Project Realization: Meet the Cast.

Character Concept Art: Misery & Kindness.

In order to create the proper persona for this characters, I imagined first the sort of air and appearance a timid person would exude. It was obvious that Misery had to embody her name as best as she could, not only to pull heartstrings but also to help express her character better.

 I put together a list of keywords that helped in her design; Helpless, Shy, Sad, Weak, Quiet. Using these, I established her draft and gave her a pose that best suited these keywords. A little hunch and a protective, semi-crossed arm pose seem to portray her timid side very well, so I went with that. It was a quick decision to arrive at, and I didn't have to make any drafts before Misery came to life on her own. 

Kindness was a similar story. I needed someone who looked approachable, confident and at the same time had to be of a simpler and less outstanding design in order to not take the limelight away from the main Protagonist. Thus, a random brainfart created Kindness in a moment of inspiration. A practical, gentle-looking soul with a passion for helping others and toward her own studies. 

I designed her to be older than Misery, in order to bring about the 'senpai' or senior student sort of relationship. It would make more sense in this context as it gives ample opportunity for the characters to meet and yet have time to be apart in logical terms. 

P.S. (Her initial hair color was Platinum Blonde, but changed to dark brown in order to suit the local audience.)

Below are some examples of facial expressions I created to give a livelier and more realistic feel to the characters: 

Also began working on some clothing variation. I started with Misery, being the main character and all. Some casual-wear additions to her wardrobe.

After this, I will be working on the antagonist, as well as start experimenting with composing more OSTs for the project.