Gesture + Costume + Story - Characters With Style "Dance" (Video + File)

Hey everyone!

I'm really struggling to make these articles short as I want to encapsulate the process in a few useful words, but I find myself rambling about superficial subjects, so let me try something more straightforward. If you are curious about something in the video or PSD I did not mention in this article, please feel free to reach out to me here in the DMs or via Discord.

Concept

The inspiration behind this concept were some very old stories about Beauty and the Beast, not only the Disney movie but this recurrent theme in drama where there is a very dangerous, obscure man in love with a beautiful, brave woman. They both need each other in order to bring some meaning to their lives. I find this particular story very interesting as it kind of feels like a tragedy, and I like tragedies. Anyway, the reference to the two pigeons does not reflect this story in detail, but it does share some kind of romantic vibe as it seems to me they are both dancing, perhaps it's a mating ritual. I'm not an expert on the subject of pigeons.

Execution

Before touching the canvas, I was trying to make clear and address at least three visual points in this composition: one was the gesture, the second the costume, and the third one the dark story. These points often change depending on the subject, but their function is very simple: to at least present enough visual information to make the composition interesting.

- The first point was addressed when I picked the reference, as the gesture of the two pigeons, in my opinion, would look interesting when translated into characters. This point will justify the two characters' actions and motivation.

- The second point about costume was addressed when I chose to represent the story during the Rococo and Victorian periods, as they both share costume design decoration. Again, visually rich.

- Last but not least, the third point was about making clear the Beauty and Beast concept. I did that by making the shape of the male big and rectangular, big arms and hands, and a hairy face, even some scars and red eyes. Her figure is elegant and slender, tall with an expression of happiness, subtle but sufficient. Also, I wanted to add some storytelling cues, like the chains on the male character and his torn suit, reflecting his dangerous nature.

In the video, you will see how I build on those points using my traditional structure of shapes, colors, and values, as well as with the adjustment treatment and corrections in the PSD file.

Conclusion

I'd like to believe I'm creating all this 100% from scratch, but the truth is many of these stories are old ideas that capture our human nature. What I'm basically doing is educating myself and making interpretations using the skills I've developed over the years. I'm not sure if this is good or not, but I find it particularly fun. I hope this helps you during your journey as well.

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