The Castle

Not much to say at this point (although wait until you see the BACK of it!). I wanted it to be huge and foreboding, if not outright forbidding. Got to practice perspective and study castle architecture and it was an absolute blast. So much fun.

Merpeople

I might do more thorough character sheets closer to the actual due date, but here's what I have for now. The ones I've gotten around to name were done so according to the first-thing-that-comes-into-your-head principle. They might be subject to change.

The Heir - a young squirt. Proud, curious, rebellious.

Benjamin Dewey, of Tragedy Series fame, named this one Herbert, so there you go. Not quite a father figure to Rada, but an ally at least. 

Irene is sweet and quiet for the most part. The scars on her left side are from a man-o-war.

The long-suffering Queen. 

Head Chancellor Kor. Not happy with Rada at all, for reasons.

The Deadbeat Prince.

Prince Waldimar (Rada's target) and his bodyguards. The guy on the right's name is Eskil. I don't know the name of the other one yet. He has a tendency to talk a lot and somehow that's led to no one ever saying his name. I'll figure it out.

Waldimar has had a great night before and I don't know whose coat he's found, but it's clearly not fitted for him. He may or may not have lost money to the guy on the left and that may or may not be why said guy is whistling.

Prince Waldimar has been a breeze to write, unlike SOME characters.

Smoke.

This was an exercise in various things (light/dark, composition, texture, etc). It was humbling realizing just how hard it can be to properly render billowing smoke.

This is an actual scene from the story, but the design of the site could use some sprucing up. Hydrothermal vents are much more graphically interesting in real life. 

Rada

Our protagonist. Roll the 'r' and say "ahhh".

I wanted a mermaid design that seemed more like something that could actually live in the ocean, than a lonely sailor's wet dream.When I first designed the facial structure, back in highschool, I thought of sharks, but it ended up looking more like a cat's face. Fine by me, it means I have reference handy.

I might add some rank markings eventually, but for now, I like her sleek and clean.

Let's not question the tiny stick - I just wanted her to have something to hold and I haven't designed the merpeople's weapons yet.

The merpeople's eyes are reflective, they can NOT breathe above water and they communicate telepathically.They have very sharp teeth, with two extra long canines that tuck into their lower jaw. I figure that their skeleton is cartilaginous, like sharks, but I have yet to read up on whether that would work well with having arms. (It has no bearing on the story, I just like to know these things.)


Rada as a human:

Not terribly much to add without spoiling things. I wanted her to look solid and strong and worker-ish without making her look like a powerhouse. 

Her face has been giving me trouble lately, especially in inks. Not sure why.

I need to devote plenty of doodle time to it until it's second nature.

Coming up.