Breaking Down The Hades Art Style | Render Breakdown

[@thomoclock]

i fixed kratos' arm (link in desc), the weird anatomy completely slipped by me. this is why feedback is an important part of the creative process, because you can develop a bit of a blind spot 😅. thank you for pointing it out! here's the previously pinned comment by @tinylordhelix, which i think has some good advice: "I also feel a big part of the Hades style is that the characters are posed dynamically, with a bit of fluidity to drive home that these are larger-than-life beings. One example is how Artemis is slightly crouched like a hunter, as she is the goddess of the hunt, but her hair flows up and behind her to show that she is quickly moving in one direction. Hades is also posed to where we have a worm's eye view of him because he is imposing and authoritative (since the player controls Zagreus it makes sense even without the knowledge of just how towering Hades model is). Wonderful video and breakdown and I'm so happy you included the interviews from Jen Zee because she and the art team for Supergiant Games really make a lot of small deliberate choices that make a massive difference in creating a cohesive style for their games."

[@tinylordhelix]

I also feel a big part of the Hades style is that the characters are posed dynamically, with a bit of fluidity to drive home that these are larger-than-life beings. One example is how Artemis is slightly crouched like a hunter, as she is the goddess of the hunt, but her hair flows up and behind her to show that she is quickly moving in one direction. Hades is also posed to where we have a worm's eye view of him because he is imposing and authoritative (since the player controls Zagreus it makes sense even without the knowledge of just how towering Hades model is). Wonderful video and breakdown and I'm so happy you included the interviews from Jen Zee because she and the art team for Supergiant Games really make a lot of small deliberate choices that make a massive difference in creating a cohesive style for their games.

[@Azleur1]

I seem to remember they mentioned in an interview that they purposefully had a "gemstone shine" aesthetic in Hades because in classical myth Hades is associated with gemstones and other earthly treasures. And that's why they put these colourful edge highlights on everything in the game.

[@Big_Man_Enjoyer]

Fun fact: the random colorful specks are called skittles internally by Supergiant (at least according to recent info for Hades 2)

[@CamK337]

0:41 I was confused why Gen Z would be important, then realized it was her name

[@prettyrat.]

I wonder how many jokes she hears about that nowadays

[@emissaryfromhell951]

There's so much I never noticed before, the bottom to top gradient surprised me the most, it was always there and I guess I didn't "ignore it" but I never really paid much attention to it. Fantastic Job!

[@SaintWombo]

Jen Zee seems so nice and talented, not sure why so many old people have beef with her

[@DannoTA]

Both pieces are super good! I appreciate the breakdown of original artists intent/inspirations, and letting us know canvas size + brush size. Keep killing it!

[@lubathebroski5315]

You did an excellent job not only explaining what they were doing with the rendering, but why. Displaying the rendering using a sphere was such a fantastic touch and demonstrates your understanding of the rendering so concisely in a single image. I'm obsessed with Hades art style so it's fantastic that you made such a comprehensive video explaining what exactly makes this art style so unique and captivating. Awesome vid!

[@pale_matter]

Would looooooove something on the style of Disco Elysium. Awesome video and great analysis, your first couple of attempts are amazing!

[@PopCross]

This is a brilliant video format and that Kratos Hades-Style is INCREDIBLE! You got a sub from me! Stoked to see more eps like this!

[@thomoclock]

Hey! Been subbed to your channel for a bit, happy to see you here! Thank you!

[@PopCross]

@@thomoclockoh cool! And no prob! Thank YOU for making this!

[@ghoulboss7848]

i was thinking just last night (while high) that I really want to watch either a hades/hades 2 art direction analysis or game design analysis. thank you for the food!!!

[@corvidkhaos]

damn this is insanely underrated for such a comprehensive guide! i always forget about terminator line when applying shadow and this'll help me remember it as something i can implement

[@Delta_Fox7]

This video was probably the first I’ve seen of a breakdown of a games artwork, and the way they make it is really sick. Also, love the drawings you made, it’s so cool :). I’d love it if you could make a Skullgirls art breakdown (as a recommendation of course) cause I don’t really see a lot of talk of it on the platform, and it probably inspired a ton of my art. Anyways, great video, man. Keep it up 👍

[@adolfoocadizc]

Plsssss never stop making these breakdowns omg!!! You are so talented and I love to learn from these :)

[@WanderingRagabond]

Thank you so much for breaking it down like this! I'm working on a comic book as a personal project, and I was looking at the Hades art style as one of my inspirations, but somehow couldn't separate all the pieces in my mind. I loved your results, Kratos especially looked really cool!

