RPG Birds
Production of concept art for a collection of illustrated anthropomorphised Australian birds with RPG classes inspired by D&D.
Solo Project
Development
This was a personal project to improve my character design and concept art abilities. I chose to combine two of my interests and design a collection of Australian birds, focusing on birds I find in my area, wearing outfits based on RPG classes specifically inspired by Dungeons and Dragons.
I started by deciding on how I wanted to anthropomorphise the birds. I wanted to keep them relatively close to real birds but slightly simplified and stylised and wearing human clothes and using tools. To achieve this I gave the wings of each bird feathers which acted as two fingers and a thumb, treating the wings more like human arms. I considered having the birds use their talons but that felt awkward to pose, especially if a bird was holding more than one object.
Noisy Miner - Fighter
For each birds I followed a similar process. I first used references of each bird, with images taken from eBird, to better understand the anatomy and colours of each one before designing an outfit based on a chosen class.
I chose a fighter class for the noisy miner. Since I knew I wanted to draw a paladin bird who would be wearing heavier armour, I gave the fighter lighter leather armour, more reminiscent of a low-level adventurer. I found a red cape would stand out best against the grey of the bird while giving them a more heroic look.
Torresian Crow - Rogue
I chose a crow to be a rogue as the black-feathered bird clearly fits the shadowy nature of a rogue.
I considered giving the bird a mask around its beak, but it looked a little ridiculous so I decided on a hood. To give the crow more character, I leaned into the wide white eyes of the crow and made the rogue look constantly fearful and on edge.
Sulphur-Crested Cockatoo - Barbarian
I chose a cockatoo to be a barbarian, as I thought the screech of the cockatoo would work well as a raging battle cry along with their wild crest. I wanted the outfit of the cockatoo to be less armoured and with more furs like a classic barbarian. I gave their outfit and their wings a reddish tint reminiscent of blood and some damaged feathers to make them feel more violent and out-of-control.
Willie Wagtail - Cleric
Choosing a willie wagtail to be a cleric was more a choice based on wanting to draw both a willie wagtail and a cleric and combing the two when there was no obvious option otherwise. I had some difficulty colouring the wings of the willie wagtail, which become a light brown in the light. For the outfit I combined ceremonial robes with armour for the look of an experienced adventurer. For the final character, I exaggerated the eyes of the willie wagtail to look older and sterner.
Laughing Kookaburra - Bard
Drawing a kookaburra as a bard was an obvious choice considering the kookaburra's iconic laughing call. I had some difficulty deciding on an outfit for the kookaburra but settled on a bright blue feathered hat (the feather being one of the kookaburra's own) and a puffy shirt. I chose a lute for the kookaburra to play while singing.
Australian White Ibis - Wizard
I chose this combination simply because I thought the idea of this bird wearing a classic pointy wizard hat would be quite funny. I was inspired by the shape of the ibis' beak to make the pointy wizard hat and staff a similar pointy curve, although I made the hat more crooked for a more interesting look. I also gave the ibis a beard to add to the overall old and wise look of the character.
Bush-Stone Curlew - Ranger
Drawing a bush-stone curlew was a last minute decision. I was originally going to draw a wedge-tailed eagle but seeing some curlews around where I live (and hearing their nightly calls) gave me the inspiration to change the chosen bird. I chose the ranger class as I thought having a bow-wielding bird would help round out the group. For the outfit, I wanted the curlew to be wearing something more simple, like an average hunter, with a cape and hood and leather armour. I also gave them an archery glove for something more unique to this bird.
Australian Magpie - Paladin
I chose for a magpie to be a paladin as I thought territorial nature of the bird fits with the oath-driven nature of the paladin. I designed this bird to be a royal knight wearing heavy plate armour and wielding a sword. I added the red plume and skirt to give the outfit more colour and to match with the red eyes of the bird.
