#steamworks family

[phantom-nisnow]

NARRATIVE STORYTELLING + COMPOSITION

First thing I always think of before doing ANY drawing is: what’s the story I want to tell? What’s the mood/emotion it should give off? 

For The Visionary, I wanted to capture that feeling of seeing your hard work and creations finally come to life. It’s that satisfaction as artists, engineers, and creators we feel after seeing our hard work finally bear the fruits of our labor. It’s an exhilarating feeling and we feel a sense of pride. 

I can pick out some key words from those descriptions: pride, excitement, satisfaction. Now, how do I depict that in the illustration + what compositional tools can reinforce that feeling and therefore story?

I also knew I wanted to draw my character, Kala. To reinforce the feeling, I wanted to think of his action and, in general, what he would be thinking in the illustration. I did a few thumbnails like below and figured to have him writing in his book and depicting boats in the background, almost like he’s drawing them at the moment and they’re appearing in the background.

Action: writing in his journal, almost as if making the background come to life -> gives a sense of pride and excitement.

This forms the basis of my composition. Everything from here on out (every decision in the illustration) relates back to this.

When thinking of your own illustrations and what you want your characters to do, try this simple template (do this for each of your characters in the scene):

<character> <action> -> gives <mood/emotion> e.g. The rogue flees from the castle guards -> gives a sense of urgency. A witch backs away from her cauldron -> gives a sense of fear.

Kala’s placement is important as well. I purposely made him stand on one of the fourths of the canvas at the far left to make him feel almost like one of the boats (one of his creations). You know those scenes in pirate movies (or even just Navia Genshin Impact) where the character stands next to all their soldiers or a series of cannons? Yeah, I wanted to do something similar here.

After thumbnailing, I’ll start refining the drawing and getting the structure right before doing anything else. Often, I’ll take reference photos like this and put them together in Photoshop. This helps not only get more accurate drawings but you can even put yourself in the shoes of your character. Imagine how they’re feeling in your illustration and act it out. Your pose—and therefore, your character’s pose—might change depending on how you do it which can help with your drawing.

The boats get lighter in value as they recede to the background. I fix this later on in the composition, but since Kala is the focus, I had to make sure that he had the greatest amount of contrast. So I put a hint of light near his face so that his silhouette would pop well against the darker boat behind him. I later enforce this contrast through differences in color saturation which I will show soon. 

I felt the boats weren’t grand enough + the mast shapes were too busy, and therefore didn’t support the story as strongly as I wanted to. And to further add contrast + give Kala more focus, I made the boats a bit larger, drawing them more from a low angle to further emphasize their grandiosity and the pride Kala feels in his work. It’s great when something works both compositionally well and enforces the story:

General lines of action of objects for flow. The boats specifically are all angled differently, converging towards Kala, to draw the eye towards him more + not feel static. It creates a sweeping motion to draw the eye towards him, along with the placement of papers and the shape of his coat further adding to the flow. 

In general, you can strategically place objects in your drawing to follow certain lines of flow that go back to your focus. This helps guide your viewer around your piece while also giving a sense of motion and energy.

Every artistic decision you make should reinforce the story in some way. Even the tiniest things like the line art style. This idea came after looking through the Across the Spiderverse concept art book, specifically reading about the art style choices of Nueva York. Constructional lines and architectural diagrams are seen throughout the city and I wanted to bring a bit of that into this piece. 

It further enforces the idea that Kala is creating the background behind him while also making the boats recede into the background due to atmospheric perspective. Depth of field is determined by how refined the boat’s sketch is, so the boat furthest away is still in pure constructional lines while the one closest to him is fully rendered. I thought that was a big brain idea and I’m glad I went with it >:)

To add a bit of texture, I added a grid pattern off in the distance to help with the feeling of the background being drawn in. I also added sketches of engineering diagrams into Kala’s blue coat for a bit of visual interest. These further add to the fact my character is an engineer and is almost drawing the background himself. Plus, it just looks cool.

