Kevin's Watch

These aren't good, but since I had them, I will post them, as they capture how I see Haruchai in my minds eye. Probably these serve no use, but there's a money/mouth thing.

Newest render from Hue (I've suggested an overhaul to the injured eye, so this would be mainly about his general features now...):

Do Haruchai have beards? I see no references to any.

I did find this:

In [i]The Illearth War[/i] was wrote:Looking now at Bannor, with his alien countenance and his bare feet and his short brown tunic, Covenant received a sudden intuitive impression, as if a previous subliminal perception had crystallized.

"alien countenance" suggests to me a significant racial dissimilarity with Covenant's norm. Which, as has been mentioned, brings to mind something like Maori, or Inuit, or Tibetan, etc. Such a race may have no facial hair, which lends all the more to the notion of an "alien countenance".

Other clues:

In [i]The Illearth War[/i] was wrote:Their wide foreheads and flat cheeks and confident poise betrayed no heart upsurge, no visceral excitement.

(Now I am seeing George Takei. Don't know why.)

The latest version here (two-eyed still). Does he yet require a wider forehead?
Methinks something left unmentioned (beards) lands upon the domain of artistic license, as one cannot explicitly deny the existence of such.
PS. Inuits and Saami can both grow facial hair (some more, some less).

That's an incredible job.

(Yes, beards are a matter of artistic license, assuredly so. However, Donaldson does point out beards when there are beards. Therefore, a person can reasonably assume that he'd point out a beard if there was one.)

Hue was elated over this Stave's success.
Here's a paint-sketch of Onyx, offering diamondraught and ready to turn swords longer or sheaths well-oiled. To those who have lamented the lack of rubenesque hips. ;D

Goodness gracious, Frostheart, that is certainly well-rounded enough for me!

Glad to hear that.
She'll get sculpted soon-ish. Hue has upgraded the modeling program so we'll see how the hips turn out in 3D.

A wee little update-ling ere I vanish offline for some time. Hue's been twiddling with the controls of the new program version, and discovered a wherewith to improve hips. Hence, Rime might end up such as this.
Grueburn/Stonemage will be slimmer.

I've met the like in the sauna. Scale that up to 11ft, however.

You can't vanish now!

wayfriend wrote:"alien countenance" suggests to me a significant racial dissimilarity with Covenant's norm. Which, as has been mentioned, brings to mind something like Maori, or Inuit, or Tibetan, etc. Such a race may have no facial hair, which lends all the more to the notion of an "alien countenance".

Hey ... I found this in the GI today, looking for something completely different.

In the Gradual Interview was wrote:Can you describe how you developed the Haruchai? I pictured them as vaguely Polynesian or perhaps Southeast Asian, and wondered if you had any specific image or concept before creating the Bloodguard and their ancestral people.

• I imagine it's obvious that I had a vaguely Southeast Asian "type" in mind. As I think I explained much earlier in this interview, when I planned the first "Covenant" trilogy I concentrated on "roles" rather than on "characters": I knew what, say, Giants or Bloodguard or Ramen were going to do, but I didn't necessarily know what they were like; I discovered their character(s) as I wrote. (Incidentally, as I've also explained, I no longer work that way.) Well, when all you have is a "role," sometimes you need more to help you discover the "character." And at that time (the early 70's), I had the vague--if false--idea that martial arts existed as a Southeast Asian phenomenon. So I started there.
  
  (10/12/2004)

It was obvious all along! We just didn't know it was.

wayfriend wrote: It was obvious all along! We just didn't know it was.

Did you unearth anything about the Giants being either Norse or Mediterranean? We know for sure they're not Estonian!

We're still proceeding with the collab, but after Hue had upgraded the software, some setbacks occurred. For instance the old faces could not be imported to the hippier bodies so he had to begin from scratch with the ladies. After one discarded set of faces, some new samples (not final renders, in progress and going through some tweakery) here. The faces aren't exact clones of those met on page 1, but rather close.

Thoughts on these?

Grueburn's missing her lashes here.



She'll get some aging and softening (esp. around the hips) plus full anatomical correctness in the next phase.

I take it the last two figures are Rime Coldspray. Anyhow, thanks to you and Hue for all your hard work, Frostheart! Seems like they're going to turn out really well once you get them into their armor.

Won't be traveling for the next couple of weeks, so we may advance in this a bit again. The process consists of a fair deal of test renders and redlining that won't get posted to the Watch. The big belles and Longwrath will find their eventual forms at some point.

Now, how do you fellows perceive an Onyx Stonemage with such a countenance? Her body's in-progress.

Where's everyone again?



Longwrath became resurrected from scratch as well. If Hue upgrades the software yet again at some point, one has to hope it will import these sans trouble. LW caroused around as a pretty blondeboi a mere few days agone, but acquired a swarthier spectrum overnight.
How to include the scar/rest of the disfigurement remains under discussion.
Moreover the physique will change into something more giantish.

I can't get over how real the eyes are, especially in the first pic. Looks like a photo.

Are these real people or figurines ?

I miss the feral glee of the fanged, curly-bearded, wild-haired Longwrath from your solo version, Frostie. I understand that 3D hair is difficult, from what you have been saying. But I am surprised you could give it up.

Onyx Stonemage is a good character. She seems a bit re-imagined, except for the blue hair.

Grueburn, however, is recognizable from afore.

I want to say that I also saw Rime Coldspray there? Seems a bit jovial, though, for Captain Serious. It's hard to be sure, since staring at some of these pictures for a long time while I am at work is a bit of an issue.

We haven't given anything up regarding LW, but as he's been quite in-progress, expressions have remained in the background. We did some tests over the weekend for something which might be used in the actual scene. Scar's yet under experimentation and may change.

Thanks everyone.

wayfriend wrote: I want to say that I also saw Rime Coldspray there? Seems a bit jovial, though, for Captain Serious. It's hard to be sure, since staring at some of these pictures for a long time while I am at work is a bit of an issue.

Yup that's her, but took a while of feedback/redlining exchange to craft a properly aged countenance. Here's Hue's special Captain Serious GRRRR version for WF.
(Remember though that she's from a different galaxy compared to the First in the humor department. She's depicted laughing and bantering with the hird quite often, whereas stern Gossamer performed the previous once, offscreen.)

Mayhap try staring them at home?



A less pixelated Longwrath to match. They're clearly amid a snarling contest. Who will win?