Considerations of character design.

I finally got past a crucial conversation scene, but it took me a week and four drafts. The problem: lots of important information to be revealed, but it's talking heads and I'm boring myself after five panels. I used to love doing conversation scenes, but I've come to realize they can easily get legs and run away from you, especially when they serve as info-dump as well.

Five scenes are left to fine-tune before the final go-through.  

A pretty crucial problem is a particular relationship that I, for spoiler reasons, can't reveal yet, but it's at the very heart of the story and the very core of what drives one of the characters. However, it's a past relationship, not so much a current one, and I think flashbacks should be used only very sparingly and then handled with the utmost care. But if the relationship appears too theoretical, the air might go out of the story.

At least the visuals are a little more straight-forward. Here's what's new in character design:

Rada's physique was a little blah, a little ill-defined, a little wimpy, flat and inconsistent, so I got the advice to base it on a real person's, and who better than former MMA fighter Gina Carano? 

(That question is entirely rhetorical). 

So, something like:

I didn't realize just HOW MUCH it helps having a 

solid reference when it comes to drawing characters.

 She's much more of a joy to draw now. 

I have also made a size chart of the most important characters on land:

(Mr. Tall Bodyguard is now called Manfred. 

And here we can see Waldimar's older brother 

The King for the first time - suave and as well-kept as Waldimar isn't.)

With the merpeople, I've been trying to circumvent the little problem of gender distinction without slapping awkward-looking and un-hydrodynamic breasts on the females, so I introduced some curves. Not sure if it's too subtle. 

(Two ladies to the left, gentleman to the right.)

And on I go...

Body language sketch dump!

Body language is important! My goal is for every character to be recognizable just by their silhouette. Too lofty? I will at least try. Here's some Prince Waldimar, first of all. A little bit hunched, a little bit slouched, but not too much - he's royalty, after all.

A little too handsome in this profile shot, perhaps:

And then Rada. She's a pain. I might just be particular, but I feel there needs to be a balance to her that my pencil really needs to work to achieve. She's kind of rigid. There's confidence, but there's also insecurity - she's very much not on home turf. She's furious and terrified and overwhelmed and trying to keep a stone face over it all.

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.

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.