asoiaf-artbrdr

[asoiaf-artbrdr]

Leaf & an Other

Hihi~ When I made my earlier portraits of Children of the Forest and the Others, I noted that I couldn't achieve everything I'd imagined via the Artbreeder interface. For truly nonhuman characters, it has limitations. The only way around that is to supplement what Artbreeder can do by painting over it.

So, here is my updated portraits of Leaf, and an unspecified Other.

For Leaf, the main things that I wanted Artbreeder to do but had issues accomplishing were the scale and shape of the ears and eyes, and the dappled effect on the skin. I had been pleased actually by how close to my imagined hair the program was able to get, so that didn't get much adjusting - I just tried to make it look more explicit that there were plants and vines in the hair. The eyes are noted to be large and slit-pupiled, so that was important to me to change. Also, I tried to counter some of the youthfulness I felt from the original, since Bran describes Leaf as seeming like Arya in age but not at all at the same time, idk how well that comes across though. I'm not sure if I'll do the same with my portrait of Snowylocks (as they were posted as a pair) at the moment.

As for the Other, I worked off the more feminine example I'd posted. The original is pretty buried in this new portrait lol I changed a lot! My initial focus was changing the skin texture and making them seem less human overall. Part of the process for this was changing the eye shape, as well as the shape of the orbital region on the whole, and creating ridges to produce a more angular, structural face. I don't see why an Other would have eyebrows, eyelashes, or protruding ears, so I just nixed those. I'm of the opinion they are a constructed race rather than one that evolved... I thought about changing the nose but ultimately decided against it. I wanted to do something completely different with the hair, too, but I couldn't manage it with my skill level. For those familiar with the anime/manga Houseki no Kuni, I was trying to make hair like the gems have, sort of sheets of ice instead of strands, but damn if it isn't an endeavor. Props to fanartists who go all out - I recommend looking it up if you aren't familiar with the property!! Anyways, I defaulted on strands - I'm satisfied with the result but in my mind that is not what I picture for the Others.

Overall, I'm excited to share these! I'd love feedback <3

#valyrianscrolls #asoiaf fanart #the others #children of the forest #kenzietensei #megamikenzie #artbreeder #leaf #seriously if you havent seen hnk i highly recommend it #the characters are people made out of precious rocks and their hair in particular really demonstrates that #that would be my strong preference for the others hair to seem like solid sheets of ice #but filament style hair isnt impossible for an other either actually #i looked it up and theres a kind of snow called hair snow #its rare but seriously looks like synthetic white wig growing out of logs and whatnot...what a world #neways hope yall like this

[asoiaf-artbrdr]

Tyrion Lannister

I played around with my Tyrion portrait recently. Its hard to get the stripey hair down while trying to maintain a realistic style! I'm not super jazzed for this one, but I thought I'd share anyways. Hope everyone is doing well <3

#tyrion lannister #house lannister #asoiaf fanart #valyrianscrolls #megamikenzie #kenzietensei #artbreeder

[asoiaf-artbrdr]

Arya Stark

Hey everyone :) I've been trying to get back into painting again, and yesterday I spent some time making this pic. I used my older Arya portrait as a reference, but while that's meant to be Arya as an older teen/early 20's at most, I think she looks more like a young adult here...

Anyways, wishing y'all the best <3

#arya stark #house stark #my art #asoiaf fanart #valyrianscrolls #trying out some new brushes in SAI #not artbreeder #kenzietensei #megamikenzie

[asoiaf-artbrdr]

i was wondering if you had any tips and tricks for creating characters on artbreeder. i have ocs that i’m dying to make but i can’t seem to figure out how to use the site. if you’re not comfortable with sharing that is alright!

Hi! thanks for getting in touch. Admittedly, they've changed a lot of the UI since my personal heyday on the site, but I'm sure I can offer some assistance!

So, first off, for someone new to the platform I would recommend starting by building off of another user's base product. So find a portrait that achieves some of what you're looking for in your OC (be it hair or skin or face shape similarities, whatever). Click the remix button to enter the editor. Here we are with my portrait of Margaery:

The most important trick I've found to creating nuanced portraits is in cultivating a robust gene library. This takes time, of course, but it is integral to the process! So, upper right hand corner is the add genes button. Click on that and another menu pops up. This menu allows you to browse recently created genes or look through your selection of favorites. As a long-time user, I have a few people I would recommend for their work creating genes. First is user zenozip. They helpfully have labeled everything they make with their username, so we can use the search function to find their genes.

Many users don't label their genes in this manner. Instead, you've got to search terms with your fingers crossed. Let's say you want something to increase contrast in your image. Well, you can try the term 'contrast,' or perhaps 'light' (as in lighting - I shorten terms to the simplest version because a text search will pick up more broad results that way) or maybe 'sharp.'

