Riannon - Sacerdotisa do Caos

Illustrated Scenes - Click to enlarge view

The first version of Riannon emerged from a personal study aimed at testing a distinctive drawing style that could be easily adapted for various projects quickly and beautifully.

Her original conception portrayed her as an anthropomorphic being, yet not human, already incorporating key elements such as a kind of magical crown (composed of floating black stones around her head), white hair, and clothing that combined armor and delicate pieces.

After her story was defined, depicting her as the "Priestess of Chaos" within the universe of Valfir, some modifications and concept tests began to be applied.

In these new versions, Riannon became a character with more demonic aspects. Representing the opposition to the ideals of the Primordial Ma-Urn, the caste, Riannon needed a design that conveyed desire and promiscuity while also evoking the sensation of fear and discomfort caused by a diabolic presence. At the same time, as a malevolent priestess, she also needed to exude a combative sensation as she is the protector of the Temple of Chaos.

Considering that the story of the World of Valfir was created as a personal project aimed at serving as a basis for developmental studies of conceptual arts for the entertainment sector (games, films, artwork for books, etc.), Riannon's design needed to convey all her aspects in a complete manner.

The first design had interesting details but suffered from an overload of information, while the second managed to convey the idea of her personality well but had an application problem: If used in digital games, the animation of her skirt in battle could be problematic, and the excess of sensuality and lack of clothing could detract from the idea of her being warlike. With this in mind, the third design introduced a good characteristic to the legs but deviated somewhat from the original concept (I still consider it as a kind of alternative outfit for the character), while the fourth served as a test of blending concepts from the previous designs.

The fifth version aimed to correct some aspects of overdesign inherited from the first version. This type of design makes potential animations (whether in 2D or 3D) that could be created in the future with this character difficult. The sixth version served as a test, extrapolating the character's evil side into her appearance, but it strayed too far from the original proposal (still, I like to imagine this version as a transformation of the character).

The last two versions finally brought to life what was being envisioned, and from them and small variations derived from them, the other artworks of the character began to be developed.

Estudos de personagem

From these studies, I began to develop a Splash art (or promo art) of the character. These types of artwork are images designed to provide a vivid and appealing visual representation of the character, displaying them in a dynamic pose or one that represents their personality.

This Splash Art would depict the character standing in front of the entrance to the Temple of Chaos, with two giant guardians in the background, seated on a throne amidst piles of skulls. The idea of the crown of floating stones was removed because it was realized that perhaps it wouldn't make sense to use a crown on a character who doesn't represent aspects of royalty, but rather priestly ones.

During the development of the artwork, some aspects of the illustration began to contrast with the original idea of the character and the universe she was part of:

The Temple of Chaos (or Temple of the Void) is a hidden place amidst the abyss of darkness, which directly contrasts with the concept of the Eternal Flame (the deity of this universe). Therefore, an infernal location within this story could not have fire or illuminations reminiscent of fire because flames here are characteristic of the side that represents good. Furthermore, it didn't make sense to have giant guardians in the Temple of the Void if the character herself carries the characteristic of being the guardian of this place.

Regarding the character's image, the face had a purely demonic look, but it lost the sensual aspect present in the conceptual arts. Moreover, my intention was to present her with extreme confidence, but with a carefree personality instead of the superior and majestic pose of the first artwork.

Therefore, a new Splash Art was developed.

The second version of the Splash Art focuses more on Riannon's personality. It features a more dynamic pose devoid of formality and returns to the design that had been established initially for the character during the development of her concept.

The face now has the same aspect of psychopathy as before, but maintains the beauty and sensuality of the character, aspects highlighted and better defined after the initial rendering painting was completed.

Another interesting aspect was to depict her sitting on debris next to two clearly non-human and metallic skulls that convey the idea of what happens to those who oppose her will, while also demonstrating the hidden combat power behind a character with a seemingly fragile body at first glance.

The story of Riannon, the World of Wallfir, and the Eternal Flame continues to unfold!
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