Update: Sketch page from December! Many changes and fixes to Parsk's head. 
Still working on Parsk's physical appearance. I'm pretty happy with her head structure now and will move on to finishing up the rest of her body + adornments. This page is really messy, I find that having everything overlapping helps me iterate while staying loose, not worrying about getting too locked in to concepts unless they're good.
Summary:
- Parsk's horns (pincers) are a lot shorter now, this is to better reflect the diving beetle larva she was based on and also to address problems of balance. It also makes for a more believable silhouette.
- Concerning balance, originally her horns/pincers were supposed to be massive to counterbalance her large tail while on land. I think while not in combat she drags her tail around, but when in combat she dons armor that extends her horns (seen in the yellow sticky notes on the blue Parsk). It's hollow and metal and inspired by stag beetles. The tips are for grasping/blunt trauma, and the points in the middle are right over her pincers and have an opening on the inside face, imagine like a cut reed. She pierces enemies/prey and injects digestive enzymes into them through those pincers, then sucks it right back up. (That bit is based on actual diving beetle larvae, by the way.) The armor comes in two pieces that latch on the posterior face of Parsk's horns, and rests on top of a sash wound around her horn joints to prevent chafing. She might also have little "earrings" dangling off this armor, I definitely want to make it ornate and reflect the water beetles' culture as well as her personal taste.
- Parsk's mouthpieces are now inside her mouth. They come out for signed communication, for maneuvering (human) food into her mouth, and when pulling out her Hollow Jet. They were too clunky and un-waterdynamic on the outside of her face. They are also at risk of entanglement/breakage which seems inoptimal for communication-critical organs. Additionally, Hollow Jet is something that should be aimed.
- Added stretchy cheek flap (Is there another name for this?) where there used to just be nothing. This was because I watched Jurassic World and really liked the velociraptors. There's something a lot more disturbingly organic about the skin flap. It also makes sense in the context of evolving in an aquatic environment - Prevents too much water from getting in and also helps snap the jaw back to its place. Suffice to say Parsk can unhinge her jaw and does so for Hollow Jet.
- Added neck flap/neck skin underneath chin. Without this her jaw is just cemented there.
- Added antennae. Makes Parsk more emotive as a character design, and makes evolutionary sense (socially, as a sense organ). It also helps break up her silhouette which by this point was starting to look way too much like that guy from Hylics.
- I've been thinking that a big traditional motif for water beetles is kelp. Their main motifs overall probably tend to be plant-based.
I'd also like to elaborate further on armor for Parsk's tail - Metal plating covering the dorsal and ventral faces and a "lateral line" row of sharp edges that turn her swinging her tail from painful into deadly. (This image drawn before the previous one)
For next time: maybe a clear (digital) diagram of Parsk's head, more work on her adornments (I think it's very important that she wears clothes and armor), maybe some work on her body plan. I continue to struggle with the spirelets. For the final illustration I was thinking her in full armor piercing somebody/draining them through her pincers and lifting them high above the ground; meanwhile, a friend told me that I should do something involving her mouth jet, to capitalize on her being Team Water. It's all still very up in the air at this point. Speaking of Team Water, I have no idea where to put her emblem. Probably as a patch or pin, something "army standard issue."
Also take this meme
