Creating the characters for the Synoptic Project was an interesting challenge. At most times it felt like I had too many ideas, and others too little. I eventually managed to put together the main characters, and the background ones.
The main characters have already been explained in the post about what I did in Pre-Production:
Creating them was another process. It was an interesting process to come up with unique colour pallets for each of the characters while also maintaining their different personalities.
Aki and Jing
The first characters I created the models for were Aki and Jing. Since Jing is sitting on his shoulder, there was no reason to have them separate. The original plan was to have their pallets be opposites. Aki would wear black, and Jing would be a white fox, which were believed to be messengers of the gods in Japan. However, I decided that having Jing be a white fox didn't convey her species, and also made them dull to look at.
The pallets I went with were an array of dark greys, and a few variations on white to test different shades out. The orange I used is slightly pink, and not fully saturated, since it would be distracting to a player. Aki's colours are perfect, since they link directly to source images, and they contrast with the colourful backdrops.
To start creating Aki and Jing, I started with drawing on Jing's head, which needed to be above Aki's because of the 3/4 angle he stands at. Her head was created with different layers, each for a different colour. I felt that it was important to keep everything simple and easy to change and correct if there were any mistakes.
I did this for the rest of the layers as well, to make they would be easy to edit. Aki's head was the next thing I worked on, and I tried to exaggerate the shape of his hood as much as possible to further commit to the cartoony style. I've noticed that in my art, to achieve a cartoony style, things have to exaggerated more than anticipated, so I made sure everything was. This means things like hakamas (trousers) and the sleeves of the kimonos the characters are wearing are puffed more than natural.
Chan the Toad
Chan is the main villain of the Vertical Slice. His name is an abbreviated form of the Chinese word for ‘toad’ (chanchu), which still means the same thing. As stated in the Pre-Production Post, Chan’s personality is far different from the Senshi of Mount Fuji.
Because of his personality, his clothing is sloppier than the rest of his teammates. He has a few patches sewn on to fill any holes in his kimonos, which conveys his personality perfectly. His colour pallet is based off the same painting as the rest of his group, which gave me the colours and weapons each of these characters would have.
Chan’s colours were green and blue, which suited him well, and definitely encouraged his lazy personality, since blue is a relaxing colour. His weapon is a tetsubo, which is a wooden bat with metal pieces attached. These weapons look heavy, so I made sure he looks slumped over whenever he’s carrying it.
Samurai guard
The Samurai are the obstacle the player has to get past. I designed them to be as intimidating as possible, while also being accurate. The colours I gave the Samurai were greens and blacks, as well as a bit of gold and silver for the sword and decorations. Green isn’t usually a colour that is associated with fear, but a lot of the armour was black with only a small part of colour. I decided that green was more malicious than blue (the most common colour I saw of Samurai armour), and went about designing the armour.
The hardest part of the design was not only getting something as intricate as samurai armour down into a simple, readable design, but also the helmet. All the helmets I looked at had masks, which looked like horrifying demons. I decided this was something I wanted to include, so I had a go at designing a variety of different masks. I really tested the limits of how much detail I was willing to add to a design, since shading was something that I knew would be a problem, since the masks are metallic.
I finally settled on a design that read well, so I set about creating the Samurai. I added a bit of blue to the colour pallet later on to give him a bit of diversity, which I think really helps the whole design. I debated on weather to add a beard to his helmet, since those were also something they had, but I decided against it for the sake of keeping simplicity in the design.
Lady Daiyo
Lady Daiyo, although a background character, is featured in the script as the obstacle the player needs to go through to get the Piece of Fire Rat Fur Robe, the main objective of the game. Her character is explained in another blog I did, where I created a character board for her.
Background characters/ cutscene characters
The characters that only feature in the still images in the cutscene are all Spirits based off different mythology from around Asia. The first four to be designed were the Four Senshi of Mount Fuji, which are based off a legend from Japan about a Fox who travels through the air with a Hare, Pheasant and Toad, which inspired these characters. It also inspired the Nintendo game series 'Star Fox,' which is a favourite of mine for its simplicity.
Because I didn't want the spirits to look entirely human, I tried to give them as many of their respective animals traits. I also gave them clothes that are mixed in origin between Japan and China, which gives them an 'overworldly' appearance. I think I could've tried to add more variety, maybe with some Vietnamese, Korean or even Mongolian influence to their designs, but since China and Japan share a lot of the same beliefs, and often have similar legends, I felt this was the most fitting option.
