CDDA - Character beauty shot update

Just an update on the character beauty shot. I've finalized and tweaked my pose and got the base colours down now. I plan to shade the character and then do the background after the foreground is finished. I'm going to start with the face as I find this to be the most difficult area to draw and would like to get it out of the way first. 

CDDA - Character full body

I finished off a digital colour render of my character today. I'm happy with what I ended up with at the end for the most part and it has helped me define who he is but I also came across a few issues that I would like to fix in future art. One of these is his belt. I've simply been drawing a belt that you can buy in town in the real world which is not fitting for a Dwarf blacksmith in my opinion so I redesigned that. I also have come up with a range of different shapes for the top of the apron as I struggled to decide what it looked like. The shape of him is a little too tall and thin as well, I need to make him more Dwarf like. Lastly, I would like to experiment with different colour schemes which I may simple overlay on this picture at a later date. As for the current colours, I like the red shirt and black trousers but am not too sure of the apron or boots. The boots seem a little too clean for someone who lives in a mountain whilst I'm just not sure if I like the apron or not. But overall I'm happy with what I got. 

Below are a few quick sketches of different shaped apron neck hole things. I like the 3rd from the left design on both rows, a simple round neck hole. I also like the bottom right design but don't think it suits an apron really. I think that I will probably use the bottom row, 3rd from the left design but I am not sure for now. 

Below are my belt designs. I wanted something more intricate and 'Dwarfly' for his belt. First of all, I dislike the bottom right design, it's boring and not intricate. The top left design is better than my original belt but still not what I'm really looking for. I really like both of the other designs. The bottom left looks really cool yet the top right seems practical, intricate and has hard edges, something I believe to give quite a 'Dwarfly' look. I will probably use the top right design but may end up using the bottom left if it looks better.

CDDA - Environment progression

Today I came up with a few more ideas for what I would like to do for my environment design. This time I used Photoshop, mainly because I was looking at perspective artwork for inspiration on the internet. Both pictures feature large shaped caves which use one perspective. Neither are particularly detailed either as they are just focusing on the perspective and what the idea would look like. The first is a very vast cave which isn't a very full environment. I like the idea of the perspective going off to one side but I didn't like how low the vanishing point was as I want to be able to see more of the surfaces that the Dwarfs would be working on.  

In my second design I kept things similar to the first but changed several things. I raised the vanishing point allowing me to look down on the environment more and see work surfaces (as I complained of in the first picture). I also made the environment more full of items, specifically the foreground. The environment would show a Dwarfs work area with forges, mining carts and other items towards the back. It shared the same cave type as the previous image but is more like how I imagined my Dwarf smith to look like.

CDDA - Environment Ideas

 I came up with a few environment design ideas today, revolving around the idea of Dwarfs. My first idea is just a simple hallway showcasing Dwarf architecture and patterns. If I was to use this idea I would further populate the scene using jewels and weaponry, two items associated with Dwarfs.

My second idea is that of a more basic Dwarf kingdom. This would be more relevant when put together with my character history and ideas as the Dwarf is a smith and they are not that technologically advanced. It shows a curve within a cave tunnel with a forge and random items littered about leaving only a small path for Dwarfs to walk on. If chosen, the design's forge would be larger and more elaborate, more populated with random items and the walls would be very rough and quite natural.

Below is a sheet showing different tools and machines that could feature in a Dwarf forge. It shows ways of transporting items, crushing metal, heating a furnace, metal work surface, anvil and small mortar. These would populate the scene and help give it a busy atmosphere which is what I believe a Dwarf's forge would have.

Out of the 2 environment ideas I drew, the second one appeals more to me but is still not what I am looking for. I think that I will choose to draw a forge for my environment. I want it to be big but with a busy atmosphere. I want it to be cramped, full of machines, weaponry and lots of things happening at once. These designs have helped me make a step in the right direction.