I began my character design process by researching other artists and media within my chosen theme – ‘Winter’. I wanted to look into different cultures that live in cold areas, such as the Inuit people, and how their environment affected their appearance. I found that often, they used animal skins to make tents and clothes. They crafted tools and weapons from the animals’ bones, antlers, horns and teeth. In summer, they travelled in boats covered with animal skin, called kayaks and in winter, on sleds pulled by dog teams, so their lives were very reliant on nature.
My first idea was based on a huntress who harnessed a wolf’s spirit in order to aid her. I wanted to combine some of the practicality of the Inuit with a more adventure/fantasy look, to add more interest to the design. I began by sketching out many ideas to experiment with different looks, trying out different silhouettes and shapes. I continued the use of furs and natural looking colours for most of this design process, but in the end decided to make use of blue colours to add contrast to the design, and make it match more with the winter/ice theme.
I finished my design process by asking for feedback on my artistic choices, in order to finalise some areas, and then drawing turnarounds of the character from the front and side.