adamwarren
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DESIGNS AHOY: Redesigning HUSHED HALF-ELF for her role in THE LAST PARTY!
🕑 Added 2023-01-02 14:01:00 +0000 UTCSo!
While the other three main characters of my in-development fantasy project The Last Party—the half-orc healer and the dwarf barbarian (both ported over from earlier project Party of Two) and the mage—boast clearly established character designs, that's not quite the case for the eponymous heroine from Hushed Half-Elf.
As she's transitioned from a pointy-eared perpetual damsel in distress in Hushed to a wannabe warrior in Last Party—though her embarrassing backstory as an Emp-like former "avatar of the Chained Goddess" will come up from time to time in the new series—I needed to nail down the still-unnamed Half-Elf's character design, which was handled in a rather loosey-goosey, figuratively sketchy manner in the original version. (Plus her eyes were often half-closed and her g*g usually affected her hairstyle in "damsel mode.")
Plus, I now needed to keep the Half-Elf's facial design distinct from Empowered's Emp, though their bodies will be fairly similar, as this series needs at least one example of the physique I'm currently most comfortable drawing. (Note that female body-type diversity will be provided by the very different physiques of the brawny, statuesque half-orc and the wiry, petite mage.)
I'd also like to keep the Half-Elf's design somewhat distinct from the recent Harley Quinn iteration I drew, but that's much less of a concern, as I doubt I'll be drawing HQ very often beyond a future cover illo or two.
Anyhoo, let the noodlin' commence!
The braid is a callback to her earliest iteration (seen later in the gallery).
I was still thinking of giving her longer hair with this page, but changed my mind ere long.
The "flat hair" bit at the bottom of the page above is a callback from the recent redesign of Kei/ "Rose" (from a Distressed Damsels post for the $5 tier, as excerpted below), which I have no compunctions whatsoever about ripping off, as that iteration will never see print:
Anyhoo, next:
Kei/Rose-style "center bangs" would help differentiate this Half-Elf iteration, but I gotta admit I'm not fond of 'em for a main character nowadays.
Looks like tucking her hair back behind one (large) ear would make her too Emp-like as a default look, but is worth considering for a variation.
And yeahp, looks like the Half-Orc's going to be sporting a much longer braid in future versions.
Finally, here's a look back at the Half-Elf's first appearance, as a commissioned DiD comic (also seen in the recurring $5-tier Distressed Damsels feature circa 2019):
...though she was still a full-blooded Elf in this initial version. (I expanded the title to from Hushed Elf to Hushed Half-Elf just 'cause it sounded better.)
Might be revisiting that hairstyle and braid for the new design; note that the character was a notably less, ah, less zaftig as a full-blooded Elf.
Anyhoo, the Last Party Half-Elf redesigning rolls onward, as you'll no doubt see later on in the month; for one thing, I haven't figured out what the heck her hair color's going to be! After Empowered and Harley Quinn, I'd prefer to steer clear of featuring yet another blonde in this series.
NEXT TIME ON THIS HERE PATREON: Well, something should be going in the next M/W/F slot, though I've not yet figured out what that content will be. Let's find out together, shall we?
Comments
Shofie
Hey, at least if it's a light color in B&W it's a win for your hand!
Adam Warren
That's definitely a possibility-- well, if the book winds up being in color, that is!
Joshua Wolfe
Love the playing around with tropes with the half-orc as the lover and the half-elf as the fighter. Also, fighting girls gotta have booty shorts.
Shofie
Time to give her a fun hair color like green or purple! Something light, so it doesn't require heavy shading to convey, ergo easier on your drawin' hand, but a color that veers away from traditional colors so as to set her apart from other characters.
Adam Warren
I did consider that color option, but given that aspects of the H-E's design are already Rose/Kei-ish, I'm not inclined to push that resemblance even further by making her a redhead.
Aidenke
These are some fun options here, with different looks to suit the mood of each story-segment / mission as well.
Tekkaman-James
Ooh! Give her red hair! Either red-red or orange-red would look great, in my opinion. Thanks for sharing the design process! I am loving watching this take shape.
