Author Topic: Balthazar Epilogue Portrait - A Challenge (Read 17754 times)

SimDing0™ · « **on:** January 21, 2005, 06:09:22 PM »

If there are any budding artists out there, I pose a challenge to you:

Convert Balthazar's small ingame portrait into a large one that can be used in the epilogues. Currently, his epilogue uses a small portrait centred on a background of Amkethran, which clashes horribly with the other NPCs (and Bodhi, who has a decent full-size portrait).

I'm sure everyone'd be very appreciative if anyone was willing. Any takers?

jester · « **Reply #1 on:** January 22, 2005, 09:20:45 AM »

If you can send me the small one. I'd like to try it. You want his legs elongated and some cleavage, right?

SimDing0™ · « **Reply #2 on:** January 22, 2005, 03:04:44 PM »

Here's what's currently in Ascension.

SimDing0™ · « **Reply #3 on:** January 22, 2005, 03:32:22 PM »

Corvis has had a go, but since monks can't wear chainmail, it'd be nice if someone else could make an attempt too.

Bons · « **Reply #4 on:** January 22, 2005, 03:50:22 PM »

I'm giving it a try, but the blown up 38x60 is horribly blurry, hence the blobs on Ascension-man's head versus the actual tattoos. This could be fated to suck without the attention of a serious artist.

Edit: Oh, nevermind. How can I compete with the Art of Corvis?

SimDing0™ · « **Reply #5 on:** January 22, 2005, 04:07:25 PM »

I think the main issue is tidying up the edges, which I figure can be done by selecting a definitive area of his head, for example, and moving it up and out slightly. The skin tone actually looks okay to me. And I figured they were part of some headband rather than tattoos.

NiGHTMARE · « **Reply #6 on:** January 22, 2005, 04:38:30 PM »

This is the closest existing portrait I've been able to find. Perhaps after a bit of modification it'd be suitable?

icelus · « **Reply #7 on:** January 22, 2005, 04:44:39 PM »

That picture seems more suitable for Bruce, not Balthazar.

Bons · « **Reply #8 on:** January 22, 2005, 05:41:26 PM »

Quote from: SimDing0™ on January 22, 2005, 04:07:25 PM

I think the main issue is tidying up the edges, which I figure can be done by selecting a definitive area of his head, for example, and moving it up and out slightly. The skin tone actually looks okay to me. And I figured they were part of some headband rather than tattoos.

Looking at the small in-game Balthazar and the raw 210x330 of it, it looks more like a band of tattoos to me. The Ascension version has filled in the pattern as circles, but it's more like a ring of criss-cross shapes on his head. The outer edges of his body are fixable, but his features are murky blown up and need some work to get them to start to resemble the clarity of the other BG2 portraits. His robes are in pretty good shape, and they just need smoothing out, then rehighlighting. That's probably the easiest part to fix.

jester · « **Reply #9 on:** January 22, 2005, 06:32:09 PM »

The shadow over his left eye is so horribly wrong that I might not even be able to look at the small pic again.

I'll give it a try for breakfast.

NiGHTMARE · « **Reply #10 on:** January 22, 2005, 08:15:43 PM »

After a bit of playing around, I've managed to make a 210x330 version where his clothing looks fairly decent. His head still needs a lot of work, but I don't seem to possess the neccessary skills for this part.

I'll post what I've done sometime tommorow

.

Bons · « **Reply #11 on:** January 22, 2005, 09:16:34 PM »

Here's my stuff so far:

The in-game pic: (http://bons.50megs.com/BALTHAZS.bmp)

Yucky blown-up BALTHAZS.BMP Yucky blown-up Ascension Balthazar PNG Feeble attempt at fixing using both:

(http://bons.50megs.com/BALTHAZLBefore.jpg)(http://bons.50megs.com/NBALTHAL.jpg)(http://bons.50megs.com/BALTHAZLAfter3.jpg)

weimer · « **Reply #12 on:** January 22, 2005, 10:09:30 PM »

Intereting work, Bons. Balthazar 3 reminds me strangely of Yentl, however. Maybe it's just those piercing eyes and thin, effeminate cheekbones. I'd already rather have it than the current one, but I'd then be sorely tempted to add in some Victor-Victoria-esque dialogue for everyone's favorite monk. There's definitely something attention-grabbing about it.

devSin · « **Reply #13 on:** January 22, 2005, 10:24:21 PM »

Quote from: weimer on January 22, 2005, 10:09:30 PM

Intereting work, Bons. Balthazar 3 reminds me strangely of Yentl, however. Maybe it's just those piercing eyes and thin, effeminate cheekbones. I'd already rather have it than the current one, but I'd then be sorely tempted to add in some Victor-Victoria-esque dialogue for everyone's favorite monk. There's definitely something attention-grabbing about it.

