Teodora Petkova - Character Concept Art And Illustration

"Shapeshifter" Concept Exploration

Shapeshifter Series - Exploration of low tier Shapeshifter, Priest figure and Deity

Concept sketches and studies of a shapeshifter mage character. Initially the idea started out as a masked character, with the masks representing the "faceless" and identity-less nature of a shapeshifter. This idea, combined with a mix of inspirations from Middle Eastern culture, Art Noveau and a bit of African culture resulted in these sketches and explorations of different ideas.

This was a major exercise for me in combining different shape languages, thinking outside of the box and letting go of the constraints of the mind to produce more creative ideas. This is not the most practical or functional of designs, but it helped me progress on the journey of letting go of the stereotypes I had created in my mind about certain character archetypes.

Feudal Japan Challenge

Work done for the Feudal Japan Artstation Challenge late last year. More information about my process can be found here!

"Ethnic Elves" Series

I was inspired by reading about the symbolic meaning behind the embroideries (called "shevitsi") on the traditional costumes of various Slavic cultures (mostly Bulgarian). I learned that every embroidered symbol has meaning and is sewn uniquely for the owner of the clothing and represents an aspect of their identity, and also that the "shevitsi" are what distinguishes humans as "earthly" beings, separate from the spiritual beings (like the Samodivi).

Also inspired by the scarification rituals in some African tribes, I got the idea of these symbols as ritualistic scars on the skin of elves in a small community, present in a fantasy version of the Balkans (which are already shrouded in legends and mysteries from folklore). The scarification is performed by an elder elf. 

Hunter Character

In the case of this hunter character, the symbols (from Bulgarian folklore) on his arms are with a protective function (similar to the Odal rune in Scandinavian cultures).

Elder

Maiden Sketches

3D Character Work

Sculpted in ZBrush. Rendered in Keyshot.
Warhammer Chaos God (Tzeentch) inspired Creature +
Likeliness Portrait of Adrien Brody.

Various Character Work

Dungeons and Dragons Character Illustration

Heavily Armed Battle Necromancer Concept

Two characters done for the Beneath the Waves Artstation Challenge.

Loose Character Sketches

Studies

Figure Drawings

40min. pose. Charcoal. A2 Format

10-5 min. sketches

2-5 min. sketches