Here I created an alternate design for Astora's armor to better reflect her angelic origins. This was undertaken in response to a sense of dissatisfaction with my previous design. I think I may experiment more with her shoulder guards to see if I can generate further designs that could be used as alternate clothing/armor later in the series.  

Once I have worked the scene up to a desired point I paste it back into my test page to evaluate the result.

Personally I am very happy with this test so far. It meets the requirements of a mood and atmosphere that are consistent with a dark fantasy comic.

I am also very confident I can produce a very professionally end product using this process. 

Once I have sketched out my scenes and taken them to a blocked in tonal phase I cut out the first panel and paste it into a new document The Render Window. From here I start to refine the forms and add suggestive details. I want to keep the artwork loose and suggestive of detail and form but the final product will be taken to a higher standard that what is seen here. 

Here I conducted a process experiment to test a workflow for the comic I had in mind.

Firstly I would reed my script and take note of key scenes I wish to depict, in this case Astora is taking on a band of mercenary orks and this series of panels depicts the events of the first ork to charge her.

Using aspects I liked from all the thumbnail images I began painting a being that reflected all of my design choices that were explored during my thumb-nailing stage.
I am very happy with how this design turned out. I especially like the sci-fi aspect of this character mixed in with a dark fantasy theme this could be the staple of my art style for the rest of the comic.

Dark Sci-Fantasy 

seems an appropriate title for this mixed genre 

 

I started by drawing quick random shapes largely using the lasso tool. This allowed me to very rapidly cut out vague and interesting shapes which I then filled in using my imagination.

I began seeing a type of techno mage appearing as I drew more thumbnail images and started to like the concept.

The mystics: my inspiration for these mysterious beings are the tails of druids and shamans mixed with an equally mysterious robed monks from Star Wars - The Silent http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/The_Silent

The Silent started appearing in hospitals during the clone wars, the mere presence of these beings successfully increased recovery rates significantly and they never spoke hence the name.

I wanted to invoke a similar entity in Spawn of Darkness a group of strange robed sages that take up residence in the halls of Kings and Jarls offering their powers as a resident mage.
However their native language is poisonous to al living things and if heard even by mistake, can cast the listener into chaotic madness.

So far I am happy with these two the artwork could be taken to a higher standard in the future if necessary . However I like the dynamic these sisters bring to the story especially If indeed they are the true daughters of the Pale Witch another one of her disturbing experiments into dark occult magic.
Now I see them in their final design they remind me of the weird sisters from Gargoyles a cartoon series created back in 1994 by Disney they were of the children of Oberon and possessed immense magical power such as giving Demona and Makbeth immortality. I am planning on the witch perhaps possessing one of the sisters and turning her into a witch like her true mother.
This would create and interesting situation that Johna Astora has to deal with during the events of the story.

I wanted the aspect of symmetry happening between the sisters to invoke their otherworldly kinship and most importantly they be in some form of physical contact to help focus their power. This was inspired by Mas Y Menos two characters from the Teen Titans cartoon show, super fast twin brothers who need to remain in physical contact to access their super speed http://teentitans.wikia.com/wiki/M%C3%A1s_y_Menos

After sourcing some images of various wise women and oracles I started sketching some designs In the end I went with a style of medieval dress often worn by wealthy upper-classes.

The Twin sisters Helgha and Meldra were borne of an unknown mother who seduced the king and gave birth to them in a single night. This has led many to believe the twins are the offspring of the witch of Margaul forest.
Despite the fact the twins have been nothing but great and valuable assets to the settlement they are greatly mistrusted by the towns people and feared as being double agents of the witch. While this is not true the sisters are not beyond the corrupting power of the witch.
Time can only tell what will become of these sisters, will they stand steadfast in the face of purity or will they fall into darkness and corruption.

The sisters have no direct influence and are largely from my imagination they are however loosely derived from tales of immaculate conception and unnatural births such as the Solar messiahs including Jesus, Horus Krishna, Mithra and many others.   

Here is the final rendition of Johna Astora featured on a design sheet which includes her bio.
I feel this design overall is much more successful than previous not only design wise but also in her facial features and the sense of contempt she displays. Her personality is much more apparent in this piece and her design is much closer to my original vision of her.