JOVANNA
VibeXP's The Coldest Winter follows Jovanna Peña, a fierce Dominicana living in New York and the game's unfortunate protagonist. As a passionate dreamer, she had big plans for stardom, until New York froze overnight. Now, her new dream is just to survive a cold night!
QUICK-DRAW!
One of my first assignments as a 2D Artist for VibeXP's The Coldest Winter (TCW) was to draw Jovanna and Darwin's first interaction in
Ch. 1 Gunpoint, showing a wary and fierce Jovanna as a mischievous Darwin slyly reaches for her in a chaotic downtown NYC.
The goal was to create a full body, fish-eye view of Jovanna pointing a gun towards the camera. Below, you'll see the build-up from start to finish, including video snippets of the coloring process.
SKETCH
Working closely with Evan Hernandez, VibeXP's Game and Art Director, I used a character sheet he had created of Jovanna and stock photos of the desired pose as references for this project.
While I worked on the overall shapes and anatomy, Evan's familiarity with Jovanna made him better-suited to creating her facial expressions in that moment.
We initially worked on a classic front-facing angle but decided against it, preferring to go with the fish-eye view's dramatic flourish which befitted her situation.
To further achieve the pose we were looking for, I made multiple sketches trying to understand the angle and the different perspectives that best suits her body type and said dramatic flair.
A similar process was used for the gun as well.
LINE ART
Creating line art has always been my favorite because of how meditative it can be! However, it's not without its challenges.
Considering TCW's edgy anime visuals, line art and cross hatching were important elements to capture well, especially under the high contrast in lighting. Cross hatching was used to emphasize this while giving it a charged and mysterious feel, as seen in manga like Attack on Titan and Berserk.
COLOR
Coloring Jovanna in this chapter's environment was a fun challenge! True to anime style, cel shading helped create the pop of color TCW showcases, decorated beautifully by cross hatching that enhances lighting and shading.
Below are a series of speed paint videos documenting my coloring process of Jovanna's dress and gun.
DRESS
To prepare for coloring, I used layer masking to easily make non-destructive adjustments, especially when experimenting with color.
I began creating depth by using a mix of both air brushing and cel shading to define values. Using cross hatching to signify shadows made this easier to do.
To further add depth, I smudged and air-brushed edges to simulate the diffusion of light on thin cloth, in preparation for texturing sequins.
BLENDING
Once satisfied with the base, I used a modified brush to create a sequins texture on the dress, using its values as my guide.
To do so, I had to experiment with different brush modes and color adjustments to capture the desired texture effects.
TEXTURING
GUN
After masking and prior to applying values, I adjusted the base color to match the lighting of the scene by experimenting with different layer modes.
To save time, I used the selection tool on different areas of the surface to remove unneeded lighting.
Here, experimenting was heavily involved.
I found that cross-hatching color can be used as a blending technique. It works well on celshading metallic textures as it also compliments straight sharp edges of color.
CROSSHATCHING
After adding details, color adjustments were needed to capture the correct blend with the environmental lighting.
I also did minor fixes and redo's along the way.
One major addition here were simple highlights that often come with smooth metallic surfaces.
HIGHLIGHTING
SEEING DOUBLE
Once finished with the initial version, I used it as a base to design the accessories that appear according to the player's path in the game. Some accessories include Jovanna's jacket and bracelet. Her hair also has 2 versions, one neat and one messy.
LET'S FACE IT
To match the horror and suspense in TCW, Jovanna has a wide range of facial expressions, some of which I've created can be seen below. Evan already had a couple of facial expressions drawn which greatly helped with planning and executing the more recent versions.
SASSY
CRY
FLINCH
An important part of the planning was having access to a team-wide online visual board such as Milanote. Because multiple facial expressions can signify a single emotion, I worked closely with Evan to determine the ones Jovanna would make the most based on her personality. The result is a powerful main character with a free spirit and passionate soul.
WHAT'S IN THE BAG?
Jovanna's trusty Turista bag is her best friend. Its contents are mystery for now, but we do know it would be wise for a woman to arm herself with Glam Shot pepper spray while walking down the New York streets. An umbrella is also a must for the rainy weather, but how will it hold against an unnatural raging blizzard?
It's essential for Jovanna to be prepared to face anything on the streets of New York, whether it be the weather or its people. While there will be plenty more to unlock, these items are the main focus for Ch. 1. References were used to get the basic shapes of each item, then modified to fit the world of TCW. I focused on the texture while trying to maintain the cel shaded look.
