ART WAR | 2D | Mukhadi | Spudistic

[spudistic]

Name: Hannan Almasyabi
Email: Spudistic@gmail.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/spudistic/
Artstation: https://www.artstation.com/artist/spudistic
Tumblr: http://spudistic.tumblr.com/
(website under construction)

My submission will be under FANTASY

[[EDIT: Though work started off traditionally, concept sketches and final illustrations are all 100% digital, I needed some traditional work as i'm also making this part of my university course. Additionally I'm new to digital art and concept art + character design ( a recently discovered passion), so any helpful feedback would be much appreciated!]]

Mukhadi is an assigned title/name to my champion and not his birth name; meaning trickster in the arabic language (مخادع)
I picked this name because Mukhadi is an alchemical fighter and mysterious merchant, using his alchemy and bartering skills to take advantage of others.

Pyrite, more commonly known as fool's gold is an alchemical substance, i took the "fools" part and played on that element only, since a literal translation of fool's gold wouldn't sound so cool

As for the arabian influences I picked that as a sub-theme for my character, as traditional high fantasy is pretty archetypal and i try to create something fresh with my designs

Below is the moodboard for my character

[spudistic]

Prior to creating the moodboard I did a couple of rough initial sketches as a way of visually brainstorming. To create a character that has no prompt, backstory or description to begin working off of, requires a different approach when so open-ended. The main thought going through my head was "how do i create a character that really stands out and tells a story by itself?" in order not to get lost in the sea of high fantasy character design cliches.
I try to make my initial sketches quite varied then begin to pull together elements i like from the varied designs to make something a little more visually interesting.

My three initial ideas were a robotic/mechanical alchemist, an Arabian styled merchant and a rogue/ possibly pirate anthropomorphic cat.

[spudistic]

A couple of sketches to begin getting a feel for the character and the direction the design may go. Still getting a feel for things at this stage and have yet to determine how to present both his appearance and also the robotic element without it bordering into sci-fi region

[spudistic]

Continuing with the development of my character i started to determine what specific inspirations effected the design of the character rather than an inaccurate inspiration drawn from various cultures

After researching different types of turban wraps and styles I went with an Ottoman styled headwrap and clothing inspiration

Images were taken from Le Costume historique by Auguste Racinet which depicted historically accurate outfits.

I sketched a bunch of different character designs and got carried away with the endless possibilities for my character, all of which were unique from one another. In order to help pull things together and set a direction once again I went back to thinking about what I want my character to convey through their appearance. And although there were many designs that appealed to me visually I don't feel like they quite captured the aura of Mukhadi.

I listed a bunch of traits for my character and noting the "feel" i'd like him to give off before sketching again.

I noticed when sketching that I feel like my character would give off a feeling or 'aura' similar to that of the Mask seller in LOZ majora's mask, which i guess could be considered an inspiration at this point. I wanted to capture a similar sense of his eeriness as well as the unnerving sense of uncertainty related to their intentions.

Followed by some really rough sketches on possible outfit, appearance and mechanical components. Now that my character's design is beginning to solidify as an identity, i'll be moving to digital format in the next post

[berrysquare]

Cool concepts! Keep up the good work and good luck!

[spudistic]

Thank you! You too ^_^

[Iago_Cavalcante]

Such unique style, keep up!

[spudistic]

More updates!
Started digital sketching now, hope i'm not too late. I'm still altering the idea as I go along, with changes to the the design and the little trinkets and accessories he'll have on his persons.

I went for a rusted + oxidised copper-like look for two reasons, one it would undoubtedly be partially due to his alchemic experiments. and secondly coppers, bronzes etc. i guess are generally more 'fantasy' = earthly tones? I've avoided shiny or chrome metals bc thats more on the Sci-fi end of things.

Quickly sketched out the possible anatomy under his robes. I liked the idea of Mukhadi having a soul of some sort inside his robotic body, so i started sketching a sort of furnace-like slot in his chest.
Top left is a real quick sample painting of the surface texture+/colour of his metal surface.

Just getting a couple of ideas for shoe designs here (Probably a weird place to start off haha) Designs are based loosely off of Turkish/Ottoman era footwear.

Closeup of the little soul compartment in my character's chest piece

[spudistic]

Thank you

[spudistic]

(As always I work best fleshing out ideas on paper then going digital )
Started working on the idea of a walking stick/staff for Mukhadi. I kind of like the idea that he somewhat resembles a frail old man as a sort of deceptive front. I know that a huge part of his appeal as a character and his design is him having a ridiculous amount of accessories, vials, trinkets etc. Just figuring out where to put them is the design issue

i've been trying out using the turban as a storage method and also his walking stick/staff (havent decided at this point) just really trying to see what works best and adds depth to the character without looking too ridiculous. In earlier sketches I tried using his beard as a way to store his potions but i'm not sure I like that idea anymore.

