Character Concept - Jun

Hey guys!
It's been a while. I'm sure you're all in holiday-mode by this time of the year. I hope you're having a wonderful and peaceful time with family and friends. This crazy year is coming to an end and I think we can all use some time off!

So here's what I've been up to:
I've been working on the story, world and characters all at once. When I figure out a bit of story I realise that I need more characters for it and vice versa. So I'm constantly going back and forth. Everytime I feel as if I can share new cool ideas, I notice that it would contain major spoilers that would actually ruin the story for you. So while it seems as if I'm not being very productive, I'm actually making progress. I just have to figure out a way to share what is happening without spoiling everything. Working out a complex story is just a whole new experience and skillset to master. It's all trial and error. Though I'm having a ton of fun researching, coming up with names and other little details. When all the pre-production work is done, I can move on to the final storybook illustrations.

But this is what I can share:
Character concepts. While writing the rough draft for chapter 1, I noticed that I didn't have such a clear grasp on the characters that were involved. So I pulled out my sketchbook, scanned the rough concepts and worked on them in Photoshop to get them just right. The perfectionist in me wouldn't let me rest until the face turned out just the way I imagined it. Usually, it isn't the best practice to start off a character design with the face, but I like it. It helps me get a lot of the personality down in the beginning and I can imagine the rest of the person more easily. So I'll be doing these kind of portraits in front and profile view to get a very clear idea of my characters. I'll be colouring them (using a different cel shading technique this time!) and putting them all together in a nice bundle for you at the end of the month.
Once the portraits are done, I'll be adding the clothing and complete the designs. THEN I can move on to really flesh out the story details. I wish I could share all my writing with you, but I do think it's a better idea to let you discover everything through the story when the time comes.

There are so many other things I could talk about right now, but I'm going to leave them for the next post (the next concept should be done in a few days).

BONUS PENCIL BRUSHES:
The drawing on the right was done completely digitally. I used pencil brushes that I made myself and I must say I absolutely love them! The last one I posted sucks in comparison. I've downloaded and tried a fair amount of pencil brushes in my life and nothing has ever worked as well as these. I'm going to send them out to my mailing list subscribers in January, but I thought I should give you guys early access to them as a tiny Christmas present. Feel free to play around with them and use them however you like. I'd love to hear how you like them.
Honestly, I'm so grateful for all your support. I probably don't say this enough: Thank you so much! It's just so nice to know that my work is appreciated and that you are willing to directly support me and my art. It is what keeps me going and motivated.

I wish you all the best and happy holidays!
Take care.