I had been waiting, not exactly with anxiety, but with some mild worry until my main character got his face.
This was the first sketch Okita sent.
I was very pleased. I thought the artist had captured a degree of innocence, as well as cunning and resolve. I would have preferred to have his hair shoulder-length though, and after a while the eyebrow seemed a bit aggressive. But basically this was it. I had to take into account that an artist can never render exactly what you have in mind, let alone how every reader pictures your world and characters. A good approximation, a general type, would have to do.
We mailed back and forth a bit, and then the first color-sketch arrived.
First thing you’ll notice is that the Other is missing. That is because this sketch was mainly intended to give a better impression of what the background would look like. It’s all there. Lorseth Castle, the craggy coast, the raging sea… The rocks in the foreground are there, mainly because I need a place to put my title(s).
Except for the Other the basic ingredients are already present, be it unfinished. The warlord has got somewhat longer hair — still far too dark — and the castle seems made out of concrete instead of stones. But I understood we were still in the sketch-stage.
After some more mails this sketch arrived:
The hair was lighter now, but still not enough to my taste. The armor had become more shiny and the prince’s mantle had acquired a nice, velvety dark red color.
Was it my imagination? To me it seemed he looked angry. Pissed off, actually. And that eyebrow was definitely aggressive now. It was about to start a war all by itself. This wouldn’t do. I was going for some resigned, yet resolved attitude. A watchful, calm demeanor, exuding inner strength. Not so much a bring-it-on-bro-defiance.
After another email, a new close-up arrived.
Better, but not quite there yet. I liked the eyes and the mouth of the first close-up. I suppose you could call his hair ancient golden, but I’d like it to be of brand new gold. Oh, and had I told the artist his eyes are supposed to be gray-blue? The sheen on the pauldrons is beautiful though. But where is his coat of arms?
All in all we were getting closer. Just a few more emails. Praise my lucky stars that Okita is a very patient man.
To be continued…
Andrew, I also love the fur around his red cape and pauldron and the heavy look of his breast coat under the yellow tunic. Somehow, I like the chin and eyes on the beginning sketch, they seem stronger…and his hair needs to be more mussed and wind-blown.