 PM, said:

Also Im happy we have a new Malazan artist (In case you will continue in series ofcourse. You definitely should, its great.). Not like the ones that are here now are bad, theyre really awesome, but there is never enough of Malazan artists.
Damn youre seriously good, do you have Deviantart account?


Thanks! I will definitely continue. This is the first book (GotM) that I have read since Lord of the Rings and Symphony of Ages that immediately gripped me. Before I picked up GotM, I started reading the Sword of Shannara, and I put the book down in disgust after page 20. Rip off of Lord of the Rings, and a poor man's version, at that.
I have so many old Deviantart accounts! But, I'm going to open a new one, now that I've gained more experience. I will let everyone know!

This post has been edited by renegaade: 28 August 2015 - 09:34 PM

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