An art project I started this academic year was to draw the constellations as people. This gave me the opportunity to research the scientific side of constellations as well as the mythological backstories and symbolism behind each one.
There are 88 modern constellations, so I knew drawing 88 unique characters would become tiring. To solve this, I decided that not all of these characters I would draw as humans. Some constellations represent animals and objects, so I decided that some of them would be these.
While drawing the first characters, I started to imagine a story in my head about how these people would interact, so naturally all these characters had their own personalities and a few even had backstories before I drew them.
The first characters I drew were Lyra and Pictor. I had a lot of fun with Lyra, as I imagined her as a timid young girl, and ran with it from there. I paid attention to how the constellation Lyra looked while drawing this, and decided that a star on her forehead would be an interesting trait to give her. Since Vega is a bright star in the constellation, this was a perfect way for me to incorporate more elements from the constellation into her design. I also gave her a double bun on her head to symbolize the double stars in the constellation.
Pictor was a bit trickier for me. Since the constellation represents an easel, my initial instinct was to create an artist. I decided it would be funny if Lyra and Pictor were friends, despite being on opposite sides of the sky. Since they both represent art forms, I thought it would be fitting if they knew each other.
I went through a few different versions of Pictor, where I tried to give him different styled tops, but I settled with a fancy shirt with a ruffled collar. I took some detail out of this, as I was going for a fantasy aesthetic with these designs. I gave him an apron and beret to make his profession clearer. I think I also subconsciously shaped him like as easel while drawing.
His personality was something I had down from the start. I thought it would be an interesting combination to have a character who's enthusiastic about art, while also being stern and serious. I like to imagine that he's so absorbed in his art that he doesn't care about much else, in contrast to Lyra, who is too scared to speak up about her talents. He also ended up looking like various artist characters from cartoons, which I'm sure whether I like or not. Either way, I think these two together would be an interesting duo in any story.
The next constellations I went for were Cygnus and Corvus. I realised how many bird constellations there were, and grouped them together in my mind. Since the ballet Swan Lake is heavily associated with swans, I knew instantly that I wanted these characters to be performers of some sort. I thought a Gameshow hosted by these characters would be hilarious, as I already had solid ideas about how these characters would look and act.
First, I went for Cygnus the swan. It was easy for me to associate her with the gracefulness of a swan, and I gave her pointe shoes to further this. I also gave her feathers in her hair to look like the Swan Queen from the ballet Swan Lake, which I used as a reference to her style. I decided that she would be the main presenter of the Gameshow, and that meant she had to be eye-catching.
I tried to give her an over-exaggerated shape, that I conveyed by giving her a corseted leotard. To bring more elements of a swan in, I gave her feathered shorts out her leotard, and also shaped her sleeves into looking like wings. I did this to replicate the pose Cygnus takes in the sky, with it's wings outstretched.
Next, I created Corvus the crow. I knew I wanted him to be different than Cygnus, as when I think of crows, I don't picture a charismatic, graceful person. Instead, I see someone who's a little morose and perhaps lazy. Which is why his character is completely different to Cygnus. I decided that Corvus would be the co-host of the Gameshow, which I knew would look hilarious. It'd be like having a good-cop and bad-cop, only on a television show.
I also gave Corvus a feathered coat, which I thought fit his character. It's not tailored to fit him like Cygnus' clothes are, which gives away a lot about his personality. I also drew him hunched over with his hands in his pockets, which furthers his laziness. I think it would be entertaining to watch this Gameshow, as the two hosts are clearly very different, and that would create some interesting situations.
I also like to imagine that the other bird constellations are part of the Gameshow as well, like as stagehands or the camera crew. I had drawing Grus, which is the crane constellation. I thought it would be funny to have him be the security of the Gameshow.
Another pair I had fun designing were Cetus and Pisces, which are next to each other in the sky. Since they both relate to the sea, I decided to make them siblings, as I thought that would be an interesting addition to the characters so far.
Cetus was a character I had a lot of fun designing. Since the constellation is meant to represent a sea monster that was set on Ethiopia by Poseidon, I thought it would be interesting if Cetus himself was actually a king. Since there are also a fair few constellations that relate to the ocean and sea creatures, I didn't to group them together as well.
