Concept Art: Rigel (Patreon)

Malik's righthand man, Rigel! Rigel is described as "scrappy" and pure as the day is long. His iconic item is his scarf/headband. His design was a serious challenge as there was a lot of different theming that was directing the design.

Step 1: Thumbnail Sketches

Much like Malik, Rigel's armor and attire is cobbled together as the two are on the run. Originally I went for a squire direction, but after feedback pivoted to more of a vagabond-vibe. From there, we shifted the clothing material to be that of a scrapper/desert wanderer. 

Step 2: Color Palettes

From there, the instruction was for white with the shock of blue coming from his scarf. Since he was on the run, I originally tried to lean into a more tan/cream color palette to show the wear-and-tear. After discussion with the director, we ultimately went for his white and grey palette. As you can see, there was even discussion on what hue of blue to go with for the scarf.

Step 3: Revision

After completing a first draft of Rigel, we ended up revisiting the design. Instead of it being loose fabrics, we slimmed the pants and added in the belt motif and a larger paldron/armguard to show a more fighter-esque aesthetic. In addition, we moved his scarf to his forehead, wrapping around a longer tuft of spikey hair. In addition, I wanted to emphasize a more angular physique like that of a swimmer to give him a more interesting silhouette. 

Of all the characters, Rigel's design was definitely the most challenging as you can probably see. Not the end of the world, though, as it was a good opportunity to learn and iterate on designs.