[@DontknowwhatImdoinghere...]

Hey I just wanted to say that you do fantastic work, and everything you make is incredible. They are also amazing tutorials, you deserve every view, like, and subscriber.

[@mikaeluhl]

Please do more of these! Just found your channel and this series is a long time wish coming true

[@yogaadampratama4201]

cant believe you don't have more followers and subscribers, this is high quality stuff we need more eyes on your channel!

[@kutayimre2837]

Thanks for this. Breaking down the art styles will always be interesting to watch.

[@swapnildas2989]

Hi amazing video, and absolutely love it. Just a quick suggestion, you could also talk about how dynamically the characters are posed to accentuate their characteristics, like how dionysus being the god of wine, looks very relaxed and laid back in his posture, while Hades being the god of underworld & the last boss has a "lookinf down on you" kinda posture. Also maybe I am wrong and these discussion are related more to character design and anatomy studies, but anyways kudos for your video and would love to see more of it.

[@quinnlee-newbury9003]

One of my fave art styles and definitely one I wanna learn how to replicate, super helpful vid. Thanks!

[@DarrinMichelson]

I have a theory regarding the vibrant accent marks that makes the Hades art style stand out so much. It's olive oil. Not like, actual olive oil, but the rainbow shimmer of an oil stain. Greece is known for its olive oil, and rainbows are often associated with divinity, so this touch could literally be making two references at the same time (presuming I'm not up my own ass on this guess).

[@manicpixiedreambuoy]

Nice job man! Love the concept for the show, you have a really likeable vibe, and I appreciate how all the technical information is presented in a straightforward and accessible manner. Hope the channel continues to grow 💪

[@optimisticori]

this is beautifully done big dawg. i can’t wait to see whatever your next breakdown is

[@API-Beast]

You were overly careful with the deep black shadows, compare that to the official artwork where it often covers a good half of the body.

[@ColorArmageddon]

Video needs ALL the views and likes immediately , these are incredible. Totally not going back and watching the rest haha, Kinda pulling me out of art block, keep up the amazing work :D

[@thomoclock]

glad it's helping with your art block! the series was partially born because of my own art block :)

[@PolarisCroquis]

This video is incredibly helpful to study this style!! Thank you very much for it!! I've studied the ~Hades style~ for some illustrations before, but I always felt something was missing - couldn't quite pinpoint what it was. Watching your video, though, made me notice lots of things I didn't on my own! Hahaha thanks again for making it and posting! It's very helpful!!

[@anapcm]

Because i am not an artist myself i overlook a lot of details in artworks i love, so this was really cool to watch! Your pieces were also really amazing! Thanks for the video

[@ianfuentes3146]

Love the result! I learned a lot from the clip file on your Patreon!

[@Jeppo.]

Hey dude, love your breakdowns! Please don’t stop doing them because this type of quality content is rare on this platform nowadays! Keep it up! See you hopefully in less than a year ;)

[@thomoclock]

thank you, i have a viddy coming out tomorrow or next week :)

[@awesomyth]

Thank you SO much for making this video. I'm doing a Hades game portrait style commission and have watched this video probably thirty times by now. Your detailed breakdown is so spot on and seriously helped me every step of the way. Awesome job! ✨✨✨

[@Bananafrys]

woohoo another thom oclock upload

[@froggyfromthelandofoz4846]

Yooooo watching this video felt like unlocking a secret. I was genuinely impressed by how closely you matched the Hades style. Good job!!!

[@Jess-lc7ci]

Omg, this is exactly what i needed for a future project! Thank you!

