Digital Reflection 14 - weapon design and outfit layering breakdown

I started producing weapon and prop silhouettes for the character, once again pulling together a mini reference board for this. I was using weapon inspiration from fantasy and western designs which would help me to achieve a middle ground. There were various objects that I considered developing, such as a blade fan and a hunting knife, but the two objects that I decided to develop was a shotgun and a parasol.

Weapon and Prop moodboard

The shotgun was a typical example of a wild west weapon, using 12 gauge bullets that would be placed in her bandolier. I combined this functionality with fantasy shapes and colours, once again thinking about the shape language I was going for and using my moodboard as reference for metal inlays and component shapes on the shotgun.


The parasol reflected her position as a lady in Western society, but with a deadly edge. I looked at references of cane swords in real life and in games, such as Bloodborne, and played around with the idea of her hiding a thin blade in the parasol handle. This emphasised her cunning and deadliness as a gang leader, with the parasol's deceptive initial appearance.

Weapon development

The next stage was to produce colour variations for both the parasol and shotgun. I used my chosen character colours as reference, playing with darker and lighter weapon colours. I went for light colours that would stand out from the character's dress, with pink tinted metals. This gave the shotgun and the parasol a more magical and unusual value. I also produced a sketch of the weapon firing, and the colours it would produce. I reverted to the glowing orange colours that I had used for her eyes and her crystal brooch, which allowed for continuity and a sense of magical power.

Final colour variations

A page was produced to show how her clothes would be layered. Her trousers under the skirt would be held up with the suspenders, and the skirt would fasten with one button at the front. The bandolier belt could then be placed on top around the waist. This page would be useful if the character had different clothing options within the game, such as an option to remove the skirt and just wear the trousers instead.

Layering the clothing and accessories