Cyora (pronounced "see-oh-rah"), is a character based on the maned wolf. She is a performer, specializing in singing (tentative).
Inspiration and Refs
Cyora's name comes from the scientific name of the maned wolf, Chrysocyon brachyurus, cyo from the first part and ra from the second part of the name. As such, her design is also matching to that of the maned wolf's pelt:
The limbs of the maned wolf are covered in black fur, and this is seen in the black cloth of both the gloves and the leggings.
The white fur on the wolf's chest and neck, with black in between, is expressed through the white fur accessories and the black sheer section of the dress at the same corresponding locations.
The long hair tied into a ponytail represents the wolf's mane, which starts out orange, and then transitions into a dark brown/black the further down the fur goes along its back.
The ears and tail are the same as the wolf's, with white fur at the inside of the ears and end of the tail.
The gold accent on the socks is based on the golden sheen reflected off the wolf's fur at certain times (thus not as noticeable).
Furthermore, the clothing and accessories add to the character's personality. Her outgoing nature and identity as a performer is reflected in the boldness distinct shape of her orange, pleated mini-dress. The jewelry at the waistband adds visual interest as it breaks up the solid orange above and below it.
Process
From the sketch phase, I incorporated most of the clothing elements listed above. However, I changed the original waistband design as the braided and hanging cloths there felt like they did not match the more elegant dress and fur. The rounded chains of jewelry as divided the waistband to make it look not as rigid.
The initial base coloring was done by using CSP's border effect to quickly create outlines around each "block" of color without having to draw the outlines. From there, I combined all those base color layers and painted above them for shadows, highlights, and details. I also fixed the face proportions and made edits to the hair and tail, as explained below.
In the coloring phase, I also observed saturation to make sure the contrast and gray values were distinct. From the dark areas of the hair to the dress and upper glove, then to the waistband, lower glove, and lastly the legs, these darker, more saturated areas guide the viewer's eyes along the character, creating a smooth flow.
Two major changes to create better visual flow were edits to the ponytail shape and tail placement. As seen on the right, the two silhouettes show a before and after. The first silhouette's hair goes off to the left, where it leads the viewer's eyes outwards instead of down, breaking the pose's flow. From the silhouette view, it is also difficult to discern the end of the ponytail as hair or perhaps some other fur accessory. Thus, I changed the hair to wind back towards the body and tail, with thinner strands of hair to indicate that it is the end of the ponytail. Then, with the tail, I moved it closer to the body so it doesn't look too extended backwards, and also connects with the leg so the lower half looks more like one singular section. It also doesn't overlap with the right arm anymore as seen in the second silhouette, so the parallel flow between the arm and tail is also clearer.
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