23/07/15 - Backstory and Prop development

Not much of an update today, just tweaked a few things for the backstory of my scenario.

UPDATE NOTES:

• Embry has made the transition from a mundane human to a fully fleshed clay figure.  Following an idea from a previous entry, he now has a space in his chest where a clay heart is missing.
• Vasili, the figure encased in my frozen mirror prop, is still his lost love and holds his heart. I wasn't sure what I wanted to make them, but have decided upon a forest druid.  I would like their design to be ambiguous, with lots of cooler greens, purples and dark browns.  They would be clothed in things reminiscent of leaves and flowers and incorporate bark inspired textures where possible.
• The fact that I don't have to render them in 3D means that I have a little more freedom with their design.  However, this means that the texture of my prop might be a tad on the intricate side drawing-wise, seeing as they will be encased in it.
• Tutor also suggested that instead of having the ice mirror flat on one side, I make it faceted like a diamond.  This way I could have Embry touch the faces of the crystal and have them light up instead of him running his fingers over a flat surface.

REVISED STORY:

 The Story now goes that a forest druid named Vasili grew lonely roaming the forest on their own and longed for someone to talk to and share the history of the woods with.  They fashioned a small golem out of clay and breathed life into it, naming him Embry as he sparked a fire in their heart.

The two became inseparable and the creator found themselves falling in love with their creation.  They promised the clay figure a heart and set about making one, but before they could bestow it upon him, a jealous frost witch swooped down and imprisoned the druid, taking them away to her citadel of ice far over the mountains.  

Embry was left with a hole where his heart should have been, realizing that he could only feel complete if he was reunited with Vasili, that he could only love them back if he found them and the heart they had made for him. The little golem set off for the frost covered tundra, determined to win his beloved, and his heart back.

Upon reaching the Citadel. he finds Vasili at the end of a frozen corridor, encased in a vast icy mirror.  Upon touching the mirror its faces light up beneath his hands, shifting and glowing in an aurora of colors as soft piano notes echo about the hall.  He can see that the druid has his heart in their hands, but there is no way to break the glass.

PROP:

Some inspirations for the frozen druid/ice mirror prop were aura quartz and crystals in general, cut diamonds, and flowers in ice:

In terms of characters and pose, it made me think of the Shiva Summon from Final Fantasy, as well as Elixir from episode 10 of King of Bandit Jing:

And some palette ideas for the Vasili part of the prop: