An Introduction to Character Studies

In an effort to help people draw their fan art better, Final Fantasy Illumina presents a series of intricate features, analyzing the designs of several characters from recent Final Fantasy games.

These studies of character designs are not technically tutorials, but rather a series of possibly-too-in-depth references for artists to use when drawing fan art. They could prove very useful for producing accurate details, understanding the underlying structure of clothing, or for capturing the essence of a character. If nothing more, I just hope they are a good read.

For this installment, I examine the character design of the main male protagonist in Final Fantasy XII, Vaan. Due in no small part to his dwindled role in the game's story, Vaan hasn't become nearly as popular of a character as his comrade Balthier. However, he is still often included in much of FFXII fan art, and I felt it only fair to devote a character study to the game's main character.

I will be meticulously analyzing different parts of his design, in the order of: Overall Figure, Face and Hair, Upper Body ~ Front, Upper Body ~ Back, Arms and Legs, Expressions. He might not have much in the way of intrigue working for him in the game, but his design is certainly interesting.

June 5th, 2008 PAGE 00