[@withercat1801]

This is excellent!! You’re thorough but you get to the point, and I love that! I’d love to see a breakdown of Library of Ruina’s art style at some point, for all the mod makers out there :)

[@beamonstereverything8869]

Thank you, wanted to replicate the style too, but didn't want to put the legwork into how to do it 👏

[@DragoLavinia]

This was very educational! I don't know if you need suggestions, but I'd love to see you breakdown more Videogame dark art styles, like Darkest Dungeon!

[@kindredsouls6815]

This breaktdown is incredible! Thanks for working this out so prettily. I also love your interpretations a lot. Definitly gonna stick around your channel now hehe :3

[@grizzlybearkid3265]

i was just thinking yesterday, i wish there was a youtube series that broke down art styles to help me learn how to do it and do more style studies!! thank you, thank you, thank you! you're absolutely brilliant, and you do an amazing job explaining things in a simple, straightforward way, without talking down. plleeeeeaseee keep this series going!!

[@janadoesthings]

Just wanted to leave a short comment to congratulate you on this video, its just so incredibly well done! The extensive research that went into this is beyond impressive, just like the general quality of the content. I look forward to more games (and maybe other media?) joining this series. I especially liked the addition of the breakdown notes of the characteristics and the follow-up example of the sphere study. It really made it incredibly easy to grasp, please continue including this in your future breakdowns! Again, great work, you definitely gained a new fan!

[@silva774]

I'm totally looking forward to seeing more of your videos! I love how you explain everything without making the watcher feel stupid for not knowing things. Keep up the good work

[@gryph3714]

I have never been able to nail the details like you did just by looking at the phenomenal art. I might just have to draw something in that style now!!! Thank you!

[@gato1511]

"Didn't do crazy numbers" me, with roughly 10 upvotes staring at those 800 upvotes 😭😭😭

[@jennahong3997]

phenomenal video, great combination of an academic breakdown of principles and characteristics and a stylistic analysis and recreation. i love that you source the artist's quotes as well, really great stuff :)

[@arofilos]

Wow! DUDE!!! Is it A REALLY BIG!!! work. I'm so impress and you're my GOD now. GOD OF ARTS, GOT IT???? oH MY, i'm so glad youtube showed me you, Thomas!! Your style analysis, detailed explanation of everything, NOT TO TALK ABOUT MASTERPIECE IMPLEMENTATION... I have a lot to learn from you, sensei. Keep up your creativity, you're the best- don't forget about it!❤❤❤

[@DanielAngArt]

This is so informative and you break things down in a really easy to understand way! Great job, subbed!

[@ArtArtisian]

I really appreciate this! Inspires several little potential projects. I also really like the example sphere - that kind of exercise is a really interesting one, and one I think I could pull into a classroom.

[@Crow_Artworks]

I've been trying to find my general artstyle for awhile now your breakdown made me realize I want to start shading that's used in the Hades artwork so thankyou!

[@nick2369]

This was a very insightful breakdown. Thanks so much!

[@pampamtamtam4001]

This was amazing! I loved seeing the breakdown lead into the results. Really helps that you chose two characters I love the design for. I am looking forward to future episodes. You've clearly put lots of work into your art and this series.

[@Ang3lxoxo]

this is a such a good breakdown!! i love art analyses with good production value, and take into consideration the artist' thoughts behind their work. well done!!

[@nothlitkaisyl5734]

I love a breakdown of artists work and hope you do more, this also totally helps for fanart when you want to try and evoke a certain art style! Cant wait to see more styles!❤

[@jonasfagundes8136]

This was great! The way you broke down the style into a sphere really helped me see how I can easily find my own process to try a similar style or just breaking down a different one without having to do an entire piece. Thank you and good work!!

[@andreas.u.1667]

Aaaah this is so cool and so useful! As a hobby artist who has a lot to learn, and also absolutely adores Hades but couldn't get the art style fully down, this video is SO useful. I'm definitely gonna refer to this when I give another shot at drawing a Hades character, and I am DEFINITELY checking out your other videos. An Ace Attorney style breakdown? Sign me UP! I have a feeling I'm gonna really enjoy watching your videos. Awesome video. I'm looking forward to more!

[@chriswineglass9639]

I absolutely love this video, Hades has one of my favorite styles ever and i feel like this one of this first ones that properly breaks it down while also perfectly replicating AND explaining the proccess step by step! I definitely want to tune into this series and see other styles be analyzed, Keep up the great work!!

