Finding a name for this young Borival and finalizingb thevlook actually took way longer than I expected. I went through many name options but none of them felt right for me. I don't like the obvious, nor the sound to be too forced or simply bland 🥴. I kept coming back to the name Kozdro but I intend to give it to an elder character. This one is a young scout and Kozdro sounds too grounded and resounding I like something youthful. Eventually I stopped overthinking then started listening to how the many options sounded, how they fit the character, and whether I could actually imagine someone from this world calling him by that name. Mugri is a pass when I read it out loud but eventually it is the one that clicked or grew in me. It has this youthful and simple sound but still distinct. I can't really say it means anything yet, and I think I actually like that. Not every name has to have an obvious meaning. Sometimes a name just belongs to a character and the meaning kind of develops as the story unfolds. So, here it is
After an hour or so this little creature had finally been improved.
Here are the progress photos when I was designing this character.
I really love the raccoon like tail here
I am currently refining the look of this new character under the Borival kin. I don't think there is a clear direction about the look in general so I need to refine it starting with this piece of fur on his neck. I am keeping the nice contrast of dark brown and light reddish brown. I think the pattern is nice. I will avoid making this into a cloak because I will reserve that for the elders. This is a young trusting Borival with agility and alertness.
I made the stripes on the fur more pronounced and adjusted the opacity of my brush so that when I make the fur effect it will be subtler and controllable. When I got the consistency right I focused on making the tips darker and warmer.
Look at the big difference now, it looks solid and more purposeful no more second guessing. I decided to make the details bolder and each stripe noticeable. After the darker tips I balance the look with faint shade of a lighter brown and further adjusting the opacity to achieve that light feathery look. It took a couple more minutes but I think it was all worth it. I'm still undecided at this point if I keep the smaller spots on the neck...
The vest is made from fur or hide I want it to have an irregular shape and worn. I am thinking of animal prints at this moment but this design is not making it. For some weird reasons I can't tell what is wrong and this doesn't make me fulfilled.
I gave it a rest took a break and when I got back, I dropped the animal print. It is a little busy and that golden color is not flattering the whole composition. Besides there are some other details that I would put on top of it and that would only make it more cluttered and no focus. I chose a pale white thinking it would be easier to add texture like fur or animal prints if I am still loving that idea.
If you notice the striped thick scarf is already looking too heavy like a cloak which is another issue at this point I don't know what to edit out and if editing out would even make this look better. I am actually giving up. To trick my mind I started on a new detail the bone awl...yeah you can't quite see it. Notice the light grey bone tuck on his green sash that's the awl. Whew! Now that's a real issue. A defining detail that is blending with the outfit. Edit edit think give up? To make up I decided to make the green sash longer and drape it around him or perhaps let it hang low for visual interest but I scrapped the idea later in my final edit.
I stopped worrying about the things I could not put my finger on so I focused on the character itself LOL it is still a rough sketch that needs some texture and depth. I was happy because the character is looking much better here I then gave him another chance to wear something yellow but not the golden kind. This pale shade is safe not screaming for attention. The bulky striped scarf is draped so that it doesn't take up too much space. Just enough to suggest it is cold in this world. The off-white vest looks good contrasting against the green pants, I increased the length added some texture then changed the color of the sash to a muted shade of green. The bone awl had a beautiful treatment now, I placed it hanging in front of the brown bag. It did not blend but stood out against the dark colored bag and I love it . Since I am already feeling great I further enhance the awl by adding some strings to it so it hangs and not tuck anymore. The last details are the light and shadow my favorite last edit.