Quick breakdown of some visual choices + how they show the story: 

large value range: the values go from very dark to very light -> deeper contrast gives sense of drama and overall intensity to the image -> reinforces feelings of epicness

strong warm vs. cool color contrast: shows the sunrise lighting, gives the character more focus (red is a very intense color) -> gives of sense of pride

sketch-y depth of field: objects further away have a more sketch-y, drawn look -> helps with atmospheric perspective and shows that the character is an engineer. contrast with more refined foreground and character.

character pose: Kala is standing tall while also writing in his journal with a very satisfied look -> 

flowing papers in the foreground: intentionally placed to aid in the overall flow of the piece -> also enforces the idea that the character in question is very experienced + shows his hard work to get to where he is now

These are all my personal choices for the illustration based on my own experiences and intentions. But every choice, from the character pose, the value range, or whatnot was intentionally done to support the story I wanted to tell in the piece. You or another artist may have different choices given the same prompt, and that’s cool! It’s these kinds of intentional choices based on one’s own experience and emotions that make art awesome and inherently human.

Let me know if you like posts like this and I’ll do more, breaking down the process and my thinking in some of my other pieces!

[errantsquam]

presenting:

every attack in the level 12 revenge chain with @phantom-nisnow

[rustedleopard]

I feel like if Chujin was still alive during the events of Undertale Yellow, his and Clover's relationship would be incredibly rocky. Pacifist!Clover could bring him around to tolerating them (after all, they have that sort of effect on everyone), but it would be more in a "this human is the only 'good' human" manner than a "maybe I should reevaluate my opinions on humans overall because you can't judge an entire group based off (very biased) stories and one bad experience." Even then, that opinion would be subject to change should Clover ever get frustrated or behave "too aggressively" or act in any manner that isn't perfectly docile. If Clover ends up attacking a monster then it's "humans are just as horrible as they were in the war stories, I should've known better" regardless of the circumstances that could've pushed Clover to fight. Suffocating expectations and endless demands for patience when he wouldn't ask the same of a fellow monster.

And heaven forbid he ever meet Clover on a No Mercy Run...

[stellastra-scribbles]

December 28, 2023 - Unfinished/scrapped drawing of Jayna Stiles, one of the many follower characters in Arcanum.

I wanted to give her design a bit more a rustic, yet practical feel. Her default in-game look is just the blue dress sprite, but I wanted to give Jayna something that fit her character and background better.

This old game needs more love gosh dang it!

[lookslikethatsallthetimewehave]

Top 10 cutest moms and dads of Poptropica, right now go!

Should've asked me this a week ago, week ago, on Mother's Day.

I'll give you 5 moms, and next month 5 dads.

[northstarscowboyhat]

Bet ya Frisk REALLY appreciates having safe places (The Wild East and Steamworks) they can stay at after leaving the Ruins.

Although question, will Frisk keep up the cowpoke ascetic to probably disguise themself, or will they choose something else, like Ceroba's ascetic via a mask?

The second Clover brought Frisk home, Ceroba immediately snatched them up and called dibs. She supports and loves her cowboy family, but she is NOT passing up the opportunity to get to dress Frisk up.

(And correct to your first statement! Frisk appreciates having a place to relax and not have to keep their guard up as much LOL)

Bonus;

[ofsteamworks]

Jacqui sighed, continuing the soft movement and looking at Takeda. "No, but that look on your face, it is like you’re thinking aloud." However, the smile she was getting now was much more pleasant then when he was deep in thought.

She knew him much too well, even when he blocked his emotions she could practically feel them.

She grimaced a bit at the mention of her father, interactions between the two.. well, she could only hope they’d get better. He was just protective of her, she couldn’t fault him for that.

Well, she could, she just wanted to spend time with Takeda without any trouble. She was tired of it.

"He cares too much sometimes." Way too much, she loved him but it resulted in way too much coddling. "I can only hope that this thing between the two of you will end."

If it didn’t happen any time soon, she swore she’d have to stomp to him herself. She was hoping he could get it in his mind that this was happening no matter what.

