I've been thinking a lot lately about my character from "The Spirits & The Woods". When I originally wrote the comic, there was no back story to her (who I've been unofficially calling "Koru" for a while now). As I thought about why she would know so much about the spirit world at such a young age (I guess 19), why she would be travelling alone etc., a whole large world started to grow.

As with most things like this for me, once it got to a certain point, I became a bit overwhelmed and shelved the idea for now. I tend to think my capabilities as an artist will hinder a story, and keep holding out until my skill "catches up" to my idea. Obviously this is hindering me creatively, as I think big on ideas but short on my abilities and it all plays out with a stalemate of me not doing anything. Vicious cycle I know, but something I'm working on.

At any rate, I wanted to try my hand at re-designing "Koru", as I pictured her older than I initially drew her in Fablewood, and given that she walks the ghost haunted countryside with a samurai sword, she should probably look the part a bit more. In this picture, I also tried my hand at using grey brush-tipped markers as shading and to add a bit of texture. I will explore this more, but for now I'd say it's not for me. Other great artists out there are much better at pulling this off convincingly, but I may need to just keep practicing.

Labels: Fablewood, Koru, The Spirits and The Woods