Building Characters gradually

and widening their world

Dear Reader,

As much as I love drawing cervitaurs, centaurs and fauns I felt like switching it up a bit again.

This phase began with some character designs I did on Patreon and the sparked everyday sketches in me and as you know me I really value my (nearly) daily sketching.

This approach worked with my small people. It started with me designing a couple small characters that made use of rubbish and left me with a world that lead to a whole book .

My plan now is to do one charcter design per month and then let my sketchbook get filled by their lifes and slowly fleshing them out a bit.

So this Month I designed HADES’ DAUGHTER, I named her Desiderata ( a name that popped into my head from the Terry Pratchett, but it also means “things desired”

an there is also a Poem titeled “DESIDERATA”

Desiderata - Words for Life

Go placidly amid the noise and haste,
and remember what peace there may be in silence.
As far as possible without surrender
be on good terms with all persons.
Speak your truth quietly and clearly;
and listen to others,
even the dull and the ignorant;
they too have their story. -This whole paragraph is everything she isn’t

Avoid loud and aggressive persons,
they are vexations to the spirit.
If you compare yourself with others,
you may become vain and bitter;
for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.
Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.-This she is good at :D

Keep interested in your own career, however humble; - She is a bit of a braggard
it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.
Exercise caution in your business affairs;
for the world is full of trickery. -Yes, and it is her doing the tricking
But let this not blind you to what virtue there is;
many persons strive for high ideals;
and everywhere life is full of heroism.

Be yourself. -This I think she always is
Especially, do not feign affection.
Neither be cynical about love;
for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment
it is as perennial as the grass.

Take kindly the counsel of the years, -Nope, she won’t
gracefully surrendering the things of youth.
Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune.
But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings.
Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.
Beyond a wholesome discipline,
be gentle with yourself.

You are a child of the universe,-That she is <3
no less than the trees and the stars;
you have a right to be here.
And whether or not it is clear to you,
no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.

Therefore be at peace with God, -Now I envision her having a yelling contest with Zeus
whatever you conceive Him to be,
and whatever your labors and aspirations,
in the noisy confusion of life keep peace with your soul.

With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams,
it is still a beautiful world.
Be cheerful.
Strive to be happy. -Hard for her but when cuddling her pup she is at peace

— Max Ehrmann, 1927

I only descovered this afterwards, this will be something that gets quoted at her when in many ways the opposite of this poem.

I like this gradual approach of building up and finding out what your character is all about. I rarely have a clear picture from the start. Here my starting point was the daughter of the God of the underworld in our time and from there I started playing and researching to sharpen the vision.

Like the Cerberus Pup having one derpy head, that happened after the first design stage when planning what a cover to a comic book/ manga of hers could look like.

Currently still having a public vote on this on Patreon , feel free to join in and help desiding which one I should finalize and make a tutorial about!

In my new sketchbook (FINALLY! I’m using this one by Ohuhu not sponsored and loving it so far) I added more characters, minions of her dad, to have her someone to interact with and find more of her character.

Proportions don’t always come ou tperfect when sketching two characters together with traditional media so I am happy of the possibily to resize elements of a sketch digitally!

Hades and Desiderata, I think Jason Momoa wold be the perfect actor to play him :3

By the way… you can get the tutorials of 2025 all neatly packed in this PDF as a gift upon subscribing to my Patreon this month<3

#SCHMOESCOSYARTCLUB

Here are some of yours <3

_caelestis, juliet.illustratrice elliot.thebird ,sketchy_kei.h

NEXT PRACTICE will be: Men in suits

Will you participate? :D

If so tag me on Instagram. I will share some in my stories and here <3 #schmoescosyartclub

Love,

Schmoe<3