In order to develop the story behind my game level further, I decided that I wanted to create a loose character design for the playable character in the game. I felt this would help me to immerse myself in the story more thus being able to create a more believable and interesting 'world' for anyone that plays it.
I decided that I wanted to stick with the idea of having a female character, the contrast between the level's ghastly appearance and the soft, feminine, lacey cuffs on the character's hands really appealed to me. In keeping with the story's Victorian time setting, I did a little bit of visual research on Victorian women's clothing for inspiration, the website this image is taken from was very helpful.
I also used the book "The Art of Bioshock Infinite" to see some of the process of how video games concept artists create a character design. The characters of Bioshock Infinite have an influence of Victorian fashion styles and 1920s American dress that results in many interesting shapes and layers on the female designs.
Art from The Art of Bioshock Infinite found at http://bioshock.wikia.com/wiki/BioShock_Wiki
She has the elegant style I was aiming for, but so far in these sketches I think she lacks a definite personality. I think what I was more concerned with when drawing these was the different sort of shapes and clothing items she might wear. I then decided to go and re-write my story plan, filling the gaps of the plot and also detailing the characters. After I solidified her character (and gave her a name) Grace started to take a better form in my drawing.
I produced this more detailed and coloured version of a design, I feel that I have a better grip on my own story. She is not necessarily a final design, but I think that as she will never actually be seen during gameplay, it is not a major priority of mine to keep on redesigning her. The purpose of this artwork is really for myself and Alex to get a better feel for the project's story.
