The "Dude Huge" version. I decided early on that I wanted to emphasize the character's physicality -- not only because of his stats, class, and combat role, but also for the interesting twist it brings to the concept. There's a strange sort of appeal in having the party's burliest fighter double as its gods-chosen holy man.
That said, I'm pretty inexperienced at drawing the male figure, so I started referencing artists like Frazetta and Brom for the kind of heroic character I envisioned. Then... I stylized a bit. Probably too much, as the disastrous proportions above can attest. I think he's like 40 heads high in this sketch.
The "Desert Wanderer" variation. Ok, so first off -- yes, I suck at legs and feet. That said, I like the direction suggested by this sketch. I think ditching the head cloth was a good idea for several reasons. For starters, the head cloth is a pretty non-subtle way of indicating "HEY THIS GUY IS EGYPTIAN." Design-wise, giving him the head cloth seems to add too much visual clutter, whereas leaving his head bare implies greater simplicity and directness -- traits that are more in line with his character.
It's tough to see here because of the shading, but the other main feature of this version is the extensive hieroglyphic tattooing on the left side of his body. I was hoping to establish a more unusual, mystical vibe for the character. I also reintroduced the funeral mask for much the same reason.
I think Sasamuhn still has a little bit further to go before I call him finished, but this is still a pretty valuable process. With every sketch, I feel like I'm finding out more and more about who this guy is. That must mean something is working.
2 comments:
Great to see and read your thought process on developing the character!
The extensive tattooing is a really nice touch, and good call with the head cloth.
The funeral mask is great, but because I didn't quite see the beard at first it didn't quite ring Egyptian initially. Maybe just because I run a site called NITROBEARD, but defining the beard a bit more (perhaps just a problem from that particular angle) would be rad methinks.
Guy definitely looks like he'll be punching and bludgeoning the hell out of things! Great work!
Thanks!
Yeah, good point about the mask. It's very small and undeveloped in that sketch, so it's a great candidate for a detail shot at some point. I'll also make sure to emphasize the BEARD more, don't worry!
Definitely psyched to play this guy. I think he'll be a lot of fun, as well as a definite change of pace from the twiggy little Wizard I play in our current game. Sasamuhn's going to be all about smashing things, healing his buddies on the front line, and bellowing out cryptic Egyptian war cries. What could be better?
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