KANIK, The Winter Warrior
Kanik is a young Greenlandic Inuit girl and sci-fi warrior. With this character I experimented with realistic and stylized versions while still maintaining their tough, independent essence.
In the realistic approach I referenced the Greenland Inuit in her physical features and clothing. The shoulder mounted cannon and backpack contrast her young, innocent face. She looks sweet, but she's definitely a badass!
In the rendering I created Photoshop brushes that mimic impasto techniques with the bevel and emboss effect. That combined with the grain, noise, and sharpness gave the piece a traditional feel with lots of gritty texture.
In the stylized approach I took more liberties with colour - frosty purple hair and cool toned, saturated highlights in the face. Then I rendered her in a flat style with some dramatic light and shadow. Like the realistic piece I added the grainy texture for extra grit.
Linework studies - playing with style and proportions.