The NEW Build Your Own Arcade Controls
Main => Artwork => Topic started by: morton on July 26, 2017, 08:27:58 pm
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So I am putting together a Lowboy style cabinet, single player, with a vertical CRT screen and am going to need to make some art decisions soon. I would truly appreciate some art advice here - I am a rookie.
Originally I was gonna do a "Lowboy" cabinet - play on Paperboy, but thats a horizontal game. I don't want a cabinet that can't play the game that inspired its art. So I looked at what my cabinet does and why I built it... Shmups and the Classics. With this I sat back and daydreamed a bit and it hit me:
KONGIKAZE!
Donkey Kong... Kamikaze Planes... the perfect mix. One thing that I love about Nintendo Cabs is the colours they used. Since most colours on Nintendo row are Blue, Orange, and others have done colours i don't wanna resuse, I figured I would try to get something with a similar colour theme and have always been a fan of old Fender guitar colours, so chose a Sea Foam green base. Granted the colour is not for everyone, and I am also torn between something quite bright like what is depicted in my photos, and a colour called Enchanted Wells, as seen here:
http://www.behr.com/consumer_ca/ColorDetailView/P430-5 (http://www.behr.com/consumer_ca/ColorDetailView/P430-5)
So below are some test graphics I have been working on. I've never built a cabinet or done art - this is all pretty new to me. I have only been interested in this hobby for about 6 or so months, and most of my experience is as a kid 25 or so years ago. The colours are still undecided - the shades of colours I will need to change, and have posted some variations of colours.
I wasn't too sure about side art, and decided to come up with something. The Cherry blossom in background is from the Ohka, a kamikaze plane from WW2 which features the flower on the fuselage. Originally it was just the flower, nothing else. A friend said "I like it, reminds me of Arizona Iced Tea" - which scared me for a minute, then realized the Arizona was lost at Pearl Harbour, which was the catalyst for the beginning of the Pacific War - which games like 1942, 1943 and such focused on.
Also, I had a little Lowboy advice and borrowed a few photos from Stuzza (craig) for some mockups, hope you don't mind mate :cheers:
So without anymore ranting...
(http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=149895.0;attach=360670)
(http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=149895.0;attach=360672)
(http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=149895.0;attach=360674)
(http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=149895.0;attach=360676)
(http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=149895.0;attach=360678)
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Like it - but - shouldn't it be Mario/Jumpman flying the plane? If you're referencing King Kong anyway...
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Ehh.... Mario needs to be doing something else besides being stock artwork.
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Very visually interesting and cool concept, but I agree the current Mario doesn't really fit with the rest of the design.
Maybe make him sorta Uncle Sam-ish or something to tie in with the WW2 theme (something like this (http://orig14.deviantart.net/f237/f/2014/255/c/9/mario_wants_you_for_smash_bros__marked__by_faster_by_choice-d7yx69p.png) but stylized to look like the Donkey Kong illustration?)
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No thanks. That artwork is not for me.
But hey...it's your build. Do what you want. None of us are playing on it.
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I mean it has a theme, so that's good. I think it's lightyears better than a Clipart Collage.
I'd ditch the Nintendoish theme if it were me, cab isn't a nintendo shape after all. But again that's just personal preference and you may not want to pay an artist for a full custom workup.
However what you said about cab not playing the game art was inspired after, I wanted to give you an internet high 5 for that. You are on the right track. Even right now with no reworks, the cab design is so much better than a 4 player LED garbagio with spinners and Tron Sticks.
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I mean it has a theme, so that's good. I think it's lightyears better than a Clipart Collage.
Agreed.
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I like the concept, not so much the green but each to lol
But yeah I agree with the above put mario in the plane.
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Mari-Lo/ Mari-Low / Mari-Lowboy
you're welcome. I love the colors, reminds me of the Pauline Edition art for DK. I don't like the art itself though.
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I like it. Not keen on the green, but to each his own. I've certainly seen a lot worse
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Get a coin door. It just needs it.
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Get a coin door. It just needs it.
Yes, that would add to it.
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A huge thank you for the replies everyone, its much appreciated, apologies for the delay in responding.
Wow, lots to think about here, lots of you have more experience than I so, I can’t write it all off.
I agree Jump Man needs a lil attention. I am thinking maybe on a big gun or something. Putting him in a plane would be alright, but the theme is Kongikaze… Kong is a Kamikaze. Since they usually attack land or sea based targets, placing Mario in a plane seems a bit of a stretch. I think even a tank or battleship or something like that… will have some time to mull it over. Mario is cool but Kongikaze is a way better name IMO… and bad guys don’t get enough love :lol
Plus, Mario Bros is a Horizontal game…
The green is an intense one, and know its not for everyone. I am also partial to the Behr Enchanted Wells colour I linked, a little less poppy of a colour, and still kind of fits in with the Nintendo colour scheming. Maybe a mix between the two. I play guitar, so my whole life I have been lusting for Fender Guitars in similar colours… which is nice because they’re all car colour codes and easy to find…not for everyone, but man, they do something to me hahaha. Thank Leo Fender for being a cheap bugger who liked car colours.
As for the coin door - yep - I agree. The Nintendo coin door is one of my favourites too.
Now the Art itself, I think some of its good some of it’s not. I am curious what people didn't like - was it the styling, the layout etc? (want to learn a bit about what works and don't). What I was trying to achieve - and some may not like it - was to make it look intentionally dated. I have a hard time with the idea of very cutting edge looking art on a cabinet that looks retro or old. The newer builds with crazy art always seem to look more cohesive to me. Fortunately I am no longer in a big rush to finish this art and have lots of time to try things and really work on new art…
… as this theme, while great, doesn’t work as well on a Lowboy IMO, and is now reserved for a proper Nintendo cabinet.
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See? Pretty much the same feedback I gave you in our PM conversation. Glad to see you're making some pivotal decisions.
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Personally, I'm not real crazy about trivializing WWII.
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Personally, I'm not real crazy about trivializing WWII.
I don't know, Japanese game makers seemed pretty ok with making World War 2 airplane shooters 30 years ago when there were actually still a lot of surviving veterans around. Today the youngest ones are all in their 90s.
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Personally, I'm not real crazy about trivializing WWII.
Don't go all Ark on us, Rapey Kong.
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Well, in going back to the drawing board, I find myself flooded with ideas.
Also realize I have an affinity for the bad wordplay. I have a few different themes I have worked on and just hacked together some quick ideas. There are 3 ideas kicking around, two are pretty straight forward, while the 3rd is overly ambitious. I am not 100% yet.
It's hard having to live with your own art. As a painter I experienced more than one ruined canvas after "trying" something new...
Anyone up for another round of art attack? :lol