These characters only feature in the cutscenes, which I've created storyboards for.
Huli the Fox
The main focal point of the painting is the fox, so that is the character I first designed. I imagine him as the leader of the four of them, because of his position in the painting and mythology. Because there was already a kitsune, Jing, in the game, I was reluctant to have him be the villain, as that may give the player the idea that the enemies are only foxes, and that there isn't a variety in species.
Since he's the leader of the Four Senshi of Mount Fuji, I can see him boss and ordering the others around. I think he'd probably be secretly scared of fighting, but keeps up an act of being heroic and charming as a coping mechanism. However, he is skilled, and it's only his doubting nature that keeps him down.
His design was something I'd had in mind for Jing before I decided her character would a bit more laid back. I gave parts of her traits to him, and gave him the nickname 'Huli' (which is coincidently the first half of Huli Jing, the Chinese version of a Kitsune. Huli means fox, and Jing means essence). I tried to carry a sense of snootiness, confidence and superiority while designing Huli, and I gave him furred clothing to do this. His main coat is actually a hanfu instead of a kimono.
Hanfu translates to 'dress of the Han people,' and was the name of garments worn by people of the Han Dynasty in China (and later periods as well). Much like the meaning of kimono (means 'something to wear'), a hanfu is essentially a way of saying clothing. Kimonos and hanfus are similar, although not the completely identical. Hanfus are usually wrapped around a person multiple times and sometimes have cuffed sleeves. They also have a more fitted and rounded shape (in the case of expensive hanfus) as opposed to kimonos, which are made out of rectangular panels of fabric.
I made sure to follow these rules with Huli, so his sleeves are cuffed with fur, and gave the bottom of it a rounded shape. The back of his hanfu was an afterthought that I added to mimic a fox's tail. Although this isn't traditionally what a hanfu would look like (I added it with the idea of a train of a dress or a tailcoat), I think it demonstrates what species he is, whereas without it it's less obvious.
I also gave him a few ornaments in his hair to make him seem as if he is higher in status. I image him as the leader of the group, so he is definitely the most powerful. This would be a reason to flaunt his status, as well as the reason for his confidence.
My first concept of Huli showed him with a daito, which is a Japanese weapon. I later decided to give him a jian, which is a Chinese weapon. I felt that he should be the one with the most Chinese design to differentiate him from the other three.
His colour pallet is somewhat misleading, as in the painting, the fox is wearing green and yellow, which would contrast with the orange colour I picked for his hair. At first I wasn't sure what colours to have where, but I decided that his hanfu should be a rich colour. I didn't want yellow to be a defining colour, so I went with a deep, forest green. I gave him a lime kimono and hakama underneath, along with yellow kyahan (socks that cover the legs). With all of the designs of these four, I wanted their eye colour to be used for the ties that run around their tekkou (lower sleeves/gloves) and kyahan. I gave him some makeup to simulate his markings as a fox, as well as to show off his confident and superior personality.
Yetu the Hare
Yetu was a character I wanted to experiment with. Species like hares and rabbits are often seen as cute and playful. I decided I wanted to try and do the opposite. I decided that in this group there needed to be a dependable one. This would become 'Yetu' ('hare' in Chinese), the stoic and down-to-earth team member. I imagine him sometimes becoming fed up, since the others might try and pass their work onto him because of his dependable nature.
The main idea for his stoic nature was partially inspired by a character in William Joyce's 'Guardians of Childhood' series, in which there is a character that resembles a giant hare, and is stoic and analytical in nature, which results in clashes with the more emotional characters in the series. It was also the balance out the rest of the team, since the only other one I would consider serious is Huli, the leader, whereas the other two are more childish.
His design include a full-length hakama, which can look like a skirt at some angles. I felt this was a good choice, as his weapon is a bow and arrow. Pictures of archery being practised in Japan often include the archer wearing traditional garments, including a hakama. Since I wanted to include some Chinese garment again, I gave him a sleeveless hanfu over his kimono, which has a collar. I tucked it into his hakama to avoid obstructing it.
