But if you're anything like me, you don't read this blog for my words, you read it for the pretty pictures, so let's get to it.
First up, a study sheet of my character Reina Cloude, set in the original universe of Novus Imperium. You may already be somewhat familiar with her, as she's been the subject of a previous post, and she occupies the background of my blog, come to think of it. In fact, the little icon that appears on the tab you've opened this blog in is a little painting of her eye. She's been the focus of a whole lot of development over the last couple years.
1- This was just me getting warmed up. I think I'm finally starting to get a grasp on how the various shapes of her torso fit together.
2- Similar to the above, I've drawn Reina's face more times than I care to count, but that's an essential part of the development process. I have to give her a defined look, and I have to get acquainted with every little detail to ensure that she has a consistent appearance.
3- Finally trying out some ideas for the back of her civilian outfit. I wanted to give it a slightly more sci-fi feel than the previous studies and sketches I'd done.
4&5- I've been trying to figure out her armor's design for a while now. It's a huge challenge, trying to make the armor look substantial enough to protect her, but still keep it light-weight and flexible enough for a stealth character like Reina. I'm liking where it's going with the back and chest, but I can't seem to work out exactly how I want the stomach section to look. It'll get there eventually.
Next up is a character who's been in the works for as long as Reina, but who I've only in the last two years rally made a lot of progress with: Timberwolfe, an ex-military freelancer who acts as a sort of adoptive father to Reina. He's a Saldean, and alien species created by my close friend Kevin. Externally, Saldeans are extremely similar to Humans. Most of the differences are internal, the details of which I'll get into at some later date. Suffice to say, their home planet of Saldea is a high-gravity world, and Saldeans are heavily muscled to counteract this. On a Karic-like (Earth-like, basically) world, a Saldean is likely to be able to perform "impossible" feats of strength.
1&2- A couple of head studies. Similar to Reina above, this was primarily just to help myself get acquainted with the various details of his face.
3- This may be the first image I've ever drawn of Timberwolfe without him wearing a bandanna, headband, or skull-cap. I decided to extend that scar running up from his jawline through his eyebrow, up his forehead and over into his hair. The scars on his head and shoulder are a couple of nasty souvaniers from the mission that ended his black-ops career and resulted in his going freelance.
Alternately: "Timberwolfe, a proud member of the Solid Snake Hair Club for Men."
4&5- Unlike Reina, Timberwolfe's armor has fallen into place without too much trouble. There's still plenty of room for improvement, but I'm really happy with where it's going. I've got sort of a blend of Metal Gear Solid 4 and Mass Effect influences going on with my current armor designs. Also worth noting: his physique. I'm trying to have his appearance show that he is obviously very strong, but also trim enough that he can really move when he needs to; vaulting over obstacles and leaping wide gaps when he needs to.
Also, he does have a real name, I just haven't figured out what it is yet. "Timberwolfe" is simply his old black-ops call sign.
Also Also, here's some shameless self-promotion: I'm currently taking commissions, for information, you can check Here.
So there it is. My apologies for neglecting my readers (all three of them). But I'm getting back into the groove, so expect weekly updates, at least.
Cheers, all.
