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CONCEPT ART
All in Procreate on the iPad Air
ARMEN
Armen was the first character concept that I came up with, and I immediately fell in love with her delicate and whimsical style. I wanted all the designs to reflect the character's personalities, and I feel this is a good example of that. One of her key traits is her love of flowers, so I decided to take inspiration from flower petals for her dress, and leaves for her sleeves. I used a confident and content pose reference for her final rendering, as she is confidently walking in the direction of her dreams.
RYE
As you can see, Rye's design changed quite a bit from the initial concept. I felt that her color scheme was lacking, and didn't quite reflect her personality or story, as it had evolved over time with the project. In addition, after consideration into the state of the performing arts industry and representation, I felt that it was not an appropriate idea for me to provide voice over for a character that reflects a community and a background that I am not personally a part of.Â
Now, her design is much more reflective of her story of the sea. She is a bit cold and distant, as her color palette shows. I also added a bit of wave-reminiscent embroidery detailing on the back of her coat for an additional motif, as well as a pose reference that is a bit standoff-ish.
BEE
Bee's design remained pretty consistent throughout the drafts, but I decided to really embrace the theme of her namesake. She is, quite literally, a busy bee. Her color scheme is reminiscent of honey, and she sports a small insect pin in her hair. Originally I was going to give her an inventor's backpack, but it didn't work out with different renditions of pose references. Instead, I opted for various Velcro arm satchels. Though initially unplanned, these straps ended up paying homage to everyone's favorite striped pollinators! Her curled hoodie straps also reference the little bumble antennae. Since she is a bit paranoid, a pose that was close to the ground and inquisitive felt natural for her.
THE MUSIC
All in Garageband
Just like the character concepts, each of the character themes represent their unique personalities.
Armen's provides a dream-like quality, with a simple instrumentation that pays homage to the simple beauty of her flower garden.
Rye's feels adventurous and stormy. The thick menagerie of instruments provide a complex arrangement that reflects her complicated inner journey of redemption.
Bee's is bright and driven. The constant rhythm in the bass gives voice to her determination and resilience. The higher melody introduces a playful and creative tune.
VOICE OVER
Armen's voice needed to be sweet and delicate, truly reminiscent of a princess. I gave her an airy tone with lots of hopeful inflections to reflect her dreamer disposition.
Rye is cold, more distant. Her voice is lower pitched and a bit quieter, as though she's calculating every one of her thoughts. She doesn't really want to talk at first, but feels her story is important.
Bee is, quite bubbly. She is paranoid yet charismatic, as her rollercoaster ride of inflections show. She goes from 0-100 real quick, jumping to conclusions as her vocal pitch flies up and down like a buzzing honeybee.