I'm speeding through these concepts so they're a little lacking in detail but you get the gist of it

[spudistic]

Did a bunch of character outfit thumbnails, not sure which idea I like best, would be interesting to hear what people like best

Followed by a bunch of quick scribbles, focusing on posture and atmosphere, gathering ideas for final illustration (i.e interactions and stuff)
The more i develop the character the darker he seems to get haha, I guess one's intentions doesn't have to be the purest in order to be a champion ^_^
I'm not used to revealing my super quick sketches publicly so they probably make little to no sense to other people, apologies for that.

More updates to come tonight hopefully, focusing on hand details right now and experimenting with disjointed fingers

[spudistic]

Worked on a bunch of sketches focusing on Mukhadi's hands today, I tried out a bunch of styles, to see which worked best and ultimately I preferred the simpler of the designs.

Final spread below

[berrysquare]

You have a wery interesting drawing style!

[spudistic]

Haha I call it the 'I have no idea what i'm actually doing' style Though it might be due to the fact that im actually rushing quite a bit since the deadline is super close!
How would you describe it? I'm a bit conscious that my stuff looks quite different to other peoples threads on here

[berrysquare]

Well you are in the development phase so don´t worry to much about the drawings right now. They work great, presents the idea and thats all that matters. I would recommend taking more time for the final illustration.

[spudistic]

Focused on mount designs today, as the character is a merchant, (mostly as a front) a mount, come pack-mule is pretty necessary to him. I thought of creatures that had tusks or antlers for things to be carried on, I then moved onto planning out what Mukhadi would want in a mount. I haven't spoken too much about his personality as a character and im not really sure if you're supposed to or if its just art process haha. But as a character that is proud, a little showy but smart I tried to create a mount that would reflect that kind of character's choice.
I focused on the feet at first, and initially planned to go for camel-like feet with a bit more mobility purely for the fact that it would need to cross a variety of terrains with ease, so the whole wide surface area= better stability in sandy places + added mobility.
I also tried bird=like feet which certainly look nicer. Not sure whether to go for the aesthetic route or functional.
Mukhadi is someone who has alot of clutter and its come out in all the designs, i tried to clutter even the mount's antlers. Then the tail is part of the showy aspect. Mukhadi would definitely only opt for the best, he fights smart and uses his wit to abuse a potential opponents weakpoints. Thats pretty much summed up the whole idea about his appearance, his posture is terrible, with a thin crooked neck and hunched back; his physique is similar to that of a frail old man. This naturally makes many people underestimate him and take him for an easy target, aside from manipulative psychology his alchemic substances and potions are his primary form of attack, using various concoctions to trick and confuse opponents. He also has a trusty little dagger too

(WIP) started sketching ideas for illustrations, everything is in super early stages but rather than all guts and glory sorta fighting, Mukhadi lures people into his web, and the moment they realise whats going on, its too late.
(It's also really difficult to describe characters without sounding cheesy haha)

[spudistic]

sketch dump!

Mukhadi's trusty dagger, the only weapon he carries around aside from his concoctions; a small and simple jewel encrusted dagger with a gold hilt. I opted for a simpler design here as I feel thats what best suits his personality. A overly flashy dagger engraved and all would probably come across as 'overcompensating' for lack of skill. the sheath is wrapped in silk wrappings tied to his belt.

I got a feel for the layout and environment around my character, with charms and enchanting tables etc. I've changed the design of his walking stick to have a bird's skull embedded into the end of the handle of his walking stick. (in earlier sketches it was tied onto it).

I plan on sketching cleaner designs for the appearance of Mukhadi followed by palette tests and final illustration sketches (composition tests and poses etc).

[spudistic]

Final design for Mukhadi in all his glory I changed some of the design elements as I went along, as they looked decent illustrated alone but when added to the character, they clashed with the design or just looked odd.
Biggest change was to the legs, abdomen and the arrangement of the accessories.
The initial final looked fine till i felt like the legs were too short so I elongated those and it looks more in proportion now. I'll be using this figure for the front display of my character in the final illustration sheet.

Did a couple of palette tests, I'm definitely leaning towards the red robes, i kinda had that image in mind since the beginning, it would definitely be a colour Mukhadi would pick to indicate the importance of himself and his riches. The jewelery too.
Not fond of the purple palette so I wont be going with that one.

Little zoom into the details since its hard to see in those thumbnails

[spudistic]

Thumbnails for final illustration, some of them are a lot stronger and dynamic than others. Not sure which idea to work on. I'm liking the final idea, tricking an important figure, either a king or a duke or something. If i did i might rework the angle.

[spudistic]

Final character sheet lineart almost done. just a couple of details left.