Did you just compare Balthazar to Barbara Streisand?! Papa can you hear me! Balthazar needs to break out into song before deciding whether to join the player or not.

Hopefully, there's some other "Yentl" that I don't know about.

weimer · « **Reply #14 on:** January 22, 2005, 11:42:53 PM »

Quote

I remember, Papa-
Ev'rything you taught me!
What you gave me, Papa-
Look at what it's brought me!

Somehow the lyrics take on a whole new meaning in the ToB context. Yes, I was comparing the master of the Shadowless Kick to the woman who included Mandy Patinkin in a film and specifically didn't let him sing.

devSin · « **Reply #15 on:** January 23, 2005, 01:52:00 AM »

Quote

Yes, I was comparing the master of the Shadowless Kick to the woman who included Mandy Patinkin in a film and specifically didn't let him sing.

You actually think she'd let somebody show her up?

Anyway, it would be really funny to have Balthazar bust out with a musical monologue at the pivotal moment. But you'd have to get somebody to actually sing it.

As for the portrait, I don't think he's got 'X's burned into his head in the original (at least, I don't see it). And unless he's a die-hard AC/DC fan, it's probably a cross hanging down (think a little more Mother Teresa and a little less Charles Manson).

jester · « **Reply #16 on:** January 23, 2005, 04:29:04 AM »

OMG Sim, look at what you have started.

NiGHTMARE · « **Reply #17 on:** January 23, 2005, 04:52:10 AM »

Here's my attempt: http://haunt.8m.com/ie/Balthazar.html

I've incorporated several elements of Bons' version, so lots of credit to her

. There are several parts that could be better (for example, the left ear is an odd shape and the face is too blurry), so feel free to use this as a base for further modification.

jester · « **Reply #18 on:** January 23, 2005, 12:41:20 PM »

Can someone fill me in, how I can upload my version to this thread, please thnx.

NiGHTMARE · « **Reply #19 on:** January 23, 2005, 12:44:27 PM »

You can't. You'll have to upload the image somewhere else, and then link to it from here. Some hosts allow direct file linking (like Bons'), while with others you'll have to set up a page for it (as with mine).

Bons · « **Reply #20 on:** January 23, 2005, 12:49:50 PM »

jester: if you want to send me yours, I'll upload it for linking.

As for the Barbra comparisons, Balthazar, he's like buddha!

* Bons hides from pun-hating pirates.

jester · « **Reply #21 on:** January 23, 2005, 01:00:02 PM »

Thank you very much for the offer, but I guess I'll just reactivate my photobucket account.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v161/jester00/Logos/PPG/balth_1.jpg

I just fixed the eye for now and had to get rid of that background. The eye and the ear were copied over from the left side and adapted. I still need to do the smudging, the coloured light reflexes and sadly the tatoos.

Can anyone tell me what they are supposed to be? What is that smudgy thing in the middle?

SimDing0™ · « **Reply #22 on:** January 23, 2005, 01:05:32 PM »

I took like liberty of combining/modifying both NiGHTMARE's and Bons', with the following result.

icelus · « **Reply #23 on:** January 23, 2005, 01:10:26 PM »

The only thing is that it seems his right eye is farther from his nose than his left eye. $:-\$

jester · « **Reply #24 on:** January 23, 2005, 01:12:36 PM »

I got rid of the headband and the tattoos.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v161/jester00/Logos/PPG/naked.jpg

He needs another definitely not so dark outlibne with this background, but I am searching. I guess I recreate the Kanji sign 'FU' which is supposed to mean Buddha on his forehead. Any comments on that?

News:

Author Topic: Balthazar Epilogue Portrait - A Challenge (Read 17754 times)