(more on the project page)
Cactus - Exploration
Cactus - Final model sheet
Hawk
Hawk- Final Model sheet
Hawk - Exploration 01
Hawk - Exploration 02
The creators of these characters are credited below.
I have invented none of these characters, only redesigned them.
(with the exception of Tybie the shape-shifting robin, he was my addition)
As always, I tried creating as much variation between silhouettes as possible while retaining the spirit of each character's prompt.
"Duncan: human wizard (DM). Smart but stinky glass cannon"
I took this prompt literally. I wanted to evoke a frail hermit hiding powerful magic, with a dash of the wise-old-man archetype thrown in.
Marian Schurman @mababwion
"Erik: firbolg cleric. Big, strong, but such a softie"
I designed Erik to look as if a grizzly bear was an elderly scholar: imposing and battle-worn but with a calm, friendly demeanor.
Elisa Cura @erisperitas
"Ezramas: Blue tiefling sorcerer. Sad gay boy with cool magic"
Here, I focused on combining "sad" and "cool" to make a character whose demeanor seems too bashful and aloof for the impressive, mystifying energy he controls.
Cris Trinci @galaxybandit
"Fahlen: Half-elf rogue. Mischievous and flirtatious but reserved about their past"
I wanted Fahlen's secretive past to peek through her cocky, self-assured composure, hence the scar and the tired eyes. I also wanted to contrast her typical roguish apparel with a bulky shoulder piece.
Cass Sim
"Goury: Dwarf druid. Grandma of the group. Loves to make food for everyone <3"
For Goury, I wanted to stray from the feeble, rickety portrayal of many "grandma" type characters, so I incorporated her sturdy, dwarven heritage and made her the largest character in the lineup while trying to retain her caring, nurturing energy.
Anonymous
"Jude: Half-elf cleric. Shy, reserved, a little awkward but loving and kind"
Jude stayed true to his prompt, with a concealing fuzzy sweater; a squiggly, unsure gesture; and a lack of weaponry and armor to suggest a huggable, warm-hearted character.
@turillustrations
"Saana: Red tiefling fighter/barbarian. Goofy and warm-hearted with fiery sword skillz"
For this goofy warrior, I took the usual brutishness and bulk attributed to barbarians and contrasted it with a very short stature, as if she can barely fit in her huge armor but is no less threatening for it.
Lina Privorotsky @lilaeleaf
"Shayesa (Shay): Half-orc monk. Well composed, headstrong, and very in tune with herself"
My goal with Shay was to equally show her orcish background and her wise, calm, monk upbringing; two features that are somewhat antonymous.
Houda Belgharbi @houda_belgharbi.art
(Enlarge each image to read my goal and process for each design)
The many dangers a traveling adventurer may encounter on the road and in the wilds
The everyman of this setting: a traveling mercenary and benchmark of normalcy in a cast of strange, otherworldy spirits and fey creatures
An aquatic freshwater fey known for tricking passersby into Faustian bargains, often ending in the victim's devourment. I wanted to give her two forms: a poor human disguise that hints at her swampy nature; and a carnivorous, froglike "true" form
Representative of and spiritually bound to specific watery landmarks, I wanted the Naiad to look ethereal and somewhat amorphous; less corporeal and more like an embodiment of a natural landmark. The visual gag behind her human form is that it's only convincing if she's half-submerged, further pushing her tie to her given body of water
Restless spirits trapped in this world but bound to the other, the bhoot is meant to be misshapen both the anguish or rage of their death and their inability to properly mimic a human form
A chicken hatched from an egg incubated by a snake. I essentially wanted it to look like a chicken with a snake's body and combine a chicken's awkward, jerky posture with a snake's long, winding form
A snake hatched from an egg incubated by a chicken. I wanted the basilisk to look serpentine in nature but with specific visual details that betray its avian DNA: the crown and the feathers. The crown also serves to represent its moniker of serpent king. Additionally, I emphasized the basilisk's toxic nature with bright, noxious green/blue tones reminiscent of poison dart frogs.
A malicious, bloodthirsty faerie who haunts old castles with war-torn histories, bludgeons nearby travelers to death, and soaks their signature red caps in their victims' blood. These guys are defined by their bloodlust and deceptively remarkable strength and speed, so I designed them to look oddly muscular for their diminutive size. I also wanted them to be creepy and intimidating, so I shrouded all their features in mystery behind their hood, except for their glassy, yellow eyes
Mischievous pranksters and givers of advice in the form of cryptic riddles, these fey creatures typically manifest as rabbits or horses, either stark black or stark white. I wanted the púca to look like a strange cross between a person and an animal, as if one shouldn't be sure which they're looking at. I gave it large rabbit ears and a cocky cat-like strut to evoke the nature of these quick, agile animals, along with a clever, eerily humanoid face. I also threw in some Celtic fashion in the form of a golden torc, bracelets, and a mustache
The púca was hard to pin down. I was tempted to draw from the lemur-like posture of Tony DiTerlizzi's phooka (as shown in the lower left sketches), but with inspiration from the very human-looking face my partner Mireille provided, I had the idea to give it a big human face on a little animal's body
The redcap also went through many iterations. I wanted to stray from its typical representation as a crotchety old man with sharp teeth while keeping its human shape. I eventually covered its whole head in its cap/hood, personifying it as a walking, pointy gnome hat with a pike
Boomer
Charger
Hunter
Jockey
Smoker
Spitter
Tank
Witch
Runner
Clicker
Bloater
Joel
Bill
Ellie
Gilgamesh, the grizzled old king
Enkidu, the wild dude
