First sketch of a new Dungeons & Dragons character for another mini-campaign! What if Little Red Riding Hood got sick of the wolf and decided to go Huntsman herself? Introducing Red, Blood Hunter of the Order of the Lycan and sassy hotblooded redhead. Of course, wielding a Great Axe is traditional!
[LIVE RECORDING] Drawing Fashion Concepts for Kalara
I did an impromptu Twitch session last night while I was wrapping up more fashion sketches for Kalara! Here's the recording for those who might've missed it.
Watch me as I draw a fashionable character, geek out about tabletop gaming, and fail at technology! ALL in one video!
Feels good to finally draw again! I've been caught up in leatherworking and commissions, lately. I've finally finished a couple of simple bases to test out my Exalted character, Kalara's, many disguises on. Can't wait to play with her various looks!
I used Daz to reference the facial features and perspective on a basic model. It's been such a handy tool to help keep my anatomy in check!
With Exalted on my mind after my Exalted-themed NaNoWriMo, I couldn’t resist throwing in my lot to participate in the Exalted Secret Santa art exchange @shiftingpath is running!
Here’s all anyone would need to draw my character (characters?). I chose Kalara and Koh, who are two personas (female and male, respectively) of my Eclipse Caste Solar.
While I think my reference images are spot on for Kalara, the ones of Koh are still being refined, so feel free to take liberties if you choose him! Full info under the cut:
Kalara Vadras, The Uncrucified.
Quick Bio: Kalara grew up a slave in Gem. After a string of masters, she was eventually liberated and adopted as a daughter by the famous Merchant Prince, Ahrun Vadras, the Seeker. Together, the two would try to reform the Guild with anti-slavery business practices, but their efforts were foiled by Ahrun’s eventual assassination by dissenters within the Guild. Kalara was framed for his murder and took her Second Breath when she was being nailed to the cross as punishment for the crime. Upon her Exaltation, the crowd, dumbstruck by a divine sense of awe, helped her to free herself from her bindings and vanish into the city.
Those who witnessed the event would dub her The Uncrucified, either a hero and patron saint of slaves, or a wanted murderer, depending on who you talk to. She currently works from the safety of an independent city-state of freed slaves to destroy the Guild through corporate warfare via her own guild, The Pristine Guild.
Physical Appearance: Kalara is of average height with an average fit build and has an apparent age of 25 (she still looks this age, since her Exaltation was only in the last year). She has dark red hair that falls down to her mid-back which she usually styles with feathered bangs and layers. Her skin is of a dark golden hue, indicating her Southern heritage. She takes pride in her Southern heritage, often wearing jewelry and clothing utilizing styles from the region (an Arabesque setting). She’s a savvy dresser, usually wearing high fashion crafted by her own guild’s artisans, including business outfits that favor elegance and functionality. For formal occasions, she’s known to dress to the nines in more feminine and provocative fair, showing off her crucifixion scar with adornments of gold chain and wearing backless dresses to show off her back’s whip scars. She’s also been known during formal occasions to wear a henna tattoo of a phoenix, the symbol of her Pristine Guild.
Distinguishing Marks: Kalara bears a scar in her left palm where the spike from her execution pierced through. She once had a slave brand on her forearm, but has since in her recent years as a Guild Master had it removed by Neomah, so this brand is optional depending on what phase of her life you choose to depict her in. She left her back scars, however, which are a series of 11 strikes from a thin bone crop. The scars from the lashing spread like a lightning strike across her back.
Other Inspiration: Kalara has a habit of twirling a silver spike in her fingers while she’s plotting. She keeps the spike near at all times for safe-keeping, hoping one day to use it against the one responsible for her father’s death. She also keeps her abilities as a Righteous Devil secret, preferring instead for her Koh persona to receive most of the attention when it comes to a reputation as a dangerous gunslinger.
Koh the Silver-Tongued Devil.
Quick Bio: Rumor has it that Koh was a slave in Nexus who started a riot and killed his master, cutting an epic swath through the city guard to escape into the countryside. The rumors of this incident get more outlandish with every telling and Kalara does nothing to dissuade them. Once in the safety of the countryside, Koh earned the name Silver-Tongued Devil after convincing several feuding outlaw bands to join his cause of terrorizing the Guild’s caravans in the area.
Koh has also earned a name as a famous gunslinger and Righteous Devil practitioner who uses a pair of twin firewands to cut down his enemies with inhuman speed. Named Business and Pleasure, these twin orichalchum firewands pale in comparison to Koh’s prized Prayer Piece, an inheritance from his soul shard’s original owner. The Prayer Piece has no defined design as of yet, so feel free to interpret as you will! Prayer Pieces are traditionally hand-gun sized with intricate filigree inscriptions crafted into them. They also fire golden bullets with prayers inscribed on them instead of firedust.
Appearance & Distinguishing Marks: Physically similar to Kalara’s, but with some major exceptions. Koh’s hair is kept short (no defined style yet). He also dyes it black or dark brown to obscure his original hair color. When compared to Kalara, Koh is umkempt with unplucked eyebrows and an uncouth demeanor. Kalara also keeps her feminine features inconspicuous by tightly wrapping her chest in bindings.
Koh also takes great pains to always hide the scar of the crucifixion with gloves. He usually dons himself in a merchant gunslinger’s dusty tunics, wearing certain sashes and accents that hint at a Southern heritage. The last piece to Koh’s disguise is a pair of glasses with round lenses that have a slight tinting to them. They were taken as a momento of Ahrun, who was their previous owner.
I suck at drawing Koh looking masculine (and at drawing men in general), so feel free to take liberties!
Totemic Aura:
Both Kalara and Koh share the same totemic aura. White glowing chains of energy appear wrapping around their legs and arms and trailing in an invisible aura around them. The chains flail in the air as they move, the ends shedding links that fall off into nothingness. At the same time, glowing white spikes made of energy appear pierced through their palms, though these spikes do not actually cause physical pain or damage.
Other Info: With careful planning (and the help of a Night Caste with disguise skills), Kalara has convinced the world that she and Koh are separate people, with Kalara acting as the Pristine Guild’s Guild Master and Koh acting as her favored Merchant Prince. There are rumors the two are lovers, thanks to some playful improv by her Night Caste bodyguard while he was in disguise as a decoy Koh. Originally annoyed by this addition to the script, she now finds the rumors of a romantic relationship essentially with herself amusing to no end.
Inspiration Resources:
- The Uncrucified (Kalara’s memoir about her Exaltation)
- Character Playlist
- Pinterest Inspiration Board
That’s about it. Have fun and surprise me! I don’t mind mature or tasteful erotic art for this art exchange. I look forward to seeing whose character I get!
