Ooh... "schemes and dilemmas" - it's getting spicy! You have really put a lot of thought into your game idea, I am getting really excited to watch it develop.
Ugh, your art style is so... pure and lovely, I don't know how else to describe it. As for your updated secretary NPC, the body design looks great and both the eyes and mouth look much more relaxed now.
I believe three things are crucial when designing facial expressions: eyes, mouth, and eyebrows - eyebrows - eyebrows! Raquel's eyebrows are sitting low on the forehead and are upturned at the center. This usually conveys concern or embarrassment. When the eyebrows are neutral they float gently arched (almost parallel) above the eyes. Of course, not everyone's face conforms to the average standards so stick to your guns if that's a stylistic choice.
When I am developing expressions for a visual novel, I always use basic facial expression charts to keep me grounded. Below I have included a website that I find helpful:
Usually, when I am developing a character (even a background character) I always put some thought into their personal background and motivation. Why is your secretary "nice as a person"? Was she raised by nice people or did she have a terrible life and so decided to be a light in the darkness? What does she want from her career? All choices are perfectly valid, I just think it's important to consider. Fleshing out the background characters will make your world feel more immersive and real (and make writing dialogue much easier).
Wow! I don't really have much constructive criticism to give because I love your art style. Your redesigned head is fantastic, although the expression seems a little ambiguous but not exactly "neutral" (if that makes sense). She's reading as "listening dubiously to someone she can't ignore or be rude to" to me. Maybe that's what you're going for... certainly that's realistic for a clerical worker (in my experience).
I'd like to hear more about the game concept, I'm curious about the plot and specifics about gameplay. I've never used Monogatari, but it's similar to RenPy and I'm really intrigued by the open-source aspect of the program. Very cool start, you are clearly working hard on it.
Ooh... "schemes and dilemmas" - it's getting spicy! You have really put a lot of thought into your game idea, I am getting really excited to watch it develop.
Ugh, your art style is so... pure and lovely, I don't know how else to describe it. As for your updated secretary NPC, the body design looks great and both the eyes and mouth look much more relaxed now.
I believe three things are crucial when designing facial expressions: eyes, mouth, and eyebrows - eyebrows - eyebrows! Raquel's eyebrows are sitting low on the forehead and are upturned at the center. This usually conveys concern or embarrassment. When the eyebrows are neutral they float gently arched (almost parallel) above the eyes. Of course, not everyone's face conforms to the average standards so stick to your guns if that's a stylistic choice.
When I am developing expressions for a visual novel, I always use basic facial expression charts to keep me grounded. Below I have included a website that I find helpful:
https://www.animeoutline.com/12-anime-facial-expressions-chart-drawing-t...
Usually, when I am developing a character (even a background character) I always put some thought into their personal background and motivation. Why is your secretary "nice as a person"? Was she raised by nice people or did she have a terrible life and so decided to be a light in the darkness? What does she want from her career? All choices are perfectly valid, I just think it's important to consider. Fleshing out the background characters will make your world feel more immersive and real (and make writing dialogue much easier).
Okay, great progress - I'm rooting for you!
Wow! I don't really have much constructive criticism to give because I love your art style. Your redesigned head is fantastic, although the expression seems a little ambiguous but not exactly "neutral" (if that makes sense). She's reading as "listening dubiously to someone she can't ignore or be rude to" to me. Maybe that's what you're going for... certainly that's realistic for a clerical worker (in my experience).
I'd like to hear more about the game concept, I'm curious about the plot and specifics about gameplay. I've never used Monogatari, but it's similar to RenPy and I'm really intrigued by the open-source aspect of the program. Very cool start, you are clearly working hard on it.