Alice: Asylum - Concept Art (Young Alice)
Added 2017-09-26 08:48:49 +0000 UTCAs many of you know I've started work on art, design, and a project pitch for Alice 3 - tentatively called "Alice: Asylum." Once of the first things I need to do when building the pitch for EA is to establish the setting and tone. For that I'm working with Spicy Horse artist Joey Zhuo (among others) to capture some illustrations of a 13-year-old Alice in the Asylum.
What you see here is Joey's first stab at this key image.
While the tone and setting are pretty easy to capture there's a challenge in getting Alice's face and features just right. Joey and I have been going back and forth a bit to determine the best way to render Alice.
In the image you see above she's captured a feeling which reminds me too much of Ellie from "The Last of Us" - example...
I feel the freckles, reddish hair, and soft features don't really suit the picture of young Alice I have in mind. Though Joey has sent along a range of facial "textures" to think about...
Ultimately I don't feel these capture what we're going for. So I've sent Joey a bit of text feedback. But a picture makes it clearer so I searched around on Google until I stumbled on this...
This young girl's features capture better what I have in mind. Sharper, cleaner, and with freckle-free, paler skin. Whoever's child that is... she's inspiring the central character for the next Alice game, so bravo! :)
I also sent along this image (which I believe was taken from the EA-published "Alice Storybook"). The style of this one screams "Ken Wong" and I wonder if he didn't have a hand in its creation. I'll have to ask him!
So Joey's heading back to the drawing board to refine Alice's features and get her more in line with my expectations.
What do you think? Does the freckle faced Alice appeal? Or do you prefer the Alice more in line with the other images I shared here?
Up next we'll start work on images which explore Alice's decent into Wonderland. These will probably feature a section of transition between the asylum and Wonderland as I really enjoyed playing with that sort of thing in Madness Returns.
Meanwhile RJ and I have started sketching ideas for narrative to pull us through this next adventure.
Out of the Woods Update
There's more than just a mad young Alice to talk about these days. Check out this sneak peak at the border art for the House of Wolves from "Out of the Woods!"
Want to share your feedback about all this AND see your name listed in the Patron credits for all to see? Make sure to join tomorrow's Live Stream over on YouTube via THIS LINK.
Looking forward to your comments and feedback in the comments below and over on YouTube during the stream. Speak with you all soon!
From Shanghai with Love,
-American & Lulu
Comments
I personally like the freckles but the paler skin is great too. I would perhaps see what pale skin and a few freckles looks like. I like the black hair
2020-02-13 21:55:06 +0000 UTCThat is some EXCELLENT artwork by Joey, and I'm grateful for a thematic artwork to keep in mind while waiting for Alice 3. HOWEVER I like American's suggestions better. I prefer that look.
2017-12-08 04:53:06 +0000 UTCMuch prefer the later more pale and gaunt versions. Freckles and rosy cheeks don't suit. You don't get freckles and then lose them again unless you wear makeup, which Alice wouldn't do. The Alice story book one is pretty ideal. Are you planning on sticking with brown hair or moving to the black in this story?
2017-10-09 14:38:17 +0000 UTCI much prefer the latter faces as opposed to the freckled version up top. Freckles and rosy cheeks don't really fit the "Alice" aesthetic. Her face looks much better when its sharp and pale. The tone of that last picture is infinitely more fitting.
2017-10-09 06:11:57 +0000 UTCI absolutely love this concept art. I think her eyes and skin are perfect. Teeth are a bit distracting. One of my favorite parts of Madness returns was going back to the asylum in her head and how trippy that whole sequence was. Well done, American.
2017-09-29 22:04:55 +0000 UTCI agree that she's too......soft. At 13 she should be going into puberty and look a bit less, childish maybe? The teeth as you mentioned in the live stream are a problem unless she's channeling the rabbit. As for my beloved Cheshire.... A teensy fat version would be awesome. Maybe he has the tattoo markings, but sort of faded \ muted that grow darker and more prominent as both grows into our skinny mangy cat And the storyline progresses,
2017-09-28 15:48:57 +0000 UTCI also want to remind of these concept arts here. Maybe the one in the centre at the bottom could be an additional inspiration? <a href="https://i.pinimg.com/originals/03/fc/0c/03fc0c9abcd65b2ee9ce748f62646db9.png" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">https://i.pinimg.com/originals/03/fc/0c/03fc0c9abcd65b2ee9ce748f62646db9.png</a>
2017-09-26 18:47:45 +0000 UTCI prefer Alice's design to take inspiration from the photographs of Lizzie Liddell rather than Ellie. I do not think a Ellie impersonator would fit the story and game of Alice. I would often get conflicted emotions seeing Ellie in a Alice game. Other than that, thanks for the post. Good luck playing Alice Madness Returns this coming stream.
2017-09-26 18:02:38 +0000 UTCHey American. I would prefer the first artwork (A) from Joey. I also think that the freckled face doesn't fit for Alice. But without those freckles I like the concept, especially her eyes and tousled hair (younger Alice = more tousled hair is quite plausible), and in the A-version i don't find it too much Ellie-esque either. But the face of this version looks more like an 8 year old Alice instead of an 13 year old, so i would reduce the "baby fat" a little bit to look what it feels like then. Greetings from Germany.
2017-09-26 17:31:30 +0000 UTCDefinitely the Ken Wong'esque' art!
2017-09-26 10:34:49 +0000 UTCThank you for sharing this, American. I like how Alice’s appearance is progressing. Keep it up!
Kris Kamaruddin
2017-09-26 08:58:59 +0000 UTC
