APP Home (AOI): Drawing the Characters

Now that I’m working on sketching the characters I shall look up on Google for some reference images and to also find out some little details about them so that I could jot it down in my sketchpad and use as inspiration.
Most of the inspiration for my characters was taken from the bullet-points I had constructed when reading on London folklore. It was easier for me to jot down these notes at that time because I find that I often produce images in my head when reading.

Mood Board

Image sources: http://downloadwallpaperhd.net/cat-wallpaper-hd/; http://www.warrenphotographic.co.uk/05858-ginger-cat-sitting-looking-round; http://www.alertstillness.com/2013/05/11/boy-sits-overlooking-the-sea/; http://dgsmith.org/tag/matthew-shepard/; http://www.flickr.com/photos/50305674@N08/galleries/72157623942802815; http://www.northamptonshirewildlife.co.uk/npton/sys2.htm; https://www.rspb.org.uk/wildlife/birdguide/name/g/goldeneagle/index.aspx; http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Golden_Eagle/id; http://birdart.lanius.ro/flying-raptors-paintings/368; http://eagleman6788.wordpress.com/2012/09/23/the-mystery-of-collective-intelligence-stunning-2/; http://sorrowolf777.skyrock.com/1378867860-Jack-Talon-a-Ressort.html; http://lindowyn-stock.deviantart.com/art/Dance-with-Me-3-43670262; http://www.layoutsparks.com/pictures/disney-0; http://www.visualphotos.com/image/2x4543542/a_young_woman_holding_a_bowl_of_soup; http://liam-stock.deviantart.com/art/Black-Magic-22-129082887;  http://rpartridge.deviantart.com/art/Spring-Heeled-Jack-2-179489163; http://www.portlandmaine.com/event/sherlock-holmes-camp/; http://www.mhpbooks.com/lawyer-set-to-challenge-the-sherlock-holmes-estate/        

I made sure to collect as many references as I could because I didn’t just want to copy them, but adapt them into how I wanted the characters to be posed. I focused more on the birds because I wasn’t very familiar with the species – especially goshawks and starlings – and it was important that I could see the differences between each one for when it comes to the sketching stage.

Sketching

Taking all of these references into account I then started doing some sketches, using the ‘line’ technique shown in my storyboard research.
At the corner of the page I jotted down some notes I took when looking at these reference images, and also when I briefly researched into the three different birds to understand the hierarchy between them.

Conclusion:
With all of my characters sketched I can now place them ‘within the scene’. I have decided to not do the Blind Beggar’s Daughter because it resembled Disney too much, and I wanted to choose something that isn’t similar to other stories. This is why I had decided to do Sherlock in the end because it would be nice to include a better-known narrative to show that they all take place in London.