Captain Character: Initial Iterations

Creating a strong character is a time-worthy developmental process as one must implement an aspect of his own self into the character, making it radiate vivacity and energy. With this study task, we are to create a character based on an archetype, develop it, give it life, make a story, let it shine with emotion, artistically conceive. However, nothing's pragmatic when it comes to creating a character, as I firmly believe that a character designer or animator must broaden his or her horizons when trying to invent a new character and try multiple times before finally settling which appearance of the character is to fit the most. I chose to expand on one of the Jungian archetypes based on their signature emotion, assets, and visual aspects. I could not decide between the Sage and the Ruler, thus I resolved that by drawing iterations for both. After a lot of thinking, drawing, re-structuring, it seemed to me much more plausible to go with the Ruler, hence the Sages have signature beards which limit their possibility of expressing versatile emotions, along with the limited world of backstories they have (intelligent, eclectic, but passive). Choosing the Ruler gave me the opportunity to focus on facial features, because I wanted to make a rather arrogant king, one that is disrespectful towards his people but self-loving and narcissistic, and with that comes a fitting face. In terms of body shape, I only attempted two constructed out of basic shapes - one circular small one, and one trapezoid big one. I tried several designs of faces, interlaced with different facial hair and contours, but made them all by just combining basic shapes together, then following them to make a figure, a shape. Aside from that, the first thing I always draw in a character is their eyes, because I believe they are the most important part of emotional expression. For example, wide eyes can insinuate a childlike wonder, whereas smaller ones give off more of a depth and seriousness to the character, and for my own I needed the upper eyelid a little closed, because semi-open eyes along with a smile give off an assured certainty. Out of the several I did, I'll give it more thought and see which one fits!