Grande Dame References
I pulled from many sources for visual inspiration. The biggest inspiration was Gloria Swanson in the movie Sunset Boulevard. For those of you unfamiliar with the movie (which was later remade as big broadway musical), it is the story of a faded star of the silent screen era, living in the past in her decaying mansion on the fabled Los Angeles street, "Sunset Boulevard". Gloria Swanson was herself a star of silent films, and her later role in Sunset Boulevard pretty much defined her career for posterity. Her portrayal has become the archetype for the "elder diva actress" or "dramatic grande dame" who uses bravado to mask deep sadness and regret. So this design pulls from that whole genre and archetype.
Here's a reference pic of Gloria Swanson I used that gave me the idea of the big beehive head wrap:
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For the coat/cape, I knew I wanted it to be big and billowy, to allow me to interpret the top part as long drooping willow leaves. In this case, I was actually thinking of the garments worn by one of the most famous wicked cartoon grande dames of all -- Cruella Deville:
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Yeah, she wears a fur coat and not a cape, but that was the big, oversized feel I had in mind.
Weeping Willow's body is supposed to evoke the image of a long, tight evening gown. Weeping Willow doesn't have feet, she has prehensile "roots" (Ingrain should be in her level-up moveset, imho), that are supposed to look like the bottom of a dress spreading out on the floor, perhaps hinting at the tattered look you see in some witches dresses.
Weeping Willow's arms are colored to give the impression of arm-length gloves that complete the look of a high-society lady.
I originally had Weeping Willow posed standing pretty much straight up. But while searching for references, I came across this picture of a figurine titled "Grande Dame":
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I loved the way the figurine's hips are shifted to the side, so I incorporated that into Weeping Willow's stance.
Eye References
Ah, the eyes. In my opinion, Weeping Willow's eyes are really the centerpiece of the design. I know some people don't like the eyes, but I personally love them. I worked very, very hard to get them just right and I am pleased with how they turned out. When designing the eyes, I knew I wanted them to be "wide open". There's something very creepy about a wide-eyed stare. Here's a pic of Gloria Swanson doing the look in Sunset Boulevard:
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I also mentioned in my first post that I was thinking of the creepy open-eyed look that some people get when they have had too many facelifts, and their skin has been pulled so tight that their eyes look like they are perpetually open.
Here is an early development sketch of the eyes, when I was considering having her face wrapped in post-surgery bandages, with big wide-open eyes:
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I decided to ditch the whole plastic surgery angle, because it didn't look that great, we've already done the bandages look in the biggest way possible with CAP in Revenankh, and plastic surgery isn't exactly the sort of thing you play up in a kid's videogame. But the sketch got me thinking of a scene from A Clockwork Orange, where Alex's eyes are propped open with little hooks, forcing him to watch some disturbing films:
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That scene is what led me to extend Weeping Willow's "eyelashes" all the way up to her "headband". I planned on having big eyelashes anyway, just to emphasize the feminine look. But by extending them all the way up like that was due to Kubrick's film. I realize it is an incredibly obscure reference, but if there are any Clockwork Orange fans out there, you might appreciate my nod to one of the creepiest scenes of all time.
The black drooping ellipses under her eyes are supposed to convey sadness, like a woman who wears lots of mascara, and it runs down her face when she cries.
Here's an early inking of the eyes, when I was trying to make all the eye elements fit together.
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I hated that version, for obvious reasons. But I knew the elements had potential. In the final version, you can see how I pulled it all together.
For the record, in Pokemon terms, I don't think of Weeping Willow as having "eyelashes" or "mascara" or anything like that. She has organic face markings around her eyes. All this stuff I am mentioning here, is just visual inspiration for how I came up with the look.
