elite forgeworker

Concept art of a character called 'Elite Forgewoker,' showing front, back, and side views. The character wears a heavy cloth outfit with a linen undershirt, wraps, shoes, apron, hat, and pants, all in dark colors with red accents. The outfit features glowing opal trim. There are also sketches of the character's head showing different facial expressions.

I love character and tool design and I wanted to create a character that might exist in a MOBA game. I was aiming for a slightly cartoonish style, and a character design where I could explore various color schemes and skins.

the process

step 1: ideation and worldbuilding

I imagined this character hailing from an imagined fantasy world based around ceramic and wrought iron technology. I wanted to explore lots of ceramic pots and chests, reimagining fantasy items traditionally rendered in wood and metal in clay or ceramic.

This started with some sketches of pots and loot chests that might exist in this world.

Sketches of five different decorative containers or vases with various designs, including human face motifs, geometric patterns, and technical features.
Sketches of six different loot chests with various designs, handles, and decorations, including faces and symbols.

step 2: silhouettes

I had no idea what sort of character design I wanted to make, so I decided to quickly sketch a large variety of character silhouettes: a plethora of shamans, artisans, and manual laborers. One that especially stood out to me was a rotund character with a large set of tongs, that’s the one I chose to develop further.

Sketches of nine fantasy characters labeled A to H, each with unique costumes and accessories, depicting diverse roles such as warriors, mages, and adventurers.

step 3: skins

With a silhouette chosen, I devised six directions the character could take. Maybe the original ironworker design was best, or maybe he should be a miner, or even a chef!

Six character skins with weaponry and armor, each with labels: Tundra Welder, Elite Forgewroker, Mountain Metalsmith, Sacred Grove Caretaker, Tunneler, and Cakesmith.

step 4: color schemes

Having picked a skin, there were still lots of decisions to be made: namely color schemes, patterns, and motifs! I mocked up six, with varying levels of polish vs. grime, and slightly different cultural references.

Six versions of a welder character in different colors and patterns.

step 4: character sheet

Concept art of a character called 'Elite Forgewoker,' showing front, back, and side views. The character wears a heavy cloth outfit with a linen undershirt, wraps, shoes, apron, hat, and pants, all in dark colors with red accents.

I chose a color scheme, and drilled down into the details, defining the facial features more tightly, and highlighting elements like the tool design, materials, and motifs.

step 5: character abilities

No MOBA character is complete without some attacks. I decided to design some keyframes for minor and major attacks that were centered around this character’s identity as a worker in a fantasy forge.

Illustration of a silhouetted character using large red-hot smithing tongs to grab an enemy.
Digital artwork titled 'Ethereal Binding' showing a silhouette of a person captured by orange translucent chains on an intricate geometric pattern.
Designs and measurements of a spectral steel golem, featuring a glowing yellow-orange outline, a tall height of 3 meters, with various mechanical parts and a silhouette of the golem with its head and body. The image includes a front view, side view, and a scaled silhouette for size reference, labeled with height measurements.