[Concept Art] Some Amaranth Thoughts (Patreon)

Although I was not originally intending to focus so much on Amaranth's design in this post, it ended up being the focus over the last week or so. I've talked a bit about Amaranth in a previous post, which you can find [HERE].

I spent some time exploring various ideas about the Beaumont universe, even putting together a rough timeline for background lore & history. But that can wait for another time, so I can spend more time on it for you in one of the next Concept Art posts, especially since it's a lot more writing heavy.

In our last post about Amaranth, we didn't come to a conclusion about his design. So when working on the prototype Beaumont comic, which you can read [HERE], I had to create a temporary design for him. It was serviceable, but it was not intended to be the final results. We tried out some new things, so it's worth exploring it a tiny bit more, I think.

Unlike Elayne, who's silhouette suggests someone who is strong and confident, Amaranth is smaller and reserved. We see that Elayne is much more inclined towards solving her problems through aggression, while Amaranth prefers a clever, quieter approach -- perhaps even underhanded solutions. While the character of Elayne seems to deal heavily with physical empowerment, Amaranth's character is much more about being a thinker, and is thus, less capable of those feats of physical strength.

This approach suggests a rather devious & dishonest character, and that's something we should maybe express in his design. Sometimes that can be as simple as sloped shoulders and slouching, which is less up-front than squared, presentable shoulders.

That said, we probably shouldn't be TOO on the nose. He's dishonest, but not outright villainous. Given that the Prototype Comic mentioned a purge of witchfolk before the events of the story, it makes sense that Amaranth would hide elements of his character from people.

There is a great deal of uncertainty surrounding his character. There are many instances where it seems as though Amaranth has a silent understanding of the situation that he does not share with the reader, or a thought process that goes uncommented on. Amaranth seems like the kind of character who knows more than he lets on, but you're never quite sure what he's thinking.

Perhaps we could emphasize this quality by making his expressions more neutral, or even empty, giving him an otherworldly ethereal look? It might serve as a good contrast between Elayne's aggressive scowl.

By reducing the amount of positive space in his eyes, like the pupils, his expression can look emptier, so it's harder to read him. That said, I am unsure if this is a good direction to push in. We do want him to be a bit endearing too, and having someone who's softer in contrast to Elayne's aggressive coldness does make for a neat duality…

Apparel

While Elayne is recognizable for her lack of clothing, Amaranth features a lot more layers in his design. This is an element we should probably preserve moving forward.

I've always liked the idea of wearing a jacket like a cape. Something about it feels a bit child-like, almost like he's wearing clothes that are too big for him. This feels messy though, like my use of shapes lacks a focus, so it's difficult to read. There's a mess of rectangles, triangles, and round shapes here.

The second idea hones focus, featuring much more triangular shapes in the design. But he reads a little bit too much like a villain. Notice how the sharp, triangular-shapes make him feel dangerous & scary? It's interesting how changing the emphasis of our shapes can change the expression of a character. I'd never think to prioritize the rectangular shapes though, because those kinds of shapes usually communicate a sense of strength and trustworthiness. But let's give it a try anyway.

This one focuses on using rectangles to communicate the character, and I am surprised to find that I like it. While he does look a bit more reliable & heroic, he does look a bit less unassuming too. Perhaps that could play nicely with the otherwise empty-looking expression from earlier, as he doesn't look entirely untrustworthy like this. Something about him feels shorter and cuter too…

I also drew a really cute bracelet on him for some reason, which is good because he REALLY needs some more asymmetry in the design, I feel. The boots, also, are much less sharp & generalized.

The sketch above also gives us a look at what he might be wearing underneath his outfit, and I've, for a long time now, wanted to give him something silly like a full-body suit. With his entire body covered, it's like he's hiding himself from the world, and it contrasts Elayne. It also just looks warm & cozy, and like it's got a feeling of compression. I guess, in some ways, it could look a bit like a gimp suit (that's a weird bondage fetish thing).

Let's try to take this and apply some colour. I haven't drawn Amaranth with colour in a really long time, and it's because I'm not really sure what I want his colours to be. It seems like his old colour scheme just doesn't work for me anymore. Still, let's play around with it.

Colour

I think these all look somewhat ugly. The "something classic" design is based on the original colours I planned for him, but they feel a tiny bit too gaudy to me. The "bloodletter" design is a slightly darker take on this idea, but I wonder if it, perhaps, makes him look a bit too imposing and scary. I like the "dark and mysterious" design most, I think, but it does look a bit menacing too…

I find myself enjoying the examples which feature a lower variety of colours -- they're simpler to read. So let's try pushing that idea a bit further, keeping his sleeves the same hue as his chest.

Following this principle, these designs do feel a bit easier to read. But I'm still not sure if I'm particularly happy with any of them. Perhaps I'm simply holding onto the past when it comes to this character's design, and I need to do something drastically different than before. Does blue or red really NEED to be in this design? Do these shapes NEED to be these shapes? Stuff to think about, I suppose…

Perhaps when I next tackle this design, I'll have something that feels stronger & unmarried from the original. Sometimes you want to preserve the initial essence, but other times, it can hold you back from progressing. 

I always feel unresolved when I finish any of these concept art posts without arriving at a conclusion, but it's just part of the process, isn't it? I'll probably tackle a new character for the next Concept Art post relating to Beaumont, however, so that should give Amaranth some time to breathe.

Anyway, don't forget to eat & sleep.