Art Programs used: Paint Tool Sai, Photoshop
^ Photoshop brush used: Kyle’s impressionist brushes – Thick ‘n Thin. This pack gives a very clean, cartoonist style to brushes and is perfect for making the neat linear I wanted for the humans.
^ Paint Tool Sai brush used: Default Crayon. I love using this brush for art in SAI, as it’s really textured (you can see it the most when zoomed in) and makes the art even more interesting. Therefore, I use it for sketching and rendering due to how much character it gives the art.
Rat player character + NPCS
Base rat (white), which I will use to make the other colours in Photoshop using curves and hues.
The Rat player character will have basic colour palette options to start with. There will be 6 base colours inspired by real rat colours. These colours include: White, Beige, Grey, Orange, Brown, and Black. Players can customise the characters at the Rat Parlour, so eventually, they may get different customisation options like tattoos, dyed fur, and accessories, as I mentioned in my initial ideas post.
The Rat below is Rick, an NPC that would customise your character for Cheez. He is heavily inspired by biker and punk culture.
Level 1 Characters – Eden & Edie
Eden, 24
- Level 1 Character. She lives with her twin sister, Evie.
- Normal State: Shy and reserved, Indifferent personality
- Threatened state: She’ll defend her sister at all costs and hunt the player down on sight
- Level of Threat: High
- Gothic Rose Color Palette
This was my first sketch of Eden, I was going for a more emo look, but I wanted to keep the styles of my character more contemporary London. It’s safe to say that Emos aren’t a big thing anymore (at least as much as they used to be) and you’ll find more people who are generally alt (dyed hair, dark graphic clothing, piercings) or Goth instead.
My first sketch of Eden had something missing. Instead of an Emo look, I chose a relaxed casual look combining hoodies and maxi skirts (a combo I’ve seen a lot) still taking notes from general alternative stylings. The hair was cut into layers in an unconventional way. Still, I felt like something was missing. None of the design elements were clicking together. I decided instead of a casual look, I’d go for something more serious but defining of the character.
Feeling inspired to get back on track despite the previous bout of art troubles, I decided to go for an eccentric Whimsigoth style, inspired by a few people I’ve seen in and out of towns near me with a very gothic yet eccentric fashion sense. I was scrolling on Pinterest for alt-fashion inspiration, and Whimsigoth struck my eye as it’s a fashion still related to the goth subculture, but also incorporates surrealist and witchy aesthetics. I thought a character with this style would be fun, so I chose it.
With this final sketch, I think the character really comes to life. She looks sad and contemplative which hides how determined she can be to hunt the player down for her sister. This could be compared to how Arcane‘s Jinx facial rigging makes her go from a soft childlike look to an assertive, twisted one instantly. In this sense, when Eden enters the threatened state from the player, she will go from looking “sad” to “driven”.
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Evie, 24
For Evie, I always had it in mind that she was going to be in contrast to her sister, so I kept her style popular and stylish. Her character template is based on her sister’s, so I simply changed the proportions around but kept a similar eye shape and facial structure.
- Level 1 Character. She lives with her twin sister, Eden.
- Normal State: Loud and Brash, Scared personality
- Threatened state: Freezes in her spot or cowers away and calls her sister over
- Level of Threat: Medium
Human NPCs Illustrated
You will only see human NPCs’ shoes and knees. If you jump high enough to see their faces, it will be obscured by a cloud.
