[DEVBLOG#201] Storyteller creation - step by step (Patreon)

Hey folks and welcome to a 201st development blog.

As you already know, we have started work on Vanilla Factions Expanded - Empire. If you haven't yet, make sure to head over to the survey post and fill it out, so that I can know which notions really got your interest!

Today, however, I'd like to take you through the process of creating Ariadne Archduchess, a new storyteller for that very mod. That's right, we always start design work by making a storyteller. Storytellers not only inspire us to continue (because they take a lot of time to make), but also set the mood for the entire project.

Step one: Basic Sketches

I first instructed our storyteller artist what the storyteller should be. This time, the character in question is a duchess of the Imperial court. Empire is essentially a science-fiction faction based a lot on English nobility with Byzantine elements to it. Think beautiful golden crowns, fancy dresses with gold detailing, beautiful patterns with flowers on them, we wanted to encapsulate it all in one image. I asked the artist to take inspiration from English nobility.

Originally, I wanted the storyteller to be a man, but Royalty already has an Imperial Royal man on the cover - no matter what we would do, we would be competing with him - who looks better? Who looks worse? All of this can be avoided simply by making a royal woman storyteller.

All storytellers have their hands involved in the image. Thus, I asked our artist to try and include hands/hand in the frame too - perhaps holding a medallion? Or a handkerchef?

I really liked the first design - the second one looked too much like a disney princess, whilst the third design looked too much like a person that sends you on an epic quest instead of the cold-hearted Imperial royalty.

Step 2: Different collars

I wanted to see if we can try an imperial noble ruff collar around the neck. It creates nice visual detail at the center of an image.

I think both of these collars were missing something, so I eventually ended up deciding that collars should be merged.

Stage 3: Sketch refinement

After the sketch was approved, it was time to create the refined sketch, following the RimWorld art style, with very thing, delicate lines.

I quickly realized that we are still missing some detail - the character looks more like an Imperial help than Imperial nobility. I asked our artist to slap a lot of pearls on the outfit, based on the Queen Elizabeth noble attire.

Stage 4: Coloring

I asked the artist to create a few different color variants so we can pick what's best.

I particularly liked the middle variant - as it uses the same colors as Royalty lord from the Royalty cover art. This means that players will draw a clear connection between them.

Stage 5: Shading

After that, it was time for shading. There is a lot of intricate details here, and we need to remember to adhere to vanilla art style. I was really happy with the final outcome, but we were missing just a few details - particularly, the eyes didn't fit the rest of the storytellers.

And that's it, after just a few tweaks, Ariadne came to life. She will be representing the Empire faction with pride, and I think she perfectly encapsulates what you can expect from the mod.

I hope you enjoyed reading this devblog, and I will see you again real soon!