November MOTM: stag beetle autumn knight - concept sketch + design commentary // sfw

once again, thank you verg of towels and marissa for the suggestions that ultimately lead to this monster of the month design! the poll may have ended with a draw between 'spirit of autumn' and 'stag beetle knight,' but i figured the two prompts had similar vibes and that it would work super well to merge them into 'stag beetle autumn knight,' an insectoid fall spirit and forest warrior.

the single most important aspect of this design is the fact that his armour is, in fact, his exoskeleton. he's not dressed in plates of hammered steel; rather he's equipped with 'organic' armour, an exoskeleton that mimics a knightly suit of armour in both appearance and function. it's incredibly strong and tough, but the fact that his armour literally is part of his body renders him much more agile and dexterous than warriors clad in steel. and it's not that he used to have a 'normal' exoskeleton that somehow changed to resemble an armour--he was created this way.

this whole concept was the backbone of the 'stag beetle knight' idea--an insectoid warrior whose exoskeleton looks like a suit of armour. it would have worked with many different types of bugs, but a tough and strong stag beetle seemed especially appropriate. but to adress the elephant in the room, i know that a stag beetle's 'horns' are in fact their mandibles. i considered giving this character a wholly different facial design, with the mandibles on either side of his jaw, aka at the front of his face where they 'should' be. but ultimately i thought that putting them where horns would be simply looked better; their shape is still based on stag beetles, as is the appearance of his brow. i took an artistic liberty, changing a bug feature to suit my aesthetic preference as i translated it into part of a humanoid knight design. but i think that it still comes across that he's a stag beetle man.

he's a spirit of autumn, and in addition to simply figuring out how to represent that visually i also thought about what it would mean for him conceptually. it's easy to associate autumn with decay, gloom, and even death, with nature withering away, rainstorms, and darker days. i love summer intensely, so i tend to think of autumn as a 'decline,' a loss of the vibrant green and warmth and sunshine i adore.

but for this design i chose to challenge myself and focus on other, more positive aspects of autumn. it's a season association with harvesting the bounties of fields and forests, with the vibrant beauty of golden meadows and orange leaves and bright berries, with a sense of maturity and nobility and sophistication. i wanted his personality and appearance to reflect these ideas, so i made him stoic and sensible, experienced and thoughtful. he's generous and helpful, giving freely of his skills, knowledge, and worldly means.  it comes naturally to him to guide those who need to find their way, to protect the helpless, and fight for those who can't fight for themselves. he comes off as principled and reliable, with a certain regal air to him thanks to his noble spirit. 

in line with all that, i decided to portray him as a courteous and honourable kind of knight. i love knight characters but i tend to go for a more gritty and nasty vibe--the brutal and unscrupulous crusader type rather than the noble and chivalric one, ugly armours covered with blood and dirt rather than fancy suits decorated with engravings. but in this case i once again decided to go against my first impulse, and give him more of a medieval or renaissance fairytale aesthetic. i wanted to visually situate him right inbetween the forest and a royal court, so that you could equally well imagine him among gnarly old oaks as guarding a ruler's lofty throne. he would look very faerie-esque, a mixture between the 'human' concept of courtly knighthood and the wilderness of the woods.

this all also gave me a perfect reason to have fun with the design of his armour. i wanted his appearance to reflect both the bountiful beauty of autumn and his noble personality, without looking too vain or foppish or like it's all for show. his exoskeleton armour is engraved with an intricate pattern of leaves and other nature motifs, making it look gorgeously rich while also representing his association with nature. the brown colours are inspired by certain stag beetles but not exactly based on any, because i prioritised using hues that were warm, earthy, and vibrant without being too bright or flashy. it's not too polished or shiny, either, and the shapes are rounded and functional rather than unnecessarily complex or artistic.

his head resembles a helmet, face made up of big plates (they can open up to reveal his mouth) and his golden eyes gleaming from within 'helmet eye sockets.' leaves, twigs, berries, and acorns grow on his horns (which are also a favoured perching spot for small birds, squirrels, and mice). a garland of the same autumnal nature materials wraps around his torso and hips, breaking off the lines of the armour and giving his appearance a more organic vibe.

the fur collar (with the colour of a grey wolf coat) serves a similar purpose, as does the soft mossy green of his cloak, the scabbard made from birch bark, the round wooden shield, and the various leather details. his exoskeleton is organic but it's not immediately apparent, and the inclusion of natural materials and shapes in his design cements him as a nature spirit rather than 'just' a knightly looking fellow. likewise, the colour scheme combines with the various details to firmly associate him with autumn rather than any other season; leaves in gold, yellow, and orange; bright red rose hip and rowan fruit; earthy acorns and chestnuts; heavy barley; twigs with just a few leaves and berries left on them; and so on.

by now i also figured that he would fit perfectly into a specific faerie court setting in one of mine and kubi's roleplaying universes. perhaps he's one of several faerie forest knights, each corresponding to a season? i mentioned he was created this way and what i mean by that is that he's a spirit that embodies both the rich, mature vibrancy of autumn and the honesty, strength, and unselfishness of a knightly protector. his appearance reflects the ideas and the ideals he's associated with, the concepts he was born from and made to represent. it's his nature--pun intended.

// art + character © me.