My Snowy Owl/Queen WIP

 Almost Finalized look of the character



It's so dark, because initially I was going to go straight to color. Since I was still figuring out design elements like crown, attire and even some armor for the bird I felt I should do a value study first. Everything is still sketchy and rough, but it gives me a good idea where I want to be. I'm leaning toward a round decorative shield in the background.

Shorter Hair


I always envisioned her to have short hair, but during the design process I fell in love with super short hair. Also, I didn't feel she should be in a traditional throne type setting. Each sketch was going toward a viking/norse type of look--and I liked it! 

The Beginning


The initial sketch was of a younger woman. I wasn't sure if I wanted her evil or just normal (lol). After the initial sketch, I felt the queen should be older/mature. I wasn't interested in drawing/painting an oversexualized 16-year old looking queen. There are a lot of art depicting that type of image, I just didn't want to go down that route.