2023 Concept Art - Rocio Benito. D&D and Pirate's Odyssey Projects
Hey! My name is Rocío, currently a Voxel School Student and future Concept Artist!!! 💪 Here are a couple of projects I have been doing these past months. Hope you like it! Any thoughts and feedback are welcome!!!🍑🍑
2023 Concept Art - Rocio Benito. D&D and Pirate's Odyssey Projects
When I started my year in Voxel School, I was not only new in the school, but also in Madrid. The first time some of my classmates and I got together was to play D&D, and thanks to that, we struck up a really cool friendship. This is why I had to make my first project about our D&D characters.
"Lost Mines of Phandelver," original D&D campaign, takes place in the Forgotten Realms region and follows the adventures of a truly eclectic group of heroes:
Maka, a skilled Shadar-kai betrayed for her lover, who is commanded by the clan liders to kill her. Hidden under a false name and a cold mask of weakness for women, gambling and alcohol, she reluctantly joins this adventure because of a lost bet. Maka will seek to stay on the sidelines until her swift and efficient action is required. Element: Wind.
Gumi-Gomi McAmigo, a Slime sorcerer who has gained consciousness and constructed a body out of scrap to explore whether being human and having consciousness is worthwhile. Friendly and chaotic, Gumi-Gomi joins the adventure in search of friendship and to explore their own existence. Element: water.
Nserat, a Yuan-ti wizard, has spent his entire life in a cave filled with books, absorbing knowledge but lacking any contact with other living beings or the outside world. Nserat joins the adventure to learn more about life and search for new ways to decipher an object with mysterious inscriptions. Element: Earth.
Dandelion, a Summer Eladrin bard who used to be a princess, grew bored of palace life and decided to escape. Mischievous for the sake of fun and with a passion for burning things, Dandelion will serve as the antagonist of this adventure. Element: Fire.
These characters, with their unique personalities and peculiar motivations, will embark together on the quest for the legendary Lost Mines of Phandelver. As they progress, they will face challenges, unravel mysteries, and forge a friendship while exploring a world full of dangers. Would they overcome the obstacles and uncover the hidden secrets along their path?
Maka's Story
Eryn, a shadar-kai born into the core of the Leedal clan, grows up learning the arts of hunting, killing, and deception. Her parents and their friend Quarion, form a deadly team. However, when Eryn is still a young girl, they are ambushed during a mission. Only Quarion returns alive.
Recognizing Eryn's potential, he continues training her along with his daughter, Mella. Both girls participate in the clan's activities (kidnapping, assassination, theft and deception) from a young age.
As they grow up, so does their power, skill, and reputation within the clan. They become leaders of their own squads and Mella decides to change her name to Valanthe (Shadar-kai people change their name once they reach maturity). Additionally, their friendship deepens into a special love for each other.
A couple of years later, Eryn finally decides to change her name to Enna. One day, during a clan gathering, she overhears Valanthe and Quarion who confesses to killing Enna's parents, claiming they were planning to destroy the clan.
Enna is perplexed by the revelation. Her mentor murdered her birth parents who had plans to betray the clan. She investigates and discovers that what her parents did was to propose a pact between the material plane and the Shadowfell, where creatures of all kinds could coexist in peace (an insult to other Shadar-kai).
Unfortunately Enna’s investigation doesn’t go unnoticed within the clan leaders who decide to manipulate Valanthe and orchestrate a fake mission, ensuring history repeats itself.
On the day they depart, Enna senses something is amiss but dismisses it, trusting in Valanthe, her beloved and best friend since childhood. However, Valanthe, believing Enna to be a traitor, stabs her, hesitating for a moment upon seeing the person she loves. Enna falls to the ground and Valanthe, assuming her death, returns with the same story that Quarion had spun years ago. Fortunately, those fleeting seconds of hesitation allow Enna to survive. However, the wound of being betrayed by the only person she truly cared about would kill her heart.
