PROCESS: Eagle Huntress

Hi there! Here's a little experimental process video I created to show how I typically arrive at a sketch--finished or rough.

BEHIND-THE-SCENES: Color and detail designs

In addition, I thought it would be interesting to show how I go about determining the color/designs for a concept.

Color tests: I had a basic idea of what color pallet I wanted--the character is a hunter, someone in touch with nature, and so I wanted to keep the colors rugged and organic, nothing overly garish but enough to make her stand out in a game environment. I also knew that to emphasize the Turkic/Central Asian elements, red was going to be an important color (you see a lot of red in traditional clothing, textiles, etc.). The first two tries (left, middle) weren't standing out enough (almost a bit too European), but after coloring her headscarf red and brightening the reds, it looked like a decent base. 

Detail iterations: Again, the designs are inspired by various Turkic and Central Asian textiles. Ultimately, with the input of a couple friends, I landed on "C". 

However, upon rendering the drawing, the gold ended up making her clothes look too luxurious!! More a princess from One Thousand and One Nights than a person who spends a lot of time traveling, fighting, and living in the great outdoors. So to create more of a balance between video game distinctiveness and a design that was consistent with the story, I ended up coloring the designs red and black, so that it looked more faded--just enough to give the impression of having texture, but not enough so that her clothes look too fancy. With the suggestion/paintover by my mentor, I added in a few more print designs to complete the look.

And there you have it! Hope you guys found this post insightful!