Visual Development - 23/07/15

I keep procrastinating on actually uploading the work I've been doing to here. "I'll do that tomorrow". Oops.

However, over the week, I've trialed a lot of variations in design for my character.
I played around with several different periods of dress.

The style of dress I selected to further develop is the one on the left.

Once I picked the time period and style I wanted, I began to further refine and trial the details.

Shoes

Corsets

Sleeves

I then moved on to weapon/prop design for the giant sword I wanted the girl to wield. 

I went through a lot of variations of different hilts, blades and pommels, looking at many different styles of sword. Thin blades, such as rapiers were scrapped, as I really wanted to build contrast between this thin, tiny girl, and this huge sword that should seem improbable for her to use. The more intricate hilt designs were also quickly scrapped, as in all practicality, for a two handed sword, less is better.

The final (ish) concept.

I wound up working a lot off broadswords, and exaggerating the features. I also got hooked on the idea of some form of floating orb or gem in the blade.

I then moved onto facial tests - I've decided I want the girl to look 'pretty' - again, a contrast between her and the oversized weapon.
Building the story around her, I've come to the conclusion that she spends her time luring princes in to rescue her, waiting patiently in her tower, only to fight and capture them. As to why? Who knows.

Next I plan to continue with the facial structures, and then move onto hair styles. I'd originally been planning to give her short hair, but as the story has developed, I've come to quite like the idea of her having it tied up - with the cord on which the key to her tower hangs? It's an idea for now.