Enna cannot return to the clan ever again. She changes her name to "Maka" and becomes a hired killer. She travels, avoiding any emotional connections and trusting no one. She indulges in alcohol, women, and gambling to maintain an outwardly superficial persona that discourages others from probing too deeply.
In one of the taverns where she finds herself, Maka encounters Gundren with whom she loses a bet that forces her to embark on a new journey.
I tried to emphasize the seriousness and fierceness of the character along with her sensuality, which she uses to deceive her victims. I did that drawing attention to her hips, thanks to the red straps shaped as an unfinished heart as a reflection of her complicated love story. The white hair represents her age, she is 25 in human years but 152 in Elven years. I have tried to maintain sharp shapes to reflect her outward personality, but also incorporate rounded figures because she is not truly evil. The feathers are inspired by the likeness of a crow. I wanted to challenge myself to create characters representing each of the four elements, and this one symbolizes the wind.
The chosen silhouette consists of an inverted triangle for the upper body and a circle for the lower body, representing the two sides of the character's personality.
Keeping in mind that she needs to fight, I discard the variations with long capes and skirts. I often explore some options during this process, even if I won't use them, as it can spark new ideas.
Same with the color palette. In this case, the predominant colors are red for passion, blood, and romance, and black to represent the character's race, the realm she lives in, death, and her profession. She needs these dark tones to avoid drawing too much attention as she is an assassin-for-hire.
I also add notes to my thumbnails to preserve ideas or explain how something works, the reasoning behind certain choices, materials used, the concepts I aim to capture with that particular sketch, or to develop the idea further at a later stage.
To better understand its volume and shape, and to provide the different views that a potential future modeler may need, Sometimes I do a quick 3D model.
Gumi's Story
There was a small consciousness-less slime named Gumi. Gumi lived happily sliding through meadows and basking under the warm sun. One day, the universe decided to grant Gumi consciousness and planted existential questions in his mind.
Intrigued about human nature and the purpose of existence, Gumi constructed a body out of scrap, enabling him to explore the world of humans and comprehend its complexity.
Thus, Gumi became a peculiar and chaotic creature, yet inherently adorable. His appearance piqued the curiosity of those who encountered him, and Gumi seized every opportunity to make friends and learn more about human life.
During his journey, Gumi crossed paths with Gundren, who was enchanted by Gumi's cheerful and friendly personality and invited him to join their group on an emotionally charged adventure.
Along the travel, Gumi was fortunate to meet a goblin named Gon. Despite him being a goblin, Gumi and Gon instantly connected, forging a deep and sincere friendship.
However, Gumi's joy was abruptly shattered when they returned to the group. Maka, driven by the duty to protect the team (and herself), swiftly took Gon's life without a second thought.
Gumi was devastated, but decided not to abandon his search for friendship and meaning. Continuing on with the group, Gumi faced new challenges and embarked on thrilling adventures. However, the pain of losing Gon always lingered.
Some time after the tragic departure of Gon, a little duckling began to follow Gumi. He sensed that this duckling was the soul of his beloved friend. Without hesitation, Gumi adopted the duckling and named him after his friend Gon.
They became an inseparable duo, and as the group's journey progressed, Gumi learned valuable lessons about friendship,and the true nature of humanity. He discovered that being human was not limited to physical form but resided in the capacity to love and understand others.
*Note: human as a selfaware reasonable individual, not as a D&D race.
I wanted to highlight his kind and chaotic personality. His body was formed from the scrap that slimes have the ability to absorb. Additionally, Gon appears on his "shoulder," while the original Gumi is depicted in his "chest."
It is funny how this is Gumi's idea of a "human" body.
In this character I was representing the element "water"
Toy water guns and vacuum cleaners were ironically a great inspiration for this design.
The gun works similarly to how water guns are reloaded, with a pumping mechanism using the blue squared structure.
Nserat's Story
In a dark corner of a lonely cave, Nserat, a young yuan-ti, was born. Emerging from an egg adorned with mysterious inscriptions, Nserat soon realized that he was destined for a path filled with knowledge and power.