Once you find a gene you're interested in trying out, click to add it to your editor. I've selected the sad eyebrows gene for our example. It's helpful to get an idea of what a gene is doing to the elements in your portrait if you hope to make the best possible use of it. That means trying it out at slight increments as well as extreme ones, and seeing what happens in either direction of use:

Green on the bar (left image) is indicating positive values whereas that purpley shade indicates negative values. We can see a number of things have changed! For one, the obvious difference lies in the arch of the eyebrow. But the nose is more snubbish and shorter in the right image, her right mouth corner is more distinct. Her hair is also slightly wispier. However, the vast majority of the image remains the same as it was - this is something to keep your eye out for. Genes which focus on one feature or element and don't mess with the rest of your image are fantastic because you'll have to do less fine tuning in the long run. This gene is good at isolating it's major effects to the eyebrow ridge. But perhaps at some point you would want to make use of the effects it has on the nose, so it helps to keep an eye out for these sorts of things. I have plenty of genes in my catalogue I use more for their unintended or negative value effects than their stated purpose!

Making use of genes and having a handful you're confident in using will definitely improve your portraits. I also recommend saving often (the checkmark under her chin) because you can always build off what you've done so far. Also, if you're having trouble spotting the effects of a gene, try upping the chaos of the image (see below). This makes the effects of every change more (or less) extreme.

See? The thing I was saying about the hair is much more prominent now, right?

Another tip is to tag your images. As you build up more and more saved images, you're going to lose track of what you were doing. It also helps in that experiments can be pulled back up and resumed. I personally have a whole bunch of experiments with hairstyles and colors that I tag for so I can search my library of images and utilize them.

For example, I'll give Marg different hair. After resetting the image, I'm selecting to 'add parent' (at top). I call these blends.

Note my selection on the searchbar at the bottom. I'm going to try to make her hair more a pink shade, since that's easier with brunettes.

You can add several parents at a time. The factors you can mess with here are 'face' and 'style.' Face refers to the shape elements of the portrait, whereas style alters coloration and lighting. This is useful to play around with! If you made a portrait where the shapes of everything, the eyes, nose, hair, etc, were exactly as you wanted it, but you wanted to make a significant change in the color of the eyes perhaps, this is one method to doing that. For example, with Targaryen portraits, this is very helpful.

You can use this for makeup, too, or just lighting effects.

Anyways, I hope that's given you enough of a jumping off point! If you'd like to see more of the genes I'd recommend, there's a link to my Artbreeder account on my profile. From there, you can see the genes I've liked and try them out for yourself!

(note the setting on the search bar above) (also note the usernames seen here, specifically ivia_sedai, nikkio, and drconfused; I've used their genes frequently)

Good luck, and feel free to ask any clarifying questions you need!

#artbreeder #art process #how to #megamikenzie #long post #seriously the changes in the interface bug me #oh well #hope this helps #theyve got a collage mode ive got to try out now

[asoiaf-artbrdr]

Hi ! Have you thought of making some dunk and egg characters ? I love your blog !

Thank you! I've thought of making specifically Dunk and Egg, but that's really been it as I haven't read that part of the series. If you have suggestions on characters, I'll look them up and do my best!!

#artbreeder #inbox #anon ask

[asoiaf-artbrdr]

I love your work so much! May I place a request for some minor Ironborn characters like Tristifer Botley, Qarl the Maid, Wex Pyke and Rodrik Harlaw?

Thank you! I'd be happy to try my hand at more ironborn. Added these to my list!

#@suburbanbeatnik #artbreeder #inbox #ironborn

[asoiaf-artbrdr]

Could I put in a request for some of the main characters from Dance of the Dragons/House of the dragon? Especially Rhaenys and Rhaenyra who, despite me loving their actresses, dont really resemble their book counterparts much

Hotd fever is definitely going around. I haven't watched it yet, but I've picked a lot up through feed osmosis! I'd be happy to work on some book-accurate characters from the Dance~

#@callmekohaii #inbox #dance of the dragons #artbreeder

[asoiaf-artbrdr]

Shireen Baratheon

I've updated my portrait of Shireen! I wanted to finalize the versions I'd uploaded earlier by adding her greyscale. I'm pretty happy with how it turned out!

I know I've been off a bit lately. Not really feeling very inspired recently. I'll try to get back in the swing of things soon... my health is a mixed bag lately, too. I've had to get a PICC line installed a couple weeks ago and I've been really nauseous most days. Ugh!

#shireen baratheon #house baratheon #asoiaf fanart #artbreeder #valyrianscrolls #megamikenzie #I know there's some anons recently hoping for portraits of the targ conquerors #I've got a couple efforts at rhaenys and visenya done. im working on it but slowly!

[asoiaf-artbrdr]

Hey, I love your work so please accept these 💐💝

Thank you! I've been having a rough week and this really cheered me up <3

#inbox #anon ask

[asoiaf-artbrdr]

First, my compliments on your absolutely excellent gallery of portraits! (Secondly, may I suggest that a logical description of Lord Jon Arryn would be “Tywin Lannister’s Good Twin” in the sense that they’re both renowned statesmen of roughly the same generation, but Lord Jon’s character appears infinitely less toxic than that of the Lion Lord).

Thank you <3

This had me stroking my chin in thought for a while. These two characters are, as you said, of the older generation, and surely had some kind of relationship with one another. But when I try to picture them interacting... Surely Tywin would continually try to take advantage of Jon & Jon would be endlessly exasperated with Lord Lion.

