Unnamed Project: Current Progress

Character work and other sketches for a visual novel I am currently making. Eyes and mouth are absent from the sculpts because they will be handled in texture for ease of rigging and animation. Characters are being sculpted to make hand-painting the textures easier.

I'm making a visual novel to work my way up to making my passion project (though, it has become a passion project itself). I'm currently working towards the vertical slice (the first scene). The visual novel is a police/detective procedural in a world in which magick is a thing that came to exist.

Main character design. Police Consultant. I specifically tried to make a character I don't like. She smokes, she drinks, she dances near-naked to summon the souls of the dead... Strangely enough, I've come to actually like her the more I wrote for her.

Rin body. In the initial sketches, her build was much more slender. However, her main weakness is that she's physically weak and out of shape. So, I figure fattening her thighs helped. Also, it helps with her silhouette.

Rin in common attire.

Rin's home attire. Upper thighs remained fat to preserve silhouette. It creates some conservation of mass issues, but I felt preserving her silhouette was more important than the laws of physics. Just this once.

Police Detective. Hightly organized in spite of his disheveled appearance. Love interest. Earnest and straight forward; always takes notes.

Base body for Ty. I might broaden his shoulders a bit before making the low poly.

Ty in shirt and tie.

Ty with suit jacket added

Ty in common attire.

Ty in home attire.

Walt, partner of Ty. 75 year-old man. Due to certain loopholes, they can't force him into retirement. Wears two badges - one is his, the other belongs to his deceased partner Marisol Gato. Actively avoids using magicks in favor of science.

I think Walt has the most exaggerated anatomy of the main cast.

Walt in shirt and tie

Walt in common attire.

Walt in home attire

Vlad is Rin's familiar. He mostly serves as her butler - carrying her magick supplies and occasionally making meals. Specializes in Criminal Intelligence. Often "borrows" forensic supplies from Ada.

The concept had incorrect legs for a rat. I looked up some reference and gave his legs more structure. While it doesn't follow the concept 100%, sometimes the spirit is more important than following the concept to the letter.

Chloe is the Coroner of the city's quarter. Her informal demeanor and wild swings of emotion leave many surprised at just how well she performs at her job.

Beigh around the office.

Beigh in common attire.

Crime scene investigator. Lacks the people skills to be a detective. Beigh's best friend.

The victim. Star quarterback of the local football team. Found dead in an alley with no discernible cause of death.

Character not needed for vertical slice, but that I really want to get to. Main character's adoptive mother.

Rin's scooter design. Made from the last thumb of the session. When that happens, it's like all the work of the previous thumbs resulted in a grand epiphany. Satisfying beyond degree.

Initial sketches

initial sketches

sketches of characters I'd like to refine later on

Thumbnail sketch of the crime scene. Will need to make a more finished background painting for the vertical slice.

Map of the city I use to organize my storytelling. Lacks my handwritten notes as I printed it out for ease of organization...

Early screen mockup. Tried to get a feel for what I was doing early and work towards that. The fields of black and white would have been used to indicate knowledge. Wouldn't work in a game, though.

Early screen mockup. Tried to get a feel for what I was doing early and work towards that.

Getting a little goofy with the characters. Done back when the Virgin-Killing Sweater was a big deal.

Mood piece. Rin waking up in the morning. It wasn't a good night.