Worf is one of the most frequent posters on the HeroMachine blog and the creator of some truly memorable pieces. I hope you'll enjoy learning a bit more about him as much as I did. Also, I'm beginning to see how Batman wins all these polls ...
- Online name used in HeroMachine environs: Worf
- A photo (or drawing) of you in "real life": (if you HAVE to ask, I'm the one without the costume) 😉
Also this one that I made for HK's creator's club:
- Real name: Ricardo
- Real city/state/country: Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- Real job: Systems Analyst
- Real age: 40
- Gender: Male
- Relationship status (married, single, in a long-term relationship, dating someone, "it's complicated", etc): Happily married
- Online archive of your creations: https://picasaweb.google.com/ricardo.m.almeida/Stuff
- The best piece of HeroMachine art you've created: Hmmm... I don't know about best, but I'm partial to this one as it's the one I've spent the most time tweaking:
(Click to embiggen.) - Favorite all-time geeky movie if any: Sci-Fi/Hero/Fantasy is my favorite genre, but to pick one movie..... I can't... here are a few:
- Cerebral (can't miss a single detail): Primer
- Most awaited (also I thought it would never happen): Lord of the Rings
- Biggest Surprise (Specially because of all the subtext): The Matrix
- Favorite all-time geeky book if any: I'll have to say the whole Douglas Adams series. The Hitchhiker's "trilogy" of 5 books and both Dirk Gently novels. That is some truly off-the-wall stuff. Funny as hell. Completely preposterous and yet, it works.
- Favorite all-time geeky TV show if any: There are a few so:
- Favorite show that I wished bodily harm on the producers for canceling it: Firefly
- Favorite show that amazes me it actually caught on: The Big Bang Theory
- Favorite show that stayed on even after they totally screwed it: X-Files
I could go on all day, but I'll stop here 😛
- Favorite all-time comic book character if any: Batman. AND I know it's kinda cliche, but I was a fan WAAAAY before he was mainstream. I remember reading Batman comics in the 70's, when he got re-imaged away from the campy 60's.
- If you could have one super-heroic power in real life, you'd choose: In the real world? I'd have to agree with some of my other power user colleagues and go with telekinesis. At high enough levels of power it can double as invulnerability, flight and many other effects. Purely in the comics world? Batman's "superpower" to beat any other hero/villain.
- In your leisure time you like to: Watch TV, play D&D, read, play computer games, mess around with HM, play some more computer games (if you ask my wife she'll say I spend too much time on the computer)
- Character design turn-ons (things you love to see that make for a good design): Not to sound like a broken record but, detail. Making sure your lighting works; not clashing colors; ears;Making sure your pose works; Also Completely off the wall stuff that makes me go "HUH? How the hell did he/she do THAT?????"
- Character design turn-offs (things you hate to see that make for a bad design): "Broken" arms/legs/hands. Not masking stuff to hands (i.e. floating weapons and such). Missing simple stuff such as ears or eyebrows.
- Best tip for a HeroMachine newbie: Practice, practice, practice. If you're not sure about a position, go look at yourself in the mirror. If your arm doesn't twist that way and your character ain't a double jointed, three-elbowed alien, then your humanoid character doesn't bend that way either. Try to find reference photos or good comic book illustrators (NOT Liefeld) to see what can be done. One that a lot of people like for his realism (he does everything off of reference photos) is Alex Ross.
Pay attention to other people's advice here. I've learned a lot from the most innocuous comments, such as using eyebrows to add shading to the face. OCDs are also a great way to get better. Post, ask for advice, and look at the advice given to other people as well. Some great stuff there.
- Any personal message you'd like to share with the HeroMachine community about Geek Life: Geek life is a fun life. It's about not being constrained by the cookie cutter world we live in. Worry more about how you feel about yourself, than what the world thinks of you. Consider the people you're close to. If the clerk at the coffee shop thinks you're weird, or the guy across the street is giving you funny looks, WHO CARES? Live your life as you see fit. If it makes you happy (as long as it isn't purposefully hurting/killing people) then go for it. (can anyone tell that I'm in a "not please the world" place right now????)
I'll stop here 'cause I could list movies 'till next week. (I'm a movie buff and YES, I DO like Citizen Kane)
