Gekisen Warriors Ice/Fire Mace

A new video where I show how I color an Ice Mace weapon and turn it into a Fire mace with a few adjustments.

Gekisen Warriors-Amaru Color

Hey G-Warriors

I just posted a new video of me coloring one of the lead characters from my project Gekisen Warriors.

I talk about what went into the design and how I approached coloring it.

I hope you dig it!

_karl

Gekisen Warriors-Shade Color Process

A new video showing the color process for Shade one of the heroes from Gekisen Warriors.

Gekisen Warriors- Good Guy? Color

Here is the color version on the recent digital drawing I posted. I like creating a character that visually you may think is evil but having them represent good in the context of a story. It creates interesting visual and storytelling dynamics.

Gekisen Warriors- Good Guy?

Hi Fellow Gekisen Warriors,

In this video I show one of the designs from Gekisen Warriors. This character is one of the great robot warriors that is found and linked to a Spellcaster. The character has a dark side but still is a hero at heart.

I'll be posting a color version soon with some more back story on the character.

Gekisen Warriors- Rock Beast Part 2

In this video I show the concept design for one of the Rock Creatures from Gekisen Warriors.

This is part two where I get into the digital painting. The process shown in the video is a bit different from my usual approach. I spent a lot of time experimenting with color and rendering vs actual painting. When I have a design already figured out the painting takes a lot less time and can be a bit more focused.


I will be posting a third video where I show the final piece with bkg.

Note: I posted this video again minus audio because it was blocked. Sorry for the delay.

-Karl

Trial and Error

It's all about the LINKS.

Spent the last few weeks zeroing (3 years of development total) in on the game mechanics of the CCG aspect of Gekisen Warriors. This can be incredibly time consuming. It takes a lot of love for gaming and you pretty much live for the moment where you realize the game is challenging yet very fun to play. It usually happens when you pull cards together to kick your buddies behind. Ha!

When creating a game I like to get into playing the game as soon as possible. After the initial idea is formed I create mock up cards that are blank and start writing ideas for how the cards will work on them. At this stage I don't use art. It's about ideas and numbers. How the cards affect the other cards and the overall game play and how the numbers of those cards are weighed against the larger drama of the game. A slight tweak of the attack of a character coupled with how the card is meant to be played withing the structure of the game play can send ripples through the game and skew it in a variety of directions. Getting that perfect balance of game play comes through hours and hours of playing. This trial and error approach always leads to slivers of the game play rising to the surface.

I gather up those slivers and start putting them into a design document. In this case I use Google Docs because I like to be able to access it in the cloud and or share it with other people working on the project. Don't let the design document scare you it's much like a business plan. It should stay fluid throughout the process. It's a living thing. As the game grows and evolves so should the design document. I think it's important to always be open to tweaking and reevaluating the game play and mechanics. If in the end it makes the game more exciting and more fun that's what it's all about. The key is not keep the core concept in mind while not getting attached to small details.

I've been keeping track and right now we have gone through at least 20 different versions of the game play with an infinite amount of baby steps in between. It's a challenge to develop a game on spec but that's what being an entrepreneur is all about. You have to believe in your idea and push to get it out into the world.

Gekisen Warriors- Rock Beast Part 1.

In this video I show the concept design for one of the Rock Creatures from Gekisen Warriors.

This started as quick drawing from sketch book. I scanned it in and used it as reference for a more detailed concept drawing.

After creating the loose pose and energy of the character I focused on refining the details.

I will be posting a part 2 where I show more of the color development and digital painting.

Gekisen Digital Character Sketching

From the Beginning

Hi my name is Karl Altstaetter and I am comic book creators, toy designer and all around creative cat. I often get asked the question. "How do you make a toy?" It's a tough question to answer because the creation of toy has many different routes and there are many different meanings for what represents the end product for a toy. Is it a collectable toy? Mass market? Direct to consumer? Lots of different ways a toy can get from the creators mind into the hands of the person that will spend hours having fun and playing with the toy.

This blog will focus on the creation of one particular concept. This concept is called Gekisen Warriors. over the next few months I will detail my efforts from a design and creation perspective as well as the business side of the equation. I look forward to sharing this experience with you and ultimately involving you in the creative and business experience of making Gekisen Warriors a reality.