ART WAR 5 | 2D Submissions | Art World War | Bulgarian Samodiva | sparksofdawn

[sparksofdawn]

Hello!
Personal details:
Name: Georgi Madzharov
Email: gmadjarov7@gmail.com
Website: https://www.artstation.com/georgimadzharov
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/g_madzharov.art

I'm thinking of designing a bulgarian mythological character! I'm not completely sure what I'm going to go for, but for now: The samodivas are female water/forest spirits, luring the common folk deep into the woods and trapping them for eternity. Their basic design is a little simple, so I'm excited to try and come up with cool twists!

[sparksofdawn]

Some lore:
The Samodivas are mythological spirits, who appear as young women with blond hair and loose clothes or naked. They can make themselves invisible and fly. Their powers are contained in either their hair or shirts. They love dancing in forest clearings, luring men and killing them (feeding off their souls). They can cause drought and destroy crops.

Going off of that - Here's my initial sketch:

I'm going to give her some tattoos with traditional bulgarian patterns. The bulgarian flag is white, green and red, so expect these colors in varying degrees

I'm trying to push myself to a more stylized approach, so that's what I'm going to go for. Hope you like her!

[dannypavlovvr]

Cool start, looking forward to seeing more of it. Cheers ot Varna

[Tesat]

@dannypavlovvr @sparksofdawn Hi there komşu, Turkish here. Looks really cool so far!

[sparksofdawn]

@dannypavlovvr @tbrk Thank you! And Hi! ^^

[sparksofdawn]

Initial rough illustration comps and a color test.
I'm not really happy with them (they're a bit generic), but I had to get these out of my system and start thinking about the story and feel I'm going for.

I like the weightlessness of 1, but 2 gives her more power.

Next up - another batch of character concept art/ refinement

[sparksofdawn]

An update on the design:

I'm still unsure about the colors and if she needs the weapon or not, but I'm pretty happy with the design so far. As always - feedback is welcome!

[midnightmoon-shortline]

whistles I don't think I have a chance! Great Job!

[sparksofdawn]

Thank you for the kind words!
My 2 cents: I'd say the Art Wars are delightful because of the community spirit and seeing awesome art/ approaches, so don't prioritize the competitive side of it. Not to mention, I expect some really good people (past winners and such) to show up at some point, as it's a pretty long deadline.

[Acolet]

Yes, that's exactly what the Art War is supposed to be, an art community building event in which we get to know other people and help each other improve!

Loving your Samodiva concept, cute and threatening at the same time. The hair is great visual element.
Only critique I could have is that I'm not sure if her right leg is in the right position - feels like the thigh would barely fit there in that angle.
Can't wait to see more progress!

[sparksofdawn]

Thanks! A mix between beauty and creepiness/horror is exactly what I'm going for, so I'm glad it's starting to show! And yeah, you're right about the leg (the whole pose is a bit awkward imo). It's on the list of hotfixes!

[stewart.mittnacht]

Love how gestural she is - lots of free-flowing lines to imply movement and ethereal beauty. I'd push that even further, maybe with more flowing cloth bits or by pinching her torso in a bit more and giving her wider hips. She's a bit flat just in the torso area so a bit more of a butt might help emphasize her earthiness as a nature spirit.

[daarkneit]

fantastic!!

[sparksofdawn]

@stewart.mittnacht Thank you! I'll definitely play around with the proportions and shapes some more, before commiting to a final design And a slight lore detail - the samodivas are indeed super beautiful, but their nature is more akin to a succubus or a harpy, rather than a nature spirit (with slight variations in the myths).

@daarkneit Thanks a lot! Happy to hear that

[bauscheusse]

I’m in love with this character design! Can’t wait to see more of them

[prinzmoana]

Hey Ho I really like your Design and the idea behind it There is just one thing you may consider. If I wouldn't have read the text, I probably couldn't guess which country she's from 😲
Actualy I'm not sure if its enough to just use the flag colors or if it has to b VERY obvious xD But I'm sure you will find a great solution, already very curious .

[sparksofdawn]

@prinzmoana Well, it's not just the colors All the decorative elements are bulgarian designs, as well as a big part of her clothes (with the exception of the flowy side skirt). These decorative elements, obviously, are also found in other eastern european countries, but that's where the colors come in. But thank you for the feedback, I'll look into reinforcing the bulgarian feel, as any uncertainty means a weakness of the design!

@bauscheusse Thank you I'll try to make her as cool as possible!

[sparksofdawn]

Hello, hello!
After working on some other projects, I'm back on the samodiva!

Some redesign:

I'm thinking of ditching the weapon, as it doesn't really fit too well with the whole flowy dancing aesthetic.
Changed some proportions and design elements to reinforce the bulgarian feel. I have fantasy elements in there with some of the floating cloth pieces, but I want to make her look otherworldly and fairy-like. (Also, I just find it fun )
As for attack, she's going to suck the soul out of her enemies, but I'm still exploring other, complimentary means of attack.

I'm going to hit my head against the wall of colors some more, before presenting them to you
Have a nice day!

[prinzmoana]

I love the skin color
For the clothes and accessories I would say: I like the accessories in the hair (right). Overall I prefer the feel of the dress in the left bottom corner, but combined with the shoulder pads, the cleavage and the chains of the right design... Hope you get the idea xD

[sparksofdawn]

I get ya
Btw, the right design is a mix of what I like from the left ones with some added tweaks. There's no cleavage, it's a necklace element. Bulgarian traditional costumes are quite 'proper' and layered in general, even the uncovered arms are my creative license and would be quite strange/scandalous historically
Thanks for the crit!