[@johncliffalvarez6513]

Awesome job, dude! Loving your approach on studies of popular styles!

[@futuretomtom]

Absolutely love your videos and feel inspired after watching. Thank you!

[@ryanartward]

The art for this game makes me want a graphic novel adaptation made by the same artist Jen Zee. Doesn't even have to be hades, just give her a load of money and let Jen cook!

[@markkhan9055]

This is a very cool format - I watched it with great interest! Thanks for your work!

[@kiprian]

It was a very good and concise style breakdown, thank you for the amazing work!

[@dionisus7845]

Oh man, pls, dont make us wait for anothers half of a year just to see your next shot!

[@thomoclock]

i have a video scheduled for october 24th at the latest. seeing if i can squeeze a new episode in-between then and now :)

[@Uluralola1994]

Oh my gosh, I love this style breakdown! Please make more I have never subed to anybody so fast

[@kingdanett4043]

I'd really love to see a breakdown of the Kingdom Hearts/Tetsuya Namura Style (technically also final fantasy but the art for that has slowly used this style less.) It's got a water color effect to it that's pretty nice and the lines feel like a thin rough brush. Another thing I like is the detail he puts into faces like adding the tear line, tear duct, and heavy/detailed eyelashes.

[@katim0201]

oh wow i remember seeing the kratos artwork on the subreddit! great video i love the breakdown

[@jeancarlo37]

great vid, you did an amazing job recreating the style, but I feel like one thing you missed about the line art is how sketch it feels, in some places you can see that she used double lines like in a sketch, I think that comes with experience and mastery, I think that line style makes the drawing look more alive somehow

[@thomoclock]

i did point out that the lines aren't very neat in the video, as well as the subtle hatching used (the double lines), but yeah i guess "sketchy" would've been a better term to describe this

[@JayThomasAnderson]

Very sick man, I love the Mike Mignola influence mention, I'm not sure I would've made that connection on my own and it makes a lot of sense. Subbed and thank you for this series, from someone who desperately wants to get better at rendering!!

[@phillipwalters7702]

Hello there. I am a subscriber to the Popcross Studios channel and the host of the channel was kind enough to post this wonderful video in a new community posting. I just wanted you to know that I found this video to be very interesting and well done. Thank you so much for creating this video and taking the time to show us this amazing way of video game art.

[@crimeman621]

good job man. the second one is basically straight out of the game

[@vfg441]

Great job 👏👏 Hi Tom, great work and fascinating video. A huge thank you for your breakdown of the art of Hades. It's well explained, and I've saved your video to a playlist so I can watch it again later. Keep up the good work and have a great day. Greetings from France!

[@nickchin3843]

Awesome work, looking foward to more videos

[@aizulette]

this was really insightful! the Hades artstyle isn’t at all similar to my usual artstyle, but I definitely want to give it a try myself soon so thanks alot for the tips!!

[@savannapunk]

An art-style breakdown of Marvel Rivals' artwork would be awesome!

[@komerihimura]

Could you do a video on Ayami Kojima’s art style from Castlevania and translating it to digital if possible? I love watching you break down official artwork and explaining the different techniques of it 🩷

[@xez820]

Bro it's done, I loved this kind of vids, waiting for more soon! (btw I sub, to much interesting, can't let that content go away like that)

[@genaromorales6946]

I love how Palutena turned out!

[@genkimonki]

This is amazing! Great background

[@iweeblul]

I could say a lot of stuff but I just want to praize the video, excelent work, I'm excited for more.

[@ziiia]

MAN this was great. i hope it gets in front of jen zee, she really did strike gold with these character designs and this was a wonderful analysis ! :)

[@starsong3]

I love this and your ace attorney video!! It’s so interesting to see you break down what defines their art styles. I especially like palutena here too. Excited to see what you’ll talk about next :)

[@RedSunnyCat]

I think you nailed it! The only improvement I can suggest is to make the line art a bit messier :) Overall, these are such great pieces of art! I'm absolutely in love with the Hades style

[@Ashrah_Vell]

Great video! A while ago, I tried to draw my character in the Hades artstyle, but it didn't look right (both the style and the overall drawing, beginner artist here haha). This is an amazing breakdown, and I look forward to trying my hand at the style again with this new knowledge!