#megamikenzie #inbox #house lannister #anon ask

[asoiaf-artbrdr]

Emmon & Cleos Frey

Two more from House Frey! While I was working on these, I had the niggling thought that Emmon's portrait looks something like my father in law >.> He has a different chin, but there's a shape to the eyes which I recognized. These portraits stop feeling like human faces sometimes when I've been working on them too long - this kind of odd familiarity shatters my dissociation entirely.

#house frey #emmon frey #cleos frey #asoiaf fanart #artbreeder #valyrianscrolls #megamikenzie #queue better believe it

[asoiaf-artbrdr]

Walder Frey

He's kind of mottled and miscolored... I imagine old Walder would be, but it frustrates me when I don't have control over those details! He is said to have age spots on his head, but that's such a fine detail and Artbreeder doesn't manage those well. I feel ok about how his neck turned out, but...... It's not my favorite portrait.

Artbreeder is iffy with older subjects. The more you age them, the more distortion and noise is thrown into the portrait - it doesn't necessarily add wrinkles to the skin, so while I can get rid of the extra visual static (and I mostly have, here) the result doesn't appear as shrunken as it could. Best results come from uploading a photo of someone really aged and blending that in, but the one picture that would fit this description which I've uploaded is feminine and too kind in the face to add to my Walder - it would just disrupt what's actually working here (and besides, I'm using it for Old Nan). So the result isn't pushing ninety as he ought to be. I hope he at least looks sufficiently like a resentful little weasel!!

#walder frey #house frey #asoiaf fanart #artbreeder #valyrianscrolls #megamikenzie #queue better believe it

[asoiaf-artbrdr]

Tyrek Lannister

I'd really like to know what happened to this kid... Anyways he's said to be around 12 years old, and handsome with golden curls. I don't think everyone with the last name Lannister would definitely have green eyes, so let's say his mom Darlessa's eyes were blue.

Joy Hill

I'm including Joy here as they're both the only children of their particular Lannister fathers. We don't get much description of her, aside from the fact that she's a lonely child... Too bad she couldn't have been Shireen's playmate, then.

#house lannister #joy hill #tyrek lannister #asoiaf fanart #artbreeder #valyrianscrolls #megamikenzie #queue better believe it

[asoiaf-artbrdr]

Penny

Penny was a rough character to make! There are a lot of subtle to more dramatic ways in which dwarfism can affect facial features, and that varies person to person. Tyrion describes Penny as having a heavy brow and a squashed nose... To pull off a squashed nose, you really need to get the lighting cast in such a way as to shadow the base of the bridge. I think it worked out well in my Tyrion portrait? I'm not sure this one is as successful at portraying that. Let me know what you think!

#penny (asoiaf) #asoiaf fanart #artbreeder #valyrianscrolls #megamikenzie #queue better believe it

[asoiaf-artbrdr]

Lancel Lannister

Lancel is in his older teens when we meet him. I'm not sure he looks quite young enough here, tbh! Also, I'm fairly sure he doesn't have curls... I think his hair is straight? Anyway, he's said to look like a young Jaime, so you'd think I started with his face and worked from there, yeah? But actually, I blended some of my early Lannister portraits together like a lion stew, mixed in a dude with the right hairstyle into the pot, and voila! Even so, I compared this portrait with the one of beardless Jaime, and there's a definite resemblance imo!

As for other notes, I'm debating which other cousins I should make. I've got a Tyrek portrait done... Any requests?

#lancel lannister #house lannister #asoiaf fanart #artbreeder #valyrianscrolls #megamikenzie #queue better believe it

[asoiaf-artbrdr]

Tygett & Gerion Lannister

Tywin's youngest two brothers! Unfortunately, neither makes it onto the page in the novels proper. For Tygett, we know he's an accomplished knight, and that he dies of pox sometime after siring his son Tyrek. I've depicted him in his thirties since it's not clear. We also know he has a lot of resentment for his position "in Tywin's shadow," as it were, courtesy of his big sister Genna. As such, I wanted him to look kinda like Jaime but angrier. Gerion, on the other hand, was full of laughter and jokes. Jaime and Tyrion both call Gerion their favorite uncle, and I think they share something of his personality. He's missing as of the start of the series, having gone on a quest to Valyria ten years prior. He was also in his thirties at this point.

#house lannister #tygett lannister #gerion lannister #asoiaf fanart #artbreeder #valyrianscrolls #megamikenzie #queue better believe it

[asoiaf-artbrdr]

Genna Frey (of House Lannister)

Yikes, I posted this before filling in any details! I'm all over the place lately -_-

Anyway, Genna is a fun character. I think she's got warmth and vivacity to her that I wanted to shine through the portrait! Also, I forget if her hair is golden or more white blonde (like Tyrion or Tommen) but if it's the former then let's say it's lightened with age ;p

#genna lannister #house lannister #asoiaf fanart #artbreeder #valyrianscrolls #megamikenzie #queue better believe it