— the 5 love languages prompts | @ofsteamworks :

[ caress ] sender soothes a nervous receiver by stroking their hands up and down receiver's arms (jacqui for takeda)

It's the vaguest prickling in the air, hairs standing on the back of her neck, the flutter of his bandana headband when there is no wind — Takeda hides his nerves well, and if he was actively trying to, he could be as perceptible as a brick wall... but in these idle little moments like this, he wasn't as good as Kenshi, his mind's business showing in the vaguest bleed of his mind powers.

( Although it could simply be argued by Takeda that his father is as dense as a brick wall so it doesn't count. )

Her touch bristles him slightly, even if his subconscious awareness knew she wanted to touch him, but his brown eyes quickly melt as he glances at her, a small smile playing on his face as he leans into her touch.

"Sorry, was I thinking too loud?" An apt description when dealing with telekinetic telepaths, and he has the mindfulness to be a little bashful about it. "... I know it'll be fine, but still... it's your dad."

[exar547]

was imagining what it must've been like on Chujin's last visit to the steamworks. oblivious last goodbye hugs seem to run in the Ketsukane family huh...

also!! was trying a somewhat different style with this, i simply cannot keep it consistent lmao

the pose in the art is heavily referenced off of this btw

(you might've actually seen a post i made a while ago about this actually. well i finally decided to draw it lol)

[akanemnon]

So what's your consensus on the new family members? Ceroba, Martlet, Starlo, Dalv, Chujin, and Kanako.

Martlet is definitely my favorite. It's either her or Ceroba people are calling Clover's new mom.

I like Starlo the most. He's such a lovable goof. But I pretty much like everyone from the main cast.

As for the role of Clover's new mom, it's a really tough decision. I love the interactions Clover shares with both of them. Especially that little bit in the steamworks where Clover pulls on Cerobas hand because she was getting angry... my heart couldn't take it. IT WAS SO STINKING CUTE it made me want to punch a wall.

[profounddefendorcrusade-blog]

Just to clarify

Dalv is NOT supposed to be that present in this game. He's been a loner for a long time. He's only started making friends again during the events of uty. Plus, if you know his backstory… it becomes understandable why we don't see him that much. Character-wise, it makes 100% sense.

The reason why Martlet feels like she's not on screen that much (she does get a good amount of screen time) is because she's scatterbrained. That's why we never get a "full" section with her like with Dalv (Ruins), Star (Wild East) and Ceroba (Steamworks). That's why the Snowdin section focuses more on other characters. Martlet comes and goes but always means well. Again, it has to do with her personality, and I think it's clever writing, much like with Dalv.

The reason we spend so much time with Ceroba is that a lot of things have been tied to her and her family right from the start and it all unfolded perfectly imo. There is foreshadowing:

Just had to get that out quickly because I heard some people complain about this stuff.

...also I forgot to mention how some complained about Ceroba's arc "not being completed by the end of pacifist"

To that, I say: IT MAKES SENSE. She's gone through too much trauma for it all to be resolved so soon. Healing takes time (Martlet gave a nice speech). I always thought that, by the end, the whole point wasn't for Ceroba to get closure, but to TAKE THE FIRST STEP (which she did)

The difference between her and Starlo (both have been through a lot in their own way) is that he's more idealistic and hopeful by nature (as we can see after he quickly bounces back from basically having his entire life shattered). Ceroba is emotional. Too emotional. She needs more time. Let's respect that and be patient.

[ghostat7am]

My version of Axis in my aus! I actually did this before my Dalv, that's why they have different presentation styles. I really wanted to give him some sort of Steamworks uniform, blending elements from security guard & mechanic uniforms.

And added some general accent colours & details to make him more distinct from canon! The glowing streaks are based off @/axis014s' art!! I love their interpretation of him a lot.

In the human au, I imagine him to have the perseverance trait! And he's Ceroba & Chujin's biological child. Taking more after my Chujin than Ceroba, although he does have some traits from his mother. (I imagine him to be in his mid to late 20s, he's programmed to be around that age in his robot versions)

Some design notes for my Axis!

I also hc that he takes the surname Ketsukane after the events of the game, I want him to be part of the family so bad you don't get it guys-

[phantom-nisnow]

Artificers are always cooking up something… what will they make today?

New sticker sheet!!

