Dylyn (Scotland, Circa 1803)

Part 1/6 - The Framing Device (The Family)

       Part 2 - Style | 3 - The Sicilian Assassins | 4 - Buttercup and Westley | 5 - The Prince and the Count | 6 - Florin Castle

Around two years ago for my final year of college, I was required to pick an existing story to imagine as an animated adaption. So to make sure it could hold my attention for a whole year, of course I chose The Princess Bride.

Let’s start with the grandson from the movie is all grown up telling the story to his own kids. 

The Dad’s design is inspired by Fred Savage, who played the grandson in the movie, combined with a softness and reliably dorky impression that the project calls for. The book talks about the author’s father and his own son while the movie depicts a grandfather and grandson. But the Princess Bride is a story that has something for everyone, it’s not just for little boys. The two children express the idea, further driving it home with their differing personalities — The Princess Bride is for Everyone.

Side note: I needed something to tie their designs together and keep them cohesive, so I thought bears might be a funny way to do it (please get the joke) 🐻🧸🐼

For the kids’ bedroom, I wanted to eliminate the barrier of bed and chair so that a growing closeness between the father and his kids could be literally depicted as the series progresses. I took cues from retro interior design (wood panelling, colours, etc.) and modern design (light wood, shelving/divider, platform, etc.) to create something contemporary but would carry with it a nostalgic undertone.

Sunflower Field Time Lapse My firststudy on an iPad (courtesy of my awesome blockmate for lending me her iPad for a while) for a painting we'll be doing in class.

Finished version can be found here (Finished in Photoshop laptop)

To Sleep with You.

🌻

While thinking Danielle/Cloé, I was wondering why she never felt right as a metaphorical sunflower. I always knew it would be important to her character, but it never felt right. It was while focusing on Jiro that I realised that Danielle/Cloé isn’t the sunflower, Jiro is. While Danielle/Cloé is the sun itself.

So here is Jiro with his fellow sunflowers, me trying to capture the happy and bright but soft gentle-ness and sincerity of his personality.

Part 3 - The Sicilian Assassins

      Part 1 - The Family | 2 - Style | 4 - Buttercup and Westley | 5 - The Prince and the Count | 6 - Florin Castle

With Vizzini I was trying to combine the feeling of baby angels from old renaissance paintings, sinister-ish expressions, and ringmaster, plus dash of gaudiness. I made Vizzini prominently red so that there would be a transfer of association from Vizzini in the first half to Humperdinck in the latter half. The colour red and the pawns on his design apart from being on theme for his character can also serve as foreshadowing, that he is not the overarching antagonist.

Sometimes due to Fezzik’s backstory of working in Greenland, people mistake him for being Greenlandic but it was clearly stated that Fezzik is a Turkish wrestler. It was important that his design made it very clear that he was not European. In the books, he is described as hairy, large, and gorilla-like in appearance. By dividing his head into three sections (upper head, cheeks, and mouth-chin) keeping the graphic shape of his head across different angles was made easier. To determine the direction of Fezzik’s overall design the emphasis was established (his arms), inspiration was taken from circus strongmen, then combined with a strong but soft and lovable feeling.

The general direction of Inigo’s features was clear early on, but his head shape did undergo many iterations. His final head shape design has a clear and readable graphic iconography even in different angles. Its iconic integrity is easily maintained but can be difficult to draw, because of that a diagram was made to show how the structure of his head.

It was important to make sure Inigo and the man in black's silhouettes were distinguishable from one another. So I tried to pull their designs in opposite directions. Inigo's leaning towards a more slender swish-flick feel and the man in black's to a larger, billowy, and intimidating direction.

Jiro.

As I continue to get to know Jiro over the past few months, I continually discover more and more wonderful things about him and so I’m very excited to finally get to fully share such a wonderful person with everyone. I hope you find him as interesting as I find him wonderful.

Jiro’s story is the story of the supporting character in everyone else’s. 

One of the most defining characteristics of Jiro, and one of the things I admire most about him, is how great of a support he is to those around him. He may seem scatter-brained and out of it most of the time so he doesn’t come across as reliable (in fact he’s probably coming across as the character, the child, who has to be taken cared of). Jiro isn’t an unyielding rock in the face of adversity. Jiro is the kind of person that spend every moment feeling his surroundings, the sunshine, the flowers, the trees, the air, the heat of the kitchen - everything. He has an almost childlike wonder about the beauty of the world around him and because of his curiosity and awe, he is actually very much in tune with everything that flows around him. His reliability comes from how he has learned to bend with the energy around him. 

Jiro’s earnestness, consistent work-ethic, and humble countenance is what opened doors for him as the perfect supportive member everyone would want on their team. He is subtle and sometimes unnoticeable but the presence that elevates everyone in the team. His personality (and lack of ANY male arrogance) is what allows him to be a wonderful life partner to someone as bright as Danielle and the perfect Sous Chef/Creative partner with a visionary Thai Chef I have yet to name. 

I love talking about my characters so ask me anything about them. I’m afraid to put too much here that it would bore people to death but I have various word files dedicated to each character and their relationships with everyone in their lives when I’m working on them so sharing whatever it is anyone is curious about them is fun.

Phantasy Star IV

Chaz, Rune, Alys studies More Chaz sketches and Cast Wren Studies

When you’re loyal to your house and family but also in love with the enemy.

Needed a character to express my house loyalty and crush on Edelgard 😅

Holst’s character design is by onegingek (twitter)

Henrik before the war, before the war p2, after the war

I'm a little sad that we did not get Swampstat (I also really wanted to see our favourite hoe burn) but it has still been absolutely amazing so far. I am looking forward to hopefully seeing Dumpstat.

Logan was supposed to be just a single character exercise (he isn't even supposed to be the main character) but ideas came and now there are a few other characters in my head related to him... so here is Logan so far, before what is probably going to be a new direction.