This is for group Fantasy Creators Create a Character Contest on DA.

***This character will go up for auction later! Journals will be posted to advertise, and a new reference type artwork will be made for the auction.***

>>> Parameters

*Group one - Head:
-horns
-red eyes (contacts)
-blue hair (some say it's a wig, but it's actually his real hair dyed)
-green lips (lipstick)

*Group two - Torso:
-lizard tail
-blue translucent silk

*Group three - Arms:
-claws
-heavy armor (fabricated, not real)

*Group four - Legs:
-heavy armor (also fabricated)

*Group five - Additional Stuff:
-bubbles and water (incorporated into his outfit and the background)


>>> Character Information:

-Name: Sirus (born Yoehon Cornelius McTrellu)
-Gender: male
-Special powers: none
-Other talents: fabrication/prop design, dancing, martial arts, singing (though only privately now)
-Favorite food and drink: barbeque chicken (he would never eat it in public though), with hot milk (low fat or skim only).
-Favorite color: any shade of green, especially spring green
-Favorite kind of people: those who understand or support his vision, or those who obey his thoughts and whims without question
-Story: The mutant born Yoehon Cornelius McTrellu had a privileged youth, but perhaps that was why he acted out so strongly. His wealthy, sophisticated parents, one a lawyer, the other a retired bounty hunter, gave him everything he could ever ask for... except crayons. They demanded that their son always remained proper and refined, but all he wanted was to sing and dance and experiment with his persona. Finally, once he turned eighteen, he legally changed his name to Sirus and severed ties with his parents, so that he could focus on his band, Rancid Grandma. They were a huge hit in underground circles for their energetic performances and haunting blend of techno and rock opera. Every venue they popped up in sold out, and they couldn't keep enough merchandise on hand to satisfy their diverse fan base. However, relationships within the band suffered as Sirus' personality soured from the stresses of managing the band in a changing market, and as Sirus' mood changed, so did the quality of his performances. Ticket and record sales plummeted, venues dropped Rancid Grandma like it was a plague, and finally the band split up, devastating Sirus emotionally. He attempted a solo career to handle his monumental debt, but he'd lost his passion for performing and most of his passion for living. He sold everything he owned and turned to petty crimes in hopes of a quick fix to his money and emotional problems. He was eventually arrested, but his incarceration turned into a the second greatest opportunity of his life. While in prison, a therapist gave Sirus the tools to handle his anger, and a letter of recommendation to join a group of public speakers who encouraged young people to explore their creativity and enrich the world with art. At the same time, a fellow inmate, who happened to be a long-time fan of Rancid Grandma, pulled some strings and connected Sirus to some important people on the outside. If he accepted their offer, he would become lead singer of a new band, of his design, which would be used to smuggle money and other materials, but it would be real band just like old times.

Which path would Sirus choose...?

___________________________________________


Time to talk process. As soon as I saw "green lips" on group one, I thought of a character who was actually green-skinned, such as a lizard anthro, or a lizard-human hybrid more human than lizard, with large eyes. But as I sketched the lizard girl out, she changed into an older lizard-woman, who turned into a frustrated artist, but as I tried to flesh the design out, it just wasn't very impressive or eye-catching. Then I thought about designing an actual dragon character, with green scales, but I thought it was too obvious because of the lizard tail in the torso group. So I sketched a few random floating heads, playing with ideas, until I designed a feminine dragon-human hybrid man, and I knew that was the one I had to run with. I loved the contrast of scale and skin and that I could practice drawing a more human face and body while still keeping the animal elements that I enjoy. Next I had to choose which other parameters to mix in. Some were obvious, like horns and claws, while others I struggled with, such as what to put on his arms and legs. I ultimately decided on the heavy armor because I could design it to mimic dragon plates. I originally wanted to give him heavy armored legs with thigh-high boots and/or the fishnets, but I kept switching his legs from biped to quadruped so the boots and fishnets just never looked right.

I actually drew him three times. First was just his body, then I drew on his outfit and all his accessories, but after I let the drawing sit a few days, I saw some MAJOR anatomical issues going on. His body was too long, his arms were short and didn't match his armor, his face was off, things like that. So I had to re-draw his body on a separate layer, make sure it was okay, then re-draw his outfit to match the fixed anatomy. It took several days, but it looks ten times better now that I took the time to lay the base work for it. I think I've spent at least 36 hours on it, probably more. I didn't keep count. It took me a while just to get the background and decide what colors to use on him. Plus, I tried a new coloring method here, now that I'm using Photoshop Elements instead of Corel Painter Essentials. The new coloring method is a lot like the one I used in Corel, but using Photoshop allows me to keep things on separate layers so that the colors don't get too dark or washed out if I get over-zealous on my value. I was actually able to use more color variation because of it, which makes it look more dynamic. I'll definitely be using this technique again, maybe even without line art!

By the way, the "bubbles and water" parameter from group five has been incorporated into various parts of the artwork. The background is one. Then I added the silver wave decals on his armor, the paper-weight like orange bubbles on his armor, and the "gills" and "fins" part of his outfit. Also his name, Sirus, is a play on the mythical creature, siren, that was a beautiful woman who lured sailors to their deaths with her songs. It was all of these things that made me turn the character into a singer and performer, but I couldn't resist making him a dark and tortured type too, so he was more dramatic. Making him feminine was part of the whole siren theme too, and also why he has green armor plates and green lips. In some circles, green dragons are strictly female, while male dragons are more colorful, so that's what I had in mind when I chose his colors. Why didn't I just make him a woman instead? I have no idea.

Anyways, this was such as fun contest! So much creativity and freedom involved. I'll definitely be doing this again if they host another one like it. Hopefully it won't take me so long next time though.