APRTN prep work 24 - Field alchemy tool 02 (Patreon)

 Continuing from part 01..! 

This time I bring a bunch of visual development I did for Nigredo!! you can tell how obsessed I was about this specific prop LOL let's get into it!!!

So last time the final conclusion was that the gadget should have a more streamlined alchemy sequence. I decided the ingredients wouldn't be placed inside it, but it would project a magic circle that "sucks in" the properties of the ingredients, infusing it in liquid. Between those two steps were days and days of headaches and looking stuff up for inspiration. To reforce that idea, and look more like something I'd do, I put a PHAT gemstone on it... an allusion to the philosopher's stone! 

Ok, so with the decision the alchemy tool would look and behave like a scepter... came more problems to solve!!! I looked up magical girl items, particularly from Sailor Moon and PreCure and see how they held their magical items. I did this base to experiment a bit!

 At this stage I was kinda questioning the colors.... then I tried to implement the concept of the steps to the alchemy's Great Work - nigredo, albedo and rubedo - that were easily translated to colors, namely black, white and red. It's a thing that was much explored in the alchemical art research that I did, check how these are rad!!!

So I picked these to develop upon, and even though I wasn't so sure about what color it should be, the color coded buttons for the input of the alchemical processes appeared here and they were kept for all designs here on out.  I did put an extra button here that pops in the literature (citrinitas, yellow, between red and white) but it was scrapped. The color did return when I put gold on the details!

 Tests, tests, tests. I also figured out that having only one color was BORING and inspired by things like megaman's weapons, I decided here that it changes colors whenever it enters in action.

 Then... I started getting stubborn.... Because honestly I don't like dragons very much as a visual motif with protagonist characters. It's overused and I just want to be a contrarian, you know? So here I approached a more botany oriented piece, with a Fabergé egg treatment. 

 But.... as you could see in the plates of alchemy art before... dragons are EVERYWHERE!!!! The visual motif was TOO SOLID for me to ignore.... so I gave in. BUT it had to look unique and cool!!! Then I started thinking HOW I was supposed to work the dragon part out, because the ones before were really... stick-like and the dragon was really hidden there. how was fire and smoke supposed to get out of such a tiny thing??????

 A design philosophy that I follow by heart is..... if you implement a visual theme, then SHOW it!!!! SCREAM IT!!!!!!!

 Then....

 Started the iterations for that.

 Dragon eating a gemstone? It's here. (The trumpet-like form started appearing here!)

 How was it supposed to be held???? It was at this point that I also decide I wanted to have it look like a giant potion flask. For that I looked up show globes and narguiles!

(show globes were used to decorate a pharmacy to signify it as so. It's only colored water with nice glasswork. Cool right????? It's always nice to research and learn new things!)

 You see that thing in the bottom?! Yes a CROWN! It's cute... Brings magical girls to mind.... can fit a gemstone in it.... and is thematically sound - crowns were also featured a lot in alchemy art!

 So I started testing, testing, testing. I kinda decided here that the stone would be red, due to the Philosopher's stone.

These are still long and stick-like.... and kinda over detailed? It was supposed to be simple, as I'd draw it many times and from different angles. But you can see it started getting more and more compact.

Then.... A moment of clarity!!!!

 It was a bit too robotic... so I decided...... to make it more dragon/skull like?! also check how I went from an orb to a faceted gemstone. I can't help it, I love orbs but I render faceted stones better!!!!

 Color tests.... yes that's it!!! almost there, almost theeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeere!!!!!

 Then I did the test with a cute pose - this concept would later turn into the introductory panel for the alchemy tool, as seen in chapter 01, page 02!!!

 Turn aroundsssss

TESTS... Also... Even though the red looks VERY CUTE.... it doesn't feel like it belongs to Arsene? I wanted it to tie with his design. So when I made the stone green, it actually turned out cooler...... then I changed that!!!!

 One of the final tests! Check out that long chin/beard part that acts as a finger guard!

As to be more ergonomic for holding, I decided to make the shapes more like to a pipettor in the final version. I used these a lot in my biology graduation!

Also I wanted to talk about a thing that haunted me the whole process! Well you already know I'm very very very insecure right??? (I'm working on that....)

 Well... I thought I wouldn't be able to draw this tool in different angles and actually wanted to have a 3D model of it.

 So.... I reached up to two artists and asked them for their wages, as they are brazilian and I can actually pay them with R$ (brazilian reais). It happened what always happens when I try to reach out to another artist.... nothing!!! also the endless frustration that comes along. 

 Another unsuccessful interaction for my long collection, and it's a thing I myself don't know how to do! My pride was hurt as hell and you can bet it made me depressed LOL. I felt the strong lack of belonging of a community/group, and a deep deep powerlessness. Two things that are very serious issues for me.

 Then I remembered the mantra that I took for myself and that made me start this project in the first place... 

Do what you can, with what you've got, where you are. 

 I partook in a game project that flopped and can't make a game myself? It's ok. I don't know how to program things, but I have the skillsets to make a fun ludic narrative myself.

then...

 I don't know how to 3D model things? No need to start learning a skill I particularly am not that invested into from scratch and postpone this project any longer. Let's try repurposing objects into other objects, which I know how to do.

 A thing that helped me a lot  with this was this food processor I have at home. Inspiration can come from anywhere you know?

I also found this bootleg toy once when I was doing some shopping. The trumpet shape was already chosen, and this felt like I picked the right direction.

 And that's how I came out with it!!! It sure was a big challenge, Arsene and Nigredo alike. But it was worthy it! I learned a lot!!! Not only things regarding my craft, but also my personal demons. 

Let's keep learning y'all!!!! Hope everyone is enjoying Apparition.