Character design and illustration for a female assassin
From the character profile, I highlighted key terms such as: "renegade; femme fatale; fantom; strong; intimidating; competitive; reserved" to help direct the development process.
I quite liked the idea of tying a floral element into the design, as well as the character's choice of weapons. Despite being lethal in profession, the character also had a hidden, emotional vulnerability; combined with a certain physical attractiveness.
I felt that incorporating a subtle floral design would contrast well with the initial, unapproachable impressions of the character, while also hinting at the complexity of her persona through the symbolism of beauty, fragility and mystery that flowers often represent.
The results were a well-considered stained-glass window design and a brooch on the jacket, which, not being visible in the chosen pose, I incorporated into the emblem design with the daggers.
The intentions behind my chosen colour scheme were:
Dark indigo/violet - to suggest an air of mystery
Crimson/hot pink - to express intensity, danger, blood/death
Gold/yellow - as an accent to represent richness and status
Designing the jacket/cloak as though on a mannequin and carefully considering the likely nature of the fabrics helped a great deal when it came to illustrating the character wearing it.
Atropa belladonna is a poisonous plant, more commonly known as Deadly Nightshade, which produces purple flowers and black berries. Considering the character's profile, the established floral design elements and the colour scheme, I felt that Bella Donna would be the perfect name for this female assassin.
Throughout the rendering process from greyscale to colour, I explored different applications of the colour scheme and typographic designs before finalising the illustration with an array of details and highlights.