His hairstyle was something I debated for a while. I didn't know how to make him look hare-like, while also retaining the stoic and dangerous nature I wanted him to pose. I originally planned for him to have a single cowlick, while the rest of his hair was pulled back into a topknot. However, I decided this was a design I wanted another character to have, so I instead tried adding two pieces of hair to frame his face, as well as two cowlicks to represent a hare's ears. I also gave him three marks on either of his cheeks to represent whiskers.
I was worried that his design would come out looking silly because of the animal I had to represent, but I think the stern expression I gave him save it. The colours on the original painting were yellows, oranges and light blue. I kept the light blue to his hakama like the painting, and decided there should be more yellow than orange. I made his hanfu orange, and his kimono and sleeves yellow. Is used a deep navy blue for his eye colour, and also to add contrast to the warm pallet. I originally wanted to give him red eyes, like white bunnies, but I didn't want him to stand out against the other three. I wanted him to be the quiet one that blends in, but the one that visually poses the most threat.
His necklace is also something of interest. It's based off the necklaces that religious Japanese people of the feudal era wore. I thought it would a nice touch, as it could imply that Yetu is religious, or maybe wears it for good luck. This is an interesting trait, because of his no-nonsense, down-to-earth attitude I was going for. This could mean he is or previously was religious, or he just wears in for good luck.
Yeji the Pheasant
I had a definite character in mind for Yeji. The others are all somewhat independent, so I wanted Yeji to be the one who depends on others. In my mind, he is the youngest member of the group, and thus has a more active and enthusiastic outlook. I imagine him as constantly wanting to fight so that he can get better, and to prove himself to the others, who might not always take him seriously.
Since he is the youngest, I can imagine him looking up to the other three as mentors, and always looking to impress them; even if it means biting off more than he can chew. He would probably get into a lot of trouble and end up being scolded by one of the others for it.
I think it's important to describe a character's traits through their interactions with others, so Yeji's relationships with the other three were something I considered. Yeji worships Huli, since he's the leader, but other than giving and receiving orders, there wouldn't be much interaction. Chan and Yeji probably interact when Yeji's begging someone to help him train, and Chan would also be the most laid back when it came to them following the rules in a fight. Yetu would be the one Yeji talks to the most, for things like asking him to train, to fight, or to help on a mission Huli's given him. I can imagine them having the closest relationship out of the four of them.
His clothes are also more Japanese than Chinese. I planned on giving him a hanfu, which would wrap around him twice, but I later decided a kimono would be better for him. I also gave him feathers to further that he is a bird.
Four Tenshi of the Heavens
The Four Tenshi of the Heavens are the second group of villains, and are based off Chinese astrology. Four beasts surround and protect the Yellow Dragon, which symbolizes the earth. There’s the Black Tortoise of the North, the White Tiger of the West, the Vermilion Bird of the South, and the Azure Dragon of the East.
Their clothing is based almost entirely off of traditional Chinese garment, with a few small exceptions.
Fang Gui the Northern Black Tortoise
Fang Gui is the weakest member of the Four Tenshi of the Heavens. I decided I wanted her to be the reserved one of the group. I imagined her as a mixture of Yetu and Chan. I decided that I wanted her to be the oldest of the four, like Chan, but also the wisest, like Yetu. I wanted to give each of these four a unique persona, and I decided the easiest way to do that was give them different roles. Her name means ‘fragrant, virtuous, beautiful’ (Fang) ‘turtle’ (Gui), which is abbreviated from ‘wugui’ which means tortoise.
I decided that Fang Gui would be more on the religious side. I decided to inspire her robes on mainly being conservative, and not stereotypically religious. Because she is the Black Tortoise, I wanted to give her something that would represent that. I gave her a hat that was based off Korean styles, as I wanted more variety. I wish I had used a more dome-like hat to simulate the tortoise’s shell, but I think it ties everything together as is.
Her pallet is mostly dark browns, because I didn’t want her pallet to be entirely black. I decided to add some orange as well to give a bit of variety. One thing I didn’t add was the snake that accompanies the tortoise. I didn’t find a way to incorporate it and have her be easily readable.
Lao Lu the Western White Tiger
Lao Lu’s name is an abbreviated from of the word ‘Laohu’ (tiger) and ‘Lu’ (musical note). I wanted her to be enigmatic, with her eyes always closed, humming to herself as she battles. I wanted her to be the scariest of the four Tenshi because of her unpredictable and erratic behaviour. She is most similar to Huli because of her temperament, however she is not the leader of the Four Tenshi of the Heavens.
