My printmaking efforts have been driving me mad, so I’ve put them on the back burner momentarily. In the meantime I’ve been working on designing my Dungeons and Dragons character.
Tangentially inspired by a character from Princess Tutu (a ballet inspired anime), my character is a Kenku ranger. Kenku is a race of raven-like creatures which were cursed so that their wings, voices, and creativity were taken from them. My character, named Bird since I got tired of looking for a name, was adopted as a ‘pet’ by the king, who trained him as a royal guard. Since overhearing something he shouldn’t have, he has been on the run from the government. He took to the seas, hoping to discover the truth about the world which the king has been hiding from the people.
It was hard enough to draw a bird—I don’t really like drawing animals that much, or often—so I didn’t even try to make the bird design unique. Once I managed to draw a bird, I moved on to the outfit. I wanted them to reflect Bird’s history somewhat, so I drew both something he may have worn as a royal guard and what he is wearing at present. There are pieces of clothing that he never stopped wearing, and some new ones from his life on the ocean. The tied coattails are a reference to the loss of wings. There are also copious useless belts, as we all know that is what makes good character design. I only used these colors to help me differentiate between different layers of clothing, but they are growing on me.
I haven’t drawn his weapons or equipment yet, but I hope to soon.