Shapes And Sizes : Geoffrey

Almost every character has their own unique anatomical structure in terms of build (of course) and for the sake of consistency and practice, I wanted to do some studies of characters I thought I've established pretty well. (ie those with head turn sheets) Also want to apologize in advance for these being so mechanical; they're just to figure out proportions, clothing, ect.

Skunks have very downy fur so I wanted that to show on his shoulders and tail. It's not in the chest area though because skunks generally lack the same length of fur in that area. As a side note his dorsal marking fades from off white to a brown color as it gets towards the middle of his spine and tail base. It's mainly to keep his markings from looking too overwhelming.

I did some research on archers and realized the benefits of some of the tools the use. Although he has a crossbow I've always pictured him carrying a collapsible bow that he could use for larger targets. Because his fur could misdirect the strike or retard the speed; I thought it would be more logical for him to wear a bracer to prevent this. And instead of arrows for his crossbow he would use quarrels.

And yes, his left hand is purposefully white. :D It's based on a presumed color mistake I saw in an older issue once. But it works out really because his father was mostly an all white striped skunk (in my universe) while his mother was mostly black with muted white markings.

Geoffrey Evolution

This character evolved a lot faster than Antoine or the others. Maybe it's because he's a caniform and not as design oriented originally that he's allowed me to explore more in terms of design without feeling hindered.

When I first designed him I still wasn't thinking too much in terms of making any short stories or comics based on the franchise; I was still in the realm of doodling for kicks. So  he was originally drawn to be tall and light, almost feathery.

But when I really started to design the characters and get more serious about the forms of each species; he became heavier and stockier.

Skunks tend to have small heads and thick muscular bodies similar to their cousin; the badger. His jaw became more muscular, his muzzle thicker, and his chin longer. I deliberately gave his chest marking a shape similar to a shield symbolize his duty as a royal guard. And it also has the neat look of a pointed arrow head when he's fully erect. In terms of posture that is. :) 

This is the end result of what I'll most likely be sticking with. I went through three different muzzle shapes before settling on this one. But I think it suites his species and personality quite well.