STS-50: Goblin Design Sketch

Look at that! Finally up to fifty blog posts!

For this one, I give you how Goblins look in Of Stars and Swords. Caroline and I talked this one through a lot before she tackled the design, but we both came from the same direction. The idea was to make this a recognizably goblin-like design, but not to copy what, say, Lord of the Rings had already done. So we've still got the big head, small body setup, but Caroline went with a few different ideas here: three fingers and toes, legs that reverse slightly at the knee, and somewhat bat-like ears.

And, of course, Caroline made him cute.

STS-49: OSAS Underground Designs

Half of the group of heroes in Of Stars and Swords has journeyed into a fairly standard fantasy location: underground tunnels and roads. For reference, the scene at the waypoint begins here, Issue 3 - Page 5.

The location where most of the action would take place was a waypoint, like a small village between cities to provide a place for travelers to rest. For reference, one of the first things Caroline did was to put together a nice little overhead view of the waypoint so we knew the area.

Overall, it's really just a simple crossroads with buildings carved into the four corners. So it didn't get too boring, we put a huge column in the center, carved with runes as a road sign of sorts. You can see the height and shape of the column at the bottom of this page of sketches.

We also didn't want things to just be boring rock and columns, so Caroline and I talked things over a little bit, and then she went crazy designing creatures of various kinds and tons of plant life for the environment. The sad thing is, a lot of these little guys we just don't have a chance to show, but it helped to get a feel for what the underground world is like.

STS-48: OSAS Mage and Priest Designs

Recently in Of Stars and Swords, we've introduced a new city with a political system built around a group of Mages and Priests. The idea was that everything in running the city was divided equally between the two groups, and so we needed designs for how everyone would look. Beyond some very minor suggestions from me, all of this was Caroline as she tried to find some less than traditional influences for how to dress the characters.

First up are the designs for the two groups of city guards. So far, we've only shown the Priest Guards, and you can see them fully colored here on this page.



Next, we needed the two leaders. These are our really important characters that can't just be blank faces, and Caroline really had fun with the pair while still playing off the guard designs. And next week, when Issue 3 of the comic starts up, you'll get to see both of these guys right away!

STS-47: OSAS Dwarf Designs

At the end of the Issue 2 for Of Stars and Swords, we finally had our heroes encounter a fantasy staple: Dwarves. So here's a look at Caroline's design sketches for the two main Dwarves in the comic at the moment.

On the left is the Dwarf Commander, who never got a name because I never bothered with it. Maybe later. But he's much more our standard Dwarf, beard and all. Even then, Caroline made sure to keep him with a closer-cropped, dignified looking beard to help his military look. The armor he wears became the standard for the Dwarves, so any background Dwarves you see tend to be wearing the same design, though usually with helmets.

On the right is Algvi, the scout that joins up with the characters to lead them underground. With him, I gave Caroline only two suggestions: Make him bald and give him some kind of tattoo on his head. She ran with that, added the wonderful mutton chops, a nice nose scar, and roughed him up in a way that gave him a lot of character. His armor is, essentially, the same as the Dwarf Commander's, but leather rather than plate.

STS-46: OSAS Issue 2 Cover Inks

Happy Christmas Eve, everyone!

We're currently in between Issue 2 and 3 for our webcomic, Of Stars and Swords, and while we're taking a two week break before the start of Issue 3, that doesn't mean we don't have something coming for you. Caroline has been putting together a cover image for Issue 2, because for some reason we enjoy doing those after the issue ends instead of before!

We'll have the full color version up on Wednesday on the main OSAS website, but until then, how about a look at the inks?

STS-45: Redesigns

Through the comic, we've reached a few points where I've come to realize that a particular character design just isn't working, or needs to change to fit where the story is.

Aram got a complete redesign between issue 0 and 1.  His original costume was too garish and all over the place.  When the comic headed in a more grounded direction, he needed a more unified and realistic wardrobe.  So he went from some weird Korean/caveman combo to barefoot Frontiersman.

At the same time, Nika got tweaked a little.  Her gypsy skirts were replaced with a heavy wool skirt and thick belt, her ballet-inspired slippers became baggy boots, we cut off her long ponytail to give her a rough charm (and to remove the genie semblance), and added a long necklace to give back some girliness. 

Seren went from long hair to short at the same time, and upgraded her knives.  But her haircut was not a redesign.  It was something she did herself, off camera, probably with one of her daggers.  In a perfect world, all the other character changes would not have needed to happen, and Seren's own subtle change would be more unique.

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Lately, Marguerite's design just hasn't been working for me.  She seems out of place, even for a mystical creature.  My main concern was to make her look more resilient.  While I loved her original design, I felt she needed more coverage up top, and more weight in her outfit below to balance the design and allow the loose fabric of her dress to really pop.  And real shoes.  No one, no matter how magical, should have to trek across the countryside in dress sandals.

So from left to right: First we have Marguerite's original design, by Karen Ledford of Melfina Cosplay.  Second is our concept for her, though in the comic I never put the necklace and I pinched her waist more and lengthened the dress.  Last is the new design that will pop up next issue. (hah!  And I didn't notice until now that I put her in the same pose as Karen did!)

It was a challenge to stay true to the silhouette and colors balance of the original.  I also had to make sure I wasn't repeating design elements inherent in the other characters' outfits, so cap sleeves, loose sleeves, and longer gloves were not an option.  The boot covers are a favorite of mine that I've been itching to use, and keep the boots from being too Sailor Moon.

STS-44: Alternate Of Stars and Swords Page

Alright. Due to sickness, we had no Of Stars and Swords update this week. It's the first week we've failed to update since launching, and it bothered us both a great deal, but it was the best decision. Caroline, especially, has needed the time to recover from whatever hell we both managed to catch.

But it's Wednesday and I feel wrong not putting SOMETHING online for people to enjoy. So I've got something for you all, and I like to call it the reason why we don't let Caroline do the writing...or, alternatively, the reason why we should have her doing all the writing.

Below is the version of last week's page that Caroline gave me to letter. These days, she always does some flatting before I get the page, so color of various kinds is not out of the ordinary. But for this, she decided that she would put in her own words...



Just in case it wasn't obvious from the text and the color choices, Caroline enjoys turtles.