Character Designs

Here are the initial designs for the characters in my film. I wanted them to be in contrasting colours to emphasise the opposition between them, and help the viewer to recognise them at a glance.

 The sorcerer is mysterious and arcane, so he wears a robe, necklace, a stole, 'cool' hues. His hood casts his face in shadow, to make him seem secretive and disconnective. The 'stole' is the green scarf-like garment with the yellow squares, and they are usually worn by priets. I believe an evil medieval sorcerer would dress like a priest, to make himself seem to be a miracle worker, and perhaps attract a cult. The stole is, however, a fairly time-consuming garment to draw, so I might remove it in future designs.

 

 The thief wears warm hues as he is intended to be a warm, likeable character. He wears red trousers to contrast with the sorcerer's green, a tunic, and a scabbard. I wanted to make his face more distinctive, so I gave him a goatee and thick eyebrows. I didn't want him to be wearing armour, as he is intended to be a sneaksthief, and armour would weigh him down and make noise.

 

When designing the skeletons, I had in mind those animated by Ray Harryhausen in Jason and the Argonauts. They carried ornate shields, and had something of a comical manner in their movement. I gave the skeletons thick eyebrows because I think they look humourous, and to allow them to better perform expressions.