I gave him drooping ears and an anchor earring as a bit of a joke, but it's now a defining feature of his design for me. I also gave him a tailcoat with a fish tail at the back, which I find hilarious. One thing I did give him was a third eye, which definitely made him more monstrous (something that doesn't come across a strongly without it).
With Pisces, I already had some reference to go off of. Since I decided Cetus and her would be siblings, I used Cetus as an example for how Pisces should look. However, I didn't want them to be twins, so I decided to make her curvier than Cetus. I wasn't quite happy with how her dress turned out, but I loved drawing her sleeves. I based them off jelly fish, since Pisces represents two fish tied by a ribbon. I also gave her dress and hair two fishtails to stay true to this (with a ribbon in her hair as well).
Going along with mythology, this also means that Cassiopeia and Andromeda were needed. These were some of the first characters I designed, but their designs aren't what I hoped they'd be. If I could design them again, I'd make Cassiopeia less Greek-inspired, and more true to her origins as an Ethiopian Queen.
I also feel that they need more unifying qualities, as there isn't anything that ties them together, despite them being mother and daughter. The few things I think I did right were Andromeda's outfit, which is based on Ethiopian robes, and the shackles I put around her wrists. There are chains on Cassiopeia as well, as her constellation depicts her chained to a throne.
The next duo I worked on I decided should actually be a trio, since I went with Gemini and Orion next. Gemini was something I had in mind since I drew Cygnus, as I can imagine her having rowdy guests on her Gameshow, and needing to call the police. Naturally, since all these characters live in a fantasy world in space, there weren't any police until I realised what constellation would be perfect for it.
Going back to the good-cop, bad-cop joke, I decided that this was the perfect dynamic for the Gemini twins. I had a lot of fun designing their clothes, which are the most recognisable to actual fashion so far. They wear matching uniforms, which, if I could colour them, would be inverted on both of them. If I were to give them colour pallets, I'd definitely try and invert them as much as possible.
I had a lot of fun drawing Orion, who represents a hunter in Greek mythology who was killed by a scorpion in most versions of the myth. I decided that I wanted him to be an antagonist, which is what he is in mythology. As he's supposed to be vain and boastful, I made sure to puff out his chest and make him stockier than all the characters so far.
I tried to make him as condescending as possible, so I gave him a straight nose, slanting eyes, thick eyebrows and a lopsided smirk. I also gave him a tattered cloak to look more like a bounty hunter. My favourite part of his design is the belt I gave him, which has three stars on it to simulate 'Orion's Belt' on his constellation.
Another thing I had fun with was trying to position him on his constellation. I went by his belt, which was the easiest way to get his position right. I gave him a scimitar, which he'd be holding at the constellation Taurus, which Orion is depicted as battling.
The next pair I had fun creating was Scorpius and Libra, which I put together for a reason. These two constellations used to share the same stars, which meant for a long time people didn't know where one ended and the other began. I decided to run with this, and decided that these two would be as close as sisters.
First, I decided to draw Scorpius, as I had more of an idea for what she was going to look like. Since Scorpius represents the scorpion that killed Orion, these characters are clearly enemies. Her and Orion's outfits are very similar by design, as these characters share a few traits. Scorpius' design is essentially a less rugged Orion, now that I'm looking at this drawing more closely. I like the idea of the similarity between the two, as they are each other's 'anti.'
Next, I moved onto the Libra. I often got the constellations Lyra and Libra mixed up, so I thought it would be funnier to make them siblings because of this. I made them the same stature, and gave Libra similar hair to Lyra (with two buns to be symmetrical). I also gave Libra upward facing eyes to mirror the downward facing eyes I gave Lyra, which I think is a good hint that they're related.
The clothing I put Libra is based off what the judge in a court of law wears. Since she's representing a set of scales, I wanted her to have a job that would represent this. It was also important to me that her design was symmetrical, as she's supposed to be a balanced scale.
I had some fun drawing these two on their constellations, since they were so close together. By this point, I had a rough story for how all the characters would fit together. I also had a go at drawing a spaceship, which was something I based off of a centaur, which is the next drawing I did below. I also experimented with how Scorpius could attack someone, as she's a scorpion, and I wanted to incorporate some sort of weapon. I decided that her hair or her hand could take on the shape of a stinger and paralyse her opponents.