Within his nest, Nserat found branches and wood that he would later use to construct his own staff, a powerful tool inscribed with protective symbols for his journey.
Determined to explore the world beyond the cave, Nserat spent thirteen human years (equivalent to three years for the pureblood Yuan-ti race) immersed in studying the books found in the cave, which resembled an ancient abandoned library. Through reading, Nserat acquired expertise in magic, history, and various other fields, becoming a multilingual wizard.
Despite his extensive theoretical knowledge, Nserat realized his lack of real-life experience and social skills, needed to interact with other living beings. Moreover, the mystery of the inscriptions on his own egg remained unsolved. Driven by his love for learning and the desire to uncover the hidden meaning within the egg, Nserat made the courageous decision to leave the cave and embark on a quest to learn more about the outside world.
On his journey, Nserat encountered Gundren, who invited him to join a promising adventure. With a thirst for knowledge and a longing to discover more about real-life experiences, Nserat accepted Gundren's invitation, hoping to find answers, meaningful encounters, and a deeper understanding of himself and his purpose in the world.
The design of this character is based on what I understand of the idea of living in a cave for 13 years. He is slightly hunched due to the low ceilings and weak because he doesn't have enough space to exercise. He spends a lot of time reading with limited light, which has likely affected his eyesight. He crafted his own glasses using shards of glass and other materials, thanks to to his resourcefulness and extensive knowledge.
He carries the egg, protected and bound to his body with fabrics. The yellow structure on his head is rigid and serves as protection against potential falling rocks. The overall silhouette, accentuated by his staff and the trailing fabric from his waist, resembles a snake, reflecting his Yuan-ti heritage.
Nserat is timid and easily frightened Because he is not used to external stimuli.
This character represents the element "earth"
The colors depict the desertic context in which the cave, where the character is born, is situated.
For the prop, I wanted to create a staff that could have been handmade and reminiscent of a snake, but not overly twisting as it doesn't represent a twisted character.
It also has amulets representing knowledge and cloth to make it easier to hold.
Dandelion's Story
In a kingdom full of magic and enchantment, lived the young princess Dandelion, a Summer Eladrin. As a princess, she was surrounded by luxury, music and wealth, but she was also trapped by the rules and expectations that came with her title.
The princess grew increasingly bored in the palace. Her days were filled with lessons on how she should behave, music, history and protocols, with no one to play with and nothing to do. Tired of the restrictions and unable to be herself, she began seeking thrills in less-than-ideal ways.
What started as harmless mischief and a way to distract herself gradually escalated. It went from igniting insignificant objects like leaves and sticks to finding pleasure in burning small creatures like mice or birds that were unfortunate enough to cross her path.
Eventually, even that wasn't enough, and the princess decided to escape the palace in search of something "more exciting."
Harnessing her Summer Eladrin powers and the music classes she received in palace, she further mastered the magic of fire through her harp and reveled in causing havoc along her path. She set trees, fields, and everything in her way ablaze, leaving a trail of destruction behind.
Her malevolence, born from boredom and frustration, her thirst for fun, and her disregard for rules, led Dandelion down a dark path, making her the antagonist of our adventure.
Dandelion represents fire.
She is playfull and gets easily bored.
Her hair is made of fire. She wears her royal dress but is now partially burnt. It has elements that would remind of nature due to her elven origin, but they are red as if they were in flames.
Her skin is purple to represent the corruption of the character, also depicted through the harp she uses as a bard.
Particularly for Dandelion, I had to take into account the shape of her hero prop. I also conducted some color tests to explore how she might appear before she was corrupted, as well as different types of fire.
I needed the harp to be triangular and sharp, representing danger and corruption. I sought to make it appear as if it were crafted from an incandescent wood, with fire coursing through its wood grain to symbolize the character's magic.
This project has been a valuable learning experience for me, and as I said before, it held personal significance too.
