Game Design project "Have fun" - A look at character design

I had already decided the main protagonist will be a young female to reflect the puriety of water. I am unsure yet how young she will be; perhaps 12 or 14. Underneath I produced some quick sketches of faces using Freud's work as reference to an extent.

I've already decided #8 is wrong as it reminds me of a chipmunk. #7 is interesting in a creepy, voodoo doll sort of way and I'm not sure what happened with #1. However, #6, 9 and 11 strike me as the most workable. I may use these 3 faces to synthesize one face and encorporate the style endorsed in one of the others.

I then began looking at traditional chinese clothing. I like the way the fabric flows however I might consider something shorter as the main character will need to be more agile than what such an elaborate dress would allow.

I then thought of chinese clothing in video games and thought back to the Qiao sisters from the Dynasty Warriors series. I like how their outfits seem to have a modern twist and also how intricately detailed they are. I also like that the outfits allow for a good range of movement.

I find it helpful to look at examples of costume in game as it gives me an idea of where to start with the costume for my character. I also like how the costumes reflect the characters personality; something I will need to be mindful of when designing my own.

When considering my character's personality words such as innocence, puriety and youth came to mind. The element water is wild and free in personality, and I would like all these features to reflect in the character and her clothing. I looked at particular symbols that might reflect these qualities and found that the water lily was an analogy for puriety and innocence. I might try and work it somewhere into her outfit; the fact its an oriental flower should also tie in with the theme.

Underneath are a few patterns I've collected along with a few chinese symbols; the top left being the chinese symbol for water itself. I might find a way to work some of these into her outfit.