The next two are Sagittarius and Centaurus, who I decided would also be siblings, as both constellations represent centaurs. I gave them both crosses on their breastplates/gorgets to show this, as well as giving them similar hairstyles.
As Sagittarius depicts an archer, I gave him a crossbow mounted on his arm. For ammunition, there's another constellation, Sagitta, which depicts an arrow. I plan to have this be a sentient weapon that serves as an ally to Sagittarius, which would make him a powerful opponent.
I designed Sagittarius with the intention of him being a villain, which so far isn't as obvious as I'd hoped. His colour pallet (going off of Sagittarius' astrology) would be blues and yellows, which also isn't very intimidating. However, I think that this character could be a red-herring and give a false sense of security.
Next, there's Centaurus, who I decided would be far different from Sagittarius. I gave her a few of the same elements, like a part of her chiton that acts as a skirt. I tried to give Centaurus a naïve air around her, as she's clearly much younger than her older brother. I don't imagine these two having a close bond, but it's easy for me to imagine Centaurus pestering her Sagittarius, and him just ignoring her.
The next two don't directly relate to each other, but they have very similar demeanours. Aquarius and Perseus were the next two I attempted. Although they don't have much to do with each other according to how I see the story unfolding, I think they make a cute pair.
The first is Aquarius, which is the constellation of the water bearer. I knew right away what I wanted to do with him. I decided to make him the designated 'coffee runner' to some of the other characters. Since there isn't coffee in space, I figured the characters would be drinking something think milk from the milky way. I settled with elixirs for now, as they seemed fantasy enough. I made a few bottles at the bottom for fun.
I wanted Aquarius to look youthful, so I gave him clothing inspired by hipsters. He has cropped trousers, a beanie and a puffy jacket on, which I think makes him look far younger than he is. I really enjoyed drawing his hair, as it's very pointy, and contrasts with the puffiness of his clothes.
Next is Perseus, who in mythology saves Andromeda from Cetus. Naturally, I knew this meant that Perseus would be madly in love with Andromeda, who I didn't think would feel the same about him.
I made Perseus very skinny, so that I could give him a baggy chiton to wear. Since he's from a Greek myth, I also gave him sandals and a cord around his head, which I decorated with a star. His design reminds me a lot of pre-hero Hercules from Disney's 'Hercules.' I think this comparison is accurate, so I have no problems with it.
To bring in some diversity, I decided that I wanted some of the characters to have different physical traits and conditions. The next characters I decided to create were Capricornus and Cancer. When I first created Capricornus, I actually messed up, since the idea of a character being in a wheelchair was originally meant to be Cancer, as I planned to use the crab legs as a form of mobility. However, I like this version much better.
Since Capricornus is a hippocampus, I had to combine two animals in one, while also making them human. I gave Capricornus a floating chair in the shape of a tail, which I thought was elegant enough for the job I had given them. I decided that both Capricornus and Cancer would be some kind of military leaders, which would also imply that they are veterans and explain their conditions.
I gave Capricornus a broken horn, and also wrapped their legs to the chair, which is something that I felt looked otherworldly. I also gave them spiky pauldrons, which give them more authority. Something I knew about this character before I started designing was that they would act aloof and calm, talking only when necessary; but this would be a façade, and they would actually be a very cruel adversary to face. I've wanted to create a character like this for a long time, so I had a lot of fun designing Capricornus.
Next, I created Cancer, who I decided would be an amputee with a prosthetic arm. I based the arm I gave him off of fiddler crabs, which have one oversized claw. I thought this was a good choice, as crabs are what the constellation Cancer represents. I also gave him large diamond shaped pauldrons on his shoulders, which I used for the ankles of his boots as well.
I picture him as being protective of Capricornus, as they have both been injured in battle before. I also like to imagine them being a team, since they go so perfectly together. I created these two with the idea that they would be villains. While I can definitely say they fit the bill, I like how it's obvious (at least to me) that these two are not the root of all evil amongst these characters, and are merely following orders.
Overall, I had a lot of fun coming up with these characters, and even more fun coming up with the stories behind them. So far, I've designed almost all of the characters that I'd designated as 'human' at the start of the academic year.
My next goal is to try and design some of the objects these constellations represent, which I think will be fun, as they can be anything from a ship with sails to crown.