In my opinion, storytelling is a very important part of Concept Art and I wanted to represent that here. I hope you got to know a little more about the characters and I wish you liked it. Here is some aside notes I wanted to add:
- The symbols you can see between each character are the result of combining the own pictogram of each class (Bard, Rogue, Wizard and Sorcerer) with something representative from each character.
- The character I used to roleplay was Maka. I come up with the other stories with what my friends revealed while roleplaying them, but as we have not finished the game yet, there was still a lot of uncertain things I had to make up and it was really fun! Dandelion was a new character I also developed because none of us were villains in the story hehe
Thanks to the professors who adviced me through it and specially to Nserat (Dani), Gumi (Julián), Vaylor (Andrea) and our DM Bastián.
In "The pirates' Odyssey" I chose three characters from the Odyssey and reimagined them within a different setting: piracy. This was actually the first project I carried out during these months at Voxel School. Thanks to it, I realised how much I loved to use storytelling in my designs.
Melantho
In Homer's "Odyssey," Melantho is one of the maidservants in the palace of Ithaca, where Penelope, Odysseus' wife, awaits his return.
During Odysseus' absence, a group of suitors has taken residence in the palace and is abusing Penelope's hospitality. Melantho participates in the suitors' inappropriate behavior, engaging in sexual relationships with them.
Furthermore, when Odysseus returns in disguise to his palace and begins to fight against the suitors, Melantho joins the suitors and encourages them to confront her.
She is a rebellious character, enjoying her sexuality with the suitors, thus deceiving Penelope.
To bring her into the realm of piracy, I have attempted to portray her as a pirate without much social status, poor, fierce, and rebellious.
Sensuality, deception, rebellion, and opposition.
In the initial designs, I tried to represent Melantho’s rebellious nature through her hair and clothing. it ended up with undefined shapes, failing to explain what was happening with the fabric. To portray sensuality, I exposed one leg and added straps to hold a concealed dagger. The pose wasn’t working because of the “missing arm” I included the dagger to convey the presence of the hidden arm, symbolizing deception and a beer to give the impression of a character enticing you to approach her only to stab you.
I later managed to simplify the forms and make everything more understandable, emphasizing a triangular shape throughout the whole character. She wields a double-ended weapon (also a double-edged sword) that "hides" behind her, revealing the captain's hat, symbolizing her betrayal. The worn fabric skirt, represents her low social class and lack of wealth. The item at her waist is not just a belt, it also holds a cloth that she would use for cleaning, as she is ultimately a maidservant.
In the second version, I focused more on the aspect of combat and developed a character exaggerating certain elements as the belt or the weapon. then I incorporated important elements for the use of the weapon, such as the ammunition tied to her waist and a matchbox attached to the opposite side of the cannon so she could easily grab it with her free hand. I also added a shoulder pad to help with the weight of the weapon and gloves to provide a better grip. Her anatomy needed to be stronger to handle such a massive weapon. I feel happy with this version because I learnt to make a character more iconic and to think about what it needs to function.
For the third versiont the idea was to design an attractive woman who would invite you to drink with her, but in reality, she would hide a vial of poison on her leg that she could have added to the beer. She holds a dagger in her hand, resting it behind her. I also focused on creating more dynamic shapes in the hair and fabrics that made sense with the character's movements.
Penelope
In Homer's "Odyssey," Penelope is portrayed as the faithful and devoted wife of Odysseus. During her husband's long absence, she eagerly awaits his return to Ithaca. Despite the pressures from the suitors who court her, Penelope remains loyal and refuses to choose another husband.
She spends her days weaving a fabric and promising to choose a suitor once it is finished. However, every night she secretly unravels her work maintaining the hope that Odysseus will return and they will be reunited.I have translated her position as the queen of Ithaca to captain of the ship to align it with the theme.
Hope, longing, sadness, weaving, husband.
