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KaanaMoonshadow — I, Mengsk
Published: 2011-11-06 09:08:23 +0000 UTC; Views: 20151; Favourites: 355; Downloads: 420
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Description
My first piece of Starcraft fan art... and of course it's a pretty boy!
This is Valerian Mengsk, crown prince of the Terran Dominion and one of the new characters you meet in Starcraft 2 - Wings of Liberty. I actually liked this arrogant, scheming princeling a lot, and I hope he'll keep playing a role in 'Heart of the Swarm' and 'Legacy of the Void'.
This is my first huge effort to combine painting and 3D techniques for an artwork, and I think it's not too bad for a first try. I used an a-ma-zing piece of conceptual art of Valerian as reference for his pose and outfit to paint him in Photoshop and added all the other characters using Carrara. I also decided to invent his own personal guard, wearing special armour and the Mengsk family crest so that they are easily recognisable.
There's no sign of them in the Starcraft lore so far, but come on - a guy who wears such an outfit would totally love to have his own troop of elite guards, so here we go!
Final words:
Valerian, I absolutely adore your character - but your outfit completely ruined my arm!
Tools of the Trade:
Photoshop CS5 Ext, Carrara 8 Pro
Related content
Comments: 124
Funny! Cause! In my country korea.. Valarian korean voice actor also voice act kael'thas too!!
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Can't express in words how much I'm looking forward to Legacy of the Void. How all these characters will play a part in the battle against the hybrids. Val and what's left of the Dominion I'd like to think will have a huge part to play as well.
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This is beautiful! I thought the first times i saw Valerian that he was a lame character... But with Heart of the Swarm the character gained so much on credibility
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Yeah, he is going to be a far better emperor then Arcturus was.
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Papa Mengsk is not happy with his son?
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Your piece really does justice to the chararacter. Very nicely done!
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With those two spectres around he reminds me more of a Helghast General.
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i hope valerian is better then his father
its gonna be a shame if he died in heart of the swarm
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INB4 bullet to the face
Easily the best bad guy ever created
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Well, his dad was. Didn't know who I was lookin' at there for a minute.
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Judging by trailer of heart of swarm...I think Kerrigon is gonna kill him....sorry...
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Yeah... we'll see how that scene plays out. Would be a shame, though - he could at least die in Legacy of the Void.
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I think you did a really wonderful job on the character and setting up the scene. Not sure if you still have the original file, but I hope you don't mind me giving just a little critique as I really think you can push this even farther considering you did quite a bit of painting. Valerian is perfect...a job well done imo. However, the ledge is a bit distracting as the texture on the prop is not detailed enough to really show that close and it really doesn't mesh with the painting. Maybe paint over it with more detail? Or find a stock photo resource of that type of material that lends itself more detail? Then the background characters are a bit to phased in (if that makes sense) With the ambient light on Valerian I would think there would be a bit more distance fading on the characters, especially the ones on the left. This would lend itself to more depth. Still a very strong image on it's own, but since you are pushing yourself, I thought I would put my two cents in.
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Sorry it took me so long to reply - thank you so much for your feedback, I really appreciate it!
You've addressed some very valid points, and I'll keep that in mind for future projects! Let's just hope Valerian will still be around after HotS...
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hmmm he gets choked in heart of the swarm (if you see the trailer)
but he is a good looker lol
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Yeah, I saw that trailer, too... let's hope he'll make it through somehow.
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i sorta like him. but i want to see the dominion burn!!!
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Maybe we can have both? See Arcturus and his loyal troops burn, and then help Valerian to be a better Emperor?
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.............NNNNNNAAAAAAAAAAAAOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!lol
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Yeah, he's totally adorable. Although not much was told about him in the campaign storyline, he has the charisma of leader. Totally want to see more of him in the plot.
Although i'm slightly concerned about his well-being it HotS, for in the teaser he was shown being strangled by Kerrigan's psychokinezis. Will be a shame if HotS will end with entire Mengsk dynasty wiped out.
P.S. "That Korhal outfit's a mess" - gen. Edmund Duke
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I really hope someone (Jim?) will storm the bridge and save Valerian... his character has a lot of potential, and I'd hate to see him die in HotS. Let's hope we'll know by the end of this year?
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Simply amazing, but, if I may, suggest you do Kerrigan as the Brood Queen next? ^_^
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Thanks!
Considering that "Heart of the Swarm" is getting closer by the minute, the chances for that are actually pretty good!
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Goodness! I'm not familiar with 'Starcraft', but I've got to say, as far as this goes - I don't know him, but I want to know him!
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And a complete fop?
Hey don't take offense, it's one of his most awesomely adorable qualities! Only a truly interesting character could win our hearts /and/ pick imaginary dirty out from under his gloved fingernails
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The elite guards looks inspiring
The idea of combining 3D and painting makes a great result, you should consider to applicate it often!
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Thank you - I really like blending these particular art styles myself, so I definitely will!
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Impressive painting, the carrara textured stair stand out too much though, an overpaint of that bit might help/or a note for the future.
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Thanks, and you're right about the wall. Next time, I'll have to look for a higher resolution for that stone texture.
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Very nice! I love the angle and the lighting! Keep up the good work!
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Thanks, dear - I'm glad you like the POV and the lighting, and I'll do my best!
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hello, i really like your work!! question, how long does a project like this take you and are you working in the gaming industry or in a field where your art skills can be utilized?!
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Sorry that it took me so long to reply - the end of the year got pretty hectic again, so I couldn't spend much time on dA.
Thanks a lot for your comment, I'm glad you like this work! This project took me approx. 35 working hours, spending most of the time on the main character and his detailed outfit.
I am actually working as a freelance artist for many different clients (also from the gaming industry), so if you are interested in commissioning me you are most welcome to send me a note!
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Those guys look like soldiers from war hammer :/
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Really? I always thought Warhammer soldiers carried really heavy armour, like the marines in Starcraft?
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No I meant the masks looks alike
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Well, your ruined arm was worth it, his uniform is excellent and goes well with the air of arrogance that surrounds him. The metal details on it are very good. The design of the guards is great and they look suitably sinister. The piece of marble closest to viewer somehow shouts 'I'm a piece of 3D graphic with texture mapped onto me!' which is a pity. Perhaps if you 'roughed it up' in Photoshop? I also like your sneaky signature. Nice!
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*sigh* You're so right. I will hate that stupid, idiotic wall for the rest of my life, but it was the best model I could use and the best I could do to fix it in Photoshop. Believe me, you don't want to see how it looked when it just came out of Carrara...
Fortunately, I'll be able to learn more about creating my own textures next year, so these problems will be a part of the past soon!
I'm glad you still like the rest, and the signature - it was an experiment, and I liked that look, too!
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I absolutely love the design of the guards here. Are you planning on doing any more pictures with them in them?
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Thanks, that's great news!
I guess I'll work with the guards and Valerian again, I really like his character. Another commenter had some nice ideas how to improve the guards, and I might add these ideas to their design.
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