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Description
An experiment I'm trying for my OC Amber. For years I've been working with an iterative character design philosophy, causing me to cling to some elements that may not be necessary. For this experiment, I tried stripping Amber's design into only the base elements, and found there wasn't much left. Her design has been appealing, yet lacking originality. As my art style evolves I leave behind things I don't need. I had clung too tightly to design elements for this character however. I decided to start anew with this alternative design, and focus on telegraphing as much information as possible into as little clutter as possible.

I think going forward I'll probably remove Amber's glasses as she doesn't actually need them, they're just decorative. Freckles are too small to see in-game, so I'll probably get rid of those. Her hair added nothing to the story told through her design, hence the army-style beret reflecting her veteran status and mentality, and her hair in a low bun with severe drips shows that she's made of a liquid material. For the longest time I wanted her design to not include shoes to make her seem sneakier as well as allowing for an easier swimming animation, where her feet turn into flippers. I can probably abandon this visual trait in favor of split toe shoes.

This most likely will not be her official design going forwards, but rather serve as a template for what information I need to convey in her design for future reference. In other news I've finally found a last name that I like for her. Amber Macbeth rolls off the tongue better than anything else I've thought of. Also I should probably work on my traditional art skills more often in the future, so there might be more pencil and ink pics going forward.

Feel free to share your thoughts. Any and all criticism is appreciated, and if you have any ideas on how to improve her design, don't hesitate to share.

Description
An experiment I'm trying for my OC Amber. For years I've been working with an iterative character design philosophy, causing me to cling to some elements that may not be necessary. For this experiment, I tried stripping Amber's design into only the base elements, and found there wasn't much left. Her design has been appealing, yet lacking originality. As my art style evolves I leave behind things I don't need. I had clung too tightly to design elements for this character however. I decided to start anew with this alternative design, and focus on telegraphing as much information as possible into as little clutter as possible.

I think going forward I'll probably remove Amber's glasses as she doesn't actually need them, they're just decorative. Freckles are too small to see in-game, so I'll probably get rid of those. Her hair added nothing to the story told through her design, hence the army-style beret reflecting her veteran status and mentality, and her hair in a low bun with severe drips shows that she's made of a liquid material. For the longest time I wanted her design to not include shoes to make her seem sneakier as well as allowing for an easier swimming animation, where her feet turn into flippers. I can probably abandon this visual trait in favor of split toe shoes.

This most likely will not be her official design going forwards, but rather serve as a template for what information I need to convey in her design for future reference. In other news I've finally found a last name that I like for her. Amber Macbeth rolls off the tongue better than anything else I've thought of. Also I should probably work on my traditional art skills more often in the future, so there might be more pencil and ink pics going forward.

Feel free to share your thoughts. Any and all criticism is appreciated, and if you have any ideas on how to improve her design, don't hesitate to share.