Character Design 'Half-elf, cleric'

These are the first doodles I did when creating this character.

I quickly decided on long, braided hair. I think that it gives the character a fantasy feel.

Here, I'm trying to decide on the character's clothing. At the time, I used various examples of fantasy armour. I did not know how to start designing fantasy clothes. It wasn't a genre I looked for.

I decided to give the character the name 'Lux', meaning 'light'. She was to be a light or life cleric in a D&D campaign.

I wished to give Lux a long cloak to make her more mysterious. The same goes for the hair in front of her face. The other doodles you see are clearly just Lux in Katara's outfit (from 'The Last Airbender').

These are some ideas for common-/party clothes Lux might have. I did not put that much thought into these, as I remember I just drew whatever outfit I liked from comics I read.

Here, I tried to modify Katara's outfit so it fits Lux. I did this by trying to add chainmail and leather armour. I struggled with designing fantasy clothes, and I still do.

This drawing is where I decided to leave it at the time. I liked it but was not satisfied. The design did not feel like my own.

This is another random drawing of Lux wearing vestments. I did not know what to do with this and just used the first vestment reference I found on Google.

Lux has a priest pack, so I drew the items included in that pack and the bag she'd carry them in. I mostly mindlessly drew from one reference. The original artist's name was 'Betterlegends'. I found them on Pinterest.

Some more items. I had fun drawing these and making the things Lux has visual.

This is the drawing I started with when I picked this character up this year. I looked at some more clothing references. This time, I tried to give it my spin. I liked the bag belt I drew here.

A quick doodle I did to understand how this garment worked. This dress is an outfit the main character (a priestess) wears in the comic "A False Confession". I end up using this as a starting point.

These are more outfit ideas referenced from several priestly characters.

After I decided on Lux's outfit, colour was next. Light colours like blue and white came to mind first. These colours reflect the purity and naivité of Lux.

I did play around with more colours, but none seemed to fit as well as that first version.

After the outfit, I played around with different hair and eye colours. I chose the dark red hair because it contrasts nicely with the blue and white.

Final colour palette.

Lux's new, current design. Her skirt and cape are shorter than in the original. I felt it would be easier for her to move in. Lux also wears boots for the same reason. Boots feel more versatile than the ballet flats she used to wear.

I also gave her more detailed clothes. The details connect the intricate vestments she would wear in the temple to her adventuring gear. It also shows others to which temple she belongs.

I opted for a round shield, unlike the first draft. This way, it was easier to represent the sun-symbol of her god.

This is a drawing of Lux's vestments. I love how intricate the design is. It also shows that her temple is well off.

These are more vestments. Lux would wear these for rituals/events of considerable size or when royalty visits the temple.

After all the designing, I wanted to draw Lux in more of an action pose, bringing her to life and showing her magic a little.

Final character sheet.