[mysteriousbp]

I wonder what would have happened if Axis wasn’t left in the Steamworks and was left to protect Chujin’s family after he died

Because I pretty sure he would do everything to protect them. Even stopping Ceroba and destroying the syringe to make sure that nothing bad would happen to Kanako safety.

[rustedleopard]

I love how, despite how much Ceroba and Chujin loved each other, their relationship was pretty damn unhealthy. Chujin's performance at work is subpar so he never talks about his job. He gets fired from the Steamworks because he screwed up his robot designs multiple times so he tells Ceroba that he quit to protect his own pride. Their family is in a pretty precarious financial situation and he blows all of their savings on building a lavish mansion. Ceroba has to take on a soul-sucking minimum wage job to support the family while he gets to travel around the Underground doing volunteer work. Chujin does dangerous experiments on himself, risking his health and killing himself prematurely, so he can develop a super serum to protect Kanako when it would've been better for his daughter to have an alive dad in her life. He literally tasks Ceroba with the burden of murdering an innocent person and continuing his very risky life's work before he passes!

And it goes both ways!!! Ceroba always thinks the best of him no matter what. No flaws. No criticisms. Chujin wins what is essentially a consultation prize, but to her, it's like he won a proper award. Chujin sets Asgore's child's grave on fire and when Asgore fires him (after giving him multiple chances!!!), it's the Royals who are in the wrong. She doesn't criticize him for not providing for the family, for blowing all of their savings, for leaving Kanako without a father and her a widow. She thinks all of his actions were noble. And when a "pure-hearted" human shows up in the Underground and Chujin's plan can be enacted, no matter how reluctant she is to do it, she still follows through.

Yeah, sure, Chujin and Ceroba may have loved each other. But love isn't enough.

[stuffyflowers]

So the game is pretty vague about what Cerobas family was like but concidering they aren't in Kanako's life and from the way Ceroba acts I don't think her childhood was great so I'm interested to see if you have any headcannons on what Cerobas family was like?

Yeah thinking bout cerobas childhood is interesting. It’s a lot less clear what her parents were like and what she was like compared to starlo so obviously my take is gonna be different to other peoples. for someone so family oriented, cerobas parents are only ever mentioned once from what I remember, when ceroba recounts her meeting with chujin and how her mother sent her out. I wouldn’t consider this particularly strange until you also consider the fact that she’s pretty close to stars parents, organising picnics and appear to frequently talk even after chujins death.

Cerobas parents def feel to me like the kind that never really saw eye to eye with their daughter, and put a lot of pressure on her to conform to their expectations. It kinda coincides with my hc that ceroba was more of a rebellious kid: she disliked school (the “not by choice” line) and preferred more physical activities like martial arts (she’s extremely strong, even without magic. She still seems to value staying active going off of her gym membership line) and exploring the underground (she’s the one who discovered the garbage dump that star and her would eventually visit frequently, leading to him finding the tapes) (she also seems to enjoy the adventure through the steamworks, perhaps like she’s reliving the wonder of her childhood?). She could always tell her parents didn’t approve of her choices, that they wanted her to be a high achiever, but at this point in her life she didn’t care what they thought.

The pressure from her parents began to affect her choices later in life, though. Eventually, we know that ceroba “grew up,” and she places a lot of value on this fact. She grew out of her more rowdy tendencies (saying the feisty five are too rowdy for her) and started conforming to what her parents expected of her, being more proper.

Coming back to the whole “why did she fall for chujin so fast?” thing I was talking bout way back, I feel like ceroba was expected to rush into adulthood pretty fast, settle down with a husband and have a big family, because of her parents. Chujin embodied a lot of the traits she already was fond of in starlo, who she had considered as a partner prior (his kindness, most notably) with the main difference being that unlike starlo, chujin also wanted to “grow up”, like her.

Despite eventually conforming to her parents’ ideal for her to settle down and make a family, she never kept in touch much with them, and they never made much of an effort to be in her life much, either.

I could prob expand more later but I just woke up shdjdjdhjshd

[lookslikethatsallthetimewehave]

Mother-son relationships?

The image of Maria smothering her son is so funny XD