[@yasuo4506]

Good break down, good video pace, good voice over and good editing.

[@sanniichi_]

Thank you for such a wonderful breakdown! Now, I've always wanted to see a proper breakdown of Valorant's art style. Love the very graphic painting style of it

[@tearie4150]

very good video!! I love hades to the point I did all the achievements and maxed out everything I possibly could in that game id like to offer the game gris as your next consideration! idk if its that popular but I think its artistic vision was quite distinct for the sotry/gameplay it wanted to tell

[@Drakkar-y6q]

oooh this was very useful! I've tried in the past to emulate hades artstyle for studiees but something was always missing... It was the terminator line! Time to try again! ty for the nice analysis :)

[@StrayBardArt-offical]

Just found your channel by chance and I love it! ^^

[@nazra3]

DAMNN THOSE WERE SOME REAL GOOD ARTWORKS GOOD JOOB

[@saibot4754]

Awesome video and incredible skill with those drawings, might try to do something similar myself! I would love to see you breaking down Darkest Dungeon or Banner Saga artstyle, if that would be something up your alley.

[@knehzoo]

very informative ! i like using pitch black for shadows but its still a bit confusing to find out when to use it and when to actually use normal shadows. more studying for me!

[@icet1100]

You Sir, just earned a new subscriber. Great work! I feel like you're eyes turned out bigger than in the hades artstyle making it feel more cartoonish, no? Amazing work anyways.

[@The-Secret-Dragon]

I've been emulating Hades' art style a lot recently with my own artwork and have found it very fun! Especially the deep shadows. I hope you don't mind some feedback - the kratos one you made looks fantastic but it is brought down by the fact that you used multiply layers for the shading instead of picking your own colours. on the browns of the leather bracers the colours in the shadows are noticably more dull, not as strong a difference in value, and less interesting for the viewer's eye (especially the edging colour which was already close on the colour wheel to the brown), whereas the portraits in hades are vibrant throughout, I suspect because their colour picking for shading was done more traditionally to maintain that vibrancy of the hue rather than relying on the fast and dirty method of layer blending modes. When painting in this style I try to bear in mind if my colours are trying to go warmer or cooler, and if a shading colour is already close to the base layer for that area then I need to move it more towards warm or cool on the colour wheel. And of course, if using blue shading over yellow, trying to avoid making green, by moving it towards grey instead. The grey will create the illusion of blue shadows. I hope that makes sense and I'm not rambling!

[@lestervalentin5418]

im rly not someone who knows a lot about art but from where i stand i think u did a good job! some notes i think that would make them align more with the official stuff is i felt like they could be sharper (?) and also flatter (?? i dont know art terms). comparing to the hades art, your versions remind me of comic booky muscle sheens that seem very round and kinda 3d, while hades evokes so much flatness like theyre not gonna come out in real life and just stuck in the 2d space. i dont know if that makes sense but either way i really learned a lot from this so thanks!

[@mikael1786]

That is pretty cool man ! Would love to see you do the same with the style of GranBlue fantasy characters. as an character artist myself ive been studying it for a while and would be nice too see how you break it down. :)

[@totalgarbage2646]

Don't know if you have yet, but you should definitely try the darkest dungeon artstyle. It's awesome and totally what got me into the game 🥰.

[@IsaRod-c9i]

Maybe you should check out risk of rain returns. It has an amazing art style that really inspires me. It’s beautifully rendered with lots of detail. Especially in the monster logs

[@ravioliyay]

Oh nice I was looking this up and it was just uploaded this is cool

[@thomoclock]

welcome to the channel! i also have a vid on ace attorney :D

[@ravioliyay]

@@thomoclock nice!!

[@RegstarRogstar]

these are some good observations and you have the skillset to bring those into your own works well. good job! may i suggest the danganronpa style for the next render breakdown, or something like the persona games? those are striking style wise. thank you for this breakdown btw, i might use this one day...

[@jonarvinmedalla7303]

Would love to see you tackle Dredge!

[@leguink]

this was so informative !