The colours I went with for Lao Lu are blacks and whites, with a small bit of cream to give a bit of colour. I didn’t want her to end up looking washed out, which I knew she would if I went with my original plan of giving her white hair. I wanted these people to appear human enough to fool others, but with something off about all of them. For Fang Gui, it’s the tortoise-shell pattern on her face. Since Lao Lu is based off a tiger, her personality doesn’t make much sense. Tigers are vicious, yet she’s strangely calm. I imagined that her calm persona is an act, and she uses it to disguise her actions. Everything about her appearence is to deceive her opponents.
Her hanfus are topped with a fur shawl from a tiger, which sends a rather sinister message as well as shows what animal she represents. She is more slender in figure than the others to further distinguish her, and also to add a sense of elegance and frailty to her design. She is also the tallest of the group.
Xue Niao the Southern Vermilion Bird
Xue Niao’s name means ‘learn’ (Xue) and ‘bird’ (Niao). She is the leader of the Four Tenshi, and is the most powerful. She is a seasoned warrior and warlord, and enjoys to taunt her opponents during a battle. She is also the only member of the group that would be actively seeking conflict. I also view her as being the youngest because of her temperament.
She has a few visible scars on her face to further that she has been in fights before, and isn’t afraid to again. I imagine her as being the most immature of the four because she’s always itching for a fight. She would probably get into a lot of arguments with the other member just for s bit of drama, but at the same time she’d be very protective of the other three, since she is the strongest.
Her outfit is based off Chinese armour, but I added a few different pieces of armour on her forearms and shins to add an element of ‘strangeness’ to her. I also gave her a headdress of red feathers, since she is meant to symbolize one. I had a hard time coming up with a colour pallet for her, as the only colours I had to work with were red and gold. One of the biggest challenges was deciding how her armour should be coloured. I eventually settled on how it is now, but I’m curious as to what different combinations would look like.
Lan Long the Eastern Azure Dragon
Lan Long’s name means ‘orchid or elegant’ (Lan) and ‘dragon’ (Long). Since she is based off a dragon, I wanted to give her some scales on her face to communicate that she isn’t human. I decided that instead of being a ferocious dragon, she would be an aristocratic woman. I think this also says a lot about her personality, since her clothes are a lot more extravagant than the other three.
She is the shortest of the four, since I wanted to have differences in height between all of them, and also to add the irony about her being a short dragon. I imagine her as the daughter of the Emperor of the Spirits, and this would go along with a snooty attitude and demands for everything to be perfect. However, I don’t see her as being a pushover, and I can imagine her as having a very stubborn nature. Her colour pallet is the most diverse, as in paintings, the dragon has red and yellows on it as well. I made sure to include these as best as I could without being overloaded with too many colours, since the colour the azure dragon actually represents is green, which contradicts it's name.
I gave her a fur shawl that wraps around her, as fur is something Chinese dragons have in some of their paintings. I wanted this to be the main feature of her, so I made sure it was large enough to down-size the rest of her to make her look more timid. I wanted her to be the ‘red herring’ of the four; the one who seems weak but is in fact strong. I think this would be an interesting character and plot point to work with.
Emperor Jin Feng Chen the Yellow Dragon
This is a character that wasn't fully designed, although he does feature in one of the pans. He is the Emperor of the Spirits. He is meant to embody the Yellow Dragon of the Centre, which symbolizes the Earth. Because of this, I named him ‘Jin’ (gold, metal, wealth) ‘Feng’ (phoenix, which was a symbol of Chinese Empress’) ‘Chen’ (morning, though between 7am and 9am is representative of the Dragon in the Chinese Zodiac). I think his name is very fitting, as he embodies both being the Emperor, and the only parent towards Lan Long, his daughter.
The colour pallet I went with for him was never used, but it was interesting to imagine what an Emperor in golds and yellows would look like. Yellow isn’t a colour that screams fear, so I decided to put him in silhouette at the back to make him scarier.
These are all the characters that I designed for the Vertical Slice. Although most of them aren't important, and only shown once, I still had a lot of fun creating them, and imagining how the full game would look.