I've been doing a lot of works involving Reina this year. I've gotten her design pretty well cleaned up and worked out, and as such her design lends itself to variation and experimentation.
This first image is the one that's not yet very far along. I'm mostly testing out means of doing lineart digitally (without using a vector program, thank you very much. Vector illustrations have no soul. Too clean. None of the little quirks and variations that you get when working by hand).
This is the finished work. I was going for a slightly looser feel than my usual works, and I also went very heavy on the shadows. In terms of colors and composition, I think it turned out pretty well. Not sure if it's something to continue experimenting with or not, but it was an enjoyable stylistic exercise.
Cheers,
Geoff
Hey Geoff,
ReplyDeleteI'm really liking your drawings of Reina. It's not everyday that you see a well developed and modestly drawn character like her. Reina really is something special, and you should be proud.
Still though, I've got a couple questions for you and her.
In this story, Novus Imperium, who is Reina's foe? The Corrupted?
And what about her? What is her character arch; her internal conflict? How will she change throughout this story?
And what is Reina like? Her personality? Is she a child at heart? A hardass like Solid Snake?
I know I'm asking a bunch of questions, but this world and the characters you created is very interesting and it's fascinating.
It's awesome really.
Can't wait to hear back from ya
Keep up the great work buddy,
Your fan
Taylor
I'm always happy when I get a pile of questions thrown at me, it forces me to get my thoughts in order.
DeleteThe Corrupted are probably the closest thing in NI to a distinct enemy for Reina and the Cirrus crew. For most of the story, though, they're sort of a distant threat, only occasionally encountered. For the most part, Reina doesn't face up against "villains" but rather the antagonists are largely impersonal/otherwise neutral forces (e.g. Karic's military, space pirates, etc.).
As for Reina's own conflicts: on the surface she would appear to be something that we've been seeing a lot of in recent pop culture-- an improbably skilled and capable fighter. Unlike a lot of the characters who fit that description, though, I want to explore the flip-side of that. Yes, Reina's an amazing fighter, but what was the cost of that? She lacks any sort of social grace and has a lot of difficulty interacting with people in a "normal" (non-mission oriented) way. So she's incredible at what she does (stealth and CQC), but she's only been made like that at the cost of any semblance of a socially healthy upbringing.
In terms of personality and behavior, I would describe her as taciturn: she speaks levelly, and only speaks when she feels she needs to. She does not speak to fill silence. She could also be describes as somewhat innocent/naive. She is fully aware of the violent nature of her skills, but to Reina it is simply her natural state of being.
I'm not sure how satisfactory these answers are. I'm really not the best at verbalizing all the stuff going on in my head.
And thank you for the feedback!
Geoff