In the first version, I tried to portray her as a captain who conceals herself under her hat and the ruffles of her shirt. I included a piece of fabric on her belt and a structure in her boots to hold her knitting needles. I emphasized sharper shapes to accentuate her position as a ship captain, and I added jewelry to highlight her wealth. In the final version of this first design, I placed the piece of fabric in her hand as if she was also drying her tears with it, and I added a small box with more needles to her belt, which she uses as ammunition for her gun. Just as in the story she uses weaving to ward off other suitors, I wanted her to use sewing as a weapon in the design as well. On the cape she wears, there is also an arrow-like pin on one of the shoulders, as the arrow was one of the symbols of Odysseus. Although she is a pirate captain and she is trying to maintain her composure and appear strong in front of her crew, I softened the edges because she doesn't represent a malicious character.
For the second version, the main element is her husband's coat, which is worn out from the many years she has spent waiting. I once again incorporate sewing elements as weapons, and her hands are damaged from weaving and unraveling. She wears heart-shaped patches as a symbol of her love for her husband, or flowers that represent concepts such as fidelity or hope.
For the third idea, I took inspiration from the concept of Penelope being half-elf. I used a dress resembling a nightgown with floral elements and a ethereal quality to evoke her elven heritage. She is barefoot, symbolizing her lost state, with her feet damaged. She carries the hat in her hand, as she can no longer bear the weight of being a captain without her husband.
Scylla
Long ago, the Sea God Glaucus felt in love with the beautiful nymph Scylla who did not reciprocate his feelings.
Desperate, Glaucus sought the help of Circe, a powerful enchantress who was also in love with Glaucus, and heartbroken, decided to seek revenge against him and Scylla. she prepared a magical potion to transform Scylla into a sea monster and Glaucus, unaware of the consequences, offered it to Scylla
Scylla began to feel excruciating pain and was horrified to witness six dog heads sprouting from her waist. Transformed into a sea monster, Scylla was condemned to live in a narrow strait and attack sailors who approached her dwelling.
I wanted to develop the idea of the dog heads and how she ends up hiding as a sea monster, as well as the theme of revenge, portraying her as someone willing to fight while retaining a trace of the beautiful nymph she once was.
Sea monster, 6 dogs, beautiful nymph, strength, embarrasment.
In the first version, she wears spiked collars and bracelets resembling those of some dogs. She wears a bikini because as a sea monster, she spends more time in the water. Bandages and masks are used to hide her monstrous nature. her tattoos represent the reflection of the sun through the waves. Her hair is styled in dreadlocks with eyes (sea monster). Additionally, she wields a large and sharp weapon, representing her strength.
In the second version, I aimed to portray her as a fierce warrior who embraces her appearance as a sea monster. here, i incorporated elements reminiscent of a fish, such as a fin-like crest. In this design, I added six dog skulls, tied to her waist, representing the heads that sprouted from her waistline.
In the third version, I incorporated the dog skulls as tattoos, aiming to make the clothing reveal all of them. However, I realized that it wasn't necessary since I could explain them separately. I wanted the hair to resemble a fin. Going barefoot symbolizes her connection to nature. She also wears a pendant with a dog fang and bites her lip, conveying a sense of hunger. Being confined to a specific location, there must be periods when no one passes by, intensifying her longing for prey.
In the last version, I wanted to explore a connection between Scylla and an octopus, hence the markings on her skin resembling suckers. Instead of having a parrot like most pirates in movies, she has a unique companion, a parrot-octopus hybrid. Both Scylla and her parrot-octopus companion have empty eye sockets.
During this project, I have learned a lot, and there is no comparison between the initial designs of Melanto, where I simply aimed to create pirates, and the final designs of the three characters. I still have a lot to learn, but I feel that I have changed significantly with this project. I hope you liked it.
Thank you so much for taking the time to read these two projects that I have learned so much from. I hope you were able to relate to one of the characters, and if not, at least I hope you were entertained by reading their stories and seeing how I portrayed them.
I want to express my heartfelt gratitude to the teachers and friends who have put up with my constant "Can you give me feedback and destroy my drawings please? <3" hahaha. It truly means a lot to me. I am really excited to come back here next year and see how much I have learned.
And now, let's have fun and keep on drawing!
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